Project rethink news enewspaper by Alexandra Duarte

POPOGREIT E-NEWSPAPER June 2016

Rethink News eTwinning Project 2015/16 Greek, Italian, Polish and Portuguese teachers with their students have

Coming Together is

participated— from October 2015 to May 2016— in a project around

a Beginning;

news. The students worked with their European peers to undertake a criti-

Keeping Together is

cal view of news, focusing on different topics according to their interests.

Progress;

They were encouraged to watch and read the news, be critical thinkers and

Working Together is

active citizens by being aware of what’s happening around them and taking

Success.”

a stand. They then rewrote about the topics chosen including, as much as possible, their own point of view and using a variety of ICT tools.

HENRY FORD

This newspaper is the final product compiling what our students produced during this school year. We hope you appreciate their commitment and enjoy reading it.



In this issue: .ART—page 3 .MUSIC—page 11 .POLITICS—page 18 .SCIENCE— page 23 .SPORTS—page 30

.TECHNOLOGY— page 46 .TRADITIONS—page 49 .School Visit—page 62 Project Logo, by VITO (Italy)

.Acknowledgements

Flying the eTwinning Flag in Escola Sec/3 Martinho Árias—Soure / PORTUGAL, on May 3rd 2016

EDITORIAL Dear Readers, This past school year was eventful not only in Europe but worldwide which means our dedicated students were busy watching, reading and writing about what was happening in the world, namely about what interested them the most. After having organised themselves in international groups according to their preferred topics, they showed their engagement and awareness by producing highly interesting articles illustrated with pictures or photos which means that as we were approaching the end of the school year we had articles about the same topics but from different points of view and from different students of the four countries involved. Despite having communicated and collaborated all year long, all partners – teachers and students alike - agreed that to enrich our project even more, we could have different versions of the same results, just like different articles of the same topics! Therefore, though the content, as everything else in our project, is collaborative work, the enewspaper was and is a choice of the different partners to enlarge the variety of offer. Just like with “real” news, there are plenty of newspapers or magazines basically dealing with the same material but presenting it differently. Hoping you enjoy this variety: Happy Reading! Teachers Alexandra, Antonietta, Dora, Glória, Joanna, M. José, Roberta & Rosária

ART According to the Oxford DIctionary at http://goo.gl/ QmIbBW art is a mass noun described as:

“ The expression of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”

Let’s see what our students shared!

UNSEEN ART— http://www.unseenart.org/

Unseen Art by Nicole Cristino, Henrique Esteves & Fábio Caetano —Soure / PORTUGAL

Do you believe that nowadays blind people can see art? Sometimes when we go to a museum we don’t really think about other people who don’t have the opportunity to see the beautiful things like we do. Putting ourselves in their situation seems bad but now with the evolution of technology, it’s different! The first rule of a museum is “you can look but not touch”. Well, they switched that rule. Now the objective of the unseen art is for the community of blind and visually impaired people to be able to see art through touching until their hearts are content.

Riikka Hännienen was the first blind person that experienced the 3D Mona Lisa.

“This is super exciting, a true game changer!”

The Guggenheim Museum in New York has already adopted this approach. The staff members really care about their interaction with the public. There are many options for visitors with disabilities to get their questions answered, such as: asking the staff at the information desk, going to the left as they enter the museum or to one of the

museum's Gallery Guides, educators posted throughout the galleries wearing colorful scarves or ties and blue or orange buttons that read, “Ask Me about the Art.” Besides that, Gallery Guides are trained to provide Verbal Descriptions for visitors who are blind or have low vision, which is great.

More and more museums are recreating the most famous classical art paintings in 3D such as The Museum of Prado, located in Madrid.

HELEN KELLER â&#x20AC;&#x153;The only worse thing than being blind is having sight but no vision.â&#x20AC;?

Please check the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZjAZ6jyIc4

“Oh teach me how I should forget to think”. William Shakespeare

BY Elisa Celestini e Sara Filippi—ITALY

Enjoy Shakespeareâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plays with us!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Much Ado About Nothing

Hamlet

Macbeth

Romeo and Juliet

The Tempest

MUSIC According to the Oxford Dictionary at http:// goo.gl/Bem34r, music is vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion; it can also refer to the art or science of composing or performing music and to the written or printed signs representing vocal or instrumenta l sound. The word derives from Greek meaning “art of the muses”. Music is composed and performed for many purposes, ranging from aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, or as an entertainment produ ct for the marketplace. While in the past the predominance was classical music, nowadays, there is a wide variety of genres, for all ages and tastes.

David Bowie (BY Adriana Silva, Catarina Aguiam, Nádia Ventura & Maria Santos — PORTUGAL)

David Robert Jones, known as David Bowie, was born in Brixton in England in the 1947, and he started being known as an artist in 1962. He worked as a singer-songwriter, record-producer, actor and painter. His genres of music were art rock, glam rock, pop, electronic and experimental; he played the guitar and saxophone. His biggest hits are Under Pressure Ft Queen (1982), Heroes (1999), Lets Dance (1999), Life on Mars? (2015), Lazarus (2016), Blackstar (2016). Labyrinyh, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Prestige, The Hunger and Furyo are some of his movies. He won Grammys and Brit Awards and some of his albums are The Rise and Fall of Ziggy 11

Stardust and the Spiders from He died on January 10, 2016, of Mars (1972), David Bowie (1969) liver cancer, and before he died and Hunky Dory (1971). he launched his last album called Blackstar. He has a star on the He was a confirmed homosexual Hollywood Walk of Fame. in 1972, but later on, in 1983, he said that he was bisexual. He With his death the music industry married twice, Angie Bowie in has lost a legend and, most of all, 1972, and then Iman, in 1992. He the creator of the biggest cult in had two children, Duncan (from popular culture. His influence was the first marriage), and Alexandria unique and it altered more lives Lexi Zahra Jones, daughter of the than anyone else. Somali-American model Iman.

DAVID BOWIE I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”

Most Popular singers i

The first person is ED SHEERAN. He‘s famous all over the world, Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran (born 17 February 1991) is an was born in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlin 16, he moved to London the following year, in 2008, to pursue a c the attention of Elton John and Jamie Foxx. After signing with A "plus"), was released on 9 September 2011 and has since been bum contains the single "The A Team", which earned him the Ivo Lyrically. In 2012, Sheeran won the Brit Awards for Best British Ma Sheeran's popularity abroad began in 2012. In the US, he made studio album, Red.”’ The A Team" was nominated for Song of the performed the song with Elton John. He spent much of 2013 open dates. In late 2013, he performed three sold-out shows at New Y act. He was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2014 Grammy Aw

John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1 American singer, songwriter and actor. H one Academy Award. In 2007, Legend recei Fame.[1] Prior to the release of Legend's debut album, laborations with multiple established artists. H of the Lights", on Slum Village's "Selfish", a "Encore", and he sang backing vocals on A West remix of Britney Spears' "Me Against th on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything". He ing the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single, " 2015 for writing the song "Glory" from the film

in Poland.

so youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve probably heard about him. n English singer-songwriter and musician. He ngham, Suffolk. After dropping out of school at career in music. In early 2011, Sheeran caught Asylum Records, his debut album, + (read as certified six-times platinum in the UK. The alor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and ale Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act. e a guest appearance on Taylor Swift's fourth e Year at the 2013 Grammy Awards, where he ning for Swift's The Red Tour in North America York's Madison Square Garden as a headline wards.

