Georgia Today Education #20 January issue 2019

EDUCATION www.georgiatoday.ge

Issue no: 020

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• JANUARY 2019

• PUBLISHED MONTHLY

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In this issue...

La galette des rois PAGE 2

Protect Your Money from Thieves!

PAGE 3

100 Georgian Village Libraries to Be Renovated in 2019 PAGE 4

Entrepreneur Business Awards PAGE 7

FOCUS

Tbilisi-Batumi Trains Equipped with Libraries PAGE 8

ON BOOKS

VEON Georgia CEO on Company Values & Services

Libraries, libraries everywhere. Check out where to find YOUR next book inside!

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Image source: texasbookfestival.org

Public Services to Become Disability-friendly in Georgia

BY AMY JONES

T

he UNDP and Government of Sweden have assisted the Georgian Public Service Hall in the introduction of inclusive public services for people with disabilities.

The results of the 8-month project “Enhanced Services for All” was presented by Minister for Justice Thea Tsulukiani at a public event on 16 January.

A new manual titled “Serving People with Disabilities in the Public Service Hall” was also introduced. It should establish a new public service standard in Georgia based on international

Photo source: UNDP

practices and an assessment of needs in Georgia.

From June – December 2018, 750 Public Service Hall front desk operators were retrained. A training module on disability-sensitive service delivery has been introduced to the new staff induction program.

In addition, 400 new signs have been created to improve public services for people with hearing impairments. 20 Tbilisi Public Service Hall operators were trained in sign language, which has helped over 200 customers with hearing impairments since November 2018.

The Georgian Public Service Hall is now considering the next steps to continue to make public service delivery more equal and inclusive.

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La galette des rois

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haque année, en France, le 1er dimanche de janvier, on fête l’Épiphanie, dont la date officielle est le 6 janvier, et on mange la Galette des rois.

LA CÉLÉBRATION DE L’ÉPIPHANIE

L’Epiphanie est une célébration religieuse qui commémore la visite des 3 rois mages à l’enfant Jésus. Le jour de la naissance de jésus, ces trois rois venus d’Orient - Melchior, Gaspard et Balthazar – ont vu une étoile brillante dans le ciel et l’ont suivie jusqu’à Bethléem. Leur voyage a duré 12 jours. Quand ils sont enfin arrivés à destination, ils ont offert des cadeaux à Jésus : de l’or, de la myrrhe et de l’encens.

LES ORIGINES DE LA GALETTE DES ROIS La tradition de la galette remonte à l’époque romaine. Les Romains, célébraient les Saturnales, une fête pour le dieu Apollon. Ils partageaient un gâteau avec une fève cachée à l’intérieur. L’enfant le plus jeune, considéré comme le plus innocent, se mettait sous la table et attribuait les parts. La personne qui avait la fève dans sa part de gâteau devenait le roi ou la reine de la journée.

LA FÈVE À l’origine, la fève était une vraie fève. Puis à la fin du 19e siècle, la fève en porcelaine a fait son apparition. De nos jours, il en existe de toutes les sortes et elles sont devenues de véritables objets de collection.

Mots-clés commémorer : აღნიშვნა, გახსენება un roi mage : მოგვი l’or : ოქრო la myrrhe : მური l’encens : გუნდრუკი, საკმეველი un dieu : ღმერთი partager : გაზიარება, განაწილება une fève : 1. ცერცვი 2. ფაიფურის ფიგურა, რომელმაც ჩაანაცვლა ცერცვის მარცვალი un roi : მეფე une reine : დედოფალი la porcelaine : ფაიფური la frangipane : ნუშის კრემი la brioche : ფუნთუშა confit(e) : დაშაქრული une couronne : გვირგვინი

ET AUJOURD’HUI ?

La tradition de la galette des rois est encore très populaire et célébrée partout en France. On trouve différents types de galettes mais les plus traditionnelles sont celle à la frangipane et, dans le sud de la France, une brioche à la fleur d’oranger et aux fruits confits. La personne qui trouve la fève devient le roi ou la reine, porte une couronne et choisit sa reine ou son roi!

Matière à réflexion:  Y a-t-il dans ton pays un plat associé à une fête ?  Quelle est l’histoire de ce plat ?  Quel jour déguste-t-on ce plat ?  Quelle est la liste des ingrédients pour réaliser cette recette ?

Sites utiles: Institut français de Géorgie : ifg.ge Histoire de la galette : https://www.1jour1actu.com/culture/galette-des-rois-epiphanie/

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FINANCIAL LITERACY Presented by

Protect Your Money from Thieves!

TRANSLATED BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

A

cts of financial dishonesty, or “shams,” are unfortunately a widespread problem in the modern world, even though banks, including the National Bank of Georgia, do their best to protect users. Because of this, we need to know how to secure our financial and personal data so that other people can’t use it against us.

