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Dear guests, thank you for coming to us today to celebrate the 11th anniversary of our marriage. Eleven years ago I asked this woman to marry me and was childishly thrilled to call her my wife for the first time in my life. I can still recall the slightest particulars of that day, up to my astonishment when I saw Helen in the awesome wedding gown going down the aisle.

More than a decade is a long period; it makes up almost three presidential terms and three Olympic games. But for me time has elapsed too fast… they say this always happens when you are happy. I am happy to be still violently in love with my wife and I appreciate all her care and tolerance throughout the years. Of course, I should admit that marrying for love was a reckless thing to do – but as Josh Billings put it, such marriage “is so honest that God can’t help but smile on it”(1). Ladies and gentlemen, my wife and I were lucky to be presented with some Lord’s graces during this decade – the chief of them is our son, Jim.

In these years we’ve done a lot together. We have built a house and planted a garden; we have climbed the Everest Mountain and tried parachute jumping. But most importantly, we learned to tolerate with each other’s habits and traits, to say “sorry” when you are wrong and “I love you” on all other occasions. We learned to cherish every evening spent with the family – even if it means doing nothing special, just sitting on the sofa and trying to read a newspaper, while Jim is rushing about the room imitating the sound of the helicopter’s engines. We learned being happy with what we have – and we have a family, a son and you, our good old friends.

Of course, there were some ups and downs – but I must confess that the former greatly outnumbered the latter. Like a good wine, a good relationship becomes better and better with every passing year. It worked for our marriage and still makes my wife and me happy.

Today I am offering to raise our glasses for love, the cornerstone of any household, and hope to see you at our silver wedding party. Bottoms up!

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Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends, good evening.

First of all let me welcome all the guests and say thank you to all of you for being with us today and making the atmosphere of the wedding party so warm and cozy. We are happy to share this holiday with family members and relatives from both sides. Especially welcome are those who traveled a long way to come here.

To confess, throughout the day I have been looking at my daughter in the wedding gown, so beautiful, solemn and brimming with happiness – like a tender white lilac on a spring morning – and I still couldn’t believe my eyes. It seems to me that just an instant ago my future wife and I were standing at this altar and sealing our marriage with a kiss and now the finest outcome of our marriage, our daughter, that cute blue-eyed tot, has grown up and said two simple words “I do” to create her own family.

During today’s wedding ceremony I recalled a thousand little details about her. Some of you know Donna as a talented web-designer; for others she is a devoted tennis player; many of us know her as a faithful friend. For me, ladies and gentlemen, she was and is and will be a little girl with funny plaits and surprised blue eyes, as big as a plate. I remember the day when she was born: a bright April morning with red tulips blossoming at the flower-beds by the maternity hospital; it was one of the happiest days of my newly-baked father’s life. I remember her first school days, when she filled her exercise-books with fancy hieroglyphs instead of letters. Well, when her plaits and surprised glance are gone, at least one thing hasn’t changed: her handwriting, which I still can’t decode.

I recall her drowsing on my lap, while I read her the fairy-tales about charmed princesses. Today she looks like a fairy princess, and I believe she has at last found her prince and they will live happily ever after for true marriage means that you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody – and you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible (1).

I am very happy for Donna and Roderick, and I am sure they are a perfect match, for they fit each other as two pieces of a puzzle that God must have scattered on the Earth in the ancient times.

Dear Donna and dear Roderick, I won’t bore you with lengthy pieces of paternal advice regarding marriage and life together – this world is entirely yours, and it is only you two who will determine its rules. I am sure that you will build a reliable family hearth, a cozy nook where you will feel at your ease and which will give you strength to withstand the storms and challenges of life. On this way, let me only wish you tolerance and love. As one wise man once said, “a successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person” (1).

Finally, I will share with you a quotation that guided me through my marriage – not a single day of these 31 years I regret. It is taken from the Bible and says that “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (2).

