JOHNY GRANGER, ALWAYS READY TO CATCH THE WAVE

Johny Granger. Kiribatian. Surfer.

-Good morning, Johny Granger and thanks to attend us.

-Good morning. It's an honour.

-How is life in a Pacific island?

-Difficult. It is very difficult. I think that is something that has influenced me a lot and, perhaps, this is the main reason about my job.

-Why?

-Because you live in a little peace of land surrounded by sea, and this is an enormous border. You know your limits, and you have a great feeling of freedom and a desire of discovering new places.

-Do you miss anything about Kiribati?

-Well, people  are very kind and nice. The most important everywhere is always people.

-When did you decide to be a surfer?

-Since the moment I had enough conscience to realize I was living  in a little island. I needed to feel freedom and being a surfer was a way to search it. Sea makes me happy and free.

-Sea is beautiful but very dangerous, isn't it?

-Nature is impossible to control even to predict. We can try to understand it but it isn't under our hands. It's powerful and dangerous but all has a meaning in it. This is dangerous but also wonderful. You must love it because if you love nature, you respect yourself as a part of it.

-Which is the best wind?

-The wind of change.

-Which is it?

-It's the wind that announces changes for the future that will improve our lives.

-It's beautiful.

-It's one of the most amazing songs of Scorpions, the German group from Hannover.

-How do you define yourself?

-I'm a person with an open mind who likes learning things and travelling around the world. We were prisoners too much time and we need open our mind and know other cultures and other people. We can learn a lot and offer our knowledge at the same time.

-Which is your favourite country?

-All of them. Every country has something to offer but if I have to choose, I like the USA because I'm in love with New York City and Ireland, because all the country is a fairy tale, but I also like the Pacific Islands.

-Have you visited these countries, then?

-Yes, all of them and every one has something special to remember. I have lots of memories and it's impossible to only talk about one.

-Which is the most dangerous sea animal for you?

-Well, it's difficult to choose only one but because I'm a sufer and I read Moby Dick dozens of times I agree with Captain Ahab. The White Whale is a kind of animal that impress me much, but in the Pacific, you must be careful with sharks.

-Sharks?

-When I remember the Pacific Ocean I think in sharks, especially in the whale shark which is in danger of extinction but also in the 250 other types which live in this ocean and eat fish, seals and crabs. I have respect for them. I don't think it is a dangerous animal except if you disturb it or if it is hungry.

-Are you a skeptical about sharks' legends?

-Well, not only with sharks, also in some things when people accept without thinking twice, I often have other opinion.

-Why do you think people accept the official version so easily?

-I don't know. The influence of mass media over the population is huge. You can't trust on newspapers, TV or radio because they explain the reality that they want and they're interested in. If you say one lie thousands of times, finally, people will accept it like a truth.

-Which is the solution to fight against this?

-It's difficult. You can't live without trusting in anything or anybody but you can try to be critic and observe as things as you can before giving your opinion about something. You must listen to all versions and try to extract the real information which is hidden. We must be proactive citizens.

-How do you feel being a member of The Grangers?

-Very well. It's an incredible experience. They are funny and we can talk about whatever we want without any kind of censorship and this create an open environment of trust and freedom.

-How is a normal day with The Grangers?

-We haven't got similar days. Every day is different and this is something very important because it offers to you the possibility of living fantastic experiences every day and enjoy them with all your heart because you know that next day you're going to put the score to zero and we're going to start again. It's a non-stopping life.

-Which is your best memory with The Grangers?

-It’s difficult to choose only one but I remember when we arrived to New York and we took a ferry that had an accident and I disappeared during some hours in the sea. They didn't stop until they found me. This is the real meaning of a family.

-Which is your favourite colour?

-There’s a colour for every moment but if I had to choose one, perhaps blue, because is the sea colour.

-How long have you been studying English?

-I never studied English in the school, only creole, but if you live in the middle of the Pacific sea, the American influence is very high, and you learn by yourself.

-Was English difficult to learn?

-Not a lot. Learning English wasn't necessary until we had the opportunity of travelling and have business with foreign enterprises.

-You like travelling. Recommend me a country...

-San Marino. The world oldest Republic.

-What do you like to do?

-I like visiting museums. I like paintings, and Art in general.

-Recommend me a museum...

-MET in New York City and MNAC in Barcelona.

-Thank you very much, Johnny Granger.

-You're welcome.

More information: Cambridge Key Read/Write Sample Test

I just want to be able surf everything
-from big waves to small waves.

