Sing my song - Solitude

How many times, do I ever try to run?

How many times, do I ever try to hide myself?

Waiting, forgotten, for someone who’ll never come

How many times, do I ever come back to your arms?

Oh solitude, stay with me

There’s only you

Oh solitude, there’s forever me and forever you

And together we break from inside…

How can you torture me so sweetly?

Why can’t I escape from your heavy spell?

Why do all the questions end up in your silence?

Why do all the reasons fall at your demand?

Oh solitude, stay with me

There’s only you

Oh solitude, I can’t abandon you,

I can’t leave you, not a part of me…

Don’t go solitude, unless you…

Don’t leave solitude, don’t you?

Hold on to me solitude, revive me and express me

And then when I’ll be in the highest sky…

Cut my wings, see me fall back into your arms…

Sara Marques, 1009

:)

:)

Happy Christmas - War Is Over

Remembering John Lennon
(9.10.1940 - 8.12.1980)

Creative Writing 801

We love Christmas, because it is a wonderful time.

The twelve days of Christmas are the days that separate Christmas Day,

December 25, from Epiphany, January 6.

In the past there was a tradition of giving gifts throughout the twelve days instead of giving them all on the morning of December 25.

We aren’t that patient any more!

At Christmas, people give each other presents. This tradition seems to have started with the gifts the Wise Men brought to Jesus: gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. Later the habit of exchanging gifts began.

Curiosities

What do Santa Claus and Coca Cola have in common?

In 1931, Haddon Sundblom was the artist who made Santa Claus look like the person he is today: a jovial face with a big white beard. It was created for an ad campaign for the Coca Cola Company!

What are the names of the reindeer?

Here they are: Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Donder, Prancer,Vixen, and of course the leader is Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer because he’s the only one that can see through the fog according to the song!

We love Christmas, because it’s nice, cool, with lots of spirits and it is just around the corner.

We like Christmas, because we are with our family. We give and receive gifts, we decorate the Xmas tree and some may kiss under the mistletoe.

Ana Sofia , Artur , Joana , Marli

801

Plain White T's

Thanks João... cool!

Hey there Delilah

Hey there Delilah

What's it like in New York City?

I'm a thousand miles away

But girl, tonight you look so pretty

Yes you do

Times Square can't shine as bright as you

I swear it's true

Hey there Delilah

Don't you worry about the distance

I'm right there if you get lonely

Give this song another listen

Close your eyes

Listen to my voice, it's my disguise

I'm by your side

Oh it's what you do to me

Oh it's what you do to me

Oh it's what you do to me

Oh it's what you do to me

What you do to me

Hey there Delilah

I know times are getting hard

But just believe me, girl

Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar

We'll have it good

We'll have the life we knew we would

My word is good

Hey there Delilah

I've got so much left to say

If every simple song I wrote to you

Would take your breath away

I'd write it all

Even more in love with me you'd fall

We'd have it all

Oh it's what you do to me

Oh it's what you do to me

Oh it's what you do to me

Oh it's what you do to me

A thousand miles seems pretty far

But they've got planes and trains and cars

I'd walk to you if I had no other way

Our friends would all make fun of us

and we'll just laugh along because we know

That none of them have felt this way

Delilah I can promise you

That by the time we get through

The world will never ever be the same

And you're to blame

Hey there Delilah

You be good and don't you miss me

Two more years and you'll be done with school

And I'll be making history like I do

You'll know it's all because of you

We can do whatever we want to

Hey there Delilah here's to you

This one's for you

Oh it's what you do to me

Oh it's what you do to me

Oh it's what you do to me

Oh it's what you do to me

What you do to me.

João Carriço 801

Superstitions

Cats all over the world appear in superstition and folklore. Every country has their own cat superstitions. Here is a few from around the globe.

