Good news for grumps

Feeling grumpy 'is good for you'

In a bad mood? Don't worry - according to research, it's good for you.

An Australian psychology expert who has been studying emotions has found being grumpy makes us think more clearly.

In contrast to those annoying happy types, miserable people are better at decision-making and less gullible, his experiments showed.

While cheerfulness fosters creativity, gloominess breeds attentiveness and careful thinking, Professor Joe Forgas told Australian Science Magazine.

'Eeyore days'

The University of New South Wales researcher says a grumpy person can cope with more demanding situations than a happy one because of the way the brain "promotes information processing strategies".

He asked volunteers to watch different films and dwell on positive or negative events in their life, designed to put them in either a good or bad mood.

Next he asked them to take part in a series of tasks, including judging the truth of urban myths and providing eyewitness accounts of events.

Those in a bad mood outperformed those who were jolly - they made fewer mistakes and were better communicators.

Professor Forgas said: "Whereas positive mood seems to promote creativity, flexibility, co-operation and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world."

The study also found that sad people were better at stating their case through written arguments, which Forgas said showed that a "mildly negative mood may actually promote a more concrete, accommodative and ultimately more successful communication style".

His earlier work shows the weather has a similar impact on us - wet, dreary days sharpened memory, while bright sunny spells make people forgetful.

Source: BBC News

Up Int - module 1 Right or wrong

Are the following sentences right or wrong? Correct them if needed.

1. You've been to Madrid before, haven't you?
2. A: John's found a job at last. B: Did he? That's great.
3. Nice to meet you. See you again soon.
4. Your English has improved a lot over the last few months.
5. Nadal was number one in the world last year but actually he's number two.
6. He does speak very well. Where is he learning English?
7. He's been living in London during the past few years.
8. I think I get on really well with most of my colleagues.
9. The first James Bond film was made back in the 60s.
10. She's suddenly being very nice to everybody. I don't get it.
11. My boss attended the meeting but I haven't.
12. A: Have you heard of Iker Casillas? B: Yes, I have, actually.
13. At one time he was just a shop assistant but now he owns a chain of stores.
14. I look forward to meet you when you are in Spain.
15. James has worked in the accounting department for 2 years but now he works in human resources.

Up Int - module 1 Vocab

Complete the following sentences with a word in the correct form. All are taken from module 1.

1. Sorry, I couldn't help o.......... your conversation. Are you from Scotland too?
2. The shopping centre is h... , it's easy to get lost there.
3. I like getting away from t... to t... (n.. and a....) ; it helps me relax.
4. Aznar is a f..... prime minister of Spain.
5. Have you seen Almodovar's l..... film?
6. I'm really surprised that they have s.... u.. I thought they were happy together.
7. I used to l...... going to piano lessons as a child but my sister loved going.
8. I think it is o......... how the city hall is wasting our money in such things.
9. I wouldn't say he's a friend, he's more of an a.......... really.
10. I don't want you to get into t...... with your boss because of me.
11. We've been together for twenty years and never even had a r.....
12. I hope she g... o.... the flu soon; we need her here in the office.
13. OK, that's me finished. I'm o.. See you tomorrow.
14. Sorry to b....... you but I really need your help.
15. I really must be g...... o.. with my work. I have a lot of things to finish.
16. Have you ever g.. s.... in a lift? It must be frightening.

Gibraltar tension

British ambassador forced to apologise after Royal Navy ship 'used buoy painted colours of Spanish flag for target practice'

The Royal Navy was accused yesterday of using a Spanish flag as a machine-gun target.

Giles Paxman, the UK's new ambassador in Madrid, was forced to apologise after sailors fired at a red-and-yellow flag affixed to a buoy while patrolling off Gibraltar.

He was summoned to the Spanish Foreign Ministry for a dressing down and officials said he had conceded there had been an 'error of judgement'.

But the ambassador - who has been in post for just a month - denied that the crew of HMS Scimitar had been insulting Spain's flag.

Instead, he told them the sailors had actually been firing at Nato's maritime flag for the number '1' which shares the same distinctive colours.

Mr Paxman promised an investigation into the incident.

