Ideas of the Season Holidays and Events Talented and Creative

Issue 1
Ideas of the Season
Holidays and Events
Talented and Creative
Images of Belarus
On the Wings of Music
Crazy About (Top 25)
Make the World Closer
Burst Out Laughing
5DIEZ THAT SHOOK THE CITY
Vitebsk is rather fine, but ordinary Belorussian city.
In that very city the members of 5Diez: Jank (vocal), Valos
(guitar),
Rockman
(guitar).
Greng
(bass-guitar),
Kost’n’kost (vocal) and Gregor were born. Kids grew
older and got interested in music. But of course all these
people couldn’t know of each other’s existence. And so
they were getting together, hanging around, jamming and
trying some mutual projects. This was the way how the
alternative
metal
band
called
5Diez
(#####)
came
together in September of 2001.
Their first album
“В этой жизни меня подводят
доброта и порядочность” was realized in 2005. In 2006 they realized “Камикадзе” .This year
their new album
“Один в поле воин” appeared in the shops. It contains 13 new tracks
of this band. And now 5Diez have a tour, and represent the new album. Their
concerts are successful. And the 15
of November this alternative band gave a
th
concert in our city. All their fans, who had visited the concert, had a lot of topclass emotions. So, let’s hear the opinions on the concert:
“I have never listened to this group before, and I was surprised when playing
cards, I won the ticket to the concert of “5Diez”. I’ve heard that it is a cool group,
so I went to see them. There were a lot of people and all of them sang songs with
the soloist of the group, and sometimes I could not understand what some songs
were about, but it was nice. I can say that it is not very bad music and I like it”,” my
friend Sasha said.
“I went to the presentation of a new album
of the group “5Diez”, where I managed to take
photos of the members of the group and take
their autographs. I can say that it’s cool.
Then I went to the concert, and I can say that it
was very great. There were a lot of people from
other cities, such as Brest, Vitebsk, Mogilev
and
Orsha,
and
all
of
them
were
shouting:
“5Diez”-COOL!”, “5Diez”-THE BEST” and “5Diez”- RESPECT!”
Photo by Kolia
Prokofiev
The group performed a lot of good songs, but all the audience sang two of them
together with the singers. They were
“В венах стынет кровь” and “Ощути настоящее”. I
can add now, that it was a very good concert”,” my friend Liana said.
To my mind this concert was great. And I think this group will come to our city
again next year.
Potapenko Ania 9 “C”, Novikova Nastia 9 “A”
No doubt, each of us wants to visit England or America, or some
other countries, where people speak English. But if you want to visit a
place, where all people smile and nature is so wonderful, that it seems as if
you turn out in paradise, you should go to Ireland. In order to convince
you, I asked some questions to the person, who was there, Ivanova Natalia
Alexandrovna (the Principal of the English Language Department).
- What Irish cities have you visited?
- I’ve been to a very famous county of Cork. It’s situated in the southwest of Ireland. I’ve been there for many times and if I have any
possibility, I’ll go there again with pleasure.
- What things did you pay more attention to in your journey?
- I do like history. So, when I visit some country, I try to observe
historical monuments, especially ancient castles. As you know, there are
a plenty of them in Ireland. I was in Blarney Castle. There is a
stone on the top of the castle. And if you want to possess a gift of eloquence, you should kiss the stone.
- As we know there are a lot of picturesque views in Ireland. Which one fascinated you most of all?
- It’s really so. In Ireland you enjoy the beauty of nature: green hills, forests, rivers, mountains. And especially close
to me were the views of the county of Cork. There are a lot of high mountains with magnificent lakes there. It was
an unforgettable sight.
- What kind of national dishes have you tasted? Which of them did you like most of all?
- The Irish national dish is boiled cabbage. I don’t find it tasty, so it didn’t make any impression on me. Irish people
do like cooking, and they do it well. They pay great attention to desserts. Every meal is finished with some tasty
dessert.
- How can you characterize Irish people?
- Irish people are very interesting, kind-hearted, pleasant, attentive and well-behaved. They strive to show their
country, history and customs to their guests. You can never face rudeness. You are always met with smiles and
greetings of the Irish people. Also they are very religious people. Faith teaches them tolerance and calmness, because
they makes strong emphasis on religion. In England you can’t
see such religious people as in Ireland.
- What traditions and holidays did you enjoy on your journey?
- You know a lot of Irish traditions and holidays from textbooks,
I don’t want to repeat them. But I like the tradition, when
people, who are keen on something, gather on a special day and
organize some activity. For example: when I was in Ireland, I
lived in the family, where a hostess was keen on the old Irish
dancing. It is so exciting and energetic, that you just enjoy
watching it. So, the hostess and people that also liked the Irish
dance gather every Wednesday. It was formidable!
