Lingva Achievers

Leaflet by M.Sekulic Fin. Corr.

2008-05-06T05:02:00.000-07:00

DO YOU PLAY CHESS OR IS YOUR LIFE A JOYLESS STORY?

You will find the answer if you join Valjevo Chess Club.

Who are we?
Founded only a year ago, owing to a German Government donation, this new Chess Club already managed to provide challenging fun to some residents of Valjevo City.
Taking part in chess matches, people gain more than they could ever imagine. Busy brains and happy faces for sure.

Why join us?
- Membership is FREE .
-You don’t have to be a good player to join us and we also offer help for those who have never played chess before.
-Everyone is welcome, from 7 to 77, men, women or children
-We offer competitive atmosphere, especially trough collective matches which include all members’ activities.
-You can be a part of big national and international chess competitions.
-Matches are played in traditional way, but we also offer interactive cyber matches.
-Internet cafe service is available.

Events:
-Collective matches are held every second weekend.
-Once a month, we have domestic and international guests - famous chess players .
-National and international competitions are held once a year.
-At the end of the year, the most successful members are awarded.
-Juniors can make parties in the Club, especially after good matches.
Where and when do we meat?
You can find us every day from 8:00am - 8:00pm at Sindjeliceva 45, or simply visit http://www.valjevochessclub.org.yu/

IT’S UP TO YOU

Leaflet by D.Mihajlovic Fin.Corr.

2008-05-06T04:14:00.000-07:00

MURAT & LAZAR CHESS CLUB

The chess club “Murat & Lazar” was founded in 1390 in memory of the great Battle of Kosovo and its name comes from rulers who fought and died during the battle. It is the oldest chess club in Europe. Originally members met in a grand citadel located in Kosovo. Unfortunately this citadel was severely damaged during the First World War and totally destroyed during the Second. Since then the chess club has been moved to Belgrade.

EVENTS
# Members meet every Friday at 5 o’clock at Moscow hotel to practice for at least 2 hours
# Competitions are held every month with nearby cities (the best players have free access to the world cup)
# The club also offers to members an active social programme, including barbecues and pub crawls

MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to everyone who has IQ over 70. One year membership costs only 100$. To apply you simply have to turn up at Moscow hotel reception and ask for the application form. All members have 10% lower prices for all drinks in the hotel. The atmosphere is quiet so all member can concentrate on the game.
Info tel. +00034 44 83 58 92

Character Reference by D.Mihajlovic Fin.Corr.

2008-05-06T03:16:00.000-07:00

Natasha and I went to the same class in primary school. Later we also did work experience together in a local kindergarten. Natasha comes from a large family with a lot of children whom she had to look after as the oldest one in the family. Because of that, Natasha has become extremely agile in handling unexpected situations. Right now both of us are training to become primary teachers.

In the time that she worked in kindergarten Natasha proved to be flexible and patient in her relations with children. She was also very reliable and punctual. Soon she became very popular with children who liked her relaxed and friendly manner. She also proved to be creative in inventing new games to occupy children.

As a friend, I have always found Natasha to be honest and hardworking. She always acts in the best interest of others. Despite the fact that her room at college was not always very tidy her classroom, on the contrary, was the exact opposite.

When Natasha started her training at primary school, she had some difficulties in taking control over children. However, as soon as they got to know her better they calmed down and within a few days children started to respect and like her.

Natasha told me recently that she was looking to gain experience with children abroad, and as she speaks English perfectly, communication will not be a problem. It is clear from the job description that the post you are seeking to fill would suit her enormously. She would undoubtedly do an excellent job, and I have no hesitation in supporting her application.

leaflet

2008-05-06T01:05:00.000-07:00

The chess club “Murat I Lazar” was founded in 1390 in memoriam of a great battle of Kosovo and its name comes from the names of rulers that fought and died during the battle. It is the oldest chess club in Europe. Originally members met in a grand citadel located in Kosovo. Unfortunately this citadel was severely damaged during world war the first and totally destroyed during the second. Ever since then chess club has been moved in Belgrade.

EVENTS

# Members meet every Friday at 5 o’clock at Moscow hotel to practice for at least 2 hours

# Competitions are held every month with near cities (best players have free access to world cup)

# The club also offers to members an active social programme, including barbecues and pub crawls

MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to everyone who has IQ over 70. One year membership costs only 1000$. To apply you simply have to turn up at Moscow hotel reception and ask for the applying form. All members have 10 percent lover prices for all drinks in hotel. Atmosphere is quiet so all member can concentrate on the game.

Info tel. +00034 44 83 58 92

Character reference

2008-05-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

Natasha and I went in the same class in primary school. We also did work experience together in local kindergarten. Natasha comes from a large family, actually she has 15 brothers and sisters she had to handle as the oldest child in family. Because of that, Natasha became extremely agile in handling unexpected situations. Wright now both of us are training to become primary teachers.

In the time that she worked in kindergarten Natasha proved to be proved flexible and patient in her relations with children. She was also very reliable and punctual, and never late for work. Soon nnnn became very popular with children who liked her relaxed and friendly manner. She also proved to be creative in inventing new games to occupy children.

As a friend, I have always found Natasha to be honest and hardworking. She always acts in best interest of others. Despite the fact that her room at college wasn’t always very tidy her classroom, on the contrary, was complete opposite.

When Natasha started to work in school, she had some difficulties to take control over children. But as soon as they got to know her better they calmed down. Within few days children started to respect and like her.

Natasha informed me recently that she is looking for an experience with children abroad, and she speaks English perfectly. It is clear from the job description that the post you are seeking to fill would suit her enormously. She would undoubtedly do an excellent job, and I have no hesitation in supporting her application.

Leaflet by M.Sekulic

2008-05-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

DO YOU PLAY CHESS OR IS YOUR LIFE A JOYLESS STORY?

You will find the answer if you join Valjevo Chess Club.

Who are we?

Founded only a year ago , owning to the German Government donation, this new Chess Club already managed to provide challenging fun to some residents of Valjevo City.

Taking part in chess matches, people gain more than they could ever imagine. Busy brains and happy faces for sure.

Why joining us?

- Membership is FREE .

-You don’t have to be a good player to join us and we also offer help for those who had never played chess before.

-Everyone is welcomed, everyone from 7 to 77, (men, women, all together).

-We offer competition spirit especially trough collective matches which include all members activity.

-You can be a part of big National and International chess competitions.

-Matches are played in traditional way, but we also offer interactive cyber matches .

- Internet and cafe service is available.

Events:

-Collective matches are held every second weekend.

-Once a month, we have domestic and international guests-famous chess players .

-National and International competitions are held once a year.

-At the end of the year, the most successful members are awarded.

-Juniors ere granted to make parties in the Club, especially after good matches.

Where and when do we meat?

You can find us every day from 8:00h-20:00h at Sindjeliceva 45, or simply visit www.valjevochessclub.org.yu

IT’S UP TO YOU

Character Reference by M.Sekulic Fin.Corr.

2008-05-02T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have known Jasmina Koprivica for almost two years as a colleague, and eventually she has become my friend. In that time she has shown enthusiasm and good working skills, especially persistence and punctuality, which gave made her a promising worker.

I can confirm that Jasmina has always been positive and devoted to her work. She is also tolerant and patient as a colleague and willing to give advice when it is needed. She has always proved herself to be extremely alert and discreet especially when it comes to company rules. That makes her a very reliable worker aware of the Code of Conduct. I also think she has excellent risk management skills. She always gives the impression that every problem can be solved and that it is only a matter of choosing the right solution.

Jasmina has excellent English knowledge and fluency in speaking so she can easily adapt in foreign surroundings. In October last year, she helped in convincing two EU companies to become our partners, and that was a really big success for our company. She proved in this way she could be an excellent negotiator.

The only weakness Jasmina has is that sometimes she can be rather obstinate. This can happen in communication with her director when she disagrees with him. However, I think this happens owing to her self-confidence which results from her considerable experience.

I believe that Jasmina Koprivica is a good candidate for the position of Vice President for Public Relations. My opinion is based mostly on the results she has made during her work in this firm, and also on the mental and physical energy which she passes on to other people.

c.reference correction by marta s.

2008-04-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

At the beginning I must say this assignment is a very difficult one because it requires opinion on my colleague as a worker, who is also my friend. So I will try to be as much objective as I can.

I have known Jasmina Koprivica for almost two years as a colleague, but eventually she became my friend. In that time she has shown enthusiasm and good working skills , especially persistency and punctuality, which made her a promising worker. My most recent contact with her was four days ago when she solved a big problem for our company making the situation less risky. It was all about identifying the certain problem and solving it immediately, which she did easily. So I think she is an excellent risk manager. She always gives the impression that every problem can be solved but it is only a matter of choosing the right solution.

Jasmina has an excellent English knowledge and fluency in speaking so she can easily adapt in foreign surroundings, at some seminars or business trips. In October last year, she helped in convincing two EU companies to become our partners, and that was a really big success for our company. So she proved she could be an excellent negotiator.

The only weakness Jasmina has is that sometimes she can be rather obstinate. It can happen in communication with her director when she disagrees with him. But I think it is happening because she believes in herself which results from her big experience.

I believe that Jasmina Koprivica is a good candidate to be the Vice President for External Relations. My opinion is based mostly on the results she has made during her work in this firm, and also on the mental and physical energy which she pass on to other people. I am saying that as a colleague and as a friend and I am sure she will prove it.

Leaflet by M.Petric Fin.corr.

2008-04-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the World of Chess

If you are really interested in chess, want to learn how it is played or you are an experienced player, you should consider joining our chess club.

Who are we?

When were we established?

-In March 1990, Sarah Turner, an excellent chess player, wanted to start a chess club to encourage more people to play this game or even enter some competitions.
-The president of the Leisure and Recreation department allowed her to use the city leisure centre for this purpose, so the club was finally established in June 1990.

Members

-Right now there are exactly 133 members, but the number is getting bigger and bigger every day.
-There is no age limit - our youngest member is only 12 years old and the oldest one is 57. So, if you definitely want to apply and you are concerned about your age, do not be!

Events

When do we meet?

-The club is opened every day from noon to midnight so even if you are work ,or still go to school, you can make it.

How do you become a member?

-We are available for everyone interested every Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.-If it is easier fo you, you can simply call us. The number is 2003 13 08.
-Membership is absolutely free!

Competitions

-The club organizes several competitions every month in all categories against other chess clubs from different towns.
- The ones who are members of the expert group enter a special competition and the best ones are sent to the international tournaments.

Why join the club?

-Every Wednesday we have a professional chess player as a guest, so you have a chance to play against the most experienced players in the world!
-The atmosphere here is great, you can make new friends and really improve yourself as a player. Who knows, you might become a new chess master!

Leaflet by M. Petric

2008-04-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world of chess

If you are really interested in chess, want to learn how it is played or you are an experienced player, you should consider joining our chess club.

Who are we?

When were we established?
-In March 1990, Sarah Turner, an excellent chess player, wanted to start a chess club to encourage more people to playing this game or even entering some competitions.
-The president of the Leisure and Recreation department allowed her to use the city leisure centre for this purpose, so the club was finally established in June 1990.
Members
-Right now there are exactly 133 members, but the number is getting bigger and bigger every day.
-There is no age limit - our youngest member is only 12 years old and the oldest one is 57. So, definitely if you want to apply and you are concerned about your age, do not be!

Events

When do we meet?
-The club is opened every day from noon to midnight so even if you are working, still going to school etc. you can make it.
How do you become a member?
-We are available for everyone interested every Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
-If it is easier, you can simply call us. The number is 2003 13 08.
-Membership is absolutely free!
Competitions
-The club organizes several competitions every month in all categories against other chess clubs from different towns.
- The ones who are members of the expert group enter a special competition and the best ones are sent to the international tournaments.

