Check out free weekly English clubs at the Center for American Studies, conducted by American Peace Corps volunteers:

• Movie Club, Mondays 14:00 – 16:00
• Health Club, Mondays 16:00-17:00
• Future English Teachers’ Association, Mondays 17:00-18:00
• Critical Thinking Club; Saturdays

15:00-16:00

• Multicultural and Diversity Club; Wednesdays 16.00 – 17. 00
• Business English Class, Wednesdays 17:00-18:00
• University English Teachers’ Seminar; Thursdays 17.30 – 18.30
• TOEFL Preparation classes, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 16:00 – 18:00
• Women’s Club, Fridays 16:00-17:00
• Men’s Club, Saturdays 12:00-13:00
• Current Events Discussion Club, Saturdays 13:00-14:30

If you want to help with The Oshington Post, come to meetings at the Center for American Studies, Fridays, 17:00-18:00 or Saturdays, 10:00-12:00.

The Oshington Post Staff

Editors:Bryan Moles, Ben Pellegrom, Jyldyz Karimova, Erika Ham

Sultan Tultaev

Online Editor: Maksud Zainabidinov

Designers: Jyldyz Karimova, Maksud Zainabidinov, Sultan Tultaev

Reporters: Aisulu Masalbekova , Akmaral Mamadalieva, Maksud Zainabidinov, Sultan Tultaev, Darika Momunali kyzy, Nurzat Imanalieva, Altynai Omorova, Nazokat Omuralieva, Baktygul Khasanova, Talgat Akishov,

The Oshington Post is an English language newspaper created by students and other community members. It is produced through the Center for American Studies in Osh City. The Oshington Post’s name comes from the well-known U.S. daily newspaper The Washington Post. If you have any questions, comments, messages, or literature for our newspaper, you can send them to oshingtonpost@gmail.com, cas26984@gamil.com or bring them to the Center for American Studies in the Electronic Library Building of Osh State University, Room 101.

For the online edition of The Oshington Post, check out our blog at theoshingtonpost.kloop.kg

Note: For a fee, you can use Crossword Weaver to print a nice copy of this puzzle (one that doesn’t look like a web page). You can check it out for free by downloading the demo from http://www.crosswordweaver.com/index.htm?From=OCWM.puzzle .

Last autumn we had a successful company to clean up around and up the mountain. The company was headed by the Center for American Studies volunteer Dixie Eckford and Patrick Eckford from Mercy Corps an international organization. And of course, other volunteers of the Center for American Studies (Osh State University students, some community, and NGO members), Aarhus employees, Peace Corps Volunteers, an English Language Fellow and some Mercy Corps employees also helped out.

While cleaning, we collected a lot of plastic bottles, glass bottles, candy wrappers, ice cream wrappers, plastic bags and some children’s used nappies. I hope at least some people know that these odds not only make the place dirty, plastic bottles, candy and ice cream wrappers and plastic bags can contribute to the decreasing of the ozone layer which eventually leads to global warming.

Also nowadays there are many people who have different kinds of respiratory conditions and infections.

Many people have asthma and problems coughing. All of these are the negatively affected by a polluted environment.

Probably, no one wants to bequeath the ‘polluted land’ to his or her children or to future generations.

In addition, the clean environment gives us a good mood and people’s state of mind also depends on the environment where they stay.

Of course the mountain area employees assigned to work often clean the area. And the article does not aim to boast about what we did once as a public clean up campaign, but instead wants to inspire people and enhance other clean-up activities from time to time. Hopefully these community projects involve local citizens, especially the younger generation. Once you clean, you may think that no one cleans around the mountain. However, people do. The real question is: ‘why does the mountain often get littered?’ Unfortunately, people are not careful with their rubbish on the mountain.

The idea is that we want our community to be healthy and happy. So as the member of the campaign I suggest having The Sulaiman Mountain Clean up Action twice a year, in spring and in autumn. April and October are suitable months for clean up but it’s not limited to a bi-annual clean up by the community members. You can always pick up a little trash every time you are on the mountain!

Enjoy your environment; it’s your native land!

