Just a quick heads-up

Tonight at 8 p.m. TVN is showing Happy Feet.

Tuesday topics - the letter "C" (part 1)

No riddles and puzzles this time because you will have to do quite a lot of research for our next class.

We are going to be talking about:
- convicts: historical background, settlement, life conditions, pardons and famous prisoners
- convicts in popular culture: songs, stories, art
- the impact of convict past on Aussie mentality and national pride (concentrate on "social psychology" and "why?" in this article; we'll also touch upon the concept of "mateship")


A little something to get you started. Click on the picture to watch a very interesting clip.





















(the Fremantle Prison flogging post)


and...
- crocodiles (if we have time) ;-)











(click on the picture)

THURSDAY FILM CLUB ONLINE - rules of use

Here you will find a link to my chomikuj.pl account. I will be uploading films which we discuss as part of our Film Club, as well as ones which are topic-related but we simply will not have time to watch.

I'm doing this because most of them are not available in any form on the Polish market / DVD libraries.

















Because of copyright issues I would like you all to observe certain rules, please!

1. The files will be stored on the account for up to two weeks after each Thursday Film Club meeting. I will remove them later.

2. Please if you don't have to, do not download the files on your computer. "Chomik" has a special integrated player which allows you to watch the films online.

3. I am aware that sometimes, for a number of reasons, you may need to download the files, but please remember that you should delete them from your drive within 24h.

4. You will find all the files in the folder called "Thursday Film Club". It is protected with the password "AUSSIE".



Update:

Films currently available:
1. Rabbit-Proof Fence
2. The Castle

FILM CLUB confirmation

THURSDAY FILM CLUB

11:30 (room 110)


Come to see this wonderful, touching tale about indigenous Australians and have a friendly chat afterwards.

Don't forget to bring some chocolate and wine gums so we can celebrate WOMBAT DAY properly! ;-)

FREE TEA & COFFEE! ;-)

Tuesday BBQ leftovers...

... or the things you didn't see on the small screen of my laptop ;-)

Click on the picture to learn more about the the Great Comet of 2007.
















Do you remember the name of the state fish of New South Wales? The little blue fellow who changes its gender? Yes? No? Follow the link to read more. ;-)

And finally a hearty recommendation - click on the picture below to check out a really amazing website.















More will follow soon.

It seems we'll be able to grab room 110 for the Film Club on Thursday. I'll let you know when it is official.

22 October - Wombat Day

Well, I wasn't planning this but there is special "someone" reading this blog who forced me (almost at gunpoint) to post something about a WOMBAT ;-)

And "it can't have been a coincidence" that on October 22 Australians celebrate "Wombat Day". Click on the picture to read more.



















If you want to make your own origami wombat to celebrate the day, here are the instructions:

Tuesday topics

As you all remember this week we're going to explore the letter "B".

Being the cruel and wicked person I am, I thought it'd be more interesting if I didn't give you a list of topics but just some hints on what you may expect on Tuesday ;-)

So here they go:

1. Watch and listen to this clip. If you want to check the lyrics just follow the link. You'll find some information about the artists here.

2. Click on the picture to find out more.

















3. Solve the picture puzzle.
You need two words ( _ _ _ _ _ _ ) ( _ _ _ ). When you read them aloud you should guess the third topic.

(Hint 1: these two puzzle words begin with consecutive letters of the alphabet. Hint 2: the word you are looking for has a well known 3-letter abbreviation)













































4. And you can read a little about our last two topics here.

Good luck! :-)

Comments update

I've changed the setting so now you all should be able to comment, not only registered users.

Aussie humour to warm this cold day ;-)

Apparently the following questions were posted on an Australian Tourism website and the answers are the actual responses from the website officials who obviously have a great sense of humour and a low tolerance threshold for cretins (as all Aussies do!)

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? (UK).
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)
A:Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q:I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q:Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia ? (USA)
A: A-Fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe .
Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not
... Oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.

Q:Which direction is North in Australia ? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? (UK)
A:Why? Just use your fingers like we do...

Q:Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is
Oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? (UK)
A: You are a British politician, right?

Q:Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? (Germany)
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q:Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can Dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from. All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q:I have a question about a famous animal in Australia , but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. (USA)
A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q:I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia? (USA)
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q:Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first


















And if someone is interested to learn more about Drop Bears just follow the link ;-)
(taken from: http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/)

A big THANK YOU :-)

... for coming PREPARED to the classes. Much appreciated!