HOW DO WE KNOW IF OUR DATA HAS BEEN HACKED?

Info Box

must tell your bank and block your card immediately. Almost all banks have a 24/7 hot line number to call.

WATCH OUT FOR FAKE CASH If you can’t find your bank card and • Look after your bank card and Fake money is cash which was made illegally and not by you see unusual bank transactions the information shown on it. on your bank statement (e.g. some- • Do not give your bank card to the National Bank of Georgia. It doesn’t happen often thing bought in a store that you didn’t anyone. because real banknotes are made especially so salespeople buy), or you are missing money on • If you can’t find your card, immedican see whether or not they are real. Fake money looks like your account when you are sure you ately tell your bank and block the card. real money but there will be no security signs on the fake had enough, then a thief may have • Activate SMS Bank – you will stolen your bank card or the infor- receive messages on your phone banknotes. Production of fake money is punishable by law. mation on it. Bank cards can be cop- every time a transaction is made ied by thieves who steal the infor- via your account. using the ATM, do not use it and emails you and says they represent mation shown on the card (the card tell the bank immediately. a bank or the police and asks you number, expiry date and security SHAMS RELATED TO ATMS • Dispose of any receipts or state- for your PIN or bank card informacode). They can do this by taking a There is special equipment which ments taken from an ATM after use. tion. A real bank representative or photo, writing it down or memoriz- thieves, or “swindlers” can use at • Never accept a bank card or PIN policeman would never ask for such ing it. They can then use that infor- ATMs to record the information number from other people. Swin- information on the phone or by email! mation to buy things online. shown on your card when you try dlers often like to ask others to If you think someone has seen your to withdraw money. withdraw money for them.

PIN, you can change it easily at an WHAT CAN YOU • Look carefully at the ATM and • Keep your money safe in your ATM. DO TO BE SAFE? make sure it is in a well-lit place purse or wallet after withdrawing • Never share your PIN with others.

If your bank card is stolen or you and is not damaged. If you see any- it from an ATM. • Always know where your card is. notice unusual account activity, you thing strange or you don’t feel safe • If an ATM does not give your • Always keep your card where card or money back, tell the bank you can see it when you are paying immediately. for something. Do not let the salesperson take your card away: they should bring the terminal to you.

SECURE YOUR PIN You should memorize your PIN • Activate your bank card the Dishonesty – lies, not honest immediately after you get it and moment you receive it.

Widespread – happening often destroy the paper it was written on. • Do not put the card in the rubSecure – protect, keep safe Do not tell other people what your bish when it expires: cut it in half Statement – a list showing how you have used your money PIN is. through the magnetic strip so it Do not trust anyone who calls or cannot be used again. (deposits, expenditures and withdrawals)

What’s That?

Thief – a person who steals from other people Immediately – quickly, without waiting Look after – secure, keep safe Withdraw – take out Damaged – in bad condition, not working well Dispose – destroy, throw away PIN – Personal Identification Number (4-number code for your card)

Food for Thought  Do you know anyone who had money or their card stolen? What happened?  Make a poster or presentation warning people how to be safe from financial swindlers.

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100 Georgian Village Libraries to Be Renovated in 2019 What’s That?

Launched – started Renovate – “make like new” Revive – bring back to life, renovate Initiative – idea, project Equipping – giving them/installing Retraining – training again, teaching them new methods Inception – start Footprint – mark, change

BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

T

heEquilibriumMovement, founded by the General Director of the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia, Giorgi Kekelidze, has launched a project to renovate

more than 100 libraries in Georgian villages in 2019.

Equilibrium was launched in 2012 with the main aim to revive libraries in the villages. The initiative involves equipping the libraries with books and computers and retraining the employees.

Since its inception, the Movement has supported various other pro-

Food for Thought  What is the purpose of a library?  Why might libraries in villages be important?  What condition is YOUR local library in? What can you do to make it better?

Libraries Opened in Villages near Occupation Line

BY AMY JONES

O

n December8,Giorgi Kekelidze, General Director of the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia, visited the village of Tkibuli to open a library as part of a project to open new libraries in Georgia.

Situated in west-central Georgia in the Imereti region, the library will be a useful source of books for children and adults in the area. The opening event was attended by many local children.

The library was organized by the Center for Education Development and Employment under the ‘Volunteers of Georgia’ and EU-led Civil Society Development Initiative.

Libraries were also opened in the villages of Perevi and Persev, near the Occupation Line of the South Ossetia region.

jects, including ‘Books for Every Village’, ‘Books for the Mountainous Villages’, and ‘Internet Access for all Rural Libraries’, funded by the Presidential Reserve Fund. It has also equipped a number of box libraries in different Georgian regions, including the rural areas

located close to the Occupation Line. Equilibrium has already left its “footprint” in more than 800 villages.

