Environment: Earth Hour 2010 Reminder

Don't forget to join Earth Hour guys!

Animal & News: Save the Sharks NOW!!! (Updated)

http://images.smh.com.au/2010/03/24/1254669/hammerhead-420x0.jpg

Another very sad day for the endangered animals on this planet. Proposal to protect endangered Hammerhead sharks has failed, and all sharks species are expected to be massacred. I have included two news reports here, one from the Sydney Morning Herald and one from Examiner.com . Here are two videos as well:



CITES refuses to protect sharks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOiseCeKFdo&NR=1


It is very very sad because I love this fish since I was a child as I have mentioned in previous entries "Animals and Environment: Do Sharks Deserve to Die for Their Fins?"  I had a very bad day when I heard of the rejection of bluefin tuna protection proposal, but this time, I am FURIOUS!

To let you understand how furious I am, I will later show you some pictures I got yesterday from Dinozzo, a ex-student of mine. They will be disturbing, but that is my point.

What is the matter with these people who voted down the protection proposal at the conference?? What is wrong with us? How can we do such cruel, cold-blooded thing to such beautiful fish? What have they really done wrong? For millions of years, sharks have been maintaining the equilibrium of the oceans, cleaning up dead fishes, shortening the suffering of the ill ones, sucking up poisonous mercury from the waters and so many more, but WHAT DO WE GIVE THEM IN RETURN? We cut off their fins and throw them back into the salty water so that they bleed continuously with their wounds soaked in salty water, suffocate (they breathe only if they swim) helplessly until they watch themselves die in front of each other as they make their final twitch on the ocean floors!!!

Most of them look fierce, but they don't really like to attack humans, they only attack things that struggle in the water, as proven by the Mythbusters (from 8:00 of Part 1 to 2:30 of Part 3):

Mythbusters Season 6 Shark Week Special - Part 1

Mythbusters Season 6 Shark Week Special - Part 2

Mythbusters Season 6 Shark Week Special - Part 3 

And the fact that we haven't even mentioned the cute and calm ones!!! One of my favourite sharks -- Whale Shark

Face to face with a whale shark- Shark Therapy- Big Sharks- BBC Wildlife

They are so calm and beautiful!!! Shark Therapy!!!! Have you heard of that? Did you imagine some kind of mind therapy like this? For those of you who practise Yoga, swimming with whale sharks can be another way for peace of mind! What if they all disappear one day? For those of you who enjoy eating a few thin, transparent, tasteless and poisonous jelly from the back of their fins, ask yourself, how could you put them into your mouth?

Now, here are the pictures from Dicky Ho, the owner of these photos and his encounter with a dying baby whale shark. For original story, you may visit his photo album on Facebook.

Cute baby whale shark found swimming in the shallow water...

And later found to be barely surviving ...

because she was swimming fin-less...

wounds all over her body ...exposing her bones...

tail fin was still intact, maybe the shark-finners left in a hurry ...escaping?...

They could only do what they could ... put her to death...

twitch after twitch ...they watch the baby shark taking her last breath ...

Rest In Pace ... baby shark ... Don't be a shark in the next life...

If you are touched, if you care, if you love animals or the world, save the sharks, save the tuna, save our wildlife!!!! For goodness sake!!! We have done enough damage!!!!

 I'm too sad... need to go to bed and cry......


Here's a news for you to get to learn more about whale shark.


"People tell me to eat my bowl of shark fin soup because the shark has died and it won't help the situation by not eating, I tell them to cut the crap! The more people throw away their shark fin bowls, the less popular shark fins are; the less popular they are, the less demand; the less demand, the more worthless shark fins are; the more worthless shark fins are, the fewer fishermen kill sharks; and the shark will be saved. So drop that bowl now!!! " -- Locky


PS:
Sorry guys, no mood for looking up the vocabulary...

Resources:
http://www.examiner.com/x-18953-San-Diego-Headlines-Examiner~y2010m3d24-Proposals-to-protect-endangered-hammerhead-sharks-fails
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/un-body-rejects-protection-for-shark-species-20100324-qw34.html?autostart=1
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8033706.stm


http://www.youtube.com/v/7Nwy9JMlEb4&hl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOiseCeKFdo&NR=1

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/05/animals-and-environment-do-sharks.html
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/03/animal-news-save-bluefin-tuna-now_19.html

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3496604&id=713587967

Website: Discovery Channel

http://www.chris-riley.com/Web_site_Pictures/Discovery_Channel.jpg

Do you like animals? Environment? Do you like watching wildlife videos? If so, and if you are feeling a little full for digesting too much grammar, then you should really visit this absolutely amazing website -- Discovery Channel.