But diplomatic sources said Madrid was taking revenge following a spat in May when the Royal Navy forced a Spanish naval ship to retreat after it

A statement released by the Spanish Foreign Ministry said: 'The British ambassador has apologised for this error of judgement and the lack of sensibility shown and has promised to open a thorough investigation.'

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Madrid said: 'We can confirm the British ambassador has been called in to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

'They have put a statement out. We're aware of the wording and we have nothing further to say.'

The incident happened on Tuesday morning seven miles off Gibraltar when a Spanish police patrol boat witnessed officers on HMS Scimitar reeling in a red-and-yellow flag on a buoy.

The Guardia Civil claimed in a official report that two machine guns were trained on the flag - but admitted they had not seen any shots fired.

The Spanish police also said they were warned by loudspeaker as they approached: 'You are not allowed here, these are international waters, leave immediately.'

They told their superiors that this was a desperate attempt by the Navy to keep them at a distance while they concealed evidence that sailors had been defiling 'Spanish colours'.

An MoD spokesman yesterday insisted the Spanish had been mistaken, but pledged to take action so a row did not flare in future.

He said: 'HMS Scimitar was using Flag No1 during gunnery practise – not the Spanish national flag. Flag No1 is traditionally used on gunnery targets due to its high visibility however we recognise its similarity to the Spanish national flag and will use an alternative marker during gunnery practise in this area in the future.'

The latest spat comes amid simmering tensions in Straits of Gibraltar between Spanish police boats and the Royal Navy's two-vessel Gibraltar Patrol Boat Squadron.

Relations between the countries soured in the spring when the British Embassy in Madrid made an official complaint over a Spanish navy ship inspecting fishing boats in British waters.

After new incursions in July, the government of Gibraltar urged all ships to ignore Spanish patrol ships - and send up distress flares if approached.

Gibraltar was seized by British and Dutch Marines after fierce fighting in 1704, during the Napoleonic Wars, and ceded to Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht nine years later.

But Spain has defiantly refused to recognise the agreement, which includes territorial waters three miles around the Rock, and has repeatedly tried to reclaim them.

It is not the first military mix-up between the two nations in recent years.

In 2002, British Marines inadvertently invaded Spain after storming the wrong beach during a training exercise.

Twenty troops, armed and in full battle order, poured from their landing craft and charged up a beach.

Thanks to a monumental navigational blunder, they had managed to invade the Spanish town of La Linea, which lies on the frontier with Gibraltar.

They thought they were invading Gibraltar as part of a military exercise and were expecting strong opposition from other British troops.

But they were confronted by sunbathers and two Spanish police officers. After acknowledging the mistake, they reboarded their craft and sailed to their proper destination

Source: Daily Mail

Vocabulary Practice

Find the green words from the article that have the following definition:

eg. People who go to the beach to get some colour. (noun) Answer - sunbather

1. A big mistake you make because you don't take care. (noun)
2. You normally do this with a bottle of wine into a glass. In another sense, it means to move quickly and in large quantities. (verb)
3. To make a formal promise to do something. (verb)
4. To prefent something from being seen. A synonym of hide. (verb)
5. A group of people who work together. (noun)
6. Violent and frightening. (adjective)
7. To move nearer something or someone. (verb)
8. Detailed and careful. (adjective)
9. A mistake that causes confusion. (noun)
10. An arguement. (noun)
11. When there is not enough of something. (noun)
12. Resulting in or because of. (adjective)

The hand of frog

Here is a news report on the handball that robbed Ireland of a place in the World Cup final.

Isn't it now time that video evidence is used in football?

Should this game be replayed?

Football is like life - unfair!

Fifa rejects Ireland's demands to replay World Cup play-off

Fifa has ruled that the controversial World Cup qualifying match between Ireland and France will not be replayed, despite outrage over Thierry Henry’s handball.

Responding to demands made by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) for the match to be restaged, football's world governing body said that it was unable to sanction a replay, stating that under Law 5 of the Laws of the Game the decisions of the referee are final.

"Fifa has today replied to the request made by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to replay the 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa play-off match held on November 18, 2009 between France and the Republic of Ireland in Paris," a statement read. "In the reply, Fifa states that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed. As is clearly mentioned in the Laws of the Game, during matches, decisions are taken by the referee and these decisions are final".

