Airport Delays on the Rise

a news story by CNN

Have you ever had travel problems because your airplane was late? It is a common problem and it is getting worse. Airport delays make people angry and cost the country billions in lost work time.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA ) is the government agency that oversees air travel. They studied the problem of airline delays.

They found eleven major problems and proposed eleven ways to fix them. Some of the problems are caused because different regions of the country do things differently. The regions don’t talk to each other enough. Some of them need new computers.

Also, too many planes are flying. A strong economy has more people using airplanes to get around. Airplanes are a form of mass of transportation now, like trains and buses were in the past. More planes in the airport cause delays.

Weather is another main reason for delays. Weather causes about 70% of delays. Fog or freezing rain can cause delays.

The first thing FAA wants to do is take control away from the regions during heavy traffic times and bad weather. A national center would make decisions on thing that affect the whole country. The FAA also wants to put more distance between planes in the sky when the weather is bad. This rule could cause even more delays.

The FAA works continuously to make sure that as many flights as possible leave on time each day. They know that their solutions will not cure the problems with airport delays. But they hope to make things better.

Rebento

Gilberto Gil

Rebento, substantivo abstrato,

O ato, a criação, o seu momento,

Como uma estrela nova e seu barato

Que só Deus sabe lá no firmamento.

Rebento, tudo que nasce é rebento,

Tudo que brota, que vinga, que medra,

Rebento raro como flor na pedra,

Rebento farto como trigo ao vento.

Outras vezes rebento simplesmente

No presente do indicativo,

Como a corrente de um cão furioso,

Como as mãos de um lavrador ativo.

Às vezes, mesmo perigosamente,

Como acidente em forno radioativo,

Às vezes, só porque fico nervoso,

Rebento.

Às vezes somente porque estou vivo.

Rebento, a reação imediata

A cada sensação de abatimento.

Rebento, o coração dizendo “bata”,

A cada bofetão do sofrimento.

Rebento, esse trovão dentro da mata

E a imensidão do som desse momento.

The spread of English

The cross-cultural spread of English is unprecedented in other ways. It is used than any of the other colonial languages like French, Portuguese or Spanish. It even has a use than some of the languages associated with international non-Western religious traditions, like Arabic or Sanskrit. In countries like India and Nigeria, English is used in local English-language newspapers and broadcasting, in public administration, in university education, in major industries, the courts and the civil service. Indeed, with nearly 200 languages, India needs English to unify the country.

Professor Lal, a champion of Indian English, who runs a well-known writers’ workshop, claims that in simple numerical terms, in a country of 840 million, Indians need to speak English to communicate with each other....You know what Malcolm Muggeridge said: “The last Englishman left will be an Indian.”

Your guide to healthy travelling

by British Airways

Over the years, British Airways a wealth of knowledge and experience about the effects of air travel. Sitting still, long periods in the air and travelling through several time zones can affect sleep, patterns, digestion and blood circulation.

They want to show that they care by passing on what they know...

• Avoid heavy meals the day before you are due to travel.

• Wear loose, comfortable clothing.

• Moderate your intake of alcohol during the flight. Drink plenty of water.

• When flying, tune in to Well Being audio channel for soothing music or watch the Well Being video shown immediately after take-off.

• During the flight, stretch your arms and legs every few hours and carry out exercises proposed by the air company.