Holy Week

Do u know what Holy Week means? Do u know how to call each and every day of this period?

Here we go!

Holy Week is celebrated by Christians around the world to commemorate the most important events in Christianity: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It starts with Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter Sunday which commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The days that follow are:

Holy Monday
Holy Tuesday
Holy Wednesday
Maundy Thursday - when Jesus had his Last Supper with his Apostles.
Good Friday - when Jesus was crucified and died.
Holy Saturday - when Jesus' body laid in the tomb.
Easter Sunday - when Jesus' resurrection happened.

Celebrations take place by exchanging Easter eggs, which symbolize life.

This year, my husband and I have decided to buy a Cherry Brandy egg, by Kopenhagen. We are absolutely crazy about it!!! We're still deciding what we're gonna do from Maundy Thursday on, but we may stick to sth simple this year, like having lunch in our moms' houses or sth of the kind.

What about u? How r u gonna celebrate? Leave your comments below!

XXX
Sabrina

Nuclear Energy

Since the latest earthquake and tsunamis in Japan, much has been discussed about the pros and cons of nuclear energy and whether or not we should make use of nuclear power.

The main reason for considering such use is that it can be the quickest solution to the monster we've been trying to defeat: global warming. This is so because power plants emit a relatively little amount of CO² in the atmosphere; a dream come true.

On the other hand, nuclear waste's extremely dangerous, and it's still an unsolved problem. Not to mention that it's technically impossible to build a plant with 100% security, which means accidents can happen. The consequences of such accidents would be absolutely devastating not only for us, human beings, but also for nature as a whole. Last but not least, plants could be preferred targets for terrorist attacks, which would have catastrophic effects for the entire world.

I'm not gonna ask u if u're for or against the building of nuclear plants and the use of nuclear power. But I'll leave u with an image which, btw, moved me and made me reflect too. Especially when we're aware of the fact that, what happens somewhere reflects somewhere else. And this somewhere else is none other than our entire planet.

XXX
Sabrina

U2 - Miss Sarajevo

The idea for this post came up during a lesson. I was helping one of my students, who is going to São Paulo for U2's concert - the 360º tour - and thought: OMG! Why don't I post sth about U2 in the blog?

It's no secret I'm absolutely crazy about U2. And I'm almost dying I can't go to their show. U know, neither money nor anywhere to stay. Guess the tickets have even been sold out.

Anyway, U2's got this political vein which so much attracts me; they're a worldwide known band which uses their influence for fighting for causes like human rights and the end of international conflicts. Nobody does it better. That's why I've chosen this song - Miss Sarajevo.

The song Miss Sarajevo was based on a documentary of the same name, which is about a beauty pageant held during war-torn Sarajevo, Bosnia. The contest is only the most symbolic statement among the storm of protests that happened during the war. Like the others, it was a way of sending a message: life can triumph against death.

Therefore, take some minutes to watch the video. It was recorded live during the Vertigo Tour in 2005 and is my favourite version of the song. Pay special attention to Bono's speech before he sings - "we'd like to turn our song into a prayer. And the prayer is, that we don't become a monster in order to defeat a monster." Also, note the contrasts in the lyrics and the screen showing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the end. Guess u're gonna like it very much.

Let me (us) know about your opinion and remember: I always answer to your comments!

XXX
Sabrina