unlimited: May 2012

Sunday, May 27, 2012

KOLIBRI

KOLIBRI - Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm (3–5 in) range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping theirwings 12–80 times per second (depending on the species). As well to conserve energy while they sleep or when food is scarce, they have the ability to go into a hibernation-like state (torpor) where their metabolic rate is slowed to 1/15th of its normal rate.They are also the only group of birds able to fly backwards.Their English name derives from the characteristic rapid wing beats. They can fly at speeds exceeding 15 m/s (54 km/h)

Hummingbirds drink nectar, a sweet liquid inside certain flowers. Like bees, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat; they reject flower types that produce nectar that is less than 10% sugar and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger. Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects andspiders.

Hummingbirds are restricted to the Americas from southern Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, including the Caribbean. The majority of species occur in tropical and subtropical Central and South America, but several species also breed in temperate climates and some hillstars occur even in alpineAndean highlands at altitudes of up to 5,200 metres The greatest species richness is in humid tropical and subtropical forests of the northern Andes and adjacent foothills, but the number of species found in the Atlantic Forest, Central America or southern Mexico also far exceeds the number found in southern South America, the Caribbean islands, the United States and Canada. While fewer than 25 different species of hummingbirds have been recorded from the United States and fewer than 10 from Canada and Chile each, Colombia alone has more than 160 and the comparably small Ecuador has about 130 species .

KIRIL & METODI - PATRONS OF EUROP

Kiril and Metodij are the founders of the Macedonian literacy. They protected the position's of Christianity, and accepted their mission to Moravia to organise the church and to oppose Germany. For this reason, Kiril created the alphabet "Glagolica" and wrote the necessary church books, which was in the same time the first Macedonian literary language. Kiril and Metodij became the creators of the first Macedonian alphabet.
Konstantin, Metodij and 10 of their students went to Moravia in 863 in a special mission: to educate Rostislav's people, and to spread Christianity in a understandable language. This meant that in that time, the language of the Macedonian was very similar with the people of Moravia.
The Macedonian missionary's were greeted by the prince Rostislav with great respect, where soon they succeeded with great achievements to educate the people. Although they educated many people, the German priesthood did not accept the defeat and started to send calumny letters to the Pope in Rome. They attacked the work of the brothers from Solun, and that is why the Pope called Konstantin and Metodij to explain themselves.
The brothers announced their arrival in Rome, and informed the Pope that they were bringing the bones from the Pope St. Kliment. They were greeted with honour by the Pope and the people, where Konstantin and Metodij succeeded to explain and prove that they were right. The Pope then blessed their liturgy, giving them the right to continue with the work. This was followed by a big liturgy which was held in Rome.
Till then Konstantin received a priest title, and he became a monarch and as it was customary, change his name to Kiril.
Meanwhile Kiril became very ill in Rome and before going back to Moravia, he died in 869. His grave can still be found in the church St. Kiril, in the city of Rome.

The Canonization process was much more relaxed in the decades following Cyril's death than today. Cyril was regarded by his disciples as a saint soon after his death. His following spread among the nations he evangelized and subsequently to the wider Christian Church, resulting in the renown of his holiness, along with that of his brother Methodius. There were calls for Cyril's canonization by the crowds lining the Roman streets during his funeral procession. Their first appearance in a papal document is Grande Munus by Leo XIII in 1880. The brothers are known as the "Apostles of the Slavs" and are still highly regarded by both Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Sts Cyril and Methodius' feast day is currently celebrated on 14 February in the Roman Catholic Church (to coincide with the date of St Cyril's death); on 11 May in the Eastern Orthodox Church (though note that for Eastern Orthodox Churches still on the Julian Calendar or 'old calendar' this is 24 May according to the Gregorian calendar); and on 7 July according to the old sanctoral calendar that existed before the revisions of the Second Vatican Council. The celebration also commemorates the introduction of literacy and the preaching of the gospels in the Slavonic language by the brothers. The brothers were declared "Patrons of Europe" in 1980.

Friday, May 25, 2012

NOVA Celebrates its 15th Birthday

As scheduled, on the 26^th of April 2012, NOVA High School celebrated its 15^th anniversary. The celebration started from 7 pm with the performance of the middle school and high school dance class followed by the performance of the drama students and their speeches.

After the opening performances, the head of the school, Mrs. Venera Novakovska made a speech on the success of the school and its operation these 15 years, noting that if it was not for the success of the students the school could not get this far.

One of the first and most famous teachers in NOVA, Mr. Tihomir, regarded:

“This school is a unique model of the American way of life and education, it is even better because of its freedom and relaxed atmosphere, allowing me to implement my techniques of teaching”

After all the speeches and performances a cocktail party was organized for socialization. All the current and former students and teachers were invited, thus their reunion and pleasant surprise made a warm and happy atmosphere on this occasion. One of the students that is the longest in NOVA, Nikola Tudzarov, said:

“I’m here since 5^th grade and I have seen the whole evolvement of NOVA. It never stopped with its innovation and improvements, so I can confidently say that NOVA has made a huge progress since then”

It was a pleasant evening, seeing all those people reunited and sharing memories. We wish for even greater improvements and progress of NOVA, hoping to see its 50^th anniversary.