It covers anything from animals, science, millitary, dinosaurs, space and technology. I have recommended a show called Mythbusters in the past, and I still can't get enough of it.

Lots of short videos, great pictures, wide range of knowledge, games and puzzles.

I come here every now and then to find something new to watch.


I have an amazing video for you guys as a start.

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/life-flying-fish-fly.html


Brilliant way to learn listening, isn't it?


Resources:
http://dsc.discovery.com/
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/03/tv-mythbusters.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/life-flying-fish-fly.html

Usage: Modals Anatomy -- Part 3 (Shall & Should)

For those of you who have been trying my exercises in the Usage: Modal Anatomy -- Part 3 (Shall & Should) entry, I can feel that you are improving. Of course, some of you have better concepts than others, but that is normal. Don't feel inferior. I started off slowly and find them rather confusing too, but once you have practised more and have seen more examples, you will eventually feel what the modals are trying to tell you. My tip is you always try to look into the situation first, that is, read between the lines and think carefully, add a little deduction/induction into the examples and then everything will seem so much easier to understand.
*************************************************************************
Shall is never used in modern English in the second person.
It is used in the third person only for legal or formal undertakings and guarantees.

Legal English:

1. The tenant shall hereafter be held responsible for all repairs.

Shall is always used in the first person singular and plural in the interrogative:

Offering (Mainly British English):

1. Shall we dance?
2. Shall I buy you lunch on the way back?

Making suggestion which is advisable to do/not to do (advisability):

1. You should really see that film. It's awesome!
2. You shouldn't buy that. It is too expensive!

Polite request with First Conditional (see Grammar: Zero and First Conditionals (Add-ons) for more details):

1. I should be grateful if you would send me your budget estimate as soon as possible.

Asking for suggestion:

1. Should I buy one more jacket?

Prediction that is expected to happen:

1. It should be a fine day tomorrow! We should be able to play football.

Used as a Second Conditional ( see Grammar: Second Conditional for more details):

1. Should you have any inquiries, please call the hotline.
2. Should he arrive after supper, please show him to his room.
3. If she should /were to leave Paul, I would bet it is because of Keith.

As a subjunctive (See Grammar: Subjunctive Mood for more details):

1. I suggest the chairman be/should be asked to resign.
2. I propose this case be/should be dealt with at once.

Modal Perfect:

You should have done. / You shouldn't have done.
I should have done. / I shouldn't have done.

Past actions & Impossible to change & Regret:

1. I should have read the signs. Now she is so mad at me.
2. I shouldn't have spoken so rudely to her.

Past actions & Impossible to change:
      Keith: You should've been more careful when handling that cup. Now it is broken.
      Michael: Well, you shouldn't have kept those words to yourself till I broke it.


Deserved an action in the past, but was not carried out (usually with passive voice):

1. She should have been awarded the Oscar Award ages time ago. (passive voice)
2. He should have been given the chance to explain himself. (passive voice)

Homework:
Try to explain the meanings of the following sentences in details, you can make your predictions as you wish:
(Leave comments for me to check)

1. "Should've seen it coming, should've read the signs, anyway, I guess it's over." -- Westlife, Fool Again.
2. You really shouldn't have shouted at that dog.
3. Shall we?
4. Should he call, please let me know.
5. You should listen to your mum.
6. I should have given my client a call first. He's not in his office now.
7. He should have been in jail.

Resources:
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/03/usage-modals-anatomy-part-2-will-would.html
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/03/books-movie-drama-sherlock-holmes-vs.html
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/09/grammar-zero-and-first-conditionals-add.html
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/09/grammar-second-conditional.html
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/06/grammar-subjunctive-mood.html

A Proficiency Course in English -- F.V.Bywater
Practical English Usage Third Ed. -- Michael Swan

Animal & News: Save the Bluefin Tuna NOW!!! (Updated)

19th March 2010, Friday, a sad day for the animals, saddest for fish such as the Bluefin Tuna. Conservationists all around the world are trying to save them, and in just one conference their fate has been sealed.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/3335820041c20bdcac5ebc8c2f96136c/608tuna.jpg?MOD=AJPERES

Global conference rejects bans on trade in bluefin tuna, polar bear

By Juliet Eilperin 

Washington Post 

Posted: 03/18/2010 07:21:42 PM PDT

Updated: 03/18/2010 07:21:43 PM PDT

In the contest between commerce and conservation, a global conference this week aimed at protecting imperiled wildlife seems to be giving commerce the upper hand.

Delegates gathered in Doha, Qatar, on Thursday rejected proposals pushed by the United States to impose restrictions on trade in polar bears and Atlantic bluefin tuna, despite arguments that climate change was endangering the polar bears and that bluefin tuna has been fished to precipitously low levels. The group earlier defeated a measure aimed at exposing problems in the global shark trade.

