When you say “California,” different people think of different things. Some think about Hollywood. Others think about warm weather and sandy beaches or the beautiful mountain scenery – the rock face (side or surface) of Half Dome, water falls, and towering (very tall) trees – of Yosemite National Park. Still others think about California’s large, exciting cities, like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego.

There’s another group of people that think – and sometimes worry – about earthquakes. California is situated (located) on top of a large number of faults, as you can see in this map. A fault is a large crack in the rocks that form (make up) the earth’s surface. When these rocks shift (move) – up and down or from side to side – the result is an earthquake. From time to time (occasionally) there’s talk about the possibility of another “big one” – a large, catastrophic (causing a lot of damage, suffering, or death) earthquake that could destroy entire cities and kill or injure many people.

California had a “big one” in 1906. The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 registered (measured) somewhere around (about) 8.25 on the Richter scale (a measurement using numbers to describe the power of an earthquake). It was so strong that people 400 miles (almost 650 km) away – in Los Angeles and the states of Oregon and Nevada – could feel it! More than 3,000 people were killed by the earthquake and the fires it caused. The San Francisco earthquake is considered one of the worst natural disasters in American history.

I recently discovered two old film clips (a part of a film) that show the dramatic (great; big) contrast of life in San Francisco before and after the earthquake. In the first clip, you’ll see a fascinating picture of life in San Francisco more than 100 years ago. In the second, you’ll see a graphic (with a lot of details) picture of the devastation (serious damage) caused by the 1906 earthquake.

The first film clip – A Trip Down Market Street – was made by putting a movie camera on the front of a streetcar and filming the changing scene (view of a place) as the streetcar travels up Market Street – one of the main streets in San Francisco – from the harbor (where ships stop) to the center of town. When you watch it, you’ll learn a lot about San Francisco in 1906. You can still ride street cars today in San Francisco, but the scene is very different than it was 100 years ago! Coincidentally (by chance; not planned), this clip was probably made less than one week before the earthquake!

A Trip Down Market Street (This is an old silent film; there is no sound.)

The second film clip was compiled (to make something by putting together different pieces) in 2009 from news footage (film of an event) taken after the earthquake. Two filmmakers, Dan Meyerson and Matt Peterson, wanted to recapture (to bring back the experience of) what life looked like in San Francisco after the earthquake.

This clip follows almost the same route (the way from one place to another) – along Market Street – as the first clip. As you will see, the earthquake caused almost total devastation to downtown San Francisco.

Market Street after the earthquake

There’s no way to know when or where the next “big one” will hit (happen suddenly) California. It could happen tomorrow or even wait another 100 years.

If you’re interested in more American culture and history, you can find many things like these film clips at Open Culture, a web site that provides free educational and cultural media. It’s the most appropriate for more advanced English learners.

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

Public domain photo by Arnold Genthe used courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Most college students worry about how much they will make (how much they will be paid) at their first job after they graduate (complete their studies), what we would call their starting salaries.  As you already know, the answer to that question depends on what your major (field of study or concentration) is.

Recently, the website PayScale.com and the Wall Street Journal newspaper published a list of the average starting salaries for U.S. college graduates getting their first job after graduation.  The statistics (numbers; figures) are from the years 1999 to 2010.  From highest average salary to lowest, here is the list (note: dollar amounts are for one year’s salary or pay):

• Engineering (all combined): $56,000
• Computer Science: $50,000
• Civil Engineering: $49.000
• Accounting: $43,000
• Economics: $42,000
• Finance: $41,000
• Biology: $38,000
• Business: $38.000
• Marketing: $37,000
• Political Science: $36,000
• Psychology: $35,000
• Communications: $34,000
• English (study of literature): $34,000

Remember that many graduates work in areas unrelated to their actual major in college.  An English major, for example, may get a job in sales, or an engineering major might get a job at a bank.  Not all majors are listed here, and these statistics are just for the beginning salaries.

What was my major?  My first degree was in history, which I finished in 1986 (well, sort of – it’s a long story!).  I don’t remember my exact salary for my first year of work, but the job was in the business office of a company that made clothing.  I’m sure it was less than $12,000 a year.  Adjusted for inflation (the change in the “price” or worth of money over time), today it would be about $24,000 (calculation done here).

It was a good thing (fortunately) I went back to school to study something else after that first job!

~Jeff

Photo credit for Columbia University (where President Obama graduated from): Wikipedia CC

Little boys’ dreams often become the lives of grown (adult) men. When I use the word “dreams,” I’m not talking about those images and sounds that come to us while we’re sleeping. Rather (instead), I’m talking about the hopes and desires that grow from our imagination, often when we’re young–sometimes very young. These dreams can give us the courage, strength, and determination to pursue (go after; work toward) goals and ideas that others would never consider (think about doing).

I was reminded of these dreams by two videos that I came across (found) recently. The first video is of a three-year-old conductor. A conductor is the leader of an orchestra (a group of musicians playing instruments). This three-year-old boy is not conducting a real orchestra, but he is using his imagination to do what a conductor does, while he listens to a CD of one of Beethoven’s symphonies (a longer piece of music played by a full orchestra). And he does it quite well – for the first 2 or 3 minutes! I don’t know if he’s really dreaming of becoming a conductor some day; however, this may be where the dream begins.

You can see the video here, on Open Culture, along with the same piece of music conducted by the great Herbert von Karajan.

I identify with this dream because I had the same dream. I didn’t start when I was three, but when I was a few years older, I spent hours “conducting” Beethoven’s symphonies – all nine of them – in my parents’ dining room where the stereo was. Part of that dream came true. Today, as a hobby (something you do for pleasure), I am a member and assistant conductor of a choir (group of singers) that performs music written by many of the great composers (writers of music).

The second video comes from a Yahoo! Canada News story that tells about a seven-year-old boy whose dream took him to the edge (beginning) of space:

Most kids dream about becoming an astronaut (a person trained to travel into space) when they grow up, but one youngster (child) from New York just couldn’t wait for a glimpse (quick look; peek) of space.

Seven-year-old Max Geissbuhler and his father Luke came up with a solution (a way to solve a problem or do something): send a balloon equipped with an HD (high definition) video camera and iPhone into the stratosphere – 30 km above Earth’s surface.

Father and son packed their equipment into an insulated (protected from hot and cold) casing (container; box) and hitched (attached) it to a balloon. They even included hand warmers to help keep the equipment from freezing (for liquid to become so cold that it turns solid) and a handwritten note from Max to strangers who might discover the balloon.

The experiment was a resounding (very great; complete) success. The camera captured (recorded) amazing footage (video showing a particular event) of the blackness of space and the curvature (curve or roundness) of the Earth before the expanding (getting larger) balloon burst (exploded) – as expected – from lack (not enough) of atmospheric pressure (pressure or force from the weight of air). The team then located their device, protected by a parachute (a large piece of fabric that fills with air and allows a heavy object to fall slowly), by utilizing (using) the iPhone’s GPS (global positioning satellite) capability.

Despite not technically (officially) reaching space – the boundary (line that marks the edge of something) is usually defined as 100 km above Earth’s surface – the camera did get a peek (glimpse; quick look). Not bad for a seven year old.

You can see the video here – Homemade Spacecraft – on Vimeo.

Little boys’ – and little girls’ – dreams are important. They often provide the spark (action or event that makes something happen) they need to accomplish (do) great things. I’ve seen it happen.

I hope that you and your children dream dreams – and accomplish them!

~ Warren Ediger – creator of Successful English – where clear explanations and practical suggestions help dreams of better English come true.

Photo by W. Ediger