O custo da alimentação saudável – Scientific American Brasil
We need a global treaty on health research for the poor – SciDev.Net
Por un tratado global para investigar salud de los pobres – SciDev.Net
Pre-term births on the rise – Nature
Energia eólica deve superar a gerada por usinas nucleares no mundo até 2020 – Deutsche Welle
Bionic bodies – BBC News
Nova rota pelo Ártico vira opção de navegação com derretimento de icebergs – BBC Brasil
Female gladiators? Tantalizing new evidence from Ancient Rome – National Geographic
Achado para não ser esquecido – Ciência Hoje
YPF in the world – Open Democracy
Light bends by itself – Science
Etanol celulósico recebe um impulso US$100 milhões – Technology Review
Cellulosic ethanol gets a $100 million boost – Technology Review
The importance of being social – Scientific American
Brain may not be hard-wired to link numbers and space – New Scientist

A very interesting site that discusses various scientific subjects, with articles and interviews.

EarthSky

Learn about a museum in Sao Paulo that shows the evolution of the Portuguese language.

Museu da Língua Portuguesa

Headshield sea slug (Chelidonura hirundinina) - St. Thomas, USVI
foto/photo: Ximena Olds

The University of Miami promotes an annual underwater photo contest for amateur photographers. The photo above, by Ximena Olds, was the overall winner this year and shows a colorful sea slug. Click here to see the other winning photos.

The pirate replies “We was caught in a monster storm off the cape and a giant wave swept me overboard. Just as they were pullin’ me out, a school of sharks appeared and one of ‘em bit me leg off.”

“Blimey!” said the sailor. “What about the hook?”

“Ahhhh…” mused the pirate. “We were boardin’ a trader ship, pistols blastin’ and swords swingin’ this way and that. In the fracas me hand got chopped off.”

“Zounds!” remarked the sailor. “And how came ye by the eye patch?”

“A seagull droppin’ fell into me eye,” answered the pirate.

“You lost your eye to a seagull dropping?” the sailor asked incredulously.

“Well…” said the pirate, “It was the first day with me hook….”

(Do/from JumboJoke)

A PBS documentary about the Panama Canal.

The Panama Canal

I loved Duran Duran‘s concert and this is one of my favourite songs by them. See the concert photos here. Click here to watch a live version in YouTube. The background music is from Music Dumper. The lyrics follow below.

Letra & música · Lyrics & music
Duran Duran

Please please tell me now
Please please tell me now
Please please tell me now
Please please tell me now

I made a break I run out yesterday
Tried to find my mountain hideaway
Maybe next year maybe no go
I know you’re watching me every minute of the day, yeah
I’ve seen the signs and the looks and the pictures
They give your game away, yeah
There’s a dream that strings the road
With broken glass for us to hold
And I cut so far before I had to say

Please please tell me now
Is there something I should know
Is there something I should say
That would make you come my way
Do you feel the same ‘cos you don’t let it show

People stare and cross the road from me
And jungle drums they all clear the way for me
Can you read my mind can you see in the snow
And fiery demons all dance
When you walk through that door
Don’t say you’re easy on me
You’re about as easy as a nuclear war
Cos the dream that strings the road
With broken glass for us to hold
And I got so far before I had to say

Please please tell me now
Is there something I should know
Is there something I should say
That would make you come my way
Do you feel the same ‘cos you don’t let it show

Please please tell me now
Is there something I should know
Is there something I should say
That would make you come my way

Please, please tell me now
Can you see what makes me blow?
Can you see how much I die?
Every time it passes by

Please, please tell me now
What it takes to make you show
Is there something I should know?
Is there something I should say?

The seamstress replied that her thimble had fallen into the water and that she needed it to help her husband in making a living for their family. The Lord dipped His hand into the water and pulled up a golden thimble set with pearls.

“Is this your thimble?” the Lord asked.

The seamstress replied, “No, sir.”

The Lord again dipped into the river. He held out a silver thimble ringed with sapphires.

“Is this your thimble?” the Lord asked.

Again, the seamstress replied, “No, sir.” The Lord reached down again and came up with a leather thimble.

“Is this your thimble?” the Lord asked.

The seamstress smiled and replied, “Yes.”

The Lord was pleased with the woman’s honesty and gave her all three thimbles to keep, and the seamstress went home happy.

Some years later, the seamstress was walking with her husband along the riverbank, and her husband fell into the river and disappeared under the water. When she cried out, the Lord again appeared and asked her, “Why are you crying?”

“Oh Lord, my husband has fallen into the river!”

The Lord went down into the water and came up with George Clooney.

“Is this your husband?” the Lord asked.

“Yes!” cried the seamstress.

The Lord was furious. “You lied!”

The seamstress replied, “Oh, forgive me, my Lord — it is a misunderstanding. You see, if I had said ‘no’ to George Clooney, you would have come up with Brad Pitt. Then if I said ‘no’ to him, you would have come up with my husband. Had I then said ‘yes,’ you would have given me all three. Lord, I’m not in the best of health and would not be able to take care of all three husbands, so that’s why I said ‘yes’ to George Clooney.”

And so the Lord let her keep him.

The moral of the story: Whenever a woman lies, it’s for a good and honorable reason, and in the best interest of others.

(Do/from JumboJoke)

A site that presents the life and works of Alfredo da Rocha Viana Jr., or “Pixinguinha”, one of the greatest names in Brazilian music.

Pixinguinha

- E aí, seu Almeida, está gostando do aparelho?

- É muito bom.

- Sua família gostou?

- Ainda não contei para ninguém, mas já mudei meu testamento três vezes.

(Do/from Piadas.com.br)

An online application to draw flowcharts. It allows saving the files for future edition.

Diagramly

Não reclame do seu trabalho · Don't complain about your job

(Do/from Piadas.com.br)

Planet is in critical state, warns science declaration – SciDev.Net
El estado del planeta es crítico, advierten científicos – SciDev.Net
Don’t elevate Kony – Open Democracy
Novas evidências indicam que a meditação fortalece o cérebro – BBC Brasil
Designing a smart-phone alphabet for the illiterate – Technology Review
Mandioca nutritiva premiada – Ciência Hoje
Groenlândia degela bem mais rápido do que se pensava – Deutsche Welle
“Lost” Great Wall of China Segment Found? – National Geographic
Why do zoo apes get heart disease? – BBC News
O fascínio da memória – Scientific American Brasil
Ancient human ancestor had feet like an ape – Nature
How do artists protect their work online? – Scientific American
Arctic sea ice may have passed crucial tipping point – New Scientist
Plants Gone Wild: Antarctica Edition – Science

Rogers Waters brought his “The Wall” concert to Brazil in March and it was something really spectacular. Even not being a Pink Floyd fan, this was a fantastic and unforgettable experience. Below are some photos I took at the concert (click on “Read more” if you see only one).

The Wall - Another Brick in the Wall I

The Wall - Another Brick in the Wall II

The Wall - Goodbye Blue Sky

The Wall - Hey you!

The Wall - Comfortably Numb

The Wall - In the Flesh

The Wall - Run Like Hell

A site that analyzes peace and justice issues around the world.

World Peace Foundation

A wonderful summer, lots of sun, little rain, heat was not too strong – and many, many photos. Here you can see a slideshow with photos I took at sunrise and are in my gallery at Flickr.