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RESPECT FOR EVERYONE. Selected Dates for
Event in Focus FIFA World Cup, Brazil from 12th June
June 2014
4th Hug Your Cat Day In Ancient Egypt, cats were revered and even worshipped as symbols of grace and poise. Even today, the old adage “dogs have owners, cats have staff” still seems to apply, as cats do like to define their relationship with humans on very much their own terms. Today is the day we reward our feline friends with some hugs (assuming they find this acceptable!) for basically being cute and taking up what appears to be almost all of Youtube.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international men’s football tournament that is scheduled to take place in Brazil from 12th June to 13th July 2014. It will be the second time that Brazil has hosted the competition, the previous time being in 1950. Brazil was elected unchallenged as host nation in 2007 after the international football federation, FIFA, decreed that the tournament would be staged in South America for the first time since 1978 in Argentina. The national teams of 31 countries advanced through qualification competitions that began in June 2011 to participate with the host nation Brazil in the final tournament. A total of 64 matches are to be played in twelve cities across Brazil in either new or redeveloped stadiums, with the tournament beginning with a group stage. For the first time at a World Cup tournament, the matches will use goal-line technology. Spain is the defending champion, having defeated the Netherlands 1 - 0 in the 2010 World Cup final to win its first World title. The previous four World Cups staged in South America were all won by South American teams. The official mascot of the tournament is “Fuleco”, a tatubola - an armadillo that defends itself from predators by rolling up into a ball (see what they did there!?) It was chosen as the official mascot in September 2012 from 47 designs created by six Brazilian agencies, after market research showed its appeal to the primary target audience of Brazilian children aged 5 to 12. “Fuleco” is a combination of the words “Futebol” (“Football”) and “Ecologia” (“Ecology”). Because of the timezone difference between Brazil and the UK, some matches will be televised at unusual hours. England are in Group D, along with Uruguay, Costa Rica and Italy. Their first match is against Italy, and takes place on Saturday 14th June 2014, with a kick off of 11pm UK time. The game will be played at the Arena da Amazônia in Manaus. This is followed by Uruguay versus England on Thursday 19th June at 8pm UK time, at the Arena de São Paulo in São Paulo. England then take on Costa Rica on Tuesday 24th June at 5pm UK time, played at Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte.
“I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel.”
Stuart Pearce
As for England’s chances? Well, most other countries are usually dismissive, and no amount of songs that feature “three lions” or “1966” seem to impress anybody. However, on paper England are a pedigree team with the funding and talent to indicate that they should always do better than they seem to. French existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, a leading figure in mid-20th century art and politics, also occasionally turned his formidable thought processes to the sport, and once said something that seems to sum up why England don’t always go as far as they have the potential to - “In football, everything is complicated by the presence of the other team.” However, maybe 2014 is the year when England finally regain the glory of 1966. The College will be celebrating the World Cup with numerous sporting and cultural events, please check our social media for details.
http://tiny.cc/hcferespect facebook.com/ hartlepoolfe @hartlepoolfe Hashtag: #HCFERespect
However, did you know that showing a pet (and this isn’t restricted to cats) some affection is actually healthy for you? Studies have shown that hugs from animals can lower blood pressure and decrease stress. Currently
students at Bath Spa University have been offered a petting zoo to reduce their stress levels during exam time, which they can visit immediately before examinations. Monitoring showed that holding and stroking animals brought anxiety levels down substantially. While most pet owners are clear about the immediate joys that come with sharing their lives with companion animals, many remain unaware of the physical and mental health benefits that can also accompany the pleasure of playing with or snuggling up to a furry friend. It’s only recently that studies have begun to scientifically explore the benefits of the humananimal bond. The American Heart Association
has linked the ownership of pets, especially furry ones, with a reduced risk for heart disease and greater longevity. Studies have also found that pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets. Playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax. Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) and heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without. Pet owners over the age of 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors. A pet doesn’t necessarily even have to be a dog or a cat. Watching fish in an aquarium has been proven to help reduce muscle tension and lower pulse rate.
20th World Refugee Day World Refugee Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.
The CRSR also sets out the rights of individuals who are granted asylum and the responsibilities of nations that grant asylum.