John John Florence

THE PLAZA HOTEL IN MANHATTAN, 'THE WAY WE WERE'

Today, The Grandma has visited The Plaza Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, and she has remembered Katie Morosky and Hubbell Gardiner meeting by chance some years after their break-up in front of the Plaza.

The Plaza Hotel, also known as The Plaza, is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, and is between 58th Street and Central Park South (a.k.a. 59th Street), at the southeastern corner of Central Park. Its primary address is 768 Fifth Avenue, though the residential entrance is One Central Park South.

The 21-story, French Renaissance-inspired château style building was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh. The facade is made of marble at the base, with white brick covering the upper stories, and is topped by a mansard roof. The ground floor contains the two primary lobbies, as well as a corridor connecting the large ground-floor restaurant spaces, including the Oak Room, the Oak Bar, the Edwardian Room, the Palm Court, and the Terrace Room.

The upper stories contain the ballroom and a variety of residential condominiums, condo-hotel suites, and short-term hotel suites. At its peak, the Plaza Hotel had over 800 rooms. Following a renovation in 2008, the building has 282 hotel rooms and 181 condos.

A predecessor hotel of the same name was built from 1883 to 1890. The original hotel was replaced by the current structure from 1905 to 1907; Warren and Wetmore designed an expansion to the Plaza Hotel that was added from 1919 to 1921, and several major renovations were conducted through the rest of the 20th century.

The Plaza Operating Company, which erected the current building, operated the hotel until 1943. Subsequently, it was sold to several owners during the remainder of the 20th century, including Conrad Hilton, A.M. Sonnabend, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Donald Trump, and a partnership of City Developments Limited and Al-Waleed bin Talal.

The Plaza Hotel was renovated again after El Ad Properties purchased it in 2005, and the hotel was subsequently sold to Sahara India Pariwar in 2012 and then to Katara Hospitality in 2018. The hotel has been managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts since 2005.

Since its inception, the Plaza Hotel has become an icon of New York City, with numerous wealthy and famous guests. The restaurant spaces and ballrooms have hosted events such as balls, benefits, weddings, and press conferences.

More information: The Plaza Hotel

The hotel's design, as well as its location near Central Park, has generally received acclaim. In addition, the Plaza Hotel has appeared in numerous books and films. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the hotel's exterior and some of its interior spaces as city landmarks, and the building is also a National Historic Landmark.

The Plaza Hotel is at 768 Fifth Avenue and One Central Park South in the Midtown Manhattan neighbourhood of New York City. 

It faces Central Park South (59th Street) and the Pond and Hallett Nature Sanctuary in Central Park to the north; Grand Army Plaza to the east; and 58th Street to the south. Fifth Avenue itself is across Grand Army Plaza from the hotel.

The hotel's site covers 4,995.6 m2. It measures 87 m along 58th Street and 84 m along Central Park South, with a depth of 61.21 m between the two streets. As completed in 1907, it measured 44 m along 58th Street and 76 m along Central Park South, with an L running the entire 200-foot depth of the lot along Grand Army Plaza.

The Plaza Hotel, a French Renaissance-inspired château-style building, contains 21 stories and is 76.79 m tall.

The guest rooms have also housed notable personalities, such as opera singer Enrico Caruso, as well as novelists F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald. Frank Lloyd Wright often stayed at the Plaza when he was designing the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue, considering the hotel to be his home. Art dealer Joseph Duveen, 1st Baron Duveen, who helped assemble the Frick Collection at the nearby Frick House, lived at the Plaza and held important auctions in the ballroom. In addition, the Beatles stayed at the Plaza Hotel during their first visit to the United States in February 1964.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the Plaza Hotel as a Historic Hotel of America.

More information: Town & Country I & II

The Way We Were is a 1973 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford.

Arthur Laurents wrote both the novel and screenplay based on his college days at Cornell University and his experiences with the House Un-American Activities Committee.

A box-office success, the film was nominated for several awards and won the Academy Awards for Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Original Song for the theme song The Way We Were. It ranked at number six on AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions survey of the top 100 greatest love stories in American cinema. The Way We Were is considered one of the great romantic films.

The soundtrack album became a gold record and hit the Top 20 on the Billboard 200, while the title song became a gold single, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and selling more than two million copies. Billboard named The Way We Were as the number 1 pop hit of 1974.

In 1998, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and finished at number eight on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Songs list of top tunes in American cinema in 2004. It also was included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The musical score for The Way We Were was composed by Marvin Hamlisch.

More information: Roger Ebert

I currently live in the Plaza in New York and I love it
-all that history, all those interesting stories.

Tommy Hilfiger

LU GRANGER, MENTAL BALANCE AND INTERNAL PEACE

 Lu Granger. Sensei

-Good morning, Lu Granger, and thanks to attend us.

