School Uniforms

I’m going to write about school uniforms, if they are good or bad. I’m going to write about them because, when I lived in London, like every other student, I had to wear a uniform and it bothered me. I’m going to tell you the main pros and cons on school uniforms.

Potential Benefits of School Uniforms:

Preventing gang colours, etc. in schools;
Decreasing violence and theft because of clothing and shoes;
Instilling discipline among students;
Reducing need for administrators and teachers to be 'clothes police' (for example, determining whether shorts are too short, etc.);
Reducing distractions for students ;
Instilling a sense of community;
Helping schools recognize those who do not belong on campus.

Potential problems of School Uniforms:

Students and parents argue that uniforms violate their freedom of expression;
Parents raise concerns about the cost;
Families fear it might interfere with religious clothing like yarmulkes;
Most students feel uncomfortable with school uniforms.

Although I agree that school uniforms bring more benefits than problems, I hated using them! And all students hate using uniform, and when I came to Portugal, one of the things I liked was not having to wear uniform. But I know that they prevent bullying provoked by financial problems, so it’s good.

Eva Oliveira, 1106

:- )

The Social Impact of Digital Media

Due to the development of a great number of new digital technologies in the last twenty years, an amazing variety of new media forms has emerged. Web pages, instant messaging, online games, multimedia CD-ROMs, hypertext fiction,...

Many argue these and other forms of the new media are reshaping our understanding of how we live and work and of what it means to be human. We will explore these claims by answering questions such as: do the digital media fundamentally alter the nature of the human self? Furthermore, particular attention will be paid to the influence of new media forms concerning child development and child violence. Much has been said about the media and their influence and opinions diverge. One widely accepted opinion is that the media only enforce a person’s attitude, others think that the media influence at least parts of our lives. However, it cannot be denied that in the last twenty years a rapid growth in information technology has taken place and that new forms of communication have emerged.

Segregation

Race segregation is the practice of keeping ethnic, racial, or gender groups separate, such as African Americans, Gays, and Jews, (Webster’s). This is done by enforcing the use of separate schools, transportation, housing, and other facilities. This has been around forever, however it really started elevating in the southern states of the U.S. (Roberts) Segregation by law occurred when local, state, or national laws required racial separation, or where the laws explicitly allowed segregation. “De jure” segregation has been banned in the United States since the mid-1960s. Segregation in fact, occurs when social practice, political, economic, or public policy results in the separation of people by race or ethnicity even though no laws require racial separation. Segregation has continued even when state and federal civil rights laws have clearly excluded racial segregation. In the earlier 1900’s, there has been a consistent occurrence of events from those who have strong feelings against the intermingling of races and other groups.

TV Violence

What has the world come to these days? It often seems like everywhere one looks, violence rears its ugly head. We see it in the streets, back alleys, school, and even at home. The last of these is a major source of violence. In many peoples' living rooms there sits an outlet for violence that often goes unnoticed. It is the television, and the children who view it are often pulled into its realistic world of violence scenes with sometimes devastating results.Much research has gone into showing why children are so mesmerized by this big glowing box and the action that takes place within it. Research shows that it is definitely a major source of violent behavior in children. The research proves time and time again that aggression and television viewing do go hand in hand.The truth about television violence and children has been shown. Some are trying to fight this problem. Others are ignoring it and hoping it will go away. Still others don't even seem to care. However, the facts are undeniable. The studies have been carried out and all the results point to one conclusion: Television violence is not the only cause of aggressiveness and violent behaviour, but it is clearly a significant factor.

A Little Help from your Friends

What is the mass media?

The dictionary tells us that it is: "those means of communication that reach and influence large numbers of people." (Collins Pocket English Dictionary, 1981 edition) To many people, however, it is something much more sinister - a monster that seeks to manipulate and control public opinion. A task force of highly entertaining novels and films draw upon the idea of a tyrannical government secretly controlling zombie-like citizens, using the mass media as its weapon. Ironically, these conspiracy novels and films themselves are simply another aspect of the media. But perhaps - especially now, when we are more exposed to forms of mass media than any other previous generation - the seeming fantasies are not as fantastic as we might think. Certainly times have changed significantly since George Orwell first wrote his chilling novel, 1984. For example, Hitler's government proved that it was possible to persuade an entire nation thanks to mass media propaganda…

The Zeeba iz bek ;)

Be my Valentine!