Special words of thanks to Grzegorz for his brilliant didgeridoo presentation. Good on you mate!

Click on the pictures to listen to traditional didgeridoo music as well as a modern combo of traditional and present-day instruments.





































Click here to see the clip I used today as introduction to our class. And make sure you read the info on the right. The Games is a famed spoof documentary, and as soon as I get the DVD we'll watch some clips in class.

Comedians and satirists John Clarke and Bryan Dawe (who both starred in The Games) are mostly known for their mock interviews in which Clarke takes on the persona of a politician and has to answer some difficult questions from Dawe. "The Front Fell Off" is one legendary interview from that pair.


Here you will find the actual "Sorry Speech" given by Kevin Rudd. You can compare the two and see which of them is more effective.

And finally go and see what Weta Digital is capable of. Start with their commercials (especially Snowball) and then go and explore their reels.

Getting prepared for tomorrow

Just a sneak preview of what we'll be taking about tomorrow.

To learn more about SORRY DAY and STOLEN GENERATIONS just click here.

Click on the picture to read about "Ten Canoes" (2006), an amazing film which, sadly, we will not be able to see in our Film Club.

Read the curator's notes, and then watch the clips. They offer a wonderful glimpse at Aboriginal culture.

Goodbye Sam!

Do you remember Sam, the koala, from the quiz we had on Tuesday?

Well, today I read some sad news... Click here to read the article which is featured today on www.thefreedictionary.com





Goodbye to little brave Sam who has become the symbol of hope after February bushfires in Victoria.

Film club update

I had a good look at your timetable and it seems that we all could meet on Thursdays at 11:30 in room 001.

Well, obviously every three weeks you will have classes with dr Litovkina at that time, but for the rest of the month you are all available (and the teacher groups have to wait for their other classes anyway).

We could start on October 15th with Rabbit Proof Fence or The Castle, and then see another film on October 22nd.

Think about it and let me know your decision next time we meet, ok?

Lock, stock and ...

...a couple of things I didn't post yesterday.



First of all the list of participants:



The sixteen lucky cobbers (friends) are:



1. Marcin Bieniek

2. Judyta Deker

3. Anna Franiak

4. Bogusław Górski

5. Katarzyna Gryzło

6. Anna Homoncik

7. Grzegorz Małojło

8. Olga Stolarczyk

9. Izabela Stroka

10. Łukasz Strzelczyk

11. Anna Szczepanek

12. Jolanta Szkaradek

13. Dorota Szymusiak

14. Donata Topór

15. Łukasz Trybus

16. Jakub Żak




And for your amusement Dylan Moran dissing Australia one more time ;-)


(some quotations from his stand-up were used in the foreword for Australia Travel Guide published by Lonely Planet)

Lessons 1 & 2

The letter "A"

Here are some of the topic we are going to cover:

- Aussie soul [film: THE CASTLE]
- Adelaide
- administration
- Aborigines (Sorry Day and Stolen Generation) [film: RABBIT PROOF FENCE]
- animation in Australia [films: HARVIE KRUMPET / HAPPY FEET]
- the ABC of Australia

So, how does it work exactly?

Well, I DO hope you listened carefully in the class, but if someone is still a little confused here is the general idea again:

1. In each class we will be talking about an array of Australia-related topics, all of which will begin with a given letter of the alphabet.

2. You will know these topics in advance, so you'll be able to find out some information beforehand.

3. In class, first I'll give a short presentation with audio/video materials, and then will be asking you some very tricky questions.

4. You will have a chance to score points (marks) for giving me answers which are not only correct but also interesting.


Still confused?

Well, then watch this clip. It comes from "QI" - a gameshow hosted by the brilliant Stephen Fry [no, he isn't Australian but he can do a very convincing Aussie accent ;-) ]. Anyway, our classes will be based on the same format as QI. Is that clear now? ;-)

G'day!

Hello everyone!


So you have successfully made it here. Well done! ;-)

Please check this space regularly - I will be adding tons of materials, clips, links and pictures related to the topics of our classes.

Also please feel free to comment and add your own recommendations. They are most welcome!

Happy exploring!