Milly, the miracle dog

A Chihuahua in Puerto Rico has been crowned the world's smallest dog by the Guinness Book of Records.

Miracle Milly is 9.6cm high and weighs just half a kilogram.

The brown Chihuahua named Miracle Milly is shorter than a soup can, standing at 3.8 inches (9.65 centimeters) tall when measured from backbone to paw, Guinness World Records announced Thursday.

She is nearly 2 years old, weighs roughly 1 pound (half a kilogram) and is known for often sticking out her tiny tongue when someone takes her picture.

"She knows how to pose," owner Vanesa Semler told The Associated Press.

Miracle Milly dethroned Boo Boo, a long-haired Chihuahua from Kentucky that stands 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) tall.

Guinness also has a second category for world's smallest dog when measured by length. That title is held by Heaven Sent Brandy, a Chihuahua in Largo, Florida, that measures 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) long.

When she was born, Miracle Milly weighed less than an ounce and fit in a teaspoon, Semler said. Her mouth was too tiny to nurse from her mother, so Semler gave her milk every two hours through an eyedropper.

She slept in a doll's crib next to Semler's bed, growing stronger as the months passed.

The Chihuahua now sleeps in a baby's crib and will eat nothing but food cooked by humans.

From

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/12/miracle-milly_n_3916833.html

Switzerland's golf ball stealing fox!

A clever fox is robbing golf balls and hiding them at a golf club in Valais in Switzerland.

The fox has been filmed waiting as a golfer takes a shot and then running out to stealing the ball.

Locals say the animal, named Foxy, is often hiding behind the shrubbery and when he gets a ball, heads behind buildings and hides it.

According to BBC, the fox has gathered over 100 golf balls from the course, often while the balls are still in play.

Check out the clip and see the cheeky fox in action!

From CBBC newsround

Baby panda cubs on show in China

Just when you're waiting for a panda cub, fourteen come along at once!

Just watch these cute cubs! 

They're true teddies,aren't they? 

Who wouldn't like to hold one?

These adorable baby pandas were shown off for the first time at the Chengdu Giant Panda centre in China on Monday.

There are fewer than 2,000 pandas left in the wild and the Chengdu centre works to protect the species.

The 14 cubs were artificially bred in the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base in south-west China's Sichuan province.

Born between July and September this year, they are currently being raised in two delivery rooms at the base.

The eldest, Meng Meng, is four times heavier than the youngest, Ya Yi.

In the UK, they're're still waiting to see whether Tian Tian is going to have cubs too.

The panda Tian Tian at the National Zoo was artificially inseminated

Read more

The problem with panda pregnancies

From 

• CBBC Newsround 
• BBC News- Asia

Usain Bolt sings on BBC Radio 5 Live

Usain Bolt says he hasn't decided whether to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next summer.

The world's fastest man said if he does take part, he'll only compete in the 200 metre sprint.

If he does retire from running, Usain could always pursue a career in pop music.

He surprised radio listeners by singing a famous song by fellow Jamaican Bob Marley during an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live.

From CBBC Newsround

I think he isn't much of a singer. Maybe he should just run and be the fastest man on Earth!

Miniature books on display in Scotland

Some of the world's smallest books have been put on display at the National Library of Scotland.

Robert Burns's poetry also deserved a miniature book

One of the books is a copy of Old King Cole which measures less than 1mm in height!

It was published in 1985 and held the world record for the smallest printed book for 20 years.

It is one of about 80 miniature books which will go on display in Edinburgh until 17 November.

A miniature book is generally defined as one that is less than 7.5cm tall.

Why would anybody publish such tiny books?

In the 1870s, the Glasgow book publisher David Bryce & Son became one of the most successful miniature book publishers in the world.

They found that books sold thousands upon thousands more copies if they were miniature.

Others, like the tiny copy of Old King Cole, are simply published for a bit of fun.

From CBBC Newsround

Dutch cyclist claims new world speed record in Nevada

Dutch cyclist Sebastiaan Bowier has pedalled his way into the record books, becoming the fastest ever cyclist in a human powered vehicle.

He pedalled the special bike known as Velo X3 along one of the smoothest roads in the world, in Nevada USA.

Reaching a top speed of over 83 miles per hour, Sebastiaan broke the previous record set in 2009 by a Canadian cyclist.

Odd bike, isn't it?

From CBBC newsround

Welcome back to school, kids!

I wish you all a very good and successful schoolyear !

Mystery postbox appears on bridge

A red postbox that mysteriously appeared in the middle of a bridge is going to be removed.

The postbox appeared a few weeks ago on the side of Sonning Bridge, which crosses the River Thames in Berkshire.

Royal Mail said the postbox is not real and any letters posted would not get delivered.

People living nearby say the postbox is a mystery. Some people think it was put up as a piece of art.

Local councillor Mike Haines said he thought it was a "bit of fun" but the postbox will have to come down.

The Sonning Bridge is a "listed" structure which means it is protected and any alterations must be approved by the council.

