Duck, Duck, Goose

There is something fowl about this blog post!  Can you guess what it is?

In the US there are lots of different types of wild ducks and geese.   We call ducks and geese (also chickens) fowl.  Fowl sounds like the word foul which means something dirty, gross, or an error in a sports game.  So I made a pun or a play on words.  It sounds like I'm saying there is something gross about this post but it's just a fun way to say it's all about ducks and geese.

 Here are two common fowl in the US.

Mallard Ducks

A male and female Mallard Duck out for a walk on a chilly day.  The male has emerald green feathers on his head and a bright yellow beak, the female is brown and speckled.

Canadian Goose

Canadian Geese are big, have a brown body and a black neck and head.  (Geese is the plural for the word goose.)   Although they are quite handsome, many people don't like the geese because there are so many of them.  They hang out in large flocks on open areas like golf courses, playing fields and school yards.  They  are noisy and poop all over making it unpleasant to be around them.  (Talk about a foul fowl!)

The title of this post is duck, duck, goose but it is more than just a description of the number of birds in the pictures.  Duck, duck, goose is a game played by young kids in the US.  Click on the link to read how this game is played.

Laundry Day

Laundry Day!  I have no more clean clothes and since I'm living out of my suitcase while I travel around the US on vacation it means a  trip to the laundromat.

Laundromats are the place to go if you don't have a washing machine and dryer at your house, apartment or dorm.  It cost me $1 (~20,000 VND) to wash one load, 75 cents (~15,000 VND) for a single size laundry soap and $1.50 (~30,000 VND)  for the dryer.  And that's pretty cheap as far as laundromats go.  

Most people wait in the laundromat while their laundry is in the machines.  It can be boring to wait but you don't want someone to walk away with your clothes by theft or by accident.   While I was there someone accidentally, opened my dryer.  They realized it right away, closed the door and restarted the machine.

I brought a crossword puzzle book to do while I was waiting.  Now I have clean clothes again.  Hooray!

Geocaching with Cassie

What do you like to do in your free time?  Do you have any hobbies?

Well, today I would like to tell you about mine.  (If you are one of my friends from the American Center, you already know.)  I like to play a game called Geocaching.  The idea is you use a GPS unit to look for boxes hidden in different places.   Here is an official video explaining more about it -



I have a confession to make.  I don't use my GPS very often when I play this game.  That's because I play in the city and it's often easy to figure out where the hidden location is by using Google maps and the hints listed on the Geocache page.  Of course, this doesn't work if you are looking for a cache hidden in the forest or on a long hiking trail but I've managed to find quite a few this way.

Come along with me as I drive from my hotel to find an easy geocache.  It's filmed in timelapse so the whole video is less than 1 minute.  (42 seconds to be exact.)

Animals Sing

Lots of alternative versions of the 12 Days of Christmas have been made.  Here is a funny one starring family pets.  Enjoy a good laugh!

12-12-12

Happy 12-12-12!

Today is December 12, 2012 or 12-12-12.  In honor of this special day I present you with the 12 Days of Christmas.  

 

Don't ask me why someone would give their true love such crazy gifts as Lords a leapin' and Partridges in a Pear tree.  All I know is the song goes on forever and it's fun to sing.

Enjoy!

Breakfast for Dinner 2!

As promised in my last post, ...  here is the second place I ate breakfast for dinner on my trip to Ithaca, New York.    A restaurant called Waffle Frolic.  I bet you can't guess what I had for dinner?

Chili!  Ha, ha you were expecting me to say waffles weren't you.  Ok, you're right.  I had chili served on a cornbread waffle.  Not a typical waffle but very delicious.   The other waffle was a nice normal buttermilk waffle with fried bananas and chocolate sauce on top.   It's always good to eat out with a friend, that way you can share.

I thought the name Waffle Frolic was just a cute name the owner thought up but it turns out the name is actually historic.  US President Thomas Jefferson brought back a waffle iron from France in the late 1700s and started a trend of waffle parties in the United States.  These parties were called waffle frolics.  It just goes to show you can always learn something new every day.

I hope you enjoyed learning about waffles.  Thanks for stopping by.

Breakfast for Dinner!

