THE STATUS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN THE WORLD TODAY

-The situation of women in our world today is very important. There are many differences between richer and poorer countries. In industrialized countries more and more women have jobs and go to work, also they do not want to stay at home any longer. Meanwhile in developing countries the situation of women is different. Many of them stay at home and look after their children. Helping women in the Third World is very important. One of the key factors is education because women who go to school and maybe later on study at a university have higher chances of getting a job. Educated women also know more about health care. More than half of the 40 million people living with AIDS today are women. In Africa, more than 75 % of all AIDS victims are young women.

-The almost daily headlines about cruel acts of violence and discrimination against women provide plenty of reasons to be pessimistic about women’s equality and safety in today’s world. But there are also some reasons to hope. Women and girls have made important gains; gains that point to a much brighter future. Over the past several decades, the World Bank has been an important thought leader on the value of investing in women and girls. In 2001, the Bank released a seminal report which made the incontrovertible case that investing in girls’ education and other aspects of female empowerment is critical for poverty alleviation. More recently, the Bank devoted its annual World Development Report to women and girls. 
 


WOMEN TODAY

HEALTHY FOOD

Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy and improving your health. Eating a healthy diet doesn’t have to be overly complicated. The cornerstone of a healthy diet pattern should be to replace processed food with real food whenever possible and eat food that is as close as possible to the way nature made it. 


Here’s what U.S. News calls the best diet plans for 2018:

-DASH DIET
The DASH diet it’s characterized by a mix of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy. 

 






-Mediterranean Diet
The diet gets its name from the eating habits of people living in Mediterranean countries. The Mediterranean Diet meal plan is high in fruits and vegetables, fish, nuts and olive oil.

 









-Flexitarian Diet
The Flexitarian diet encourages people to eat vegetarian most of the time for better health, but doesn’t call for cutting out meat entirely.











-Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers is an especially popular diet. It works on a points system, where each food is given a number of points, and people are told a total number to aim for each day. 

 


-MIND Diet
The MIND Diet is supposed to help protect the brain and prevent Alzheimer’s disease. People are encouraged to eat vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine. They are also told to avoid foods like red meats, butter, cheese, sweets and fried or fast food.

JUNK FOOD

Junk food is a pejorative term for food containing high levels of calories from sugar or fat with little protein, vitamins or minerals. Food like hamburger, pizza and fried chicken is often considered junk food. Junk food is the cause of various problems: it isn't great for for our health, it can put us on track for cardiovascular problems later in life,consuming 500 calories from junk food each day can lead to 1 pound of weight gain in just a week,a diet rich in sweets increases the chances of developing cavities. Also  eating too much junk food might cause gastrointestinal problems.

HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO PREVENT OR STOP UNHEALTHY FOOD
-Drink water
-Eat more protein
-Plan your meals
-Fight stress
-Get enough Sleep
-Don't go to the supermarket hungry

GLOBALIZATION

Globalization is the process of interaction and integration, grown thanks to transportation and communication technology. While many scholars place the origins of globalization in modern times, others trace its history long before the European Age of discovery and voyages to the New World. In 2000 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) identified 4 aspects of globalization:

MIGRATION

TRANSACTION

CAPITAL MOVEMENTS

DISSAMINATION OF KNOWLEDGE

Globalizing process affects business, work organization, resources and the natural enviroment. Globalization is usually subdivided in: economic globalization, cultural globalization and political globalization. Obviously there are some factors that have driven the process of globalization. Some of these are: the tranports systems that are now less expensive, the internet because distant places and people feel closer, security relationships, management systems and financial system. 


Globalization has some advantages and some disadvantages. Some of these advantages are:

-education

-faster flow of information

-reduction in cultural barriers

-increase in employment opportunities

MY FAVORITE FILM

My favorite film is called ''IRREPLACEABLE YOU ''. It's a dramatic couple film that talks about a couple of two young people: Abbie and Sam. They think that the girl is pregnant but then they discover that it isn't a baby but the girl has cancer. After that, the girl starts living her life everyday as it it's her last. She tries everything, she makes new friends and she does everything to make her boyfriend happy, After some months the finally decided to marry, but sadly the night before the girl dies and she leaves a letter for her friends, her family but especially for  her boyfriend where she thanks him for everything. I really like this movie because it's a very strong topic and makes you understand how life is important.