-Good morning. It is a beautiful day to share with you.

-Thanks. Well, to start this interview I would like to know how you define yourself.

-I'm a Sensei, a person who teaches other people how to find the balance between the spiritual and the real world. I try to help people in their day by day at the same time I try to grow as a good person.

-How is a day in your life?

-Well, I have trained a lot. I must get some mental skills that aren’t easy to have. It requires a lot of effort and work and especially concentration.

-Why?

-Because you must get a great peace inside you and talk to your brain to order it to do things that go farther than conventional ones.

-Then, do you believe in magic?

-This is not magic. This is about concentration and believes in you.  I arrive to reach these skills because I practice a lot. It’s a martial art.

-How do you feel being a member of The Grangers family?

-I'm not an extroverted person. Silence and concentration are very important for me and I talk more with me than with people. You assimilate this behaviour and then you continue with the same attitude when you are not working. It doesn't mean that you don't disconnect of your work, it means that, sometimes, your beliefs blend your character.

-How is a normal day with The Grangers?

-It's difficult to talk about a normal day with The Grangers. There's always something new to do, to discover or to enjoy. I like my family. I feel well with them and this is something very important because if you're happy in a place with someone, you can offer the best of you.

-What can you explain about your life with The Grangers?

-It's a fantastic experience. We're different people with different characters and points of view but with a common objective: improve our English to improve in our jobs. It's amazing.

-And after?

-After, we will take different ways, we will stay in different places with new people and new experiences but there will be something that no one will be able to take out: if you have been a Granger, this is something that survives in time, you will always be a Granger and all these experiences that we have lived together will live meanwhile we were able to remember them.

-Which is your best memory with the family?

-It's very difficult to choose one but I remember when we visited the UNO Headquarters in New York City. It is a very important institution that deserves all my respects.

-Which are your hobbies?

-I like painting watercolours, drawing blossom cherry trees, practising Martial Arts, and readind old texts.

-How long have you been studying English?

-English has been always very important because is an international language, then a special tool for business, commerce but also teaching.

-Which is your reference?

-I’m a Sensei and, of course, I have great Masters: Japanese Senseis. They are the best and their knowledge is eternal.

-How do you see the future of our society?

-Well, I’m a Sensei, not a seer but I think we’re going to live in difficult conditions during some years.

-How do you see the present?

-We will survive. Culture, education and knowledge are our best investment and we will continue to offer immortal works and performances because this is our lifestyle.

-Which is your advice for the future?

-Don’t give up. Follow your dreams and be in peace with yourself. It’s impossible to be fine with the entire world if you aren’t fine with yourself. All starts in you, and all finishes in you. Be authentic, don’t imitate, because originality is something much appreciated. Don’t copy, innovate. Don’t accept real truths, question all of them as philosophers did. It’s the only way to advance to the future with guarantees. Past is beautiful to evocate good moments and learn about old experiences but we live in the present and we must fight the future, for us and for next generations. They deserve the best and we must work hard to reach it. As Morihei Ueshiba said  "the purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit".

-Which is your dream?

-I would like continuing with a project that I started with the indigenous communities of the Pemon in Kerepakupai Merú.

-Where is it?

-Kerepakupai Merú, in Spanish El Salto del Ángel, is a waterfall in Venezuela. It is the world's tallest uninterrupted waterfall. The waterfall drops over the edge of the Auyán-tepui mountain in the Canaima National, a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State.

-Who are the Pemon people?

-The Pemon are the indigenous people who live in areas of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana.

-I hope you can continue this dream.

-I hope so.

-Thank you very much, Lu Granger.

-It has been an enormous pleasure.

More information: Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

 

Life is growth.
If we stop growing, 

technically and spiritually,
we are as good as dead.

Morihei Ueshiba

JENNY GRANGER, HOW TO EXPLAIN LIFE FROM THE SPACE

-Good morning, Jenny Granger, and thanks to attend us.

-Good morning. Welcome to the European Space Agency.

-Thanks. It's always a pleasure being here. Well, to start this interview I would like to know how you define yourself.

-I'm an astronaut, a person who travels in space and tries to search answers to thousands of human questions.

-The most part of people, when they were children wanted to be an astronaut. How can you explain them to them?

-Yes, it's true. An astronaut or a firefighter. I don't know but perhaps an explanation could be that children are honest and maybe they perceive astronauts and firefighters like modern heroes. Everybody wants to be a superhero when (s)he is a child because a superhero represents good things and because of they are still innocent, they have the superheroes like someone to imitate. A child always imitates the things that (s)he sees. It's normal. They're under an age of knowledge and learning.

