Author Archives: Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Attention Nokia Owners: Get ESL Podcast on Your Phone!

Posted on Tuesday - July 19, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

If you own a Nokia phone, you can now download ESL Podcast audio files directly onto your phone with our new Ovi app. Go here for more information and to download the app onto your phone.  (If you like the … Continue reading →

Posted in About ESL Podcast | 7 Comments

Independence Day

Posted on Monday - July 4, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today is Independence Day, a national holiday in the United States. We’ve talked about the Fourth of July a few times (here and here and here). This day marks (indicates; remembers) the anniversary of the signing of our Declaration (Statement) … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements, Life in the United States | 39 Comments

SoCal Slang Is Coo

Posted on Tuesday - June 7, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

There’s an old saying that “all politics is local,” meaning that all political elections, even for president, depend on the conditions in the city or area where you are living. If the economy is bad in your city, it doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 13 Comments

Harvard, Prison, or McDonald’s: Which is Harder to Get Into?

Posted on Thursday - June 2, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

I came across (saw something I wasn’t looking for at the time) a couple of statistics recently, although I’m not sure exactly what they mean. The first comes from an article in the Wall Street Journal about the California Prison … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 39 Comments

Why Does My Digital Camera Have a Clicking Sound?

Posted on Tuesday - May 24, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Like a lot of other smartphones nowadays, my phone has a camera. When I take a picture, there is a sound that is made that is just like the sound the cameras of my youth (when I was young)  made … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology | 23 Comments

Spousonomics

Posted on Tuesday - May 10, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Economics is the study of how we produce (make), consume (use), and transfer (give to someone else) various kinds of goods (physical things) and services (actions). In recent years, there have been several books in which economists use the methods … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 19 Comments

612,000

Posted on Tuesday - April 12, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today is the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the first Battle of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, which marked (indicated) the beginning of the American Civil War.  From 1861 to 1865, approximately 612,000 men, women, and children died as a result of … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 7 Comments

Headline English: Going Hungry for the Hungry

Posted on Tuesday - April 5, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today I’m going to try another “Headline English” post. First I’ll give the background (the overall story or context of the headline), then we’ll talk about the specific words in the headline. Headline: Anti-Hunger Advocates Fast to Protest U.S. Budget … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 16 Comments

State of the State of the Union Address

Posted on Thursday - January 27, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

On Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama gave what is called the State of the Union address (speech). Our constitution (most important legal document) requires that the president give a report to Congress (the Senate and House of Representatives) on the … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 49 Comments

Thanks for Nothing

Posted on Thursday - January 13, 2011 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Andy Borowitz is a humorist (a comedian; someone who tries to be funny). His website is filled with fake (invented; not real) news stories that are, depending on your political views, supposed to be funny (similar to The Onion).  In … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States, Technology | 38 Comments