- What do you advise to take with you when you start a journey?
- My advice is to take warm clothes, because the weather changes very often. You always should be ready for
unexpected rains.
I hope, you have learnt something new from this interview. And if somebody asks you a question:
“Where do you want to go?”, you will exactly know the answer.
Anna Suviga 9 “B”


There is no person in our school that doesn’t know about
the English school theatre. But not all of them know the
history of “Познание”.
Twenty five years ago, the teacher of English, Korolkova
Ludmila Borisovna decided to create the theatre where all
actors would perform in English. She used to organize
different stagings at Literature lessons, so the pupils had
no problems with the language.
The first dramatization “Midsummer Night’s Dream”
(1992) was presented in Denmark. And there is a short
list of plays our theatre has performed:
“Pygmalion” (by B. Show) in 1990-1991
“The Importance of Being Ernest” (by O.
Wild) in 1991
The Luncheon” (by S. Maugham) in 1991-1992
“My Fair Lady”, “Pygmalion”, “The
Luncheon”, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” were
performed in modern interpretation in 2005-2006.
S. Pozdnyak, the producer of Gomel Regional Dramatic Theatre, helped to
stage them.
“Midsummer Night’s Dream” (in modern interpretation) took the second place
in Drama District Festival and the first place in Drama City Festival.
“The Twelfth Night” by W. Shakespeare was shown to the British
Ambassador in Belarus. It wasn’t very easy to talk as the language of the play
was original!
Katia Kaptur 9 “B”


S
A
N
T
A
C
L
A
U
S
For English children Christmas means Santa Claus.
Here is an account of how this saint came to play such
an important part in our celebrations.
The two words "Santa Claus" call up for us the
whole strength of Christmas. We picture him, a jolly old
gentleman with his white whiskers and his pink cheeks,
dressed in his gay, fur-trimmed coat and hood and driving
his deer team through the skies with merry cracks of his
lash.
To begin with, Saint Nicholas - that was his
name to start with - is about the most overworked saint
has been ever known. He is the national saint of Russia
and Greece, and the patron saint of many European
cities: and churches named after him can be numbered in
thousands - there are more than 400 in Great Britain alone.
If one started to list all the groups of people who look on him as their patron saint, it would
seem endless. One encyclopedia gives the following: judges, murderers, pawnbrokers, thieves, paupers, scholars and sailors, others add bakers, travelers, maidens and children - poor children
especially. He is known as the friend and protector of all those in trouble.
There are lots legends about him. Sailors own him as their particular saint because he is said
often to have appeared to them during violent storms and saved their lives. Sick children have been
brought back to health through his influence. Perhaps the most famous story of all tells how he helped
three unfortunate young sisters who all had boyfriends, but were unable to marry because their
father, a poor nobleman, could not raise the money for their dowries, without which marriage was
impossible in those days. Saint Nicholas, who was then Bishop of Myra, his hometown on the coast of
what is now Turkey, heard of their situation: but, being a shy man, he did not like to give them money
directly, so he found a way to do it anonymously. One version of the story says that for three nights
running he threw purses filled with gold in at the window of the girls' home; another version says
that he climbed on the roof and threw the purses down the chimney so that they landed in the
stockings which the girls had hung up by the fire to dry. Is this perhaps the origin of the custom of the
Christmas stocking?
One thing is certain: three socks of gold did come into the story somewhere. Statues often
show him holding three balls to symbolize them; and there is not much doubt that that is the origin of
the three balls which are the symbol of the pawnbrokers, though these gentlemen are not always
known for their generosity, as the saint was.
But how much do we actually know about Saint Nicholas himself? Not very much. We do not
even know the date of his birth; but, strangely enough, we do know the date of his death. It was
December 6, in either A.D. 345 or 352; that date has become sacred to
celebrating of Christmas in many European countries, Holland in
particular.
During his lifetime, Saint Nicholas was said to have been tall and
thin and stately; but the Dutch settlers who immigrated to America
took their much-loved saint with them. Sinter Class, as they called him,
or Santa Claus, as it became in the United States; and he began to take on
a very different appearance. Probably that is where the jolly red face
and whiskers came in. When New Yorker Clement C. Moore wrote his
poem '"It was the night before Christmas" in 1822, he described the
Santa Claus we have today, with his eight tiny deer flying over the roofs.
And that is how the serious, grand saint of the 4th century became the
well-loved figure whom every child wish to meet in the shops at Christmas,
and whom many of them half expect to come their room at night to fill the
socks which they have hopefully hung ready him, a hope which is rarely disappointed.
Every calendar month contains something
interesting. Let’s look at December by the British
man's eyes. The main holiday in December for the
British is Christmas.
