LOVE IS....

Love is… “when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she still says he is “handsomer” than Robert Redford." Chris, age 8

Tip of the Day

ENGLISH IS A CRAZY LANGUAGE

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes; but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes. One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice; yet the plural of house is houses, not hice. If the plural of man is always called men, why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet, and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet? If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those, yet hat in the plural would never be hose, and the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of brethren, but though we say mother, we never say methren. Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him, now imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim….!

Tell Me Why...

TELL ME WHY … “are there phone bills in a country of free speech

Quiz

Select the word that best completes the sentence

reference - conference - deference - inference

1. I am traveling to São Paulo next month for a class __________.
2. A sign of hard times is that she will need a personal __________ to get the job.
3. Young people of today should treat their elders with __________.
4. She made the __________ that it was snowing by looking at the window.

FAMOUS sentences by famous MOTHERS

THOMAS EDISON'S MOTHER: "Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb. Now turn it off and get to bed!"

CURIOSITY

Mathematical Genius at Large

Louisiana - There is one bandit in Louisiana who had better give up armed robbery until he learns how to count. The man walked into a small store, put a $20 bill on the counter and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter.

The total amount of cash he got from the drawer was $15.

Clip of The Day

"Singing in the Rain" is a classic film musical of 1952 with Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen and a great cast...

"With the advent of sound in motion pictures a silent film production company make a difficult transition to "talkies". Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) are the darlings of the silent screen, it is decided though, to turn Don and Lina's new film into a "talkie" and a musical . This special scene is taken when Don is being drilled by a Diction Coach. Then Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor) comes in and... See what happens. HC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tciT9bmCMq8

A QUOTE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY, (or is it an apple?)

"It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous."

Robert Benchley - American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor.

GOOD FOR NOTHING

The round fishbowl was invented by Countess Du Barry, mistress of King Louis XV of France

Quiz

Read The Sentence Below:

"FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS."

Now count the F's in that sentence. Count only once, don't go back a 2nd time.
Answer: Somewhere In This Issue.

WORDS OF WISDOM

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Word of the Day (Doris)

Roadblock

Function: noun (count)

Plural: Roadblocks

Meanings:

A place where police or military officers stop drivers especially in order to examine vehicles. Something that stops progress.

eg: That's the one roadblock to the plan. Roadblocks on the path to success.

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Degrees Of Blonde

FIRST DEGREE
A married couple were asleep when the phone rang at 2 in the morning. The very blonde wife picked up the phone, listened a moment and said "How should I know, that's 200 miles from here!" and hung up..

The husband asked, "Who was that?"

The wife answered, "I don't know, some woman wanting to know if the coast is clear."

SECOND DEGREE
Two blondes are walking down the street. One notices a compact on the sidewalk and leans down to pick it up. She opens it, looks in the mirror and says, "Hmm, this person looks familiar."

The second blonde says, "Here, let me see!"
So, the first blonde hands her the compact.

The second blonde looks in the mirror and says, "You dummy, it's me!"

THIRD DEGREE
A blonde suspects her boyfriend of cheating on her, so she goes out and buys a gun. She goes to his apartment unexpectedly and when she opens the door she finds him in the arms of a redhead. Well, the blonde is really angry. She opens her purse to take out the gun, and as she does so, she is overcome with grief. She takes the gun and puts it to her head.

The boyfriend yells, "No, honey, don't do it!!!"

The blonde replies, "Shut up, jerk, you're next!"

FOURTH DEGREE
A blonde was bragging about her knowledge of state capitals.
She proudly says, "Go ahead, ask me, .. I know 'em all."

A friend says, "OK, what's the capital of Wisconsin ?"
The blonde replies, "Oh, that's easy .. it's W."

FIFTH DEGREE
Q: What did the blonde ask her doctor when he told her she was pregnant?
A: "Is it mine?"

SIXTH DEGREE
Bambi, a blonde in her fourth year as a UCLA Freshman, sat in her US Government class. The professor asked Bambi if she knew what Roe vs.. Wade was about.

Bambi pondered the question; then, finally, said, "That was the decision George Washington had to make before he crossed the Delaware ."

SEVENTH DEGREE
Returning home from work, a blonde was shocked to find her house ransacked and burglarized. She telephoned the police at once and reported the crime. The police dispatcher broadcast the call on the radio, and a K-9 unit, patrolling nearby, was the first to respond.

