Oktoberfest a celebration of german culture

Oktoberfest is one of the world's great seasonal festivals. It is held every fall in Munich, Bavaria, and in other locations around the world. The first Oktoberfest started as a series of horse races in honour of the wedding of the Crown Prince of Bavaria in 1810. The horse races became an annual event and were combined with the state agricultural fair the following year. By 1818 the folks were setting up booths and serving food and drink. By the late 1800s the booths had become large beer halls or tents. And that is the image of Oktoberfest that persists to this day. The beer tents are still set up each year at Oktoberfest on the Theresienwiese, named in honor of the Crown Prince's bride. Today the Munich festival also features a large midway and fair, and always lots of eating and beer drinking. This year’s Munich Oktoberfest runs from Sept. 21 through October 6, and it is expected that roughly 6 million foreigners will visit the city. They will be there for the non-stop festivities -- "endless rounds of beer, sausages, toasts, dances, parades and oompah bands." Bavaria is a distinctively Catholic area and carries on the Catholic tradition of celebrating the abundance of the earth with lots of jovial merrymaking, hearty eating, and unrestrained drinking. Oktoberfest in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada The world's second largest Bavarian Oktoberfest celebration is held in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The large German community in the Waterloo County area had been accustomed to celebrating Oktoberfest at their local cultural clubs. In 1969, some enterprising citizens took the festival, then being held annually at the Concordia Club in Kitchener, out into the community. They saw it as an opportunity to turn it into a civic event that the entire community could share in. It became a uniquely local celebration of the deep German traditions of the area. Since those first years, the Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest has become the largest Bavarian festival in North America, and hosts the grandest Thanksgiving Day Parade in Canada. Visitors come from all over North America and around the world to share in the spirit of Gemuetlichkeit. As in Munich, numerous Festhallen (large beer tents) are set up around the community, and the trademark eating, drinking, and celebrating takes place day and night for two weeks. There are also a growing number of family and cultural events including presentations highlighting German traditions, language, clothing, dancing, music, and cuisine.

Spike lee top films and unforgettable controversies

Spike Lee is one of the most influential and provocative American moviemakers. Recently, he celebrated the 20 year anniversary for the release of his remarkable debut film Shes Gotta Have It. His films are groundbreaking in their controversial approach towards social and political issues and offer different perspective on race, class and gender issues in contemporary America. Spike Lee was born as Shelton Jackson Lee in 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia to a jazz musician and an art teacher. When Lee was a young child, the family relocated to Brooklyn, which was used as a background for many of Spike Lee's movies. Lee's talent was recognized while he was still a film student in NYU. His thesis film Joes Bed Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads won 1983 Student Academy Award for best director. Spike Lee's debut movie Shes Gotta Have It was released in 1986. The movie was shot in 12 days in a budget of 175,000 dollars. The film was written, produced and directed by Spike Lee. Shes Gotta Have It tells the story of Nora Darling, a young, independent African American graphic designer who cannot commit to any of her three lovers. Tracy Camilla Jones played the role of Nora Darling. Tommy Redmond Hicks and John Canada Terrell along with Lee himself played the three men in Noras life. Shes Gotta Have It was a landmark film in its presentation of African American characters in an American movie and part of the explosion of 80s independent movie industry. The African American community embraced the movie, which displayed a non stereotypical group of young, intelligent black American people. The film won the Prix de Jeuness at the Cannes film festival for the best new film by a newcomer. The 1992 biographic epic Malcolm X is considered by many as Lee's best film. The 195 minutes movie depicts the story of the African American activist Malcolm X, from his early childhood to his assassination. Lee uses the Malcolm X story to confront the audience with the racial discrimination and violence that black people went through during the 1950s and 1960s in America. Spike Lee's name was associated with many controversies. He was often accused of anti Semitism and racism for portraying Jews and Italians in his films a stereotypical manner. His 2001 television miniseries about one of the Black Panthers founders, Huey P. Newton, stirred another controversy, which helped establish Lee's image as a provocative and radical figures in the American film industry. Lee's latest project is the documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, which tells the story of New Orleans post and pre hurricane Katrina. The four hours documentary is about the New Orleans culture, the damage caused by hurricane Katrina and the recovery efforts. Lee does not spare his critic on the government inadequate reaction to the destruction. 5 Top Movies Directed by Spike Lee Do The Right Thing: this 1989 comic drama shows what happens in Brookline when the interracial tension heats up during the hottest day of the year. Starring: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro Mo Better Blues: Denzel Washington as a jazz trumpeter who makes all the wrong decisions regarding his musical career and relationships. Jungle Fever tells a pessimistic interracial love story between an African American man and an Italian American woman. Girl 6 looks at the life of a young black actress who prefers working as a phone girl than being abused by movie directors 25th Hour is dedicated to the last 24 hours in the life of a New York drug dealer before his jail term begins.

Malaysia my second home

WHO CAN APPLY FOR MALAYSIA MY SECOND HOME? The Malaysia my Second Home program is open for all citizens of countries recognized by Malaysia. Since Malaysia is an example of a multi-cultural society: people of all race, religion, gender or age can apply. Applicants are allowed to bring along their spouse and children, as long as the childern are below 18 and are not married. HEALTH INSURANCE Applicants to the Malaysia my Second Home must have a valid health insurance from any insurance company in Malaysia. FIXED INCOME OR FIXED SAVINGS ACCOUNT Since April 2006 : * applicants under 50 need a savings account or fixed deposit of US$75,000 or RM300,000 in a bank in Malaysia * applicants over 50 need a savings account or fixed deposit of US$40,000 or RM150,000 OR they need to show evidence of a monthly income over US$2500 or RM10,000. Applicants placing fixed deposits in a savings account can withdraw part of the money of the savings account after one year, but the money needs to be spend again inside Malaysia: * to buy a car in Malaysia, * to buy a house in Malaysia * to buy shares in Malaysia. Be aware: during your stay under the Malaysia My Second Home Visa, you are not allowed to work anywhere in Malaysia unless approved by the government. As long as your Malaysia My Second Home Visa is valid, at least US$15,000 or RM60,000 has to be in your savings account.