TIMES SQUARE - the heart of New York

TIMES SQUARE

A square in the heart of the district  Midtown Manhattan in New York City, located at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, stretching from street  42 to street 47.  It is one of the icons of New York City. Famous for its large number of illuminated advertising.

Earlier the square was called Longacre Square but changed  its name after the The New York Times moved its headquarters to the newly built New York Times Building. The magnified area of the square, called the Theatre District, consists of alleys between buildings, VI and VIII and the streets 40 and 53, complementing the western part of the commercial center of Manhattan.  

Every New Year's Eve, at Times Square  a ceremony of welcoming the New Year is organized. The ceremony with the participation of the biggest stars of music is transmitted to approx. 1 billion of  viewers. New Year's Eve at Times Square is also considered to be  the largest this knd of event in the world. Every year approx. 1 million of New Yorkers, tourists from other states  and  around the world participate in it . The highlight of the celebrations is the ball drop, ie. leaving a large sphere on one of the skyscrapers of Times Square, which marks  the  beginning of the year.

Times Square very often  appears in literature, television, and movies. For example : 

1992 - in the film “Home Alone2 : Lost in New York”

2001-  in the film “Vanilla Sky”

2002 - in the film “Spider-Man” 

2005 - in the film “King Kong” 

"VANILLA SKY"

QUESTIONS

1. What is Time Square famous for?

2. Why the name of the square has been changed?

3. What is the biggest attraction of the New Year's Eve at Time Square?

4. Have you ever been to New York and seen Times Square? If yes, describe your experience, if no, would you ike to see it? Justify your opinion 

Who is Ellen DeGeneres?

Who is Ellen DeGeneres?

Ellen DeGeneres Show is one of the most popular American television talk shows in the USA. It is hosted by a popular comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres, whose sense of humor charms and amuses audiences from every part of the country and - sometimes - even all over the world. 

The concept of this TV show is based on interviews and talks with mostly famous people. The guests include popular actors, musicians, politicians and others. Generally, it is a combination of comedy, celebrity and human-interest stories. Apart from that, Ellen DeGeneres Show sometimes features some audience participation - for example - during games when prizes are awarded. Finally, there are also episodes where the guests include non-celebrities like some incredibly intelligent and talented children or small business workers. The show is getting more and more popular with Ellen coming up with some new attractions: like remaking famous scenes from movies or music videos in a hilarious way or surprising fans by introducing them to their idols. 

Tasks:

1) Choose one interesting episode or a fragment of Ellen DeGeneres Show (you can find them on YouTube). Put the links below with a short description and explanation what makes this one chosen video so special.

The Queen of Diamonds

The Real Life of Marilyn Monroe

Women all over the world dream of having her sex appeal. Men all over the world dream of having a woman like her. What is the truth about one of the most influential women in the world?

                                 Norma Jeane Mortenson. 

Born in 1926 in Lemmon, South Dakota. Grew up in several foster homes. Had a turbulent love life and didn't like expensive jewellery at all.

CHILDHOOD

Marilyn grew up in eleven different foster homes as her mother Gladys Baker Mortenson suffered from mental illness. Her biological father remained unknown. The constant move from one foster house to another affected also her background education.

PRIVATE ISSUES

Apart from childhood nuisances, the symbol of sex appeal had a turbulent love life. She experienced heartache over the failure of her three marriages. At sixteen, Marilyn worked in an aircraft plant and married a man she called Daddy (Jim Dougherty) but got divorced in 1946. It appeared to be a marriage of convenience (she escaped from an orphanage or a new foster home). Her second marriage to Joe DiMaggio ended within a year. Marilyn's third marriage with the symbol of sex Arthur Miller ended due to her self-destructive behavior.

CAREER

While working at the Radioplane factory Jane was spot by David Conover. She started her career as a pin-up model as her figure was suitable for advertisements and men's magazines.  Finally she became famous for playing 'dumb blonde' characters. Monroe appeared in over thirty movies but also faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photos before becoming a star.

MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

Her private life received much attention. Apart from three husbands, Monroe had several boyfriends including politicians, athletes and celebrities. All the love affairs led to her mental problems. She suffered from anxiety, abuse and depression. In 1962 Marilyn was found dead at her mansion in Los Angeles. The cause of death was noted as barbiturade overdose and stated as a suicide several conspiracy theories are considered. 

        Lying on her bed, the sweet blonde innocent allurer died leaving the truth of her real image unknown forever.

Religion in the USA

Religion in the United States is characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices. Various religious faiths have flourished within the United States. Why? Mostly because of the multicultural origin of the immigrants. Some religions were also established after their arriving in the USA. As a result the United States became the most religiously diversified country in the world. Some of the religions undergo changes, some of them disappear and the proportions between them are not permanent, there are also no official statistics as far as the religion beliefs are considered. 

In the text of the First Amendment to the country's Constitution we can read the sentence: 

"Congress shall make no law respecting an established of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, ot the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

This sentence guarantees Americans the freedom of beliefs and prevents the government from establishing a state religion.

According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 70,6% of the American population identified themselves as Christians (46,5% of them attended to a variety of churches that could be considered Protestant and 20,8% professed Roman Catholic beliefs). The same study says that other religions, like Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, collectively make up about 6% of the American population. 

A majority of Americans report that religion plays a very important role in their lives, a proportion unique among developed countries but is it really so important? Do they visit churches often? Well, according to a 2012 survey by the Pew forum, 36% of Americans state that they attend services nearly every week or more. In my opinion, it is not so much but for many Americans, even though religion is important, family is still number one. What is more, it can be also caused by the reluctance to the idea of the church, like it is right now in Poland where only 39% of population take part in the masses (taking into consideration the fact that Poland is a catholic country, it is not so much). 

We should also remember that America is one country but 51 states that in most cases differ very much. Due to the data provided by a 2016 Gollup poll, Mississippi with 63% of its population described as very religious is the most religious state in the country, while New Hampshire with only 20% described as very religious is the least religious state. 

Task: Write a letter to a friend in which you will describe the religious situation in your country. 

Gone with the Wind

          ~ Timeless American Movie ~

'' Gone with the Wind'' is a romance film from 1939, adapted from novel with the same title. It was written by Margaret Mitchell in 1936.

The story takes place in the southern United States in state of Georgia, during American Civil War (1861-65). The main character Scarlett O'Hara falls in love with Ashley Wilkes, who unfortunately marries his beautiful and fragile cousine Melania Hamilton. Scarlett cannot accept the fact of rejection by Ashley, because with her beauty she could have any boy she desired. Then, on the horizon Rhett Butler shows up, who has the worst reputation in the South.  Scarlett and Rhett get married and shortly after they have a daughter: Eugenia Victoria called dimunitively Bonnie Blue. Unfortunately, the girl dies in the accident when riding a horse. Scarlett accuses Rhett of not watching Bonnie while horse riding, consequently accusing him of killing their daughter. 

At the end of the novel, there is a scene where Melania was at the deathbed, enlightening Scarlett that Rhett loved her very much and that she should fight for him. Eventually, after all those years Scarlett realised, that she did not love Ashley, but only the illusion from the past. 

“I loved something I made up, something that's just as dead as Melly is. I made a pretty suit of clothes and fell in love with it. And when Ashley came riding along, so handsome, so different, I put that suit on him and made him wear it whether it fitted him or not. And I wouldn't see what he really was. I kept on loving the pretty clothes—and not him at all.”

The novel ends with Rhett leaving South ans Scarlett's words which became the most popular quote and often repeated by the readers. 

''I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all...tomorrow is another day.''

Titbits:

• Even though in the book Scarlett's eyes were "pale green without a touch of hazel," Vivien Leigh's eyes were actually blue. When possible, they adjusted the lighting to make her eyes look green.
• Although this is his most famous film, Clark Gable disliked this movie greatly. He said it was a "ladies' picture."
• None of the scenes were actually filmed in the south, except for a few of the opening credits
• Vivien Leigh hated the kissing scenes with Clark Gable. She said that his breath smelled terrible. This is probably because he had false teeth, a result of excessive smoking
• Margaret Mitchell's original name for Scarlett was "Pansy," and her original name for Tara was    "Fountenoy Hall." Gladly, she changed them.