Certain foods in the United States are considered breakfast foods.  In other words, they are foods we eat for breakfast.  For example, eggs, toast, bagels, muffins, pancakes, waffles, hashbrowns, french toast, bacon, sausage and so on are all breakfast foods.

The funny thing is we often eat these foods for other meals.  So it's not unusual to have scrambled eggs or pancakes for dinner.  But we always call it breakfast for dinner.

But it does not work the other way around.  We don't usually eat dinner foods for breakfast.  It would be very strange for someone to eat a hamburger and french fries in the morning.

Of course there are few exceptions to this rule.  One exception is cold pizza.  If you had pizza for dinner and there is some left in the refrigerator in the morning, go ahead and eat it.  This is a favorite breakfast food for college students.

Recently I ate dinner at 2 different restaurants in Ithaca, New York dedicated to breakfast foods.  They are open all day long and serve breakfast foods any time of the day.  The first was a bagel restaurant called College Town Bagels that serves sandwiches on bagels.

The other one ....   Well, you have to wait until tomorrow to hear about that.  Thanks for sharing this Byte of America with me.  

The Lottery in the US

Many countries around the world have lottery games and the United States is no different.  You pay a small amount of money for a chance to win a big amount of money.   I don't play the lottery often because quite honestly I don't like to lose.  And since it's a game of chance if you win or lose, it is all because of luck.   

So, to quote the famous character Harry Callahan from the American movie Dirty Harry -
"you've got to ask yourself one question:  Do I feel lucky?  Well, do ya, punk?"

I do.  I feel lucky!   I admit it the excitement of becoming an instant millionaire sometimes draws me in.  My favorite type of lottery game is instant win scratch off tickets.  Near the door of most grocery stores there are vending machines that sell colorful tickets that cost different amounts and have different prizes.

Here is a lottery ticket I bought recently.  It cost $1 and the idea is you scratch off the $ marks with a coin.  This will reveal a money amount.  If you find 3 matching amounts, you win that prize.

So, did I win?  Well, I think you can tell from the goofy picture of me above that the answer is NO.  Next time I think I'll save my dollar for the soda machine.  At least that way I'll have something to show for my money.

Some facts about the lottery in the US
- You must be 18 years old to play.
- Not all states have a lottery.  Each state decides if they will have one or not.
- The money raised from the lottery goes to things like education and road improvement.  I bought my ticket in the state of Pennsylvania and the money is used for programs that help older people in the state.

Now it's your turn to talk.  Do you ever play the lottery?  What type of lottery games do you have in your country?  Is it a good idea to play or is it a big waste of money?  Join the conversation in the comment section.

Christmas Cookies

December in the United States is often referred to as the Holiday Season or Christmas Season.  Activities, parties and other celebrations happen all month long and not just on Christmas Day which is December 25.  One of the traditions of the season is to bake cookies and share them with friends and family.  

I attended a special dinner event last Monday night so my mother-in-law (my husband's mother) and I made Christmas cookies to take with us.  By the way, Christmas cookies aren't one type of cookie.  It's really a term used to describe all cookies baked and served this time of year.  Some like gingerbread cookies and sugar cookies are made mostly around Christmas and some like the ones above are decorated with colored sugars and candies and others like chocolate chip cookies are baked all year round.  We used Christmas colors of green and red to decorate these.  (The chocolate stars are store bought from Trader Joes.)

In this picture I'm making the cookies using a cookie press.  A cookie press is that funny silver tube I'm holding in my hands.   It has a plate with a design cut out of it on one end and the cookie dough is placed inside the tube.  At the other end is a handle.  When I twist the handle it pushes the cookie dough out the other end.  It pass through the decorative part and on to the cookie sheet.  This gives the cookie a unique shape.  The plates can be changed to make different shapes.

This cookie press is very old.  It is made out of metal and you have to turn the crank by hand.  They make newer models that are plastic and battery operated.  

Americans will often exchange cookies with their friends this time of year.  If you are invited to someone's house for the holidays bringing a special food or holiday treat from your own culture is a nice gift.  

Poinsettia

As I mentioned in my last post, pine trees are not the only plant commonly used in the US to decorate for the Christmas holiday.  Poinsettia are also very popular this time of year.

