The Pursuit of Happiness: What Americans Do For Fun
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The document discusses the various leisure activities and cultural practices in the USA, highlighting how culture, history, and geography influence entertainment preferences. It mentions travel, music, sports, and community events as key aspects of American life, alongside references to significant historical documents like the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The text also touches on the diverse cultural and linguistic landscape in the USA, emphasizing the influence of immigrants on American culture and entertainment.
The Pursuit of Happiness: What Americans Do For Fun
- 1. S The Pursuit of Happiness: What Americans Do For Fun David Burns 4 October 2014 Universidad Latina Santa Cruz, Gte.
- 3. How to contact me: David Burns – Cell: 8416 2367 Facebook: English on the Move www.facebook.com/EnglishOnTheMove Updated daily with links relevant to English language learning and teaching, legal and business English, and other topics related linguistics, U.S. culture, current world events. Email: [email protected]
- 4. Let’s brainstorm… S What are some leisure or entertainment activities that are UNIVERSAL? Why are some international and others only local? S What are some that are specific to Costa Rica? Guanacaste? S What are some that are specific to the USA? Why the differences in preferences?
- 5. Culture, history, tradition, language, society, economy, religion, geography, philosophy…. S Culture greatly affects how we act, what we enjoy and how we enjoy it… S Language is one of the strongest binds citizens of nations or groups of nations together… S 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…
- 6. U.S. Declaration of Independence – July 4, 1776
- 10. Preamble to the U.S. Declaration of Independence S IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 S The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America S 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. S http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/
- 12. S 4 July 1776: Declaration of Independence from England – King George III S American War of Independence: 1776 – 1783 S Articles of Confederation (the first federal constitution): written in 1778 and ratified in 1781. S Neither federal courts nor a president, and the single chamber of Congress had no way to enforce its laws. S Individual states could and did ignore federal laws with impunity. U.S. Constitution ratified in 1788. Founding of the U.S. Legal System
- 13. Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution empowers Congress: S 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.
- 14. Intellectual Property (IP) Law S Trademarks S Copyrights S Patents S Service Marks
- 15. Louisiana Purchase from France (1803)
- 16. What are the top 10 languages spoken in the USA? http://arcgis.mla.org/mla/default.aspx
- 17. Most Spoken Languages in U.S. 50 Million People Speak Languages other than English 1. English (216 M) 2. Spanish (40 M) 3. Chinese (3 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)
- 18. Native Languages in the USA
- 19. La Poblacion Hispana en los Estados Unidos
- 20. And the pursuit of happiness… S Travel: road trips, hotel/motel, camping, beaches, mountains, lakes, deserts, forests, rivers, National Parks, state parks… S Music, Film, and the Arts: live music, cinemas, museums, photography, dance, literature, poetry – arts in the schools. S Sports: Professional, collegiate, amateur, high school, children’s (little) leagues. S Family & Friends: dinners, picnics, reunions, BBQs, ‘get togethers’, games, weddings, b-day parties, funerals, anniversaries. S Volunteering: schools, hospitals, urban centers, environment…
- 21. Americans love the open road…
- 23. Eisenhower Interstate System S Championed by President Dwight Eisenhower in the 1950s. S Authorized by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. S Total over 46,876 miles (75,440 km): tunnels, bridges, overpasses, exit/entry ramps. S Total cost was over $450 billion, making it
- 24. Air travel is also very popular…
- 25. Air Transportation in the USA S 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). S 12 of the world’s 30 busiest airports in terms of cargo (Memphis is the world’s busiest – FedEx HQ). S 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). S Over 5,000 paved runways are utilized in the USA. S Many local, regional, and budget airlines fly to even the smallest of towns and cities. S Major air transport bi-coastal hubs for Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean
- 26. National Park Service (NPS) http://www.nps.gov/index.htm
- 29. Music in the USA: S What are some of the types (genres) of music that you associate most with the USA? S Can you name some singers and/or musicians from the various genres?
