A font is the size and style of printed letters and words, like these:

The latest trend (fashion; something new that many people are doing) for important people or celebrities is to commission (hire someone to make or create something) someone to create your own custom (specially made; not standard) font.

* Did you know that Barack Obama, who is running for (wanting to be elected to the job of) U.S. president, has his own font?

* Did you know that singers/celebrities, like Beyonce and Bjork, do too?

An article I read reported (gave information) that last year, a movie called Helvetica (the name of a font) became very popular. Helvetica is a documentary (movie based on true events) about the history of this font–yes, an entire movie about one font! In the cities where it played (was shown), there were sold out (all the tickets sold; every seat was filled) audiences.

Typographers, people who arrange or design letters/words for printing, say that fonts can send important and subtle (not bold; not very easy to see or understand) ways, communicating or changing a mood (emotion; how you feel) or a tone (quality; character; feeling). Business and advertisers know this. They use thick fonts to convey (communicate) boldness (having courage and confidence) for products like cigarettes, and they use thiner and lighter fonts for fashion (clothes and other things people wear).

The two fonts I see the most in daily correspondence such as letters and emails in the U.S., both personal and professional (in business), are Arial and Times Roman (see above).

Do you select a special font for your correspondence? What do you think it says about you?

I usually use Arial. It’s simple, so I guess I’m simple*, too.

~ Lucy

* simple = 1) plain, not fancy, 2) easy to understand, or 3) dumb, stupid, not intelligent, when describing a person

We’ve all seen places where two business are run out of the same storefront (outside view or entrance to a store). There are a lot of strange combinations and sometimes it is difficult to see how the two business complement (go well together with) each other.

Here’s an example:

A laundromat is a place where people go to wash their dirty clothes. Tanning beds are machines that use light to help people get a tan (darker color to their skin, normally from being out in the sun). I suppose you could tan while your clothes are in the washer (machine to wash clothes) or dryer (machine to dry clothes). I don’t recommend tanning, of course, but this would be an efficient (doing the most with the least amount of time) use of time.

Here’s another one:

When people go fishing, they use bait to catch fish. Live means living, so “live bait” means worms, the small, long animals that live in the dirt, that are still living, not dead. A gameroom is a place where you go…well…to play games, such as pool, pinball, and videogames. If you can think of a way that these two business go together, you have a better imagination than I do.

Have you seen any strange or unusual business combinations in your town or on your travels?

~ Lucy

Sleeping at work in the U.S. has traditionally been taboo (socially unacceptable). However, that’s changing in the American workplace. In a recent report, one-third (about 33%) of the people surveyed said that their workplace allowed naps (short periods of sleep during the day).

Scientists who study sleep say that people who take naps, especially if they didn’t have enough sleep the night before, are more alert (quick to notice and respond to situations), more creative (able to think of new ideas and use their imagination), and have better memory (able to remember things better).

Napping may be good for your health, too. In one study, researchers found that taking naps at least three days per week helped reduce the chance of dying from coronary (heart) problems.

The experts say that the ideal (best; most suitable) length of a nap is 20 minutes. Sleeping more than 30 minutes puts you in a deeper sleep and you will wake up groggy (weak and tired) and not refreshed (with new strength and energy).

Some large companies are taking note (paying attention). They have designated (assigned for a special purpose) sleep areas in their buildings.

Is it acceptable in your workplace to nap? Do you nap?

~ Lucy

Well, it happened: I got called in for jury duty on my last day (Friday). As I described in my previous post, here in Los Angeles you are on call for jury service for one week. Here’s a little diary of my day:

8:15 AM I arrived and went through security, where they make sure you do not have any guns, knives, or anything dangerous that you are bringing into the courthouse. Then I went up to a large room with about 100 people in it. Any citizen can be called for jury duty, so it is a real cross-section (sample of all different types) of Los Angeles. Most people are reading a book or talking quietly on their cell phones as we wait for the day to begin.

