all together now

Ants from Miróbriga!

2011-04-18T11:10:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T04:41:00.000-06:00

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." Gerald Good
image source

Once upon a time...

2010-11-07T04:26:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time I was a child. I was a little girl. I was taught children's songs.
Then I grew up... I listened to different songs. Some of them I could even dance...
I was only ten. I hadn´t grown up yet as I thought I had...
I got taller and taller and some other songs brought new dreams to my life...
These songs keep playing in my heart...

I can sing a rainbow

2010-10-31T04:37:00.000-05:00

Understanding the History of Halloween : Jack-o-Lanterns in Halloween Hi...

2010-10-29T04:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Miners

2010-10-13T15:56:00.003-05:00

I can no other answer make, but, thanks, and thanks. William Shakespeare

Forty years ago...

2010-10-12T18:24:00.002-05:00

Forty years ago I landed in Lisbon.
Lisbon was a kind of a myth for those who lived so far away as I lived. My mom used to tell me stories about a sophisticated town, about ladies wearing gloves and hats, about kind gentleman, about a lake where lovers could sail...
I knew nothing about a Portuguese feeling named "saudade". One month later that feeling was part of me.
Here I am, paying my tribute to this wonderful town. It is also my town. It's one of my towns.

John Lennon quotes

2010-10-09T14:50:00.002-05:00

"As usual, there is a great woman behind every idiot."

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination. "

John Lennon

2010-10-09T14:46:00.001-05:00

Smile

2010-10-05T09:32:00.001-05:00

World Teachers' Day 2010

2010-10-05T09:17:00.002-05:00

Today, October 5th, millions of teachers and education workers will be joined by children, young people and parents across the globe to celebrate World Teachers' Day. They will pay tribute to the teaching profession and its unique role - and promote their union.

From the global economic crisis which destabilized many developed economies in the last year, to humanitarian disasters such as the earthquake in Haiti and floods in Pakistan, the role of teachers is vital to the social, economic and intellectual rebuilding of communities in which we all live and work.

Fred van Leeuwen, General Secretary of the global union representing 30 million education workers around the world, said. "Being a teacher means belonging to the most valuable profession. Wherever communities face hardship, teachers are immediately present on the frontline to help promote recovery. Sadly, in many countries, being a teacher also means being paid an unfair wage, being treated unfairly or harassed, and in some cases, living in danger of losing your life."

Despite these challenges, teachers continue giving to society by teaching and improving the life chances of millions of learners. As UNESCO confirms: 'Without teachers input to shape education reforms, recovery processes are not likely to achieve all their goals.'

At a time when the international community faces an unprecedented shortage of qualified teachers, when 10 million more teachers must be recruited and trained to achieve goals of quality education for every child, marking World Teachers' Day is a small step to pay homage to millions of extraordinary heroes in our global community.

In an official event in Paris today, teachers from Haiti, Lesotho, Mali, Laos, France and Israel will discuss the role of teachers in their societies.

C C B

2010-10-04T19:04:00.002-05:00

Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB) is managed by a private Foundation of public interest, its mission being the production and hosting of cultural events, from theatre to dance, from classical music to jazz, from opera to cinema. As part of its mission, CCB also hosts a conference centre, available for any kind of professional meetings.
So beautiful and so near the river...

THE REPUBLIC

2010-10-04T18:29:00.000-05:00

The Portuguese First Republic has, over the course of the recent past, lost many historians to the New State. As a result, it is difficult to attempt a global synthesis of the republican period in view of the important gaps that still persist in our knowledge of its political history. As far as the October 1910 Revolution is concerned, a number of valuable studies have been made, first among which ranks Vasco Pulido Valente’s polemical thesis. This historian posited the Jacobin and urban nature of the revolution carried out by the Portuguese Republican Party (PRP) and claimed that the PRP had turned the republican regime into a de facto dictatorship . This vision clashes with an older interpretation of the First Republic as a progressive and increasingly democratic regime which presented a clear contrast to Salazar’s ensuing dictatorship.

