To many people, the word “gentrification” is a dirty (offensive; vulgar) word. Gentrification refers to a change in an urban (city) area with new businesses moving in and housing prices going up, creating a more wealthy (rich) community than was there before. The reason the term “gentrification” is generally considered a negative one is that conventional wisdom (what most people believe) is that this change in a neighborhood pushes out (causes someone to have no choice but to move away) old residents (people who live there) and businesses, changing the character (the things that make something unique or special) of the community.

But is that really true? Several recent studies, including one conducted at Columbia University about the famous New York neighborhood Harlem, which is currently undergoing (experiencing) gentrification, gives us a different perspective (point of view). (To hear more about Harlem’s gentrification, listen to English Cafe 411.)

At least in terms of people being displaced (caused to move), these studies found that people who were there before a neighborhood’s change didn’t leave, and in many cases, stayed longer than those in neighborhoods that didn’t undergo gentrification. This may be because the community becomes more attractive and those already there do what they can to stay. There are often more parks, better schools, and safer streets, so those who are able choose to remain in the neighborhood. New housing and space for businesses are created by converting (changing for a new use) old industrial (used for manufacturing, such as factories) buildings into livable (able to be lived in) and workable (able to be worked in) spaces, augmenting (increasing) the amount of space available in the community.

It’s certainly true that some rents (how much people pay to live in a home or operate a business out of a property) go up, and both businesses and people can be displaced. But the idea that this happens on a grand scale (in large numbers) doesn’t seem to be supported by these recent studies.

Are there any areas in the cities you’re familiar with that have undergone gentrification? What has been the reaction of the old residents? In your opinion, has gentrification changed the character of those areas?

– Lucy

Photo Credit: Minneapolis Warehouse District from Wikipedia

If you’re wondering which cities in the United States could be considered the most religious, you may be interested in a recent survey (piece of research where many people are asked the same questions) released by the American Bible Society (ABS). The ABS is a non-profit (not intended to make money) organization that distributes (gives to people) Bibles and Bible-related materials. (The term “Bible” in American English is usually used to refer to the sacred or holy texts of Christians, the Old and New Testaments, although it could also be used to refer just to texts sacred to Jews as well.)

After asking questions of 46,000 randomly-selected (select by chance) people, the ABS has determined the most “Bible-minded” cities in the U.S. (Minded here means having your mind on or thinking about something.) The ABS asked people whether they had read the Bible within the past seven days and if they agreed “strongly with the accuracy of the Bible.” Based on the responses, the ABS ranked 100 U.S. cities.  The top 10 cities are all in an area known in the U.S. as the “Bible Belt.”

The top 10 most Bible-minded cities are:

1. Chattanooga, Tennessee
2. Birmingham, Alabama
3. Roanoke/Lynchburg, Virginia
4. Springfield, Missouri
5. Shreveport, Louisiana
6. Charlotte, North Carolina
7. Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C./Asheville, North Carolina
8. Little Rock, Arkansas
9. Jackson, Mississippi
10. Knoxville, Tennessee

The Bible Belt is an informal term for the south central and southeastern parts of the U.S. that have traditionally been considered more religious than other parts of the country. (Belt here means an area where some characteristic or trait is commonly found.) The term is said to have been (believed to be, but not completely certain) coined (created) by an American journalist and commentator (person who gives his/her opinion professionally), H.L. Menken, who wrote for the newspaper Chicago Daily Tribune (now simply called the Chicago Tribune).

Perhaps ironically (being opposite of what one would expect), the American Bible Society is located in New York City, which is number 89 on the list, just ahead of (before) Las Vegas, often called Sin City, with “sin” referring to bad things people do that are against what God would want. Los Angeles doesn’t fare (do) much better at number 73, but we’re not as bad as San Francisco, which is ranked 97th.

If you’d like to see for yourself which cities are considered most Bible-minded according this survey, take a look at the full list here on the American Bible Society website.

– Jeff

Image Credit: King James Version Bible 1611 from Wikipedia

With the start of a new year, new laws go into effect (are now required to be followed). A new law in California has chefs (professional cooks) and bartenders (people whose job it is to serve drinks, especially alcoholic ones, usually at a bar) seeing red (angry; upset).

The new law requires anyone who handles (touches) food that is ready to eat — that does not need to be further (additionally) cooked or reheated (made warm again) — wear disposable gloves (rubber covering over the hands that are thrown away after one use) or use tongs, scoops, or other implements (tools). No bare hands (hands without any covering or protection) are allow to touch the food, even if the hands were just washed clean. The law is intended to improve the health and safety of food served to customers.

