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Photos by Erika Sólyom
At the first StoryCorps & More event, participants listened to and had a follow-up discussion on Halloween stories and the American customs related to the holiday. Participants also shared their personal stories about experiences related to Halloween and similar holidays around the world. October 20, 2009 | Tuesday the Institute for International Affairs, Corvinus University of Budapest and the Embassy of the United States Presentation | Washington's Current Concerns: NATO in Afghanistan, Iran and Nuclear Proliferation and European Missile Defense Guest Speaker | DR. ANDREW J. PIERRE Location | Corvinus University | Main Building | Fővám tér 8. | Ground Floor | Lecture Hall #1 Andrew J. Pierre, a well-known expert in International Relations and American Foreign Policy, gave a presentation to an audience of 120 students at Corvinus University titled as Washington's Current Concerns. Dr. Pierre is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He has testified before the U.S. Congress, and is frequently interviewed on television programs such as PBS Lehrer News Hour, ABC Nightline, Good Morning America, BBC, CNN and Canadian Broadcasting and France-1 in French.
October 16, 2009 | Friday 8:30 PM
"Harmony for Humanity" Jazz Night | Commemoration of DANIEL PEARL
Location | Budapest Jazz Club | Budapest | 8th District | Muzeum utca 7. With the support of U.S. Embassy Budapest and the American Corner Budapest, the Bende Zolt Quintet and the Tzumo Acoustic Trio dedicated a concert and a jam session on Friday, October 16 at 8.30 p.m. to honor the memory of Daniel Pearl at the Budapest Jazz Club.
One of the hottest of Budapest’s night musical scenes was packed, and the audience enthusiastically listened to the concert that was part of the international “Harmony for Humanity” program. Jam sessions are all about improvisation, which is a way of demonstrating cooperation, paying attention to others and trying to be in harmony together, thus they perfectly match the message of tolerance. John Balian, the Cultural Attaché of the U.S. Embassy took this opportunity to commemorate Daniel Pearl, and expressed the Embassy’s support and dedication for promoting tolerance and mutual understanding in Hungary. He also reiterated President Obama’s greetings to the participants who build bridges through music and conveyed his acknowledgement to the man who promoted respect and dialogue throughout the world.  Photos by Mónika Váli, US Embassy
Daniel Pearl was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal who was kidnapped and murdered by extremists in Pakistan in 2002. After his death, his family and friends came together to work for a more humane world, forming the Daniel Pearl Foundation, whose mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and dialogue. Since 2002, musicians around the world have dedicated thousands of concerts and performances in his honor and in the spirit of “Harmony for Humanity.”
Related websites October 14, 2009 | Wednesday 6:00 – 8:00 PM
"BRIDGES" SERIES documentaries on topics related to hungarian and american cultures and the bridges connecting them D O C U M E N T A R Y F I L M S C R E E N I N G "JOURNEY HOME" followed by D I S C U S S I O N with D I R E C T O R Guest Speaker | RÉKA PIGNICZKY | Television Journalist, Producer and Documentary Filmmaker Location | Corvinus University | Salt House Building | Basement | Lecture Hall #3 (TBC)
American Corner Budapest is introducing a new film series (in addition to its regular Movie Nights) titled as Bridges, dedicated to events (exhibtions, film screenings, presentations, etc.) on topics related to Hungarian and American cultures and the bridges connecting them. The first event is a documentary film screening of Journey Home, directed by Réka Pigniczky, Hungarian-American documentary filmmaker. |
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Journey Home is a documentary film about two sisters who try to find out what their father did as a freedom fighter during the Hungarian revolution of 1956. The story unfolds as the women take their father’s ashes from the U.S. to Hungary to fulfill his dying request to be buried in his native land, a place to which he never returned after fleeing in 1956. The journey veers off course when the sisters realize that their father’s role in Hungary’s uprising was never really questioned – and never really documented. Maybe it never happened. Taking place in Budapest a half-century after the fateful events that took nearly 3,000 lives and forced more than 200,000 Hungarians to emigrate, Journey Home documents László Pigniczky’s daughters as they take a personal – sometimes disturbing, sometimes humorous – trek into the history of 1956. Armed only with their deceased father’s vague anecdotes and their own curiosity about the past, they try to piece together the puzzle of their father’s role in Hungary’s seemingly futile battle against the Soviet Union. The sisters research their father’s story at the Hungarian secret service archives, interview surviving ‘56ers who might have known and fought with their father, consult with historians, and physically try to retrace their father’s footsteps from the first days of the revolution, through the street fights of early November, until his escape through Yugoslavia to the United States. They find out far more than they hoped for, although their father’s story takes a number of unexpected turns along the way. By the end of the film, his journey home has become their own emotional journey to understand their father and the events that shaped both his life and their own upbringing.