Why join the club?

-Every Wednesday we have a professional chess player as a guest, so you have the chance to play against the most experienced players in the world!
-The atmosphere here is great, you can make new friends and really improve yourself as a player. Who knows, maybe you will become a new chess master!

Character Reference by S.Kostic Fin.corr.

2008-04-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Tom Hutton is definitely one of my best friends, and I have known him since my childhood. Our parents are also very good friends so we have always spent a lot of time together. We went together to primary school, and now we are in the same secondary school, but unfortunately in different classes.

When Tom was young he was a really helpful person, and I remember he regularly helped me to tidy my room. Nowadays, if we accidentally get in some kind of trouble, he always knows what we should do. This is the proof that Tom is quite sensible and that he perfectly knows how to behave in different situations. I always remember him to be pretty talkative and gregarious – he is able to make friends in any social setting.

Tom is pretty good with children, and as he loves football very much, he often takes children from his neighbourhood to the pitch where he teaches them some new football techniques. Something that is even more important to mention is that he does not only show them how to improve their football skills, but teaches them not to cheat and be honest and good people as well. His patience also helps him in this work, and he told me several times, that unlike the majority of people, he enjoys answering never-ending children’s questions.

Last summer, he worked as an assistant in the local kindergarten which proved to be valuable experience. It is also worth mentioning that Tom's parents work very much, and he is used to doing everything in the house, so some light domestic work would be no problem to him.

I really think you should seriously consider Tom's application as he has more than enough skills and experience needed for this job.

Leaflet by S.Kostic Fin.Corr.

2008-04-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

LOCAL CHESS CLUB

If you have a lot of free time, then you should really consider joining our chess club.

Who Are We ?

When were we established?

-In 1985, the President of Leisure and Recreation Department came to an idea of forming a chess club in our town.

-It took about 18 months for this project to be finished, so our club started working in the summer of 1987.

What do we do?

-The main purpose of this club is to help local people learn to play chess or to perfect their skills.

-As this club is the project of the local council everything is completely free and there are no additional fees.

Our members

-Our club currently has aproximately 70 members, with new members joining every day.

Events

Meetings

-The club is open every day from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. and you are free to come anytime you want.

-Every Friday we have a special guest – often a chess player, who will teach some new chess techniques and play against any member willing to challenge the guest.

Joining the club

-Local people of all ages are welcome to join the club, and it is completely free

-To apply, visit us every Monday afternoon in our offices, or call 2403-23-23

Competitions

-Our club organizes numerous competitions from professional ones to completely amateur competitions

-We even send our best members to international tournaments, and trips are funded by the local council.

Why Join the Club?

-The number of our members and the long tradition represent our quality.

-Attending meetings is not obligatory, so you don't have to change your schedule at all.

-Everybody interested should give it a try because it great fun, and a good opportunity to make new friends.

Leaflet by M.Perovic Fin.corr.

2008-04-19T04:43:00.000-07:00

ARE YOU A NEW CHESSMASTER?
Founded by chess lovers, your neighbors and friends, Alisa Chess club is now reopening for all chess players. Sponsored by the City Council, Alisa Chess club is gathering all interested people for a major game of chess. As you know Chess Olympics are going to be held in our town next year and we will try to find the best opponents-winners for our guests.

Who are we?
The club was established in 2005, but unfortunately was closed for a couple of years. Now we will try to rejoin our old members and to discover a new prodigy. Some of our members are:

well-known Alisa Maric, after whom the club was called
even the most prestigious chess-player, Viswanathan Anand signed in as a member

Why join the club?
We offer to our members:

coaching for less skilled players
Internet matches in our high-tech Internet centre
well-stocked library with chess magazines, books and DVD

Events
Our special offer includes:

every first Wednesday in a month competition will be organized and the best will be rewarded
free trips to tournaments in other towns

Membership
The club meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the city leisure centre. Anyone wishing to become a member can:

come to the opening night on 29th of February and sign up
visit the web-site at http://www.alisachessqueen.com/ and follow the instruction for joining
or just come, we are available every Wednesday for everybody

So, if you enjoy mind games and good atmosphere, we are welcoming all aged from 3 to 93. Membership is FREE!

Supporting us can provide finding a new chess master or maybe YOU ARE THE ONE!

2nd Corr. of Character Reference by S.Kostic

2008-04-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

Tom Hutton is definitely one of my best friends, and I have known him since my childhood. Our parents are also very good friends so we always spent a lot of time together. After that we went together to primary school, and now we are in the same secondary school, but unfortunately in different classes.
When Tom was young he was really helpful person, and I remember he always helped me to tidy my room. Nowadays, if we accidentally get in some kind of trouble, he always knows what we should do. This is the proof that Tom is quite sensible and that he perfectly knows how to behave in different situations. I always remember him to be pretty talkative and friendly – he is able to make friends even with shop-assistants and he really gets on with his mail-man.
Tom is pretty good with children, and as he loves football very much, he often takes children from his neighbourhood to the pitch where he teaches them some new football techniques. Something that is even more important to mention is that he doesn't show them only how to improve their football skills, but he also teaches them not to cheat and to be honest and good people. His patience also helps him in this work, and he told me several times, that unlike the majority of people, he enjoys to answer to childrens foolish questions.
Last summer, he worked as an assistant in the local kindergarten which proved to be valuable experience. It is also worth mentioning that Tom's parents work very much, and he is used to doing everything in the house, so some light domestic work would be no problem to him.
I really think you should seriously consider Tom's application as he has enough skills and experience needed for this job, and he would also be very happy if he got it.

by Stefan Kostic

2008-04-19T04:13:00.000-07:00

LOCAL CHESS CLUB
If you have a lot of free time, then you should really consider joining our chess club.

Who We Are?
When were we established?
-In 1985, the president of Leisure and Recreation department came to an idea of forming a chess club in our town.
-It took about 18 months for this project to be finished, so our club started working in the summer of 1987.
What do we do?
-The main purpose os this club is to help local people to learn to play chess or to perfect their skills.
-As this club is the project of the local council everything is completely free and there are no additional fees.
Our members
-Our club currently has aproximately 70 members, with new members joining every day.

Further Information
Meetings
-The club is open every day from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. and you are free to come anytime you want.
-Every friday we have a special guest – often a chess player, who will teach some new chess techniques and play against any member who is willing to challenge the guest.
Joining the club
-Local people of all ages are welcome to join the club, and it is completely free
-To apply, visit us every monday afternoon in our offices, or call 2403-23-23
Competetions
-Our club organizes numerous competitions from proffessional ones to complete amateur competitions
-We even send our best members to international tournaments, and trips are funded by local council.

Reasons For Joining
-The number of our members and the long tradition present our quality
-Attending meetings is not obligatory, so you don't have to change your schedule at all
- Everybody interested should give it a try because it is a great fun, and a good opportunity to make new friends

by Stefan Kostic

2008-04-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

/To whom it may concern/

Aleksandra Ilić

I have known Aleksandra Ilic for five years, both as a colleague and as a friend. We first met at a one-month computer course in Belgrade. Since then we have accidentally seen each other a couple of times, but then we met again when we applied for a teacher's job in a local kindergarten. We were both hired so working together for the past three years have made us really close friends.

Aleksandra regularly gives the impression that she knows what she is doing. She has always proved herself to be extremely dedicated to her work, truly reliable, hard-working and punctual. She even comes to work half an hour earlier every day, which is extraordinary. As a colleague she is likeable, friendly and polite. She is exceptional in her work with children. She knows exactly how they think and easily adapts to their level, so she is very liked and respected by them. Also, she knows how to handle some unexpected situations very well, for example when children start to scrap or fight. Furthermore, she always takes care of her niece or neighbour’s children when it is necessary and when she has time.

I regret having to say anything negative about her, but sometimes when she has some personal problems, she allows them to affect her job. Then she tends to be low-spirited and does not show a lot of enthusiasm for playing with children. On these rare occasions, however, all our colleagues and me succeed in making her feel better and putting a smile back on her face very quickly.

I believe it is clear from the reasons I have given that Aleksandra would be highly suitable for the post and that she would undoubtedly do an excellent job. I definitely have no reservations in supporting her application.

Letter of Reference by M.Perovic Fin.corr.

2008-04-19T02:27:00.001-07:00

Milica, you will see that I have deleted some parts which are not relevant, or might be inappropriate for the purpose. I would also tend to mention only one of the two weaknesses.

Mira

/To whom it may concern/

Marija Ivanović

I have known Maria since she was a baby since I had to babysit her when I was a graduate student. As a child she was very curious and always eager to learn through games, which she has applied all her life because, coming from a large family, she has had to take care of her cousins.

Maria is a dedicated graduate student of the Faculty of Sports and in her spare time, during the winter, she is also a skating instructor, so her experience with children is considerable. Being the skating instructor has made her very considerate and she always takes good care of her students on slippery ice. Because injuries can sometimes occur to children she teaches, she has an excellent knowledge of administering first aid. With children she is very patient, creative and attentive. I can confirm from my own experience with children that she could not be more thoughtful and caring, as well as knowledgeable about millions of questions children happen to ask.

I regret having to say anything negative about Maria but she can sometimes be very bossy and strict with children. I think, however, that this can have a positive side to upbringing. Another weakness is that she can be occasionaly sloppy, but if she is assigned a scheduled task about work around the house this will not be a problem.

For all these reasons, and the opportunity to advance her education and future career in work with children, I can assure you that Maria will do an excellent job and I am pleased to recommend her.

Character reference v2 by M. Petric

2008-04-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

I have known Aleksandra Ilic for five years, both as a colleague and as a friend. We first met at a one-month computer course in Belgrade. Since then we have seen each other a couple of times accidentally, but then we met again when we applied for a teacher's job in a local kindergarten. We were both hired so working together for the past three years made us really close friends.

Aleksandra always gives the impression that she knows what she is doing. That helped her in her studies and her job. She has always proved herself to be extremely dedicated to her work, truly reliable, hard-working and punctual. She even comes to work half an hour earlier every day, which is extraordinary. As a colleague she is very nice, friendly and polite.

With children, she is marvellous. She knows exactly how they think and usually behaves as a child too, so she is very liked and respected by them. Also, she knows how to handle some unexpected situations very well, for example some children's fights. Furthermore, she always takes care of her niece or neighbour’s children when it is necessary and when she has time.

I regret having to say anything negative about her, but sometimes when she has some personal problems, she allows them to affect her job. Then she tends to be sad and does not show a lot of enthusiasm for playing with children. When these rare occasions happen, all our colleagues and me succeed to make her feel better and put a smile back on her face very quickly.

I believe that it is clear from the job description that the post would suit Aleksandra enormously and that she would undoubtedly do an excellent job. I definitely have no reservations in supporting her application.

Leaflet for Chess Club by Milca Perovic

2008-04-16T05:47:00.000-07:00

ARE YOU A NEW CHESSMASTER?

Founded by chess lovers, your neighbors and friends, Alisa-Chess club is now reopening for all chess players. Sponsored by City Council, Alisa-Chess club is gathering all interested people for a little game of chess. As you know Chess Olympics are going to be held in our town next year and we will try to find the best opponents-winners for our guests.

Who are we?