This means that bartenders who prepare drinks and add small pieces of food, herbs (plants used to add flavor), or garnish (piece of food added for decoration) must wear these gloves when preparing and serving drinks. This also applies to (is required of) chefs.

You may know that sushi — a type of Japanese cuisine (type of food) that includes rice and raw fish — is very popular here in California. Well, sushi chefs will also need to wear gloves or use implements, and they aren’t very happy about it.

Note that in most places in the U.S., food handlers (people who touch food before it is served) in places like restaurants must also wear covering over their hair and (for men) facial hair (that is, mustaches and beards). Both men and women usually wear a hairnet over their hair and facial hair or a close-fitting (tight) hat.

Are there laws of this type where you live? What types of laws are required of food handlers and food servers?

– Lucy

Photo Credit: Restaurant Order Wheel from Wikipedia

Not long ago, Jeff explained the tradition of American women changing their names after marriage (see English Cafe 427). Although fewer women are following this tradition now than, say (for example), 50 years ago, it is still very common.

When Janice Worth of Hawaii married, she changed her last name to her husband’s: Keihanaikukauakahihulihe’ekahaunaele. (This is actually her husband’s only name, a name given to him by his family at birth (when he was born).) This is a Hawaiian name, and when Janice adopted it (decided to use it), she had a problem. Her first and last names did not fit on official documents, including the Hawaii driver’s license, which only allowed 36 characters (individual letters). For this reason, only her new last name appeared on the license with no first name, and when she used her license as ID (identification) or was stopped by traffic cops (police watching for people breaking driving laws), those officials gave her problems about her unusual license.

She decided not to take this lying down (do nothing). She complained to the governor (the highest-level elected official in a state). In a state that has a large native Hawaiian population and prides itself on (say they do very well at) preserving (keeping something valuable the same) and respecting the Hawaiian culture, the governor promised that changes would be made to the computer systems by the end of 2013 to accommodate (allow for) a longer name like hers.  Janice now has a driver’s license that shows her first and last names.

I’ve always been grateful to have a short name, just seven letters in all (total). Filling out (completing) forms is easier. (Unlike most Americans, my parents never gave us — my siblings (brothers and sisters) and me — middle names, for which I am also very grateful. There’s a tradition of children making fun of each other’s middle names in school, and I never had to go through that. Having an unusual last name was hard enough!)

Are there unusual or unique names where you live that present problems for people who have them, whether it’s related to spelling, unique characters/diacritic marks (markings over, under, around letters), length, or something else?

– Lucy

Graphic Credit:  Jeff McQuillan

If you live in an American city, you know that the word “easement” means an area on your land that the government says must be used for a specific purpose. For example, many Americans homeowners have easements in their backyards (the outside area behind your house) so that private companies (or the government itself) can erect (put up; install) electricity and telephone poles (very tall, slim pieces of wood or metal that wires are attached to in order to keep them off the ground). Easements are also sometimes used to provide areas maintained by the government that allow rainwater to flow into sewers (a system of underground tunnels carrying waste water).

However, if you’re a farmer (person who grows crops for food), you may be familiar with agricultural easement programs, which set aside (keep for a certain use) land specifically for farming. As cities grow, it is often more profitable (making more money) for landowners (people who own land) to sell their land to housing and business developers (builders) than to use that land for farming. At the same time, there is a trend (effort or movement toward something) for locally-grown food, food that is produced nearby, not transported long distances. The logic behind (the reasons for) locally-grown food, according to its supporters, is that the food is fresher and less energy and fuel are used to transport the food to those who buy it.

To try to protect farmland from disappearing, especially around American cities, the government established agricultural easement programs. These programs actually pay landowners to use their land for farms or to sell their land to people who want to farm. According to some sources, about 1.1 million acres of land are part of these agricultural easement programs throughout the country, at the cost to the government of $2.3 billion.

These programs have had mixed (not clearly good or bad) results. Some say that easement land is still too expensive to buy for farming, with some young farmers opting to (choosing to) rent land to farm. Others believe that these conservation (actions taken to keep things as they are) efforts are necessary to keep American farming alive and for environmental protection purposes.

Are farmlands disappearing around the cities where you live? Are there efforts to protect farmland and farming?

– Jeff

Photo Credit:  Farming near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania from Wikipedia