2. Let’s brainstorm…
What are some leisure or entertainment activities
that are UNIVERSAL? Why are some
international and others only local?
What are some that are specific to Taiwan?
Japan or South Korea?
What are some that are specific to the USA?
Why the differences in preferences?
3. Culture, history, tradition, language, society,
economy, religion, geography, philosophy….
Culture greatly affects how we
act, what we enjoy and how we
enjoy it…
Language is one of the strongest
binds citizens of nations or
groups of nations together…
The English language in the
USA and – more frequently –
around the world is the universal
language of entertainment…
uniting culturally different peoples
around the world…
4. And the pursuit of
happiness…
Travel: road trips, hotel/motel, camping, beaches, mountains,
lakes, deserts, forests, rivers, National Parks, state parks…
Music, Film, and the Arts: live music, cinemas, museums,
photography, dance, literature, poetry – arts in the schools.
Sports: Professional, collegiate, amateur, high school,
children’s (little) leagues.
Family & Friends: dinners, picnics, reunions, BBQs, ‘get
togethers’, games, weddings, b-day parties, funerals,
anniversaries.
Volunteering: schools, hospitals, urban centers,
environment…
13. Music in the USA:
What are some of the types (genres) of
music that you associate most with the
USA?
Can you name some singers and/or
musicians from the various genres?
14. Music in the USA:
Jazz Popular (Pop or Top 40)
Blues Rhythm & Blues
Rock N’ Roll Soul
Classical Folk
Rap Country & Western
Hip Hop Latin (Cuba, Mexico, DR)
Gospel Traditional (Zydeco in
Louisiana)
15. American Music
The U.S. has the world’s largest music industry and
its music is heard and influences other music all
around the world.
The long history of immigration in the USA has
greatly influenced our music. Native Americans,
Europeans, Africans, and Asians contributing
notably to the ‘melting pot’ that is American Music.
Eclectic and diverse are the two best words to
describe American music.
18. Media & Pop Music
Media outlets like MTV have
spread American popular
music around the world.
Internationally popular music
groups tour the world and
sometimes are more popular
abroad than in the USA.
Internet radio stations, iTunes,
and file-sharing sites allow us
to sample the diverse music of
USA.
23. Learn more about New Orleans &
Louisiana:
WWOZ (Jazz, blues, funk - radio station available online)
http://www.wwoz.org/
New Orleans Online
http://www.neworleansonline.com/
Louisiana Tourism
http://www.louisianatravel.com/
24. Public & Private Museums
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, is the
nation’s landmark museum, educational, and
research institute – funded completely by the U.S.
Government. There are 19 museums and galleries
and the national zoo in DC which are part of
Smithsonian.
Many museums and arts institutes were endowed by
philanthropic gifts from some of America’s wealthiest
families, including: John Rockefeller, Andrew
Carnegie, Walt Disney, George Soros, Henry Ford,
Bill Gates, Andrew Mellon, Warren Buffett, Paul
Newman, Oprah Winfrey… etc…
30. Hollywood, California
Hollywood is an area (neighborhood) of Los Angeles.
All major U.S. film studios are located in or near Los
Angeles – but most are owned by companies based
on the East coast.
Hollywood is the largest film industry in terms of
revenue but Bollywood produces the most feature-
length films in the world.
Largest studios: Paramount (Viacom); Warner Bros.
(Time Warner); Columbia (Sony); Walt Disney;
Universal (GE); 20th Century Fox (News Corp.).
34. Sports in the USA:
Can you name the most popular sports in
the USA?
Do you know the names of some of the
professional and amateur sports’ leagues
in the USA?
35. Most popular professional
sports:
Football (American football) – National Football League (NFL). 32
teams. Averages over 67,000 fans per game. Fall/Winter.
Baseball (America’s past time) – Major League Baseball (MLB). 30
teams (1 in Canada). Spring/Summer/Fall.
Basketball – National Baskeball Association (NBA). 30 teams
(one in Canada). NBA players are the highest paid pro athletes in
the world (by average salary per year). WNBA.
Soccer (Football) – Major League Soccer (MLS). 19 teams (3 in
Canada).
Ice Hockey – National Hockey League (NHL). 30 teams (7 in
Canada). Has players from over 20 different countries.
Winter/Spring.
36. Other popular pro sports:
Golf – Professional Golfers’Association (PGA & LPGA).
Tennis: United States Tennis Association (USTA).
Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) – National Association of Stock Car
Racing.
Wrestling: World Wrestling Federation (WWF). ‘Professional’
athletes; combination of athletics and dramatic performance.
Rodeo: Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the
highest paying rodeo organization in the world and sanctions
rodoes in 37 U.S. states and 3 Canandian provinces.
37. Amateur, collegiate & high
school sports:
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). Very
popular college & university level sports. The 20 largest
stadiums in the USA are NCAA university stadiums.
High School Athletics: Very popular and competitive.
Depending on the school – all major sports
representatives including rugby, lacrosse, tennis,
wrestling, swimming, etc. Most high schools have large
stadiums, practice fields, swimming pools, etc.
Little Leagues: Every town and city has organized leagues
for all the major sports. Especially popular are soccer,
baseball, basketball, softball, and American football.
38. LSU Stadium – Baton Rouge,
Louisiana
Seating capacity of 92,542 (10 in NCAA; 17 in world).
40. Volunteering
Americans are proud of their history of
volunteering and helping others in need.
Can you name any American volunteer
organizations? Do you see any volunteers in
this room?
What are some major volunteer organizations in
Albania?
41. International & Domestic
Peace Corps
AmeriCorps
Volunteers of America (VOA)
Habitat for Humanity
Rotary International
Thousands of opportunities
on campuses around the
USA.
42. Religion in America
The USA is one of the most religious countries in the world
– over 85% of Americans consider themselves ‘religious’.
This greatly affects how, where, and with whom many
Americans seek leisure activities.
Church, temple, mosque, choir, youth, mission and other
activities are very popular.
What are the major religions represented in the USA?