Giorgi Kekelidze noted the popularity of Equilibrium and the significance of civic engagement in the numerous projects initiated by it.

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Info Box:

The oldest libraries

Libraries are centers of knowledge and learning around the world. The earliest libraries emerged not long after the first civilizations started keeping written records. While nearly all of the libraries on this list have been destroyed, several complete works and fragments from their collections have survived. [Source: oldest.org] 8. Saint Catherine’s Monastery Library Year Created: between 548 – 565 CE Location: Sinai, Egypt Still in Operation: Yes. The library at Saint Catherine’s Monastery, located at the foot of the legendary Mount Sinai, is the oldest continually operating library in the world. The monastery is also one of the oldest functioning Christian monasteries in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Due to its age and importance in the Christian world, the library has the second largest collection of ancient manuscripts and codices, just after Vatican City.

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Location: Alexandria, Egypt Still in Operation: No – it was destroyed.

The Library of Alexandria is the best-known and largest library of the ancient world. It was located in the city of Alexandria in ancient Egypt, which was the major economic, cultural, and intellectual center of the world at the time. Alexander the Great, who is believed to have founded Alexandria, got the inspiration for his own grand library after visiting the Royal Library of Ashurbanipal. He wanted to collect the works of the people he conquered, convert them to Greek, and store them in a library of his own.

The Library of Alexandria is famous for collecting all of the world’s knowledge at the time, translating the works onto papyrus scrolls, and storing them. The library flourished until the Roman conquest of Egypt in 30 BCE and it was burned down and thousands of scrolls were lost.

3. Royal Library of Ashurbanipal Year Created: c.668 BCE Location: Ancient Nineveh, the capital of Assyria (near modern-day Mosul, Iraq) Still in Operation: No – in ruins, but over 30,000 clay tablets and fragments have survived.

While we now know that older libraries exist, this was one of the first to implement a systematical organization of its material.

7. Imperial Library of Constantinople Year Created: c.337 – 361 CE Location: Constantinople, Byzantine Empire (modern-day Turkey) Still in Operation: No – it was destroyed in 1204 CE. The Imperial Library of Constantinople of the Byzantine 2. Ugarit Library Empire was the last great library of the ancient world. It was Year Created: c.1400 – 1200 BCE founded by Constantius II during his reign between 337 – 361 Location: Northern Syria CE. He established the library to preserve the surviving works Still in Operation: No – in ruins, but thousands of clay of Greek literature and the library even contained the rem- tablets and fragments have survived. nants of the Library of Alexandria. The library was destroyed When the Ugarit archives were discovered in 1929, archaeby several fires. ologists found more than one library. They contained diplomatic, legal, economic, administrative, scholastic, literary, 6. Theological Library of Caesarea Maritima and religious texts.

Year Created: late 3rd century CE Location: Caesarea, Israel 1. Ebla Library Still in Operation: No. Year Created: c.2500 – 2250 BCE The Theological Library of Caesarea Maritima was the larg- Location: near Mardikh, Syria est ecclesiastical library of the time, containing more than Still in Operation: No – in ruins, 30,000 Christian manuscripts. but about 2,000 complete clay tab5. Library of Pergamum Year Created: c.197 BCE Location: Pergamum, Turkey (modern-day Bergama) Still in Operation: No. 4. Library of Alexandria Year Created: 3rd century BCE

lets and 4,700 tablet fragments have survived.

The Royal Library of the ancient Kingdom of Ebla is thought to be the oldest library in the world. The library was discovered in the years 1974 – 1976 by Italian archaeologists from the University of Rome La Sapienza. They found 2,000 complete tablets and even more fragments, the largest collection of texts ever found from the 3rd millennium BCE.

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International Day of Education: A Celebration with a Vital Mission

BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

N

elson Mandela (a South African antiapartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999) once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

And who wouldn’t agree? Education represents one of the cornerstones for achieving success and coming out on top in life. However,

it is important to first understand that education does not only mean being able to read and write, it means acquiring skills of thinking, exploring different themes, discovering new things and developing yourself.

The United Nations, particularly UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), has declared January 24 the International Day of Education.

As education is so important, governments and big international organizations worldwide are paying a lot of attention to it and investing to improve it for the current

Info Box UN figures show that about 265 million children around the world do not have the chance to enter or complete school, causing problems in intellectual and social development. Sometimes, this is due to a lack of money (the family needs the child to work instead of going to school), because they don’t have school infrastructure (for example, in rural areas the nearest school is too far from home), because of gender inequality (for example, in some countries girls are told to marry instead of studying in school), social illiteracy (not many people in the society can read and write), discrimination (where only people of a certain “type” are allowed to go to school), war or natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, etc.).

What’s That?