• When a cat washes behind his ears you may expect visitors. (Dutch superstition)
• A strange Black cat on your porch brings prosperity, (Scottish superstition)
• A cat sneezing is a good omen for everyone who hears it. (Italian superstition)
• It is bad luck to see a white cat at night. (American superstition)
• Dreaming of a white cat means good luck. (American superstition)
• If a cat deserts a house, illness will always reign there. (English superstition)
• When you see a one eyed cat, spit on your thumb, stamp it in the palm of your hand, and make a wish. The wish will come true. (American superstition)
• If a cat washes behind it's ears, it will rain. (English superstition)
• A cat sleeping with all four paws tucked under means cold weather ahead. (English superstition)
• English schoolchildren believe seeing a white cat on the way to school is sure to bring trouble. To avert bad luck, they must either spit, or turn around completely and make the sign of the cross.
• A Black cat crossing one's path by moonlight means death in an epidemic. (Irish superstition)
• It is bad luck to cross a stream carrying a cat. (French superstition)
• In Britain and many parts of Europe, a black cat crossing the road, or entering your house is considered very good fortune.
• In parts of Yorkshire the wives of fishermen keep black cats at home to ensure their husbands safety at sea.
• In Southern England a black cat crossing the path of the bride as she leaves the church is said grant a fortuneate marriage.
• A cat has nine lives.
• On every black cat there is a single hair that is white. If you remove it without the cat scratching, this white hair will bring you wealth or luck in love.

Do they know?

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

They are endowed with reason

and conscience

and should act towards one another

in a spirit of brotherhood.

Do they kn...?

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

... and you? Do you know?

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought,

conscience and religion;

this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief,

and freedom,

either alone or in community with others and in public or private,

to manifest his religion or belief in

teaching,

practice,

worship and observance.

December 10 - a day to remember!

Keel-a-Zeeba Day!

Daniel Ângelo 801

10 01 Creative Writing

The Ring

Once up on a time, there was a very ugly boy, aged 17. He was born in a small village named Fradilos, in a very busy family.
However, that boy suffered a terrible curse casted by a bad, old, phantasmagorical wizard. That man gave him a golden ring which made Thiago Bandera (the boy) as ugly as a monster.
17 years went by and Thiago was very unhappy. He had never had a girlfriend. Everybody was always making fun of him and his parents didn’t pay attention to him at all. One day, the sad boy couldn't stand all the pressure and the prejudices anymore… why? - you ask. The girl he was in love with decided to play with his ring, his cursed ring. At that moment, Thiago exploded. As mad as a furious lion, he took out the ring and threw it away to the other side of the village, with such a strenght that when it fell in a lake - a big and deep lake - the ring broke into millions of pieces. Immediately after, the boy fell asleep on the road.
Thiago almost died in three days. His body just wanted to throw out everything, vomit every humiliation, every guffaw, every forced laugh, every contemptuous look. He was very sick, he vomited, he had acne and he was in the heat of a fever.

During that time there wasn’t anyone in his body!
When he recovered, he slowly got up and went to the mirror. He carefully got near it and suddenly, the mirror broke into thousands of pieces. — Can you imagine how Thiago felt? – No, you can’t. – He bursted into tears, just like a child. He felt like the worst person in the world.
As a heavenly power had come upon him, he picked up a little bit of glass and, then, he realized that… the mirror had broken not because he was ugly, but because of his wonderful beauty!! !
The curse was over. Thiago could be happy right now… Wow, if you had seen him! He laughed like a crazy boy; his wide open smile was the mirror of his heart! His dream, his wish… In a split second, he made friends, he became popular and desirable for the girls.
However, Thiago was not stupid; he didn’t get dazzled with fame or happiness. When he was ugly and insignificant, he learned what a really friend was and, at that moment, he didn’t have any. He was surrounded of people, but he was alone. He didn't have a close friend or someone he could really trust.
He couldn’t stand it anymore: Insignificant and ugly or popular and alone? Totally empty! He couldn’t decide, he couldn’t choose. A 17 year-old-boy is not made of steel, the pressure and the confusion became unbearable! He lost everything.
One day, in a cold foggy morning, a boy went with the wind. Losing everything, leaving everybody, he went away and never returned…
Every foggy morning, at his home, we can hear his spirit, his voice, saying:


«Bandera... Thiago Bandera»

Joana Silva; Sara Fernandes; Sara Pereira

GMO's

The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content.

