The Advertising Jingle Posted by Gary Locke on Jul 11, 2019
You’ve heard them. They are the combination of a catchy tune and advertising copy. Most of them last only a few seconds. Which is, ideally, all the time you need to absorb the message and get that song stuck in your head. Today, we might call it an earworm. But, for many years it was…
You can’t afford to miss this Posted by carol on Jun 30, 2019
Good afternoon to all! How are you today? With the hot season approaching, sometimes we just feel strongly compelled to just drop everything and take a long trip along the coast, right? I know, but unfortunately I can’t afford to do that right now. That is, I don’t have the time or the money to indulge…
Star Trek and the Split Infinitive Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 27, 2019
Space: The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission – To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before! These are the very famous opening lines to the credit sequence for Star Trek. This speech, dating back…
Hang it Up in English Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 20, 2019
My wife and I are making a lot of changes at home right now. We’re renovating bathrooms, installing tile and hardwood floors, painting walls. This means that whatever was hanging on the walls has come down. The walls are bare. But, soon, it will be time to put new things up on those walls. Will…
Farm Stands and Farmer’s Markets Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 13, 2019
A sure sign of summer, and one of the best things about the season, is a farm stand. Like everything else which goes dark and quiet during the cold months, the reemergence of a local farm stand is greeted with smiles and excitement by many. Fresh vegetables, fruit, plants, and flowers appear near the side…
UFOs in America Posted by Gary Locke on Jun 6, 2019
There has been an increase lately in the news concerning UFOs – Unidentified Flying Objects. I’m talking about serious journalism from respected media sources talking about something which was dismissed as tabloid junk for years. If you’ve always wanted to learn the unique vocabulary and terminology of flying saucers, this is your lucky day! The…
Tornadoes, An American Phenomenon Posted by Gary Locke on May 31, 2019
The United States experiences more tornados than any other country. Virtually all 50 states have reported tornado damage. With an annual average of over 1200 tornadoes, we see more than twice the number of Canada and more than four times the number in all of western Europe. More importantly, the U.S. is subject to far…