Cornerstones – very important parts, support Coming out – achieving, arriving Acquiring – getting, obtaining Skills – abilities, things you can do well Developing – making better/stronger/smarter Investing – giving time and/or money Improve – make better Figures – numbers, data Lack of – not enough Ensure – guarantee, protect Inclusive – for everyone Equitable – good, fair, reasonable Sustainable – continued, non-stop

Food for Thought  Does everyone in your country have access to “equitable” education? If not, talk about the problems there are and think what can be done to improve the situation.  Imagine you are organizing an event at your school to celebrate “International Day of Education”. What activities can teachers and pupils do? and future generations.

Aside from marking a particular date, the International Day of Education has a much more important mission: it reminds us that education is a human right, and is written about in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Unfortunately, even though a lot of money is spent on improving the education systems in many countries, some countries have no or low-quality education for its youth.

We should not only think about the education in our own countries, but also think about the problems of access to education in less devel-

oped countries (see Info Box).

The International Day of Education will be marked for the first time in 2019.

“By celebrating the International Day of Education, UN member states recognize the importance of working to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels – so that all people have access to lifelong learning opportunities that help them to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to access opportunities to participate fully in society and contribute to sustainable development,” reads the statement of the United Nations.

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Entrepreneur Business Awards Info Box Entrepreneur is an American magazine and website that carries news stories about entrepreneurship, small business management, and business. The magazine was first published in 1977. It is published by Entrepreneur Media Inc., headquartered in California. The magazine publishes 10 issues annually. As of 2013, the Entrepreneur website received more than 6 million unique visitors each month.

BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

L

ast year was both important and very successful for Entrepreneur Magazine Georgia, as its first issue was printed in April 2018. The rest of the year, the Entrepreneur team worked to produce a high-quality magazine with interesting content and important news about entrepreneurship. Entrepreneur Georgia has already published nine editions, which makes almost 1000 pages of entrepreneurial spirit!

Entrepreneur Georgia finished 2018 with a beautiful business awards ceremony for 50 of the most outstanding and courageous Georgian entrepreneurs who were recognized at a ceremony held in Tbilisi’s Movement Theater.

George Sharashidze, Entrepreneur Magazine Editor-in-Chief, summarized the first year of the magazine’s work.

“2018 has been a historical year, as one of the most prominent American magazines, Entrepreneur, published in many countries, was also launched on the Georgian market.

In 2018, Georgia took its small place on the map of world entrepreneurship,” Sharashidze said.

He then introduced the 50 nominees from different sectors and gave

some information about their businesses.

Many of the entrepreneurs awarded at the event were women, highlighting the fact that more females are participating in business in Georgia.

We spoke to two of them.

DARIA KHOLODILINA (TRAILS AND WINES) This Ukrainian lady, who moved to Georgia several years ago, has become a successful entrepreneur and today offers one of the best and most unforgettable wine tours for both local and foreign tourists in Georgia. She is also author of a book about Georgian wine.

“It’s been a busy year. I moved from the public sector to private and founded the company Trails and Wines. I expect 2019 to be even more interesting and I have some exciting plans,” she told us.

NINA MENTESHASHVILI, REZI BESELASHVILI (ALTERSOCKS) The founders of the company AlterSocks, Nina Menteshashvili and Rezi Beselashvili, were recognized at the Entrepreneur Awards. They also write informative stories in every issue of Entrepreneur Georgia.

Menteshashvili talked about the hard work that is put into producing the company’s colorful and fun

What’s That?

Outstanding – special Courageous – brave, not afraid of risk Recognized – awarded, given prizes Prominent – important, famous Highlighting – focusing on, bringing attention to

socks, already enjoyed not only in Georgia, but also in other countries.

“This is an important award for us,” co-founder Beselashvili said.

“It represents an extra source of motivation for us. The Entrepreneur Awards has justified that we’re doing

the right thing in the right sphere.”

The awarded entrepreneurs, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine Georgia, also talked about the importance of such awards for motivating other businesspersons and developing the sector in the country.

Food for Thought  Why is being an entrepreneur so popular now?  What is difficult about being an entrepreneur?  How can awards help new businesspeople?

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Tbilisi-Batumi Trains Equipped with Libraries Info Box

BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

G

eorgian Railway has installed minilibraries in its Tbilisi-Batumi trains.

Now passengers can travel the long distance between the two cities in a comfortable and enjoyable way while reading books.

The libraries have Georgian and foreign books of different genres, in Georgian, English and Russian.

At the first stage, books from the Artanuji and Intellect publishing houses have been placed in the twofloor Stadler Kiss train, with Georgia’s other publishing houses (Sulakauri Publishing, Siesta, Creative Angel, Ilia Uni Publishing, Books in Batumi, Palitra L and other publishing houses) also donating books to the Railway. Travelers can also donate books to the libraries.

The Head of Georgian Railway Service Quality Office, Dachi Tsaguria, said “books for the library

What’s That?

