American greats and great Americana To say that the United States have received a lot of criticism in the past few years, is putting it mildly. America's reputation has crashed in the public opinion. American politicians have turned from liberators into warmongers, American society from a shining example into a cradle of violence, and American culture from cool to commercial. Still the “greatest country on earth” has a lot to offer: wonderful national parks, great music, entertaining movies, cutting-edge science and technology, etc. Here's a selection by the students and teacher of the 6th year of English at the CVO Waregem Anzegem Tielt of Waregem, Belgium. The texts have been written or compiled by the students between April and June 2008.
14-07-2008
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Its name refers to the splendid yellow colour of the rocks along the canyon cutting through the park. The park is filled with an astonishing collection of geological wonders: geysers, hotsprings, fumaroles, canyons and waterfalls. Yellowstone is also a remarkable wildlife sanctuary, home to bisons, elk, moose, mountain lions, eagles, trumpeter swans and a host of other protected animals.
The 810,000 hectares of wilderness now constituting Yellowstone National Park have been left virtually unchanged in the past 8,000 years. The influence of man affects only 1 percent of the vast area.
The park is known for its various hydrothermal geological wonders, resulting from water leaking through cracks in the crustal rocks and being heated by a large body of magma which comes up close to the surface. Thermometers lowered into wells indicate that the average temperature at a depth of 170 to 200 meter is above 700 degrees celsius.
The heat causes the water to return to the surface. If there is only a small route available, it will spill out as a 'constant gusher'. If it surfaces in a pool, it creates a 'hot spring'. When the water does nog have enough energy to lift itself all the way up, steam and other gases emerge through openings, creating 'fumaroles'. If however there are cavities in the underground plumbing system, a 'geyser' will result, which erupts at regual intervals as the cavities in the system need to fill up before enough pressure is created to cause another eruption.
There's no business like show business. Hollywood is known as the capital of the American movie industry. It is a symbol of glamour, ambition and success, and every aspiring actors dream to be a part of this movie powerhouse that produces hundreds of movies each year. However, the success of the movie industry also has a dark side that is dominated by power and money. A complex power struggle between studio heads, directors, producers, studio executives, agents and writers seems to be a daily occupation in an industry ruled by million-dollar deals. The technological evolution from the big-budget movies in the 1950s to the current business of DVDs, digital piracy, the internet, etc. has drastically changed the economic character of the movie business. Advertising and the income from video/DVD sales has become predominant. It is obvious that the business aspect of Hollywood has conquered the entertainment aspect.
Julie
(more info at: www.nytimes.com > archive > 'BBC Hollywood'; published June 25, 1991)
the Ford Pinto scandal
In the beginning of the 70s, Ford designed a cheap car to compete with other car manufacturers, called the Pinto. When the design was ready and engineers had already ordered the tools for the assembly line, a possible design flaw was discovered. After running crash tests the assumptions were confirmed. When the car was involved in a rear-end collision at minor speed, the gas tank was puntured and fuel leaked out. As a result the car caught fire.
Ford discovered the problem before production had begun, but the assembly line was almost finished and redesigning the fuel tank would cost a lot of money and delay the release of the car. Instead, the Ford management made a simple cost-benefit analysis. They estimated how many car crashes might occur with the Pinto and how much damages they would have to pay for a died or seriously burned victim. Their conclusion was that it was cheaper to pay the possible victims than adapting the car at a price of $11 per car.
After a while however, people discovered the defect and started sueing Ford. In these law suits, the cost-benefit analysis made by Ford was revealed and the company was forced to pay the victims generously and recall 1.5 million cars. The scandal shows how cynical capitalism can become when profit and statistics become more important than the well-being of the customer.
Woodstock was one of the most impressive rock festivals in history. It was held in the U.S.A. on August 15-17, 1969, near Wallkill, about 100 km from New York. Originally the festival was to be held near the town of Woodstock (hence the name) but no field in Woodstock was large enough to accommodate the expected one million visitors. The big rock festival had a peaceful character (the slogan on the poster read: "three days of peace and music") and became the symbol of hope for a political and cultural renewal of society. These views and ideas were shared by the emerging generation in the western world. Woodstock is seen as the mother of all festivals.
Eventually some 500,000 visitors turned up. This was much more than the festival was planned for but everything went smoothly. The campsite and all of its surroundings were used. All roads to the festival were parking spaces. Even the army was deployed. The organisation asked soldiers to help the crowd with bread and water. Financially the organisation was a disaster, with a final loss of more than $2,500,000. A certain John Robert accepted to pay off the debts in return for the right to all film footage of the festival. He has been paid back many times.
