Health benefits of coffee: myth or reality?

by Waldirene Biernath

Source: Google image

Coffee is a well known drink all over the world; it has been a highly preferred beverage among many people. Everywhere you go it does not matter which city it is, coffee is widely drunk by so many people. 

With its dark color, strong flavor, and mind-altering properties, coffee has always aroused awe and suspicion in cultures that encountered it. It definitely has become a social symbol for all age groups and due to this it has been developed into many different flavors, forms and presentations. 

Source: Google image

Though the modern coffee drinks or blended drinks with numerous adaptations and flavors have been introduced, black hot coffee is still more popular and still one of the greatest beverages all over the world.

Benefits x Harms

Scientists have published hundreds of papers attributing both harms and health benefits to coffee.

There are the studies suggesting coffee drinkers are less likely to get liver cancer, endometrial cancer, and prostate cancer than abstainers, and coffee has also been associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. 

Source: Google image

According to research by the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), drinking five coffee cups daily, filtered or brewed, it does not alter indices of cholesterol (LDL and HDL) or triglyceride levels and it still helps lose weight.

On the other hand, an analysis of more than two dozen studies concluded that coffee drinkers had about a 20 percent increased risk of developing urinary tract cancer, and a 2010 meta-analysis found that heavy coffee drinking may raise lung cancer risk. Women who drink coffee tend to have lower bone density and an increased risk of fractures compared with nondrinkers, and numerous studies show that coffee increases blood pressure.

What is a Safe Amount of Caffeine?

It is generally agreed that consuming up to 300 mg of caffeine per day is safe. That would be about the amount of caffeine you would get from three cups of coffee. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant may want to decrease that amount or skip the caffeine altogether.

Caffeine is a stimulant and some studies show that small amounts of caffeine may increase your mental response time. Other studies show that the cognitive improvements and mood elevation may not really be due to the beneficial aspects of caffeine as much as ending the withdrawal symptoms we feel when we haven't had our morning "fix" yet.

Source: Google image

Some studies say coffee is good for you; others say it's bad. The scientists are just as confused as we are. Anyway, it is suggested to moderate in consumption of the drink, having like the main idea that everything in excess or abuse it is not good for you.

Learn more on

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=1074559;

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/coffee_health_benefits;

http://www.indicedesaude.com/noticias_ver.php?id=1415

Vocabulary:

mind-altering (adjective):  producing mood changes or distorted perception ("Hallucinogenic drugs are mind-altering substances");

aroused (adjective): very strongly excited or indicating excitement;

awe (noun): a feeling of great respect and admiration, often combined with fear;

brewed (noun):  drink made by steeping and boiling and fermenting rather than distilling;

withdrawal symptoms: any physical or psychological disturbance (as sweating or depression) experienced by a drug addict when deprived of the drug.

Hurricane Irene hits the United States East Coast

by Waldirene Biernath

The torment from tropical storm Irene isn't over as parts of the United States East Coast grappled Monday with still-dangerous flood waters, widespread power outages and stranded residents.

Source: Google image

The US east coast has begun clearing up after the devastation of Irene, which killed at least 21 people.

The storm is now soaking Canada's north-east, while the north-eastern US is battling historic floods; five million US homes have lost power.

Source: Google image

President Barack Obama has warned that the impact of the storm will be felt for some time and that the recovery effort will last for weeks. 

Irene was earlier downgraded to a tropical and then a post-tropical storm. It was classified as a category-three hurricane, with winds of more than 120mph (192km/h), when it swept through the Caribbean last week.

Source: Google image

See more:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/08/29/irene.aftermath/index.html?hpt=hp_t2;

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/29/nyregion/wind-and-rain-from-hurricane-irene-lash-new-york.html?_r=1&hp

Vocabulary:

grapple (noun):  the act of engaging in close hand-to-hand combat; (to) grapple (verb): to fight with someone; grapple with something to try hard to understand a difficult idea or to solve a difficult problem;

widespread (adjective): happening or existing in many places, or affecting many people;

outages (noun): a period of time when the electricity supply in a particular place stops working;

stranded (adjective): left somewhere with no way of going anywhere else;

battling (verb: to battle): to try very hard to deal with a difficult situation.

Open Enrollment to Portuguese Proficiency until September 12th

by Waldirene Biernath

Enrollments for the Proficiency Examination in Portuguese Language for Foreigners (Celpe-Bras) are open until September 12. The examination is linked to Ministry of Education (MEC) and organized by the National Institute of Educational Studies "Anísio Teixeira" (INEP). 