[Source: http://www.56films.com/english/home]
English Day at Vörösmarty High School
Guest Speakers
CLARE JACKMAN | UC San Diego Graduate | AC Budapest Intern
ERIKA SÓLYOM | Director | AC Budapest
Location | Vörösmarty High School | Budapest
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| Photos by Erika Sólyom |
October 8, 2009 | Thursday
5:00 – 6:30 PM
EVENT SERIES | presidents #3
Presentation | The Generational Promise and Politics of Barack Obama
Guest Speaker | PROF. DAVID SCHULTZ | Professor, Hamline University | St. Paul, Minnesota
Registration required | amcorner@uni-corvinus.hu | Limited seats available
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
What did the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States represent in 2008? Can he live up to his promise to bring about change in America and around the world? Professor Schultz's talk examined the reasons behind President Obama's victory, introducing two short films titled asPeace in Our Time 1938 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmH5A6QsqRY)
and
Vietnam Saigon Evacuation (www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AiyFF9qOls).
During the lecture, he paid special attention to the generational differences of the presidential candidates as well as voters. Professor Schultz then assessed the successes and changes President Obama has brought about so far in 2009.
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David Schultz is a professor of public administration at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota and a professor of law and the University of Minnesota. He is a Fulbright scholar at Corvinus University. Professor Schultz is author of more than 25 books and 70 articles on American politics, law, economics, and public administration. He is internationally recognized as an expert in these fields and is frequently quoted in the Economist, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post,Time, Newsweek, Radio Free Europe, La Nouvelle Observateur, L’Express, the Financial Times and Reuters News service.
Professor Schultz can be reached at <dschultz@hamline.edu>
October 6, 2009 | Tuesday
Guest Speaker | CLARE JACKMAN | UC San Diego Graduate | AC Intern
Registration required | amcorner@uni-corvinus.hu | Limited seats available
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House BuildingThe first part of TALC#6 was dedicated to the origins and controversies of Columbus Day in the United States. The second part of the session, similarly to past meetings, was a free discussion between participants and invited guest speaker.
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TALCTuesday American Language Club
The American Corner Budapest has launched a regular program.
For those who would like to practice their English.
From April, Two Thousand and Nine.
On the first Tuesday of each month.
An English Conversation Club.
With native speaker guests.
All are welcome.
Don't be shy.
TALC to us.
October 5, 2009 | Monday | First Workshop Meeting
EVENT SERIES | entrepreneurship #1 - #15
Workshop | Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities of Entrepreneurship
The Entrepreneurship Workshop by the European Entrepreneurship Foundation and the YBL Club is supported by the Common Sense Society, Ivy Plus, Embassy of the United States of America and the American Corner Budapest at Corvinus University.
