A colorful world: vantages and disadvantages Multi-cultural societies are mixtures of many ethnic groups. Some people think the advantages of multi-cultural societies outweigh the disadvantages. The cosmopolitan societies are better for the overall progress of a country. That is perhaps why nations such as the U.S.A., Canada and Australia, which are primarily multi-cultural societies, enjoy great prosperity, stability and harmony. Apparently, a multi-cultural society can bring a wide variety of benefits to a nation in terms of economic, cultural and social development. To begin with, the majority of immigrants from different cultural backgrounds are high achievers, including experts, scholars, engineers, business people and other well-trained people. Their arrival means an inflow of expertise, experience, investments as well as a dynamic labour force, which are all key factors to the increase of competitiveness, efficiency and productivity of a nation’s economy. What is more, the new arrivals know very well the importance of respecting the local traditions and customs. Therefore, they co-operate and collaborate well with the natives. They work very harmoniously side by side in offices, factories and schools. In addition, with a rich blend of peoples, cultures and lifestyles, people in multi-cultural societies tend to be more open-minded and tolerant of other people’s customs and religions. However, multi-societies also have some problems. Sometimes, people from overseas will try to maintain their unique ethnic cultures with their own distinctive characteristics. These differences many seem trivial, but they can cause some conflicts that make it difficult for immigrants to become assimilated into the mainstream of the local social life. Martin Luther King Jr Martin Luther King was the greatest leader of the American civil rights movement. He fought for equal rights for black people. The civil rights movement in the 1960s focused mainly on equal rights for AfricanAmericans. Martin Luther King was born in 1929 in Atlanta. He was a good student and went to college to become a preacher. Dr. King was also a minister. In 1963 he led a great peaceful march for civil rights to Washington known as "March for freedom". Dr. King believed that it was important to fight for what was right without using violence. He was inspired by Gandhi. In 1964 he received the Nobel Peace Prize, but some people believed that he was dangerous so he was assassinated in 1968. He is buried at the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin Luther King is remembered for his famous speeches, for his strong principles and for his tireless work for equality and peace. A national holiday called Martin Luther King Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January.