Many popular artists from the time were contracted, amongst others: Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Richie Havens, Sweetwater, Joan Baez and Joe Cocker. It was quite exceptional that the stars of the moment: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan were not present at the festival. Woodstock remains in our thoughts and remains etched in memory.
Jozef
30-06-2008
Laurel & Hardy
Stan Laurel was born Arthur Stanley Jefferson on 16 June 1890 in Ulverston, England (UK). The son of a British showman, he had been raised in English music halls. In 1910 he made his first trip to America as a member of the Fred Karno musical-comedy troupe, which also included Charlie Chaplin. Laurel stayed in the United States, touring in vaudeville and landing an occasional movie job.
Oliver Hardy was born Norvell Hardy on 18 January 1892 in Harlem, Georgia (USA). He had been destined for a military career, but opened a movie theatre in Milledgeville, Georgia, instead. He next found work as an actor in Jacksonville, Florida, home of the Lubin film company. Hardy later moved to Hollywood, and by the mid 1920s, he was working as an all-purpose comic at the Hal Roach studio.
Laurel and Hardy's partnership at the Hal Roach studio began in 1926. Within a year of their first joint appearance, they were being touted as the new comedy team. After collaborating on many silent films, they took the transition to the talking film in stride. As their success spread throughout the world, they began making feature films as well and won an Oscar for their short subject entitled The Music Box (1932).
After the team left the Hal Roach studio, they formed their own production company but were unable to repeat the success they had enjoyed under the guidance of Hal Roach. Oliver Hardy died on 7 August 1957, Stan Laurel on 23 February 1965.
Route 66 is a historical highway in the United States. It begins in Chicago and ends at the beach of the Pacific in Santa Monica near Los Angeles. Its total length is 3,940 km.
Route 66 runs through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. It is considered the "Mother Road" of American highways. It was deactivated officially in 1985 and the US 66 highway shields were taken down after the Interstate Highway System took over the long distance traffic.
The Interstate Highway is the counterpart of European motorways. It has a network that crosses the frontiers of the different US states. In general, Interstate Highways have no level crossings and a higher speed is allowed.
Throughout the 20th century Route 66 has played an important part in American culture. The road was used by people travelling to California, trying to escape the "Dust Bowl", immense successive dust storms torturing the planes in the centre of the US between 1930 and 1941. After WW2, many new car owners used the road to travel from one side of the country to the other.
Route 66 has become a nostalgic symbol of American society in the period 1930 to 1970. Many tourists still follow old stretches of Route 66.
If you ever plan to motor west, Travel my way, take the highway that is best. Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
It winds from chicago to LA, More than two thousand miles all the way. Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
Now you go through Saint Louis Joplin, Missouri, And Oklahoma City is mighty pretty. You see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico, Flagstaff, Arizona. Don't forget Winona, Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino.
Won't you get hip to this timely tip: When you make that California trip Get your kicks on route sixty-six.
(watch the song on www.youtube.com, keywords 'route 66 king')
Dr Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born 2 March 1904 in Springfield, MA. He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925, and proceeded on to Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature. He returned from Europe in 1927, and began working for a magazine called Judge, the leading humor magazine in America at the time, submitting both cartoons and humorous articles for them. Additionally, he was submitting cartoons to Life, Vanity Fair and Liberty.
In 1936 on the way to a vacation in Europe, listening to the rhythm of the ship's engines, he came up with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, which was rejected by the first 43 publishers he showed it to. Eventually in 1937 a friend published the book for him, and it went on to moderate success.
During WW II, Geisel joined the army and was sent to Hollywood. Captain Geisel would write for Frank Capra's Signal Corps Unit (for which he won the Legion of Merit) and do documentaries (he won Oscar's for Hitler Lives and Design for Death). He also created a cartoon called Gerald McBoing-Boing which also won him an Oscar.
In May of 1954, Life published a report concerning illiteracy among school children. The report said, among other things, that children were having trouble to read because their books were boring. This inspired Geisel's publisher. He sent Geisel a list of 400 basic words and asked him to cut the list to 250 words (as many as a first grader could absorb) and write a book. Nine months later, The Cat in the Hat was published, using only 220 of the words, and went on to instant success. In 1960 Geisel wrote an entire book using only fifty different words, Green Eggs and Ham.
