Maria Antonieta Palma Ferro
Posted by: Teresa Guerreiro
sexta-feira, 23 de janeiro de 2009
terça-feira, 20 de janeiro de 2009
Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill is the trendiest area of London. It lies in west London close to the north western corner of Hyde Park.
Here in Notting Hill a street carnival takes place every year in the last week in August, a parade along the streets of this famous borough, over two days (Sunday and the following bank holiday). It is considered the second largest street carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro.
This festival began in 1965. It initially began with the immigrants from the Caribbean where the carnival tradition is very strong and the people living locally dreamed of creating a festival to bring together the people of Notting Hill. Most of them were facing racism, discrimination and poor housing conditions. At the time the state of race 
relations was very depressing. The Caribbeans organized the event to minimize the tensions between the two rival groups and it was attended by around a thousand people turning out to be a huge success.
However, this carnival and many of the following were spoiled by riots between Caribbean youths and the police.
This event is generally con
sidered as a real proof of London’s multicultural diversity though dominated by the Caribbean culture.
The carnival is made up of five disciplines: masquerade, political, social and satirical commentary set to music, which is a fusion of soul, calypso and samba. The parade is filled with feathered costumes and plenty of dancers who dance to the rhythm of music.
Don’t miss it. If you have a good opportunity go and enjoy yourself!!RESEARCH BY: MICAELA TOSCANO, 11st C
Posted by: Teresa Guerreiro
sexta-feira, 16 de janeiro de 2009
Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday is a day of celebration as well as penitence because it's the last day before Lent.
Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs, which were forbiden during this period.
Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before to Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between February 3rd and March 9th. In 2008 Pancake Day was on 5 February and in 2009 it will be on 24th February.
On this day there is a friendly little competition that consists on women running down the streets of each town flipping pancakes and it has been on for more than 50 years now. It is still the only race of its kind on the planet.
The pancake race tradition is based on the story of a woman that was very busy making pancakes when she heard the churh bells ring callinf for everyone to the shriving service. She put her head scarf (required in church at that time) and ran to the church forgetting that she was wearing the apron and was taking the pancake on the frying-pan with her.
From then on neighbours started the habit of a race to see who could reach the church first and collect a "kiss of peace" from the verger (that is the bell ringer).
Nowadays racers must still wear a head scarf and an apron and the runner must flip her pancake at the start signal, and again after crossing the finish line, to prove she still has her pancake. The kiss is stil the traditional prize.
Research by: Teresa Guerreiro, 11th C
Posted by: Teresa Guerreiro
Lent is a time of abstinence, of giving things up. So Shrove Tuesday is the last chance to indulge and to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs, which were forbiden during this period.
Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before to Easter Sunday, so the date varies from year to year and falls between February 3rd and March 9th. In 2008 Pancake Day was on 5 February and in 2009 it will be on 24th February.
On this day there is a friendly little competition that consists on women running down the streets of each town flipping pancakes and it has been on for more than 50 years now. It is still the only race of its kind on the planet.
The pancake race tradition is based on the story of a woman that was very busy making pancakes when she heard the churh bells ring callinf for everyone to the shriving service. She put her head scarf (required in church at that time) and ran to the church forgetting that she was wearing the apron and was taking the pancake on the frying-pan with her.
From then on neighbours started the habit of a race to see who could reach the church first and collect a "kiss of peace" from the verger (that is the bell ringer).
Nowadays racers must still wear a head scarf and an apron and the runner must flip her pancake at the start signal, and again after crossing the finish line, to prove she still has her pancake. The kiss is stil the traditional prize.
Research by: Teresa Guerreiro, 11th C
Posted by: Teresa Guerreiro
quarta-feira, 14 de janeiro de 2009
quinta-feira, 8 de janeiro de 2009
Our Planet, the Earth
All of us live in the same magical and wonderful place, The Earth.
Our planet is the third of Solar System and so far the only one where life exits. The Earth is the largest telluric planet with one satellite, the Moon. It has surface area with 510,072,000 km² and 1.0832073×1012 km³ of volume. The Earth has an atmosphere with Nitrogen (78, 08%), Oxygen (20, 95%), Carbon Dioxide (0,038%) and Water Vapor (about 1%), among others. This atmosphere is conducive to life and it is because of it there we live. The Earth has an average temperature of 15º Celsius, the rotation period of 23.9 hours and the translation period of 365 days and 6 hours. In our planet there are six continents, but 71% of it are oceans.
Like all the Solar System, the Earth is very old with about 4600 million years, but the life of human beings on this planet came to only 2.5 million years ago.
Human beings have inhabitted Earth for a short time but it seems that they will end up with life on this planet. Due to the pollution, global warming and extinction of species caused by the human activities, the Earth is exhausting all its natural resources and the conditions which are favourable to existence of life. In the future the Earth will probably be an empty and gloomy planet, like all other planets in the Solar System and life will cease to exist forever.