1978), better known by his stage name JOHN LEGEND, is an He has won nine Grammy Awards, one Golden Globe, and ved the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of

his career gained momentum through a series of successful colHe sang in Magnetic Man's "Getting Nowhere," Kanye West's "All and Dilated Peoples' "This Way". Other artists included Jay Z's Alicia Keys' 2003 song "You Don't Know My Name", the Kanye he Music", and Fort Minor's "High Road". Legend played piano e has gained chart topping hits from his solo work as well, includ"All of Me". He won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in Selma.

BY Julia â&#x20AC;&#x201D; POLAND

Cabeçalho da História da Contracapa Utilize parágrafos com frequência. Um bloco de texto branco torna-se difícil para o leitor ler uma história e encontrar uma forma de entrar e sair rapidamente do seu conteúdo. O espaço em branco fornece ao utilizador uma abertura nas suas informações. Não tenha receio de deixar espaços abertos. Também pode designar um ponto consistente na página para conteúdo mais ligeiro ou mais editorial. Desta forma, o leitor sabe sempre para onde olhar num determinado tipo de conteúdo. As publicações de maior êxito incluem uma mistura de tipos de conteúdo para satisfazer uma vasta gama de gostos. Considere colocar o seu conteúdo mais importante na capa e o conteúdo mais ligeiro no interior.

A isto designa-se por história por um motivo Integre cabeçalhos frequentes para anunciar secções diferentes da sua história. Considere escrever o seu conteúdo num tom pessoal, da mesma forma que falaria com alguém sentado à sua frente num restaurante.

MIKA is a famous singer who was born in Lebanon in 1983 as Michael Holbrook Penniman Junior. He debuted with his song " Grace Kelly" and after his success increased thanks to his four albums "Life in Cartoon Motion”, “The Boy Who Knew Too Much”, “The Origin of Love”, “No Place In Heaven" published all over the world . Since he was a child he has been victim of bullying and discrimination, this is the reason why he faces this theme in a lot of his songs supporting people who have his same problems. "Hurts" is a famous song in which the most used statement is "I can't stop hearing all the words". Here Mika’s aim is to show that the words can hurt people as much as violence. People don't often accept diversity. Mika uses his songs to make the listener understand diversity isn't a defect because it makes us unique people. He affirms this in his song "We are golden" and its lines " we are not what you think we are, we are golden" has become his fans’ motto. In this way he wants to transmit a message of love which is well summarized in what he said in one of his interview : "to be loved and to love are the best things that a person can do". BY Alessia Capalbo, Maria Mascolo, Vincenzo Merola, Pio Medaglia- I.I.S. “Don L.Milani” — ITALY 16

ELLIE GOULDING My idol is Ellie Goulding. The first time I saw a video of hers, I immediately liked the song which was performed with Calvin Harris. Some of the songs I love are Burn, On my mind, Love me like you do, Army and Beating heart. I listen to her songs all day long and I watch her video clips, too. I really want to go to the concert and to see her and get an autograph. I also admire her because Ellie writes songs on her own and from an early age she has been playing the guitar. Ellie is from Britain and some of the most popular album of the LIGHTS and HALCYON BY Maria Kehagia â&#x20AC;&#x201D; GREECE

POLITICS Politics from the Greek “of, for, or realting to citizens” is a plural noun defined by Oxford DIctionary at http://goo.gl/ waU4jL as “The activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate betw een parties having power .” The wise Winston Churchil once said that “Politics is almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times.”

Refugees in Portugal (BY Anabela Varela, Andreia Marques & Bárbara Pires — PORTUGAL)

Every day we hear news about the death of many refugees trying to reach Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. The maritime police have already saved hundreds of refugees from drowning, but still too many have already lost their lives. The European Commission first proposed that Portugal should receive 1701 Syrians and Eritreans, of a total of 40 000, which are currently in Greece and Italy. 704 people (out of 20,000) are in camps and UN agency facilities for Refugees (UNHCR) outside of Europe, and are planned to arrive with refugee status. Portugal counted with a total of 1500, mainly citizens already within Europe's borders. Due to armed conflict and persecution in their countries, preventing them from returning, they are able to apply for international protection. The Portuguese Catholic Church already has homes available to accommodate the refugees. Matosinhos, Braga and Lisbon are some of the cities that, according to the National Secretariat of Human Mobility, which is to survey the availability, shown to have spaces available to accommodate the displaced. Unacceptably, three refugees already in Portugal expressed their deep disappointment by the conditions offered 18

by Portugal. Unfortunately, in a country itself experiencing a huge economic crisis, these words certainly disenchant thousands of Portuguese who also work to help the war refugees from Syria.

Refugees (BY Costanza Pesacane, Assunta Gargiulo & Alessandro Ferrara

— Gragna-

no / ITALY)

"Increasing numbers of refugees and migrants take their chances aboard unseaworthy boats and dinghies in a desperate bid to reach Europe". (http://www.unhcr.it/) According to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, more than 110000 people arrived by sea in 2016. Hundreds of thousands people cross Balkans trying to reach Germany, UK and Scandinavia, fleeing war, violence and persecution in their country of origin. They leave all their own possessions, their houses, their jobs, their friends and sometimes part of their family to come to Europe and escape the horrors of the war. They usually come from Northern Africa, Horn of Africa and Middle East, from countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, but especially from Syria, which is torn by warring factions of rebels, Assad and ISIS. But what does Europe do for these people? Well, the EU has been very divided on the topic. Some countries, like Italy and Greece, have been trying to welcome the migrants by hosting them in shelters, but the rocky economic situation of Italy and Greece doesn’t permit to give much founding to those institutions. But some countries are trying to limit the income of migrants. For example, Austria and Slovenia capped refugee intake at 80 per day, while other countries, like France, Denmark and Sweden, reintroduced border controls, despite Schengen Treaty. Eastern European countries, like Slovakia and Czech Republic, don’t want to transfer asylum seekers arriving in southern Europe to other EU states. It seems like none has the facilities, the money or the will to welcome those poor people. The Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, during an EU summit in Brussels said: "The migration crisis is a common problem for all EU countries. If you do not show solidarity, countries contributing the most to the EU budget may show less solidarity to you". The migration crisis is Europe’s biggest challenge and, quoting Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, it “will define this decade”. Migrants flow is not going to stop in a few months. But can we really welcome all of them? Is the EU really doing something about this situation? Shouldn’t we focus less on the migrants, a mere result of war, and more on the war itself? 19

Crisis in Greece:

Nine thousand Greek businesses are ready to migrate away from Greece (BY Demis and Giota—GREECE) The economic crisis in Greece and the problems Greek businesses face have made a lot of businessmen relocate their businesses in other countries. The main reason for moving is the unbearable taxation from Greek government in the last six years. Another significant reason why Greek businesses are leaving the country is the bureaucracy in Greece which leads to waste of time and money. The businesses will mostly relocate to U.S.A and western European countries. According to a survey held by skai.gr, 56% of the surveyed business executives believe that the situation in the country will not improve over the next five years, while the figure in an investigation that was held in May 2014 was only 4%. Unfortunately this “migration” of the Greek businesses will probably be destructive for the Greek economy in a few years from now.

