Life & English

Detroit is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the largest city on the United States–Canada border. Detroit is a major port on the Detroit River, one of the four major straits that connect the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

In 2015, Detroit was named a "City of Design" by UNESCO, the first U.S. city to receive that designation. The municipality of Detroit had a 2016 estimated population of 672,795, making it the 23rd-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after Chicago.

Detroit city and the border river.

Detroit and its neighboring Canadian city Windsor are connected through a tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest international crossing in North America. Detroit is best known as the center of the U.S. automobile industry, and the "Big Three" auto manufacturers General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler are all headquartered in Metro Detroit. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is among the most important hubs in the United States.

Visit Detroit, travelers can attend a tour “ Destroit’s rise, fall and renewal” to discover this city. Also, travelers can visit West Riverfront Park and experience fishing on the border river between the US and Canada. The culture of Detroit has influenced American and global culture through its commercial enterprises and various forms of popular music throughout the 20th and 21st century. Its automotive heritage plays an important role in the city's culture. Detroit's diverse culture has had both local and international influence, particularly in music, with the city giving rise to the genres of Motown and techno, and playing an important role in the development of jazz, hip-hop, rock, and punk-music.

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The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest international border bridge in North America. This bridge connects Detroit, Michigan, United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is the busiest crossing on the Canada–United States border.

The bridge is made up of 21,000 short tons (1 short ton = 907.2 kg) of steel, and the roadway rises as high as 152 feet (46 m) above the Detroit River. Only the main span over the river is supported by suspension cables; the approaches to the main pillars are held up by steel in a cantilever truss structure. The bridge's only sidewalk is located on the southwest side of the structure.

The Ambassador Bridge and fishermen in West Riverfront Park

The Gateway Project, a major redesign of the U.S. plaza, provides direct access to Interstate 96 (I-96) and I-75 on the American side and Highway 3 on the Canadian side. The Canadian end of the bridge connects to busy city streets in west Windsor, leading to congestion. A study of Border Transportation Partnership showed that 150,000 jobs in the region and US$13 billion in annual production depend on the Detroit - Windsor international border crossing. The four-lane bridge carries more than 10,000 commercial vehicles on a typical weekday. More than 25% of all merchandise trade between the United States and Canada crosses the toll bridge. The bridge carries about 70% of commercial truck traffic in the region.

West Riverfront Park in Detroit located near the Ambassador Bridge. In this park, visitors have good view to take photos of the Bridge. When we walked and took photos in the West Riverfront Park, we met fishermen. They were fishing with peacefulness and leisureliness. It seemed to be the contrary for the busy bridge, a attractive contrary for visitors.

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I love the library

Where give me

a good opportunity

to free study?

and to feel happy?

It is the library.

I love books here,

love green trees outside

with sunlight and blue sky.

I love smiles

here is so nice,

here is so kind,

and friendly very very many...

It is lucky

so much for me

to read and to see,

knowledge is free.

It is happy

so much for me.

I love the library.

by Quy Minh

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Wall Street Bull Wall Street Bull (or Charging Bull), is a bronze sculpture that stands in Bowling Green in the Financial District in Manhattan, New York City.

The bull was cast by the Bedi-Makky Art Foundry in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Di Modica spent some $360,000 to create, cast, and install the sculpture following the 1987 stock market crash as a symbol of the "strength and power of the American people". The sculpture was Di Modica's idea, and in an act of guerrilla art, Bedi Makky Art Foundry and Di Modica trucked it to Lower Manhattan. On December 15, 1989, they installed it beside the Christmas tree in the middle of Broad Street in front of the New York Stock Exchange as a Christmas gift to New Yorkers. The 7,100-pound (3,200 kg) sculpture stands 11 feet (3.4 m) tall and measures 16 feet (4.9 m) long.

The oversize sculpture depicts a bull, the symbol of aggressive financial optimism and prosperity, leaning back on its haunches and with its head lowered as if ready to charge. The sculpture is both a popular tourist destination which draws thousands of people a day, as well as one of the most iconic images of New York and Wall Street.

Wall Street Bull and Fearless Girl

Fearless Girl On March 7, 2017, the night before International Women's Day, another bronze sculpture, Fearless Girl, was placed directly in front of Wall Street Bull.

