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Archive for July, 2012


Education by the Numbers

August is traditionally the month when summer vacation ends and students return to school (or begin a new stage of their lives with college, trade/vocational school, etc). “You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.” —Clay Bedford On a global scale, the education of children and adult students is important to every nation. In the United States each year, an estimated 74.1 million students go to public or private schools, from pre-K to high school to higher education, and attend classes taught by 3.7 million teachers. Click to Read more…

Mindy

Friendship Day

International Friendship Day occurs annually on the first Sunday in August (August 5 in 2012) and is celebrated around the globe, particularly since the advent of the Internet, social networking, and cell phones have made it much easier to celebrate this special holiday with friends no matter where they may be in the world. “A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” —Elbert Hubbard First proposed in 1919, Friendship Day had largely been abandoned by the 1940s in the United States, but Asian countries like Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia continued to celebrate this special day for friends. With the rise of digital communication, Friendship Day became Click to Read more…

Mindy

Five Facts About Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr

In 2012, the religious observance of Ramadan begins Thursday evening, July 19, and ends with the celebration of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the holiest period in the Islamic lunar calendar, a time of fasting, prayer, and spiritual reflection. For Muslims, Ramadan is the most important holy day of the year. With that in mind, here are Five Facts About Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr: What is the Significance of Fasting During Ramadan? By refraining from eating or drinking during the day, Muslims have more time to put in the effort to follow the teachings of Islam, pray, study the Qur’an, and practice a deep, personal worship of Allah, as Click to Read more…

Mindy

Le Quatorze Juillet: Bastille Day

Each year on July 14, the French and people of French origin celebrate Bastille Day – known as La Fête Nationale (the National Celebration) in France, and also called Le Quatorze Juillet (Fourteenth of July) and Fête de la Bastille. Bastille Day does not actually celebrate the storming of the Bastille (a fort and prison in Paris) by the revolutionary mob. Instead, the date marks the anniversary of the Fête de la Fédération on July 14, 1790, an official event –  a cross between a military parade and a religious rally – in Paris to celebrate the end of the Revolution. Today, the date is celebrated not only in France, Click to Read more…

Mindy

Fourth of July – the Big Bang

Americans don’t have to look up the date for Independence Day – it’s also known as the Fourth of July, and is an annual federal holiday which commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This document declared the American colonies’ independence from Great Britain. “The United States is the only country with a known birthday.” —James G. Blaine In 1870, Congress declared Independence Day – July 4th – as an annual federal holiday, though Independence Day celebrations had taken place in American since 1777. On the fourth of July, Americans traditionally celebrate with picnics, barbecues, a day at the beach, carnivals, baseball games, family reunions, parades, Click to Read more…

Mindy