Charles Chaplin

Sir Charles Spencer “Charlie” Chaplin (London 1889 – Vevey, Switzerland 1977) was one of the most famous film stars in the world before the 1920s.

Chaplin was also a writer, composer, producer and film director. His most popular role is Charlot, the main character in the silent film The Tramp and possibly the most imitated character in history. Charlot is a vagrant (vagabundo) who tries very hard to behave ( comportarse)  with the manners and the dignity of a gentleman despite  (a pesar de  )   his actual social status.

Chaplin continued to play Charlot in dozens of short and full-length films, including the masterpiece Modern

Times, the first film where Chaplin’s voice is heard. Modern Times sees Charlot trying to survive in a modern, industrialized world, a comment on life in the United States during the Great Depression, a time when millions of people were unemployed and living under the line of poverty. The film was deemed (considerada)  “culturally significant” by the Library of Congress (the National Library of the United States) in 1989.

Chaplin wrote, directed, and starred in dozens of feature films and short subjects. Highlights include The Immigrant (1917), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931) and The Great Dictator (1940). Chaplin received three Academy Awards in his lifetime, was knighted ( fué nombrado caballero)  in 1975 at the age of 85 by Queen Elizabeth II and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1970.

The  Great Dictator  , final speech (English subtitles).

The Vaccines If You Wanna

If you feel like celebrating the Summer Solstice in some faraway place and you have no money, we’ve got the answer! You have to compose this year’s summer song. Judging by the successes of previous summers, you don’t need to have any knowledge of music, or literary training. Nor do you need to write complicated lyrics. You just have to come up with a catchy line, and then repeat it until you get tired. And it doesn’t have to be in any language in particular: remember the aserejé, ahá, ehé…

This year's summer song is from the band The Vaccines, the title is "If you wanna". Listen to the song while you watch the video and enjoy it!

                                                             

                                                                  

I don't want to wake up in the morning
But I've got to face the day
That's what all the friends I do not like as much as you say

I don't want to do things independently
But I can't make you stay
That's what all the friends I do not like as much as you say

But if you wanna come back it's alright, it's alright
It's alright if you wanna come back
Do you wanna come back? It's alright, it's alright
It's alright if you wanna come back to me

I don't want to see you with another guy
But the fact is that I may
That's what all the friends I do not like as much as you say

Give it just another couple months or so
Then you'll be ok
That's what all the friends I do not like as much as you say

Alone, all alone
I am on my own
Alone, all alone
I am on my own

But if you wanna come back it's alright, it's alright
It's alright if you wanna come back
Do you wanna come back? It's alright, it's alright
It's alright if you wanna come back to me

If you wanna come back it's alright, it's alright
It's alright if you wanna come back
Do you wanna come back? It's alright, it's alright
It's alright if you wanna come back to me
Do you wanna come back? It's alright, it's alright
It's alright if you wanna come back to me
Do you wanna come back? It's alright, it's alright
It's alright if you wanna come back to me

Phil Collins

A short story

Phil Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer-songwriter, drummer (batería) , keyboardist (teclista)  and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for English progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist. Collins sang the lead vocals on several chart  ( lista de éxitos) hits  in the United Kingdom and the United States between 1978 and 1994, either as a solo artist or with Genesis.

Did you know ?

• He was given a toy drum kit for Christmas when he was five.

• Collins is a supporter of animal rights and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

• He also has a lifelong interest in the Alamo. He has collected hundreds of artefacts related to the famous 1836 battle in San Antonio, Texas.

• Collins founded the Little Dreams Foundation in February 2000.

• He made an appearance as himself in the 2006 PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, set in 1984.

• Collins reported losing his hearing in his right ear in 2000 due to (debido a ) a viral infection.

• In September 2009, it was reported that Collins could no longer play drums, due to an operation to repair dislocated vertebrae in his neck.

Another Day in Paradise ( Lyrics in English and Spanish) 

California Clam Chowder

Clam chowder (guiso con almejas) is easy to find in San Francisco. You can get it almost everywhere, from a smart city centre restaurant to a stall (tenderete) at Fisherman’s Wharf.(muelle de pescadores) One of the most common ways to serve it is in a bowl (cuenco) made of bread. This sort of bread is called San Francisco Sourdough (masa fermentada par hacer pan) and is well known in the area. You will usually get a special lid (tapa) for the bowl as well – made of the same sort of bread as the bowl – so you can eat it with your soup. Clam chowder is very filling,(algo que llena mucho) so you may not want dessert.

Ingredients for 4 to 6 people

A little olive oil

1 small onion, diced (cortado a dados)

2 slices(10) bacon, diced

400g clams with juice (con su jugo)

250ml clam juice  

400ml chicken broth (caldo de pollo)

1 large potato, peeled (pelada) and diced

A little thyme (tomillo)

Salt and pepper to taste (al gusto)

3 large spoons corn flour (harina de maíz)

2 cups cream

A few pieces of fresh parsley, (perejil) chopped

 

Method

You will need a large soup pot (olla para sopa) with a lid.

Fry the onion and bacon together until the onion is tender.(tierna)

Add he clams, clam juice, chicken broth, potato, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover (cubre) the pot and boil (hierve) the mixture. Stir.(Remueve) Replace the lid, reduce the heat and simmer (hierve a fuego lento) the soup for 15 minutes (or until the potatoes are tender)

In a separate bowl, mix the corn flour and the cream, then add them to the soup. Boil again.

Simmer the soup, stirring frequently, until it has thickened.(se espese)

Serve with chopped parsley sprinkled (espolvoreado) on top for decoration.