Precis 7: Aretha Franklin to release a new album

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/apr/27/aretha-franklin-first-album-eight-years

 

• a resolve - (formal) strong determination to succeed in doing something, eg. Recent events strengthened her resolve to find out the truth.
• to undergo - if you undergo a change, an unpleasant experience etc, it happens to you or is done to you, eg. The country has undergone massive changes recently. He has been released from prison to undergo medical treatment.
•  to feature-  to include or show something as a special or important part of something, or to be included as an important part, eg.The exhibition features paintings by Picasso.  A cruise ship featuring extensive spa facilities
• a pancreas - a gland inside your body, near your stomach, that produces insulin and a liquid that helps your body to use the food that you eat. 
• the boomers - people born during a period when a lot of babies were born, especially between 1946 and 1964
• contemporary - belonging to the present time [= modern], eg.  contemporary music, art, dance. Life in contemporary Britain. An exhibition of contemporary Japanese prints

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Aretha Franklin, at her 68 has announced that she will independently release her new album ARETHA: A Woman Falling Out of Love next week on May 3, 2011. Since then till 3of June it will be available only through Walmart-US retailer. After that  it will be sold  through digital services and other shops. It is her first album in 8 years. Unlike 3 previous the self-titled albums, this one is being made through "Aretha Records" and she produced most of it herself. She also got help in production from her sons. Aretha is saying that the album will be sentimental and contemporary the same time. It  includes Theme from a Summer Place, gospel hymn His Eye Is On the Sparrow, and a version of BB King's Sweet Sixteen and the bonus track is a live recording of Franklin performing at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration in 2009, singing My Country, 'Tis of Thee.

The singer encourages the women to cherish their life when falling out love. In the lyrics she gives them some tips how to achieve this state of mind.

She was reported to be suffering from pancreatic cancer last year, but in January, 2011 she claimed that the problem has been resolved.

Precis 6: Star Wars 'People wanted to live onscreen'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2011/apr/19/gary-kurtz-star-wars

 

• to captivate - to attract someone very much, and hold their attention, eg. He was captivated by her beauty.
• an archetype of - a perfect example of something, because it has all the most important qualities of things that belong to that type, eg. France is the archetype of the centralized nation-state ; Archetypal (adj), eg. Byron was the archetypal Romantic hero. 
• to steamroller UK, steamroll US ( informal) - to make sure something happens by using all your power and influence, or to defeat your opponents badly, eg. He steamrollered the bill through Parliament against fierce opposition.
• a crossover - 1 [countable]A the change a popular performer makes from working in one area of entertainment to another:, eg. J-Lo has made a crossover from music to the movies.  2 [uncountable and countable] the fact of liking, using, or supporting different types of things or groups, eg. There's some crossover between the musical genres. 
• mainstream  [adjective only before noun] - accepted by or involving most people in a society, eg. Deaf children can often be included in mainstream education. The mainstream political parties.
• a niche -1 [countable] if you find your niche, you find a job or activity that is very suitable for you, eg. Amanda soon found her niche at the club. He's managed to create a niche for himself in local politics. 2 [singular] nich in-  an opportunity to sell a product or service to a particular group of people who have similar needs, interests etc, eg.He spotted a niche in the market.
• a prospect of  -[singular] a particular event which will probably or definitely happen in the future - used especially when you want to talk about how you feel about it , eg. The prospect of marriage terrified Alice. Greeks face the prospect of new general elections next month.
• hardcore - [adjective only before noun] having an extreme way of life or an extreme belief that is very unlikely to change, eg. a hard-core drug addict. Hard-core racists.

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Gary Kurtz, Star Wars producer used to say that Stay Wars is just the movie, but people got obsessed with it and wanted to live on-screen.

George Lucas, the movie director never thought that the film would attract so many devoted people.

Star Wars arrived in to the cinemas at the right time and became the hit at once, with 80% of box office made in the first two weeks.

What made the Star Wars different and special was the sound, designed by Ben Burtt, who used intricate combinations of different sounds, like R2-D2's bleeps or the laser effect created when the space ships fire at each other.These sound effects made the film stand out.