Like many other holidays, Valentine’s Day is thought to be of American origin; but—like many other holidays—it is not. Already in ancient Rome, people celebrated a similar holiday in the middle of February. It was Lupercalia, the festival of fertility.
The Valentine celebrations we know today probably originate in 14th-century England and France. We could indeed say that it was some kind of medieval »blind-date show« to which single men and women got together on 14 February. The women wrote their names on cards and put them into a box from which each man then picked a card. The woman whose name was on the card became the man’s sweetheart or “Valentine”, as 14 February is also the commemoration day of St. Valentine (therefore the day is called St. Valentine’s Day).
The date, in fact, is the only connection between the festival and the martyr St. Valentine, a Roman priest from the 3rd century. Valentine lived during the reign of Claudius II, who did not allow his soldiers to get married. Claudius believed that married soldiers would not make a good army, so when he found out that Valentine married young couples secretly, he had the priest arrested and sentenced to death.
Let’s leave martyrdom behind, however, and return to the more pleasant rites of our time. Valentine’s Day has become the festival of love—lovers surprise each other with little presents, flowers or a romantic dinner by candlelight. Sending special greeting cards on that day is also very popular. Valentines, as these cards are called, are sent to loved ones or even to secret lovers in order to win their hearts. If the sender doesn’t want to be recognised, the card is signed »Your Valentine«.

Hummm, delicious!

The scone is a British snack of Scottish origin.

British scones are often lightly sweetened, but may also be savoury. In the U.S., scones are drier and larger, and typically sweet.

The recipe

You need:
3 cups self-raising flour45 grams butter1 teaspoon salt1 cup full-cream milk

Method:
Put the self-raising flour and the salt in a bowl. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces then, using the tips of your fingers, rub it into the flour until it has the consistency of breadcrumbs.Add a little milk and 'mash' the flour mixture into the milk with a fork. Keep adding small amounts of milk and continue to combine with the flour.Remove the dough and knead two or three times to form a ball of light dough. Flatten to about 1.5 cms and cut out small circles with a scone cutter. Glaze the top of the scones with milk.Bake in a 220°C oven for 12 minutes. Cool slightly on a wire rack.Hints:Use a scone cutter. Blunt instruments will 'seal' the sides of the scone dough and prevent it from rising.You can use two knives to ‘cut’ the butter into the flour if you think your hands are too warm.Scones may rise better if a teaspoon of lemon juice is added to the milk to make a slightly acid environment for the bicarbonate of soda in the self-raising flour.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana is one of the most famous Carnival celebrations in the world.
The season of parades, balls (some of them masquerade balls), and king cake parties begins on that date.
From about two weeks before, through Fat Tuesday, there is at least one major parade each day. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the season. In the final week of Carnival many events large and small occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities.
The parades in New Orleans are organized by Carnival krewes. Krewe float riders toss throws to the crowds; the most common throws are strings, usually made of plastic colorful beads, doubloons (aluminium or wooden dollar-sized coins usually impressed with a krewe logo), decorated plastic throw cups, and small inexpensive toys. Major krewes follow the same parade schedule and route each year.
To New Orleanians, "Mardi Gras" refers only to the final and most elaborate day of the Carnival Season; visitors tend to refer to the entire Carnival as "Mardi Gras." Some locals have thus started to refer to the final day of Carnival as "Mardi Gras Day" to avoid confusion.
The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. These colors are said to have been chosen by Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff Alexandrovitch of Russia during a visit to New Orleans in 1872.

Each year; the Mardi Gras (or Carnival) season starts on January 6, also known as Twelft Night. The Twelfth Night Revelers, one of Carnival's oldest Krewes, holds a masked ball each year to mark the occasion. Like Twelfth Night Revelers, many of Carnival's oldest groups - such as the Elves of Oberon and the High Priests of Mithras - hold masked balls, but do not parade in public.
The parade season starts off some three weekends before Mardi Gras Day with the Krewe du Vieux parade.