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One of the greatest honors a scientist can receive is to have some concept or idea named after him or her, such as Newton’s Laws of Motion. An even higher honor is to have your own number – some scientifically meaningful number that bears (has; uses) your name. In chemistry, we have Avagadro’s number for the number of molecules in a mole (and, no, I won’t explain high school chemistry to you because I don’t remember it myself).
Robin Dunbar is an anthropologist (scientist who studies humans and cultures) who has attained (reached; accomplished; obtained) the honor of his own number. Dunbar’s number is 147.8 (we’ll call it 150). So what does it mean? Basically, Dunbar hypothesizes (has a “guess” which can be supported by evidence) that the maximum number of friends the average human can have can be no greater than 150, more or less (approximately). We can’t maintain (keep) meaningful relationships with more than 150 people at any one time in our lives. That’s the limit of our “social network,” or the friends and family members we regularly interact (communicate) with.
Facebook, the world’s largest social network connecting people online, provides additional evidence in support of Dunbar’s Number. Dunbar himself found that the average number of friends people have on Facebook is 120 to 130, which is about right when you consider that some in our social network (babies, for example) may not yet be on Facebook (we hope!). Of course, there are people who have 5,000 “friends,” but these are not actually people they have any real friendship or emotional closeness to.
We should not think that having less than 150 people in our offline (not connected to the Internet) and online network means we are somehow unusual. Dunbar’s number is a maximum (highest; top) number for the average human. Personally, I’d rather have 10 good friends than 150 mediocre (not very good) ones.
The Learning Guide is the key to improving your English even faster.
For example, in “What Else Does it Mean,” you’ll learn words, phrases, and idioms related to those you’ve heard in the podcast, but that may be difficult to understand on your own.
Get the Learning Guide and support ESL Podcast by becoming a Basic or Premium Member today!
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ON MONDAY ESL Podcast 662 – Doctor-Patient Confidentiality
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “to breach” and “to drop it.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about other types of “Confidential Relationships.”
“Doctors have access to a lot of “privileged information” (information shared with only certain people in a private, professional context, and protected by law) when they speak with their patients about their health history, medical conditions…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
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ON WEDNESDAY
English Cafe 282
Topics: The Graduate; Patty Hearst; embarrassed versus ashamed versus awkward; people versus persons; talk to the hand
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear).
In “What Insiders Know,” you will read about the sequel to The Graduate.
“Most Americans know about the film The Graduate, but how many know that it is based on a novel by Charles Webb written in 1963? Charles Webb wrote The Graduate “shortly” (a short time) after he graduated from college…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
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ON FRIDAY ESL Podcast 663 – Having Problems Concentrating
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “manual” and “to focus.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “Requirements for Getting a Driver’s License.”
“In the United States, “driver’s licenses” (documents that give one legal permission to drive) are “issued” (given out) by individual states, so the requirements “vary” (are different). However, “applicants” (people who want to get a driver’s license) always have to meet certain requirements…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
In today’s English Cafe, Jeff talked about the movie The Graduate. The soundtrack of the movie (music used in the movie) contains several songs that have become classics (judged to be good overtime and is known by a lot of people). One of the songs that is best-known is “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel.
Paul Simon didn’t actually write “The Sound the Silence” for the film, although it is very closely associated with The Graduate today. He wrote it several years earlier after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The song was released in 1965, two years before The Graduate. The song hit (arrived at) number 1 on the charts (ranking of the most popular songs) on New Year’s Day in 1966.
~ Lucy
“The Sound of Silence”
by Simon and Garfunkel
Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision (seeing something, like in a dream) softly creeping (moving slowly and carefully)
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted (placed there by someone else) in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence (with no sound)
In restless (unable to relax) dreams I walked alone Narrow (not wide) streets of cobblestone (round stone used to cover the surface of a road)
(Be)neath the halo (circle of light, usually around the head of a holy person) of a street lamp
I turned my collar (piece of material around the neck of a shirt) to the cold and damp (a little wetness)
When my eyes were stabbed (hit by something sharp, like a knife) by the flash of a neon light
That split (divided; interrupted) the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked (uncovered) light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared (had the courage)
Disturb the sound of silence
“Fools (unwise people)”, said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer (serious disease where the cells of the body behave in a destructive way – see Cancer) grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed
In the wells (deep places) of silence
And the people bowed (lowered their heads) and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out (turning on and off its lights) its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, “The words of the prophets (people who are believed to have special information or knowledge from God) are written on the subway walls
And tenement (buildings with small apartments, usually for people with low income) halls”
And whispered (spoke very softly) in the sounds of silence
Some of our listeners in Iran have reported that they have been unable to download our audio files for the past few weeks. It appears that the service we use for our audio file downloads, which is owned by Google, is being blocked or interfered with in Iran, although we don’t know exactly what the problem is.
