ЛИСТОПАД №8,№8, NOVEMBER 20142014
Social and political magazine СУСПІЛЬНО-ПОЛІТИЧНИЙ ЖУРНАЛ
Present Day>>
United Nations Day Sport>>
Wladimir Klitschko was obliged to fight Holiday>>
A Munich holiday in Ukraine Oktoberfest - the largest beer festival in the world History>>
Chernivtsi National University celebrates its 139 birthday Main feature>>
In a step from the finish line: the Central Election Commission has already processed 99.93% of protocols
«Liniia zhyttia» What is «Liniia zhyttia»? It is a hot line of «MTS Ukraine» where anyone can learn all about blood donation calling 7333 (free for MTS subscribers) and 050 119 7333 (for subscribers of other operators in accordance with the tariff plan).
Every day from 8:00 to 22:00 the operators of the contact center «Liniia zhyttia» are ready to provide you with information on:
• where you can donate blood, • how to prepare for the procedure, • contraindications to donation, • the rights of donors, • the benefits guaranteed for donors by the state, • frequently asked questions about blood donation.
«MTS Ukraine» has launched a program «Liniia zhyttia» on the basis of its own contact center. We believe that our initiative will contribute to the development of a culture of blood donation and the creation of a «national bank» of quality donated blood in Ukraine. «I am Oleksandr Usyk, I am a boxer, I am a man, I am a father. And I am a donor. And I know that people living in Ukraine are caring, honest, active and willing to help each other. Donor blood is needed every day. It is used in operations, for making medicines... I believe that together we can save many lives. Join «Liniia zhyttia». It is estimable to be a donor.»
№8, November 2014
Inside:
Steeped in legends Nevytsky Castle page. 4
New rules for enrolling in the university page. 14
In a step from the finish line: the Central Election Commission has already processed 99.93% of protocols page.12
A six-year Kiever became the youngest patron in Ukraine page. 3
Citizens of Vinnytsia created a huge trident page. 3
Kharkiv created the largest portrait of Shevchenko in the whole country page. 7
Social and political magazine №8, NOVEMBER 2014 license No20601-10401Р of 28.03.2014
Trick or Treat? Scary Halloween page. 20
Founder and Chief Editor Butt Umair Ahmad The published materials express their authors’ point of view that may not coincide with the editorial team’s official standpoint. The editorial team does not carry responsibility for the content of advertisements. The magazine is published in Ukrainian and English. Some copies are distributed through diplomatic missions of foreign states in Ukraine and embassies of Ukraine in different countries of the world. Translated by Natasha Pradan. Circulation: 10 000 copies The telephone numbers of the editorial office: +380 577816557 +380 949779557 www.viva-ukraine.com info@viva-ukraine.com
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№8, November 2014
Present Day
United Nations Day United Nations Day is celebrated in Ukraine on October 24. This day is the anniversary of the adoption of the UN Charter - the document that describes all the goals and directions of the work of the United Nations. Ukraine was among the first countries to sign this document and join the group of the founders of the organization. Once the majority of the founders ratified the treaty establishing the worldwide body, the United Nations Organization was officially created on October 24, 1945. Among the most important achievements, which are mentioned on United Nations Day, one can name signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, created in December, 1948. In 1971, the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization adopted a resolution, in which it encouraged Member States to observe this day as a public holiday. 2002 was the last year of the non-permanent membership of Ukraine in the Security Council, where it was represented by Valery Kuchinsky. In May, 2002, Ukraine was elected to the UN Commission on Human Rights. Ukraine also became a member of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations for a three-year period
starting in January, 2002. Our state adheres strictly to the purposes and principles of the most authoritative world organization, seeks to contribute to the strengthening of world peace, disarmament, economic and social development, human rights and so on. Nowadays 192 states are members to the United Nations. In addition, they are members of the UN General Assembly. All of them celebrate United Nations Day. This festival is part of United Nations Week, which is celebrated on October, 20-26. All events held on this day deal with organization of various meetings, round tables, exhibitions, so on, devoted to the purposes of the Organization and its achievements. The Organization itself traditionally holds an international concert, sometimes it arranges special events, where the UN communicates with various cities around the world with the help of electronic means. According to the Secretary-General, the United Nations Organization is the living embodiment of hope in every corner of the world. The UN lives in the heart and mind of every citizen as an organization capable of putting an end to violence, engraining tolerance, promoting and ensuring equality, protecting human rights and reducing poverty. Working at full capacity, the United Nations can promote the implementation of these high aspirations of humanity.
World Walking Day in Kyiv World Walking Day took place on the first weekend of October. Children and adults, men and women, masters of sports and ordinary people gathered in the center of Kyiv to demonstrate that active life is available to everyone, regardless of gender, age and athletic training. Thus World Walking Day was held in the capital on October 5. It was held by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine jointly with the All-Ukrainian Center for Physical Health of the Public ‘Sport for All’ under the auspices of Kyiv City State Administration. This event is a part of a series of sports events held by the international organization TAFISA, which includes over 130 countries. In Kyiv such a mass sports event was held for the second time. Together with the residents and guests of the capital, among the participants were outstanding athletes and Olympic champions, members of social organizations and different movements (organizations of disabled people, children’s and sports organizations, etc.), as well as athletes aging from 3 to 90 years (the oldest participant was born in 1923). The participants followed a specially designed route of 4.3 km from the metro station “Maidan Nezalezhnosti” (Khreshchatyk) to the metro station “Ploshcha Lva Tolstoho”, then along Lev Tolstoy St., Volodymyrska St., Sofiivska St. After the walking tour, a «Festival of Borsch» was held as part of World Walking Day. People could taste a real Ukrainian borsch, boiled in a pot in front of their own eyes, for free. Next to the Independence monument there were a stage, a playground for children and sports activity areas. During the
celebration of the event, supporters of an active lifestyle held sports and recreational activities, relay races, lotteries, contests, competitions, master classes in various sports. And on the stage one could watch the performance of sports teams. “Traditionally, together with the residents and guests of the capital among the participants of World Walking Day were outstanding athletes and Olympic champions, members of NGOs. After the ceremonial start all of them formed a column, marched through the central streets of the capital and visited sports locations, where guests of all ages could participate in relay races, competitions and master classes,” it was stated in the sports department. The concluding chord of the holiday dedicated to movement and health was an entertainment program held on the main stage with ILLARIA, Andriy Kniaz, “Kley Ugryumogo” and other young performers. Also there was a lottery that involved all the participants who had completed the full route. The winners received prizes and gifts from the partners of the event. 2
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Present Day
Citizens of Vinnytsia created a huge trident About 2 thousand students from all higher education institutions of Vinnytsia gathered at the stadium of the medical college on October 15 and painted a trident with dimensions of 70 and 55 meters. Then, standing in twos on the painted lines, they formed a living symbol of the state. The event was arranged by Vinnytsia Youth Council and teens-club “Univer” under the auspices of the Department of Youth Affairs and Tourism of the City Council. This flash mob was called «A Single Country» and it earned a place in the Ukrainian Book of Records due to the number of people who participated. Until then, the record in this category had belonged to residents of Chernivtsi. They had reproduced the emblem of Ukraine with the help of 680 people in vyshyvankas. The arrangers say that such an action served to show that Ukraine is a single and indivisible state and to support the patriotic spirit of the military men who are now in the East. The co-organizer of the action, director of the teens-club “Univer” Vira Balieieva says that the event didn’t require any specific symbols or dress code. “Youth took the lead - some people came in vyshyvankas, others brought Ukrainian symbols. The only thing we had suggested was that everybody who felt like it could paint patriotic symbols on their pens, cheeks, faces,” she said. “Our goal is to demonstrate the endless patriotism, love to our country, and to unite with the
soldiers who are now protecting the independence of our state in the East. Students from the majority of Vinnytsia universities took part in the flash mob. They were lining up for more than an hour, dancing to Ukrainian songs. Many people came wearing vyshyvankas, bringing Ukrainian flags and symbols. The flash mob ended with everybody singing the anthem of Ukraine and shouting “Glory to Ukraine!”, “Glory to the Heroes!”.
A six-year Kiever became the youngest patron in Ukraine According to Channel 5, six-year-old Kira Mykytenko set an unusual record: the girl sold her paintings and then donated the proceeds to buy drugs and apparatus for ill children. The talented girl learned to paint before she started speaking. And, when she was only five, Kira set a national record of Ukraine. She presented her first exhibition of paintings. Then she set her first record as the youngest artist with a solo exhibition. There Kira together with her parents arranged a charity «silent» auction. 30 paintings were sold, and all the raised funds were donated to the needs of sick children from the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology. Once Kira herself was a patient of the hospital, and now she wants others to recover. The parents do not say how much money has already been given to the hospital, but they add that their sixyear-old daughter has saved more than one life. Earlier, Kira gave funds derided from selling her paintings to buy medicines for sick children. She helped to buy expensive medicines for seriously ill children, which they could not live without and which their parents could not afford. Then she participated in purchasing expensive equipment for neonatal resuscitation. It was a monitor Yutas watching the cardiovascular system.
