“Wednesday Movie Club” at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
The film «World War Z» (2013)was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
Plot: United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself.
Director: Marc Forster
Writers: Matthew Michael Carnahan (screenplay), Drew Goddard (screenplay)
Stars: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz
WOA’s patrons enjoyed the film and the discussion that followed.
Number of participants – 7 persons.
Study in the USA and other...
This Saturday the WOA’s ("Window on America" (Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine) English-speaking Club GABFEST welcomed FLEX graduate Lilia Donets.
Lilia told the group about the aim of the FLEX program for students and the procedures for enrolment. Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) is a cultural exchange program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State and administered in Ukraine by American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS (American Councils) and supported by the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine. The program provides Ukrainian students with an opportunity to study in a US high school and live in an American host family for one academic year.
Lilia shared her experience of living in the American family in Alabama, studying in the American high school, travelling around the southern states, celebrating holidays and having fun American style.
A fun fact about Alabama football team “Crimson Tide”. The fans wear Fedora hats with hound’s-tooth pattern. First, it symbolizes Paul Bryant - a man and a coach whose leadership abilities are unmatched. Second, it stands for all the Tide athletes who have had the privilege of representing for the Tide in competition. And third, it is a bond between fans and generations; a reminder of what is expected of all of us each and every day.
Each Gabfest Club member had a task- to ask Lilia 3 questions about her stay in the USA. The most interesting questions ranged in the topic of her study: subjects selection at school, teaching methods at school, choice of food in the school canteen, etc.
After Lilia’s presentation the interested cub members asked her even more questions about her stay in Alabama.
The Gabfest Club session was dedicated to “Summer Vacations Planning”.
We have watched several You Tube videos about the ways to plan a hassle-free vacation for a family. We have learned how Americans act to lower the cost of a vacation. Knowing when and how to find the best travel and hotel deals can help significantly. Planning out low-cost entertainment and looking for ways to save on the price of food was also rather educational. Very few of Gabfest Club members actually do strategic planning in advance.
In the second part of the session the group answered questions about summer - its positive and negative sides; shared the ideas about budget travelling in Ukraine.
The vocabulary that was picked up while discussing the videos was very useful for the conversation about summer holidays.
Number of participants – 28 persons.
“Wednesday Movie Club” at Window on America center Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine.
The film «Psycho» was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills.
WOA’s patrons enjoyed the film and the discussion that followed.
Psycho is a 1960 American psychological thriller-horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, and Janet Leigh. The screenplay is by Joseph Stefano, based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch loosely inspired by the crimes of Wisconsin murderer and grave robber Ed Gein.
The film centers on the encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane (Leigh), who ends up at a secluded motel after embezzling money from her employer, and the motel's disturbed owner-manager, Norman Bates (Perkins), and its aftermath. When originally made, the film was seen as a departure from Hitchcock's previous film North by Northwest, having been filmed on a low budget, with a television crew and in black and white. Psycho initially received mixed reviews, but outstanding box office returns prompted reconsideration which led to overwhelming critical acclaim and four Academy Award nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Leigh and Best Director for Hitchcock.
It is now considered one of Hitchcock's best films and praised as a work of cinematic art by international film critics and film scholars. Ranked among the greatest films of all time, it set a new level of acceptability for violence, deviant behavior and sexuality in American films, and is widely considered to be the earliest example of the slasher film genre. After Hitchcock's death in 1980, Universal Studios began producing follow-ups: three sequels, a remake, a television film spin-off, and a TV series.
In 1992, the US Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
The World Population Day is established as an annual event. For more than 20 years, 11 July has been an occasion to mark the significance of population trends and related issues.
The Gabfest Club session at the "Window on America" Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine introduced new vocabulary and terms to discuss the population social groups and modern trends in population. We have discussed the graphs about the population groups in English-speaking countries (USA, Australia) and compared them with the population groups in Ukraine.
The theme for 2015 World Population Day is “Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies”. We have given the floor to the representatives of the vulnerable groups (students of high school and University) to define the problems they face in everyday life.
United Nations Population Fund insists on providing quality education, decent employment, effective livelihood skills and access to sexual and reproductive health for women and adolescent girls. This includes comprehensive sexuality education that will ensure that every young person’s potential is fulfilled. The group was offered a UNPFA video about the situation in East European countries and discussed it.
The topic was complicated, but educational for all participants.
Number of participants – 28 persons.
As the world population edged to 7 billion people in 2011 (up from 2.5 billion in 1950), it has had profound implications for development. A world of 7 billion is both a challenge and an opportunity with implications on sustainability, urbanization, access to health services and youth empowerment.
In 1989, in its decision 89/46, the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme recommended that, in order to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues in the context of overall development plans and programmes and the need to find solutions for these issues, 11 July should be observed by the international community as World Population Day.
The theme for 2015 World Population Day is Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies. The world is seeing a record number of people displaced by crises – some 60 million according to the latest UN figures. UNFPA works in emergency settings around the globe to respond to the rights and needs of women and girls, helping them maintain their dignity, securing their safety, and restoring their access to sexual and reproductive health care.
