House Repairs: The Main Line

A few months ago, when winter was coming and the weather was turning colder, we had a main line clog. The main line is the pipe in a house’s plumbing that takes all the household water waste and sewage and sends it to the city’s sewer system. It is the only pipe that does this for the whole house. Everything that goes down the drain, or is flushed down the toilet, goes out under the house through this main line and into the city sewer.

Now imagine what happens when this main line has a clog, or a blockage. When you take a shower, the water goes down the drain, but underneath the pipe is clogged. The water has no place to go, and it backs up through the pipes. When you wash your dishes or your laundry, the water has no place to go, and it backs up. When you flush the toilet, the water has no place to go, and it backs up. Not a pleasant situation!!



There are different reasons why the main line might be clogged. Sometimes the roots of trees growing near the house might grow through the joins of the pipes. A join is where two sections of pipe come together. Tree roots function to provide the tree with water, so the tree roots naturally seek out sources of water. Toilet paper and other solid waste can then get easily caught in the tree roots. This causes a blockage. Unfortunately, this scenario is not unusual, especially in an older house like ours. An older house is more likely to have an older style of pipe that is more susceptible to this type of thing.

So we had a main line clog. The water was backing up in the sink in the basement. We couldn’t wash dishes. We couldn’t wash the laundry. We couldn’t take a shower. We couldn’t flush the toilet. If we did any of these things, sewage would back up into the sink in the basement. Actually, we had had main line clogs before, about every other year. So we tried what had always worked in the past: a plunger, a plumber’s snake, and chemicals.

The first thing we tried was a plunger – a basic tool that is handy to have around the house. It is a suction cup on the end of a stick. It is very effective for unclogging minor clogs, like when someone tries to put a few too many potato peelings down the drain. Since a plunger is a suction cup, it can be used to create a vacuum. The vacuum dislodges the blockage and sends it on its merry way, through the plumbing and out into the city sewer. Plungers work best when the clog is not that deep in the pipe. If the clog is too far away from the drain opening, then the plunger is ineffective. We tried using a plunger on the clog, but it was no use. There was just as much water in the sink as before.



We then tried a plumber’s snake. A plumber’s snake is another basic tool. It is like a metal rope or coil that can be fed, or inserted little by little, into the pipe. In the picture you see here, a man is feeding a snake through a special valve called a clean-out valve. The clean-out valve is the primary access that you have to the main line. A snake is used by ramming, or pushing forward and pulling back repeatedly, against the clog. This will help to dislodge the blockage.

Some snakes may have an electric motor. Some also have an auger, or a type of drill, to cut through tree roots and other things that may be causing the blockage. Plumber’s snakes usually come in lengths of 25–50 feet, so they are more effective than plungers when the blockage is farther away. But if the blockage is out even further than the length of the snake, or if the pipe has become so narrow that the blockage simply cannot be rammed through, then a plumber’s snake is of no use, either. The plumber’s snake couldn’t budge our clog – the water was still standing in the sink.

So we had to resort to the big guns: chemicals. At the hardware store, you can buy a very strong base. This base reacts with fatty substances like grease or similar things. These are likely to “build up” or accumulate on the inside of the main line, very similar to plaque build-up in a person’s arteries. When plaque builds up in a person’s arteries, it can cause a stroke or a heart attack. When grease and other things build up on the inside of the main line, it can cause a clog.

So you can get this strong chemical and pour it into your pipes through the clean-out valve. Then you let the chemical sit overnight. This allows the chemical to work, and it will “eat through” the clog. Then, in the morning, you turn on the hot water and let it run for several minutes. This flushes out the chemicals and whatever was clogging the system. Now the clog is dissolved, and your drain flows freely once again. Like I said, these chemicals are very corrosive. They “eat away” at the pipes, so they’re not something that you want to use too frequently. But we had always managed to get things working again with this solution, and once every other year is not that often.

