TheDiver Issue 04 - Page 1 - LLM English newspaper Issue 4 TThhee DDIIVVEERR C O N T E N T S Special Thanks to all who were involved in this issue of TThhee DDIIVVEERR : - Mrs. Maryse Tabet - Mr. Victor E. Dubau - Mr. Jamel Achouchi - Mrs. Véronique Robalo-Diaz - Mrs. Shanshan Hivert - Mrs. Anne Christine Grenier - Mrs. PI Fleury Page 1 For more information about Lycée Louis Massignon please visit the LLM website at www.llm.ae Send us your ideas, comments, and suggestions about our next issue of TThhee DDIIVVEERR to the.diver@llm.ae C O N T A C T Issue 04 March 2011 1 Editorial 2 All About Us 3 Writer's Corner 4 Smart Inventions 5 Myths and Superstitions 6 Latin 8 Spanish 9 Chinese 10 Monuments of the World 11 Abu Dhabi or Montreal ? 12 Miscellaneous Véronique Robalo- Diaz French and Latin Teacher In this 4th edition, TThhee DDiivveerr, an LLM Newspaper, initially and entirely written in English, opens up to other languages. Such a step reflects the integration of the "interlangue" in our school. Students' involvement and devotion to the Diver is a tangible proof of their great motivation and determination in voicing their opinions and ideas to the world. The Diver is now on track and I address my sincere congratuations to all involved, including students, parents, and teachers. Gérard Aubertel Headmaster of Lycée Louis Massignon Dans ce nouveau numéro du DDiivveerr, les élèves latinistes de 3ème vous proposent de plonger - «Diver» oblige - aux sources de notre culture pour nous en révéler certains aspects insolites. Pour que nous puissions comprendre qui nous sommes, il est besoin de se situer entre la grande et la petite histoire, entre la vérité et la fiction, entre le passé et le futur. Ce point d’ancrage qui constitue notre appartenance à l’humanité nécessite de comprendre et de s’étonner… « ad vitam aeternam ». Les articles rédigés par les latinistes vous convient à partager des éléments de l’héritage dont nous sommes tous les dépositaires. A travers leurs petits textes qui abordent des thèmes variés choisis par eux-mêmes, ils espèrent répondre à notre quête d’aventure et à notre besoin d’histoire et de racines car, si nous étudions l’histoire, si nous nous en créons, si nous trouvons celle des Romains charmante, enrichissante et réconfortante, n’est-ce pas avant tout pour avoir le sentiment d’appartenir à la nôtre ? TThhee DDIIVVEERR Page 2 MYTHS AND SUPERSTITIONS Good Luck Superstions Horseshoes To bring good luck, the horseshoe must be lost by a horse and be found by you, with the open end facing your way. You must hang it over the door with the open end up, so the good fortune doesn't spill out. Another origin of the 'lucky horseshoe' is the belief that they ward off witches. Witches, it was once believed, were opposed to horses, which is why they rode brooms and pitchforks instead. By placing a horseshoe over a door, the witch would be reluctant to enter. Four Leaf Clovers Clover is believed to protect humans and animals from evil spells and is thought to be good luck to find a four leaf clover, particularly for the Irish. Rabbit's Foot These lucky charms are thought to ward off bad luck and bring good luck. You must carry the rabbit's foot on a chain around your neck, or in your left back pocket. The older it gets the more good luck it brings. Wishbones Two people are to pull apart a dried breastbone of a turkey or chicken and the one who is left with the longer end will have their wish come true. Common Myths and Folklore •If the flame of a candle flickers and then turns blue, there's a spirit in the room. •If a bird flies through your house, it indicates important news. If it can't get out, the news will be death. •If you feel a chill up your spine, someone is walking on your future grave. A person born on Halloween will have the gift of communicating with the dead. •A bat in the house is a sign of death. •If a bird flies towards you, bad fortune is imminent. •If your palm itches, you will soon receive money. If you itch it, your money will never come. •Crows are viewed as a bad omen, often foretelling death. If they caw, death is very near. •Many Romans wore lucky charms and amulets to avert the "evil eye." If a person experiences great horror, their hair turns white. •A hat on a bed bring bad luck. •Eat an apple on Christmas Eve for good health the next year. Joanne Moukarzel and Hyba Ben Aissa Grade 6 Superstitions, Omens, and Myths What is Superstition? According to Webster's dictionary, superstition is any belief that is inconsistent with the known laws of science or with what is considered true and rational, such a belief in omens, the supernatural, etc... Black Cats Black cats have long been believed to be a supernatural omen since the witch hunts of the middle ages when cats were thought to be connected to evil. Since then, it is considered bad luck if a black cat crosses your path. Broken Mirrors An ancient myth our ancestors believed was that the image in a mirror is our actual soul. A broken mirror represented the soul being astray from your body. To break the spell of misfortune, you must wait seven hours (one for each year of bad luck) before picking up the broken pieces, and bury them outside in the moonlight. Ladders In the days before the gallows, criminals were hung from the top rung of a ladder and their spirits were believed to linger underneath. Common folklore has it to be bad luck to walk beneath an open ladder and pass through the triangle of evil ghosts and spirits. Owls If an owl looks in your window or if you see one in the daylight bad luck and death will bestow you. Salt At one time salt was a rare commodity and thought to have magical powers. It was unfortunate to spill salt and said to foretell family disarray and death. To ward off bad luck, throw a pinch over your shoulder and all will be well. Sparrows Sparrows are thought to carry the souls of the dead and it is believed to bring bad luck if you kill