So the National Register of Records already contains two records set by Kira Mykytenko. The girl was admitted to be the youngest patron of Ukraine. “Nothing like it has never happened in Ukraine before. It is for the first time when such a little, 6-year-old girl, doing something with her own hands and selling it, gives the money to other kids so that they may recover the same way as she did before,” Lana Vetrova, an expert of the National Register of records, says. Kira started painting, when she was three years old. The parents noticed her talent, and now she is taught by a professional artist. Kira loves oil paints most of all. Her style resembles Impressionist paintings. Bold strokes and an outlook of an innocent child - that is what makes professional artists admire her work. Recently, the girl went to the first class, so now she has little time for painting, but she still wants to help the sick kids. Kira has not decided who she wants to become in future - a designer, a ballet dancer or a doctor. She says she still has time to decide, and now she wants sick children to recover. 3
Places worth visiting
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Steeped in legends Nevytsky Castle If one stands next to the village Kamyanytsya, in the hills across the Uzh River, and looks to the left of the road, he or she will see a silhouette of a high tower above a gray wall and tops of the trees. It is a real castle, one of the most romantic in Transcarpathia, and it is impossible to take no notice of it. The remains of the ancient Nevytsky Castle are situated next to the exit of Uzhansky Valley, on the ledge of the mountain, which towers over the Uzh River, 260 meters above the sea level. A steep serpentine stone road leads to it. From the river one can see a castle tower-dungeon and the remains of the western bastion. There are numerous legends about the castle’s name, the way it was built and even the curse put on it. Visit this mystical castle, it will certainly not leave you indifferent. Nevytsky castle had a great strategic position. It controlled the exit of the Uzhansky valley, through which a trade route from Hungary passed, through Uzhotskyy pass to the Galician–Volhynian Kingdom and Poland. No wonder that for its time the castle was a strong fortification. The builders skillfully used the volcanic summit and created there a fortification construction, quite strong for its time. The complex consisted of castle buildings and a system of fortifications, formed by ramparts, moats and walls with towers. The external rampart frames the castle in a semicircle, it is followed by a deep moat, and then the inner rampart comes, on which a fortress wall with four towers is built. The latter ones are located at a distance of 30-40 meters from each other, which is within the scope of aimed fire along the walls. Three towers were of half-oval form, the fourth one was like a triangle. On the south-west side the main fortifications are united with two parallel defensive walls,
with an entrance tower of hexagonal shape. The portholes carved from boulders can still be seen on the tower. The complex of the castle buildings was built in the first half of the 14th century, forming an irregularly shaped ellipse. The buildings form an inner castle courtyard measuring 35 by 12 meters. The core of the castle defense was a square tower-dungeon with a lost ending. The overview coverage and an observation deck on it were built in the 20th century. In some areas of the southern part of the castle fireplaces are still preserved. In the 30-s remains of frescoes could be seen on the wall of the northern part of the castle. During the restoration work archaeological excavation was carried out in the castle. Its result was finding the foundations of protective walls in the courtyard and dungeon-towers dated 1213 century.
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Places worth visiting
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How the name was created: the legends The first legend Once, a long time ago, a Turkish princess settled in the valley of the Uzh River. It was a cruel witch, and people called her Pogana Diva (A Rotten Maid). Once Pogana Diva decided to build an impregnable fortress on a steep hill above the Uzh River, among dense forests. Janissaries made people lift rocks to the mountain and build a stronghold. To strengthen the walls Pogana Diva ordered slake lime with milk and egg whites. Then she thought it was not enough and ordered to add mother’s milk to the lime. Children started dying. People cried all across the valley, but Pogana Diva only smiled. She did not stop then and soon started enriching the lime with human blood. The people got no rest even after the castle was built. Pogana Diva’s soldiers roamed around the villages, she herself watched passers-by from the castle tower. Those who passed by the castle without bowing to her, lost their heads by her order. People stopped coming there at all. At the time a hireling named Ivanko lived in the village Orehovitse near the castle. Once he told his master that he would set the people free as soon as he became king.
No matter how hard the princess asked to spare her, even offered his love... but Ivanko did kill the cruel witch. Her body was burned, and a burial mound was placed over the ashes. It is there even now, in the valley below the castle. The second legend Very long ago a cruel landlady lived over the Uzh River. People called her Pogan-divcha (A Rotten Girl) for she furiously tormented people and fleeced the peasants. Nobody in those days could be sure that they or their families would not be killed. Once the landlady decided to build a magnificent and impregnable castle to hide there from the people’s revenge. When Nevytsky Castle’s construction was started on a high hill over the Uzh River, Pogan-divcha ordered her servants to make work out all people from all villages. The fierce landlady spared no one of the hard work - neither the old nor the weak, neither a pregnant woman nor a little child. Everyone had to carry stones, water and lime to the very top of the steep mountain. To make the lime better, she added milk and eggs to it, all taken away from the peasants. She even forced nursing mothers to give away their milk for the lime. For the slightest fault Pogan-divcha punished people with inhuman fury, ordered to beat them to death with sticks. Finally the castle was built, having killed lots of people. Pogandivcha let the peasants to go home, but first ordered them to creep around the castle on their knees, and those who did not do that, lost their heads. Then Pogan-divcha ordered that henceforth whoever was passing by the castle, had to take off the hat and bow to the castle. For a long time Pogan-divcha tormented the Transcarpathians, remaining unpunished herself. And then Hungary got a new king, King Matthias. It was a clever and fair ruler. Learning of the Transcarpathians’ anguishes and Pogan-divcha’s tyranny, Matthias gathered a large army and besieged Nevytsky Сastle. Seeing that the fortress could not stand out against Matthias’s forces, Pogan-divcha took her horse and fled from the castle
“When this iron blossoms, then you shall be king,” the master said, sticking an istyk (a stick with a point to clean the plow) into the ground. And suddenly he saw that the istyk became a green bush with magnificent roses. The master set Ivanko free, and the boy went to Uzhgorod, where people were choosing the king. Someone suggested that noblemen, who could not figure out who should get the power, should throw the golden royal crown in the air. The one, whose head it would crown, should be king. They did so. And the crown fell on Ivanko’s head. “A peasant shall not be king,” the lords said. They threw the crown in the air once more, and again it fell on Ivanko’s head. For the third time the result was the same, nothing could be done - Ivanko became king. He gathered a large army and ordered to round up a huge herd of cattle. The flock was shepherded to Pogana Diva’s castle. When it was dark, Ivanko ordered to bind a bell to each animal, tie a candle to each horn and light it. When all the flock moved on, roaring, to the fortress, Pogana Diva was awakened by a terrible noise. The princess was terrified, she mounted her magic horse and rushed towards Uzhgorod. But Ivanko noticed her and started the pursuit. The riders passed Uzhgorod, the Latorytsia River was ahead. The road was situated in a thick oak forest, and Pogana Diva’s luxurious hair got caught by thick branches. She hung on them, and her horse rode on. 5
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Places worth visiting
through a secret passage. Once behind the walls, she mounted the horse and rode like grim death. But Matthias saw her and set off in pursuit. Pogan-divcha didn’t know that her horse and that of King Matthias were children of the same mother, so no matter how hard she pinched her horse, it kept stopping to wait for the brother. Finally King Matthias caught her in Zagonsky forest. That year, there was a very large crop of acorns. They were lying under the oaks like a carpet. Pogan-divcha’s horse slipped on the smooth acorns, and King Matthias was already there. He swung the sword above her head, and the cruel landlady fell dead. But before the death, she had time to curse the oak forest, and since then there has never been any acorns. However, for a long time, even after the death of Pogandivcha, people passing by the castle on their road to Uzhgorod, were afraid even of looking at the cursed castle walls. The third legend Owner of Nevytsky castle won away Mukachevo Duke Goro’s bride and to calm down the angry opponent, he promised that if they had a daughter, he would marry her to the Duke at her sixteenth birthday. They did have a daughter - and 17 years later old Goro came to Nevytsky Castle. When the young girl learned what a groom her father had chosen, she desperately threw herself from the castle tower down. The very nature arose against the unnatural act, and a bolt of lightning hit the tower, destroying the stronghold.