In my opinion the Earth is not a simple planet in the Universe, it is our home, the only place where we can live and forge relationships with different living beings. The Human Being has a mission: to take care and preserve Earth and not to destroy it. That way, all of us will live together and in harmony with the Earth for as long as possible.
BY: Inês Sofia Gouveia Abundância
10th B
Posted by: Teresa Guerreiro
Holidays, festivals and festivities in the UK and the USA
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is commemorated on 17th March, which is the day of Saint Patrick's death.
Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland but his history is a little bit mysterious and people don't know many things about him.Saint Patrick's real name was Maewym Succat and he was born in Wales. He was
captured by Irish raiders at the age of 16, then he went to Ireland as a slave, but he managed to escape to France. Some years later he became a holy man and returned to Ireland, and then he converted Irish people in to Catholicism.
He is known by explaining the holy trinity (God, Jesus and Holy Spirit) by using the leaves of a clover. Although Saint Patrick's Day is an Irish festival, people commemorate it all over the world because Irish colonists spread it worldwide. Every year, people celebrate it wearing green clothes, painting everything green because it's the colour of the shamrock, hope, nature and Ireland and by eating Irish food, going to a parade, trying to catch a
Leprechaun and drinking a lot of beer.
There are some curiosities about this day. Did you know that... There aren't snakes in Ireland because they are afraid of the shamrock and because Saint Patrick got rid of all the snakes? ...If someone isn't wearing something green, another person can pinch the person that isn't wearing green? ...The Chicago River is painted green? ...When people who are commemorating this day raise their glasses, there are some funny statements which they say and that I am going to quote? "May God bring good health to your enemies enemies" " May you be in heaven one half hour before the devil knows you are dead."
Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland but his history is a little bit mysterious and people don't know many things about him.Saint Patrick's real name was Maewym Succat and he was born in Wales. He was
captured by Irish raiders at the age of 16, then he went to Ireland as a slave, but he managed to escape to France. Some years later he became a holy man and returned to Ireland, and then he converted Irish people in to Catholicism.He is known by explaining the holy trinity (God, Jesus and Holy Spirit) by using the leaves of a clover. Although Saint Patrick's Day is an Irish festival, people commemorate it all over the world because Irish colonists spread it worldwide. Every year, people celebrate it wearing green clothes, painting everything green because it's the colour of the shamrock, hope, nature and Ireland and by eating Irish food, going to a parade, trying to catch a
Leprechaun and drinking a lot of beer.There are some curiosities about this day. Did you know that... There aren't snakes in Ireland because they are afraid of the shamrock and because Saint Patrick got rid of all the snakes? ...If someone isn't wearing something green, another person can pinch the person that isn't wearing green? ...The Chicago River is painted green? ...When people who are commemorating this day raise their glasses, there are some funny statements which they say and that I am going to quote? "May God bring good health to your enemies enemies" " May you be in heaven one half hour before the devil knows you are dead."
Pollution
Nowadays there is a huge problem which is affecting the whole world: pollution.
Pollution is a term which means the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder and discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in.
Pollution is not a recent phenomenon. It exists since prehistory and it has been growing day after day due to the action of human beings.
There are different types of pollution like air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, radioactive contamination, noise pollution and visual pollution, among others.
Azerbaijan, China, India, Peru, Russia, Ukraine a
nd Zambia are at present the world’s worst polluted places which is harmful for the people who live there and all around the world.
Although people know that, pollution continue keep
s being a fact which is very dangerous for the whole world and for all living beings and it can cause problems like global warming and ocean acidification and it can contributes to the extinction of many species.
Because of these reasons and many more we should bear in mind what we have been doing and that way we would live in harmony with our planet and with ourselves.
BY: Inês Sofia Gouveia Abundância
10th B
Posted by: Teresa Guerreiro
British and American Culture - The Mall
The Mall in London is the road running from Buckingham Palace (at its western end) to Admiralty Arch - a large office building - and on to Trafalgar Square (at its eastern end). It is closed to traffic on Sundays and public holidays, and on ceremonial occasions. The Queen Victoria Memorial (2) - is a sculture placed at the centre of Queen's Gardens in front of Buckingham Palace - it is immediately before the gates of it. Running off the Mall at its eastern end is the Horse Guards Parade (3), where the ceremony of Trooping The Colour occurs.The Mall was created as a ceremonial route in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, matching the creation of similar ceremonial routes in other cities, such as Washington, D.C., Paris, Berlin, Mexico City, Vienna, St. Petersburg and Oslo. These routes were intended to be used for major national ceremonies in the era of the nation state.During state visits the Mall is decorated with union flags and the flags of the visiting head of state's country.
Research by Inês Salsinha
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