STORY: I NEED MY MONSTER

This story talks about a child who was searching for a monster. The boy had his own monster who was called Gabe, but that night Gabe didn't come home because he went fishing. So the boy started searching for an other one. At first, a monster came, his name was Herbert but the boy didn't like him, so he went away. A second monster named Ralph, came but the boy didn't like him too. Then a third monster came, the little boy really liked the claws of this one, but then he discovered that the monster was a girl, and since he wanted a boy, the girl went away. The last monster came but like the other monsters, he went away. Now the boy was alone and had no monsters. But suddenly he heard a voice and he recognized that it was Gabe. The boy asked him why he was there, the monster told the boy that the fish were so easy to scare and there was no challenge while the boy was a big challenge for him. The boy was very happy and finally he was ready to sleep with his real and scary monster. 

STORIES

FIRST STORY: I WILL NEVER BE A COOK
-When I opened the gift box I found a book about recipes for some special plates. Since it was my mother's birthday I decided to make a cake for her. So I prepared the mixture, I've turned on the oven and I've put the cake inside. While the cake was inside the oven, I realized that I didn't have the powdered sugar, so I went out and I bought it. After that, I came home and I saw a lot of smoke. I was scared but finally I realized that I left the oven on. Suddenly I went to the kitchen and I've turned off the oven. Sadly the cake was burned, but what a relief! In the end I went out and I bought a cake and a present for my mother. 

SECOND STORY: A SPECIAL MOMENT OF MY CHILDHOOD 
-When I was 10, I was in the 5th grade and my class did a performance for the last day of school and all our families were there for watching us. We practiced hard for 3 months and finally we were ready. The show started at 10.00 A.M. , we played, we sang a lot of songs, we recited and we danced together. The show ended at 12.00 P.M. , we ate some sweets and the teachers gave us some presents for celebrating. I was very happy and finally I hugged all my friends and my family. 

EASTER

Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion. The Council decided Easter should be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is commonly thought that the word Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre. The only problem with this theory is that it has no basis in history. The same is true of the origin of the Easter bunny and Easter eggs—no one knows for sure how these things became a part of Easter observances.The legend of the Easter bunny bringing eggs appears to have been brought to the United States by settlers from Germany. The German tradition of the Easter bunny migrated to America in the 1700s. The Easter bunny has become the most commercially recognized symbol of Easter in the United States.  



TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD

-In Florence, locals celebrate tradition known as ''Scoppio del Carro''. An ornate cart packed with fireworks is led through the streets of the city,  then, outside the Duomo, the Archbishop of Florence lights a fuse during Easter mass that leads outside to the cart and sparks a lively fireworks display. 

-Children in Scandinavian country dress up like witches and go begging for chocolate eggs in the streets while in some parts of Western Finland, people burn bonfires on Easter Sunday. 

-On the morning of Holy Saturday, in Corfu people throw pots, pans and other earthenware out of their windows, smashing them on the street. 

-Easter is such a popular time for Norwegians to read crime novels known as Paaskekrimmen.

-On Good Friday the Pope commemorates the Via Crucis at the Colosseum. Mass is celebrated on the evening of Holy Saturday, and on Easter Sunday, thousands of visitors congregate in St. Peter's Square to await the Pope's blessing from the church's balcony.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Spot the difference is a type of puzzle where players must find a set number of differences between two similar images. Spot the difference games are also  commonly found in activity books for children or in newspapers. The solution to the puzzle is often listed nearby or in an accompanying answer page of a puzzle book.

EASY


1) the hat
2) the plat
3) the bottle of ketchup 

DIFFICULT

MALALA YOUSAFZAI

Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997,  in Mingora. In 2007, when Malala was 10 years old, the Taliban began to control the Swat Valley and girls were banned from attending school and cultural activities. Determined to go to school, Malala started to blog anonymously, she wrote about her life under the Taliban rule. After three years, she and her father became known for their determination to give Pakistan girls access to a free quality education. But on the morning of October 9, 2012, she was shot by the Taliban and she was seriously wounded. After the shooting, her incredible recovery resulted in a global outpouring of support for Malala. Today there is ''Malala Fund'', an organization that through education empowers girls to achieve their potential and become confident and strong leaders. 

MY ROLE MODEL

My biggest inspiration is Michael Jackson. Known as the "King of Pop," Michael Jackson was a best-selling American singer, songwriter and dancer. As a child, Jackson became the lead singer of his family's group, the Jackson 5. He went on to a solo career of astonishing worldwide success, sadly he died just before launching a comeback tour in 2009. Michael Jackson was known for his philanthropic activity. His philanthropy manifested not only in the support of numerous charitable organizations and initiatives, but also in his keen empathy and willingness to help individual people in need. The record of Michael Jackson’s charitable activities is extremely long. In January of 1985  Michael wrote charitable single “We Are The World” aimed to raise funds for the relief of famine and disease in Africa. In 1992, Michael Jackson established his own charitable organization: Heal The World Foundation and besides his own foundation, Michael was known to publicly and privately support the others organizations. 

