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Entertainment in the USA:

What do Americans do for fun?

David BurnsEnglish Language Fellow

School of MagistratesTirana, Albania

English Language Fellow ProgramU.S. Department of State

How to contact me:

David BurnsFacebook: EL Fellow Albaniawww.facebook.com/ELFellow.AlbaniaUpdated daily with links relevant to English language learning and teaching, legal English, and other topics related to U.S., European, and international law, politics and current events.Email: ELFellowAlbania@gmail.com

Let’s brainstorm…

What are some leisure or entertainment activities that are UNIVERSAL? Why are some international and others only local?

What are some that are specific to Albania?

What are some that are specific to the USA? Why the differences in preferences?

Culture, history, tradition, language, society, economy, religion, geography,

philosophy….

Culture greatly affects how we act, what we enjoy and how we enjoy it…

Language is one of the strongest binds citizens of nations or groups of nations together…

The English language in the USA and – more frequently – around the world is the universal language of entertainment… uniting culturally different peoples around the world…

U.S. Declaration of Independence – July 4, 1776

Preamble to the U.S. Declaration of Independence

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/

4 July 1776: Declaration of Independence from England – King George III

American War of Independence: 1776 – 1783

Articles of Confederation (the first federal constitution): written in 1778 and ratified in 1781.

Neither federal courts nor a president, and the single chamber of Congress had no way to enforce its laws.

Individual states could and did ignore federal laws with impunity. U.S. Constitution ratified in 1788.

Founding of the U.S. Legal System

Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution

empowers Congress:

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.

Intellectual Property (IP) Law

Trademarks

Copyrights

Patents

Service Marks

Louisiana Purchase from France (1803)

What are the top 10 languages spoken in

the USA?http://arcgis.mla.org/mla/default.aspx

Most Spoken Languages in U.S.

47 Million People Speak Languages other than English

1. English (216 M)

2. Spanish (28 M)

3. Chinese (2 M)

4. French (incl. Cajun, Patois)

5. German

6. Tagalog

7. Vietnamese

8. Italian

9. Korean

10. Russian

11. Polish

12. Portuguese

13. Japanese

14. French (Creole – Haiti)

Native Languages in the USA

La Poblacion Hispana en los Estados Unidos

And the pursuit of happiness…

Travel: road trips, hotel/motel, camping, beaches, mountains, lakes, deserts, forests, rivers, National Parks, state parks…

Music, Film, and the Arts: live music, cinemas, museums, photography, dance, literature, poetry – arts in the schools.

Sports: Professional, collegiate, amateur, high school, children’s (little) leagues.

Family & Friends: dinners, picnics, reunions, BBQs, ‘get togethers’, games, weddings, b-day parties, funerals, anniversaries.

Volunteering: schools, hospitals, urban centers, environment…

Religion: church, temple, mosque, holy (holidays) days….

Americans love the open road…

Eisenhower Interstate System

Championed by President Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s.

Authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.

Total over 46,876 miles (75,440 km): tunnels, bridges, overpasses, exit/entry ramps.

Total cost was over $450 billion, making it the largest public works project in history.

Air travel is also very popular…

Air Transportation in the USA

17 of the world’s 30 busiest airports are in the USA (Atlanta is the world’s busiest – with over 92 million passengers in 2011 = 252,000 passengers daily).

12 of the world’s 30 busiest airports in terms of cargo (Memphis is the world’s busiest – FedEx HQ).

There are over 200 domestic passenger and cargo airlines and many U.S.-based international carriers (American, Delta, United, and US Airways the most notable).

Over 5,000 paved runways are utilized in the USA.

Many local, regional, and budget airlines fly to even the smallest of towns and cities.

Major air transport bi-coastal hubs for Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean destinations as well as the Southern Hemisphere.

National Park Service (NPS)

http://www.nps.gov/index.htm

Yosemite National Park

Music in the USA:

What are some of the types (genres) of music that you associate most with the USA?

Can you name some singers and/or musicians from the various genres?

Music in the USA:

Jazz

Blues

Rock N’ Roll

Classical

Rap

Hip Hop

Gospel

Popular (Pop or Top 40)

Rhythm & Blues

Soul

Folk

Country & Western

Latin (Cuba, Mexico, DR)

Traditional (Zydeco in Louisiana)

American Music

The U.S. has the world’s largest music industry and its music is heard and influences other music all around the world.