The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used.

Genetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the world's hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. Yet there are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, international policy and food labeling. Many people feel that genetic engineering is the inevitable wave of the future and that we cannot afford to ignore a technology that has such enormous potential benefits. However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.

:(

Unfortunately you tube videos are not availabe, at the moment, at school.

Nonetheless, you can still watch them at home.

We are deeply sorry but this happened because some people have misused you tube at school!

Amazing Grace

How sweet the sound...

Fashion Newsflash

"When Vladimir Nabokov described nostalgia as an "insane companion," he didn't have shoes in mind (as far as we know, anyway). But more than a few women harbor a special fondness for their old "Nutcracker" fancies, so much so that one of the world's preeminent makers of dance shoes, the Australia-based Bloch, has seen its Covent Garden shop in London overrun by grown-up girls, insane companions in tow, determined to wear soft-sole slippers out on the street. In response, the company is launching its first-ever range of street shoes, Bloch London, next spring. The new line has already found favor with buyers at Fred Segal and Colette, among other trend-spotting stores worldwide."

Maya Singer

Sounds familiar?

Cloning

Cloning is the creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of another. This means that every single small piece of DNA is the same between the two!
When we hear of cloning successes, we only know about the few attempts that have worked, but we don´t realize the many more cloning experiments that have failed! And even in the successful cloning experiments, problems tend to occur later, during the clone´s growth into maturity.
It may be argued that reproductive cloning benefits are the same as any other reproductive means, either when one has no other chance of reproduction or by religious motives, or even because one just feels like doing it. This is exactly when we begin to wonder if cloning should be allowed or not. So, we try to balance the weight on the scale and figure out some facts either against or in favour of cloning.

Anonymous

Are you safe in a chatroom?

If you like chatrooms and you want to be safe, you must follow these rules:

-Don't give your e-mail address or any personal information to anyone you meet on the internet.

-Don't give your photos to anyone. When you give your photos or any type of personal informations to someone, that person can kidnap you or try to rob your house. It can be very dangerous especially if you have a date with the person you met, which is particularly fool because you don't know if that person is lying to you.

Besides that, you don't need to give your personal information to have fun!

Beatriz 801

Beautiful

sing along...

Generation Gap - fact or fiction?

Generation gap is the major reason why parents and children move away from each other. Everything has changed and so has people's life style. Today’s generation doesn’t like others interfering in any of their personal matters, they don’t like parents ordering them, and if parents try and tell them that’s wrong for them, they misbehave with them.

What is the reason behind all this?Is it parents’ mistake or is it caused by generation gap?

Generation gap is basically created by people themselves. They don’t talk to each other nor share their points of view.

The point is that parents are so busy with their work and jobs that they don’t have time for their family nor their children.

:)

Extra Tips To Be Fit :)

• Ask yourself why you want to be fit. Is it to be healthy, to do better in physical activities (like sports) or for other reasons?
• Decide what activities are right for you. Do you like to run or walk? Whatever you do should be something you enjoy. And always think about your safety!
• Pace yourself. Fitness is a gradual process, so don't rush or over-exercise. Set up a daily schedule. Starting at the top might be painful or tiring. Just like for video games, start at the beginning and work your way up to higher levels.
• Set goals. Keep track of your progress, and as you reach these goals, you'll feel good about what you've accomplished.
• Talk to others. People you know may have tips that make your activities easier and more fun!
• Work with a partner. It may be more fun if you do your activities with a friend, who can keep you company and motivated.
• Be flexible. Change your schedule, goals or activities if you need or want to; don't feel like you always have to stick to the same routine to be fit. Trying new activities that exercise different parts of the body can keep things interesting too.
• Eat a healthy diet. For example, fruits and veggies have a lot of nutrients your body needs. Many other healthy foods can also be combined for a balanced diet to give you energy.
• Eat several hours before your activity, or wait until afterwards. You don't want to be too full before exercising, or you might become tired or feel sick afterwards.
• Drink water and milk. While water is the No. 1 thirst-quencher (remember how thirsty you were after P.E.?), milk has the calcium to strengthen your bones.
  

