Happy Days

Happy Days is an American television sitcom that aired first-run from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in the mid-1950s to mid-1960s United States.

The series was produced by Miller-Milkis Productions and Henderson Productions in association with Paramount Television. Happy Days is one of the highest-rated shows of the 1970s.

It is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1950s and 1960s. The series revolves around teenager Richie Cunningham and his family: his father, Howard; traditional homemaker and mother, Marion; younger sister Joanie; and high school dropout, biker and suave ladies' man Arthur "Fonzie"/"The Fonz" Fonzarelli, who would eventually become the Cunninghams' upstairs tenant. The earlier episodes revolve around Richie and his friends, Potsie Weber and Ralph Malph, with Fonzie as a secondary character. However, as the series progressed, Fonzie proved to be a favorite with viewers and soon more story lines were written to reflect his growing popularity, and Winkler was eventually credited with top billing in the opening credits alongside Howard as a result. Fonzie befriended Richie and the Cunningham family, and when Richie left the series for military service, Fonzie became the central figure of the show, with Winkler receiving sole top billing in the opening credits.

World Stories: Pandora's Box

Long ago and far away, high up amongst the clouds of Mount Olympus, the Gods enjoyed a life of pleasure and quarrelling. Whenever they tired of quarrelling amongst themselves, they turned their attention to playing with people, as you might play with your toys.
One day, the Gods created a beautiful woman called Pandora and took her to Prometheus. He knew the Gods were angry with him and had stolen fire from them and given it to humans. Prometheus was frightened that the Gods were trying to trick him to get their own back and he decided to ignore her.
However his brother, Epimetheus, fell in love with the beautiful Pandora and decided to marry her. The couple lived happily together until…one day Mercury the messenger of the Gods arrived with a mysterious box. He asked Pandora and her husband to take care of it while he was away. Before he left he made them promise never to look inside it.
For days Pandora could not take her eyes off the box. All the time she wondered what was inside; could it be full of glittering jewels, glamorous dresses and golden coins? Whenever Epimetheus was away and no one was around, Pandora would creep up to the box and run her fingers over the polished wood and the golden clasp. However one day, when Epimetheus was out hunting, she could bear it no longer, her curiosity overcame her. Making sure she was not being watched, she crept up to the box and gingerly opened the clasp. Slowly lifting the lid – she looked inside.
But to her surprise there were no glittering jewels, glamorous dresses, golden coins – instead the Gods had filled the box with all evils now known to mankind. Disease, misery and death swooped and buzzed around stinging her. Pandora screamed and screamed with pain and fear. Epimetheus heard her cries as he rode into the courtyard. Flinging himself from his horse, he ran to her aid, taking her into his arms, he comforted her as the evils flew out of the castle and spread across the land.
Between her sobs Pandora and Epimetheus heard a tiny little voice calling from the box. ‘Let me out!’, ‘let me out!’. Believing that nothing inside the box could be worse than the horrors released, they opened the lid once more.
All that remained was a tiny crumpled butterfly, shivering in the corner – slowly it unfolded its sparkling wings and brushed them against Pandora, healing her wounds. The beautiful butterfly was – hope, which Mercury had hidden amongst the evils, taking pity on mankind when he realised what the Gods were plotting.

Guy Fawkes Night

Guy Fawkes was born in April 1570 in York. Although his immediate family were all Protestants, in keeping with the accepted religious practice in England at the time, his maternal grandparents were 'recusant' Catholics, who refused to attend Protestant services. When Guy was eight, his father died and his widowed mother married a Catholic, Dionis Baynbrigge. It was these early influences that were to forge Fawkes' convictions as an adult.

By the time he was 21 his father had left him and gone to Europe to fight for Catholic Spain against the Protestant Dutch republic in the Eighty Years War. His military career went well and by 1603 he had been recommended for a captaincy. He had also adopted the Italian variant of his name, becoming known as 'Guido'.

In the same year, he travelled to Spain to petition the king, Philip III, for support in fomenting a rebellion in England against the "heretic" James I. Despite the fact that Spain and Britain were still, technically, at war, Philip refused.

It was while on campaign fighting for Spain in Flanders that Fawkes was approached by Thomas Wintour, one of the plotters, and asked to join what would become known as the Gunpowder Plot, under the leadership of Robert Catesby.

His expertise with gunpowder gave him a key role in the conspiracy, to source and ignite the explosive. But 18 months of careful planning was foiled with just hours to go, when he was arrested at midnight on 4 November 1605 beneath the House of Lords. Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder were found stacked in the cellar directly below where the king would have been sitting for the opening of parliament the next day. Fawkes was subjected to various tortures, including the rack.