one. Unlucky Number 13 The fear of the number 13 is still common today, and avoided in many different ways. Some buildings still do not have an official 13th floor and many people avoid driving or going anywhere on Friday the 13th Johnny's mother had four children. The first was April, the second was May, and the third was June. What was the name of her fourth child?Answer:Johnny! The Mississippi River is the dividing line between Tennessee and Arkansas. If an airplane crashed exactly in the middle of the Mississippi River there, where would the survivors be buried? Answer:Youdon'tburysurvivors. On my way to the fair, I met 7 jugglers and a bear, every juggler had 6 cats, every cat had 5 rats, every rat had 4 houses, every house had 3 mouses, every mouse had 2 louses, every louse had a spouse. How many in all are going to the fair? Solution:Justme.Theotherswerecomingfromthefair. RIDDLES RIDDLES RIDDLES collected by Serge Daniel Grade 7 TThhee DDIIVVEERR Page 3 ALL ABOUT US I first started dancing when I was eight years old. I was invited to the pyjama party of my friend. At 9:00 pm, we started dancing on her pop musics. Then, back home, I started searching musics on You-Tube. And even now, I keep on doing that!! These days, when I have time, I put my musics on my Ipod and listen to them for hours! I am also trying to organize a dancing party at home. My best souvenir about my hobby? Well, it was at a party. It was in a friend’s garden. We were dancing when my friend played my favourite music on. I started to dance and a little girl asked me where I had learned dancing. It was so cute! When I dance, I feel free. Nobody can stop me. I think it is what I like best about my hobby. I don’t think I would like to be a dancer, because I have other hobbies. But even when I am older, I will continue dancing because I love that!!! Camille Miloyan Grade 6 I became interested in video games when I was six years old. I had an" Atarie".Then, I bought a" Play station 1", it had better graphics… When I turned eight, my father bought me a "Play station2" as a birthday gift. From that day, I became HOOKED! Year after year, video games got better and better, games got cooler and cooler. And then, there was this new technology, it was the wireless controllers, the "Wii" was the first console to use this technology. The last video game ever made was the "Play station 3". Video games are cool because you can learn a lot of things, and it can take you to any place you want by pressing only one button. It is really awesome when you start playing it. So come on and play. Ben Sassi Ihab Grade 6 Hello! My name is Hadi Khalil. I come from Beirut Lebanon but I was born here in Abu Dhabi the fourth of May 1999. I have a lot of hobbies but the ones that I exercise often are heeling and playing football. I play football because it is very fun; it is also exercise so it is good for my body. When I started to heel I use to fall all the time, but a few weeks later my friend Karim told me it was all about balance and focus, that was a very helpful advice, so I became better and better every day. I am interested in heeling because it is also very fun but at the same time very dangerous. To heel I need wide and long space with no grass at all, and the proper protection gear. To play football I need a good ball that can bounce and roll, the correct protection and foot wear, a team to play for and a wide enough space filled with grass (grass for protection). Football is my favorite because it’s less dangerous than heeling. Hadi Khalil Grade 6 Have you ever wanted to meet a well-known personality from the past ? Most people want to meet a well-known personality from the past : celebrities, politicians, sport athletes... But if I were to travel in the past I would choose to meet Marie Curie, a famous scientist who made a giant step for the world in the field of medicine. I like her because she discovered a lot of interesting things; she is a woman who succeeded. We share the same passion. To name few of her achievements, she discovered new elements which she called polonium and radium. She was also a pioneer in the field of radioactivity and won an award in two different fields which are chemisrty and physics. Secondly, I admire her courage and her determination because at her time it was a challenge for women to succeed in their field. I think her hard work actually proved something and I consider her as an interesting model for every women all over the world. She gives us faith and confidence because she was the first woman to win a Nobel prize and the first female professor at the University of Paris. Finally, I would have really loved meeting her because I am also interested in chemistry and medicine. I would also have liked to hear her opinion about my intensions of becoming a surgeon. We have the same passion: discovering new cures to heal new illnesses. In conclusion, the well-known personality that I want to meet is Marie Curie because I admire her work, her courage and her passion. Bruna Assaad Grade 9 Coming to you live from Baltimore, the USA, is Sandra Shediac. She has one sister. Her favorite thing to do is, to hang out with friends. If you fight with her, it makes her mad. The best thing she did this summer was travelling to Italy. She was really hoping for a teacher that doesn't give a lot of homework. One thing she hopes to do this year is to have good grades. She likes friends who care about her. Interview conducted by Yasmina Hakim Grade 6 TThhee DDIIVVEERR Page 4 WRITER'S CORNER What happened… It was just the end of another amazing date with Nick; “Bye Nicky” Taylor told him as she kissed his cheek. “I had a great time today”, she smiled. “Bye baby”, he took her hands and got closer, “I love you”. “I love you too”, she replied, and then, she closed her eyes as she felt his lips get closer to hers. He kissed her and then he pulled away. “Bye”, Taylor flashed him one last smile, then she opened her house door and she got in as he walked over to his house, which was just across the street. Taylor placed her house keys and her purse on the table as she shouted, “Mom! Dad! I’m home!” Her mom, Catherine, came out of the kitchen, “Hey hon! How was your date?” As usual she was wearing her favorite green apron, and her messy blond hair was all over her face. Taylor smiled big as she replied, “It was great!”