POSTCARD - A SHORT STORY / TARJETA POSTAL - UN RELATO CORTO

Hi my dear friends. Today we are going to read a short story. Do you usually write postcards? Let's read...

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy vamos a leer un relato corto.  ¿Soléis escribir postales? ¡Leamos!

Info: from Speak Up magazine

Photos: Snowdoniatourism.co.uk  /  Eyri.gov.wales  /  The.postal.museum  /  Surface.Gallery  /  Liverpool.Echo  /  Wikipedia.2.  /  Tripadvisor

A SHORT STORY by Rachel Roberts.

POSTCARD

There is something fascinating about postcards. I've always loved collecting them, especially when they are old and faded.  They are short, personal letters with no envelope. The writer often uses abbreviated sentences or even words, initials for names, so that a personal message will fit into the small space and can only be understood by the recipient.

I found an intriguing postcard once while on a walking holiday in the Brecon Beacons in Wales.  It was in a box outside an antiques shop in a tiny village, where I had stopped to have lunch.

Most of the cards showed faded, black and white scenes of the Welsh countryside.  The greetings were just the usual, "Having a great time" and "Wish you were here!"  Then one postcard caught my attention.

It was not as old as the others and the image, which showed a view of a high street, was coloured. The title read "Aberfan Road, Aberfan."  When I read it, I had a sudden flash of memory. I had heard that name before, but where?  

There was no address on the back of the card, and instead of the usual holiday greeting, I read the following words:

-"Noreen, don't run away from B. The children need you at PG. Remember your promise. Your loving father."

"Noreen", not "Dear Noreen" and no kisses. In spite of the ending, there was little love in the message. It was an order. Noreen's father sounded like some strict Welsh minister from a country chapel.

The almost illegible postmark read 15 Oct, 1966. That wasn't so long ago. Girls were wearing miniskirts. Would a 1960s dad give his daughter orders? I had no idea. I wondered who "B" could be. Her husband? Fiancé? Could it be the name of a place? Brecon? If so, where was P.G.?

I looked for my location on Google Maps. Perhaps there was a village nearby with some strange Welsh name beginning with P and G.  Port something?

There was nothing, not even on the coast. I couldn't see Aberfan either, so I did a search and by mistake, instead of searching for it in Maps, I did a general search.  The first item that came back was the Wikipedia entry for "Aberfan disaster".  I sat up straight.  I knew I'd heard of the place before.  2016 had been the fiftieth anniversary of the disaster and I had seen the memorial service on television.

On the 21st of October, 1966 after a long period of wet weather, a coal tip above the village of Aberfan had collapsed, crushing the local Pantglas Junior School in an avalanche of mud and rocks. 116 children and 28 adults died in the disaster.

Pantglas. Could that be P.G.?  The children could have been the pupils at the junior school. Had Noreen been a teacher? I looked again at the date on the postcard -the 15th of October-  six days before the disaster.  I felt suddenly anxious for the unknown Noreen.  Had she kept her promise and remained at Aberfan? Had she been inside the school when it was crushed?  I had to find out!!!

It wasn't difficult to find the cemetery in Aberfan, just south of the Brecon Beacons.  The children's graves were all together, over a hundred of them, with their identical white memorial stones shining in the sun and the loving messages from grieving parents.  It was heartbreaking.  They were all so young.  I walked along looking for Noreen, but she wasn't among the children's graves or among those of the adults who had died on that terrible day.

I was relieved. I had obviously invented a very dark story around the message on the postcard.  But then, just as I was leaving, I noticed a larger family monument in a corner of the churchyard.  There were several names on it, but the instription on one side made my heart sink.

"In loving memory of Noreen Davies, nèe Jones. Beloved wife of Brian Davies and dutiful daughter of the Reverend William Jones. 28th February 1938 -21st October,1966."

She had died on the day of the disaster. I knew nothing about the dead woman, and yet I felt sad an angry on her behalf.  She had been forced to stay and meet her tragic fate.

"You all right, Noreen?"

The words shouted from somewhere in the road, made me look up in surprise. And elderly lady was climbing into a small van with the words "Park Grange Farm -Fruit and Vegetables" written on the side.  She stopped and waved to another woman on a bicycle, who had called out to her.