The statue was designed by Kristen Visbal and commissioned by investment firm State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) to advertise for an index fund which comprises gender-diverse companies that have a relatively high percentage of women among their senior leadership. The statue measures approximately 50 inches (130 cm) tall, and weighs about 250 pounds (110 kg). Fearless Girl sent a message about workplace gender diversity and encourage companies to recruit women to their boards. The plaque below the statue states: "Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference," with "SHE" being both a descriptive pronoun and the fund's NASDAQ ticker symbol.

Fearless Girl was placed facing Wall Street Bull. Both are located in Manhattan's Bowling Green, at the intersection of Broadway and Whitehall Street.

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Wall Street is a special nick-name for the financial markets of the United States and the world. In fact, Wall Street is an eight-block-long street running roughly northwest to southeast from Broadway to South Street, at the East River, in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City.

Anchored by Wall Street, New York City has been called both the most economically powerful city and the leading financial center of the world, and the city is home to the world's two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Several other major exchanges have or had headquarters in the Wall Street area, including the New York Mercantile Exchange, the New York Board of Trade, and the former American Stock Exchange.

Wall Street

In the 1640s, a simple fence devided plots and residences in the colony. Later, the Dutch West India Company and the city government strengthened the wall. The wall started at Pearl Street, which was the shoreline at that time, crossing the Indian path Broadway and ending at the other shoreline. In these early days, in Wall Street, local merchants and traders bought and sold shares and bonds, and over time divided themselves into two classes—auctioneers and dealers.

The new City Hall built at Wall and Nassau in 1700. The slave market operated from 1711 to 1762 at the corner of Wall and Pearl Streets. In 1789 Wall Street was the scene of the United States' first presidential inauguration when George Washington took the oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall on April 30, 1789. This was also the location of the passing of the Bill Of Rights.

Between 1860 and 1920, the economy changed from "agricultural to industrial to financial" and New York maintained its leadership position. Over time, Wall Street became the largest center of the financial world.

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Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the only one located entirely within the United States. The other four Great Lakes are shared by the U.S. and Canada.

Lake Michigan lies in the region known as the American Midwest in the US. This Lake is shared, from west to east, by the U.S. states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Some of the earliest human inhabitants of the Lake Michigan region were the Hopewell Indians. Their culture declined after 800 AD, and for the next few hundred years, the region was the home of peoples known as the Late Woodland Indians. The word "Michigan" originally referred to the lake itself, and is believed to come from the Ojibwe word michi-gami meaning "great water".

Lake Michigan

Now, twelve million people live along Lake Michigan's shores, mainly in the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. Lake Michigan has many beaches. The sand is often soft and off-white. Some beaches have sand dunes covered in green beach grass and sand cherries, and the water is usually clear and cool, between 13 and 27 °C (55 and 80 °F), even in the late summer months. The economy of many communities in northern Michigan and Door County, Wisconsin is supported by tourism, with large seasonal populations attracted by the beauty and recreational opportunities offered by Lake Michigan.

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April 6, 7 and 8, 2018 are 3 days the official dates of Equation's second chapter. The electronic music rendezvous returns to bring together all the influencers, artists, promoters, dancers and music-lovers who keep the Asian underground dance music scene alive and vibrant.

Curated by the people behind Savage in Hanoi and Cliché Records in Hong Kong, the event will fuse together local and regional talents with international acts to offer an eclectic musical journey blending house, techno, disco, funk and the indescribable.

The festival will boast two Funktion-One-equipped stages with a third smaller one dedicated to ambient music. Located just an hour’s drive from Hanoi, Equation is a three-day boutique festival celebrating quality dance music from Asia and the world.

The event is held at Son Tinh Camp on the shores of the majestic Dong Mo Lake. This event will include many activities that will be music (line up with techno, house, disco...), dance, enjoy food and drinks, camping, fresh air of the nature around Son Tinh Camp.

Anna N.

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A Soup Kitchen is a place where food is offered usually for free or sometimes at a below market price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, soup kitchens are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church or community groups.

Soup kitchens sometimes obtain food from a food bank for free or at a low price, because they are considered a charity, which makes it easier for them to feed the many people who require their services. Many historical and some modern soup kitchens serve only soup (hence its name) with perhaps some bread. But several establishments which title themselves as a "soup kitchen" also serve other types of food, so social scientists sometimes discuss them together with similar hunger relief agencies that provide more varied hot meals, like food kitchens and meal centers. Therefore, other names of soup kitchen can be Meal Center or Food Kitchen.