From CBBC newsround

Sonning Bridge is a road bridge across the River Thames at Sonning, Berkshire. It links Sonning with Sonning Eye (Oxfordshire) and crosses the Thames on the reach above Shiplake Lock, just short of Sonning Lock. It is a brick arch bridge completed in 1775, to replace an earlier wooden bridge. The bridge has been the subject of many paintings and prints by artists.

The road extends to the two Sonning Backwater Bridges. One is over the backwater downstream of the weir and the is other over themillrace which is between the two main branches.

The Thames Path crosses the river at this point.

in Wikipedia

Sonning Bridge is also used in handpainted English china pieces

Burka Avenger is Pakistan's first female superhero

Back off Batman, and step aside Supergirl, because there's a new superhero in town taking Pakistan by storm - the Burka Avenger!

The Burka Avenger is an amazing action-comedy animated TV series that follows the adventures of the Burka Avenger and three young kids in the imaginary city of Halwapur as they fight the evil Baba Bandook and his henchmen.

The new hero is Pakistan's first ever female superhero.

Jiya is a schoolteacher who turns into the Burka Avenger to defend her young students from baddies who are trying to destroy their school.

The show has become a big hit in Pakistan, which has never had an animated series before.

The Burka Avenger's message is especially important for kids in Pakistan, where girls are not always given the right to an education.

In 2010, schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai was shot by the Taliban after campaigning for girls to get better access to education.

Burka Avenger is the creation of Haroon Rashid, one of Pakistan's most famous and best selling pop music artists.

Haroon says: "Burka Avenger is a cartoon superhero, but for me, Malala is a real-life hero."

From CBBC newsround

The Burka Avenger is an amazing action-comedy animated TV series that follows the adventures of the Burka Avenger and three young kids in the imaginary city of Halwapur as they fight the evil Baba Bandook and his henchmen.

The Burka Avenger TV series comprises of 13 episodes of 22 minutes each. Featuring guest appearances and original songs from some of the biggest musical acts from across South Asia (including Ali Zafar, Haroon, Ali Azmat, Josh and many others), Burka Avenger is a must see for kids and adults alike.

The main goals of the Burka Avenger TV series are to make people laugh, to entertain and to send out positive social messages to the youth.

Get to know Jiya

Separated from her parents at a young age, Jiya was adopted by a wise old Kabbadi Master, Kabaddi Jan. He took her under his wing and taught her theart of Takht Kabaddi, a new kind of fighting style where books and pens are primarily used as weapons in conjunction with a variety of karate moves. To the locals, she is known simply as the demure school teacher but whenever evil is afoot, she takes on her alter identity, Burka Avenger and uses theTakht Kabaddi to defeat her enemies. As the Burka Avenger, she uses theBurka to hide her true identity, which no one knows except for herffather,Kabaddi Jan.

From http://www.burkaavenger.com/about

Dutch police set to use sniffer rats to fight crime!

Police in the Netherlands are to use rats to help them solve crimes by sniffing out gunshot residues.

Dutch cops have recruited unlikely allies in the fight against crime: rats. Police in Rotterdam, Netherlands, are believed to be the first in the world to use specially trained rats to sniff out gunpowder and assist in shooting investigations. Five rats — who are reportedly named after famous fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Thomas Magnum — are set to enter the field after successful experiments. According to Volksrant newspaper, trainer Monique Hamerslag realized rats could be used by police when she was traveling in Africa and encountered rats being used to sniff out land mines.

Sourcehttp://now.msn.com/sniffer-rats-trained-to-investigate-gun-crimes-in-rotterdam-netherlands

Police will be able to use the rats to see if a gun has been fired.

The team of five brown rats are named after famous detectives - including Agatha Christie's Poirot and the American private investigator Magnum.

Their trainer Monique Hamerslag says the rats' sense of smell is stronger than a dogs' sense of smell, and it's much quicker to train them.

Rats can take only ten days to train and dogs can take months or even years.

She says the little creatures could also be trained to detect other things like money or blood.

From CBBC newsround

Guide dog owners illegally denied access to restaurants

Guide dog owners are being illegally denied access to restaurants and leisure facilities, according to the charity Guide Dogs.

They say complaints from owners have risen by a third since last year.

Pets aren't allowed in many public places but some blind people have canine helpers and should have access.

Guide dog owners are being refused entry to shops, cafes, transport and other venues when going about their daily lives, a study found.

The report, which takes into account almost 400 complaints received by Guide Dogs, showed that the largest number of reported incidents involved restaurants.

• There are more than 4,700 guide dog owners in the UK, Guide Dogs says.
• The average working life of a guide dog is five to six years.
• The lifetime cost of a dog is about £50,000.

'More awareness needed'

Continue reading the main stor.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) says that by law, business owners must make "reasonable adjustments" to make their premises' accessible to disabled people. This should include being flexible on a "no dogs" rule for people with guide dogs.