Task: Prepare a presentation about your favourite film. It should last 5 minutes and include titbits. 

                                                                                           

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park - is a National Park in California, where you can find waterfalls, millennial sequoias, steep cliffs and one of the most famous rock formations in United States. Despite the fact, that park covers the area of 747,956 acres (3,026.87 km2), the majority of tourism takes place in the area of 7 miles square called Yosemite Valley. As the archeological finds reveal, for over 3,000 years The Yosemite Valley has been inhabited. Up to the end of 19th century the area was dwelled by the tribe called Ahwahneechee.When The California Gold Rush began, the travel to Yosemite increased dramatically.

Waterfalls - the Yosemite Park is full of waterfalls. The best time to see them is during spring, when most of the snowmelt occurs. Perhaps the most prominent waterfall is Bridalveil Fall, which is seen from the Tunnel View viewpoint. The Park also contains approximately 3,200 lakes and 1,700 miles of streams. 

                                                                                              

Giant Sequioas - massive, ancient sequoias, live in three groves in Yosemite. The most easily accessible is the Mariposa Grove, near the park South's entrance. Mariposa Grove Road is closed approximately November to April, depending on conditions. You can hike up the two-mile road when it is closed.

Rock Formations - over centuries rovers and glaciers carved 3,000 feet into solid granite to create Yosemite Valley. Half Dome is probably the most popular and sought-after landmarks in Yosemite. Some people even hike up to the top. In the picture, on the left you can see Three Brothers. The name is obvious, is made up of Eagle Peak (''the uppermost'' brother''), and Middle and Lower Brothers.

Here is a short video of a traveller Ben Brown, who visited a Yosemiet Park with a group of friends. It contains of beautiful views, its wilderness, and a touristic possibilities it gives.  

Task: Prepare a step by step plan of going for a trip to Yosemite National Park. The trip will last seven days, make sure you include accomodation, plan of sightseeing, meals and means of transport.

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American Art: abstract expressionism or... just some doodles

Why should I bother you with the extremely boring piece of reading about the even more boring history of the 20th century's art? If you think that the abstract painting of Jackson Pollock is just a compilation of several spots and paint splashes, you should at least know that the abstract expressionism is the first purely American movement that achieved an international popularity and is now regarded as an important brick in the whole wall of the American art.

Jackson Pollock: Portait and a Dream, 1953

Jackson Pollock, Number 34, 1949

If I'm still not convincing enough, and you're staring at these pictures wondering What the heck did the author mean by it?, maybe the earlier painting of Pollock will gain more of your sympathy.

Jackson Pollock, Going West, 1934-1935

Yes, that looks a little bit more realistic, but let me start once again.

In the 40's of the 20th c. in New York City, there was created an artistic movement highly inspired by innovative European painters as Max Ernst (pictures below). In the painting we can clearly see that Ernst was a surrealist and what is worth mentioning - a dadaist, representative of the movement praising the freedom of expression and breaking with the tradition.

The name of the created movement was first used in 1949. It is of course abstract expressionism.

It is claimed to be born in the city of New York and derived from German expressionism, with the greatest emphasis put on the artistic self-expression or even subconscious and spontaneous act as dripping paint onto canvas spread out on the floor. So the movement conjoined an emotional depth with anti-figurative aesthetics of European schools of surrealism.

Action painting

James Brooks, 1957, Tate Gallery

Action painting or in other words the art of action and gestures was the one of two directions that the School of New York took. It is based on the randomness and spontaneous action, the act of creation plays here the main role. It refers to the artist's subconsciousness, and a reflex action as the only authentic way of creating.

The most known representatives are Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline or Willem de Koonig.

Color field painting 

Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1964

On the other hand, in the Color field painting, the most crucial is - as you can imagine - the color. The attention of the artist is focused on carrying the message and emotions through the color and its shades. The act of creation, though, is strictly controlled. 

