Peace Symbols

The symbol originally designed for the British nuclear disarmament movement is now widely used.

A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by Pablo Picasso after World War II. In the 1950s the "peace sign", as it is known today, was designed as the logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and adopted by anti-war and counterculture activists in the United States and elsewhere. The peace sign was first used in the United States.

The olive branch

The use of the olive branch as a symbol of peace in Western civilization dates at least to the 5th century BC. The olive tree represented plenty, but the ancient Greeks believed that it also drove away evil spirits. The olive branch was one of the attributes of Eirene, goddess of peace.

The Romans believed there was an intimate relationship between war and peace.  Appian describes the use of the olive-branch as a gesture of peace by the enemies.

The dove and olive branch

The use of a dove and olive branch as a symbol of peace originated with the early Christians, who portrayed the act of baptism accompanied by a dove holding an olive branch in its beak and also used the image on their sepulchers. The dove appears in many funerary inscriptions in the Roman catacombs sometimes accompanied by the words in pace.

Christians derived the symbol of the dove and olive branch from two sources: Greek thought, including its use of the symbol of the olive branch and the story of Noah and the Flood. The story of Noah in the Hebrew Bible ends with a passage describing a dove bringing a freshly plucked  olive leaf a sign of life after the Flood and of God's bringing Noah, his family and the animals to land. Jews never used Noah's dove and olive leaf as symbols of peace.

In the earliest Christian art, the dove represented the peace of the soul rather than civil peace. 

The broken rifle

The broken rifle symbol is used by War Resistance International (WRI). In 1915 it appeared on the cover of a pamphlet, Under the Broken Rifle. The (German) League for War Victims, founded in 1917, used the broken rifle on a 1919 banner.

In 1921, Belgian workers marching through La Louvrière on 16 October 1921, carried flags showing a soldier breaking his rifle. 

Chinese culture and traditions

China is an extremely large country, and the customs and traditions of its people vary by geography and ethnicity. More than 1 billion people live in China, according to the Asia Society, representing 56 ethnic minority groups. The largest group is the Han Chinese, with about 900 million people. Other groups include the Tibetans, the Mongols, the Manchus, the Naxi, and the Hezhen, which is smallest group, with fewer than 2,000 people.

Chinese New Year

Of all the Chinese festivals, Chinese New Year is for kids of all ages the most loved and anticipated. In China, planes, trains, buses, boats, donkeys, and any means of transportation you can imagine, are jammed packed with people returning home to enjoy the celebrations with their friends and family. And all over the world, wherever there is a Chinatown, the festivities are a colorful display of dragon dances, lantern festivals, feasts, and of course firecrackers!

The History of Chinese New Year

This traditional fest has been celebrated for more than four thousand years. It came about from ancient celebrations to mark the end of the long winter season and the beginning of spring. It celebrates the earth coming back to life and the beginning of the growing cycle. This is why it is also called the Spring Festival. For Chinese people all over, the Lunar New Year is the celebration of the year, a time for happy reunions, family and friends, rich in colorful traditions and customs.

When is Chinese New Year?

In western countries, New Year's Day always falls on January 1st. In China, New Year's Day is also the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar! Therefore, Chinese New Year dates vary each year and could fall at the end of January or in February. The New Year celebrations begin on New Year's Eve, the big party is on New Year's Day, and the action continues for the next 15 days. It all ends with the first full moon of the year, fifteen days later with the Lantern Festival, another great carnival and the perfect ending to this great holiday season. As per long-standing Chinese customs, each year is assigned an animal according to the Chinese Zodiac.

Chinese New Year Decorations

Dazzling and glittering Chinese New Year Decorations never fail to capture the magic and energy of this fabulous season. Just like in the West at Christmas time, as Chinese New Year approaches, homes, businesses, shopping centres, offices, shops, airports, train stations... are dressed in their holiday best. A sea of red and gold, bright lanterns and auspicious plants and flowers are the hallmarks of the season, heralding the arrival of the largest and most important festival of the year.

Bright Red Lanterns

Bright red lanterns are perhaps the most popular way to add that spark to the celebrations. You see them popping up everywhere around town, the temples, the stores, homes, parks... Chinese lanterns come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours, although for Chinese New Year, the traditional red and gold balloon lantern is one of the most popular ones. The red Chinese Lantern has become a symbol of Chinese Culture. To Chinese, it represents vitality and prosperity, you see them hanging year-round in Chinatowns around the world.

Human trafficking

We live in the 21^st century where each and every individual is free to do whatever they like, act however they like, and live however they please. We talk about freedom but in reality, not all individuals are free. Slavery is abolished and is made illegal in all the countries of the world, but people are still slaves to many things, knowingly or unknowingly. One such situation where an individual lacks freedom is prevalent widely amongst many countries of the world till date. This is human trafficking.