The club was established in 1945, but unfortunately was closed for couple of years. Now we will try to rejoin our old members and to discover a new prodigy. Some of our members are:

Well-known Alisa Maric, after whom the club was called
Even the most prestigious chess-player, Viswanathan Anand signed in as a member

Alisa chess club

Becoming a member

The club meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the city leisure centre. Anyone wishing to become a member can:

come to opening night on 29^th of February and sign up
visit the web-site www.alisachessqueen.com and fallow the instruction for joining
or just come, we are available every Wednesday for everybody

So, if you enjoy mind games and good atmosphere, we are welcoming all of all ages from 3 to 93. Membership is FREE!

Why join the club?

We also offer

coaching for less skilled players
every first Wednesday in a month competition will be organized and the best will be rewarded
free trips for tournaments in other towns
Internet matches in our high-tech Internet centre
highly supplied library with chess magazines, books and DVDs

Supporting us can provide finding a new chess master or maybe YOU ARE THE ONE!

Character Reference v2 by Milica Perovic

2008-04-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

I am honored to write you a recommendation letter for my niece, Maria Ivanovic. Since being my favorite niece, I hope this letter will not be too subjective.
I have known Maria since she was a baby, because I had to baby-sit her, when I was a graduate student. In that time she was a very quiet child and was not a problem to anyone. Being her babysitter was very pleasant. She was always eager to learn through games and very curiose. This kind of games she applied in her life, through taking care of her cousins, because she is coming from a large family.
Maria is a dedicated graduate student of Faculty of Sport and in spare time, during the winter, she is also a skating instructor. So her experience with children is enormous. Being the skating instructor made her very considerate, she always must take good care of her students, on slippery ice. Because sometimes injuries can occur to children she teaches, she has an excellent knowledge of providing first aid. With children she is very patient, creative and attentive. I can confirm, from my experience with my children, she could not be more thoughtful and caring, but also knowledgeable for millions of questions children attended to ask.
I regret to say anything negative about Maria, only sometimes she can be very bossy and strict with children, but I think that can have a positive side to upbringing. The only weakness is she can be sloppy sometimes, but if she gets a scheduled task about work around the house this will not be a problem.
I believe that Maria is the best applicant. I can assure you, she will do an excellent job. This opportunity will give her a boost for further education, because work with children is her future.

1st T's Correction of Character Reference by M.Urosevic

2008-04-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

Maja, here are some hints for correction. You should also paragraph your writing.

I have known Ljiljana Bozic since I was 10 years old. In that time we went in same class in primary school. Few years later she moved to foreign country. She lived in France for two years. During the time her stay in France we kept our contact. She returned in Serbia in 2nd grade of high school. After that we were even closer than before. She has 2 sisters and 2 brother. Ever since she was a child she proved herself to be very responsible and humbe. Since she is the oldest there was anticipation for her to be responsible. Her accountibility came out when she was very young. During her spare time she used to babysit her brothers and sisters. In this activity she showed many qualities which are related to contact with children. Her little brothers and sisters would be very interested in her stories and would listen to her very carefully. On the other hand_she knew to keep her rules respected and to keep obedience of children. Although I think she is very good with children, as every human being she also has a few negatives. The only weakness she has is lenience. But I have to point out, she is indulgent only when it is the talk about giving children candies. However I find Ljiljana is right person for this job, which is why I have no hesitation in supporting her application.

1st T's corr. of Character Reference by M.Sekulic

2008-04-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

At the beginning I must say this assignment is a very difficult one because it requires opinion of my colleague as a worker, who is also my friend. So I will try to be as much objective as I can.

I have known Jasmina Koprivica for almost two years as a colleague, but eventually she has become my friend. In that time she has shown enthusiasm and good working skills , especially persistency and punctuality, which made her very promising worker. My most recent contact with her was four days ago when she solved a big problem for our company making the situation less risky. It was all about identifying the certain problem and solving it immediately, which she did easily. So I think she is an excellent risk manager. She always gives the impression that every problem can be solved but it’s only a matter of choosing the right solution.

I can confirm that Jasmina has always been positive and devoted to her work. She is also tolerant and patient as a colleague and willing to give advice when it’s needed. She has always proved herself to be extremely alert and discreet_especially when it comes to company rules. That makes her a very reliable worker aware of the Code of Conduct.

Jasmina has an excellent English knowledge and fluency in speaking so she can easily adapt in foreign surroundings, on some seminars or business trips. On October last year, she helped convincing two EU companies to become our external partners, and that was a really big success for our company. So she proved she could be an excellent negotiator.

The only weakness Jasmina has is that sometimes she can be little obstinate. It can happen in communication with her director when she disagrees with him. But I think it is happening because of her faith in her experience and not because she is big-headed.

I believe that Jasmina Koprivica is a good candidate to be the Vice President for External Relations. My opinion is based mostly on the results she has made during her work in this firm, and also on the mental and physical energy which she possess and transmit to other people. I’m saying that as a colleague and as a friend and I’m sure she will prove it.

Character refferance by M. Urosevic

2008-04-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

I have known Ljiljana Bozic since I was 10 years old. In that time we went in same class in primary school. Few years later she moved to foreign country. She lived in France for two years. During the time her stay in France we kept our contact. She returned in Serbia in 2nd grade of high school. After that we were even closer than before.

She has 2 sisters and 2 brother. Ever since she was a child she proved herself to be very responsible and humbe. Since she is the oldest there was anticipation for her to be responsible. Her accountibility came out when she was very young. During her spare time she used to babysit her brothers and sisters. In this activity she showed many qualities which are related to contact with children. Her little brothers and sisters would be very interested in her stories and would listen to her very carefully. On the other hand she knew to keep her rules respected and to keep obedience of children.
Although I think she is very good with children, as every human being she also has a few negatives. The only weakness she has is lenience. But I have to point out, she is indulgent only when it is the talk about giving children candies.
However I find Ljiljana is right person for this job, which is why I have no hesitation in supporting her application.

1st T's corr. of Character Reference by M.Petrić

2008-04-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

I have known Aleksandra for five years, both as a colleague and as a friend. We first met at the one-month computer course in Belgrade. Since then we have seen each other a couple of times accidentally, but then we met again when we applied for a teacher's job in a local kindergarten. We were both hired so working together for the past three years made us really close friends.

Aleksandra always gives the impression that she knows what she is doing. That helped her in her studies and her job. She has always proved herself to be extremely dedicated to her work, truly reliable, hard-working and punctual. She even comes at work half an hour earlier which is extraordinary. As a colleague she is very nice, friendly and polite.

With children, she is marvelous. She knows exactly how they think and behave in the same way so she is very liked and respected by them. Also, she knows how to handle some unexpected situations very well, for example some children's fights. Furthermore, she always baby sit her niece or neighbour’s children when she has time.

I regret having to say anything negative about her, but sometimes when she has some personal problems, she allows it to affect her job. Then she tends to be sad and does not show a lot of enthusiasm for playing with children. In these rare occasions, all our colleagues and me succeed to cheer her up and put the smile back on her face very quickly.

I believe that it is clear from the job description that the post would suit Aleksandra enormously and that she would undoubtedly do an excellent job. I definitely have no reservations in supporting her application.

Character reference by Marta Sekulic

2008-04-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

At the beginning I must say this assignment is a very difficult one because it requires opinion of my colleague as a worker, who is also my friend. So I will try to be as much objective as I can.

I have known Jasmina Koprivica for almost two years as a colleague, but eventually she became my friend. In that time she has shown enthusiasm and good working skills , especially persistency and punctuality, which made her very promising worker. My most recent contact with her was four days ago when she solved a big problem for our company making the situation less risky. It was all about identifying the certain problem and solving it immediately, which she did easily. So I think she is an excellent risk manager. She always gives the impression that every problem can be solved but it’s only a matter of choosing the right solution.

I can confirm that Jasmina has always been positive and devoted to her work. She is also tolerant and patient as a colleague and willing to give advice when it’s needed. She has always proved herself to be extremely alert and discreet especially when it comes to company rules. That makes her a very reliable worker aware of the Code of Conduct.

Jasmina has an excellent English knowledge and fluency in speaking so she can easily adapt in foreign surroundings, on some seminars or business trips. On October last year, she helped convincing two EU companies to become our external partners, and that was a really big success for our company. So she proved she could be an excellent negotiator.

The only weakness Jasmina has is that sometimes she can be little obstinate. It can happen in communication with her director when she disagrees with him. But I think it is happening because of her faith in her experience and not because she is big-headed.

I believe that Jasmina Koprivica is a good candidate to be the Vice President for External Relations. My opinion is based mostly on the results she has made during her work in this firm, and also on the mental and physical energy which she possess and transmit to other people. I’m saying that as a colleague and as a friend and I’m sure she will prove it.

1st T's corr. of Film Review by S.Kostic

2008-04-11T03:51:00.000-07:00

A Film Review
''The last man on earth is not alone'' says the tagline of the Will Smith's newest film entitled I Am Legend, directed by Francis Lawrence, who before this project spent more time directing music videos for famous pop stars such as Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.. This masterpiece is the real contrariety to a newer film called Doomsday 2012, signed by quite unknown director Nick Everhart who only recently started off in film industry by assisting on some low-budget projects.

I Am Legend tells the story of a middle-aged former military scientist, living alone in New York after a vaccine supposed to cure cancer turned into lethal virus which mutated and annihilated majority of mankind. He struggles, not only to find a cure but also to defend himself from Dark Seekers – deadly creatures made by the mutation. On the other hand, plot for Doomsday is taken from a well known ''prophecy'' fortold by the ancient Mayas more than 1000 years ago, announcing that the apocalypse will come on 21. december 2012. The main part is dedicated to several people felt that they should go to Mayan temple on Yuccatan penninsula to stop the armagedon, which is really uninventive and infantile in my oppinion. Excluding the great story, I Am Legend was implemented by new-generation special effects, and the way of filming is stunning which proves that director is a real talent. I was particuraly impressed with the intro scene which shows the ''Big Apple'' completely empty and owerflown with plants and fierce animals. On contrary, effects in Doomsday are rather poor and substandard, just like the acting which is uninspired, and word horrible isn't strong enough io describe it.

Finally, taking into account both budget and cast, if you had to choose between these two, I am confident you would have no doubt, as this could be freely described as the ''battle between David and Goliath'' with a slight difference – Goliath is the absolute winner here.

1st T's Corr. of Letter of Reference by Milica Perovic

2008-04-09T04:52:00.000-07:00

I must say that I am honored to write you a recommendation letter for my niece, Maria Ivanovic. Since being my pet in a family, I hope this letter will not be too non objective.
I have known Maria since she was a baby, because I had to baby-sit her, when I had been a graduate student. In that time she was a very quiet child and was not a problem to anyone. Being her babysitter was very pleasant task. She was always eager to learn trough games and very cruise. That sort of games she applied in her further life, trough taking care of her cousins, since coming from a large family.
Maria is a dedicated graduate student of Faculty of Sport and in a spare time, during the winter, she is also a skating instructor. So her experience with children is enormous. Being the skating instructor, made her very considerate,___she always must take good care of her students, on a slippery ice. Because sometimes injures can occur to children she teaches, she has an excellent knowledge of providing first aid. With children she is very patent, creative and attentive. I can confirm, from my experience with my children, she could not be more thoughtful and caring, but also knowledgeable for millions of questions children attend to ask.
I regret to say anything negative about Maria, but sometimes she can be very bossy and strict with children, but I think that can have a positive side to upbringing. The only weakness is sometimes she can be sloppy, but if she has been given a scheduled task about work around the house this would not be a problem.
I believe that Maria is the best applicant. I can assure you, she will do an excellent job. This opportunity will give her a boost for a further education, because work with children is her future.