As the K-9 officer approached the house with his dog on a leash, the blonde ran out on the porch, shuddered at the sight of the cop and his dog, then sat down on the steps. Putting her face in her hands, she moaned, "I come home to find all my possessions stolen. I call the police for help, and what do they do? They send me a BLIND policeman!"

STUPID QUOTES

"If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure."
Dan Quayle - Former U.S. Vice-President

ANSWER TO THE QUIZ:

A person of average intelligence finds three of them.
If you spotted four, you're above average.
If you got five, you can turn your nose at most anybody.
If you caught six, you are a genius.
There is no catch. Many people forget the "OF"'s.
The human brain tends to see them as V's and not F's.

RULES OF THUMB

SNOWDROP

A snowdrop is a spring flower. It is one of the first flowers to grow in spring. Snowdrops are tiny, white flowers. They look like small bells. They have a lovely smell.

Can you find a description using "look (s) like" in this reading?

"They look like small bells."
This sentence compares the flowers to bells. Maybe you have never seen a snowdrop, but you have seen a bell. Now you know the shape of a snowdrop!

You can use the words "look (s) like" to
compare two things.

e.g. Jane looks like her mother.
e.g. The moon looks like a football.

In countries with four seasons, spring is a happy season.

Read the following dialogue:

Teacher - Why are you so happy, Mary ?

Mary - Spring is my favorite time of year! It brings the end of winter. Snow melts. The sun shines. The air warms. Flowers bloom. I don't want to study. I just want to be in the sun!

Teacher - My goodness! You have "Spring Fever!"

Notes: season: different times of the year based on weather changes.
melt: to become liquid (snow melts and becomes water!)
bloom: to grow flowers:
spring fever: a lazy, happy feeling that comes with warm weather.

Clip of The Day

Jeff Dunham is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian who has appeared on numerous television shows, including Late Show with David Letterman. His characters, are all of them politically incorrect, gratuitously insulting and ill tempered. Dunham has been credited with reviving ventriloquism, and doing more to promote the art form than anyone since Edgar Bergen, his idol. Dunham has been called "America's favorite comedian" and according to the concert industry publication Pollstar, he is the top-grossing standup act in North America, and is among the most successful acts in Europe as well. Dunham created his puppets himself. His most famous characters are:

Achmed the Dead Terrorist

Achmed the Terrorist was truly a terror... At least he attempted to be. He tried and failed many times. One fateful day he finally succeeded in detonating the bomb, but unfortunately for him, the only person he managed to kill was himself. Now better known as Achmed the Dead Terrorist, this conflicted, lovable fiend continues to incite terror in the hearts of no one.

Walter

Walter is a retired, grumpy old man with arms always crossed in discontent. He has a brash, negative and often sarcastic view on today's world. He is a Vietnam War veteran and "doesn't give a damn" about anyone, especially his own wife and certain audience members. Enjoy Today's Clip HC.

Old and Holey Shoes

Vladimir Putin in a recent trip to the island of Fidel Castro noted that the vast majority of Cubans wore old shoes and bow-legged.

Horrified he questioned Fidel:

- Comrade Fidel, how can, after 50 years of revolution, having your subjects still wearing the same old and holey shoes?


Fidel very annoyed replied:

- Comrade Putin, in Russia everybody wears new shoes? Tell me about it! I would love to see.

- Very well, said Putin. You go with me on the plane back to Russia, and if you find in there a single person wearing old shoes you are allowed to kill him. You have my permission.

They made a fine voyage back to Russia with some rum, vodka and Cuban cigars and ... upon arrival in Moscow, as Fidel came down from the plane, the very first thing he saw was a man wearing old shoes. He had no doubt, drew his gun and poured a hail of bullets in the unfortunate. The next day The Pravda proclaimed in bold letters.

WACKY BEARDED KILLS THE AMBASSADOR OF CUBA AT THE AIRPORT.

THE VIRTUE CALLED DEVOTION

"One day, a young man saw his father walking down the road lugging a large basket. When he got closer, the young man could see that his old grandfather was in the basket.

- "Where are you taking Grandpa, Father ?" he asked.

- "I'm taking him to the canyon", his father said.

- "He's old and mean and no good for anything now, so I'm going to throw him over the cliff."

- "Okay Father, you go right ahead" the young man said, "but be sure to save the basket. Someday I shall need it for you".