I visited a local greenhouse that sells thousands of these beautiful plants.  Originally from Mexico where  they grew wild, Poinsettias were brought to the United States in 1828 by the US Ambassador to Mexico Joel Robert Poinsett.  And that is also how they got their name.

Originally these plants only came in red.  But today plant breeders have introduced many different colors including white, pink, and a mixture of the two.  But these red and white colored parts are not actually the flower of the Poinsettia.  They are a special type of leaf and the true flower is the little tiny yellow centers.

If you are in the United States for the Christmas holiday and you are invited to someone's house for a party or dinner, a Poinsettia makes a nice gift to bring for the host.

Thanks for stopping by.  This has been Cassie Brenn for Fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.

Christmas Tree Shopping

Happy December everyone!  I am back in the United States visiting family for the holidays.  Today I went to a nursery selling fresh cut pine trees for Christmas.  Christmas trees are the main decorations for the upcoming holiday.  Some people have artificial Christmas trees and some people have real trees freshly cut.
The real trees have a wonderful pine scent.

Here I am standing in the Christmas tree lot.  There were lots of families picking out Christmas trees and taking them home.

After someone picks out a tree to buy, it gets stuffed into this machine that wraps them up tightly in string so that it's easy to take home.

And there it is all ready for the drive home.  A tree tied to the top of a car is a common site this time of year. 

I did not buy a tree at this nursery.   But I did buy another plant that is commonly used for Christmas decorations.  Wonder what it is?  Check back later and see.  

English Central Thanksgiving Videos

Now time for some fun!

English Central The History of Thanskgiving

How did Thanksgiving start?  Time for a history lesson.

English Central - Thanksgiving

This Thursday November 22 is an American Holiday called Thanksgiving.    Everyone gets together with their family for a big traditional meal and to give thanks for all the good things in their lives.  Over the next few days I'll share videos about Thanksgiving from English Central.  

The first video gives you the basics.  Enjoy!

3 Reasons to Fist Bump

whitehouse.gov

Here are 3 situations you might want to use a fist bump instead of a handshake.

1.  Friendly Greeting
Shaking hands is not the only way to say hello.  The fist bump is now gaining popularity as an alternative greeting.  It's more informal and a little more personal and friendly.  

2.  Say "good job!"
Besides being a greeting, a fist bump is a way to show support and congratulations to a friend, co-worker, or teammate.  Your teammate just hit a homerun, give 'em a fist bump.  Roommate aced their test -  fist bump.  Your mother cooked your favorite dinner....  OK fist bumps don't work in all situations.   but you get the idea.    

3.  Avoid Germs
No one wants to shake hands with someone who is sneezing and coughing.  During cold and flu season germs can spread easily from person to person.  Limit your contact to germs by doing a fist bump instead of a handshake.   

So, get out there and try a fist bump.  It's easy to do.  You make a fist, the other person makes a fist, and the two of you bump them together.  Just remember it's a bump.  Not a punch.  A soft tap or a light touch on the knuckles is all you need.  It's a fist bump, not a fist fight.  

English Central Videos on Handshaking

Here are 2 videos on handshaking the first one is rated easy and the second one is medium.

5 Dos and Don'ts for Shaking Hands

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you want to shake hands with someone.

DO extend your right hand and grasp the other person's hand palm to palm.
DON'T grab the fingers of the other person's hand.

DO grab the other person's hand firmly and confidently.
DON'T grab too hard.  You want to leave the person with a good impression not broken bones.

DO shake from the elbow up and down.
DON'T shake from the wrist or shoulder.

DO shake 2 or 3 times and then let go.
DON'T hold the other persons hand too long.  It's awkward.

DO shake with 1 hand only.  The right hand.
DON'T place your other hand on the person's hand or arm.  This feels too personal or controlling.

Topic of the Week - The Handshake

This week we will be talking about Handshakes.  In the US people often shake hands when they meet for the first time.  That's fine for people but what about cold soft drinks?  Is Sippy too cold to shake hands?  Check out the latest video to see.
Shake My Hand by Cbrenn on GoAnimate

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Language Link 
Cold has 2 meanings.  It can mean a low temperature such as it is cold outside in the winter.  Or it can mean someone's attitude is unfriendly.  She was very cold to the new cook.  She wouldn't even shake her hand.