A republican Constitution was approved in 1911, inaugurating a parliamentary regime with reduced presidential powers and two chambers of parliament. The Republic provoked important fractures within Portuguese society, notably among the essentially monarchist rural population, in the trade unions, and in the Church. Even the PRP had to endure the secession of its more moderate elements, who formed conservative republican parties like the Evolutionist Party and the Republican Union. In spite of these splits the PRP, led by Afonso Costa, preserved its dominance, largely due to a brand of clientelist politics inherited from the monarchy. In view of these tactics, a number of opposition forces resorted to violence in order to enjoy the fruits of power. There are few recent studies of this period of the Republic’s existence, known as the ‘old’ Republic.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. STING

2010-10-02T15:52:00.003-05:00

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, (born 2 October 1951), known by his professional name Sting, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, activist, actor and philanthropist. He is 59! Happy birthday!

Quote of the day

"You play music because you want to play it, you have a choice. Its always been rewarding for me. I was a very solitary musician when I was younger. In fact, I wouldn't speak. I had a guitar and I would go in a corner and just play it myself." Sting.

Listen to this song...

2010-10-01T15:06:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz7Giz9clMM

2010-09-20T17:35:00.001-05:00

A Friend ABC

2010-09-20T17:17:00.001-05:00

(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are(
M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plain things you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality

SMILE

2010-09-20T17:08:00.004-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAFAEL

2010-09-17T17:41:00.003-05:00

Exeter Cathedral

2010-08-11T17:07:00.009-05:00

This Cathedral was a site of Christian workship since Roman times. It is still a place where prayers are said and sung every day. It is a full of beauty and holiness. Like they say:"May God bless you."

Devon and Cornwall - Chocolate Muffins and Scones

2010-08-11T16:58:00.005-05:00

Devon and Cornwall - Drinks

2010-08-11T16:53:00.009-05:00

Devon and Cornwall- Food

2010-08-11T16:44:00.008-05:00

Happiness is...

2010-08-09T18:35:00.005-05:00

Happiness is inside you

If you're going to Portimão...

2010-08-07T06:07:00.005-05:00

... Be sure to wear blue and take part of a blue celebration!
Portimão is decorated in blue to honour Manuel Teixeira Gomes, born in Portimão 150 years ago.
He was a remarkable man. He was a writer and a politician. He was the seventh President of Portugal, from August 1923 to December 1925. People from Portimão proudly remember this good man and dedicate this month to the celebration of his memory. Blue August is also the name of one of his books.

ANTÓNIO FEIO - Descansa em paz [ Homenagem ]

2010-07-31T20:20:00.001-05:00

Cornwall artists

2010-07-08T15:36:00.001-05:00

http://www.geniusloci.co.uk/dicktwinney.htm

Cornwall

2010-07-08T15:30:00.002-05:00

Cornwall is a lovely place
To live here is just divine
The cliffs are high and mighty
The sea just rages on
It’s also so mysterious
As many people know
It guards so many secrets
Or so I have been told
Don’t ever trust the sea they say!
Treat it with great respect
Many people lose their lives
Because of their neglect
To be a Cornish person
To live in it’s fair place
You’ll never move from Cornwall
Never with any great haste

BY LOUISE JAMES

Cornwall :)

2010-07-08T15:01:00.002-05:00

Montijo

2010-06-28T06:55:00.001-05:00

Smile

2010-06-27T18:21:00.003-05:00

Plymouth

2010-06-21T16:59:00.003-05:00

EXETER

2010-06-21T12:27:00.003-05:00

Tintagel

2010-06-16T17:07:00.003-05:00

The name of Tintagel immediately conjures images of King Arthur and the legends associated with him. The blackened ruins of Tintagel Castle brood over the coast, but no-one can say for sure whether this was really the place where Uther Pendragon seduced the Queen of Cornwall. The ruined Norman castle is much more recent than the times of the legend, although there are signs of much earlier settlements.

On the day we celebrate the poetry...

2010-06-10T10:47:00.003-05:00

The state I'm in is so unsteady
I burn with ardor yet shriver with cold,
I laugh while crying, without a reason,
I embrace the whole world and hold nothing.

All that I feel is in confusion;
my soul spews fire, my eyes a river;
I hope one moment, the next I waver;
now I'm lucid, now delirious.

Though bound to earth, I fly up to Heaven;
in a day I find a thousand years
but not in thousand years, one day.