This is the favourite day of all children.
They wake up very early in the morning, find their
stockings filled by Father Christmas and open the
presents before going down to breakfast.
The whole family sits down for Christmas dinner at
midday. A traditional feature of Christmas
afternoon is the Queen's Christmas Message. At
three o'clock in the afternoon, the Queen gives her Christmas
Message to the nation which is broadcast on the radio and
television. The custom was begun by King George V in 1932.
An unusual tradition is that the British wear paper
crown on Christmas Day. The paper crowns they wear today
are
found
inside
the
Christmas crackers. Crackers are
very traditional items to have at Christmas. A cracker consists of
a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper.
The cracker is pulled by two people and each one contains a small
toy, a joke or motto, and a tissue-paper crown hat.
Boxing Day is the following day after Christmas Day. Like
Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a public holiday. The name of the day
goes back to medieval times, more than 800 years ago, when there
were alarms. Traditionally, on this day the alarm boxes were placed
at the back of every English church to collect money for the poor
were opened and the contents are distributed to the poor. The
tradition of giving money still continues today. It is customary for
householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular visiting trades people (the milkman,
dustman, coalman, paper boy etc.) Traditionally, Boxing Day is the day when families get together.
It is a day of watching sports and playing board games with the family. Boxing Day is a day for fox
hunting, too.
31st December is the last day of the year. It
is New Year's Eve. All over Britain there are parties,
fireworks, singing and dancing, to ring out the old year
and ring in the new. As the clock - Big Ben - strikes
midnight, people link arms and sing a song called «Auld
Lang Syne». It reminds them of old and new friends.
In Yorkshire, people say «Black rabbits, black rabbits,
black rabbits» in the closing seconds of the old year.
Then they say, «White rabbits, white rabbits, white
rabbits», as their first utterance of the New Year.
This is supposed to bring good luck.
Yulia Ivashniova, Ksenia Parshina 9 “A”
Декабрьское утро
На небе месяц – и ночная
Еще не тронулася тень,
Царит себе, не сознавая,
Что вот уж встрепенулся день,
Что хоть лениво и несмело
Луч возникает за лучом,
А небо так еще всецело
Ночным сияет торжеством.
Но не пройдет двух-трех
мгновении,
Ночь испарится над землей,
И в полном блеске проявлений
Вдруг нас охватит мир дневной.
Тютчев
December Morning
There is а moon and nightly shadow
Appeared in the sky,
Which reigns alone, not
understanding
Beginning of the light.
The гаys so lazy and so timid,
Appeared in the shy,
And shy is entirely vivid
With celebration of the night.
But in a minute oг might bе five
Instead of night will соmе new
light
Which will bе very fresh and bright
In wonderfully born new life.
Valerchik 9 “C”
JANUARY
The beginning of the year is the time
to make New Year resolutions. January was
established as the first month of the year by
the Roman Calendar. It was named after the
god Janus (Latin word for door).
Janus had two faces, which allowed
him to look both backwards into the old year
and forwards into the new one at the same
time. He was the ‘spirit of the opening’. In
the very earliest Roman calendars there were
no months of January or February at all. The
ancient Roman calendar had only ten months
and the new year started the year on 1
March. To the Romans, ten was a very
important number. Even when January (or
Januarius as the Romans called it) was
added, the New Year continued to start in
March. It remained so in England and its
colonies until about 200 years ago. The
Anglo-Saxons called the first month Wolf
monath because wolves came into the
villages in winter in search of food.
Anniversaries
1st – The BBC began broadcasting its first programmes in
1927.
2nd – On this date in 1770, a huge Christmas pie was
baked for holiday consumption in London.
10th – The London Underground began operating in 1863.
11th – The first televised weather broadcast featuring a
presenter on screen was transmitted from the BBC’s Lime
Grove Studios in 1954.
11th – Charring Cross Station, London, opened in 1864.
14th – Drivers were required by law to wear seat belts in
1986.
17th – Robert Scott and his crew reached the South Pole in
1912.
18th – A. A. Milne was born in 1882.
25th – Robert Burns was born in 1759.
26th – Australia Day.
27th – Mozart was born in 1756 in Austria.
28th – On the evening of that day in 1807 London’s Pall
Mall became the first street in the world to be lit by gas
lights.
29th – The Victoria Cross originated from this date in 1856.
the medals were made from the metals of guns captured in
the Crimea.
System of a Down
“We didn’t start this band
to change the world.
We didn’t start this band
to change your mind.
We started this band to
make you ask questions.”
At the beginning I should say that this is a thought-provoking band. They create rather hard
music. Their style includes rock, metal, Armenian rhymes and even jazz. But they pay special
attention to lyrics. The words are really mental.
