King For a Day

KING FOR A DAY

King's goat party: Cabaceiras, Paraiba state

Puck fair, Killorglin, Ireland 

A similar event held in a small town, Cabaceiras, located in the countryside of Paraíba State, Brazil, during the event the King's goat is the main attraction, during the event people eat goat's barbecue and the town receives national and foreign tourists, it's really impressive and very similar with the event held in Ireland. 

Source: Speak Up

Entering the small market town of Killorglin, you cannot miss the bronze statue ofa mountain goat overlooking the river. Killorglin occupies a scenic position on the famous Ring of Kerry Panoramic road in south-west Ireland. From the town, you can see the tip of the highest mountain in Ireland, Cantouhil. But Killorglin’s biggest claim to fame is Puck Fair…

Every summer, an attractive wild mountain goat is selected and caught. On August 10^th the goat is paraded through the streets and placed in a cage on top of a tall structure. A young schoolgirl, “Queen, Puck,” crowns the goat “King Puck,” watched by thousands of people.

LET’S PART

The only king in Ireland remains on his stand for three days, eating ivy and another greens. Below, the goat king’s subjects trade horses, cows and many other goods and have a great party. During Puck Fair about 100.000 people pass through Kilorglin. Many are emigrants coming back to pick up a conversation they started at last year’s Puck. During King Puck’s reign there is great conviviality. Many sales are made, many pints of beer are consumed, and there are a few fights as well! After three days the goat is released into the wild again and life goes back to normal.

LOST IN TIME

The origin of Puck Fair are not clear. We know that in 1603 King James I gave official status to an existing fair in Killorglin. But Puck Fair probably evolved from an old Pagan Celtic harvest festival. Lughnasadh, that was then christianised. Others say that Puck Fair was a tribute to a wild goat that alerted the town to Oliver Cromwell’s advancing armies in the mid 17^th century.

Traditionally, goats are associated with Satan, but also with lust and fertility. In any case, animals lovers can rest assured: the goat is checked by a vet before and after the festival. When the deposed king gets back into the mountain, he probably has plenty of stories to tell. Of course if he’s unlucky the other goats might think he is only kidding…

And here’s a secret for you: the locals get together to part the day after Puck…

Victorian Values

Source: Speak Up
Speaker: Justin Ratcliffe
Standard: Advanced


Highgate Cemetery is one of London's more original tourist attractions. First opened in 1839, it is probably most famous for housing the grave of Karl Marx, but he is only one of the cemetery's celebrity residents. Others include George Eliot the novelist and Michael Faraday the scientist. Yet more remarkable than the individual people who are buried here is the impressive nature of the graves.

John Shepperd is a member of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery. As he explains, the cemetery reflects the Victorian view of death:

John Shepperd

(Standard British accent):

The average life expectancy of someone born in London in the 1830s was only 35; there were obviously many more deaths of children. So, in many ways, to the Victorians, death was more part of life, in a bizarre way, and obviously with a very heavy religious influence. The Victorians seemed to embrace death and celebrate death in a way which seems perhaps somewhat odd to a more modern audience. And certainly, also for the Victorians, funeral arrangements and burial arrangements were a sign of social status and social prestige. And so the funerals themselves were very elaborate affairs. And then the monuments in which the people were buried, themselves were, in many cases, very elaborate, very ornate and indeed very expensive at the time. And this was a sign of social prestige. The Victorians knew that their neighbours would come and walk places like Highgate Cemetery of a weekend, as a form of recreation, and these large, grandiose monuments would be seen by your neighbours and your social peers. And so it was very much a sign of social status: if you were an eminent middle-class Victorian you buried your family in style and you had monuments which reflected your own social prestige.

A FORGOTTEN CELEBRITY

The graves at Highgate include those of people were ocne famous, but who have now been forgotten. One of the most curious examples is that of Tom Sayers, the champion boxer:

John Shepperd:

Tom Sayers was born in Brighton and was a bricklayer - a tough little man, only a small man, apparently -  and he came to London wehn he was 13. Started fighting other bricklayer and became by the 1950s, the champion English boxer; bare-knucle boxing, illegal, but still very popular, a lot of betting took place. And he was famous in 1860; he fought an American called John Heenan, who came over from New Jersey to fight Sayers for what was effectively the first world championship boxing match. This lasted for 42 rounds, lasted for two-and-a-half hours, and finally, in chaotic scenes, was broken up by the police and the fight was declared a draw. Sayers retire from boxing after that time, that was in 1860, but, unfortunately, was nevr a well man, and died 1865, aged 39. But he was a very famous sportsman, and his funeral in 1865, the route was lined by 100,000 people, lining the way between Camden, where he lived, not far from the cemetery, up to the cemetery itself. So he was a very well-known sportsman and his funeral was said to be the largest in London since the time of Wellington. And on his tomb you see his faithful dog Lion, asleep on his master's grave. 


