THE END...

Ladies and Gentlemen,

our "world tour" is over now...

Thank you for participating in this course and the high working moral you all have shown! I enjoyed being your teacher... By the way I am going to pay attention to your feedback (positive feedback and criticsm!) and try to realise some aspects next year with the new "English in the internet" class :-)

I wish you all the best for your future and hope that you all can reach your personal aims...

Yours,

F. Polat

Kingston

Kingston is theCapital of Jamaica.Kingston is in the south of the Island.
Kingston was build in 1693 out of Port Royal.Port Royal were destroyed because of an earthquake.The people who lived in Port Royal had to live for the first time in Tents.John Goffe designed the Plan of the City and already in 1716 was Kingston the biggest City of Jamaica.
Kingston is the Centre of the economy in Jamaica.
In kingston ther es a big habour and a airport so that is really good for inport and export of products.
30% of the population has no work and jamaica get bigger and bigger,because more and more people move to Jamaica.
22% of the population works in the farming buisness.
Popular Products of jamaica are Bananas,Coffe,Pepper,Potatos,Rice and Coconuts.
In Kingston you will find the Ward Theatre and the Museum of Bob Marley.Other interesting buildings are the Jamaica House and the seat of the president.

Von Angelina&Alina

Jamaican Landscape and Geology

Jamaica lies on the northern edge of the Caribbean plate, which lies next to the North American plate. That's the reason for many earthquakes in the country. Two-thirds of the western and middle country are covered by chalkstone, lots of the mountains up to 900 metres height are based of it. The chalkstone is the reason, why in Jamaica aren't many lakes. In the coast of Jamaica lies one of the deepest ocean deeps, the Cayman Trough with 7680 metres depth. Bauxite is the most important natural resource, it's the basis for aluminium. Other important recources are cast and marble. Jamaica's highest mountain is the Blue Mountain Peak, it's 2256 metres high and lies in the mountain range Blue Mountains in the east of the country. Many short rivers characterize the countryside of Jamaica, the most of the rivers flow to the north ot the south. Probably the longest river in Jamaica is the Rio Minho, it's 92,5 kilometres long. Other important rivers are the Black River (53,4 kilometres), the Cabaritta River (39,7 kilometres) and the Rio Cobre, which is important for the farming and the electricity of Spanish Town, a big city.

© Maurizio

Sports

Cricket is the most widespread sports in Jamaica. The Briton brought Cricket to the island and widespread in 19.centenary. The cricket player who have been succesful played in great britain. Today in Jamaica are two stage. International Jamaica played with other States in the west indian team. In the year 2007 the semi final was in Jamaica. the athletes provided for consider with the Summer Olympics in Helsinki, they won gold and silver medallions. This success produced ones consider with the youngsters, more and more youngsters aim at this achievement. The youngsters are pulled by the street and have to protect the possibility as athletes to themselves a sure source of income.

Chiquita

Jamaica is a banana exporter and because of this, we should know something about one of the three biggest banana (fruit) corporations of the world: Chiquita.

Chiquita, a US corporation, is founded in 1899 and grew because of its trade with tropical fruits like bananas (mainly this). Today, Chiquita bananas wear the "Rainforest" sticker, so they want to show that their bananas are produced fair and environmentally friendly. But it doesn't seem to be like this: There's much information about bad work conditions, poisonous pesticides and workers who are made redundant because of their commitment in an union (like the german Gewerkschaften).

Chiquita says that the workers on Chiquita plantages get more money than workers from other plantages, that their workers have protective clothing and work times which are shorter than work times at other plantages. According to different internet articles this is true. Workers at Chiquita plantages have better conditions than ones from others, but this conditions aren't good. I'm sure that the workers aren't treated fair- They are lucky if they have every possible job, because they need the money. In a report about the conditions on African flower plantages a worker (who was made unrecognizable) said "Our work conditions are really bad, but a little bit money is better than no money.". This dependence of workers on the one side and the avarice for profit of corporations on the other side give rise to the suspicion that workers, not only of Chiquita, are put-upon by big corporations.