‘System of a Down’ consists of four members. They all have Eastern background, exactly
Armenian. Their names are: vocalist Serj Tankian, guitarist Daron Malakian, drummer John
Dolmayan, bassist Shavo Odadjian.
Their history started in 1993. At first the band was called “Soil” and the name ‘System of a
Down’ appeared in 1995. The name was inspired by Daron’s poem called “Victims of a Down”. Serj
explained, “He brought it to us, and “System” was chosen as a better, stronger word”. Serj advised
to “take your own meaning out of your name. It means different things to different people. That’s
the beauty of it. We leave it open to interpretation.”
The band went through a very hard way because of their Armenian roots and truthful,
courageous songs. But now they have their final membership, they have a lot of fans, they have
their own unique style and a great amount of new ideas, that’s very important and valuable.
The guys have released 6 albums and all the members took part in songwriting. Their second
album “Toxicity”, made one week before September 11 terrorist acts, provoked a lot of rumours in
the Internet, suggesting that SOAD was under investigation because of their background and the
emotional content of the album.
Their first big hit “Chop Suey!” originally called “Suicide”, was removed from the radio and
TV rotation after most programme directors considered it too much aggressive. But when things
settled down it returned to the rotation and enjoyed huge popularity.
In spite of almost 15 years SOAD’s existence Malakian says: “The band is still the same
bunch of guys who play in their garage for friends. We have our days of disagreement. We have our
days of losing our mind. And it’s natural. We can go through some madness, even through the
fights, but it doesn’t matter”. “And sometimes the best songs come out of those situations”,
Dolmayan added.
Since the band’s foundation they have been bearing a lot of examinations and now they are
ready to speak free about crime, politics, anger and many other things. Great amount of their
songs are the songs about relations among people, the pollution of our atmosphere and nature,
about people which don’t want to do anything and become like an animal: without any culture and
intellect. And all in all, you should think, but not only listen, to come to like their creation and
understand their ideas.
(by System of a Down)
SOLDIER SIDE
Dead men lying on the bottom of the grave
Wondering when Savior comes.
Is he gonna be saved?
Maybe you're a sinner into your alternate life,
Maybe you're a joker, maybe you deserve to die.
Young men standing on the top of their own graves
Wondering when Jesus comes,
Are they gonna be saved?
Cruelty to the winner, Bishop tells the King his lies.
Maybe you're a mourner, maybe you deserve to die.
Chorus:
Chorus.
They were crying when their sons left.
God is wearing black.
He's gone so far to find no hope,
He's never coming back.
Welcome to the Soldier Side,
Where there's no one here but me.
People all grow up to die.
There is no one here but me .
They were crying when their sons left.
All young men must go.
He's come so far to find the truth,
He's never going home.
Welcome to the Soldier Side,
Where there's no one here but me.
People on the soldier's side.
There is no one here but me.
Kseniya Yakshtas
9”C”
1. Amatory
2. System of a Down
3. Rammstein
4. Limp Bizkit
5. 50 Cent
6. 5Diez
7. Jane Air
8. Ария
9. Blink 182
10. Linkin Park
11. Sum 41
12. Papa Roach
13. Three Days Grace
14. Scorpions
15. AFI
16. Nirvana
17. Perimeter
18. Keany West
19. Nightwish
20. Fort Minor
21. БИ-2
22. Dj Pakito
23. Metallica
24. Red Hot Chilly Peppers
25. Slipknot
(preferences of the 9-th formers)
The joke we will tell you, isn’t funny one bit.
It’s pointless and dull, wholly lacking in wit.
It’s so old and so stale, it’s beginning to smell.
Besides, it’s the one we are going to tell.
Doug was leaving church after Christmas service
when father McCaarthy took him aside. “Douglas, my
son,” he said, “It’s time you joined the Army of the Lord.
We need to see you every Sunday.”
“I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Father,” Doug
replied.
“Then why do we only see you on Christmas and
Easter?”
Doug looked to the right and to the left, and then
leaned over to whisper in Father McCarhty’s ear.
“I’m in the Secret Service.”
The judge was in a merry mood on Christmas
Eve as he asked the prisoner, “What are you charged
with?”
“Doing my Christmas shopping early”, answered the
man.
“That’s not an offense,” said the judge. “How early
were you doing this shopping?”
“Before the store opened.”
By Pavel Vengura and Olga Bushueva
Our Staff
The staff of our newspaper
congratulate you with all winter
holidays and wish you good luck and all
the happiness!!!
We hope you’ll have great pleasure
reading the second issue of our
newspaper and will remain with us
during the whole school year.
You can become a reporter of our
newspaper and you’re always welcome
with your creative works.
Gomel State Linguistic Gymnasium
© All rights reserved, 2008