Be aware! Be Safe!

The Internet contains an infinite number of high-quality, interesting, intriguing, and well-designed sites, and surfing on the Web is usually a source of enjoyment and acquisition of knowledge. However, because there is no supervision in this environment, it is sometimes difficult to know when positive activity could become dangerous and cause damage. It is important for you to be aware of the dangers lurking on the Internet and protect yourself.

Don't:

• give out your name, age, address, school, phone number, picture about yourself or anyone else without your parent's permission. This includes chat rooms, instant messages, email, etc...
• meet with someone in person that you met on the Internet unless your parent have agreed and will go with you. People aren't always who they say they are and that an adult can pretend to be a kid online.
• answer/open e-mails, enclosures, links...from people you don't know.
• give your password to anyone except your parents.

Follow family's rules for online safety at home, at school, at the library or at a friend or relative's house. Protect yourself!

"My family"

My family is great…
It is the best family in the world. I love my family because they are my friends and they help me when I need…My parents are the best because I can trust them.
My stepmother is a very good person. She is very nice - not like in those stories about stepmothers.
I have one brother and two sisters.
My brother is twenty six years old. I love fighting with him.
I have got one older sister, and one younger sister. My older sister either is pretty boring or pretty cool. The smaller one is the same thing, but she is also very cute.
I love my family. They are the perfect family!

Inês Sousa 701

"Mi Soledad"

Mi Soledad (My Solitude) is a unique 90-minute fusion of flamenco dance, music and song, in which Cortés takes audiences on an intimate and provocative journey through one man’s private emotions. Through the music and his unmistakable trademark zapateado, Cortés goes straight to the soul of his art, using a rich palette full of the colours of flamenco to express solitude, intimacy and the manifestation of man as an individual.
Combining the musical rhythms of jazz, classical and flamenco genres with a live ten-piece orchestra and a seven-member vocal ensemble, Mi Soledad features music and lyrics by José Carbonell, Antonio Carbonell and Cortés. Mi Soledad features costume design by Jean Paul Gaultier, lighting design by Francois de la Ossa and Ricardo Requejo. Antonio Carbonell also serves as musical director.
You can see Mi Soledad on December 15 at 10.00 pm in Guimarães.

Wish Tour 2007

Reamonn is a German rock band that is well known all over Europe. Its members are Rea Garvey (voice/acoustic guitar), Uwe (lead guitar), Sebi (saxophone/Hammond organkeyboards), Mike Gommeringer (Gomezz) (drums), and Phil (bass guitar).
In 1997 Rea Garvey left his former band The Reckless Pedestrians and home town Tralee, Ireland to go to Germany with only 50 DM and a demo record in his pocket. He put an ad into the local paper Stockacher Anzeiger which stated, "Singer needs band for a record and shows." Mike Gommeringer (Gomezz) saw it. They met up and recruited Uwe, Sebi and Phil. In 1998 the band was set up. Their first gig was on New Year's Eve 1998/1999 in Stockach.
In order to get a recording contract, they played at Logo, a pub in Hamburg, in front of 16 representatives of various record labels in 1999. The band was quickly given several contract offers, from which they settled on Virgin Records.
Their first album Tuesday (produced by Steve Lyon) and the first single "Supergirl" were major successes. Both went gold and became the most-played song on German radio in 2000. Reamonn became stars and played at many festivals and concerts. In autumn 2000 they went on their own tour to promote their first album with support from Heyday. Future songs "Josephine" and "Waiting There For You" achieved similar success.
The second album Dream No. 7 was released in 2001. The name comes from the number of their former home and rehearsal room in Munzingen, a suburb of Freiburg. With the single "Weep", they had a guest appearance in the German movie Mondscheintarif.
Their third album Beautiful Sky was recorded in Spain and released in 2003. It reached No. 3 in the German album charts and went double platinum. The band toured with Robbie Williams. Their 2005 album Wish was produced in Los Angeles.
On July 7, 2007 they performed at the German leg of Live Earth in Hamburg.