Victory Speech

This week I am featuring famous words by famous Americans.   Well, I'm sure you have heard by now that the US election is over and President Obama has been elected to a second term as President of the United States.  

After the election was finished,  President Obama gave a Victory Speech.  You can watch it at the New York Times website.  The link below has the video of the 20 minute speech broken down into key moments.  So, you can watch the whole thing or just a small part.  It also has the transcript so you can read a long with the video.  

NY Times Interactive Victory Speech

I'm a not so famous American and people don't normally ask me for a quote.  However, I recently won an award for talking about American Culture and English.  I have to give my own victory speech at the award ceremony.  I only have 1 minute to talk though.  I wonder what I should say.  Any ideas?  Leave your suggestions in the comments.  

Quotes from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs' Greatest Quotes from Effect Works

Another Quote Riddle

Oops!  I did it again. My fingers were all clumsy typing up this quote.  All of the words got out of order.  Can you put the words back in to the correct order so that they make sense in English.  The first word and the last word are correct.

Leaders who empower those are others.

answer Leaders are those who empower others.

This quote is paraphrased from Bill Gates founder of Microsoft.  See the original quote here.

Quote Riddle

Oops!  I had a problem typing up today's quote.  All of the words got out of order.  Can you put the words back in to the correct order so that they make sense in English.  The first word and the last word are correct.

To it something believe in becomes with a to such you passion that succeed a have reality.

answer To succeed you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality.

This quote is by Anita Roddick founder of the Body Shop.

Quotes

This week we will look at the quotes of famous Americans.  

Reading quotes is a good way to learn new ideas that can inspire us to be more successful in our own lives.   But it’s also important to judge each idea against our own situation, experience, culture and values to see if we agree or disagree with each statement.  Remember even though they are famous, they are also human and capable of bad decisions and mistakes.  That is why it's really important to think deeply about the words and ideas of others before making them our own.  What’s right for them, might not be right for you.  You have to decide for yourself.

Here is our first quote of the week -

"Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds.  See the world.  It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories."
-Ray Bradbury, author

Do you agree or disagree?  Leave a comment.

The Issues in the US Presidential Election

Everyone is talking about the issues in the US Presidential Election.  

Issues are the topics that matter most to Americans.  They include things like -
The economy and jobs
Taxes
US foreign policy
health care
Just to name a few

Through out the election the candidates have been talking about these issues - What do they think about the issues and what will they do if they are elected President.  

Here is a website that gives you video clips from each candidate on different issues
http://campaign2012.c-span.org/issues

What Does the World Think about the US Election?

We've been talking a lot about what is important to Americans in the US Presidential election but how do people outside of the US feel about it?  Although you can't vote if you are not a US citizen, the election does impact other countries.

In this video produced by Christiane Amanpour, she asks reporters how people in different countries feel about the 2 candidates.  She also says that in an opinion  poll done by the BBC,  in their survey, President Obama is the top choice for all the countries except for one.  One of the reasons quoted is that they know him and like his friendly attitude towards other countries.

Your costume is Punny!

source: womansday.com

Let's take a break from all of this Election talk!  Halloween is coming up on October 31.  Kids in the United States will dress up in costumes and go trick or treating.  That means they will go to visit their neighbors, knock on their door and say, "Trick or Treat!"  The people at the house will give them candy or some other little treat. 

Some grown-ups also get dressed up in costume and go to Halloween Parties.  It's lots of fun and very creative to make your own costume.  

These cute little babies are dressed in a Punny costume.  It's a play on words.  Do you know what they are? Deviled Eggs!

Want to see more? Check out this link to Halloween Costumes. 

Absentee Voting

Because I live in Vietnam many people ask me if I will be able to vote in the US Presidential election.  The answer is YES!  

In fact, I voted already using an Absentee Ballot. 

I registered with my home state's board of elections and asked them to send me an absentee ballot.  This allows me to vote even though I can not go to the actual polling place and cast my vote in person.  