Last night, the French football authorities defied calls to replay the match, despite expressing regret at the controversial nature of their qualification for the World Cup. A senior official at the French federation confirmed they had not held discussions over a possible replay and were instead celebrating the goal that secured their place in the finals in South Africa next year.

“Look, we feel sad for the Irish,” the official said. “It was a really tough, important game. But s*** happens. It was a refereeing mistake just like others in the match and others in qualifying games. We are not discussing a replay.

“We understand there is a lot of upset in Ireland and England about this. Fair play started in England, but not even the English would take it so far as to replay.”

Fifa's announcement came as a senior French government minister called on them to order replays in matches where cheating affected the outcome. Christine Lagarde, the economy minister, expressed her disappointment at the outcome and demanded Fifa look at their rules.

"I am obviously very happy that the team is in the World Cup but I think it's very sad to have qualified on this, well, on this cheating," Lagarde told France's RTL radio. "And I think that Fifa would do well to look at the rules because I think it would be good, in such circumstances, to decide maybe to replay the match."

Henry, the man at the centre of the storm, said on his Twitter page: “If I hurt someone I’m sorry.” But he had not upset Jean-Pierre Escalettes, the French federation president, who said: “I was really happy. I shared those great moments on the pitch with the team.” Resisting calls for a replay, Escalettes said that France had had to endure bad breaks on the road to the finals. “We have had refereeing mistakes in qualifying which have gone against us and for us,” he said.

The controversy over the goal, created initially by Henry’s left hand and scored by William Gallas to give France a 2-1 aggregate win, was even discussed by heads of state, with Brian Cowen, the Irish Prime Minister, raising the issue with President Sarkozy at a Brussels summit.

The incident has led to renewed calls for video technology to be introduced, with match officials allowed to consult television screens.

Source: Times

Giant of the air

BA and Iberia agree merger deal

British Airways and Spanish airline Iberia say they have reached a preliminary agreement for a merger expected to be completed in late 2010.

The merger, which must be approved by the European Commission, would create the world's third biggest airline.

Under its terms, Iberia would take a 45% stake and BA, which last week reported a six-month pre-tax loss of £292m, a 55% stake in the company.

Iberia says it can pull out if BA fails to resolve its pension deficit problem.

'Growing dominance'

"The merger will create a strong European airline well able to compete in the 21st Century," said BA chief executive Willie Walsh.

"Both airlines will retain their brands and heritage while achieving significant synergies as a combined force."

The two airlines had been discussing the deal at separate board meetings.

It would create an airline with 419 aircraft flying to 205 separate destinations, and would save the two partners 400m euros ($594m; £358m) in costs a year, they said.

Iberia's chairman Antonio Vazquez would take the same role at the new company, while Mr Walsh would become its chief executive.

News of the deal did not go down well with Virgin Atlantic, one of BA's big competitors in the UK, which raised concerns about the new company's market share.

"The merger will increase BA's dominance at Heathrow with 44% of take-off and landing slots this winter. It is impossible for any other airline to replicate their scale," the airline said.

Big losses

Both BA and Iberia have been losing money during the downturn as businesses and individuals cut back on flying.

Mr Walsh has previously said a merger would help both firms cope with the recession.

The firms have considered a tie-up for a number of years and held talks on the issue in July 2008.

BA already owns 13.5% of Iberia and the two carriers have a code-sharing agreement under the One World grouping of airlines, which allows them to sell seats on each other's services.

If a merger is formalised, it would still require regulatory approval from the European Commission.

However, analysts say a deal is likely to be cleared, pointing to Air France's successful merger with Dutch airline KLM in 2004.

The agreement comes a week after BA said it would cut a further 1,200 jobs, as it reported a first-half loss for the first time.

It made a pre-tax loss of £292m in the six months to the end of September.

The half-year results also revealed a growing problem with its two final-salary pension schemes.
In the past six months, the surplus in one scheme fell from £860m to £27m, while the deficit in the other scheme ballooned from £1.2bn to £2.7bn.

Iberia's most recent results showed that it made a loss of 72.8m euros between April and June.

Both airlines are also negotiating with staff over strike action.

BA cabin crew are being balloted on whether to take action over the company's cost-cutting plans, while Iberia staff have already gone on strike over pay, and plan more disruptions in the run-up to Christmas.

Source: BBC News