Historical background The stronghold was first mentioned in the documents in the XIV century (according to other sources, in 1248 as part of king’s land). Then it was a wooden outpost belonging to Obo Omodey, one of the rebels, who considered the Hungarian King Charles Robert of Anjou to be a stranger and a puppet of the Pope. After the Battle of Rozgony in 1312, Omodey’s army was defeated and the castle was given to Uzhansky zhupan Petro Petenko (Petunya). Soon Petenko raises another rebellion against the king. The Transcarpathians even asked the neighboring Galician prince for help, but Galician Rus, exhausted by the Tatars, could not help the rebels. In 1321 the royal forces captured the last stronghold of the rebels, Nevytsky Castle. In 1328 the castle was given to the Druget family, and they rebuilt it. They made a stone fortress surrounded by a moat. There are the remains of a well with the diameter of 3.5 m in the yard. The ancestors did not try to get to the water, while being on the top of an extinct volcano. The well was to collect rainwater. In 1644, the castle was partially destroyed by the troops of György Rákóczi II. Since then, the stronghold has lied in ruins. The nineteenth century brought a new wave of interest to her, for everything romantic and mysterious was in fashion. In 1923, the Czech authorities gave the ruins to a travel club that began to revive the castle. Another conservation took place in 1968. Since the summer of 2006, the castle has hosted a theatrical holiday of wedding ceremonies «Nevytsky Castle – a castle of brides». Here matchmaking customs are reproduced, people eat traditional dishes, sing wedding songs. From the observation deck on the tower-dungeon one can see a magnificent view onto the Uzh aboideau and neighboring villages. In a clear day one can see the suburbs of Uzhgorod. 6
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Culture
Kharkiv created the largest portrait of Shevchenko in the whole country A huge portrait of Taras Shevchenko was painted in Kharkiv, on the facade of a 17-storeyed building on Sadovyi Proezd. The time of its creation was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the Ukrainian poet. This idea was implemented into life by the creative group «Kailas-V», which is already known in Kharkov due to a portrait of Gagarin and a surreal graffiti «A house shown in section» next to the stadium «Metalist». In general, the company’s portfolio includes works with a total area of more than 10, 000 square meters, made in Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria and Belarus. The artists worked on the largest portrait of the poet since the beginning of October. «We chose the portrait of the elderly Shevchenko, made by Ivan Kramskoy in 1871, to show the wisdom of the poet,» the head of the creative group «Kailas-V», Yana Vovk said. The co-author of the portrait Andrij Palval commented on the choice as follows: «You know, I cannot create my own image of Shevchenko as I see it, because there are photos, there are his portraits and self-portraits. Therefore, we chose an image of the elderly Shevchenko, when he returned from the exile in Orenburg, when he had already been to the steppes of Kazakhstan, and when he already was a conscious person, an adult, as we know him. There were three or four artists engaged into painting it, sometimes together, sometimes in turn. We were lucky to have sunny weather, it did not rain. I think, this work will last on the wall for at least a decade.» They worked in two stages: first drew the image and then painted it with a spray paint. The total area occupied by the portrait was more than 500 square meters, the height of it - 43 m, the width - 12 m. The artists spent about 500 cylinders of aerosol paint.
The giant painting dedicated to the great poet was created with the support of the National Deputy of Ukraine Vitaliy Homutynnik. «A picture depicting Taras Shevchenko was chosen for a reason. In Ukraine 2014 is the year dedicated to Taras Shevchenko due to the 200th anniversary of his birth,» Homutynnik said. The portrait occupies five hundred sixteen square meters, and it is the largest portrait of Shevchenko in Ukraine. Thus, it was the second time when representatives of the National Registry of Records of Ukraine came to register the record «the largest graffiti on the facade of a house». Last time, recording a portrait of Yuri Gagarin, they argued that it would be difficult to beat this record, but it turned out to be quite easy for the talented «Kailas-V». «Kharkov develops a very creative, artistic nomination, and we are very pleased that they have beaten their own record that was set last year - it was the largest portrait of Gagarin. And today we see the largest portrait of Shevchenko,» Lana Vetrova, director of the National Registry of Records of Ukraine shares her thoughts. The celebrations dedicated to the event were held in the park at Slynko Boulevard on October 24. Dozens of Kharkiv citizens came to the registration of the record. They say they have been watching the creation of this portrait from the very beginning. The residents of the area are very pleased and proud of the fact that now they have such a wonderful portrait. The creative team that worked on the portrait is sure that it is the largest image not only in Ukraine, but also in the world. The representatives of the national registry also suggest so: perhaps this portrait is the largest in the world. Therefore, they are going to submit the Kharkiv graffiti for the world record.
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Holiday
A Munich holiday in Ukraine
Oktoberfest - the largest beer festival in the world Oktoberfest is the most popular festival in the world, which is held in Germany. During the festival Munich attracts more than 7 million tourists from all over the world. The festival is so grand that figures and statistics are impressive! During Oktoberfest people drink more than 7 million liters of beer, eat about 1.5 million fried chicken and sausages, bake in an average 85 bulls.
network «Love and Hunger» continued this tradition. Oktoberfest is the largest fair in Ukraine, which attracts more than 10 000 visitors each year. Today Kyiv Oktoberfest beer festival is one of the most popular and favorite activities in Ukraine, along with Jazz Koktebel and Kazantip. But Oktoberfest is not just an event, that’s a grand holiday of beer lovers! Oktoberfest in Ukraine is trying to preserve the original flavor of the festival and create the atmosphere of a German holiday. Every year exclusive beers are brought from Germany, which were specially made for Kyiv festival of beer, and of course, traditional German dishes - sausages, sauerkraut, fried potatoes, spareribs, etc.
It all began in the early 19th century, when King Ludwig decided to impress his beloved Therese and played the biggest wedding in Europe. In honor of the feast held on October 17 he arranged races, invited troubadours; the tables were full of food, wine and beer. It is in honor of Therese why the meadow, where the celebrations are held nowadays, was called so. During two hundred years the holiday has been abolished only a few times and always for a very good reason: because of the cholera epidemic, the Prussian-Austrian and Franco-Prussian War, the First and Second World Wars and the hyperinflation in Germany in 1923-1924. Later, the municipal government of Munich and private businesses teamed up and created a real festival for beer lovers. Since then, Oktoberfest received the status of the greatest and noisies event of autumn! Oktoberfest in Ukraine Many years later Oktoberfest came to Ukraine. Since 2003, thanks to a Kyiv restaurateur with German roots Eric Aigner, the residents and visitors of the capital have an opportunity to celebrate the holiday along with all Western Europe. Since 2007 the
This year Oktoberfest in Kyiv was held on October 3-5 in SEC SKY MALL. This year the organizers not only retained the real atmosphere and flavor of the German celebration by inviting brass bands with gay marches, demonstrated national festival dances, but also filled the music program with performances of known Ukrainian artists, full of endless positive and drive. Among the guests of the festival were the following bands: Mad Heads, Oleg Skrypka, Bangladesh’ Orchestra and many others. This year’s Munich large-scale festivities were held from 20 September to 5 October. Everybody was celebrating Oktoberfest 2014. In all the days of the festival there was an atmosphere of happiness and fun. People carelessly wandered about various 8
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Holiday
amusement rides, drinking traditional beer and eating roasted meat delicacies. There was a continuous entertainment program: «live» music, dancing, contests, amusement rides and other fun stuff. For all this Oktoberfest was even put into the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest celebration. Guests of the annual Munich holiday try to meet the national traditions of the festival. Girls set hair in a special way, usually this hairstyle is two braids, so they may look like real German women. Some of them admire the German folk costumes so much that they transform the event into a real carnival. This year girls prepared long emerald green skirts and embroidered blouses in advance. The main drink at the festival is beer, according to the tradition. It is made after special recipes, so strict and clear that they can even be called culinary laws. Every year Oktoberfest gathers about 6 million beer drinkers from all over the world to taste the special festival beer from the best breweries of the city, which is produced only at this time of year. This beer is brewed according to the Munich beer purity law of 1487, and the alcohol content in it does not exceed 6.3%. No breweries outside Munich have never been allowed to participate in the festival. Prices for beer are quite high, so students often try to carry their own cheap alcohol. For that purpose, in numerous tents placed almost everywhere one can buy traditional meat dishes. Usually there are fried chicken, pork ham, Munich sausages and pretzels. For over 200 years beer at Oktoberfest has been carried by attractive girls in German national costumes. The waitresses are very smart and can grab several mugs at the same time. There are a lot of fun, besides beer, at this festival. Roundabouts, breathtaking roller-coasters, a 50-meter Ferris wheel, a free fall simulation tower. It makes sense to distract from tasting and just walk, choose souvenirs, meet new people, go to one of the rides or even take a look at a flea circus. Otherwise there is a chance that after drinking too much, you will get into the caring
hands of doctors and volunteer nurses serving at the festival. In German there is even a special name for those who do not know when to stop: Bierleichen – a beer corpse. Traditionally, the festival begins with a procession of the tent owners headed by the Oberburgermaster of Munich. The festive procession rides on festive teams with beer barrels; accompanied by bands, it passes through the city center and stops at Theresienwiese. Sharply at noon one can hear 12 cannon shots in the sky, and in a tent Schottenhamel-Festzelt the current Oberburgermaster of Munich knocks the peg from the first barrel. Oktoberfest is opened! Theresienwiese in the center of Munich hosts 14 large (for 10,000 people) and 15 small beer tents (for 1,000 people). During the festival the official website contains the so-called Wiesnbarometer, which informs visitors about the degree of fullness of the beer tents. Inside it is always fun - fragile-looking waitresses carry 12 liter mugs of beer at a time, guests of the festival devour fried chicken and pork sausages, beer flows like water, music roars, musical bands perform, and a noisy and cheerful crowd never ceases talking. Often people get up and, accompanied by the applause of the others, drink a liter of beer in one go. Sometimes men compete with each other in the speed of drinking beer. For a long time Oktoberfest was a local scale holiday, for the residents of Bavaria and guests from the nearby regions of Germany. And since 1960 the festival has attracted tourists from various places of the globe. Today, this dashing festival takes its rightful place among the best places on the planet for event tourism. Oktoberfest is an excellent opportunity to go to Germany, to meet with the hospitality of good-natured Bavarians, to learn, at last, how many mugs of real German beer you can drink during a day and then if you are able to get to the hotel, and just to have fun in an international and very numerous company!
