International Women’s Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women’s Day, is celebrated on March 8 every year.^[2] It commemorates the movement for women’s rights.

The earliest Women’s Day observance was held on February 28, 1909, in New York and organized by the Socialist Party of America.^[3] On March 8, 1917, in the capital of the Russian Empire, Petrograd, a demonstration of women textile workers began, covering the whole city. This was the beginning of the Russian Revolution.^[4] Seven days later, the Emperor of Russia Nicholas II abdicated and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote.^[3] March 8 was declared a national holiday in Soviet Russia in 1917. The day was predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.

Since 1986 we have placed well over 100,000 au pairs. Most of them women. The experience they gain on our program enables them to achieve goals in their lives that may not have been possible without their participation on our program. Our au pairs make the world a better place.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday!

The Atlantic Falcons will play the New England Patriots!

Lady Gaga stars in the half time show!

100 Million people will be watching!

Enjoy this very special American sports event!

Friday, January 20th, is the Inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States.

It’s a special event that happens every 4 years and will be broadcast all over America and in other parts of the world.

A Brief History of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a national holiday in the United States. It is celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday in November. On this day, families gather together, and many people say prayers of thanks for the years blessings. In many homes, a big dinner of roast turkey and dressing is served. Thanksgiving is traditionally a harvest festival. Similar festivals are celebrated in many parts of the world to give thanks after the years crops have been safely harvested. Canada celebrates its Thanksgiving the second Monday in October.
A small ship called the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, on September 16, 1620. The passengers spent 66 days in the hold of the ship arriving on November 21.

Most of them were Puritans who had been persecuted for their religious beliefs in England. One month later, on December 26, all 102 passengers set foot on land and began to establish the colony of Plymouth. The Pilgrims, as these people came to be called, had borrowed money from a group of English merchants to cross the Atlantic Ocean. They planned to start a settlement in the Virginia Colony in America, but during the long voyage, storms blew their crowded little vessel off course.

Mayflower
After sailing for more than two months, the Mayflower finally reached land near what is now Provincetown on Cape Cod. This part of the American coast, called New England, had been explored several years earlier by an Englishman named Capt. John Smith. The Pilgrims followed Smith’s maps and sailed across Cape Cod Bay to the mainland coast of Massachusetts.

They founded the Colony of Plymouth in December 1620. Most of the Pilgrims had suffered terribly from the long voyage. They immediately began to build shelters, but soon they were overcome by a general sickness. Through the course of the winter 46 died, nearly half their original number. Some who became ill on the voyage and who were too sick to be moved stayed on the Mayflower, which was anchored in Plymouth Harbor for the winter.

The Mayflower had been a cargo ship and had to be refitted to handle the Pilgrim passengers. It had three masts and a double deck. No one is sure of what happened to the original Mayflower after it returned to England the following April. A replica of the original Mayflower was built in England in the mid-1950’s. This ship, Mayflower II, sailed across the Atlantic in 1957 to commemorate the Pilgrim’s voyage. It is now anchored in Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts.

wheel barrow
The first American Thanksgiving probably took place in New England. It was celebrated by the Pilgrim settlers, who established Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. The Pilgrims had struggled bravely through a grim winter with much sickness and little food.

The following spring, friendly Indians helped the settlers to plant corn, and in the autumn, the first crop was harvested. Governor William Bradford proclaimed three days of prayer and thanksgiving. The Pilgrims gave a huge feast and invited the Indian Chief, Massosoit, and 90 of his people.

The custom of observing a special harvest thanksgiving day spread throughout the other colonies in the following years. After the American Revolution, the various states continued the custom, each one naming it’s own day for giving thanks. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day on the last Thursday in November. The present date was established by Congress in 1941.

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From November 14-18, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education will celebrate International Education Week (IEW), encouraging Americans and international students alike to seek opportunities to study abroad, make connections with peers in other countries, and ultimately to see themselves as actors in and shapers of both their local communities and a globalized future.

To open IEW, the State Department in collaboration with the Institute of International Education, publishes the annual Open Doors report of trends in study abroad. For the first time, more than one million international students studied at U.S. institutions of higher education, a 7 percent increase from the previous year. The total number of U.S. students studying abroad is also on the rise.

The theme for IEW in 2016 is “empowering youth through international education.” Throughout the week, events at schools and universities across the country and around the world will focus on the importance of international education in today’s global economy and why more students should have access to these experiences. The State Department is announcing a new collaboration with Diversity Abroad to work toward diversifying participation in international education overall and through exchange programs such as the Fulbright Program, the Critical Language Scholarship Program, and the Gilman Program. Additionally, the State Department will hold Passport to the World events throughout this month to encourage U.S. citizens to apply for a passport.

More can be found at iew.state.gov. For press inquiries

“Supermoon” is a non-technical term for a moon that turns full at the same time it hits perigee — the point on its orbit when it is closest to Earth. The moon’s path around our planet is shaped more like an oval than a circle, so there are times when it is closer to us (perigee) and times when it is farther away (apogee).

Supermoons occur about once every 14 months on average. However,  tonight’s supermoon is extra super because the moon will be even closer to Earth than usual.

At its closest approach, the moon will be 221,524 miles from our planet, compared with an average distance of 238,900 miles.

The last time the moon sailed this close to Earth was on Jan. 26, 1948, when it came 30 miles closer. The next time won’t be until Nov. 24, 2034, when the distance between the two bodies will be 40 miles less.

Why does the distance between the Earth and the moon fluctuate so much?

As Bob King explains in Sky & Telescope, the shape of the moon’s orbit varies due to the ever-changing distances and relative position of the sun, moon and Earth. Thanks to variations in these gravitational forces, the moon’s orbit is sometimes more oval shaped, and other times more like a circle.

“When more oval, the Moon’s perigee point gets unusually close to Earth, and if a full Moon arrives at that point, it will be considerably closer to us than during those times when the lunar orbit more closely resembles a circle,” King wrote.

Astronomers warn that some skywatchers may be disappointed by this particular lunar show. At its closest (3:23 a.m. Monday morning) the lunar disk will appear 7% larger across, and 16% brighter than an average moon. Many people will not notice a difference, they warn.

But I say — don’t underestimate the power of suggestion. If you take a minute to gaze upon our glowing, gorgeous moon, and remember that it is closer to us right now than it has been in more than half a century, I bet you anything it will look a little more special and super than usual.

Today is Veteran’s Day.

American’s take a moment today to appreciate all those who have served in the armed forces to provide us with the safety and freedom this country enjoys.  Many of us  have a family member, friend, neighbor or host parent who has served or is currently serving our country. Let’s all make a wish for a peaceful world as we honor our veterans today.

To find out more about veterans day and the history go to:

http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

Donald Trump won America’s Election for President.

He will be sworn in on January 20, 2017.

In the meantime, he will be called The President-Elect.

After a long campaign, Americans are hopeful that  we’ll know the results of this important election before we go to sleep tonight.  Voting is very important and is the core of any democratic country. If you are eligible to vote, did you????