Why I find this topic interesting and corresponding to the subject of our blog? Because, it is the first originally American artistic movement. It has proved that the U.S. are still creative and vigorous after the Second World War. It also cought the attention of the world, showing America's ability to the artistic development, independent from Europe. 

Task:

If you still don't like abstract expressionism, find the movement you actually like with its history and representatives. If you like it, keep searching and get inspired.

The history of Grunge music

An unseparable element of the present American culture and a well-known subgenre of rock music is undeniably Grunge. Understood not only as a genre but also a regularly returning current in fashion and tendency influencing artists of various kinds, grunge, emerged during the middle 1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in Seattle.

WHERE?

We can imagine that often gloomy and rainy atmosphere of Washington favored the creation of heavy or rather melancholic sounds of guitars. It is often gloomier than on the photo above, I assure you. That is also why the name "grunge" was created - artists were somehow inspired by the dirty streets of the grey Seattle.

WHEN?

            Literally grunge means grime or dirt but the term was first used to describe music in 1981 by Mark Arm to describe his band Mr. Epp and the Calculations. The grunge movement is best known for its distorted guitars, apathetic lyrics, long hair or flannel shirts. Grunge music is often credited with popularizing punk rock. Grunge is indeed heavily influenced by punk music, both musically and in its aesthetics and ethos, but the isolation of the Pacific Northwest allowed a genre to flourish away from the influences of the typical American cultural centers as Los Angeles or New York City.

the Melvins and the most recognizable member of the band - Buzz Osborne

After releasing Seminal Gluey Porch Treatments album in 1987, the Melvins would become one of the founding fathers of what eventually became known as "grunge" - a new, mutant form of punk rock that absorbed heavy metal as well as seventies hard rock bands such as Kiss and Aerosmith. Their sound contributed to the Seattle music, which had previously been dominated by art-rock bands.

I believe 99% of you will recognize this cover.

WHO?

In 1991, Nirvana released Nevermind, an album that would go on to become one of the 1990’s biggest and most influential records. To a then homeless Kurt Cobain, the massive exposure of grunge to the mainstream would be a dizzy few years. In fact, the grunge explosion that occurred following the record’s release really put Seattle on the musical map.

However, Nirvana was far from the forerunners of grunge. In fact, it was almost a decade earlier that the term “grunge” came into use, years before Nirvana was a band. The four Northwest bands that eventually came to define grunge on the larger, more successful stage were Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. These four bands regarded as "the big 4 of Seattle" as well as few others dominated the world of rock for a next few years. 

Pearl Jam with Eddie Vedder as the vocalist

If you're not a huge fan of rock music, you don't have to listen to it but I'd like to give you a sample of how my favourite 3 Grunge bands sound like: (and yep, I've chosen rather bearable and calm type of samples ;))

Pearl Jam - Garden

Nirvana - Where did you sleep last night?

Alice in Chains - Brother (MTV Unplugged)

Unplugged types of concert (meaning acoustic, producing sound not through electronic means) were (and still are) common among Grunge bands. I have posted an example above, showcased by MTV in 1996 unplugged concert of one of the representatives of grunge - Alice in Chains with amazing Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell on vocal.

IS GRUNGE DEAD?

Unfortunately the golden age of Grunge passed with the death of remarkable individuals as Kurt Cobain from Nirvana or Layne Staley from Alice in Chains, but it really does not mean that Grunge is dead. Lifestyle of such artist shouldn't be promoted though, it is often associated with drugs and alcohol but for sure their music can be listened to and praised without such stimulants. Grunge is still alive in hearts of people listening to it and other artists bearing the legacy of the precursors mentioned above and trying to create their own input into the history of Grunge. Of course bands as Pearl Jam or Soundgarden (or other projects of Chris Cornell) are still functioning, however after such vivid epoch of rock music as the 80's and 90's, they are no longer regarded as the quintessence of Grunge.