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World
A random record of the Google Vice President got to 39.4 kilometers. His free fall took 4 minutes 20 seconds. He broke the speed of sound as well. The Austrian made his jump two years ago, on October 14, 2012. It’s interesting that Alan Eustace was not actually going to break the record. And until the last moment he did not know what happened. It all started when Google became interested in the development of equipment to facilitate the study of the stratosphere. For this the company turned to Paragon Space Development, a manufacturer of equipment to sustain life in extreme environments, including open space. Eustace’s jump was a test of this equipment, and not a PR-action. For comparison, the jump of Felix Baumgartner was watched online by about 8 million people. This project was called Red Bull Stratos and was part of a marketing campaign Red Bull.
The Vice President of Google, Alan Eustace made a parachute jump from the stratosphere and broke the world record that had belonged to an Austrian Felix Baumgartner. The most interesting thing about it is that he did not have a slightest idea of having set a record. The jump was designed as a test of the equipment for sustaining life in extreme environments and not as setting a record or holding a PR-campaign. On Friday, October 24, the senior vice president of Google 57-year-old Alan Eustace managed to break the record of an Austrian Felix Baumgartner. The top manager set his record in the skies over New Mexico. The morning before the flight Eustace spent in an oxygen chamber, where nitrogen was being gradually evacuated from his lungs and blood during four hours. Then Alan put on a space suit, as at the height, to which the Google employee later got, a human being cannot breathe without a space suit, and the fluids in a human body start boiling. Alan was in a special capsule attached to a balloon with helium. It took him two hours to get to the height of 41.4 kilometers. For another half an hour he just «hung» there, enjoying the view. Then Alan unhooked the space suit from the balloon and started a free fall, opening a parachute at the altitude of 5.5 kilometers. Eustace accelerated to the speed of 1287 kilometers per hour. The jump lasted for about 15 minutes, about 4.5 minutes of these being a free fall. The maximum speed during the descent reached approximately 358 m / s. Thus, Alan broke the speed of sound. The thrill-seeker landed a hundred kilometers away from the launch site of the capsule. The top manager tells that he decided to jump from the stratosphere back in 2011 and spent three years preparing for the event. For his descent he used a specially designed parachute. These new technologies will be used later to study the stratosphere. “It was amazing,” Alan Eustace says. “I could see the darkness of space and the layers of the atmosphere that I had never seen before». He also notes that while overcoming the speed of sound he heard and felt nothing. The previous world record belongs to Felix Baumgartner, who
«While we were watching him jump, someone asked what the record was. We had to look up this information. It was great to break the record, but, honestly, it had never been our goal,» the director of Paragon Space Development Grant Anderson says about the event. After launching the balloon, the team members found the height, to which Baumgartner had got, on the internet . Thus, Alan managed to overcome the sound barrier and became the second person in the world who could do it without the help of a vehicle. It is assumed that the technology used will be applied as early as 2016 for commercial jumping of the tourists wishing to pay for such an extreme entertainment.
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World
«Fireworks giving a light of hope» Seoul International Fireworks Festival Seoul International Fireworks Festival is a large cultural event in South Korea, which is held annually in October. It is entitled as «Fireworks giving a light of hope.»
The festival is traditionally held on the island of Yeouido. It is organized by the company Hanhwa Group. The festival brings together the best pyrotechnicians of the world, and they create a unique atmosphere of holiday and beauty. In general, each performance involves up to 10 thousand fireworks and the festival - about 55 thousand. Such an event is worth of attending at least once in life. In order to make the festival really global-scale the arrangers invite world-famous expert teams to participate. Therefore, since 2000 Korean Fireworks Festival received the international status each fall Seoul gathers the best pyrotechnicians, known all over the world, to light up the sky over the city. Here they show not only spectacular fireworks, but also recent developments in technology and the art of fireworks. Also, since the festival falls on the harvest season, one can taste a variety of delicious treats during it. In 2014, the pyrotechnic show was held, as usual, in Yeouido Park on the banks of the Han River, on October 4, from 7 to 10 pm. Every year the faerie performance illuminates the sky over the land between the Hangang Railway Bridge and the Wonhyo Bridge. More than one million locals and tourists gathered to see more than 55,000 fireworks and enjoy the atmosphere of the festival with its spectacular holiday lights, laser show, and worldwide hits of
classic, rock and pop music, performed everywhere. Korean pop stars performed on several stages as well. Before the salutes and fireworks there were radio reports from the scene, providing information about the stars of the festival and the teams participating. The performances of the pyrotechnicians from each country include not only wonderful fireworks, but also clearly recognizable national themes. Usually teams from China, Italy, the USA and Korea display shows with unique national features. Each team is given 15 minutes to present their creations to the audience. The spectators are encouraged to bring a camera to shoot particularly exciting moments. In order to enjoy every minute of the performance, it is better to find a place 300 - 350 meters from the fireworks. However, people come here long before the event to do that. But do not worry, if you failed to find a place, as the fireworks can be seen from anywhere in Yeouido Park. In addition, they can be perfectly seen next to Noryangjin fish market and near Ichon (on the other bank of the Han River). Therefore, this spectacular fireworks festival is a charming performance and an excellent option to spend an autumn evening with friends, relatives or loved ones, watching the colored lights in the sky.
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Main feature
In a step from the finish line: the CEC has already processed 99.93% of protocols
On the election day, October 26, there were several exit polls, or surveys of voters leaving polling stations: 1. National Exit Poll (Razumkov Centre, the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation (DIF) and KIIS) 2. International Exit poll (Government of Canada, Sociological group “Rating”, “Baltic Surveys”, International Republican Institute (IRI)) 3. Ukraine. The parliamentary elections 2014 (Oleksandr Yaremenko Institute for Social Studies and Social Monitoring Center to order of the TV channel “Inter”) 4. All-Ukrainian exit poll (UNN together with the center «Universitas») 5. National television exit poll (International research company TNS in Ukraine to order of the TV channel ICTV) According to all these surveys, there were seven parties to enter the Verkhovna Rada, and the leader of the election race was Petro Poroshenko Bloc that had won People’s Front by a narrow margin.
By 8:02, November 5, the Central Election Commission has processed 99.93% of electronic protocols of precinct election commissions at the special parliamentary elections held on October 26. It is reported that the party «People’s Front» continues to win with 22.14% of the votes, and «Petro Poroshenko Bloc» gets 21.81%. Self Reliance moves into the third place with 10.98%. «Opposition Bloc» comes the fourth one with 9.42%. It is followed by the Radical Party with 7,44% and All-Ukrainian Union «Batkivshchyna» with 5,68%. The rest of the political parties have not yet overcome the 5 percent barrier. The All-Ukrainian Union «Svoboda», which is the seventh, has only 4.71% of votes. The CEC promises to provide the final results of elections by November 10.
«Svoboda» has been promised a check
Okhendovsky that before the ultimate results of the election, before November 10, all the protocols provided by “Svoboda” will be compared with the protocols of the district electoral commissions with ink stamps received by the CEC,» he said. According to him, in the event of discrepancy between the data of the protocols provided by «Svoboda», with the data from the original protocols with ink stamps, the CEC will either return such reports to improvement or decide to make a recount. Head of the Legal Department of «Svoboda», MP Oleg Bondarchuk said that the party believed the major violation to be an inflated turnout in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The Central Election Commission has promised to the representatives of «Svoboda» to thoroughly compare the data in the copies of the protocols provided by them with the original protocols of district electoral commissions.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, this was announced by the deputy head of «Svoboda», MP Yuriy Syrotyuk. «We have agreed with the CEC Chairman Mykhaylo 12
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Main feature
Syrotyuk said that according to the exit polls, «Svoboda» got from 5.8% to 6.3% of the vote for party lists, while «Opposition Bloc» received significantly fewer votes than after data-processing the votes. He said it was due to the inflated turnout in the East, which had made the result of «Opposition Bloc» to increase, and that of «Svoboda» — «to diffuse automatically».
of the residents of the Donbass should be heard,» imposing its puppets as full parties to the negotiations to Kyiv and its Western partners.
Hollande congratulated Poroshenko According to TSN, the President of France congratulated the President of Ukraine on successful and democratic parliamentary elections. He also noted that the elections, which had received high international assessment, confirmed the legitimate right of Ukraine to defend its territorial integrity. President Petro Poroshenko thanked Hollande for the support and said that a strong pro-European majority in the Parliament will help to implement reforms in order to obtain prospects for the EU membership. Poroshenko also called on France to ratify the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU as soon as possible. Francois Hollande expressed concern about the state of implementation of the Minsk agreement, especially in the context of the pseudo-elections scheduled for November 2. The French President was convinced that they were contrary to the Minsk Protocol that had been recognized by all the parties, including Russia, during the international negotiations in Milan. The President of France suggested that Ukraine continue to seek for a solution to the problem in a multilateral format, in particular, “format normand”. President Petro Poroshenko expressed readiness to continue the multilateral dialogue and stressed that the intention to hold illegal elections was contrary to the Ukrainian law and all the agreements.
