We had a fantastic time on Thursday at Nehru part. This was the second ever picnic style session in the history of our club. The introductory section revolved around music, but we also brought back some old favorites, such as the “mock definitions” game, in which we come up with definitions for rare English words, and then try to guess the right meaning. Keep checking our pages for updates regarding the third and last event of the summer season.
It’s been nearly a month since we last posted on the blog. We have good news and good news. Which do you want to hear first? OK. Our beloved place seems to remain open for the upcoming season, so nothing will change in that regard. We are on the way to book a table for every second Thursday. The first session will be on September 18th, at 6:00 pm. Keep an eye out for the Facebook event!
A few significant changes are also in the pipeline. Let us introduce the concept of “topic hat”, which practically means that for every season to come there will be a long list of topics – preferably 12-15 on both local and worldwide issues. Every time we meet, we draw two or three topics from the hat randomly, crossing them out from the list.
This way we can handle the topics much more flexibly, not to mention that more people may become interested in the club sessions due to the diversity of the topics covered. We will prepare a brief vocabulary list, too, that will include the most important words for the given discussion. But wait, there’s more to it! You have a chance to recommend any topic in the world by writing a few lines about it and attaching some background information for us. We read it and decide whether it could work for a club meeting; if so, we simply drop it into the hat. Feel free to contribute to the list.
Besides the all-time favorites, we are planning to bring in a couple of very entertaining games, such as finding the most amusing and banal wikiHow entries on everyday activities and see if we could actually do them without instructions. You can expect immense fun!
Just so that you know, a part of the club’s money will be spent on Facebook advertising, which happens to be the most effective way nowadays. We have also set aside money for a new game called Last Letter. We were to purchase it during the summer, but it’s unfortunately out of stock in Hungary. Finally, as you might have seen in our Summer Course account, we have completed the Story Cubes set with the third (orange) box.
Get in the mood with the first TAKE FIVE music selection, and check out the previous posts on the blog. See you next week at CD-FŰ!
The ever-spirited club organizers are ubiquitously known to take initiatives. This summer the luscious fruit of their hard work appeared in the form of an extraordinary extracurricular event.
We put our heads together and decided to throw a party, or to be more precise, arrange a two-day English course for the first weekend of August. We set the goal of giving our students a boost with a substantial amount of English, and letting them explore new dimensions of language learning besides the usual one-to-one lessons.
The attendees were divided into two groups: A2 (elementary) and B2 (intermediate). We began both days with refreshing icebreaker games. Then came a somewhat condensed grammar section to revise tenses or the correct use of articles, among other things. Finally, we made a smooth transition into more pleasant and playful tasks, such as listening to well-known songs to find some missing words in the lyrics.
Although this was our first attempt ever at organizing a course (at least the three of us together), we received almost only positive responses. Our students seemed to enjoy most of the tasks; some of them were outstandingly popular. By the end of day one we already knew this wasn’t going to be a one-off opportunity. We are planning to return with a second course in the winter, around the beginning of December, so that anyone who missed it or becomes interested can participate.
Chances are that this is just the beginning of a never-ending journey, as we have toyed with the idea of a one-day long C1 (advanced) level course, too.
We have assembled an exhaustive photo collection in which you can find pictures of each and every task with a short description. Enjoy the rest of the summer, and get ready for the fall season of the TAKE FIVE club with a few changes and new games!
We have gone on vacation, but life never stops outside the club. The organizers are planning to hold a great meeting in July to discuss the future of the club. You can expect a few significant changes from September, all aiming at making the club better than ever. We will also decide on the fate of your financial contributions. If you have liked our Facebook page, you will be notified about the latest news.
As a way of expressing my gratitude towards our devoted attendees, I came up with the idea of assembling a virtual audio CD that contains about 20 tracks. Each of our most frequent visitors has contributed to the playlist with two of their favorite songs, mostly of genres that could serve as background music for the meetings. If you seek to unwind at the end of an exhausting day, or simply want to get a glimpse of the genuine TAKE FIVE atmosphere, this exceptionally eclectic album is the best choice for you. Click on the cover below:
Here is the full tracklist. You can click on the individual tracks to find out about a specific takefiver’s musical taste. Enjoy!
