23 November 2011 / by Radmila Gurkova

Dutch judge rejects pleas for killer whale freedom

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEkIvVNm1hI&feature=grec_index

A Dutch judge has ruled that a rescued killer whale can be sent to a Canary Islands amusement park, despite pleas to release the animal into the wild.
The case of Morgan the orca sharply divided opinion in the Netherlands. The orca was rescued by a dolphinarium in Harderwijk after being found exhausted and starving in shallow waters in the Waddenzee in June 2010.



Conservationists are devastated by Monday's ruling, fearing the move to the Canaries will kill Morgan. The judge in Amsterdam decided however that the orca would have no reasonable chance of survival in the wild. The plan is to transfer Morgan within days to Loro Parque on Tenerife, where she will join five other orcas in a big tank, on show to the public. Ahead of the judge's ruling the campaign website of the Free Morgan Foundation had been getting more than 50,000 hits a day.

Tough decision
Niels van Elk, a vet who has been working at the dolphinarium for 13 years, thinks Morgan will be better off in captivity than in the wild.
"The theme park is the best option for her because that is where she can live in a group and that is the best we can offer her," he says.
"We as humans should not pretend that we can replace the challenges and the satisfaction that a group of killer whales can give. It is an artificial environment, it's a different life but it's a good life all the same."

19

October 2011
Current News - Republican Presidential Debate
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl-Ppk6oN0s "The near-weekly ritual of Republican presidential debates took a raucous turn Tuesday night as the unsettled field of candidates ganged up on one another in a series of attacks more intense and personal than any in their previous appearances together." "The first to feel the assault wa...

17

October 2011
Current News - Spain's Duchess of Alba ties the knot for the third time at 85!
by Radmila Gurkova
The Duchess of Alba, one of Spain's richest and most flamboyant women, has got married again at the age of 85 to a civil servant 24 years her junior.  However it hasn't been easy for her, as she is reportedly giving away her personal fortune in order to do so. httpv://youtu.be/k31NvQJfqao...

14

October 2011
Friday Meeting 14.10.2011
by Radmila Gurkova
How can we teach vocab activities?  What is the best way to teach vocabulary? Before speaking of vocabulary activities it is imperative that we distinguish between a Topic and a Vocab activity. A topic activity...

13

October 2011
Blackberry's message goes missing
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG39jKi0lI For the makers of the device whose name became synonymous with messaging, it was a deeply embarrassing 36 hours. Untold numbers of Blackberry users, first in Europe then in much of the rest of the world, found that their email either slowed or ground to a halt and the BBM service became unavailabl...

12

October 2011
Oxbridge TEFL - Eddie Izzard on Language...
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hJQsvoY6VU Seeing as today is a holiday we thought it would be good to post a fun video of the comedian Eddie Izzard talking about language. Enjoy... ...

11

October 2011
David Cameron: we will never join the euro...
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8zRxbJQLy8 There have been tough words from the British prime minister at the annual Conservative Party conference, where David Cameron defended his government's economic policies. "The threat to the world economy and to Britain is as serious as in 2008 when world recession loomed. The euro zone is in cr...

10

October 2011
Steve Jobs 1955-2011
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izjtud9qbJ4&feature=youtube_gdata_player RIP Steve Jobs - his ideas and vision brightened millions of lives and the world of technology will be a poorer place without him. Here's to the crazy ones......

10

October 2011
Friday Meeting 07/10/2011
by Radmila Gurkova
A busy start to the month but here's little update for the week. Last week we spoke about the classes at the gym and the new S1 course. Feedback has been generally good in both areas but we there’s still plenty of room for improvement. ...

10

October 2011
Current News - Food Labeling
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f9m0JmCGeE Sell-by dates should be removed from food packaging to help cut waste and save shoppers money, ministers say.  The UK throws away about £12bn of edible food each year and critics say confusing packaging is partly to blame. Read the whole story and watch a video on the BBC News website: ...

10

October 2011
Current News - Are you Healthy!?
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJFrI5srZVI Denmark has introduced what is believed to be the world's first fat tax - a surcharge on foods that are high in saturated fat. Some scientists think saturated fat may be the wrong target. Click this link to read more: Denmar...