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.
07-06-2008
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?