EÇA DE QUEIROZ “Politicians and diapers have one thing in common – they both should be changed regularly and for the same reason!”

MALALA YOUSAFZAI “In every country, politics is considered to be a waste of time.”

MALALA YOUSAFZAI:

I am Malala

A really brave girl (BY Zoe Zachari — GREECE)

When the Talibans took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala’s miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest – ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The book is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/malalayousafzai/i-am-malala/9780316322409/ This is the book blurb as officially published on the Internet. Here is my own opinion on the book. This book is really worth reading. It’s suitable for specialists in the field of education and for ordinary people seeking to improve their understanding of Pakistan, but will be especially engaging for anyone who is interested in the story of this remarkable young woman, whose life and contributions to the broader community have just begun. For me personally, I loved that book because Malala, a little girl, narrates the whole situation from her own viewpoint, indifferent to politics.

“All I want is an education, and I am afraid of no one.”

“One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.”

Mikolaj Kopernik

SCIENCE Did you know that the word science is one of the top 1000 frequently used words? According to the Oxford Dictionary (http://goo.gl/ gDR2Ha), science is a mass noun defined as “The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.” Starting with famous Polish scientists, we will move on then to biology facts and finally to a topic that is more and more on the agenda: environment.

Maria Skłodowska-Curie was the first woman, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1902. She got it together with her husband and Henri Becquerel for the discovery of radioactivity. She worked in Paris, together with her husband- Pierre Curie. In 1906 she got a job as a lecturer at the Sorbonne University. She was the first woman lecturing there. In 1911 Skłodowska was once again awarded the Nobel Prizethis time in chemistry. She managed to discover and isolate two chemical components- radium and pollen. Up till now, no one else was awarded the Nobel Prize twice. To make things more unbelievable, her daughter- Irene Joliot- Curie, also got the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935. Skłodowska is remembered as very wise, hardworking and extremely successful in her work person.

Aka Copernicus, was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe. He died a few weeks after his heliocentric composition was printed, in 1543 and it changed the view about the Earth and the outlook on life. It was also a basis of modern science. In the beginning it was allowed by the church to be read but later it was prohibited and put on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum. However, after the book was banned it had more and more supporters like Kepler, Giordano Bruno, Galileo but only in 1835 was composition crossed off the Index. He is considered one of the most important astronomers not only in Poland but also all over the world BY Magda Rozycka—POLAND

BY Magda Rozycka 23

BIOLOGY

TOP TEN BIOLOGY FACTS T

The diversity of the animal world causes vertigo; it is astonishing and incessantly fascinating!

1. Octopuses have three hearts.

One thing is for sure: even if you are an expert in the field of zoology, following titbits about animals will dumbstruck you! 3. Butterflies can taste with their feet. BY Juliaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;POLAND

6. El a spe th â&#x20AC;&#x153;

5. Animals with small bodies and a faster metabolism see in slow motion.

9. ba wi se le

8. Fourteen new species of dancing frogs have been discovered in 2014, raising the global number of known dancing frogs species to 24.

Y FACTS

THAT MAY SURPRISE YOU

2. Sharks kill fewer than 10 people a year; humans kill more than 100 sharks per year!

4. Wild dolphins call each other by name.

7. Polar bears have dark skin.

lephants have ecial alarm call hat means “Humans”. 10. Owls don’t have eyeballs, they have tubes.

. Reindeer eyealls turn blue in inter to help them ee at lower light evels.

GLOBAL WARMING—The Ultimate

U.S. government agencies announced that 2015 was the hottest year on record, beating out 2014 by the widest margin in 136 years of record keeping. But this new record may not stand for long, in fact 2016 could be even hotter, because of the strongest Ninos ever measured and the continuous warming of the planet. “2015 was remarkable even in the context of the larger, long-term warming trend,” says Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Average temperatures in the artic region are rising faster than elsewhere in the world . Artic ice is getting thinner , melting and rupturing. For example the largest single block ice in the Artic, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf, had been around for 3 thousand years before it started cracking in 2000, and now it's breaking into

pieces. Images from NASA satellites show that the polar ice cap is shrinking, in fact the area of permanent ice cover is contracting at a rate of 9% each decade. If this trend continues, the Artic could become ice-free in summer by the end of the century. This melting causes a rising of the sea level of 0,14 inches every year. When sea levels rise rapidly, as they are doing, even a small increase can have devastating effects on coastal habitats. If seawater reaches farther inland, it can cause destructive erosion, flooding of wetlands, contamination of aquifers and agricultural soils, and lost habitat for fish, birds, and plants. In addition, people who live in vulnerable areas to flooding will be forced to abandon their homes and relocate. Low-lying islands could be sub-

merged completely. Moreover, higher temperatures cause increased droughts and wildfires , heavier rainfall and a greater number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes . In fact warmer water in the oceans pumps more energy into tropical storms, making them stronger and potentially more destructive; a warmer climate exacerbates the conditions of drought and desertification, particularly during summer and autumn. For these reasons, we have to face this problem. There is no single solution to global warming, but we could slow down it by phasing out fossil fuels, revving up renewables, managing forests and agriculture and exploring nuclear. As Leonardo DiCaprio said in a speech <<This is the most urgent of times, and the most urgent of messages>>.

World Problem (by Elisa Fiorentinoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ITALY)

GLOBAL WARMING (BY Mario Ruocco- Gerardo De Rosa- Vincenzo Merolaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ITALY

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens

BAN KI-MOON Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth... these are one and the same fight. We must connect the dots between climate change, water scarcity, energy shortages, global health, food security and women's empowerment. Solutions to one problem must be solutions for all.