Source: Google image

Certification is offered for Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, Advanced and High Advanced levels. It is the only Portuguese certificate in Brazil that has official recognition by the Brazilian government.

Since 2009 UFSCar is accredited by MEC as the authorized service center to Celpe-Bras because of the good research and work UFSCar has been developed in this area.  UFSCar has adequate infrastructure, with rooms and spaces for the implementation of the Examination.

The written and oral tests are going to be applied in the period of October 25th to 27th 2011. Application forms and further information on the Celpe-Bras are available on site http://celpebras.inep.gov.br/inscricaoCelpeBras/. Questions may also be informed by e-mail celpeufscar@gmail.com.

Source: http://www.saocarlosagora.com.br/cidade/noticia/2011/08/26/21388/exame-de-proficiencia-em-lingua-portuguesa-recebe-inscricoes-ate-12-de-setembro/

Vocabulary:

Enrollments (noun):  the act of enrolling; the body of people (such as students) who register or enroll at the same time.

Dilma Roussef World's Third Most Powerful Woman

by Waldirene Biernath

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is the world's third most powerful woman, according to business magazine Forbes.

Source: Google image

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff 

was ranked third most powerful.

Women on the list come from politics, business, media, entertainment and non-profit groups. Their power derives not only from money and might, but also social media, reach and influence.

The magazine said Rousseff’s more pragmatic and capitalist approach after appointed as Brazil's minister of energy and her current confrontation with a rebellious National Congress threatening Brazil's economy gave her third place in the list.

Rousseff ranked 95th in the list when she was running for office last year, and climbed to the 16th position after her victory in November.

German chancellor Angela Merkel is the most powerful woman in the world, according to the latest Forbes list. She is followed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Michelle Obama, Christine Lagarde, Lady Gaga and Oprah Winfrey are among the other names in the list's Top 20.

See more on 

http://www.forbes.com/wealth/power-women

Vocabulary:

 might (noun): great power or strength, especially a country’s military or economic power.

Deputy wants poor population’s birth control

by Waldirene Biernath

The State Representative Antonio Salim Curiati (São Paulo Progressive Party) who had his house robbed on Tuesday (23), criticized the Federal Government's social policy and stood for (defended) birth control of poor population.

Source: Google Image
Curiati defends birth control policy

"Dilma talks about the Family Grant. Then you bestow the poor community, and they start having children. It is necessary to set a birth control policy," he said.

According to the military police, three armed robbers held up the housemaid while she took out the garbage, around 9am. The robbers were armed with pistols and held up the deputy and his wife into house.  They spent about 40 minutes on the spot and fled carrying jewelry, cell phones and money. A fourth robber waited outside the home on a car, used to run away.

Curiati is in his eighth term (mandate) in the Legislature, where he is leader of the Progressive Party.

What is your opinion about the deputy’s polemic statement? Do you agree with a birth control of low income population to avoid the criminality?

See more on

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/964323-deputado-assaltado-defende-controle-de-natalidade-de-pobres.shtml

Vocabulary:

policy (noun): a set of plans or actions agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group;

grant (noun): an amount of money that the government or an organization gives you for a specific purpose and does not ask you to pay back. Money that you have to pay back is called a loan;

(to) bestow (verb): to give valuable property or an important right or honor to someone;

(to) fled (past verb flee): to escape from a dangerous situation or place very quickly.

Dilma announces expansion in federal universities

Waldirene Biernath

Source: Google image

The President Dilma Rousseff has announced on this Monday (22) that the government aims to reach 1.2 million enrollments in federal universities until 2014. She had already announced the creation of four units in the North and Northeast. With this expansion, the federal system should have 63 universities.

Roussef says that cities with more than 50 000 people had priority in the choice of sites (places) for universities. The cities with high rates of poverty and over 80 000 inhabitants also were considered, where local governments (city halls) have difficulty to invest in education.

For the president, a leap in Brazilian education can contribute to face the economic crisis that affects countries like the United States and the European Union.

See more:

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/multimidia/podcasts/963332-no-radio-dilma-fala-sobre-expansao-em-universidades-federais.shtml

Decision Fatigue: the implications of too busy brain

Waldirene Biernath

Source: Google image

The pressure of the important and constant decision making wears us down and deteriorates our ability to make good choices.  We lose our willpower, which is another way of saying that we lose the motivation to do our tasks (activities).  Yes, we are paying price for the abundant choice in our world. 