Osh city residents have never seen massive structures since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Osh has very poor infrastructure because of its narrow roads and low-rise buildings.  But, it seems the city will be transformed into a well-designed, modern and cozy place to live within fifteen years. According to the for.kg, in early February the president of Kyrgyzstan Kyrmanbek Bakiev demanded officials to work out the Osh City Reconstruction Plan within “30 days.”

“Due to the rising population, it is more than important to build multistory apartments and wide roads”  says one resident. The reconstruction of the city is necessary both economically and socially.  The increasing population and traffic has created many difficulties.  The new city infrastructure is also a needful because of the expecting stream of travelers to Suleiman Mountain, which has recently been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The first steps to organize the city were taken last year when the Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Defense were moved to Osh.  According to the Osh city general plan, the city has not been reconstructed since 1985. During the last 25 years, officials just tried to keep the city clean.  But, after the new city mayor Melisbek Akmatbekov took office, new parks and sidewalks started to appear and all cafes and buildings once built in restricted areas along the streets have been replaced or erased altogether in order to widen traffic roads.

However, efforts have been taken by the new mayor to design the city have raised many contradictions among the city officials and business owners.  Owners claim that cafes and other business staff along the streets were built by the permission of the former city mayor.  But the city officials say that the buildings were constructed in banned areas that had tightened traffic roads.

On the other hand, it is very interesting that a project will be designed by specialists within the next 30 days. It seems 30 days is a very short time to make a qualitative city plan.  But, residents still do hope that the project will be very beneficial if the money is really used for the public welfare.

I have received this article from my close friend Shahab Maani and feel obligatory to share this important piece of knowledge with everyone.

1. Hot dogs
Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can’t live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.
2. Processed meats and bacon
Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.

3. Doughnuts
Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer. 
4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer-causing acrylamides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries.

5. Chips, crackers, and cookies
All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

Test of English as a second Language, Shortened as TOEFL, is an admission requirement for non native English speakers at many English-speaking colleges and universities. So, if you would like to study in the United States, Canada or in other English-speaking countries and to receive scholarship for your education you need to sit for TOEFL. There are three types of the test: paper based, internet- based and computer based. However, the computer-based variant of the test is discontinued since 2005 and the scores of it are not longer accepted. So, if you have two options between paper-based and internet-based tests right now. If you know the difference between these two types of the test and take one that the one you feel you are good at, of course, you will boost your scores. That’s why just continue reading this article.

As a whole Toefl evaluates your knowledge of the English language and how you can effectively use the language in an academic setting. In order to do so, testing committee has designed such sections as Listening (50 questions based on talks and conversations), Reading (50 questions after texts), Writing (topic is given and you write your opinions about it), Grammar (40 questions that check your knowledge of English Grammar and is used only in paper-based version) and Speaking (only in internet-based version). Apparently if you do not like Grammar rues and concepts, take the internet-based one because you will have to speak in English instead of Structure or Grammar. Check out Barron’s TOEFL book from the Center for American Studies and the Soros Resourceful to understand the contents of the test.

Boumairam Ismailova Ismailovna is an expert of TEST Prep and a director at the “Education for All Center”. We asked some questions regarding the TOEFL test.

- Good morning, lately TOEFL test center has been opened in Osh, and students can take the test at the “Education for All Center” instead of going to Bishkek or Almaty. Congratulations! Can students send their official test scores to any colleges and universities abroad?

- First of all, opening the test center in Osh is a big occasion for everybody. Now students can sit for the test twice a year: in March and May and use their scores for two years after taking the test. Our center is responsible for sending scores to whatever college or university students want and, also people can get advice about study abroad programs.

- When is the next TOEFL exam? How should students register for it? What about the price?

-The next exam will be offered at the “Education for All” Center in the Osh Regional Library on May 8^th, 2010. Registration deadline is April 5^th. You may register and pay online ($ 160) at: www.ets.org/toefl.

- Boumairam Ismailovna, could you give any suggestions to students wishing to prepare for TOEFL?

-It is important to study for the test every day at least a half an hour. Our center also offers test prep books with cassettes and students can check them out. If the test contest seems too hard, it is essential to work on English skills first. Good luck to everybody wanting to sit for the test!

If you need help with your test prep then you can also join free TOEFL practice courses held at the Osh State University (Main building, 2^nd floor) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 16:00 till 18:00.

Here are some suggestions from students who really boosted their scores in a short time.