The weekly, Monday evening one-trimester Entrepreneurship Workshop - starting 5 October – is free. However admission is limited, so hurry and submit your resume and motivation letter by no later than September 21, to peter@zabolj.com
For more information, please visit the following website | http://sites.google.com/site/entrepreneurshipclassinfo/
KIDSCORNER | 2009 october | kids corner event #3
October 4, 2009 | Sunday
1:00 – 2:00 PM
TENT OF TALES | Part of Ráday Képesház Children’s Programs
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At the Danube Literary and Cultural Festival | A Dunánál Irodalmi-könyves-kulturális Fesztivál
Ráday House of Books organized a Literary and Cultural Festival between October 2 - 4, 009. Part of the program called Meseház ('House of Tales') was dedicated to children and telling tales to children in foreign languages. The American Corner Budapest hosted a one-hour story telling session in English. Children’s programs took place in the cozy 'Tent of Tales' (Mesék Sátra) on Ráday street. Clare Jackman, American Corner Budapest intern and native speaker volunteers read stories by American children's author Eric Carle and helped lead the kids in activies based on the stories.
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Photos by Erika Sólyom
For more information about the fall festival program in Hungarian, please visit the website of Ráday Könyvesház at www.radaykonyveshaz.hu
Location | BAKÁTS TÉR at Ráday street | 9th District
September 29, 2009 | Tuesday
6:00 – 7:30 PM
EVENT SERIES | alumni #2
Johns Hopkins University Alumni Chapter Meeting
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
Similarly to the earlier Fulbright Alumni Meeting, the American Corner hosted an event for the Johns Hopkins Chapter in Hungary. Members of the Alumni group had a chance to learn about the past as well as planned future activities of the American Corner Budapest office.
September 17, 2009 | Thursday
5:00 – 7:30 PM
regular programs | MOVIE NIGHTS #2
title | The Pelican Brief | 141 minutes
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
In May 2009, the American Corner launched its second regular program series called Movie Nights. All the MOVIES are shown IN ENGLISH.The film screenings are FREE. All visitors are WELCOME. Based on the John Grisham novel, THE PELICAN BRIEF is a movie written for the screen, produced and directed by Alan J. Pakula in 1993.
As two Supreme Court Justices have just been murdered in Washington D.C., Prof. Thomas Callahan, an alcoholic but talented law teacher, and his student Darbie Shaw, try to figure out the reason for these murders. After a week of researches in the library, Darbie writes a short essay she calls "The Pelican Brief". In this brief, she directly accuses the White House and the man who was the main financial support of the last President election campaign of being responsible for these acts.
Callahan brings the brief to Washington D.C. and gives it to his old friend John Heard who works as a lawyer for the F.B.I. The next day, Callahan dies in the explosion of his car and Darbie Shaw decides to contact the journalist Denzel Washington who was already working on the case. John Heard is soon killed and Darbie Shaw gets out of several murder attempts.
Meanwhile, the President has been informed by the F.B.I. of the content of the Pelican Brief. He asks the F.B.I. director to disregard these accusations that implies him, and his chief of staff to definitively settle this matter. As for Washington, his boss doesn't want to print the story before more evidence incriminating the White House is found.
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Presentation | The Mission and Main Activities of the American Corner Budapest
Presenter | ERIKA SÓLYOM | Director | American Corner Budapest
During the International Student Orientation, Erika Sólyom, director of American Corner Budapest, spoke in front of four hundred incoming international students about the past events as well as the upcoming activities the American Corner will offer throughout the year.
Event | International School Opening and Orientation at Corvinus University
Location | Corvinus University | Main Building | Fővám tér 8. | Ground Floor | Lecture Hall #4
September 8, 2009 | Tuesday
5:30 - 6:30 PM
TALC | Tuesday American Language Club #5
Free Discussion with Native Speaker(s)
Guest Speaker | FLORA CSONTOS | UC Davis, CA
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
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TALCTuesday American Language Club
The American Corner Budapest has launched a regular program.
For those who would like to practice their English.
From April, Two Thousand and Nine.
On the first Tuesday of each month.
An English Conversation Club.
With native speaker guests.
All are welcome.
Don't be shy.
TALC to us.
***IMPORTANT NOTE FOR AUGUST****IMPORTANT NOTE FOR AUGUST***
Please note that the American Corner Budapest office is
closed in August, 2009.
Please note that during the summer recess,
the Corner Library is also closed.
The office will reopen at 1pm on Thursday, September 3rd, 2009.