. She walked over to her mom, “I really love him mom”. Catherine smiled as those words got out of her daughter’s mouth but then her smile faded. “What’s wrong?” Taylor asked. Her mom sighed deeply, “Your dad and I have something important to tell you and your brother”. “What is it?” Taylor was worried; her mom had never looked this serious, not even when, a year ago, she told her that she couldn’t get pregnant anymore because of her miscarriage. What she had to tell her felt important and it was not good. Taylor’s mind started racing. What could have happened to make her mom look so sad? Maybe Grandma was sick… Taylor sat down on the couch as Catherine called her dad, James, and her brother, Mike, to come downstairs. Taylor noticed the expression on her dad’s face when he saw her; it was definitely bad news. It must be even worse than Grandma being sick, maybe someone passed away… Mike took a seat next to her; he seemed worried too. Taylor looked at her dad, “What is it daddy?”. James looked at her then at his son and sighed, “I got transferred to Seattle.” “What?” Taylor said in disbelief. Oh no! Living without her dad! She was going to miss him… She wondered how it was going to be like around the house without him, it’s so hard to imagine… She got up and hugged her dad. Then she pulled away and looked at him, “I’m going to miss you so much!” As those words escaped her lips, her dad, her mom and her brother started eyeing her strangely, as if she’d missed something blatantly important. Taylor exchanged looks with the three of them, not understanding the cause of this stare they were giving her, nor the sudden silence that had set. “What?”, she asked. Her dad got closer to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, “Darling… I’m not the only one moving to Seattle, we all are.” He looked at her with apologetic eyes. Taylor could feel the tears starting to form, but she just couldn’t help herself, she was in shock. “What?”, she said, practically whispering. Everyone was looking at her and she could see how sorry they were, but how could they make her go through this?! As the room stayed silent, more tears were filling her eyes and they were beginning to fall, “No! Daddy, please no!” Taylor screamed, pleading. Her mom walked over to her and Taylor felt her mom’s arms pulling her into a tight embrace, “Honey...” She tried to calm her daughter, but Taylor pushed her away, “No! Please!”Taylor tried again, “What about me and Nick?! Am I just supposed to forget about him?” She looked at the three faces staring at her; they stayed still, without a move, without a sound. Taylor started crying harder, “I can’t stay a day without seeing him! What’s going to happen if I…” Her voice was getting lower, “what’s going to happen if I can’t see him again?” She sobbed. “Taylor…” Her dad started to say but she didn’t want to hear it; she didn’t want to know his explanation, what she already knew was enough and she couldn’t bear to hear more. Taylor ran to her room and shut the door, causing a loud ‘bang’. Meanwhile, in the living room James asks his oldest child, “What about you? You seem okay with us moving…” “I am”, he replied, “Did you forget that it’s going to be my last year of high school? I’m going to come back here for college anyways”. He let out a soft chuckle but his face got serious again, “It’s just Taylor I’m worrying about…” He adds, giving his dad a ‘good luck’ look, then he went up the stairs into his room. James looked at his wife with a worried look, “What are we going to do about Taylor?” “I don’t know”, she sighed deeply and the couple stood there in silence thinking about a way to make their daughter feel better. After a moment of silence, words came out of James’s mouth, “What if…” But he got cut off by Catherine, who figured out what he was going to say, “Forget it James! Don’t even think about it! You’re not moving away by yourself!” The night passed by slowly, Taylor couldn’t sleep. She was lying there on her bed, thinking about her and Nick, about their relationship. Was it going to end just because she was moving away? Is all they went through just going to disappear as if it had never happened? It couldn’t! Nick and her were too strong for that! They could get through anything! At least that’s what she thought… Taylor stayed awake remembering all the good times she spent with her friends here, in Los Angeles, and she couldn’t believe those moments were going to be the last. She finally closed her eyes, it was 3 o’clock in the morning and she only had three hours to sleep until she had to wake up for the last day of Vanessa Moukarzel, a grade 10 student, wishes to share a part of her first novel with you. Enjoy !MMeeaanntt ttoo BBee TThhee DDIIVVEERR Page 5 SMART INVENTIONS Noise-cancelling headphones For airline passengers allergic to the sound of crying babies or easily distracted office workers, headphones that block out the ambiant din are a life-saver. Amar Bose, the billionaire founder of the Bose audio equipment firm, generated sound waves to neutralize incoming noise. X-rays X-rays are a form of ionizing radiation and as such can be dangerous. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen is considered the father of diagnostic radiology, the medical specialty which uses imaging to diagnose disease. Zip Credit for the invention of the zipper goes to Gideon Sundbäck. In 1913, the Swedish engineer made the first modern zip to fasten high boots. Smart cup Smart cup in which you can put 2-3 of your favourite cookies. You don’t need extra plates. It’s made for right handed and left handed. Windshield wiper American Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper in 1903, after observing that drivers had to open the windows of their vehicles to be able to see the road in the rain. Telephone Frenchman Charles Bourseul first proposed transmitting speech electronically in 1854, but he was ahead of his time and it took another six years before Johann Reis used a cork, knitting needle, sausage skin and a piece of platinum to transmit sound, if not intelligible speech (that took another 16 years). Elisha Gray and Alexander Graham Bell raced to make the first working phone in the 1870s school and tell her friends the bad news. ‘Tomorrow is going to be a hard day’, she thought before falling into a deep slumber. Taylor arrived to school the next day and the first thing she saw: Nick. Her heart fluttered, like it did every time she saw him, but then she remembered what she had to tell him… As soon as Nick saw Taylor he ran over to her and kissed her softly, “Hey!”, he said, happy to see her. “Hey” she replied, smiling slightly. He stared at her for a while then he asked, “Tay, have you been crying?” “No…” Taylor lied, but he knew her, he knew there was something wrong. He must have noticed her puffy eyes, and he was right; Taylor had been crying all night, but she couldn’t tell him why now; she didn’t have the guts. Taylor felt Nick’s hand on her chin as he lifted it so that she was looking into his eyes, “What’s wrong Tay?” he asked, worried. Words started coming out of Taylor’s mouth but the bell rang, and for the first time the shrill, annoying sound made her feel relieved. ‘Thank God’ she thought to herself. “See you at lunch”, she said to Nick. Then, she ran quickly to her class before Nick could catch up to her and ask her anything else. The first periods passed by slowly and the only thing Taylor did for hours was think. She couldn’t even remember what the lessons were about; she just sat there and rehearsed what she was going to say to Nick. But soon, she realized that this was not something that she could learn like a lesson, this will have to come from her heart. The bell rang too soon and it was time for lunch. Taylor got out of the classroom quickly before the teacher could hold her back and ask her why she wasn’t paying attention in class. Before heading for the cafeteria, Taylor stopped by her locker to put in some books that she didn’t need. She was about to close the metallic door but she stopped. She took a long, hard look at all the photos of her and Nick that she had hung there, at the photos of her friends. Today was the last day of school, the last time she would open this locker to see those smiling faces, laughing and having the time of their lives, with not a care in the world. As Taylor closed the door, she felt a tear sliding down her cheek. She quickly wiped it with her thumb. Then, she took a deep breath and walked over to the cafeteria, ready to tell everyone the bad news. To be continued... Eraser It took 200 years after the invention of the lead pencil until somebody came up with the eraser. Until then, draughtsmen had to use bread, but English engineer Edward Naine saw potential in natural rubber to do a better job. Hymen Lipman conceived the all-in-one pencil eraser in 1858. GPS A single press of a button and up to 32 satellites will pinpoint your precise position to within a couple of meters. The Global Positioning System was developed by the US military in the 1970s, and has been globally available since 1994. NNeeiill HHoouuaarrii aanndd HHaaddii KKhhaalliill GGrraaddee 66 TThhee DDIIVVEERR Page 6 LATIN Le Royaume d’Hadès selon la mythologie Dans la mythologie grecque et romaine, le Royaume d’Hadès est un lieu souterrain où descendent les âmes après la mort pour y être jugées et recevoir le châtiment de leurs fautes ou la récompense de leurs bonnes actions. Ce Royaume appelé aussi l’Hadès ou les Enfers est divisé en trois parties. La meilleure prend bien sûr, le nom de la plus belle avenue du monde … ‘ Les Champs Elysées ‘. Cette section de Paradis dans les Enfers romains n’accueillait que les héros, les demi-dieux et très rarement les Dieux. Là-bas les gens boivent, mangent, et chantent toute la journée sous un éternel printemps. Les gens normaux (tout comme vous qui lisez, je suppose) vont dans les Asphodèles. Leur but ? Errer sans but à jamais … Pas très plaisant non ? La dernière partie, vous l’avez bien deviné, est la ‘ pire ‘ de toutes. Le Tartare (tout comme le steak tartare, je vous laisse imaginer la suite). On continue ? Oui ? Non ? De toute façon, vous n’avez pas le choix. Et bien, pour vous instruire sur la culture gréco-romaine, je Les nombres romains, une méthode qui date. Enseignés dès les classes primaires, les nombres romains sont utilisés depuis des siècles. Ils marquent les heures des horloges, numérotent les folios de certains cahiers. Remplacés par les nombres arabes, ils ont néanmoins été utilisé jusqu’à la Renaissance. Apparue aux alentours du v siècle av J.C., la numération romaine aurait procédé des savoirs étrusques. Cette civilisation à l’origine obscure s’est développée en Italie du nord depuis le VIII ème siècle jusqu’au IIIème siècle av J.C. , époque à laquelle Rome mit un terme à son expansion. Un comptable décide de distinguer chaque cinquième unité par une entaille de forme singulière, en oblique ou en v, inversé ou non. Suivant cette évolution, les Romains développent sept chiffres : V=5, X=10, L=50, C=100, D=500, M=1000. Cela permet alors d’obtenir par addition un nombre. DCCXXXVIII=500+100+100+10+10+10+5+1+1+1=738 Les Romains pour simplifier l’écriture des grands nombres avaient pensé à ceci : Pour multiplier un nombre par 1000, ils traçaient une barre au dessus, pour multiplier par 100 000 ils encadraient le nombre. Une anecdote veut que Tibère, un empereur romain, se