Now a lot of people will say something like 'Oh, that's really terrible' while chomping into a 'normal' banana. They justify it by saying 'I'm not a corporation, I can't do something' but that's wrong.

Everyone can do something- No one is forced to buy this bananas, everyone can send a sign to the big corporations by buying bananas from fair trade. This bananas are sold everywhere- All bananas at Tegut are Fairtrade-bananas, even Lidl has some Fairtrade-bananas (look at the Fairtrade symbol!).

So I call you for stop buying bananas which are cultivated by put-upon workers and start buying bananas with the Fairtrade symbol to change the world a little bit to a better, a more human world.

pictures from:

http://www.teleboerse.de/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

Usain Bolt - World's Fastest Man

The famous sprinter from Jamaica, is known because of his domination in the 100 and 200 metres competitions, leading to 3 world records in the first category and two in the second. Jamaica, also the homeland of a world record setting sprinter Asaf Powell, has enjoyed the class of the 1.96 metres man, who only weighs 86 kilos, whose success resets Jamaica on the map of countries with popular sport athletes, admired in the whole world. Early in his youth, it became clear he would be one of the greatest ever, breaking lots of records in junior competitions in the categories 100 and 200 metres sprint. When his first Oplympics 2004 started with a breakdown in the forerun because of a injury of his calf, he was utterly frustrated. In the year of 2006, he nearly beat the record set in the Athletissima meeting, one year later he succeded and became the third fastest man in the world, at an age of 20. In the May of 2008 he showed an increasing fitness by setting new personal bests in the 100 metres sprint. The summer olympics 2008 finally lead to his best 100 metres performance ever, coming along with a time of 9,69 seconds and the new world record, the first Olympic gold medal of the 100 metres sprint won by a Jamaican. The most impressing fact is, he ran part of the distance with undone laces and slowed down at the end to wide his arms and celebrate his safe win. He also won the 200 metres sprint, facing headwind. 2009 no on in the world could doubt his greatness, because he even improved his time by setting a new world record on the 100 metres, 9.58 seconds, reached in World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, when everyone expecting him to succed as he did. He didn't let anyone down. His second competition, the 200 metres also lead to a new world record and now he earned himselfthe title of the world's fastest man. Be honest: can such sheer greatness be honoured enough? In Jamaica he's very popular, as in the rest the world and he's earned most of his money by getting commercial contracts. So his succes holds on, when it will end, no one knows.
Lukas and Jonathan

Bob Marley

Robert Nesta Marley was born at the 06.02.1945 in a place in Jamaica that's called Nine Miles, it's in the north. His father was a 50-year old member of the british army, his mother was about 18 years old and she had to raise him up herself. After a while the family moved into the capital city Kingston, they wanted to built up a new life but they endet up in a slum. He became interested in a new way of music, music from the USA like Ray Charles, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield and some else. So he and his friends started to play music, they were thought by Joe Higgs. They named themselves "The Wailing Wailers".
After some years they became really famous in Kingston. In 1966 he married his wife Rita, but he moved to the US with his mum later. He just wanted to collect some money for his band but when I came back, after 8 months, he was a religious man and a member of "Rastafari".
Even if their label was bankrupt after a while, they got to know a guy called Lee "Scratch" Perry, who was an producer. With "Soul Rebel", "Duppy Conqueror", "400 Years" and "Small Axe" they had their first break-trough. They had some new members and they changed their name to "The Wailers".
After many exciting years, full of trouble, full of travelling around and of music about politics, love, redemption, peace and all that, he was nearly dying in the most succesfull years he had. After a football-match his foot was injured and he passed out, the diagnosis was canser in his brain.
He was patient of a special natural therapy, but nothing helped. On his way back to Jamaica the 36-year old Bob Marley died, in Miami at the 11.05.1981.
Even after his death people are buying his music, they're thinking of him and his influence is still part of the culture.

Sarah & Sophie