They are on tour in Portugal at the moment.

Glu, glu, glu... said the turkey

Thanksgiving - 22nd November

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is an annual one-day holiday to give thanks, traditionally to God, for the things one has at the end of the harvest season. In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

On Thanksgiving, families and friends gather for a reunion, a day of thanks, and a festive meal. Some people attend a religious service on the eve before or day of Thanksgiving.
In giving thanks, people are grateful for a wide variety of blessings in their lives and for events in which they felt God played a role in helping them. They appreciate the bountiful food of the harvest season, share food with guests, and donate food through charities.
The Thanksgiving dinner is usually served during the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day. Often guests bring food items or help with cooking in the kitchen as part of a happy, communal meal. When the family and guests come to the table to eat, a grace to thank God is said before partaking of the meal. In keeping with the holiday theme of giving thanks, during the socializing or the meal, people talk about what they are thankful for or tell about experiences during the past year which have caused them to feel grateful.
In the United States, certain kinds of food are traditionally served at Thanksgiving meals. First and foremost, turkey is usually the featured item on any Thanksgiving feast table (so much so that Thanksgiving is sometimes referred to as "Turkey Day"). Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn (maize), other fall vegetables, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner. All of these primary dishes are actually native to the Americas or were introduced as a new food source to the Europeans when they arrived.
In the United States, Thanksgiving is a four-day weekend vacation in school and college calendars. Most businesses close only for the Thursday of Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Eve, on the Wednesday night before, is traditionally one of the busiest nights of the year for bars and clubs, both in terms of sales and volume of patrons, as many students have returned to their hometowns from college.
On Thanksgiving Day, families and friends usually gather for a large meal or dinner, the result being that the Thanksgiving holiday weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year.

That was Halloween II!

That was Halloween!

Pumpkin Muffins

2 1/4 cups plain flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

3/4 cup solid-pack pumpkin

1/2 cup packet brown sugar

4 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Grease twelve muffin-pan cups.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk, milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, melted margarine or butter, vanilla, and eggs until blended
4. Pour into flour mixture and stir until just moistened.
5. Spoon into muffin-pan cups. Sprinkle tops with chopped pecans.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, check with a toothpick to see if center of muffin comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm or cool completely on wire rack may be reheated.

Jack O'Lantern Cookies

9 ounces chocolate wafer cookies

1/2 cup peanut butter,smooth

24 ounces vanilla flavoured almond bark

Orange paste food colouring

Black licorice candy

1. Spread a small amount of peanut butter on the flat side of the cookies; top with remaining cookies.
2. Cut licorice into triangles and squares to make faces.
3. Melt almond bark following package directions.
4. Remove from heat and tint with food colouring.
5. Using tongs, dip each sandwich cookie in meted candy, coating completely.
6. Gently shake each cookie to remove excess coating.
7. Place on wire rack with waxed paper underneath.
8. Place licorice pieces on the cookies for faces.
9. Cool completely before removing from rack.

Knock, knock

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Manuel.
Manuel who?
Manuel be sorry if you don't give me a treat!

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Annie.
Annie who?
Annie body home?

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Fred.
Fred who?
I'm Fred of witches!

