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My creative partner is a writer, and he's got an executive producing credit on this film. We've made three films together and I would never underestimate the impact of a writer.

quote by Taylor Hackford
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Don't Underestimate The Power Of...

Don’t Underestimate The Power
Of Your Embrace
The Power You Hold
In That Timeless Place

When My World Stops
At Your Wonderful Touch
Suspended In Rapture
With You, Giving So Much

… Strength and Comfort
And Tender Care
Don’t Underestimate
The Power There …

Don’t Underestimate The Power
Of Holding Hands
A Symbol-Bond, Saying,
‘Together, We Stand’

As We Share and Show
As One, We Plan
To Face The Future
With GOD … ‘We Can’

Don’t Underestimate The Power
Of Seeing Your Face
Eyes of Night-Skies
And Lips Of Berries’ Taste

Those Mystery Eyes
When They Meet With Mine
Passion Pours
As Our Lips, Wine and Dine …

Don’t Underestimate The Power
Of Our Hearts
Don’t Underestimate The Power
O Love’s Great Art

Tho’ The Heart, May Be Struck
With 10,000 Darts
Love, Has The Power To Make It
To Never Break Apart!

Don’t Underestimate The Power
Of Your Embrace
Don’t Underestimate The Power
Of Your Sweet Face

[...] Read more

poem by MoonBee Canady
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Book IV - Part 03 - The Senses And Mental Pictures

Bodies that strike the eyes, awaking sight.
From certain things flow odours evermore,
As cold from rivers, heat from sun, and spray
From waves of ocean, eater-out of walls
Around the coasts. Nor ever cease to flit
The varied voices, sounds athrough the air.
Then too there comes into the mouth at times
The wet of a salt taste, when by the sea
We roam about; and so, whene'er we watch
The wormword being mixed, its bitter stings.
To such degree from all things is each thing
Borne streamingly along, and sent about
To every region round; and Nature grants
Nor rest nor respite of the onward flow,
Since 'tis incessantly we feeling have,
And all the time are suffered to descry
And smell all things at hand, and hear them sound.
Besides, since shape examined by our hands
Within the dark is known to be the same
As that by eyes perceived within the light
And lustrous day, both touch and sight must be
By one like cause aroused. So, if we test
A square and get its stimulus on us
Within the dark, within the light what square
Can fall upon our sight, except a square
That images the things? Wherefore it seems
The source of seeing is in images,
Nor without these can anything be viewed.

Now these same films I name are borne about
And tossed and scattered into regions all.
But since we do perceive alone through eyes,
It follows hence that whitherso we turn
Our sight, all things do strike against it there
With form and hue. And just how far from us
Each thing may be away, the image yields
To us the power to see and chance to tell:
For when 'tis sent, at once it shoves ahead
And drives along the air that's in the space
Betwixt it and our eyes. And thus this air
All glides athrough our eyeballs, and, as 'twere,
Brushes athrough our pupils and thuswise
Passes across. Therefore it comes we see
How far from us each thing may be away,
And the more air there be that's driven before,
And too the longer be the brushing breeze
Against our eyes, the farther off removed
Each thing is seen to be: forsooth, this work
With mightily swift order all goes on,
So that upon one instant we may see

[...] Read more

poem by Lucretius
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Paperback Writer

(LennonMcCartney)
Paperback writer
Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
It's based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer
It's the dirty story of a dirty man
And his clinging wife doesn't understand
His son is working for the Daily Mail
It's a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer
Paperback writer
It's a thousand pages, give or take a few
I'll be writing more in a week or two
I can make it longer if you like the style
I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer
If you really like it you can have the rights
It could make a million for you overnight
If you must return it, you can send it here
But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer
Paperback writer
Paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer
Paperback writer, paperback writer (fade out)

song performed by Paul McCartney
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Girls On Film (Night Version)

See them walking hand in hand
Across the bridge at midnight
Heads turning as the lights flashing out
Are so bright
And walk right out to the four line track
There's a camera rolling on her back
On her back
And I sense a rhythm humming in a frenzy
All the way down her spine
Girls on Film
Girls on Film
Girls on Film
Girls on Film
Lipstick cherry all over the lens as she's falling
And miles of sharp blue water coming in
Where she lies
The diving man's coming up for air
'Cause the crowd all love pulling Dolly by the hair
By the hair
And she wonders how she ever got here
As she goes under again
Girls on Film (Two minutes later)
Girls on Film
Girls on Film (Got your picture)
Girls on Film
Wider, baby, smile and you've just made a million
Fuses pumping live heat twisting out on a wire
Take one last glimpse into the night
I'm touching close
I'm holding bright, holding tight
Give me shudders in a whisper,
Take me up til I'm shooting a star
Girls on Film (she's more than a lady)
Girls on Film
Girls on Film (Two minutes later)
Girls on Film
Girls on Film (see you together)
Girls on Film
Girls on Film (see you later)
Girls on Film

song performed by Duran Duran
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Girls On Film

