UK cathedral to play Lennon’s “Imagine”

A British cathedral will soon play John Lennon’s song “Imagine”. This is a very unusual event, considering the song contains anti-religious lyrics. The cathedral in Liverpool, John Lennon’s birthplace and hometown, has agreed to let its bell-ringers play the tune three times on May the 16th. The idea came from British artist Cleo Evans. She teamed up with the cultural festival organizer, FutureSonic, and they developed the concept with Liverpool Cathedral. The song is one of the best-known tunes in the world. It speaks of a world in which everyone is at peace because there is no religion. Lennon’s song starts, “Imagine there’s no heaven,” and continues, “and no religion too”. These words will not be sung on the 16th; just the tune will be heard.
People have mixed feelings about the idea of playing “Imagine” in one of Britain’s biggest cathedrals. A cathedral spokesman said: “Allowing “Imagine” to be [played] on our bells does not mean we agree with the song lyrics.” Lennon’s widow Yoko Ono loved the idea, saying it was "so beautiful, it made me choke up". The artist Cleo Evans agreed. She said: "Imagine is an incredibly gentle, philosophical and moving song which speaks strongly of the need for peace.” The FutureSonic festival director Drew Hemment was enthusiastic about using cathedral bells. He told reporters: “What we’re doing is twisting something that's already there; we're “hacking” the bells.” An online poll of “Church Times” readers found 64% were against the idea.

Easter Island

Easter Island is one of the world's most isolated and enigmatic islands located in the west Pacific Ocean. This island is a special territory of the country of Chile. The most famous features in the island's culture, are the gigantic stone statues called moai, which once stood upon stone platforms called ahu. Most of the moai are carved from the stone of Rano Raraku Volcano. Hanga Roja had the tallest moai of all.
It is a volcanic high island consisting of: Terevaka, Poike and Rano Kau.

ECONOMY
Rapanui farm small plots of land. In addition to farming and fishing, which wasn't the major subsistence activity, Rapanui has created their own chances and creat new opportunities of work.Easter Islanders were really skilled stone-carvers and cutters. They also made utensils from wood. The Rapanui always trade with other groups in Polynesia.

LANGUAGE
The language spoken by the inhabitants, is called Rapa Nui language. It has very few consonants and its phonology is similar with New Zealand Maori.

TAPATI RAPA NUI FESTIVAL
It is a festival celebrated annually during summer. It is a mix of sports, carnival activities and homage to the island. The activities are based on ancient sports, such as sliding down a hill on a banana tree, the person who stays the longest in the log wins.

CUISINE
Besides having a function of nutrition, food also has a ritual significance. For the Rapanui, food has been the most precious gift a person can receive. The appetizing island tributes are prepared with combinations of vegetables. One of the main dishes included is the curanto, which is a combination of fish, shellfish and vegetables. Another traditional dish is the Tunu Ahi, which is also fish. The Tunu Ahi is cooked on red-hot stone. Its cuisine also includes meat dishes. An usual ingredient in their diet is the banana.

San Marino by Gloriana

It is the third smallest state in Europe and also is the worlds oldest republic. It was founded by a Christian Stone mason named Marino in A.B. 301
San marino is situated on the Southern Europe and enclave in Central Italy
It has the smallest population of all the members of the Council of Europe. Other general information is that has a total area of 23 sq mil, and the population is 50000. The capital is called San marino, the largest city is Serravalle 8700, they use the dollar as a monetary unit, their oficial language is Italian. Most of the population are jews. In San marino the most popular sports are football, basketball and volleyball.
In economy we could say that wine and chesses are the most important agricultural products. The Climate is Mediterranean with continental influences with warm summer and cool winters. The Independence day is september 3.
The Italian cuisine is the most popular, dishes like: Cacciatello and Biancale, also Torta the Monti that is a chocolate layer cake.
The Mistar lis the local liquor.
Some of the tourist attraction they have museums and monuments, also mountains dominated by the Apennines . The highest point is Monte Titano with 755 meters.
San Marino has one of the biggest military forces in the world.
In San Marino you colud buy fancy ceramics, wine,cheese,handicrafts, jewelry and cigarettes.
Even San Marino is not very well-Knowm by people, is truly an interesting conutry because of their big mountains and museums.