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Emma.
Emma who?
Emma 'fraid of ghosts, too!

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Howl.
Howl who?
Howl I know you're not a ghost!

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Wayne.
Wayne who?
Wayne can I eat my Halloween candy?

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Philip.
Philip who?
Philip my bag with candy!

Halloween Riddles

What is a witch's favorite subject in school?

What do birds give out on Halloween?

What do little trees say on Halloween?

Why do witches wear name tags?

Why didn't the skeleton dance at the Halloween party?

What is a ghost's favorite ride?

Where do ghosts go shopping?

What turns off the lights on Halloween?

Why did the boy carry a clock and a bird on Halloween?

Ckeck out the answers with your English teacher!

Jack Who?!?

Jack O'Lantern

The Irish brought the tradition of the Jack O'Lantern to America. But, the original Jack O'Lantern was not a pumpkin.

The Jack O'Lantern legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History. As the story goes, Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil himself.

One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree. Once the Devil climbed up the apple tree, Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. The Devil was then unable to get down the tree. Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the Devil down.

Many years later, when Jack finally died, he went to the pearly gates of Heaven and was told by Saint Peter that he was too mean and too cruel and had led a miserable and worthless life on earth. He was not allowed to enter heaven.

He then went down to Hell and the Devil. The Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter Hell.

Now Jack was scared and had nowhere to go but to wander about forever in the darkness between heaven and hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave as there was no light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell to help him light his way. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed out Turnip, one of his favorite foods which he always carried around with him whenever he could steal one. For that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went with his "Jack O'Lantern".

On all Hallow's eve, the Irish hollowed out Turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. They placed a light in them to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away. These were the original Jack O'Lanterns.

In the 1800's a couple of waves of Irish immigrants came to America. The Irish immigrants quickly discovered that Pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out. So they used pumpkins for Jack O'Lanterns.

History of the Jack O' Lantern

Have fun!

Breathe!

With every waking breath I breathe

I see what life has dealt to me

With every sadness I deny

I feel a chance inside me die

Give me a taste of something new

To touch to hold to pull me through

Send me a guiding light that shines

Across this darkened life of mine

Breathe some soul in me

Breathe your gift of love to me

Breathe life to lay 'fore me

Breathe to make me breathe

For every man who built a home

A paper promise for his own

He fights against an open flow

Of lies and failures, we all know

To those who have and who have not

How can you live with what you've got?

Give me a touch of something sure

I could be happy evermore

Breathe some soul in me

Breathe your gift of love to me

Breathe life to lay 'fore me

To see to make me breathe

Breathe your honesty

Breathe your innocence to me

Breathe your word and set me free

Breathe to make me breathe

This life prepares the strangest things

The dreams we dream of what life brings

The highest highs can turn around

To sow love's seeds on stony ground

Breathe

Breathe

Breathe some soul in me

Breathe your gift of love to me

Breathe life to lay 'fore me

To see to make me breathe

Breathe your honesty

Breathe your innocence to me

Breathe your word and set me free

Breathe to make me breathe

Midge Ure, Breathe

The importance of a healthy life... :)

Do you know...

Cool!

See U Later Alligator...

Book Cover...only for cat lovers

On Cats

Doris Lessing's love affair with cats began at a young age, when she became intrigued with the semi-feral creatures on the African farm where she grew up.

Her fascination remained undiminished by the handsome domesticated creatureswho shared her flats and her life in London, and grew into real love with the awkwardly lovable El Magnifico, the last cat to share her home.
Consisting of the celebrated collection of stories, Particularly Cats and Rufus the Survivor, and the memoir,

The Old Age of El Magnifico, this book brilliantly evokes the subtleties of feline existence.

No other writer conveys so truthfully the real interdependence of humans and cats or convinces us with such stunning recognition of the reasons why cats really matter.