We have had problems like this before in Iran. One of our entries on our blog from 2007 talks about accessing the ESLPod.com website from Iran. You can find it, along with suggestions from Iranian listeners, here:
The New York Times recently ran (published) an interesting set of articles and graphics that underscore (emphasize) the changing face (appearance) of America. Because of immigration, the American population has always been diverse (made up of different groups of people). Now intermarriage – marriage between people from different groups – is helping the U.S. become even more diversified.
Let me try to clarify (make clear) some of the words we use to talk about group differences. In the 2010 census (official count of the population), there were two questions to help identify the groups of people that make up the U.S. population. The first was an ethnic question. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (government department responsible for the census), an ethnic group is a group of people that share (have the same) such things as culture, language, and religion. This question asked people if they were of “Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.” People from countries like Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and other Central and South American countries would have said, “Yes,” to this question.
The second question asked about a person’s race, which usually refers to national origin – the country the person’s family first came from. The choices included White (mostly people from Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa), Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Other Asian, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and several others.
According to the New York Times, intermarriage is on the rise (growing) in the U.S. This probably shouldn’t surprise us. Almost all of us in the U.S. come from immigrant families. Some immigrated recently; others, like my family, immigrated many years ago. It’s probably inevitable (certain to happen) that young men and women from different groups will meet, fall in love, and get married.
One study says that the number of interracial (between races) or interethnic (between ethnic groups) marriages has doubled in the past 20 years. Two years ago, another study reported that approximately 14% of U.S. marriages were between people of different races or ethnic groups. This trend (pattern) makes some people uncomfortable, but more and more young people are embracing (willingly accepting) a multiethnic or multiracial identity (multi- means more than one).
According to a graphic in the New York Times, intermarriage increased among all groups except Asians from 1980 to 2009. Among Asians, it declined (dropped). The largest increase in intermarriage has been among Hispanics. When we look at gender (male/female) differences, black men marry someone from a different group twice as often as black women do. Among Asians, it’s the opposite: Asian women marry someone from a different group more than twice as often as Asian men.
The New York Times also has a related feature (special article) called Mixed America’s Family Trees, which you might enjoy looking at. A family tree is a diagram that shows the relationships between people in several generations (people of about the same age) of a family. My grandfather, father, my son, and I represent four generations of our family. The family trees will help you see how intermarriage has changed several American families.
~ Warren Ediger: creator of Successful English, where you can find clear explanations and practical suggestions for better English.
Here in Southern California, we don’t take part (participate) in a lot of winter sports. The reason is obvious: there is little ice or snow. In other parts of the country — such as Minnesota, where Jeff was born — a lot of winter sports are popular.
Among the most popular winter sports is skiing, both downhill skiing (down a hill) and cross-country skiing (on mostly flat land). Ice skating is also popular, although few of us can figure skate (the sport of skating in patterns on ice) like Michelle Kwan or Dorothy Hamill (Does anyone remember her other than me?).
I’ve gone skiing a few times, although I stayed on the bunny slopes (the gentle and not very steep hills for beginners) most of the time and was scared to death when I tried mogul skiing, which is when you ski down a slope with bumps and on it. It took me a long time to get down that hill and I’ve never been back since!
I’ve done a little better with ice skating, although not much better. For someone raised in the sweltering (very high temperature) heat of Arizona, any temperature under 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) is cold to me. Whether skiing or skating, I’d rather be sitting in the warming hut (room or building where people can get a warm drink and take a break from the cold of the snow and ice) sipping (drinking a little at a time) some nice warm hot chocolate.