The massive release of greenhouse gases has caused significant changes to atmosphere in the last 200 years. What's up with the oceans? Unfortunately, even marine ecosystems are influenced by the emission of C02. It's the so-called "acidification". In other words, greenhouse gases are making water more acidic. And that's damaging lots of marine species such as sea urchins, corals and starfish whose shell or exoskeleton is made up of CaCO3 (calcium carbonate); a material which does not form in acidic environments. Also, fish behaviour seems to be influenced by the modification of oceans' chemistry due to air pollution. This phenomenon concerns seas from all over the world. Scientists predict that if things go on this way nearly all marine species we know would be extinct by 2100, from North to South pole and from Australian coral reefs to Mediterranean coasts. Professor Andy Ridgwell from Bristol University said:" We're causing significant changes to our planet from a geological point of view: nowadays level of CO2 in atmosphere is the highest of the last 800000 years". Humanity must realise that planet Earth is a giant "super ecosystem", where everything is connected. So, if we still want to enjoy the beauty of the oceans with its creatures, the reduction of our impact on the nature is unavoidable.

can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. MARGARET MEAD 29

SPORT Sport (UK) or sports (US) is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment (http://goo.gl/ZBWlNu). Sports are usually governed by a set of rules or customs, which serve to ensure fair competition, and allow consistent adjudication of the winner. Sports became such a prominent part of their culture that the Greeks created the Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in Olympia. They have been increasingly organised and regulated from the time of the ancient Olympics up to the present century. Industrialisation has brought increased leisure time, letting people attend and follow spectator sports and participate in athletic activities.

FIFA Scandal (BY Miguel Alves, Tiago Magalhães, Guilherme Rosado, Rúben Angelino & Rafaela Santos —PORTUGAL)

2015 was the year of FIFA scandal, when many officials and associates, connected with FIFA, being object of investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRSCI) for wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. The former FIFA president, Joseph Blatter, as a consequence of the accusation of being an accomplice of corruption, has been suspended for 8 years just like Michel Platini. As was expected, both appealed against the decision taken! Until now, the decision has been on hold. Within this defamation there is yet another scandal allied to this one: Blatter continues to receive his salary after his supposed suspension, and the payment will continue to be transferred until the next FIFA presidency elections which will happen in 26th of February! Until that date comes, Joseph Blatter continues to be FIFA president in spite of not even being in office!

Also, there are a lot of rumours by Cristiano Ronaldo´s fans, because as you may know, Lionel Messi had won 2 Golden Balls that have been unfairly awarded according to their opinions, and now they associate with the stated scandal! 30

FRANCESCO TOTTI THE BEST AS -ROMA FOOTBALLER

BY Elisa Barnabei & Arianna Fersini â&#x20AC;&#x201D;ITALY 31

JUVENTUS Team Story (BYGiorgia Franceschini & Martina Del Preteâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ITALY)

TO SKYDIVE OR NOT (BY Sonia and Menia

Nowadays, not many people are keen on freefall. But a lot of celebrities have skydived at least once. Famous actors such as Tom Cruise, Orlando Bloom, Cameron Diaz, models, like Alessandra Ambrosio and ex-presidents, like George H.W. Bush are only a few examples. Also a variety of movies have skydiving scenes, such as Godzilla, Drop zone, Charlieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s angels.

-GREECE)

the right height to open the parachute. In the history of freefalls, there were backouts, accidents, difficulties but these never stopped people from doing it. The adrenaline, the rush, the action, the little time you fell free, are the reasons that make you want to skydive.

It might be dangerous, you might have an accident but during the time you are on air, you are going to be free, there If you want to do freefall, you have to will be no limits and at the end of the find an expert, with his/her help you will day there are no excuses, no explanaget the special equipment, such as a tions, no regrets. parachute and an altimeter. When you have all the needed equipment, you In Greece, there are some skydiving should have a pilot, so he can get you to clubs, probably only in Athens and the right height for the fall. During the Thessaloniki. There you can skydive fall, you have to watch the altimeter for once or you can get a skydiving license.

BABE RUTH The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.

(BY Maria Andrea Costantiniâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ITALY)

VINCE LOMBARDI Winners never quit and quitters never win.

HEYWOOD BROUN Sports do not build character. They reveal it.

SPORT IN POLAND BY Magda Rozycka—POLAND Poland is a very sporty country and also takes part in the most important sporting event – The Olympic Games. The Polish are good at winter sports, too, having repeatedly broken many records in different disciplines. Now, let’s have a closer look at some of the most famous sports.

Zbigniew Boniek Zbigniew Boniek - is a former Polish footballer and manager and the current head of the Polish Football Association (PZPN). A former midfielder, he is considered one of the greatest Polish players of all time, and was selected by Pelé as one of the 100 best living footballers in 2004. His greatest achievements in club football were at Juventus in Italy, winning the 1985 European Cup.

Robert Lewandowski Robert Lewandowski - is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for German club Bayern Munich, and captains the Poland national team. A full international for Poland since 2008, Lewandowski has earned 70 caps and was a member of their team at Euro 2012. With 34 goals, he ranks fifth among their top scorers of all time. On 22 September 2015, while playing for Bayern Munich, Lewandowski scored five goals against Wolfsburg in nine minutes, the fastest in any major European football league since records have been kept.

Fencing It seems that fencing isn’t a popular sport… but in Poland many children and adults train it! You can use one of three types of weapon – épée, sabre or foil. Your mission is to hit the enemy. In each weapon, the territory where you can hit is different. I’m fencing with foil and I think that’s the more difficult kind of weapon in fencing.

Sylwia Gruchała

Volleyball

Sylwia Gruchała - is a Polish fencer. In the team foil she won medals at the world championships in 1998 (bronze), 1999 (silver), 2002 (silver), 2003 (gold) and 2007 (gold) as well as an Olympic silver medal in 2000. In Individual Foil she won a silver medal at the 2003 World Championship as well as an Olympic bronze medal in 2004. She is a soldier in the 3rd Command Support Battalion of the Polish Land Forces stationed in Warsaw. Gruchała is also part of the Leon Paul team.

The Poland national men's volleyball team is the national volleyball team from Poland, controlled by the Polski Związek Piłki Siatkowej (PZPS), which represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches. Poland is one of the world's strongest teams, it is the reigning world champion since 2014 and is ranked second (as of October 2015) in the FIVB world ranking.

Ski jumping Amongst Polish athletes planting ski jumps longest Adam Małyszwhich victories aroused in 20012011 years very much was among the world leaders great interest in jumps in Poland. Earlier among others Stanisław Marusarz, Wojciech Fortuna andPiot r Fijas were successes. At present Kamil Stoch is among the world leaders world champion (2013), two-time Olympic champion (2014) and winner of the Cup of World in ski jumps (2014).

Cross-country skiing Justyna Kowalczyk - is a Polish cross country skier who has been competing since 2000. She is a double Olympic Champion and a double World Champion. She is also the only skier who won the Tour de Ski four times in a row and one of two female skiers, who won the FIS Cross-Country World Cup three times in a row. Kowalczyk holds the all-time record for the most wins in Tour de Ski with 14 competitions won and 29 podiums in total. She also won the Vasaloppet ladies' class in 2015.

