A Life with Birds

For nearly 17 years David Cope has worked as one of the Tower of London's yeoman warders , _ better known to tourists as
beefeaters.David!"livesin a three#bedroomed flat ri$ht at the top of the %yward Tower one of the $atehouses. & From our bedroom we
have a marvelous'a.( view of Tower %rid$e and the Thames & says David.
The Tower of London is famous for. its ravens'n.( the lar$e bla)k birds whi)h have lived there for over three
)enturies. David was immediately fas)inated' ( by the birds and when he was _ offered_ the post of *aven +aster ei$ht
years a$o he had no _ hesitation_ in a))eptin$ it. &The birds have now be)ome my life and ,'m always _ aware of the fa)t that , am _
maintaining _ a tradition. The le$end'( says that if the ravens leave the Tower -n$land will fall to enemies and it's my .ob
to _ make sure this doesn't happen/&
David devotes about four hours a day to the )are of the ravens. 0e has $rown to love them and the _ fact that he lives ri$ht ne1t to
them is ideal. &, )an keep a )lose eye on them all the time and not .ust when ,'m workin$.& At first David's wife +o was not _keen on
the idea of life in the Tower but she too will be sad to leave when he retires ne1t year. &2hen we look out of our windows we see
history all around us and we are takin$ it in and storin$ it up for our future memories.&
A Lucky Break
3)tor 3ntonio %anderas is used to breakin$ bones and it always seems to happen when he's doing sport. ,n the film 4lay ,t to the %one
he plays the part of a middlewei$ht'n.( bo1er alon$side 2oody 0arrelson. During the makin$ of the film 0arrelson
kept )omplainin$ that the fi$ht scenes weren't very )onvin)in$'a.!"#( so one day he su$$ested that he and
%anderas should have a fi$ht for real. The 5panish a)tor wasn't keen on the idea at first but he was eventually persuaded by his )o#star
to put on his $loves and )limb into the bo1in$ rin$'$%&(. 0owever when he reali6ed how seriously''(&( his opponent was
takin$ it all he be$an to re$ret his de)ision to fi$ht. 3nd then in the third round 0arrelson hit %anderas so hard in the fa)e that he
a)tually broke his nose. 0is wife a)tress +elanie 7riffith was furious'a.)*+,( that he had been playin$ &silly ma)ho'a.-
./012( $ames&. &5he was ri$ht& )onfesses'v.3'45( %anderas &and , was a fool to take a risk like that in the
middle of a movie.&
0e was reminded of the time he broke his le$ durin$ a football mat)h in his native +ala$a. 0e had always dreamed of be)omin$ a
so))er star of performin$ in front of a bi$ )rowd but do)tors told him his playin$ days were probably over. &That's when , de)ided to
take up a)tin$8 , saw it as another way of performin$ and a)hievin$ re)o$nition. 2hat happened to me on that football pitch was
you mi$ht say my first lu)ky break.&
6 lobal !arming 789:
Few people now 9uestion the reality of $lobal warmin$ and its effe)ts on the world's )limate'n.1;<1(. +any s)ientists put the
blame for re)ent natural disasters on the in)rease in the world's temperatures and are )onvin)ed that more than ever before the -arth is
at risk from the for)es' )( of the wind rain and sun. According to them $lobal warmin$ is makin$ e1treme' =>( weather
events such as hurri)anes'n. ?<)<( and drou$hts'n.@ABC( even more severe and )ausin$ sea levels all around the
world to rise .
-nvironmental $roups are puttin$ pressure on $overnments to take a)tion to redu)e the amount of )arbon dio1ide'n.DEF(
whi)h is $iven off by fa)tories and power plants thus atta)kin$' G( the problem at its sour)e. They are in favour of more money
bein$ spent on resear)h into solar'a. HI n. HIJ( wind and wave ener$y devi)es whi)h )ould then repla)e e1istin$ power
stations .