American citizens who live and work in other countries can use absentee ballots to participate in United States elections that take place in their home state.  College students and business people who will be out of town on election day can also use an absentee ballot to cast their votes.

Funny Political Ad

The candidates make many TV commercials as part of running for President.  They want to give you reasons to vote for them and give you reasons not to vote for the other person.  Sometimes the ads are sweet and emotional, sometimes they are angry and they say harsh things about the other candidate.  

Here is a commercial that uses humor.  At the first Presidential debate, Governor Romney said if he was President he would cut funding to PBS.  

PBS is a TV station that does not have commercials so they get money to make programs from the US Government and from private donations.  

There is a popular Children's show on PBS called Sesame Street and one of the main characters is a big yellow bird called Big Bird.

President Obama's campaign used that idea to create this funny video.    


What do you think about this commercial?

Campaign Time

This week we will explore the "Road to the White House."  How does a person go from an ordinary citizen to President of the United States?  What is the process?  

Candidates must get the word out that they are running and want your vote.  One way to do that is with a commercial.  Here is a funny commercial I made at adomatic.us.

Republicans or Democrats What's the Difference?

In the United States we have 2 main political parties The Republicans and the Democrats.  

What is the difference between the two?  

Check out this link to see a side by side comparison Democrat vs. Republican.

The 15th Amendment

The 15th Amendment was passed in 1870 following the American Civil War.  The amendment stated that no one could be denied the right to vote based on race, color or former servitude.  This meant that African-Americans could now vote but not everyone accepted this.  They added poll taxes and literacy tests to voting.  At that time in history, African-Americans were more like than white Americans to be poor and unable to read.  So, these taxes and tests barred them from voting.  Watch this video to learn more.

The Right to Vote for Women

In my last post I mentioned the 19th Amendment passed in 1920.  This is the Amendment that gave women the right to vote.

It's hard to imagine that there was a time in the United States when women could not vote.  Today women not only vote for our leaders in government, they have become our leaders in government.  Women like US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton serve in important positions in our government.  

But it was the actions and struggles of American women before her that won that right.  They organized into groups and committees, they held parades to gain public awareness and they picketted in front of the White House to demand the President take action.  All of these efforts, over time, led to the success, all women in the US share today.  The right to vote.      

Voting in America

How do we vote in the United States?
I can not answer this question.  Why?  Because there are 50 answers to that question. There is an answer for each and every state in the United States. That is because many of the rules, procedures, and laws about voting are left to each individual state to decide.

The States decide who is allowed to vote, how and where citizens can register to vote and what type of voting machines will be used in their state.  

Does that mean the States can do whatever they want?
No, the Federal Government does have a say.  Over the history of the country, the US Congress has passed laws and Amendments to the US Constitution that apply to all of the states.  




What are some of the important Amendments related to voting?
These Amendments don't tell the States who is allowed to vote but they do tell the States who can not be denied the right to vote. 

Here are 3 Amendments. 
15th Amendment passed in 1870- says that US citizens can not be denied because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
19th Amendment passed in 1920- says that citizens can not be denied on account of sex.
26th Amendment passed in 1971- says that anyone over the age of 18 can not be denied the right to vote.    

Presidential Debates

Watch these 2 videos on important Presidential Debates in US History.

The Right to Vote

We are continuing our discussion of voting in the United States.  This week we will focus on who has the right to vote.  See what Sippy and Ham have to say about this important topic...

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Who do you think Will Win?

Listen to me read this post

Who do you think will win the US Presidential election?  That is the question on a lot of minds lately.  And some people think they know the answer.  How?  Because they asked.

Every day you see headlines claiming one candidate is ahead of the other.  But the votes have not been cast and counted yet so how do they know who will win?  The answer is they take an opinion poll.   They ask a small group of people, "Who would you vote for if the election was held today?"  And from that small group, they can make an educated guess of how the larger group of people will answer.  Of course, it's all very scientific about how they do it and it's usually quite accurate but keep this in mind.  

