CO.NX Updating Program

International Youth Day: A Call to Global Action - NEW!

Thursday, August 9, 2012
08:30 EDT (12:30 UTC)
URL: http://conx.state.gov/digital-diplomacy (Short URL: http://goo.gl/Bby44 ). Audio-only line: 202-659-2781, Conference ID: 5004 #

Description: In celebration of International Youth Day, join an online discussion with the U.S. Secretary of State’s new Special Adviser on Global Youth Issues, Zeenat Rahman. Ms. Rahman will discuss the importance of U.S. engagement with youth, youth as drivers of innovation, and opportunities for furthering partnerships with youth, before taking questions from Alumni of U.S. Government exchange programs. Daniella Foster, Director of Public-Private Partnerships in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, will moderate the conversation. Tune in and share your views on how youth can build a better world!

Format: This will be an interactive video webcast with an audio-only option in English. Please click on the URL above to participate. Follow the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #StateAlumni

For International Students...

3 Critical Graduate School Considerations for International Students

Make sure you've examined your academic credentials, English skills, and finances before applying. Before you apply to a U.S. graduate school, make sure your undergraduate degree is acceptable for admission.

Read More: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2012/07/20/3-critical-graduate-school-considerations-for-international-students

This Day in the American History

On July 31, 1918 HENRY "HANK" JONES was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. He was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award. He was also honored in 2003 with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Jazz Living Legend Award. In 2008, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. On April 13, 2009, the University of Hartford presented Jones with a Doctorate Degree for his musical accomplishments. Jones recorded over sixty albums under his own name, and countless others as a sideman.
Today in 1860 Mary Vaux Walcotts an American artist was born. She is known for her watercolor paintings of wildflowers. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a wealthy Quaker family. After graduating from the Friends Select School in Philadelphia in 1879, she worked at home and on the family farm. During this time she took an interest in watercolor painting, and began painting illustrations of wildflowers that she saw on family trips to the Rocky Mountains of Canada. She also became interested in glaciers at that time.

Walcott married the paleontologist Charles Doolittle Walcott, who was the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, in 1914. She played an active part in her husband's projects, returning to the Rockies with him several times and continuing her hobby of painting the wildflowers there. In 1925 the Smithsonian published some 400 of her illustrations, accompanied by brief descriptions, in a five-volume work entitled North American Wild Flowers.

From 1927 to 1932 Walcott served on the federal Board of Indian Commissioners. She was elected president of the Society of Woman Geographers in 1933. In 1935, the Smithsonian published Illustrations of North American Pitcher-Plants, which included 15 paintings by Walcott.

Following the death of her husband in 1927, Walcott established the Charles Walcott Doolittle Medal in his honor. It is awarded for scientific work onpre-Cambrian and Cambrian life and history. Walcott died in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.

A mountain, called Mount Mary Vaux, in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada is named after her. It is located at 52°33′0″N 117°27′10″W.

Festival of Ballooning in New Jersey (July 27-29, 2012)

"What better way to experience ballooning and The Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, than taking a balloon ride? Join the other 125 balloons ascending into the sky and experience "Love at First Flight!" /http://www.balloonfestival.com/balloons/rides/

Modern hot air balloons, with an onboard heat source, were pioneered by Ed Yost beginning in the 1950s which resulted in his first successful flight on October 22, 1960. The first modern day hot air balloon to be built in the United Kingdom (UK) was the Bristol Belle in 1967. Today, hot air balloons are used primarily for recreation, and there are some 7,500 hot air balloons operating in the United States. The first tethered balloon in modern times was made in France at Chantilly Castle in 1994 by Aérophile SA /http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_air_ballooning/
2 comments:

1. 
   AnonymousJuly 30, 2012 1:10 AM

   We were at the balloon launch this weekend. What a great time!
   More pics of the NJ Festival of Ballooning can be seen at www.spotlighthunterdon.com

   ReplyDelete
2. 
   Window on AmericaJuly 30, 2012 8:15 AM

   Thanks. It is really worth to have a look at them. Did you participate in this ride?