The 175 nations represented at the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora could reconsider the decisions before the meeting ends next week, but they have shown little inclination to make economic sacrifices for the sake of conservation.

CITES, which meets every 2 & 1/2 years to decide whether the world should curb trade in an array of coveted plants and animals, has over four decades restricted the sale of such things as rhino horns, elephant tusks and mahogany trees in the Amazon.

This year, delegates are considering an unprecedented number of commercially valuable marine species, including eight kinds of shark and more than two dozen corals.

U.S. officials and environmentalists thought the case for protection was strong, with the prospect of climate change melting polar bears' sea-ice habitat and the dramatic drop in

the adult population of bluefin tuna.

But while the conference serves to focus public attention on the plight of vulnerable species, it does not always result in heightened environmental protections.

"Today it is clear countries are not ready to ban trade in species that are commercially important," Juan Carlos Vasquez, a spokesman for the CITES secretary general, said in a phone interview from Doha.

The world's economic difficulties added an undercurrent to this week's deliberations.

Frank Pokiak, an indigenous leader from Canada, said indigenous peoples had earned the right to organize commercial bear hunts because of their long history of environmental stewardship. "If it wasn't for polar bears and other wildlife that we harvest, we wouldn't exist today," Pokiak said.

A delegate from Morocco, in opposing the trade restrictions, said that fishing for bluefin tuna "allows 2,000 families to survive."

Tom Strickland, the assistant interior secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, who left Washington on Thursday night to lead the U.S. delegation, said the administration was "deeply disappointed" in the two votes but was still considering how it could press its case.

Any vote can be reconsidered until the last day of the meeting, and delegates have yet to vote on new protections for red and pink corals, tigers, elephants and several shark species.

http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/100303/GAL-10Mar03-3924/media/PHO-10Mar03-208809.jpg

My first impression when I heard the news was, "Hey! It is alright to eat Bluefin Tuna! When are we going to Japanese restaurants this week?" I am a pledged Bluefin Saver, yet I have this feeling. I'm immensely worried what the rest of the world will think when they hear the same news.

But I have no doubt that some people will be on cloud nine. Here's a clip from mysinchew.com,

"It was good," Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama told reporters after a UN wildlife meeting in Qatar voted down a proposal to ban the international trade of bluefin caught in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic.

"It means the import of bluefin tuna will continue for the time being, and I think it's good that the price of bluefin tuna will not rise further," Hatoyama said.

But he added that Japan "should be on alert as we still don't know what will happen" until the end next week of the meeting in Doha of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

A smiling Finance Minister Naoto Kan said he often enjoys "negi-toro", minced fatty tuna mixed with leek usually served on rice.

"It's good that I will be able to keep eating it," he said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano, the top government spokesman, said: "I am relieved that it was voted down last night. I am delighted about that.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/01/05/article-1240756-07C25EA7000005DC-556_468x311.jpg

What can we say? It is money and food we are talking about!!! Who cares about the poor dying fish? One die out and we can switch to other species!!

MY GOD!!! There should be a limit to the consumption of any natural resources by us human beings!!! We shouldn't go all the way! We need to know when to stop! Why genocide??? Don't these people have any guilt??

Guys, let's save the bluefin tuna once again, human beings have let them down, and they are on their own now.




Vocabulary:

imperil -- verb
to put something or someone at risk or in danger of being harmed or destroyed

precipitously -- adverb 
If a reduction or increase is precipitous, it is fast or great

curb -- verb [T]
to control or limit something that is not wanted

covet -- verb [T] formal
to want to have something very much, especially something which belongs to someone else

unprecedented -- adjective
never having happened or existed in the past

plight -- noun[S] 
an unpleasant condition, especially a serious, sad or difficult one

vulnerable  -- adjective 
able to be easily physically, emotionally, or mentally hurt, influenced or attacked

indigenous -- adjective 
naturally existing in a place or country rather than arriving from another place

stewardship -- noun [U]
Someone's stewardship of something is the way in which that person controls or organizes it

genocide --  noun [U]
the murder of a whole group of people, especially a whole nation, race or religious group




Resources:

http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/12/animal-save-bluefin-tuna.html

http://www.mercurynews.com/politics-government/ci_14704877

http://www.mysinchew.com/node/36605

http://apps.wwf.org.hk/seafood/eng/bluefintuna/

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=39358&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=62244&dict=CALD&topic=hills-and-mountains
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=18985&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=17829&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=86856&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=88731&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=40261&dict=CALD&topic=race-and-ethnicity
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=78033&dict=CALD
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=32516&dict=CALD&topic=murder-and-attempted-murder

Sports & People: José Mourinho (The Special One) & his Philosophy

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01584/Jose_Mourinho_1584537c.jpg

José Mourinho[ʒuˈzɛ moˈɾiɲu] , a name unfamiliar to many if you are not into football, but a name so special that one will definitely know if you like the game.  