5ome s)ientists however believe that even if we stopped releasin$ )arbon dio1ide and other $ases into the atmosphere'n. K1(
tomorrow we would have to wait several" L # hundred years to noti)e the results. 7lobal warmin$ it seems is here to stay'MN(.
O A $uccess $tory
3t 1: %en 2ay is already a millionaire and one of a $rowin$ number of teena$ers who have made their fortune'PQ( throu$h
the ,nternet. !hat makes %en's story all the more remarkable'a.RSTUVW( is that he is dysle1i)'a.XYZ[n.XYZ
[\( and was told by tea)hers at his .unior s)hool that he would never be able to read or write properly . &, wanted to prove them
wrong & says %en )reator and dire)tor of 2aysear)h a net sear)h en$ine whi)h )an be used to find $oods in online shoppin$ malls.
2hen he was ei$ht his lo)al authorities'n.]^]_]( provided him with a 4C to help with s)hool work. 3lthou$h he was
unable to read the manuals he had a natural ability with the )omputer and encouraged by his father he soon be$an charging people
;l< an hour for his knowled$e and skills. 3t the a$e of 1= he set up his own )omputer )onsultan)y'n.`abcdefg( >uad
Computer whi)h he ran from his bedroom and two years later he left s)hool to devote all his time to business.
&%y this time the )ompany had $rown and , needed to take on a couple of employees to help me& says %en. &That enabled me to start
doing business with bi$$er )ompanies.? ,t was his ability to )onsistently' hij( overcome diffi)ult )hallen$es that led him to
win the @oun$ -ntrepreneur'n.klmno\( of the @ear award in the same year that he formed 2aysear)h and he has re)ently
si$ned a deal worth ;A= million with a private investment'n.pqpr( )ompany whi)h will finan)e' s tuqv( his sear)h
en$ine.
w %raffic in &ur 'ities
The volume of traffi) in many )ities in the world today )ontinues to e1pand. This )auses many problems in)ludin$ serious air
pollution len$thy'a.xyzy( delays and the $reater risk of a))idents. Clearly somethin$ must be done but it is often diffi)ult
to persuade people to )han$e their habits and leave their )ars at home.
Bne possible approach is to make it more e1pensive for people to use their )ars by increasing )har$es for parkin$ and bringing in
tou$her'{| +}( fines for'~C'(( anyone who breaks the law. ,n addition drivers )ould be re9uired to pay for usin$
parti)ular routes at different times of the day. This system known as &road pri)in$& is already bein$ introdu)ed in a number of )ities
usin$ a spe)ial ele)troni) )ard fi(ed to the winds)reen'n.<( of the )ar.
3nother way of dealing with the problem is to provide )heap parkin$ on the outskirts of the )ity and stri)tly )ontrol the number
of vehi)les allowed into the )entre. Drivers and their passen$ers then use a spe)ial bus servi)e for the final sta$e of their .ourney.
Bf )ourse the most important thing is to provide $ood publi) transport. 0owever to $et people to give up the )omfort of their )ars
publi) transport must be felt to be reliable'a.#( )onvenient'( and )omfortable with fares'( kept at an
a))eptable level
%eaching and learning
+any tea)hers believe that the responsibilities for learnin$ lie with'C( the student. ,f a lon$ readin$ assi$nment'n.
gl( is $iven instru)tors e1pe)t students to be familiar with the information__in the readin$ even if they do not dis)uss it in )lass or
take an e1amination. The idea _ student is )onsidered to be one who is motivated'v. =( to learn for the sake
of's( learning_ not the one interested only in $ettin$ hi$h $rades. 5ometimes homework is returned with brief written )omments
but without a $rade. -ven if a $rade is not $iven the student is responsible for learnin$ the material assi$ned. 2hen resear)h is
assigned _ the professor e1pe)ts the student to take it a)tively and to )omplete it with minimum $uidan)e. ,t is the student's
responsibility to find books ma$a6ines and arti)les in the library. 4rofessors do not have the time to e1plain how a university library
works8 they e1pe)t students particularly $raduate students to e1haust'v.;( the referen)e _ sources_ in the
library. 4rofessors will help students who need it but prefer that their students should not be too" H # dependent on them. ,n the Dnited
5tats professors have many other duties besides tea)hin$ su)h as administrative'adj.,( or resear)h work. Therefore the
time that a professor )an spend with a student outside of )lass is limited . ,f a student has problems with )lassroom work the student
should either _ approach _ a professor durin$ offi)e hours or make an appointment'n.(.