See them walking hand in hand across the bridge at midnight
Heads turning as the lights flashing out are so bright
Then walk right out to the fourline track
Theres a camera rolling on her back on her back
And I sense the rhythms humming in a frenzy
All the way down her spine
Girls on film
Girls on film
Girls on film
Girls on film
Lipstick cherry all over the lens as shes falling
In miles of sharp blue water coming in where she lies
The diving mans coming up for air
Cause the crowd all love pulling dolly by the hair, by the hair
And she wonders how she ever got here
As she goes under again
Girls on film (two minutes later)
Girls on film
Girls on film (got your picture)
Girls on film
Wider baby smiling youve just made a million
Fuses pumping live heat twisting out on a wire
Take one last glimpse into the night
Im touching close Im holding bright, holding tight
Give me shudders with a whisper take me high
Till I Im shooting a star
Girls on film (shes more than a lady)
Girls on film
Girls on film (see you together)
Girls on film
Girls on film (see you later)
Girls on film
Girls on film (two minutes later)

song performed by Duran Duran
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Thundercrack

Well, her brains they rattle and her bones they shake,
Oh! shes a angel from the inner lake
Her brains they rattle and her bones they shake,
Oh! shes a angel from the inner lake
Band: bruce:
Her brains they rattle and dont dance with her elway
Her bones they shake, dont dance with jake
All:
Oh! shes a angel from the inner lake
Her brains they rattle and she give me all the lovin
Her bones they shake, that a good man can take
Oh! shes a angel from the inner lake
Sha na na na na-ah o-oh
Sha na na na na-ah o-oh
Sha na na na na-ah o-oh
Sha na na na na-ah o-oh
Thundercrack!
Babys back
This time shell tell me how she really feels
And bring me down to her lightning shack
You can watch my partner reeling
She moves up! she moves back!
Out on the floor there aint nobody cleaner
She does this thing she calls the jump back jack
Shes got the heart of a ballerina
Straight from the bronx, hung on the line.
She slips she slides she slops she bops, she bumps, she grinds
Even them dance hall hacks from the west side of the tracks
Move in close to catch her timing
She moves up! she moves back!
Out on the floor there aint nobody cleaner
She does this thing she calls the jump back jack
Shes got the heart of a ballerina
She aint no little girl, she aint got no curls
And in her brown little eyes an image
Round and round and round and round and round...
She whirls
My hearts wood, shes a carpenter
Shes an angel in the night what she does is all right.
Dance with me partner
Dance with me partner
Dance with me partner
Dance with me partner
til the dawn!
Oh til the dawn
Thundercrack!
Babys back
This time shell tell me how she really feels
And bring me down to her lightning shack
You can watch my partner reeling

[...] Read more

song performed by Bruce Springsteen
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The Perfect Partner

The perfect partner
By: marshall chapman
1982
When I sang marshalls song, I thought of summer nights at
The beach long ago doing the shag to the drifters records
And wanting desperately to fall in love. I still like to shag to
The drifters.
Look over here theres a girl
Ive never seen her before
Her eyes are lookin straight at you
Across the crowded dance floor
Ooh ooh shes smilin
What a beautiful sight
Oh I got a funny feelin
Shes gonna dance with you tonight
Chorus:
She could be the perfect partner
She can take it in her stride
She wont try to lead or follow
Perfect partner by your side
Ooh you got to take a chance
You got to let somebody move you
It can happen at a dance
If theres a rhythm you can groove to
Ooh here she comes yall
Shes comin straight to me
Shes gonna ask me if I want to dance
Ill just have to wait and see
Chorus:
She could be the perfect partner
She can take it in her stride
She wont have to lead or follow
Perfect partner by my side
The worse thing that can happen is
She steps on your toes
But til you take that first step with her
How will you know, know, know
Chorus:
That she could be the perfect partner
She can take it in her stride
She wont have to lead or follow
Perfect partner by my side
Chorus:
She could be the perfect partner (she could be the perfect partner)
She can take it in her stride (she can take it in her stride)
She wont have to lead or follow (she wont have to lead or follow)
Perfect partner by my side
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
- notes:
Background vocals: timothy b. schmit, harry stinson

song performed by Jimmy Buffett
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Be The One

Anderson/Squire/Howe)
I.THE ONE
Never underestimate the loving
How we intertwine our very soul
How we fill each other's spaces to lose control
When you're talking, be the children
Who stand on solid ground
Never underestimate the giving that will bring you around
I'll be there, to bring this love in the morning
I'll be there, to bring you the stars at night
I'll be there, hust waiting to hear you singing
Never underestimate a giver
The gift of love will surely be
Whe you're asking for the secrets to set you free
When you're talking to the friendship
That love of higher self
This gift of love is the answer to all your doubts
Be the one, giving in to love
Never let the good in life desert you
Be the one, giving in to love
Never let the fools destroy your dreams
Be the one, giving in to love
I can dream myself every minute
So how did we become, masters of limitation?
I'll be there, I'll be there, I'll be there
To make it right for you
Giving in, giving in to love
It's the balance of this everyday feeling
Giving in, giving in to love
Without love our dreams become illusion
Giving in, giving in to love
I can hear you singing every minute
So you can sing the song, and see the truth
II.HUMANKIND
So we worked all around amidst the glory of life
Any fire of the flame would be made
Should the famine of change to disguise everyone
Who cannot see the soul of truth ready made
But all because we're changing now
As the prophets of doom speak their mind
It's a long, long, way from where the system began
It's a long, long, way humankind
So we dance down on nature as we try to repeat
All our efforts as one sent today
Taking back instead of giving, taking back more or less
Taking back a sense of being afraid
So all this is necessary changes now, as the will to help all man
And the children of the crucified will be better off, better dead
But all this senseless killing, and all these chains and lies
I want to know right now, I want to know right now