   ReplyDelete

English Club on 'Self-Employment and Self-Improvement' with Mila

Topic: Self-Employment and Self-Improvement 

Fun Fact of the Day: “The United States has won more medals (2,189) at the Summer Olympic Games than any other country” (www.factmonster.com). 
There have been various studies on the personality traits of entrepreneurs. Some will tell you that it takes a type A personality to be successfully self-employed. Others disagree and say that it just takes certain traits and not one specific type of personality. Two of the most important personality traits you need to have is being a self-starter and self-motivated. Being a self-starter is one of the most important traits you need to have when it comes to being self-employed. As mentioned above, when you are self-employed, there is no boss other than yourself. In order to get things done, you must have a "can do" attitude and the ability to work independently without someone else telling you what you should do. There are many people who get up out of bed each day and go to work not because they want to, but because that is what their job requires of them. That is their motivating factor. When you are self-employed, you don't have that same level of accountability. You could stay in bed and there will be no call from your boss asking where you are.
This is why being self-motivated is so important. You must be able to create your own motivating factors so that you get out of bed and work at your business each and every day. It is also up to you and your own motivation to keep your business growing and to provide the best service possible to your clients. Self-motivation is just like the gas in your car, it's the fuel for your business and you won't get very far without it.
Perhaps, you are of other mind. Let's discuss this topic together: 
Topic: 

1. What is self-employment? Are you self-employed? If so, how long have you been self-employed? Do you think that self-employment is a worthwhile pursuit and potentially good for your career? 

2. What jobs do you think are the most common self-employment professions? Why would individuals want to start their own businesses? What are the biggest pros and cons of such work? Are you inspired by individuals who do this work? 

3. What do you need to consider before starting a business or becoming self-employed? Is this a safe or risky trend? Do you think the potential success is worth probable setbacks? 

4. Do you think you would be happier or feel more fulfilled if you were self-employed? What do you think are the biggest difficulties in self-employment and how might they vary over time? 

5. What is self-improvement? How could it relate to self-employment? What do you think of when you hear the term self-improvement? In what areas and in what ways can individuals “improve” their lives? Do you think self-improvement is an easy task? 

6. Have you ever tried to improve an aspect of your life or a specific character trait? If yes, what did you do? If not, is there anything in particular that you would like to change about yourself or your circumstances? How could you reasonable go about achieving this goal? 

Schedule: Don’t forget about our new Suggestion Box! 

Thursday, 02nd of August at 5:30 

Saturday, 04th of August at 10:30

English Club on 'Solving Conflicts'

Topic: Solving Conflicts 

Fun Fact of the Day: “The lowest temperature ever recorded in the United States was at Prospect Creek, Alaska. The temperature was -80°F (-62°C). The hottest temperature was in Death Valley, California at 134°F (56°C)” (http://geography.about.com). 

Topic: 
Most of us experience a sense of inner conflict from time to time? We're referring to the kind of situation where one part of us seems to want one thing but another part of us seems to be holding back and causing doubt. It could be in any context of our lives, business or personal. Wouldn't it be useful to have a way of more quickly solving these kinds of situations and having all our energy flowing toward our chosen outcome?
Both personally and when coaching people, that when we are aligned in this way we find ourselves totally in the zone and there is almost no limit to what we can accomplish.

1. What is conflict? When you see the word, ‘conflict,’ what do you think of? What causes conflict? Do you think conflict is inevitable? 

2. Is conflict always negative? How are conflicts usually resolved? What do you think are good and bad ways of trying to solve a conflict or problem? Does there always have to be a winner and a loser, or can both parties walk away with a partial victory or compromise? 

3. What conflicts exist in your life on a typical basis? Do you have conflicts at work? How could this affect your productivity? What conflicts often appear at school, within families, or between neighbors? 

4. Is it possible to avoid conflicts? How could avoidance lead to further problems? Is there a best time to solve a conflict? Should you deal with the problem immediately or wait for everyone to calm down? 

5. Do you think it’s possible to use another person, or a “third party” to help you solve conflicts and problems? Would you rather seek help from a professional or a friend? 

6. What conflicts do you see happening around the world currently? (Please try not to discuss solely political or religious ones, though they may be partially related). Why is violence often associated with conflicts? Are there ways of settling severe international conflicts without resorting to war? Do you believe that peace is ever truly possible? 

Schedule: Don’t forget to add topic ideas to our new Suggestion Box! 

Saturday, 28th of July at 10:30 

Thursday, 02nd of August at 5:30 

A Collection of New E-Books at Our Center

Dear Users of WOA Center! 

You have an opportunity to use a new collection of e-books on Amazon Kindles. We have been presented four new e-readers with a unique collection of e-books (57). It includes the best examples of the fiction, editions in science and education, etc. It will be replenished more and more. 