Installed – put in Donating – giving for no money Genres – themes, styles Initiative – project Promote – make popular Expanded – made bigger

Georgian Railway is an important part of the Euro-Asian Transportation Corridor that links Europe with Central Asia. Construction of the railway magistrals of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea began in 1865. In 1871, the Poti-Kvirila (present Zestafoni) railway line was launched. On October 10th, 1872, the first passenger train arrived from Poti to Tbilisi. This date is regarded as the birthday of Georgian Railway.

Construction of the Georgian Railway came quickly after that: Rioni-Kutaisi (1877), Samtredia-Batumi (1883), RioniTkibuli (1887) and Zestafoni-Chiatura (1895). On September 16th, 1890, the construction of the double track Tsipa tunnel was completed.

Outstanding Georgian public figure Niko Nikoladze played an important role in the construction of the railway in Transcaucasia.

The Borjomi “Kukushka” train to Bakuriani opened in January 1902, after 5 years of building. Since then the “Kukushka” has served tourists and fans of skiing. For the movement to high-mountainous areas, a “Porter” steam engine was brought from England. In 1967, the small-steam engine was replaced by an electric engine.

The Tbilisi-Baku railway line was put into operation in 1883 and the transportation of Azerbaijan oil through Batumi Port to the world market began. In 1899, the railway connection between Georgia and Armenia was established.

Another significant date in the history of the Georgian railway is August 16th, 1932, when the first electric engine went through Surami Pass.

For more information about the Georgian railway, go here: http://www.railway.ge/?web=0&action=page&p_ id=203&lang=eng were collected from stations all around Georgia – Kutaisi, Batumi, Ozurgeti – wherever volunteers, authors and publishing houses were able to bring them.”

He added that this initiative aims

to promote the culture of reading on public transport and make travel more interesting and nicer. He also said the project is to be expanded to have libraries installed on all other trains.

Food for Thought  Do you prefer traveling by car, train or bus? Why?  What do you do on a long journey?  Why is reading good?

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Washington Post: Georgian Scientists to Find the Perfect Grape for Mars

BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

F

or thousands of years and a number of centuries, our planet, Earth, has been explored and numerous discoveries have been made about it. However, with the need in human nature to seek out novelties, the investigation of another planet, Mars, is now very popular.

The United Stated newspaper ‘Washington Post’ published an article, titled ‘White Wine on the Red Planet? Scientists in Georgia are Hunting for the Perfect Martian Grape,’ about the study being done to start farming on Mars. As Georgia is the ‘cradle’ of viniculture and the world’s birthplace of wine, a group of Georgian scientists and entrepreneurs has started to investigate grapevines that could be planted on Mars.

The research will be valuable for understanding more about radiation, dust and other challenges for sustaining agriculture on Mars.

“And who wouldn’t want a glass of

David Lordkipanidze, director of the National Museum of Georgia Source, Image source: The Washington Post

Martian wine to welcome a new year (687 Earth days long) on a new planet?”- the Washington Post asks.

The Georgian team plans to experiment on vine selections planted in Mars-like soil, and will launch a “vertical” farming lab in one Tbilisi’s hotels.

The final answer about which type of grape will be the most suitable for cultivation on Mars is expected to be revealed in 2022. However, Georgian scientists have already said white grapes will grow best in Martian soil.

“Whites tend to be more resistant to viruses, so I think they’d do well against radiation, too: their skin could reflect it,” Levan Ujmajuridze, director of the country’s Vineyard Laboratory, told the Washington Post.

Rkatsiteli is also one of the candidate grapes for Mars.

What’s That?

Numerous – many Seek out – find Novelties – new things Investigation – exploring to find new opportunities Cradle – first place (baby bed) Valuable – important, useful Challenges – difficulties Sustaining – starting and continuing Soil – earth, dirt Revealed – shown Resistant – stronger fighters against Reflect – push the light away

Food for Thought  Do you think exploring space and other planets is important? Why (not)?  Would you like to travel into space / visit Mars? Why (not)?

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Info Box The Red Planet, as Mars is often called, is the fourth planet from the sun (Earth is the third). In a lot of ways, Mars looks a lot like our home, though instead of blue oceans and green land, Mars is red due to a mineral called iron oxide on the planet’s surface.

Similarities to Earth: • Polar Ice Caps – Mars has both North and South polar ice caps, like Earth, made mostly of frozen water. With so much water frozen in the ice caps of Mars, some scientists think that life could have once existed there.

• Length of a Year – Mars is not much farther from the Sun than Earth. As a result, a typical year on Mars is 1 year and 687 days.

• Length of a Day – A Martian day is 24 hours and 39 minutes long.