Unbeaten Home Record

Mourinho is currently on a run of 131 home league matches unbeaten (38 with Porto, 60 with Chelsea and 33 with Inter). His last and only home league defeat came when Porto were defeated 3–2 by Beira-Mar on 23 February 2002. 

José began his career as a footballer, but did not work out very well and so he switched to management. Being the "apprentice" of Sir Bobby Robson, he learnt much from the veteran coach and worked with him at top Portuguese teams Sporting, FC Porto, and at Spanish giant FC Barcelona. He has won many prestigious awards, and the most famous of all, the UEFA Champions League champion in 2004 with FC Porto. He helped to transform Chelsea from a downturning English Premier League(EPL) club to a two-time EPL champion.

In a press conference upon joining the English side, Mourinho said,
"Please don't call me arrogant, but I'm European champion and I think I'm a special one," which resulted in the media dubbing him "The Special One".[1]


But the best part of all, he decided to coach my favourite Italian team, Inter Milan, in June 2008. Inter Milan was already performing very well in the local league, Serie A, under the coaching of Roberto Mancini, but the club has not been able to win the UEFA Champions League Cup since  1965, so José Mourinho has a huge task/burden on his shoulders.

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/10/1002_power100_global/image/jose-mourinho.jpg

Most people describe José as "cocky", but I think that only those who are great and possess very strong self-belief can be justified for that level of "cockiness", and José definitely is a man who has my respect for this cockiness.

"Sometimes in football you win because you're lucky. Sometimes you win because you are the best team. Sometimes you win because you were the best team from the first to the last minute. That team was my team and my players."[2]

Image from guim.co.uk

It really does take a lot of self-confidence and passion to make such a speech, because if you are a Chelsea fan, you will never like this. He added,

"I'm not saying Inter are better than them. I'm saying that, today, Inter were much better than Chelsea and that brought frustration to the Chelsea players.''[2]

Image from guim.co.uk

To be, José is The Special One not only because he is outspoken, but the fact that he speaks truly of his heart and has nothing to hide, no matter how much pressure he faces when facing the harsh press:

"I'm not very happy because they (Chelsea) lost. I'm very happy because my players are happy, my supporters are happy, my president is happy and because I worked so much for this game."[2]

Image from metro.co.uk

These words showed that he is actually a very smart coach who knows how to balance his words so that he does not offend his ex-Chelsea fans. Even his opponent, Ancelotti (the coach of Chelsea) praised José,


"We never had total control of the game and that stopped us from creating chances, even taking advantage of set plays. Above all we were never consistent in our football. The game was won not with quality, but with the strong pressure on every area of the field and the sacrifices made by their players. It wasn't easy to handle that many strikers, so they all had to work very hard."[3]


The history of José Mourinho will continue to be written every day, just like everyone else on this planet, but unlike everyone else, he writes his own history with his version of determinations, passion and attitude -- in the José Mourinho style,

"The only thing I can do is prepare the game with all my qualities, with all my motivation, and play the game tomorrow from my angle and read the game as best I can and make the best possible decisions and give everything I have to my team and help get us through to the quarter-final. Chelsea is different for me and of course I have to be different, but after ninety minutes the first person to win is me."[4]

http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/feb2009/3/9/Jose_Mourinho_145x145_240875051.jpg

Maybe you do not fancy football, maybe you do not care at all, but there are always a lot to learn from people in sports, particularly from those who are as "Special" as José Mourinho, and these are all the qualities of their mind. Learn them, digest them, and then put them into action in your work field, your life, your energy!

You never know how successful you can be in the future! (Don't forget that "future" is any moment after "now", so it can be sooner than you think!)

Never underestimate yourself, and

Image from farm1.static.flickr.com

"Don't settle for less' -- José Mourinho

Vocabulary:
cocky -- adjective /ˈkɒk.i//ˈkɑː.ki/ informal disapproving

describes a young person who is confident in a way that is unpleasant and sometimes rude

Resources:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Mourinho
[2] http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=756919&sec=uefachampionsleague&cc=4716
[3] http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=757008&sec=uefachampionsleague&cc=4716
[4] http://www.inter.it/aas/news/reader?N=33471&L=en
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Bobby_Robson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_League
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Mancini
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.C._Internazionale_Milano


http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=14660&dict=CALD&topic=rude-and-cheeky