Friend's day

Friend's Day is a celebration of friendship held annually on July 20th, mainly in Argentina and Uruguay but also in some other countries.

The idea for Friend's Day goes back to Argentine teacher, musician, and dentist Enrique Febbraro, who had the idea of turning the anniversary of the first moon landing into an international day of friendship. He argued that on this particular day, the whole world had been friends of the three astronauts. The first official recognition of the day came with decree No. 235/79 by the government of the province of Buenos Aires, which authorized the celebration and gave it official nature.

In Argentina, Friend's Day is often a good excuse for a common friendly gathering, though people also employ the day to get in contact with old and seldom-met friends and greet them. Since it is not a public holiday in Argentina, the gatherings tend to happen during the evening.

Though Friend's Day has always been respected, in recent years it has turned into a very popular mass phenomenon. In 2005, too many well-wishing friends led to a temporary breakdown of the mobile phone network in the cities of Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Rosario. In Rosario, the celebration of the Friends Day has been moved to the 19th of July, when Roberto Fontanarrosa, the best comic writer of the city, died.

Source: http://www.translatorscafe.com/cafe/MegaBBS/forumthread12038.htm

Mandela's words

While reading about Nelson Mandela, South Africa and the Apartheid last Friday, I found this quotation I'd like to share with you.

Mandela's statement from the dock in the Rivonia Trial ends with these words:

I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.

Verb tense practice

Those of youwho want to practise with verb tenses should try this website. You can do exercises and get corrected on-line. Thank you Anto for the tip!
Good luck!

www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbtenseintro.html

Irish Prayer

Today is a very cold morning, it's freezing outside!, but I found this Irish prayer that could make you feel warmer inside. I hope you like it!

Always remember to forget
The things that made you sad.

But never forget to remember
The things that made you glad.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.

But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

Always remember to forget
The troubles that passed away.

But never forget to remember
The blessings that come each day.

Ken Nesbitt

Ken Nesbitt is a children's poet from Spokane, USA. His poems have appeared in every book in the acclaimed Kids Pick the Funniest Poems series and in school textbooks around the world. He writes a popular children's poetry web site, and his poems are also consistent winners of the "Read 'Em and Rate 'Em" contest on www.GigglePoetry.com.

Here is another of his poem (Back to School was also written by him)

This Poem's Not About a Dog

This poem's not about a dog.
It's not about a cat.
It's not about a fish or frog
or anything like that.

It's also not about my shoe,
or cows from outer space,
or purple pigs from Timbuktu,
or weasels on your face.

This poem's not the slightest bit
about some guy named Fred.
There are no robot ducks in it,
or hippos overhead.

It's not about electric sheep,
or eighty-five times nine,
or watching grandpa fall asleep,
or cheese from Lichtenstein.

It's not about a hungry hog
who ate a bowling ball.
This poem's not about a dog,
or anything at all.

--Kenn Nesbitt

Julian Beever

In a few days Julian Beever is going to be in Buenos Aires. Julian Beever is an English artist who draws and paints flat images on the floor, if you look at those images from the right angle, the pictures seem to defy the laws of perspective and you'll see an amazing 3-D effect. He only uses chalk, so after some time his works vanish. What a pity!

Here is an example,

Could you believe this is just a regular drawing on the floor? Incredible, isn't it?

If you want to read more about him:
http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/index.html

I believe

I Believe...

I believe-
that we don't have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.
I believe-
that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.
I believe-
that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I believe-
that you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I believe-
that it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I believe-
that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.
I believe-
that you can keep going long after you can't.
I believe-
that we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.
I believe-
that either you control your attitude
or it controls you.
I believe-
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first,
the passion fades
and there had better be something else to take its place.
I believe-
that heroes are the people who do
what has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.
I believe-
that money is a lousy way
of keeping score.
I believe-
that my best friend and I
can do anything or nothing
and have the best time.
I believe-
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down,
will be the ones to help you get back up.
I believe-
that sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I believe-
that just because someone doesn't love you
the way you want them to
doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
I believe-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them
and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe-
that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I believe-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I believe-
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.
I believe-
that just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't love each other
And just because they don't argue,
it doesn't mean they do.
I believe-
that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.
I believe-
that two people can look at the exact same thing
and see something totally different.
I believe-
that your life can be changed in a matter of hours
by people who don't even know you.
I believe-
that even when you think you have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you you will find the strength to help.
I believe-
that credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

by Unknown

Somebody sent me this poem by e-mail and I really liked it, so I want to share it with you. Enjoy it!