Besides Ukraine, the parliamentary elections were held in Tunisia and the presidential elections were held in Brazil BBC reports that according to the results of counting the votes, the winner of the parliamentary elections in Tunisia held on Sunday, October 26, is a secular political party «Call of Tunisia» (Nidaa Tounes). In particular, the secular party won 85 seats in the Tunisian parliament, and the ruling Islamist party «The Ennahda Movement» - 69. The parliamentary elections in Tunisia have become part of democratic reforms initiated in the country after the «Arab Spring» of 2011.
«Call of Tunisia» (Nidaa Tounes) was established in mid-2012 by a well-known in the country politician and former Prime Minister Beji Caid el Sebsi. In a short time the party has become one of the most popular parties in the country. In Brazil, on October 26, the second round of the presidential elections began. In the first round the current President Dilma Rousseff, who focuses on supporting the poor, won 41.59% of votes (about 43.2 million voters), while a Social Democrat Aecio Neves - 33.55% (about 34.8 million voters). Marina Silva, elected from the Socialist Party and considered one of the favorites of the election race, won 21.32% of the votes.
Elections in the «DNR» and «LNR» Meanwhile, the terrorists decided to hold their own elections. On Sunday, November 2, the self-proclaimed DNR and LNR held illegitimate elections of leaders and members of local councils. With no international observers and legal grounds the winners were predictably declared to be the terrorists leaders Alexander Zakharchenko (DNR) and Igor Plotnitsky (LNR). The UN called the election fruitless, the European Union declared the election illegitimate, still Russia insists that the «voice 13
№8, November 2014
Education
New rules for enrolling in the university:
The Ministry of Education and Science adopted new terms of admission to higher education institutions for 2015 On October 17, 2014 Budynok Uryadu (the Government Building) hosted a briefing of the First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Inna Sovsun on the Terms of admission in 2015. She described the new terms of admission of students to higher education for 2015, and the changes are significant. Firstly, there will be only one stage of entry instead of three, secondly, the passing score is canceled, and, thirdly, the old certificates are no longer valid. 1. The certificate is valid only for one year Universities will be entitled to accept certificates only for the current school year. «Applicants who passed the testing last year will have to re-register to pass the testing again - in 2015,» the First Deputy Minister says. That is, if a graduate did not use the certificate to enroll in the university, next year he will have to sit for the testing once more. The same has to deal with the applicants of 2014, who failed to enroll in summer - during the campaign of 2015 their certificates will be invalid. Earlier one could enroll in an institution using certificates of EIT regardless of the year of passing the test. Inna Sovsun explains that this rule depends on several factors. She notes that the practice established in 2010 when testing certificates of previous years could be used, was illogical: «The result of testing is ranked, which means it measures the level of knowledge of the applicant compared to the other applicants of the current school year. So it is illogical to compare the grades of two different years.»
into the 200-point rating scale,» Inna Sovsun says. Accordingly, if a person has more points than the minimum set, they will be rated and transferred into a scale from 100 to 200: «This means that the grade of 101 is a passing score, and it gives the right to enroll in a higher education institution.» The First Deputy Minister says that this is the reason why the terms of admission for 2015 contain no established passing scores. «Anyone who has an EIT certificate, has the right to participate in the admission campaign by definition. Those who have not passed the test, will not get a certificate on this subject.» At the same time the terms of admission still contain the order for the universities to set the minimum passing score. This, for example, entitles «stronger» universities to set a higher passing score just to simplify the processing of incoming documents without accepting the documents of applicants with lower scores. «Therefore, students preparing to enroll in 2015, should carefully read the relevant information about the passing scores, which will be posted on the websites of universities,» Inna Sovsun says.
2. Change of the method of calculating grades In 2015, the method of calculating the grade of a certificate will be changed. The official says that earlier the terms of admission set the minimum passing score at the level of 124, and at 140 - for the majors. The Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment has decided that next year the principle «passed/ failed» will be used: it means that there will be a minimum number of points for testing, and if one has fewer points, the test is considered to be failed. «So those who get fewer points than the required number of them, do not get a certificate, and their scores are not transferred
3. Priority rate for subjects Also, the Law of Ukraine «On Higher Education» contains the requirement of assigning certain rates to different components of the grade depending on the priority of the subject. The list of the subjects which applicants are to be tested on, is formed by universities. «Depending on what subject is a priority for admission to a particular profession, different rates are set. The sum of the rates assigned to each component shall be not more than one,» she explains. For example, universities can make Math a priority for admission to a technical specialty and therefore can set the following rates: 0.25 – to Ukrainian, 0.25 – to English, 0.5 – to Mathematics. And for a humanitarian specialty the distribution may be different: for example, 0.4 - Ukrainian, 0.3 – History, 0.3 English. 4. The state demand will be formed by students According to the Law «On Higher Education», an applicant applies for passing EIT and indicates both the specialties and universities, where he or she wants to study. After the testing and 14
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Education
entrance exams, ranking lists are formed automatically for each specialty. “State-funded places will go to the universities that were indicated by applicants,” Inna Sovsun says. “Thus, these places will be received not by universities, but by the best applicants». But this system will start working in full scale only since 2016. The year 2015 will be a transition period for introducing the innovations. So, next year universities will be given 80% of the number of statefunded places comparing to what they got last year. The remaining 20% of the places on this specialty will be allocated according to the above described principle. «The ultimate goal, which is set by the law on higher education, is to ensure that the state-funded places go to the universities, in which the best applicants enroll. Under these conditions, the universities should take into account what kind of applicants they attract, and to be prepared to the year 2016, because if they get no state-funded places out of the 20%, this will mean that they have a serious problem and they need either to close or to merge, or to work with applicants in a different way. Therefore, this transition period is set not only for the state, but for universities, so that they may figure out whether they can claim the state-funded places or not,» Inna Sovsun says.
The documents of applicants will be accepted since July 10 to August 1 at 10:00. The lists of the applicants recommended for admission will be made public on August 2.
canceled,” the First Deputy Minister says and adds that the lists will be ultimately formed after all the applicants have been submitted. “Because one is offered a place at the highest of those priorities, by which he or she gets a state-funded place. That is why students should be very responsible while prioritizing their applications.»
5. One stage of admission instead of three In addition, according to the First Deputy Minister, a priority ranking of different applications has been set. An applicant preparing for enrollment should figure out what profession he or she wants to get and where to study. “Everybody remembers the situation in previous years, when the third stage of enrollment is coming to end, and there is still a bunch of state-funded places, and then a mess starts. Because that is when the corruption begins, because it is very difficult to trace which one of the applicants from the list will get a call from the admission board and will be asked to bring the certificate,” Inna Sovsun says. She says that next year this problem will be eliminated, for all students will be enrolled at the first stage. This will happen like this because each applicant able to submit 15 applications (three applications to each of the five universities) will be asked to set the priority of each application. «For example, an applicant wants to enroll in the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy to study law. This will be the #1 priority, and if the applicant gets enrolled in this university, all his or her other applications are automatically canceled, and this applicant will not be included into the lists, artificially stretching them. And if he or she is not enrolled in the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, but the second priority is, for example, an application to the Ivan Franko National University, and the applicant is enrolled into this institution, then the rest of the applications in the list will be
Miss Africa in Vinnytsia A competition «Miss Africa» will be held in Vinnytsia on November 15. The event will be organized by the students of M.I. Pirogov National Medical University. The competition is held to help girls from Africa living in Ukraine to make their dream come true, which is to get the crown and to present their nation. One of the objectives of the competition is putting emphasis on the international integration of different peoples in Ukraine and overcoming national barriers. The participants of the competition embody the harmony of both the external and the internal worlds - namely, beauty and intelligence. The competition provides the beauties with an opportunity to shed light on the true African culture and the way it is intertwined with Ukrainian customs. The ceremony will be dedicated to femininity and daintiness. In 2013 the crown was given to 23-year-old Juliet Ango from Angola, a student of Vinnytsia National Medical University. Answering the jury’s question in the final interview, Juliet admitted that she would like to get a medical education and to become a good doctor, wife and mother in future. Juliet Ango was given the crown, the right to use internet for free during the year, a model contract, an annual subscription to the gym, a tablet and a trip to Dubai.