[...] Read more

song performed by Yes
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Be The One

Anderson/Squire/Howe)
I.THE ONE
Never underestimate the loving
How we intertwine our very soul
How we fill each other's spaces to lose control
When you're talking, be the children
Who stand on solid ground
Never underestimate the giving that will bring you around
I'll be there, to bring this love in the morning
I'll be there, to bring you the stars at night
I'll be there, hust waiting to hear you singing
Never underestimate a giver
The gift of love will surely be
Whe you're asking for the secrets to set you free
When you're talking to the friendship
That love of higher self
This gift of love is the answer to all your doubts
Be the one, giving in to love
Never let the good in life desert you
Be the one, giving in to love
Never let the fools destroy your dreams
Be the one, giving in to love
I can dream myself every minute
So how did we become, masters of limitation?
I'll be there, I'll be there, I'll be there
To make it right for you
Giving in, giving in to love
It's the balance of this everyday feeling
Giving in, giving in to love
Without love our dreams become illusion
Giving in, giving in to love
I can hear you singing every minute
So you can sing the song, and see the truth
II.HUMANKIND
So we worked all around amidst the glory of life
Any fire of the flame would be made
Should the famine of change to disguise everyone
Who cannot see the soul of truth ready made
But all because we're changing now
As the prophets of doom speak their mind
It's a long, long, way from where the system began
It's a long, long, way humankind
So we dance down on nature as we try to repeat
All our efforts as one sent today
Taking back instead of giving, taking back more or less
Taking back a sense of being afraid
So all this is necessary changes now, as the will to help all man
And the children of the crucified will be better off, better dead
But all this senseless killing, and all these chains and lies
I want to know right now, I want to know right now

[...] Read more

song performed by Yes
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Soboba

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soccer camp fall 2007 dallas tx

[...] Read more

poem by Rwetewrt Erwtwer
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Wife is driven to wall.[India]

A woman as a wife is pathetic.
She starts her career as a sleeping partner,
Then as a yielding partner, a competing partner,
A demanding partner and a losing partner.
No time was she a choosing partner.
She winds up as a deceived partner
And a sexually deceased partner.

In days to some, she will turn
to decry wifehood and defy manhood.
27.05.2001, Pmdi

poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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Potnas (Interlude)

This here is a record I wrote
About friendship
The kind that X and Jaleel were talking about
When they wrote
Friends
How many of us have them
I'm talking about
Friends
Ones we can depend on
I'm talking about a
Friend to the end
If I lose or I win
If my lou getting thin (Jazzy Jeff: whats up)
You still my friend (JJ: hell yeah)
Down forever (uh ha)
Tougher than leather (uh ha)
Like Run and D you and me together forever (that's right)
Lets say we balling (uh ha)
Somebody calling (uh ha)
Me out my name (whats up)
We gonna be brawling (hell yeah)
Lets say we out (uh ha)
Somethin go down (uh ha)
Five o around (uh oh)
You still around (true dat)
Ever since I was younger (uh ha)
Kind a always had a hunger (uh ha)
For a fairy tale friend (that's right)
Kind a like a brother (uh ha)
Everytime I go out (uh ha)
Everytime I turn around (uh ha)
Ain't gotta wonder about (uh uh)
What the brother doing now (uh ha)
You been my friend from the beginning to end
We flowing to where we going cause Lord know we done been through the storm before the calm
Life could drop a bomb
Cause Jazzy we got a bond
Like we was in Vietnam Truss it (word up)

Everybody need a partner to stand right by their side
Not only down through the good times
But also down through the bad times

Everybody need a partner to stand right by their side
Not only down through the good times
But also down through the bad times

Are you my lady? (Jada: uh ha)
Are you my baby? (uh ha)
No ifs or maybes? (uh uh)

[...] Read more

song performed by Will Smith from Willennium
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Experimental Film

The color of infinity
Inside an empty glass
I'm squinting my eye
And turning off and on and on
and off the light
It's for this experimental film
Which nobody knows about and which
I'm still figuring out what's going to go
In my experimental film
Yeah, you're all gonna be in this experimental film
And even though I can't explain it
I already know how great it's
I already know the ending
It's the part that makes your face implode
I don't know what makes your face implode
But that's the way the movie ends
And in my experimental film
Which nobody knows about but which
I'm still figuring out your face implodes
At my experimental film
Yeah, you're all gonna be in this experimental film
And even though I can't explain it
I already know how great it--
Even though I can't explain it
I already know how great it's
The color of infinity
Inside an empty glass
It's for this experimental film
Which nobody knows about and which
I'm still figuring out what's going to go
In my experimental film
Yeah, you're all gonna be in this experimental film
And even though I can't explain it
I already know how great it's gonna--
Yeah, you're gonna be in this experimental film
And even though I can't explain it
I already know how great it--
Even though I can't explain it
I already know how great it's

song performed by They Might Be Giants
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The Impact Of Poverty On Education

THE IMPACT OF POVERTY ON EDUCATION.