8:40 AM Someone from the court comes in and gives us an orientation (an introduction to some event or activity). She tells us that we may be called at any time to go to a courtroom. Once we are in the courtroom, the judge will decide if we will be on the jury for that case (trial) or not. If we are not assigned or selected, then we must return back to the juror room and wait to see if we are needed for another case. We must wait until the end of the day, and could be called more than once to go to a courtroom. However, if we are selected, then we stay in that courtroom until the trial is over, which could be up to seven days.

9:15 AM We watch a video on jury duty and what to expect if we are called. It includes interviews with people who have served as jurors, and tells us how important our service is to our system of government. My favorite line in the video is at the beginning, when it says, “California – the greatest state in the nation!” I’m not sure everyone in the other 49 states would agree with that. Most people watch the video, although some continue reading their books or newspapers. Many – perhaps most of us – have been on jury duty before, so we have seen the video. It is sort of like the video they show you on a airplane about safety. If you have seen it several times, you don’t really pay much attention to it.

10:10 AM There is a television in the room, and someone has decided to turn it on. I find it annoying (irratating, something that you dislike), so I turn on my computer and plug in my headphones. I open iTunes and listen to some music to drown out the noise. To drown out noise means to create another sound (music, talking) so that you won’t hear what you don’t want to listen to.

10:50 AM Still sitting here in the room, waiting.

11:30 AM We are all summoned (ask to go to a certain place) back to the jury waiting room for an announcement. The two trials for that day will not require jurors, so we are officially released (excused, let go) from our duty. That’s it! We can all go home. Everyone applauds (claps their hands together), which is not I guess how we should react to something that is our duty as a citizen, but that’s what happened.

-Jeff

This has been an unpredictable (uncertain) week for me so far, mostly because I am on jury duty. A jury is a group of people (usually 12 in the United States) who decide whether someone is guilty or innocent in a court case. If someone commits a crime, they may have to go to trial, meaning to go in front of a judge and defend themselves. In most cases in the U.S., the decision belongs not to the judge, but to the jury. To be a juror (someone who sits on or who is a member of a jury), you need to be a U.S. citizen, over 18 years old, and able to speak and understand English. There is no test to determine your English level, however, at least not here in California. That is decided by the judge, which is a strange way to make such an important decision, but that’s the current system.

Potential jurors are chosen at random from the citizens of an area, although you are normally only called once every 12 months, usually less (some people are never called for jury duty). I have been called for jury duty once before, about two years ago. Here in Los Angeles, you are sent a letter - called a jury summons - with a special number to call. For one week, you must call the number each evening. If the court needs jurors for the next day, then you are required to go to the courthouse (the place where trials take place) and report for duty. You are put into a smaller group, and when the judge needs jurors, he or she will ask that group to come into his or her courtroom (the room in the courthouse where the trial is).

Today is Wednesday, and so far I have not been asked to report for duty. I have two more days before my on call service is over. (To be on call means that you must be available to do something when you are called or notified.) I won’t know until tonight whether I have to go tomorrow. If I do, I’ll let you know what happens!

~Jeff

Today is a federal (national) holiday. Memorial day is celebrated the last Monday of May each year and commemorates (remembers and shows respect for) Americans who have died while serving in the military (being soldiers).

This holiday began after the American Civil War (1861-1865) to recognize and remember the more than 620,000 soldiers who died during the four-year war, which was considered the deadliest (causing death) in American history up to that time. After World War I, the holiday was expanded (made bigger) to commemorate all soldiers who died in military service.

To all those who have served and are serving in military service everywhere, we remember and honor you today.

~ Lucy

Anyone who flies a lot knows what it is like to be in an airplane with inconsiderate (not kind; not thinking of others) travelers. Here are a few common complaints:

- People who talk on their cell phones at a loud volume (level of sound) and even after the flight attendant announces that all portable (able to travel) electronics should be shut off.

- While getting onto the airplane, people who stand in the aisle (walkway) for a long time, holding up (delaying) the rest of the passengers.