Fawkes was sentenced to the traditional traitors' death - to be 'hanged, drawn and quartered'. In the event, he jumped from the gallows, breaking his own neck and thereby avoiding the horror of being cut down while still alive, having his testicles cut off and his stomach opened and his guts spilled before his eyes. His lifeless body was hacked into quarters and his remains sent to "the four corners of the kingdom" as a warning to others.

Through the centuries the Guy Fawkes legend has become ever-more entrenched, and by the 19th Century it was his effigy that was being placed on the bonfires that were lit annually to commemorate the failure of the plot.

Dirty Car Art

Recently new forms of art are born, like body painting, sand animation, art with books or pancake and also the dirty car art.

Scott Wade is known internationally as "The dirty car artist". His works has been seen on television in over 20 countries and in print media throughout the world. 

Dirty Car Art wasn't an "ahah" moment. It evolved from living on a long, dirt road, where the family cars were always covered with a fine layer of dust. In this case, limestone and clay from the road base of Central Texas, where Scott lives. Having such a great canvas, Scott couldn't resist drawing on the windows (particularly the rear window, which gets the most dust), much as you might write "wash me", with a finger drawing a fat line. His early drawings were usually funny faces; his dad was an amateur cartoonist, and Scott developed his own style of cartooning. Eventually though, he became curious: could he expand the visual vocabulary from the fat line? He started experimenting with using a fingernail to get a finer line, the pads of his fingers brushed lightly to create some shading.

One day, having finished a popsicle, he took the chewed end of the stick out of his mouth and tried it as a brush. Soon he was trying all his brushes to see what effects they could achieve. He started photographing and emailing the resulting drawing to his friends. One of those emails was forwarded to a local columnist, which resulted in the media wanting to showcase his work, which turned into opportunities to create his special kind of art all over the world!

My articles 2013-14

My articles 2013-14

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Talent show

A talent show is an event where participants perform talents of singing, dancing, acrobatics, acting, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, or other activities to showcase skills, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize. Many talent shows are performances rather than contests, but some are actual contests, awarding prizes to their participants.

In recent times, talent shows have become a notable genre of reality television, such as Idol, Got Talent and The X Factor, which were critical in catapulting some amateur artists to stardom, and commercially successful careers.

-Britain's Got Talent
Is a British television talent show competition which started in 2007. Anyone of any age with some sort of talent can audition for the show. Acts compete against each other in order to gain the audience support while trying to win the title of "The winner of Britain's Got Talent".
Throughtout the show, contestants must perform in front of the judges and each year initial audition have been held in front of a live audience. Audition precede live shows, where the final 45 contestants perform nightly for a week in order to impress the British and Irish public. The winner of each series is given the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of members of the British Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II. The winner also receives a cash prize of £250,000.

My last weekend

On Saturday morning I didn't go to school because it was raining and at night I came back home at 3:00 a.m. so I was tired and I got up at 11:00 a.m. Then I had a shower, I watched TV and when my parents came back home I ate and after that I washed the dishes.
In the afternoon I slept, again, then I woke up and I got dressed. At 7:00 p.m. my best friend came to my home and we went out with other friends. In the evening I went to St. Justin Irish Pub with Rosalba, my best friend, and Siria.
We ate and danced and at 1:00 a.m. we came back to my home for having a pyjama party. We went to bed at 5:00 a.m.
On Sunday morning we got up at 12:00 p.m. and after an hour and half we started cooking because we were alone, we washed the dishes and we studied.
At 5:00 p.m. we had a shower, we got dressed, we went out and in the evening I went again to the St. Justin with Rosalba because there was the "Serata Salsa".
At 2:00 a.m. we came back home and we went to sleep.

St. George's Day

St George's Day is on April 23rd. It's England's national day.

St. George is the patron saint of England. His emblem, a red cross on a white blackground, is the flag of England and a part of the British flag.
When you think about it, St. George it's a strange choice for an English patron saint. St. Patrick was a missionary in Ireland, but St. George never went to England. He was a Roman soldier who protested against the Romans' torture of Christians and he was tortured and martyred in Palestine. This was because he refused to renounce his Christianity.

One of the best-known stories about St. George is his fight with a dragon. This is hard to believe, but then so is the theory that there aren’t any snakes in Ireland because St. Patrick banished them.

English people tend to spend St. George’s Day at the local pub. "The George and Dragon" is not, however, the most common pub name in England. According to CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, it is "The Crown": according to the BBPA, the British Beer and Pub Association, it is "The Red Lion". By the tradition, 23 April is the day for a red rose in the button hole, the national flower. However, unlike other countries, Englad doesn't celebrate it like Americans celebrate 4 July with fireworks.
In fact, you are more likely to see big St. Patrick's parades in England celebrating Ireland's National Day, more than you would see any sign of St. George's Day being celebrated.