In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.” | Source:Wikipedia |
JULYFOURTHCELEBRATIONJULYFOURTHCELEBRATION
INDEPENDENCEDAYINDEPENDENCEDAYINDEPENDENCE
July 1, 2009 | Wednesday
The American Corner Budapest's Annual July Fourth Celebration
The program began with the exhibition opening of MOTEL | American Night Photographs by Shandor Hassan, New York-based artist and Fulbright scholar in residence.
The festive opening attracted over fifty visitors, including students, artists and other guests.
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The exhibition opening featured a jazz tribute from Hungarian-American jazz singer Erika Lakatos and well-known local jazz pianist, Béla Szakcsi Lakatos Jr.
In the evening, following the exhibition opening, the Independence Day celebration concluded with a swing concert of Szakál Duo, hosted by IF Café.
Welcoming the audience were the Budapest Corner Director, Erika Sólyom and the U.S. Embassy Press Attaché, Jan Krč.
The Director of Ráday Könyvesház Gallery, György Orbán introduced the photographer who shared his Fourth of July memories from childhood.
In his reflections, artist Shandor Hassan noted that “the collection of work MOTEL refers to the transience of the American experience that our home is somehow on the road.”
Hassan’s use of the stark darkness is, as he explains, “to place these environments into a landscape that is apparently American, yet vast and endlessly connected to the borders of space itself, and thus becomes universal, a kind of projection that America has onto the environment that go beyond its borders.”
July 1, 2009 | Wednesday
5:30 - 7:30 PM
Program | P h o t o E x h i b i t i o n Opening & Reception
Location | Ráday Könyvesház Gallery | Ráday utca 25.
Jazz Tribute to July Fourth
VOCAL | Erika Lakatos | Hungarian-American Jazz Singer
MUSIC | Béla Szakcsi Lakatos, Jr. | Jazz Piano
"TRUCK" | Night Photograph by SHANDOR HASSAN
July 1, 2009 | Wednesday
7:30 - 9:30 PM
Program | M u s i c Reception | Swing Forever
Location | IF Café & Restaurant | Ráday utca 19.
Swing Tribute to July Fourth
MUSIC | László & Tamás Szakál | Piano & Violin
July 7, 2009 | Tuesday
5:30 - 6:30 PM
TALC | Tuesday American Language Club #4
Free Discussion with MATTHEW WILLIAMS | Shanandoah University, VA
Registration required | amcorner@uni-corvinus.hu | Limited seats available
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
TALCTuesday American Language Club
The American Corner Budapest has launched a regular program.
For those who would like to practice their English.
From April, Two Thousand and Nine.
On the first Tuesday of each month.
An English Conversation Club.
With native speaker guests.
All are welcome.
Don't be shy.
TALC to us.
June 19, 2009 | Friday
4:00 - 5:00 PM
The History of STREET BALL - Part 2
Big Street Ball Tournaments and Organizations
Presentation (in Hungarian) by KRISZTIÁN KINDLER
Registration required | amcorner@uni-corvinus.hu
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
A Hoops Starz elnevezésű rendezvénysorozat az utcai kosárlabda eredeti, küzdelmes, de ugyanakkor látványos és szórakoztató ágát mutatja be. A rendezvénysorozat célja, hogy a sportot szerető hazai közönség körében minél többen megismerjék és megszeressék a kosárlabda eme sajátos formáját, és ezen keresztül új élményekkel, tapasztalatokkal, ismeretségekkel gazdagodjanak.
A HOOPS STARZ TOUR 2009 Streetball verseny 2009. június 20-ai (szombati) programjának rendezője Az Utca Hangja Szabadidő és Sport Egyesület. A budapesti helyszínt minden alkalommal nagy várakozás előzi meg, hiszen a főváros a legjobb csapatokat delegálja a versenyre.
A játékra ezúttal a Szent Imre Gimnázium kinti pályáin került sor, délelőtt 11 órai kezdettel.