What is human trafficking? 

A $32 billion annual industry, modern day trafficking is a type of slavery that involves the transport or trade of people for the purpose of work. According to the U.N., about 2.5 million people around the world are ensnared in the web of human trafficking at any given time.

Human trafficking impacts people of all backgrounds, and people are trafficked for a variety of purposes. Men are often trafficked into hard labor jobs, while children are trafficked into labor positions in textile, agriculture and fishing industries. Women and girls are typically trafficked into the commercial sex industry, i.e. prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation.

What is sex slavery/trafficking? 

Sex trafficking or slavery is the exploitation of women and children, within national or across international borders, for the purposes of forced sex work. Each year, an estimated 800,000 women and children are trafficked across international borders—though additional numbers of women and girls are trafficked within countries.

Some sex trafficking is highly visible, such as street prostitution. But many trafficking victims remain unseen. Sex traffickers may also operate out of a variety of public and private locations, such as massage parlors, spas and strip clubs.

Adult women make up the largest group of sex trafficking victims, followed by girl children, although a small percentage of men and boys are trafficked into the sex industry as well.

Human trafficking migration patterns tend to flow from East to West, but women may be trafficked from any country to another country at any given time and trafficking victims exist everywhere. Many of the poorest and most unstable countries have the highest incidences of human trafficking. Where economic alternatives do not exist, women and girls are more vulnerable to being tricked and coerced into sexual servitude. Increased unemployment and the loss of job security have undermined women's incomes and economic position.

Republic of Singapore

Singapore (/ˈsɪŋɡəpɔr/), officially the Republic of Singapore, and often referred to as the Lion City, the Garden City, and the Red Dot, is a leading global city-state and island country in Southeast Asia. Singapore's territory consists of the diamond-shaped main island and more than 60 significantly smaller islets.

In 1826 it became part of the UK. It became independent from Britain in 1963.

Singapore is a parliamentary republic.

Singapore has a tropical rainforest climate with no distinctive seasons.

Since Singapore is a small island with a high population density, the number of private cars on the road is restricted so as to curb pollution and congestion.

Singapore is a major international transport hub (A transport hub  is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles or between transport modes)  in Asia, positioned on many sea and air trade routes.

Buddhism is the most widely practised religion in Singapore. The next-most practised religion is Christianity, followed by Islam, Taoism, and Hinduism. 17% of the population did not have a religious affiliation.

Singapore has four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, and Tamil. English is the common language, and is the language of business, government.

Singapore is a very diverse and young country. It has many languages, religions, and cultures for a country its size

New York

There are a lot of big and beautiful cities in the USA. The outstanding one is New York. New York with its skyscrapers, noisy streets and the crazy pulse of supercity is unlike Washington with its long wide avenues, shady streets, low buildings and crowds of governmental officials. New York is not an old city. In 1609 Henry Hudson  - an English explorer, who worked for the Dutch East-Indian company, founded the town at the mouth of river that later got his name (the Hudson river). As it was a Dutch colony the first name of the town was New Amsterdam. But in 1664 the settlement was bought (captured) by the Duke of York and became a British colony and was renamed New York in honour of the Duke. Nowadays New York is the biggest city and seaport in the country. It is considered to be a national leader in business, finance, manufacturing, industry, fashion and arts. Its total area is about 900 square km and its population is about 16 million people. The most well-known nickname of New York is "The Big Apple" but unfortunately we do not know the origin of this nickname. (New York became known as ''The Big Apple'' thanks to the apple orchards planted by Dutch governor). New York is inhabited by people of almost all nationalities. 13 of every 100 people in New York were born in another country. More than 80 languages are spoken throughout the neighbourhoods and streets of the city and there are places where English is hardly spoken. Most famous ethnic neighbourhoods are Harlem (Negro Chetto), Chinese neighbourhood known as Chinetown and naneighbourhood, called ''Little Odesa'' inhabited by people who came from Russia and Sowet Union. Because of its multinational and multi-racial population New York is sometimes called ''Modern Babylon'' or ''Melting Pot'' or ''Salad Boul''.
Modern New York consists of five main parts or boroughs: Manhatten, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Richmond and Queens. Manhatten is a historical, financial, administrative centre of the city. Manhatten is divided into three part: downtown, midtown, uptown. In 1626 it was bought from the Indians for handfull of trinkets that cost twenty-four dollars. Later the Indians named the island ''Manhatten'' which is one of Indians languages mean ''They cheated us''. As Manhatten is an island numerous bridges connect it with other boroughs. The most famous bridge is 449 m long Brooklyn Bridge which was opened for the public 1888 and it was first steel suspension bridge in the world. Among other famous bridge there are Triborough Bridge which connects Manhatten with both Queens and the Bronx and George Washingtin Bridge one of the world's largest bridge. There are many places of interest in New York and many famous streets. Of course most famous sight in New York is the Statue of Liberty. It is a symbol of not only New York but of the USA.