1st T's Corr. of Film Review by Marija Petric

2008-04-09T04:45:00.000-07:00

Love is all around us and it will prevail - this is the message of all romantic comedies. But it is incredible how some of them have amazing stories that can deeply affect you and the others have unbelievably absurd plots. Perfect examples of this are two films called Music and lyrics and 27 dresses.

Music and lyrics is a story about a charming pop star of the 80s called Alex who is, with the help of Sophie, trying to bring his fame back by writing a song for the most popular singer in the world. While writing these lyrics, they fall in love with each other and have to find their way to both success and love. What makes this lovely story truly perfect are Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. They look very convincing playing love interests, the chemistry between them is very intense and they bring plenty of funny and amusing situations. Also, the story is well-structured, it has just the right pace. One more thing that you will certainly remember after watching the movie is tremendously good music - especially the main theme Way back into love.

The other movie called 27 dresses, even though it is from the screen writer of a great comedy Devil wears Prada, turned out to be rather disappointing. It is about a young woman called Jane who has been a bridesmaid on 26 different weddings and never a bride. Not until she meets Kevin on her sister’s wedding... The story, which is simple and a fairytale look-alike, could have been improved by choosing the right actors. Unfortunately, the performances of Katherine Heigl and James Marsden, newcomers in the world of acting, are pretty weak_unlike their colleagues’ in Music and lyrics. There is no chemistry between them which is a serious drawback in this type of movies. But, there is indeed something that is nice about this film - its excellent music and elegant costumes.

All in all, if you are a sort of person who likes romantic comedies, then you should really watch Music and lyrics which will make you smile and cry at the same time. As for 27 dresses, the decision is all yours...

YALS LITERARY COMPETITION

2008-04-07T02:05:00.000-07:00

Love is all around us and it will prevail - this is the message of all romantic comedies. But it is incredible how some of them have amazing stories that can deeply affect you and the others have unbelievably absurd plots. Perfect examples of this are two films called Music and lyrics and 27 dresses.

Music and lyrics is a story about a charming pop star of the 80s called Alex who is, with the help of Sophie, trying to bring his fame back by writing a song for the most popular singer in the world. While writing these lyrics, they fall in love with each other and have to find their way to both success and love. What makes this lovely story truly perfect are Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. They look very convincing playing love interests, the chemistry between them is very intense and they bring plenty of funny and amusing situations. Also, the story is well-structured, it has just the right pace. One more thing that you will certainly remember after watching the movie is tremendously good music - especially the main theme Way back into love.

The other movie called 27 dresses, even though it is from the screen writer of a great comedy Devil wears Prada, turned out to be rather disappointing. It is about a young woman called Jane who has been a bridesmaid on 26 different weddings and never a bride. Not until she meets Kevin on her sister’s wedding... The story, which is simple and a fairytale look-alike, could have been improved by choosing the right actors. Unfortunately, the performances of Katherine Heigl and James Marsden, newcomers in the world of acting, are pretty weak unlike their colleagues’ in Music and lyrics. There is no chemistry between them which is a serious drawback in this type of movies. But, there is indeed something that is nice about this film - its excellent music and elegant costumes.

All in all, if you are a sort of person who likes romantic comedies, then you should really watch Music and lyrics which will make you smile and cry at the same time. As for 27 dresses, the decision is all yours...

by Marija Petric

1st T's Corr. of Character Reference by S.Kostic

2008-04-02T04:34:00.000-07:00

Tom Hutton is definitely one of my best friends, and I have known him ever since. Our parents are also very good friends so we started getting together as soon as we were born. After that we went together to primary school, and now we are in the same high-school, but unfortunately in different classes.
From the early ages Tom was extremely helpful person, and I remember he always helped me to tidy my room. Nowdays, if we accidentaly get in some kind of trouble, he always knows what we should do. This is the proof that Tom is quite sensible and that he perfectly knoes how to behave in different situations. I always remember him to be pretty talkative and friendly – he is able to make friends even with shop-assistants and he really gets on with his mail-man.
Tom is extremely good with children, and as he loves football very much, he often takes children from his neighbourhood to playground where he teaches them some new football techniques. Something that is even more important to mention is that he shows them not only football skills, but also teaches them not to cheat and to be honest and good. His patience also helps him in this work, and he told me several times, that unlike the majority, he enjoys answering to childrens silly questions.
Last summer, he worked as an assistant in the local kindergarten what proved to be valuable experience. It is also worth mentioning that Tom's parents work very much, and he is used to doing everything in the house, so some light domestic work would be no problem to him.
I really think you should seriously consider Tom's application as he has enough skills and experience needed for this job, and he would also be over the moon if he got it.

Stefan Kostic

Character reference

2008-03-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

I must say that I am honored to write you a recommendation letter for my niece, Maria Ivanovic. Since being my pet in a family, I hope this letter will not be too non objective.

I have known Maria since she was a baby, because I had to baby-sit her, when I had been a graduate student. In that time she was a very quiet child and was not a problem to anyone. Being her babysitter was very pleasant task. She was always eager to learn trough games and very cruise. That sort of games she applied in her further life, trough taking care of her cousins, since coming from a large family.

Maria is a dedicated graduate student of Faculty of Sport and in a spare time, during the winter, she is also a skating instructor. So her experience with children is enormous. Being the skating instructor, made her very considerate, she always must take good care of her students, on a slippery ice. Because sometimes injures can occur to children she teaches, she has an excellent knowledge of providing first aid. With children she is very patent, creative and attentive. I can confirm, from my experience with my children, she could not be more thoughtful and caring, but also knowledgeable for millions of questions children attend to ask.

I regret to say anything negative about Maria, but sometimes she can be very bossy and strict with children, but I think that can have a positive side to upbringing. The only weakness is sometimes she can be sloppy, but if she has been given a scheduled task about work around the house this would not be a problem.

I believe that Maria is the best applicant. I can assure you, she will do an excellent job. This opportunity will give her a boost for a further education, because work with children is her future.

YALS Literary Competition

2008-03-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

A Film Review

''The last man on earth is not alone'' says the tagline of the Will Smith's newest film entitled I Am Legend, directed by Francis Lawrence, who before this project spent more time directing music videos for famous pop stars such as Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.. This masterpiece is the real contrariety to a newer film called Doomsday 2012, signed by quite unknown director Nick Everhart who only recently started off in film industry by assisting on some low-budget projects.
I Am Legend tells the story of a middle-aged former military scientist, living alone in New York after a vaccine supposed to cure cancer turned into lethal virus which mutated and annihilated majority of mankind. He struggles, not only to find a cure but also to defend himself from Dark Seekers – deadly creatures made by the mutation. On the other hand, plot for Doomsday is taken from a well known ''prophecy'' fortold by the ancient Mayas more than 1000 years ago, announcing that the apocalypse will come on 21. december 2012. The main part is dedicated to several people felt that they should go to Mayan temple on Yuccatan penninsula to stop the armagedon, which is really uninventive and infantile in my oppinion.
Excluding the great story, I Am Legend was implemented by new-generation special effects, and the way of filming is stunning which proves that director is a real talent. I was particuraly impressed with the intro scene which shows the ''Big Apple'' completely empty and owerflown with plants and fierce animals. On contrary, effects in Doomsday are rather poor and substandard, just like the acting which is uninspired, and word horrible isn't strong enough io describe it.
Finally, taking into account both budget and cast, if you had to choose between these two, I am confident you would have no doubt, as this could be freely described as the ''battle between David and Goliath'' with a slight difference – Goliath is the absolute winner here.

by Stefan Kostic

Character Reference

2008-03-29T02:52:00.000-07:00

Character reference by M. Petric

2008-03-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

YALS Literary Competition

2008-03-27T03:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Lingva Achievers,

Once again, YALS Association of Language Schools of Serbia is organising a literary competition, inviting applicants at this level of proficiency to submit their papers on the following topic:

An international student magazine regularly features a page called "Contrasts". Write a review for this page contrasting two films of the same genre which you have seen; one of which you enjoyed, and one of which you found disappointing.

Write your review in about 250 words. The submission deadline is April 11, and the winners names will be announced on April 18. The winners will be awarded books in English .

Mira

SET WRITING ASSIGNMENTS 1 - CHARACTER REFERENCE

2008-03-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Lingva Achievers,

Your writing in the spring term 2008 will follow the set assignments. You will first post your draft, to which I will respond by posting 'to-be-corrected' hints (bold or underline formatting), then you will make self-correction, and at the end I will send the final correction.

Your first assignment is to write a character reference for a friend of yours, who wants to apply for an au pair job in an English-speaking country. Include the information about your relationship with the applicant and how long you have known him/her, as well as relevant details about her/his character and personal qualities, attitude to children and any relevant skills and experience.

Pic by STRIATIC

Art Review for a Painting by M.Petric

2007-11-12T01:55:00.000-08:00

Portrait of a Lady by an unknown artist

Art Review for a Painting
by Marija Petric

This painting is a portrait of a beautiful lady from the 18th century which was commissioned by the royal family to be passed down as a family heirloom.The author of this work remains unknown although some believe it is the work of Miguel Cabrera.

In this picture the lines are mainly curved and the organic shapes dominate. The major colours are red and black, and light blue. The colours look naturally harmonius even though there is a strong and intriguing contrast between the red drapery and the black in the background. Also, the lady in the central part looks a lot more dazzling because she is wearing a light blue dress which is totally opposite to the background. The only thing that seems to fit are red flowers on it and a big one in her left hand. The shades are warm. The art work make us aware of a spherical pattern. The texture which the painting shows is velvety and very soft.

The main subject of this painting is a lady who is located in the central part. The technique is asymmetrical. Shading is used mainly in the parts of her body and her face, not on the dress. In the background there is shading on the drapery because it is curved. The space is rather flat with a slight sense of depth provided with the drapery in the background. A discrete sense of aerial perspective is achieved through the woman’s left arm, which is shaded to project an illusion of the three-dimensional world onto a one-dimensional surface. It also forms a sense of depth – of receding space. The only material the artist used in this piece of art is paint and the brush strokes are linear.

The new title of this peace could possibly be Beautiful as a Rose because there is a red rose in woman’s left hand which can be a symbol of the woman’s character. Perhaps she is a kind of person who can easily fall in love or it represents the passion this lady posseses. Also, there is a clear symbol of her royal origin represented in the amblem and red colour of the drapery. The lady looks very poised, which is emphasised by the dominating blue colour of her dress, and there is a general sense of harmony, so this wonderful portrait makes you feel calm, and it makes me a bit nostalgic about the old, 18th century times.

I think that this artwork is imitative because the artist accurately represented the appearance of the woman which was its general purpose, and at the same time it is functional because the artist wanted this artwork to be useful or it was maybe made for propaganda purposes for the royal family.There were slight differences in other people’s opinions about this work of art, but generally they all agree that the woman presented comes from a royal family because of the amblem in the up left corner. One person’s opinion was that the moment when this was painted was a period before her wedding, or maybe her coronation if she was to become a queen because the red colour in the background usually stands for something royal. But the other person, who is not interested in paintings at all thought that she was some kind of a countess and that she was very shallow because of the look of her face. Finally the third person’s opinion was that there was a wonderful contrast between her and the black background which represents other people. This contrast makes her illuminating and unique among the others.

I think that this painting could be interesting for some rich people who are connected to this way of living. People interested in it could also be some art historians, however, these two groups would not seem to include a lot of people.

Art Review for a Painting by I.Pesic

2007-11-12T01:50:00.000-08:00

Carlos Cortez Koyokuikatl - Untitled Linocut
Art Review for a Painting
by Igor Pešić

This linocut shows a middle aged man in prison, holding a letter and a pen in his hand. It is dominated by both organic and geometric shapes, which are in sharp contrast and painted in a black-white mode with a very strong contrast between the colours. The stripes on his shirt and bars in the background make a lattice-like pattern and the artwork shows a rough and flat texture.