Shoul someone ask why I act this way,
I'll say I don't know, though I suspect
it's only because I saw you, Lady.

poem by Luis de Camões, translated by Richard Zenith

The Peace Of Wild Things

2010-06-09T17:50:00.004-05:00

When despair grows in me

and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting for their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free

by Wendell Berry

Smile

2010-05-28T02:55:00.001-05:00

What a blue day!

2010-05-16T11:27:00.002-05:00

"The color of ocean and sky, blue is perceived as a constant in our lives. As the collective color of the spirit, it invokes rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming. However, not all blues are serene and sedate."

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-01T20:31:00.002-05:00

Personalize a free digital greeting card

Mother's day

2010-05-01T15:39:00.003-05:00

Thanks for being my mother. I love you, mum.

2010-05-01T15:36:00.002-05:00

Trovante - Saudade

2010-04-30T06:47:00.001-05:00

2010-04-20T08:48:00.003-05:00

"Good health, or a healthy lifestyle, is a balance between social, physical, emotional, vocational and spiritual well being."

Ruth Engs

I don't know the title...but I like...

2010-04-16T16:18:00.002-05:00

By João Raz

Hi!

2010-04-16T16:08:00.003-05:00

It's good being almost here!

Have you seen spring anywhere?

2010-04-16T15:36:00.005-05:00

Let's think about...

2010-04-11T07:19:00.005-05:00

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

Quiz: What's Your Cooking Style?

2010-04-04T16:43:00.006-05:00

What's your cooking style? Guess what : I' m "The Innovative Cook"

The tradition of the roast lamb

2010-04-02T15:35:00.004-05:00

The roast lamb dinner that many eat on Easter Sunday goes back earlier than Easter to the first Passover of the Jewish people. The sacrificial lambwas roasted and eaten, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs in hopes that the angel of God would pass over their homes and bring no harm. As Hebrews converted to Christianity, they naturally brought along their traditions with them. The Christians often refer to Jesus as The Lamb of God. Thus, the traditions merged.

Almonds history

2010-04-02T09:20:00.004-05:00

Almonds are an ancient food that have been written about in historical texts, including the Bible. Almonds were thought to have originated in regions in western Asia and North Africa. The Romans referred to almonds as the "Greek nut" in reference to the civilization suggested to have first cultivated them.

Happy Easter Dear Ants

2010-04-01T17:55:00.002-05:00

Digital greeting generated with Smilebox

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DIOGO

2010-04-01T15:59:00.004-05:00

Hi Diogo! I hope you're fine. The "Ant family"" wishes you love and health! Kisses!

Happy Easter

2010-03-28T16:31:00.003-05:00

We may be far, many miles apart, but nothing will stop me from wishing you a very happy and sweet Easter!

SPRING

2010-03-24T18:06:00.002-05:00

FATHER'S DAY

2010-03-24T17:56:00.004-05:00

"The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother."

To Raz : )

2010-03-19T16:36:00.002-05:00

The Flower Garden

2010-03-17T17:15:00.003-05:00

A blur of color in the wind
Fertile soil as nature’s palette
A fragrance so seductive we think of sin

A gardener’s work must begin
Work the soil before he sees
A blur of color in the wind

Damp earth the gardener’s canvas
Spring warmth brings the seed to sprout
A fragrance so seductive we think of sin

A fiery sun nurtures the seed to begin
Emerald leaves open to feed and bring
A blur of colour in the wind

A palace of wild beauty within
The gardeners reward of toil is
A fragrance so seductive we think of sin

And within this plot of raging color
The worker’s castle for months to stay
A blur of color in the wind
A fragrance so seductive we think of sin.

By Wayne Jarus

Yes, you do!

