Celebrities Who Speak Spanish as a Second Language

Celebrities Who Speak Spanish as a Second Language If youre learning Spanish, youre in the company of celebrities. Although there are plenty of famous folks who grew up with Spanish as a first language and have crossed over into English-language celebrityhood, there are some celebs who had to learn Spanish like the rest of us. Here are some you may recognize, although not all of them claim to be fluent: Actors Ben Affleck and his younger brother Casey Affleck learned Spanish while living in Mexico and during film stints in that country. Poet Maya Angelou (1928-2014) traveled extensively during her adult life. According to her official website, Angelou voraciously read and studied and was able to master French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic and Fanti (a language of western Africa). Baseball manager Dusty Baker speaks Spanish fluently. According to SportingNews, he learned the language in high school classes because his mother made him. Early in his baseball career, I was the only (American) guy on the team talking to the pretty little girls, he told SportingNews. Im 19 years old. I didnt have any clue how beneficial it was going to be later on in my life. Among those his language abilities inspired was first baseman Joey Votto, who said in a 2012 interview that he studies Spanish daily and even hired a tutor so he could communicate better with Latin American players. Having grown up in Canada, he also speaks French. Soccer superstar David Beckham learned Spanish while playing for Real Madrid. Italian actress Monica Bellucci has appeared in at least one Spanish-language movie, 1998s A los que aman. (IMDb) German-born Pope Benedict XVI, who like many of his predecessors was  multilingual, routinely addressed Spanish-speaking audiences in their native tongue. Rocker Jon Bon Jovi has recorded a few of his songs in Spanish, including Cama de rosas (Bed of Roses). (Bonjovi.com) Actress Kate Bosworth speaks Spanish fluently. (IMDb biography) When he was president of the U.S., George W. Bush would occasionally answer questions in Spanish from news reporters. He appeared to understand the spoken language much better than he could speak it. His brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, however, speaks Spanish quite well. When he was president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, who studied Spanish at the U.S. Naval Academy, would often speak Spanish at conferences in Latin American countries. But in situations where the nuances of words mattered, he insisted on the use of professional translators. (2012 interview with the Council of Foreign Relations.) Although he married an Argentine woman, actor Matt Damon spoke Spanish long before he met her. He said in a 2012 interview with The Guardian that he studied Spanish through immersion in Mexico as a teenager and later backpacked throughout Mexico and Guatemala. American actor Danny DeVito, who voiced the title role in the 2012 animated film The Lorax, also provided the voice for the Spanish and Latin American versions. (ABC.es) Young actress Dakota Fanning had a Spanish-speaking role in the 2004 film Man on Fire. (IMDb) Although he didnt speak Spanish before signing on, actor and comedian Will Ferrell starred in the 2012 Spanish-language film Casa de mi padre. Australian movie heartthrob Chris Hemsworth has picked up a smattering of Spanish from his wife, Spanish actress Elsa Pataky.   British actor Tom Hiddleston is known for his his attempts at speaking native languages when talking to his foreign fans, and he has been known to speak French, Spanish, Greek, and Italian along with bits of Korean and Chinese, among others. (Bustle.com) Actor Matthew McConaughey picked up Spanish while growing up in Uvalde, Texas, which has a large Spanish-speaking population. (Perezhilton.com) American actress Gwyneth Paltrow spent the summer of her sophomore year in high school as a foreign exchange student in Talavera de la Reina, Spain. She continues to regularly visit the town and her host family. (People) Rocker David Lee Roth recorded a Spanish version of his 1986 album  Eat Em and Smile, calling it Sonrisa Salvaje (meaning Wild Smile). Actor Will Smith spoke a limited amount of Spanish during a 2009 interview on the Spanish TV show El Hormiguero. At one point he exclaimed,  ¡Necesito ms palabras! (I need more words!) (YouTube) Actor and singer David Soul learned Spanish while attending college in Mexico City. He also can speak German.

