News travels fast

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J. K. Rowling

 "Cyborgs"

Now and then we heard about terroristic attack in the U.S.A., Asian countries or Europe. We are in solidarity with the suffered people and took part in demonstrations against the war, but nobody even could imagine that a “civil” war would break out in Ukraine. Our country is at war now. Every day millions of Ukrainian people face the horror of war. It wasn’t declared. There wasn’t officially an invading enemy, but it’s obviously that our “brothers” Russian are on the East of Ukraine. Our government had to mobilize men to protect our country. Many people joined the army at will in order to serve their country. There are a lot of volunteer organizations which make useful contribution in getting weapon, body armors, imagers, food ect.

Actually, I don’t want to tell you about politicians who want to win the respect of citizens, who attract a lot of interest in media, who conduct peace talks.  I want to tell you about Ukrainian “Cyborgs”. The Donetsk airport has become a symbol of Ukraine's fight against separatists, and the "cyborgs" are Ukrainians who have held on to it despite persistent rebel attack. The vast majority of cyborgs come from the elite 79th and 95th airborne brigades of the army, whose bases are in Mykolayiv and Zhytomyr. There are troops from the 93rd motorized brigade from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and a Special Forces unit from Kirovograd too. The nickname was first used online and has since become a media staple in Ukraine. The separatists have been trying to capture the airport since May, allegedly with backing from the Russian military. They lost the battle every time. Even though a ceasefire has been called in early September, the airport remains a scene of fierce fighting almost every day. There  the military there is fighting for their life every hour, every minute and every second. They become a symbol of resistance. They have no right to lose their nerves because their lives are at stake. Their courage affects everyone deeply. As a result, all people try to stand up for these heroic guys. 

         I hope that Ukraine will have ability to return its territory. I hope that Ukrainian people will live in peace soon. I hope that other countries will be able to prevent war in future and nothing will threaten world peace. I pray that men who are fighting for our freedom, all return home safe and sound.

My dear Victoria,

It’s me…. Molly. Sorry that I haven’t written to you for so long time. I had lost your new address when we moved to Chicago and I couldn’t find it till now. I hope, you are still alive and you are happy. It has been long 50 years, since I told you “Goodbye”.

I want to tell you my story. I remember everything like it was yesterday. It was late 1916. I was a little girl. I was only 12. I loved my country and I considered that I lived in the most stunning city in the world. Vienna was the city of my dreams. Now I have feeling of nostalgia for the city where I have grown up. Unfortunately, my childhood wasn’t peaceful. World War I broke out when I was 10. My parents decided to flee from the war. They didn’t like to plan something in advance, so it was spontaneous decision. We had to take refuge in the U.S.A. From the moment of leaving home we were refugees. We moved from my native country. My family was sailing on a huge ferry to “A Big Apple”. It was a new milestone in my life. The ferry set sail at night. I was terrified, but at the same time I was keen on it. My family went on a trip. The smell of the ocean was sharp and unusual filled my nose. We had to dock in New York in 5 days. 

When we disembarked, we had to go to Ellis Island’s Great Hall. There were a few health inspections, who were watching us if we looked too sick to enter the country. There was “eye man” who turned up my eyelids and looked for any eye diseases, but it was fast. Then we got to our house where we met your friendly big family. All neighbours lived at peace with each other. My family got accustomed to our new lifestyle as fast as we could. We lived in the house with other 17 families from different countries. It was like five floors of cultural diversity. My parents bought a stove because there wasn’t it in the flat and also we could hit water on it. There was only cold water, but we had light and it was huge benefit. We had 3 rooms and only 2 beds. I slept on chairs. Your family did their bit with the cooking: you showed us how to cook burekas. In a few days I went to school with your brothers . My elder brother became a newsier because he finished school in Austria-Hungary. I didn’t feel any animosity towards me among pupils, but I couldn’t get the hang of using English, it was deadlock for me. After lessons I had opportunity to go for a wander around Manhattan and chill out a bit among buildings which retained the marvellous charm of old borough. I loved to laze around on the bench in a unique park or wander along cobbled streets lined with trees and houses. After that I went home and did some house chores. I swept and mopped the floor. Frankly speaking, it was difficult. I even couldn’t imagine how you did it after 10 people. Also, once or twice I did laundry, but it wasn’t work for little girl. I remember how you went with me  to Nickelodeon to watch films or listen to foxtrot. We wore aprons from your father’s workshop. My brother often played stickball with yours. It was good old days.

