One out of every eight Americans will eat pizza today, according to a nutritionist (someone who studies the science of food) from the federal (national) government agency that tracks (follows; analyzes) such things, the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Among teenage boys, that number is twice as high – 25% will eat pizza today!

Most people eat pizza for dinner. Since people buy big pizzas, there are usually leftovers (extra food from a meal that you keep to eat at another meal).

And when do people eat their leftovers?

Surprisingly, at breakfast. This is especially true for children: four percent of all American children eat pizza for breakfast. Amazing, but true.

Pizza has an important part of popular culture in the U.S. When I was in high school, I used to eat pizza all the time (like most teenage boys, we now know). On Friday and Saturday nights, my friends and I would often go to a pizza joint (informal term for a restaurant or bar) to eat pizza and spend the night talking.

In fact, in the late 1970s when I was in high school, pizza places (restaurants) were popular with teenage boys for another reason – video games. Many pizza restaurants had videos game machines, providing the owners of the restaurant with another way to make money, and teenage boys with another way to pass the time.

Did you eat pizza today?

~Jeff

Image credit: Pizza by Marcus Michaels from the Noun Project

Some anniversaries are for celebrating – like wedding anniversaries. Some are for commemorating – for recalling (remembering) and to serve as a memorial (to remind people of an event or person). This week we commemorate an anniversary.

One year ago two bombs hidden in backpacks spread death and mayhem (an attempt to seriously and permanently injure someone) among people near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Three were killed. 264 were injured. And 14 required amputations (removal of an arm or leg).

Jeff Bauman was at the marathon to cheer for (to give encouragement to) his girlfriend Erin, who was running in her first marathon. He was there, standing next to one of the backpacks, when it exploded and destroyed both of his legs below the knees.

Jeff has become an icon (something or someone that represents something) of what happened in Boston. The photo of two emergency workers and a bystander (someone who is watching what is happening) in a cowboy hat pushing Jeff – with no lower legs – to the medical tent in a wheelchair was one of the first photos many of us saw.

The story of Jeff’s battle to recover from his injuries and regain (get back) his strength have kept him in the public eye (seen on TV, in the newspapers, etc., a lot). We followed as he endured (to be in a difficult or painful situation for a long time) the amputation of both legs above the knees. We watched and cheered when he took his first steps using artificial legs made especially for him.

Jeff and Erin are now engaged to be married, and they’re expecting their first child. They recently bought a house and spend a lot of their time preparing it for the arrival of their baby. He says that he knew he loved Erin when she laughed after he jokingly told her not to worry because “our kids will have legs.”

In a recent interview, Jeff said that he sleeps a lot, which doctors say is good because it helps his body heal (recover from the injuries). He still has trouble walking on his artificial legs, so when no one is around (nearby), he wears what he calls “stubbies.” They are small platforms (thick pieces of wood) that attach to the bottom of his thighs (upper leg) and make it possible to walk and stand for several hours.

Jeff says that “the things normal people take for granted (don’t think about) – going to the bathroom on their own, getting out of bed without falling down, making a latte for friends – once seemed insurmountable (too large or difficult to do).” There were times that he wanted to give up (stop trying) because he thought he would never be able to take care of himself, no matter how hard he tried.

But he didn’t give up. He continued to try. And he’s slowly improving (getting better). He says that “doing household chores (small regular tasks), being helpful, living a normal life … is what matters. It is what I worked so hard for. And right now, it’s all I really want.”

Jeff has written a book – called Stronger – about his experiences this last year. It will be released this month.

~ Warren Ediger – ESL coach/tutor and creator of the Successful English web site.

Photo of Boston Marathon bombing courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

We are in the middle of the spring break season. I say “season” (period of time), because in the U.S., there are no set (fixed; firm) dates for spring break, and each school, school district (collection of schools under the same management), or region decides when to take this typically one- or two-week vacation. For students, this break (temporary stop; short interruption) occurs near the middle of the spring term (period of schooling) and is a welcome respite (short period of rest).

Spring break occurs in early spring, usually near or around the Easter holiday, which is April 20th this year. The most popular dates include the week before Easter, although they may occur anytime within a four- to five-week period in spring. If you take a look at a popular student travel site, you can see that spring break occurs this year anytime between February and April.

Spring break occurs at all levels of schooling, from kindergarten (for children ages five to six) all the way through college. For younger children, spring break may just be a week or two home from school, or it is a time for a family vacation. For college-age students, it is something else entirely.

For college students, spring break is a time to go on vacation with friends, often to a vacation destination (popular location) where many other spring breakers congregate (meet; also go there). This is typically a week-long party, with a lot of drinking of alcohol and a lot of hooking up (casual sexual experiences). Not all college students party during spring break, of course, but this type of spring break activity is so popular that there are places in the U.S. that cater to (are designed for) college students on spring break, earning most of their money during this four- to five-week period each year.

Beach or lake locations are among the most popular for spring break holidays. The typical image of spring break is of a lot of young people in bikinis (two-piece swimsuits for women) and swim trunks (swim suit for men, similar to shorts). Some of the most popular in the U.S. include Lake Havasu, Arizona, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida,and South Padre Island, Texas.

