The Advanced Student's Corner

Not a single day goes by without mention of the environmental and climate challenges facing the world. The ice caps are melting right before our eyes and the oceans are rising as we quest for answers and durable solutions to the worlds growing energy needs. Wind is one of Denmarks most abundant natural energy sources, today accounting for one-fifth of the electricity supplied through Danish outlets. In just under 30 years, Denmark has become world champ when it comes to harnessing the otherwise tough-to-control wind energy in the power system. But how? This is precisely what this film wants to clarify.

What is a super volcano? A super volcano is the most destructive force on this planet. Only a few exist in the world and when they erupt they do so with a force tens of thousands of times greater than other eruptions. They lie dormant for hundreds of thousands of years as a vast reservoir of magma builds up inside them before finally they unleash their apocalyptic force, capable of obliterating continents. They threaten the survival of mankind. What happened during the last eruption of a super volcano? The last eruption of a super volcano was in Toba, Sumatra, 75,000 years ago. It had 10,000 times the explosive force of Mount St. Helens and changed life on Earth forever. Thousands of cubic kilometres of ash was thrown into the atmosphere - so much that it blocked out light from the sun all over the world. 2,500 miles away 35 centimetres of ash coated the ground. Global temperatures plummeted by 21 degrees. The rain would have been so poisoned by the gasses that it would have turned bla...

There are an estimated 20,000 Polar Bears in the wild and they depend upon the arctic weather for their livelihood. Today, there are many accounts of Polar Bear, global warming deaths attributed to drowning. The Polar Bear is doomed if something isn’t done to reverse the dangers of global warming. Polar Bears depend upon the natural habitat of the Arctic, however global warming has contributed to the growing loss of Arctic Ice. In fact, polar bears have been photographed clinging to tiny ice formations as their natural environment simply melts away, leaving them at the mercy of a climate that they cannot survive in.

The phrase 'local environment' will have a different meaning for everybody – some people will think of their street, others will think of their wider neighbourhood, their local park and where they spend their leisure time, their local shops, or even the area around where they work. Even though these differences exist, one thing never changes: no-one can avoid interacting with their local environment. The quality of the local environment has the same impact on everybody, regardless of their background, social group, affluence, or age. In particular, the quality of the local environment affects… •what makes somewhere a good place to live or visit •the satisfaction of communities with their local area •property prices •what makes somewhere a good place for businesses to invest •the potential success of regeneration schemes •the quality of the environment also affects how residents see their local council’s overall performance Perhaps most importantly, the local environment also ha...

Laura from Spain writes: Could you please give me some tips about netiquette , i.e. which are the correct forms of address for emails and how do you close them? Thanks. Roger Woodham replies: Netiquette There is no standard format as far as I know for netiquette - etiquette for the net. Netiquette is a new word. Etiquette is a system of social rules or polite bahaviour relating to a particular group of people - in this case all the people who use the web for emails. snail mail For letters, whose progress can be as slow as that of a snail when they are entrusted to the postal system, there are clearly defined conventions for opening and closing: For formal letters when the name or sex of the recipient is not known: OPENING: Dear Sir(s), Dear Madam or Dear Sir or Madam CLOSING: Yours faithfully (In American English, sometimes: Yours truly,) For the more formal style of letter when their name is known but you do not know them very well: OPENING: Dear Mr Jenkins, Dear Ms Hopkins (or, if yo...

The Deaf Bookkeeper (by Yolanda González) A Mafia Godfather finds out that his bookkeeper, Enzo, has cheated him out of 10 million bucks. His bookkeeper is deaf. That was the reason he got the job in the first place. It was assumed that Enzo would hear nothing that he might have to testify about in court. When the Godfather goes to confront Enzo about his missing $10 million, he takes along his lawyer who knows sign language. The Godfather tells the lawyer, "Ask him where the 10 million bucks are, that he embezzled from me." The lawyer, using sign language, asks Enzo where the money is. Enzo signs back, "I don't know what you are talking about." The lawyer tells the Godfather, "He says he doesn't know what you are talking about." The Godfather pulls out a pistol, puts it to Enzo's temple and says, "Ask him again!" The lawyer signs to Enzo, "He'll kill you if you don't tell him." Enzo signs back, "OK. You win! Th...

If you want to improve your communication skills, I advise you to watch this video. I guess it could help us to notice where we are failing when we give a presentation or participate in a seminar or meeting.

Sex, Lies and Conversation; Why Is It So Hard for Men and Women to Talk to Each Other? by Deborah Tannen The Washington Post, June 24, 1990 "I WAS ADDRESSING a small gathering in a suburban Virginia living room -- a women's group that had invited men to join them. Throughout the evening, one man had been particularly talkative, frequently offering ideas and anecdotes, while his wife sat silently beside him on the couch. Toward the end of the evening, I commented that women frequently complain that their husbands don't talk to them. This man quickly concurred. He gestured toward his wife and said, "She's the talker in our family." The room burst into laughter; the man looked puzzled and hurt. "It's true," he explained. "When I come home from work I have nothing to say. If she didn't keep the conversation going, we'd spend the whole evening in silence." This episode crystallizes the irony that although American men tend to talk m...

Spandau Ballet is a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles and four Top Ten albums in the UK between 1980 and 1990. The band split acrimoniously in 1990 but announced their reunion in March 2009, complete with a tour that began in October 2009. Spandau Ballet Lyrics: " Communication " Communication always leaves me incomplete, The grass is greener, but it's grown beneath my feet... Love inspiration is a message on a wing, But I have left it in the words you'll never sing... Communication let me down, And I'm left here Communication let me down, And I'm left here, I'm left here again! Telex or tell me, but it's always second-hand, I'm incognito but no rendezvous's been planned... Dictate or relay, I could send it to your home, "Re...