A List of E-Books: 

1. Barack Obama “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream”.
2. Barack Obama “Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance”.
3. Ellen Levine “Freedom's Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories “.
4. Mary Pope Osborne “Magic Tree House #1: Dinosaurs Before Dark “.
5. Mary Pope Osborne “Magic Tree House #22: Revolutionary War on Wednesday “.
6. Mary Pope Osborne “Magic Tree House #28: High Tide in Hawaii “.
7. Kate Drumgoold “A Slave Girl's Story Being an Autobiography of Kate Drumgoold”.
8. “Kindle User's Guide, 3rd Ed.”.
9. “The New Oxford American Dictionary”.
10. Benjamin Franklin “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”.
11. Hamilton Wright Mabie “Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know “.
12. James Madison et al “The Federalist Papers”.
13. Harriet Ann Jacobs “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself “.
14. Henry Ketcham “The Life of Abraham Lincoln, The”.
15. Mark Twain “Life on the Mississippi”.
16. Louisa May Alcott “Little Women”.
17. Henry Melville “Moby Dick, or, the Whale”.
18. Henry Ford with Samuel Crowther “My Life and Work by Henry Ford with an introduction by John R Henry “.
19. Nathaniel Hawthorne “The Scarlet Letter”.
20. “Short Stories Old and New”.
21. Florence Holbrook “The Book of Nature Myths”.
22. Thornton W. Burgess “The Burgess Animal Book for Children “.
23. Edgar Allan Poe “The Raven”.
24. John Muir “The Yosemite “.
25. Harriet Beecher Stowe “Uncle Tom's Cabin”.
26. “Thread Words (A Free Word Game for Kindle) (Active Content)”.
27. Sue Leather “Bad Love (Level 1)”.
28. Marcel Danesi “Basic American Grammar and Usage: An ESL/EFL Handbook “.
29. Eric Roth & Toni Aberson “Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics “.
30. Mark Twain “The Complete Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer”.
31. Alan Battersby “East 43rd Street (Level 5)”.
32. Janet McGiffin “Emergency Murder (Level 5)”.
33. Brian Thornton “Everything Kids' States Book”.
34. Mandy Loader “Eye of the Storm (Level 3)”.
35. Kevin Sivils & Deanna Riddle “The Game of Basketball”.
36. Andrew Wright “Games for Language Learning “.
37. Alan Battersby “High Life, Low Life (Level 4)”.
38. Mark Stein “How the States Got Their Shapes Too: The People Behind the Borderlines “.
39. Sue Leather “Just Like a Movie (Level 1)”.
40. Mark Lester “McGraw-Hill's Essential ESL Grammar “.
41. “Medical Encyclopedia”.
42. Steve Spangler “Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes: Unforgettable Experiments That Make Science Fun “.
43. Natalie Gast “Perfect Phrases ESL Everyday Business “.
44. Shiv Singh “Social Media Marketing for Dummies”.
45. “Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases - Super 2011 Edition”.
46. “Spelling Star (Active Content Game)”.
47. William Clement Stone “The Success System That Never Fails”.
48. Nichols John “The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again “.
49. Sarah Janssen “The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2011”.
50. Glenn Stout “Yes, She Can!: Women's Sports Pioneers“.
51. Pamela Espeland “Life Lists for Teens: Tips, Steps, Hints, and How-Tos for Growing Up, Getting Along, Learning, and Having Fun”.
52. Crissy Trask “It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living“.
53. “My Town”
54. “See You in the USA”.
55. “Outline of US History”.
56. “Free at Last”.
57. “Media Law".

eLibraryUSA at Our Center with New Information Resources

Dear Users of Vinnytsia WOA Center:

You are proposed to use new online information resources of the U.S. State Department. This collection contains more than 30 eLibraryUSA authoritative databases on a wide range of issues for people of all ages. These are full-text articles from various world leading journals and reference sources ranging from 20s and up to date. The access to these resources is free and is possible at our Center.

All Resources

A to Z Guide to eLibraryUSA Journals

A complete list of all the journals that can be searched using the eLibraryUSA search box. Articles in these journals can be accessed at Information Resource Centers, American Corners, and Binational Centers, or by using a password.

Academic OneFile

This database provides access to over 42 million journal articles going back to 1980. It focuses on the subjects of physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, and literature.

BookFlix

An interactive literacy resource geared for early readers, reluctant readers, and English Language Learners. A collection of 95 fictional video storybooks from Weston Woods with nonfiction eBooks from Scholastic, including 25 Spanish language versions. Interactive reading features include read-along option, definitions and narrated text, author biographies, web links, and resources for educators.

