Angličtina na internetu a zdarma
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Nepochybně se vám bude hodit slovní zásoba zejména z článků, které mají celkem podivné názvy, např. PlayStation banned in prisons, Man injured by flying sausage, Inventor of instant noodles passes away, Amsterdam pet shop owner creates beer for dogs, CBS to invest in Electric Sheep Company, French Space Agency CNES releases UFO files .
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1 Four paparazzi members arrested after chasing Britney Spears' car
January 17, 2008
Four male members of the paparazzi were arrested and charged on Wednesday with reckless driving in Mission Hills, California after following Britney Spears back to her mansion. At least four others were also stopped by police, but were not arrested.
According to reports, police witnessed the entire incident saying that a fleet of paparazzi were following Spears at a high rate of speed around 11:20 p.m. PST (UTC-8). They also say they followed her too closely and made unsafe lane changes in order to follow her. Police also say that at least one of cars following Spears, who was driving her car, tried to run her off the road, but she was not able to identify the vehicle or the occupants.
Spears was also stopped by police. They are reported to have verified her identity, and released her. TMZ.com reports that police were checking to see if her license was valid, and was surprised that it was. Spears was not charged with anything and despite the paparazzis' recklessness, Spears did not want the men arrested.
"Britney Spears was part of the group, but was not driving recklessly," said spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department, Sara Faden.
2 Helicopter carrying quake survivors crashes in China
June 1, 2008A military transport helicopter carrying a crew of four and ten injured earthquake survivors has crashed in China, it was reported by state news agency Xinhua. There are no indications on what casualties if any occurred as a result.
The helicopter was carrying the injured out of Li county, after having brought in disease control experts. The rotorcraft then lost contact with Air Traffic Control. A search and rescue operation has been ordered by President Hu Jintao.
The day before, the death toll from the disaster was confirmed to have reached 68,977 with another 17,974 missing. Engineers are now working to drain a number of lakes formed by the earthquake, amid fears they could flood. The crash was reported to highlight ongoing difficulties responding to the quake.
3 Dinosaur tracks found in Arabian Peninsula
May 23, 2008
A new study that was recently carried by the online publication PLoS ONE describes the finding of dinosaur tracks on the Arabian Peninsula. The first of the discoveries was of a two-footed tridactyl. These tracks showed that the animal had taken steps with an average length of just over a metre. The tracks were pointing in the SSW direction.
The Arabian PeninsulaThe study noted that "west of the tridactyl trackway, 11 subparallel quadrupedal trackways preserve evidence of large and small quadrupedal animals traveling together in a herd." The study also noted that there may have been additional tracks that were not discovered.
The report described the method of finding the tracks: "Trackways were exposed by clearing away sand, small rocks and debris." The tracks were found in Madar, 47 km north of the Yemeni capital.
Mohammed Al-Daheri, a journalist from the area of the discovery, was the first person to discover the existence of these tracks in the area. Anne S. Schulp, Mohammed Al-Wosabi and Nancy J. Stevens were subsequently contacted and asked to carry out the study.
4 US dollar no longer accepted at Taj Mahal and other Indian historical sites
January 4, 2008
Due to the declining value of the United States dollar, tourism officials in India have decided to no longer accept the American currency at the site of the Taj Mahal and 120 other Indian historical sites.
The monument has refused to take dollars since November, as such, any American tourist wishing to visit the white domed marble mausoleum of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal will pay over 500 Indian rupees (US$ 12.80 at the current exchange rate) to be allowed in and additionally receive a free bottle of water.
The decision came as a result as part of the continuing decline of the American dollar, falling 11 percent in 2007 and now valued around 39 rupees.
Tourism Minister Ambika Soni told CNN-IBN that it seemed more practical and will save tourists money because "the dollar was weaker against the rupee," Soni added "Before the dollar lost its value, there was a demand to have (admission tickets) just in rupees."
5 Fall '08 styles at New York Fashion Week: rock 'n' roll is here to stay
February 4, 2008The third day of New York Fashion Week debuted styles infused in '70s couture, punk and hard rock roots. Labels Herve Leger, DKNY and Rock & Republic unveiled their Fall 2008 lines, and continued the retro bent popular in the first two days of the world's largest fashion show.