HIGH JUMPâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;HIGH ADRENALINE BY Sonia and Meniaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;GREECE

Cliff-diving is mopped from 1770 on Lanai, Hawaii. The warriors threw themselves from cliffs into the rough sea because they wanted to show their courage and to get admiration of local women. And it also called High jump. There is minimal equipment. Technically all you need is yourself. But for protection you need your friends, chains, first aid kit, cell-phone, hiking boots, camera and water. Then you should find a cliff 25 meters high and the sea must be at least 3, 5 meters deep. Cliff-diving or High Jump has also many competitions on the year. In Greece you can cliff-dive in Santorini, Chania, Sougla and Crete. Red Bull organizes a competition named Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, that was stablished in 2009 by Red Bull. It is an annual international series of cliff-diving events in which a limited number of competitors determine the Cliff Diving World Series winner. Divers jump from a platform at a height ranging from 26-28m. Competitions are held in a limited number of venues around the globe. The reason why we chose this sport, cliff-diving is that bring adrenaline and during the dive we believe that we will have the opportunity to see amazing views and because we would like to do it.

KENDO (BY Julia & Zuzannas-POLAND)

Hi there! We're Polish students (Julia and two Zuzannas). We'd like to talk about our hobbies (horse riding --> our sport, and kendo --> Julia's sport). So, let's start with kendo. Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, which descended from swordmanship (from Japanese kenjutsu) and uses bamboo swords - shinai and protective armour called bogu. Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and many other nations across the world. Kendo training is quite noisy in comparison to some other martial arts or sports. This is because kendōka use a shout, or kiai(気合), to express their fighting spirit when striking It's just very loud screaming ;) Like some other martial arts, kendōka train and fight barefoot. Kendo is ideally practiced in a purpose-built dojo. Unfortunately I train in a leased Gym :'(. A scorable point in a kendo competition (tai-kai) is defined as an accurate strike or thrust made onto a datotsu-bui of the opponent's kendo-gu with the shinai making contact at its datotsu-bu, the competitor displaying high spirits, correct posture and followed by zanshin. Datotsu-bui or point scoring targets in kendo are defined as: Men-bu, the top or sides of the head protector (sho-men and sayu-men).Kote-bu, a padded area of the right or left wrist protector (migi-kote and hidari-kote).Do-bu, an area of the right or left side of the armour that protects the torso (migi-do and hidari-do).Tsuki-bu, an area of the head protector in front of the throat (tsuki-dare) I think we’ve told you some basic information and shared a picture. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments. 39

DOG-SLEDDING (BY Z. Raczyńska—POLAND) Hello Everyone! Here, in Poland the winter is almost over and, unlike it’s usual, there's little snow. I mean, there was some at the beginning of the holidays, but now it is just something that we call “chlapa”, half-melted, ice-like kind of snow with some sand and dirt. Because of that I decided to write an article about winter sports, or I should rather say ‘about dog-sledding’. Maybe it isn’t the most popular sport, but it’s definitely one of the most interesting and dangerous ones. The rules are very simple: •You have to have a special sleigh, it needs to be very light if you want to cover longer distances and pretty manoeuvrable if you don’t want to break it on some hooks. •You have to have at least 2 large, strong and obedient dogs. There are many categories in this sport. In fact, every dog that meets the above-mentioned conditions can start in the race. •You have to know your limits, that’s hard to judge if the trail isn’t too long or too hard. Also, it's important to prepare suitable food and gear supply, otherwise you will have a serious problem. If you have too much, the sleigh will move more slowly and that may have terrible consequences if you have to spend a night in an unknown place, in a cave or deep in the woods. You have probably guessed what will happen if you don’t take enough food or warm clothes. •You have to play fair (no sabotage or doping) And… that’s all about the rules, so let’s move on to the next point. If you’d like to start in a race, you have to know how to place the dogs. That’s not hard when you have two, but it becomes a little bit more difficult when you have the maximum of them – 12. Of course, you also have to know their attitudes and characters. That’s how it should look like: CONT.

A single sleigh with 12 dogs can pull a weight of 250 kg (an average 75 kg of a Vanier (the name of the person who controls the sleigh) and 175 kg of food, warm clothes and other important stuff such as a weapon. That’s pretty important when you have a supply for 3-4 days and the race will take over a few weeks and run a 200-km distance without a rest per day. Not amazing enough? But what if I told you that you can’t ‘really’ manage the sleigh? All you can do while riding that kind of vehicle is to shout loud commands and, in extreme situations, press the pedal at the down part of the sleigh. Still not working? That means you have to use a hook. I mean a real hook, you just throw it and watch what happens. The most important thing is to trust the dog! Ok, so now you know how this absolutely awesome sport works. I know that it might sound pretty chaotic and maybe even senseless after all of the below mentioned information but if you know who you are working with, you’ll get the adventure of your life. It’s like horse riding, sometimes to jump over an obstacle you just have to trust your horse. That works in the same way, but the reason is quite different. Summing up, it’s a dangerous sport which requires resistance and perfect body balance but also an amazing way to strengthen the humandog bond and to get away from the grey reality. That’s also an interesting method to take your dog for a little bit longer walk, to meet the adventure of the lifetime (a great example is Bajkał, a Russian lake which is frozen during the winter and it is a popular place to go to).

But what do You think about dog-sledding? Maybe You would like to go try it? And what about dogs? Do you think it’s just a normal sport or animal abuse? Opinions are divided so… let me know in the chatroom or in the forum, I think it’s a sport just like many others BUT only if you know that this will be safe for you and your team for sure!

HORSE RIDING (BY Julia & Zuzannasâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;POLAND) Now let's talk about horse riding. It's a difficult sport though everyone thinks that's easy - "You just sit on a horse, right?". We'll show you that it's wrong. You need to remember that you and your horse are a pair, and you're working with a living creature that also thinks and feels. Sometimes your horse might have its own mind and it can be dangerous, when it is scared or stubborn. For us, this is a sport and a recreation, we're taking part in different competitions and riding for pleasure. So, now I'd like to talk about the disciplines. There are a lot of disciplines and styles. Have a look at our photos: *dressage- ("training" in French) involves the progressive training of the horse to a high level of impulsion, collection and obedience. Competitive dressage has the goal of showing the horse carries out, on request, the natural movements that it performs without thinking while running loose. *jumping

"small" Zuzia's *equestrian vaulting - It's simple - gymnastic on horse. *western *horse racing We' re riding other horses and more difficult, the "small" Zuzia is riding on ponies, "big" Zuzia and Julia' are riding on big horses.

Big" Zuzia's and Julia's photo from horse camp:

We hope you like it; if you enjoy it, we may prepare a short film from our training. Let us know :*!