Randall "Randy" Stuart Newman (born Los Angeles, November 28, 1943) is an Academy Award-winning American songwriter, arranger, composer, singer and pianist who is notable for his mordant (and often satirical) pop songs and for his many film scores. He is the merciless chronicler of the American middle class, with texts full of wry humour but also understanding and compassion.
Newman is noted for his practice of writing lyrics from the perspective of a "character" far removed from Newman's own biography, often utilizing the literary device of an unreliable narrator. For example, the 1972 song Sail Away is written as a slave trader's sales pitch to attract slaves, while the narrator of Political Science is a U.S. nationalist who complains of worldwide ingratitude toward America and proposes a brutally ironic final solution ("Let's drop the big one"). His songs Short people and Lonely at the top were international hits in the '70s.
Since the 1980s, Newman has worked mostly as a film composer. His film scores include Ragtime, The Natural, Toy Story, Meet the Parents and Seabiscuit. He also scored four other Pixar films: A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., and Cars. His comeback album Land of dreams (1988) showed that he's still one of the most original and talented song writers and composers in present day pop music. His work of the past 30 years has been collected on the 4 CD box Guilty.
He has also been singled out for a number of awards by his colleagues, including an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four Grammy Awards, and the Governor's Award from the Recording Academy. Randy Newman was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002.
Id like to say a few words In defense of our country Whose people arent bad nor are they mean Now the leaders we have While theyre the worst that weve had Are hardly the worst this poor world has seen
Lets turn historys pages, shall we?
Take the Caesars for example Why within the first few of them They were sleeping with their sister Stashing little boys in swimming pools And burning down the City And one of em, one of 'em Appointed his own horse Consul of the Empire Thats like vice president or something
Thats not a very good example, is it?
But wait, heres one, the Spanish Inquisition They put people in a terrible position I dont even like to think about it
Well, sometimes I like to think about it
Just a few words in defense of our country Whose time at the top Could be coming to an end Now we dont want their love And respect at this point is pretty much out of the question But in times like these We sure could use a friend
Hitler. Stalin. Men who need no introduction
King Leopold of Belgium. Thats right. Everyone thinks hes so great Well he owned The Congo He tore it up too He took the diamonds, he took the gold He took the silver Know what he left them with?
Malaria
A President once said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" Now it seems like were supposed to be afraid Its patriotic in fact and color coded And what are we supposed to be afraid of? Why, of being afraid Thats what terror means, doesnt it? Thats what it used to mean
You know it pisses me off a little That this Supreme Court is gonna outlive me A couple of young Italian fellas and a brother on the Court now too But I defy you, anywhere in the world To find me two Italians as tightass as the two Italians we got
And as for the brother Well, Plutos not a planet anymore either
The end of an empire is messy at best And this empire is ending Like all the rest Like the Spanish Armada adrift on the sea Were adrift in the land of the brave And the home of the free
Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.
(watch Randy Newman perform this song at www.youtube.com, keywords 'newman defense')
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. Much of Dylan's most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when he became an informal chronicler and a reluctant figurehead of American unrest. A number of his songs, such as Blowin' in the Wind and The Times They Are a-Changin', became anthems of the anti-war and civil rights movements. His most recent studio album, Modern Times (2006) was named Album of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine.
Dylan's early lyrics incorporated politics, social commentary, philosophy and literary influences, defying existing pop music conventions and appealing widely to the counterculture. While expanding and personalizing musical styles, he has shown steadfast devotion to many traditions of American song, from folk and country/blues to gospel, rock and roll and rockabilly, to English, Scottish and Irish folk music, even jazz and swing.
Bob Dylan was handed a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation (the Pulitzer prize is normally awarded to US print journalism) in 2008, for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power".
The Times, they are a-changin'
Released in 1964 on the album of the same name, The Times is often viewed as a reflection of the generation gap and of the political divide marking American culture in the 1960s. Dylan, however, disputed this interpretation, saying "Those were the only words I could find to separate aliveness from deadness. It had no-thing to do with age."
Come gather 'round people wherever you roam And admit that the waters around you have grown And accept it that soon you'll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you is worth savin' Then you better start swimmin or youll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin'.
Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pen And keep your eyes wide. The chance wont come again And don't speak too soon for the wheel's still in spin And there's no tellin' who that it's namin'. For the loser now will be later to win For the times they are a-changin'.