Max Azria's Herve Leger label showed off his signature skintight dress in multiple styles Sunday, experimenting with knit fabric as well as coats to complement the dress. Unafraid to take risks, Azria also unveiled elaborate variations which called for sequins, ribbons and large bows, the latter of which was another nod to late '70s fashion. Model Padma Lakshmi walked the runway for Azria, as did actress Sophia Bush and singers Joss Stone and Mandy Moore.
DKNY, the main label for designer Donna Karan, took the idea of '70s couture and modernized it, deeming her Fall collection "eclectic glamour." Retro styles such as bow blouses, pants bordering on the bell-bottom design, and peasant fashions were interspersed with more modern knits, silk and plaid designs for tops, dresses and jackets, respectively.
Rock & Republic's theme was "gangster chic," and was the biggest contributor to the hard rock feel. Unlike most shows, a complete orchestra with baby grand piano set the soundtrack for the show, which unveiled designs almost exclusively in a somber black. Designer David Cardona was credited with the rock designs, which included black suits and trenchcoats, and are a departure from the high-end denim looks the label is usually known for.
New York Fashion Week runs until Friday. On Monday Carolina Herrera and Betsey Johnson are considered to be the biggest draws at Bryant Park.
6 French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent dead at 71
June 1, 2008
Yves Saint-Laurent, one of the major fashion designers of the 20th century, died Sunday evening of cancer at the age of 71, after four decades at the top of his profession. Friends say he died while at his home in Paris, France.
Saint-Laurent was born Yves Henri Donat Dave Mathieu-Saint-Laurent on August 1, 1936 in Oran, Algeria. Saint-Laurent was famous for designing women's clothing and at age 21 he became the head designer for the company House of Dior. He was hired to take the place of the late Christian Dior, who died in 1957.
He retired from his job there and ultimately left the fashion industry in 2002, but not before starting his own clothing line and shop with Pierre Berge in 1962. It was once rumored that woman who wore his newly designed pantsuits were not allowed to eat at restaurants or stay in hotels in New York City and London, England.
"Fashion was not only supposed to make women beautiful, but to reassure them, to give them confidence, to allow them to come to terms with themselves," Saint-Laurent once said.
Saint-Laurent not only fought the effects of cancer, but through the years dealt with drug use and depression.
"I've known fear and terrible solitude. Tranquilizers and drugs, those phony friends. The prison of depression and hospitals. I've emerged from all this, dazzled but sober," stated Saint-Laurent.
7 Russian Wikipedia "a top internet community"
May 23, 2008
The Russian Language edition of Wikipedia was recently dubbed "a top Internet community" of the past year by a professional union of Russian Internet (Runet) scene protagonists, the "Ezhe" (???).
Ezhe ("???") means "every" in Russian, a reference to regularly updated websites; Ezhe's mascot is a hedgehog because of its similarity with the word "yozh" ("??"). Ezhe.Ru is a non-profit "club" community coordinated via a Russian-speaking mailing list; nowadays it comprises more than 500 members — IT professionals, journalists and so on from all over the world. It was founded in 1997 and maintains some public projects, such as annual "professional award" "ROTOR" (a spelling interpretation for "Russian Online TOP"). It has no payments or figurines and is awarded virtually.
ROTOR is Runet-wise generally regarded as an acknowledgment token for some Russian language Internet project from the so-called "Runet professionals" who populate Ezhe club. Contest is usually covered by Russian online mass media and in blogs. There are approximately 30 nominations honoring different Russian websites, or acts related to Runet, in different planes. Ezhe members vote in 2 tours, and in most contemporary ROTOR-2008 (lasted May 12—22) Russian Wikipedia gained 1st place in "Internet Community of the year" nomination (the year before it took 2nd). It also obtained second place in "Scientific and Educational website of the year" nomination (for the 3rd time). In 2006 and 2007, Russian Wikipedia also mastered "Science and Education" category on the Runet Prize.
In the meantime Russian Wikipedians recently celebrated Top-10 Wikipedias range introduction: Swedish Wikipedia was out of 10th place, and Russian was in with over 283 thousand articles on May 19th, 2008. The collective of editors on the project issued a now-habitual press release describing the developments of Wikipedia.
Russian editors also immediately started a "Swedish Week" organized effort within their community to write a bunch of new articles dedicated to Swedish culture. Swedes later replied with the alike action on Russian culture.
From Wikinews, the free news source you can write