Source: Google image

There’s a new kind of fatigue. Decision fatigue. It is the newest discovery involving a phenomenon called ego depletion, a term coined by the social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister in homage to a Freudian hypothesis. Freud speculated that the self, or ego, depended on mental activities involving the transfer of energy. It routinely warps the judgment of everyone, executive and nonexecutive, rich and poor. Yet few people are even aware of it, and researchers are only beginning to understand why it happens and how to counteract it.

Decision fatigue helps to explain why ordinarily sensible people get angry at colleagues and families, splurge on clothes and buy junk food at the supermarket. No matter how rational and high-minded you try to be, you can’t make decision after decision without paying a biological price. It’s different from ordinary physical fatigue — you’re not consciously aware of being tired —you’re low on mental energy.

  

But don’t be afraid! According to the psychologists, if you suffer from decision fatigue, you can fight (or combat) it, there are many ways to change and improve your life’s style, for example, to regulate your biological rhythm, have good eating habits, sleep well, include exercise in your day-to-day, as well as breathing exercises. Above all, you must be positive! An important piece of advice is: you need to simplify your life and and learn to delegate some small things to others, doing that you’ll have more energy and enthusiasm for the big things.

See more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&src=ISMR_HP_LO_MST_FB

http://www.surfnetparents.com/whats_making_people_tired_top_3_reasons_for_adult_fatigue-18747.html

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/simplify-your-life-prevent-decision-fatigue

Vocabulary:

(to) wear down (verb):  exhaust or tire through overuse or great strain or stress;

warps (noun):  a moral or mental distortion;

(to) counteract (verb): to reduce the negative effect of something by doing something that has an opposite effect;

(to) splurge (verb): to spend a lot of money, especially on something special as a way of making yourself feel good.

Brazil's Agriculture Minister leaves office amid corruption scandal

Waldirene Biernath

Wagner Rossi, member of the Democratic Movement Party of Brazil (PMDB), has resigned amid a corruption allegation. He had been accused of accepting bribes and free air travel from agricultural companies.

Rossi is the 4th minister to step down since President 

Dilma Rousseff came to power.             source:Google image

Rossi said he had spent a month battling what he called "false accusations", and he has had enough. "Over the last 30 days, I have faced a daily barrage of false accusations without any proof," Rossi wrote in a letter cited by Agencia Brasil.

He is the fourth minister to leave office because of corruption allegations since President Dilma Rousseff came to power in January. Defence Minister Nelson Jobim, Transport Minister Alfredo Nascimento and President Rousseff's chief of staff, Antonio Palocci, have all resigned since she took office.

See more:

http://english.cntv.cn/program/newsupdate/20110819/106430.shtml;

http://g1.globo.com/politica/noticia/2011/08/ministro-da-agricultura-wagner-rossi-pede-demissao.html;

http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/961363-saiba-quais-ministros-do-governo-dilma-ja-deixaram-o-cargo.shtml

Vocabulary:

party: an organized group of people who have similar ideas about the way in which a country should be governed, and who work together to try to persuade people to vote for them in elections;

[ONLY BEFORE NOUN] belonging to or connected with a political party;

(to) resign (verb): leave (a job, post, post, or position) voluntarily ("The chairman resigned when he was found to have misappropriated funds");

amid: (prep.) In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among;

battling: (noun):  to try very hard to deal with a difficult situation. (“Surgeons battled to save the man’s life”).

Brazilian government offers scholarships to undergraduates to study abroad

Waldirene Biernath

CNPq (National Committee of Technological and Scientific Development) is informing 250 universities and Federal Institutes of Technical Education the number of scholarships each one will be entitled to send students abroad by the Science without Borders (CsF) program.

CsF' logo from google image

Each scholarship lasts one year, it is worth $ 870 and begins to be paid in 2012 after a public selection process at the research center. The chosen areas are considered strategic by the government in the "knowledge economy". 

The objective is that   Brazil develops more technological innovation researches  and the Brazilian market creates products with higher added value.

The students who have more chances to win a scholarship are the ones who took scientific and technological initiation; with more than 600 points in the National Secondary Education Examination (Enem) and those ones who have been awarded in Scientific Olympiads (such as math and science). Scholarships will be awarded to students who have completed 40% to 80% of their graduation course credits.