2010-03-16T15:51:00.001-05:00

IRENA SENDLER - II

2010-03-12T14:31:00.001-06:00

IRENA SENDLER

2010-03-11T15:54:00.004-06:00

Irena Sendler. An unfamiliar name to most people, but this remarkable woman defied the Nazis and saved 2,500 Jewish children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto. As a health worker, she sneaked the children out between 1942 and 1943 to safe hiding places and found non-Jewish families to adopt them.Some children were taken out in gunnysacks or body bags. Some were buried inside loads of goods. A mechanic took a baby out in his toolbox. Some kids were carried out in potato sacks, others were placed in coffins, some entered a church in the Ghetto which had two entrances. One entrance opened into the Ghetto, the other opened into the Aryan side of Warsaw. They entered the church as Jews and exited as Christians. "`Can you guarantee they will live?'" Irena later recalled the distraught parents asking. But she could only guarantee they would die if they stayed. "In my dreams," she said, "I still hear the cries when they left their parents."But the Nazis became aware of Irena's activities, and on October 20, 1943 she was arrested, imprisoned and tortured by the Gestapo, who broke her feet and legs. She ended up in the Pawiak Prison, but no one could break her spirit. Though she was the only one who knew the names and addresses of the families sheltering the Jewish children, she withstood the torture, refusing to betray either her associates or any of the Jewish children in hiding.Sentenced to death, Irena was saved at the last minute when Zegota members bribed one of the Germans to halt the execution. She escaped from prison but for the rest of the war she was pursued by the Gestapo.After the war she dug up the jars and used the notes to track down the 2,500 children she placed with adoptive families and to reunite them with relatives scattered across Europe. But most lost their families during the Holocaust in Nazi death camps.The children had known her only by her code name Jolanta. But years later, after she was honored for her wartime work, her picture appeared in a newspaper. "A man, a painter, telephoned me," said Sendler, "`I remember your face,' he said. `It was you who took me out of the ghetto.' I had many calls like that!"Irena Sendler did not think of herself as a hero. She claimed no credit for her actions. "I could have done more," she said. "This regret will follow me to my death."

On this day...

2010-03-08T04:49:00.002-06:00

"Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt

About the sea

2010-03-07T13:48:00.002-06:00

We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came. John F. Kennedy

5th March - Happy birthday dear MUM

2010-03-06T17:36:00.004-06:00

I love you!

Congratulations my love

2010-03-06T16:43:00.003-06:00

I´m very proud of you. 4th of March was a different day in Fantasporto!!!

One more baby to say hello!

2010-03-03T17:25:00.004-06:00

Hello, Tomás! Here you are! The world is whole yours. It's a small world and it fits your little hands perfectly. It's a small world made of love. Your mom's love! Your dad's love! Only you can make it move. Be happy, little Tomás! May all your sweet dreams come true!

Doll's Festival

2010-03-03T15:02:00.002-06:00

The Doll's Festival (Hinamatsuri) takes place on March 3. Hinamatsuri is a time to pray for the health and well being of young girls. Most homes with young girls will set up a display of dolls. Around the display dedications of peach blossoms, cube rice cakes, special colored and diamond shaped rice cakes, and white sake are made. This ceremony is similar to a Chinese ceremony in which the sins of the body are transferred to a doll that is then set adrift on a river. The celebration of this festival in Japan is traceable to the Edo Period (1603-1867).

Colette's New Baby!

2010-03-02T10:09:00.005-06:00

It's a boy and they are very happy!
Dear Colette and Ricardo: This baby makes us feel happy too.
We wish you, little Raul, a long and happy life! May your mom and dad be always by your side, specially on those very special moments.
They will always thank God for this enormous blessing: you!
Here is a poem! We want to dedicate it to the new-born-family!

A Baby Changes Things

A baby changes things;
They’ll never be the same;
Your life is filled with wonder,
Since your little miracle came.

There’s lots of things to do now,
But with the new tasks you face,
Your family gains more love,
And bonds time will never erase.

By Karl and Joanna Fuchs

Little ants are strong!

2010-02-23T16:26:00.002-06:00

Think about it!

2010-02-22T10:24:00.003-06:00

"The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." Tom Bodett

LOST WITHOUT THE MOON

2010-02-21T16:18:00.004-06:00

Where has this moon gone?

the moon that used to brighten up

the night sky,

And the moon that used to shine

Brighter than any star,

The moon that used to bring to me

This beautiful light,

For this moon used to lighten up

My heart,

Now that this moon is gone

I must rely on the stars

to bring me light,

This moon left me alone,

alone to suffer and think,
empty thoughts,

And now i know that

I am lost,

Oh where has this moon gone?

Oscar Aceves

Rihanna

2010-02-19T18:16:00.001-06:00

And so this is us...

2010-02-16T05:29:00.003-06:00

'Oriental utopia'The man who forged the way was Vasco da Gama, who opened the Indian Ocean for the spice trade. He's the namesake of both a soaring bridge and a contemporary development topped by curved glass "sails" in the city's Parque das Nações, a newly revived neighborhood. But his legacy remains at the harbor. Overlooking the waterfront from a sleek contemporary building, the Orient Museum holds up a mirror to East and West, showing how each changed the other.