Let me propose a toast to the bride and the groom, and let us stand up and clink glasses for love in the family of Donna and Roderick.

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The Middle East region includes the Arabic peninsula, Cyprus, the countries on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Iran in the north-east, and Egypt in the south-west. It is a densely populated region that concentrates huge material and human resources. Surfing from Internet site to Internet site I have found that Internetworking in the Middle East region has a well established system that may accelerate the diffusion of culture in this area. For example, at the end of January Internet access across large parts of the Middle East was severely disrupted. Two undersea cables in the Mediterranean were damaged, leaving about 70 percent of Internet users in Egypt without access to Internet services. Egypt was hit by disruption. The Internet for the Middle East is a new opportunity to be more open to the global world and to acquire first-hand, unbiased information about global affairs, cultures, and lifestyles. In the Middle East, Internet has become an effective resource for developmental economic, political, and socio-cultural planning through mission oriented networks. I have consulted websites that provide information about Internet users in the Middle East. I have found that younger generation in the Middle East relies a lot on Internet services. However, access to the Internet is disproportioned and unequal.

Surfing the Internet is one of the favorite leisure activities in many Middle East countries where a young generation of digitally competent users has been established. Young people have a good chance of participating in online discussion forums, which encourages fruitful exchange of ideas Young Internet users learn how to democratize their ideas, responding to diverse opinions with respect and tolerance. Young Internet users in the Middle East become innovative and technologically advanced. The Internet satisfies their need for openness. Like young people all over the world, they enjoy personalizing.

The statistical data related to Internet services in the Middle East reveals the fact that, on the one hand, the Internet is rapidly developing in the region and, on the other hand, this development is not equal Internet users in the Middle East comprise about three percent of world users. It means that 46 million people in the Middle East are Internet users. On the average, the percentage of Internet users in the Middle East is approximately the same as globally. However, if we take into account separate countries, the difference is amazing. The highest Internet penetration is in the United Arab Emirates where half of the population has Internet access. The lowest Internet penetration is in Iraq where only one percent of population has Internet access. Internet penetration is high in Lebanon (39.5 percent), Iran (34.9 percent), Kuwait (34.7 percent), and Bahrain (34.8 percent), whereas it is extremely low in Iraq and Yemen (www.internetworldstats.com). Therefore, young populations in the region have no equal access to Internet services. In some Middle East countries young people are advantageous to be active Internet users, while in others they have certain limits.

In the Middle East, Internet is becoming a pervasive social force, since digital literacy means Internet access and less censored world outlook for younger generations in the Middle East. The Internet integrates the Middle East populations into the global world. Internet resistance is a step backwards to closed societies, whereas Internet access makes traditionally closed societies much more open ones. Digitally competent Middle Easters can judge themselves how their life is different from the rest of the world and what universal values are shared. Internet access provides Middle Easters with the freedom of choice that is a step forward towards democratization of Middle East societies.

Person 1: With deepest appreciation we accept this honor to speak on behalf of our team that has successfully fulfilled a two-year project.

Person 2: I would like to thank our CEO Mr. Jonathan Brown for his support during these two hard years. I hope that our team has lived up to your expectations.

Person 1: We have shown that we can manage our team business for the long term. It is a great pleasure to know that all our efforts were not in vain. We have hopes of a new marketer’s agreement that will position us well in future.

Person 2: Our team performance in 2007-2008 is evidence of sustained profitable growth.

Person 1: I agree that we have worked as reliable team members, full of ideas that we wanted to realize by combined efforts.

Person 2: While working on the project, many of us enhanced our leadership skills. We all remember how important was Jack Stevens’ decision to introduce improvements in the equipment that increased our revenues. Thank you, Jack, for your bravery and talents. Your contribution was invaluable. Mary Stone began work in our team just before we had started the project. We even argued a lot whether she would be able to become an asset to our team or not. We confided in her. Today, she has proved to be one of the most devoted team members. Mary wants to continue her studies at university. We are all supporting her and wish her all the best. Mike Stuart, Rod White, Brian Gascoigne – I thank you all for long hours spent together, for devotion to our team work, for your generosity in sharing your skills with younger members of the team. It was a great pleasure to work with you. I am pleased to announce that Brian has been promoted to the post of senior engineer: so much his participation in the project was appraised by the board of directors.

