Category Archives: Life in the United States

Street Dance and Dance Crews

Posted on Tuesday - January 19, 2010 by Dr. Lucy Tse

In last week’s English Cafe, we talked about hip-hop culture. A big part of hip-hop culture is hip-hop dancing, or street dancing. Hip-hop dancing has been around for a long time, since the early 1970s, and it has continued and … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 15 Comments

The Case of the Missing Criminals

Posted on Thursday - January 7, 2010 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

When I moved to Los Angeles back in the early 1990s, it was one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. One year, there were more than 1,000 homicides (murders) in the city of Los Angeles itself. Even … Continue reading →

A Stowaway Cat

Posted on Tuesday - December 29, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Here is a story that appeared in the Los Angeles Times recently that caught my eye (got my attention). The headline is: “Cat stows away (hides and rides without paying) on cross-country (across the country) flight” This is what happened: … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 13 Comments

Your Typical American: Grocery Shopping

Posted on Thursday - December 10, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

I recently found a book called What Americans Really Want…Really: The Truth About Our Hopes, Dreams and Fears. It’s a review of polls (surveys, questions asked to some group) and focus groups (small groups of people who come together to … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 31 Comments

Giving Thanks

Posted on Tuesday - November 24, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Thursday is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. We’ve already talked a lot about Thanksgiving in the podcast and on the blog. Listen to ESL Podcast #91 and English Cafe #60 for more details about how Americans celebrate this … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 21 Comments

Mexican Coke

Posted on Thursday - November 12, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

As some of you may already know, I spent some time in Mexico during the late 1980s (it’s scary (frightening, surprising) for me to think that that was more than 20 years ago!). As a young man in my 20s, … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 30 Comments

Is Columbus Day Here to Stay?

Posted on Monday - October 12, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today we celebrate in the United States Columbus Day, remembering the day that the Italian explorer (someone who looks for “new” or undiscovered places) Christopher Columbus first “discovered” the Americas. Of course, when we say “discover,” we mean for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 21 Comments

Potpourri

Posted on Thursday - October 1, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

First, I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday last week. I appreciate all the kind comments. Some people asked if I was “really” 29. The answer is yes. I am 29 mentally, but 46 physically. Actually, … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States, News and Current Events | 24 Comments

How Americans Spend Money

Posted on Tuesday - September 8, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Last week, Jeff blogged about how much money top athletes make, but what about average (typical; normal) Americans? How people spend their money tells us a lot of about them and a recent article in Time magazine lists how average … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 26 Comments

How long does it take to make $100,000?

Posted on Thursday - September 3, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Americans love their sports, and professional sports is a huge (very big) business here, as it is in some other countries. The most popular sports are baseball, American football, and basketball, with hockey, tennis, and golf being somewhat less popular. … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 12 Comments