Japan by Felipe Ibañez

Japan (日本 Nihon or Nippon) is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters which make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes identified as the "Land of the Rising Sun".

Japan is cromprises over 3000 islands making it an archipielago. The 4 largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku

Japan Flag:  

Imperial Seal: 

Goverment seal: 

Tourist attractions:

The Mount Fuji is the most famous Mountain in Japan. The area surrounding the mountain is a most attractive tourist route. You need a very good preparation in order to Climb the Mountain because its a long route walking but if you go only for one day is recomended to go by bus tour. Its one of the most known mountain all over the world and its famouse because of the enviroment. It has a lot of nature wonders. This is a place that is recomended for everyone who goes to Japan in vacations. Its a mountain bigger than the Everest.

Eco Assets in HOKkAIDO:

Hokaido is situated in he far northern part of Japan where there is a great weather. Its a place where there is a lot of wind so thats why there are more THAN 249 wind-generators plants.Wind turbines have their own graceful beauty, so they also perform the role of a sightseeing attraction. A good example is the Cape Erimo Wind Power Station where two wind generators stand 35 m high.

Japanese FOOD:

Well the most known food made in Japan its the sushi. Sushi is made of raw fish or vegetables wrapped in cold sushi rice and seaweed - descends down from the Buddhist days in Japan. Ramin is popular a noodle in stock soup dish. They love raw fish again from the Buddhist times - so Sashimi is great small slivers of raw fish sometimes dipped in soya. They serve rice with most meals - mainly plain. 93% of the families in Japan eat  suhi per Day...Thats a lot of raw fish.Udon noodles are popular, made from wheat flour. 

Sports:

The national sport in Japan is the Baseball. The pro baseball league is one of the sport with more spectators in all Japan. Other sport its the Sumo. The sumo is about 2 big fat fighters that fight around a circle in order  to throw one out of the circle. Its a very ancient sport. 

Music:There are several types of traditional, Japanese music (hogaku). Some of the most important ones are listed below:

• Gagaku:
  Ancient court music from China and Korea. It is the oldest type of Japanese, traditional music.  
• Shamisenongaku:
  Music played with the instrument Shamisen, a kind of guitar with only three strings. Kabuki and Bunraku performances are accompanied by the shamisen. 
• Minyo:
  Japanese folk songs.

Politics: 

Japan is a Constitutional Monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the Constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people".

The president can Have as much wifes as he wants.

Economy: Japan is the second largest economy in the world. Their money is from tecnology. These days everything tecnologic is made in Japan from video games to cars like the hybryd car. Also 

Japan's business culture has many indigenous concepts such as newashami, nenko system, salaryman, and office lady.Also economy is made by exporting sea food and pies.

**Iran** by Laura

Iran is the

eighteenth largest country in the world. It’s in Asia. It's area is 1,648,000 km².
The climate of Iran is continental, with hot summers and cold, rainy winters; the mountain regions of the north and west have a subtropical climate. Temperature and precipitation vary with elevation, as winds bring heavy moisture from the Persian Gulf
Iran's central position has made it a crossroads of migration; the population is not homogeneous, although it has a Persian core that includes over half of the people. Azerbaijanis constitute almost a quarter of the population. The principal language of the country is Persian which is written in Arabic characters. Other languages are Turkic dialects, Turkish, Kurdish, Armenian, Arabic and most important Spanish. Among the educated classes, English and French are spoken.
About 10% of the land in Iran is arable; agriculture contributes just over 20% to the gross national product and employs a third of the labor force. The main food-producing areas are in the Caspian region and in the valleys of the northwest. Of the variety of natural resources found in Iran, petroleum and natural gas are by far the most important. The petroleum industry is Iran's economic mainstay; oil accounts for 80% of export revenues, and Iran is a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Textiles are the second most important industrial product. Finally water industry is in third place.