Carnival is...

2010-02-15T14:51:00.002-06:00

"Carnival is a butterfly of winter whose last real flight of Mardi Gras forever ends his glory." The Mistick Krewe: Chronicles of Comus and his Kin, by Perry Young.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T16:32:00.002-06:00

Love is...

2010-02-14T11:34:00.005-06:00

Love is a fire that burns unseen,
a wound that hurts yet isn't felt,
an always discontent contentment,
pain that ranges witthout hurting,

a longing for nothing but too long,
loneliness in the midst of people,
never feeling pleased when pleased,
a passion that gains when lost in thought.

It's freely wanting to be enslaved;
it's counting your defeat a victory;
it's staying loyal to your killer.

But if so self-contraditory,
how canLove, when Love chooses,
bring human hearts into sympathy?

This is what Camões, our greatest poet, thought and said about Love.
Translated by Richard Zenith Albert Memorial is Queen Victoria's love!

From the bottom of my heart

2010-02-11T19:47:00.003-06:00

May I thank you Mr. Mandela for having taught me the value of freedom? You did it and I feel very proud for belonging to the same time, to the same world, to same moments of a turning point of History of Mankind. Thank You very much Mr. Mandela!"London is proud to host this statue of Nelson Mandela, whose role in world history is finally being given the recognition it deserves," said the mayor (Ken Livingstone).
Source:here

Yuko Yamaguchi

2010-02-10T15:59:00.004-06:00

I bet very few of you know who is Ikuko "Yuko" Shimizu, and yet I know that each and all we had to do with its creation of one form or another. And if I tell she's the mother of Kitty White? No? Still lost? Well, Ms. Shimizu, is nothing more and nothing less than the creator of the most recognized fictional character in history.
Kitty White, better known as Hello Kitty, is the greatest creation of this artist / character designer oil painting graduate of Musashino Art University. Her character, now more famous than her creator, can say that it is in the most prestigious design houses (has been a model of Dior ) accompanying the most famous women (Paris Hilton, Rihanna, Hilary Duff ...) , and has up to a maternity ward.
Although Mrs. Shimizu was only in the early years of Kitty in Sanrio, when the cat has not yet reached its fame, and it definitely was not her but Yuko Yamaguchi who drove Kitty to stardom, it must be admitted that her character had the potential since the beginning. Clean design, thick borders, glamorous look and a beautiful ribbon.

I know it isn't in English...it isn't the 25th of April...

2010-02-08T15:33:00.004-06:00

But I love this book...

HI MÁRCIO

2010-02-05T17:13:00.003-06:00

Just for you...

:)

2010-02-02T16:57:00.001-06:00

SMILE

2010-01-31T18:33:00.002-06:00

How to be a Good Mother

2010-01-31T17:34:00.003-06:00

Step 1

If you are married, let your children witness that you sincerely love and respect their father; your husband. This will teach your children to know that love and respect should be in a home and it also prepares them to be loving and affectionate to their mate when they get married later in life.
Step 2
Make the effort to set aside quality time with your children every week whereas you can sit and talk with them and learn from and about each other.
Step 3
Be a positive and moral role model and example that your children can look up to, appreciate and honor.
Step 4
Be a parent not a buddy/friend to your children. Of course, you are a friend to them, but ultimately you are their parent. Children need moral and ethical guidance and instruction from their parents. They don't need to figure it out alone. This results in disaster.
Step 5
Listen to your children, but listen effectively with caring ears so that you will be able to give quality advice and help them in negative circumstances.
Step 6
Encourage your children when they are doing well. Often as parents we see the negative; therefore, we must also make sure to praise them when they do well.
Step 7
Teach your children to have manners and to be respectful citizens and to treat people as they desire to be treated and respected daily.
Step 8
Teach your children to be caring and to be helpers of others.
Step 9
Teach your children to know that not everyone is trustworthy. Although, you are teaching them to be trustworthy people, they need to know, however, that not everyone can be trusted.
Step 10
Teach your children not to be arrogant, but confident in life in order to accomplish their goals.
Step 11
Teach your children the meaning of true friendship.
Step 12
Teach your children to be an honest person and to walk in integrity in their daily lives because what goes around comes around. We reap what we sow. Therefore, it's important to practice to sow good seeds and deeds.
Step 13
If you are a person who believes in God, certainly teach your children the word of God and to obey God.
Step 14
Teach your children to respect their elders. When they get older they will certainly expect children to honor and respect them as their elder.