Business Source Premier

Business Source Premier is the industry's most used business research database, providing full text for more than 2,300 journals, including full text for more than 1,100 peer-reviewed title s. This database provides full text back to 1886, and searchable cited references back to 1998.

CQ Global Researcher

Reports covering the most current and controversial global issues of the day, from 1923 to the present.

CQ Researcher Online

Reports covering current and controversial issues in the United States, from 1923 to the present.

ebrary (includes e-Libro and e-Livro)

Online, full-text collection of over 20,000 books in English, and 35,000 books in Spanish and Portuguese. Covers a wide range of topics, including sociology, psychology, history, political science, medicine, language and literature, philosophy and religion, education, business, the hard sciences and more.

eJournal USA

IIP's magazine about issues that affect the United States and the international community.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Basic introduction to over 75,000 different topics, including encyclopedia articles, maps, news, definitions, and statistics.

Encyclopedia Britannica for Kids

Perfect for students 8 years and above, this resource includes thousands of images, videos, animated time lines and of course, encyclopedia articles. It also has learning activities for English and language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.

English Language Learner

This multi-purpose information resource is designed for middle/high school students and those that are new to the English language. The ELL Reference Center provides English language learners with guidance on conducting research, building their background knowledge, and developing their study skills.

European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750

Provides bibliographic content of more than 32,000 printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750. The indexed records cover the history of European exploration, portrayals of Native American peoples and include topics from natural disasters to disease outbreaks and slavery.

Filmakers Library Online

Contains over 1,000 full documentaries and adding over 100 titles per year. Gathering films from American independents as well as filmmakers from all over the world, this multidisciplinary collection includes documentaries on a variety of topics form race and gender studies, human rights, international relations, criminal justice, the environment, health, current events, literature, and more. Because this is a resource with videos, it may run slowly in areas with low bandwidth.

Fuente Academica

Fuente Academica offers more than 450 scholarly journals from Latin America, Portugal and Spain. All major subject areas are covered with particular emphasis on agriculture, biological sciences, economics, history, law, literature, philosophy, psychology, public administration, religion and sociology.

Gale Directory Library

The Gale Directory Library hosts a variety of directory products. Use it to search, sort and export information from both current directory editions as well as prior editions that are maint ained as searchable backfiles. Multiple directories can be cross-searched or users can mine individual directories for the particular kinds of data they contain, such as financial information for companies, circulation figures for publications, and much more.

Gale Science in Context

Gale Science in Context is an engaging online experience for those seeking contextual information on hundreds of today's most significant science topics. Gale's authoritative reference content is merged with full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, experiments, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites organized into a user-friendly portal experience.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. These reference materials once were accessible only in the library, but now you can access them online from the library or remotely 24/7.

General OneFile

Contains full text of over 7,800 titles going back to 1980. GeneralOneFile includes an archive of New York Times going back to 1985, as well as over 500 travel guides from Fodor's and other publishers.

Global Issues in Context

Global Issues in Context offers international viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global issues, topics, and current events. Featured are hundreds of continuously updated issue and country portals that bring together a variety of specially selected, highly relevant sources for analysis of social, political, military, economic, environmental, health, and cultural issues. Each of these gateway pages includes an overview, unique "perspectives" articles written by local experts, reference, periodical, primary source and statistical information. Rich multimedia - including podcasts, video, and interactive graphs - enhance each portal. Use Browse Issues and Topics, Country Finder, Basic Search or Advanced Search to explore the database.

GreenFILE

Information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments, and what can be done at each level to minimize these effects. Draws on the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology. Topics covered include global climate change, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 612,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 9,100 records.

GREENR

The Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources focuses on the physical, social, and economic aspects of environmental issues. Topic, organization, and country portals form research centers around issues covering energy systems, health care, agriculture, climate change, population, and economic development. Portals include authoritative analysis, academic journals, news, case studies, legislation, conference proceedings, primary source documents, statistics, and rich multimedia. Use Browse Issues and Topics, World Map, Basic Search or Advanced Search to explore the database.

Grolier Online

A collection of nonfiction content targeted for ages 7 and up. The collection includes over 120,000 articles from general reference encyclopedias like New Book of Knowledge, science intensive encyclopedias like New Book of Popular Science, social studies encyclopedias like Lands and Peoples, and La Nueva Enciclopedia Cumbre, a comprehensive encyclopedia for Spanish speakers. Additional content includes GoTube Videos, over 340,000 editor vetted web links, over 1,100 newspapers from around the world and over 1200 interactive maps which provide history, topography, political climate, current events, and more.