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History
Chernivtsi National University celebrates its 139 birthday Chernivtsi National University was founded on October 4, 1875 by decree of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Joseph and consisted of theological, philosophical and legal departments. The first rector was a renowned scientist and public figure K. Tomaschuk. Among those who worked and conducted research in the university were scientists of the European and world level: the economist J. Schumpeter, the lawyer H. Gross, the historian R.Kaindl, the Slavic scholar O.Kaluzhnatskyi, the Ukrainian scholar S. Smal-Stocky, the composer and writer S. Vorobkevych and others.
to convey the regional library to the University and to finance the construction of the University giving 50 thousand forints from the regional funds. The City Common Council also gave 50 thousand forints for the construction of the University. Finally, here comes a significant date: on October 4, 1875 there was a grand opening of the University, called Franz Joseph Chernivtsi University. Among those who attended these celebrations were the Minister of Culture and Education Dr. Shtremaer, regional president H. Alezani, Rector Dr. K. Tomaschuk, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Dr. Schuler von Libloy, representatives of the Universities of Vienna, Prague, Graz, Kloiznburg, Basel, Berlin, Bern, Wrocław, Erlangen, Jena, Königsberg, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Münster, Odessa, Tübingen, Frankfurt, Innsbruck, Krakow, Lviv, Göttingen, Strasbourg and others. October 5, 1875, was the day dedicated to the student festivities: a concert, a torch-light procession. Songs dedicated
Back in 1823 the Galician governor filed a petition to the Austrian government from Bukovynian residents about the necessity of establishing a theological seminary in Chernivtsi. This theological seminary was opened in Chernivtsi only in October 1827. It was placed in the building of a gymnasium (now gymnasium #1 in Eminescu St.). Teaching was conducted in Latin and German. In addition to theological subjects the students could attend lectures on agriculture and education. And in 1866 the preparation started for opening a theological faculty in the future Franz Joseph University in Chernivtsi. The faculty statute was drafted. The basis of the project was the statute of theological faculties in Salzburg, Olomouc, the Russian Theological Academy. Finally, in 1868 the Bukovinian Dietine considered the question of establishing a legal academy in Chernivtsi. At the meeting on November 28, 1872, MP Dr. Konstantin Tomaschuk suggested and justified possible establishment of Chernivtsi University. Then the Bukovinian Dietine appealed to the government asking to promote the establishment of the university to the public benefit. On March 13, 1875, the draft of the government on establishing a university in Chernivtsi was discussed and then a resolution was adopted: «Instead of the Department of Oriental Languages, transmitted to the theological faculty, it is necessary to create a Department of Romance languages (Latin) philology, a Department of Rumanian Language and Literature and a Department of Ruthenian language and Literature». The decree of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph on March 31, 1875, established Chernivtsi University, including the Greek Orthodox Theological Faculty — the only Orthodox Faculty in the Austrian Empire. On May 12, 1875, the Bukovinian Dietine decided 16
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History
to the opening of the University of Chernivtsi were performed at the concert: «Surprised, Prut’s trembling in bulrush» by J. Scheffel, «Let us sing and talk» by K. Franzos, «Bukovina makes noise» by R.Strele, «I want to act happily» by M. von Werra, «Mind and heart» E. Neubauer. The student anthem was conducted for the very first time. From 1875 to 1918 the University was named after Franz Joseph (in German it was Franz Josephs), from 1919 to 1940 it had a German name of Universitatea Regele Carol I din Cerni, since 1940 to the present day it is called Chernivtsi State University. Since 1989, the University was given the name of Yuriy Fedkovych. Since 2000, Chernivtsi National University received the national status. The first rector of the University of Chernivtsi was Kostyantyn Tomashchuk, a prominent social activist and scholar. Teaching and research at the university was conducted by such prominent and talented scientists of the world and European level, as the writer and composer Sidor Vorobkevych, the lawyer H. Gross, the Ukrainian scholar Stepan Smal-Stocky, the Slavic scholar Omelian Kaluzhnatskyi, the historian Raymond Kaindl, the economist Joseph Schumpeter and others. During the Austrian rule in Bukovyna (to 1918) teaching was conducted in German. After the capture of Bukovyna in 1918 by the Boyar Romania the University was converted into a Romanian higher education institution in 1920. In the 1938/39 academic year, there were 3.7% of Ukrainians (in 1939/40 only 4 Ukrainians graduated from it, which is 0.8%). In 1940, after the reunification of the Northern Bukovina with the USSR, Chernivtsi University turned into a Soviet State University (with 7 departments), the teaching was conducted in Ukrainian. During the years of Soviet rule, the University became a large scientific and cultural center and trained more than 22 thousand
of specialists. It was awarded with the Order of Red Banner of Labor (1975). Today Chernivtsi University is well known worldwide. The institution has 16 faculties: Physics, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Chemistry, Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, Philology, Foreign Languages, History, Political Science and International Relations, Geography, Economics, Pedagogy, Psychology and Social Work, Law, Philosophy and Theology, Physical Culture and Health, Fine and Decorative Arts. Research and support of the teaching process involves teachers and researchers of 80 departments. Training of specialists on the levels of Bachelor, Specialist and Master is carried out in 25 areas, covering 70 specialties and 85 specializations. The average number of students is about 20 thousand, among them there are representatives of 12 nationalities. The annual number of graduates approached 2500. Educational and research work is provided by 1,000 teachers, including 126 scholars with the degree of Doctor nauk, 500 — with the degree of Kandidat nauk, including five winners of the State Prize, 10 academics of the National Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Sciences of High School of Ukraine. The University has post-graduate and doctoral studies, 10 specialized scientific councils on candidate and doctor theses defense.
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Culture
Make yourself at Home. Kharkiv free space
What an anti-cafe is? Not everyone will give an immediate answer. However, nowadays there are already dozens of institutions with such a name throughout the CIS, and the trend has reached Europe as well. The reason for this popularity lies in its advanced concept: the visitor pays not for food or drinks, but for the time spent within the walls of the institution. This is where the contrast between an anti-cafe and a common cafe comes from, which is manifested in the title. The world’s first anti-cafe, or free space, as they called themselves, appeared in Moscow in 2011, through the efforts of Ivan Mitin and Muscovites’ love for poetry. It was called «Dom na dereve» (A House in a Tree). The institution was located in a small cozy attic and suggested that visitors leave «as much as one can» to maintain it. «Dom na Dereve» was conceived as a «headquarters» of poetry lovers who could not gather in a usual cafe: it was not convenient, and waiters nagged when people took only a cup of tea or coffee and did their business. After a while, «Dom na Dereve» could not accommodate everyone who wished to go there, so soon a new anti-cafe was born – «Ziferblat» («A Clock Face»). For economic reasons, the owners changed the concept of payment a little – they created a scale of charges with a fixed price per minute. In exchange, visitors get a variety of workshops, movie nights, games and lots of communication with both old friends and new acquaintances. In addition, «Ziferblat» practices the principle of self-government: a person can participate in the way the institution develops and works. The new approach could not but catch the interest of other entrepreneurs and Ivan’s fellow-thinkers, so soon these institutions started sprouting like mushrooms after the summer rains both in Russia and Ukraine. However, it is not enough just to open, it is also necessary to have something individual, special, that would help distinguish this anti-cafe from others. It is especially important in the case of institutions of this type, where the emphasis is made on the atmosphere. In addition, there is still some confusion between the concepts of anti-cafe, co-working and free space. The common feature is only the only method of payment - visitors pay only for the time of their stay. In all other respects they differ from each other. For example, anti-cafe is an institution that offers a wide range of board games, coffee, tea and all kinds of sweets. In co-working the basic idea is to create a place for productive labor of people who cannot do their business at home or in the workplace. Finally, free space, as it is described by one of the owners, is «a space that people create for themselves and by themselves». Everybody can do whatever they want (of course, if they abide by certain rules of the institution).
Kharkiv free space In Kharkov there are several such institutions, such as Home. (rus. Дома.), The Level (rus. Уровень), Oblomoff. The correspondent of «Viva Ukraine» came into one of them and felt at Home. «Home.» (rus. Дома.) has existed almost for two years – on November 2 the free space is celebrating its birthday. Initially the idea was borrowed from «Ziferblat», however, Yuriy, the owner of “Home.” refused the format proposed by Ivan Mitin almost immediately. The difference between the Russian anti-cafe and the Kharkiv free space is more than substantial, starting from the concept and ending with the interior. “You see, «Ziferblat» still has more in common with a cafe. There are tables, people come in clusters. We do not have tables and the guests are gradually introduced to each other, and then they form one large company,” Yuriy, the owner, says. Also, unlike «Ziferblat», «Home.» exists on the basis of absolute self-government. There is no waiter or barkeeper, or even an administrator. Instead, there are «people looking after the House». Everything here is made by Yuriy and his friends, and some «household duties» are performed by the visitors themselves: for example, people wash up. The space at Home. is really free: if you are hungry, you can bring food with you or order anything you want. However, paying for the stay at Home., a person as if becomes a temporary tenant of the house. «We kind of conclude a temporary contract of
«No one believed in us,» the owner of «Home.» smiles. «Many openly tried to discourage by saying: we have already tried to open such an establishment, Kharkiv does not need it.» tenancy with everyone who comes here. For a while they become the owners of this space,» Yuriy says. Here it is prohibited: to drink alcohol, smoke and swear. What is allowed: anything if it does not interfere with others. «Home.» was created to help people find a corner in the great and incomprehensible city. “We can provide information, teach, show what’s new in the world. A student comes to town. He was well educated, but all this is new to him. And then he puts a question to himself: where can I go instead of just drinking somewhere in entrance halls. We work for those who ask themselves this question,” Yuriy says. 18
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Culture
«Home.» offers many interesting courses, quests, and other entertainment and educational activities for its visitors. There are courses of playing the drums, djembe and darbuka, acting and painting classes. «Home.» works closely with «Questoria», an international company holding quests. Recently a professional musical equipment has appeared here, which includes all one needs for a full scale concert. Such bands as “SunSay”, “Orkestr Che», «Salto Nazad» have already performed at “Home.”.