Article 1 of the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (CRSR, also referred to as the Geneva Convention) defines a refugee as “A person who, owing to a wellfounded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country”.
The Convention also defines those people who do not qualify as refugees, such as war criminals fleeing the location of their crimes. The most common reasons for people to become refugees are war, natural disaster and persecution (usually political or religious). Although figures are hard to track accurately, significant sources of recent refugees include Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, South Sudan, and the Palestinian Territories.
One of the most famous refugees was Annelies “Anne” Frank, born on the 12th June 1929, who would become a focal point for Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Born in Frankfurt in Germany, when elections were held for the municipal council in 1933 Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party won. Antisemitic demonstrations began almost immediately, and Anne’s parents decided to move to Amsterdam in Holland. The Franks were among 300,000 Jews who fled Germany between 1933 and 1939. When German forces invaded the Netherlands Anne and her family were famously forced to hide in a small secret attic complex for two years. The family were eventually betrayed, and Anne died of Typhus in Belsen shortly before the end of the war.
21st World Music Day Music is a massive part of our lives, and it’s often one we take for granted. Music entertains, boosts the economy, makes political and social statements, and is a proven weapon in the arsenal of protestors and satirists worldwide. Underscore in films and television heightens the emotion or action of scenes on-screen, while medically music’s therapeutic effects are welldocumented. Varying cultures have developed many different sounds and instruments, and in the digital age our ability to access just about every piece over recorded is greater than ever. Of all human art forms, music is the most universal, and is an achievement well worth celebrating. The Fête de la Musique, also known as The Worldwide Celebration of Music
or simply World Music Day, is an annual music festival held on June 21st in cities around the world. It was created by the French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang. In October 1981 Maurice Fleuret became Director of Music and Dance at Lang’s request, and Fleuret applied his own philosophy to the celebration of music: “There is music everywhere and often a concert nowhere” he mused - or put simply, too often we treat music as background noise instead of giving it the attention it deserves. When he discovered in a 1982 study on the cultural habits of the French that five million people - one child out of two - played a musical instrument, he began to dream of a way to bring people out on the streets. The first took place in 1982 in Paris.
Ever since then the festival has become an international phenomenon, celebrated on the same day in more than 460 cities in 110 countries. Many free concerts are organised, making all genres of music accessible to the public. Two of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organisation in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and likewise all performers donate their time for free. Hartlepool College will be putting together a playlist of selected music from a variety of cultures and genres to celebrate World Music Day, which will also be accessible online. Subject to availability, live performances are also planned.
While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking and engaging in marital relations; in some interpretations they also refrain from cursing. Food and drink is served daily, before sunrise and after sunset. According to Islam, the thawab (rewards) of fasting are many, but in this month they are believed to be multiplied. Fasting for Muslims during Ramadan typically includes the increased offering of salat (prayers) and the recitation of the Quran, which states in Chapter 2, Revelation 185:
criterion (of right and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month, and whosoever of you is sick or on a journey, a number of other days. Allah desires for you ease; He desires not hardship for you; and that you should complete the period, and that you should magnify Allah for having guided you, and that perhaps you may be thankful.”
28th Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Muslims worldwide observe this as a month of fasting. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts 29 - 30 days based on visual sightings of the crescent moon. The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ramida or ar-ramad, which means scorching heat or dryness. Fasting is fard (“obligatory”) for adult Muslims, except those who are ill, travelling, pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic or going through menstruation. Fasting the month of Ramadan was made obligatory during the month of Sha’aban, in the second year after the Muslims migrated from Mecca to Medina.
“The month of Ramadan is that in which was revealed the Quran; a guidance for mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the
Thus, according to the Quran, Muhammad first received revelations in the lunar month of Ramadan. Therefore, the month of Ramadan is considered to be the most sacred month of the Islamic calendar. Some countries in Arabia have laws that amend work schedules in Ramadan, cutting working hours to a maximum of six.
If you have an event, activity or display that falls into our RESPECT agenda, or would like support and information on how to organise one, please contact Debbie Caygill on 01429 404142, or email dcaygill@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk, heading it “Respect”