Someday we, too, will be old and feeble. Let us hope that loving families will not forget The Virtue Called Devotion.

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Why?

An Eskimo asked the local missionary,

- "If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?"

- "No," said the priest, "not if you did not know."

- "Then why, asked the Eskimo, "did you tell me?"



Proud To Be Guilty

Ross and Sam, two friends, met in the park every day to feed the pigeons, watch the squirrels and discuss world problems.

One day Ross didn’t show up. Sam didn’t think much about it and figured maybe he had a cold or something.. But after Ross hadn’t shown up for a week or so, Sam really got worried. However, since the only time they ever got together was at the park, Sam didn’t know where Ross lived, so he was unable to find out what had happened to him.

A month had passed, and Sam figured he had seen the last of Ross, but one day, Sam approached the park and—lo and behold!—there sat Ross! Sam was very excited and happy to see him and told him so. Then he said, ‘For crying out loud Ross, what in the world happened to you?’ Ross replied, ‘I have been in jail.’

‘Jail!’ cried Sam. What in the world for?’

‘Well,’ Ross said, ‘you know Sue, that cute little blonde nurse at the Doctor’s office where I sometimes go?’

‘Yeah,’ said Sam, ‘I remember her. What about her?

‘Well, one day she filed rape charges against me; and, at 89 years old, I was so proud that when I got into court, I pled ‘guilty’.

‘The damn judge gave me 30 days for perjury.’

Word of The Day

Gutsy

Function: adjective
Comparative and superlative forms: gutsier; gutsiest also more gutsy; most gutsy




Status: informal

Meanings:

1 - very tough or brave
e.g: The book's gutsy heroine

2 - Showing courage
e.g.: That was a very gutsy decision.

3 - Having a strong and appealing flavor
e.g.: Gutsy stews. A rich gutsy wine

GOOD FOR NOTHING

“Matches used in the U.S. in 1840 could be lighted from either end”

WORDS OF WISDOM

BE PREPARED!
YOU NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!!!

RULES OF THUMB

PREPOSITIONS

ACROSS - Indica movimento ou extensão por cima de um objeto, de um lado para outro. Através de.

e.g.: - He lives across the street. She swam across the river.

AFTER - Depois de, após, atrás de, em busca ou no encalço de, à maneira de, abaixo de (graduação)

e.g.: - After a storm comes a calm. The letter arrived the day after. Peter went after his brothers. The policeman ran after the crook. A painting after Rembrandt. A captain comes after a major.

AGAINST - Contra, em contato com, para, (em previsão de)

e.g.: - Let’s all fight against tyranny. The public opinion was against Bill Clinton. She was leaning against the wall. We must save against bad days in the future.

Clip of The Day

"Dinner For One" is a comedy sketch written by Lauri Wylie a british author, for the theatre in the years 1920s. This comical play afterwhile went on to become the most frequently repeated TV programme ever according to the Guinness Book of Records. The present Clip is a single take black-and-white 1963 TV recording, featuring british comedians Freddie Frinton and May Warden.

..."Miss Sophie" is a lonely old lady celebrating her 90th birthday with four of her closest friends. (Sir Toby, Admiral von Schneider, Mr Pommeroy, and Mr Winterbottom). Unfortunately, all the guests are long dead, so butler James has to drink their share of the wine and do all the toasts. With the inevitable result he gets increasingly drunk, and keeps falling over a tiger skin on the floor..... The catch phrase for the show is,

Butler James - "Same procedure as last year Miss Sophie?"
Miss Sophie - "Same procedure as every year James".
Enjoy the Clip. HC

Christmas and New Year Holidays

Now that the Xmas and New Year festivities are over and we have already enjoyed our annual leave period, how about taking a look at the old traditions? Christmas is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, but many Christmas traditions come from pagan, or non-Christian sources. Christmas Trees come from a German pagan tradition. They were brought to the English (who later brought them to the US) by Prince Albert, the German husband of Queen Victoria.

Evergreen Wreaths and Boughs.

Wreaths are circles of leaves, berries and/or flowers that are usually placed on the front door. Boughs are tree branches. Evergreens are trees that stay green all year long. Because of this, they are pagan symbols of life. They were used to show that life is eternal and continues even in winter, the season of death.