Irish Culture & Customs

In Ireland people are very cultural orientated no matter what their interests might be. Everyone has some form of traditions that are passed through generations of families.

A typical Irish tradition is probably hundreds of years old and some still seen as a common tradition for many families.
Ireland has dramatically changed over the years leaving behind some of the older traditions. One thing that is not as popular as it once was but is seen as a typical Irish traditions is our blessings. Many of the Irish blessings that are a thing of the past in Ireland are still kept alive by people from all over the world.

A typical Irish traditional wedding is a beautiful ceremony to see or take part in. From the stunning attire of both the bride and groom, traditionally the later would be dressed in a kilt made from the tartan of his clan. The bride would as is done to-day be dressed in a white dress to symbolize her purity.

March 17th marks the day of St Patrick, celebrated by millions of people around the world. In Ireland, St Patrick’s Day was always held as an important religious day to celebrate the teachings of Christianity by St Patrick.

Many family house holds would prepare their homes for Easter Sunday by doing what would be better known as “spring cleaning” to prepare the house for blessing by the local priest which is a religious ceremony that dates back hundreds of years.

Today Halloween is celebrated all around the globe but the Halloween Holiday has its history firmly planted in Ireland. Halloween is also known as Samhain, All Hallows Eve, Hallowmas and Hallowtide. It is celebrated on 31st October but the holiday of Halloween is not just celebrated on the one day any more as the Christian holidays of All Saints Day, November 1st and All Souls Day, November 2nd are celebrated as well.

Most, if not all, Irish families decorate their homes with lights, tinsel and baubles. A Christmas tree is usually erected in the family home on the first day of the holy advent calendar. The tree will be beautifully decorated with an angel on top, presents will layunderneath as seen with many family homes around the world.

-Celtic knots

Celtic knots are a variety of knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively in the Celtic style of Insular art. These knots are most known for their adaptation for use in the ornamentation of Christian monuments and manuscripts, such as the 8th-century St. Teilo Gospels, the Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels. Most are endless knots, and many are varieties of basket weaves knots.

-Celtic crosses

Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. It belongs to a kind of crosses with a nimbus. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses. With the Celtic Revival the shape, usually decorated with interlace and other motifs from Insular art, became popular for funerary monuments and other uses, and has remained so, spreading well beyond Ireland.

-Triskele

The triskele is a Celtic and pre-Celtic symbol found on a number of Irish Megalithic and Neolithic sites, most notably inside the Newgrange passage tomb, on the entrance stone, and on some of the curbstones surrounding the mound.

-Leprechaun

A Leprechaun is a smart, devious little thing and who’ll do anything to escape capture even if it means turning you into a frog. They are shoe-makers. As part of Irish mythology the Leprechauns are part of faerie folk, called by some as the “wee folk”. As a cousin of the clurichaun they are known to inhabited Ireland well before the arrivals of Celtics.

Small enough for one to sit comfortable on your shoulder they are very smartly dressed in small suites with waist coats, hats and buckled shoes.

As mischievous and intelligent folk they are general harmless to the general population in Ireland, although they are known to play the odd trick on farmers and local population of villages and towns.

It is said that every Leprechaun has a pot of gold, hidden deep in the Irish countryside. To protect the leprechaun’s pot of gold the Irish fairies gave them magical powers to use if ever captured by a human or an animal. Such magic an Irish leprechaun would perform to escape capture would be to grant three wishes or to vanish into thin air!

Presidents' Day

Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22 (Washington’s actual day of birth) the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

The story of Presidents’ Day date begins in 1800. Following President George Washington’s death in 1799, his February 22 birthday became a perennial day of remembrance. At the time, Washington was venerated as the most important figure in American history, and events like the 1832 centennial of his birth and the start of construction of the Washington Monument in 1848 were cause for national celebration.

Presidents’ Day is traditionally viewed as a time of patriotic celebration and remembrance. In its original incarnation as Washington’s Birthday, the holiday gained special meaning during the difficulties of the Great Depression, when portraits of George Washington often graced the front pages of newspapers and magazines every February 22. In 1932 the date was used to reinstate the Purple Heart, a military decoration originally created by George Washington to honor soldiers killed or wounded while serving in the armed forces.

Black History Month

Black History Month, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February and the United Kingom in October.

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the USA, when historian Carter Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be "Negro History Week". This week was chosen because it coincided with the Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12 and of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which Black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century.

