It’s here! The 2012 presidential campaign has begun. The big battle is shaping up (developing) – Democrats versus (against) Republicans, liberals* versus conservatives*, President Obama versus … who knows?

For the next 14 months – from now until November 2012 – we’re going to be flooded with (receive a lot) more political advertisements, political speeches, political debates, and political news stories than you can imagine! And dinner or coffee with friends will usually be served with (include) talk about politics.

To be honest (tell the truth), I get tired of all the political noise – the advertisements, the speeches, the debates, the news stories, and endless conversations. But what can I do about it?

I found an answer to my question at hunch.com. According to Hunch, liberals and conservatives eat differently. Or, as they put (wrote; said) it: “You vote what you eat.” If that’s true, we don’t need to discuss politics. We can find out what we want to know about someone’s political beliefs by checking out (looking at) what they eat!

The people at Hunch asked about 2,000 readers how they described themselves politically – whether they were liberal or conservative or somewhere in the middle. And then they asked them about their food preferences (what kind of food they would choose) and attitudes toward different foods.

Here are a few things you’ll learn about liberal and conservative eating habits (something you do regularly) and attitudes if you look at the Hunch study:

• Liberals are more likely to (will probably) order a meal of curry chicken from India with vegetable biryani (a rice dish), orange wedge (slice), and glass of Pinot Noir wine; conservatives will order meatloaf with green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy (thick brown sauce), and a can of soda.
• Liberals are more likely to prefer (choose) fresh vegetables; conservatives like their vegetables cooked.
• Liberals are more likely to eat seafood than conservatives.
• Liberals are more likely to prefer crunchy (hard and make a noise when you bite it) tacos (a Mexican food); conservatives like soft tacos.
• Liberals prefer thin-crust (the baked outer part of a pie or pizza) pizza; conservatives prefer deep dish or thicker crust pizza.
• Liberals prefer strawberry jam on their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; conservatives prefer grape jelly.
• Liberals are more likely to drink wine with dinner at home; conservatives are more likely to drink milk, soda, or fruit juice.
• Liberals are more likely to never or rarely eat fast food (like McDonalds); conservatives are likely to eat fast food a few times per week.

There you have it (there it is): if you know someone’s food preferences and attitudes, you can tell a lot about their political beliefs. You don’t even have to ask, if you don’t want to. Just watch them eat. That has to (must) be better than all that political noise!

I hope you realize that much of this has been tongue-in-cheek (meant to be humorous; not serious). Responsible citizens – including me – will listen and think about and discuss politics, even if it seems noisy at times (occasionally).

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*Note: it’s difficult to explain the differences between liberals and conservatives in a few words. Here are two very simple descriptions from what Wikipedia says about them:

• Liberals, mostly Democrats, like the federal (U.S.) government to be larger and more involved (active) in American life, even if it means paying higher taxes. Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were liberal presidents.
• Conservatives, mostly Republicans, want less government involvement and lower taxes. They emphasize personal and local responsibility. Ronald Reagan was a conservative president.

A study done last month reveals (shows) that 41% of Americans call themselves conservative, 36% moderate (in the middle), and 21% liberal. For more on political parties in the U.S., listen to English Cafe 26.

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~ Warren Ediger, creator of Successful English, where you’ll find clear explanations and practical suggestions for better English.

 Photo of lamb biryani used under Creative Commons license.

In my work with students from many different cultures, I’ve discovered that educational values (ideas about what’s important) vary (change) a lot from one culture to another. Even in the U.S. today, there are ongoing (continuing) debates about educational values and what students need to learn.

With that in mind (thinking about that), I was attracted to a recent article on the eSchool News website. They asked their readers this question: “If you could choose only one, what’s the skill (ability to do something well) you’d like every student to learn? The eSchool News readers represent (come from) all levels of American education.

Not surprisingly, reading was the most popular response (answer). It appeared twice as often (two times more) than all the other responses. Here are some of the other skills that ranked high (had a high position) in the survey (set of questions) and brief summaries of what the eSchool News readers said about them:

Write – Students need the ability to think clearly about what they write, to choose the best ideas, and to organize them so they make sense (are understandable) to their readers.

Communicate effectively and with respect – Effective oral (spoken) communication begins when we try to understand the people we speak to. And it depends on our ability to clearly, concisely (without unnecessary words), and respectfully explain our thoughts and ideas.

Question – Asking good questions and finding and evaluating (judging how good or useful something is) possible answers allow students to take control of (be responsible for) their own learning and discover ideas that they might otherwise miss.

Be resourceful – To be resourceful means to be good at finding ways to solve problems. If students know how to find and verify (discover if something is true) information and ideas, they can learn more and they can learn more effectively (in a way that produces the result we want). One eSchool News reader wrote that “knowing how to find the right information is more important than memorizing information that very likely (probably) changes rapidly.”