Regisztráció | amcorner@uni-corvinus.hu
The organizer of the HOOPS STARZ TOUR 2009 Streetball Competition on June 20th, 2009 (Saturday) was the "Utca Hangja Szabadidő és Sport Egyesület" (Sound of the Street Recreation and Sport Association). Great anticipation precedes the street ball events in Budapest since the capital only sends its best teams to the event. Teams competed for this privilege starting at 11 am at Szent Imre High School's outside courts.
The day before game day, at 4pm on Friday, June 19th, 2009, Krisztián Kindler, the founder of the Hoops Starz Streetball competitive series, held a presentation in Hungarian about the history of Street Ball in the American Corner Budapest office.
June 2, 2009 | Tuesday
6:00 - 7:00 PM
TALC | Tuesday American Language Club #3
Free Discussion with JULIA CABRAL | Berkeley, CA
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
TALCTuesday American Language Club
The American Corner Budapest has launched a regular program.
For those who would like to practice their English.
From April, Two Thousand and Nine.
On the first Tuesday of each month.
An English Conversation Club.
With native speaker guests.
All are welcome.
Don't be shy.
TALC to us.
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| Photos by Réka Tózsa |
May 28, 2009 | Thursday
5:00 - 7:00 PM
regular programs | MOVIE NIGHTS #1
commemoration of WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
title | All the President's Men
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
In June of 1972, a security guard discovers a break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington's Watergate Hotel. Supported by managing editor Ben Bradlee (Robards in an Oscar-winning performance) and fed background info by the mysterious government employee they call "Deep Throat" (Holbrook), young investigative Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein pursue the story.
This 1976 film, based on the two reporters' book of the same name and chronicling a true story that occurred not four years before, is a classic political thriller. Even with an ending that's a foregone conclusion, it manages an impressive level of tension and suspense. Redford and Hoffman make a terrific team. Jane Alexander shines in a small role as a terrified bookkeeper who helps reveal the truth, and Meredith Baxter, Ned Beatty, and F. Murray Abraham may also be glimpsed among the cast. Frank Wills, the actual security guard who discovered the breakin, does a cameo as himself. The opening and the conclusion are especially sharp. The movie also won Oscars for Best Sound, Best Art Direction (that $450,000 replica of the Post newsroom), and Best Writing based on another medium (the great William Goldman).
Source: http://www.allwatchers.com/topics/info_11758.asp
May 7, 2009 | Thursday
5:00 - 6:00 PM
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
EVENT SERIES | presidents #2
P u b l i c P r e s e n t a t i o n
Commemoration of World Press Freedom Day
Introductory Notes by JAN KRC, Press Attache, US Embassy Budapest
The Obama Presidential Campaign in the United States
Presentation by É. ESZTER NAGY
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Photos by Réka Tózsa and Erika Sólyom
May 5, 2009 | Tuesday
4:30 - 6:30 PM
TALC | Tuesday American Language Club #2
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
TALCTuesday American Language Club
The American Corner Budapest has launched a regular program.
For those who would like to practice their English.
From April, Two Thousand and Nine.
On the first Tuesday of each month.
An English Conversation Club.
With native speaker guests.
All are welcome.
Don't be shy.
TALC to us.
4:30 - 5:30 PM
Mini-TALC Session | For Beginner Speakers of English
Free Discussion with ARTHUR MINAS | Los Angeles, CA
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5:30 - 6:30 PM
Maxi-TALC Session | For Intermediate/Advanced Speakers of English
"How US Media Entertainment Shapes People's Beliefs About the USA"
Guided Discussion with PROF. REBECCA CHORY | West Virgina University
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April 24, 2009 | Friday
3:30 - 5:30 PM
EVENT SERIES | presidents #1 | alumni #1
F u l b r i g h t A l u m n i M e e t i n g
The First 100 Days of the Obama Presidency and New Priorities in US Foreign Policy
Discussion with MICHAEL J. HURLEY, PAO, US Embassy Budapest
American Corner | Corvinus University | Salt House Building | Ground Floor
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April 23, 2009 | Thursday
5:00 - 7:30 PM
Climate Change and Environmental Protection
Documentary Film Screening
Follow-up Discussion with DR. ZOLTAN ILLES and DR. ZOLTAN DUNKEL
American Corner | Corvinus University | Salt House Building | Ground Floor
5:00 - 6:30 Film Screening
6:30 - 7:30 Discussion with Experts
FILM
An Inconvenient Truth is a documentary film about global warming that came out in 2006 and won Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and for Best Original Song. The film was directed by Davis Guggenheim and presented by Al Gore, former United States Vice President.
