La Paz participates in Earth Hour 2010

El 27 de marzo de 2010 a las 8:30 pm, WWF invita a individuos, empresas, gobiernos y organizaciones alrededor del mundo a que apaguen sus luces no esenciales durante una hora -La Hora del Planeta-, para enviar un poderoso mensaje acerca de que es posible tomar acción frente al cambio climático y sus consecuencias a nivel global.

La Paz, Baja California, ha sido confirmada como otro importante participante de La Hora del Planeta. Te esperamos en el kiosko del malecón, desde las 4:00 pm se estarán realizando diversas actividades.

La Paz es sede de la oficina de WWF México encargada de llevar el Programa Golfo de California, que lleva a cabo importantes acciones de conservación y educación ambiental, apoyado de otras organizaciones y empresas.

http://www.wwf.org.mx/compartir/LHP/lapaz/programa-de-actividades-la-paz.pdf

EARTH HOUR 2010

ABOUT EARTH HOUR

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Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million homes and businesses turned their lights off for one hour to make their stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the, Sydney Harbour Bridge, The CN Tower in Toronto, The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.
Earth Hour 2010 takes place on Saturday 27 March at 8.30pm (local time) and is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness. People across the world from all walks of life will turn off their lights and join together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet. So sign up now and let’s make 2010 the biggest Earth Hour yet!.
It’s Showtime! Show the world what can be done.

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Earth Hour by WWF

Earth Hour is organized by WWF. With almost 5 million supporters and a global network in over 100 countries, it’s one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.

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Earth Hour timeline

Turn back the clock on Earth Hour and discover why, how, where and when it all started.

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Why get involved?

Put simply, because our future depends on it!

Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of climate change issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice on the future of our planet and working together to create a sustainable low carbon future for our planet.

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The future can be bright

New economic modelling indicates the world has just five years to initiate a low carbon industrial revolution before runaway climate change becomes almost inevitable. But it can be done, and the long term benefits will be enormous.
So now's the time to take a stand and give world leaders the mandate they need to make the right climate deal.

80-Year-Old Harry Lee McGinnis Walks Around the World

80-Year-Old Harry Lee McGinnis Walks Around the World

For the last 18 years, Harry Lee McGinnis has been walking his way around the entire globe, carrying nothing but a backpack and a walking stick.

By Kathryn Hawkins.

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Harry Lee McGinnis, better known as “The Hawk,” has seen his fair share of the world. He’s trekked through all 50 states, criss-crossed the Continent, and explored the depths of Asia, Africa, and South America, carrying only a 100-pound backpack and a large steel-tipped walking staff, walking everywhere he goes. You might imagine this intrepid adventurer as a young Indiana Jones type, but picture Indy’s dad instead: McGinnis is 80 years old.


His age hasn’t slowed him down for a second, though. For the last 18 years, this World War II veteran and former Methodist minister has committed his life to exploring the world by foot, taking other means of transportation only under extremely rare circumstances.


To date, he’s made his way through 66 different countries, dining on roasted termites and other exotic dishes, encountering elephants and apes, and making new friends in every country he passes through. His feet have logged about 80,000 miles so far, and he plans to explore Central America and Mexico before finally concluding his round-the-world journey in Texas. Until then, he’s writing updates about his international adventures on his website, Walk of the Hawk.


He doesn’t expect to be finished with his journey until 2010 or 2012, but he’s still got plenty of plans for the rest of his days: When he finally heads home, he’ll write a book about his decades of wandering the planet.


And after that? “I want to play tennis at 100,” he told Reuters, though he’ll concede “it might have to be doubles.”





Filed under: General Interest, Health and Wellbeing, Heroes, Weird,

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The Magic Kings Night - The Kings Cake

Spanish Recipes: The Magic Kings Night - The Kings Cake

Tonight the 3 Magic Kings from the far East will arrive to Mexico and Spain and when all kids are fast sleep they will get down from their carriages or their camels and enter each house in silence and leave some presents to the kids that have been good. Nobody can be awake or they will just pass that house!

There's different ways for the kids to ask to the Magic Kings for what they want: they can either write a Kings letter and send it over to them 15 days in advance or so, or give it to their Majesties in person during the 5th of January (you can find them in their thrones in some special streets), which is very impressive for the girls and boys, or go to the Cavalcade and throw the letter to their favorite's King's Carriage.
I just love this tradition, the small kids have this special light in their eyes... so precious!!!

La Vanguardia, my favorite online newspaper, will give this Sunday, as a present to the readers, a beautiful book with all these wonderful pictures of Cavalcades in Barcelona city throughout the years, please take a look to the link and you will have a view of what it is this Magic Night!
The Flash document only shows some years, not all of them, but it's worth to see, enjoy!

