Martin Luther King

Full name: Martin Luther King, Jr
Born: January 15, 1929
Atlanta, GA
United States
Death: April 4, 1968 (39 years)
Memphis, TN
United States
Occupation: Pastor Protestant and political activist

McLuther Martin King, Jr. (Atlanta, January 15, 1929 - Memphis, April 4, 1968) was a Protestant minister and American political activist. Became one of the most important leaders of the civil rights activist in the United States and worldwide, through a campaign of nonviolence and love for neighbor. Became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, shortly before his assassination. His speech is most famous and remembered "I Have A Dream."

Political activism

In 1955, Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to give her seat on a bus to a white woman and was arrested. The city's black leaders organized a bus boycott in Montgomery to protest racial segregation in force on transportation. During the campaign of 381 days, co-led by King, many threats were made against his life, was arrested and saw his house being attacked. The boycott ended with a Supreme Court decision in American outlaw racial discrimination in public transportation.

After this battle, Martin Luther King participated in the founding of the Conference of the Southern Christian Leadership (SCLC, or in English, SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference) in 1957. The CLCS should organize activism around the issue of civil rights. King stood in front of the SCLC until his death, which was criticized by the more democratic and radical Committee Nonviolent Coordinating Student (CNVCE, or in English, SNCC, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). The SCLC derived its membership principally from black communities associated with Baptist churches. King was a follower of the ideas of non-violent civil disobedience advocated by Mohandas Gandhi (Indian political leader also known as Mahatma Gandhi), and applied this philosophy to the protests organized by the SCLC. King correctly identified that demonstrations and nonviolent against the system of segregation prevalent in the southern United States, violently attacked by racist authorities and with widespread media coverage, they would create a public opinion favorable to civil rights enforcement, and this was the fundamental action that made the debate about civil rights a major political issue in the U.S. from the early 1960s.


Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famous speech "I Have a Dream" in March 1963 before the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, during the "march for jobs and freedom." He organized and led marches to achieve the right to vote, ending segregation, ending discrimination at work and other basic civil rights. Most of these rights was later aggregated to the state law-Street Band with the approval of the Civil Rights Act (1964), and the Voting Rights Act (1965).

King and SCLC chose them with great success to the principles of nonviolent protest, even as a means to provoke and irritate the racist authorities of the places where the protests were taking place - invariably the latter retaliated violently. The CLCS also joined the protests in Alabany (1961-2), which were not successful due to divisions within the black community and also by prudent reaction of local authorities, then joined the protests in Birmingham (1963), and protest St. Augustine (1964). King, the SCLC and CNVCE joined forces in December 1964 in protest occurred in the town of Selma.


On October 14, 1964 King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded in recognition of his leadership in the nonviolent resistance to end racial prejudice in the United States.

Collaboration with the partial CNVCE, King and SCLC attempted to organize a march from Selma to the capital of Alabama, Montgomery, to begin March 25, 1965. Had already been two attempts to promote this march, the first on March 7 and the second on March 9.

At first, 525 people marched for only six blocks, the violent intervention of the police stopped the march. The images of violence were broadcast around the country, and the day was given the nickname Bloody Sunday. King did not attend the march: he was in negotiations with the U.S. president, and did not give its approval for the march so early.

The second march was interrupted by King near the Pettus bridge on the outskirts of Selma, an action that seems to have been negotiated in advance with leaders of the following cities. This action aroused the surprise and indignation of many local activists.

The march finally completed in the third trial (March 25, 1965), with the permission and support of President Lyndon Johnson. It was during this march that Stokely Carmichael (future leader of the Black Panthers) coined the phrase "Black Power".

Earlier, in 1963, King was one of the organizers of the march on Washington, which originally had to be a protest march, but after discussions with then President John F. Kennedy, has become almost a celebration of the achievements of the black movement (and government) - which angered activists rather more radical and less naive.

In 1965 the black leader began to doubt U.S. intentions in the Vietnam War. In February and again in April 1967, King made serious criticisms of the role that the U.S. desempanhavam war. In 1968 King and the SCLC organized a campaign for social and economic justice, poverty (the Campaign for the Poor), which was intended principally to help the poorest communities in the country.

It should also be noted that the impact King had on popular entertainment. He spoke with the actress's black series, Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols, when she threatened to quit the program. Nichelle believed the paper was not helping at all his career and that the studio was evil, but King convinced her that it was important to have a black representative in one of the most popular programs on television.

Martin Luther King was hated by many southern segregationists, which culminated in his assassination on April 4, 1968, moments before a march, a hotel in the city of Memphis. James Earl Ray confessed to the crime, but he later recanted his confession. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, along with the rest of the family leader, won a civil suit against Loyd Jowers, a man who pitched a scandal by saying that it had offered $ 100,000 for the murder of King.Ħ

In 1986 we established a U.S. national holiday to honor Martin Luther King, named for Martin Luther King Day - always the third Monday of January, which is close to the anniversary of King. In 1993, the first time, the holiday was fulfilled in all states.