More and more birthdays are held at Home. This is especially good, because by the rules of the institution alcohol is prohibited, and this means that young people arrange birthdays here not to drink alcohol, but to communicate and have fun. However, it is not easy to find «Home.». It is surrounded by apartment buildings, behind an entrance arch. There is no sign plate. Though, if one has reached the goal, he or she will be pleasantly surprised, because the door is always opened to everyone. And it’s not just a metaphor, anyone can make sure of that. The institution is officially opened from 11:00 to 23:00, but it’s better to get there a bit late. Though there is no bedroom, visitors who want to stay overnight, can do so. This practice fundamentally distinguishes «Home.» from other similar institutions. So if you want to stay here, collect the company starting from five people and, having discussed the details with Yuriy, stay. Although the bedroom itself is not here, you can make yourself comfortable whenever you like it. Soon «Home.» is going to buy a few hammocks. «Home.» is more a social project than a business. It really has an unbiased attitude to any and all visitors. The atmosphere at «Home.» is friendly and creative, and the prices shock with their affordability. «Viva Ukraine» recommends this place.
There are console and board games, two pianos, several guitars. Yuriy is proud of the fact that all things at “Home.” were made by the visitors. For example, the conversation of the owner with the correspondent of «Viva Ukraine» took place at a tea table, decorated with maple leaves. It turned out that the table was an adapted plasma TV Samsung.
Home plans for November In addition to celebrating its birthday on November 2, «Home.» plans to celebrate Halloween by holding two quests on supernatural topics, a concert featuring Kharkov bands and a horror movie night. On November 15 “Home.” opens an «escape room». This is a new direction in the development of quests. The idea is that some people get shut in a room full of puzzles and challenges. To leave the room, they have to solve all the puzzles. However, even if one failed to come out, he or she should not worry: the person will still be released, but the correct answer will remain a secret, so it will be possible to try to solve the enigma one more time.
Tea is another zest of the institution. At “Home.” people like and appreciate tea, so if you can bring at least three friends, you can visit a real tea ceremony. That’s how Lara, one of the regular guests at «Home.», found this cozy place. “I came to “Home.” for the first time when I started taking lessons of playing the djembe. Next time I met Yuriy at the celebration of the alternative Day of Kharkiv this year. He was holding a tea ceremony at New Place Loft. Now I always come here to have some of this tea. It is the only place in the city, where one can always have it. In Moscow and Kyiv there are many such institutions, and we have only one - “Home.”. And, of course, people come here not just for tea. The owner Yuriy gladly shares his memories of their visitors: “We had around three hundred people at the opening, there was a queue throughout the yard. Then the «swanky party» gradually disappeared, in fact, that’s understandable, because fashion is constantly changing. Those who felt at “Home.”, who were nice and cozy here, remained our visitors. We do not set any criteria; our guests are all different, starting from mothers with children who have no place to go (one will scarcely go to a cafe, where somebody may scold her child for being too loud), and ending with students and the elderly people, who arrange their gatherings here. We pay no regard for a person’s values or social status.
How much does having fun at «Home.» cost? Unlike similar institutions, from now on “Home.» evaluates not hours or minutes, but days. The cost of one day is 30 UAH, it is the price approximately equal to the cost of the first hour in other anticafes of the city. One can come and pay and then come back when it is more convenient, and stay for how long he or she wants. Interesting facts: 1. In the group of «Home.» you can find a short film dedicated to this institution. 2. There is also a 3D-tour, so you can get acquainted with «Home.» before you actually visit it. 3. «Home.» hosts a program “Chaynarium”. 4. «Home.» is located in Chernyshevskoho St., 63d. It’s better to use Yandex maps. 19
№8, November 2014
Holiday
Trick or Treat? Scary Halloween Halloween, a holiday of vampires, witches, ghosts and other evil spirits, which until recently has been widely celebrated only in the US, is becoming very popular in Europe and is gradually covering the countries of the former Soviet Union. Not long ago, this custom has come to Ukraine. So on the night of October 31 to November 1 Ukrainians put on costumes of various scary creatures and the dead, carve pumpkins and have fun.
In the 19th century immigrants from Ireland «took» Halloween to America, and there the holiday took the form that we now call Halloween. Although the Irish have preserved elements of the beliefs of the Celts and druids, but in the US customs of different European nations mingled with the Indian beliefs, and, actually, the American version of the holiday was born. During the first Halloweens performances, fortune telling and dance parties were arranged, people celebrated the harvesting and told horror stories about corpses and ghosts. In Europe, this holiday is celebrated in different ways: the most common is a party in a castle, where there are many possibilities. Here it is possible to play in ghosts or hide-and-seek. For example, the Germans organize horror carnival at Frankenstein Castle, near Darmstadt. In Ukraine, Halloween is also celebrated, but it is different from Europe. In particular, it is more common to have a party in entertainment establishments with elements of a masquerade. Traditions and symbols of celebrating Halloween It was believed that in order to appease the spirits and establish contact with them, one was to bring a symbolic donation — to put all sorts of treats and candies at the threshold. On the eve of Halloween children dressed up in traditional costumes of various monsters and mystical creatures, witches, demons and characters of horror movies, and then went to relatives and friends, collecting the so-called «tribute» - sweets and buns — under the motto «Trick or Treat!». Also it is impossible to imagine Halloween without such traditional elements as a jack-o’-lantern - it is made of a pumpkin, although at the times of Samhain, the lantern was made of a turnip. It is very easy to make it – a pumpkin is scraped out, a face
Ancient traditions and the history of the holiday Halloween is one of the oldest festivals in the world. It has been celebrated for millennia, from the Celtic festival of Samhain, the Roman Pomona Day (Pomona was the goddess of plants) and the Christian All Saints’ Day. It is an amazing combination of the Celtic tradition of honoring evil spirits and the Christian custom of worship of all the saints. It was believed that at this time the souls of the dead visit their former homes to bask in the heat. They wander round about, collecting donations of food and drink from their relatives. The souls of the dead can take different forms, they are even able to obsess animals. Along with them there are other dark forces: demons, goblins, witches. All the devilry comes out. And to avoid becoming prey of the dead shadows, people put out fires in their houses and dressed up as scarily as possible - in animal skins and heads, hoping to frighten away the evil spirits. They put food at the threshold, to pacify the devilry. Then it eventually turned into treating children with candies. One knocks on the neighbors’ door and says, «Trick or treat». And they give the child something tasty. The Christian church made November 1 All Saints’ Day. It is a celebration of the saints who do not have a special day. This day one was to glorify the saints and martyrs. People called All Saints’ Day Allhallowmas (the mass of all hallows), and the night before the day was called All Hallows Eve - «Eve of All Saints’ Day.» That is where the name of the holiday comes from - Halloween. Since then, the celebration of Halloween combines Pagan and Christian mysticism. In 1000 the church declared November 2 All Souls’ Day. This day people were to remember not saints, but simply the dead. Prayers were arranged similarly to the festival of Samhain - with big bonfires, parades and dressing up in costumes of angels and devils.
of a horrific other-worldly creature is carved on it, and a burning candle is put inside. When a jack-o’-lantern lights up at night, it seems that one of the spirits is looking at people with its fiery eyes. The lantern replaces conventional lights and serves to illuminate the path to the souls returning to the purgatory. In fact, the origin of the traditional Halloween pumpkin with a candle inside is quite controversial. Although it can be associated 20
Holiday
№8, November 2014 Halloween in Ukraine
with the Roman feast of harvest, one legend says that wildfires of candles inside the pumpkin are wandering souls stuck between the heaven and the hell. Others believe that druids put these pumpkins to frighten evil spirits away from houses.
Ukrainians celebrated this terrible holiday with great enthusiasm. In Kyiv, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odessa and other cities there were zombie parades in city parks. Children and adults dressed up in costumes and painted their faces. There were several special places where one could get make-up according on his or her taste. On this day, no one was surprised to see a witch or a zombie in the subway or in the street, but instead people smiled and asked to take pictures with them. On this day there were a lot of competitions for the most terrible costume or the scariest carved pumpkin, etc. The boldest ones willingly went to chambers of horrors in amusement parks. Viva Ukraine suggests that you see several photos of the Ukrainians, who for a while turned into witches, the dead and other «cute» monsters.
There is another legend, according to which the source of the tradition is related to a drunkard named Jack. Jack, who was not admitted either in hell or in heaven, wandered about the earth with a hell-fire in his hands. To keep the fire burning, Jack used a pumpkin as a lantern, which later became a symbol of the holiday. On Halloween people pay visits or call friends and relatives to their own place. Although All Saints’ Day is not a public holiday even in the English-speaking countries, it is clear that it is celebrated very widely. The background of Halloween is studied in detail, and its traditions are actively taken over by pupils and students. Most young people are looking forward to October 31, to play and have fun.
