When Fred (not his real name) turned sixty-five, he retired and did something he had always wanted to do: he returned to school. Fred joined students more than forty years younger than he and began studying for a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree, the degree that many pastors and priests earn (complete the requirements for) before they begin their work. Most M.Div. degrees require students to learn Hebrew and Greek – the original (at the beginning) languages used to write the Bible – well enough to read them. Fred did, and he earned his degree.

Last year, Gary Marcus wrote a book called Guitar Zero. In it he described learning how to play the guitar after he was forty years old. He succeeded and has played for audiences in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives. After his book was published, Marcus discovered that other people had had similar experiences. A journalist wrote to tell him about her seventy-six-year-old father. He had learned to play the guitar when he was older and had recently written her to say that he and two friends had formed a band called “The Three Grandfathers.” An engineer in Portland, Oregon, told him how he had returned to the guitar after he had a heart attack when he was in his sixties (60-69 years old).

Should we be surprised by these stories? Some people would be. Some people believe that you have to start when you’re young if you want to do certain things, like learn a new language or how to play a musical instrument. They believe that the connections in our brains have become permanent by the time we are adults and can’t be changed. If that’s true, you’ll never be able to do these things very well.

Marcus, a psychology professor at New York University, says that scientific evidence for this belief, called the critical-period theory, is far weaker (less strong) than widely supposed (believed). James Old, a neuroscience (brain science) professor at George Mason University, agrees. He says that the adult mind is “very plastic.” In other words, it can be changed, even when you’re older; old connections can be broken and new ones made. According to Olds, “The brain has the ability to reprogram itself on the fly (while being used), altering (changing) the way it functions (works or operates).” That’s good news, especially for older adults!

Near the end of his book, Marcus makes another point (states another fact or opinion) that applies to (affects) language learners. He points out (tells us) that the process of developing a new skill can bring as much pleasure as accomplishing the goal. This is especially true for language learners because the key to language development is reading and listening – to ESL Podcast, for example – for your own pleasure. More good news!

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

Photo of neurons courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

At first glance (when we first look at the situation), Walter Samaszko, Jr. did not appear to be a rich man when he died a few months ago in Carson City, Nevada. He had less than $1,200 in his bank account. He lived alone in the house where he and his mother had lived since the 1970s. He was something of a recluse (someone who doesn’t talk to others, usually living alone and isolated).

After he died, people came to clean up his house. When they did, they found something amazing in his garage: a box full of gold.

More cleaners came in (entered the house to work) and started searching other parts of the house for gold. They found gold coins from Austria, Mexico, and the United States. They found gold money that dated from (from the year) the 1840s. Gold, gold, and more gold.

By the time (When) they finished, the cleaners had found close to $7,400,000 worth of gold.

Samaszko and his mother had collected gold for many, many years, keeping all of it in their house. They had very detailed records (lists) of all the gold they bought.

No one knows what Samaszko did for a living (what his job was). He lived in a small house in an average neighborhood. But most of the gold appears to have been purchased (bought) by his mother many years ago, when gold was relatively cheap. Gold in the early 1970s was only $100 per ounce; today, the price is $1,700 per ounce.

What happened to all the money? Samaszko had a first cousin (the child of one of Samaszko’s aunts or uncles) living in California who works as a teacher. She will inherit (receive from someone who dies) it all.*

~Jeff

* = That’s the part that will probably never happen to you.

Photo credit: Gold Eagle Coin, Wikipedia CC

New York’s subway system – one of the world’s largest and busiest – was part of a grand (big and impressive) plan that would make it possible for anyone living in the greater New York area (in and around New York City) to go wherever they wanted to go.

However, the Great Depression, World War II, higher prices after the war, and other factors (causes) kept the grand plan from being completed. Parts of the subway were never built. Some parts that were built were never used. Many of those parts have been hidden from public view (can’t be seen). And they’ve never been seen by the millions of people who walk, drive, or ride just a short distance away.

One of those, the City Hall station, was supposed to have been the showpiece (something that attracts attention) of the subway system. It was designed by a well-known Spanish architect (someone who designs buildings). It’s beautiful, with curved walls and arched (curved) ceilings. The walls and ceilings are decorated with colored tiles, stained (colored) glass windows and skylights (windows in the ceiling) and brass (bright yellow metal) chandeliers (round frames that hold lights and hang from the ceiling). These photos will show you what I mean. Many people believe that it looks similar to New York’s well-known Grand Central Terminal (railroad station).