Bob Marley

Robert Nesta Marley, better known as Bob Marley (Nine Mile, February 6, 1945 - Miami, May 11, 1981) was a singer, guitarist and composer, Jamaican, best known reggae musician of all time, famous for popularizing gender. Much of his work deals with the problems of the poor and oppressed. He was called the Charles Wesley of the Rastafarians "by the way he spread the religion through his music.
I have listed 25 of the most powerful Bob Marley Quotes.
"The first thing you must know about me is that I always stand what I stand for. Good? The second thing you must know about yourself listening to me is that words are tricky. So when you know what me a stand for, when me explain a thing to you, you must never try to look 'pon it in a different way from what me a stand for."
1 "Every man gotta right to decide his own destiny."
This is Marley steadfastly adhering to the philosophy speaking to self determination of which one of the greatest Pan Africanist Marcus Mosiah Garvey spoke about.
Marley realized that the doctrine of inferiority was one that served to limit the potential and outlook of People of African descent.
2 "Facts an' facts, an' t'ings an t'ings: dem's all a lotta fockin' bullshit. Hear me! Dere is no truth but de one truth, an' that is the truth of Jah Rastafari."
3 "I don't stand for the black man's side; I don’t stand for the white man's side. I stand for God's side."



In light of the fact that Marley was being marketed as a rock star to an international audience, it is not surprising that he would hold such a sentiment.
Songs like Zimbabwe and Africa Unite prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was very much aware of the status and struggle of people of African descent.
However it can be assumed that his Rastafarian faith with a doctrine of love combined with increased spirituality and the need to be marketable to a “one love” audience provided the necessary middle ground that Bob the artist needed.
4 "Don´t forget your history nor your destiny."
5 "In the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty."
6 "The harder the battle the sweet of jah victory."
7 "Open your eyes & look within, are you satisfied with the life you living."
8 "In this great future you can’t forget your past."
9 "If you get down and quarrel everyday, you're saying prayers to the devil, I say."
10 "Just can't live that negative way...make way for the positive day!"
11 "Life and Jah are one in the same. Jah is the gift of existence. I am in some way eternal, I will never be duplicated. The singularity of every man and woman is Jah's gift. What we struggle to make of it is our sole gift to Jah. The process of what that struggle becomes, in time, the Truth."
12 "Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts; put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!"

13 "Until the philosophy which hold one race superior and another inferior is finally discredited and abandoned...WAR! So that is prophecy, and everyone knows that is truth. And it came out of the mouth of Rastafari."
This is one of Bob Marley quotes come from Ras Tafari or His Imperial Majesty; however Bob with his lyrical genius immortalized them by putting these sentiments, originally delivered by H.I.M as a speech, to music.
14 "The first thing you must know about me is that I always stand what I stand for. Good? The second thing you must know about yourself listening to me is that words are tricky. So when you know what me a stand for, when me explain a thing to you, you must never try to look 'pon it in a different way from what me a stand for."
15 "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds..."
16 "The good times of today, are the sad thoughts of tomorrow."
17 "You can fool some people sometimes, but you can't fool all the people all the time."
18 "Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold..."
19 "When the race gets hard to run. It means you just can't take the pace."
20 "The more people smoke herb, the more Babylon fall." Bob Marley quote on herbs
21 "Rise O fallen fighters, rise and take your stance again, He who fight and run away, Live to fight another day"
22 "The power of philosophy floats through my head, Light like a feather, Heavy as Led"
23 "Rastafari not a culture, it's a reality."
24 "The only truth is Rastafari."
25 "My music will go on forever. Maybe it's a fool say that, but when me know facts me can say facts. My music will go on forever."

Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is the acceptance or promotion of multiple ethnic cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations. In this context, multiculturalists advocate extending equitable status to distinct ethnic and religious groups without promoting any specific ethnic, religious, and/or cultural community values as central.
The policy of multiculturalism is often contrasted with the concepts assimilationism and social integration.
Now, I’m going talk a little bit about Sudan’s culture.
Sudan has a population of 34 million. This country is formed by many ethnical groups. The majority of the population is black but Sudan have many Arabians too.
The actual flag was adopted in 1970 and carries a lot of Islamic symbols.

It consists of three horizontal stripes:
• Red, representing the blood of Muslim martyrs;
• White, which stands for peace and optimism;
• Black, which represents the people of Sudan
It also has a green triangle at the left border, which symbolizes both agriculture and the Islamic faith.
Sudanese tend to identify with their tribes rather than their nation.
Only 25% of the population lives in towns or cities; the remaining 75% are rural.
Food


Foo The day usually begins with a cup of tea. Breakfast is eaten in the mid- to late morning, generally consisting of beans, salad, liver, and bread. Millet is the staple food, and is prepared as a porridge called asida or a flat bread called kisra. Vegetables are prepared in stews or salads. Ful, a dish of broad beans cooked in oil, is common, as are cassavas and sweet potatoes. Nomads in the north rely on dairy products and meat from camels. In general, meat is expensive and not often consumed. Sheep are killed for feasts or to honor a special guest. The intestines, lungs, and liver of the animal are prepared with chili pepper in a special dish called marara.
Cooking is done in the courtyards outside the house on a tin grill called a kanoon, which uses charcoal as fuel.
Tea and coffee are both popular drinks. Coffee beans are fried, then they are cooked with cloves and spices. The liquid is strained through a grass sieve and served in tiny cups.
Marriage
Marriages are traditionally arranged by the parents of the couple. This is still the case today, even among wealthier and more educated Sudanese. Matches are often made between cousins, second cousins, or other family members, or if not, at least between members of the same tribe and social class. Parents conduct the negotiations, and it is common for a bride and groom not to have seen each other before the wedding. There is generally a significant age difference between husband and wife. A man must be economically self-sufficient and able to provide for a family before he can marry. He has to be able to furnish an acceptable bride-price of jewelry, clothes, furniture, and among some tribes, cattle. Among the middle class, women usually are married after they finish school, at age nineteen or twenty; in poorer families or in rural areas, the age is younger. Polygyny was a common practice in the past. Divorce, although still considered shameful, is more common today than it once was. Upon dissolution of a marriage, the bride-price is returned to the husband.