See more:

http://www.presidencia.gov.br/noticias/ultimas_noticias/2011/08/programa-ciencia-sem-fronteiras-concede-primeira-cota-de-bolsas-de-estudos-no-exterior

http://www.saocarlosagora.com.br/brasil/noticia/2011/08/17/21095/governo-inicia-oferta-de-bolsas-para-alunos-de-graduacao-que-queiram-estudar-no-exterior/

Vocabulary:

(to) entitle (verb): (often be entitled to) give (someone) a right to do or receive something. E.g: The people who are entitled to vote should be aware of that fact.

scholarship (noun):  an amount of money that an organization gives to someone so that they can study at a particular school or university. E.g.: Sophie was awarded a scholarship to attend Boston University.

undergraduate (noun): a student who is studying for a first degree at a college or university. A student who already has a first degree is a graduate.

New discovery prevents the spread of cancer

Waldirene Biernath

cancer cell

Scientists have discovered how cancerous cells can "elbow" their way out of tumours, offering clues for new drugs to prevent cancers spreading. They have identified a protein called JAK which helps cancerous cells generate the force needed to move.

These cells contract like muscle to force their way out and around the body.  When cancers spread, a process known as metastasis, they become more difficult to treat.

division of a cell

Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research  say cancerous cells can move in two ways. They can "elbow" their way out of a tumor or the tumor itself can form corridors down which the cells can escape.

Lead researcher Prof Chris Marshall said both processes were being controlled by the same chemical.

JAK is not a new culprit in cancer. It has been linked to leukaemia, so some drugs are already being developed which target the protein.

The study suggests that such drugs may also stop the spread of cancer. The clinical tests will start in the next few years.

"A huge challenge in successfully treating cancer is stopping it from spreading around the body, and keeping cancer that has already spread at bay”, said Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK's director of cancer information.

Source: BBC News

See more:
http://www.icr.ac.uk/press/press_archive/press_releases_2011/21468.shtml;

http://noticias.uol.com.br/ultnot/cienciaesaude/ultimas-noticias/bbc/2011/08/16/estudo-abre-caminho-para-tratamentos-que-evitem-o-alastramento-do-cancer.jhtm;
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/health/16cancer.html?ref=science

Vocabulary:

(to) elbow (verb): push forward;

clues (noun): hint, evidence;

culprit (noun): a person who is responsible for a crime or other misdeed; the cause of a problem.

What does the word "shawty" mean?

The slang “shawty” it is a popular term you hear a lot lately in lyrics from hit songs like “Get It Shawty” and “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin).” 

The term orginated in Atlanta that, in the beginning, referred to a short person or child. It’s a derivation of "shorty" or "shortie". It has multiple meanings:  

a good friend

a small child

a newcomer

someone shorter than you

 But the most prevalent use, and the one found in these songs, is to describe a girlfriend or particularly attractive woman.

T-Pain (a famous rapper) says he uses the term so much in everyday conversation that it was only natural for him to introduce the word into his music. "It's something that's just real fun to say, like 'homeboy' or 'homey' or any other slang for a friend or girl," he says. It’s no coincidence that T-Pain is from Atlanta.

Although it look likes a derogatory term for women, among the rappers community it’s just a flirty term and girls accept it normally. Rhonda Baraka of the Marietta, Ga.-based media consulting firm Soulstice Media says it's "a term of endearment. There is no lack of negative terms in the hip-hop community as it relates to women, but I don't count this as one of them."

Another song that uses the word “shawty” a lot on the chorus is the song called Shawty by the singer ATL

There's no need to be afraid, of you feel, ooh shawty!

Ooh shawty, Good God Almighty look what we got here!

Vocabulary:

endearment /ɪnˈdɪrmənt/: a word or phrase that you say to someone you love, for example darling or sweetheart

REFERENCES:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/2007-08-05-shawty_N.htm

http://www.vagalume.com.br/atl/shawty.html#ixzz1V7mW6lOC

by Vivian Barone

Lecture at UFSCar discusses the Clarice Lispector’s life and work

Waldirene Biernath 

internet image

The master class "Clarice Lispector: photo biography to the biography" will be held by UFSCar’s Program of Graduate Studies in Literature (PPGLit) on August 17^th (Wednesday).  

The conference, open to all interested public, examines the Lispector’ s life and work and it will be given by professor Dr. Nadia Battelle Gotlib from USP’ s Classical and Vernacular Literature Department.

The master class will take place at 19 pm in the Education Center and Human Sciences Auditorium (CECH), in the clasroom building AT 2 (Campus’ south area). There’s no need of early registration. More information can be obtained on the phone (16) 3306-6550.