-Then, do you believe in heroes?

-Yes, of course. Everybody can be a hero, because a hero isn't a superhero. A superhero is a modern creation, a person who has incredible powers but a hero is a person who resists adversity and fight against it. Then, in our society, we can find millions of examples of heroes.

-How do you feel being a member of The Grangers family?

-It's a good experience. The family is a group of fantastic people and I'm very proud of being a part of them. It has been a great experience to open happiness.

-How is a normal day with The Grangers?

-It's difficult to talk about a normal day with The Grangers because we're a family full of energy and creativity and then all is possible and they can change all things in a second but I must accept that I've revised my English with them.

-What can you explain about your life with The Grangers?

-It's a great experience. I spend my life up, in the sky and it's good to stay with your feet on the land and pay attention about the reality from another point of view. I've spent good moments with them.

-And after?

-When we started as a family, we arrived with different ideas, knowledge and perspectives. During my experience as a Granger, we have been working together and we've created a good team. This is something that we won't lose although every member of our family is going to take a different path but I'm sure that we're going to open happiness wherever we stay.

-Which is your best memory with the family?

-It's very difficult to choose only one but I remember when we visited the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. An amazing moment!

-How long have you been studying English?

-Since I started to work as an astronaut. English is the most international language nowadays.

-You like photography, don’t you?

-Yes, I do. It is one of the most important tools for an astronaut.

-What's your own favourite photo?

-I remember when we were in the space station and were flying over the Canary Islands. We could take photos of a new island that emerged from the underground next to Hierro Island. It was spectacular.

-You have also said that you like reading biographies. Which is your favourite?

-Although I have read all the biographies of the most important astronauts like Neil Armstrong or Yuri Gagarin, I must admit, especially in a day like today, that the biography which impressed me much was about Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. It's very difficult to success in some kind of jobs which seem destined only to men. I also want to remember Sally Ride, the first American woman in space in 1983, twenty years after Tereshkova.

-Who is your favourite character?

-I haven't got a special one but I would like to think that one day, in a closer future; someone will be able to read The Grangers Biography because it will mean that we have contributed to do something positive to our society.

-What title would you choose for this biography?

-Eating the world, because every day we have worked very hard to learn something new and to live unforgettable experiences while we were eating the most delicious food made by some members of our family.

-Do you like this message?

-Yes I do. It's a motivational message in the line of We can do it of Naomi Parker. If you have enough force, enough interest and enough luck you can do whatever you propose.

-What will happen if it's not possible to do it?

-Don't give up. Don't forget that if you don't find a way, you must create it. Sometimes, we follow the line created by other people and sometimes, we must create our own line, a line that will be followed by others. Audrey Hepburn said that you can read 'Impossible' or 'I'm possible'. They are the same letters, but with a different meaning.

-Which is your favourite song?

-David Bowie's 'Life On Mars?', of course.

-Thank you very much, Jenny Granger.

-Thanks to you.

More information: Exam English

A bird cannot fly with one wing only. 

Human space flight cannot develop any further 

without the active participation of women. 

Valentina Tereshkova

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, FROM BOXING TO CONCERTS

Today, The Grandma has visited Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylvania Station. 

 

It is the fourth venue to bear the name Madison Square Garden; the first two (1879 and 1890) were located on Madison Square, on East 26th Street and Madison Avenue, with the third Madison Square Garden (1925) farther uptown at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street.

The Garden is used for professional ice hockey and basketball, as well as boxing, concerts, ice shows, circuses, professional wrestling and other forms of sports and entertainment. It is close to other midtown Manhattan landmarks, including the Empire State Building, Koreatown, and Macy's at Herald Square.

It is home to the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and was home to the New York Liberty (WNBA) from 1997 to 2017.

Originally called Madison Square Garden Center, the Garden opened on February 11, 1968, and is the oldest major sporting facility in the New York metropolitan area. It is the oldest arena in the NBA and the NHL.

As of 2016, MSG is also the second-busiest music arena in the world in terms of ticket sales. Including two major renovations, its total construction cost was approximately $1.1 billion, and it has been ranked as one of the 10 most expensive stadium venues ever built. It is part of the Pennsylvania Plaza office and retail complex, named for the railway station. Several other operating entities related to the Garden share its name.

Madison Square is formed by the intersection of 5th Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in Manhattan. It was named after James Madison, fourth President of the United States.