ZOLTAN ILLES
Zoltan Illes is an Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy at CEU. He is also an instructor at ELTE and Godollo University. He has strong roots in the green movement. Founder and a member of several green NGOs. He is an environmental advocate and politician. Member of Hungarian Parliament for 8 years. Chairman of Committee on Environmental Protection and Water Conservation. In 1990, Deputy State Secretary of Ministry of Environment and Water Management. Between 1991-94, Senior Advisor to the Ambassador of EU. Member of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
ZOLTAN DUNKEL
Zoltan Dunkel is the Chief Advisor of OMSZ, the Hungarian Meteorological Service. In 2006, he received Doctor Habilitatus of Crop Sciences and Horticulture at Corvinus University. In addition to his Ph.D. degrees in Sciences of Phytotechniques and Horticulture and Geophysical Sciences, he holds masters degree in Meteorology and Mathematics. Held several positions at the Hungarian Meteorological Service such as Researcher (1977-1984), Head of Department (1984-1993), Scientific Secretary (1993-1998), Head of International Division (2002-2005) and President (2005-2007). He also served as a Scientific Secretary at the EU COST Meteorology in Brussels (1998-2001). Member of New York Academy of Sciences (1995-96) and Accademia dei Georgofili, in Florence, Italy. In addition to his professional career, he also teaches university courses in Budapest Corvinus University.
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April 23, 2009 | Thursday
4:00 - 5:00 PM
Walk-in Discussion on Recycling
with NISHA McSWANE-WILLIAMS | UC Santa Cruz Study Abroad Student
American Corner | Corvinus University | Salt House Building | Ground Floor
Photo by Erika Sólyom
KIDSCORNER | 2009 march | kids corner event #2
April 22, 2009 | Wednesday
5:00 - 6:00 PM
Earth Day Junk Art Workshop
with MARCUS GOLDSON
American Corner | Corvinus University | Salt House Building | Ground Floor
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| Painting by Marcus Goldson |
MARCUS GOLDSON is a British multi-media artist who grew up in Kenya. Presently, he lives in Budapest and teaches art in a local high school. He also sells his own work, which includes paintings and sculptures. Last year, he helped produce a major exhibition of Junk Art, also known as Trash Art, in Budapest.
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April 7th, 2009 | Tuesday
5:30 - 6:30 PM
TALC | Tuesday American Language Club #1
Guided Discussion with PROF. ROBIN WELLINGTON | New York, USA
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
TALCTuesday American Language Club
The American Corner Budapest has launched a regular program.
For those who would like to practice their English.
From April, Two Thousand and Nine.
On the first Tuesday of each month.
An English Conversation Club.
With native speaker guests.
All are welcome.
Don't be shy.
TALC to us.
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| Photos by Erika Sólyom |
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March 27th, 2009 | Friday
3:00 - 7:30 PM
EVENT SERIES | tolerance #3
S a l u t i n g W o m e n's H i s t o r y M o n t h
Human Rights Workshop and Film Screening
with MICHAEL SIMMONS
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
3:00 – 5:00 PM: HUMAN RIGHTS WORKSHOP AND INTRODUCTION OF “NO!”
5:00 – 6:30 PM: FILM SCREENING OF DOCUMENTARY “NO!”