The arrangement is asymmetrical with some shading, mostly on the man’s face and on the bars. The bars, as we can see, are distant from the man so there is an effective illusion of depth. Shading includes a variety of tones of grays. The painting is dominated with lines and high contrast. There is a sense of three-dimensional space achieved through shading, the letter in the foreground, the man in the middle ground and the bars in the background. The artist used the technique of monotype on amate paper.

A title for this picture could be The Prisoner. I can see an expression of protest on his face and I think he will not stop protesting even when he comes out of the prison. He looks very determined. The black and white contrast shows the seriousness of his protest and produces sympathy for his cause. I think that the big idea is about politics. It shows that you should be very determinated if you really believe in something. And even in the bad times we should have faith.

The painting is functional because the artist intended the work to be useful for his political cause. My friends suggested that the painting might represent the protest of an individual against the state. They think that the black and white contrast reinforces the protest.

Art Review for a Painting by M.Urosevic

2007-11-12T01:47:00.001-08:00

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
by an unknown artist

Reviewer: Marijana Urosevic

The painting is dominated by organic shapes and its colours are mostly analogous and not very complementary. The predominant colour is black, but you can also see a little bit of yellow and white. The contrast between the light coloured sleeves and dark dress and the backgroud in this painting is very intriguing and the shades give a feeling of coldness. The most interesting and exquisitive pattern in the picture is rendered by the sleeves, which are sphericaly creased in a wavelike symmetry. The texture provided by oil on canvas, with blended brush strokes, is flat, smooth and shiny.

Peerless shading is the main point of this picture, which makes it come alive.
The linear perspective is achieved through the position of the woman’s arms, which are in the foreground, gradually fading out into the dark background, together with a piece of magnet in her hands and a mysterious protruding brooch. Her dark body is in the middle ground, surrounded with inpenetrable, almost macabre background.

In my opinion a new title for this picture would be ‘A New Woman’ because it symbolizes a new type of women in that time, a woman who tried to do something for women’s rights and get an equal chance for learning. Very dark colours symbolize a difficult position of women in that period. They make you feel something strange, maybe a little bit of sadness caused by all the obstacles she has to cope with. The only bright thing in the picture is the lady who seems to be different from all others and who comes to change the world order. We could say that the theme of this picture is an emancipated woman who manages to overcome the limitations of her immediate surroundings.

This piece of art is emotional because the artist emphasized the mood and symbols, and at the same time functional since the artist intended the work to be educational. From my friends’ reactions I have noticed that men and women have different views. Men see an ordinary woman who does her everyday work. Women see a totally different person in this picture, they see an especially strong woman. Their comments also showed that they both noticed not so usual use of colours which made them feel an added value of this picture. I think that women are more interested in this painting because they emotionaly relate to the position of the woman in the painting and ordinary women from that time.

http://lingvaachievers.blogspot.com/

Art Review for an Unknown painting by Ivonne a-Baki

2007-11-05T03:42:00.000-08:00

Reviewer: Dimitrije Mihajlovic

The painting shows a flash of light revealing the Crucifixion. The shapes are the mixture of organic and geometric. The colours are something between analogous and monochromatic with the predominant organge colour, which gives the impression of warmth. There is a contrast between the centre and the top of the painting between light yelow and dark brown. The predominant shape is a cross in the centre of spheres in a pretty rough texture. The composition is quadrant with a sharp contrast between light and dark, and with minimal shading.

In this painting the sense of three dimensions is absent. It has a lot of circular shapes with the big cross in the middle with some narrow lines. The painting is predominantly flat with linear perspective presented through the dark background which creates a sense of depth. The painter used the oil on canvas. The brushstrokes are broad with a lot of bumps. The technique is impasto.

The new title for this painting could be „Religion“, which actually represents the theme or the main idea, of this painting. There is a mixture of symbols. TH predominant one is the cross as a symbol of cristianity. The contrast symbolises the eternal fight between the light and the dark, the good and the evil. The painting is a little depressive because of the subdued light. This artwork is formalistic because of the mixture of shapes in an unusual way and the way of producing the feeling of three dimensions.

The viewers agree that the painting has a religious theme with the cross as a dominant shape, but they have different opinions as to whether the cross is represented in a positive way, something that connects people, or in a negative way, like the cross destroyed by burning. In my opinion this painting would be interesting for religious people because of its content.

An Art Review For Composition A by S.Kostic

2007-10-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

COMPOSITION A by Piet Mondrian

Art Review for a Painting
by Stefan Kostic

Composition A is an abstract painting showing rectangular geometric shapes which seem to construct a grid. Only a few colours are used in this paintings, and those are primary colours: red, yellow and blue and black and white. Those colours are bright and they make a good contrast. The predominant pattern in this artwork makes us aware of an ability to connect simplicity and beauty. Although patterns are asymetric they form a good looking painting. Textures are smooth and shiny. It is also interesting that brightness of colours makes a glittery effect.

The composition could be considered as a unique combination of sequential and asymmetrical. There is no significant shading and the technique is oil on canvas. It is also important to mention that the painting is made in style of neoplasticism and that the order of squares is totaly intuitive.

This artwork is a pure example of high contrast with no shading which gives the feeling of looking from the air. The painting is made in two dimensions and there is no particular difference beetween the foreground, middle ground and background. White squares and rectangles represent the space beetween the coloured ones.
Mondrian obviously used oil colours and canvas for making this painting.
We can recognise flat and smooth paint surface, with brush strokes so fine and almost perfect that it is extremely difficult to spot them.

A new title for this Mondrian’s masterpiece could be ‚‚Perfection of Simplicity”. There are no particular symbols as this painting was made in an abstract style, and it is not easy to discover what the artist had in mind. The colours that were used are primary colours and they are a symbol of simplicity. They express positive feelings and create a happy atmosphere. I don’t think there is any particular big idea as it is very abstract and simple.

This artwork is considered to be formalistic because Mondrian used simple mathematical shapes such as squares and rectangles, and variety of strong colours to develop this magnificent painting. I asked my teacher and my friend for an opinion, and they both agreed with me that this painting is unusual. They would also like to have it in their rooms immediately after some of their favourite paintings. They said that although it looks as if it is simple to make it, it must have been very difficult. My teacher also added that this picture could be the artist’s wish for order.

I personaly think that any age group could be interested in this painting because there is nothing particular to understand, it is not complex at all, but still it can have many meanings and everybody could interpret it in his own way.

ASSIGNMENT 09.07: ART REVIEW FOR A PAINTING

2007-09-10T02:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Lingva Muskeeters,

Your new assignment concerns writing an art review. It is my firm belief that ''all students deserve access to the rich education and understanding that the arts provide, regardless of their background, talents, or abilities''. Here are the steps that you will do:

1. Familiarising with the process of art criticism

2. Analysying the sample picture

3. Choosing an intriguing painting

4. Describing the painting

5. Analysing the painting

6. Interpreting the painting

7. Judging the Painting

8. Sharing judgement with other people

9. Discussing probable audience

Your review should have 200-250 words.Include Description, Analysis, Interpretation and Judgement as subheadings.After I correct your reviews, you will orally present them to the class.Useful links:

Artsworks

Artlex

TYPICAL FAMILY SITUATION

2007-06-02T05:32:00.000-07:00

-by Maja Urošević

INTRODUCTION
This report is based on a survey conducted to see key social changes all around the world, which have happened in the last 25 years. From this survey it can be clearly seen that many things in the families have changed in world, and especially in my country.

EVENTS WHICH CAUSED THE CHANGES
As we all know Serbia has gone through a terrible period in the last 25 years. There was a war and sharp inflation increases. This affected the situation of all families. In the nineties a lot of men died and women from that time became pillars of families and have kept that role in these days also.

THE ECONOMIC SIDE
The economy has improved and if you compare it with the nineties people can buy whatever they want and that was not the case in the nineties. Research done by SRC (Serbia Research Center) shows that there is almost a 90 percent rise in families’ incomes.

POPULATION PROBLEM
The war and bad economic situation caused a fall in population in Serbia. Twenty years ago you could see families with more than fifteen members and now up to maximum of six members.

CONCLUSION
In my opinion, life can be improved with economic reforms and providing incentives for young couples to have more children. I also think we should consider chances to extend our families by addopting children.

TYPICAL FAMILY SITUATION

2007-06-02T05:29:00.000-07:00

-by Marija Petrić

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to describe the typical family situation in my country today, some important changes that have happened in the last 25 years and the probable reasons for these changes. It will be concluded by giving my personal opinion of the importance of the family unit in our society.

Family life

In my country family has always been a very important part of everybody's life. People usually live in big families where all members live together in a house or in an apartment. It is because old people who can't live on their own, are taken care of by younger members of their family. These are the ones who work very hard to support both them and their own children.

Changes

Even though in the last 25 years children were supported by their parents during their education and even after that, today it is mainly different. More and more teenagers have a part - time job to collect some money and they soon become independent. Similar thing happens with those who live in villages. They abandon their families to look for better education and employment in cities. A reason for this is a fact that they need to be free and make their own money.

Conclusion

In my opinion, family is a vital thing in our society because it is consisted of people who we can always go to, ask for some help when everybody else turns their back to us. In addition, our home is a place filled with love, where we can always find peace and happiness.

REPORT ON FAMILY SITUATION IN SERBIA

2007-06-02T03:28:00.000-07:00

-by Stefan Kostić

INTRODUCTION
The aim of this report is to describe the typical family situation in Serbia that is going to be used in a survey. It is going to highlight any important changes that have occurred throughout last 25 years. This report will finally express opinions about importance of family in modern world.

A TYPICAL FAMILY
Looking from psychological side, a family is a minor group of people, consisted of parents and their children, who have developed mutual interaction and understanding. In Serbia parents are those who need to secure enough money for life, but also to guide their children through the life. They need to show them which things are good and which are not, to help them choose career that suits them best and the most important to enable them to be independent. For Serbian families it is typical to take care about their children much longer then in another countries. While in the U.S. children separate from their parents as soon as they are 18, here some stay together up until their thirties.

RECENT CHANGES
Serbian family before 20 years is a pure contrast from today’s one. Father was not only the leader but the master of the family. He controlled everything and if somebody didn’t obey his rules he could be severly punished. It is also well known that today parents take much more care about they children than before.

CONCLUSION
I personaly think that family is essential factor in social life. It is often told that behind every successful person stands good family.

REPORT WRITING FOR YALS LITERARY COMPETITION

2007-06-01T03:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Lingva Achievers,

Write a 250-word report on Family.

(An international organization has asked you to write a report for a survey it is carrying out into key social changes around the world. They would like you to describe THE TYPICAL FAMILY SITUATION IN YOUR COUNTRY TODAY, any important changes that have occured over the last 25 years and the probable reasons for these changes. They have asked you to conclude by giving your opinion of the importance of the family unit in your society.)

Mira

You are never alone in this country by A.Petrovic

2006-04-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Did you ever think about Serbia like normal and beautiful country? I supposed you didn’t because you can always hear bad things about Serbia and people in it. But I think that bad things about Serbia are overstate.
Of course, situation in our country is bad and standard of living is very low. One of the biggest problem in our country is unemployment, people have small salaries or they don’t have salaries at all. In spite of all these problems our people will always help you and they’re always friendly, generous and polite. For example I’ve seen so many times when someone fell on the ground or older people who can not carry things which they bought and every time other people helped them. That’s the thing which you can’t see in other country
Also, there is one thing which I hate about people in my country. That thing is a felling that you’re never alone. When you’re walking in the street everybody is looking at you and everyone wants to know what are you doing or how are you looking.
All in all, I think that this is our mentality; our biggest advantage and disadvantage at the same time.