Madison Square Garden sits directly atop a major transportation hub in Pennsylvania Station, featuring access to commuter rail service from the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit, as well as Amtrak. The Garden is also accessible via the New York City Subway. The A, ​C, and ​E trains stop at 8th Avenue and the 1, ​2, and ​3 trains at 7th Avenue in Penn Station. The Garden can also be reached from nearby Herald Square with the B, ​D, ​F, <F>, ​M​, N, ​Q, ​R, and ​W trains at the 34th Street -Herald Square station as well as PATH train service from the 33rd Street station.

More information: Madison Square Garden

 One night in 1974, I made the comment,
'Here I am, this fat kid, the son of a plumber.
I don't look like a body builder;
fist fight in a parking lot, it doesn't matter.
I'm getting ready to sell out this building.
I'm going to sell out Madison Square Garden one day.
This is the American Dream. I'm living it.'

Dusty Rhodes

CATALAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICA IN NEW YORK CITY

Today, The Grandma has visited her compatriots in New York City. She has visited the Catalan Institute of America where she has met Mary Ann Newman, and she has spent a wonderful day explaining and listening to common cultural stories. 

Later, she has visited the International Office of Catalonia in New York to work about future business and investments.

The Catalan Institute of America is a non-profit membership organization working to celebrate Catalan culture, language, and heritage in New York City and beyond.

Since its inception, the Catalan Institute of America has been a meeting point for everyone who has an interest in Catalan language and culture in the United States and has been instrumental in creating a visible Catalan presence in the New York area.

The Catalan Institute of America works hard to foster a sense of community among Catalan-Americans and Catalan expatriates, provides guidance for newly arrived Catalans in the United States, and is proud to sponsor regular Catalan language courses.

More information: Catalan Institute of America

Mary Ann Newman is the director of the Farragut Fund for Catalan Culture in the US. 

She is a translator, editor, and occasional writer on Catalan culture. She has translated a novel and a short story collection by Quim Monzó, essays by Xavier Rubert de Ventós, and a collection of poems by Josep Carner.

She graduated from New York University's Washington Square College in 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

In 1985, she graduated with a doctorate from New York University.

As of 2019, her latest translation is Private Life by Josep Maria de Sagarra, published by Archipelago Books. She was awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi.

More information: El Nacional

I think we'll be around for another 100 years,

or 200, if the planet lasts!

Mary Ann Newman

MARIA CALLAS, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OPERA VOICE EVER

Today, The Grandma has been reading about Maria Callas, the Greek-American soprano, and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century, who was born in New York City in 1923.

Maria Callas, in Greek Μαρία Κάλλας, December 2, 1923–September 16, 1977, was a Greek-American soprano, and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her bel canto technique, wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations. 

Her repertoire ranged from classical opera seria to the bel canto operas of Donizetti, Bellini and Rossini and further, to the works of Verdi and Puccini; and, in her early career, to the music dramas of Wagner. Her musical and dramatic talents led to her being hailed as La Divina.

Born in New York City and raised by an overbearing mother, she received her musical education in Greece and established her career in Italy. Forced to deal with the exigencies of wartime poverty and with myopia that left her nearly blind onstage, she endured struggles and scandal over the course of her career.

More information: Maria Callas International Archive

She turned herself from a heavy woman into a svelte and glamorous one after a mid-career weight loss, which might have contributed to her vocal decline and the premature end of her career. The press exulted in publicizing Callas's temperamental behavior, her supposed rivalry with Renata Tebaldi and her love affair with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. Although her dramatic life and personal tragedy have often overshadowed Callas the artist in the popular press, her artistic achievements were such that Leonard Bernstein called her the Bible of opera.

Callas made her professional debut in February 1941, in the small role of Beatrice in Franz von Suppé's Boccaccio. Callas plays Tosca, Fidelio, Cavalleria Rusticana,   Lucia di Lammermoor, La Traviata, Armida, La sonnambula, Il pirata, Il turco in Italia, Medea and Anna Bolena.

Callas spent her last years living largely in isolation in Paris and died of a heart attack at age 53 on September 16, 1977.Heart failure is a possible outcome of dermatomyositis or side effect of the steroids and immunosuppressants which she took for the disease. Another explanation offered is that Callas's death was due to heart failure brought on by, possibly unintentional, overuse of Mandrax, a sleeping aid.

A funerary liturgy was held at Agios Stephanos St. Stephen's Greek Orthodox Cathedral on rue Georges-Bizet, Paris, on September 20, 1977. She later was cremated at the Père Lachaise Cemetery and her ashes were placed in the columbarium there. After being stolen and later recovered, in the spring of 1979 they were scattered over the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Greece, according to her wish.

 

More information: Maria Callas (1923-1977)

 

 I would like to be Maria, but there is La Callas 

who demands that I carry myself with her dignity.

Maria Callas