The BIG DAY is the 6th when kids wake up (most of the times around 6:00 AM!!!!!) and find all the presents hidden in the dinning room. What a beautiful moment...
When everything is calm again and after lunch, we usually buy (again, we don't bake it at home, we just buy it) this Roscón - Tortell - Cake, which has a small figure hidden inside (of a popular character) and also a bean. The one who gets the bean is the one that has to pay the cake! And the one getting the figure will be lucky!

I didn't bake the cake either but I looked for the recipe so that you can bake it if you wish.

Ingredients for 4 servings: 500grs of flour, 75 grs of butter, 15 grs of baking powder, 100 grs. of sugar, 250 ml. of milk and sweetened fruits.

* Mix the baking powder with half a glass of warm water and when it has dissolved add 125 grs. of sift flour. Once we have an homogeneous dough, make a ball and let it rest for 1/2 an hour covered with a wet kitchen cloth.
* Meanwhile, in another recipient mix the rest of the flour with the butter, the suggar and the warm milk. If you boil the milk with a stick of cinnamon, orange peels or lemon, you will get a more aromatic milk. We will also achieve an homogeneous dough that we'll leave aside and wait until the first one has fermented. When so, take both doughs and mix and work them together for 10 or 15 minutes.
* Let it rest again for 2 hours. Once the time is over, get an oven tray greased with butter, put the dough on it and give it the shape, add the sweetened fruits on top. Wait until its volume increases during 20 minutes and, after, bake it in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes at 180ºC. Take it out of the oven and sprinkle sugar on top. Eat it when it's completely cold.

Hope you enjoy it!


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THANKS GIVING CELEBRATION

The History of Thanksgiving and its Celebrations

Throughout history mankind has celebrated the bountiful harvest with thanksgiving ceremonies.

Before the establishment of formal religions many ancient farmers believed that their crops contained spirits which caused the crops to grow and die. Many believed that these spirits would be released when the crops were harvested and they had to be destroyed or they would take revenge on the farmers who harvested them. Some of the harvest festivals celebrated the defeat of these spirits.

Harvest festivals and thanksgiving celebrations were held by the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Egyptians.

The Greeks
The ancient Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. Their goddess of corn (actually all grains) was Demeter who was honored at the festival of Thesmosphoria held each autumn.
On the first day of the festival married women (possibility connecting childbearing and the raising of crops) would build leafy shelters and furnish them with couches made with plants. On the second day they fasted. On the third day a feast was held and offerings to the goddess Demeter were made - gifts of seed corn, cakes, fruit, and pigs. It was hoped that Demeter's gratitude would grant them a good harvest.

The Romans
The Romans also celebrated a harvest festival called Cerelia, which honored Ceres their goddess of corn (from which the word cereal comes). The festival was held each year on October 4th and offerings of the first fruits of the harvest and pigs were offered to Ceres. Their celebration included music, parades, games and sports and a thanksgiving feast.

The Chinese
The ancient Chinese celebrated their harvest festival, Chung Ch'ui, with the full moon that fell on the 15th day of the 8th month. This day was considered the birthday of the moon and special "moon cakes", round and yellow like the moon, would be baked. Each cake was stamped with the picture of a rabbit - as it was a rabbit, not a man, which the Chinese saw on the face of the moon.

The families ate a thanksgiving meal and feasted on roasted pig, harvested fruits and the "moon cakes". It was believed that during the 3 day festival flowers would fall from the moon and those who saw them would be rewarded with good fortune.

According to legend Chung Ch'ui also gave thanks for another special occasion. China had been conquered by enemy armies who took control of the Chinese homes and food. The Chinese found themselves homeless and with no food. Many staved. In order to free themselves they decided to attack the invaders.

The women baked special moon cakes which were distributed to every family. In each cake was a secret message which contained the time for the attack. When the time came the invaders were surprised and easily defeated. Every year moon cakes are eaten in memory of this victory.

The Hebrews
Jewish families also celebrate a harvest festival called Sukkoth. Taking place each autumn, Sukkoth has been celebrated for over 3000 years.

Sukkoth is know by 2 names - Hag ha Succot - the Feast of the Tabernacles and Hag ha Asif - the Feast of Ingathering. Sukkoth begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, 5 days after Yom Kippur the most solemn day of the Jewish year.



Sukkoth is named for the huts (succots) that Moses and the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years before they reached the Promised Land. These huts were made of branches and were easy to assemble, take apart, and carry as the Israelites wandered through the desert.