DOPING IN SPORT (by Salvatori Antista & Michael Honorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ITALY)

What does DOPING mean? It means taking banned stimulant drugs, and the use of illegal practices, for better sports results than the physiological ones. In recent years, doping has spread very quickly even among non-professional athletes and simply in the gym. It is necessary to highlight that the integrator is not an illicit drug, as it is made up of substances that have the purpose of integrating the substances present in our body. The first intake of illicit substances dates back to 1889 in the US when the race horses mixtures of opium were administered, and the first case of death dates back to 1886 in a cyclist, Arthur Lingon who died from an overdose of drugs. After the Second World War more and more athletes became ill due to the intake of illegal substances. During the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, many athletes became sick due to the excess of amphetamines; during the Rome Olympics in 1960, a Danish cyclist collapsed, derived from excess amphetamine and acid. Doping has several negative environmental effects, in particular regarding the medical aspect, as the intake of illegal drugs causes serious damage to the human organism; regarding the appearance, unsportsmanlike, as it favours those that jeopardize their health, damaging those who participate successfully in sports. Doping includes the intake of several prohibited substances and methods such as the following: Classes of prohibited substances, stimulants and anabolic steroids, narcotics, analgesics, diuretics, peptide hormones and there are also some related methods that are prohibited such as blood doping, physical manipulation, chemical and pharmacological classes of prohibited substances and drugs. Winning at any cost is not fair play at all! The general trend among authorities and sporting organizations over the past several decades has been to strictly regulate the use of drugs in sport. The reasons for the ban are mainly the health risks of performance-enhancing drugs, the equality of opportunity for athletes, and the exemplary effect of drug-free sport for the public. Anti-doping authorities state that using performance-enhancing drugs goes against the "spirit of sport".

The Olympic Games were an ancient Greek festival with athletic, literary, and musical competitions held at Olympia every four years, traditionally from 776 BC until abolished by the Roman emperor Theodosius I in 393 AD. In modern times, they are a sports festival held every four years in different venues, instigated by the Frenchman Baron de Coubertin (1863–1937) in 1896. Athletes representing more than 200 countries compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals in more than twenty sports. There are also the Winter Olympics and the Paralympic Games.

THE MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES (BY Di Lietro Gaetano,Fontanella Alessia ,Somma Angelo & Soccavo Mariarosaria—ITALY)

The symbol of the Olympic Games consists of five interlocking circles that represent the union of the five continents of the world and the peaceful coexistence of all human beings. The modern Olympic Games are a world event which joins together all the best athletes. They are held every four years in different places of the world. They begin with an opening ceremony divided into two parts: the first part of the ceremony is a real show, prepared by the host country according to their customs and traditions, staging songs, dances and choreographies. When the exhibition ends, the participating countries parade one by one with the ensign who brings the flag of the own country while the second part shows the lighting of the Olympic torch. This year the Olympic Games are taking place in Rio De Janeiro; it’s the first city in the South America that hosts the Olympic Games; they are starting on the 5th August at Maracanã and finishing on the 21st August at the same stadium. In this edition, two more sports have been added: golf and rugby. The final plan of the 2016 Summer Olympics includes 28 sports and a total of 42 disciplines.

Below is Vinicius, (a tribute to Vinicius de Moraes, a renowned Brazilian poet, essayist, playwright, musician and lyricist) the Olympic Games Mascot . For lots of information and even downloads, please access https:// www.rio2016.com/mascots/#!home; for info only on the mascot creation, visit https:// www.olympic.org/rio-2016-mascot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOGMbUFeG_M—meet the mascots

There are also many other videos available—and good ones for us to enjoy the Brazil’s beauty, diversity and innovation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKcEySuuUuE—astonishing trailer with animals “playing” the different sports https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocLkk3aYlk—meet the Superhumans that are the paralympic heroes!

DAN GABLE Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts . 45

TECHNOLOGY What is technology? Once again, according to the Oxford dictionary (http://goo.gl/ c4SfJ9), it is “The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.” A computer, tablet, smartphone, a multimedia application, the different digital tools available are examples of technologies just like a pen, a hammer, a screwdriver… The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. Developments in historic times, including the printing press, the telephone and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale.

Smart watches, the latest technology (BY Miguel Brás, PORTUGAL)

A smart watch is a computerized wristwatch with functionality that is enhanced beyond timekeeping. While early models can perform basic tasks, such as calculations, translations, and game-playing, modern smart watches are effectively wearable. Some smart watches function as portable media players, offering playback of FM radio, audio, and video files to the user via a Bluetooth headset. Some models, also called 'watch phones', feature full mobile phone capability, and can make or answer phone calls, too. The theory behind smartwatches is not for you to make calls with and speak into, like Inspector Gadget, but instead they provide a quick and easy way to check what notifications are on your smartphone, so you can decide whether it's worth delving into your pocket or searching around your bag to fetch your smartphone or not. A school has banned smart watches from exam halls so that students cannot use them to cheat. The move by Billericay School in Essex is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK. A letter sent to parents warned anyone caught with a smart watch during a test will be disqualified. Head teacher Sue Hammond wrote: “We have updated our policy on use of WiFi -enable devices to reflect the advances in smart phone technology.” She added that the ban, which covers all wearable devices, will also give pupils a “much-needed break” from technology. Research by the London School of Economics has revealed that banning mobiles from schools has a positive effect on exam grades, boosting them more than 6%.

MAKE LIFE SIMPLE (MLS) (BY Rogerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;GREECE)

The Greek company MLS Multimedia was founded in 1989, in Thessaloniki, to develop high-tech products with a focus on innovation. Innovation and technology would not make any sense if they didn't make our lives any easier. Making Life Simple.

In 1999, the Company won the Gold Pan European Technology Prize and in May 2001 its shares on the Athens Stock Exchange were introduced. After the release of the first voice recognition application and artificial intelligence in 2000, MLS launches the Greek market innovative navigator MLS Destinator Talk & Drive, which combines navigation with voice recognition, while expanding its operations abroad and exports to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Morocco and Cyprus.

Why I chose MLS I chose MLS because it's one of the best greek electronics companies and it is renowned for its smartphones. I own the MLS iQTalk Diamond and I am very satisfied with the way it operates. I totally recommend it.

Oculus Rift—The Invention that will change the world (BY Giada Turco, Matteo Mascherucci & Claudia Ferrazza— ITALY)

The Oculus is a helmet with a screen, sensors and a gyroscope to calculate the movement of our head. It allows to move the camera in the virtual world by turning the head. Now it can only be used for computers, but in the future it is expected a version compatible with various consoles. The first prototype had a screen LCD of 5’’. Its screen could view high-definition images or HD, a small monitor put a few cm from our eyes giving us the illusion of having a cinema screen. But the most worrying aspect was the Motion Sickness. Now everything has changed: the new prototype shown in Las Vegas called “crystal cove” that is light-years ahead the previous one. The screen is now Amoled like the one of our smartphones and tablets, which provides several advantages: the colours are crisp and bright, the images move in a much more fluid and natural way. Finally, the resolution is now in full HD. Another new feature is the introduction of a camera to be placed in front of the player. The purpose of this object is to transform the virtual into reality, for example: you can visit your new apartment even before it is built or you can enter in a virtual movie theatre and watch a movie.

The Oculus Rift is produced by the company Oculus WR, founded by Palmer Luckey, a twenty-year old boy . Oculus, in short, has totally revolutionized the way you interact with your computer.

Celebrations By celebration we mean “The action of celebrating an important day or event“, usually “A social gathering or enjoyable activity held to celebrate something” (http:// goo.gl/aiycWS). You’ll therefore find here different events / traditions celebrated by the different partner countries and seen through the students’ eyes.