A poll is based on the day they ask the question.  People's opinions can change.  They can change their minds about who they want to vote for.   That is why you see different answers on different days.  One day the newspapers say Romney is winning and the next day they say Obama is winning.  But remember, until the official election day these numbers don't count.  They don't mean that anyone has won or lost the election yet.  They are simply a way to measure what might happen.  

So, how does that connect with the Electoral Votes that we have been talking about all this week?  I'm glad you asked.  If we take a map of the US and we use the numbers from the opinion polls to color the states blue for the ones that will most likely vote for the Democratic candidate Barack Obama or red for the Republican candidate Mitt Romney we get an idea of how many electoral votes that the candidates can expect so far.   If you want to take a look at one of these maps click on this link for Rand McNally.  So far neither candidate has reached the magic number of 270 electoral votes that are needed to win.   And you will notice that 10 of the states, as of today, are grey.  That means the poll numbers from those states are too close to decide.  

These states in particular are very important to the candidates.   Winning these states can help them reach the number of electoral votes they need to win.  And what's that number again?  That's right 270.  So, the candidates will be spending a lot of time and money in those states and not so much time in the other states.   We call them Battle Ground States because the competition between the 2 candidates is fiercer in those states.  Another name for the grey states is Swing States because the vote swings back and forth between the 2 candidates.  Or they might simply be called Undecided States because the voters have not yet decided who to vote for on election day.

Thanks for listening.  This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.

Twitter and the US Presidential Election

Twitter is changing the way people communicate about important (and not so important) topics.  I just finished watching the US Vice Presidential Debate and twitter is alive with comments.  If you want to join in the conversation or just read some of what people are saying here is a twitter hashtag to use #VPdebate.

Here are some other Hashtags related to the election -

#Debates
#Obama2012
#RomneyRyan2012
#Mitt2012
#TeamJoe
#VPdebate

You can also follow the candidates twitter accounts
@BarackObama
@JoeBiden
@MittRomney
@PaulRyanVP

Tie Breaker Video

Here is a video suggested by Pham Quang Anh.  Thanks for sharing!  This video explains what happens if there is a tie in the Presidential Electoral Votes.  Since there are 538 possible Electoral votes and 538 is an even number that means there could be a tie.  What videos have helped you understand the US better?  Suggest a video and other resources with everyone in the comments.  Thanks again for sharing you make this community a better, smarter place!

Election Day in America

Many times when I give a talk about American Culture someone will ask why do Americans do that?  Most the time the answer is because that's the way we've always done it.  But that's not really a good answer.  

For example, Federal Elections in the US are always held on   the first Tuesday after the first Monday in the month of November.  So that means this year, election day is on November 6.  But why do we vote on a Tuesday and not on a Saturday or a Thursday?  

That's a good question and I did not know the answer until  I watched this video.  Watch it for yourself to find out why.  

Voting

The United States government is often described as government "for the people, by the people."  That means every US citizen gets to say how the government is run.  We do that by picking the people we want to represent us in our own government.  We do that by voting.

But voting is voluntary and not everyone who is eligible actually goes out and votes.  Here is a commercial urging people to vote on election day.

It is from a group called Rock the Vote.

The Electoral College explained

Listen to me read this post


You might be surprised to know that in the US, Citizens do not elect the President by direct vote.   Instead we have something called the Electoral College.  It's a little confusing even for Americans.  Hopefully, I can explain it in simple terms.  When we vote in the United States we are not voting for the President directly instead we are picking a group of people called electors to vote for us.    

Together, all of the electors are called the Electoral College.  In this case, a college is not a place like a university but a word that means a group of people assembled together for a specific purpose.   Other similar words are an assembly, an association, or a congress.  

Each state has a set number of electors and when each state election is finished the candidate with the most votes wins all of the electors from that state.  So, for example Florida has 27 electoral votes.  If candidate A wins 55% of the popular vote (that's the votes from the people) and candidate B wins 45% of the vote then all 27 electoral votes go to candidate A.   

Each state has a different number of electors.  Here's the formula
electors = # of Representatives in the House of Representatives + 2 Senators

So, when you are watching the election results on TV you will see the number of electoral votes being calculated.  The news person will say this state goes to Candidate A or this state goes to Candidate B.   Usually they will have a giant map of the United States and they will change the color of the state to match the winner.   Red for Republicans and Blue for Democrats.  Now these colors are generally accepted but they are informal designations that have changed over time so be sure to check the map labels of the show or website you are watching.