INTRODUCTION

There are so many different tools that have been thought relevant in people’s developmental projects both at individual and societal levels. Education is one of such practical tools. Importantly to note, there are also various meanings that denote the broad term ‘education’. In this essay, however, we are mainly interested in defining formal education since our discussion will dwell much on it. According to Nwomonoh (1998) , formal education is the process of gaining knowledge, attitudes, information and skills during the course of life especially at school.

Though education is said to be so instrumental in human development but also in the revamping of world economies, it is very unfortunate that education systems, world wide, are being held to ransom all because of poverty at both governmental and household levels. According to Thibault (2009) , poverty means the shortage of common things such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include lack of access to opportunities like education and employment which aid the escape of poverty.

Problems in our society are interconnected in one way or the other, just like poverty and personal family problems affect a student’s capability to learn. Improving education entails improving the living conditions of students. Having in mind that education is basically responsible for the development of many countries including Malawi, as the back ground suggests, we cannot afford to bypass such a vital element without a mention. Considering also the fact that poverty is one of the forces that come in the way; blocking the success of education, we feel it rational to look at how the two realities, education and poverty, affect each other both positively and negatively. That is also why we are convinced that this topic is worth studying. Our awareness of this source, poverty, and its impact on education will enable us devise some proper measures of intervention with the hope of minimizing the negative impact of poverty on education. This point, in short, explains the purpose of our investigation and why we are so passionate in getting into this research. During the whole discussion we are being guided by two questions thus, ‘does poverty really affect education? And if it does, what points do we have on the positive and negative impacts of poverty on education? ’

METHODOLOGY

The study was basically qualitative in approach because of the nature of the issue that was being addressed. This was the case because the issue of how poverty affects education, both positively and negatively is particularly very difficult to predict the conclusions without penetrating into the core of the issue. For instance, one may unreasonably rush into concluding that poverty affects education negatively only and we cannot even dare to speak of poverty affecting education positively. The study was conducted in three schools namely; Mulunguzi, Masongola and Chirunga Private Secondary schools in Zomba district between 24th April and 3rd May. In this research we used both government and private funded schools to have a more balanced result on how poverty affects formal education in these different institutions. The information required for the study was collected through group interviews of form three students and individual interviews with teachers using semi-structured interview schedules. We opted to use these interviews in the first place because we felt books are more theoretical whereas a field research is practical and it involves real life experiences. Nevertheless, we still used desk research as a supplementary source of information and for clarity in some areas.

RESULTS

Positive impacts of poverty on education
To begin with, poverty encourages one to get educated and of course work hard in class. This is because the problems faced due to poverty are very serious and therefore students who are from poverty stricken families strive to end the problems and one of the best solutions is through education. That is to say, if a person, for instance, due to poverty, is taking just a meal in a day instead of three meals, and again if he/she is sometimes sleeping on an empty stomach, he/she will resort to education bearing in mind that if he/she gets educated they will secure formal employment and eventually be able to make ends meet for themselves as well as fending for their families.

Not only does poverty encourage one to get educated, but also it helped in the introduction of free primary education. In Malawi, for instance, when Bakili Muluzi became president, he introduced free primary education and he had eliminated the requirements for school uniform forthwith (Kadzamira & Rose,2001) . This had increased the access to education dramatically as those pupils who were coming from less privileged families were also given access to this free primary education. It should also be noted that the free primary education system was not only implemented to fulfill an electoral pledge but also bearing in mind that some families were not able to send their children to school due to poverty. Free primary education was there to deal with illiteracy by reducing families’ direct costs of education. Again due to the influx in the number of pupils in primary schools; there was a lack of teachers. Sonani (2002) , testifies that the Ministry of Education re-employed all retired teachers below the age of 65. This also meant that the once retired teachers got back to their source of income which helped them support their families as well as hauling the economy of the country. The implementation of free primary education system in Malawi forced the government to provide infrastructures so as to accommodate the large number of pupils in these schools. Simply put, poverty had led to the introduction of free primary education which means that more children are going to school, and again more teachers are being trained and getting employed and finally the construction of school blocks culminating into infrastructural development, all these branching from poverty.