soit servi de cette possibilité de confusion pour régler à son avantage un héritage. Devant verser 50 millions de sesterces promis par sa mère au futur empereur Galba, il n’en versa que 500 000 sesterces, en prétextant que les barres d’encadrement n’étaient pas suffisamment longues ! Paul-Vincent Bourgarel and Alexis Gérard Grade 9 Les Tarzans de l’Antiquité ! Je suis sûre que vous connaissez tous l’histoire de « Tarzan ». Ceux dont je vais vous parler sont les « tarzans de l’Antiquité » mais aussi les fondateurs de Rome! Lorsque le 12eme roi légendaire de la cite “d’Albe la Longue” meurt, son fils Numitor monte alors sur le trône. Mais peu de temps après, son frère Amulius le détrône. Mais cela ne lui suffit pas : puisqu’il ne veut pas que la descendance de son frère puisse lui porter atteinte, il force sa nièce Rhéa Silva à rejoindre les vestales (ces dernières étaient les prêtresses de la déesse Vesta et devaient rester célibataires). Voici ce qui s’est passé: le dieu Mars s’éprit de la jeune fille, et peu de temps après, elle eut 2 jumeaux: Romulus et Remus (les 2 petits dans les photos). Donc, Amulius, furieux, emprisonna sa nièce et ordonna que les 2 bébés fussent placés dans un panier et jetés dans le Tibre. Cependant les 2 nourrissons survécurent. Une louve (blanche je crois…mais peu importe) les aperçut et décida de les recueillir. Par la suite, les deux jeunes jumeaux décidèrent de fonder une ville sur les bords du Tibre (fleuve de Rome). Cependant, ils commencèrent à se battre puisqu’ils voulaient tous deux être rois, et baptiser la cité de leur nom. Alors, Romulus et Remus décidèrent de consulter les auspices (présages envoyés par les dieux via le vol, le chant des oiseaux ou la quantité de nourriture que mangeaient les poulets sacrés.) Remus, placé sur le mont Aventin, aperçut alors six vautours. Romulus, situé sur le Palatin, en vit alors douze. Cependant, comme Remus contestait la victoire de son frère, Romulus le tua et traça un sillon avec sa charrue sur les côtes du Palatin, délimitant la frontière de sa ville. C’est ainsi que la ville de Rome fut fondée et son destin… tracé. Marie-Claire Younes Grade 9 vais vous annoncer quelque chose … Le Tartare est la section la PLUS plaisante ! Vous avez bien entendu, je ne plaisante pas ! La vie y est un peu plus diversifiée car trois supplices vous y attendent : Le supplice de Sisyphe : Vous avez le challenge de faire rouler un rocher tout en haut d’une montagne mais comme par magie, il retombe avant même d’avoir atteint le sommet … Etrange non ? Il faut donc sans cesse recommencer à pousser le rocher ! Le supplice des Danaïdes consiste à remplir un tonneau sans fond. Autant dire que ce n’est pas demain que le travail sera fini ! Action garantie ! Le supplice de Tantale : De l’eau au ras des lèvres, des fruits juteux perchés sur votre tête et votre ventre qui crie famine … Mais pourquoi ne pas ouvrir la bouche et avaler l’eau et les fruits ? Car dès que vous essayez, ils disparaissent … Dommage non ? Jenna Houari Grade 9 TThhee DDIIVVEERR Page 7 LATIN Latin recipe Once upon a time, two Latin students of the LLM wanted to show their friends some wonderful recipes from Roman times. Ingredients : Julia: Hi Ghislaine! Ghislaine: Hi Julia! Julia: Are we ready to make Roman honey bread? Ghislaine: Sure, let’s do it! OK, so we start with grilled bread with honey; the book says: « Musteos optimos rades et in lacte infundis. Cum biberint, in furnum mittis ne arescant, modice. Eximes eos calidos, melle perfundis,compungis ut bibant. Piper aspergis et inferes. » Julia: I checked the Latin- English dictionary and it means: take bread, cut it in long slices, and soak it in milk. Then take the bread out slowly and spin out the milk (bread should only be humidified with milk). Put it in the oven at mild temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. When it starts to be golden-brown, take it out and put a lot of honey and a little of pepper on it! Then, enjoy! Ghislaine: Wow! It’s really easy and delicious, so I advise everybody to cook it at home, as you don’t need an adult’s help. And it’s the best point. Julia Boudaoud and Ghislaine Imbert Grade 9 La locution du trimestre : parole de sagesse romaine Dans l’Antiquité, le triomphe était une des plus grandes solennités et la plus brillante récompense qu'on accordât à ses généraux vainqueurs. Le triomphateur (imperator), vêtu d'une tunique de pourpre, couronné de lauriers, et tenant en main un sceptre d'ivoire surmonté d'une aigle, s'avançait sur un char doré, au milieu d'un long cortège de citoyens qui le saluaient de leurs cris d'allégresse. Il y avait toujours un esclave derrière lui pour rabattre son orgueil en lui murmurant à l’oreille ‘Cave ne cadas’ (prononcé ‘Cawé né cadass’ en Latin), ce qui signifie ‘Prends garde à la chute‘. Cela permettait au triomphateur de se rappeler que la prospérité ne dure jamais longtemps, surtout pour les Romains ! Aujourd’hui, un parent pourrait employer cette expression lorsque son enfant a beaucoup de bonnes notes, pour qu’il continue de travailler car sinon, c’est la chute. (et après, on a les bulletins !) Claudine Fournerault Grade 9 Savez-vous que ce sont les Romains qui sont à l’origine de notre calendrier ? Les Romains avaient plusieurs manières de compter les années, soit à partir de la légendaire fondation de Rome, en 753 av. J.C. soit en nommant l’année par le nom du Consul qui était en fonction cette année là. Les crêpes ? Made in où ? MADE IN ROME !! Ce sont les romains qui inventèrent les crêpes. Eh oui, car les Romains mangeaient des crêpes pendant les Lupercales, qui étaient les fêtes de la fécondité dédiée au dieu-loup, Lupercus. Cette manifestation donnait lieu à des défilés aux flambeaux à Rome pendant la nuit. Les Romains mangeaient les crêpes à la lueur des torches. Selon la légende, Romulus et Rémus, les fondateurs de Rome, auraient été nourris par une louve (ils sont fous ces romains !). Cette fête a été remplacée par la Chandeleur (fête des chandelles). Si vous voulez vous prendre pour un vrai Romain, en juste 15 min, alors suivez nos conseils : il faut d’abord vous procurer quelques ingrédients : Le plus important : la farine ! Il vous en faudra 200g. Il vous faudra aussi 1 pincée de sel. Préparez 3 œufs. N’oubliez pas le 1/2 l de lait. Enfin, procurez-vous 1 cuillerée à café d’eau de fleur d’oranger. Pour garnir, choisissez du miel ou des figues …OU LES DEUX !!! Mettez la farine dans une terrine et ajoutez le sel. Formez ensuite un puits dans lequel vous casserez les 3 œufs. Versez le lait doucement et touillez pour éviter que des grumeaux ne se forment. Puis ajoutez au mélange l’eau de fleur d’oranger. Laissez reposer la mixture une bonne heure. 