Iran is a theocratic Islamic republic governed under the constitution of 1979, as revised in 1989, when presidential powers were expanded and the post of prime minister eliminated. The rapid growth of industrialization and modernization programs within Iran, accompanied by ostentatious private wealth, became greatly resented by the bulk of the population, mainly in the overcrowded urban areas and among the rural poor. The shah's autocratic rule and his extensive use of the secret police led to widespread popular unrest throughout 1978. The religious-based protests were conservative in nature, directed against the shah's policies. The new government represented a major shift toward conservatism. It nationalized industries and banks and revived Islamic traditions. Western influence and music were banned, women were forced to return to traditional veiled dress, to eat just rice and onions, and Westernized elites fled the country. A new constitution was written allowing for a presidential system, but Khomeini remained at the executive helm as Supreme Leader. The Revolutionary Guard was established separately from the military as an ideologically based corps charged with defending the revolution. Clashes occurred between rival religious factions throughout 1979, as oil prices fell.
Iraq invaded Iran, this leads to a huge war. With help from many countries Iran is able to fight Iraq and take them out of their country. They are in the Middle East, so this brought a lot of war and terrorism to the region. But fortunately everything changed and now they live in peace and harmony.

India!... by Marco

India is a country located in the South of Asia. Its offcial name is Republic of India. It is the second most populated country in the world with 1150 million people. They speak around 40 languages in India. The most spoken one is the "hindí". Their offcial language was english until 1965. It is the seventh biggest country in the world.

Economy

In India, the agriculture have been and will always be the base of India's economy. The rice has a huge importance in India's lifestyle. Products like "mijo" and "sorgo" are essential too. They also produce other products like corn, tea, coffee, tobacco and some fruits. The cattle breeding is other important activity in India as the mining resources and technological industry.

Religion

The people in India practice a lot of different religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianism, Islamism and Judaism. The differences between religions can cause some problems. Rhin River is the sacred river for the Hinduism.

Costumes

Weddings in India are very glamorous and their ceremonies and parties last for a few days. The weddings are organized by the parents of the couple. After the couple get maried, the husband moves into his wife's house and live with his family.

Art

They feel really attracted to art so they are known because of their sculptures of leaves and animals. They also make some awesome paintings where they try to express the human values.

They have written some great books and build some awesome buildings that demonstrate their spirit. They also love to dance and that is a huge part of their culture.

They have been producing so many films lately and they are becoming better and better at it every second.

Sports

Their favourite and most practiced sports are horse-back riding and ice-hockey.

Places to visit...

One of the best places to visit is of course the Taj Mahal and all the diversity of National Parks where you can see many different animals. There are over 166 National Parks and one of the most recognized ones is the Jim Corbett's national Park where you can find the Bengal Tiger which is the National animal of India.

Courtcase!... by Marco

We had a courtcase on our HS11 class about a car accident between a couple and other man. The couple were accused of murdering the man after the accident. The couple refused it and told the jury and other people that he had died because of the accident.

I was on the jury and what I think is that the accusing part didn't explain well their arguments so they couldn't prove that it was actually a murder. The defensive did a good job so they demonstrated that the couple hadn't killed the man. However, the couple wasn't responsable because they didn't call an ambulance when the man was dying. So they took part in the man's death. That's why the jury punished them.

I agree with the jury's verdict because I was on it. However, I would have suspended Arlene's driver license too.

Malaysia By Alberto Tinoco

Malaysia is at the Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam. And a population over 27 million persons. The country is separated into two regions — Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo.Malaysias capital is Kuala Lumpur.

It main languages is the Malay,spoken by almost the 95% of the population.
Bahasa Malaysia is the national language of Malaysia.Bahasa is basically an Austronesian language. This language usually belongs from Southeast Asia and Pacific Ocean. Malay Language is closely related with Javanese, Hawaiian, Maori, Samoan, Tahitian, Acehnese, Chamorro and Palau (Belau), Gilbertese, Nauruan, Tongan etc. Although, these languages are not completely identical, still there are several similarities.

Local currency of Malaysia is Ringgit Malaysia. Malaysia Currency is currently pegged at the rate of RM3.80 to US$ 1.00.

Itis also known as Malaysian Dollar. Malaysian Ringgit is divided into 100 sen, or cents.

The Malaysian economy is based mainly on the tourisim, but also wood,oil,bronce and Natural Gas(NG) are some important forms of economy for this country...They also have tons of paper and matches.

