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World Press Freedom Day

May 3rd is the annual commemoration of World Press Freedom Day
As Secretary Rice has said, "there is no more important pillar of democracy than a free and active press." (April, 10, 2007)

The United States values freedom of the press as a key component of democratic governance. Democratic societies are not infallible, but they are accountable, and the exchange of ideas is the foundation for accountable governance.

UNESCO is organizing World Press Freedom Day celebration, from 2 to 3 May 2009 in Doha, the capital of Qatar. This year’s Day, placed under the auspices of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser Al-Missned, is organized jointly by UNESCO and the Doha Centre for Media Freedom.



What do people do?

World Press Freedom Day gives people the chance to pay tribute to media professionals who risked or lost their lives in the line of duty. Many communities, organizations and individuals take part in this day through various events such as art exhibitions, dinners featuring keynote speakers, and awards nights to honor those who risked their lives to bring news to the world.

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What happened in May throughout history?

• First American in Space: On May 5, 1961, Mercury Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (right, headed to launch) blasted off in his Freedom 7 capsule atop a Mercury-Redstone rocket (left). His 15-minute sub-orbital flight made him the first American in space.

• Mother’s Day is in May: Mothers Day is a special day for honoring Mothers through out the world. The Mother's Day holds great significance for all of us. As usual, the Mothers Day 2009 will be celebrated on May 10th, 2009 in the U. S. whereas the U. K. will celebrate the Mothering Sunday (Mother's Day) , 2009 on date March, 22nd.
  

• Computer education week ( May 4 -10)
  

• First Telegraph Message Transmitted (1844)

• Golden Gate Bridge Opened ( 1937)

• Brooklyn Bridge Opened (1883)
  

• Empire State Building Opened (1931)
  

• New York Stock Exchange Established( 1972)
  

• Amelia Earhart Flew Solo Across the Atlantic (1932)
  

• Linda Finch Completed Earhart’s Flight Around the World ( 1997)
  

• Mt. Everest Summit Reached (1953)

• Olympic Games first held in U.S. (1904)

Asian-Pacific Heritage Month

This Year's Theme : Leadership, Diversity and Harmony—Gateway to Success



According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Asians and Pacific Islanders make up the fastest growing racial group in the United States, numbering more than 10 million people, or nearly 4 percent of the total population. The diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander American population includes members of more than 30 ethnic groups who speak more than 300 languages and dialects.

One of the reasons May was chosen for this celebration was to pay tribute to the first Japanese immigrants, who came to the United States in May 1843.

People across the country honor Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with community festivals, government gatherings, and educational activities for students.

About This Year's Theme
Leadership, Diversity and Harmony—Gateway to Success

The theme for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month is selected annually by the Federal Asian Pacific American Council, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization organized exclusively for educational purposes to promote equal opportunity and cultural diversity for Asian Pacific Americans within in the federal and D.C. governments.
This year’s theme, “Leadership, Diversity and Harmony—Gateway to Success,” honors the many contributions citizens of Asian and Pacific Island ancestry have made to America. Through their entrepreneurship and strong values of love and family, they have strengthened the economy and enriched communities across the nation.


http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/heritage_month/apahm/index.html

Earth Day

April 22, 2009

Earth Day, April 22, is the annual U.S. celebration of the environment and a time for Americans to assess the work still needed to protect the natural gifts of our planet. Earth Day has no central organizing force behind it, though several nongovernmental organizations work to keep track of the thousands of local events in schools and parks that mark the day…

Read more here.source:
Image: http://www.ridgewoodnj.net/assets/news_articles/World%20in%20hands.jpg

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Jazz Appreciation Month

Jazz. Jazz is the most consequential, influential and innovative music to emerge from the United States, and New Orleans, Louisiana, is widely known as the birthplace of jazz. No city, except perhaps for New York, has received more visiting jazz aficionados than New Orleans.

Ragtime. This syncopated, quintessentially piano music is one of the roots of jazz. A small display of artifacts from Scott Joplin, "The King of Ragtime Writers," is at the State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Missouri — the town where Joplin composed his famous Maple Leaf Rag. Sedalia hosts the annual Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival. In much larger St. Louis, you can visit one of Joplin's homes, the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site.

Blues. The twelve-bar blues is arguably the only musical form created wholly in the United States, and the state of Mississippi often is considered the birthplace of the blues. Certainly the state produced many leading blues musicians, including Charley Patton, Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and B.B. King. Most came out of the broad floodplain known as the Mississippi Delta, which runs 322 kilometers along the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee, south to Vicksburg, Mississippi. This part of Mississippi boasts three modest blues museums: the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, the Blues & Legends Hall of Fame Museum in Robinsonville and the Highway 61 Blues Museum located in Leland.

National Poetry Month

Inaugurated by the Academy in April 1996, National Poetry Month brings together publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools, and poets around the country to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture.

Thousands of businesses and non-profit organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.


http://www.poets.org/images/npm_poster_2009_550.gif