Decorating with holly...

comes from the Roman solstice celebration called Saturnalia. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, when the sun shines for the least amount of time. In ancient Roman solstice celebrations, people gave each other holly because they believed it kept away lightning and evil spirits during the long nights. People have exchanged gifts for thousands of years. The Saturnalia in Rome took place at the beginning of the New Year. People gave presents as symbols of the good luck, prosperity, and happiness that they wanted their friends and family to have in the coming year. Christians credit the Magi, or Three Wise Men, with starting this tradition when they brought gifts to the Christ Child. Santa Claus is a mix of characters from many different traditions, all of them pagan: the Dutch St. Nick, the English Father Christmas, and the German Kris Kringle, among others. For centuries Norse and Germanic peoples have talked about the Yule Elf, who carries presents to people who leave him food on the Winter Solstice.

UNDERSTANDING HISTORY

Ibrahim X Jacob ...

Ibrahim the Arab goes to Jacob's store to buy a dozen bras. Jacob the Jew, sensing good business, says they are rare and few and sells for 40 euros each.

Ibrahim, the Arab buys and comes back a few days later wanting two more dozen. Jacob, the Jew says that the pieces are becoming increasingly rare and sells for 50 euros a unit.

A month later, Ibrahim, the Arab buys what is left for 75 euros each. Jacob the Jew astounded, asks what's the reason for buying so many black bras.

Ibrahim the Arab says:

- I cut the bras in two and I make two stylish little caps and sell them to Jews for 120 euros each.

AND THEN THE WAR BEGAN

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

POLITICS: (Supplied by Breno Grisi)

"He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career". Bernard Shaw

TIPS OF THE DAY

PREPOSITIONS

FOR – Indica o fim ou recompensa, já obtida ou para ser obtida, da ação expressa pelo verbo.Para. Por. Em lugar de. Indica o objeto a favor do qual a ação se faz. Precede o nome do destino onde se quer chegar, quando acompanhado dos verbos que pedem esta preposição, tais como: “To embark for. To steer for. To leave for. To start for. To make for. To sail for”. Usa-se para denotar a duração de tempo e extensão de espaço. Emprega-se no sentido de “quanto a, em relação a” etc. Antes do preço de alguma coisa.

e.g.: - Mercenaries fight more for money than for glory.
Tiradentes died for his country.
Stop talking for God’s sake!
Don’t worry, I will do the dishes for you.
When will the plane leave for London ?
Because of the rain we made for the woods.
Humanity has not enjoyed the blessings of peace for many years.
World War II lasted for 6 long years.
For myself I ask no favor.
She is tall for her age.
He sold his old car for a few dollars.

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Good Ol’ King Arthur

A knight and his men return to their castle after a long hard day of fighting.

- "How are we faring?" asks the king.

- "Sire," replies the knight,

- "I have been robbing and pillaging on your behalf all day, burning the towns of your enemies in the west."

- "What?!" shrieks the king. I don't have any enemies to the west!

- "Oh," says the knight. "Well, you do now Sire".

Castaway

From a passenger ship one can see a bearded man on a small island who is shouting and desperately waving his hands.

- “Who is it?” a passenger asks the captain.

- “No idea. Every year when we pass, he goes mad like that” answered the captain!

Short Jokes

Bob says to his friend Bill

- "My doctor says if I don't give up sex, I'll be dead in a week."

- "Why is that?" Bill asks.

- "I've been screwing his wife, answers Bob."

**************************************************

- "I have to be very careful not to get pregnant," a woman told her friend.

- "I don't understand," said the friend. "I thought your husband had a vasectomy." The woman answered,

- "Precisely."

Word of The Day

WHET

Function: verb (with object)

Inflected forms:
whets; whetted; whetting

Meaning:
to make (something, such as a person's appetite or curiosity) sharper or stronger

e.g. We had some wine to whet our appetites. You've whetted my curiosity. The ads are trying to whet booksellers' interest.

GOOD FOR NOTHING

Johnny Weissmüller, the screen's most famous Tarzan, was hired for the role without a screen test.

