Monday, 17 January
The project "New Civilization" started functioning in the Murmansk region eight years ago. Politico-economical game spread very quickly and became extremely popular. Its first members are finishing their studies in the prestige higher educational establishments in the country. But every year new forces join the movement. The game itself also changes. The political and economical situation in the country is taken into consideration. The organizers use the new approach, preparing traditional measures. One of the aims of "New Civilization" is to develop the skills of self-government. Under the adults’ support the teenagers learn to bring up their ideas, put specific aims and reach them. Creative and organizing children’s abilities manifest themselves through game situations. For instance, one of the game’s levels, called "The Survival Rally" takes place under natural conditions. Regardless of weather conditions, the participants must fulfil the given tasks: to do the route, to make fire, to be ready to help the one, who needs help. That’s the way the participants learn to win. At the moment the participants of the game are going to take part in the regional final events. The festival "Business of the North-2005" will take place in Kirovsk. According to tradition everybody who is thinking about the future will gather there.
Father Frost, whose palace is situated on the territory of the Lapland State Reserve is finishing to receive guests. During the last few weeks hundreds of children and adults from the whole Kola Peninsula have visited him. The last visitors of Father Frost’s Residence were schoolchildren from Olenegorsk and Polarny Zory. The children also received presents from Father Frost and after that they got aquatinted with the inhabitants of the State Reserve in the local museum. That was the end of the holiday excursions, but the mail will function and receive the letters and paintings from young northerners, addressed to Lapland Father Frost.
On the 18th of January the Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Jan Petersen will come to the Murmansk Region and stay here for two days. According to the press service of the administration of the Murmansk region, the Norwegian diplomat will have the official meeting with the Governor of the Murmansk region Yuri Evdokimov, will visit the ship-repair factory "Nerpa" in Snejnogorsk, will have meeting with the representatives of the Norwegian business, working in the Murmansk region. Mr. Petersen is expected to deliver the lecture "Norway and Russia. Cooperation in the North" to the students of the Murmansk State Technical University. After the lecture he will visit reformatory colony №18. In this colony is situated the regional tubercular hospital for convicts and the Norwegian government has invested considerable financial means to create the proper conditions for treatment the Russian convicts within the frames of the program "Twin-prisons". Jan Peterson also intends to hold thmeeting with the Russian representatives of the native peoples of the North.
"Absolute harm", "mess and madness", – that’s how the Governor of the Murmansk region Yuri Evdokimov called long winter holidays at the meeting with the journalists. According to the Governor these holidays especially harmed the financial bodies, that were not aware about the receipts till the middle of January. These bodies didn’t pay the wages, and didn’t allocate funds for such important issues like, for instance, school luncheon. As Yuri Evdokimov thinks, only the officials of all ranks gained something, now they can easily go to the seaside or mountain resort. Ordinary citizens can’t afford such long and deserving holidays.
The first icebreaker "Lenin", that has added a lot of striking pages to the heroic chronicles of the Arctic pioneering, will be kept for the offspring. The icebreaker will become the floating museum; it will be located near the sea terminal in Murmansk. For implementation of his project a special non-commercial group was created in Murmansk. Its founders are regional and municipal administrations, the regional Duma and the leading enterprises of the marine transport in he region. Near the floating museum the embankment will be built. And on board the legendary ship it is planned to