From the event's initial phase, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of American blacks in the nation's public schools. The first Negro History Week was met with a lukewarm response, gaining the cooperation of the Departments of Education of the states of North Carolina, Delaware and West Virginia as well as  the city school administations of Baltimore and Washington DC.

Black History Month sparks an annual debate about the continued usefulness and fairness of a designated month dedicated to the history of one race. Many people hold concerns about black history being delegated to a single moth and the "hero worship" of some of the historical figures often recognized.

Carnival in England!☺

Few realise that England has some of the largest annual carnivals in the world. Notting Hill in London is reputedly Europe and possibly the world’s largest, and the Bridgewater Carnival in Somerset the largest illuminated carnival in Europe.

Although it is fairly certain that carnival celebrations date back to the pre-Christian era, modern carnivals come to us from Roman Catholic traditions. Most of Catholic Europe and South America still has a strong carnival tradition, and the best known of all is held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a holiday during the Christian fast of Lent.

Carnival virtually disappeared in this country with the Reformation, although we still celebrate Shrove Tuesday as Pancake Day and some Shrovetide football matches are still played. As in most Protestant countries, it became a footnote in our history, although a few towns such as Devizes in Wiltshire have parade charters that go back hundreds of years.

Carnival in England has been enlivened over the last forty or so years by the Caribbean influence, and West-Indian style carnivals have received considerable funding and become a popular celebration of our multi-cultural society within the larger metropolitan areas of the country, joined in recent years by Latin American, Asian and Central European communities.

In London, some boroughs still hold summer carnivals, usually involving street parades of floats and individuals in fancy dress costumes, and similar events take place in cities, towns, villages and hamlets throughout England, sometimes at places that barely appear on the map.

♥St. Valentine's Day♥

Claudius II was Emperor of the Roman Empire and he wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just didn't want to fight in wars because they didn't want to leave their wives and families. Claudius was very angry so he had an idea: if men weren't married, they would not mind joining the army, so he abolished marriages.
Valentine was a priest and he liked marry people, so he kept performing marriage ceremonies, secretly. One night, Valentine was caught and he was taken to prison.
People were very sad so they threw flowers and notes up to his window.
The prison guard had a daughter so he allowed her to visit Valentine in the cell. They talked for hours and became very good friends.
On the day that Valentines had to die, he left to his friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. At the end of this little note, he wrote:
"From your Valentine". It was the February 14th.
Now, every year on this day, people exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special "Valentine".

Describing a picture.

                                                HOW TO DECRIBE A PICTURE.

The picture shows a street. It was taken in London and it's a coloured photo.

In the background you can see one of the most famous monument in London, the Big Ben.

In the foreground, intead, there is one of the synonymous of the city, the red phone box.

On the right there is one of the red bus of London and in the middle of the picture there is some people who are walking.

The atmosphere of this photo is paceful and I really like it because it makes me remember when I was in London and I visited this places.

ABC of friendship

-ABC of friendship

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 ffer support.
P icks you up.
Q uites your fear.
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 -plains things you don't understand and
Z aps you back to reality.

-Friendship phrases

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."
"Camminare con un amico nel buio è meglio di camminare da solo nella luce."

"Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."
"Non camminare dietro di me, potrei non guidarti. Non camminare davanti a me, potrei non seguirti. Cammina semplicemente accanto a me e sii mio amico."

"One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be undestood."
"Una delle più belle qualità della vera amicizia è capire ed essere capiti."

"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself."
"Un amico è qualcuno che ti dà la totale libertà di essere te stesso."

"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies."
"L'amicizia è una sola anima divisa in due corpi."

Christmas Holiday

Christmas Holiday in England
-Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve (December 24) is traditionally the day for decorating churches and homes. It marks the beginning of the period known as the Christmas-tide. 
Night time on Christmas Eve is a very exciting time for young children. It is the time when Father Christmas (Santa) comes. The children leave mince pies and brandy for Father Christmas and a carrot for the reindeer.
From 1870, children have hung up Christmas stockings at the ends of their beds or along the mantelpiece above the fireplace.
Children hang Christmas stockings or bags up ready for Father Christmas, who will hopefully fill them up with presents, if the children have been good.

-Christmas
Christmas is the time when Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Every year in December they celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. That is why they call this time of the year 'Christmas' - we celebrate the 'Mass', or church service, for Christ. 
Christmas is a truly magical season, bringing families and friends together to share the much loved customs and traditions which have been around for centuries. Most people are on holiday in the UK and stay at home with their family on Christmas day, the main day for Christmas celebrations in Britain.