Tag Archives: America
American Jobs Posted by Gary Locke on Aug 6, 2020
You will often hear on television a reference to the American labor force, but do you know what that actually means? The American labor force is the grand total of people who are either employed or actually seeking work. To be counted as part of the American labor force you must be at least 16…
English Words in the News: Impeachment Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 21, 2019
If you’ve been following the news, and it’s been hard to miss it, the United States is currently dealing with the fourth presidential impeachment inquiry in its history. Remarkably few American citizens actually know exactly what impeachment means, and how it works. Putting aside the politics of the moment, let’s take a look at the…
America’s Belt Regions Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 15, 2019
The United States has belts. I’m not talking about the kind which holds up your pants. I’m referring to select regions of the country which are distinctive in some way. Those distinctions, over time, have led to these areas being designated as a belt region. Some of these areas can be quite important because their…
The US Interstate System Posted by Gary Locke on Sep 11, 2019
“Are we there yet?” The United States is vast. The distance to drive from Portland, Maine to San Francisco, California is about 2725 miles or nearly 4400 kilometers. While the US has many different highway systems, including state, county, territorial, and secondary roads, the country is linked by one massive grid of highways known as…
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…
The Vaccination Vexation Posted by Gary Locke on May 2, 2019
The US Center for Disease Control has announced that measles, one of the most contagious diseases in the world, is at a twenty-five-year high. It is this nation’s highest total since 1994, with eight full months to go in the year. Today, as I write this, a cruise ship has been quarantined because of an…
An Appalachian Christmas Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 20, 2018
One of the most distinctive and interesting cultural regions of the United States is Appalachia. It stretches southwest from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to the Smoky Mountains which border Tennessee and North Carolina. This snow-capped, evergreen-filled area is the living embodiment of an American Christmas card. Because Appalachia is overwhelmingly Christian in its…