Mr. Barak Obama and his daughter in a soup kitchen

The first soup kitchens in the modern sense may have emerged in the late 18th century while society organizations were using various methods to share food with the hungry poor people. By the late 19th century, they were to be found in several American and European cities. In the United States and elsewhere, they became more prominent in the 20th century during the Great Depression from 1929 to 1939. With the improved economic conditions after World War II, soup kitchens became less widely used, at least in the advanced economies. In the 21st century, the use of soup kitchens expanded in both the United States and Europe, following lasting global increases in the price of food which began in late 2006. Demand for their services grew as the Great Recession began to worsen economic conditions for those on low income. In much of Europe, demand further increased after the introduction of austerity-based economic policies from 2010.

We visited a soup kitchen, met volunteers and their poor guests in a dinner. It was a warm dinner. Many poor guests were homeless. The soup kitchen supported them in their hard days. In the soup kitchen, the warm dinners were more meaning than food or money. The poor people were servered warm meals by warm hearts of volunteers. This was very good encouragement for poor people to overcome difficulty, to get the better life.

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Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in the US, is known as Black Achievement Month. It is an annual observance in the United States (since 1970), the United Kingdom (since 1987), Canada (since 1995), and the Netherlands (since 2016).

In the US, people organize events and activities for Black History Month. In schools, students learn about famous African Americans throughout history. Classrooms watch short videos about famous African Americans. Students and teachers can work on informative essays about Martin Luther King Jr. They create slides and present or they complete projects and activities based on historical figures. Students can research a speech that Martin Luther King made and a speech President Obama made. They can design postage stamps for Black History Month, it is a way to commemorate. Students and teachers can present African-American music, perform speeches, poems and dance… The events and activities are interesting and meaningful.

In the Black History Month 2018, the most interesting event for us was Breaking Bread. This event was organized on Sunday February 26, in Waukegan Library. It was a community meal with family-style food catered by Chef Williams of Wauk-In. Chef Williams’ foods were tasty and his chicken-barbecue was very delicious. It was a nice meal. In this community meal, people discussed about current culture, student engagement, and success strategies for future generations.

Breaking Bread in Black History Month

In the community meal, we understood about the expression “Break Bread”. It means to share a meal with someone and this expression means more than just eating. It is sharing a sense of brotherhood with someone or some group of people. This expression has Biblical origins. In the modern day, people use the phrase “Break bread with someone” when talking about sharing an emotional experience along with their food. All the members of the community broke bread together and shared ideas on how to improve the area. The phrase “Break bread with someone” is to share a meaningful connection over a meal, often bringing together two people or groups.

The Breaking Bread on Sunday in the Library was a beautiful impression for us. It was a significant event that fosters some meaningful connection and cooperation.

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Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Black History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month.

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States. The month was chosen because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which dates black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century. From the event's initial phase, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of American blacks in the nation's public schools. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State one year later, from Feb 1,1970 to Feb 28,1970. Six years later Black History Month was being celebrated all across the country in educational institutions, centers of Black culture and community centers, both great and small, when President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial.

The postage stamps for Black History Month

In 1940, the first stamp issued in honor of black Americans was released. Since then, many black Americans' lives and contributions have been celebrated on stamps. In honor of Black History Month, the United States Postal Service is adding a new selection of postage stamps. Everyone can research the accomplishments of black American in the field of science or technology, then design a commemorative postage stamp in honor of the contributions of the black American and the important events associated with their history. February 2018, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is celebrating the life and legacy of Lena Horne. She has been chosen as the 41st honoree in the Black Heritage stamp series.The stamp is available in post offices across the country and online in time for February, Black History Month.

In schools, students research famous black Americans for Black History Month. For this lesson, students research on internet to explore the various achievements of black Americans throughout history. Students design postage stamps, creating symbols to represent the contributions made by the famous black American they researched. Design Postage Stamps for Black History Month is a way to commemorate. Before beginning the design work, students need to gather information about black Americans and events that are important in their history. Creating commemorative stamp designs is good way for students to celebrate Black History Month.

At first, Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in the US; then other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history. Now, it is known as Black Achievement Month. It is an annual observance in the United States (since 1970), the United Kingdom (since 1987), Canada (since 1995), and the Netherlands (since 2016).

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