Means of Communication

What does it mean? Means of communication. It is the way of exchanging information. We can communicate with other people in many different ways. The Internet, phones, telegraph, cell phones, radio, television are all the means of communication.

To begin with I’d like to point out that means of communication have changed greatly. When we think of it we cannot understand how people who lived 50 years ago were able to keep in touch. Nowadays we cannot imagine human contact without modern technology devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, laptops and so on.
Newspapers, though don’t react to events as quickly as TV does. TV has become the primary source of news for millions of people around the world. Still many people prefer to get the news on the radio.
Modern means of communication have made the distance between people unimportant. Late in the nineteenth century, communication facilities were added by a new invention — telephone. In the USA its use expanded slowly and by 1900 the American Telephone and Telegraph Company controlled 855,000 telephones.
After 1900, telephone installations extended much more rapidly. Mobile phones are portable and let us contact others wherever they and we are. Furthermore, mobile phones offer the possibility of texting. Text messaging is the most convenient and the cheapest form of communication when we need to pass a quick note containing only a few words.
Emails have replaced letters and postcards almost completely. People prefer emails, which are quicker to write and send and more sure to reach the addressee.
Video conferences are often used by business people and scientists and they don’t need to travel to remote places.
To keep in touch with our families and friends that live abroad we use the Internet and such programs as Skype or Messenger, we use video chats or instant messaging.
A lot of people especially teenagers communicate in social networks such as vkontacte, facebook, twitter, odnoklasniki.

My favorite book

It’s hard to imagine our lives without books. We learn a lot of interesting things when we read books. Books are our great friend and teachers.

When you read books you find yourselves in different lands. Together with the characters of the books you climb high mountains, go by ship in the stormy sea, fly into space. In a ward, you have a lot of adventures.

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens is one of the greatest writers in the English language. He was born near Portsmouth in the south of England on 7th February 1812. His father worked in an office as a clerk.

Charles Dickens’ father was not clever at managing money. John Dickens did not earn much money and soon the family could not pay their bills. John Dickens went to prison because he could not pay his debts. Mrs Dickens, Charles and his brothers and sisters went to live in the prison with Charles’ father. At this time, Charles Dickens was 12 years old. He was sent to work in a factory.  He had to work many hours a day sticking labels on bottles. The pay was low, the work was very hard and Dickens was very unhappy. Charles Dickens never forgot what happened to him at this time.

In 1827, when he was 15 years old, Dickens went to work in an office as a clerk. The work was not well-paid but Charles made some friends and also liked visiting the theatre.

In 1833, Dickens started writing. That year, his first article was published in the Old Monthly Magazine.

Charles Dickens became very famous and very rich. He wrote some of the most well-known and popular stories in English literature. Dickens knew how the poor people lived in England and many of his stories were about poor people. He was angry at the way children were treated. They were beaten and made to work in dirty and dangerous jobs with little food or shelter. Because of his stories, people were made to see how children and poor people lived in nineteenth century England.

Dickens wrote a very great number of books, articles and short stories. He owned and edited magazines which published short stories and poetry. He also travelled in Europe and the United States. Thousands of people came to hear him talk and to hear him read from his books.Oliver Twist, the story of a poor boy without a family, was published in 1838. Other well-known books by Dickens are: A Christmas Carol (1843), Bleak House (1853), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Great Expectations(1861), and Our Mutual Friend (1864).

Charles Dickens became ill from working too hard and died on 9th June 1870 near Gravesend in the south of England. He was 58 years old. Dickens was buried in the famous church, Westminster Abbey, in London.

Shopping

Going shopping is a part of our everyday life. For some people it's a pleasant pastime while for others it's an everyday routine. Some people like doing shopping and they are happy if they can pick up a bargain in the sales, for others yawn (հորանջել) while walking along the shelves in a shop. People who hate going shopping they make a list of what they need and run through stores buying the needed things. But whether you like shopping or not you have to do it because it's a necessity.

I'd like to say that at present shopping has become more exciting than it used to be several decades ago. Today people do a lot of shopping or at least window-shopping every day, because all necessary facilities are provided for them. In large cities and even in small towns there are all kinds of shops and stores as well as supermarkets. 

