Soccer in the States

*Sorry this is so late, my WiFi at home is terrible and when I started this it kept dying, so I thought I would finish it once back at University.

The United States of America is renowned for its sporting prowess in sports such as baseball, basketball and 'American' football. However, the introduction of European stars to the MLS (Major League Soccer) in North America has signalled a cultural change in America, and reinforces the concept of the 'melting pot' in the United States.

In the world of soccer, or football as we know it, the USA has a reputation for being a retirement home for the ageing stars of Europe. In more recent times however, things have changed. In 2014, Brazil legend Kaká and Spanish striker David Villa signed for Orlando City and New York City FC respectively. This paved the way for many others to follow suit and sign for North American clubs. One of the most notable additions to the MLS was Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco. Aged just 27, Giovinco moved to Toronto FC from Juventus. This completely changed how people viewed North American football. Kaká and Villa had been high profile signings, but both were in their 30s (towards the end of an outfield player's career) and had won almost every competition in European football. Giovinco however, was yet to reach his prime and his move to Toronto added the competitive edge that the league desperately needed. Since 2014, Kaká, David Villa, Sebastian Giovinco, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Andrea Pirlo, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Tim Howard and Andoni Iraola have all played in MLS simultaneously, promoting North American soccer worldwide and increasing the sport's popularity domestically. European soccer is now easily accessible in the United States, and English soccer, in particular is even more easily available to people in America than it is to the English.

This exposure to European soccer culture and way in which the USA has embraced it, is a modern day example of the 'melting pot' and how cultures can mix and be diluted into American life, as if it had always been the way.



Sources:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-wasted-golden-generation-steven-5679591

How Summer Camps have emebded into American Culture

Summer Camps in the USA

After spending the previous summer working at a summer camp in north west Wisconsin, I learned a lot about American culture and how it is very different in comparison to the UK. Going to camp for a day, week or a few weeks over the summer vacation is very popular among American school children.



According to the American Camp Association there are around 12,000 camps throughout the U.S, 7,000 of these are overnight camps and 5,000 are day camps. Different camps have different duration periods, such some camps may only be for the day or for a week and the campers go home each night, whilst there are other camps which are overnight and go on for a couple of weeks or even up to a month.
There are many different types of camps including private camps,mixed, girls only camp, boys only camps, boy scouts, scouts, camps for under privilege children, religious camps such as Christian YMCA camps and Jewish camps. Private camps can cost up to $11,000 for the summer whilst other camps such as under privilege camps can be free.

It has become more common to send your child to overnight camp for the summer especially among Jewish families, even if the child does not go to a Jewish camp. Many camps often have a no bully policy and often work to ensure all children are happy and are not being abused in anyway. The aim for summer camps is for children to have fun and enjoy themselves making new friends away from any stress at home or school.


Children are able to which ever activity they wish as most camps a a wide range of activities to choose from such as arts and crafts, swimming, water skiing, sailing, dance etc. But this generally varies between different camps based on their facilities. Summer camps allow children to act and behave like children as its often forgotten in today's society.

December and American History

7th December 1941: Pearl Harbour

For the task of our final blog post before Christmas, I thought it appropriate to discuss the relevance of a specific event that has occurred in America during December. Whilst there were many events to choose from that have been relevant to our weekly topics, I thought to choose something that I find so interesting and that is a different focus to previous weeks. Instead of selecting memorable dates such as: the world premiere of ‘Gone with the Wind’, the ratification of the 13^th Amendment abolishing slavery, The Boston Tea Party, or even the Assassination of John Lennon, I thought to single out the 7^th December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbour.

What remains so significant about the Pearl Harbour attack to this day was the undetectable nature of the invasion. The attack which killed over 2,400 Americans, as well as destroying or damaging eight navy battleships and 100 planes.[1] Relations with Japan escalated and President Roosevelt declared a state of War with the Japanese Empire on the 8^th December 1941. It was one of the first times that America had been exposed and explicitly vulnerable on its own soil. It also was arguably the most powerful short-term factor for America entering WW2 It remains one of the most memorable and sensitive anniversaries in American history to this day.