Mahdist War and the Siege of Khartoum

Mahdist War and the Siege of Khartoum Siege of Khartoum - Conflict Dates: The Siege of Khartoum lasted from March 13, 1884 to January 26, 1885, and took place during the Mahdist War (1881-1899). Armies Commanders British Egyptians Major General Charles Gordon7,000 men, 9 gunboats Mahdists Muhammad Ahmadapprox. 50,000 men Siege of Khartoum - Background: In the wake of 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War, British troops remained in Egypt to protect British interests. Though occupying the country, they allowed the Khedive to continue overseeing domestic affairs. This included dealing with the Mahdist Revolt which had commenced in Sudan. Though technically under Egyptian rule, large parts of Sudan had fallen to Mahdist forces led by Muhammad Ahmad. Considering himself the Mahdi (the redeemer of Islam), Ahmad defeated Egyptian forces at El Obeid in November 1883 and overran Kordofan and Darfur. This defeat and the deteriorating situation led to Sudan being discussed in Parliament. Assessing the problem and wishing to avoid the cost of intervention, Prime Minister William Gladstone and his cabinet were unwilling to commit forces to the conflict. As a result, their representative in Cairo, Sir Evelyn Baring, directed the Khedive to order the garrisons in Sudan to evacuate back into Egypt. To oversee this operation, London requested that Major General Charles Chinese Gordon be placed in command. A veteran officer and former governor-general of Sudan, Gordon was familiar with the region and its peoples. Leaving in early 1884, he was also tasked with reporting on the best means for extracting the Egyptians from the conflict. Arriving in Cairo, he was re-appointed Governor-General of Sudan with full executive powers. Sailing up the Nile, he arrived at Khartoum on February 18. Directing his limited forces against the advancing Mahdists, Gordon began evacuating women and children north to Egypt. Siege of Khartoum - Gordon Digs In: Though London desired to abandon Sudan, Gordon firmly believed the Mahdists needed to be defeated or they could overrun Egypt. Citing a lack of boats and transport, he ignored his orders to evacuate and began organizing a defense of Khartoum. In an effort to win over the citys residents, he improved the justice system and remitted taxes. Recognizing that Khartoums economy rested on the slave trade, he re-legalized slavery despite the fact that he had originally abolished it during his earlier term as governor-general. While unpopular at home, this move increased Gordons support in the city. As he moved forward, he began requesting reinforcements to defend the city. An initial request for a regiment of Turkish troops was denied as was a later call for a force of Indian Muslims. Increasingly agitated by Gladstones lack of support, Gordon began sending a series of angry telegrams to London. These soon became public and led to a vote of no confidence against Gladstones government. Though he survived, Gladstone steadfastly refused to become committed to a war in Sudan. Left on his own, Gordon began enhancing Khartoums defenses. Protected to the north and west by the White and Blue Niles, he saw that fortifications and trenches were constructed to the south and east. Facing the desert, these were supported by land mines and wire barriers. To defend the rivers, Gordon retrofitted several steamers into gunboats which were protected by metal plates. Attempting an offensive near Halfaya on March 16, Gordons troops faltered and took 200 casualties. In the wake of the setback, he concluded that he should remain on the defensive. Siege of Khartoum - The Siege Begins: Later that month, Mahdist forces began to near Khartoum and skirmishing commenced. With Mahdist forces closing in, Gordon telegraphed London on April 19 that he had provisions for five months. He also requested two to three thousand Turkish troops as his men were increasingly unreliable. Gordon believed that with such a force, he could drive off the enemy. As the month ended, the tribes to the north elected to join with the Mahdi and cut off Gordons lines of communication to Egypt. While runners were able to make the journey, the Nile and telegraph were severed. As enemy forces surrounded the city, Gordon attempted to convince the Mahdi to make peace but with no success. Siege of Khartoum - Fall of Khartoum: Holding the city, Gordon was able to somewhat replenish his supplies by raiding with his gunboats. In London, his plight was played up in the press and eventually, Queen Victoria directed Gladstone to send aid to the beleaguered garrison. Acquiescing in July 1884, Gladstone ordered General Sir Garnet Wolseley to form an expedition for the relief of Khartoum. Despite this, it took a substantial amount of time to organize the needed men and supplies. As the fall progressed, Gordons position became increasingly tenuous as supplies dwindled and many of his more capable officers were killed. Shortening his line, he constructed a new wall inside the city and tower from which to observe the enemy. Though communications remained spotty, Gordon did receive word that a relief expedition was en route. Despite this news, Gordon greatly feared for the city. A letter that arrived in Cairo on December 14 informed a friend, Farewell. You will never hear from me again. I fear that there will be treachery in the garrison, and all will be over by Christmas. Two days later, Gordon was forced to destroy his outpost across the White Nile at Omdurman. Made aware of Gordons concerns, Wolseley began pressing south. Defeating the Mahdists at Abu Klea on January 17, 1885, the men met the enemy again two days later. With the relief force approaching, the Mahdi began planning to storm Khartoum. Possessing around 50,000 men, he ordered one column to wade across the White Nile to attack the citys walls while another assaulted the Massalamieh Gate. Moving forward on the night of January 25-26, both columns quickly overwhelmed the exhausted defenders. Swarming through the city, the Mahdists massacred the garrison and around 4,000 of Khartoums residents. Though the Mahdi had expressly ordered that Gordon be taken alive, he was struck down in the fighting. Accounts of his death vary with some reports stating he was killed at the governors palace, while others claim he was shot in the street while trying to escape to the Austrian consulate. In either case, Gordons body was decapitated and taken to the Mahdi on a pike. Siege of Khartoum - Aftermath: In the fighting at Khartoum, Gordons entire 7,000-man garrison was killed. Mahdist casualties are not known. Driving south, Wolseleys relief force reached Khartoum two days after the citys fall. With no reason to remain, he ordered his men to return to Egypt, leaving Sudan to the Mahdi. It remained under Mahdist control until 1898 when Major General Herbert Kitchener defeated them at the Battle of Omdurman. Though a search was made for Gordons remains after Khartoum was retaken, they were never found. Acclaimed by the public, Gordons death was blamed on Gladstone who delayed forming a relief expedition. The resulting outcry led his government to fall in March 1885 and he was formally rebuked by Queen Victoria. Sources: BBC. General Charles Gordon. Fordham University.  Islamic History Sourcebook: Death of General Gordon at Khartoum. Sandrock, John.  Windows to the Past: Siege of Khartoum.