) %he Difference between *an and 'omputer
2hat makes people different from )omputer pro$ramsE 2hat is the missin$ element'n.-( that our theories donFt
yet account_ forE The answer is simpleG 4eople read newspaper stories for a reasonG to learn more about _ what__ they are interested in.
Computers on the other hand don't. ,n fa)t )omputers don't even have interests8there is nothin$ in parti)ular' ( that they are
tryin$ to find out when they read. ,f a )omputer program_ is to be a model of story understandin$ it should also read for a &purpose&.
Bf )ourse people have several $oals that do not make sense to attribute to )omputers. Bne mi$ht read a restaurant $uide in order to
satisfy hun$er or entertainment'n.( $oals or to find a $ood pla)e to $o for a business lun)h. Computers do not $et hun$ry
and )omputers do not have business lun)hes.
0owever these physiolo$i)al'adj.,( and so)ial $oals $ive rise to several intelle)tual'adj.( or
)o$nitive'adj.''( $oals. 3 $oal to satisfy hun$er $ives rise to' ( $oals to find information about the name
of a restaurant whi)h serves the desired type of food how e1pensive the restaurant isthe lo)ation of the restaurant et). These are $oals
to _ ac+uire information or knowled$e what we are )allin$ learning _ $oals. These $oals )an be held by )omputers too8 a )omputer
might_ &want& to find out the lo)ation of a restaurant and read a $uide in order to do so in the same way as a person mi$ht. 2hile su)h
a $oal would not arise out of hun$er in the )ase of the )omputer it mi$ht well'J( arise out of the &$oal& to learn more about
restaurants.
) Look on %he Bright $ide
Do you ever wish you were more optimisti)'adj.n( someone who always e(pected to be su))essfulE 0avin$
someone around who always fears the worst isnFt really a lot of fun . 2e all know someone who sees a sin$le )loud on a sunny day and
says &,t looks like rain. & %ut if you )at)h yourself thinkin$ su)h thin$sit's important to do somethin$ about it'
(.
@ou )an )han$e your view of life according to psy)holo$ists' m(. ,t only takes a little effort and you'll find life more
rewardin$'adj.TU( as a result . Bptimismthey sayis partly about self#respe)t and )onfiden)e but it's also
a more positive way of lookin$ at life and all it has to offer . Bptimists are more likely to start new pro.e)ts and are $enerally more
prepared to take risks.
Dpbrin$in$'( is obviously'adv.&&( very important in formin$ your attitude to the world. 5ome
people are brou$ht up to depend too mu)h on others and $row up'y( forever blamin$'v.( other people when anythin$
goes wron$. +ost optimistson the _other hand have been brou$ht up not to regard failure as the end of the worldHthey .ust get on
with their lives.
) %he First Bicycle
The history of the bi)y)le $oes ba)k more than A<< years. ,n 17:1 Count' ( de 5ivra) delighted onlookers'( in a park in
4aris as he showed off his two#wheeled invention a ma)hine )alled the )eleriferI. ,t was basi)ally an enlarged version of a )hildrenFs
toy whi)h had been in use for many years. 5ivra)'s &)eleriferI& had a wooden frame made in the shape of a horsewhi)h was mounted
on a wheel at either endTo ride it you sat on a small seat .ust like a modem bi)y)leand pushed hard a$ainst the ground with your
le$sthere were no pedals'0(. ,t was impossible to steer'( a )eleriferI and it had no brakes'
(but despite these problems the invention very mu)h appealed to the fashionable youn$ men of 4aris. 5oon they were holding ra)es
up and down the streets.
