You will only need 4 candles and 2 plant pots
Saturday 30 November 2013
Tuesday 26 November 2013
Movie posters of Film noir
Just superb! If you like cinema I am sure you will find this page simply fascinating.
http://wheredangerlives.blogspot.com.es/2011/05/100-greatest-posters-of-film-noir.html
Sunday 17 November 2013
George Gershwin, 1898-1937 PART II (adapted from VOA web)
George Gershwin, 1898-1937: One of America’s Greatest Composers
PART II
VOICE ONE: I'm Barbara Klein.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today we continue our ___________ about the life and music of one of America's greatest composers, George Gershwin.
(MUSIC: "Rhapsody in Blue")
VOICE ONE:
As we reported last week, George Gershwin published his first song when he was just eighteen years old. During the next twenty years, until his death, he wrote more _ __________ five hundred more songs. He also wrote an opera, and music for piano and orchestra..
Many of George Gershwin's songs ___________ first written for musical plays performed in theaters in New York City. These comedies, with plenty of songs, were a popular form of entertainment in the nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties..
One of Gershwin's musical plays, "Girl Crazy," introduced a young singer named Ethel Merman. She became one of the most celebrated performers in America. In the play, Ethel Merman sang a song George Gershwin wrote just for her. It was called "I Got Rhythm. "
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Many songs that George Gershwin wrote for musical plays and movies have remained as popular as ever. ___________ the years, they have been sung and played in every possible way -- from jazz to country.
One example is the song, "Someone to Watch Over Me." It was written for the nineteen twenty-six musical "Oh, Kay!" Here is a modern version of the song, sung by Willie Nelson.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
In the nineteen twenties, there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music?
In nineteen twenty-four, jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. George Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized how little time he had to do it. The concert was just a ___________ weeks away. Gershwin got busy. And, in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra. He called it "Rhapsody in Blue."
VOICE TWO: Gershwin himself played the piano part of "Rhapsody in Blue" at the concert. The audience included some of the greatest classical musicians of the time. When they ___________ his music, they were electrified. It seemed to capture, for the first time, the true voice of modern American culture. Today, we can still hear Gershwin playing "Rhapsody in Blue." An old mechanical piano recording has been reproduced exactly on this recording.
(MUSIC)
A scene from a 1935 production of "Porgy and Bess"
VOICE ONE:
"Rhapsody in Blue" made George Gershwin famous all over the world. Several hundred thousand copies of the printed music ___________ immediately. Gershwin was satisfied that he had shown that jazz music could be both serious and popular. Gershwin also wrote an opera, "Porgy and Bess. " It was based on a book by DuBose Heyward. It is a tragic love story about black Americans along the coast of South Carolina.
"Porgy And Bess" opened in Boston, Massachusetts, in nineteen thirty-five. Audiences loved it. But most critics did not know ___________ to think of it. It was not like any other opera or musical play they had ever seen.
Gershwin was not affected by the critics' opinions. He believed some of his greatest music had gone into the opera. He said he had created a new musical form -- an opera based on popular culture. Here is the song "Summertime" from a later production of "Porgy and Bess" in nineteen fifty-two. Leontyne Price, who played Bess, sings the song.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Another well-known Gershwin piece is "An American in Paris. " It is a long tone poem for orchestra. Its first public performance was by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in nineteen twenty-eight. Here is a modern recording from "An American in Paris."
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Once again, opinion was mixed. Most people loved "An American in Paris," as they loved all of Gershwin's music. Some critics liked it, too. They called it happy and ___________ of life. Others hated it. They called it silly and long-winded. Still, it remains one of his most popular works.
VOICE TWO:
George Gershwin died in nineteen thirty-seven, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. Everyone mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have written. George Gershwin is still considered one of America's greatest composers. His works _ __________ are performed by many singers and groups. They are probably performed more often than any other serious American composer.
VOICE ONE:
Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg was one of the people who praised George Gershwin. Schoenberg said Gershwin was a man who lived in music and expressed everything through music, because music was his native language.
(MUSIC: "Rhapsody in Blue")
VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.
Friday 8 November 2013
Diving among shipwrecks in Cabo de Palos
The Ship wrecks of Cabo de Palos….. A wreck
divers Paradise.
The Region of Murcia offers a paradise for wreck divers, due mainly to the presence of the ancient City and port of Cartagena, which has been the site of active trading for over 3000 years, many ancient cultures including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Iberians taking advantage of its natural, sheltered port.