We may also look at poverty from a positive angle bearing in mind that when a country is poor more funds and donations come into it. These funds and donations are also given to the education sector to build new infrastructures and in the maintenance of already existing ones in the sector. These privileged countries also provide learning materials to schools that are poor as a result students in these less privileged schools perform well in accordance with the amount and quality of the learning materials that they have been provided with. For instance, a United States based non governmental organization known as “Water for People” handed over 44 water toilets they built to Chimwankhunda primary school. The school toilet facilities had been vandalized 11 years ago but because of poverty the school could not renovate them (Gausi,2007) .

In addition, these funds and donations help more people to get educated. This is so because people can use funds as school fees, pocket money and buy stationery. The donations may include library books, chairs and writing materials. These can make a conducive environment for one to learn since there will be enough facilities at the school. For instance, with funding from the “United States Agency for International Development” (USAID) ,3,300 needy Malawian primary school girls are being funded. They are being provided with food, clothing, school supplies and hygienic products like soap and body lotion (Muhaliwa,2005) . Likewise,500 pupils at Katoto primary school in Mzuzu no longer sit on the floors during lessons courtesy of Southern Bottlers Limited and Lions Club of Limbe. Before these funds and donations, pupils used to sit on the floor due to scarcity of desks. These donations improved the pupils’ school attendance in such a way that pupils have started going to school regularly.

In the same line, a needy student can be given a scholarship to go further with his/her education. In this case the scholarship is given to the person just because he/she cannot manage to pay school fees on her own. This in turn benefits the needy person and the community at large. In this situation poverty has assisted in the development of education in an area by beckoning funds and donations from rich countries and organisations.

Further more; in most cases poverty facilitates one’s ambitions to attain formal education. It becomes easier for a poor child to put much of his concentration on education as compared to a rich child. This is because a poverty stricken student will have less destructive materials for entertainment. He/she will also have less or no money to indulge him/herself in activities that require spending a lot of money for instance, drinking beer. Sometimes even if the child can find money he/she can buy basic needs and not just spending it anyhow. Contrast to this a rich child may obtain things like ipods, mp3s, games for entertainment. These things in most cases destruct the concentration of students in their studies. As a result, one’s class performance is negatively affected since most of his/her time is being spent on entertainment.

Negative impacts of poverty on education

Just as a coin has got two sides, a head and a tail, poverty also, apart from having positive impacts on education, it does have negative impacts on the same. We have talked much about the positive face of poverty on education. We shall surely do ourselves injustice if we do not look at the negative part. In spite of the fact that poverty has an impact on education that is worth complimenting, we cannot afford in this discussion to overlook the point that so many students have been forced to leave the corridors of learning institutions due to the same poverty. One of the reasons that force some students leave the learning institutions prematurely is pregnancy, which in most cases, come because of poverty. It is almost common knowledge that a good number of students who come from poor families wish they could be sailing in the same boat with those who come from well to do families as far as luxurious life is concerned. The poor students constantly feel that there is something missing at the core psychologically. With this feeling in their minds, they tend to regard themselves as incomplete and not accepted socially. Consequently, they envy the rich students and squarely want to posses the things that are associated with the rich students. Very unfortunate that the poor students’ parents cannot afford to fulfill their children’s desires like what the rich parents would provide. Because the pull towards recognition is too strong for the poor students to resist, they end up in indulging themselves into prostitution in their search for money. Pity indeed that instead of recreating, as anticipated, their promiscuous behavior sees most of them getting pregnant and for some very unfortunate ones get even HIV and other STIs. From this discussion, commonsense convinces us that this school dropp out due to pregnancy is one of the negative impacts of poverty on education.

Adding more flesh to this discussion, we can also appreciate that hunger has been so instrumental in bringing down the standards of education world wide, in general, and Malawi, in particular. Frankly speaking, there are very few students if not none, who concentrate on their studies on empty stomachs. Food is one of the basic needs that every person is obliged to have if he/she is to survive. It is not surprising, therefore, to see some students performing miserably in class simply because they have not taken enough food or they have taken none altogether. The question of hunger finds its way into the education system because the government has failed to provide adequate food in most of its boarding schools. This is poverty at governmental level. There are also some students who are not boarders but still endure the hostile reality of hunger right in their homes. This is due to poverty at household level. It is sad that poverty, both at governmental and household level, has helped in engineering the deteriorating of education standards in Malawi.

Bearing in mind that it is only the eagle that can tell us the real whisper of a cloud, we visited Masongola Secondary school with the hope of getting first hand information from the students and their teachers since they are the ones who mostly benefit or get destructed by poverty. The Masongola secondary school students and their teacher, Mr. Enock Abraham, testified to us during an interview that government’s inability to provide extra food, apart from the usual beans that the institution offers, has seen many students developing ulcers. It would sound bizarre to reason that one can attend classes whilst he/she is on a hospital bed battling with ulcers. The Masongola students further testified that most poor students who have ulcers just bow down out of the race of learning because they cannot afford to buy extra food whenever the institution is serving the students beans.