- People who speak loudly and non-stop (without stopping), often to the stranger (unknown person) sitting next to them who would rather rest.

- Parents who allow their children to run up and down the aisle or to yell loudly without checking them (telling them to stop).

- Passengers who bring more luggage on the plane then the two small bags allowed, taking up valuable overhead space (storage space over the seats).

- People who spread out (take more space) from their own seat to the seat next to them or by reclining (leaning back) their seats all the way back.

- People who don’t keep the bathroom clean for other people.

What annoys you when you fly? What do you do that might annoy other passengers?

~ Lucy

If you’re like me, you have friends, family, and co-workers who forward (send to other people messages that were sent to them) email jokes, chain letters, and other messages that you probably don’t want. Chain letters are letters that tell you to forward that message to other people or something bad will happen. I never forward chain letters so I’m expecting to be killed or maimed (permanently injured), or have many years of bad luck.

For me, it’s difficult to email that person to tell them to take me off his or her list. I don’t want to hurt their feelings (make them feel badly) or to make them think that I don’t appreciate them thinking of me (having me in their mind). The flip side (the other side of the issue; on the other hand) is that I have far too many email messages in my inbox when I check for new messages.

Some people suggest writing an email to the person who has you on their distribution list (list of people who receive a message or something else) to ask them to remove you. This is one example:
. . .
Cate,

Thank you for thinking of me with the jokes and quotations of the day (words said in the past by someone else that are funny, interesting, or inspirational). I’ve appreciated you sending them to me. Right now, though, I am trying to get a handle on (to manage; to keep in good order even though it is difficult) my email, and I am asking people to remove me from their distribution lists for the time being (for a short time).

Would you please remove me from your distribution list?

Thank you very much.
. . .
This note is polite enough and I might send something like this to someone, but I haven’t done it yet. Right now, my strategy (plan) is to continue deleting (erasing; putting in the trash) those messages from my inbox.

What do you do with unwanted email from people you know, people you don’t want to offend (upset)? Would you write someone directly to ask them to remove you from their distribution list?

~ Lucy

The importance of protecting and not harming the environment is an issue that more and more Americans are paying attention to, especially after Vice President Al Gore’s influential documentary (movie based on true events) An Inconvenient Truth.

American companies are trying to appeal (make more attractive) to consumers (people who buy products) by claiming that their products are “earth-friendly” or “eco-safe,” when it is not clear whether they are or not. (Eco is short for ecology, which is the study of how people and other living things interact with their environment.) This is called “greenwashing,” since the color green is associated with nature and the environment. This new word comes from the old term “whitewashing,” which means to cover up or hide a mistake, problem, or flaw (imperfection; weakness). Greenwashing, then, means that a company is trying to hide the real way it does business by saying or claiming that the way their products are made does not harm the environment.

The U.S. government regulates (controls; supervises) how some words are used in advertising. For example, companies must meet minimum (lowest acceptable) requirements before they can call their products “organic” (grown or developed naturally, without chemicals) or “recycled” (turning waste or garbage into new products). However, right now, there are no regulations about who can use terms like “eco-friendly” and “environmentally-safe.” So, buyers looking for “green” products have to beware (be careful). We have to ask ourselves: “Is this a product that will not harm the environment or is the company simply “greenwashing?”

~ Lucy

I have an exciting announcement to make: ESL Podcast will be giving away one million dollars this week to one of our lucky listeners. That’s right - $1,000,000! All you have to do to win is post a response to this blog post. You will then be entered in our Grand Prize (biggest or best prize) drawing (when you pick a name or number at random). Just answer the question…

April Fools! Actually, we’re not giving away one million dollars. Today is the first of April, known as April Fools’ Day. I gave a detailed description of this day on English Cafe #27 way back in 2006. Take a listen if you have not heard it yet. On this day, we try to get other people to believe things that aren’t true, to fool them, as a sort of joke. So don’t believe everything you hear today, especially if it is said by me!

~Jeff