Silent comments ... through meaningful looks

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin (*1930) reacted with a range of expressions while Donald Trump made a speech on space.

Aldrin joined Trump at the White House as the President signed an executive order to re-establish the National Space Council. He was one of the two men who first walked on the Moon (with Neil Armstrong) in 1969.

 

The Irish Independent has the following article about Aldrin's reactions at that occasion:

"Former Astronaut Buzz Aldrin didn't look too impressed while meeting US President Trump at the White House this week. The space explorer, who was one of the first two people to land on the moon, was invited into the Oval Office to see an executive order signing which revived the National Space Council.

However, it wasn't the presidential order that made headlines, but rather Aldrin's seemingly unhappy faces as Trump spoke about Space. At one point, Trump says: "We are restoring America's proud legacy of leadership in Space", which seems to rub Aldrin up the wrong way, as he appears to shrug.

Aldrin, who is also a Korean War Veteran, then appears to look around the room to see if anyone else is reacting this way.

 The former Apollo XI explorer even managed to quote his namesake Buzz Lightyear during the signing. As Trump signs off on the order, he asks Aldrin: "There's a lot of room out there, right?" Aldrin turned to him and said: "To infinity and beyond", which drew laughter from the room."

Lost in translation - Trump's English challenges interpreters

In this article, translators and interpreters from around the world talk about the difficulty of conveying Trump's speeches to people who don't speak English:

Trump in translation

Wales - part of the UK with its own language

You may remember this from year 7, when you did the chapter on Wales: The Welsh people's own language (Welsh) is still alive and spoken, and it is even the first language for many families, especially in rural areas. These people grow up speaking Welsh, and they learn English in kindergarten and at school. Welsh is a Celtic language - approximately as old as Latin, and closely related to Gaelic (Irish and Scottish) and Breton (in France).

You see bilingual signs everywhere - traffic signs, posters, official announcements - and there are even Welsh radio and TV channels. In the video below you can see that even native speakers of English have great trouble pronouncing Welsh words, for example placenames. Watch the video and see whether you can find any rule for the pronunciation of Welsh from the explanations that follow the hopeless attempts of the English tourists.

The Netherlands introduce themselves to DJT

Have a look at this video, please - don't be put off by the Dutch beginning - the main part is in English anyway, and there are subtitles for the Dutch intro.
Find out how exactly this video satirizes Trump and his way of communicating with the world. Write a comment about it (ca. 200 words).

The Golden Globe Awards 2017 - and a Speech with no Names

You may have heard or read about it on the news - Meryl Streep, who was honoured for her Lifetime Achievement at the Golden Globe Awards yesterday, made a speech in which she referred to the importance of Hollywood for supporting truth and the power of empathy. She referred to the behaviour of the president-elect without even once using his name - but everyone knew who she was talking about.
Even Trump himself realized that it was about him, and, as has become his custom in the meantime (whenever he is criticized, he throws out a couple of tweets that prove how childish and how easily - and unreasonably - offended he is), he insulted Streep and denied his behaviour which is, however, well-documented on video. Judge for yourselves. And don't miss Stephen King's tweet at the end.

Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017

Erm ... and this is what Stephen King has to say about the incident:

Trump's response to Meryl Streep--childish, churlish, petulant--is exactly why most Americans fear his presidency. Emtoionally unqualified.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 9, 2017

Christmas movie: "It's a Wonderful Life"

Here's a colourized version of the movie, plus English subtitles. Don't let yourself be confused by the first couple of seconds, where the title and actors' names are mirror-inverted - in fact, the whole movie is.


If you'd care for a look at the script, here it is: It's a Wonderful Life - SCRIPT

However:
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. All the best.

NPR's Exit Interview with President Barack Obama

At this website, you'll find the complete transcript of the interview: NPR's Exit Interview with President Obama