This time, however, the chemicals did not work. We tried two or three applications with little or no success. This clog was especially stubborn, and especially serious. We had no choice. We needed to call a plumbing service that specialized in cleaning out main lines. We looked online for a company that did that type of work, and contacted them.

The plumbing fellow came out the next day and took a look at our situation. He explained the basic reasons why a main line might be clogged. He also explained that this was not unusual for a house that is as old as ours. (Our house was built in the 1930s.) Then he explained that the chemicals were not very good for older pipes, because they were so corrosive. Using these strong chemicals could actually cause more problems later on.

The plumbing fellow took some special equipment into our basement. He used this equipment to try to pinpoint the clog and find out exactly where it was located. The special equipment was a type of camera attached to a long, flexible line. He fed the camera in the main line, and on the little TV screen we could see waste water and other stuff in the main line. But the clog was so bad that it was difficult even to see precisely where the clog was.

It turned out that the clog was outside the house. Actually, it was between the house and the city sewer that runs underneath the middle of the street. Later on we found out that some decorative shrubs contributed greatly to this clog. These shrubs were planted outside the house by the foundation, so they interfered with the plumbing pipes. But at the time we didn’t know that. We could only guess. The plumbing guy told us what our options were. We decided to have the plumbing fellow replace the section of pipe outside our house. That’s where the clog was. Also, the old clay pipes were broken or deteriorated, and needed replacing anyway.

As long as the plumbing fellow was digging around our plumbing pipes, we also had him install an external access to the main line. Most houses are now built with such an access. But ours did not have one since it was built so long ago. This new external access would make it much easier for any future clogs to be cleaned out.




So we had our main line clog taken care of. But since the plumbing was so old, there was another potential problem: the old iron pipes in the house could fail to work. If that happened, we’d be back where we started. The old iron pipes would continue to deteriorate. Eventually they would fail, causing more clogs or other plumbing problems. We could be lucky and go for several years without any more incidents. Or we could be unlucky and have another serious plumbing problem within a month or two. No one can predict when these things will happen. But there was a strong chance that something would happen at some point. The plumbing fellow explained that the pipes should be lined with a special plastic coating. This would prevent further deterioration. It would also make the pipes practically as good as new.

Nobody likes to spend extra money, especially on something like plumbing or other house repairs. It would be more pleasant to take that money and go on a nice vacation, or buy a digital SLR camera, or something like that! But it was something that needed to be done, especially if we wanted to move sometime in the near future. A house with known plumbing problems is much harder to sell than a house without plumbing problems. So we decided to go ahead and have this other plumbing issues fixed as well. We set up a date, and the plumbing fellow came back on the agreed date to line our pipes.

Since then, we haven’t had any more plumbing problems :) . Whoever buys our house will be a lot luckier than we were. We took care of this major plumbing problem for him!

Weather Report: Tons of Snow!!

Blizzard

When talking about the weather, a "blizzard" is a very heavy snowstorm with high winds. Usually, though, people say "blizzard" when they want to indicate that it snowed a lot.

We had a blizzard last night. We had lots of snow (20.3 inches, over 50 cm), and there were high winds. The high winds created big snowdrifts. A snowdrift is a pile of snow made from blowing wind. There was so much snow that it was hard to push the door open.

Snow was piled high everywhere. We shoveled all morning (close to 4 hours) just to dig out the driveway and clear the sidewalks. It was a lot of hard work. The snow is heavy, and then to get it out of the way, we had to lift it up and throw it in piles. If you need some exercise, shoveling snow will give you a good workout!


Tonight, it is supposed to get very cold. The weather forecast says that temperatures could get down to 12 below zero Fahrenheit (almost -25 C). With the wind, it can feel even colder - maybe 30 below (-34 C). We call this "windchill" - when it's cold and windy, it feels colder than what the thermometer actually says.

Culture Focus: Groundhog Day

February 2 was Groundhog Day. It is not an official holiday. It comes from an old tradition. People watch and wait for a groundhog to come out of his hole in the ground.

According to folklore, if the groundhog sees his shadow, he will be scared and go back into the hole. This means that we will have six more weeks of winter.