This pitiful development goes beyond the boundaries of Masongola secondary school. Mulunguzi secondary school as Mr……the head teacher at the institution testifies, has not been spared from the scourge of school dropp outs simply because the school has not been able to provide extra or adequate food to students who cannot take what their friends take on health grounds. Needless to say this leaves the education standards in Malawi vacillating. It is a pity that though we have wrestled with this question of poverty a dozen times, we have not been successful in the battle. At one point in time, the government attempted to minimize the chances of school dropout in primary schools through its provision of porridge to pupils in the junior section. This attempt was in itself a good gesture but the government has failed to implement the initiative further in other schools that up to now have not benefited from the program.

It may not sound an exaggeration if we may say poverty has also forced a good number of students to give up their hopes of getting educated simply because they find it so difficult traveling to and from their respective schools. Lack of transport means, in short, has pushed them well towards the blink of despair as far as attaining formal education is concerned. This point speaks for itself how poverty can sometimes work on the education’s disadvantage.

As we go further with this discussion, we also appreciate the fact that the problem that mostly hinders a student’s success is inadequate resources that include; few teachers and learning materials. It must be highlighted that these problems are not only in developing countries but they may also find their way in reasonably developed countries like South Africa. In a developing country like Malawi, the education system encounters these problems because of the government’s failure to look into problems of infrastructure, capacity and availability of teaching and learning materials (Nkawike,2005) . The Muluzi government did a little if any; in as far as infrastructure is concerned. Lack of school blocks facilitated by a large number of pupils due to the introduction of the free primary education in 1994, forced pupils to have lessons under trees. In 2003, for example, lack of school blocks resulted in a tragedy at Nkomachi in Lilongwe when a tree fell onto an outdoor class, resulting in injury and deaths of pupils (Mvula & Chanika,2004) . This problem of learning materials continues till date, in all levels of the education system. According to Abraham (2009) , the school has always had shortage of learning blocks to an extent that the Physical Science and Biology laboratories are used as classrooms. There is also great shortage of books in all departments, and some departments like the technical department needs new equipment and current books which are very expensive. With this unfortunate situation we cannot anticipate good performance from Masongola secondary school.

In order to deal with these issues, the Muluzi government thought it wise to disregard the provision of learning materials in schools. Instead the Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) pass mark was reduced to ensure the success of students in their examinations. Even the director of Basic Education, Nelson Kaperemera admitted that funds intended for learning materials were servicing the debts of government at the expense of improving quality education. Instead of reducing the pass mark, the government and other stake holders should strive to improve quality of education, improve teacher salaries, and provide adequate materials and train teachers properly (Malawi News,2006) .

In developing countries like Malawi, the schools are understaffed (teaching personnel) and they tend to be handling a large number of students for long hours. Furthermore, the teachers are subjected to meager salaries, which are even made late. The government does not seem to have the welfare of teachers at heart, for instance the education Manager for Phalombe, Enoch Ali says the district is facing a dire shortage of teachers, a situation that is contributing to low education standards. The teacher pupil ratio in Phalombe is 1: 120, whilst the recommended ratio is 1: 60 (The Nation,2006) . Due to low pay teachers resort to organizing part time classes, which demand an extra amount of money on top of the normal fees. These changes clearly affect those students who come from very poor families, as they do not receive adequate studies because of lack of money.
This does not only occur in secondary schools, but it also happens in universities. As the academic staff of the Universities go on strike because of the government’s reluctance to increase their salaries. One considers how this is supposed to retain staff in the University. As a result lecturers spend more time doing consultancies; instead of preparing lectures and doing University mandated research. If we are serious about fighting poverty, formal education is the hub of ideas to fight these problems by improving its standards (Kapasula,2008) .
Child labour is one of the major problems that contribute to school dropp out. The majority of child labour victims are children who are living in poverty. This is so because they lack basic needs, for this reason they are forced even against their will to do any kind of work in order to gain financial wealth. This, therefore, affects school attendance. Evidence of school dropp out due to child labour is found in central region where most children are being employed in estates. This region has high tobacco production. Since this crop demands a lot of work, children are at high demand because they do not claim high wages compared to adults. Research, therefore, showed that the percentage of children attending schools is lower compared to that of northern and southern region (Nyirongo,2004) . We have the case of two brothers aged between 12 and 15 who were forced to work at a tobacco farm at Mpherembe in Kasungu district, where they were receiving 150 kwacha a day due to poverty (Namangale,2005) . We can see that child labour has a great impact on education because through it, a lot of children are being deprived of their right to education as they spend most of their time working.

In addition to that, Chirwa (2003) found out that child labour is also taking place in people’s houses. In this case children are forced to dropp out of school either by parents or on their own, to work in neighbouring homes. Here one of the victims is a 12 year old girl Elizabeth Chalimba, who left school when she was in standard six to work as a nanny in order to support her siblings. Children from low income families are at risk because though school is their only hope for a better future, they dropp out because their parents are failing to provide them with basic needs. Apart from child labour, psychological problems due to poverty is also another cause of school dropp outs. Research shows that the impact of poverty is greater on children as opposed to adults. Firstly, the problem arises due to the environment in which these children are raised. These environments being impoverished, they are intellectually unstimulating, and lack of stimulation results in impaired intellectual development of a child. This in turn contributes to failure in class which can later on lead to school dropp out.