Religious Believes
Seventy percent of the population is Sunni Muslim, 25 percent follow traditional indigenous beliefs, and 5 percent are Christian.
Medicine
Technically, medical care is provided free of charge by the government, but in actuality few people have access to such care because of the shortage of doctors and other health care personnel. Most trained health workers are concentrated in Khartoum and other parts of the north. Health conditions in most of the country are extremely poor. Malnutrition is common, and increases people's vulnerability to diseases. It is especially pernicious in children. Access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation also are problems, which allow disease to spread rapidly among the population. Malaria, dysentery, hepatitis, and bilharizia are widespread, particularly in poor and rural areas. Bilharzia is transmitted by bathing in water infected with bilharzia larvae. It causes fatigue and liver damage, but once detected can be treated. Schistosomiasis (snail fever) and trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) affect significant numbers of people in the south. Other diseases include measles, whooping cough, syphilis, and gonorrhea.

Racism and xenophobia in Portugal

the nuclear energy

Bob Marley - Get Up Stand Up

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Preacher man, don't tell me,
Heaven is under the earth.
I know you don't know
What life is really worth.
It's not all that glitters is gold;
'Alf the story has never been told:
So now you see the light, eh!
Stand up for your rights. come on!

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!

Most people think,
Great god will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights. jah!

Get up, stand up! (jah, jah! )
Stand up for your rights! (oh-hoo! )
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up! )
Don't give up the fight! (life is your right! )
Get up, stand up! (so we can't give up the fight! )
Stand up for your rights! (lord, lord! )
Get up, stand up! (keep on struggling on! )
Don't give up the fight! (yeah! )

We sick an' tired of-a your ism-skism game -
Dyin' 'n' goin' to heaven in-a Jesus' name, lord.
We know when we understand:
Almighty god is a living man.
You can fool some people sometimes,
But you can't fool all the people all the time.
So now we see the light (what you gonna do?),
We gonna stand up for our rights! (yeah, yeah, yeah! )

So you better:
Get up, stand up! (in the morning! git it up! )
Stand up for your rights! (stand up for our rights! )
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight! (don't give it up, don't give it up! )
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up! )
Stand up for your rights! (get up, stand up! )
Get up, stand up! (... )
Don't give up the fight! (get up, stand up! )
Get up, stand up! (... )
Stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up!
Don't give up the fight!

MY PERSONAL CONCLUSIONS ABOUT MULTICULTURALISM

I see multiculturalism primarily as an unacceptable ideology of cultural relativism, which would lead to acceptance of barbaric practices, including those brought to the Western World by immigrants. I remember infanticide, torture, slavery, oppression of women, homophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, gangs, female circumcision, discrimination by immigrants, suttee, and the death penalty. Cliteur compares multiculturalism to the moral acceptance of Auschwitz, Stalin, Pol Pot and the Ku Klux Klan.
The intellectual rejection of multiculturalism was accompanied by a political transformation, which led to the abandonment of official multiculturalism.
The historical event of multiculturalism brings with it many complicated conceptual problems, causing a rich debate over what multiculturalism is or should mean.
Most controversial in this regard is the movement known as "Afrocentrism," which in various versions seeks to document the centrality of African cultural traditions to the foundation of American and Western history, and to celebrate that African tradition so as to increase the self-esteem and educational success of African-American students. Critics of Afrocentrism dispute both its intellectual claims the scholarship and historical conclusions it advances and its educational claims specially regarding the effect of an ethnically-centered curriculum on the academic achievement of students.

TWO OPINIONS I ESPECIALLY LIKED ABOUT MULTICULTURALISM

PROFESSOR SIR BERNARD CRICK
“I see no incompatibility between multiculturalism and Britishness. Britishness must be part of multiculturalism.
In the report I chaired advocating language and citizenship education for immigrants, The New and the Old (2003), we said:
"Who are we British? For a long time the UK has been a multicultural state composed of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and also a multicultural society... made up of a diverse range of cultures and identities, and one that emphasises the need for a continuous process of mutual engagement and learning about each other with respect, understanding and tolerance."
In other words, dual identities have been common, even before large scale immigration.
We further wrote: "To be British means that we respect the laws, the parliamentary and democratic political structures, traditional values of mutual tolerance, respect for equal rights..."
But Britishness does not mean a single culture. Integration is the co-existence of communities and unimpeded movement between them, it is not assimilation. Britishness is a strong concept but not all embracing.”