+inor in,uries were )ommon as riders attempted a final burst'( of speed . Controllin$ the ma)hine was diffi)ult
as the only way to )han$e direction was to pull up the front of the &)eleriferI& and turn it round while the front wheel was spinning in
the air. &CeleriferIs& were not popular for lon$howeveras the combination of no sprin$s'( no steerin$ and rou$h roads'(
made ridin$ them very un)omfortable. -ven sothe wooden )eleriferI was the origin of the modem bi)y)le.
) !orking *others
Carefully )ondu)ted'v.( resear)hes that have followed the )hildren of workin$ mothers have not been able to show any
lon$#term problems )ompared with )hildren whose mothers stayed at home. +y personal view is that mothers should be allowed to
work if they wish. 2hether we like it or not thereare a number of mothers who .ust have to work. There are those who have invested'p
q( su)h a bi$ part of their lives in establishin$'( a )areer that they )annot afford to see it lost. Then there are many who must work
out of pure e)onomi)'( ne)essity . +any mothers are not )ut out to be full#time parents. 3fter a few months at home with a
mu)h loved infant'( they feel trapped'v.rZ( and isolated'(.
There are a number of options'( when it )omes to )hoosin$ )hild)are. These ran$e from )hild minders'd\( and
nannies'( throu$h to 7ranny'( or the kind'( lady a)ross the street. ,n reality howevermany parents don't have any
)hoi)e8 they have to a))ept anythin$ they )an $et. %e prepared/ Jo matter how $ood the )hild)are may besome )hildren are $oin$ to
protest'( wildly',( if they are left. This is a perfectly normal sta$e of )hild development. %abies separate well in the first si1
monthsbut soon after that they start to $et a )rush' ( on +um and )lose family members . +ake sure that in the first week
you allow plenty of time to help your )hild settle in'(.
3ll )hildren are different. 5ome are independent while others are more attached to their mothers. *emember that if you want
to do the best for your )hildren it's not the 9uantity'( of time you spend with themit's the 9uality that matters
$chool Lunch
*esear)h has shown that over half the )hildren in %ritain who take their own lun)hes to s)hool do not eat '1( properly in the middle of
the day. ,n %ritain s)hools have to 'A( provide meals at lun)htime. Children )an 'K( )hoose to brin$ their own food or have lun)h at the
s)hool )anteen. Bne sho)kin$ '"( findin$ of this resear)h is that s)hool meals are mu)h healthier than lun)hes prepared by parents. There
are stri)t '=( standards for the preparation of s)hool meals whi)h have to in)lude one '!( portion of fruit and one of ve$etables as well
as meat a dairy item and star)hy food like bread or pasta. Lun)hbo1es '7( e1amined by resear)hers )ontained sweet drinks )risps and
)ho)olate bars. Children 'L( )onsume twi)e as mu)h su$ar as they should at lun)htime. The resear)h will provide a better ':(
understandin$ of why the per)enta$e of overwei$ht students in %ritain has '1<( in)reased in the last de)ade. Dnfortunately the
$overnment )annot '11( )riti)i6e parents but it )an remind them of the '1A( nutritional value of milk fruit and ve$etables. 5mall )han$es
in their )hildren's diet )an '1K( affe)t their future health. Children )an easily develop bad eatin$ '1"( habits at this a$e and parents are
the only ones who )an prevent it.