It would be difficult to make that kind of movie nowadays when it's  impossible to keep anything secret. People know too much about the movie before it is released.

In 1977 only a few thousand people knew about Star Wars when it first arrived in cinemas,but it spread like wildfire and soon there were queues at the cinemas everywhere.

 

 

After Easter

I enjoyed the Easter very much. Weather was great. We spent a lot of time out doors. I hope you all had good time with your families and friends.

My Travels - Easter Island

Talking about Easter, I would like to share with you some info about the EASTER ISLAND, which is situated on the Pacific Island. I was fortunate to visit it in 2002 and found it amazing, fascinating and beautiful.

I loved the landscape formed of pure nature which still remains there. It was on the Island, where I first saw wild horses. It was really interesting experience to see them running, in such big amount. They were free and beautiful.

That would do about my impression. Below I'm posting more facts about the Island itself.

 

Easter Island is over 2,000 miles from the nearest population center, (Tahiti and Chile), making  it one of the most isolated places on the Earth. A triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific- it is best known for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai, that dot the coastline.

The early settlers called the island "Te Pito O Te Henua" (Navel of The World). Admiral Roggeveen, who came upon the island on Easter Day in 1722, named it Easter Island. Today, the land, people and language are all referred to locally as Rapa Nui.

There has been much controversy and confusion concerning the origins of the Easter Islanders. Thor Heyerdahl proposed that the people who built the statues were of Peruvian descent, due to a similarity between Rapa Nui and Incan stonework. Some have suggested that Easter Island is the remnant of a lost continent, or the result of an extra-terrestrial influence . Archaeological evidence, however, indicates discovery of the island by Polynesians at about 400 AD - led, according to legend, by Hotu Matua. Upon their arrival, an impressive and enigmatic culture began to develop. In addition to the statues, the islanders possessed the Rongorongo script; the only written language in Oceania. The island is also home to many petroglyphs (rock carvings), as well as traditional wood carvings, tapa (barkcloth) crafts, tattooing, string figures, dance and  music. 

  This is the picture of me on Easter Island

 

Behind the Moai, there is the ship I was working and traveling on, around the World

 

And here are the horses I was writing about 

 

Happy Easter :)

Precis 5:The woman addicted to eating sofas

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/03/31/real-life-the-woman-addicted-to-eating-sofas-115875-23026995/

• bizarre - very unusual or strange, eg. dancers in rather bizarre costumes, a bizarre coincidence.

• spare a thought for somebody - to think about another person who is in a worse situation than you are, eg. Spare a thought for Nick, who's doing his exams right now.

• intestine -  the long tube in your body through which food passes after it leaves your stomach [= gut] intestinal adjective ➔ large intestine, small intestine.

• obstruction - when something blocks a road, passage, tube etc, or the thing that blocks it [= blockage], eg. an operation to remove an obstruction from her throat, Police can remove a vehicle that is causing an obstruction.

• full-blown - having all the qualities of something that is at its most complete or advanced stage, eg. The drop in shares could develop into a full-blown crisis, full-blown AIDS, full-blown addiction.

• lumpy - covered with or containing small solid pieces, eg. lumpy bed, ground, face (grudkowaty)

• lopsided - having one side that is lower or heavier than the other, asymmetric., eg. a lopsided grin.

• magpie - a bird with black and white feathers and a long tail (sroka).

• to compel - to force someone to do something [↪ compulsion],eg. The law will compel employers to provide health insurance. She felt compelled to resign because of the scandal.She feels compelled to eat...

• craving - an extremely strong desire for something [↪ longing], eg. She had a craving for some chocolate. 

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   Adele Edwards, age of 30, is a woman who is craving for sponge, especially from sofa's cushions. She also eats household items, such as rubbers and elastic bands. She find it better than some other snacks, like for example chocolate or crisps. She is suffering from a recognized medical condition, diagnosed  with medical disorder called Pica. Its name derives from the Latin word for magpie, a bird that eats almost anything. Pica is seen in all people of all ages but is particularly common in pregnant ­women, small children, and those with developmental  disabilities. Adele's therapist suggested that she started to eat cushion as a reaction to her ­parents’ divorce, but Adele herself claims that she just like it, because it tastes great. 