There are many more winter sports, including sledding, snowboarding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and hockey. Which winter sports are popular where you live? Do you participate in any winter sports yourself?
Do you want to improve your English? Read along as you listen to each episode and learn even more quickly. By getting the Learning Guide, you’ll also get more vocabulary, explanations, and cultural information.
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “back” and “elbow.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “The Most Work-Related Injuries.”
“Americans spend many of their “waking hours” (time when a person is awake, not asleep) “on the job” (at work), so it is not surprising that they suffer from many work-related injuries…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
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ON WEDNESDAY
English Cafe 281
Topics: Ask an American – Sleep-deprived teenagers; to buy versus to purchase versus to acquire; to burn the candle at both ends; Let’s versus Shall we? versus Why don’t we?
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear).
In “What Insiders Know,” you will read about “Sleeping Beauty.”
“Sleeping Beauty is a “classic” (well known; traditional) “fairy tale” (a children’s story with many magical events). The original version was written by French author Charles Perrault, but most Americans…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
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ON FRIDAY ESL Podcast 661 – Demanding an Apology
In the Learning Guide: Get a full transcript (written version of every word you hear), vocabulary list and sample sentences, and comprehension questions.
In “What Else Does it Mean,” learn the other meanings of “chill out” and “to take (something) back.”
In the “Culture Note,” learn about “American Apologists.”
“An “apologist” is someone who “defends” (protects from attack) an idea or system, especially when it is unpopular with most people. Often apologists defend religious views, but the term “American Apologists”…” – READ MORE in the Learning Guide
A buffet is a meal where there are several different kinds of food, usually put into large pots, bowls, or plates and placed (put) on a long table. Each person takes his or her own plate and serves themselves (puts the food they want on their own plate). Buffets are very popular in the United States, and can consist of (be made up of) a variety of foods or just one type of food (Indian and Chinese buffets are very popular in Los Angeles, for example).
One of the reasons buffets are popular is that the food is “all you can eat,” meaning you can eat as much food as you want for the same price. (Remember that 30% of Americans are overweight (too fat); now you know one reason why!) The problem with some buffets is that the quality of the food is often not very good. Does this matter to American eaters?
One recent study tried to answer that question by comparing two groups of people. The first group paid fullprice (the regular price) for a pizza buffet, which was $6.00 for all the pizza they could eat. The second group paid only half of that ($3.00) for the same all-you-can-eat meal. Which group ate more? Which group liked their food more?
On average, the group that paid more, ate more (about 25% more). But that same group of people also said that the pizza tasted worse than the group that paid less! In other words, even though they thought the pizza tasted worse, they ate more of it. One possibility suggested by the researchers is that the full price group thought that each slice (piece) of pizza was worth less due to the poor taste, and that therefore they had to eat more of it to get their money’s worth (the full value or benefit for the price you pay).
I’m not sure if this explanation is correct. If I’m at a buffet, I would also eat more food if I paid a higher price. When I pay more for food at a restaurant, I expect the food to be better than if I had paid less, and if it isn’t in fact better, then I am more disappointed. But I can also imagine thinking that the food was better than it actually was because I paid a lot of money. I might think: Well, if it is this expensive, then it should taste better, and so I think it does.
What do you think? What is the relationship between food and price at the restaurants you eat at?
Those of you who own a home might be lamenting (feeling very sad about) the drop (decrease) in home prices these past few years. In the U.S., the economy continues to falter (lose its strength) and nowhere is that seen more clearly than in the housing market (buying and selling of homes).
Yes, the value (what something is worth) of your home may have dropped, but did it drop by $253 million?
Over the past three years, the White House, where the President of the United States and his family lives, has dropped over 23% in value. Of course no one is planning on putting the White House on the market (offer for sale) anytime soon, but it’s a sign of the decline in the real estate (buying of land, buildings, and homes) market that continues to plague (cause trouble for) this recession (period of economic problems).
It’s probably true that your home is not a 132-room mansion (large, fancy house), with 16 bedrooms and 35 bathrooms on 18 acres in the middle of the country’s capital (most important governmental city). Even so (despite this), you may feel a little better not having lost $253 million, right? Well, maybe not.
