Category Archives: Life in the United States

What Will They Think of Next?

This is the time of year that newspapers and magazines compile year-end lists. One list that caught my eye (got my attention) was in the New York Times Magazine a couple of weeks ago. This is a list of patents … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 5 Comments

Heal the Bay

For the past 25 years or so, many people living in Los Angeles have tried to protect the area of water near the city called Santa Monica Bay. One such organization is Heal the Bay. To heal is normally a … Continue reading

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The Clothes Off Their Backs

Right now, the U.S. dollar is very low in value, which means that visitors from other countries can buy more and spend less. Canadians know this and are coming across the border (line between two countries or areas) to shop … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 4 Comments

Battle Royal (English Cafe 115)

In today’s English Cafe 115, Jeff talked about professional wrestling on American television. Sometimes, professional wrestlers will participate in a battle royals, where a large group of fighters enter the ring and the last person standing is the winner. Here … Continue reading

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Life in the United States | 6 Comments

What’s an American Last Name?

Many students of English choose an “English” name for themselves when they begin to study English. These names are often used in professional settings as well. As far as I know, no one has actually studied how people go about … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States, News and Current Events | 6 Comments

Philippe Restaurant in Los Angeles

A couple of weeks ago, I finally went to Philippe restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. I say “finally,” because Philippe is an L.A. institution (long-established and respected business) and I’ve heard about it from many people for many, many years. … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 9 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 22 is the Thanksgiving holiday. It is a national holiday and is celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday of November. Most people don’t have to work on Thanksgiving, and many people take Friday off (not work; as vacation), … Continue reading

Posted in Announcements, Life in the United States | 14 Comments

Hollywood Writers Go On Strike

Last week, the big news was that the Writer’s Guild of American, a union of writers for television and movies, went on strike. To go on strike is to stop working to protest something that you think is wrong, or … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 12 Comments

Rethinking Teacher Training (English Cafe 110)

In today’s Cafe, I talk about how to become a teacher in the U.S. One of the problems I didn’t talk about is attrition (the loss of something, sometimes slowly). Teacher attrition happens when teachers quit their jobs and start … Continue reading

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Life in the United States | 8 Comments

The Attractions of Tucson (English Cafe 109)

In Wednesday’s English Cafe 109, Jeff invited me to talk about Tucson, Arizona, where I grew up. Although I moved away many years ago, I still miss many things about Tucson. The one thing I miss the most is the … Continue reading

Posted in Discussing the Episodes, Life in the United States | 4 Comments