NYC skyscrapers dim lights to help migratory birds

A growing number of New York skyscrapers are switching off their lights to help reduce the number of birds hitting the high-rise buildings.

The “lights out” project – organised by NYC Audubon – runs from September 1st to November 1st, when migratory birds are expected to have completed their autumn migrations.

An estimated 90,000 birds each year are killed in the city as a result of striking glass-fronted buildings. Organisers of the annual initiative say the bright lights disorientate the migrating birds. The birds are reluctant to fly from a well-lit area to a dark one. Confused by artificial lights, they circle repeatedly within the light field, colliding with the buildings.

NYC Audubon – a group that works to protect wild birds and their habitats within the city – is calling on owners and tenants in high-rise buildings to switch off lights on unoccupied floors or unused space between midnight and dawn.

(by Mark Kinver Science , BBC News)

Deforestation has recently been recognized as a global problem. Even today, governments and individuals believe that only the countries using up their forests will be affected by it. However, scientists are convinced that the world’s forests must be preserved. They base their conviction on scientific data that prove the importance of forests to all people everywhere.

(Taken from Between the Lines)

GLOSSARY

data – dados

deforestation – desmatamento

to recognize – reconhecer

to use up – consumir totalmente

Doing things

Evan: Hey, Chloe. What are you doing?

Chloe: I’m drawing a picture for the story I wrote in school today.

Evan: Oh, yeah? Terrific. Can I see it? It’s very pretty. I like the colors.

Chloe: Thanks, Dad.

Evan: Chloe, go look in the kitchen. Is Mom coffee?

Chloe: Uh, no, Daddy, she’s still the dishes.

Evan: Oh. I guess I can wait a few minutes. I have to make a call.

Chloe: Are you calling Grandma?

Evan: No. It’s a business call.

(Taken from American Streamline)

GLOSSARY

to guess – achar, imaginar

Crash Landing Aires Boeing 737-800 San Andres Island, Columbia.

August 16, 2010 by Marcel Van Leeuwen

At least one person died and five more are injured after a Boeing 737 crashed onto the runway at 1:49 a.m. local time today on San Andres Island. The jet, carrying 131 people, broke into three pieces. The Aires flight departed Bogoto around midnight and, according to Colombian Air Force Colonel David Barrero, officials are investigating reports - the aircraft experienced a lightning strike. San Andres Island’s airport has closed its 7,545-foot runway until the wreckage can be removed. Barrero commented that the skill of the pilot kept the airliner from colliding with the airport. The landing occurred during a storm.

(Taken from Wikinews.org)

GLOSSARY

Crewmembers – membros da tripulação

Wreckage – destroços

A Miracle Cure?

More and more people are turning away from their doctors and, instead, going to individuals who have no medical training and who sell unproven treatments. They go to quacks to get everything from treatments for colds to cures for cancer.

Quacks usually sell products and treatments for illnesses that generally have no proven cure. Other common quackeries are treatments to lose weight quickly, to make hair grow again, and to keep a person young. Many people don’t realize how unsafe it is to use unproven treatments. So why do people trust quacks? People want the “miracle cure”. They want the product that will solve their problem… quickly, easily and completely.

You are not powerless. Before you buy a product or treatment, talk to a doctor, pharmacist or another health professional. Don’t make the mistake of letting yourself or anyone you know become a victim of health fraud. It could cost you a lot of money or, worse yet, your life.

(Taken from Healthier You Magazine)

GLOSSARY

quacks – pessoas que vendem produtos ou tratamentos de saúde que não funcionam

to turn away from – afastar-se, recusar-se a ver