Americans on average don’t watch much professional soccer on television. However, soccer is popular among Spanish-speakers in the U.S.  If you want to watch a game of soccer on television, you usually have to watch a Spanish language channel in a large city (like Los Angeles, which has several Spanish language TV stations).  Although most Americans don’t watch soccer, they are familiar with what the announcer (the person who describes the game) says when someone scores a goal, because it is usually shouted (said very loudly) and for a very long time: “Gooooooooooooool!” (the Spanish word for goal).  It is something of a joke, actually, in talking about soccer in the U.S.

Even though soccer is not all that popular (not very popular), there were stories today in the newspapers about Spain defeating Germany in the European Championship.  One article in the New York Times said that the Spanish team “did what was unthinkable during the long decades of Spanish failure of heart and mind and toe.”  To do the unthinkable is to do something very difficult, almost impossible.  A decade is 10 years.  The expression “heart and mind” refers to both the emotions (heart) and the intellect (mind or brain).  People sometimes talk about “winning the hearts and minds” of another group, which means convincing a group of people of something both emotionally and intellectually.

So by winning the Euro 2008 championship, the Spanish team did something very difficult, something that has not been done in many years – they united the country.

The funny part of this quote is the “and toe.”  This is not part of the original expression, but it is added since we are talking about soccer, which of course uses the feet to kick the ball.

So congratulations to Spain for winning the Euro 2008 – and good luck to all of the other teams next time!

~Jeff

Following up on Lucy’s post yesterday about the cost of traveling and oil, there was a headline today in the New York Times (paper edition) which read “Bush to Seek an End to Ban on Oil Drilling.” I want to explain this headline and a little about the story behind it.

To seek means that someone is looking for something, but here it means Bush intends to or will try to do something. A ban means something is not allowed, not permitted. In most U.S. restaurants, there is a smoking ban. Ban can also be a verb, as in “We banned smoking in our restaurant.” Drilling comes from the verb to drill, which means to make a hole in the ground in order to find something such as oil or gas.

So, what does the headline mean? Many years ago the government decided that it would not allow oil companies to drill for oil in certain areas in the country because of the possible damage to the environment (water, air, etc.). What President Bush is now planning to do is ask the Congress (our elected national representatives in Washington D.C.) to allow oil companies to do more drilling, to end the ban on drilling in areas such as the Gulf of Mexico and certain protected areas of the state of Alaska. The president wants to allow “enviromentally-friendly” drilling, meaning drilling that will not cause damage to the environment.

Why all this sudden interest in oil drilling? Well, the price of oil is very high, so people are looking for new sources of oil to lower the price. But there are many politicians and others who think that drilling for more oil is not worth the risk (danger, possible damage). Othes are saying that the U.S. should try to use less energy, and look for sources of energy that do not require oil.

~Jeff

The airline industry (business) is in trouble all over the world, and the U.S. is no exception (the same as everyone else).

In the U.S. in recent months, four smaller airlines have filed for bankruptcy, which is when a person or company say legally that they cannot pay their bills. Two big airlines–Delta and Northwest–are going ahead with a merger (when two companies combine to become one), even though there are major objections (opposition; disapproval) from the pilots (people who fly the airplanes). The two companies believe that it’s the best way to save money and to keep from going under (failing as a business).

To counter (to act against) the high price of fuel (energy that runs machines, like airplanes and cars), several major airlines are cutting back (reducing) on the number of flights they offer by about 15%, which means there are fewer seats for passengers and tickets are more expensive.

Airlines are also charging more for their services. A few of the U.S.’s largest airlines, including American Airlines and United Airlines, have started to charge for the first piece of luggage that passengers check in (give to the airline to put on the airplane). Most airlines have always charged for the second piece of luggage or for heavy luggage, but this is the first time that an airline is charging for the first piece of check-in luggage. Many people say that with this change, more people will want to bring carry-on luggage (bags a passenger takes onto the airplane him/herself), which will mean longer lines through security.

Fewer flight options (choices), higher prices, longer lines, and more hassle (bother; problems) are just a few of the things air travelers have to look forward to.

~ Lucy