"Fine, thanks, Lily."

"Bill, OK, is he?"

"Much better now" answered Noreen. ¿You?

GLOSSARY

FADED: descolorido  /  ENVELOPE: sobre  /  TINY: diminuto  /  WELSH: galés  /  HIGH STREET: calle principal  /  SUDDEN: repentino  /  GREETING: saludo  /  TO RUN AWAY FROM: huir  /  IN SPITE OF: a pesar de  /  POSTMARK: matasellos  /  MINISKIRT: minifalta  /  TO WONDER: preguntarse  /  TO SIT UP STRAIGHT: incorporarse  /  MEMORIAL SERVICE:  funeral  /  COAL TIP: escombrera de carbón  /  TO CRUSH: aplastar  /  MUD: barro, lodo  /  GRAVE: tumba  /  STONE: lápida  /  GRIEVING: afligido, de luto  /  RELIEVED: aliviado  /  CHURCHYARD: cementerio  /  NÈE: nombre de soltera  /  DUTIFUL: diligente  /  ON HER BEHALF:  en su nombre  /  VAN: furgoneta 

WINTER IN SUMMER - SANTA ON THE BEACH / El invierno en verano - Santa Claus en la playa.

Hi my dear friends. Today we are going to know more about winter, summer, Christmas in summer, Australia, cricket, etc...

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy vamos a saber más sobre el  invierno, el verano, la Navidad en verano, Australia, cricket etc...

Info: SPEAK UP magazine

PHOTOS: Vicky.sun  /  Canterbury.stories  /  Magnific  /  Greyhound.Australia  /   Surfer.Today / ABC.News  /  Redbubble

WINTER IN SUMMER  -  SANTA ON THE BEACH

In Europe Christmas comes four days after the winter solstice or "mid-winter", marking the shortest and longest night of the year.  For many Europeans, therefore, especially in northern parts of the continent, Christmas and New Year mean cold weather -frost, icicles and maybe even snow.

In Australia, "Down Under", Christmas is also celebrated , with mostly the same traditions -Santa Claus brings presents to the kids, many people sing carols and some even decorate a Christmas tree.  There is one important difference, however, it is middle of the Australian summer, which usually means scorching heat and high humidity.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Instead of sitting down to Christmas lunch in a house with the heating full on, or sitting close to a real log fire, people in "Oz", do things outside -many go into the back yard to have a barbecue (or a "barbie" as they call it) to grill their dinner in the sunshine.  Many families go to the beach  or to the countryside and enjoy a picnic of cold turkey or ham and a salad.  The essential item to take on this outing is the "eski", or cooler, normally used to keep beer cold.  Inside it,  go the "tinnies" or "stubbies" which will wash down the food.

SANTA ON SHORTS

Father Christmas also has to adapt to the hot weather, and has been known to appear on the beach to greet children wearing shorts, something he certainly does not do in the northern hemisphere.  Whether the family has eaten outside in the garden or on the beach, lunch is often followed by everyone, young and old, taking part in a game of cricket.  Cricket is the number one summer sport in OZ and a national obsession. 

THE TEST MATCH

If Christmas afternoon is for amateur cricketers, the next day , Boxing Day is only for the professionals: traditionally, 26th of December is the first day of a five-day "Test match" -an international match when Australia take on one of the other powers of world cricket.  It is therefore essential to have plenty of beer chilled in the fridge at home to watch every moment of the match, which often starts around 11 am and goes on till around 6 or 7pm.

                                        

GLOSSARY

THEREFORE: por tanto  /  FROST: escarcha  /  DOWN UNDER: ahí abajo  /  SCORCHING HEAT: calor abrasador  /  FULL ON: al máximo  /  OZ: diminutivo para Australianos  /  TINNIE: lata de cerveza  /  TO GREET: saludar  /  TAKE ON:  enfrentarse  /  

A HISTORY OF POP MUSIC / UNA HISTORIA DE LA MÚSICA POP

Hi my dear friends. Today we are going to look into Pop Music and a little bit of its history.

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy vamos a mirar a la música Pop y a un poquito de su historia.

Info: from Speak Up magazine

Photos: Slideshare  /  Reddit  /  The Guardian  /  Music Production.