By N. Maximovic

2006-03-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE IN THIS COUNTRY

Every night before falling asleep many people ask themselves are they alone in this crowded world. You hear sounds, you see lights and you ask yourself things like: ’Where I am, what I am doing in this place, I need to go somewhere quiet to clear my mind’.

Having lack of communicating can be caused by bad memories from your childhood or even worse, caused by your presence. Having to know all kinds of people in my country you can get the felling that some people are better than you. Maybe Serbia would be better without them, but we all know that it is included in every layer of society, and unfortunately even in ours.

However, with bad things come the good ones such as friendly people who can treat you as well as their own brothers and sisters.

By avoiding everything bad you lose everything good. So after all you don’t punish others, but yourselves. The general point is that you will never be avoided by something bad or good, at least while you are alive and in my country.

ASSSIGNMENT 4/1: YOU ARE NEVER ALONE IN THIS COUNTRY

2006-03-12T04:52:00.000-08:00

Dear Lingva Achiever,

YALS (The Association of Language Schools of Serbia) invites contributions for a 2006 Literary Competition.

The assignment for B2 level is as follows:

B2 - Write an Article:
You Are Never Alone in This Country
(Describe your country and its people. Say what you like and don't like about your country.)

The competition is open until April 15, 2006 and the names of winners will be announced on May 3, 2006.

The best papers from all schools will be selected by April 20, 2006 and sent to the YALS Competition Board to choose the winners at the YALS level. Each winner will be awarded a book in English, and the papers published on the YALS website.

Final T's Corr. of Is Stonehenge older than the first beings? by I.Pesic

2006-02-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

I have just visited a magical place called Stonehenge that is, maybe, older than the first
beings.This ancient site is about 4500 years old. I think it would be very interesting for everyone to find out what is so special about Stonehenge

Fist of all, everything is made of stone. I bet you didn’t know that, apart from stone walls, remnants here include cupboards, bedstands and hearths all built from the same sandstone! The massive stone walls are forming a circle, which looks spectacular. People still wonder who built this huge monument and why. Was it Merlin? Were there aliens involved?

There is one thing I should warn you about. It's the weather. If you decide to visit this beautiful, open-air museum, make sure you choose a sunny and warm day. Otherwise, you'll get all wet and you'll be very cold.

Final T's correction of The truth is out there by S. Kostic

2006-02-28T16:11:00.000-08:00

The truth is really out there - in the Museum Of Unnatural Mystery! This museum is about unnatural things like UFO-s, ghosts, the Bermuda Triangle, Yeti and many other weird things.

There is a very interesting exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci. Scientists suppose that Da Vinci was the leader of a secret organisation called 'The Prior of Sion' whose members were Issac Newton and Victor Hugo. They also think that Mona Lisa is a self-portrait!
Another interesting exhibition is dedicated to a small town Roswell in New Mexico. This is the place where a UFO crashed in 1947. The military declared that the UFO was actually a weather balloon! Were the aliens really there?
There is also a part of the museum called Virtual cyclorama. It's a great place to visit 3D reconstructions of Stonehenge and the Temple of Zeus.
The only thing I didn’t like were some exhibits of dinosaurs, space and archeology. They, somehow, don’t fit here.

If you have any free time be sure to visit this museum – you won’t regret it. It is better to think about aliens than to study for school. Isn’t it?

Electrical shock in summer

2006-02-09T13:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever asked yourself who was the inventor of electricty? Did you want to learn something about it in a new way? Then you must be a person who have to visit „Nikola Tesla Museum“.

Nikola Tesla Museum is located in the centre of Belgrade. In the museum you can find all the documents and Tesla's personal things. At your tour through the museum you will see some photographs from his childhood, find things from his personal life which describes you his way of living. In the exhibits there are most of the instruments which he used in his experiments.

The most interesting thing to me was that his urn is in the museum. I¢m sure you¢d agree that is very interesting to try some of Tesla¢s fascinanting inventions.

The only thing that I don’t like in here is lightings because it was too low. If you want to go there in summer prepare yourself for a big crowd and stuffy place.

I¢m sure that your visiting to the musem would be amazing experience and you will realise that this museum is more interesting than you thought.

Maja's article correction by Stefan and Igor

2006-02-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

You live in Valjevo and you like history, want to see something interesting and find out something new? The real place for you is museum Muselimov konak. This museum is, in my opinion, very important for Serbian history.Every month you can see different museum project to help you understand and flashback to early 19th century and maybe even earlier.If you, like me, have interest in arheology, you can see arheological collection. There is one thing I don't like about it. My advice_for you if you don't like cold please do not visit the underworld part of museum, it's cool. However I think you should visit this museum, try, you don't have anything to lose, don't you ?

It could be longer and more interesting.

Flashback to the 18th century

2006-02-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

You live in Valjevo and you like history, want to see something interesting and find out something new? The real place for you is museum Muselimov konak.

This museum is, in my opinion, very important for Serbian history.

Every month you can see different museum project to help you understand and flashback to early 19th century and maybe even earlier.

If you, like me, have interest in archeology, you can see archeological collection.

There is one thing I don¢t like about it. My advicefor you if you don`t like cold pleace do not visit the underworld part of museum, it`s cool.

However I think you should visit this museum, try you don`t have anything to lose, don`t cha?

Stefan's article corrected by Igor

2006-02-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

The truth is really out there - in Museum Of Unnatural Mystery. This museum is about unnatural things like UFO-s, Mummies, Ghosts, Bermuda Triangle, Yeti... There are lots of exibition halls.There is very interesting exibition about Leonardo da Vinci. Scientists suppose that Da Vinci was the leader of secret organisation called „The Prior of Sion“ whose members were Issac Newton, and Victor Hugo. They also think that Mona Lisa is self-portrait. In my opinion this theme is very interesting.Another interesting exibit is dedicated to Roswell in New Mexico. This is the place where UFO crashed in 1947. Although there were many witnesses military declared that UFO was actually a weather ballon.There is also part of museum named Virtual cyclorama. There you can see 3D reconstructions of Stonehedge and Temple of Zeus. If you visit museum shop you can find many interesting souvenirs, but they are not so cheap.The only thing I didn’t like were some exbits about dinosaurs, space or archeology. They really don’t fit here. If you have any free time go and visit it – you won’t regret. It is better to think about aliens than to study for school. Isn’t it?

Correction of Igor's article by Stefan

2006-02-09T12:12:00.000-08:00

Your story is very interesting but you used some strange words.

I have just visited open air museum that is, maybe, older than first beings.This ancient site is now about 4500 years old. I think it would be very interesting for everyone to find out in following text what is beyond Stonhenge and what can you see there.

What I saw in Stonhenge, nobody could see in everyday life. All the stuff are made of stone. I bet you didn’t know that along with artfully constructed stone walls, remnants here include cupboards, bedstands, and hearths all built from the same sandstone. And this is very interesting - in one of the homes, decorated slabs were found marking the spot where two female bodies had once been buried.

And if you decide to visit this open air I supose you would like to know of what chambres Stonhenge consists of.The Howe consists of a long passage leading to a central chamber some 15 feet high.The tomb includes Viking graffiti boasting conquests and plundered treasure.

The only think I didn’t like is the weather, really it's terrible. It was raining, it was windy and it was very cold. So don’t choose this time of the year to visit Scotland, that’s my advice.

Final T's Correction of I Love This Game by A.Petrovic

2005-12-30T03:47:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought that museums don’t have to be dusty and boring? One such example is the world’s most popular basketball museum - The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame in Springfield. This museum exists to acknowledge and honor people who have risen to the top of their profession. It was born on February 17, 1968, on the campus of Springfield College, owing to the efforts of enthusiasts headed by the famous Lee Williams.

In this museum you can see the whole history of the basketball. In my opinion, the most interesting story here is about one of the best NBA season ever, in 1983/84. In that article you can find out things about true legends of NBA. There is a comparison between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson who played big NBA finals in that year. There is also a story about our famous people in basketball.

When there is no basketball game you can watch, you should visit Naismith’s Hall Of Fame Museum and find out about things and people who have changed basketball history and made basketball one of the most popular sports.-by Aleksandar Petrovic

ASSSIGNMENT 3/2: REVIEW OF PEOPLE I LIKE

2005-12-30T03:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Lingva Achievers,

Read the (VIRTUAL) MUSEUM articles and do the following tasks:

1. Write what you liked about each museum article.
2. Ask each writer one or two questions about the museums they have described.
3. Suggest how the article could be improved.
4. RATING: Mark each composition on a scale from 1 to 5 asterisks (***** is the highest marks)

All of the above should be written in the Comments section.

Mira

Stundents self-correction of article 1:I love this game by A.Petrovic

2005-12-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

You already know about Jordan and other famous basketball players but do you know who was Dr. James Naismith and what did he do? He left many things behind himself but the most popular is basketball museum called The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame museum in Springfield. This museum exict to acknowledge and honor people who have risen to the top of their profession. It was born on February 17, 1968, on the campus of Springfield College, when a group of people headed by famous Lee Williams managed to open museum to the public.
In this museum you can see whole history of the basketball. In my opinion, the most interesting story here is about one of the best NBA season ever 1983-84. In that text you can find out things about true legends of NBA. There is a comparation between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson who played big NBA finals in that year. There is also a story about our famous people in basketball.
When there is no basketball game you can watch, you should visit Naismith’s Hall Of Fame Museum and find out about things and people who changed basketball history and made basketball for one of the most popular sports.

Final T's Corr. of Article 1: Gateway to Ancient Egypt by N.Maksimovic

2005-12-28T01:13:00.000-08:00

If you like stories, ancient myths and films like Indiana Jones, this site is the right place for you. On the other hand, if you want to impress some hot history teacher by telling him or her an interesting story from Egypt mythology I would again give you the same advice: Stop looking through old dusty books and get on the http://www.gatewaytoancientegypt.co.uk/!

In my opinion the best fact is that this way you can both learn and find some interesting stuff in your spare time. Take religion, for example. It has always played an important role in the lives of Egyptians. During "Pharaonic" times a large number of Gods and Goddesses were worshipped. These took many different forms. Although their structure might look a little bit complicated, you can choose just a few and remember an ocean of miraculous details.

This and much more can be seen on the site, including exceptional illustrations, masterly designed wep pages and a wide choice of links, if you want to get deeper into this stuff. So don’t get bored, get on the net!

Final T's Corr. of Article 1: The Name of the Beast by M.Milicevic

2005-12-28T01:01:00.000-08:00

Do you know the famous opera Tommy by the legendary rock band The Who? Or the names like Bruce Dickinson and Ozzy Ozbourne? If you don’t, go to the site Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. It is interesting that this virtual museum has every document about each and every one of rock celebrities and their lives and achievements.

I especially liked the timeline in which you can see the historical development of rock and roll. You can learn about famous heavy metal bands which I am especially fond of, and I can recommend you to read about Metallica, Iron Maiden, whose album ‘The Number of the Beast’ defines the entire genre, Van Halen, Kiss Black Sabath and many other bands.

If you want to see more specific details such as what guitars the great players have played on or to grasp more general stuff like historical development of Rock and Roll go to http://www.rockhall.com/.