1h après, faites fondre dans une poêle une noix de beurre. Versez ensuite la pâte et répartissez-la dans toute la poêle. Retournez la crêpe avec une spatule en bois ou faites sauter quand elle commence à se détacher (comme vous avez l’habitude de faire), et faites cuire l’autre face. Quand elle est cuite, mettez-la dans une assiette, et, comme les romains, garnissez-la de miel ou de figues …OU LES DEUX !!! Si vous voulez, vous pouvez vous mettre un drap sur le dos et vous ressemblerez à un vrai Romain !!! Alexis Martin and Alexandre Poncet Grade 9 Les mois viennent aussi des Romains qui leur avaient donné le nom de certains dieux ou en souvenir d’événements spéciaux ou encore en honneur de certains Empereurs comme Auguste qui a donné Août (Augustus en latin). Janvier, par exemple, vient de Janus, le dieu des portes parce qu’il est à la jonction de l’ancienne et de la nouvelle année. Amusant non ? C’est Jules César qui a institué l’année de 365 jours donc notre calendrier. L’originalité des Romains est qu’ils comptaient les jours à reculons. Ainsi ils disaient combien il restait de jours avant les jours importants du mois. Pour se repérer dans les mois, les Romains avaient trois dates : les Calendes (début du mois), les Nones et les Ides qui tombaient plus tard dans le mois. Carrié Thibaud Grade 9 TThhee DDIIVVEERR Page 8 SPANISH ¿CUÁL ES PARA TI LA MEJOR EDUCACIÓN ? ¿CONSENTIDA O ESTRICTA ? Opino que el mejor medio de educación es un equilibrio. La educación no tiene que ser estricta, porque el niño que no tiene libertad va a tener una personalidad débil. Pero también, la educación no tiene que ser consentida porque el hijo que es todopoderoso, disfruta de la libertad que le dan sus padres y va a hacer lo que quiere. Según yo, los padres deben animar a sus hijos cuando es necesario y ayudarlos cuando hay un error. Pienso también que el niño no tiene el derecho de ser mimado porque no respeta y obedece a sus padres que le quieren mucho. El hijo que tiene padres estrictos y severos tiene medio de sus padres toda su vida. En final, puedo decir que la relación entre el hijo y sus padres debe ser muy fuerte y con amistad. Hajjar Léa Grade 10 Para mí, una educación estricta y consentida es la mejor. La educación tiene que ser con los dos caracteres sino, no hay equilibrio y la actitud de la persona va a ser mala.. Por ejemplo, si tu hijo no te obedece y responde, ¡ tienes que ser más fuerte que tu hijo para decirle que das órdenes y no el hijo ! Puedes hablar más fuerte o reprehenderle para que sea impresionado. Pero no tienes que ser más estricto que esto, sino la educación será estricta y el hijo triste cada vez. Tienes que ser bueno por ejemplo, cuando el hijo derriba agua sobre la mesa, tienes que decirle: “ no importa..., pero sé atento la próxima vez…”. Tenemos que ser estrictos para las cosas importantes (no responder, no escuchar) y bueno para las cosas no importantes (derribar el agua sobre la mesa) Jahn Louis Grade 10 Para mí la mejor educación es la mezcla de las dos. Porque los niños van a escuchar a los padres y no van a hacer cosas malas. El hijo todopoderoso va a tener problemas en su futuro porque a sus padres no les importa su educación y su futuro entonces el chico no va a saber cómo vivir en la sociedad. Mientras que el chico que tiene una educación estricta no va a hacer cosas malas como ir a fiestas u ¡¡¡ otras cosas!!! …La cosa buena con la educación estricta es que el chico va a escuchar a sus padres. Khouildi Lana Grade 10 Para mí, la mejor educación es la educación consentida y al mismo tiempo estricta. Un niño debe tener un poco de libertad pero no demasiado. Es necesario tener una buena educación sobre la vida de todos los días. Un niño que tiene una educación más estricta no tiene libertad y no puede tener una buena visión de la vida. Debe saber todo lo que pasa en el mundo. Lazare Sandrine Grade 10 Para mí, la mejor educación no tiene que ser demasiado estricta ni demasiado consentida: una educación equilibrada. Una educación estricta es buena para disciplinar a los niños y para tener, en el futuro, una personalidad fuerte y para no hacen errores en su vida. Pero esta educación no es buena cuando es muy estricta, porque los niños tienen miedo de sus padres y no serán libres en su niñez. Por otra parte, una educación consentida es muy buena cuando está aplicada con moderación, ya que los niños que tienen demasiado libertad van a tener todo lo que les gusta… ¡¡y eso no es bueno !!. Además, con una educación muy consentida, el niño será una cabeza dura y no va a obedecer a sus padres. Por eso una educación equilibrada es el mejor tipo de educación: no sólo estricta sino también consentida. Farah John Grade 10 La educación para mí es muy importante. Hay muchas educaciones, pero no podemos saber la mejor. En mi opinión, la educación estricta es mejor que la consentida, porque los padres que son consentidos aprenden a sus niños a ser mimados. Los jóvenes tienen que aprender la importancia de la responsabilidad y del trabajo y los padres deben ayudarlos. Un padre o una madre que no mira los errores de su niño, no puede ayudar, mientras que si tienen una amistad con