But the important thing to notice is the number of electoral votes.  When one candidate has 270 of the total 538 Electoral votes then they win the Presidency.

Thanks for listening.  This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.  

English Central - your Vote Matters

Here is a medium video talking about voting and issues that matter to voters

.

Topic of the Week - Voting

For the next few weeks I will be focusing on the up coming US Presidential Election.  Our first topic will be voting.  Here are the basic requirements for voting in the US:
-You must be a US Citizen
-You must be 18 years of age 
-You must register and meet the requirements of your state

Each State is allowed to set their own rules for how to register to vote, how far in advance you need to vote, and what type of id you need to show as proof when you show up to vote.

Watch this funny video of Homer Simpson trying to vote in the 2008 Presidential election to get an idea of what it's like to vote in the US.  Of course, it's a cartoon so it's meant to be funny and not an exact, true show of what happens when you vote.   Which parts do you think are true and which parts do you think are false and added to be funny?

Homer Simpson Tries to Vote

Merit Badges

You may have seen pictures of boy scouts or girl scouts in their uniforms and wondered what those round colorful patches were.  Those are called merit badges and they are a big part of being a scout.  

All scouts have a big book with all kinds of different merit badges in it.  The idea is the scout picks something they want to learn more about from the badges listed in the book.  They turn to that page and it will have a list of activities that they need to do.  When they have completed all of the steps successfully, then they receive the merit badge to sew on their uniform.  

It's a great way for young people to explore different topics and to learn new skills.  If you want to see a list of different Boy Scout merit badges click on this link. http://www.scouting.org/meritbadges.aspx

Scouts can earn badges with their group or they can work on them alone.  

There are many, many different merit badges so it is easy to find a skill or topic that a scout wants to know more about.  
   

Scout Song - Mountain Dew

Today's Camp song is called Mountain Dew.  The video I picked for you is hard to understand at points but it shows a real Boy Scout camp sing along and I thought you would enjoy seeing all of the boys singing, clapping and having a good time.  

The words to the chorus are -

They call it that good old mountan dew, 
And them that refuse it are few. 
I'll hush up my mug if you'll fill up my jug 
With that good old mountain dew.


Culture Connection
Mountain Dew is the name of a soft drink in the United States.  It's bright green in color and in the video you can see some boys carrying around a big cut out picture of a green soda bottle.  However, the Good Old Mountain Dew in the song refers to moon shine or homemade, illegal alcohol.  You can read all of the lyrics to this song here.  

You might be wondering why they let kids sing a song about illegal alcohol.  Is it a good idea?  Most people think it's a fun song to sing and don't take it very seriously.  After all kids play video games about stealing cars and shooting people but they don't go out and do it.  What is your opinion?  

This song comes from traditional mountain folk music and  uses words and grammar that we don't generally use in every day conversation things like
"them that refuse it..." means to say no to something.
"hush up my mug"  means to be quiet.
"mountain dew" means moonshine or illegal alcohol brewed in a still at home.

US Presidential Debate #1

I'd like to take a moment away from our current topic of the week to let you know The first Presidential Debate of the 2012 Election is about to begin.   You can watch it on YouTube at the YouTube Politics Channel.  There will be 2 more debates in the near future on Oct 16 and 22.    In the weeks ahead all the Topics of the Week will be about the upcoming Presidential Election in the US. 

English Central Video - Girl Scouts: The Leaders of Tomorrow

Camp fires

Camping is a big part of Scouting.    And the camp fire is a big part of any camping trip.  Scouts spend a lot of time learning the best way to build and light a camp fire.  They learn different ways to cook food over a fire.  In the evening, after the sun goes down, the camp fire is the center of entertainment.  All of the scouts gather round to share stories, sing songs, and stare at the glowing embers.  

One recipes all scouts learn to make is S'Mores.  S'Mores stands for some more because these treats are so delicious you always want some more!  Basically, a S'More is a dessert sandwich made with roasted marshmallows and  a chocolate bar between 2 graham crackers.  The roasted marshmallows get all warm and toasty and they make the chocolate bar start to melt.  Yum!  