An interesting fact: Pumpkin Sun from NASA NASA posted on its website photos made on October 8, where the Sun looks like a Halloween pumpkin. The similarity to a jack-o’-lantern was provided by a combination of active regions on the Sun. They look more vibrant, because they produce more light and energy. To get this picture they combined the images of the Sun taken in different wave bands.
21
№8, November 2014
Sport
Oleh Vernyayev is the world champion in gymnastics Oleh Vernyayev, the representative of the Central Sports Club Ukraine Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, draws the line at the 2014 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Nanning, China. In parallel bars the Ukrainian gymnast won the title of the world champion. Oleh’s «gold» result is 16, 125 points. According to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, at the 2014 European Championships in Sofia held in May Oleh Vernyayev was at the winner’s stand for three times, having won the gold medal in the exercises in the parallel bars and bronze medals in the vault and the team championship. President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Serhiy Bubka congratulated the new champion and his personal trainer Gennadiy Sartynsky on this high achievement, wishing not to stop and go further to new victories. An American Danell Leyva (15.933) won the silver medal, the third place went to a Japanese Ryohei Kato (15.666).
Bogdan Bondarenko is one of the three best athletes in Europe
Ukrainians won four awards at the European Amateur Youth Boxing Championships
A Ukrainian Bogdan Bondarenko is one of the three best atletes of the year in Europe. A Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie and Mohamed «Mo» Farah from Britain claimed the award GoldenTracks as well. According to EA, Renaud Lavillenie was recognized the best athlete in Europe in 2014. In February, in the Donetsk tournament “Pole Vault Stars”, he beat the world record in indoors pole vaulting that belonged to Serhiy Bubka - 6.16 m, and in August won the European Championship in Zurich. The best athlete in Europe in 2014 among women was the two-times European champion (100 m, 200 m), a Dutch Dafne Schippers. A Polish hammer thrower and the world record holder Anita Włodarczyk and the European champion in high jump, a Spaniard Ruth Beitia are also among the three best athletes.
From 18 to 26 October 2014 Zagreb (Croatia) was hosting European Amateur Youth Boxing Championships. The Ukrainian team won one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. A Ukrainian Kostiantyn Pinchuk (91kg) was the only representative of our team, who managed to get the first place at the continental championship. In the final match of the tournament he defeated the local boxer, a representative of the Croatian school of boxing Toni Philipi. The representative of our team in the weight category up to 64 kg — Denys Pesotskyy - got the silver medal. Oleksii Tokarchuk (69 kg) and Vladyslav Rolenko (75 kg) got two bronze medals. 420 athletes from 50 countries took part in the competition. 22
№8, November 2014
Sport
Vasyl Schubert is the world champion in fencing among veterans
Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko was obliged to fight The heavyweight world champion by versions of IBF, WBA, WBO, IBO, a Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, will fight with the winner of the duel between two British boxers, Dereck Chisora and Tyson Fury, in the course of the mandatory WBO title defense. The decision was made at Las Vegas Annual Conference of WBO. Fury and Chisora’s match is held on November 29 in London. It should be noted that according to the order, Klitschko is likely to hold the first mandatory defense on the line of WBA. Also one should not forget the desire of the Ukrainian champion to hold a unification fight with the owner of the WBC belt. We shall remind you that Klitschko’ next match will be held on November 15 in Hamburg (Germany). His opponent will be the mandatory challenger by the IBF version, a Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev.
The Ukrainian saber fencer Vasyl Schubert won the gold medal at the Veteran Men’s +70 Saber World Championships in the Hungarian city of Debrecen. There were 30 athletes competing n the age group of 70 years and older. In the final match Vasyl’s oppomemt was a German Hanns Prechtl. The Ukrainian won a victory with a score of 10:1.
Danylo Boldyrev won IFSC Climbing Worldcup (S) In the Chinese city Wujiang at the final stage of the IFSC Climbing Worldcup (Speed) a Ukrainian sportsman Danylo Boldyrev took the 10th place and thus IFSC Climbing Worldcup. The final result of the Ukrainian athlete in the summary table 2014 is 461 points (including 2 gold, 2 bronze and 1 silver medals at different stages), while his closest pursuer, a Czech sportsman Libor Hroza, who won «silver» for the final stage, got 439 points. The bronze medal at World Cup competitions went to Marcin Dzienski from Poland, his result is 402 points. So this year, Danylo has designed a unique climbing hat-trick: he has become the world champion, the winner of the Worldcup and the author of a world record.
The dance couple Isaakovich - Ulanov won first place at the WDSF International Open Adult Latin The rating international tournament in dance WDSF International Open Adult Latin - Elblag — (Poland) has ended recently in Poland. 100 athletes from Poland, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Belarus, France, Russia and other countries participated in the event. At the tournament Ukraine was represented by the dance couple Kateryna Isakovych - Daniil Ulanov. As a result, the Ukrainian pair took the first place, the second place went to the Russian couple Anna Anakina - Igor Sannikov, Kim Paetzug and Kirill Ganopolsky from Germany took the third place. 23
№8, November 2014
Present Day
Congratulations on the Railway Worker’s Day from the management of Ukrzaliznytsia I sincerely congratulate you on your professional holiday! Experience, responsibility, love for your job and focus on results of each of you is the basis for the development of the railway industry. Meanwhile the land in the East of Ukraine continues to shudder with explosions, railway workers courageously carry out their professional duty. Risking their own lives, locomotive engineers and porters do their job and provide rail links with the dangerous territory. Due to the steel drivers, power engineers, dispatchers and builders, the railroad carries passengers and cargo even in times of hostilities. As a result of the war in the East, much effort of railway workers and material resources of the industry aim at restoring damaged objects - hundreds of kilometers of railway track, dozens of damaged bridges and flyovers, railway stations, schools and hospitals. Helping civilians in the Eastern regions became our common priority. The process of reforming started. Establishment of Joint Stock Company «Ukrainian Railways» will help to attract investment and modernize the railroad transport, to adapt it to modern, to return prestige to the profession of a railway worker. I believe that together we will solve these tasks and enter a new glorious page in the history of the railroad industry. I wish you good health, family comfort, happiness, prosperity, peace and success in all your good deeds! Best Regards, General Director of Ukrzaliznytsia Boris Ostapiuk.
Since October 26 a new high-speed train Inter City + will run between Kyiv and Odessa From October 26, 2014 Ukrzaliznytsia appoints a new high-speed train Inter City + №763 / 764 to the route Darnytsia, Kyiv - Vinnytsia - Odessa. The train is made by Kryukov railway car building works. The train №763 will depart from Darnytsia Railway Station at 16:07, and from Kyiv Passenger Railway Station - at 16:41, will stop at Vinnytsia Railway Station at 18:54, arriving to Odessa at 23:25. The distance of 655 km between Kyiv and Odessa will be overcome by the train in 6 hours, 44 min. The new train will be especially convenient for the residents of Vinnytsia and Odessa, as in the morning the trains will go to Kyiv and in the evening — vice versa. This schedule allows the passengers traveling to Kyiv to optimally plan the time of their stay in the capital. The train Inter City + №763 / 764 will also go to Darnytsia Railway Station, which is convenient for the residents and visitors of the left-bank part of Kyiv. That is why all the trains Inter City + of Ukrzaliznytsia, except those heading to Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia, make two stops in the capital: at Kyiv Passenger Railway Station (the central train station) and Darnytsia Railway Station (the railway station of the left-bank part of the city).
Since the New Year, Hyundai trains will run between Lviv, Kyiv and Kharkiv UNIAN reports that from the New Year a high-speed train Inter City+ will run between Lviv, Kyiv and Kharkiv. According to the press service of the Lviv City Council, opening an additional high-speed rail link between the cities of Ukraine provides for a memorandum on cooperation and mutual promotion between the Lviv City Council, the State territorial-sectoral association «Lviv Railway», representatives of tourist business of the city and the SC “Ukrainian railway velocity company” of the State Administration of Railway Transport of Ukraine. As it is stated in the report, the first test train is scheduled to midNovember during the action «Night in Lviv». «Since the New Year there will be a new full route Lviv-KyivKharkiv. It will be a rail link that involves the most modern high-speed trains, so one could invite more visitors to Lviv, and more people could come to Kharkiv - it is the unity of our country. During the next month, we will clearly finalize the opening of this route and start the pre-sale of tickets,» the Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. 24
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A century-old history restaurant LEO is a restaurant with centuryold history, flawless service and perfect cuisine, nicely combining national traditions and gastronomic trends.
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ÂŤLa GiocondaÂť La Gioconda is a boutique hotel situated in a beautiful seaside area of Odessa. Enjoying marvelous sea views, it is central enough for easy visit to city sights and yet secluded enough to relax and unwind. Modeled on Tuscan villa, it combines old-fashion charm with latest hotel technologies and amenities both for business and leisure travelers.
Whether it is a business trip, family holiday or romantic weekend getaway, visit us and enjoy our hospitality and beautiful surroundings! Hotel address: 1, 2nd Lermontovskiy Lane Odessa 65014 Ukraine Tel.: +380 48 77 44 000 Fax: +380 48 77 44 009 E-mail: reception@lagioconda.odessa.ua