READING COMPREHENSION TASKS:

1. How do the literal meaning of the word grunge correspond to the features of that type of music?
2. What does the author understand as the "golden age of Grunge music"?
3. What is the "Unplugged" type of concert?
4. What are the 3 main features of Grunge music? Try to use your own words.
4. Find the information about your favourite genre of music and answer the questions: Where? When? and Who?

Differences between British and American English

 Although it seems that people in the U.S and the U.K. speak the same language, differences in pronunciation and vocabulary may surprise you. What's more, you probably already know that there are plenty of varieties of English, including dialects and differences in accentuation, but did you know that there are almost 1500 millions of English speakers and only 335 millions of them are the native speakers? That simply means that English language became a lingua franca and that you can communicate in it almost all around the world. Among the most popular varieties of English, there are for instance British English (including Irish English), American English and Canadian English, Australian/New Zealand English, India-Pakistan English, and African English (especially as spoken in Republic of South Africa).

Sorry for this too long, boring theoretical introduction... Let's move on to the topic of today's post: differences between English spoken in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. I'm not going to include all of them of course, just want to give you a hint what the main contrast is about.

1. Pronunciation

In British and American English some words are pronounced in a noticeably different way. Most of people will immidiately hear the difference. The most obvious characteristic is the way the letter r is pronounced. In British English, when it comes after a vowel in the same syllable (e.g. car, hard, or market), the r is not pronounced. In American English the r is pronounced. Try to read these words in both of ways: Martha, barely, card, iron, park, turn, March.

There are also some words like Ax (Axe in British) and Defense (Defence in British) which have the same pronunciation but different spelling in both languages.

Short English Pronunciation Lesson.

2. Vocabulary

There are many differences in American and British English vocabulary. Here are 10 examples of words in American English followed by their British English equivalents:

American / British

1.       elevator / lift
2.       garbage / rubbish
3.       vacation / holiday
4.       truck / lorry
5.       sweater / jumper
6.       cookie / biscuit
7.       french fries / chips
8.       line / queue
9.       parking lot / car park
10.       silverware / cutlery

3. Spelling

A majority of the spelling differences between American and British English fall into the following categories:

• Latin-derived spelling
  • -our (British) and -or (American). e.g. colour vs color
  • -re (British) and -er (American). e.g. centre vs center
  • -ce (British) and -se (American). e.g. defence vs defense
• Greek-derived spelling
  • -ise (British) and -ize (American). e.g. centralise vs centralize
  • -yse (British) and -yze (American). e.g. analyse vs analyze
  • -ogue (British) and -og (American). e.g. dialogue vs dialog
  • Simplification of ae and oe in American English. e.g. gynaecology vs gynecology

To conclude and revise the information above, please watch and enjoy this video: 

SOURCES:

Crystal, David (2006). "9 - English worldwide pp. 420-439",

Encyclopædia Britannica

http://learningenglish.voanews.com/

http://learnersdictionary.com/

TASKS: 

1. Find some information about English-based creoles and pidgins. Elaborate on the aspects that have cought your attention.
2. Write your own definition of lingua franca.
3. Discuss in groups of 3-4 people what other differences you know, present it to the rest of your class.
4. Do you prefer American or British English? Why?

Hollywood Walk of Fame

 

HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME

 Sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles's Hollywood, containing more than 2,400 five-pointed stars, commemorating the famous personalities of the world of show business.

\Joanne Woodward (actress) was the first star that was awarded (February 9, 1960).

 The stars are awarded by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in five categories:

1. MOTION PICTURES

2. TELEVISION

3. RECORDING

4. LIVE PERFORMANCE

5. RADIO

INTERESTING FACTS

•  Anyone can submit a nomination for the star.
•  The stars are awarded each year in June.
•  Every year, one star is awarded posthumously. (Not earlier than five years after the death of a person)
• Not only do the  individuals and  bands have their stars but also some Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and some animals like e.g Lassie

MICKEY MOUSE

LASSIE

 

The most often visited by fans stars: 

ELVIS PRESLEY

MICHAEL JACKSON

MARILYN MONROE

 TASK:

Let's imagine that you can give this kind of star to anyone you wish. Choose two people (they don't have to be famous) and justify you opinion. Write about 120 words.