Person 1: I thank all our team members for your business and express sincere appreciation for the pleasant association I enjoy with you.

Person 2: Our team has actively participated in the company’s innovative projects. Innovative product planning and the attainment of manufacturing excellence are a corporate commitment of the highest priority. You may be assured of our continuing dedication with the purpose of achieving the best quality and performance. I am sure that now we have a much better understanding of the secrets of team work.

Person 1: The success of the project would not have been possible without valued support of the whole company. We felt your confidence in us, and we had been working hard to realize your hopes. We felt how important this professional growth was to us, how much it would mean to each of us personally.

Person 2: I have mixed feelings, to tell the truth. On the one hand, the project is over and, the task fulfilled, our team may also become a history. On the other hand, we’re planning a new project, we are ardently discussing it, and we want to go on working together.

Person 1: We’ve become friends. I like this hearty atmosphere that warmed me a lot. I have no relatives in this city but I never felt lonely because my colleagues invited me to their homes, we kept many holidays together, and in summer we even went on holiday together, as one team. I appreciate this rare opportunity so much.

Person 2: I hope that we will be able to climb up career ladder together, preserving this wonderful spirit of competitive cooperation, when, like Dumas’ musketeers, we all for one.

Person 1: I thank you again for your efforts in achieving our organization’s goals.

Person 2: I wish all of us new achievements in fulfilling our noble tasks.

Both: Thank you for attention

Dear colleagues and guests! It’s time we said goodbye to the year of 2008 that very soon will become our history. But before we greet the year of 2009, I would like all of us to recall our achievements, of which many will contribute to our sustained business growth.

We are a small branch of a huge pharmaceutical company.

We are only five years old.

Most of us pioneered new attitudes to healthcare in this country.

The secret of our branch’s success is our focus on people and values. We depend on employer-sponsored insurance and state-run Medicaid programs for much of our revenues.

Due to the new state-run programs launched in 2008, we were able to lower the price of drugs and deliver high quality products.

Our market share has increased, although we are still less competitive than J & J.

Our goal is to sell locally produced drugs to provide our consumers with cheaper analogues of costly foreign drugs. The support of our government, despite the financial crisis, helps us achieve this goal in the nearest future.

I am happy to say that we are well positioned for the future.

We are planning to open a new drugstore in the north of the country.

We are planning to promote a new drug that will help those who suffer from high blood pressure.

We are launching a new anti-pain program.

We are extending our presence in the south of the country.

I am sure we will continue seizing all competitive advantages of our focus on domestically produced drugs. These drugs are much cheaper and not less effective than the ones advertised by our chief competitor, J & J. As the standards of life are not expected to be high in 2009, the development of our home pharmaceutical industry is one of the urgent problems.

We are ready to cooperate with our government and we hope to arrive at mutual understanding.

I love being here tonight, with your families sharing our success.

I want to thank all of you, dear guests, for your support.

It is so meaningful to us because in business we depend on many factors.

I know, dear guests, how lonely you feel sometimes when we are at work and you are patiently waiting us for dinner.

We are often on business trips establishing our network throughout the country.

But all this is not a big sacrifice, due to your understanding, because we have results, because we are successful, because you are always by our side.

Peter’s wife Liana is of great help to us. Marina’s husband Andrei has become a member of our team. His ideas and advice are valuable. Rita’s sister Nadya is engaged to our driver Sasha.

We are a family, and this feeling is great.

What can we expect from the coming year?

I wish we had stability. I wish we made steady progress.

I wish we continued providing our consumers with high quality medical care at low costs.

I wish all of us were healthy and wealthy.

It’s time to rest and to have fun.