RUTH LEA
Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, a centre-right think tank


“There are two ways in which people interpret multiculturalism.
The first one is the more common way and that is every culture has the right to exist and there is no over-arching thread that holds them together.
That is the multiculturalism we think is so destructive because there's no thread to hold society together. It is that multiculturalism that Trevor Phillips has condemned and, of course, we are totally supportive.
There is another way to define multiculturalism which I would call diversity where people have their own cultural beliefs and they happily coexist - but there is a common thread of Britishness or whatever you want to call it to hold society together.
And that is clearly what I would support because you do accept that people have different cultures and you accept them. It a positive acceptance not a negative tolerance.”

MERCEDES C 63 AMG

A car that I absolutely love is Mercedes C 63 AMG (limousine). Mercedes-Benz has a small size sedan, the class C limousine and the AMG enterprises, which is a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz, have their own version, a much more powerful version.
The C 63 AMG is reportedly the first AMG Mercedes designed from the ground up for performance, as compared to previous AMG cars which essentially featured "bolt on" performance modifications. The C 63 has a revised front end architecture that is taken from the CLK 63 AMG Black series. The revised 7-speed automatic transmission now has three shift modes - Comfort, Sport and Manual - with the last one running with the converter locked allowing the driver to hold the engine at the rev limit. The ESP can now be completely turned off, interfering only under heavy braking. The car also has the quickest, most responsive steering of any Mercedes to date. Car and Driver tested the car in their December 2007 issue and got a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 12.3 seconds at 116 mph (187 km/h).[15] This made the C 63 the fastest 4-door production sedan in the world at its debut.

PLAYING For change

The PLAYING FOR CHANGE movement is a movement that unites all the cultures around the world with the power of music. There are people playing the same music at the same time in a big number of places all around the world: Venezuela, U.S.A., South Africa, Congo, Russia, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, etc.
This movement’s principal objective is to unite all cultures and show that we are all equal. The PLAYING FOR CHANGE movement managed to touch the hearts of many people, the video in Youtube has reached more than 20 000 000 exibitions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xjPODksI08

cartoons about racism

Australia, India sign education deal after attacks

Australia and India pledged to expand education links on Thursday after a series of attacks on Indian students, including a murder, tarnished relations.

Apr 08,- Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard and India's Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal agreed to extend exchanges and set up a joint education council at a meeting in Melbourne.

"The fact that I am here suggests we want to take the relationship forward, it does not mean that we are not concerned about what's happening here," Sibal said.

"I think the Australian government is taking strong steps in that direction to prevent those things happening," he added.

Muggings and beatings of Indian students prompted street protests last year, before graduate Nitin Garg, 21, was killed as he walked to work at a Melbourne burger restaurant in January.

Gillard promised Australia would tighten regulation of its colleges which gained a reputation for charging overseas students for substandard courses.

"For an Indian family that sends a young person to this country a long way from home, they want to know that their young person is going to be safe, get a good experience, a great education and they're going to be able to go back home and use those skills," she said.

India badly needs more teachers and higher education opportunities after landmark legislation passed last week promising free schooling for all children aged between six and 14.

Xenophobia

Xenophobia is a fear or contempt towards to everything is foreign or unknown. Mainly to those who come from abroad...
Xenophobia can be based on various aspects, such as racism is based only on the race and stereotypes that people make about the others.
Since a long time, attacks against foreigners had been increased more and more. Many people have so far been killed, while others have been injured.
There are several places where there are a lot of violence towards immigrant people.
The violence in these townships is mainly aimed at foreigners who are either asylum seekers or refugees.
Xenophobia happens all over the world, like in Japan, Dominican Rep, Switzerland and others.
I believe that this is yet another social problem for us to add to our long list. I hope the people of the world can put aside their differences and fears and growing together in peace!

In my arrival in a foreign country

In my arrival in a foreign country, I hope to have a good reception and be very well received by the native people that live there. I would like to be treated just like one more of them.
I expect them to help me if I need, because I was a new person. Someone that doesn’t know what expect and what do in this new land.
In the future my principal plans are: to get money, to get a good Job to can survive and meet new people, with others cultures and traditions and share with them my cultures and traditions too.

What is your Color?

I get red, when I’m mad,
I get blue, when I’m sad,
I get pink, when I’m glad,
When I’m furious, I get purple,
When I’m sick, I get colorless,
When I’m indisposed, I get yellow…

To be Colorblind

To be colorblind doesn’t mean to be daltonic.
It doesn’t mean that we don´t distinguish the colors.
It means that we don’t care if you are black or white.
It means that we must stop being intolerant to other races or ethnic groups.

London

On the 4th of April,2010,we went to London with our teachers, Isabel Ramalho, Teresa Ramalho e Ricardo Fonseca.
Our plan was to visit some of the most important monuments of London, the Britsh Museam Natural History Museam, Covent Garden, Hide Park anjd Madame Tussouds, and others.
We went to all these places, and we love it!
The place that we liked the most was Madame Tussouds. It’s a wax museam with a lot of famous people and some of theme belong to the worlds History like, Adolf Hitler.
In Candem Lock, a kind of a market for our ages, we bought some London t-shirts some saying just “London” and others saying “ I <3 London”. In that market we saw the real Amy Whinehouse and we took a lot of pictures.
In London tube we had a lot of fun. We needed to catch the train very quickly so the sentence that we said more was “ get in the train now!”. In the train Montijo was almost always making fun of people that probably did not speak Portuguese.
At nigth we went all together to a bedroom and we made a “disco night” that only ended with the arrived of one security guard.