The long history of immigration in the USA has greatly influenced our music. Native Americans, Europeans, Africans, and Asians contributing notably to the ‘melting pot’ that is American Music.

Eclectic and diverse are the two best words to describe American music.

Live Music

Media & Pop Music

Media outlets like MTV have spread American popular music around the world.

Internationally popular music groups tour the world and sometimes are more popular abroad than in the USA.

Internet radio stations, iTunes, and file-sharing sites allow us to sample the diverse music of USA.

JAZZ:America’s One Truly Original Art

Form

New Orleans, Louisiana

Festivals like Mardi Gras

Learn more about New Orleans & Louisiana:

WWOZ (Jazz, blues, funk - radio station available online)http://www.wwoz.org/

New Orleans Online http://www.neworleansonline.com/

Louisiana Tourismhttp://www.louisianatravel.com/

New Orleans Jazz Festivalhttp://www.nojazzfest.com/

Public & Private Museums

Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, is the nation’s landmark museum, educational, and research institute – funded completely by the U.S. Government. There are 19 museums and galleries and the national zoo in DC which are part of Smithsonian.

Many museums and arts institutes were endowed by philanthropic gifts from some of America’s wealthiest families, including: John Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Walt Disney, George Soros, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Andrew Mellon, Warren Buffett, Paul Newman, Oprah Winfrey… etc…

Air & Space Museum

Theme & Adventure Parks

Disney Theme Parks

Hollywood, California

Hollywood is an area (neighborhood) of Los Angeles.

All major U.S. film studios are located in or near Los Angeles – but most are owned by companies based on the East coast.

Hollywood is the largest film industry in terms of revenue but Bollywood produces the most feature-length films in the world.

Largest studios: Paramount (Viacom); Warner Bros. (Time Warner); Columbia (Sony); Walt Disney; Universal (GE); 20th Century Fox (News Corp.).

Multiplex & Cineplex

Art House Cinemas

Sports in the USA:

Can you name the most popular sports in the USA?

Do you know the names of some of the professional and amateur sports’ leagues in the USA?

Most popular professional sports:

Football (American football) – National Football League (NFL). 32 teams. Averages over 67,000 fans per game. Fall/Winter.

Baseball (America’s past time) – Major League Baseball (MLB). 30 teams (1 in Canada). Spring/Summer/Fall.

Basketball – National Baskeball Association (NBA). 30 teams (one in Canada). NBA players are the highest paid pro athletes in the world (by average salary per year). WNBA.

Soccer (Football) – Major League Soccer (MLS). 19 teams (3 in Canada).

Ice Hockey – National Hockey League (NHL). 30 teams (7 in Canada). Has players from over 20 different countries. Winter/Spring.

Other popular pro sports:

Golf – Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA & LPGA).

Tennis: United States Tennis Association (USTA).

Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) – National Association of Stock Car Racing.

Wrestling: World Wrestling Federation (WWF). ‘Professional’ athletes; combination of athletics and dramatic performance.

Amateur, collegiate & high school sports:

NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). Very popular college & university level sports. The 20 largest stadiums in the USA are NCAA university stadiums.

High School Athletics: Very popular and competitive. Depending on the school – all major sports representatives including rugby, lacrosse, tennis, wrestling, swimming, etc. Most high schools have large stadiums, practice fields, swimming pools, etc.

Little Leagues: Every town and city has organized leagues for all the major sports. Especially popular are soccer, baseball, basketball, softball, and American football.

LSU Stadium – Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Seating capacity of 92,542 (10 in NCAA; 17 in world).

Volunteering

Americans are proud of their history of volunteering and helping others in need.

Can you name any American volunteer organizations? Do you see any volunteers in this room?

What are some major volunteer organizations in Albania?

International & Domestic

Peace Corps

AmeriCorps

Volunteers of America (VOA)

Habitat for Humanity

Rotary International

Thousands of opportunities on campuses around the USA.

Religion in America

The USA is one of the most religious countries in the world – over 85% of Americans consider themselves ‘religious’.

This greatly affects how, where, and with whom many Americans seek leisure activities.

Church, temple, mosque, choir, youth, mission and other activities are very popular.

Any questions???????

Shumë Faleminderit!Many Thanks!