Saint Martin's Day— PORTUGAL November 11 is Dia de S. Martinho - Saint Martin's Day - and families gather to eat chestnuts, mostly roasted. Adriana & Bárbara took pictures of the tree and how to prepare chestnuts. We then added some further info on the tradition and alternative recipes. Please access the image and move around to fully appreciate the tradition and the students’ work. Enjoy!

Intentionally excluded from here are Christmas and Easter once there are extensive padlets on these two (family) celebrations in our twinspace.

CARNIVAL

(BY Giorgio Monacelli, Vito Romano, A

Carnival originates from Roman Saturnalia, an occasion when social clas pattern of Roman society. From a historical and religious point of view, Carnival re chaos replaced the established order; but once the festive period was over, the s of the following Carnival. Carnival, although being a heathen celebration, was kep and reconciliation with God because the Catholic Church tolerated the celebration Catholic Carnival, even being related to Easter, hasn't got a set date, it's usually i ebrations are held in Venice and Viareggio, but Ivrea's Carnival is also very famo originated by the puppet's theatre, the art's comedy, ancient traditions or they wer cinella in Campania and Arlecchino in Lombardy. Here are the most famous mask Pulcinella (Campania)

Pulcinella, with Arlecchino, is certainly the most famous Italian Carnival mask. It has very ancient origins: in fact it is thought it dates back to the Atellan Farce of the fourth century B.C., even if his modern costume was designed by Antonio Petito in the 1800s.

Arlecchino (Lombardy)

Arlecchinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mask was born from the contamination of the French popular tradition along with the Zanni character from Bergamo. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meaning in the theatrical comedy is always the same: his figure is rude and comical, but really funny.

Antonio Di Martino, Vincenzo Benfatto, Marco Savareseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ITALY)

sses were overturned for a short period to have fun and to make fun of the regular epresented a festive period, but especially a symbolic renovation, during which society re-emerged new or renewed and guaranteed for a valid cycle until the start pt in the Christian tradition, which considers this celebration a moment of return n as a moment of amusement, but even as an approach with Lent and Christ. in February or March. Carnival is very popular in Italy especially with kids. Big celous. Italy has a big variety of regional Carnival masks of different origins: they were re invented specifically as symbols of various regional Carnival masks, like Pulks of the Italian tradition.

Balanzone (Emilia Romagna)

Pantalone (Veneto)

Brighella (Lombardy)

Colombina (Veneto)

Gianduia (Piedmont)

Stenterello (Tuscany)

CARNIVAL (BY Rita & Julianaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;PORTUGAL) Carnival is a Christian festive season that occurs before the Christian season of Lent. The main events usually occur during February or early March. Carnival typically involves a public celebration and/or parade combining some elements of a circus, masks and public street party. People wear masks during many such celebrations, an overturning of life's normal things. In Portugal, Carnival is a top event. Many people spend months preparing their costumes for the celebration. They spend lots of money. The theme usually is politics and the masks are our politicians. This year, we celebrated Carnival on February 9. The city of Lisbon, for example, fills up with people, both locals and visitors, to celebrate. The city truly comes to life with celebrations everywhere and a lot of fun to be had. Carnival is all about music, dancing and, of course, the costumes. The elaborate costumes of carnival are something to behold. Many people spend months preparing their costumes for the celebration. From feathers to metal to sequins, you will see it all. Many people take Carnival very seriously. They will be meticulous in preparing their costumes and they are focused on ensuring every detail is perfected. Carnival may be all about fun, but the preparation is hard work. Preparation starts long before February. The first thing they do is come up with a theme. They then begin working on costume ideas. It is all about creativity and creating a very show-like experience. Awards are given for the best costumes and quite coveted. A lot of work goes into creating the elaborate show that lasts throughout the carnival. There is never a dull moment thanks to all those who work so hard to prepare the festivities.

The Portuguese Carnival is a show. For visitors it is something that words simply can not describe. You have to experience it for yourself. The costumes, the music, the people, the food â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all is amazing! Carnival goes back hundreds of years. It has roots in the catholic religion. In the beginning, Carnival originated in Italy when people would put on costumes and celebrate the day before Lent. They would have large feasts where they would eat up all the meat since meat was forbidden during Lent. Soon the Carnival became quite popular and began spreading to surrounding areas in Spain and France and other places where the Catholic religion was prominent. Carnival

Also by Rita, please check a great description of the Carnation Revolution at http://pt.calameo.com/read/004764584e92c122c0ea5

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY (BY Rita & Juliana—PORTUGAL)

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is an annual event celebrated on February 14. It originated as a Western Christian liturgical feast day honouring one or more early saints named Valentinus, and is recognized as a significant cultural and commercial celebration in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country. With time, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards. In Europe, Saint Valentine's Keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart", as well as to children, in order to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church. Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July 6 and July 30, the former date in honour of the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honour of Hero-martyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna. In Portugal, there is a very ancient tradition: girls would embroider a handkerchief to deliver to her beloved. Scarves could also have embroidered verses, as well as several drawings, some standard, with their own symbols. The Valentine scarf is made from a fine linen cloth or cotton handkerchief, embroidered with various motifs. It is a piece of craftsmanship and typical in Minho clothing being worn by women of marriageable age. It was used as achievement or ritual. Once made, the scarf would eventually reach the possession of the beloved man, who would wear it in public as a way to show that he had initiated a relationship. If her boyfriend (also called talking) did not wear the scarf publicly, it was a sign that he had decided not to initiate a love affair. But to show the love we feel for the person we love, we do not need gifts or expensive things, but to show the affection that we all need! Affection is the greatest gift we can give to our beloved. Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Saint Valentine’s day BY Ledina—GREECE)

Saint Valentine’s day is a very big, traditional, romantic celebration all over the world. It is celebrated by couples who are deeply in love. The couples who celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day go out, they have dinner as a couple or a family dinner. They also send kisses and hugs, they go dancing and shopping. They send presents or they go to the cinema for a lovely movie… I don’t have much experience but I think I would like to get flowers and chocolates. I would also like to get a greeting card from my boyfriend saying how much he loves me. In my view, Saint Valentine’s day is a wonderful day for people or couples who are in love…this year I wish the that those who celebrate Val-

The Great Lent

(By Mike and Stathisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;GREECE)

The Great Lent, or the Great Fast is the most important season in the Orthodox Church, during which, the Christians fast for a certain time. They don' t eat meat, milk and oil. This period lasts nine weeks, where the last week is the most important because Jesus dies and rises.

Great Lent begins on Clean Monday, nine weeks before Easter. It runs for 40 days, concluding with the Sanctified Liturgy on Friday of the Sixth Week. The next day is called Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday. During the Great Fast, the church increases its prayers for the dead, not only reminding the believer of their own mortality, but also of their Christian obligation of charity in praying for the departed. A number of Saturdays during Great Lent are Saturdays of the death, with many of the hymns of the Daily Office and at the Divine Liturgy dedicated to the remembrance of the departed.

