International Day for the Eradiation of Poverty- 17th October

Poverty is considered a deprivation of human rights and people affected by it are left without a voice or other means to express their hardships. In an effort to raise awareness about their situation, the World Day to End Extreme Poverty was established on October 17, 1987. In 1992, through a resolution of the General Assembly, October 17th was recognized by the United Nations as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. An important aspect of the day is the unification of people from all socioeconomic backgrounds to become agents for changing the structures which create poverty.

Through action, we can make change. October 17th is the beginning of global action for the eradication of poverty and the betterment of the lives of the world's citizens. Through commemoration, respect, action, and knowledge, the eradication of poverty will be realized.

Between Friday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 19, do your part to STAND UP and TAKE ACTION. The final goal is not to beat another Guinness World Record, but to show the true impact of collective mobilisation over growing citizen's awareness and involvement

Join an event now

Healthy Eating

Today, 16th October, it's the World Food Day.

Time to think about Health and Nutrition.

Are you eating healthily?

Have fun and learn about healthy habits. Click here

World Food Day_16th October

World Food Day was proclaimed in 1979 by the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It marks the date of the founding of FAO in 1945. The aim of the Day is to heighten public awareness of the world food problem and strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. In 1980, the General Assembly endorsed observance of the Day in consideration of the fact that "food is a requisite for human survival and well-being and a fundamental human necessity"

Agriculture may have become a minor player in many industrialized economies, but it must play a starring role on the world stage if we are to bring down the curtain on hunger.
Only investment in agriculture - together with support for education and health - will turn this situation around.
Most of the world's farmers are small-scale farmers. As a group, they are the biggest investors in agriculture. They also tend to have inadequate or precarious access to food themselves. If they can make a profit with their farming, they can feed their families throughout the year and reinvest in their farms by purchasing fertilizer, better quality seed and basic equipment.

Some 850 million people go hungry every day. It is a massive number, but what it means to many is tough decisions and risky behaviours in order to survive.
World Food Day, happening Oct. 16th, offers the chance to stand with those suffering due to hunger. The theme for 2008 is “World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy”. Food Security is about ensuring people have both the availability and access to nutritious foods. This year’s theme for World Food Day points out how food security is being compromised by both climate change and the conversion of foods to biofuel. Climate change is creating drought that can ruin crops, and the reduction of available food in a local economy increases prices of the food items that remain available.

Why laugh?

A healthy, non-ridiculing and connecting laughter provides physiological, psychological and spiritual benefits you probably never realized or imagined. We are born with the gift of laughter.

So, learn to laugh, and live, all over again. You will feel better about yourself and others, better about the world around you and better about those events that take place in your life.

Why laugh ? And how will it help you ?

Here are just three reasons to laugh.... and keep laughing:

• It strengthens your immune system.
• It makes your cheeks sore.
• It actually increases your intellectual performance

Multiculturalism

The Beatles- "Michelle"

John Lennon invited McCartney over to college parties when he was still in high school, and French culture was a trend. Paul would try to fit in by sitting in a corner and pretending to be French. He would play little tunes in French, but he only knew a few French words so he would groan or make words up. John told him that he should make it into a real song for Rubber Soul, so he asked his friend Ivan Vaughan, whose wife was a French teacher, for a French name and some words to rhyme with it. Vaughan came up with "Michelle, ma belle." McCartney came up with the next line, "These are words that go together well," and Vaughan taught him the French translation, "Sont des mots qui vont tres bien ensemble," which he used in the song as well. When he played it for Lennon, John suggested the "I love you" part in the middle. (thanks, Klasic Rok - Battle Ground, WA)

The song is not based on any particular woman. They chose the name because it sounded good.

Click here and sing with the Beatles.

"Fusion Man"_ makes historic Channel flight

The Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy flew from England to France Friday propelled by a jetpack strapped to his back -- the first person to cross the English Channel in such a way.

Rossy, a pilot who normally flies an Airbus airliner, crossed the 22 miles between Calais and Dover at speeds of up to 120 mph in 13 minutes, his spokesman said.
When the white cliffs of Dover came into view, he opened a blue and yellow parachute and drifted down in light winds to land in a British field where he was mobbed by well-wishers.
"Everything was perfect," he said afterwards. "I showed that it is possible to fly a little bit like a bird."
Rossy traced the route of French aviator Louis Bleriot, who became the first person to fly across the Channel in an aircraft in 1909.
The Swiss pilot was propelled by four kerosene-burning jet turbines attached to a wing on his back. He ignited the jets inside a plane before jumping out more than 8,000 feet above ground.
After a period of free fall he opened the wing and soared across the water. With no steering controls, the only way to change direction was like a bird, moving his head and back.

from Reuters

Watch this video

Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental, and sensorial disabilities. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Paralympic Games are sometimes confused with the Special Olympics World Games, which are only for people with intellectual disabilities. But may still take part in the Paralympic games .

For the most recent games in Beijing, see 2008 Summer Paralympics.

( Wikipedia )

A Tribute to the Paralympics

Hurricane Gustave

Hurricane Gustav is moving inland from the US Gulf coast after the worst of the storm missed New Orleans - the city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Gustav, which brought torrential rain, has now weakened to a tropical storm. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin advised the two million people who had fled inland ahead of Gustav's arrival to stay away from the city for at least another day."Re-entry is just days away, but residents shouldn't return Tuesday," Mr Nagin said, adding that officials would check the scale of damage.

"Trees are down all over the city, power lines are down all over the city, and there is a significant number of homes and businesses without energy".

BBC News

Holidays are over

Holidays are over. It's time to work now. Are you ready?
I wish all the students a good school year.

The English teacher, Isabel Silva

Quotations: Back to School

_" The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet." ~Aristotle

_"As long there are tests, there will be prayer in schools. " ~Author Unknown

_ "He who opens a school door, closes a prison." ~Victor Hugo

_ "Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere." ~Chinese Proverb

_"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty." ~Henry Ford