My Mother is from Jamaica, an island with a rich and diverse culture blended from around the world. Jamaica's motto is "Out of Many, One People". Nearly ever different race is represented here. This diversity is most apparent in the various foods. African and European influences dominate the culture; however, the spanish, Irish, Indians, Chinese and Germans have all left their mark. The Jamaican people are inherently friendly telling it like it is. Due in part to its strong British influence, Jamaicans are modest and conservative dressers. The display of skin is frowned upon in formal environments. The official language of Jamaica is English. However, most likely you will hear traces of what sounds like a foreign tongue. The language on the streets is called Patois. Patois is a combination of English, spanish. Portuguese and African phrases which sounds more rhythmic then traditional English. Jamaicans have a musical heritage that stems from their African and European roots. Reggae music is Jamaica's most recognized sound. These thumping sounds are rich and infectious and encompass expression of personal freedom, independence, religion, and gossip. Jamaica's most famous is Bob Marley whose influence helped bring Reggae music into the Jamaican main stream. Jamaica's lush colorful landscapes act as muse for its people. These vibrant colors are reflected in the visual arts. Jamaicans have produced some of the best paintings, sculptures, and pottery in the Caribbean. Jamaican artists draw influences from their diverse culture. These colorful works of art include precious treasures produced by unconventional artists ranging from the academic to the self-taught artisan.

My Father is from Barbados, the eastern-most Caribbean island. Barbados is the most populated island in the Caribbean Sea. There are 262,000 people on it. About 80 % are people descended from slavery and came from Africa. Nearly 90% of the population is black. Fifteen percent have both African and British ancestry. Four percent are of European-British descent. These people are called Barbadians. They also call themselves Bajans. The people of Barbados are very industrious, thrifty, and quiet.Barbados is a lot like England. The traffic moves on the left side, and cricket is the most popular sport. The police uniforms date back to Lord Nelson's era. He lived in Britain from1758 to 1805. The Church of England is the largest religion in Barbados. There are other churches such as Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Moravian. They eat flying fish, okra, pork, and yams. They dress like Europeans. The children of Barbados must go to school until they are 16 years old.

Brooklyn is (and is in) Kings County. The borders of Kings County are the same as those of Brooklyn, New York. There is only ONE county in Brooklyn, New York: Kings County. 2,539,206 people live in Kings County, According to data released in December 2008, an estimated. Brooklyn remains the most populous of the city's five boroughs. Brooklyn was one of the original six towns of Kings County, when the county/town system was established in 1683. It was included as a borough of New York in1869.It is coextensive with Kings County and situated at the southwestern end of Long Island. It nestles within the borough of Queens on the north and east and is surrounded by water on the other sides. Brooklyn is both an important industrial center, with extensive deepwater harbor facilities, and a densely populated residential area, the most populous borough of New York City. Brooklyn is linked to Manhattan across the East River by the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge and the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Among the important industries are manufacture of metal products, machinery, textiles, clothing, paper products, and electrical goods. The principal business district is located in the western part of the borough between Brooklyn Heights and Flatbush Avenue.

In both daytime and at nightfall, the South Beach section of Miami Beach is a major entertainment destination with hundreds of nightclubs, restaurants, boutiques and hotels. The area is popular with both American and international tourists (mainly from Europe, Latin America, Canada, Israel, the Caribbean and within the United States), with some having permanent or second homes. The large number of European and Brazilian tourists also explains their influence on South Beach's lax and overall tolerance of the female monokini, aka topless sunbathing, despite it being a public beach. The reflection of South Beach's residents is evident in the various European languages, as well as Semitic languages and many other languages spoken. As of 2000, many Miami Beach residents, including those of South Beach, spoke Spanish as a first language, which accounted for 55% of residents, while English was the first language for 33% of the population. Reflecting the European and Brazilian community, Portuguese (mainly Brazilian Portuguese) was spoken by 3% of residents, while French (including Canadian French) was at 2%, German at 1.12%, Italian 0.99%, and Russian was 0.85% of the population. Because of the large Jewish and Israeli community, Yiddish made up 0.81% of speakers, and Hebrew was the mother tongue of 0.74% of the population.[9] Another unique aesthetic attribute of South Beach is the several colorful and unique lifeguard stands, still used today by South Beach's lifeguards. After Hurricane Andrew, Architect William Lane donated his design services to the city and added new stops on design tours in the form of lifeguard towers. His towers instantly became symbols of the revived City of Miami Beach.

BY THE WAY, WHATS YOUR SIGN?

Astrology is an ancient science that predates both astronomy and psychology. Studied and used throughout the world for thousands of years, astrology is the study of the interactions among the stars and the planets, based on mathematical cycles. The earliest known astrological records date back to Babylon, 1645 BC, and the earliest horoscope dates back to 410 BC. During the Renaissance, when literacy became more widespread, almanacs began publishing astrological information for public consumption. Several notable figures of the era, including Galileo and Copernicus, were both practicing astrologers and founders of the modern scientific movement. Despite the seemingly easy relationship between Astrology and science, astrology and various other arts fell by the wayside, as the Scientific Revolution surged. Many individuals still practiced the art, however, and Astrology enjoyed small revivals in England in the 1700s and 1800s. Astrology became popular once again with the birth of Princess Margaret in 1930. The London Sunday Express ran an astrological profile of the princess to celebrate her birth and so began the modern newspaper horoscope column. There is always more to learn when it comes to Astrology. The best place to start is grasping the key concepts
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