Well, what happen in London, stays in London.

some images about stereotypes

Racism

UNESCO and FC Barcelona “Put Racism Offside” at the Camp Nou Stadium

On 24 March 2010, UNESCO and FC Barcelona marked the beginning of their joint Campaign against racism and discrimination with a series of activities alongside the game between FC Barcelona and C.A. Osasuna at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona (Spain).
Up until one hour until kick-off, a large message board set up at a strategic spot outside the stadium invited fans to express their thoughts and feelings relating to discrimination and racism. In a symbolic gesture, the players of the 1984/85 champion team who received a tribute on the same day, left their own messages adding their voices to those of the fans.
Before the game, the stadium speaker made several announcements on the campaign and its objectives. The campaign’s main slogan “PUT RACISM OFFSIDE” was projected on the giant screens of the stadium as well as on the billboards around the football field. Moreover, an article about the Campaign was included in the official newspaper of FCB “Barça Camp Nou” which was distributed freely inside and outside the stadium.
The Campaign, launched to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March), foresees many more activities to be conducted throughout the year 2010.
The main purpose was to fight against the discrimination in an easy and very effective way. That idea of unesco was amazing because football is the most popular sport all over the world and it leads a lot of people. Football is nowadays the strongest way of keeping people from different countries and nationalities together.
For example our next competition «South African 2010» is here and the organization gave some tickets to the workers too.
It’s a good idea because they are the main reason to make that dream in a reality.
Otherwise they would never go to the Worlds Football Competition.

Racial Stereotypes

In some TV programmes there are racial stereotypes. One example is the “Family Guy” series. I love this series, but in some episodes they make fun, or they stereotype an image of some races, see these videos and check it by yourself!

The children can see movies on TV, at any time, and some of them can show a wrong image of some races. That can promote racism since an early age.

My stereotypes

I have some stereotypes about the gipsy people. When I think in a gipsy women I see the folly haired women, bracelets and necklace’s. And when I think in the man, I see lots of dark clothes, gold necklace’s and a black hat.
I also think that the majority of them are quite violent and noisy people.

yes or no to Multiculturalism?

In fact, social exclusion is likely to occur as well as all the problems that come with it: homelessness, unemployment, drug-abuse, and crime among many others. Minorities are required to deny their way of life and conform to the main stream, in the name of integration. Multiculturalism leads to prejudice, bigotry, rejection, discrimination, segregation and racism. But on the other hand, multiculturalism is an asset because you grow up aware of your rights and of other people’s rights and you are offered more opportunities of choice in many aspects of life. Multiculturalism brings with it innovation and cultural vitality, which widens our horizons and enhances our personality and it fosters tolerance, and a wider acceptance of other people’s lifestyles. Integrating into the mainstream doesn’t necessarily mean to give up one’s cultural roots but it really means the acceptance of diversity within a community.
After all it is often very difficult for outsiders to integrate into the mainstream, in spite of the many efforts endeavoured.

The Multiculturalism Problem

Living in a multicultural society has never been easy. There are many aspects that keep people closer like language, race, culture, religion or myths; the same aspects, however, can be sources of conflict when extremism, antagonism or even beliefs are at stake. Although many people claim that discrimination is not socially acceptable and no one considers himself to be prejudiced, in modern societies, be it Europe or America, full integration becomes extremely difficult especially when people suffer segregation for religious, racist, cultural or sexist reasons. All too often in the name of integration minorities are required to deny their entire way of life and conform to the mainstream (the majority culture). They are told to fit into a society that may be openly hostile to them and ostracises them. They are treated as outsiders. Black people have suffered the stigma of colour and they have often expressed their anger through crime, hate or prejudice. Mexicans have had difficulty in inserting into American society and even today they are discriminated against. And what to say about brown-skinned Muslims after September 11? Rightly or wrongly they have been the target of prejudice and discrimination and even persecution. And the Portuguese have always been looked down by Americans who don’t even know where Lisbon lies. It’s not a joke, but I read on the Net that when the German Chancellor, Merkl, came back from America, the American Press referred she had stayed a couple of nights in Lisbon and said Lisbon was located on the west coast of Africa!!!! It’s outrageous!

Multiculturalism in America

The Americans are supposed to be the result of the mixture of all the peoples and cultures that make up the USA and so the metaphor “melting pot” was mostly used and thought to be very accurate. Nevertheless, the different peoples didn’t mingle completely so as to make a single people with a single culture. Actually, elements of every race and culture have mixed up to a certain extent though the different ethnic groups still tend to keep their differences as a means of asserting their cultural identity. That’s why the metaphor “Salad bowl” seems more appropriate nowadays than “melting pot”.

What is meant by Multiculturalism?