 Supermarkets are big self-service food shops (and not only food nowadays) where one can buy a lot of goods cheaper than at local grocer's. In supermarkets the goods are tidily arranged on trays (սկուտեղ) and long endless shelves. The shelves are well stocked with a wide selection of attractively packed goods. Everything from quick-frozen food to washing powder, from shoe-polish to new-laid eggs, from tinned fish to tooth paste can be bought there. All these things are displayed in such a way that people are often tempted to purchase things they don't need. It's a so called marketing trick; that's why it's better to make shopping list before going to a shop. With shopping list you can avoid several costly mistakes. After a person has found everything he needs he takes his trolley and goes to the cash desk. There are often long queues, but they do not spoil the general pleasure of visiting such shops.

Washington, D.C.

If New York is the centre of finance, shipping and entertainment. New Orleans, the city of cotton and jazz. Boston the centre of culture and learning. Chicago, of meat markets and gangsters. Washington is the city of government and administration.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States. It is one of the few national capitals founded  solely as a seat of government. The original plan of the city anticipated its future growth. As the new republic increased in size and wealth, Washington grew to become one of the most important and beautiful cities in the world. It is the site of impressive government buildings, magnificent monuments, important historical landmarks, fine museums, and broad, tree-shaded avenues and malls. Every year Washington is visited by millions of tourists from all parts of the United States and from many other countries of the world. But the city is also home to a large number of people-the place where they live, work, and raise families. As such, it is confronted by the same problems facing most large cities.
Washington, District of Columbia, was named after George Washington and Christopher Columbus. 
Washington lies on the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia. The city's site was selected by President Washington in 1791. A French engineer and architect was commissioned to plan the future capital. In 1800 the still unfinished city replaced Philadelphia as the nation's capital. 

Great Britain and major cities

Stratford

Stratford's fame has spread worldwide as the town where William Shakespeare was born. On a bright morning the busy shops are reminders that for five hundred years Stratford has been a market town.
Its history begins with the Roman occupation, but it was during the Middle Ages that Stratford flowered.
Stratford-upon-Avon is a town 94 miles northwest of London, on the Avon. In 1553 the town received a charter from Edward VI. Another Charter was granted in 1611. The population of the town is about 20 thousand. Its chief points of interest are associated with the name and life of Shakespeare. In Henley Street stands an unpretentions one-storeyed wooden house, where he was born, and which now belongs to the British government. The house where he died was torn down in 1759.
The town has a fine guild-hall, and a public library rich in Sliakespeareana (1905), an art gallery with many Sliakespeareana paintings, a market house, a corn exchange, a new school for technical education, public schools, the fine Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, and the Shakespeare fountain.
Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of the greatest English poet and playwright William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564.
William received his early education at the local grammer school.
In 1587 Shakespeare went to London to seek his fortune in a company of actors. First he worked as an actor and then as a revister and writer of plays. 
Shakespeare's first narative poem, ''Venus' and Adonis'', was published in 1593 and met with a warm reception. 
In 1599 he became one of the proprietors at the Globe Theatre which was built on Bankside. In 1597 he bought New Place, one og the largest houses in Stratford. But  he continued to live and work in London until 1610. 
Shakespeare died at the age of fifty-two on April, 23, 1616, at New Place. He was buried in the church at Stratford on the banks of the Avon. 
Although Stratford-upon-Avon remains a small market town, it has now become a gathering-place of all nations. People show their love for the great writer and every year on April, 23 they come to Stratford and take part in celebrating Shakespeare's birthday.
The royal Shakespeare Theatre was opened in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1932. Only Shakespeare's plays are performed here. The town attracts people from all over the world by its Royal Shakespeare Theatre and as the birthplace of the great writer.

History of Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country of great history rich in important events and entertaining legends connected with them. In prehistoric times Britain was joined to Europe. So the first people came there over dry land. The present English Channel which separates Britain from Europe appeared at the end of the Ice Age. After 800 BC the Celts arrived from Centeral Europe and opened up a new important page of the British history. The name ''Britain'' comes from the name of a Caltic tribe  known as the Bristons. Their influence was greatest in Wales, Scotland and Ireland as theywere driven to these parts by the invaders who followed them. That's why these parts of Britain are very different from England in language, customes and traditions.
In 55 BC Julius Ceaser, the Roman ruler invaded Britain. As his force was small his first expedition wasn't successful. In the following year 54 BC he invaded the country with a larger army and this time the expedition was successful. But Ceaser didn't stay in Britain. He left the country with slaves and riches and made the Celts pay a regular tribute to Rome.  