Image edge detaction - Sobel Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Image edge detaction - Sobel Method - Essay Example aim of the whole ‘Edge Detection’ process is the conversion of 2D Images into Curves or a collection of curves; this in turn highlights the boundaries of the objects that tend to produce specific changes in colour intensity. Hence all the information (geometric information) in an image; more commonly termed as objects such as the Colour, hue and brightness is attained by the properties of intensity changes in images. The history of Image Edge Detection includes not only the basic methods that like Gradient Method and Laplacian Method but also those methodologies that were based on these two techniques. The time-period of 1960 – 1980 was specifically significant for the formulation and the development of the Discrete Gradients and Laplacians where as another method was introduced in the 1980s and was known as Marr – Hildreth; Laplacian of Gaussian. In the year 1983 Canny Edge Detectors and their basic principle of working surfaced and joined the lists of Image Edge Detectors. ‘Linear and non – linear Scale Space’ was another mode that surfaced in the year 1985. ‘Morphological Gradient and Laplacian’ is yet another term that represents an image detection method; originated in 1979. What history the process of Image Edge Detection has, saw a boom in the research work applied to the field and the development it made in the late 20th century and still is underway in the 21st century. This boom had its peak displayed magnificently in the late 1980s and the level of research is maintained till the current day thus enabling progress and expansion in the field. Edge Detection procedures not only identify but also point out the location of the Discontinuities in a subject image which are fundamentally based on the difference between the intensity levels of ‘Pixels’, which determine the limits or, to be more precise, ‘Edges’ in the constituents of an image. Edge detection operators employ the use of different variables to which they are sensitive

The research of state-level society Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The of state-level society - Research Paper Example In this light, there have evolved several theories trying to explain the origin of the state from several historians and scholars. Some of these theories give unsatisfactory records of events, while others have been unanimously accepted by different people as the sources of a satisfactory explanation of the origin of the state. There are different scholars who have put their efforts to research and come up with the theories to explain the origin of the state. There are different models that these scholars have put in place to explain the foundations of their researches. Given the fact that every scholar must validate their researches to make their theoretical models products of the intellectual environment in which they live, there are assumptions that must accompany each theory. The main aim of this paper is to discuss and analyze two theories that explain the origin of the state. Each theory will showcase the model used in it, the assumptions and the evidence of archeology and history of civilization. Many classical writers like Aristotle considered the state to be natural. Therefore, it did not require any explanation to its origin (Carneiro, The Evolution of Horticultural Systems in Native South America: Causes and Consequences 47-67). However, during the age of exploration, Europeans were made aware of the fact that people lived not in states, but in villages or tribes. This factor made the state look less natural; therefore, more explanation were required to shade light on the origin of the state. Amongst the many theories of the state origin that have been proposed, only few are normally considered and referred to in scholarly use. There are, for example, those theories with racial attachments, which have thoroughly been discredited. The belief that the state is an expression of the ‘genius of people, or that it came about through historical accident, are rejected, and theories with such basis are disregarded (Lanning 59).