Come senators, congressmen, please heed the call Don't stand in the doorway. Dont block up the hall For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled. There's a battle outside and it is ragin'. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls For the times they are a-changin'.
Come mothers and fathers throughout the land And don't criticize what you cant understand. Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. Your old road is rapidly agin'. Please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand For the times they are a-changin'.
The line it is drawn. The curse it is cast The slow one now will later be fast As the present now will later be past. The order is rapidly fadin. And the first one now will later be last For the times they are a-changin'.
There are approximately 350.000 Belgians living in the United States of America. Thats about 0,1% of the current population. The Belgians have settled mainly in the states Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Louisiana and Texas. Most Flemish emigrants are living in Detroit. Immigration from Flanders happened over several centuries, but mainly in the 19th century and during and after the First World War (1914-1918).
One of them, Camille Cools from Moorslede, in 1914 founded the Gazette van Detroit to offer Belgians news from home. The first Gazette was published on August, 13, 1914. It still exists and its the only Belgian newspaper in America.
Its a link between the emigrated Flemish in America and Canada and their native country. First it was a weekly newspaper but now it's fortnightly with an edition of 1,500 copies. One hundred are distributed in Belgium.
Until recently, the Gazette van Detroit had preserved its original lay-out with black and white photographs, which gave it a somewhat outdated look. The Dutch too was sometimes out-of-date. The language of the Belgian emigrants hadn't evolved much. They talked and wrote the same way as before. In 2006 however, the newspaper was updated and given a new life. It now has 20 pages, 4 of which are in colour, and articles in (correct contemporary) Dutch and English (as most of the third generation Flemish emigrants no longer understand Dutch).
The Gazette van Detroit has the normal variety of newspaper subjects: for example: on page 4 you can read about births and obituaries. On page 5 there are sports articles such as bicycle races, football, pigeon races, tennis, etc. The gazette is independent and neutral, not affiliated with any political or religious organization. Until recently, the articles were mostly written by blue collar workers and farmers with a low education.
Today Belgians dont immigrate to the region of Detroit anymore and the Gazette van Detroit has fewer subscribers. The old generation has died and the younger are less motivated to learn the language of their (great)grandparents.
At the end of 2005, the newspaper made a loss, even though it was run by volunteers and one part time employee.
In 2006, Leen de Doncker and her husband who had lived in Detroit for many years gave the newspaper a fresh start. Today Leen is back in Europe but with the help of a number of volunteers she managed to contribute to the success of the Gazette. And since 2006 there is new life, new hope, and even a subsidy of 12.500 euro from the Flemish government.
The Gazette van Detroit is looking forward to celebrating its centenary in 2014.
Countless tragedies have haunted America's First Family.
It all began in 1914, when the patriarch Joe Kennedy, son of an Irish immigrant, married Rose Fitzgerald, daughter of a Boston Irish aristocracy. Joe was ambitious and unscrupulous and made a fortune selling strong spirits in the saloons of Boston. His dream was to become president of the U.S. but he only made it to ambassador in London.
Rose gave birth to nine children and from the beginning the clan alternated between success and tragedy. The eldest son, Joseph P. Kennedy, was killed in a plane crash in 1944 during World War II, at the age of 29.
In the fifties, the family fortunes rose as John F. Kennedy became president of the U.S.A., thanks to the shadow connections of the pater familias. Military officers and the American right wing didn't take kindly to Kennedy's attempts to retrain the military-industrial conglomerate. His brother Bobby understood this and warned John of going into negotiations with Kruchev. Despite these warnings, JFK was shot during a parade in Dallas, at the age of 42.
Five years later, his brother Bobby, who aspired to the same office of President, was killed in a hail of bullets on the campaign trail. Too much to be a coincidence: the right wing vendetta had knocked out America's First Family.
In 1999, John F. Kennedy, JFK's only son was killed in a plane crash.
Many other family relatives died in obscure circumstances or suffered from serious misfortunes. It's an incredible string of tragedies that have stalked the Kennedy Clan.
Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. As a successful pop music performer, Diamond scored a number of hits worldwide in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Diamond had sold 120 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S. His songs have been recorded by a vast array of performers from many different musical genres. Diamond was included into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984. Diamond's new album Home Before Dark was released on May 6th 2008. One week later, the US Billboard Hot 200 listed the album at number one, the first chart-topping album of Diamond's storied career.
Pretty amazing grace is what You showed me. Pretty amazing grace is who You are. I was an empty vessel. You filled me up inside and with amazing grace restored my pride.