A HISTORY OF POP   -  SOCIETY.

People have always been interested in the way pop music changes over time.  Writers for music magazines have often tried to explain how and why musical tastes develop from decade to decade.  Since the '70s, for example, music journalist Paul Morley has been explaining why different styles of pop music become popular one year but then go out of fashion again.  Other writers, such as Jon Savage and Simon Reynolds, have also written articles and books about changes in culture and music.

SCIENTIFIC

But now researchers are starting to use computers and ideas from biology to understand these changes better.  Computer scientists and evolutionary biologists from two London universities have joined up to examine the history of pop music over the last 50 yeas.  They decide to look at the evolution of pop styles by analysing more than 17,000 songs from the US Billboard Hot 100 between 1960 and 2010.

Dr. Matthias Mauch and Professor Armand Leroi first got together when they realized that they were interested in similar things.  Dr. Mauch was a music processing guy who was also interested in evolution, while Professor Leroi was an evolutionary biologist who liked music.

When Dr. Mauch saw a talk on the topic of the evolution of music, he contacted Professor Leroi.  Together, they thought they could do a much better job of analysing music data using computers.  They looked at different types of sounds and tunes, and at different types of pop music.  They produced a graph of the changes in pop music over time.

ALL THE SAME

When ordinary people talk about changes in pop music,  they often say that music is becoming more homogeneous.  What they mean is that pop bands all sound the same.  But the scientists' study shows this is not true.  Apart from one period in the 1980s, music is just as diverse now as before.  So why do ordinary people think differences in music are disappearing?  One explanation is that pop music is aimed at young people.  It doesn't discuss topics that are interesting to older people, so they don't pay much attention to it.  They assume that everyone is singing about the same things in the same way.

THE BRITISH INVASION

The graph also shows that music evolved faster than normal in 1964, 1963 and 1991.  Dr. Mauch says he is not sure why this happened.  But these dates match three important events in pop history.  The Beatles and the Rolling Stones -two very famous British bands-  visited the USA for the first time.  Many people were excited by this, and many bands began making music in a similar style.  Secondly, in 1983, musicians began to use drum machines and other electronic equipment such as samplers and synthesizers to make music for the first time.  And finally, rap and hip-hop suddenly got much more popular in the early 1990s.  More studies using computers and the ideas of evolution may show that many beliefs we have about culture need to be revised.

GLOSSARY

TASTE: gusto  /  TO DEVELOP: desarrollar  /  TO JOIN UP: juntarse  /  TOPIC: tema  /  TUNE: melodía  /  AIMED AT: dirigido a  /  DRUM MACHINE: batería electrónica  /

MEET THE PRESS. AN ONLY CHILD IS A HAPPY CHILD. THE OBSERVER.

Hi my dear friends. We are going to  speak today about "the only child" because many of you are, for sure,  "only children" in your family and in many occasions there is some controversy about this. We will see what the press and the research say. 

Hola mis queridos amigos. Vamos a hablar hoy sobre "el hijo único" porque muchos de vosotros seguramente sois "hijos únicos" en vuestra familia y  en muchas ocasiones hay controversia sobre esto. Veremos lo que dice la prensa y las investigaciones.

Info: Speak Up magazine.

Photos: Forbes.Ecuador  /  Lamenteesmaravillosa/  Ethic  /  DepositPhotos  /  Infobae

AN ONLY CHILD IS A HAPPY CHILD, SAYS RESEARCH.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Natalie Portman once said: "I would never have been an actress if I hadn't been an only child, because my parents would never have let me be the star of the family at the expense of another child."  It turns out that, in terms of the advantages of life without brothers and sisters, she was onto something.

One of the widest-ranging research projects on family life conducted in Britain has revealed that the fewer siblings children have, the happier they are -and that only children are the most contented.

BULLIES

The findings, shared exclusively with The Observer, suggest that "sibling bullying" could be part of the problem, with 31% of children saying they are hit, kicked or pushed by a brother or sister "quite a lot" or "a lot".  Others complain that siblings steal their personal belongings and call them hurtful names.

The figures are the first to emerge from Understanding Society, a study tracking the lives of 100,000 people in 40,000 British households.