1. Dave Brubeck Quartet: Take Five >>
2. Justice: New Lands – Mózes >>
3. Bee Gees: Man in the Middle – Luca >>
4. Jimmy Somerville: Coming – Fanni >>
5. Placebo: Running Up That Hill – Orsi >>
6. Agnes Obel: Just So – Nóra >>
7. Tori Amos: Cactus Practice – Fanni >>
8. Within Temptation: In Perfect Harmony – Luca >>
9. Gary Moore: Still Got The Blues – Zoli >>
10. Lovett: Eye of the Storm – Boró >>
11. The Doors: Riders on the Storm – Zsombor >>
12. Gene Ammons: Canadian Sunset – Boró >>
13. Jim Hall Sextet: You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To – Balázs >>
14. Neal Schon: Big Moon (cover) – Zoli >>
15. Bill Evans: Peace Piece – Nóra >>
16. Simon and Garfunkel: The Sound of Silence – Orsi >>
17. Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughan: Pride and Joy – Balázs >>
18. Dire Straits: Sultans of Swing – Zsombor >>
19. Parov Stelar: Booty Swing – Mózes >>
20. Robert Cicero: So geil Berlin – Demet >>
On May 8 we were to discuss the issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), but due to low attendance, our conversation shifted to something equally exciting. Fanni and I started a debate on Facebook after she’d posted an article about Neil Harbisson, “the world’s first cyborg artist”.
This weird-looking gentleman was born colorblind. At the beginning of the 2000s, he began a project with Adam Montandon, which later became the “Eyeborg” project. They developed a “head-mounted sensor that translates colour frequences into sound frequences”. (Wikipedia) Today, after a series of events, Neil has a camera implanted into his skull that enables him to hear colors, thus overcoming the problem of colorblindness.
“I’m dressed in C major” says Neil in his rather funny and refreshing 10-minute TED presentation. It is definitely worth watching.
Although we couldn’t recall what our debate was originally about, we managed to raise a short but interesting discussion by reading out a few quotes. There were funny ones, such as “Now if I have problems perceiving a color I don’t know who to go to – an opthamologist, a neurologist, or a computer programmer.” But he went further than that with somewhat radical thoughts, which became the basis of our discussion. “Technology is made by humans so if we modify our body with human creations we become more human.” This statement could entail a day-long debate.
In the end we divided the group into two teams, put down words on slips of paper, then both teams had to roll the Story Cubes to tell their stories, using all the words. We had great fun again. Sick minds always save the night.
We have two meetings left until the summer break. Next time we’ll be discussing the issue of computers in education, that is, can computers replace teachers in the long run? If you like the topic or want to try out the tasty grilled chicken, join us next week, and don’t forget to spread the word.
TAKE FIVE is a place of ambivalence, setting the conflicting aims of raising hard-hitting issues in hopes of inciting heated debates, and at the same time providing an opportunity to chill out at the end of a grueling day playing one of our hilarious games. A bittersweet combination served along with sizzling grilled chicken and steaming tea, just to make the substantial topics easier to swallow.
In the past month our discussions have revolved around crimes, but not ordinary ones – acts that are unlawful from the perspective of jurisdiction, but far not so clear-cut when it comes to common sense.
Juvenile Crime – April 10th
Imagine the unfortunate case of a 10-year-old who finds a loaded pistol at home, and, having watched a few action movies instead of bedtime reading, he sets off to school armed just to show off. Things, however, go off the rail when he encounters his most hated teacher of all down the corridor, and, for some reason, he decides to put an end to the matter by simply pulling the trigger.
Embed from Getty ImagesAmong the flood of questions there are a few to highlight. What happens to the child? He has commited a premeditated crime, but was he fully aware of the consequences? Should he be admitted to a correctional institution or put behind bars? Is a reformatory enough to “fix” his mind? How can we be sure he would not pull the triger again once released?
We concluded that under no circumstances should children be imprisoned. The only feasible way is higher quality correctional facilities, and what’s even more important, children’s seamless reintegration into society should be ensured in the first place.
Copyright Matters – April 24th
“You wouldn’t steal a car. You wouldn’t steal a handbag…” You may remember the short anti-piracy ad before movies on DVDs. Those forty seconds convey the explicit message that stealing a car is no different at all from downloading a movie from the net. This is a logical nonsense in itself. When a car gets stolen, it is no longer there. When a movie is downloaded, however, the source file remains intact – we make a copy.
Embed from Getty ImagesThat’s where the problem of copyrights begin, as it is rather difficult to decide whether an author actually suffers a financial loss in case his work goes viral on the net without its users paying for it. Think of aspiring musicians who use Internet as a diving board into success! Besides discussing personal aspects in groups of two, and clarifying the current related laws in Hungary, we focused more on the above-mentioned approach.