Benjamin Zephaniah

Here you have more info about Benjamin Zephaniah:

"Dr Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah was born and raised in Birmingham, England. He cannot remember a time when he was not creating poetry but this had nothing to do with school where poetry meant very little to him, in fact he had finished full time education at the age of 13. His poetry is strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and what he calls 'street politics'.

Young writers have said that the accessibility of his work has inspired them to take up writing, many record sleeves bare witness to the fact that he has inspired many of the new generation of rappers, and of all the performance poets that emerged in the late seventies/early eighties he is one of the few that is still going strong. He has thirteen honorary doctorates in recognition of his work and a wing in a west London hospital has been named after him. Zephaniah believes that working with human rights groups, animal rights groups and other political organisations means that he will never lack subject matter. He now spends much of his time in China, but he continues working throughout Asia, South America and Africa, and is as passionate about politics and poetry now as he has ever been." http://www.benjaminzephaniah.com/

This is one of his poems and my favourite one.

The London Breed

I love dis great polluted place

Where pop stars come to live their dreams

Here ravers come for drum and bass

And politicians plan their schemes,

The music of the world is here

Dis city can play any song

They came to here from everywhere

Tis they that made dis city strong.

A world of food displayed on streets

Where all the world can come and dine

On meals that end with bitter sweets

And cultures melt and intertwine,

Two hundred languages give voice

To fifteen thousand changing years

And all religions can rejoice

With exiled souls and pioneers.

I love dis overcrowded place

Where old buildings mark men and time

And new buildings all seem to race

Up to a cloudy dank skyline,

Too many cars mean dire air

Too many guns mean danger

Too many drugs means be aware

Of strange gifts from a stranger.

It's so cool when the heat is on

And when it's cool it's so wicked

We just keep melting into one

Just like the tribes before us did,

I love dis concrete jungle still

With all its sirens and its speed

The people here united will

Create a kind of London breed.

You can find more about him here: http://www.britishcouncil.org/arts-literature-publications-and-resources-poetryquartets-benjamin-zephaniah.htm

St. Patrick's day

Yesterday was St. Patrick's day, a very important day for Irish people around the world.

Why Celebrate St. Patrick's Day ?
Saint Patrick's Day has come to be associated with all things Irish, including luck, rainbows, leprechauns, shamrocks, and anything green or gold. It is celebrated by those who merely want an excuse for excessive partying and for those of faith who use St. Patrick's Day as a traditional day for spiritual renewal and prayer.
It is believed that we celebrate this day on March 17th to celebrate the day of St. Patrick's death. As the Irish immigrated throughout the world, they took their history, beliefs and traditions with them , especially the celebration of St. Patrick's Day on March 17th. Although he was born nearly 1600 years ago, his presence is still felt today around the world.

Welcome back to school!

Welcome Back to School

"Dear students, the summer has ended.
The school year at last has begun.
But this year is totally different.
We're going to only have fun.
"We won't study any mathematics,
and recess will last all day long.
Instead of the pledge of allegiance,
we'll belt out a rock-and-roll song.
"We'll only play games in the classroom.
You're welcome to bring in your toys.
It's okay to run in the hallways.
It's great if you make lots of noise.
"Your video games are your homework.
You'll have to watch lots of T.V.
For field trips we'll go to the movies
and give away candy for free.
"The lunchroom will only serve chocolate
and triple fudge sundaes supreme."
Yes, that's what I heard from my teacher
before I woke up from my dream.
--Kenn Nesbitt