This is London

Philip Prowse

1

History of London

The Romans

The Romans came to Britain in AD 43. They built a town on the River Thames. They called the town Londinium.

Soon, they built a bridge over the river. Londinium grew bigger. Ships came to the town from all over Europe.

The Romans built roads from Londinium to other parts of Britain. By the year 400, there were fifty thousand people living in the city.

William the Conqueror

In 1066, William the Conqueror came to England. William was the Duke of Normandy in France. He won the Battle of Hastings and he became King of England.

William lived in London but he was afraid of the people of London. He built the White Tower to feel safe. Now it is the tallest part of the Tower of London.

Many tourists visit the Tower of London every year. The Crown Jewels – the Queen's gold and jewels – are kept there.

All the Kings and Queens of England lived in London. It was the biggest town in England. By 1600, there were more than two hundred thousand people living in London.

Shakespeare's London

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon in 1564. Later, he lived in London. Dhakespeare wrote thirty-six plays. They are still read and performed all over the world.

The plays were performed in the Globe Theatre. The theatre was destroyed by a fire in 1613. In 1997, a new Globe Theatre was built in the same place.

Amanda Seyfried

Amanda Seyfried (26 years old) is an American actress, singer and model. She began her model career when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress. Her first modelling job was for a magazine, she also learnt singing and performed in theatres. The first film with Amanda was ''All my children'', in 2002. In 2011 released the film ‘’In Time’’ with Justin Timberlake which had a big success. It is a science fiction film where the most precious thing is the time. Another famous films are ''Letters to Juliet'', ''Dear John'' and so on. ‘’Dear John’’ is a romantic drama film. John (Channing Tatum) and Savannah (Amanda) loved each other. But came a day, when John had to leave his grilfriend and home to go to the army. I liked that film very much and I think it is very interesting. Amanda is loved by the audience thanks to her good performances. She is also a very beautiful girl with big, green eyes and blonde hair.

Discussions on Friendship and Human Relationship

1.      There is saying which says : “ To lose a friend start sharing a flat or room with him/her.” Do you agree?

2.      What is the difference between friendship and kinship (blood relations)?

3.      To what extent can you be friends with your mother, father?

4.       How important is forgiveness in human relationship?

5.      What can your friends do to make you fall out with each other?

6.      What type of people do you get on well with?

7.      What things should friends never do?

8.      How can a good friendship be maintained?

9.      Has a friend ever let you down?

10.   Have your friends had any influence on your life in a positive way?

Armenian Theatre

According to Plutarch the history of Armenian theatre begins in 70 BC when Tigran the Great opened the first public theatre in Tigranakert. Artavazd II, who was Tigran the Great’s son, built the second public theatre in Artashat which survived until the second century AD. Artavazd II is considered to be the first Armenian playwright as he  himself wrote tragedies for his theatre.
The real development of the Armenian theatre started in the 19^th century when the western Armenian playwrights began to create, among them Petros Duryan, Levon Shant and Hakob Paronyan. Levon Shant’s and Hakob Paronyan’s plays are still being staged at different Armenian theatres nowadays. Hakob Paronyan’s “Brother Baghdasar” has been a great success in the Armenian theatres.  In 1855 Armenian theatres were built in Constantinople, Turkey. In fact Armenians did a great deal for the development of the Turkish theatre as well.

The great artist

Everybody knows, that knowing foreign languages and especially English, helps us to communicate with the representatives of other peoples, but it turned out, that the power of this general truth   fades in case of really great actors.Years ago, I saw a show on TV, during which Sergey Israyelyan told  about an incident, the witness of which he was in the 1970s.And now I will retell it recollecting what I heard that day.

Noravank

Noravank is a 13^th century church situated near the city of Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor. It is located in a narrow gorge which is known for its tall brick-red cliffs. The church was built near the river Amaghu. Noravank is often called Noravank at Amaghu to distinguish it from Bgheno-Noravank which is located near Goris. The monastery is known for its two-storey St. Astvatsatsin church. Many khachkars have been  found here.Noravank was founded in 1205 by Bishop Hovhannes, a former abbot of Vahanavank near the present-day city of Kapan in Syunik. The monastic complex includes the church of S. Karapet, S. Grigor chapel with a vaulted hall, and the church of S. Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God).The sculptor of Noravank was Momik.The fortress walls surrounding the complex were built in the 17th–18th centuries.There is a legend about Noravank. The ruler of Syunik promised Momik to give him his daughter if he built  a monastery for him. But he deceived the poor sculptor. When Momik was putting the last stone the ruler pushed him off the wall and so he was killed.This is a hole. There is a khachkar at the bottom.