Monthly Archives: August 2009

Meet My Friend, Mr. Grant

In my previous post, I talked about how common it is in the US to find traces (small amounts) of cocaine on US paper bills.  At the end of the post, I noted that the New York Times headline for … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 16 Comments

Drug Money

Cocaine is a very addictive (something that you can’t stop doing or consuming once you start because it is so pleasurable) drug that became popular in the 1970s and 1980s and still is used by many today (I am told).  … Continue reading

Posted in News and Current Events | 24 Comments

“As Time Goes By” from Casablanca

In this week’s English Cafe 203, Jeff talked about the classic movie Casablanca. The main hit (very popular) song from this movie was “As Time Goes By.” The video below has a montage (collection of short videos edited together) from … Continue reading

Posted in Karaoke English | 27 Comments

Giving In to Guilty Pleasures

Guilty pleasures are things that we enjoy, but that we are embarrassed or ashamed that we like.  There can be guilty pleasures in all categories: food, TV shows, music, sports, and more. In terms of food, one of my guilty … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States, Television and Movies | 25 Comments

Charity Begins at Home

There’s an old saying (proverb, popular expression) in English: “Charity begins at home.” Charity (giving to others, being kind to others) comes from the Latin caritas, meaning “love.”  “Charity begins at home” means that before you give to others, to … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 17 Comments

What on Earth?!

QUESTION: Andrea in Italy wants to know the meaning of the phrase: “What on Earth…?” ANSWER: We often use the phrase “What on Earth…?” and a similar phrase, “What in the world…?,” when we want to express surprise, confusion, or … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | 10 Comments