When celebrating Sukkoth, which lasts for 8 days, the Jewish people build small huts of branches which recall the tabernacles of their ancestors. These huts are constructed as temporary shelters, as the branches are not driven into the ground and the roof is covered with foliage which is spaced to let the light in. Inside the huts are hung fruits and vegetables, including apples, grapes, corn, and pomegranates. On the first 2 nights of Sukkoth the families eat their meals in the huts under the evening sky.

The Egyptians
The ancient Egyptians celebrated their harvest festival in honor of Min, their god of vegetation and fertility. The festival was held in the springtime, the Egyptian's harvest season.
The festival of Min featured a parade in which the Pharaoh took part. After the parade a great feast was held. Music, dancing, and sports were also part of the celebration.
When the Egyptian farmers harvested their corn, they wept and pretended to be grief-stricken. This was to deceive the spirit which they believed lived in the corn. They feared the spirit would become angry when the farmers cut down the corn where it lived.

The United States
In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn, fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat that was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter.

The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.
The custom of an annually celebrated thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (late 1770's) a day of national thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress.




In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each November as the holiday.




Canada
Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated on the second Monday in October. Observance of the day began in 1879.

The Thanksgiving Turkey

Of all the Thanksgiving symbols the Turkey has become the most well known. The wild turkey is native to northern Mexico and the eastern United States

The turkey has brown features with buff-colored feathers on the tips of the wing and on the tail. The male turkey is called a Tom and, as with most birds, is bigger and has brighter and more colorful plumage. The female is called a Hen and is generally smaller and drab in color. The Tom turkey has a long wattle (a fleshy, wrinkled, brightly colored fold of skin hanging from the neck or throat)at the base of its bill and additional wattles on the neck, as well as a prominent tuft of bristles resembling a beard projecting downward from its chest.

The turkey was originally domesticated in Mexico, and was brought into Europe early in the 16th century. Since that time, turkeys have been extensively raised because of the excellent quality of their meat and eggs. Some of the common breeds of turkey in the United States are the Bronze, Narragansett, White Holland, and Bourbon Red.

Though there is no real evidence that turkey was served at the Pilgrim's first thanksgiving, in a book written by the Pilgrim's Governor Bradford he does make mention of wild turkeys. In a letter sent to England, another Pilgrim describes how the governor sent "four men out fowling" returning with turkeys, ducks and geese.


Benjamin Franklin
"I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country: he is a Bird of bad moral character: like those among Men who live by Sharping and Robbing, he is generally poor and very often lousy.
The Turkey is a much more respectable Bird and withal a true original Native of North America"

THE STORY

DISCONTENT WITH THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND:

In the early 1600's the government of England would only allow its citizens to belong to one church known as The Church of England. Because the government in England had little tolerance for religious freedom, some people who wanted to make religion "pure" again left for Holland in 1609. The "Puritans" lived and prospered in Holland, however, they became concerned when their children began speaking Dutch and became attached to the Dutch way of life.

THE VOYAGE:

So, on September 6, 1620 the Pilgrims, and an unknown number of crew members, boarded the Mayflower to travel to the New World. The passenger list included Pilgrims, also know as the "saints" and others, whom the Pilgrims called the "strangers". The trip to the new world took several weeks. Because the ship was made of wood, the passengers could not build a fire, so the food had to be eaten cold. Many of the passengers became sick and some even died. This long trip led to many disagreements between the Saints and the Strangers.

THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT:

After land was sighted a meeting was held and an agreement, called the Mayflower Compact, was written. The Mayflower Compact guaranteed each group equality and joined the two groups together, all to be known as the Pilgrims.

THE FIRST WINTER:

Due to the long voyage, the Mayflower landed at Plymouth, north of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in November. This was very bad timing as the Pilgrims did not have time to plant food for the winter. The first winter was very harsh for the new settlers. The cold temperatures and snow interfered as the Pilgrims tried to construct their settlement. Out of the original group of Pilgrims, only about half survived the first winter.

THE INDIANS:

On March 16, 1621 an Indian named Samoset arrived at the settlement and frightened the Pilgrims until he called out "Welcome" in English. Although the Pilgrims and Samoset had a difficult time communicating, he did stay for awhile and even spent the night. Samoset left the next day and returned a few days later with an English speaking Indian named Squanto. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to hunt, fish and grow corn.

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING:

Because of Squanto's help, the Pilgrims had a very successful harvest in October and had plenty of food for the upcoming winter. The Pilgrim's Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of celebration and thanksgiving sometime in the middle of October. The Pilgrims invited Squanto and many other Indains to join in the celebration. The Thanksgiving feast lasted for three days.

CONTINUATION OF THE CELEBRATION OF THANKSGIVING:

The custom of celebrating after harvest time became an annual event. However, it was not until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln officially proclaimed the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving. On November 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday in November as a national Thanksgiving holiday.