May you have a bright and prosperous 2009 New Year filled with all good blessings!

Happy New Year!

First of all let me welcome all the guests and say thank you to all of you for being with us today and making the atmosphere of the wedding party so warm and cozy. We are happy to share this holiday with family members and relatives from both sides. Especially welcome are those who traveled a long way to come here.

To confess, throughout the day I have been looking at my daughter in the wedding gown, so beautiful, solemn and brimming with happiness – like a tender white lilac on a spring morning – and I still couldn’t believe my eyes. It seems to me that just an instant ago my future wife and I were standing at this altar and sealing our marriage with a kiss and now the finest outcome of our marriage, our daughter, that cute blue-eyed tot, has grown up and said two simple words “I do” to create her own family.

During today’s wedding ceremony I recalled a thousand little details about her. Some of you know Donna as a talented web-designer; for others she is a devoted tennis player; many of us know her as a faithful friend. For me, ladies and gentlemen, she was and is and will be a little girl with funny plaits and surprised blue eyes, as big as a plate. I remember the day when she was born: a bright April morning with red tulips blossoming at the flower-beds by the maternity hospital; it was one of the happiest days of my newly-baked father’s life. I remember her first school days, when she filled her exercise-books with fancy hieroglyphs instead of letters. Well, when her plaits and surprised glance are gone, at least one thing hasn’t changed: her handwriting, which I still can’t decode.

I recall her drowsing on my lap, while I read her the fairy-tales about charmed princesses. Today she looks like a fairy princess, and I believe she has at last found her prince and they will live happily ever after for true marriage means that you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody – and you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible (1).

I am very happy for Donna and Roderick, and I am sure they are a perfect match, for they fit each other as two pieces of a puzzle that God must have scattered on the Earth in the ancient times.

Dear Donna and dear Roderick, I won’t bore you with lengthy pieces of paternal advice regarding marriage and life together – this world is entirely yours, and it is only you two who will determine its rules. I am sure that you will build a reliable family hearth, a cozy nook where you will feel at your ease and which will give you strength to withstand the storms and challenges of life. On this way, let me only wish you tolerance and love. As one wise man once said, “a successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person” (1).

Finally, I will share with you a quotation that guided me through my marriage – not a single day of these 31 years I regret. It is taken from the Bible and says that “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” (2).

Let me propose a toast to the bride and the groom, and let us stand up and clink glasses for love in the family of Donna and Roderick

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

As the Deputy Head of the University of Toronto library I am honored to thank the British Council for this remarkable gift. The complete collection of the Millennium library that was presented to us today includes the classics of European and world literature: from Marcus Aurelius to James Joyce, from Homer to Tony Morrison, from Dostoevsky and Solzhenitsyn to Junichiro Tanizaki. Undoubtedly, it will be of great use to the students of the humanitarian departments in their professional studies of English language and literature – and you can imagine the impatient anticipation that the news of this gift rose in folks from Linguistics and Literature Departments of our university.

This collection of the Millennium library will also be a bounty for those who read English-language fiction for pleasure. Being an avid reader myself, I couldn’t help thumbing through my favorite Dickens and greatly enjoyed the hard-back book-jacket, the fine paper and the respectable design of the series – any book-lover, I am sure, will share my thrill.

On a wider scale, on behalf of the University administration and the library’s readership I would like to highlight that we highly appreciate these educational initiatives of the British Council aimed at getting the Ukrainian students acquainted with the British and world culture. The today’s gift is a valuable contribution to the knowledge fund of our University that will help to rise (and satisfy) our students’ thirst for the finest books of the past millennium. Reading and re-reading the canonical texts of world literature is a must for educating young energetic intellectuals, whom our country direly needs now.

Thank you again and let me ensure you that this Millennium library collection will be in reliable hands and will be used for the

Welcome, everyone, to this very special occasion.

And a bitter-sweet occasion it is to us.

It’s very sad to be saying goodbye to Mrs. Jane Smith who is closing twenty years of military service.