HIV RAP

Offers a multimedia guide to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. Includes information on HIV testing and dealing with the realities of living with HIV and AIDS.

IIP Books

IIP's collection of publications about U.S. society, culture, and policies.

Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts

This resource indexes more than 600 core journals, nearly 50 priority journals, plus books, research reports and proceedings. Subject coverage includes librarianship, classification, cataloging, online information retrieval, information management and more. Coverage in the database extends back as far as the mid-1960s.

Literature Resource Center

Literature Resource Center is a comprehensive database on literary topics, authors, and their works. Includes full-text scholarly articles from more than 360 academic journals and literary magazines, full text of thousands of poems and short stories published in contemporary journals and magazines, and book reviews and biographical essays.

LitFinder

LitFinder is a repository of full-text literary works, including around 150,000 poems, short stories, plays and speeches.

Middle Search Plus

Provides full-text content to more than 140 popular middle school magazines such as National Geographic Kids, Ahora!, Chez Nouz and many more. Also provides access to primary source documents, biographies, reference books, country fact sheets and thousands of relevant photos, maps and flags. This resource is designed for middle school students and their educators.

PowerKids Life Science

Provides over 400 articles on life sciences geared to science learners in grades 3 to 6 and their teachers. Additional content includes videos, interactive games and quizzes, hands-on science experiments and lesson plans. Science topics include animals, plants, the human body, food chains and food webs and more.

Regional Business News

This database provides comprehensive full text coverage for regional business publications. Regional Business News incorporates coverage of more than 80 regional business publications covering all metropolitan and rural areas within the United States.

Teacher Reference Center

An indexing resource for educators and librarians, a collection of over 260 titles from the most popular teacher and administrator trade journals, periodicals, and books. Records include topics such as Assessment, Continuing Education, Curriculum Development, Instructional Media, and more.

Teen Health and Wellness

Provides teenagers and preteens with straightforward information about such topics as diseases, drugs and alcohol, nutrition, mental health, personal finances and more.

TrueFlix

An electronic version of the True Books line of nonfiction research books from Scholastic. Targeted to students who are moving from learning-to-read to reading-to-learn, and their educators. Students can watch an introductory video on a topic then explore the topic further by reading through the flipbook and working through activities, quizzes and web links. Subject areas included are people, places, history, science and nature. For educators, there are project ideas and lesson plans.

MORE: 

The first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

Amelia Mary Earhart (/ˈɛərhɑrt/ air-hart; July 24, 1897 – disappeared 1937) was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for this record.She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. Earhart joined the faculty of the Purdue University aviation department in 1935 as a visiting faculty member to counsel women on careers and help inspire others with her love for aviation. She was also a member of the National Woman's Party, and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.
During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Fascination with her life, career and disappearance continues to this day.

***

Аме́лія Мері Е́ргарт (Amelia Mary Earhart; *24 липня 1897— зникла безвісти 2 липня 1937) — американський авіатор, одна з перших жінок-пілотів. Перша жінка, що перелетіла Атлантичний океан. Була також відома як оратор, письменниця, журналістка і популяризатор авіації. Ергарт стала кумиром раннього фемінізму. 

У сучасних США Амелія Ергарт, як і раніше, є дуже відомою і популярною національною героїнею, ролевою моделлю та прикладом для юнацтва. В останні десятиліття в середньому щороку в США виходить 4 нові книги про Ергарт, не рахуючи фотоальбомів та книжок для дітей. Про неї знято кілька фільмів, документальних і художніх. Кілька років тому, за пропозицією ініціативної групи конгресменів, було також прийнято рішення про встановлення пам'ятника Амелії Ерхарт в будівлі вашингтонського Капітолію, де проводяться засідання конгресу США. У 2008 році до складу флоту США було введено новий військово-транспортний корабель T-AKE 6 «Амелія Ергарт», побудований на верфі NASSCO у Сан-Дієго, Каліфорнія.

На батьківщині Ергарт, в м. Атчісон, штат Канзас, кожен рік проводиться Фестиваль Амелії Ерхарт, куди з'їжджається до 50 тисяч гостей. Стандартна програма фестивалю включає показові польоти з виконанням фігур вищого пілотажу, концерти музики кантрі під відкритим небом, півгодинний феєрверк з музичний супроводженням «Концерт в небі», та день відкритих дверей в Будинку-музеї Амелії Ерхарт, який з 1971 р. офіційно включений до Реєстру історичних пам'яток національного значення США. Ергарт часто згадується в роботах музикантів, таких як Джоні Мітчелл, Патті Сміт, Хітер Нова.

