Надежда Никифоровна Рогожина, проректор по международным программам, зав. кафедрой лингвистики и межъязыковой коммуникации Самарского муниципального университета Наяновой, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент.
Директор негосударственного учреждения дополнительного образования “World Class-Samara”.
Dear Reader,
The topic of my column today is the terror acts in London. On 7 July 2005, the whole world, was shocked by new terrorist acts, as it was by the tragedies in Moscow, New York, Madrid and Beslan before. A string of rush-hour explosions tore into three London subway trains and a double-decker bus in the worst attack on London since World War II, killing at least 49 people and injuring 700. President Putin at the G8 Summit in Scotland offered his condolences over the bomb attacks in London and said they showed that the civilized world was not united enough in fighting terrorism. But the world was united in giving credit to the British people.
“Great Britain shows its best qualities, when under such circumstances its citizens demonstrate their reserve and reason,” wrote the Times.
“London continues to live its life: the terrorists failed to achieve their goals,” concluded the paper.
Another paper, the Daily Mail, pointed out the self-control of Londoners who were in the places where the acts of terrorism occurred and gave helping hands to the injured.
“Instead of fear, the terrorists saw the irresistible will never to give in”, emphasized the Daily Mail.
The Sun in its turn, wrote that the job done by the medical workers and safety services in dealing with the consequences of the terrorist acts deserves to be admired.
“The British people answered the attacks in the most civilized way: they simply returned to their daily routine. The Londoners were brave enough not to panic and continue to use the trains and buses as they usually did,” the Daily Express writes.
“They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us,” Prime Minister Blair said after returning to London from Group Eight Summit. The world press outlines that despite all the horror of the events, the people of Great Britain were praiseworthy.
The editorial board of School English sends their condolences to the British people and admires their spirit.
The Beslan pupils: ‘I hope that this holiday will help them to deal with the effects of their experience’
Some of the children who escaped the Beslan school massacre1 are in England as part of a project to help them to recover from their hostage2 ordeal3.
Chechen gunmen took over a school close to the Russian border last September and threatened to kill the children unless their demands were met.
Television cameras captured the carnage4 that followed the storming of Middle School No 1 by Russian troops, after a terrorist booby-trap5 bomb exploded. More than 350 people died in the massacre, including 156 children.
Now, 12 of the school’s pupils have been brought for a holiday in England, to help them to overcome the mental scars caused by the 52-hour siege. One of the boys in the group was used as a human shield by the terrorists. Another pupil, a girl, lost her father after he ran into the school to help her. Every family in the small community was affected by the tragedy.
The students’ English and Russian teacher, Tamara Dzetlova, who has accompanied them to England, lost 18 friends and family members.
Ms Dzetlova, who lives in Beslan, was keen to6 bring the children to England. “Beslan is a very small community and it is very hard to get rid7 of the thoughts of those appalling8 events,” she said.
“I thought that to go away for some time would help them to overcome their grief. Many of these pupils have lost siblings or parents in the siege. I hope that this holiday will help them to deal with the psychological effects of their experience.”
She has seen many changes in the children during their short stay, which ends today. “They are much more open. They show their emotions more openly and they are trying to communicate with the other students their age, and the children in their host families.”
The children have been staying in Telford, Shropshire, getting to know local children their own age while taking English lessons and enjoying other activities.
For Petr Mamaev, 16, the highlight9 of the visit was a trip to Anfield10. “I have been a Liverpool supporter for seven years, and it has always been my dream to go to Anfield,” he said. “Especially after they won the Champions League.”
Not all of his schoolmates joined him in his football pilgrimage11. Dzera Mamsurova, 13, was more interested in the English lessons and a chance to do some shopping. She hinted at how important this trip was to her and her family.
“My father was very keen for me to go,” she said. “He said that he knew it would be good for me.”
Some of the children suffered homesickness when they first arrived, admitted the trip’s organiser Steve Bayliss, who runs an international language school in Telford.
“We did have a few tears in the first few days,” he said.
For many it was the first time they had been separated from their families since the massacre. Their parents were reluctant12 to let the children out of their sight.
“The parents had a lot of concerns about letting the children travel so far,” said Mr Bayliss.
The school’s teachers were also cautious, said Ms Dzetlova. “We all wanted this trip to happen, but no one wanted to take responsibility for being in charge of it. I had met Steve and the people at the Telford language school so I volunteered. I’m glad I did.”
Mr Bayliss spent six months working with the school to make sure that the trip happened.
London unites for healing vigil13 BBC News website, London (14/07/2005)
The bombed-out bus in London’s Tavistock Square (7/07/2005)
It was standing room14 only in Trafalgar Square on Thursday evening as thousands of people shouldered15 their way in to attend a vigil for last week’s bomb victims and applaud calls for unity among Londoners.
The mood was calm, people chatting among themselves while waiting for the speakers to begin.
Some had been in the square since the two-minute silence at noon, others were clearly tourists who had got caught up in events while visiting the square.
Cyclists and students lined up alongside men in suits and others in bandanas along the square’s steps, fountains and walls.
Clusters16 of matching signs could be seen held above the heads of the crowd.
To one side were A4 sheets saying simply “Peace”, to the back were groups of white balloons. But by far the most numerous were banners reading: “Students against terrorism, against racism, against war”.
Many non-students were happy, in a gesture of solidarity, to hold the banners, apparently handed out by the National Union of Students.
Many people carried the NUS17 banners in a show of solidarity
Queues of people on two sides of the square waited in soaring temperatures to sign the books of condolence18.
Sister Margo Murphy, 60, who belongs to Our Lady of the Mission, an international religious congregation with a base in Harrow, had been queuing for half an hour.
“We have had messages throughout the week from our convents19 all over the world expressing their sorrow and pain and love for the people of London,” she said. “I felt it was important in a sense to bring that message here.”
Thousands of people packed into the square
Some packed out the square to see the speakers line up by the “London United” signs in front of the National Gallery – others chose to shelter in the shade or dip20 their feet in the fountains.
As an audibly emotional Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, took the stand as first speaker, he was greeted by a huge round of applause and an attentive crowd. They seemed to appreciate his message of unity and his praise for London’s tolerance and diversity. He looked back to bombing campaigns London has survived in the past, and looked forward to the London Olympics in 2012.
Sandy Dunn created her own tribute to the victims
“In seven years’ time, when the Games begin, sitting at the front of the stadium, and watching the 200 teams that will come from every nation, will be those who were maimed but survived, and the relatives of those who died,” he said. “Those who came here to kill last Thursday had many goals, but one was that we should turn on each other, like animals trapped in a cage, and they failed, totally and utterly.”
1 massacre – резня; бойня 2 hostage – заложник 3 ordeal – суровое испытание 4 carnage – кровавая бойня 5 booby-trap – мина-ловушка 6 be keen to – сильно желать 7 get rid – избавиться 8 appalling – ужасный 9 highlight – ключевой момент 10 Anfield – футбольный стадион в Ливерпуле 11 pilgrimage – паломничество 12 reluctant – нерасположенный 13 vigil – (зд.) демонстрация 14 standing room – стоячее место 15 shoulder – проталкиваться 16 cluster – скопление 17 NUS – National Union of Students 18 condolence – соболезнование 19 convent – монастырь (преим. женский) 20 dip – окунать
Надежда Никифоровна Рогожина, проректор по международным программам, зав. кафедрой лингвистики и межъязыковой коммуникации Самарского муниципального университета Наяновой, кандидат педагогических наук, доцент. 