• Seasons – Mars has seasons like Earth but they are much longer than Earth seasons because Mars is further from the sun. And don’t get your swim suits out just yet – the average high during a Martian summer day -5 degrees C – not exactly beach weather!

Some fun facts about Mars: • Olympus Mons on Mars is the largest mountain in the solar system at more than 25 kilometers high (that’s three times higher than Mount Everest). It is so big that astronomers could see it through telescopes in the 19th century, almost 200 years ago!

• Valles Marineris is the largest canyon in the solar system, stretching 4,000 kilometers across the planet’s surface.

• The Borealis Basin makes up 40% of the planet’s surface.

• Mars is covered by craters from objects like asteroids and meteorites hitting the planet. Today, 43,000 such craters have been found and that only includes the large ones!

• Mars doesn’t have a protective layer of atmosphere like Earth, so it cannot store heat from the sun. As a result, the temperature on Mars regularly drops to -82 degrees C in the winter and only rises to -5 degrees C in the summer.

• The dust storms on Mars are larger than on any other planet in the solar system. Some dust storms on Mars can cover almost the entire planet in just a few days.

[Source: planetsforkids.org]

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Georgia to Be the Guest of Honor at Paris Book Fair Info Box In the text we saw the word ‘strengthen,’ which means ‘make stronger’. ‘Make weaker’ is ‘weaken’. Can you write the verbs for the following adjectives? (answers on page 15) Strong – strengthen Weak – weaken Image source: cbw.ge

BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA

A

fter the Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse) 2018, Georgia is going to be the Guest of Honor at the Paris Book Fair from 15th to 18th March 2019.

“We received the invitation from the French to be ‘Guest of Honor’ at the Paris Book Fair in 2019,” Director of the Georgian National Book Center Medea Metreveli told Imedi TV. Obtaining the status of Guest of

Honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which is the world’s largest book fair, was a successful experience for Georgia, because it helps the promotion of Georgian literature, art and culture. It also gave more than 70 authors and publishers the opportunity to present their works to the huge audiences who came to the big literary event.

The same success is expected in France. The French event will help to strengthen Georgia’s position in the international arena and make the country more interesting for foreigners.

What’s That?

Invitation – [from invite: to ask someone to do something (come to a party, for example)] Obtaining – getting, receiving Successful – good and with positive results Audiences – people who go to see a show/concert/event Strengthen – make stronger

Hard – Soft – Wide – Tight – Loose – Short – Long [!] –

Food for Thought  How do book fairs help to promote a country?  Why is it important to tell more people about Georgia, its literature and culture?  Work in pairs or teams. Choose one piece of art, one book, one food (dish) and one place that best represents Georgia as a country. Present your ideas to the rest of the class. Make a wall project to show to ‘tourists.’

Image source: parisunlocked.com

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Gamarjoba! I’m the Editor-inChief of the Georgian edition of Entrepreneur magazine and I’m here to share the top Entrepreneurial news with you:

Looking for chocolate heaven? Then the Chocolate-Museum is a must.

Find it in a historical building on Machabeli Street in Tbilisi, where the café offers a taste of natural black and white chocolate, nuts and dried fruit of Georgian production and Hausbrandt coffee and ice cream. A love of chocolate was the inspiration behind Levan Kikalishvili’s launching the 65-person museum, before which he studied the art of making chocolate, which he does with beans imported from Africa.

From socks to the hoodies: the ‘Alter’ team have done it again with ‘AlterHoody’. Inspired by bright clothing seen on a trip to Mexico, Rezi Beselashvili and Nina Menteshashvili have introduced their new line of bright hoodies with Aztec characteristics with material imported from Mexico.

You can only get them from the showroom as yet, but they may be sold online soon. The founders plan to start making their own cloth for their new ‘AlterHoody’ products.

Ninea is a lingerie startup founded by three friends – Neliko Tordia, Ani Ioseliani and Nino Lezhava. Although they had no previous experience, they really wanted to start their own business. They managed to find a niche in Made in Georgia lingerie and started producing quality underwear using only natural raw materials. Today, Ninea owns a production factory and a showroom and intends to launch a male and children’s line in addition to its already famous lingerie line.

Travelers visiting Georgia, particularly the Kazbegi region, will enjoy new dining location Stockholm, which offers a Swedishstyle buffet against the background of fascinating views of the Kazbegi landscape. The idea came to Kote Mosidze while visiting his friend, now business partner, Tornike Abashidze, in Sweden. They decided to open a Swedish style restaurant in Kazbegi delivering famous Swedish dishes with added Georgian spices. Stockholm features an open kitchen, and has already proven popular amongst visitors.

Meet brothers Irakli and Levan Gamtenadze and their glasses brand Bros Eyewear, established two years ago and aiming to produce high quality, stylish and comfortable accessories using Georgian natural wood. Bros Eyewear recently added watches to its portfolio. The watches are also made from natural wood with no chemical ingredients. In 2019 the brothers will open their first factory with their own investment of 40,000 Gel aiming to increase production capacity four times. Good luck to the brave brothers!