On screen adaptations on Pearl Harbour have previously included the documentary ‘December 7^th’ (1943), the film ‘From Here to Eternity’ (1953), ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ (1970) and the memorable ‘Pearl Harbour’ (2001) to name a few.[2] The promotional painting for ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’ by Robert McCall, emphasises the chaos that related to Pearl Harbour. The bright colours created by the fires and the vast number of approaching enemy aircrafts, are very effective in setting the scene in just a simple painting. In comparison, the film adaptation ‘Pearl Harbour’ starring Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale conveys a romantic-drama storyline around the historical context of Pearl Harbour.

Today, the nature of this surprise attack has been reflected in more recent incidents, such as the 911 War on Terror, the Orlando shooting or even the Manhattan bombing in September 2016, New York. For many Americans, the early period of December remains as one of reflection and honouring any fallen veterans. This year it was seen at the 75^th Anniversary of Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. Similarly, celebrities including Dwayne Johnson have raised awareness about American troops and celebrated their duty recently this year in Hawaii. Overall, it remains one of the most remembered and historically significant aspects of Americas past.

Sources:

https://news.usni.org/2014/12/05/movies-pearl-harbor

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/01/06/how-america-changed-after-pearl-harbor

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[1] US Naval Institute Staff, “Movies About Pearl Harbour”, USNI News, The US Naval Institute, 5^th December 2014 https://news.usni.org/2014/12/05/movies-pearl-harbor accessed 19 December 2016.

[2] Michael Morella, “How America Changed After Pearl Harbour” US News, 6^th January 2012, < http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/01/06/how-america-changed-after-pearl-harbor > accessed 19 December 2016.

Sod Houses

The title of this post was chosen deliberately to attract the attention of any readers who may be passing through at this trail end of the first Semester in American Studies. There is no suggestion that this mini topic should be considered for inclusion in the Autumn  programme..  It has been placed here to flag up the writer's personal  interest in the much broader topic of  'Writing America.' The pioneer life has been brilliantly evoked in the four volume series by Wilhelm Moberg who traces the lives of a group of Swedish emigrants from Smaland, via Chicago and onto the Great Plains. They had left the barren and difficult terrain of lowland Sweden only to face the near impossible conditions of creating settlement on the plains - driven forward by the promise of  'free land.' 

When settlers first arrived in Southwestern Minnesota, they found a vast prairie. Trees were only located along the banks of rivers, lakes and marshes.

With the scarcity of lumber, pioneers ploughed the heavy dense prairie sod into 2-foot strips, which were then stacked green side down like bricks, to build a house and other outbuildings. Stability was created using the few trees available or parts from their wagons. The roof was covered with the canvas from wagons. Then, more sod was added for insulation.

Sod houses, made mostly of dirt, were fireproof, cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and with walls 2 foot thick, safe from bullets and arrows. Occupants often shared the home with rodents, insects and snakes. Because the roof was not totally waterproof, heavy rains dripped inside and could leak for several days.

It is estimated that at one time, 150,000 sod homes existed throughout the Great Plains area. Eventually, sawmills were started and lumber was hauled in so settlers could erect wood-framed homes.

Reference
http://www.kshs.org/
http://www.vilhelmmoberg.com/english.html

12. Las Vegas as a microcosm

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada, start of the Strip. 

Driving into Las Vegas, Nevada via 'South Las Vegas Boulevard', commonly known as 'The Strip', will take you past the Iconic 'Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada' sign. Like some psychedelic post-modernist reworking of Fitzgerald's 'eyes of Eckleburg', this neon introduction to Las Vegas leads to the optimistically named 'Paradise' city district and is complete with its own star, shining as if parodying religious iconography, guiding ignorant masses to an oasis of earthly delights. Las Vegas is a diverse city of extremes, within which can be discovered any of the near infinite examples of American identity both past and present, all of them represented in an exaggerated, caricature-like fashion.