Pretty amazing grace is how You saved me and with amazing grace reclaimed my heart. Love in the midst of chaos, calm in the heat of war, showed with amazing grace what love was for.
You forgave my insensitivity and my attempt to then mislead You. You stood beside a wretch like me. Your pretty amazing grace was all I needed.
Stumbled inside the doorway of Your chapel, humbled in God by everything I found. beauty and love surround me, freed me from what I fear. Ask for amazing grace and You appear.
[You overcame my loss of hope and faith, gave me a truth I could believe in. You led me to a higher place, showed Your amazing grace when grace was what I needed.
Look in a mirror I see Your reflection, open a book You live on every page. I fall and You're there to lift me, share every road I climb and with amazing grace You ease my mind.
Came to You with empty pockets first when I returned I was rich man, didn't believe love could quench my thirst but with amazing grace You showed me that it can.
In Your amazing grace I had a vision. From that amazing place I came to be. into the night I wandered, wandering aimlessly, found Your amazing grace to comfort me.]
pretty amazing, pretty amazing, pretty amazing,
You overcame my loss of hope and faith, gave me a truth I could believe in. You led me to that higher place showed me that love and truth and hope and grace were all I needed.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (Spanish for 'the meadows') is the entertainment capital of the world. There's magic, music, dancing, comedy and gaming for everyone. It's the brightest city in the world and it features fourteen of the world's largest hotels. No wonder that Las Vegas is the fastest growing city in the world, attracting 30 million tourists annually. Five thousand people move into Las Vegas permanently every month, even though it's situated in the middle of the Nevada desert.
The Strip is a wide boulevard of 6.4 km long where most of the large casinos and hotels are located. It's the major destinations for tourists. Most of the attractions and shows are located on the casino hotel premises. Some of the most popular free attractions include the water fountains and the convervatory at the Bellagio, the Sirens of T.I. show at Treasure Island Hotel and the white tiger habitat at the Mirage Hotel. In 2006, the Las Vegas Strip lost its long-time status as the world's highest-grossing gambling centre, falling to second place behind Macau.
The Stratosphere Tower opened on April 1996 at the North End of the Strip. With 35 storeys, it's the tallest tower west of the Mississippi and the tallest observation tower of the USA. The complex offers a large casino and shopping mall, along with the best view of Las Vegas. At the top of the tower are a revolving restaurant, a cocktail bar, three wedding chapels, a roller coaster (the world's highest) and a thrill ride to the very top of the antenna.
For me, the trip I made to Las Vegas has confirmed the stereotype I had formed about ordinary American people with respect to how they manage to realise most of their projects, regardless of money or the environment. As they say themselves: "Vegas is fabulous". And people need dreams, don't they?
The US, the New World, is receptive to advanced techniques to improve food by genetic engineering.
Twelve years after the first generation, the GM-varieties have become commercially available. The adoption of these varieties by U.S. farmers is widespread for major crops. Driven by farmers' expectations of higher yields, time saving maintenance and lower pesticide costs, the adoption of GE-varieties with corn, soybean, maize, oilseed rape and cotton has increased rapidly. Today, 60% of the U.S. grocery food contains GM-ingredients, even after the Philip Morris tobacco scandal has heightened awareness of GM-risks in the US.
Despite the benefits, environmental and consumer concerns have limited acceptance of GM-crops in Europe. The Old World has declared a moratorium on GMOs, principally to protect its own farmers. These GM-crops would help feed the hungry millions of people, but the European lobby will not hear of it. Europe defends its point of view under the pretext of protecting the environment and consumers' health. Still, everybody should realise that this technology is already widely used. For instance, some products such as chocolate, mayonnaise, tomato sauce and bread may contain GM-vegetable oils, soy and maize derivates.
According to the WHO, GM-foods currently available on the international market have passed risk assessments and are not likely to present risks for human health. And who would counter the World Health Organisation?
New Hampshire (NH) New Jersey (NJ) New Mexico (NM) New York (NY) Ohio (OH) Oklahoma (OK) Oregon (OR) Pennsylvania (PA) Rhode Island (RI) South Carolina (SC)
South Dakota (SD) Tennessee (TN) Texas (TX) Utah (UT) Vermont (VT) Virginia (VA) Washington (WA) West Virginia (WV) Wisconsin (WI) Wyoming (WY)
The US, the New World, is receptive to advanced techniques to improve food by genetic engineering.