Richard Leaman, chief executive of Guide Dogs said: "More awareness is needed to avoid blind and partially sighted people having to cope with this stress and discrimination."

The report was published ahead of Guide Dogs Week (October 5-13), which aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by guide dog owners in getting around with ease.

British Guide Dog stamp from 1981.

We've got a range of handy information booklets that explain the law and provide tips on delivering a better service. Ask for a copy by contacting your nearest Mobility Team or download the booklets you need from the list below.

• Access to leisure facilities PDF (707kb)
• Access to restaurants PDF (1MB)
• Access to sports stadia PDF
• Access to hotels PDF (2MB)
• Employing a guide dog owner - access requirements PDF (1.3 MB)
• Key messages on the street environment Word (119kb)
• Shared surface streets briefing note Word (158kb)
• GP Good Lighting Guidance Word (28kb)
• Guide Dogs GP Surgery Good Practice Guidelines Word (1MB)
• Guide Dogs in the Workplace PDF (144kb)
• Briefing note on Guide Dog owners in police custody PDF (280kb)
  
  This briefing note on Guide Dog owners in police custody has been jointly produced by Guide Dogs and the Police to give guidance to Police Staff on the appropriate way to manage a blind or partially sighted person who is accompanied by their guide dog in custody.

http://www.guidedogs.org.uk/aboutus/whatwedo/access/#.Uin7jdK-ofg

Thank you all, my friends!

Now I think it's time for me to thank all the visitors of this blog who kindly have left their comments which I truly apreciate. I'm not much of a blogger but I do my best to keep this blog updated. My main source is the BBC site, namely the CBBC which I consider one of the most reliable in what news are concerned. Of course I do some research to add further information. I must say that this blog was created as a tool for my youngest pupils from a school not far from Lisbon in Portugal. However, I also post during the holidays because I know lots of people all over the world visit it, once I get lots of comments and visits from various countries what you can check by the flags the counter shows. Thank you all and I wish you keep visiting this humble blog and enjoy the posts. Now that school is about to start I won't post as regularly as I've been posting because my professional life is very demanding and some days I don't have much time after work. I'm usually very tired and still have to do some household chores. So, I wish you understand the situation, and never stop visiting the Moving Around English blog, OK?

Bye!
Yours sincerely
Mª Dulce Branquinho

Tiny Gardiner's frog can hear with its mouth!

Scientists think they've discovered a tiny species of frog that's able to hear with its mouth!

Gardiner's frogs are able to 'talk' to each other even though they don't have a middle ear or eardrum to hear sound.

Researchers found they have special mouths that resonate with the high-pitched sounds made by other frogs, transmitting them to their brains.

Scientists hope that they can study the way these unique frogs hear, to help in the treatment of deaf people.

Tiny, endangered species

For a long time it was thought that Gardiner's frogs, that live in the forests of an island in the Seychelles off the east coast of Africa, could not hear anything at all.

But it was observed during the study that the frogs would turn their heads when high-pitched sounds were made - so even without ears, somehow they were hearing the noises.

Sound waves make their mouths vibrate, like the body of a guitar. These vibrations are amplified to their brains, so they do not need fully-developed ears.

Gardiner's frogs are listed as an endangered species, because their habitat is being spoiled by fire, invasive species, and human activity including agriculture and tourism.

One of the scientists who has studied the animals, Dr Justin Gerlach, says: "The possible extinction of these frogs would mean the loss of 65 million years of remarkable evolution: not only are their hearing systems unusual, but they are also among the smallest frogs in the world."

A chimp has won a big art prize in America

Brent is a 37 year-old chimpanzee with an unusual talent.

Just find out what he is capable of

He creates colourful works of art using his tongue, and he's just won a big art prize in America.

He took away a $10,000 (£6,450) prize for his yellow and violet creation.

To win it though he had some very tough competition - all of them artistic chimpanzees!

The unusual contest is held in America and sponsored by a charity called the Humane Society of the US.

All of Brent's winnings will go towards Chimp Haven, the sanctuary in Louisiana that looks after Brent.

After tallying more than 27,000 public votes, The Humane Society of the United States  announced the winners of their Chimpanzee Art Contest. 

Receiving the most public votes was artwork by Brent from Chimp Haven! Second place goes to artwork by Cheetah from Save the Chimps! In third place is artwork by Ripley from Center for Great Apes! For the judged prize, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, selected Cheetah’s artwork! Prizes are in the form of grants to the sanctuaries. 

These original chimpanzee masterpieces will be auctioned off on eBay soon; proceeds will benefit the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance!

Brent is 37 years old and he is protective of Grandma, Chimp Haven's oldest resident. He loves to laugh and play.

Brent is a sweet chimpanzee who has a unique way of creating art…he uses his tongue to paint. Although it is not a common way of painting, he often creates wonderful and unique pieces. The playful chimpanzee is 37 and has been a resident of Chimp Haven since 2006.

From CBBC Newsround/ Chimp Haven, Inc.http://www.chimphaven.org/support/events/