According to the dictionary, multiculturalism is the existence of several different cultures within a society, within a country , because in those countries live people with different cultures. Though the USA and Britain share the same language, English, this language is a vehicle that conveys two different cultural backgrounds, two different ways of life, two different kinds of nations.
As far as the USA is concerned, its main feature is diversity as this nation is the result of the mingling of all sorts of people coming from all over the world and because it is a huge country made up of different states with a certain local autonomy. However, there are some cultural aspects that may be identified as typically American and help keep the nation together. As a matter of fact, we all recognise McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken as American.

Best Multicultural society

Yes, in my opinion multicultural society is the best because it develops an exchange between cultures. This relation is very important for the world because the culture of the world is taken all over the globe.
By one hand multicultural society is best, because there are different people, different points of view and different cultures and this is better.
By other hand is very difficult to preserve the peace between some cultures. It is one of the disadvantages of this multicultural society.
My dream is that we all can live nowadays without wars, living in peace in a multicultural society.

Should Portugal close the door on new immigration or should our government be more welcoming to the outside world?

In my opinion Portugal is receiving more and more immigrants nowadays. It is a country of emigrants, because many people come here with the dream of find a job.
In our country immigrants are welcomed; this may be mainly for the fact of our African possessions in the past. Our country Portugal is situated near the sea and connected with all of Europe and in contact with African countries.
Portugal also had colonies in Africa and India. Immigration was very early accepted in our country. So, our government received other people and didn’t ever close the door of immigrants.
Our emigrants like to be welcome in other places, so we have the duty of opening the door to new immigrants.

Imagine that you are an immigrant arriving for the first time in a foreign country.

In my opinion, it may be welcomed or not, depends on the place you are going to immigrate, too. But, in general, I think that there would be no reason to be not welcomed. Although there are people and people, but we have this in every place we go.
If I immigrate to some place I wouldn’t expect any reception in particular, but I think that when I arrived there I should try to meet people, to make my integration easier.
But, what I would like to find, would be new and cool colleagues and above all friendly people, because if I would go with them, for some reason they should be real friends.
In the future, I would be able to practice veterinary medicine. If there will not happen any changes in my country, I would consider immigrating. Besides there are a great number of countries that are dealing with this area. I will not think about in another job for me. This is what I want.
I consider that I could to contribute to the wealth of my new country. This is what I call to work and cooperate with all the others around me.

An Immigrant

In my point of view I would welcome in other country but depends on my relationship with other immigrants and people of this country. Other immigrants could help me with complete in other place, and this help would be very simple.
I would not expect very much, because they wouldn’t like that one person from one country want to go to live in this place or find a job in this area. But I like that they were friendly with me and help me in first time in their country.
If I was an immigrant in the future I would want to find a job and integrate in this society that would be different from me. And like that life in peace with my neighbours mainly.
In my opinion I simply show them my culture and my country. I would only participate when I know their culture. I think that living in another country, would be different but would be amazing!

Yes or no to multiculturalism?

In my opinion there is multiculturalism when all cultures live in peace with all the different societies. It turns the society in a better place to live, because each culture has a different way of seeing the world.
The biggest problem of this multicultural society is the relation between very different cultures. This relation is not always easy because it’s not easy to accept something you don’t agree or you don’t understand.
Nowadays people put different labels in different cultures. But you have to remember that not everything in your culture is perfect. There are good people that do good things and others that do bad things, in every country. This is ordinary.
More and more people have to be aware for different kinds of culture.
When are labelling people we are discriminating them too when we discriminate people we one putting them away from the society.
But all off these are stereotypes. The society has to grown up more, in my opinion. We are growing up in the technological way every day.
Someday society will promote cultures and ethic, without memories from the past.

Imagine - John Lennon

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY

It is common that over the world live people together with different nationalities, colours of the skin and religious belief. When different people live together they form a multicultural society. Big cities such as London, New York, Paris, Berlin are called cosmopolitans because of the many nationalities and people with different colour.
New York is as cosmopolitan as London but is not as mixed. Nationalities stay in their own areas, for example; the Russians in the Russian section, the Polish in the Polish section. The area where many Chinese people live and where you can find many Chinese shops and restaurants is called Chinatown.
It’s very important to keep peace between mixed people so they can live and work together. However it’s not so easy. Even when we live in the 21st century there is still racism around the world. People fight against each other and even kill each other.
Living in multicultural society has also some advantages. People can get to know many cultures, their lifestyles, traditions, habits, cuisine and music. In big cities there are many different restaurants which offer their national food and drink together with an existing new atmosphere. Experiencing and understanding different cultures is the first part of acceptance. In a truly multicultural society you will find people of different backgrounds or religions living together and even getting married.
Some countries welcome foreign cultures more than other. In the UK you can find information written in many different languages, however, in Germany you will mainly find information in German and sometimes in English.
In Slovakia we live with different cultures as well. Out of a total population of 5million, we have over half a million Hungarians living in the south of Slovakia and a same minority groups like Russians in the East. The Gipsy minority group are spread through out Slovakia and theirs numbers are rising rapidly. Minority groups get a lot of attention as they often say that they are treated unfairly. This often means that there is positive discrimination against Slovak people to keep the EU happy. Unfortunately this causes tension between the Slovak and minority groups.

Tolerance of Intolerance

The way, how you deal with others, say very much about the kind of person you really are.