She was first introduced to cushion when she was 10 years old, while playing with her cousin. He peeled apart the sofa and popped a piece of sponge  into his mouth like it was bubble gum. That's when she tried it first and ever since she has been addicted to it. Doctors have warned that she will leave her children motherless if she doesn’t give up, but she says she’s powerless to stop.

 

Premonition

Yesterday, while looking for the explanation of the word premonition I came across the title of the film, called exactly like this "Premonition" and decided to watch it.

It is about Linda Hanson (Sandra Bullock) who is going about her daily chores when a police officer arrives at her door to inform her that her husband, Jim (Julian McMahon), has been killed in a car accident. Linda is devastated and must inform her young daughters, Megan (Shyann McClure) and Bridgett (Courtney Taylor Burness). Her mother (Kate Nelligan) arrives to help out. By nightfall, Linda is exhausted and, grief-stricken, she curls up on the couch and falls asleep. She awakens the next morning to discover that not only is Jim alive but the calendar has been peeled back from Thursday to Monday. Gradually, as the days and nights pass, Linda discovers that she is no longer living life in a linear fashion. Instead of her days progressing sequentially from Sunday to Saturday, they are jumbled up, with the fulcrum being the day of Jim's death. Knowing what happens, can she stop the accident? Should she stop it?

I highly recommend this movie, as I found it very mysterious and interesting.

The conclusion on Dali's Presentation is ...

... that, as on his paintings same in life... everything may be perceived in so many different ways.
That's why it is sooo interesting and intriguing :)

Depression's Cure

I have noticed that so many people are depressed lately.
That's why I've decided to write my precis about one herb that is effective in curing depression and boosting good mood. I hope some of you'll  find it useful :)

I love....

... this weather :) My family and I spend  all afternoon strolling along the Vistula River yesterday. It made me feel soooo good. We're also planning to be out and about today ;)
I definitely shouldn't live in Poland, where winter lasts so long, or maybe... if I lived in warmer place, where climate is about the same most of the time (I mean warm), I would not really appreciate the spring and summer?
It was the case when I was working on the ship and we were sailing only on the Pacific Ocean and  Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico during the winter and were coming to Europe or going to Alaska only for the summer. That time I was even missing the winter and skiing... Well, this is the human nature. We always want what we don't currently have.

Pecis 4: St. John's Wort -The herb to boost your mood :)

http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/depression-faq/st-johns-wort-any-good-for-depression/

• to relapse - 1. to become ill again after you have seemed to improve, eg. We were afraid he might relapse into a coma. 2. to start to behave badly again, eg. Clara soon relapsed into her old ways.

• to outline - 1. [transitive] to describe something in a general way, giving the main points but not the details, eg. The new president outlined plans to deal with crime, drugs, and education. 2.  [usually passive] to show the edge of something, or draw around its edge, so that its shape is clear, eg. a map with our property outlined in red, trees outlined against the sky.

• double-blind  (technical) -a double-blind scientific test or study compares two groups in which neither the scientists nor the people being studied know which group is being tested and which group is not

• Adverse (adj) - 1. not good or favourable, eg. They fear it could have an adverse effect on global financial markets, Miller's campaign has received a good deal of adverse publicity.  2. Adverse conditions:  conditions that make it difficult for something to happen or exist, eg. The expedition was abandoned because of adverse weather conditions

• Whereas (conjunction) - 1. (formal) used to say that although something is true of one thing, it is not true of another, eg. The old system was fairly complicated whereas the new system is really very simple, Whereas the city spent over $1 billion on its museums and stadium, it failed to look after its schools.  2. (law) used at the beginning of an official document to mean 'because of a particular fact.

• Confined (adj) -  1. be confined to somebody/something : to exist in or affect only a particular place or group, eg. The risk of infection is confined to medical personnel.           2. a confined space or area is one that is very small, eg. It wasn't easy to sleep in such a confined space.

• Outweigh [transitive] - to be more important or valuable than something else, eg. The benefits of the scheme outweigh the disadvantages.