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poem by Innocent Masina Nkhonyo
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Credit In The Straight World

And I will awake
Your highness- Im so high I cannot walk
And I will awake
You cripple, you take away my time, my peace, my empathy
No babies sleep on atrophy
Your unborn love and fetals dree
My bitter [ ] legless caress
Go for credit in the straight world
Look a dealer in the eye
Go for credit in the real world, wont you try?
I got some credit in the straight world
I lost a leg, I lost an eye
Go for credit in the real world you will die
Its the credit in the straight world
Leave your money when you die
Lots of credit in the straight world gets you high
I got some credit in the straight world
I lost a leg, I lost an eye
Go for credit in the real world, you will die

song performed by Hole
Added by Lucian Velea
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Social Insecurity

Strapped Seniors use credit cards ‘stead of cash
To stay afloat, after losing their stocks n’ bonds
Yet more victims of another Wall Street crash
“Let them eat cake” is what the Fed responds

ROTMS

From Reuters Article 10/23/2010
Retired and broke: Why retirees are declaring bankruptcy

For more and more seniors, retirement doesn’t mean a debt-free life of leisure. An increasing number of Americans aged 65 and older are declaring bankruptcy, according to a recent study by John Pottow, professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School.
Those aged 65 and older represented seven percent of bankruptcy filers in 2007, a mind-boggling jump from 1991. They are the “fastest-growing age demographic, ” according to Pottow’s study.
What’s the culprit for so much debt? Credit cards. Two-thirds of Americans who filed for bankruptcy said credit cards were the key reason for their financial problems, according to Pottow’s research. Besides having more credit card debt compared with younger bankruptcy filers,44.8 percent of those aged 65 and older also had more plastic in their wallets. “They’re using credit cards as a maladaptive coping mechanism, ” Pottow says.
Stephanie Osterland, a supervisor in the bankruptcy department at GreenPath debt solutions, sees an increasing number of seniors living beyond their means. Says Osterland: “They’re just trying to live off of a fixed income, and that’s usually Social Security. Maybe they have a small pension. We find they’ve used credit cards to supplement that income and expenses or they just end up getting into a lot of medical debt.”
In addition to escalating medical expenses, seniors have seen their portfolios hit hard by the lagging stock market. Carolyn Rodi of Saving Your American Dream says those considering bankruptcy should see a credit counselor at a non-profit organization to get their finances in order.
Credit counselors, such as those at GreenPath, help the elderly deal with a stressful situation. “We try to help them focus on what it’s going to look like” after they get out of debt, Osterland says.
Rodi also recommends that potential bankruptcy filers seek out pro-bono legal aid. “There are a lot of elderly people that are being taken advantage of by bankruptcy attorneys and mortgage brokers who are advising them improperly to pay for the bankruptcy, take out a reverse mortgage or to do things that aren’t in their best interest, ” she says. ”If you have no income, why should you borrow to pay someone when you can get free legal aid? ”
What are the chances of a senior paying off his or her debts? It’s difficult to determine, especially because seniors tend to be on a fixed income. And while finding a job — such as a WalMart greeter — seems like a viable option, it is not necessarily feasible for all seniors to work.
In addition, whether or not a person declares Chapter 7 (which involves the liquidation of one’s assets) or Chapter 13 (which allows debt restructuring) bankruptcy can be a significant factor in determining what one’s lifestyle will be. “If you have to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you may be able to find affordable housing that allows you to just get by, ” says Rodi. “Chapter 13 lets you keep your house and doesn’t touch your retirement savings.”
Regardless, filing for bankruptcy is very stressful for anyone. “A lot of our clients in that post-retirement age have a hard time coming to grips with their situation, ” Osterland says. “It’s very emotional for them. We try to focus on the future and see if this debt can be lifted off their shoulders.”

poem by Ray Lucero
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Ball Of Kerrymuir

Four-and-twenty virgins come down from Inverness,
And when the Ball was over, there were four-and-twenty less,
Singin' balls to your partner, your ass against the wall,
If ya never been had on a Saturday night, ya never been had at all..
There was doin' in the parlor, there was doin' on the stones,
But ya couldn't a hear the music for the wheezin' and the groans,
Singin' balls to your partner, your ass against the wall,
If ya never been had on a Saturday night, ya never been had at all.
The undertaker, he was there, all wrapped up in a shroud,
Swingin' from the chandelier, and peein' on the crowd,
Singin' balls to your partner, your ass against the wall,
If ya never been had on a Saturday night, ya never been had at all.
The village cripple, he was there, ah he could not do much,
So he lined the ladies against the wall, and he did 'em with his crutch,
Singin' balls to your partner, your ass against the wall,
If ya never been had on a Saturday night, ya never been had at all.
Miss Mary McPherson was standin' way up front,
Some posies in her hand, and a carrot in her(unintelligible mumble),
Singin' balls to your partner, your ass against the wall,
If ya never been had on a Saturday night, ya never been had at all.
The Village postman, he was there, but the poor man had the pox,
He could not do the lassies, so he did the letter box,
Singin' balls to your partner, your ass against the wall,
If ya never been had on a Saturday night, ya never been had at all.
The Village Magician, he was there, he gave us all a laugh,
He pulled his foreskin over his head, and he vanished up his ass,
Singin' balls to your partner, your ass against the wall,
If ya never been had on a Saturday night, ya never been had at all.