sus niños pueden. Es porque los niños deben sentir y no olvidar el amor de sus padres. ¡¡¡ Ser estricto y severo no quiere decir que un padre deba hacer llorar a su hijo!!! Sarkis Jennifer Grade 10 A mí, no me gusta la educación consentida. Cuando es una educación consentida, los padres no se ocupan de sus hijos. Entonces, los niños no obedecen a sus padres y están mimados. Pero la educación no tiene que ser demasiado estricta. Cuando los padres son severos, los niños tienen que obedecer porque tienen miedo de ellos. Para mí, la mejor educación es el equilibrio entre consentida y estricta. Pienso que la educación tiene que ser una relación de amistad entre los padres y sus hijos. Los padres tienen que comprender a sus hijos para ayudarlos y los niños tienen que respetar a sus padres para tener una relación de complicidad. También, opino que es necesario tener confianza en sus hijos para que charlen y tengan una buena relación. Boutros Marise Grade 10 Primero debemos tener una educación porque es muy importante. Hay dos tipos de educaciones, estricta o consentida. En mi opinión no hay una educación mejor que la otra. La educación estricta es buena porque cuando los padres utilizan la fuerza con el niño tiene miedo y no hace otra vez la misma falta. Los padres son autoritarios y el hijo obedece y respeta a sus padres. En la vida hay que decir “sí” pero también hay que decir “no” a nuestro hijo. Por ejemplo, en una educación consentida el niño ¡ puede dirigir a sus padres ! . El problema en la familia estricta es que si el padre manda con fuerza el niño puede ser triste. Mikhael Isabelle Grade 10 KhatriaDubeuil2C TThhee DDIIVVEERR Page 9 CHINESE China and Chinese language As we know today, China is the product of an ancient civilization abounding with a rich cultural and multinational identity. China is the fourth largest country in the world with 9.6million km2 land, with a human count of over 1.3 billion. China is one of the oldest surviving world civilizations. The physical features of the terrain comprise states with distinct cultures that date back to more than six millennial. Ancient Chinese culture has a unique place among cultures of the world. Historical evidences have shown the spread of Chinese culture and traditions to neighboring countries such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. It is assumed that ancient China existed about 5000 to 500,000 years ago. The first Chinese civilization is believed to have originated in the Yellow River valley, in the Neolithic era. Ancient Chinese culture has made many contributions to the field of science. The ancient Chinese were responsible for four major inventions, namely, compass, gunpowder, paper and printing. The world's oldest record of continuously used writing systems is Written Chinese. In fact, many of the Chinese characters that are used currently have been traced back to about 1500 BCE. The modern Chinese culture and tradition is an amalgamation of political and cultural influences, contributed by the immigrants from various parts of Asia. The Chinese culture has been distributed in the arts, language, architecture, clothing, food, festivals and martial arts field. Napoleon Bonaparte, the fantastic adventurer has once declared "China is the sleeping giant. Let her rest and sleep because if she awakens she's going to tremble the world." Almost two century following visionary statement involving Napoleon, China’s strong economy come about so drastically which economic power that China holds now, turn into directly affects and also facilitates the development of global market. Today Chinese language has become one most popular language in the world. Learning Chinese and knowing Chinese culture looks more and more important and useful. In china there are many dialects such as Cantonese, Hakka, Shang haiese…, but the official language is mandarin which we learn at school and we use it for the administration and the medias. If you possibly could grasp the language, you'll be able to communicate with all Chinese people. In Mandarin pronunciation is a very important. If you mispronounce what you are trying to say, even the slightest bit it might convey a completely diverse meaning. This is a very important concept that one ought to bare in mind while studying the language. Pronouncing your Chinese characters specifically is a big challenge in mastering the language. Chinese make use of 'Hanyu Pinyin' to help you pronounce. The 'Pinyin' method uses the characters of the Roman alphabet to create phonetics for foreigners and even in Chinese university. The meaning of Hanyu will be ‘Chinese language’ and the meaning of Pinyin is actually ‘sound’ and ‘spell’. So when assembled they mean the particular sound and spelling of Chinese. Though the chinese language does not 'spell', it's a tonal language, each of every single characters has its individual tone. Chinese is written with characters which are known as (Han zi). The characters were originally pictures of people, animals or other things, but over the centuries they have become increasingly stylized and no longer resemble the things they represent. Many characters have been combined with others to create new ones. Can you imagine those chinese characters: (elephant); (people); (moon), (wood)+ (wood)= (forest) Most chinese characters are made up of two or more components. Those components used most frequently are called radicals and are sometimes themselves characters. Chinese dictionaries are generally arranged according to radicals. For example: every character has two components with the radical of hands, (sao): clean, (ti): lift, (la): drag All those three characters need hands to do the action, so we put the radical of hands . Is it logic? Some Chinese characters are simple such as (yi), means one; some are very complicated such as (nang), means the nose blocked. In any way for Chinese students, they need grasp minimum 2000 characters