It has also
been an important active military base for the last 2000 years, and is still a
major naval base today, home port for many Spanish naval vessels.
During the
Civil War it was the main support port for Republican forces and hosted a
munitions factory, so was the focal point for a great deal of bombing and
military vessel activity.
A natural
consequence of all of this is that Cartagena is surrounded by the wrecks of
vessels from all eras which failed to reach their destinations, rocks, bombs
and structural problems all playing their part in providing the many wrcks
which make the waters of Cartagena such an enjoyable experience for those who
enjoy wreck diving.
Cabo de
Palos
One of the oldest wrecks in the area is the Bajo de la Campana site, which is on a small reef called La Laja and La Campana, just off the Isla Grosa. This is dated to approximately 600BC and the most important wreck here is a phoenician trading ship, concealed beneath another Roman wreck, which had fallen on top of the phoenician vessel.
The site is
of great importance to archaeologists as there are so few phoenician sites, and
this one contains tantalising traces of wood, although much of the cargo was
raw minerals, used for trading during this period.
This
particular reef is an interesting one, as it holds several wrecks, including
more modern vessels, as the top part of the reef which was formerly
visible above the surface was blasted off by the military carrying out target
practice, creating a hazard just below the surface which has claimed several
victims.
A very
popular wreck for divers is the lsla Gomera which sank in a violent
storm in 1946 just out of the portof Cabo de Palos. It was carrying a cargo of
oranges which lead to the ship being nicknamed the “Naranjito” which
divers will be more familiar with. The wreck is 50 metres long and lies at a
depth of 28m at the bow and 43m to the propeller.
The Turia
and Ulla which are wooden minesweepers were sunk by the Navy between Isla
Grosa and Cabo de Palos for training purposes and lie at approximately 28 to 35
metres.
There´s
also the “Sama” which is 50 meters deep, but is little visited due to
its depth, which is an advanced state of decay, but has many large and interesting
nudibranches (hypseldoris picta) living on it.
Another
off shore reef is called the Bajo de Fuera and lies within the
“Islas Hormigas marine park” , a protected marine life area which contains a
multitude of interesting marine life
This reef
has been a fatal shipping trap for centuries, the main reason being its
proximity to the shore and Islas Hormaigas, and being a substantial reef system
which peaks at just 3 metres below the surface.
In spite of
there being the warning lighthouse of Cabo de Palos nearby, 4 major
wrecks lie at the base of the reef.
One is the
famous Sirio passenger liner which hit the reef in 1908 and was
carrying approximately 1000 immigrants from Italy when it struck the shallow
reef and grounded for days until a storm broke the ship in two, the bow section
slipping to the south side of the reef and the stern slipping into the north.
This was a tragic disaster, and a tale of greed and corruption, as the vessel
had taken on hundreds of passengers illegally, and nobody knows how many really
perished on the night it sank.
Other ships
are the Minerva wreck, which lies upside down, the Nord America which
has an anti-aircraft gun on the stern section at 61 metres, and the Casenga,
but all of these lie at 48 meters and deeper, so are more suited to the
abilities of a technical diver, rather than a casual recreational diver.
Bajo de
Testa, the closest dive site within the marine park has 4 known anchors
from various ships and some of these date back over 1000 years. This site also
holds many artefacts which are hidden in the fields of Neptunegrass which are
very dense in this area, but is highly protected and divers are forbidden from
removing any artefacts.
Out on the
northern point of the Islas Hormigas marine park there is also the wreck
of the SS Stanfield: this wreck is approximately 120m long and
popular among technical divers due to its depth of 45m on top of the deck to 64
m at the propeller. The ship was torpedoed by a German U boat after it was
captured and when it sank it hit the sea bed bow first splitting it open which
makes it very interesting to dive, with divers able to dive through the bow at
3 different levels.
There are
also other various deep wrecks in the Cabo de Palos area which are
out of the reach of normal recreational divers and some technical divers as
they can be in depths in excess of 100 metres.
These
include the Maria Dolores, “Dorris”, Despina, SS Alavi, Atlantic City,
Kansega, SS Wilmore, just to mention a few, and there are many more
lurking in the darkness waiting for to be discovered and dived.
Now answer these questions:
When and where did the Sirius sink?
Which was the actual name of the shipwreck called "Naranjito" by divers?
Wednesday 6 November 2013
Geroge Gershwin audio files 1 and 2
Here you have two mp3 files corresponding to the two fill-in-the-gaps exercises about George Gershwin
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