song performed by Jim Croce
Added by Lucian Velea
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Steppin' Into Heaven

Whoo! It's the piper y'all (whoo...)
I just wanna know what y'all doing this weekend, uh (whoa yeah)
Ah ha, I got something going down (yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah)
And I just want y'all to be there
To share this dream of love, uh (whoo)
You're invited to come and be a part of a (oh yeah)
Celebration, on my love train (whoo) (oh)
You don't need nothing (whoo)
Come as you are
Just make sure when I show you love (you show love back the same)
You show love back the same
Oh got my shoes, got my hat, got my suit
And I'm ready to go now oh yeah (go now)
And me and my partner look so good
It's like we about to do a show now
So if you're stepping come on down
Grab your partner (whoa)
Hit the dance floor (yeah)
Tonight we'll be (oh)
Steppin' into heaven (stepping into heaven)
Grab a Heaven
Spin her round and round
Tonight we'll be (whoa yeah)
Steppin' into heaven (whoa)
Congratulations if you're celebrating your anniversary
Or your birthday
Here by yourself, then get up and find someone (because)
We don't need no reason to celebrate
Ooh got my suit, got my hat, got my coat (ba-da-da-da-da-da-da)
And I'm ready to go now (go now) oh yeah (whoa) (ba-da-da-da-da-da-da)
Me and my partner look so good
It's like we about to do a show now
So if you're steppin' come on down
Grab your partner (whoo)
Hit the dance floor (dance floor yeah)
Tonight we'll be
Steppin' into heaven (stepping into heaven)
Grab a Heaven (yeah)
Spin her round and round (round and round)
Tonight we'll be (whoa)
Steppin' into heaven
Music is like
Music's like a holiday (whoa yeah)
It makes me wanna celebrate (celebrate)
Makes me wanna call somebody up (oh yeah)
And tell them let's go hit the club
(Everytime) everytime I hear the music (I hear the music, whoa)
Makes me wanna dance with somebody (makes me wanna)
Grab your partner (grab your partner)
Hit the dance floor (oh)

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song performed by R. Kelly
Added by Lucian Velea
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A Story Of Father And Son

THE STORY OF FATHER AND SON

In thy world, any one is for none,
But thee Father for son.
Wishes had he many when thy son opened his eyes,
From then he would search the aim in his childish eyes.

Be his son, great, greater, greatest than the father, sang in his daily’s prayer,
Empty they would starve but provide thy son bread & butter,
The half-battled wishes, which he could not, in his life time,
Fulfill would the son make, hopes had he many.

School he sent, books he provided,
To make his son greater than thee.
Taking huge sum he taught to make his child literate,
Thinking of the hopes that he has, which his son would make fulfill.

Good result in turn provided the son,
Happiness filled in the heart of thee, and all the sadness was gone.
More & more good result he expected,
And the son fulfilled the wishes of thee at best.

Waited for the job, thee for son,
Got-And distributed sweets both father and son.
Thought for the half-battled hopes which he would now fulfill,
And the son, till the partner, fulfills.

When the partner comes,
Thinks thee extra and grows dislike.
Every day thee’s gray eyes saw him,
The eyes would see the son’s disliking for thee.

Day’s past would think thee,
Of starving and feeding his old age’s stick.
Till the partner, the stick was a stick,
And thee thinks some day the stick would kick,

Alas! it happens,
Left their house, thee with his partner,
The house where he dreamt high thoughts,
All thoughts and wishes was now in ruined.

Lived happily the son with his partner,
Once a cry heard from Peter’s house,
That was the little junior partner,
Both they had.

Expectations had he many,
As their junior opened his eyes.

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poem by Manish Kumar Majumdar
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The Film Of My Love

Co-starring you
And co-starring me
Starring us both together
The film of my love
Will travel the world
Forever and ever and ever
A back lot romance
A scripted affair
The screenplay a blessing from heaven
Were gone with the wind
On the orient express
To join the magnificent seven
The film of my love
Will travel the world
And travel the whole world over
The film of my love
Will travel the world
Over and over and over
The film of my love
Will travel the world
Over and over and over
Over and over and over again
Over and over and over
A close-up of yours
A long shot of mine
Superimposed together
Ill zoom in on you
With a love that is true
In cinemascope forever
A clapper board kiss
Theres an oscar in this
A hit or a miss whatever
A box office wedding
A premier for two
Well be on location forever
When pathe recall
The thrill of it all
Theyll edit us both together
A legend a classic
An epic of love
Captured on film forever
A lasting embrace
That time cant erase
Let them censor the wind
Or the weather
The film of my love
Will conquer the world
Forever and ever and ever
The film of my love
Will travel the world

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song performed by 10 Cc
Added by Lucian Velea
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