I hope to meet you soon. You are my friend forever.

With best wishes
Molly

Gardens and nature. Environment. Energy conservation. Wildlife under threat.

This Concerns Everyone

It’s obvious that pollution of the land, seas and atmosphere shows that global issues are problems for the whole world, but not only for one country. When the giant Soviet nuclear power plant at Chernobyl suffered a meltdown in 1986, the radiation clouds poisoned the air across Europe. Acid rain from U.S. factories is killing fish in the northern reaches of Canada as well as across the Arctic Ocean in Siberia. It’s a foregone conclusion that chemical elements in our hairsprays, aerosol spray and deodorant are contributing to the destruction of ozone layer.

When in Ukraine we hear about drought, earthquake, flood or volcanic eruption on the other side of the world, we think that it’s not our deal and  everything is okay in our country, unfortunately, it’s wrong thoughts. Our country is polluted too. I want to present some ideas how to find a solution of this problem. It’s absolutely vital that we have to do something in order to avoid environmental catastrophe.

          First of all, we have to use more alternative energy sources, for example, build offshore wind farms, actually, we have some near Kerch, but it’s not enough. Wind is renewable resource of energy, as a result, we will minimize usage of natural resources. Also, we can use recycled paper to help save trees. A lot of wild animals and birds are under treat and lost their habitat due to deforestation. In spite of this, we can create natural reserves and protect the species which is becoming extinct. In addition, we can plant more trees in the city, creating some parks in this way.

Secondly, every Ukrainian can use energy-saving eco light bulbs because they will reduce energy consumption. It would be a good idea to encourage eco-friendly materials in building. Furthermore, we can try to avoid buying plastic. It's hard to recycle, that can lead to dire consequence. One way to cut down on plastic is to refuse to use carrier bags offered by supermarkets and use strong, long lasting shopping bags instead.

Finally, doing all these steps Ukraine will be greener. Our environment will be protected. Our country will seem European country if Ukrainian people think about their home, and I’m not saying about the houses where they live, I mean nature. Don’t do things which are harmful to the environment. Let’s be eco-friendly.

Some food for thoughts: right steps to better education

As Anthony J. D'Angelo said: “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” Unfortunately, every year more and more young people don’t grasp the importance of education. They don’t have a thirst for knowledge anymore. Moreover, majority of teachers are from the old school who doesn’t keep up with modern technologies.  That’s why many distinguished scholars try to find right solution how to improve modern system of education and create schools of future. For instance, Sugata Mitra and Sir Ken Robinson give some ideas how to give students an education in effective way.

First of all, the idea about Self-Organized Learning Environments by Sugata Mitra seems to be interesting and as easy as ABC, but it’s not so simple.  It’s good to give students some stimulation and motivation to acquire knowledge, but teachers have to support pupils and help them to create scheme how to learn something in order to achieve success. Students need practice and basic knowledge and only after that they can learn and pass everything with flying colors as Sugata Mitra expects.

Second, ideas of Sir Ken Robinson are more realistic. Without a doubt he suggests real steps how to improve any system of education which will be suitable for any child, not only for bookworms or straight A student. I agree with him, that children have to be curious about new information and due to it they won’t play truant and drop out of school because they are bored. Do you ask how it is possible? To my mind, Sir Ken Robinson answered on this question: “They individualize teaching and learning. They recognize that it's students who are learning and the system has to engage them, their curiosity, their individuality, and their creativity. That's how you get them to learn.” Clearly, that students will develop their mental agility and become quick learners and eager beaver. As a result, they will hit the books and brainstorm new information with pleasure and interest instead of trying to cram everything. Lessons have to be creative and students won’t find it boring or irrelevant. 

To summarize, I take the view that leading authorities will understand the truly aim of education and do everything possible in order to change the current situation. Maybe in a few years students will have their noses in books and achieve full marks because they want to do it, but not because they have to. By the way, I have some ideas how to improve system of education in Ukraine. You can see them below.