Is there a spring break where you live? What are the most popular “party destinations”?

– Lucy

Photo Credit: Beach Party Annette Funicello Frankie Avalon Mid-1960s.jpg from Wikipedia

I had never sat on top of an earthquake. Until last Friday.

Last Friday evening was interrupted (to stop someone from doing what they were doing) by what sounded like the rumble (deep sound) of a large truck outside our house, followed quickly by what felt like a giant hand angrily shaking the house.

It happened again an hour later. Only this time the truck was much larger and the hand much stronger and angrier.

We had experienced the beginning of a series (one happening after another) of earthquakes, more than 200, which have continued through (including) today.

Fortunately, these were not major** or strong earthquakes. The first was a minor 3.6 on the Richter Scale (a measure of the strength of an earthquake). The second, the largest, was a moderate 5.1 earthquake. And Saturday afternoon there was a light 4.1.

Fortunately, Friday night’s earthquakes caused only minor damage. Store windows were broken. Large cracks (narrow spaces between two parts) appeared in the walls and foundations (the layer of cement or other material that a building stands on) of some houses and apartment buildings. Water mains (large pipes cities use to distribute water to different neighborhoods) were broken. Many items on the shelves of stores in the area were shaken onto the floor. And many, like us, had books, vases, and other items knocked off of shelves in our houses.

We’ve lived in California for 27 years and have experienced many earthquakes. California, as you may know, is sometimes called “earthquake country.” Shortly after we moved to California, we experienced the Whittier Narrows earthquake, a 5.9 earthquake in the city next to ours, which killed eight people and caused millions of dollars of damage.

Two things made these earthquakes different from our previous experiences. First, the largest of them, the main earthquake, was very nearly under our house. The epicenter (the point directly above an earthquake) was only about 1 to 2 kilometers away. Second, many of the more than 200 aftershocks (a smaller earthquake that occurs after an earlier large one) were very shallow (near the surface of the earth).

These two factors (something that causes a situation) – the nearness of the earthquakes and their shallowness – dramatically (greatly) changed our experience. Because we were so close, we experienced more of the earthquakes’ force, or energy. An earthquake’s force dissipates (becomes less) rather quickly as you move farther away, and you experience less of it. And when an earthquake is near the surface, its energy is concentrated (held together) in a smaller area. So for us, these earthquakes have seemed (appeared to be) much louder, stronger, and more violent than stronger earthquakes we have experienced from farther away.

As you may imagine, the earthquakes of the last few days have given us an unsettling experience (made us feel uneasy). You never know when the next one will hit (occur, happen). And when it does, you always wonder how strong it will be and how long it will last.

* Too close for comfort = to be dangerously close. For example, “That car almost hit me! That was too close for comfort.”
** Minor earthquakes are from 3-3.9; light are from 4-4.9; moderate are from 5-5.9; strong are from 6-6.9, and major from 7-7.9.

~ Warren Ediger – ESL coach/tutor and creator of the Successful English web site.

Photo: map of recent earthquakes near La Habra, CA courtesy of SCEC.

Many people would like to be American citizens, legally becoming “members” of the United States. However, last year a record number (more than in any other year) of Americans renounced (gave up; ended) their American citizenship.

About 3,000 people last year renounced their American citizenship, up sharply (very much and suddenly) from about 500 each year in recent years. Why the spike (sudden rise)? It’s because it’s getting more expensive and difficult to be an American, especially one living abroad (in another country).

Politicians (people with elected government jobs) are always promising Americans before elections that they will close tax loopholes, weak points or “holes” in the tax laws that allow people, especially rich people, to avoid paying taxes. That’s what the government tried to do with people taking their money abroad.

In 2008 and 2010, the government passed laws that require foreign banks and other institutions (businesses) that hold American money to comply with (follow) new laws. The purpose of the laws was to prevent (not allow) Americans from hiding money in overseas (foreign) bank accounts or investments, and thereby (as a result) avoid paying taxes on that money. These new laws, including the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act of 2010, affected all banks and other businesses accepting American money. The trouble was, many banks and financial institutions decided that the requirements for compliance were too much trouble. They started closing the accounts of many Americans, deciding that it wasn’t worth the hassle (trouble).

Added to this are the higher tax rates on rich Americans since President Obama has been in office (in the job as president). Unlike many other countries, if you are an American citizen, no matter where you live, you must pay U.S. taxes. This includes people who have lived outside of the U.S. for 20 or even 50 years. In the eyes of the American tax system, you’re still an American and must pay American taxes, even if none of your earnings (how much money you get from a job or other business) are made on American soil (in the U.S.).

With the increased difficulty of getting financial services abroad and higher tax rates, more Americans than ever who live abroad are opting (choosing) to stop being Americans. Government officials say that while this is an unintended consequence (unexpected and unwanted result) of recent new laws and regulations (rules), those laws and regulations are stopping tax cheats (people who successfully avoid paying taxes they owe).

If you were in a similar situation in your country, would you renounce your citizenship? If not, are there any circumstances under which you’d do so?

– Lucy

Photo Credit: US Passport from Wikipedia