The film «Amelia» was presented to all who wish to improve their language skills in Wednesday Movie Club.
Amelia is a 2009 biographical film about the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.
The film was directed by Mira Nair and starred Hilary Swank as Earhart and Richard Gere as her husband, George Putnam. The cast list also included Christopher Eccleston and Ewan McGregor. The film was written by Ronald Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan, using research from sources including East to the Dawn by Susan Butler and The Sound of Wings by Mary S. Lovell.
On USA Independence Day morning many Gabfest club members participated in the WOA’s ("Window on America" Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine) cycling flash mob.
Therefore the club’s session started with the introduction of the cycling flash mob organizers and participants to the new visitors and regular club members. Among the bike rally organizers were WOA Heads from other parts of Ukraine – Ternopil, Lutsk and Poltava. On behalf of their patrons they greeted Gabfest club with the USA Independence day and explained the symbolism of the event. The symbolic Web of Friendship created by WOA Dnipropetrovsk visitors united Central and Western parts of Ukraine!
The educational part of the session introduced the group to the cycling vocabulary – mainly the types of cycling activities. The vocabulary was illustrated by the “USAcycling” web site materials. To learn more about the popularity of cycling in the USA we watched You Tube videos comparing cycling infrastructure of the USA and the Netherlands.
The highlight of the video illustrations was the video of the Independence Day parade in Washington in 2012. A group of children on unicycles impressed the viewers and the following discussion allowed to practice the new cycling vocabulary.
The group was particularly grateful to our American volunteer Mr. Jason Rush. He shared with us the celebration of his country’s Independence Day and spend this beautiful day with the Gabfest club members!
Number of participants – 35 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please
This day in Dnipropetrovsk between 10 am and 13 am took place the third stage of the all-Ukrainian cycling flash mob «Windows go biking».
The first stage of the flash mob took place in Ternopil in April, the second – in Lutsk in May.
The aim of the action was to offer an unusual library event that will bring together a wide range of social groups: librarians and library users, "Window on America" centers from different cities of Ukraine and their patrons, our American friends, people interested in reading books and fans of bicycles. All efforts were aimed at popularization among residents of Dnipropetrovsk the following: modern library services in Ukraine, WOA Centers activities, free opportunities to improve English language skills by using library resources, healthy habits and lifestyle.
City guests, American Corners’ coordinators from Ternopil, Poltava, Lutsk and our American friends (Mr. Jason) joined the flash mob.
The 4th of July – is not a trivial day for Americans. On this day they celebrate Independence Day.
The cycling flash mob started from the DOUNB Library building in Karl Marx prospect, 18. The event involved 23 persons on bicycles and a support group on the route (7 persons).
The morning greets us with bright sun, but two hours later the sun tested our endurance with stinging rays. En route participants were welcomed by two DOUNB Library support groups – girls - librarians offered drinking water to the bike-riders. The support groups also handed out promotional materials about the modern services of the "Window on America" center.
The 6 km long tour the participants covered in 2.5 hours (with several stops). The cycling mob disturbed the silence of the hundred years old Taras Shevchenko park, visited the poet’s monument on the Monastery Island on the Dniper river, entertained the vacationers at the Monastery Island beach. They had a nice run along the picturesque waterfront, welcomed moto-bikers at the Festival Quay, made a stop to have a photograph with the largest in Ukraine painted trident that appeared on the facade of the local landmark – Hotel "Parus" - last year.
Participants of the cycling flash mob made stops to talk to the city residents, to distribute promotional fliers advertising modern library services. This was a way to show to people that a bicycle – is a work-out for the body, and a book – is a work-out for the mind. No wonder that the flash mob’s slogan (by Helen Prytykyna) was the cheer “Ride a bicycle again: get strong body, mighty brain”.
The highlight of the cycling caravan was a hand-made tri-cycle. It was manufactured by a local bike fan and presented by Leonid Kupnevych. Everyone tried to ride it. This bike has attracted even more attention to our cycling flash mob.
Among the participants was a journalist and local historian Boris Kovtonyuk. To join our 6 km long flash mob rally he had to cycle 15 km from his home situated on the opposite bank of the river! Boris made many wonderful photos of the event. We thank all our friends and fans for participation!
Special Independence Day greetings to our American friend Mr. Jason. He was very recognizable in the group as he carried bright American flag on his shoulders.
Ukrainians believe that meeting with a wedding party in the street brings luck. Saturday morning promenade on the waterfront is a favorite ritual of Dnipropetrovsk newlyweds. The WOA’s flash mob riders met many wedding parties on the water front, but one was very special – a Ukrainian girl married an American. The “just-married” couple gladly joined the WOA’s bike-riders for a group photo.
The event’s mission was completed - a large number of people was introduced to the "Window on America" center. Promotional flyers indicate the address where one can go to improve the knowledge of English.
We look forward to meet new visitors at the library !!!
The Gabfest club‘s session after cycling flash mob started with the introduction of the cycling flash mob organizers and participants to the new visitors and regular club members. The symbolic Web of Friendship created by WOA Dnipropetrovsk visitors united Central and Western parts of Ukraine!
Number of participants – 30 + 35 persons.