Las Vegas is of course, notorious for its gambling, a practice legalised there in 1931. The resultant prosperity and affluence of the myriad of casinos here has long cemented Las Vegas' reputation for indulgence, the legacy of which continues exponentially, ensuring that currently, almost a quarter of the city's population work in the tourism sector. By the 1950s and 60s, Las Vegas' reputation had attracted the elite of the entertainment world with iconic American figures like Frank Sinatra and Elvis, although equally, the city proved to be an optimal market for a criminal underworld. These spheres were however, not mutually exclusive, and there was a point in time where most of the cocaine flooding into Las Vegas could be traced back to the Sinatra name. Ultimately, this is a city where hedonism and money rules, and morals are a hindrance invariably discarded as the sun sets and the Strip becomes drenched in neon each night.

Preachers on Fremont Street, Downtown Las Vegas. 

'Miss Atomic Bomb' winner, 1957. 

Indeed, loose morality is somewhat of a recurring theme here, the branding of which is one that evokes in the minds of potential visitors, the familiar notion of liberty, though it is mutated into an absolute form, where nothing is forbidden, for better or worse. At the upper end of the Las Vegas strip can be found Fremont Street, its seedier yet not unattractive counterpart. This area is frequented by Christian preachers who, undeterred by the idea of undertaking a task more difficult than pushing water uphill with a rake, aim to curb the blasphemy of Downtown Las Vegas. It seems a desperate plight, as they stand in the American epicentre of debauchery, yet nonetheless, the juxtaposition is one that is representative of every aspect of American society, albeit in a more explicit form. A second example of this disconnect is the Nevada Atomic Bomb testing of the 1950s, a terrifying display of American military power, coming only a few years after the devices were used in Japan for the deaths of around 200,000 soldiers and civilians. Las Vegas, indifferent to the real-world implications of Atomic warfare, seized the opportunity as the perfect backdrop for another prosperous decade of glamour, partying and depravity. The detonation of an atom bomb was an event of public celebration as crowds would gather on casino rooftops to witness the mushroom cloud, even going so far as to create a 'Miss Atomic Bomb' beauty pageant.

Remains of the Old Mormon Fort, North Las Vegas.

Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino resort, Las Vegas Strip.

For Las Vegas to constitute a true microcosm of modern America, there must exist an element of 'authentic' America beyond contradictory morality, hedonism, military might and entertainment. Historically, the Las Vegas valley has been occupied by Native Americans who arrived 10,000 years ago although they never existed in great numbers. Later, the area became useful as a source of water and a refuge to travelers and religious zealots alike (recalls the American idea of religious freedom), with the latter building a Mormon fort in 1855. The City owes its name to Mexican merchants who rested in the valley during a trade mission to Los Angeles and named it 'The Meadows'. While the Spanish name remains; evidently, its meaning has been lost with the city being considered a prime example of excessive urbanisation. Similarly, foreign influence is manifested in Las Vegas through its themed hotels and casinos, notable examples being 'The Venetian' and 'Paris Las Vegas'. The idea of emulating foreign culture in a capitalist 'Americanised' format is one that I feel is inherent to American society given its history of immigration and diverse racial makeup.

Overall, it seems that Las Vegas can be described as a location within which all aspects of American society and culture are collected before being twisted together and projected onto this patch of desert in a larger-than-life way. Religious liberty, moral liberty, capitalism, superstars of the entertainment world, military dominance, foreign influence, Native American history, American exceptionalism and racial diversity: all of these are represented here. It is perhaps also appropriate to consider the city as a failure of the American West and its associations. Physically, this is true beyond doubt as Las Vegas, although a categorically Western City, lies some 5 hours drive shy of the Pacific Coast almost as if representing the failed ideology of the West, a condition represented equally by its dry and arid environment. Metaphorically, the moral trappings of Las Vegas would suggest that there is indeed a failure of ideology here on some level. However, what is a source of disgust for many is the realm of fantasy for many Americans, demonstrating again the paradoxical nature of American society and their difference in interpretation.