Please click here for interview with Aishah Shahidah Simmons about the documentary
6:30 – 7:30 PM: FILM DISCUSSION
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| Photos by Linda Carranza | ||
Eleven years in the making, documentary NO! explores the international reality of rape and other forms of sexual assault through the first person testimonies, scholarship, spirituality, activism and cultural work of African Americans. Since its official release in 2006, NO! has been screened and distributed to racially and ethnically diverse audiences at film festivals, community centers, colleges/universities, high schools, correctional facilities, rape crisis centers, battered women shelters and conferences throughout the United States, France, Spain, Rwanda, Kenya, Nepal, South Africa, Jordan, Burkina Faso, Peru and Mexico.
MICHAEL SIMMONS
International human rights activist with a 45-year career in peace and justice work. Played central role in organizing activities of the African American Civil Rights Movement as member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Co-author of both SNCC Black Consciousness Paper and SNCC Anti-Vietnam War Statement; jailed for two and a half years as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. Passionate life-long advocate and organizer, building on the history of African Americans to make thematic connections between domestic and international issues. Lectures, presentations, and writings cover subjects such as Civil Rights Movement, anti-Vietnam War movement, Balkan-area conflicts, anti-nuclear proliferation, nonviolent conflict resolution, antimilitarism and conscientious objection, and nonviolent social activism. Further areas of expertise include peace and reconciliation, anti-discrimination, advocacy on behalf of women, Roma, and ethnic minorities of Central Europe.
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March 24th, 2009 | Tuesday
3:00 - 4:30 PM
EVENT SERIES | tolerance #2
"Survivor Testimony - Talking About Tolerance" Lecture
by IRVING ROTH
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University Salt House Building | Basement | Room #2
IRVING ROTH
Mr. Roth is the Director of the Holocaust Resource Center – Temple Judea of Manhasset and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maine. He is a recognized speaker on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust and is a frequent lecturer at colleges and universities in the United States, Canada and Europe. As a Holocaust survivor, he provides personal testimony on his experiences during WWII.
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March 20th, 2009 | Friday
3:00 – 4:00 PM
EVENT SERIES | tolerance #1
V i d e o s o n T o l e r a n c e
US Embassy 2009 Tolerance Video Competition Awards Ceremony
Berzsenyi High School | Budapest | 13th District | Kárpát utca 49-53.
The American Embassy in Budapest has sponsored the 2009 Tolerance Video Competition to highlight the importance of practicing tolerance towards others. High school students in Hungary have been invited to submit a short video clip on YouTube that captures the tolerance message in a creative, imaginative, and thought-provoking way. Finalists were invited to an awards ceremony, hosted by the U.S. Embassy and the American Corner Budapest office on March 20th, 2009 at Berzsenyi High School in Budapest.
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The ceremony began with the opening remarks of Erika Solyom, Director of the American Corner Budapest who gave a brief description about the tolerance mission of American Corners throughout the world. Then, Dr. Katalin Okordi, Deputy Director of Berzsenyi High School welcomed the guests and introduced the upcoming tolerance week at the school.
In her speech, Ambassador April H. Foley, emphasized the bonds that bridge our differences and unite us as people. She said that "these bonds are based on mutual understanding and they represent countless triumphs over discrimination and prejudice." Ambassador Foley added that "they are the bonds that create the foundation upon which equality and justice for all can thrive."
Adam Kenyeres, one of the students of Berzsenyi High School, talked about his multicultural experience during the time his family lived in the United States and in Canada.
Before the announcement of the finalists, guests had an opportunity to watch a few of the videos submitted for the competition. In between the videoclips, the special guest of the program Andreas, a Roma singer performed his songs, including his famous piece about tolerance and anti-discrimination titled as "Don't be ashamed of the color of your skin."
As the highlight of the Awards Ceremony, the finalist were called to the podium and received their presents from Ambassador Foley.