Амелія Ергарт стала одним з головних персонажів фантастичного фільму «Ніч у музеї 2» ( 2009), де її роль виконала актриса Емі Адамс .

У 2009 році вийшов біографічний фільм Світи Наїр «Амелія», у головній ролі - Хіларі Суонк.

Дитячий образ Амелії був використаний у 2-му епізоді ( Moai Better Blues) 2-го сезону і в 2-му епізоді ( The Tomb of Sammun-Mak) 3-го сезону ігри Sam & Max.

English Club on "A Summer Camp" with Matt

Introductions 

List (1-8) Which former/future Olympic city would you like to visit? 

· Athens Barcelona Sydney Turin Vancouver Rio De Janiero Nagano (Japan) Sochi 

Discussion Topic: Summer Camp 

Does your kid dream of being a Rock Star? Or a Race Car Driver? How about a Veterinarian? You can give them a taste of what it’s like to be any of these. Or seven other dreams they may have through very specific summer camps. It used to be summer camp consisted of swimming in a lake or river, making really bad crafts, hiking in the woods and singing cheezy songs around the campfire at night. But if that’s your image of Summer Camp; where have you been? Now there’s a summer camp for everyone.

1. Did you ever go to summer camp as a child? Where was it and what was it like? 

2. What were the best and worst things about staying at the summer camp? 

3. Did you have good camp counselors or bad ones? 

4. If you have children in the future, would you send them to camp? 

5. Were there any traditions about the last night at the camp? What happened on this night? 

Group Contest 

What language do they speak? 

Our Schedule 

Thursday, July 26 – 17-30

Saturday, July 28 – 10-30 

Visit Our Group on www.Facebook.com – English Club in Vinnytsia

English Club Blog - www.woavinnitsa.blogspot.com

A Quiz "What Am I?" from the Smithsonian collection

http://www.thewhatamiquiz.org/?s_src=siod_WAIQuiz_Summer_e2a&s_subsrc=#

The fireworks might be over, but summer is still in full swing. To celebrate, we've brought together representations of some of our very favorite summer moments from the Smithsonian's collections.

Take a peek at the image on your right. Is it the edge of a ship’s sail? An iconic baseball player stepping up to bat? Or a flag floating in the warm summer breeze?

Try this summertime "What am I?” quiz and see if you can identify some of summer’s greatest hits – from the National Air and Space Museum, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and even one item you won’t find on display in any of our galleries. 

When you take the quiz, you'll be entered into a drawing to win a 35mm Diana Mini Camera. Two lucky winners will receive this gorgeous 60’s inspired camera, perfect for capturing summer’s golden moments – good luck! Are you ready for some summer fun? Click to get started.

Happy summer,

Laura Brouse-Long

Director, Friends of the Smithsonian

Smithsonian InstitutionTake this summer quiz and see if you can identify these extreme close-ups from the Smithsonian collection!

You'll be entered into a drawing to win a 35mm Diana Mini Camera.

English Club on 'Alternative Medicine and Healing' with Maggie

Topic: Alternative Medicine and Healing 

Leader: Maggie 

Fun Fact of the Day: According to the National Institute of Health, 38% of people in the U.S. use complimentary and alternative medicine and treatment methods. 
More doctors are recommending alternative medical techniques to patients for chronic pain. Recent surveys in the United States demonstrated that alternative medical techniques were important for personal healthcare and maintaining well being. Also, there is evidence that one or more alternative medical techniques can help patients with: cancer, arthritis, fibromyalgia, back pain, neck pain, Tourette syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and many more. Let's discuss this topic with us today:

What are alternative medical techniques? 

Alternative medical techniques most commonly are outside of conventional medical care. In other words, they promote wholistic healing for pain management. Wholistic healing involves treating the whole person, body, emotions, mind, relationships, and spirit. Alternative medical techniques include: 

* Acupuncture 

* Massage 

* Reflexology 

* Craniosacral therapy 

* Mind/body techniques 

* Guided imagery 

* Acupressure 

* Yoga 

* Meditation 

* Prayer 

* Thermal treatments 

* Chiropractic approach 

* And others 

Topic: 

1. What is CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine)? Have you heard of any of the following alternate methods: reflexology, tapping/EFT, reiki, aromatherapy, laughter yoga, and the use of herbs? How is CAM related to western allopathic medicine? 