Musical instruments like rebana ubi,and the electric guitar, or giant drums were used as tools of communication. Music in Malaysia bears the influences of Indonesian, Thai, Portuguese, Filipino and Chinese music. Malaysian traditional music is revolves round the gamelan, which is a stringed instrument from Indonesia with an ethereal, muffled sound. Gamelan is generally accompanied by the lilting, mesmerizing beats of Malaysian drums.


Malaysian Cuisine is eclectic is variegated and eclectic; here you will find everything from spicy Malay food, and Chinese food to Indian, Nyonya and Portuguese food. Traditional Malay food is highly inspired by the cuisine of adjoining countries; it is usually highly spiced and flavored. While touring Malaysia, make it a point to have a taste of the some of the popular Malaysian delicacies like satay, nasi lemak, rendang, roti canai, murtabak, laksa, chicken rice, and fried noodles.Also is dangerous to eat malaysian food.

Some of the major tourist attractions in Malaysia are Petronas Twin Towers,and the Sears tower... Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls and Taman Negara National Park.

Petronas Twin Towers is located in Kuala Lumpur. It is one of the tallest buildings of the world and has become synonymous with the existence of the city. The height of the building is 452 meters and is one of the most spectacular architectural marvels of Asia.
Taman Negara National Park is one of the major wildlife reserves of the country. It is located 175 km northeast of Kuala Lumpur and features a green rain forest and broad variety of wildlife. The park offers you the opportunity to participate in numerous adventure sports and activities like Jungle trekking, riverboat excursions, canopy walk, Orang Asli village trip and freshwater fishing. Some of the wild animals that you can see in the park are gibbon, macaque, peacock-pheasant, wild pigs and elephants. The place boats of a impressive range of flora and fauna. You can see here rare plants like some unique lime plants and Sintuk, a climbing type of foliage. You can also see animals like macaque monkeys, hornbills or a giant squirrel in the area.

Germany says two family names is enough

Germany's highest court has told a married couple they cannot combine their family names. Dentist Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim and her lawyer husband Hans-Peter Kunz-Hallstein wanted to join their surnames together. This would mean Frieda would have the triple-barrelled surname Thalheim-Kunz-Hallstein. The judge pointed to a 1993 law which says it is illegal for anyone to use more than two last names. The reason for this is that if a surname is made up of more than two family names, it becomes difficult to trace back someone’s family history. After the decision, the couple said they were disappointed they could not link their names. Hans-Peter said: "We're married and we want to show it."
Double-barrelled names are very common in Germany. However, the country has very strict rules on family names. According to German law, married couples can choose to use their partner’s surname, keep their own surname, or combine both names. If the couple decides to use both names, they must link them with a hyphen. Parents have a list of approved children’s names to choose from. These names are in a guide book, the “International Handbook of Forenames”. In this case, Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim argued the decision abused her personal rights. The judges said they wanted to stop a growing trend for “name chains”. They said these lessened the impact of a name to do what it was supposed to do, which is to identify people.

Conversation Questions:

a) What did you think when you read the headline?
b) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘surname’?
c) What do you think about double-barrelled and triple-barrelled names?
d) What do you think about your name?
e) Do you agree with the German court’s decision in this case?
f) What do you know about the history of your family name?
g) What happens if two people with double-barrelled names get married?
h) Is it really a government’s decision to decide on family names?
i) Don’t you think it’s easier to stick to the traditional system of the woman taking the man’s surname?
j) How would you feel about giving up your surname after marriage?
k) Are double-barrelled names common in your country?
l) If you had to change your name, what new name would you choose?
m) What names do you like and dislike and why?
n) Are there any names you think should be banned?
o) What do you think of people who choose strange names for their kids?
Is the German court abusing Frieda’s personal rights?
Are you your name?
What is a name supposed to do?
What questions would you ask Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim?

Brazil by Jenny

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area. Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America, the world's tenth largest economy at market exchange rates. Portuguese is the official language and football is the most popular sport in Brazil. The Federal Dsitrict contains the national capital city, Brasilia. The Federal District is a state in its own right. Brazil is recognized as having the greatest biological diversity in the world. Their constitution doesn't provide freedom for religion. The Brazilian musical instruments are the Guiro, Cabsa, Claves, and Maracas. Brazil has 26 states. Their smallest city is Sao Paulo. The weather of the largest part of the country is drought.

