In today’s ESL Podcast 338 – Refusing an Invitation, we talked about finding an excuse for not attending a party.

Sometimes, though, we decide to accept rather than refuse an invitation. In the Culture Note of the Learning Guide, we talk about different types of people who attend parties. We know that Dr. Jeff McQuillan would always be the life of the party (an amusing person who is the center of attention at a social gathering), but which are you?

Are you normally the: VIP, life of the party, party crasher, party-pooper, or wallflower?

~ Lucy

In the Culture Note of today’s Learning Guide, we talk about the comix movement.

A major figure (important person) in the comix movement is R. (Robert) Crumb, who is an American artist and illustrator (a person who draws pictures for magazines, books, advertisements). He had a unique and easy to recognize style of drawing and he often wrote satirical (using humor to criticize or expose other people) and subversive (undermining or getting around authority) stories.

A few years ago, I saw the movie Crumb (1994), which was a documentary about the life of Robert Crumb. It was considered a very good film and it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, a well known and prestigious (high status; highly respected) film festival in the U.S.

Are there well-known or well-respected comics and comic artists in your country? Are there any that have become popular outside of their own country?

~ Lucy

Many people go to their doctor regularly for a checkup, taking routine or standard tests to make sure that nothing is wrong with them. In recent years, some doctor’s offices are offering top-of-the-line or the very best checkups that money can buy. In one clinic (office with several doctors), you can get a “Presidential Physical,” which will give you the same medical exams that the President of the United States gets each year. What’s the cost? About $1400.

Why would anyone pay this much for a medical exam? Some people say these special checkups are a reaction to the fact that primary physicians (general doctors; not specialists) see hundreds of patients (people who are treated by doctors) and normally spend less than 15 minutes with each one. In these special programs, the doctors see fewer patients and make patients feel like they’re getting more attention and better care.

Some critics (people who has a bad opinion of something) say that these programs are not necessary. While it’s a good idea for doctors to spend more time with patients, most of the special tests that are done are unnecessary and a waste of money. In fact, some people say doctors may be tempted (be enticed to do something even if it’s wrong or that won’t be beneficial) to order tests that aren’t appropriate (suitable; right for a patient) because some are paid for how much care they give. Even if they are a waste, do these special checkups do any harm? Some critics say that with so many unnecessary tests, patients may demand (insist; ask for very strongly) treatment or surgery for the smallest or the most harmless conditions.

In many countries like the U.S., people with more money can buy better, or at least more, health care than those with less. Is this true where you live?

~ Lucy

Apple’s iTunes-Japan has named ESL Podcast one of the “Best Podcasts of 2007,” one of only a 20 podcasts in Japan to receive this honor. We are very grateful for the recognition, and hope we can continue to provide useful podcasts in 2008.

Domo arigato (thank you), iTunes!

~Jeff

I recently read an article about something called “name-letter preference.” According to several research studies, people are more likely to favor (like better) and choose those things that begin with their initials (the first letter of their first or last name). This can mean that they buy brands (a company’s name for a product) that starts with the same letter: Manuel may be more likely to go to McDonald’s than to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Surprisingly, these studies show name-letter preference for other important things: There are more women named Mildred in the state of Milwaukee and there are more men named Dennis who are dentists (doctors who treat teeth).

Researchers have also found that grades are affected by this phenomenon (fact; situation), too. According to the article: “Using 15 years of grade point averages for business-school graduates, the researchers found that students whose name begin with C or D earned slightly lower GPAs than those whose names begin with A or B…”

In U.S. schools, grade point averages (GPAs) are computed from letter grades: A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0. The article points out, however, that the differences are not very big. For GPAs, the gap (difference) is very small–3.34 versus 3.36–but it still exists. Critics say that these differences are too small to matter and that if researchers look hard enough, they can always find evidence for phenomenon such as this.

If a name-letter preference really exists, I’m very glad my name is Lucy and not Fiona!

~ Lucy