2. What do you know about the Chinese system of healing, and the following elements: yin-cold, yang-heat, acupuncture, and chakras? What do you know about he Japanese system of healing called reiki (ki through palms)? Do you know anything about ayurveda, India’s system of healing that uses the 5 elements: air, earth, water, fire, and wind? 

3. Tapping/EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) is a research-based method to neutralize negative emotions as well as lessen pain states. What is a problem, pain or emotional upset? How could tapping help alleviate pain? How is tapping a research-based method? 

* Rate your pain from 1-10 (10 being the worst). Proceed to tapping. Points to use: karate, top of head, eyebrow, side of eye, under eye, under nose, under lip, collarbone, spleen (4 inches below armpit), liver, wrist. Repeat 3 times. 

4. Reflexology therapy applies pressure to the feet, hands or ears, zones that relate to every part, organ, or gland. Such pressure relieves tension and allows the body to do its work of healing. 

* Massage all points of foot, hand, or ear: how do you feel when massaging these points? 

5. Have you heard of HeartMath? The Institute of HeartMath discusses the relationship between the heart, the brain, and our emotions. 

* Try it: breathe in and out slowly through your nose then heart area, concentrate on the best time of your left or being thankful for what you have, think of a person you love or anything with great appreciation. 

6. What alternatives do you use in Ukraine? What would you like to see or experience? Which of these methods would you like to try on your own? Are you interested in alternate medicine?

 Schedule:

Saturday, 21 July at 10:30

Thursday, 26 July at 5:30 

Don’t forget about our new Suggestion Box for topic ideas!

Vinnytsia English Club on "How Active Are You?"

A busy and active life between work or school, family, sports, hobby and other activities is not that easy to lead. Tiredness could hit you and you could lose your energy. If tiredness persists, a change in your habits and routine is probably what you need to turn things around. A change in what you eat, how you move and do things and how you sleep may be all you need to fight tiredness and gain energy to power you through the day. Let's discuss this topic together:

Introductions

List (1-8) which Ukrainian destination would you like to visit this summer:

Trip to Odessa      Crimean Beach Vacation     Climb Mt. Hoverla

Catamaran Trip on the Buh      Weekend in Lviv      Trip to the Sea of Azov

Camping in the Carpathians   Visit to Uman

Discussion Topic: How Active Are You?

1. What was the most physically difficult thing you have ever accomplished?

2. How active are you during your working day? How much time do you spend sitting down each day?

3. Do you like to do something active after your working day? Are you too tired after work to have fun with your friends?

4. Do you have a good energy level? What do you do when you are feeling tired and need some energy?

5. Do you have more or less energy now compared to when you were younger?

Group Contest: What Language Do They Speak?

Schedule: Thursday, July 19 - 17:30

                 Saturday, July 21 - 10:30.

Vinnytsia English Club on Globalization

Topic: Globalization

Globalization can be conceived as a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions, expressed in transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction and power. It is characterized by four types of change. First, it involves a stretching of social, political and economic activities across frontiers, regions and continents. Second, it is marked by theintensification, or the growing magnitude, of interconnectedness and flows of trade, investment, finance, migration, culture, etc. Third, it can be linked to a speeding up of global interactions and processes, as the development of world-wide systems of transport and communication increases thevelocity of the diffusion of ideas, goods, information, capital and people. And, fourth, the growingextensity, intensity and velocity of global interactions can be associated with their deepeningimpact such that the effects of distant events can be highly significant elsewhere and specific local developments can come to have considerable global consequences. In this sense, the boundaries between domestic matters and global affairs become increasingly fluid. Globalization, in short, can be thought of as the widening, intensifying, speeding up, and growing impact of world-wide interconnectedness.

Fun Fact of the Day: As of the 2010 Census, “the foreign-born population of the U.S. is 12.5% of the total population” and rising (http://www.dosomething.org).

Topic:

1. What is “globalization”?  What images come to mind when you hear this word?  How have aspects of popular culture and technology increased globalization?  Are there any “symbols” of globalization that you can think of? 

2. What are the main pros and cons of globalization?  How has it directly affected your life?  Do you think globalization has improved peoples’ lives in general?

3. Is globalization continually growing or beginning to stabilize over time?  Is it better to embrace or ignore globalization trends?   Why do you think there is opposition to globalization?