Well, London is... this.

2010-01-29T11:45:00.003-06:00

This photo matches my idea of London: the similar buildings in a row, not very high, the colour, the flowers, the rests of a rainy night on the road, the black taxis, the grey sky. My idea and this photo match perfectly.This photo was taken from the balcony of the hotel.

London is great:Big Ben

2010-01-25T08:59:00.003-06:00

Its real name is St Stephen's Tower, but everybody knows this impressive tower as Big Ben. Ben is a nickname for Benjamin. It seems that there were two men named Benjamin then. They were both good and "big" and the tower was named after one of them, to pay a tribute to his kindness.
Tall people are usually kind. Big Ben is also kind. Every year it says hello to the New Year to all the people that gathers nearby.

London is great: Hyde Park

2010-01-24T18:12:00.005-06:00

"There’s a good chance you’ll forget you are right in the centre of London."

The Top 10 Qualities Of A Good Teacher

2010-01-24T17:11:00.005-06:00

1. Confidence

2. Patience

3. True compassion for their students

4. Understanding

5. The ability to look at life in a different way and to explain a topic in a different way

6. Dedication to excellence

7. Unwavering support

8. Willingness to help student achieve

9. Pride in student’s accomplishments

10. Passion for life

Do you agree? : )

Tomorrow

2010-01-21T07:50:00.002-06:00

Meet me here, tomorrow night!

Have a nice trip...Ant Mada

2010-01-20T14:38:00.002-06:00

2010-01-20T08:57:00.005-06:00

Listen.

Listen to me;
I'll listen to you.
I can see
Beauty in you.

Don't be afraid.
Don't run into the shade.
Come out and face the Sun.
The future is waiting
For you.

Don't say, my dear,
That there's nothing for you here;
Life shouldn't be some
Unrelenting menagerie.

They put thoughts in your head;
Words in your mouth.
They advise you on how to think,
And in time it all goes south

And tumbles into the sea.
This is what might be.
They say: 'This is what will be
If your eyes fail to see.

'Don't say, my dear,
That here's nothing for you here;
Life shouldn't be some
Unrelenting menagerie.

Still I rise

2010-01-18T05:41:00.003-06:00

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Maya Angelou
I swear: I'll rise!

Finally, it's time to celebrate...

2010-01-15T18:19:00.003-06:00

The family...

And it is time to celebrate...

2010-01-15T18:15:00.003-06:00

The friendship...

IT IS TIME TO CELEBRATE ...

2010-01-15T18:05:00.005-06:00

The Weekend

Betty Boop cartoon

2010-01-10T13:49:00.001-06:00

Betty as sex symbol

2010-01-09T18:50:00.004-06:00

Betty Boop is known as the first and one of the most famous sex symbols on the animated screen; she was a symbol of the Depression era, a reminder of the more carefree days of Jazz Age flappers. Her popularity was drawn largely from adult audiences, and the cartoons, while seemingly surrealistic, contained many sexual/psychological elements, particularly in the "Talkartoon", Minnie the Moocher, featuring Cab Calloway and his orchestra. Minnie the Moocher is perhaps the one cartoon that defined Betty's character as a teenager of a modern era at odds with the old world ways of her parents.
Betty is at odds with her parents and opts to run away from home, only to get lost in a haunted cave with her boyfriend Bimbo. A ghostly walrus (rotoscoped from live-action footage of Calloway), sings Calloway's famous song "Minnie the Moocher", accompanied by several other ghosts and skeletons. This haunting performance sends the frightened Betty and Bimbo back to the safety of "home, sweet home". "Minnie the Moocher" was a huge success on two levels. It was a tremedous promotion for Calloway's subsequent stage appearances, and also established "Betty Boop" as a cartoon star.

