Category Archives: Life in the United States

Every week from 2003 to 2010, on the television program Cold Case, detective Lily Rush found ways to solve (find an explanation for) crimes that no one else had been able to solve. A cold case is a crime or … Continue reading →

We’ve all had the experience of assembling (putting pieces together) furniture, a toy, or an appliance (machine used in the home). Sometimes, it turns out to be (has the unexpected result of) a bigger and more difficult job than we … Continue reading →

“You press the button … we do the rest.” That was the promise made in 1888 by the Eastman Kodak company when they introduced their first camera. Here’s how they described it: “It’s the easy-to-use camera for everyone. There’s no … Continue reading →

Labor Day, observed (celebrated; scheduled) on the first Monday of each September, is the unofficial beginning of the school year at many schools (see English Cafe 49). This year, Labor Day is next Monday, September 7th. As high school students return … Continue reading →

The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California is shaped like a large “H”. If you walk across the middle of the “H” to the left leg and look left, you’ll see the Ragpicker – a painting by Edouard Manet. He … Continue reading →

Home on the Range (land covered by grass) – an old song from the American West – begins like this: Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam (wander; move from place to place), Where the deer and the antelope … Continue reading →

We’ve all had that experience of waiting to buy something we want: a new smartphone, a car, or even something simple, like a book or a pair of shoes. We want it now, but we wait in anticipation (with the expectation) … Continue reading →

I ran across (found by chance) some interesting advice recently in the On Parenting (about being a parent) section of the Washington Post newspaper: “Every kid 16 and older should be making the entire dinner once or twice a week … Continue reading →