4. Which countries or areas of the world do you think are the most positively and negatively affected by globalization?  Which areas are changing the most as a result?  How does globalization affect local economies, food production, goods distribution, and education, among other things?

5. Imagine the world 50 or 100 years from now: How do you think globalization will have changed Ukraine by then?  Do you think that globalization will continue or will it eventually start to reverse itself for more individual or localized trends?

6. What do you think of the term “global village”?  Do you think the world as one can be considered a “global village” as a result of globalization?

  Schedule:

Thursday, 19 July at 5:30

Saturday, 14 July at 10:30

 Please remember to put any topic ideas in our new Suggestion Box!

Семінар "Центри "Вікно в Америку": використання нових технологій для розширення аудиторії за допомогою мобільних "пересувних вікон"

Window on America Center Workshop, Uzhgorod, July 11-13, 2012 =
 Семінар керівників центрів "Вікно в Америку", м.Ужгород, 11-13 липня 2012 р.

More: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuF1-6pIlxg

 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.415627215155426.116824.100001244547382&type=1

Аналіз відвідування центрів «Вікно в Америку» та визначення стратегії розвитку та подальшого ефективного функціонування інформаційних центрів (модератор: Дуглас Морроу), програми для студентів та молоді (м.Ужгород, м. Тернопіль), пілотна програма USCCD (м. Вінниця, м. Луцьк, м. Донецьк), Skype-конференції та вебчати (м. Луганськ, м. Дніпропетровськ) стали ключовими поняттями першого дня семінару. 

Kyiv Education USA Advising Center /Alumni Resource Center і підтримка ним центрів «Вікно в Америку» (м. Київ, Тетяна Котко), освітнє консультування у центрах «Вікно в Америку: успіхи та виклики (м. Суми, м. Луцьк), кращі практики використання колекції eLibraryUSA: засідання-акваріум (модератори: Валентина Пашкова, Олексій Васильєв), eLibraryUSA: вивчаємо колекцію (Пег Волтер) (стратегія самостійного вивчення ресурсів, заходи з використання eLibraryUSA, стратегія пошуку та можливості використання ресурсів з eLibraryUSA) – у центрі уваги 2 дня. У спектрі розгляду 3 дня – Використання електронних рідерів Kindle: кращий досвід і виклики (модератори: Валентина Пашкова, Вікторія Чьочь), знайомство зі шляхами використання електронних рідерів для розширення колекції бібліотеки та організації програм і заходів (Пег Волтер, Валентина Пашкова, Наталя Ясько, Олексій Васильєв, Вікторі Чьочь), Ефективний та інтерактивний веб-сайт (для усіх центрів «Вікно в Америку») (м. Київ), Використання iPads: кращий досвід і виклики (засідання-акваріум).

English Club in Vinnytsia with a PC Volunteer Mila

The topic was for everyone to write their own questions and we would discuss them... Each person wrote a question ranging from: which is better dogs or cats and which uses us? is sun tanning good or bad and attractive? do other civilizations spy on us from space? would you like to live in space? is the Maya calendar a prediction of the apocolypse? are you afraid of mice? is pocket money a good thing and how old should children be to receive it? if you had a supernatural power, what would it be and why? those were the most highly discussed questions!

 Schedule:

Thursday, 12 July at 5:30

Saturday, 14 July at 10:30

Please remember to put any topic ideas in our new Suggestion Box!

A Workshop on the TOEFL IBT with Maryna Lysun - 3

The third workshop on TOEFL iBT was focused upon the exam itself. The workshop started with a short overview of all four sections, reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Then Ms Lysun explained how the questions in each section are designed and what language abilities they test.

The peculiarities of reading and listening were presented first. Ms Lysun paid attention to extra questions in these two sections. These questions are not scored but are actually being proofed for the future tests. If they are answered by certain percentage of test takers, the questions will become part of a future test and will be scored. The workshop participants struggled the most with such self-testing. On the one hand they appreciated proofing questions; on the other hand they did not want to answer extra questions on a test.

The peculiarities of writing and speaking sections were discussed next. Ms Lysun examined types of questions and their purposes. She emphasized that questions are designed to evaluate a test taker's ability to use English for academic and communicative purposes.

After the discussion on section peculiarities, the participants got a chance to look at the TOEFL iBT preparation materials available at the library and the WOA center. The materials were kindly prepared by the WOA staff, Julia Kashpruk and Olga Svirgun.

The workshop ended with Q&A. In particular, the participants were interested in Intensive English programs in the US. Ms Lysun showed some websites and explained how to search for a particular program.