On children and happiness, it finds that:

*Seven out of 10 British teenagers are "very satisfied" with their lives.

*Children from ethnic minorities are on average happier than their white British counterparts.

*Happiness declines the more siblings there are in a household.

INSULTS

The findings are based on indepth questionnaires completed by 2,500 young people.  The questionnaires were analysed by Gundi Knies from the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex where the Understanding Society study is based. She suggested factors such as competition for the parents' attention or the fact that toys, sweets or space need to be shared.  Knies also pointed to other data within the study on sibling bullying: 29,5% of teenagers complain that brothers or sisters call them "nasty" names "quite a lot" or "a lot", while 17,6% say their personal belongings are taken away from them.

STRESS

Professor Dieter Wolke of the University of Warwick, who carried out the work on tensions between brothers and sisters, said: "More than half of all siblings (54%) were involved in bullying in one form or the other."  Although there is also evidence that indicates that siblings sometimes support each other, he warned that children who faced bullying both at home and in the playground were particularly vulnearable to behaviour problems and unhappiness.

Wolke did not study the impact of such tensions on parents, but added: "From annecdotal reports, quarrelling siblings increase stress for parents and some just give up intervening.  Others intervene inconsistently, leaving the field wide open for the bully sibling."

REFEREES

Siobhan Freegard, the co-founder of the website Netmums, who has three children, said that many mothers felt like "referees" after their children reached a certain age and started quarrelling with their brothers and sisters.

She questioned whether the findings on happiness were linked to the fact that children were desperate for parental attention. "With three children, it is three lots of dinner, three lots of washing, three lots of driving to after-school activies, so you do get less time for each.  I like to think they are getting benefits in other ways," said Freegard.

She said the findings would come as a relief to the parents of only children who often felt guilty about the lack of brothers and sisters.

SOCIABLE

Freegard discussed the issue recently with her friend Tanya Honey, who has one child, a daughter.  Honey admitted that her daughter, Gemma, seven, recently wrote "a baby" on her shopping list.  "But friends always point out that she is a really happy child.  When we go on holiday she is brilliant at making friends and if there was a brother or sister perhaps she wouldn't be, because she would rely on them", added Honey.

While the findings seem surprising, experts say there are clear reasons why more siblings could reduce happiness.  Dr Ruth Coppard, a child psychologist, said: "In an average home the more children, the less privacy for each child. Some love sharing a bedroom with a sibling but they would rather choose to do it that have to do it.  There is competition for parental time".

PERSONAL SPACE

Parentline Plus, a charity that offers support to parents, regularly receives calls about sibling rivalry. "Families do report concerns regarding high levels of conflict among siblings and the stress that this can cause, but the important thing is to try to help and support families find more effective ways of dealing with this problem,"  said Alison Phillips, director of policy and communications.

She has several tips for parents including: ensure children have a special place for their belongings; insist they ask if they want to use something owned by a sibling, and show firmly that you do not approve of bullying behaviour.

VOCABULARY

WIDE-RANGING: amplio  /  RESEARCH PROJECT: proyecto de investigación  /  SIBLING: hermano  /  TO HIT: pegar  /  HURTFUL: ofensivo  /  HOUSEHOLD: hogar  /  ON AVERAGE: de media  /  NASTY: malo, horrible  /  TO QUARREL: pelearse  /  TO GIVE UP: rendirse  /  TO INTERVENE: interponerse  /  ISSUE: tema  /  TO RELY ON: confiar en

RECETA. ROLLITOS DE LENGUADO CON SALSA DE PUERROS.

 Hola mis queridos amigos.  Hoy toca receta. Vamos a preparar unos rollitos de lenguado riquísimos con salsa de puerros. ¡Espero que os gusten!

Info: Cocina Sana en menos de 20 minutos por el Chef Sergio Fernández.

Fotos: Lecturas (2)  /  HOLA  /  Canal.Cocina  /  Casa.Ruiz

ROLLITOS DE LENGUADO CON SALSA DE PUERROS

INGREDIENTES

* 8 filetes de lenguado (finitos)

* 3 puerros en rodajas

* 1 cucharada de yogur desnatado

* 1 patata troceada

* 500 ml de caldo de pescado

* Perejil

* Aceite de oliva

* Sal

* Espárragos verdes para la guarnición (si se quiere) y gambas o langostinos cocidos para decorar.