Vocabulary:

master class: a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline.

Source: http://www2.ufscar.br/servicos/noticias.php?idNot=4009

Introduction to a Amanda's post entitled "A Bottle Son"

The post, below to this one, is a student’s writing homework. It’s amazing to see so good texts written by students. In this case, the students did a reading comprehension activity based on the autobiographical text “My time in a bottle” by Mickey Mantle.

Read the full autobiographical text written by Mickey Charles Mantle on http://sportsillustrated.ca/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005099/3/index.htm

On this article, he describes his life of self-destructive behavior abusing of alcohol for 42 years.  And talk about his recovery as an example of overcoming.

Then, the students were supposed to write an autobiographical narrative about a problem that they had to deal and how they overcome it. At Barone English, on every unit students are taught different writing techniques and styles. Instead of writing about herself, Amanda created a character, Mickey Mantle’s son, and used him as the narrator of his own fictional autobiography.  The result is not only an autobiographical text but a literary one. 

Background information about Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle

Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995) was an American professional baseball player. He played 18 years for the New York Yankees as an outfielder and first baseman. He won 3 American League MVP titles and played in 16 All-Star games. Unhappily, Mickey Mantle ruined his career because of his addiction to alcohol.   

Vocabulary

outfield players:  the players positioned at a distance from both the pitcher and the catcher with the aim of catching or stopping the ball. They can be right/left/center fielders. 

Congratulations Amanda!

Enjoy Amanda's text. 
It's worth reading it!

introduction  by Vivian Barone                             

A Bottle Son

Somebody told me one day that “the children’s problems are children of parent’s problems”; I’ve been thinking about that sentence for many days, and it took me some time to accept the idea.

Alcohol abuse  

I’m Mickey Mantle’s son, Mickey Jr., I say “son” because my mother taught me to consider him like a father. But, sincerely, for me, he’s an unknown person. I don’t have remembrance of Mickey’s Mantle in my life; when I close my eyes and try to feel him hugging me, or saying something hard (rebuking) to correct me, like a common father, I can’t remember him, and it frustrated me for  long years. I just remember the smelling of his addiction, every night.

In my childhood, I spent many hours studying about my grandfather’s life, and what he might have done to my father to make him a problematic person. But I didn’t find anything. On the contrary, I thought if my father could have done the same, coaching me, like my grandfather did to him, I could make my dream to come true: being a baseball athlete.

But, when I read his text “My time in a bottle” and his letter to my grandfather, I understood part of his feelings, and I found hope and good things in that strange man called “my father”. I could have been a wonderful athlete, a better person, I know, I could be happier and satisfied in “my world” if Mickey Mantle’s had been in my life like a true father. 

But I don’t blame him, because he could be a better person if my grandfather had been better too. I don’t blame my grandpa, too. So, whose is the fault? Adam and Eve? 

I prefer to think that we always tried to be or do “OUR BEST”, but “try” is different to “achieve”. So, I accepted my father like he is. I know all his mistakes, I hate them at all, but it isn’t a reason to make me no to love him and learn with his experiences. So I’m gonna say it to him, tonight: “father, I love you”.

by Amanda Laíza dos Reis Mota

Barone English's student

level 5
Medicine student at UFSCar


Note: This text is result of Barone English’s methodology. Different writing techniques are developed every unit. Besides that, the students make presentations about the same theme, based on their researches.

British Prime Minister suggests giving greater powers to police in social networks

 by Waldirene Biernath

U.K. prime minister David Cameron has suggested the idea of stifling the "free flow of information" on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook as a way to stymie and prevent the rioting that spread throughout the British isle over the last several days.

internet images

"Free flow of information can be used for good. But it can also be used for ill," Cameron said in a statement to the British Parliament. "And when people are using social media for violence we need to stop them."

internet images

The idea is to block the suspects
rather than to suspend the service.

The prime minister said the government is working with the police, intelligence services and industry to examine the possibility of preventing people from communicating via these websites and services "when we know they are plotting violence, disorder, and criminality." 

  

The police even arrested several people who commented on his thefts or acts on Facebook, accused of inciting illegal behavior.

Users of social networks argue, however, that social networks can also be used for good things, such as organizing collective efforts to combat looters.

Give your opinion

Do you agree that social networks need to be stifled for authorities and government to avoid crimes and riots?