WORDS OF WISDOM

TEXAS WISDOM

If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

RULES OF THUMB

HERE’S THE POINT

Common Prefixes

Prefixes are elements placed before a word to create a new word. Look at the following examples:
Anti- = against - antisocial (a person who does not like being with other people). Antiwar (a person who does not believe in war; opposed to war)
Hyper- = beyond the ordinary - hyperactive (a person who is very active; more active than other people). Hypersensitive (a person who is very sensitive; extra sensitive to things)
il-, in-, im-, ir- = not - illogical (not logical)
insufficient (not sufficient; not enough)
impossible (not possible)
irresponsible (not responsible)
Poly = many - polyglot (a person who speaks many languages). Polygon (a shape with many sides and angles)
Post = after - postseason (after the regular season) postscript (PS; additional remarks at the end of a letter)

CHRISTMAS CLIP

Clip of The Day

Lest We Forget

On Christmas Eve, 1914 during World War I, german soldiers set trees on trenches parapets and lit the candles. Then, they began singing carols, and though their language was unfamiliar to their enemies, the tunes were not. After a few trees were shot at, the British became more curious than belligerent and crawled forward to watch and listen. And after a while, they began to sing too. By the morning, the "no man's land" between the trenches was filled with fraternizing soldiers, sharing rations and gifts, and singing. After burying their dead bodies between the lines they were playng soccer. The game ended 3-2 for the Germans. Enjoy the clip below. Merry Xmas to you all. HC

MERRY CHRISTMAS

From Wikipedia

December 25th - Traditional Birthday of Jesus

Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday observed generally on December 25/6 to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity. The date is not known to be the actual birthday of Jesus, and may have initially been chosen to correspond with either the day exactly nine months after some early Christians believed Jesus had been conceived, the date of the winter solstice on the ancient Roman calendar, or one of various ancient winter festivals. Christmas is central to the Christmas and holiday season, and in Christianity marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days.

Although nominally a Christian holiday, Christmas is also widely celebrated by many non-Christians, and many of its popular celebratory customs have pre-Christian or secular themes and origins. Popular modern customs of the holiday include gift-giving, music, an exchange of greeting cards, church celebrations, a special meal, and the display of various decorations; including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes, and holly. In addition, several similar mythological figures, known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas and Santa Claus among other names, are associated with bringing gifts to children during the Christmas season.

Because gift-giving and many other aspects of the Christmas festival involve heightened economic activity among both Christians and non-Christians, the holiday has become a significant event and a key sales period for retailers and businesses. The economic impact of Christmas is a factor that has grown steadily over the past few centuries in many regions of the world.

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. Albert Einstein

TIPS OF THE DAY

PREPOSITIONS

BEFORE – Antes de. Perante. Diante. Ante. Indica posição em frente a um objeto.
Indica também prioridade, precedência em classe, ordem ou sucessão.
e.g.: - I shall be there before 6 o’clock.
The holiday season starts a fortnight before May 1st.
You must mail this letter before that package.

“I’ll have these players play something like the murder of my father before mine uncle”. (Hamlet, Act II. Scene II.)
BEHIND – Atrás. Indica a posição do objeto atrás do outro ou seguindo um outro.
Indica que um objeto fica após a remoção de um outro.
e.g.: - He died leaving a glorious name behind him.
I keep leaving my umbrella behind me.

BELOW - Abaixo de. Indica inferioridade de classe, de dignidade etc.
e.g.: - When the Sun sets it goes below the horizon.
An Earl is below a Marquis in rank.
Should I sign my name below the dotted line ?
The city of Recife, people say, is below the sea level

FAQ about Santa and Xmas

Q: If Santa doesn't have to age, then why has he become old?
A: He only appears to be old. He's an undercover kid.

Q: Why do we wish people a "Merry Christmas" instead of a "Happy Christmas"?
A: The two are about the same, but with "Merry Christmas" an extra twinkle is seen in the eyes.

Q: Why is a Christmas tree that has been chopped down called a "live Christmas tree?"
A: It's dead but doesn't know it, and yet it's having the time of its life.

Q: Why do we wrap our Christmas gifts with paper?
A: Because we like to see surprise and joy (real or kindly faked) in the recipients.

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Looks Can Be Deceptive

A 54 year old woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God she asked:

- “Is my time up?” God said,

- “No, you have another 33 years, 2 months and 8 days to live.”

Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck.She even had someone come in and change her hair color and brighten her teeth! Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.

After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.

Arriving in front of God, she demanded,

- “I thought you said I had another 33 years? Why didn’t you pull me from out of the path of the ambulance? God replied:

- “Shit! I didn’t recognize you.”

Good For Nothing

In the White House, there are 13,092 knives, forks and spoons!