TIEMPO: 18 minutos

RACIONES: 4 personas

DIFICULTAD: baja

LA RECETA

Cocina el puerro. Precalienta el horno a 200º C.  Sofríe el puerro en una sartén o cazuela con 2 cucharadas de aceite 4 minutos más o menos.  Añade la patata, sazona y echa el caldo de pescado.  Deja cocer durante unos 8 minutos aproximadamente.

Lava los filetes de lenguado, sécalos y salpiméntalos mientras se hace el puerro.  Enróllalos y sujétalos con un palillo.  Pon los rollitos en una fuente de horno. Rocíalos con aceite de oliva y hornéalos unos 5 minutos.

Retira la cazuela con el puerro del fuego y añade la cucharada de yogur. A continuación tritura en la batidora para obtener una crema fina (cuélala después de triturarla) Saca los rollitos de lenguado del horno y retira los palillos. Sírvelos poniendo la crema en la base del plato y espolvoreados con perejil picado.

¡Que aproveche!

**También puedes preparar esta receta con otros pescados blancos y te quedará muy rica pero ten en cuenta que los filetes tienen que ser siempre bastante finos. 

**Igualmente y como indico más arriba en los ingredientes,  puedes poner de guarnición verduras como espárragos verdes e incluso completar los rollitos con gambas o langostinos.

EMPLOYMENT. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR INTERNSHIP / EMPLEO. APROVECHA AL MÁXIMO TUS PRÁCTICAS

Hi my dear friends. Today we are going to read about employment and internship. I think it could be interesting because a good internship may become your forever job!

Hola mis queridos amigos. Hoy vamos a leer sobre empleo y  prácticas. Creo que podría ser interesante porque un buen periodo de prácticas puede convertirse en vuestro trabajo para siempre.

Info: Speak Up magazine

Photos: ESCP.Business.School  /  Freepik  /  Law.Internships.PMT  /  Initiatives.for.development.Foundation  /  123RF  /  Patch.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR INTERNSHIP

Around 75 % of university students, at some point, work in an internship.  These experiences can be tremendously valuable, providing young workers the opportunity to build skills for their resumes and to meet people who are working in their preferred industry.  Increasingly, internships are also the likeliest route to full-time employment.  But it can be hard to stand out and make the right impression during a three-month period spent adapting to such a new environment.  How can interns learn what they need to know, impress those they work for and secure a job recommendation or a full-time offer in such a brief period of time?  Here are a few pieces of advice.

BE EXTREMELY PUNCTUAL

Show up on time (or early) in the morning, arrive for meetings before they begin and complete tasks by their deadlines.  As an intern, you are both a guest in a new environment and a colleague on whom others must rely -make sure that you respect those colleagues by being on time.

COMPLETE EACH TASK WITH EXCELLENCE

Whether an assignment is banal or complicated, pursue it with energy and a determination to excel.  Repeated, enthusiastic and excellent delivery of assigned tasks is the building block upon which everything else in your internship will rest.

TAKE ON MORE WORK - WITHOUT BEING ASKED

Use excess time to take on new and important work, assignments others don't want or projects that are needed but not yet defined.  Deliver what no one is expecting -or what no one else is willing to do- and you'll be not only appreciated but also remembered.

BE RESOURCEFUL

Research a topic in detail before asking a full-time colleague or manager for help, and take the time to find your own solution before consulting others when you uncover a problem.  It's critical that your colleagues view you as someone who is resourceful and independent enough to bring something new to the table instead of just stopping every time there is a difficulty.

ASK GOOD QUESTIONS

The hallmark of an intellectually curious, diligent colleague is the quality of his or her questions.  As a rule, make sure you ask one or more authentic questions in every meeting you attend.

BUILD PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Internships usually last only a few months, and in that context, it's easy either to focus solely on your work to make connections only with the other interns working around you.  But forming broad, deep relationships throughout the organization can help you manage your current responsibilities while also advancing personal development and forming a network of contacts.

Internships are hard work.  And doing only what's expected of you isn't enough to be noticed.  You need to go above and beyond, and make the most of your time in the organization.

