Author Archives: Warren Ediger

FYI and LOL in OED? OMG!

This month the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) added FYI, LOL, and OMG to their online edition. Previously (before now), OED had added IMHO, TMI, BFF, and others to the online dictionary. These expressions are examples of initialisms, abbreviations that are … Continue reading

Posted in Language & Terms | 16 Comments

The Tire Iron and the Tamale

Sometimes help comes from an unexpected source (a thing or person you get something from). Sometimes it’s free, and sometimes it changes you forever. This story is adapted (changed to make it easier to read) and shortened from a true … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 30 Comments

Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower . . . and RoboCop

Some are very well known. In the U.S., the Statue of Liberty. In Rio de Janeiro, Christ the Redeemer. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower. In Kamakura, Japan, the Daibutsu, or Great Buddha. Others are not so well known. For instance, … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States, News and Current Events | 24 Comments

Brews from the Little Guys

If you ask my wife, she might tell you that our two sons led me astray (caused me to do something foolish) a few years ago. She and I frequently enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. But neither of … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 24 Comments

Who’s Marrying Whom?

The New York Times recently ran (published) an interesting set of articles and graphics that underscore (emphasize) the changing face (appearance) of America. Because of immigration, the American population has always been diverse (made up of different groups of people). … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 32 Comments

Mindful Seeing

I was distracted (my attention was taken away from what I was doing) yesterday by a blog post that took me first to a fascinating article and from there to an equally fascinating website. Mindful Seeing If you remember, in … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 23 Comments

One Day at a Time

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve run across (found without looking) some things on the Internet that share a common (similar) theme (subject or idea). On the surface (the part that’s easy to see) they appear to be very … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 47 Comments

So, What’s the Truth?

Years ago, I studied news writing and reporting with Bob Taylor. Bob had been a successful television news reporter and editor (news manager) in Chicago, Illinois, before he came to the University of Nebraska J-school (journalism school). Bob wasn’t much … Continue reading

Posted in News and Current Events | 31 Comments

The Wanderers

When I was teaching adult ESL students, I would often begin a get-acquainted (getting to know each other) discussion by asking two questions. The first was “how would you describe yourself? Are you a Mexican (or Korean or….) living in … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 33 Comments

The Big One

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 … Continue reading

Posted in Life in the United States | 44 Comments