NDSM - Amsterdam

Imspiring Mornings - Latino Culture Mix 3

Soundtreack: Ta Perdoado - Maria Rita

"The exact origins of tango—both the dance and the word itself—are lost in myth and an unrecorded history. The generally accepted theory is that in the mid-1800s, the African slaves who had been brought to Argentina or their descendants began to influence the local culture. The word “tango” may be straightforwardly African in origin, meaning “closed place” or “reserved ground.” Or it may derive from Portuguese (and from the Latin verb tanguere, to touch) and was picked up by Africans on the slave ships.

Inspiring Mornings - Latino Culture Mix 2

Soundtrack: Tiene Sabor - Buena Vista Social Club, Omara Portuondo

"Rio Carnival is all about the spirit of harmony and community, which is aptly presented by the samba schools that bring together people from all lifestyles. Most schools represent the working class community from the favelas, the vital elements and the backbone of Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival.

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The lavish costumes, elaborate floats, samba songs, and dance routines are all designed and organized by members of the school. Executing a theme at the samba parade requires precision, which is why it involves months of preparation. Today, the Samba and the Carnival have crossed socio-economic lines. They have won the hearts of all people in both the country and the world.

Rio is home to over 100 samba schools, with only 12 making it to the Special Group, a place of pride for many. This group is what has made the Rio Carnival the biggest event on the planet with their incredible parades and lavish costumes. Many of the top samba schools have over four thousand participants with each one having a specific role to play at the samba parade.

Samba schools take their name from their community. Names such as Bejia-Flor, Mocidade, Salgueiro, and Mangueira have their feet firmly planted in the Special Group of Rio Carnival. Each samba school shares a special bond with its members, where success is a matter of communal pride, especially considering how hard they work all year long to compete at the Sambadrome during Rio Carnival. A successful samba school raises the level of pride and self-esteem of all its members, rich and poor alike. As a matter of fact, the most popular samba school in the country sprung from the impoverished Favelas of Rio and to this day, continues to captivate the imagination and enchant people worldwide."

Source: http://www.rio.com/rio-carnival/about-rio-samba-schools

Inspiring Mornings - Latino Culture Mix 1

SoundTrack: De Camino a La Vereda  - Buena Vista Social Club

Andean weaving is rich with innumerable  Quechua symbols and patterns. Anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, and geometric patterns tell complex stories of the interactions between the artisans and their natural environment. Every detail of a textile conveys meaning, from the woven symbols

Rufas Cage Elementary School Photos

Rufas Cage Elementary School

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE 
“The Rufus Cage School is one of the oldest public school buildings still standing in Houston. Built in 1910 as a county school, the two-story mission style brick schoolhouse served generations of East End families until 1983, when a new building was built for Cage Elementary on nearby Leeland Street. Since that time, the original Cage School has served as a storage facility for HISD.

Architecture is a way of living