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Hello and welcome to another journalistic edition of Way Ahead with the news that have made the headlines this week. This is teacher Fabio Emerim, and you can follow this episode with the full transcription on our blog English in Brazil. The link is in the description of this episode.
Geologists at the Iowa Geological Survey discovered 150 pieces of fossils of a giant underwater scorpion about 18 meters under the upper Iowa River.
The giant underwater creature reigned the ocean almost half a billion years ago, predating even the dinosaurs. It grew up to 1.7 meters in length, had 12 claw arms sprouting from their heads and had a spiked tail.
The animal is called Pentecopterus and is part of the Eurypterid family of sea scorpions. Unlike modern land scorpions, its tail did not sting and was used more for balance.
There are more than 250 individual species of Eurypterid, but most of the discovered specimens are of the Eurypterus species.…
Lexus created the world’s first drivable cardboard car.
The unique model is an exact replica of Toyota’s IS Saloon, and people pieced it together from precisely cut pieces of cardboard.
The car comes with a fully fitted interior, functioning doors, headlights, and rolling wheels.
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Scotland is the first country in the world to legislate free period products for women and girls in need.
In the current cost of the living crisis, this law makes a huge difference, as women will get free period products in schools, colleges, and many other venues.
So far, women and girls accessed free products through food banks if they couldn’t afford to buy them. Some women and girls said they used period products for longer than is safe or hygienic, which caused a lot of exclusion.
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The cost of the living crisis is worsening, leading some UK pet owners to give up their animals to save money.
UK’s famous Battersea charity is currently caring for hundreds of dogs and cats, and similar centers around the country say they’re receiving record inquiries for dog and cat returns.
Many owners say the additional cost of food and veterinary care isn’t manageable. One owner came to the charity to return a pregnant cat because he was no longer able to afford to care for the cat and her unborn kittens.
The trend follows a surge in demand for pets during the COVID-19 pandemic. UK households are dealing with a huge crisis in their energy bills, and experts warn a recession is going to come. Some charities warn it can put millions of people into poverty, and they hope that someone will be able to give the animals permanent homes.
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Tour operators are creating chaos as they overcrowd and overbook in Machu Picchu, Peru’s most popular tourist destination.
Machu Picchu’s long lines and crowds forced authorities to halt ticket sales until the end of the week. The measure stranded foreign and local tourists. Unable to reach the site, hundreds of them blocked nearby rail tracks to protest.
Machu Picchu has a maximum capacity of 4,044 people per day; however, Peru’s culture minister warned of local tour operators who sell counterfeit tickets. Some tour operators ask passengers to take the train and buy tickets on arrival at the site; however, no one will be there for them.
The country’s tourism minister said that the number of visitors would increase to 5,044 per day, which frustrated local people. In the 15th century, the Incan people built the citadel, and in 2018, it attracted 1.5 million visitors.
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Johnson&Johnson the world’s largest healthcare company, will, in 2023, stop its global sale of its controversial talc baby powder.
The change is happening more than two years after the company ended sales of the product in the US and Canada.
The baby powder drew about 38,000 consumer lawsuits over alleged materials that cause cancer, and the product’s demand felt. Johnson&Johnson denied all allegations and called them misinformation; however, last week, it announced that it would shift to a cornstarch baby powder. They already sell it in several countries around the world.
Johnson&Johnson repeatedly said that its talc products were safe, and they didn’t cause cancer; however, people found evidence the company knew asbestos was present in its products for decades.
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And these were the news for this episode of Way Ahead! Differently from other editions, and following the idea from last week’s episode, rather than talking about the vocabulary in the end, I’m publishing the full transcription on our blog www.englishinbrazil.com.br/blog so that you can have a better understanding of what was said.
And if you want to be one of our students at English in Brazil, click on the link in the description and it will take you to the enrollment page or to the waiting list, in case we haven’t started enrolling yet.
That’s it for now! This is Fabio Emerim saying goodbye! See you next time!