City Hall station opened in 1904. But as beautiful as it was (even though it was beautiful), it never was an important station. It was near the end of the #6 line (track that a train travels on) and most riders got off before City Hall to transfer (change) to other subway trains.

City Hall station was closed in 1941. Since then very few people have seen it. The station is in an area where trains turn around, and passengers had to get off. Recently, however, subway administrators (managers) have begun to allow passengers to stay on the train while it turns around. Even though they can’t get off the train to look at the City Hall station, passengers can see most of it while the train slowly moves past.

I haven’t seen City Hall station, but I’d like to. Would you? Do subways where you live have similar hidden wonders (something that makes you feel surprise and admiration)?

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

Photo of City Hall station courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

One of the most well-known symbols (images representative) of Christmas is the Christmas tree.

The Christmas tree in the U.S. that gets the most attention each year is the one at the Rockefeller Center in New York City. Each year in late November or early December, a very large tree between 69 to 100 feet (21 to 30 meters) is erected (put up) at the famous Rockefeller Center. It is decorated (with objects placed on it to make it look nice) with 30,000 lights on wiring (lines that bring electricity) that is about five miles (8 kilometers) long. The star that is placed at the top of tree is nearly 10 feet (3 meters) wide and weighs 550 pounds (250 kg). The tradition of lighting the tree — turning on the lights for the first time — is usually shown on television during a special Christmas show.

For regular folks (normal people) who celebrate Christmas, we simply go out to one of the Christmas tree lots (large outdoor areas) that are in business for a few weeks in late November through December to buy our  Christmas trees. Families like to decorate the tree with ornaments (small balls, figurines, stars, and other small items that are hung with a string), tinsel (thin strips of shiny metal material), strings of popcorn (corn kernels popped at high temperature and placed on a long string), and strings of electric lights. In recent years, it has become more and more popular to buy potted (in a container) Christmas trees that still have their roots (the part of a plant that attaches to the ground) and can be planted after the holiday, so the trees aren’t wasted.

I’m thinking of getting a potted tree this year, but I’m having second thoughts (doubts) because I don’t have a green thumb (am not a good gardener), and the chances of a tree surviving (staying alive) under my care are pretty slim (small). All of my other plants in my house are cacti and succulents, and even they aren’t looking too healthy. I guess, for the good of the potted tree, I’ll stick to (remain with) my little plastic Christmas tree again this year.

~ Lucy

Photo Credit: Rockefeller Center Tree from Wikipedia

The most popular album (record; collection of songs) of 2011 in the United States was the British singer Adele’s “21.” You’ve probably heard of Adele and her impressive (amazing; awesome) voice.

You probably did not know that the second most popular record of 2011 was not by Justin Bieber or Beyonce or some rapper. No, the second best-selling album of last year was  Michael Bublé‘s “Christmas.”

Never heard of Bublé? He’s what we call a crooner, someone who sings songs in the style of the great pop singers of the 1940s and ’50s, singers like Frank Sinatra.

Bublé has discovered what many other singers have learned: Christmas music is almost guaranteed (certain) to sell, and sell big (a lot), every year. Every November and December, Christmas songs sung by pop singers hit the top of the charts. (“The charts” refers to the list of the best-selling songs or albums of a certain period of time. To hit the top of the charts means to sell more songs or albums than anyone else for that week, month, or year.)

In fact, if you are a popular singer and want to make a lot of money, putting out (releasing; making available for sale) a Christmas album is a very smart business decision, no matter (regardless) of what kind of singer you are. Country music stars, old rockers (singer of rock music), crooners like Bublé – almost everyone who records a Christmas album makes money.

Sometimes the songs on the albums are original ones. Sometimes they are traditional carols (Christmas songs that have been around for many hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years). It doesn’t really matter.

I’m thinking of releasing my own Christmas album next year, maybe singing Bruce Springsteen‘s rendition (version; performance) of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” or Rod Stewart’s “Merry Christmas, Baby.” Look for it on iTunes in 2013.

~Jeff

Image Credit: Christmas Minstral Playing Pipe and Tabor, Wikipedia PD