Happy Ground Hog Day!

It's cold.  It's snowy.  It's winter in the US.   By this time of year Americans living in the Northern part of the country, tired of shoveling snow and driving on icy roads, are asking,  "How much longer will this last?"  

Tomorrow they will have an answer.   Because tomorrow, February 2 is Ground Hog Day.  Folk lore says that on this day ground hogs, furry brown rodents that hibernate in the winter, will poke their heads out of their holes and decide if there will be more winter or an early spring.  If they see their shadow, they will run back into their hole and continue sleeping for 6 more weeks.  This means 6 more weeks of winter.  On the other hand, no shadow means an early spring.  

One ground hog in Pennsylvania has become the most famous ground hog of all for his weather predictions.  His name is Punxsutawney Phil.  Every year on February 2 thousands of people and TV crews come to the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to see Phil.  The celebration begins before sunrise with music, fun and fireworks at a park called Gobbler's Knob.  At sunrise, Phil's human handlers, dressed in tuxedos and top hats bring the ground hog out of his hole and interpret his weather prediction for the anxious crowd.  

Today we only need to turn on our TVs or computers to get an accurate weather forecast but there was a time when people used clues in nature for this information.  This tradition has now become a fun celebration. Read more about this unique American holiday at http://www.groundhog.org/  or watch a video and live stream of the celebration at  http://www.visitpa.com/groundhog-day-live-stream.

  

Geocaching - Making the Find

Here is a bonus post for today.  I wrote this post while I was back in the US traveling around but I never posted it.   So, here it is for you to enjoy...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I enjoy the game of Geocaching.  It goes perfectly with my other favorite thing to do ... traveling because you can geocache all around the world.  So far, I've geocached in 6 states in the US, as well as Vietnam and Thailand.  Hopefully, I will be able to add many more places to that list in the future.

One of the things I like about Geocaching is that it leads me to spots I might not otherwise go on my own and it helps me notice things that I pass everyday and never noticed before.

For example, here I am doing a cache in Pennsylvania.  It's in a store parking lot hiding on this lamp post.  A store parking lot is not a very exciting place to visit but look at the view behind it.  I never noticed before how pretty it is.  You can see the valley and farmland and the mountains in the distance.  I would have never stopped and noticed the view if it wasn't for Geocaching.

Martin Luther King Day

Happy New Year 2013!  I would like to say Welcome back to everyone including myself.  I took a vacation for the holidays and enjoyed some time back in the United States to visit family.  I hope you enjoyed the posts I did while traveling.  But now I am back in Vietnam and The Conversation Hour continues which means more posts here at Fastfood English.

So, let's start off the New Year by looking at an American Holiday in the month of January.  This past Monday was a federal holiday in the United States called Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  We celebrate MLK every year on the third Monday of January.   We remember Dr. King for his tireless work as a Civil Rights Activist.  He spoke about equal rights and fair treatment for Black Americans and led non violent protests against unjust laws.   in the 1950's and 60's, Dr. King brought attention to the problems of segregation and discrimination that Black Americans faced in the US.  His work led to positive changes in laws and attitudes.  

How do we celebrate Martin Luther King Day?  Because it is a federal holiday that means schools and offices are closed for the day.  Many people use the free day to participate in volunteer projects.  It's called a Day of Service.  Here is an English Central Video that explains more about it.