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First place: |
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Second place: |
 Photos by Attila Nemeth, US Embassy |
Third place: |
March 10th, 2009 | Tuesday
9:00 - 11:00 AM
Pre-school International Week - American Rhymes and Children's Songs
Budapest | 5th District | Public Pre-School
A group of US study abroad students visited a local pre-school in Budapest during the international week celebrated in the school, between March 9 - 13, 2009. American undergraduate university students visited all six groups of the school and taught rhymes and children's songs in English to over a hundred Hungarian kids. The event was a great success. This program was the first event in the Kids Corner event series of the American Corner Budapest office. |
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| Photos by Margaret Reed |
February 18th, 2009 | Wednesday
Round-table Discussion: Nonviolence and Peace
Dr. Lafayette’s Meeting with Hungarian Youth Groups
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
Dr. Bernard Lafayette met with the representatives of the youth groups of Hungary’s five parliamentary parties, including FIDESZ Youth Section, FIDESZ Fidelitas, MSZP Societas, SZDSZ New Generation, MDF Youth Democratic Forum and the KDNP Youth Christian Democratic Alliance.
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Photos by Attila Nemeth, US Embassy
February 18th & 20th, 2009 | Wednesday & Friday
Round-table Discussion: Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement
Dr. Lafayette’s Meeting with Roma Leaders of Hungary
American Corner Budapest | Corvinus University | Salt House Building
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Photos by Attila Nemeth, US Embassy
Biography | Bernard LaFayette, Director of Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
Clikk here for the website of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies
An ordained minister, Dr. LaFayette earned his B.A. from the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee, and his Ed.M. and Ed.D from Harvard University. He has served on the faculties of Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta and Alabama State University in Montgomery, where he was Dean of the Graduate School; he also was principal of Tuskegee Institute High School in Tuskegee, Alabama and a teaching fellow at Harvard University.
His publications include the Curriculum and Training Manual for the Martin Luther King, Jr., Nonviolent Community Leadership Training Program, his doctoral thesis, Pedagogy for Peace and Nonviolence, and Campus Ministries and Social Change in the ‘60’s (Duke Divinity Review) and The Leaders Manual: A Structured Guide and Introduction to Kingian Nonviolence with David Jehnsen. Bernard LaFayette has traveled extensively to many countries as a lecturer and consultant on peace and nonviolence.
Dr. LaFayette is a former President of the American Baptist College of ABT Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee; Scholar in Residence at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, Georgia; and Pastor emeritus of the Progressive Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.
He is the Founder and National President of God-Parents Clubs, Inc., a national community based program aimed at preventing the systematic incarceration of young Black youth; a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and founder of the Association For Kingian Nonviolence, Education and Training Works.
Dr. LaFayette is currently a Distinguished-Scholar-in-Residence and Director of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at the University of Rhode Island. He is the chairperson for the International Nonviolence Executive Planning Board. He has been re-appointed by Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri as the chairman for the Rhode Island Select Commission on Race and Police-Community Relations. A native of Tampa, Florida, Dr. LaFayette is married to the former Kate Bulls.
The latest issue of eJournal USA on nonviolent social change: www.america.gov/publications/ejournalusa.html
Photo by Attila Nemeth, US Embassy
February 18th, 2009 | Wednesday
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
American Corner Budapest Opening Ceremony
Corvinus University | Main Building | Grand Hall | Fővám tér 8.
After the signing of the agreement, the keynote speaker of the event, Dr. Bernard Lafayette, Distinguished Senior Scholar at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, delivered his speech about nonviolent social change.
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The opening ceremony at Corvinus University took place in the Grand Hall in front of over a hundred educational, cultural, political and business leaders as well as representatives of the Hungarian media and the Budapest diplomatic corps.
Following the Grand Hall ceremony, the guests proceeded to the Salt House Building of the University, where the new American Corner is located. Erika Sólyom, Director of AC Budapest opened the ribbon cutting ceremony, which was followed by the tour of the new American Corner and a reception for the assembled guests.
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For the video of the opening, please visit the US Embassy’s webpage at:
http://hungary.usembassy.gov/ac_budapest.html
Video by Norbert Vitez, US Embassy
| MarkCon 2006 | American Corners Hungary - Budapest 1093 Hungary Budapest, Fovam ter 13-15. * Phone: +36 1 482 7578 * Fax: +36 1 482 7578 * E-mail: budapest@americancorner.hu |