iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS)

iPhone Photography Awards is a competition which is organized for 8 years. What is special about this contest? All images must be taken with an iPhone, iPod or an iPad.

The photos can be taken in different categories: Animals, Abstract, Architecture, Children, Flowers, Food, Landscape, Lifestyle, Nature, News/Events, Panorama, People, Portrait, Seasons, Still Life, Sunset, Travel, Trees and Others. 

All participants compete for the prestigious IPPA Photographer of the Year Award title. The top 3 winners will receive an upcoming product from Apple. The organizers provide also awards for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Winners on each category - they will receive a IPPAWARDS certificates and their works will be published on IPPAWARDS online gallery. What's more the 1st place from each of the 19 categories will win a Gold Bar!

I think this is the great initiative because we often have an opportunity to take an excellent photo but we don’t have a camera with us. Thanks to this competition people have possibility to share the good photos which sometimes could be taken accidentally with their iPhones, iPods or iPads. 

Cocu Liu, Chicago- IL United States, 2nd Place - Trees

 

 Adrienne Pitts, London, United Kingdom, 1st Place - Travel

Michael O'Neal - San Francisco, CA United States - 1st Place - Animals

 Elena Grimailo, Moscow, Russia, 1st Place- Landscape

More information and galleries: http://www.ippawards.com/

The question of October (!)

I would like to touch on the question of learning the official language of a country by it's immigrants (yes, that was the question which we were supposed to discuss on October but better late than never;)).

In my opinion the ability to speak a local language is absolutely necessary to live in a chosen place (unless you can afford an interpreter). 

I can't imagine to live in some country and not to know even the basic words or expressions. I think the acquaintance with language allow us to feel at home. It really facilitates our life abroad especially when it comes to go through the formalities in the different institutions, when you have to visit the doctor or simply when you want to make new friends.

Otherwise I think that if we want to settle in another country, we should integrate with local community and respect it's laws, traditions, culture and then also the language.

The monument of Wikipedia

My today's post is in reference to one of our last english lesson.

Last week I came across the article about... the first monument of Wikipedia (in the world!) which was founded in our country in Słubice.

It was put up in recognition of work of the people who create Wikipedia on initiative of Krzysztof Wojciechowski, the headmaster of Collegium Polonicum in Słubice.

The monument is three metres high and it is made of laminate and held up with metal construction.

The four statues symbolise both the four cardinal points and the people who create anonymously headwords in Wikipedia.

The construction costs amounted to 60.000 złotych... A far as I'm concerned there are a lot of more useful projects in which they could invest that sum of money but in general in our country we have some kind of mania regarding a creation of different monuments ;)

Below you can see the photo of the monument in Słubice. I've put also the link to the article.

http://www.tvn24.pl/poznan,43/pierwszy-taki-na-swiecie-w-slubicach-stanal-pomnik-wikipedii,480454.html

the new beginning

Why the NEW beginning? 

Firstly, because it's my second blog since I started my studies. I created the new one as I had gone into the next level of my education - master studies (I really can't believe that the studies are passing so fast!). Anyway, I hope I'll manage to keep it more regurarly than my previous blog :) 

Secondly, there are a lot of novelties in my life: new job, new hobbies, new friends, new resolutions... and one thing is sure - I don't have time to get bored! :)