Student's Self-correction of Article 1: Gateway to Ancient Egypt by N.Maksimovic

2005-12-27T13:28:00.000-08:00

If you like stories, ancient myths and films like Indiana Jones, this site is the right place for you. Then on the other hand, if you want to impress some hot history teacher by telling him or her intersting story from Egypt mythology then I would give you the same advice: Stop looking through some old dusty books and get on the http://www.gatewaytoancientegypt.co.uk/!In my opinion the best fact is that this way you can both learn and find some interesting stuff in your spare time. For example religion has always played an important role in the lives of the Egyptians. During "Pharaonic" times a large number of Gods and Goddesses were worshipped. These took many different forms. On our journey we will be able to seehow this great land evolved to become a strong and unified country under the leadership of their kings, known as pharaohs, who were believed to have to been descended from the"Gods".
At the end of our journey, hopefully you will have fallen under the magical spell that this ancient culture still casts over all who search for it.This and much more you can see on this site, so don’t get bored, get on the net!

Student's Self-correction of Article 1: The Number of the Beast by M.Milicevic

2005-12-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Do you know the famous opera Tommy by the famous rock band The Who? Or the names like Bruce Dickinson and Ozzy Ozbourne? If you didn’t go on virtual site Rock and Roll hall of fame and museum. It is interesting that this museum has every document about every rock celebrity and their achievements during their life.

Especially I liked Timeline in which you can see the historical developing of Rock and Roll. You can learn about famous heavy metal bands which I enjoy vary much and I can recommend you to read about Metallica, Van Halen, Kiss Black, Sabbath Iron Maiden, who became famous by the song which has title name, and many other bands.

If you want to see on what guitars did the great guitar players played on or to find out historical advance of Rock and Roll go to http://www.rockhall.com/.
By Milos Milicevic

1st T's Corr. of Article 1:The Gateway to Ancient Egypt by N.Maksimovic

2005-12-26T02:43:00.000-08:00

Nemanja, your article has a lot of good points, but it can be polished in the way indicated in italicised red letters below. The sections in bold refer to spelling, vocabulary or grammar errors.

If you like stories, ancient myths and films like Indiana Jones, this site is the right place for you. Than on the other hand, if you want to impress some hot history teacher by telling him or her some /repetition/ intersting story from Egypt mythology than /repetition/I would give you the same advise: Stop looking through some old dusty books and get on the www.gatewaytoancientegypt.co.uk!

In my opinion the best fact is that this way you can both learn and find some interesting stuff in your spare time. /Indicate that you are introducing an example/ Religion has always played an important role in the lives of the Egyptians. During "Pharaonic" times a large number of Gods and Goddesses were worshipped. These took many different forms. /Finish this paragraph/

This and much more you can see on this site, so don’t get bored, get on the net! /Develop your paragraph a little bit more./

1st T's Corr. of Article 1: I Love This Game by A.Petrovic

2005-12-26T02:29:00.000-08:00

Aleksandar, your composition is very good, but there is still place for improvement. The sections to be improved are highlighted in bold. Also, make your introduction a little bit more interesting for the reader, e.g. by using one or two rhetorical questions.

The world’s most popular basketball museum is The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame museum in Springfield. This museum exict to acknowledge and honor people who have risen to the top of thier profession. It was born on February 17, 1968, on the campus of Springfield College, when a group of people headed by famous Lee Williams managed to open museum to the public.

In this museum you can see whole history of the basketball. In my opinion, the most interesting story here is about one of the best NBA season ever 1983-84. In that text you can find out things about true legends of NBA. There is a comparation between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson who played big NBA finals in that year. There is also story about our famous people in basketball.

When there is no basketball game you can watch, you should visit Naismith’s Hall Of Fame Museum and find out about things and people who changed basketball history and made basketball for one of the most popular sports.
-by Aleksandar Petrovic

1st T's Corr.of Article 1: The Number of the Beast by M.Milicevic

2005-12-25T07:58:00.000-08:00

Milos, here are some hints for you to try and improve your article. I have highlighted the sections to be corrected in bold (these are mostly spelling, vocabulary or grammar errors). The italicised red sections need improvement in style or organisation. You could also make some kind of a reference to your title - some people have no idea what it refers to.

Do you know the famus opera Tommy by the famus Rock band Who? Or the names like Bruce Dickinson and Ozzy Ozbourne? If you aren’t go on virtual site Rock and Roll hall of fame and museum. It is interesting that this museum has every document about every Rock selebraty and his achivments during their life.

Expetialy I liked timeline in which you can see the historical developing of Rock and Roll. You can learn about famos heavy metal bands which i like /repetition/ vary much and I can recomend you to read about Metallica, Iron Maden, Van Halen, Kiss Black Sabath and many other bands.

If you want to see what guitars have the great players played on or to see /repetition/ historical developing of Rock and Roll go on www.rockhall.com.

1st T's Corr. of Article 1: How To Do Something Strange and Useful by M.Ilincic

2005-12-25T06:23:00.000-08:00

Marko, here are some hints to help you correct your article. Bolded sections contain a spelling, vocabulary or grammar mistake, and the red italicised ones refer to style or organisation. Please develop your concluding paragraph a little further.

I have just returned from a virtual museum called the Museum of Unnatural Mistery. The most of the people thinks that visiting museums is boring but most of the people /repetition/ is wrong. This museum is very interesting because it contains many lesons of how to do something strange for example: How to make water to bend on 1 side without touching it or to make a air ballon etc.

By my opinion the most interesting thing in that museum is to learn how to make some hydrogen. Its very easy, everybody can do it using only: a glass of water, a wire and a 9V battery. Its very interesting because you devide the atoms of hydrogen(H) from the atoms of oxygen: /use a linker here/ With that reaction you get a small explosion.

To all i would recommend to learns how to grow your own crystal. Its easy, the equipment is cheap and you can get rich too.

The gateway to ancient Egypt

2005-12-24T05:01:00.000-08:00

If you like stories, ancient myths and films like Indiana Jones, this site is the right place for you. Than on the other hand if you want to impress some hot history teacher by telling him or her some intersting story from Egypt mythology than I would give you the same advise:Stop looking through some old dusty books and get on the www.gatewaytoancientegypt.co.uk!

In my opinion the best fact is that this way you can both learn and find some interesting stuff in your spare time. Religion has always played an important role in the lives of the Egyptians. During "Pharaonic" times a large number of Gods and Goddesses were worshipped. These took many different forms.

This and much more you can see on this site, so don’t get bored, get on the net!

By Nemanja Maksimovic

I Love This Game

2005-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

The world’s most popular basketball museum is The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame museum in Springfield. This museum exict to acknowledge and honor people who have risen to the top of thier profession. It was born on February 17, 1968, on the campus of Springfield College when a group of people headed by famous Lee Williams managed to open museum to the public.

In this museum you can see whole history of the basketball. In my opinion the most interesting story here is about one of the best NBA season ever 1983-84. In that text you can find out things about true legends of NBA. There is a comparation between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson who played big NBA finals in that year. There is also story about our famous people in basketball.

When there is no basketball game you can watch, you should visit Naismith’s Hall Of Fame Museum and find out about things and people who changed basketball history and made basketball for one of the most popular sports.
by Aleksandar Petrovic

The Number of the Beast

2005-12-24T04:59:00.000-08:00

Do you know the famus opera Tommy by the famus Rock band Who? Or the names like Bruce Dickinson and Ozzy Ozbourne? If you aren’t go on virtual site Rock and Roll hall of fame and museum. It is interesting that this museum has every document about every Rock selebraty and his achivments during their life.

Expetialy I liked timeline in which you can see the historical developing of Rock and Roll. You can learn about famos heavy metal bands which i like vary much and I can recomend you to read about Metallica, Iron Maden, Van Halen, Kiss Black Sabath and many other bands.

If you want to see what guitars have the great players played on or to see historical developing of Rock and Roll go on www.rockhall.com.

How to do something strange and useful?

2005-12-23T04:24:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from a virtual museum called the Museum of Unnatural Mistery.The most of the people thinks that visiting museums is boring but most of the people is wrong.This museum is very interesting because it contains many lesons of how to do something strange for example:How to make water to bend on 1 side without touching it or to make a air ballon etc.

By my opinion the most interesting thing in that museum is to learn how to make some hydrogen.Its very easy,everybody can do it using only:a glass of water,a wire and a 9v battery.Its very interesting because you devide the atoms of hydrogen(H) from the atoms of oxygen:With that reaction you get a small explosion.

To all i would recommend to learns how to grow your own crystal.Its easy,the equipment is cheap and you can get rich too.

By Marko Ilincic

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE ?

2005-12-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

The truth is really out there - in Museum Of Unnatural Mystery. This museum is about unnatural things like UFO-s, Mummies, Ghosts, Bermuda Triangle, Yeti... There are lots of exibition halls.
There is very interesting exibition about Leonardo da Vinci. Scientists suppose that Da Vinci was the leader of secret organisation called „The Prior of Sion“ whose members were Issac Newton, and Victor Hugo. They also think that Mona Lisa is self-portrait. In my opinion this theme is very interesting.
Another interesting exibit is dedicated to Roswell in New Mexico. This is the place where UFO crashed in 1947. Although there were many witnesses military declared that UFO was actually a weather ballon.
There is also part of museum named Virtual cyclorama. There you can see 3D reconstructions of Stonehedge and Temple of Zeus. If you visit museum shop you can find many interesting souvenirs, but they are not so cheap.
The only thing I didn’t like were some exbits about dinosaurs, space or archeology. They really don’t fit here. If you have any free time go and visit it – you won’t regret. It is better to think about aliens than to study for school. Isn’t it?

ASSIGNMENT 3/1: MUSEUM ARTICLE

2005-12-01T03:42:00.001-08:00

Dear Lingva Achiever,

You have agreed to write an article about a museum for your school magazine. You have just returned from a (virtual) visit to a museum in our country or abroad. Describe the chosen museum, say what you like or don't like about it, and why it could be interesting to your readers. Use from 120 to 180 words.

Here are some useful links:

SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO

National Museum in Belgrade
Nikola Tesla Museum
Museum of Contemporary Art Belgrade

WORLD

Nasa's Observatorium
The Exploratorium in San Francisco
Franklin Museum

or choose from this amazing site with
300 virtual museums:

ASSIGNMENT 2/2: REVIEW OF PEOPLE I LIKE

2005-05-17T04:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Lingva Achievers,

Read the PEOPLE I LIKE compositions, and do the following tasks:

1. Write what you liked about the personal description.

2. Ask each writer one or two questions about the people they described.

3. Suggest how the the description could be improved.

4. RATING: Mark each composition on a scale from 1 to 5 asterisks (***** is the highest mark).

All of the above should be written in the Comments section.

Mira

ASIGNMENT 1/2: REVIEW OF PROBLEMS OF VALJEVO

2005-05-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

Dear LINGVA ACHIEVERS,

Dear Lingva Achievers,

Read the PROBLEMS OF VALJEVO compositions, and do the following tasks:

1. Write what you agree with in the composition.

2. What other aspects/examples of the problem could be added?

3. How do you think the problem should be resolved?

4. RATING: Mark each composition on a scale from 1 to 5 asterisks (***** is the highest mark).

All of the above should be written in the Comments section.