"No mercy for a criminal freak in Las Vegas. This place is like the Army: the shark ethic prevails – eat the wounded. In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity." - Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Sources/Further Reading

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a20536/who-are-you-miss-atomic-bomb/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3308155/Frank-Sinatra-better-drug-dealer-singer-says-drug-lord-Pablo-Escobar-s-son-claims-crooner-father-s-business-partner.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42074829/ns/travel-destination_travel/t/sin-citys-dirty-little-secret-its-full-churches/#.WFVrRxuLTIU

http://www.history.com/topics/las-vegas

Bunks in a seven-cent lodging house, Pell Street

BUNKS IN A SEVEN-CENT LODGING-HOUSE, PELL STREET.

This is an image of a lodging house in Pell Street. Lodging houses were rooms where a large number of people rented a bunk. The owner of this 7-cent house had three such buildings. He is said to have made $8000 a year worth of profit through the investments, which is about $202,000 in today’s money. This shows the difference in earnings between the two classes at this time, with the landlords earning ridiculous amounts of money whilst the tenants are earning pennies, if they are even earning at all.

Legal lodging houses varied in price, ranging from 25 cents for rooms with lockers, down to 7 cents for a large communal room with somewhere to sleep. There were however also many unlicensed houses with far worse conditions than shown in this image. The unlicensed landlords charged 5 cents for a spot to sleep on the floor and 3 cents for a space to squat in in the hallway.

Because homelessness was such a huge problem in New York City at this time the poor immigrants were exploited massively by the landlords. This disregard for the poor led to terrible conditions for the homeless, with no toilets or any way to clean themselves properly. Riis writes about how bad the smell 7 cent house he visited was and comments that the beds were stained yellow, showing just how filthy the living conditions were.

This Image portrays the wealthy landlords total disregard to the basic human needs of the immigrants. They lived in squalor and because they couldn't earn enough money, were basically trapped in poverty.

Sources:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/45502/45502-h/45502-h.htm

http://www.in2013dollars.com/1890-dollars-in-2016?amount=8000

The Working Girls of New York

The sad and toil worn lives of New York's working women.

 Jacob Rils estimates that at least one hundred and fifty thousand women and girls earn their own living in New York. But this may not provide an accurate picture as many women did some form of work to supplement family income. Ironically Rils finds the fact' that some need not starve on the wages, condemns so many others to that fate.'

The work available for women was in stores, factories, sweat shops - all marked with harsh conditions and long hours. But many had to work additional hours 'at home' as depicted in this picture. One testimony states.
' I worked eleven hours in the shop and four at home.' Another, ' worked from 4 in the morning to 11 at night.' They had to buy their own thread and pay for their machines from their wages. This situation was made worse when the practice arose of out-sourcing textile work to the farmers' girls in Maine. Their 'pin-money' set the rate so much lower for the working girls of New York.

 The Working Women's Society reported “It is a known fact that men’s wages cannot fall below a limit upon which they can exist, but woman’s wages have no limit, since the paths of shame are always open to her. It is simply impossible for any woman to live without assistance on the low salary a saleswoman earns, without depriving herself of real necessities.... It is inevitable that they must in many instances resort to evil.' 

Moralists claimed when talking of  tenement conditions, that many young girls made early and improvident marriages and this was one of the prolific causes of distress of the poor. Yet, a State Labour Bureau report said ' Decency and womanly reserve cannot be maintained there - what wonder so many fall away from virtue?'

There were a number of organisations which worked to ameliorate conditions in the tenements.  Riis's sincerity for social reform has seldom been questioned, but critics have questioned his right to interfere with the lives and choices of others. His audience comprised middle class reformers, and critics say that he had no love for the traditional life styles of the people he portrayed. "Riis was quite impatient with most of his fellow immigrants; he was quick to judge and condemn those who failed to assimilate, and he did not refrain from expressing his contempt."  (Allard 62) 

However, the power of the photographs contributed to raising awareness of the actual physical conditions that people were experiencing in the tenements.

Sources

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/45502/45502-h/45502-h.htm

Alland, Alexander. Jacob A. Riis: Photographer and Citizen. Millerton, N.Y.: Aperture, 1993. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Riis