Source: news agencies

Watch the David Cameron’ statement video: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14490251

Vocabulary:

to stifle (verb) /ˈstaɪf(ə)l/: to stop something from developing normally; prevent or constrain (an activity or idea);

to stymie (verb) /ˈstaɪmi/: to stop someone from achieving a goal, or to stop some process from continuing;

plotting (noun): a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal);

theft (noun): the crime of stealing. Someone who commits this crime is called a thief;

looter (noun): someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war). It is derived from the verb to loot: to steal things from houses or stores during a war or after a disaster such as a fire or flood.

North London suffers violent protests

by Waldirene Biernath 

Several places in England have suffered incidents of violence since last Saturday (Aug 6th) and   face heavy police presence on the streets.

The trouble started on Tottenham, north London, after a young black man was shot dead by police last week. There's now an Independent Police Complaints Commission inquiry into that incident. Tottenham is also one of the poorest areas of London with a history of racial tension.

The population in general reacted to this violent act manifesting in protest. The manifestation rapidly got such a dimension that it lost the original focus and turned into vandalism. 

source: BBC News

But some members of the black community are pointing to other factors - including the worry that there aren't enough opportunities for the young.

On the other hand, others feel that there can be no attempts to explain away what happened. Kit Malthouse is London's Deputy Mayor with responsibility for policing:

"We have to be careful in the media and in politics not to create this atmosphere of excuse for what has happened. This is awful, disgusting criminality and it needs to be driven out by communities, by the police. Those perpetrators need to be brought to justice and they will be over the weeks to come."

Olympics year

These riots are happen just a year before the Olympics start in London, and one question is emerged: the London´s security. As the countdown begins all eyes are on the capital. Incidents like those are very different from the harmonious and peaceful image the promotional videos have shown of London.

Give your opinion:

Do you think that all this situation of rioting in London can influence negatively  UK´s capital image and even disturb the Olympics games organization?

                                                                                                                                 

Read more: 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14439970 

http://g1.globo.com/mundo/fotos/2011/08/manifestantes-colocam-fogo-em-londres.html

Vocabulary:

 (to) be driven out (verb): to be stop and made unacceptable

 perpetrator (noun): people who commit crimes

 countdown (noun): time leading up to the start of an event

 riot: a violent protest by a crowd of people

Earth's two moons? It's not lunacy, but new theory

source: internet images

A new theory suggests the Earth once had a small second moon that disappeared after a collision with its big sister. Researchers say in an article in the journal Nature that the slow speed of the collision may explain the build up of highlands on the rarely seen part of the Moon.

This new theory builds on the idea that around four billion years ago the Earth was struck by a Mars-like planet, but instead of the smash producing enough debris for one moon, there was enough for two.  

The small second moon become stuck in a gravitational tug of war between the Earth and its much larger sibling.

After millions of years in this position the new moon was drawn into a collision at a speed of less than three kilometers per second.

A previous collision with a smaller 

companion could explain whythe 

Moon's two sides look so different.

        Martin Jutzi and Erik Asphaug

The scientists say this slow paced crash may have caused a build up of material and the formation of highlands on the Moon's far side. 

For decades scientists have been trying to understand why the visible near side of the Moon is covered in craters while the far side has mountain ranges higher than 3,000 metres.

The researchers hope that Nasa observational missions might prove this new theory within a year.

source: internet images

Earth had always been an oddball in the solar system as the only planet with a single moon. While Venus and Mercury have no moons, Mars has two, while Saturn and Jupiter have more than 60 each. Even tiny Pluto, which was demoted to dwarf status, has four moons. 

Vocabulary:

build up (verb):  enlarge, develop, or increase by degrees or in stages; bolster or strengthen

highland: relating to mountains and hills

struck (verb): (the past tense and past participle of strike) to strike: to hit; to crash

smash (noun): violent collision

debris (noun) /də’bri/: the broken pieces that are left when something large has been destroyed, especially by an explosion, fire, or accident.

stuck (verb): (the past tense and past participle of stick) to stick: if something sticks in, into, or through something else, its end remains pushed into or through it.

gravitational tug of war: pull in opposite directions by the force of gravity

sibling (noun): brother or sister

draw into (verb): to pull someone or something into something; to attract someone or something in.

slow paced: moving at low speed

far side: face of the Moon that can't be seen from the Earth

oddball: (things) strange; bizarre; (people) someone whose behavior is strange or unusual

demote (verb): to give something a less important position

dwarf: (SCIENCE) a very small star that does not shine brightly.

Read more:  http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110803/full/news.2011.456.html

Journalist and Barone English's press agent

by Waldirene L. Biernath