Nobel Prize for Literature

Doris Lessing was born Doris May Tayler in Persia (now Iran) on October 22, 1919. Both of her parents were British: her father was a clerk in the Imperial Bank of Persia; her mother had been a nurse. In 1925, the family moved to the British colony in Southern Rhodesia - now Zimbabwe.

Lessing has described her childhood as an uneven mix of some pleasure and much pain. The natural world, which she explored with her brother, Harry, was one retreat from an otherwise miserable existence. Her mother, obsessed with raising a proper daughter, enforced a rigid system of rules and hygiene at home, then installed Doris in a convent school, where nuns terrified their charges with stories of hell and damnation. Lessing was later sent to an all-girls high school in the capital of Salisbury, from which she soon dropped out. She was thirteen; and it was the end of her formal education.

But like other women writers from southern African who did not graduate from high school, Lessing made herself into a self-educated intellectual.

The parcels of books ordered from London fed her imagination, laying out other worlds to escape into. Lessing's early reading included Dickens, Scott, Stevenson, Kipling; later she discovered D.H. Lawrence, Stendhal, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky.

Bedtime stories also nurtured her youth: her mother told them to the children and Doris herself kept her younger brother awake, spinning out tales. Doris's early years were also spent absorbing her fathers bitter memories of World War I, taking them in as a kind of "poison."

In flight from her mother, Lessing left home when she was fifteen and took a job as a nursemaid.

In 1937 she moved to Salisbury, where she worked as a telephone operator for a year. At nineteen, she married Frank Wisdom, and had two children. A few years later, feeling trapped in a persona that she feared would destroy her, she left her family, remaining in Salisbury. Soon she was drawn to the like-minded members of the Left Book Club, a group of Communists "who read everything, and who did not think it remarkable to read." Gottfried Lessing was a central member of the group; shortly after she joined, they married and had a son.
During the postwar years, Lessing became increasingly disillusioned with the Communist movement, which she left altogether in 1954.

By 1949, Lessing had moved to London with her young son. That year, she also published her first novel, The Grass Is Singing, and began her career as a professional writer.

Lessing's fiction is deeply autobiographical, much of it emerging out of her experiences in Africa. Drawing upon her childhood memories and her serious engagement with politics and social concerns, Lessing has written about the clash of cultures, the gross injustices of racial inequality, the struggle among opposing elements within an individuals own personality, and the conflict between the individual conscience and the collective good. Her stories and novellas set in Africa, published during the fifties and early sixties, decry the dispossession of black Africans by white colonials, and expose the sterility of the white culture in southern Africa. In 1956, in response to Lessing's courageous outspokenness, she was declared a prohibited alien in both Southern Rhodesia and South Africa.

Over the years, Lessing has attempted to accommodate what she admires in the novels of the nineteenth century - their "climate of ethical judgement" - to the demands of twentieth-century ideas about consciousness and time.

Live Aid

Live Aid was a multi-venue rock music concert held on July 13, 1985 The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in order to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia.

Twelve years later, they still don't know it's Xmas time.

It's Christmas time

There's no need to be afraid

At Christmas time, we let in light and we banish shade

And in our world of plenty we can spread a smile of joy

Throw your arms around the world at Christmas time

But say a prayer

Pray for the other ones

At Christmas time it's hard, but when you're having fun

There's a world outside your window

And it's a world of dread and fear

Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears

And the Christmas bells that ring there

Are the clanging chimes of doom

Well tonight thank God it's them instead of you

And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time

The greatest gift they'll get this year is life

(Oooh)

Where nothing ever grows

No rain nor rivers flow

Do they know it's Christmas time at all

(Here's to you)

raise a glass for everyone

(Here's to them)

underneath that burning sun

Do they know it's Christmas time at all

Feed the world, feed the world, feed the world

Let them know it's Christmas time again

Feed the world

Let them know it's Christmas time again

Feed the world

Let them know it's Christmas time again

Feed the world

Let them know it's Christmas time again

Feed the world

Let them know it's Christmas time again