On the other hand, if the groundhog does not see his shadow, he will stay out of his hole. This means there will be an early spring.

In the United States, the most famous groundhog is Punxsutawney Phil from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This groundhog was made famous in the movie “Groundhog Day.”

Another name for “groundhog” is “woodchuck.” There is an old joke about the woodchuck:

Question: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Answer: He’d chuck all the wood a woodchuck could chuck!

Here, “chuck” means the same as “throw.”

Culture Focus: Refunds & Exchanges

Usually, when people buy a gift for someone else, they try to get a gift that is suitable for the recipient. If they want to give some clothes as a gift, they try to get clothes that are the right size. They try to get clothes that are in the style that the recipient likes. If they want to give a book, they try to get something from a favorite author. If they give some music as a gift, they try to get something from a favorite band. Sometimes, though, it is difficult to know exactly what kind of present would make the recipient happy. This means that sometimes, despite our best efforts, a present is not always what the recipient likes. Because of this, people often give a gift receipt along with the present. A gift receipt makes it easier for the recipient to exchange the gift or get a refund.

What is a gift receipt? In general, a receipt is a piece of paper from a store that shows 1) when something was bought, 2) what price was paid for the item, and 3) from which store the item was purchased. A gift receipt contains all this information too, except the price of the item is coded. Why is the price coded? We consider it impolite to let a person know how much was paid for the present, so gift receipts are coded to hide the price.

So, if a person is unhappy with a present he’s gotten, he has two options: 1) He can exchange the present for something more to his liking, or 2) he can get a refund.

1) Exchange

Sometimes, the person likes the present, except it is the wrong size, wrong color, etc. He can take the item and the gift receipt back to the store. Then he can pick out a present that is the right size, right color, etc. This situation is easier for the clerk, since there is generally no difference in price between the original present and the exchange. Usually, the clerk will scan the information from the receipt. Then the clerk will scan the information from the exchange. This is so the store’s inventory will remain accurate and up-to-date. The clerk will probably make a note of the exchange on the receipt.


Sometimes, the person will want to exchange the old present for another item that is completely different. For example, maybe a person got a sweater as a gift, but they want to have a pair of shoes instead. In this case, the clerk usually treats this as two separate transactions: one return, and one purchase. The clerk scans the gift receipt for the original purchase information. The person returning the present will get a store credit equal to the amount paid for the original purchase. This credit is then applied to the purchase of the new item. If the cost of the new item is less than the cost of the original present, the person will get a refund for the difference, or get a store credit. If the cost of the new item is greater than the cost of the original present, the person will have to pay the difference.

Both cases are good from the store’s perspective, because the sale is saved, and the customer is happy. It is a “win-win” situation: both sides benefit from the deal.

2) Refund

Sometimes, the person likes nothing about the present. He would rather have the money instead of the present. In this case, he can be refunded the price of the gift. The clerk will scan the information about the original purchase and determine how much money the person will get back. From the store’s perspective, this is not a good thing, because it is the same as a lost sale. But the store will do it anyhow, because it is good for customer relations: “The customer is always right.”

Culture Focus: Getting a Driver’s License

In most states in the US, 16 is the minimum age to obtain a driver’s license. Some states are lower. For example, 14-year-olds may get a driver’s license in South Dakota. New Jersey is at the other extreme, requiring drivers to be at least 17 years of age. Also, most states require that student drivers take and pass a driver’s education class before they are eligible to take an official driver’s licensing exam from the driver licensing facility, or DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), as it is called in many states.

A driver’s education class typically has two parts. The first is a classroom component, where students learn about driving safety and “rules of the road” (laws regulating drivers). The second is a practical component (“behind the wheel”), where students practice driving with an instructor. In some classes, students must spend several sessions on a “simulator,” or mock car, before they are permitted to drive an actual car on the road. A student driver must successfully pass both components of driver’s education. He must also spend a minimum number of hours driving outside of class. Then he is given some sort of certificate to verify completion of the requirements and eligibility for taking the official driver’s exam, or “road test.” (When I was in school, we called this a “blue slip,” because it was blue.)