Kind, gentle, caring, energetic, sociable and funny

When I was very young, my mother was a big fan of Michael Jackson, so I always listened to his song and I grew up with his music. Even now, I keep listening to him, because his songs have a beautiful meaning, my favorite one is ''Human Nature''.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y3dsAY_a_I

VALENTINE'S CARDS

Valentine's card

The first Valentine's cards were sent in the 18th century, initially these were handmade; lovers decorated paper with romantic symbols (flowers, love knots, puzzles and lines of poetry). These cards were slipped secretly under a door. Perhaps the oldest surviving example dates from 1797, it was decorated with flowers and images of Cupid.  With the industrialization in the 19th century, it became easier produce Valentine's cards. But not all Victorian Valentine's cards were romantic. There were some cards designed to insult. One example that survives features a cartoon of a woman with a large nose with the title ''Miss Nosey''.  

Victorian Valentine's card

''Miss Nosey''

THE UNGRATEFUL LION!

In a dense forest, lived a fierce lion. He was very cruel. One day the lion was caught in a hunter's trap. One by one animals passed by. ''Please help me!'' pleaded the lion. But none of the animals listened to his plea. After a while, a man happened to come into the forest. He saw the lion. The lion said, ''I will die of hunger and suffocation. Please help me out, oh kind man!'' The man was thoughtful. ''I assure you I will never harm you. Please help me now. The hunter will be anytime now'' said the lion. The man felt sorry for the lion and set the beast free. As soon as the lion was free, he let out a fierce roar. ''I have been trapped in the cage for a long time. I am hungry. I will have to eat you'' said the lion, looking at the man. ''But you promised me that you would not harm me'', said the man, in a meek tone. “Yes, I said that. But only to convince you to free me. Now, I am terribly hungry," said the lion.  The terrified man thought quickly. He said, ''Alright, you can eat me. But let a judge decide if you are right in eating the person who has rescued you."  The lion agreed. He was sure that no animal would speak against him. Just then a jackal came that way and the lion asked the jackal to be the judge. He addressed the lion, ''Sir, would you please show me how it all happened?" The lion was only too willing. He entered the cage and closed the cage door. The jackal immediately bolted the cage from outside.  ''Now the lion is trapped again. Run away, you foolish man! And never offer help to anyone without thinking" said the jackal. The frightened man ran for his life. And the ungrateful lion was trapped in the cage again. The hunter came and took the lion away to his circus. 

ANGELINA JORDAN

Angelina Jordan is a singer & author based in Norway; born and raised in Oslo. At the age of one and a half, Angelina was introduced to Whitney Houston via YouTube. She then discovered Billie Holiday and Dianah Washington, which are her inspirations to this day, but her ultimate influence was and will always be jazz music. When she was just nine years old, Angelina authored her first book, making her the youngest published author countrywide. Most notably, Angelina was the Winner of Norway’s Got Talent in 2014. Angelina has performed for the Rainforest Alliance , for 13 NASA astronauts in California, for  Ein Herz für Kinder in Berlin and for Rotary in Seoul; she even performed for a Noble Peace Prize Winner. Angelina’s videos have received over 100 million views on YouTube and over 600 million views on Facebook. Her dream is to perform for the entire world and to sing endlessly.

LEGEND OF CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS

A tradition of Christmas is hanging stockings up on the window sill or near the hearth, is readiness to receive gifts from Santa. 17 centuries ago in Turkey, Nicholas was known all over his benevolence because he used to distribute gifts to children on Christmas Eve. While he was passing a house, he heard a father and his daughters lamenting how they were unable to be married because they were poor. So Nicholas placed enough gold pieces in each stockings for the girls. Another variation is putting hay and carrots in their shoes by Dutch children for the horse of Sinterklass, who is their patron saint and brings them presents. Swedish children wait for a kindly gnome instead of Santa. This gnome believed to live under the floorboards. In some part of France, Mexico and Spain, children wait for the Three Kings to fill their shoes with presents. Finally, in Italy there is ''La Befana'', another version of Santa that visits the Italian children and gives them gifts albeit on Epiphany or 6th of January.  

BEFANA.