A -owerful .nfluence
There )an be no doubt at all that the ,nternet has made a hu$e differen)e to our lives. 4arents are worried that )hildren spend too mu)h
time playin$ on the ,nternet hardly '1( ever doin$ anythin$ else in their spare time. Jaturally parents are 'A( )urious to find out why the
,nternet is so attra)tive and they want to know if it )an be 'K( harmful for their )hildren. 5hould parents worry if their )hildren are
spendin$ that mu)h time '"( starin$ at their )omputersE Bbviously if )hildren are bent over their )omputers for hours '=( absorbed in
some $ame instead of doin$ their homework then somethin$ is wron$. 4arents and )hildren )ould de)ide how mu)h use the )hild
should '!( make of the ,nternet and the )hild should $ive his or her '7( word that it wonFt interfere with homework. ,f the )hild is not 'L(
holdin$ to this arran$ement the parent )an take more drasti) ':( steps dealin$ with a )hild's use of the ,nternet is not mu)h different
from '1<( ne$otiatin$ any other sort of bar$ain about behaviour. 3ny parent who is '11( seriously alarmed about a )hild's behaviour
should make an appointment to '1A( dis)uss the matter with a tea)her. 5pendin$ time in front of the s)reen does not '1K( ne)essarily
affe)t a )hild's performan)e at s)hool. -ven if a )hild is '1"( absolutely )ra6y about usin$ the ,nternethe or she is probably .ust $oin$
throu$h a phase and in a few months there will be somethin$ else to worry about/
O Family /istory
,n an a$e when te)hnolo$y is developin$ faster than ever before many people are bein$ '1( attra)ted to the idea of lookin$ ba)k into the
past. Bne way they )an do this is by investi$atin$ their own family history. They )an try to 'A( find out more about where their families
)ame from and what they did. This is now a fastH$rowin$ hobby espe)ially in )ountries with a 'K( fairly short history like 3ustralia
and the Dnited 5tates.,t is '"( one thin$ to spend some time '=( $oin$ throu$h a book on family history and to take the '!( de)ision to
investi$ate your own family's past. ,t is '7( 9uite another to )arry out the resear)h work su))essfully. ,t is easy to set about it in a
disor$ani6ed way and 'L( )ause yourself many problems whi)h )ould have been ':( avoided with a little forward plannin$. ,f your own
family stories tell you that you are '1<( )onne)ted with a famous )hara)ter whether hero or )riminal do not let this idea take over your
resear)h. Must '11( treat it as an interestin$ possibility. 3 simple system '1A( for )olle)tin$ and storin$ your information will be ade9uate
to start with8 a more )omple1 one may only $et in your '1K( way. The most important thin$ thou$h is to '1"( $et started. 2ho knows
what you '1=( mi$ht findE
w /elen and *artin
2ith a thou$htful si$h 0elen turned away
from the window and wa1ked ba)k to her favourite arm)hair. '1( 2ould her brother never arriveE For a brief moment she wondered if
she really )ared that mu)h. Bver the years 0elen had $iven 'A( up waitin$ for +artin to take an interest in her. 0er feelin$s for him had
$radually 'K(weakened until now as she sat waitin$ for him she e1perien)ed no more than a sister's. '"( )uriosity to see what had '=(
be)ome of her brother.3lmost without '!( warnin$ +artin had lost his .ob with a busy publishin$ )ompany after spendin$ the last ei$ht
years in Jew @ork as a key fi$ure in the D5 offi)e. 5omehow the two of them hadn't '7( bothered to keep in tou)h and left alone 0elen
had slowly found her 'L( )onfiden)e in her own .ud$ment $rowin$. ':( ,$norin$ the wishes of her parents she had left university
halfway 'l<( throu$h her )ourse and now to the astonishment of the whole family she was '11( $ainin$ a fast#$rowin$ reputation in the
pa$es of respe)ted art ma$a6ines and was a)tually earnin$ enou$h to live '1A( on from her paintin$s.Bf )ourse she '1K( took no pleasure
in +artin's sudden misfortune but she )ouldn't '1"( help lookin$ forward to her brother's arrival with '1=( 9uiet satisfa)tion at what she
had a)hieved
!"# $Km%&'())