Author Archives: Dr. Jeff McQuillan

5 Things You Didn’t Hear When You Graduated

Posted on Tuesday - May 1, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

What advice would you give a young person who is about to graduate from (finish; complete) college in 2012? Last year I talked about the tradition of commencement speeches at American colleges. A commencement speech is usually given by a … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 23 Comments

Art in the 21st Century

Posted on Tuesday - April 10, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

I’ve recently started reading a book by English historian Paul Johnson called Art: A New History. I confess (tell you a secret) that I don’t know very much about art, although I took a class in art history when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 5 Comments

Not a Lin-stant Success

Posted on Tuesday - March 6, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

If you have been following (paying attention to) American sports at all in the past two months, you have probably heard of a 23-year-old basketball player for the New York Nicks named Jeremy Lin. Lin has become what we might … Continue reading →

Leading Economic Indicators: Longer Skirts, Empty Tunnels, and Uglier Waitresses

Posted on Tuesday - February 28, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Is the economy getting better or worse? Many Americans are still trying to figure out (determine) the answer to that question. We don’t know if our economy is recovering (getting better) yet from one of the worst economic downturns (recessions; … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 28 Comments

Big Shot

Posted on Thursday - January 19, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

A big shot is an informal adjective to describe an important person in an organization. When we say “big” we don’t mean they are physically big or tall. But some new research suggests that people who are big shots really … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 24 Comments

Headline English: N.H. Vote Seen as Gauge as Rivals Try to Slow Romney

Posted on Tuesday - January 10, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

In today’s post, I’ll look at a newspaper story from today’s New York Times, explaining what the words in the headline mean, and what the story is all about. N.H. Vote Seen as Gauge as Rivals Try to Slow Romney … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 25 Comments

You Say You Want a Resolution

Posted on Tuesday - January 3, 2012 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Last week, I talked about five things I was thankful for in the year 2011. With 2012 upon us (here; with us now), it is of course time to make some New Year’s resolutions. Here are a few of mine: … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 29 Comments

Top 5 Memories of 2011

Posted on Tuesday - December 27, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

The year 2011 is almost over, and so it is a good time to think back on the good things that have happened this year in our lives, as well as to make some New Year’s resolutions. As we bring … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 29 Comments

The Ghost of Christmas Past

Posted on Tuesday - December 20, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

One of the more famous works of fiction (novels or stories) written in English about Christmas is Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. In the story, the main character (person), Ebenezer Scrooge, is taken by a ghost (the spirit of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 25 Comments

Fall Festivals, Part 2

Posted on Tuesday - November 8, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

A few weeks ago I wrote about going to a traditional Midwestern (in the middle and northern part of the U.S.) fall festival, and described the types of games and events you might find there. Today we’ll talk about an … Continue reading →