Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual event in which fair and ethical trading values are celebrated. The concept was pioneered by the Fairtrade Foundation in the United Kingdom, and held firstly in 1997 in Scotland directed by Barnaby Miln. Its national launch was on 12 February 1997 at Augustine United Church on Edinburgh's George IV Bridge by Lady Marion Fraser, chairman of the charity Christian Aid. She broke a bar of fairtrade chocolate to launch the event.
It turned out to be a highly successful campaign to get every supermarket throughout Scotland to stock Fairtrade products. Supporters of Christian Aid Scotland, SCIAF, Traidcraft, Oxfam and the World Development Movement were sent by Barnaby Miln a list of 85 supermarkets in Scotland's cities and larger towns, and encouraged during the Fortnight to go and ask for Fairtrade products.
Fairtrade fortnight spread to the rest of the United Kingdom the following year. Today, Fairtrade fortnights are celebrated in several countries, most notably Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Pancake Day in the UK is also known as Shrove Tuesday, and is celebrated as Carnival and Mardi Gras elsewhere in the world. Enjoyed on 21st February 2012, it falls just before Lent, and was traditionally a day of fun and feasting before the fasting during 40 days of Lent.
Joke of the week
Waiter, waiter, will the pancakes be long?
No sir, round.
Puzzle of the week
Throw three darts at this board to score 20.
Safer Internet Day 7th February
This year, Safer Internet Day (SID) will take place on Tuesday 7 February 2012 and will be centred around the theme Connecting generations and educating each other, with the slogan: "Discover the digital world together... safely.
About Connecting Generations
This topic looks at the reach of the online world across all generations and cultures and encourages families to work together to stay safe online. Whether you are 5, 40 or 75 years old, whether you use the internet once a month or several times a day - each person has something different to bring to the table that can help shape our online experiences and our understanding of online competences and safety. We all have a role to play in ensuring that every child is safe online.
Today our offline and online worlds are strongly connected, from families communicating via webcam with relatives and friends abroad to children doing their homework online. The online world is a unique arena where people of all ages can learn together and from each other, especially regarding online safety. Tech savvy youngsters can teach their elders how to use new technologies, while grandparents can draw on their life experiences to advise younger generations on how to stay safe online, as they discover the digital world together.
Puzzle of the week
What is the four-digit number in which the first digit is one-third the second, the third is the sum of the first and second, and the last is three times the second?
Joke of the week - Ready for next week!
What did the boy squirrel say to the girl squirrel on Valentine's Day?
I'm nuts about you!
What did the girl squirrel say to the boy squirrel on Valentine's Day?