VOCABULARY

VALUABLE: valioso  /  TO BUILD SKILLS: acumular competencias  /  RESUME: curriculum  /  INTERNSHIP: periodo de prácticas  /  LIKELIEST: más probable  /  TO STAND OUT: sobresalir, destacar  /  TO SHOW UP: presentarse  /  DEADLINE: fecha límite  /  TO RELY: confiar  /  BUILDING BLOCK:  base, fundamento  /  TO REST: apoyarse  /  TO RESEARCH: investigar  /  TOPIC: tema.

ENGLISH GARDENS - THE ART OF CAPABILITY BROWN / JARDINES INGLESES - EL ARTE DE CAPABILITY BROWN

Hi my dear friends! Do you like gardens? Do you usually go and visit Botanic Gardens? In England they like gardens and visit them as well! Today we are going to know a bit more about the Botanic Garden in London. I hope you'll like it!

Hola mis queridos amigos. ¿Os gustan los jardines? ¿Soléis ir a visitar los Jardines Botánicos? En Inglaterra gustan mucho y visitarlos también. Hoy vamos a conocer un poco más sobre el Real Jardín Botánico de Londres. ¡Espero que os guste! 

Info: from Speak Up magazine

Photos: Kew.Gardens (2)  /  Essentially.England  /  CSSC.Royal.Botanic.Gardens  /  Visit.London  /  London.Walks

ENGLISH GARDENS

THE ART OF THE ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER CAPABILITY BROWN

The English landscape garden was defined in the 18th century by one man: landscape architect Capability Brown.  Born in 1716, Brown's 300th anniversary was celebrated  with special events and activities taking place in many of England's finest parks and gardens. 

People tend to associate gardens with the English, but that is only part of the story.  The earliest formal gardens were in Persia and were in the Islamic style.  Then came the Mediterranean gardens of ancient Greece and Rome.  In Italy the Mediterranean style evolved into the Renaissance garden.  The English adopted the Renaissance style and used it for many years, but that began to change in the 18th century when  designers created a more natural look.  This was the work of two men: William Kent (1685-1748) and Capability Brown (1716-1783).

KEW

One of the best places to see this style is at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, in West London.  The Gardens' director of horticulture describes the landscapte style as a change from the "strict formality of geometric design".  Instead, it used trees and "water bodies" like small lakes.  Brown did his work at Kew before it became a botanic garden.  Originally Kew consisted of two royal properties, Kew Palace and Richmond Lodge, and Brown redesigned the landscape at the Lodge.

STOWE

Kew Gardens holds special walks and events throughout the year that explore Brown's designs.  So do other places associated with Brown.  Stowe House, for example, is very near Silverstone, the famous Formula One circuit.  Stowe was the home of the Duke of Buckingham and the young Brown was the head gardener there from 1741 to 1751.  He transformed the landscape and even created a "Grecian Valley".  Later Stowe became a boarding school.  Its most famous pupil was business magnate Richard Branson.

YOUNG WINSTON

Another famous piece of Brown landscape is at Blenheim Palace in Oxforshire.  This was built for a soldier, John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough.  When he won the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, the nation thanked him by giving him a lot of land.  Later Brown redesigned the grounds.  Blenheim Palace was also the birthplace of UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Brown made a lot of money from his work and bought a large property in Fenstanton, near Cambridge.  But what about his strange name, Capability?  Actually, this was a nickname.  His real name was Lancelot, but he always told his clients that their property had "capability for improvement".

NEW YORK CITY - THE WALL STREET BULL / CIUDAD DE NUEVA YORK - EL TORO DE WALL STREET

Hi my dear friends. New York is amazing and its "charging bull" too! Let's know more about this special "bull". I hope you'll like it!

Hola mis queridos amigos.  Nueva York es asombrosa y su "toro embistiendo" también. Vamos a saber más sobre este "toro especial". ¡Espero que os guste!

Info:  SPEAK UP magazine.

Photos: Speak.up  /  the wall.street.experience  /  the.business.standard  /  ecobolsa

THE WALL STREET BULL  

The impressive Charging Bull sculpture is something of a tourist attraction in New York's Wall Street neighbourhood, but when it began life it was illegal.  The bull was secretly placed near the New York Stock Exchange Christmas Tree one night in December 1989.  The sculpture was the work of a Sicilian, Arturo Di Modica, who had decided to create it after the Wall Street Crash of 1987.