‘Chicolli’ is the name of a new Georgian brand of unique handmade chocolates. Tamta Benashvili and Tea Tskipursivhili were inspired while wandering the chocolate stores of Paris, France.

Their first stall at the Tbilisoba festival was followed by a number of orders. With the growing demand, the number of sleepless nights also increased. The income from the very first sales was allocated to the purchase of new equipment, which facilitated the chocolate production process. The founders agree that high quality is their main priority.

Meet Jonathan and Laura Nelms, founders/co-owners of a Georgian restaurant in Washington DC. The successful ‘Supra’ was America’s mostanticipated new restaurant according to Eater.com. The couple spent their 5th wedding anniversary in Georgia and visited Tbilisi and Kazbegi. After making a firm decision to open a Georgian restaurant state-side, they decided to open Supra with executive Georgian Chef Malkhaz Maisashvili, who they met during their visit to Georgia.

Follow the Entrepreneur Georgia Instagram page to get the latest updates from Georgian Entrepreneurs.

For doing business with Georgian Entrepreneurs, write us on business@entrepreneur.ge

EDUCATION

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 2019

13

Strokes of Genius 11 Includes Georgian Artist Songulashvili

BY SAMANTHA GUTHRIE

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eorgian artist Levan Songulashvili was one of the winners of ‘Strokes of Genius 11,’ an art competition held annually by the Artists Network. All winning art was selected by special guest juror, contemporary artist Steven Assael.

The winning artworks will be featured in North Light Books’ hardcover book of the best in contemporary drawing. The four top winning pieces selected by the judges will also appear in ‘Artists’ magazine.

“From quick contour sketches to carefully made drawings with

a full range of values, we will showcase the best of the best in a variety of styles and subjects,” says the competition website.

Two of Songulashvili’s pieces were chosen: Dionise (2018) and Face (2017). They are both representative of Songulashvili’s unique character as an artist, done in black ink on paper.

The theme for Strokes of Genius 11 was “Finding Beauty”.

27-year old Songulashvili was born in Georgia but lives and works in New York City. His artwork can be found in private collections around the world and on display as part of the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Museum. At the beginning of the year, Songulashvili held a large multimedia exhibition, ‘Styx,’ in Tbilisi’s ERTI Gallery.

Info Box Strokes of Genius is a popular, well known artbook series that features hand-drawn art from some of the top contemporary artists, along with the artists’ comments explaining how the pieces were created.

Draw your own picture for the theme ‘Finding Beauty,’ then explain your picture to a friend or classmate.

Photo: Levan Songulashvili

What’s That?

Annually – every year Selected – chosen Juror – person who decided Featured – shown Hardcover – a book with a hard (cardboard) cover Contemporary – modern Contour – outline, not filled inside Showcase – exhibit, show Unique – different from others On display – shown, exhibited Permanent – not changing

Food for Thought  What kind of art do you like? Do you have a favorite artist?  In pairs, choose three different pieces of art (use the internet or books from your library). Describe each one and then say which you like best and why.

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EDUCATION

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 2019

VEON Georgia CEO on Company Values & Services

BY ANNA DUMBADZE

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here have been interesting changes and a lot of developments in the Georgian tele co m m u n i c at i o n market in recent years, with companies operating in Georgia regularly offering new products and services to customers to win their hearts.

We have three telecommunication companies in Georgia: Magti, Silknet and Beeline. Some experts thought Beeline would leave due to the competitive environment, but not only is it still here, it has plans to introduce new projects, which means some nice offers for Beeline customers coming soon!

We spoke to Andrzej Malinowski, Chief Executive Officer at Veon Georgia LLC (Beeline), to find out more.

HOW SUCCESSFUL OR CHALLENGING WAS 2018 FOR THE COMPANY? It was successful. We met our targets. Veon Group is one of the biggest mobile operators in the world, serving more than 200 million customers. This means we sometimes have to face challenges in the different locations.

In 2018, we introduced new roaming mobile internet packages for Georgian users, a product combining roaming and travel insurance, so when you buy the Beeline online roaming internet package, you can order travel insurance in a few clicks, making travelling more comfortable.

We had some challenges in 2018 with quality of service and I personally spoke to our 1.3 million Georgian customers to apologise for this and to promise 2019 will be better. Transparency is our main priority. You can go to our company’s website and see the results that the company has been achieving as a group.

WHAT IS VEON GEORGIA LEGACY? We cover 10 countries and have

been in Georgia for a while. When Beeline entered Georgia, the landscape of local communications was totally different, and we were the game changers. We lowered the prices to make our mobile communications more available to people. We want to continue that way.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. We are not only a team of people inventing and providing products; we help our customers choose right through smart communicationpersonally and by internet and SMS. According to recent studies, customers expect us to predict what they will want in future. Our best 2018 product was the travel insurance, which is getting more and more popular as people travel more. We seem to be the number one choice for people who use a lot of mobile internet and our connectivity and value impress them.