The History, unfortunately, give us some examples of the consequences and non-acceptance between different races, ethnics, nationalities or religions. Even in developed countries, in spite of doing laws to put every citizen in the same plan, there are some persons that have difficulties to accept that difference, yet. And more and more, these persons think that the others shouldn’t have the same rights.
Social developments have been done to end with discrimination and intolerance.
How it is possible to be allowed, yet? Are we equals or all different?
We are all equals, without doubt. And we are all different, in the end.
After all, what must we say?

Equal. We are all equals, because we have the same rights, no matter what race, ethnic, nationality, religion, education or social condition, we belong such as the right of live in liberty and security.
Different. We are all different too. On what? All born with a certain genetic code, inserted in a environment family, made up of a social and cultural context. Therefore, people with educations and different genes may become different persons, which enrich the world in which we live.
Being different is a matter of perspective: the others are different, but I’m different in their eyes.
How to fight intolerance?
Firstly, accepting that all are equal in rights and duties.
Secondly, understand that each person is unique and is not sex, race, nationality or religion that gives more or less dignity.
And finally, explain and convince, to all those around me, that difference enriches humanity and nobody should be discriminated against because of their difference.

My opinion about multiculturalism

When I see someone, I like to establish some dialogue with them, even to meet each other better. But, normally, people tend to label everyone. I think that in a small town that is normal, but it depends if in a big town, people don’t have a big contact and because of that they don’t have the habit of talking about everyone’s life.
Usually, people label each other because they have jealousy from the others.
In my opinion, people who feel discrimination mustn’t ear these stupid comments.
Each person has the right to have his own race, his rules, his roots, his own opinions and everybody should respect them.
I agree with multiculturalism, so that fulfilled us.
When we accept other people, we learn a lot. But, this have some disadvantages too: like racism (can be described as the belief that a certain race or races portray undesirable characteristics), xenophobia (is a dislike and/or fear of that which is unknown or different from oneself), chauvinism (is an exaggerated, bellicose patriotism and a blind belief in national superiority and glory) and discrimination (is a sociological term referring to the treatment taken toward or against a person of a certain group in consideration based solely on class or category)…

My last Easter holidays

In my last holidays I went to London with two English teachers and more three teachers.
We left, on the 4th April , Sunday, to London.
The first thing I saw, when we were London, was that British people drive their cars in the right side and we drive them in the left one. So we should be careful while walking. And other great difference that I saw, when we went to the hotel, was the wooden fences because this is a little bit different from ours.
After lunch, we visited the Big Ben and Westminster’s Abbey, where we take a lot of pictures.
In London, we visited the Tower of London, Madame Tussaud museum, the London Eye, Tower Bridge, British Museum and Natural History Museum. We enjoyed a lot every place we visited.
Each group had one different name. The name of the kid’s group of Teacher Ricardo was “ALAPADOS”, the group of Teacher Isabel was “THE MUFFINS” and finally the group of Teacher Teresa was “NO NAME”. This is a funny way to call someone. We enjoyed our holidays.
But, “what happened in London stays in London!” =D

Are you an ordinary consumer or a shopaholic?

What is the difference? To begin, answer to this small test about consumerism. Are you ready?

1. When you earn money, do you save some?

a. Yes
b. No

2. How many times do you buy something, you really don’t need?

a. One or two a month
b. All weeks

3. Is going shopping one of your favourite hobbies?

a. Yes
b. No

4. You see something you like a lot. What do you do?

a. If you can buy, you buy. Or you just leave it for other time
b. Don’t think. You buy this product

5. When you go shopping:

a. You always worry about quality/price
b. Don’t care about the quality or price

6. After buying something you don’t feel good.

a. Rarely
b. Frequently

7. Do you buy something that you don’t use?

a. Rarely
b. Frequently

8. Do you feel anxious before going shopping or crazy after buying your favorite product?

a. Not always
b. Always

9. Do you become jealous when your friend buy something that you like to have?

a. Never
b. Always

10. When you are going in holidays, firstly you:

a. Settle down and take a look around
b. Search for shopping stores and visit them


So, are you a shopaholic or an ordinary consumer?

If you had chosen the majority of answers point a), this means that you are saved, you are aware of what you can / you should buy or not. Unspent money on unnecessary things! You are a conscious consumer.
If, by other hand, you had chosen the majority of answers point b), this means that you should have more attention; you could be buy some products that you don’t really need. You buy for pleasure, for satisfy yours desires. You are a shopaholic. You should be careful!

some pictures about the multiculturalism

A few good man

In this dramatic courtroom thriller, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, a Navy lawyer who has never seen the inside of the courtroom, defends two stubborn Marines who have been accused of murdering a colleague. Kaffee is known as being lazy and had arranged for a plea bargain. Downey's Aunt Ginny appoints Cmdr. Galloway to represent him. Also on the legal staff is Lt. Sam Weinberg. The team rounds up many facts and Kaffee is discovering that he is really cut out for trial work. The defense is originally based upon the fact that PFC Santiago, the victim, was given a "CODE RED". Santiago was basically a screw-up. At Gitmo, screw-ups aren't tolerated. Especially by Col. Nathan Jessup. In Cuba, Jessup and two senior officers try to give all the help they can, but Kaffee knows something's fishy. In the conclusion of the film, the fireworks are set off by a confrontation between Jessup and Kaffee.