at school. Since last November, we have already created Chinese language group at our Louis Massignon school. There are six students in this group, they are really hard-working. I have seen how they have made their progress with their passion in chinese. Just like one chinese proverb says: learning is like canoeing against the current, if you don’t go forward, you will go back ( ). I hope our Chinese enthusiasts will make more and more progress! ShanShan Hivert What is full of holes but still holds water? Answer:Asponge RIDDLES TThhee DDIIVVEERR Page 10 MONUMENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD The Hermel Pyramid This historic monument lies on one of the hillocks surrounding Hermel, at the highest level of the Bekaa Valley. It looks westwards onto the Hermel city which is 6 kilometers away. El Aasi valley separates the monument and the village. Historians say that this pyramid was built in the year 175 B.C, and more precisely during the reign of the roman emperor, Alexander Mano. This pyramid known as “Kamou’ El Hermel” is composed of three levels of black granite. A 27 meters high pyramid lies on the top of the third level. Three of its faces are carved with hunting scenes, hunting, being practiced by kings and princes. El Hermel This region lies in the north of the Bekaa valley, at 140 kilometers away from the capital Beirut and at 700 meters above sea level, next to the Syrian Lebanese border. It is characterized by its temperate climate and its four seasons. It is also rich in monuments, landscapes and water lakes. The Orontes River (Nahr Al-Aasi) crosses this region also and flows north-wards, contrary to all other Lebanese rivers. Canoeing The abundance of the Orontes river and the direction if follows (northwards instead of going towards the sea) are the characteristics that made of this river the only river in the Middle East where canoeing can be practiced. Thus, youngsters and adults can practice this kind of sport. There are even sports clubs on the Orontes borders that allow visitors and tourists to make a wonderful sail in the river, which let them dream to make it again. The Dirdara waterfalls The Orontes River is known for its waterfalls higher than 7 meters. These waterfalls are 5 kilometers away from the Orontes Bridge. They look like the Niagara waterfalls in Canada. They were called so because of the elm trees that sprout there. At the base of these falls are several outdoor restaurants where diners can enjoy the cool atmosphere of rushing water. Ein El Zarka Spring It is one of the most important affluents of the Orontes River. Its water is said to be soft, pure and cool. The characteristics are rarely found in any other water course. At the borders of this spring, you can find trees which are over than one thousand years. 90 meters above, Saint Maroun came with other Christian monks and took refuge in a monastery bearing today his name. This region which is 4 kilometers away from the city is considered nowadays a tourist site for those who like to organize picnics or like to admire the landscapes at the Orontes borders. Al Amiriya Bridge This bridge has been built above the Orontes River and was considered the historical bridge relating the Lebanese lands with the Syrian ones. It is also the link between the two river borders. At this point the Orontes River leaves the Lebanese lands towards Syria. Diana Mahfouz Grade 8 Prague Castle Tour If we’re being technical, the building that people refer to as the castle isn’t a castle at all, but a cathedral. It’s attached to the castle though, and has an undeniable castly look. St. Vitus’ Cathedral is the name of the church adjoined to the castle and it’s the most recognizable and visible building in the entire city. Like many castles in Europe, it’s built on a hill. This was done both for the purpose of making it easy to see from any part of the city, but also to make it easy to defend from invaders. The palace was first built during the 9th century, but was made into what it looks like now by Charles IV in the 14th century. Like nearly everything else Charles IV built in Prague, the castle & the cathedral were built in the popular Gothic style of architecture. Although there hasn’t been a royal family in Prague for quite a while, the castle is still guarded by the Royal Guard. Much like the famous palace guards in London, these guards aren’t allowed to so much as blink. The changing of the guard takes place at designated times at any of the guard towers around the palace. It’s definitely something to see. Like I said before, there’s no royal family in the Czech Republic anymore, but that doesn’t mean that the castle is uninhabited. The new head of the government, the president, lives in the castle. In the courtyard between the palace and the cathedral there is a place where crowds gather to be addressed by the president. This courtyard functions much like an outdoor oval office. The president addresses his country throughout his term from the balcony overlooking the courtyard. St. Vitus Cathedral is one of the truly remarkable houses of worship in the world. Many famous Czechs are buried in the crypt at St. Vitus such as Charles IV and his four wives as well as many other Bohemian kings. There are many things to see once inside the cathedral. My favorite part was the Rose window on the western part of the church. It’s a huge and beautiful stain-glass window which rivals the one in Notre Dame in Paris for its stunning beauty. The best part of the cathedral that I would encourage all visitors to Prague to see, is the view from the tower of St. Vitus. You’ll climb most steps than you can count and will probably want to kill me for recommending it before you’re half way there, but the view you’ll take in from the top is one that can’t be beat. I promise that you’ll forgive me once you see it. Andréa Mayo Grade 9
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