I myself made attempts to challenge every point that supports piracy, but to no avail. It appears that all of the relevant industries somehow benefit from illegal downloads. Many people download a game only to try it out before finally purchasing it. Similarly, if someone falls in love with a song or performer, chances are that he will end up at a concert. Cinemas don’t seem to have run out of viewers either.
“Don’t make people pay for music, says Amanda Palmer: Let them.”
When we were arranging for the Copyright Matters discussion, Nóra posted a TED Talk which I promised her to watch. I must admit that this presentation has been one of my most cathartic TED experiences. Once you watch it, you will understand why. (English and Hungarian subtitles are available.)
Special thanks go to Zoli for helping us as a professional to put together the questions and provide background information for the copyright topic.
Having spent the third evening at CD-FŰ, we can say with certainty that TAKE FIVE has finally settled down. The perfect combination of hospitality, fine tea, tasty grilled chicken, and good music will definitely keep us around for good. Not to mention the genuine post-takefive experience, that is, a few beers (or cokes), and a nice chat with those who are not in a rush. But what has been going on within the walls of the club? You deserve a fair account.
Although the little room behind the bar was bursting at the seams, the first meeting was a great success with a light-hearted, yet fitting topic. The future of reading proved to be intriguing enough to last long and incite arguments of some sort. We discussed everything from e-books through education to private publishing. The following two topics, however, did not live up to our expectations.
We seemed to find a solution for the problem of homelessness in twenty minutes. None of us supported its criminalization. In return, we came up with the idea that abandoned buildings, of which many can be found in and around the city, could be distributed to homeless people. As for The Olympic Debts, it turned out that only one or two of us actually keep track of the Olympic events, which made it difficult to go into depth with the topic.
It probably won’t be the case with the next week’s topic – Juvenile Crime –, which is undoubtedly of a more general nature. Imagine yourself in the place of a policeman who is fulfilling his duty in an elementary school and catches an eighth grader red-handed with a packet of white powder. What would you do? You have more than a week to think it over.
No matter how the discussions go, they are always crowned with some amusing game. So far we have played Taboo and Story Cubes, but we are planning to bring back old favorites renewed, such as Alibi or that Activity-like game. We are glad to see that every single time at least one newcomer joins the meeting, what is more, they seem to enjoy their time despite the first… few minutes of embarrassment. Nothing is easier than blending with people in a language club like this!
Stay tuned as we are holding surprises for you outside of the scheduled sessions.
We exactly know how you feel, my friend. As we announced earlier, the entire crew were going to disappear due to the forthcoming exam period. We have immaculately fulfilled this promise. We nonetheless forgot to inform you about the future. ‘Cause we do know the future.
On the last Thursday of June, the mighty organizers of the club will emerge from the depths of the red haze and regain their human shapes. Thereafter, you will be able to enjoy FOUR sessions in a row before Take Five goes on vacation. There will probably be some changes from the next season. Stay up-to-date!
Here’s a brief recap of the last two meetings:
May 9th: The Hipster Paradox
We talked about a proliferating subculture that has recently arisen from its ashes: the hipsters. Who are they? A community whose goal is to stay away from everything that is considered to be mainstream. They aim to avoid being under the influence of popular culture. However, they seem to overlook a teeny-tiny detail that immediately defies the whole concept: they desperately fight against everything that is popular, which ironically results in being under control of the society. This phenomenon has been wisely named the hipster paradox. We made an attempt to figure out its underlying social aspect.
We discussed the questions of fashion, and finally talked in groups of two about our clothing habits.
May 16th: The Myth of Multitasking
We listened to an 18-minute long NPR interview. “How long can you go without checking email, or glancing at your smartphone? Clifford Nass, a psychology professor at Stanford University, says today’s nonstop multitasking actually wastes more time than it saves—and he says there’s evidence it may be killing our concentration and creativity too.”
Many people claim that they are capable of multitasking, but is it really multitasking? We shared our experiences with each other, and concluded that real multitasking is quite rare. Our minds are basically adjusted to deal with one thing at a time.
We would gladly take your comments on both topics.
Why I don’t believe in coincidences? I was walking around in the city with Nóra before the club meeting. No sooner had we reached Vörösmarty square than we heard somebody playing the trumpet. It was a middled-aged woman. We were standing meters away from her, and I said to Nóra: ‘I wish she played Take Five.’ When she finished, I walked up to her and dropped some coins into her box. We exchanged a smile, but not a single word was spoken. I turned around and went back to Nóra. That was the moment when the woman began to play Take Five. How is that possible? She had surely been playing for a while, and when we got there, she started playing the music I wanted to hear. On top of that, it was Thursday afternoon.
TAKE FIVE — English Language Club 