WORDS OF WISDOM

"Well done is better than well said."
Benjamin Franklin

RULES OF THUMB

Idioms using the word "Eat"

Eat like a bird = to eat very little
Eat like a horse = to eat a lot of food and to eat often
Eat your heart = to suffer from jealousy and envy
Eat your words = to take back your words; to apologize for something that you said
Eat out of your hand = to have someone do exactly as you wish
Eat at you = something that irritates or bothers you

Word of The Day

Bush-League

Function: adjective

Status: US, informal



Meaning:

Of very low quality

e.g.: Bush-League customer service
A bush-league (unprofessional) reporter

Clip of The Day

'...REMEMBER???

ARSENIC-BASED BACTERIA POINT TO NEW LIFE FORMS

Breno Grisi

We could be witnessing the first signs of a "shadow biosphere" – a parallel form of life on Earth with a different biochemistry to all others. Bacteria that grow without phosphorous, one of the six chemical elements thought to be essential for life, have been isolated from California's Mono Lake. Instead of phosphorous, the bacteria substitute the deadly poison arsenic. "Life as we know it could be much more flexible than we generally assume or can imagine," says Felisa Wolfe-Simon of NASA's Astrobiology Institute and the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California.

Wolfe-Simon's team took mud containing bacteria from the arsenic-rich Mono Lake and grew them in ever decreasing concentrations of phosphorous. Their rationale was that since arsenic is just below phosphorous in the periodic table, and shares many of its chemical properties and is even used as a source of energy for some bacteria, the bugs would be able to swap one for the other. That is just what happened.

"After one year, they are still alive and well," says Paul Davies of Arizona State University in Tempe. Not only that, the team showed that this ability was incorporated deep into the molecular building-blocks of the bacterium, strain GFAJ-1 of the salt-loving Halomonadaceae family, right down to the DNA.
"It's the first time such a chemical substitution has been shown for DNA," says Philippe Bertin of the University of Strasbourg, France, who was not part of the team. "Possibly, it's a relic of an ancestral metabolism that was supplanted during evolution because using phosphorus was more stable and less toxic."

Despite surviving on arsenic for a year, the bacteria would still "prefer" to grow using phosphorous: biomolecules react more efficiently in water and seem to be more stable when constructed with phosphorous than arsenic. They only substitute arsenic if there is no alternative.

Steven Benner, a chemist from the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution in Gainesville, Florida, who works on alternative forms of DNA, is sceptical that the bacteria really do contain arsenic. "I doubt these results," he says, since in order to measure the modified DNA it has to be put into a water-containing gel, which would rapidly dissolve any arsenate molecules. Any hypothesis that arsenate might replace phosphate in biomolecules must take this into account, he says.

Shadow biosphere. Davies says that future work will address the stability-in-water issue, but argues that the discovery underlines the need to look further for the first true representatives of alternate life forms in Earth's shadow biosphere.

Breno Grisi
Professor (retired) of Ecology, at UFPB, Federal University of Paraíba - Brazil, currently teaching courses in ecology at private universities

LAUGHTER’S THE BEST MEDICINE

Mistakes In Life

A woman awoke during the night to find that her husband was not in bed. She put on her robe and went downstairs. He was sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of him. He appeared to be in deep thought, just staring at the wall.

She saw him wipe a tear from his eye and take a sip of his coffee.

- "What's the matter dear? Why are you down here at this time of night?" she asked.

- "Do you remember twenty years ago when we were dating and you were only 16?" he asked.

- "Yes, I do," she replied.

- "Do you remember when your father caught us in the back seat of my car?"

- "Yes, I remember."

- "Do you remember when he shoved that shotgun in my face and said, 'Either you marry my daughter or spend twenty years in jail'?"

- "Yes, I do," she said.

He wiped another tear from his cheek and said,

- "You know, I would have gotten out today. "

GOOD FOR NOTHING INFORMATION

CLINOPHOBIA IS THE FEAR OF BEDS

Tell Me Why...

"Are there 5 syllables in the word "monosyllabic"?

WORDS OF WISDOM

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” Winston Churchill

RULES OF THUMB

Idioms

To look up to – To admire and respect
To look down on – To act as if someone is less important than you
To treat someone as an equal – To act as if someone is the same as you

Word of the Day

Elated

Function: adjective

Comparative and superlative forms: more elated; most elated

Meaning: very happy and excited
e.g.: She was elated at/about/over the news. She was elated to be chosen for the job. She was elated that she was chosen for the job.