- 30. Music in the USA: S Jazz S Blues S Rock N’ Roll S Classical S Rap S Hip Hop S Gospel S Popular (Pop or Top 40) S Rhythm & Blues S Soul S Folk S Country & Western S Latin (Cuba, Mexico, DR) S Traditional (Zydeco in Louisiana)
- 31. American Music S The U.S. has the world’s largest music industry and its music is heard and influences other music all around the world. S 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. S Eclectic and diverse are the two best words to describe American music.
- 33. Live Music
- 34. Media & Pop Music S Media outlets like MTV have spread American popular music around the world. S Internationally popular music groups tour the world and sometimes are more popular abroad than in the USA. S Internet radio stations, iTunes, and file-sharing sites allow us to sample the diverse music of USA.
- 35. JAZZ: America’s One Truly Original Art Form
- 37. Festivals like Mardi Gras
- 38. Learn more about New Orleans & Louisiana: S WWOZ (Jazz, blues, funk - radio station available online) http://www.wwoz.org/ S New Orleans Online http://www.neworleansonline.com/ S Louisiana Tourism http://www.louisianatravel.com/
- 39. Public & Private Museums S 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. S 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…
- 40. Air & Space Museum
- 41. Theme & Adventure Parks
- 44. Hollywood, California S Hollywood is an area (neighborhood) of Los Angeles. S All major U.S. film studios are located in or near Los Angeles – but most are owned by companies based on the East coast. S Hollywood is the largest film industry in terms of revenue but Bollywood produces the most feature- length films in the world. S Largest studios: Paramount (Viacom); Warner Bros. (Time Warner); Columbia (Sony); Walt Disney; Universal (GE); 20th Century Fox (News Corp.).
- 48. Sports in the USA: S Can you name the most popular sports in the USA? S Do you know the names of some of the professional and amateur sports’ leagues in the USA?
- 49. Most popular professional sports: S Football (American football) – National Football League (NFL). 32 teams. Averages over 67,000 fans per game. Fall/Winter. S Baseball (America’s past time) – Major League Baseball (MLB). 30 teams (1 in Canada). Spring/Summer/Fall. S 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. S Soccer (Football) – Major League Soccer (MLS). 19 teams (3 in Canada). S Ice Hockey – National Hockey League (NHL). 30 teams (7 in Canada). Has players from over 20 different countries. Winter/Spring.
- 50. Other popular pro sports: S Golf – Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA & LPGA). S Tennis: United States Tennis Association (USTA). S Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) – National Association of Stock Car Racing. S Wrestling: World Wrestling Federation (WWF). ‘Professional’ athletes; combination of athletics and dramatic performance. S Rodeo: Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the highest paying rodeo organization in the world and sanctions rodoes in 37 U.S. states and 3 Canandian provinces.
- 51. Amateur, collegiate & high school sports: S NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). Very popular college & university level sports. The 20 largest stadiums in the USA are NCAA university stadiums. S 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. S Little Leagues: Every town and city has organized leagues for all the major sports. Especially popular are soccer, baseball, basketball, softball, and American football.
- 52. LSU Stadium – Baton Rouge, Louisiana Seating capacity of 92,542 (10 in NCAA; 17 in world).
- 53. Volunteering S Americans are proud of their history of volunteering and helping others in need. S Can you name any American volunteer organizations? Do you see any volunteers in this room? S What are some major volunteer organizations in Albania?
- 54. International & Domestic S Peace Corps S AmeriCorps S Volunteers of America (VOA) S Habitat for Humanity S Rotary International S Thousands of opportunities on campuses around the USA.
- 55. Religion in America S The USA is one of the most religious countries in the world – over 85% of Americans consider themselves ‘religious’. S This greatly affects how, where, and with whom many Americans seek leisure activities. S Church, temple, mosque, choir, youth, mission and other activities are very popular. S What are the major religions represented in the USA?
- 61. Useful websites: S http://www.si.edu/ S http://www.livescience.com/28945-american-culture.html S http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/United-States-of-America.html S https://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472033041-101AmerCult.pdf S http://www.edupass.org/culture/ S http://www.internationalstudentguidetotheusa.com/articles/culture.htm