VISITING THE CEMETERY


The West cemetery is open for guided tours. Tours take place everyday from March - November and weekends only from December - February - tickets 7 pounds for adults and 3 for children aged 8-16.


The East Cemetery can be explored on your own - tickets 3 pounds, under -16s free it accompanied by an adult. To get there, take the Northern Line to Archway or Highgate stations. For full directions and details, visit  http://www.highgate-cemetery.org/ .


HER FEARFUL SYMMETRY


Audrey Niffenegger's best seller, The time Traveler's Wife, was made into a film in 2009; The follow up, Her Fearful Symmetry, for which she was paid a 5 million dollars advance, is set in and around Highgate Cemetery. Although Niffernegger is from Chicago, she spent so much time doing research at Highgate Cemetery that she became a tour guide here!


Other books have also been set in the cemetery, notably Failing Angles by Tracy Chevalier. 

An irresistible drink

Source: Maganews.

 

Health and wellbeing

An irresistible drink

In the summer months nothing beats [1} a drink of cold [2]  coconut [3] water to quench [4] your thirst. As well as being delicious and refreshing, it is very good for your health  

The sun, the beach and coconut water – the three ingredients that guarantee a perfect summer for millions and millions of Brazilians.  Nothing beats drinking cold coconut water to quench your thirst. It is such a healthy drink that it should not be left only for summer, but should be drunk year round [5]. Coconut water contains a high level of vitamin C and is rich in minerals. Nutritionists say it is very beneficial to human health. It is good for the skin, and digestion, and is also a kind of natural tranquilizer. During the Second World War coconut water was used as saline [6] solution to treat soldiers injured in combat. 

Audio - David Brien

Photo – Davi Carriel (Ag. Vanderlei Alvarenga)

Vocabulary

1 nothing beats – exp. idiom. = nada melhor do que

2 cold – aqui = gelado

3 coconut water – água de côco

4 to quench – dissipar (to quench one’s thrist = matar a sede)

5 year round – o ano inteiro

6 saline solution – soro fisiológico

---

 Health and well-being

Cigarettes more addictive for women than for men

Research carried out in SP concludes that women find it harder [1] to quit [2] smoking [3]  than men

Women have more difficulty quitting smoking than men. This is the conclusion arrived at by research carried out amongst 6,000 people in São Paulo. The study was coordinated by psychiatrist Célia Lídia da Costa. “Most men only smoke for pleasure [4]. On the other hand, depression affects many more women than men. Many women smoke cigarettes to forget the negative symptoms of depression and anxiety. This means women are psychologically more dependent on cigarettes than men are”, Costa says in an interview published by Folha Online. According to Costa, when men and women look for medical help to quit smoking, men manage to quit in less time. Men take an average of three months to quit, while women take a year.

Áudio - Alline de Paula

Vocabulary

1 to find it harder – encontrar mais dificuldades

2 to quit – abandonar / parar de

3 smoking - fumo

4 pleasure – prazer 

Thank you for your audience

source of the picture: xtremefreak.com

As you can see this days I am not updating this blog due I'm working hard in order to moderate and take part in the Brazilian movement against the corruption called Ficha Limpa, it means the Candidate will be available to take part in the next election, otherwise the Brazilian laws will ban him/her. 

This blog will update soon and I'll continue talking about HighGate's Cemetery part II, by Speak Up Magazine, available on audio. Being in touch and do not forget to continue support English tips. Unfortunately I had no time this days and consequently I couldn't speak with you on Skype, as well as moderating the group VOA LEARNERS on Facebook. May you have a wonderful and blessed weekend, and please, continue sharing English tips for friends and getting our products shared on Amazon, in this way you'll deserve "Living and Learning Project." See you around. 

London Gothic

Source: Speak Up

Source of the picture: londonhotelsinsight.com

London Gothic

Visiting Highgate Cemetery is like stepping into another world. Just a few miles from the bustle of central London you can find Egyptian architecture and Gothic atmosphere. Here nature is quietly taking over old tomb stones in the final resting place of the famous and the forgotten.