The Terminal

"The Terminal" tells the story of Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), a visitor to New York from Eastern Europe, whose homeland erupts in a fiery coup while he is in the air en route to America. Stranded at Kennedy Airport with a passport from nowhere, he is unauthorized to actually enter the United States and must improvise his days and nights in the terminal’s international transit lounge until the war at home is over. As the weeks and months stretch on, Viktor finds the compressed universe of the terminal to be a richly complex world of absurdity, generosity, ambition, amusement, status, serendipity and even romance with a beautiful flight attendant named Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones). But Viktor has long worn out his welcome with airport official Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), who considers him a bureaucratic glitch, a problem he cannot control but wants desperately to erase

Chose your favourite movie

Australia
Set against the scienc backdrop of pre-World War II Australia, Baz Luhrmann's romantic period adventure stars Nicole Kidman as an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch, and Huhg Jacksman as the rough-and-tumble cattle driver who helps protect her property from greedy English cattle barons. As the pair attempt to herd 2,ooo head of cattle hundreds of miles across the treacherous Australian outback, they are stunned to bear witness to the bombing of Darwin by Japanese forces - who just a few months prior launched a devastating attack on Pearl Harbor.

Marketing vs. Advertising: What's the Difference?

You will often find that many people really don’t know the difference between marketing and advertising. In spite of both components are important they are very different too. When you finally find the difference by doing your market research, you are able to put your company on the path to substantial growth.
Advertising is a single component of the marketing process. It's the part that involves getting the word all over the world out related with your business, products, or the services you are offering. It involves the process of developing strategies such as ad places, frequency, etc. Advertising includes the best places for an ad like, newspapers, direct mail, billboards, television, radio, and of course the Internet. Advertising is the most expensive thing of most companies.
The best way to distinguish between advertising and marketing is to think of marketing as a pie, inside that pie you have slices of advertising, market research, media planning, public relations, product pricing, distribution, customer support, sales strategy, and community involvement. Advertising only equals one piece of the pie in the strategy. All of these elements must not only work independently but they also must work together towards the bigger goal. Marketing is a process that takes time and can involve hours of research for a marketing plan to be effective. Think of marketing as everything that an organization does to make an exchange between company and consumer.

Karaoke Afternoon

Written by: Jorge Borbinha
Posted by: Rui Cóias

Extreme Makeover

Extreme Makeover is a television program from ABC.
This program consists in several individuals who are going to make a makeover. They can change all the body!
There are several plastic surgeons that make this makeover possible.
In the end of the episodes the participants return home to show all the changes to the family and friends. The majority liked the “new person”.

Here is one example of an extreme makeover:

In how many languages can you say "I love you"?

1- Je t'aime - French
2- Ti amo - Italian
3- Ich liebe dich - German
4- Te quiero - Spanish
5- Ik hou van je - Dutch
6- Kocham cie - Polish
7- Seni seviyorum - Turkish
8- Jeg elsker dig - Danish

posted by: Isabel Brito da Luz

(St. Valentine's day) I Get The Sweetest Feeling - Jackie Wilson

The closer you get
The better you look baby

The better you look
The more I want you

When you turn on your smile
I feel my heart go wild

I'm like a child with a brand new toy
And I get the
Sweetest feeling
Honey the Sweetest (Sweetest Feeling)
Baby the Sweetest (Sweetest Feeling)
Loving you, ya

The warmer your kiss
The deeper you touch me baby

The deeper your touch
The more you thrill me

It's more than I can stand
Girl, when you hold my hand
I feel so grand
That I could cry

And I get the (Sweetest Feeling)
Moma the sweetest (Sweetest Feeling)
Baby the sweetest (Sweetest Feeling)
Loving you

uhh The greater your love
The stronger you hold me baby
The stronger your hold
The more I need You.

With every passing day
I love you more in everyway
I'm in love to stay
And I wanna say

I get the (Sweetest Feeling)
Baby the sweetest (Sweetest Feeling)
Honey the sweetest (Sweetest Feeling)
Loving You

aw (Sweetest Feeling)
Baby the sweetest (Sweetest Feeling)
Sweetest

Posted by: Isabel Brito da Luz

Advertisement about Nike

Ângela Martins

posted by: Isabel Brito da Luz

Electricity

"Electricity" is one of my favorite songs by OMD. Electricity is a single by the New Wave and elec pop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It is notable for having been recorded numerous times. The earliest versions are live recordings by Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys' previous group, The Id. The song is one of the OMD's most popular and recognizable songs even though it never became a hit. The three attempts at scoring a hit only achieved the lowly (but significant for the group at the time) #99 in 1979. "Electricity" would later appear on OMD's debut album and is regularly featured on OMD compilations.
All incarnations of the "Electricity" single were backed by the B-side and fellow debut album track "Almost." This song was inspired by The Teardrop Explodes' song "Camera, Camera" and the Kraftwerk song "Radioactivity."
I know how to play this song on my Casio. The chords are A, F, C and G.



Written by: Jorge Borbinha
Posted by: Rui Cóias