Courtcase by Mario

Last saturday we made a court case. At the begining everyone promised that they were going to be honest. Then we continued with the case. It was about a car accident between Paul Santin who died in the place of the accident and a couple. We accused the couple of murdering. But during the trial they denied killing him. We asked what exactly happened there. They told us their story but they never admited doing someting bad. As a prosecutor lawyer I belived that they murdered Paul in order to say that the accident fault was from Paul. We had a seargent as a witness and he insisted them of being guilty. We had to convince the jury so we asked some questions to the couple to know the truth. We wanted to prove what really happened not what they were telling. The seargent told us that they didn´t call the police at time and when I asked if they had called the police, they explained it was closed. We were still concerned because after the accident Paul was really injure and they didn´t call for an ambulance but why?. They said he didn´t want it and refused to gave us the comlete explanation. We reminded them to tell the truth after all we were infront the jury. The discussion continued and we can´t persuaded them to tell what really happend.

At the end the jury´s veredict was US$ 10.000 to cover Paul´s funeral expenses, Vince´s driving license suspended for two years and 300 hours of social work for both Arlene and Vince. I think the veredict was really poor, they killed a poor guy, and they are still free. I dont understand how there are people in this world with such a cold heart, It´s just difficult if I see someone really injured in the street the least thing I can do is help him no let him die. I don´t believe that Paul said he didn´t want an ambulance. And see him there almost dead and not doing anything, is as bad as if they would killed him. A really poor veredict in my opinion.

Funny images

Paraguay by Xime

Paraguay is located in South America, between Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. Paraguay is one of the two landlocked countries, the other one is Bolivia. 5,700,000 of people live in this- not very small- part of the world (406,752 km2). The currency is the Guaraní. The country's name comes from the Paraguay river, which goes trough the territory.
The capital is Asunción, a city with an amazing legacy of colonial architecture. It has very antique houses which are very popular among tourists. However in this part of the country, there are also very modern attractions, for example The Lírico Theater, lots of pubs and some elegant hotels.
Paraguay has 3 official languages: Spanish, Guaraní and English. The second one is the language of the indigenous that lived there. Personally, I think it's great that they have adopted the Guaraní language because it is not usual that this happens. Most of the people who live in American countries have forgotten that they also come from the aborigines.
The Paraguayan music is very unique. It has its origins in the 19^th century. They don’t only have one rhythm. For example they play different variations of the European Polka, called Galopa, Krye’ÿ and the Canción Paraguaya, or Paraguayan Song. Other popular styles include the Purahéi Jahe’o and the Compuesto.

About the food, the Paraguayan gastronomy is mainly based in two ingredients: cassava (In Costa Rica it is called yuca) and corn. Some popular plates are, the chipá (traditional bread made of cassava and milk which is typical on Holy week) or the only known solid soup chipá guasú. Obviously, because of the region where this country is situated, they drink mate. This is an infusion of an herb, mate, and hot water that has to be drank trough a metallic straw. This beverage can only be drink when is hot, almost boiling.

Paraguay is a democratic country. As in Costa Rica, the state is divided in 3 parts: the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial. The most important person in the government is the President of the Republic, who is the chief of the Executive part for a period of 5 years (one more year than in Costa Rica).

Agriculture and stockbreeding are the main economical activities. They seed soybeans, wheat, sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, the mate herb and some more fruits and vegetables. Plus they raised bovine and equine cattle.

The industry stills in development but it is mainly dedicated to producing oil, mate herb, cassava derivates, textiles and lime.

The fact of not having an exit to the sea hasn’t stopped the tourism. The reason is the great geography and the beautiful landscapes that Paraguay offers. So the government has to stimulate the natural and cultural attractions. In recent years, hotel infrastructures, as well as the new options for tourism at ranches have demonstrated a growing improvement on this area.

Sports like soccer, basketball, tennis and chess are very important in Paraguay. Two of the most remarkable achievements made by the basketball team of Paraguay were achieving the second place in the 1955 and 1960 South American Basketball Championship.

If you are interested on looking for more information about this country you can visit http://www.paraguay.com where you can find lots of interesting things about anything you want to know about Paraguay.