Getting Together

(BY Eleniâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;GREECE)

When you are the head of the cultural society in a small village in the middle of nowhere, and all the residents have moved in a town â&#x20AC;Ś. What are you going to do to make all the residents come back again? In my village the cultural society decided to make a festival in an attempt to make this possible, every year two days before fifteenth of August all the fellow villagers meet again in our high school! The cultural society prepares Greek food for all of us, and what would be more appropriate in a typical Greek festival? Souvlaki with tzatziki and fried potatoes homemade! These two days are the most beautiful days in my village since we all meet again and we have fun all together until morning! For the adults there is alcohol and for teenagers just beer without alcohol... We listen to traditional music and we dance all night long like any GREEK! It's not something big like your festivals, but this is the special part: We know each other and that helps us to feel more comfortable. We love our village and we love returning to our home land whenever we can!!

POLAND

Zamantas: a tradition of our village (BY Chriastianna—GREECE)

During the orthodox Easter in our village, we celebrate many traditions. One of themi s called “Zamantas” and it is performed during the day of Zoodochos Pigi, a day dedicated to the Holy Spirit.

This tradition has its roots in the past and legend has it that Zamantas was a young, well-built man, a wrestler who lived during the years when the village was occupied by the Turks. Both the Greeks and the Turks were scared of him. Once, another young man challenged him and was defeated. In memory of this victory young men improvise dancing, a tradition which has been alive for many years. Nowadays, to remember this event, every year at Easter, at the small square with the fountain, the custom is revived and we celebrate altogether. This year, this special day is celebrated on Friday the 6th of May.

Photos taken from Serres TV and http://pol-pentapolis.gr

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Celebrate! (By Flavia Paterna, Sofia Paoliniâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ITALY) Second Day of Christmas Boxing Day is a holiday traditionally celebrated the weekday or Saturday following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts, known as a "Christmas box", from their masters, employers or customers, in the United Kingdom, The Bahamas, Barbados, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Bermuda, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and other former British colonies. Today, Boxing Day is the bank holiday or public holiday that generally takes place on 26 or 27 December.

Carnival of Venice Its origins are ancient, which speaks of public entertainment and in which the word Carnival is mentioned for the first time citizens wearing masks and costumes; one can totally hide their identity and thus clears all forms of personal belonging to social class, gender, religion. Everyone can determine attitudes and behaviors according to new customs and the changed appearance. For this reason, the greeting that sounded constantly in the act of crossing a new " character " Good morning lady was simply mask. As the Carnival activities and affairs of the Venetians attracted more and more attention, they conceded much of their time to celebrate, jokes and entertainment, and events were set up throughout the city, especially in Piazza San Marco, along the Riva degli Schiavoni and in all major areas of Venice.

Palio of Siena The Palio is the life of the people of Siena in time and in different aspects and feelings. It has ancient origins with some regulations still valid since 1644, when it was over the first prize with horses The territory of the city is divided into seventeen contrada / region with the borders established in 1729 by the Notice of Violante of Bavaria, Governor of the City. Each Contrada is like a small state, ruled by a Seggio headed by Prior and guided in the "carousel" by a Captain, assisted by two or three Contrada called "Mangini". Within its territory, there is a Church with adjoining headquarters where all the heritage is guarded: relics of victories, costumes, - those in use and many of ancient date - flags, and everything else concerning life in the Contrada.

Night of Saint John The evening of 23 June, Saint John's Eve, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke states that John was born about six months before Jesus; therefore, the feast of John the Baptist was fixed on 24 June, six months before Christmas Eve. This feast day is one of the very few saints' days which commemorates the anniversary of the birth, rather than the death, of the saint being honored.

Women’s Day (BY Aurora Abballe and Aurora Cianchi—ITALY)

BRIGHAM YOUNG You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a WOMAN, and you educate a GENERATION.

SOURE / PORTUGAL SCHOOL VISIT

On the 25th of November of 2015, a Wednesday afternoon, we went to Coimbra to visit the office of the daily newspaper “As Beiras” so that we could learn more about journalism. We met Agostinho Franklin, the director of the newspaper and a former philosophy teacher, who was involved in the making of philosophy course books. He told us about the structure, the production and the conception of a newspaper. The newspaper main colours are cyan, black, blue and yellow and they’re made with printer plates. Each page of the newspaper is composed by six columns but its distribution is different in every page to appeal the reader; the space between the columns is white and is always the same. The font they use is “coranto”. The last page of the newspaper is where the latest news are, in case they are not of the utmost importance. We really liked this study visit. It was very interesting as we learnt a lot about the writing process and journalism. It was awesome! 62

T TO THE NEWSPAPER “AS BEIRAS” Gilles Lipovetsky is a French philosopher, writer, sociologist and professor, who was born on September 24 of 1944, in a town in south-west of France. He studied philosophy at the University of Grenoble. Gilles criticizes the model that came from that producing alienated individuals with fragile personalities prone to emotional disorder due to hedonism (philosophical doctrine that makes the pleasure one supreme good and object of life) and immediate gratification. Agostinho Franklin, the director of the newspaper that we visited in November 25, talked about this philosopher (Lipovetsky), in an individualism context, which is the tendency for independence and for the definition of particular goals rather than collective objectives. In the journal they have a rubric called “Protagonist” to let the readers know about someone who changed our society with good deeds.

Nicholas Negroponte

also mentioned by our host, is the founder and Chairman Emeritus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab (The MIT Media Lab is an interdisciplinary research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology devoted to projects at the convergence of technology, multimedia, sciences, art and design), and also founded the One Laptop per Child Association (OLPC). Negroponte joined the faculty of MIT in 1966; for several years thereafter he divided his teaching time between MIT and several visiting professorships at Yale, Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley. In 1992, Negroponte became involved in the creation of Wired Magazine as the first investor. From 1993 to 1998, he contributed by writing a monthly column to the magazine in which he reiterated a basic theme: "Move bits, not atoms." Negroponte expanded many of the ideas from his Wired columns into a bestselling book Being Digital (1995). 63

Acknowledgements Many, many thanks to all partner teachers and students involved in this project who, one way or the other, some closer other farther, have contributed for the success of this journey together. To (my) students, a very special word from the heart for their commitment and dedication: may you keep focused and have success throughout your personal lives and professional careers.

CONTRIBUTORS:

- Students from GREECE & Teacher Theodora Gkeniou - Students from ITALY & Teachers Antonietta Calo, M. Rosaria Gismondi & Roberta Monache - Students from POLAND & Teacher Joanna Lisewska

Last, but not at all the least, - Students from PORTUGAL & Teachers Alexandra Duarte, GlĂłria Aleixo & Maria JosĂŠ Malo

TWINSPACE: https://twinspace.etwinning.net/7450/home

SOURE / PORTUGUESE STUDENTS AT WORK

ROBERT JOHN MEEHAN We are not “just” teachers, we are the managers of the world’s greatest resource: Children!