“This week, the lame ducks are returning to Congress for their last bit of legislating (making laws). But no one seems too excited to see them.” That was the lede (or lead; the first sentence or paragraph) for a news story in the Washington Post last week.

Other newspapers and websites echoed (repeated) those feelings in their headlines (the title of a news story):

• Lamest Lame Duck (Politico)
• How Lame Will The Lame Ducks Be? (The Atlantic)
• Don’t Let Lame Ducks Spend Your Money (American Spectator)

We all probably know what a duck is. But, a lame duck? If you know the word “lame”, you might say that a lame duck is a duck that can’t walk because its foot or leg is weak (not strong) or injured (hurt) – like the duck in the photo.

You’d be right, but in politics, “lame” means something different. Let me try to explain. In the U.S., our national elections (when we vote) are always early (near the beginning) in November. But the president and Congress – members of the Senate and House of Representatives – don’t take office (begin work) until later, in January. Each session (work year) of Congress begins on January 3rd, and a new president takes office on January 20th.

Do you see the problem?

Between election day and January 3rd or 20th, people who were not reelected (elected again) have to go to work, but they have no real power because their jobs will soon end. In a very short time, someone else will have their job. These people are the lame ducks.

An American newspaper first used the word “lame duck” this way in 1863 during our Civil War. In 1932, Will Rogers – an American cowboy and a very funny man who became a popular performer and writer – suggested his own definition. He wrote that a lame duck Congress is “like where some fellows (men) worked for you and their work wasn’t satisfactory (good enough) and you let ‘em (them) out, but after you fired (told them they had to leave their job) ‘em, you let ‘em stay long enough so they could burn your house down.”

This situation may seem strange to people from countries where politicians begin their terms (time in political office) shortly (very soon) after they are elected. But it’s actually better in the U.S. today than it used to be. Before 1933, the president and Congress began their terms in March. The 20th Amendment (change) to the U.S. Constitution (the highest law of the government) moved the beginning of the terms to January, where they are today.

I guess you could say that we haven’t eliminated (gotten rid of) the lame ducks, but we have shortened their lives.

~ Warren Ediger – ESL coach/tutor and creator of the Successful English web site, where you’ll find clear explanations and practical suggestions for better English.

Information source: Washington Post.
Photo (edited) courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

If you want an unforgettable drive, drive west from Washington, D.C., for about one hour, turn onto Skyline Drive, take it to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and drive to the end. These two roads follow the Blue Ridge Mountains for almost 600 miles (965 km). And if you drive them, you’ll experience one of the most historic (important to history) and beautiful areas in the eastern U.S.

You can’t drive fast here – the speed limit (how fast you can drive) is lower than usual – but you wouldn’t want to. Every turn in the road shows you something new – rugged (rocky) mountains and pastoral (farm-like) valleys (land between mountains) with waterfalls, rivers, and lakes. Forests and fields (areas of open land) of colorful wildflowers come to the edge of the road. And if you look carefully, you may see deer, bears, wild turkeys, and other wild animals.

One thing that sets these roads apart (makes them different) is that the area around them is treated as a historical museum. Historical places and buildings have been protected and taken care of so people can enjoy them as they were originally (from the beginning) and learn from them. When you drive these roads, you drive through history.

If you open your car window and listen carefully as you drive, you may hear something else that sets this area apart – the music. These hills are alive with the sound of music.

The hill music can be difficult to describe. It’s old-time music, some of it brought by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland. It’s string-band (see the photo) music. It’s bluegrass music. It’s the music of the people who live here. And they love to make it.

You can hear the music on street corners and in barber shops (where men get their hair cut). Evenings and weekends you can find people gathered on someone’s front porch (area in front of a house with a roof but no walls) or in someone else’s barn (large farm building), making and enjoying music.

Chris Wohlwend recently wrote about his visit to a popular gathering place called The Red Barn. It was a very casual gathering, he writes. Admission (cost to get in) is free. And everyone is welcome. Many of the people bring food to share with everyone else.

When it’s time to start, the musicians pick up their instruments and, in the words of one of their popular songs, “make them sing.” Any musician is welcome to “sit in” (participate; take part), and many do.

The Red Barn has about 100 seats (chairs), and on the night Wohlwend went, about 75 people were there. During the performance, some listened, some danced, some sampled (took a small amount of) the food, and others visited with (talked to) friends. A dog wandered (walked casually) through the crowd from time to time, and a young boy leaned (rested) against the stage (raised area where the musicians sat), fascinated by (extremely interested in) the fiddle (violin) player.

At the end of the evening, Wohlwend wrote, after almost everyone had gone, one of the men picked up his fiddle and began to play one of his favorite songs alone, “oblivious (not aware) that the barn was empty. He was playing for his own enjoyment.”

If you’d like to look at Wohlwend’s article, which includes photos and a link to one of the songs he heard, you can find it here.

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

String band photo courtesy of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.

I’ve recently come across (seen without looking for it) a couple of reports about American-themed (style) parties in other countries. The idea is to decorate, eat, drink, and play games that are stereotypical (a widely believed but too simple idea) of Americans and their celebrations. People attend these parties dressed like Americans — or at least what they think Americans look like — perhaps in cut-off shorts (short pants made by cutting off the pant legs above the knee, usually from jeans) and t-shirts, team jerseys (uniform shirts) of American basketball, football, or baseball teams, and baseball hats or cowboy hats.

The food served at American parties is also common American food, although not always the food real Americans actually would serve at parties. Among the things served are popcorn (made by cooking corn kernels (seeds) in hot oil and adding butter and salt), cupcakes (small, individual cakes), and hamburgers.

And, of course, there has to be beer. Apparently (it seems that) the most important part of having an American party is to have red Solo cups. Solo is an American brand of disposable (used once and thrown away) plates, utensils (knives, forks, and spoons), and plastic cups.

Most Americans would be surprised that people from other countries have identified these red plastic cups to be so, well, American. In fact, there is nothing special about these cups, to our way of thinking (from our point of view). The main reason they are so often used at parties is because they are cheap and they’re relatively large. They are large enough to hold a good amount of beer (16 ounces) and they are fairly sturdy (not easily broken) for a disposable cup. There is no particular reason for the cups to be red; it’s just the company’s way of distinguishing (separating themselves in people’s minds) its product from those of other companies. But because of its association with American parties, some companies are now selling red Solo cups on websites and in stores abroad (in foreign countries), precisely so they can be used for American parties.

The red Solo cup even has its own song. Popular country music singer Toby Keith released (made available to the public) a song in 2011 called “Red Solo Cup.” It’s a tribute (something done to honor or appreciate something) to the cup, and if you must hear it, you can see the video for it here. It’s truly a dreadful (terrible) song. I normally wouldn’t pass judgement (give an opinion), but it really is a bad, bad, bad song. You have been warned.

If you have had or have gone to an American-themed party, tell us about it.

If we were to have a party based on the country or culture you live in, what is the one thing that the party must have?

– Lucy

Photo Credit: Asolocup from Wikipedia