Be accountable – Someone who is accountable is responsible for the results of what they do. An accountable student says, “I’m responsible for what I learn,” and chooses to be a learner, often for life.

Know how to learn – “The most important skill,” one reader writes. Students need to learn how to learn on their own (by themselves) because they will need to know things during their lifetime that we can’t even imagine (think of) right now. If they learn how to learn, they will always be able to teach themselves. They should not have to depend on teachers and schools.

Think critically – One reader calls this thinking “like a scientist” – using evidence and careful, logical (where facts and ideas are connected in a correct way) thinking to analyze information and ideas.

Be happy – Several eSchool News readers stressed (emphasized) the importance of being a happy, caring person. And one of them suggested that character development – learning courage, honesty, loyalty, and other valuable qualities – at home and in school is the key to happy students.

What do you think about these ideas? How many of these skills are emphasized where you live? Would you add others? Would you eliminate (take away) any of these?

~ Warren Ediger – creator of Successful English, where you will find clear explanations and practical suggestions for better English.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Last week I talked about the importance of shortcuts in the life of an Angelino (someone living in Los Angeles). Today I’ll add another essential (necessary) element (part) of life in L.A.: Expect people to be flaky.

To be flaky (can also be spelled flakey) means to say you will do something but then don’t do it, especially when it relates to meeting someone, calling them, or going somewhere with them.  This is something that people who move here – and the majority of the people in Los Angeles are from another city, state, or country – notice right away.  I noticed it within a few weeks of moving here in 1991. But then like most long-time Angelinos, I soon took no notice of (did not pay attention to or think unusual) people’s flakiness (the state of being flaky) and just assumed that it was normal.

Here’s an example of being flaky: You say to your friend that it would be great to visit that new restaurant on Sunset Boulevard.  Your friend says, “I’ll call you on Friday and we’ll go!” or even “Great idea! Let’s meet there Friday night at seven o’clock!” Come Friday (when it is Friday), your friend doesn’t call.  Or worse, you actually go to the restaurant and the person doesn’t show up (arrive for an appointment).  When you call or text them, they say that they “forgot” or, if you were supposed to meet them somewhere, give you the classic (most typical or well-known) Angelino excuse: There was horrible traffic! But you remain friends, because in L.A. you expect people to be flaky, so this doesn’t seem unusual.

Being flaky isn’t something most Angelinos are proud of, and not all Angelinos are like this.  But it is common enough, I think, to warrant (deserve) mention in any description of typical Los Angeles behavior.

Let me hasten (quickly) to add that not all Angelinos are like this, and in general most probably don’t approve of this sort of behavior.  I try never to be flaky, and I don’t like people who are (and would not, in the end, be friends with them if they were!).

All places have their good and bad qualities.  What are some things people who live in your city or region are known for, good or bad?

~Jeff

Photo credit: Palm trees by Echo Park Lake by Nikhil Kulkarni CC

Every city and region (part of a state or country) has its own culture, its own set of customs, beliefs, and unwritten rules. I will soon complete my 20th year here in Los Angeles, and in honor of (to celebrate or mark the event), I thought I would share with you some of the local customs and unwritten rules that make one an Angelino (resident of Los Angeles).  Lucy has already covered the first and most important of these unwritten rules: Never pay too much attention to celebrities.  If you see one, stay calm and pretend not to notice.  I’ll add a few more in this and in upcoming (future) posts, adapting (changing) a few ideas that a local reporter shared recently in the Los Angeles Times.

Here’s today’s rule: Know your shortcuts.  Los Angeles is infamous (well-known or famous, but in a bad sense) for its traffic (too many cars on the roads).  If you take only the main drags (primary or busiest streets), it could take you hours to reach your destination (where you are going).  When I first moved here, a friend recommended I buy a book describing the best shortcuts (the fastest routes or ways to get somewhere).  (Yes, there was a whole book of them!)  So I bought it, and was I glad I did (I was very happy that I did).  The book (I still have it somewhere) describes a few dozen ways to get from one part of the city to the other, using side streets (roads that are not main drags) to avoid traffic.  Even after 20 years, many of these shortcuts I learned when I first arrived here still save me time when driving.

Angelinos even talk about their best shortcuts to friends and family members.  My brother-in-law, who’s lived in Southern California since he was a child, has lots of these shortcuts.  We tell other Angelinos we know about them, but are careful not to tell too many people.  If we did, the shortcuts would themselves become popular and no longer be shortcuts!

Are shortcuts important where you live? What are some of the unwritten rules of your city?

~Jeff

Photo credit: San Diego Freeway, Wikipedia CC