Betty Boop is important to animation history for being the first cartoon character to fully represent a sexualized woman. Other female cartoon characters of the same period, such as Minnie Mouse, displayed their underwear or bloomers regularly, suggesting children or comical characters, not fully defined in a woman's form. Many other cartoon "girls" were merely clones of their male co-stars, with alterations in costume with the addition of eyelashes and a female voice. Betty Boop wore short dresses, high heels, and a garter belt. Her breasts were suggested with a low, contoured bodice that showed cleavage. (In Any Rags she looks out the window and her dress momentarily falls down revealing her cleavage.) In her cartoons, male characters tried to sneak peeks at her while she's changing, or simply walking along minding her own business. There was, however, a certain girlish quality to the character. She was drawn with a head bigger than normal for an adult, but normal for a baby. This suggested the combination of girlishness and maturity many people saw in the "flapper" type which Betty Boop was supposed to represent. While compromises on Betty's virtue were always a challenge, the animators kept her "pure" and girl-like, on screen, anyway.

To my daughter

2010-01-09T16:34:00.003-06:00

that loves Betty Boop!

AND IT´S A SPECIAL DAY BECAUSE.....

2010-01-06T08:27:00.004-06:00

It's Ant Mada's birthday!

Birthday Appreciation

Each year your birthday reminds me

That I really want to say

I’m very glad I know you;

I think of you each day.

I hope you enjoy your birthday,

All the pleasures it has in store,

And because I appreciate you,

I hope you have many more!

by Joanna Fuchs

The day of the kings

2010-01-06T08:14:00.005-06:00

January 6th is a special day in many countries and cultures--and is celebrated with various traditions all over the world.

The Christian holiday known as The Epiphany is celebrated each year on January 6th. The holiday is a feast that began to commemorate the introduction of Jesus in human form—the specific date of January 6th was first mentioned in 361.

Eastern Christians believe that The Epiphany was the day Christ was baptized in the Jordan River, while Western Christians believe the day commemorates the day the Magi (also known as the Three Kings and Three Wiseman) visited the baby Jesus Christ bringing gifts.

Many countries celebrate January 6th as Three King’s Day, celebrating the day Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar visited Jesus as a child bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

In Spain, the Philippines, and certain parts of Latin America, El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings) is celebrated with children leaving shoes out overnight to collect gifts from the Kings and sweets, drink, and hay as a gift for the Kings and their camels. A special cake known as Rosca de Reyes is made with a small doll of Jesus baked inside—depending on the country, the finder of the doll must pay for the cake, host a party later in the year, or simply serves as king for the day.
In the Netherlands and Belgium, the day is known as Drie koningen (Three King’s Day). Three children dress in costume to represent the three kings and visit houses singing songs, receiving sweets or coins from each door. German children also visit houses singing songs dressed as the three kings, but leave behind the initials of the three kings above the door frames to bless the family for the new year.

2010-01-03T12:51:00.001-06:00

Celtic New Year

2010-01-03T12:40:00.002-06:00

Celt is a community of people in European countries speaking Celtic languages (mainly Indo-Europeans languages). These people celebrated various festivals and the most important amongst them was Samhain, the Celtic New Year. 'Samhian' is the word for November in the Irish language. November 1 is the Celtic feast of Samhain. This Celtic New Year is named after Sama - the Aryan God of Dead. Samhain in Gaelic (Scottish language) means "summer's end". Samhain begins with An Geamhradh (the beginning of the dark winter) and ends with Am Foghar (the Celtic harvest). Some other names are also associated with the Celtic New Year:
The Third Harvest
All Hollows Eve
The Day of the Dead
And the famous Halloweens Day.

History of Celtic New Year

According to the Celtic mythology, Samhain or Celtic New Year was a gap in time. During this gap period, 'Our World' and 'Otherworld' came together and thought that the dead could return to warm themselves at the places they lived.

Celtic New Year Rituals

The Celtic New Year has an important feature of 'divination of events'. They use hazel nuts and symbols of wisdom for fortune telling. There were also some other Samhain traditions which referred to the Celtic Emhain Abhlach (Paradise of Apples) where the dead ate the scared fruit and became immortal. Celts practice many rituals for their ancestors at this time. They put food and drinks for the dead and let their house doors opened to give the dead a free passage to enter their house. But all the spirits from the Otherworld were not good. To stop the evil spirits, villagers carved images of spirit guardians onto turnips and kept these 'jack o'lanterns' in front of their doors.