In 1995, she was one of 1, 200 American women deployed to Haiti for peacekeeping duties. She successfully fulfilled her mission. For twenty years, she has had the privilege of serving our great nation with duty, honor, courage, commitment, vision, tenacity, and spirit that all of us, her male and female colleagues, value so much. She has served our country with distinction. She pursued the career and lifestyle of the military, making them the main meaning in her life.

As you know, the official history of American women in the military began over a century ago. In the late 1980s, when Jane began her military career, the percentage of women in the military was quite small, especially in the navy. In many ways, women who wanted to be in the Navy were discriminated. They were not considered to be strong enough to serve equally with men. This view has changed since then. I am proud to say that two million women have served our country. Of the 540, 000 Americans who served in the Desert Storm operation, nearly 41, 000 percent were women. It was the largest wartime deployment of American military women in history. Women in the military have great achievements. Nobody doubts that they are playing an important role in peacekeeping missions.

Today, women make up 15 percent of enlisted each year. When Jane began her military career, very few women were prepared to stubbornly move from our profession’s periphery towards its heart. It was very hard, for we, men, dominated in the military and were not ready for any female competition. We thought that girls in the military would give up, unable to be qualified as our equals. But the more they trained and the more they buried their heads over textbooks, the more admirable they became to us. They taught us, with all persuasion and overwhelming willingness to serve our country, to pursue long-term goals, and, despite hardships and obstacles, realize them.

When we were together in the Naval School, we failed to see competitors in women in the military. Now, due to such women as Jane, our predominantly male service has been changed. Jane has succeeded in doing her military duty, and she was several times awarded for her excellent military service. It is almost incredible to believe that she is Mom to these two boys, her sons, who want to follow in their Mom’s footsteps and continue the family tradition in the military. Sleepless nights, far away from her sons, never did Jane complain, never did she show how hard it was to be at the head of a single household and in the military. More than that, she always helped us, men, to overcome separation from our families, with her own example. At the rare moments off our duty, she found warm words that strengthened us. She became our friend with whom we were able to share happiness and troubles. She has become a valuable asset to our military team, qualified, reliable, trustful, understanding, and brave.

We will be missing you, Jane, a lot. We will be missing your sense of humor, your ability not to lose your head in a difficult situation, your friendliness, your open-hearted personality, your good nature. For you, this moment is crucial: you have to alter many things, which is not easy, in order to get adjusted to your new life on land.

From me to you, dear Jane, thank you for inviting me to speak and take this memorable opportunity to wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. You can explore more horizons, here, on land. I am sure you will find new opportunities and pleasures in your civil life.

Happy retirement!

The war on drugs has been lost. Marijuana users are aware of all health hazards their addiction to marijuana may led them to; but no authority of law is capable of preventing them from smoking marijuana as one of their favorites. Legalization of marijuana would lead to a better control of its consumption. Besides, marijuana, legal as tobacco, would turn people from illegal drugs, which are more expensive and much more dangerous. Marijuana is considered a gateway drug that causes problems at home and at work, reduces concentration, learning, and memory powers, releases dopamine that gives a feeling of euphoria, and contains cancer-causing agents. Illegal status of marijuana solves no problems of drug abuse.

In 2006, American marijuana farmers grew 22.3 million pounds of marijuana. The top outdoor producers are California, Tennessee, Kentucky, Hawaii, and North Carolina. Great material sources are spent on eradicating marijuana crops, but, like with a wave of a magic hand, they grow in more and more unpredictable locations. Why not to legalize marijuana?

The war against marijuana was unleashed 76 years ago when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act on the basis of a poorly tested testimony that it could cause insanity, criminality, and death. The 1951 Boggs Act and the 1956 Daniel Act increased penalties, promoting the gateway theory (Gettman, 2006). The war is still on, although it has been proved that marijuana is not more dangerous than tobacco or alcohol.