We also have the ‘MyBeeline’ Application and we’ll be developing this in 2019 to combine our office and

call center in one, making it very We have committed to not giving user-friendly. our customers bad surprises, by, for example, suddenly raising our prices. We are predictable and HOW DOES BEELINE people like that. Keeping loyal COMPETE WITH MAGTI customers needs a great deal of AND SILKNET? Competition is a part of a healthy work, and skillful communication. market and economy. There are We work to answer our customers some specific regulations in exist- quickly and to learn from what they ence to make this competition fair, have to say and in this way we can and Georgia has a very skillful try to develop how they want us regulative body protecting the rights to. I always try to communicate of consumers. Beeline competes by with the customers directly myself offering value and by building maybe when I can. not the biggest coverage area, but We also invest our resources to the best network in terms of cus- improve the working conditions of our employees in the stores, tomer experience. offices and call center. We work as a team and I sit in their office with them, not in my own space: communication is a very important part of our success.

What’s That?

Roaming – using your mobile while you are in a different country Combining – mixing, uniting, joining Insurance – legal protection (money you get to help you if something bad happens to you) Apologise – to say ‘sorry’ Transparency – clear, nothing hidden Game changers – people who made a difference or changed the situation Lowered – made less Smart – clever, intelligent Predict – imagine what will happen Specific – special, particular Skillful – talented Coverage area – where you can use their services on your mobile Predictable – you know what they will/won’t do Invest – give time/money Improve – make better Issue – problem

WHAT ARE THE COMPANY’S PLANS FOR 2019?

Coverage area is our biggest issue to work on. If you have a high quality network that works well when your customer is calling or watching a video, the feedback that creates is very positive. We have a ‘to-do’ list and this list has been turned into an Action Plan which will make it easier for customers to understand how long we need to work on any complaints they have.

Our new products are still secret, but I can say again that they follow our promise to give value for money.

We will continue to educate and empower our customers and involve them more in digital experiences.

It will be a very interesting year, we have a lot to do, but I have no doubt that it will work!

EDUCATION

GEORGIA TODAY JANUARY 2019

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Georgian Snowboarder Jaba Skhvediani Wins Gold in FIS Competition Food for Thought  Which winter sports do you like?  How can a person become successful and famous?

BY AMY JONES

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eorgian snowboarder Jaba Skhvediani won gold at the International Ski Federation (FIS) competition in Kopaonik, Serbia.

The event, one of the first competitions of the season, was held 3 - 5 January. International male and female athletes competed in categories such as ‘big air,’ ‘slope style,’ and ‘ski jumping.’

Skhvediani, 23, from Tbilisi took first place in the ‘snowboard slopestyle’ event. Building on his success

What’s That?

Season – time of the year (in this case ‘winter’) Took first place – was the winner Off to a great start – started well

Georgia Sports Awards 2018

in 2017 when he finished top four in the same competition, he has got his 2019 season off to a great start.

Skhvediani has competed inter-

nationally in snowboarding, and other events include the World Cup Qualifying rounds and the World Snowboard Championships in Sierra Nevada in Spain.

Food for Thought

iashvili, President of the Georgian

BY SAMANTHA GUTHRIE Football Federation, with an award  What sports do you like to play? for ‘Best Manager.’ He also spoke  What makes a champion? he Ministry of Edu- to the audience, saying:  Why are champions important for a country? cation, Science, Cul- “I want to congratulate Levan and ture and Sport held wish him success. It was really nice a sports award cer- to see the successful games of the sports represented here and I would Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka emony that was national [football] team and it is like to thank everyone in the name Bakhtadze presented the ‘Best Sportsman’ award to Talakhadze. attended by Tbilisi Mayor Kakha very important to continue this suc- of Tbilisi,” he told the audience.

Kaladze, who presented Levan Kob- cess. There are different types of 14 nominations and 10 special prizes were presented at the ceremony, ANSWERS FROM PAGE 10 which was attended by top level Strong – strengthen Georgian officials and included traWeak – weaken ditional dance performances.

Hard – harden World record holder and Olympic gold medalist weightlifter Lasha Soft – soften Attended – visited Talakhadze was named the ‘Best Wide – widen Successful – good results Sportsman of 2018.’ Last year’s winTight – tighten Weightlifter – a person who ner was two-time World Champion Loose – loosen and Olympic bronze medalist heavprofessionally lifts heavy objects Short – shorten yweight freestyle wrestler Geno Two-time – he won it twice Long [!] – lengthen Petriashvili.

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What’s That?

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