Among those buried at Highgate are Karl Marx, much of the dickens family, the novelist George Eliot and the scientist Michael Faraday. Novels have been set here and movies have been filmed in the cemetery. If feels like a secret garden with foxes, butterflies and grand old monuments. And Highgate is still a working cemetery, although things have changed since it opened.

London in the 1830s was a stinking, overcrowded place. The population had doubled in a few decades. The dead were buried together in shallow graves between houses. Something had to be done to solve the problem, so seven new cemeteries were built (known as “The Magnificent Seven”). Highgate Cemetery was opened in 1839 on a hillside to the north of the city.

STATUS SYMBOL

With its views over London, Highgate became a fashionable cemetery. The Victorian middle classes buried their dead in style here. The elaborate funerals and expensive monuments were signs of social status and prestige. People strolled around the cemetery on a Sunday afternoon, admiring the beautiful lawns and the grand tombs.

The architecture was impressive. Two chapels were built in the Tutor style, and there were Victorian Gothic and Classical structures. But the centerpiece was the Egyptian Avenue. The avenue led to the Circle of Lebanon – catacombs to hold 825 people around and old Cedar of Lebanon tree.

VAMPIRES!

By the 1860s there were more than 30 burials a day, and the new East Cemetery was opened. But the demand for ornate funeral fell, and a century later the cemetery was overgrown, vandalized and practically forgotten.

Around this time there were reports of a vampire haunting the cemetery. The story became a media sensation, and people broke tombs at night and put garlic in coffins. One of those involved was jailed for damage to the cemetery. But the legend lives on – the movie Highgate Vampire was due for release in 2010, but has been delayed through this year.

LIFE AFTER DEATH

The cemetery closed in 1975, but the Friends of Highgate Cemetery were formed the same year to rescue and preserve this unique space. Their philosophy is “managed neglect” they have restored many of the tombs and monuments, while allowing nature to take over in other areas.

Today, Highgate Cemetery is a beautiful woodland full of wildlife. It is peaceful, enchanting and gothic. People are still buried here, while other come from around the world to visit Karl Marx’s grave. But among the fantastic monuments and family mausoleums, each overgrown gravestone has a story to tell.

Everglades National Park – One of the World’s Great Biological Wonders

Photo: nps.gov

A great egret is one of many species that lives within the Everglades National Park

Source: http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/science-technology/Everglades-National-Park--One-of-the-Worlds-Great-Biological-Wonders-132495043.html

STEVE EMBER: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I’m Steve Ember.

FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus. This week, we tell about Everglades National Park in the American state of Florida.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: When many people think of Florida, images of sandy coastlines or fun theme park rides come to mind. Yet about an hour south of Miami lies a natural wilderness different from anywhere else in the United States.

Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the country. The park is home to several rare and endangered species. It is also the third largest national park in the lower forty-eight states, after Death Valley and Yellowstone. Each year, more than one million people visit the Everglades.

Library of Congress

The Everglades at dusk

Have an e-reader? Download this story as a PDF

FAITH LAPIDUS: In nineteen forty-seven, President Harry Truman spoke at the official opening of Everglades National Park. He said the goal of creating the park was to protect forever a wild area that could never be replaced.

The Everglades is considered one of the great biological wonders of the world. The expansive wetlands stretch across more than six hundred thousand hectares. It is a place where plants and animals from the Caribbean Sea share an ecosystem with native North American species.

Nine different environments exist within the Everglades. They include mangrove and cypress swamps, estuaries and coastal marshes.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: In the nineteen forties, Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote a book called “The Everglades: River of Grass.” She described the area as “the liquid heart of Florida.”

nps.gov

A Florida panther

Unlike most other national parks, Everglades National Park was created to protect an ecosystem from damage. The Everglades is home to about fifteen species that federal officials say are threatened and endangered. They include the Florida panther, the American crocodile and the West Indian manatee.

In addition, more than three hundred fifty bird species and three hundred species of fresh and saltwater fish live within the park. The Everglades is also home to forty species of mammals and fifty reptile species.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Visitors to the Everglades will see many exotic plants. They include what is said to be the largest growth of mangrove trees in the western world. Gumbo-limbo trees, known for their peeling red skin, strangler figs and royal palms are also among the area’s plant life. The country’s largest living mahogany tree also lives in the Everglades.

Sawgrass grows in some areas of the park. Be careful – sawgrass is very sharp, with teeth just like a saw. It can grow up to four meters tall.