Marijuana has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. It has healing properties. Unlike tobacco and alcohol, marijuana may serve people in a couple of ways. First, marijuana improves appetite. Second, it prevents AIDS patients from weight loss. Third, it helps glaucoma patients lessen eye pressure. Fourth, it reduces nausea caused by radiation and chemotherapeutic treatments. Fifth, it is an effective painkiller. Thus, marijuana helps these patients improve their condition.

Nine states, among them Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, have passed legislation that permits marijuana use for medical purposes. Current research has proved that marijuana is not physically addicting. What is more, it has been proved that no physical withdrawal symptoms occur when marijuana use is stopped. Marijuana’s status must be reconsidered legislatively. Marijuana must be excluded from the war on drugs content because it is less abusive than alcohol.

Legalization implies better control. When better controlled, marijuana would serve people who need its healing properties. People should be free to decide whether they like marijuana as a recreational drug or not. When tempted, we often desire something that is hard to reach. The younger people, the more tempted they are to break rules. Welcoming marijuana, we would think of drug addiction in a new paradigm than before

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, we have gathered today to speak about overcoming adversity and coping with the storms of life. This is very deep theme, and I am sure that anyone has many stories based on the challenges and their overcoming. But today we will concentrate on the issue of overcoming. In this light, it is important to emphasize the postulate that all challenges are timely, and they are not accidental. God tests us in such way. You cannot realize the real value of your life if you have not compared it to something. God sends us trials so that we could understand the deepness of His goodwill and love. No one is alone until he has his faith. The Bible has such words: “God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart” (Chronicles 32:31 NKJ). So, you see that even in His withdrawal, God is always with us. Sending us trials and challenges, He wants to demonstrate us the real power we have inside, the real power he gave us. Often we fail to use it properly, because we don’t know how strong we are. In order to help us see our values He assigned us to, He sends us trials. There is no sense in crying over the trouble – “the best way out is always through”, as Robert Frost claimed. So, you should not concentrate on your problems, but rather on the way how to solve them. Look forward, because life is beautiful, and God created it for us. “That which does not kill us makes us stronger” – these words of the famous philosopher demonstrate that we are the instruments in the hands of God. Remember, how many times you thought that this was the hardest thing you’ve ever done. Then you experience something even harder, and you understand that you became stronger. Now you can endure even more. This is the eternal process of human development. I have met a lot of people who overcame the storms of life with dignity and faith. they all admit, that these challenges made their lives brighter. They understood the real value of life – it is invaluable. And there is no sense in suffering – accept it and overcome. This is life. It does not consist of dreams and happy days, but of alternation of days and nights – both happy and miserable. Thus, another sense of adversity comes to the foreground – it makes us closer to our destiny. Japanese proverb says, “Fall seven times, stand up eight” – and this eighth may be lucky chance which will bring you to your happiness. May be not, but then you’ll have to believe, fight and stand up as much as it will be needed. Storms of life are transient, no matter how hard they are – some day you will definitely reach your desired peaceful shore.

Just listen to the words written in the Holy Bible: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (JAMES 1:12-13, 16-17 NKJ). Temptation to yield – overcome it! Temptation to blame God, fate and everybody around you in all your troubles – overcome it! All your life is the sequence of choices. When a person makes his choice in favor of faith – he wins! Overcoming adversities and demonstrating strong will and belief, a human will obtain the “crown” – for he has shown his love to God, by accepting all challenges as needed and coping with them with the name of God on the lips. And God loves us, helps us and support us, and this is the main truth a person should remember when fighting with difficulties in life. Don’t be alone in your struggle, accept it and entrust to your God. For, as He told, “…When you pass through the waters I will be with you; when you pass through rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I Am the Lord…your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:2, NIV). All our mundane difficulties may seem crucial and catastrophic to us, but in fact they are only the episodes in the history of the humanity. Each life is saint and important in the eyes of God, so don’t thin your faith and sacrifice are inessential. They mean a lot, especially when they are heartfelt and sincere.

God bless you all!