Around Bali

Bali, the fabled "Island of the Gods", has been enchanting visitors for centuries with its rich cultural traditions and spectacular pano ramas. From lofty, misty enshrouded volcanoes and cool mountain lakes down through terraced rice fi elds to a golden strand lapped by azure waters, every square inch of Bali offers a fresh and unforgottable image. No less enchanting are its people, some 2.7 million souls whose artistry and piety are recog nised throughout the world. Balinese Hinduism, a complex fusion of Indian cosmo logy, Tantric Buddism and homegrown mytho logy, is the primary faith of Bali's inhabitants, and so deeply woven into the fabric of their daily lives that the line between the spiritual and the material is blurry at best. The shoppers among you will fi nd Bali a treasure house of handicrafts and...

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Goldilocks And The Three Bears

Once there were three bears that lived in a house in the woods: a papa bear, a mama bear, and a baby bear. One morning they decided to take a walk before breakfast to let their porridge cool. A little girl named Goldilocks lived with her mother nearby. Goldilocks took a walk through the woods and found the bear’s house. She smelled the porridge in the kitchen and went inside. Goldilocks tasted the porridge in each bowl and finally ate up the porridge in the small bowl. Then she sat on a big chair, but she didn’t like it, because it was hard. Afterwards she sat on the small chair, and it was just right. But while she was sitting on it she broke it. After eating the porridge, Goldilocks felt full and sleepy, and then she went upstairs. There she found a small bed. She lay down on it and fell asleep. While she was...

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School Uniform, another Good Lesson

School uniform is special clothes worn by all students of a particular school. The uniform of a school may differ from others. Why should schools use uniforms? Below are some reasons. First of all, Notre Dame’s Department of Sociology produced a study in 1998 concerning school uniforms. Their fi ndings using 10th grade students showed that uniforms have no direct effect on “substance abuse, behavioural problems or attendance.” It also claimed a negative effect on student achievements for those students considered ‘pro-school’. Secondly, uniform helps to create a strong sense school ethos and a sense of belonging to a particular community. As such it promotes discipline and helps to drive up academic standards, which is why a uniform is often adopted by schools which are being reopened with a  fresh start...

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Home Schooling

Home schooling is an education system which provides child’s main education programme at home. Home schooling takes the place of full-time school attendance and, in the United States and Canada, it usually meets state requirements for compulsory education. Although home schooling could achieve the objectives of compulsory education, there are some points that should be noticed from the home schooling. First, the idea of taking our children’s education on home schooling can be a bit intimidating. Since our country is so large and the people are from so many different kinds of backgrounds, students need some kind of social glue to make them stick together and to give them a sense of unity in spite of all the differences. They will not get such a unity when they are in home schooling. They will get the sense of unity...

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Gawai Dayak

Gawai Day or Gawai Dayak, is a festival celebrated in Sarawak. It is both a religious and social occasion. Gawai Dayak literally means “Dayak Festival”. Dayak visit their friends and relatives on this day. Those far away receive greeting cards. The mode of celebrations varies from place to place. The festival is celebrated on the 1st of June every year. However, it actually starts on the evening of 31st of May. Gawai Dayak celebration may last for several days. On the evening of 31st of May, the ceremony to cast the greediness spirit away (Muai Antu Rua) is held. Then, offering ceremony (miring) is conducted. Thanking gods for the good harvest, guidance, blessings and long life is done through sacrifi cing a cockerel. At midnight spirit welcoming procession (Ngaluh Petara) is held. Then, the celebration gets merrier...

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The Little Girl and the Wolf James Thurber

One afternoon, a big wolf waited in the dark forest for a little girl to come along carrying a basket of food to her grandmother. Finally, the little girl came along and she was carrying a basket of food. "Are you carrying that basket to your grandmother?" asked the wolf. The little girl said yes she was. So the wolf asked her where her grandmother lived and the little girl told him and he disappeared into the woods. When the little girl opened the door of her grand mother's house, she saw there was somebody in bed with a nightcap and nightgown on. She had approached no nearer than twenty-five feet from the bed when she saw that it was not her grandmother but the wolf, for even in a nightcap a wolf doesn't look anymore like your grandmother than Metro-Goldwyn lion looks like Calvin Coolidge. So the little girl took...

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