If you would like to see a step by step recipe for S'Mores with lots of pictures check out this website http://whatscookingamerica.net/Cookie/Smores/Smores.htm.  

Here is another Camp song for you to learn and practice your English.  





photo credit:CostinThampikutty.com

Topic of the Week - Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America

Listen to me read this post

Welcome to Fast Food English where every week we explore a new topic related to American Culture.  This week we will be talking about The Girl Scouts and The Boy Scouts of America.  They are two organizations for children in the United States with similar goals and activities.  

The Boy Scouts was started in 1910 by Robert Baden Powell  and the Girl Scouts were founded by Juliette Gordon Low the following year.   They started these organizations to teach children about the out of doors and to teach them other skills and values to help them grow up and become responsible and productive members of society.  That was over 100 years ago and these two organizations are still going strong.  Many children in the United States join these groups and attend weekly meetings.   It's a great way to make new friends and try new experiences.

All this week we will be talking about some of the things that Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts do.
Things like earning merit badges, going camping, singing and making crafts.    

Singing songs is a big part of the scouting experience so all this week I will be posting videos of songs for you to learn and sing along.  Here is the first song.  It's called Make New Friends.  The words are the words - 

Make New Friends

Make new friends, but keep the old

One is silver and the other’s gold.

A circle is round, it has no end.

That’s how long I want to be your friend.

Thanks for listening.  This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com. 

4 More to Follow on Twitter

Twitter is not just about learning English you can use it to learn about the US culture as well.  Here are 4 more sites to follow.


@NASA
@visitthecapitol
@FONZNationalZoo
@smithsonian

Check them out.  

4 People to Follow on Twitter

Here are 4 people to follow to start your learning English on Twitter.


@englishfeed
@EnglishStudy
@PhraseMix
@ESLTeacherGuide

Do you have more suggestions?  You know what to do.  (Leave them in the comments!!!)

Search Words

Finding resources on the internet like videos requires searching.  You can search for these resources on a search engine like google.com or you can search using the search box on the particular site of interest.  For example, on the website YouTube.com I typed English pronunciation practice  into the search box.

Language Learning Communities

Here are a few links to language learning communities on the web.  It's a great place to meet Conversation Partners.   

livemocha.com
busuu.com
italki.com
myhappyplanet.com

Topic of the Week Using Social Media to learn English

Sippy and Ham Tweet by Cbrenn on GoAnimate

Video Maker - Powered by GoAnimate.

I hope you enjoyed my latest creation from GoAnimate.  I decided to give the characters names - That's Sippy on the Left and Ham on the right.  Clever, huh!  

Anyway, Sippy and Ham are talking about social interaction websites collectively called Social Media in the United States.  These are websites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Skype, and blogs.   Ham is an expert but Sippy as usual is a little clueless.  

Do you use social media to help you learn English?  Tools and websites like the ones mentioned above can help you connect with content in English but more importantly they can connect you with other people.  People who speak English.   After all, it's people that put the social in social media.  With today's technology it's easier than ever to find English speakers who share your interests and want to talk about it.   How are you using Social Media to learn English?  Share your ideas in the comments.

Kermit the Frog Tells the Cherry Tree Story

Here is another video about George Washington and the cherry tree from the kid's TV show Sesame Street. It just goes to show you how well known this story is in American culture.  

George Washington and the Cherry Tree

Listen to me read this post 


The last tree story I want to tell you is about the first president of the United States, George Washington.  When he was a young boy, he was given an ax.  So, what do you think he did with it?  Of course, he went into the yard and started chopping things.  He tried chopping big trees but their trunks were too big for his little ax.  But then he saw a cherry tree. Cherry trees have smaller trunks so he started chopping. And before you know it, he had chopped the cherry tree down. Happy with that, he put his ax away and went off to play.

Moon Tree Video

Here are 2 videos related to the Moon Tree story.  The first one is an interview with Dr. David Williams the NASA employee who is trying to find and record all of the known moon trees in existence.  The second video is a short bio of astronaut Stuart Roosa who took the seeds in to space  on board Apollo 14.