With about one and one-half meters of rainfall each year, plants and trees never stop growing in the Everglades.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: The dry, winter season is the favorite of most visitors, when insects like mosquitoes are less of a problem. The rainy season lasts from June to November. There are many ways to explore the Everglades. Visitors can see alligators while hiking the Anhinga Trail.

The Everglades is one of the only places on Earth where freshwater alligators and saltwater crocodiles live in the same area. Visitors using canoes or airboats are likely to see large groups of wading birds like the wood stork or the great blue heron. It is even possible to see flamingos in the Everglades.

nps.gov

An American alligator

Some visitors might enjoy riding bicycles through Shark Valley. Others may want to move slowly through shallow waters where they can see insects and wildlife up-close. Park guides also lead visitors on tram rides.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Experts say changes to the Everglades are threatening several different kinds of wildlife. They say the threats are a result of actions the United States government began more than fifty years ago, and settlers began even earlier.

The National Park Service says that early colonial settlers and land developers believed the Everglades had little value. The settlers had plans to remove water from the area. In the eighteen eighties, developers began digging canals to reduce water levels.

At the time, they did not understand the complexity of the Everglades’ ecosystem. As a result, they were not prepared for all the work and caused environmental problems. The ecosystem, however, was able to survive.

STEVE EMBER: Even larger efforts to drain the wetlands continued between nineteen oh five and nineteen ten. Farms were built on large pieces of land. This led to increased development, with more people moving to the Everglades and also more visitors.

More changes came in nineteen forty-eight. At that time, Congress approved the Central and South Florida Project. As part of the plan, the Army Corps of Engineers built roads, canals and water-control systems throughout South Florida.

The aim of the project was to provide water and flood protection for developed areas and agriculture. Workers built a huge system of waterways and pumping stations to control the overflow of Lake Okeechobee, north of the Everglades.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Today, fifty percent of South Florida’s early wetland areas no longer exist. Populations of wading birds have been reduced by ninety percent. Whole populations of animals are in danger of disappearing. The endangered creatures include the manatee, the Miami blackhead snake, the wood stork and the Florida panther.

In recent years, environmental experts have learned about the damage to the Everglades. They say the balance of nature there has been destroyed.

(MUSIC)

STEVE EMBER: About ten years ago, Congress approved a plan to restore and improve the Everglades. Federal, state and other organizations are partners in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. The project is expected to cost about twelve billion five hundred million dollars.

Early in two thousand ten, work began on the Picayune Strand Restoration Project. A goal of the project is to re-establish natural water flow across more than twenty-two thousand hectares of land. Workers removed water from that area in the early nineteen sixties. At the time, the goal was to develop the land of Picayune Strand for homes. However, the development harmed healthy wetlands.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Project organizers hope to re-create wetlands in Picayune Strand and nearby lands by redirecting the flow of water in that area. At the same time, they are seeking to re-establish natural water flow to the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife refuge.

Goals of the project are to make major additions to the size and improve wetland ecosystems in nearby lands. The area includes the Collier Seminole State Park and the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. If the goals are met, the project should help threatened and endangered animals.

STEVE EMBER: For example, the population of one big cat has been falling in recent years. Panthers once existed in much greater numbers. But too much hunting, loss of panther homelands and vehicle strikes have reduced their population. Fewer than one hundred of the animals now live in Florida.

FAITH LAPIDUS: Wildlife experts are working to increase the number of panthers and other animals at risk. At the same time, biologists are attempting to remove Burmese pythons. Officials believe there are as many as one hundred fifty thousand of these large snakes in the Everglades.

However, the snakes are a foreign species, native to Southeast Asia. Owners of pythons left their unwanted snakes in the Everglades years ago. Biologists say adult pythons are able to eat small deer and bobcats. When pythons are found in the Everglades, they are often killed.

Scientists are now experimenting with other ways to remove the snakes, including use of traps and offering payments to hunters.

STEVE EMBER: The future of the Everglades is not clear. However, efforts to protect the area are continuing so people from all over the world may continue visiting this biological treasure.

(MUSIC)

FAITH LAPIDUS: This SCIENCE IN THE NEWS was written by Brianna Blake and Jerilyn Watson. Our producer was June Simms. I’m Faith Lapidus.

STEVE EMBER: And I’m Steve Ember. Read and listen to our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can see videos about Everglades National Park and projects to protect and improve the park at www.evergladesplan.org. Join us again next week for more news about science in Special English on the Voice of America. 

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