Revealing Cases of Plagiarism among Students Case Study

Revealing Cases of Plagiarism among Students - Case Study Example The Student Council would like to make its stand on the idea of using Turnitin.com to detect cases of plagiarism among students. It appreciates the efforts and views this as a great step towards maintaining the high standards of education in the university. However, in its current state, the idea is ineffective since it is prone to several shortcomings that arise from the use of software-based methods of plagiarism detection such as detecting texts in quotation marks as plagiarized texts and losing the format of papers. After analyzing the idea and carrying out a research on the same, the Council feels that Turnitin.com cannot be effective on its own and should only be used alongside other methods of plagiarism detection to offer a comprehensive solution (Herrington, 2010). Consequently, the Council suggests that in a case where an instructor suspects a plagiarized paper, he or she uploads all papers related to that assignment to Turnitin.com for checking. The instructor should furth er check the papers by use of fingerprint method, which involves digesting a paper into a set of fingerprints and checking those fingerprints against a precompiled set of fingerprints and drawing similarities from this comparison. The last step, string matching, should involve comparing the papers for verbatim text overlaps. Analysis of the results from the three approaches should be done and conclusions made based on those analysis (Herrington, 2010). The Council feels that this will be a more effective approach since it will reduce cases of false positive results. Additionally, this approach minimizes the chances of students beating the system.  The Council would also like to know how the university administration plans to deal with ethical issues that rise from the use of this service. The Council understands that the use of this service can lead to stern repercussions that could involve legal battles. Additionally, this service can create a culture of resentment among students and as such, the university should consider ethical issues before implementing it.

Nature vs Nurture Essay Example for Free

Nature vs Nurture Essay Evolution vs. creationism, pro choice vs. pro life, nature vs. nurture, etc , these issues will always be debatable. These controversial issues will always divide the population up. Many people tend to put all their beliefsin science or religion. All are highly controversial and will be a major concern until the end of time. Nature is considered your genetic characteristics thatwere given to you at the time of conception. There are strong beliefs that â€Å"if mama does it, you will do it†. The individuals that truly believe this ideado tend to follow the footsteps of their parents. Individuals that are not strong enough to surpass their environment willalways fall into this category of prejudice from the environment. â€Å"Traditionally, genetics characteristics are considered stable and uncontrollable† (Jayaratne, et al. , 2009, p. 25). That is saying that a person can’t control the turn out of their life because it has been etched in stoned and there is nothing they can do about it. Nurture is considered to be the environmental characteristics that surround an individual. Our environment plays a big role in the way our lives unfold over time. Many believe that you can be nurtured to act a certain way or accomplish certain goals in a lifetime. â€Å"Environmental causes vary more in terms of how much stability and controllability they typically involve, unlike the genetic factors† (p. 25). If you’re brought up in a sound environment, you can usually control what course you are going to take in life. There is plenty conversations about nature and nurture. There are many characteristics that we get from nature and there many characteristics that we get from nurture. Even though we can be taught to act a certain way or do certain things, it is our choice to either go with the flow or create your own destiny. Just because we have good genes and a stable environment, doesn’t mean that were are going to be set up for greatness. We have to choose what we want in life. With that being said, characteristics that result from having a choice are said to be malleable and controllable (Jayaratne, et al., 2009). In my personal experiences, I can say that I was given natural family characteristics, nurtured by my surroundings, and chose to take my own path through life. I do agree with Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. According to Vygotsky, development of an individual involves a child having interactions with other persons (Crandell, Crandell, Vander Zanden, 2009). With having social interactions, this gives you a choice on what you want to do with your life. You can have the natural characteristics of your family, be nurtured by your surroundings, but it is your choice to go with the norm, follow your surroundings, or go in a totally different direction. References Crandell, T. L. , Crandell, C. H. , Vander Zanden, J. W. (2009). Human development ( 9thed). New York: McGraw Hill. Jayaratne, T. E. , Gelman, S. A. , Feldbaum, M. , Sheldon, J. P. , Petty, E. M. , Kardia, S. L. R. (2009). The Perennial Debate: Nature, Nurture, or Choice? Black and White Americans’ Explanations for Individual Differences. Review of General Psychology. 13(1), 24-33.

The TECH 497 Team Project Reflection Paper of Clifton Adams

What I have learned Every group project provides a teachable experience and this one has been no different. I have learned some things during this Capstone team project, however, more than not, this team project has reinforced or refreshed my memory regarding lessons that I have already learned during the numerous other group projects that I have participated in and lead during my collegiate development here at Davenport University. One of the most significant things that I have learned during my project experiences is that, whether or not one is labeled as the team leader or project / group manger / leader is far less important that how one leads the group. I have, on occasion, lead groups from behind even though I have not been elected or otherwise been placed into a leadership position. What I Would Do the Same There are several things that I have, and will continue to do the same when working in a group. When people collect to form teams, a collective team personality is formed which can cause individuals to act contrary to how they normally would under the same circumsta...