- To improve your Listening comprehension, attend English discussions held by Peace Corps volunteers at the American and Soros Center. Also you can check out disks with American movies and shows from the CAS or watch American and British channels on satellite dish.

- To improve your Reading comprehension, read articles in magazines and newspapers, literature books may be found at the Center for American Studies. Try to read from various resources because passages at the TOEFL test may range from history to science and from art to technology; however, you do not need to have knowledge in a specific area to have more scores.

-To prepare for Structure or the Grammar Section, use advanced level grammar books or attend any courses or private teachers who can explain grammar rules thoroughly.

-To speak better try to make American friends and be as nice as possible to them.

Good luck with your TOEFL!

This food was an honored dish in the past. When guests visited a house, a host usually cooked Besh-Barmak. It supposed to mean that the host is showing big respect for them. When they celebrated holidays they always cooked Besh-Barmak. But people in southern Kyrgyzstan, because of the influence of the Uzbek culture, often cook Plov instead of Besh-Barmak. In northern Kyrgyzstan people cook Besh-Barmak more frequently. Now I want to tell you about how to prepare this dish:

Ingredients

for dough: 0,5 kg flour, 0,5 lt  water, 2 eggs, 2 tea spoons of salt, 0,2lt oil; for the sauce: 1-2 kg meat,6 onions.

There are two steps to cook Besh-Barmak. The first step is to prepare the noodles. First of all

find a saucepan, then pour some water into it. The next step is to whip up eggs, afterwards vigorously pour them into some water while stirring and add two tea spoons of

salt. Taste it. Feel free to add some salt and some spices to your liking. At this time add the flour. After mixing the

dough press it with your hands. When it is ready knead the dough on a floured surface. After a few minutes it is ready

for cutting. At last do not cut it too thick or too thin. Put a big saucepan with water on the stove. When it starts boiling, add your homemade noodles. After twenty minutes of boiling take out the noodles, separate them from water. Immediately put them into cold water for a while to prevent them from sticking to each other. Then take them out again and add some oil and stir it thoroughly. Now the noodles are ready.

Now you’re ready for the second step. Initially cut the meat and boil it. During the boiling, peel onions and slice them into pieces. After the meat is done take it from the water. Then mix it with sliced onions and leave them for twenty minutes in order to cool it down. After twenty minutes your Besh-Barmak is almost ready.

For the final step put together all ingredients into one saucepan and mix it. It is ready for eating and it serves six persons.

It’s very important to remember one thing, that you can’t boil meat and noodles together – they have to be cooked separately. The process of boiling noodles takes twenty or twenty five minutes. You need to boil the noodles at a steady medium rate. The meat is usually done in an hour.

In addition if you want to economize your time you can cook meat while you prepare noodles. As noodles does not take much time to cook. Also usually the Kyrgyz serve broth and Besh-Barmak together. Broth is served first. At the same time they have Besh-Barmak on the table. If you don’t want to throw the broth away then have it as the first course.

Bon appetite!

Authors: Good afternoon Tatyana Borisovna! We know that your shop is one of the most popular in our city and we can find very fashionable clothes here. Please, tell us about the fashion of this spring.

A: Hello, you are welcome! As we know present year is the year of the Tiger. That is why dresses and blouses from velvet, plush, velveteen, half-transparent materials are very popular.

A: And what colors does the tiger like? And what accessories can complete it?

TB: Most preferable colors are: chilly shades of silver, ashy-lilac colored, sky-blue, soft-lilac and rich-violet. Smoke colored stoles, elegant costume jewelry, metallic brilliance will be perfect decoration to your evening party attire. It is not important to wear dresses with hide. You may combine any outfit with an accessory. It is desirable that short black dress should be in every girl’s wardrobe because it is always useful.

A: What do stylists pay attention to when they create one’s style?

TB: At first, of course it’s connected with their work and what do they prefer in everyday life. For example, we cannot offer clothes in sport style if their job requires an official outfit or vice versa. So everybody has their own individuality.

A: Your advices for young ladies and gentlemen to look fashionable and stylish?

TB: Comfort, they should feel themselves comfortable in clothes they wear. It is very important to pay attention to color and style of clothes (sport style or classic).We may look stylish and fashionable in many ways.

A: Thank you for your useful information. Wish you success in your uneasy job.