The sculpture is massive: it is 5 metres long and weighs some 3.5 tons.  It cost Di Modica $360,000 to make and transport the sculpture and , once the city authorities removed it, he was forced to pay enormous fines.

The City might not have liked Di Modica's "guerrilla art", but New Yorkers loved it.  They saw it as a charming Christmas present to the people of New York and accused the City of being "The Grinch that stole Christmas."

A HAPPY ENDING

A compromise was reached a few days later. The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation took the statue our of storage and placed it (permanently) at Bowling Green Park, not far from Di Modica's original location.

The statue does not belong to the City, but is "on loan" from Di Modica.  You are of course free to go and see it whenever you like!

WHO IS ARTURO DI MODICA?

Arturo Di Modica is Sicilian.  He was born in Vittoria, near Ragussa, in 1941, but moved to Florence in his late teens in order to study at the Academia delle Belle Arti.  He then worked as a sculptor in Florence.  In 1973 he left for New York, where he opened a studio in SoHo.  He has made a similar "Bund Bull" in Shanghai and was working on an enormous equine sculpture for his native Vittoria.

Unfortunately, Di Modica died on 19th February, 2021.

VOCABULARY

CHARGING BULL:  toro embistiendo  /  TO PLACE: colocar  /  FINE: multa  /  STORAGE: depósito  /  ON LOAN:  cedido en préstamo

LONDON'S EAST END - PETTICOAT LANE / EL EAST END DE LONDRES.

Hi my dear friends. Have you ever been to London? It's a very recommendable city so today we are going to visit the London's East End which maybe a bit more  unknown but it's worth it too. I hope you'll like it!

Hola mis queridos amigos. ¿Habeís estado alguna vez en Londres? Es una ciudad muy recomendable así que hoy vamos a visitar el East End que quizás sea  un poco más desconocido pero que  merece la pena. ¡Espero que os guste!

Info:  SPEAK UP magazine.

Photos: London.East.Ebd.UK.things todo  /  The.East.End  /  Exploring.London  /  Appples.&.Pears  /  Little.London.Observationist

PETTICOAT LANE

Traditionally, the East End, the area that lies to the east of the City of London, was one of the poorest parts of the capital.  Dramatic population growth in the 19th century created overcrowding and poverty. Conditions improved in the 20th century, but it was still a pretty rough place.

HIPSTERS

In recent years, however, the East End has changed beyond recognition.  Today areas like Soredicth and Brick Lane are synonymous with "hispsters," affluent young people who often run their own businesses.  The long hispter beard is a symbol of this new trendiness and wealth.  So where did all the poor people go?  Well, actually, they're still around, and if you go to Petticoat Lane market on a Sunday, you can see them.  This street market, which is a short walk from Liverpool Street station, is where locals gather to buy the latest bargains: usually cheap clothes, but also shoes, handbags and other accessories.

The ethnic mix is interesting; the market is popular with Muslim women who shop for shoes. After all, we aren't far from Brick Lane, which is known as "Bangla Town".  Petticoat Lane wasn't always a market for the poor, Rachel Lichtenstein explains (author of the book "On Brick Lane"). When she was a child in the 1970s, it was "the" place to go in order to find the latest fashions. It has constantly changed character and that could easily happen again.

THE CHANGING MARKETPLACE

If you go to the East End of London you will find three famous markets, namely Spitalfields, Brick Lane and Petticoat Lane which has often changed personality over the years

Petticoat Lane doesn't actually exist on the map.  It officially consists of two separate markests. Middlesex Street Market and Wentworth Street Market and later became a very cool place. It's more of a local market. It is not a fashionable market. There is a lot of African market stalls and sellers but, again it's become the kind of place for kind of knock-off cheap clothing and cheap this and that.

VOCABULARY

DRAMATIC: espectacular  /  OVERCROWDING: superpoblado  /  ROUGH: peligroso  /  TO GATHER: reunirse  /  BARGAIN: ganga  /  KNOCK-OFF:  de imitación