Mira

PEOPLE I LIKE: MARKO

2005-05-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

My best friend Marko

I’m going to write about my friend. His name is Marko. He was born in September 1990. He lives in Nusiceva street. He has a few hobbies like playing computer all day and sometimes playing volleyball. He loves eating hamburgers and drinking coca-cola. He also likes listening to music. His favourite bands are: Metallica, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Ark, Dimmu Borgir, Conception, Slayer, Therion... He hates school and folk music, especially turbo folk. He also hates animals, especially dogs.
He has long, black hair and brown eyes. He is tall and a bit thin. He always wears the same clothes and that’s his tradition. Although he is disorganized, he can sometimes be very helpful. He is lazy, moody, stubborn, and occasionally insensitive, but also modest and honest.
Marko is very popular with his friends and he is very funny when he is disorganised. For example, he has been late for shool every day for eight years.
He is also popular at school because he makes lots of problems for teachers, especially the geography teacher. Marko is so loud in her classes that every time she throws him out.
We are the best friends because he has been in the same class with me for 8 years. I like him because he is hard-working, he studies a lot and he is a nerd, which I am not.
-by Milos B.

PEOPLE I LIKE: MARKO

2005-04-27T03:13:00.000-07:00

My best friend is called Marko. He is thirteen and he lives in Sabac near my grandmother’s and grandfather’s house. He is a great football player. I hope that one day he will become a world-famous player, like Maradona. He also likes to play Sony games. His favourite game is the Medal of Honour. When he doesn’t play games he likes to watch horror films, and his favourite is the Butterfly.
Marko has got short, dark hair and brown eyes. He is tall for his age. I have never seen him sad. I think that smile is his best friend. He has a little sister, called Jelena. Marko always fights with her but I know that he adores her.
Everybody likes Marko because he is generous and sympathetic. The only bad thing about him is that he doesn’t have much time for his friends because he plays Sony games for a long time. What I especially like about him is his tolerance, since he is not choosy with his friends.

-by Jelena D.

PEOPLE I LIKE: JELENA

2005-04-19T10:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Jelena

My best friend is called Jeca and her last name is Damnjanovic.She likes basketball, and she is very good at it. Her hobby is collecting posters, and she has a lot of them. She also likes to play computer games. She has a younger brother.
Jeca hass got quite long brown hair, and she often wears a ponytail. Here eyes are blue. She is not too tall, I could say that she is quite tall. Jeca doesn’t like things like make-up and lipstick, and other stuff for women. She always smells nice though because she has a great number of perfumes and she likes to wear them. Her favourite parfume is Kezno.

My best friend is very popular in my school. Everbody who has ever met her says that she is very sociable, helpful, and cheerful. So, everybody likes her!

As for me, what I especially like about her is that she is honest.

-by Maja U.

PEOPLE I LIKE: My best friend Rastko

2005-04-19T10:12:00.000-07:00

I will describe my best friend Rastko Arsenic. He is in the same class with me. I have known him since our preschool days and we have been the best of friends all of this time. He was born in September 1991. He lives in Nikola Tesla Street.
Rastko has long, dark, straight hair and black eyes. He is tall and well-built. He is moody, stubborn, honest, and sometimes insensitive, shy and lazy. The best example of his shyness was shown during one of our school trips, when he saw a girl and he wanted to get to know her, but he was to shy to tell her anything.
He likes metal music, horror films, basketball, and pc games. His favourite bands are: Metallica, Deep Purple, Nirvana and Guns N’ Roses. His favourite song is For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica. His favourite film is Gift. He hates school, dishonest people, folk music and romantic films. One thing I forgot to tell you is that he likes animals, especially dogs; he has two - one is a golden retriever and the other is a pointer.
Rastko is very unpopular in his street because he makes lots of noise on the street and he likes to argue with his neighbours. He is popular at school because he makes lots of problems for teachers and that’s the reason why teachers hate him and other children like him. In an art lesson, Rastko and I were very loud and our art teacher told us: ’’The last desk out.’’and Rastko and I picked the desk and took it out.
I like him because he is a good friend and a good person.

-by Aleksandar P.

People I like: Milos Milicevic

2005-04-19T02:40:00.000-07:00

My Friend Milos

Milos is fourteen years old. I have known him since my third grade. He is a very nice friend but he can sometimes be moody. LOTR 1,2 and 3 are his favourite movies and books, but he also likes good horror and action film. His favourite type of music is rock, hard rock, metal, heavy metal and folk music. His favourite singers and groups are Red Hot Chilly Peppers, Indira Radic, Linkin Park, Jelena Karleusa, and many more stars of the Grand and Melos turbofolk. He likes playing computer games especially strategies. His favourite hobby is hiking. He can act creatively, but not in many situations. He is tall, with brown hair and a ponytail. No girl can resist his charm, not even Maja, Kristina and Jelena, but that is another story. Wel, the only thing you can know for sure is that he he is a good person and a great friend, and these are his best characteristics.

-by Nemanja M.

People I like: Dragana

2005-04-19T02:11:00.000-07:00

My Friend Dragana

I am going to write about my friend. She is called Dragana and she lives in Valjevo near the center. She is a teenager like me and we go to the same school. She likes going out with friends, especially to the disco. She also likes to talk much on the phone and she always listens a lot to good music, such as that of Green Day. She hates selfish people and she does not like to study for school.
Dragana has got shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. She wears make up, especially when she goes out. She is quite short and slim. Most people think that she is a very good-looking girl. She is a very cheerful person and she loves smiling a lot. She is very outgoing and it seems that she knows hundreds of people. Also she is very stubborn and always needs to do things her way.
Most people like Dragana because she is very helpful. For example, she always gives good advice to people when they are down. She has a sister and it seems that she always quarrels with her.
What I especially like about her is her loyalty - she would never let you down.

-by Kristina R.

People I Like: My 'Retarded' Friend Nemanja

2005-04-09T00:15:00.000-07:00

Nemanja

Nemanja is fourteen years old and he lives in the part of town called Brdjani. He goes to primary school and he’s eight grade. He is an exellent student and a very big nerd. He likes mobile phones so much that he is starting to annoy me. Nemanja likes horror movies about zombies like “The Dawn of the Dead”. You won’t believe it, but he adores watching Latin American soap operas.
Nemanja has got short, blond hair and big brown eyes. He’s quite short and slim. He always wears a lot of make up to cover moles on his face. He is so strong that he has won the first prize in the world cup in boxing. He is a very generous boy but a bit bad-tempered. He’s nice, cheerful, honest, sociable but sometimes he can be very selfish. He is a very big jinx.
Nemanja is very popular with his friends, maybe because he is very strong. For example, he can beat anyone that challenges him. He’s a very polite and nice kid. Old people respect him because he likes helping them. He often gets angry and bad-tempered and when you mention mobile phones you’d better run away. He is a real pain in the ass but his kindness makes him a likeable person.

-by Milos M.

People I Like : My Brother

2005-04-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

I am going to describe my brother. He is called Matija. He is 10 years old, and of course he lives with me. He likes to invent things and he likes to build houses in the garden. He also likes to watch good movies with me. He likes action movies and psyhological horrors. When he grows up he would like to be a scientist or a builder.
Matija has got brown hair and brown eyes. He is small and slim. He is creative, but very disorganised. He always does what he wants and that makes him pretty stubborn.
Matija is moody person. One moment he is good like angel, and another moment he is a real devil. My brother often argues with me. At those moments I feel as if I would kill him. Also, he likes money, but he isn’t materialistic – he is very generous, and shares things with me.

-by Stefan K.

ASIGNMENT 2/1: PEOPLE I LIKE

2005-04-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Lingva Achievers,

It's time you wrote something about people you like or respect in some way. They could be your friends, members of your family, famous people or anybody else. Say something about their background, physical appearance and character and why you like them. Do nor forget to put their picture.

-Mira

PROBLEMS OF VALJEVO: CINEMAS IN VALJEVO

2005-03-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Editor,

I am writing to complain about our cinema. It is too small, so people who can afford it do not want to watch movies because the cinema is old-fashioned and uncomfortable.
Also, people like domestic movies only. When a foreign film is on, the cinema is almost empty. People do not see that foreign films can be as interesting as domestic ones. It seems that they only like comedies and they hate horrors and action movies.
I suggest that we build a new cinema. If we did that more people would come. After that tickets could be cheaper, and the money would not be the problem. If we show the people that foreign films are good they might change their opinion. We could start our action by offering people to come to the cinema every week and watch interesting foreign films for free.
The local goverment think that the new cinema will be too expensive. However, in my opinion, it will only bring more money. I look forward to starting more actions connected with this issue.

Yours faithfully,

STEFAN KOSTIC

PROBLEMS OF VALJEVO: NEW SPORTS CENTER

2005-03-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Editor,

I am writing to thank you for your proposal for a new sports center. Although many people think that we do not need a new sports center, in my opinion, a lot of children who play sports do not have enough space to do them.

There are already a lot of sports facilities in our town, and some people think that there is no space for any new ones. However, in existing facilities there are no suitable conditions for indoor sports because there are only a few gyms and they do not have good equipment.

In addition to improving old gyms, there are lot of reasons to build a completely new sports center in the town itself. People will have more place for training and they can also try new sports like skating and others. A large number of them would like to start doing sports and more people will be healthier.

I would be very pleased if you could publish my letter in support of your proposal.

Yours faithfully,

Rankovic Kristina
First-year Student of Secondary Medical School

PROBLEMS OF VALJEVO: UNEMPLOYMENT IN VALJEVO

2005-03-15T11:06:00.000-08:00

Dear Editor,

The reason I am writing to you is a very big problem that our city has with unemployment. Many people have been fired from companies like Krušik, Uzor or Srbijanka, and they cannot support their families.
The factories are very old and they cannot manufacture goods, so when there is no production there are no more goods and no money for new machines. This is the result of the sanctions during the 1990’s, when the companies could not sell their products to other countries nor buy their products. Also NATO bombing destroyed the Krušik factory and polluted our town.
However, the government has no money to give away to the companies. There are not many investments in industry. Now only farming and politics remain active in our contry. We have to find more investments to repair Krusik and other factories.
I think we need to find more foreign investors, especially from more developed countries. They say they would come if our country was safer. I think our politicians should not quarel all the time, they should their job and show the foreign investors that our country can be good for investments.

Yours faithfully,

Milos Milicevic
Eighth-grader

PROBLEMS OF VALJEVO: School Problems

2005-03-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

SCHOOL PROBLEMS

Dear Editor,

I am writing to complain about students’ problems and their schools. A lot of students are unhappy with theier teachers and work load. Nevertheless, they cannot make their voices heard.

The conditions in many schools are unbearable since nobody controls irritable school workers. There are teachers who are revengeful and who vent their anger on children. For example, when we get in front of the board they sometimes ridicule us.

In addition to this, children are overloaded with their subjects and they do not have enough time for themselves. They have too many things to learn about in school although they will not be needing them when they grow up. When they come home from school, they should be resting and playing with other children or going to park for a walk in the nature. Instead,they have to stay home and learn some boring stuff which they won't be needing them later.

I think that students should be given the right to express their opinion both about their subjects and their teachers. In my and in the opinion of many others , there should be a school reform, and it should be made after the model of schools in other countries such as France, England and many more where teachers behave professionally and students do project work.

Yours faithfully,
Nemanja Maksimovic
Primary School Student

ASSIGNMENT 1/1: PROBLEMS OF VALJEVO

2005-02-22T06:17:00.000-08:00

Write an opinion composition about a problem in your town, and what actions should be taken to overcome it. You can write about unemployment, school reform, pollution, sports facilities, or something else. Plan paragraphs for your letter and include suitable linking devices. Use from 100 to 120 words.

-Mira

Greetings

2005-02-19T04:58:00.000-08:00

Hi!
We'll use this Lingva blog to snoop around the world, have fun and pick up some English. We promise to make our reports colour-ful(l) of pictures!

LINGVA ACHIEVERS

2005-02-06T04:45:00.000-08:00

Hi!
We'll use this Lingva blog to snoop around the world, have fun and pick up some English. We promise to make our reports colour-ful(l) of pictures!