At the driver license facility, the student driver registers and waits for his turn to take the road test. An examiner will go in the car with him and give him various driving tasks to do. The examiner might ask him to drive down a certain road or turn left at a stop sign. The examiner might ask the student driver to parallel park by a curb. The examiner might even ask the student driver to do a three-point turn or a two-point turn. The examiner carries a clipboard with a checklist, and notes how the student driver did. He will check to see if the student driver performed the requested maneuver correctly. He will check to see if the student driver used turn signals properly. He will check to see if the student drove in an unsafe manner, and so on. If the examiner is satisfied with the student’s driving, he will pass the student. Then the student can exchange his “blue slip” for an actual driver’s license.

For adults who already know how to drive, a vision test and a written test (based on the “rules of the road”) are usually required in addition to a road test. The vision test is to make sure the driver can see well enough to drive. In Illinois, the requirement is 20/40 vision or better, plus peripheral vision (140 degrees). If the driver’s vision is not 20/40, he must wear glasses while driving. The glasses should correct the vision to 20/40 or better. The written test is not very hard. It consists mainly of sign recognition, and rules pertaining to specific situations (for example, does a driver commit a moving violation if he passes a stopped school bus?). Driver license facilities have booklets available for study. These booklets list the rules of the road that all drivers are expected to know. Studying these booklets gives a person enough knowledge to pass the written test.

After passing all the necessary tests, the student can get his driver’s license. He hands in all the paperwork and waits. When it’s his turn, the official will call his name and take his picture. After a few minutes, his driver’s license is finished, and he is now a full-fledged driver.

A Visit from Saint Nicholas

by Clement Clarke Moore


(This poem is a well-known Christmas poem, beloved by many. It was first published in 1823, and it is considered to be the inspiration for our modern-day Santa Claus: fat, jolly, dressed in red, coming down the chimney, riding a sleigh with eight reindeer - who are first named here, as well. Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, was a much later invention, and dates from the late 1930s.)




’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap;

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be Saint Nick.

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and Saint Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney Saint Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

Customs: Christmas Gift-Giving at the Office

With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, I thought I would take the opportunity to explain a Christmas custom that might be a little confusing for English learners: the Christmas Gift Exchange.

There are two main ways in which a Christmas gift exchange might be set up:

1. Secret Santa
2. White Elephant

Secret Santa

In a Secret Santa gift exchange, the names of participants are pooled and then drawn out, so each individual has only one person for whom he must buy a gift. The gift giver acts as “Santa” for the recipient, and tries to keep his identity unknown. After the gift has been received and opened, the recipient may try to guess who his “Santa” was. The challenge for the “Santa” lies not only in keeping one’s identity secret, but also in finding out what sort of present the recipient might like without the recipient finding out who “Santa” is.



A Secret Santa might give only one gift, or he might give several small gifts (for example, a small gift every day, or every other day) leading up to the day of the main gift exchange. Often, a monetary limit is set for the gifts, so people don’t feel like they have to spend a lot of money on the gift. If smaller gifts are given, they are usually things like small chocolate bars or other candy, or maybe a fun little toy. The final gift is generally something a little nicer, like a coffee mug or picture frame or something of that type.

Secret Santa gift exchanges tend to be something that women participate in, more so than men.



White Elephant

In a White Elephant gift exchange, the names are pooled as in a Secret Santa exchange. But the main idea of a White Elephant exchange is that the person gives a gift that is usually some sort of a “gag” or joke gift. Thus the emphasis is on a humorous present, and not meant to be serious. (Because of this, I think men are more likely to participate in a White Elephant than in a Secret Santa.)

If you give a White Elephant, you can purchase a funny gift from the store if you want. But usually, a White Elephant is an unwanted or unwelcome gift that you received on a previous occasion – perhaps an ugly vase, or an oversized sweater, or something of that type. In a White Elephant exchange, people expect a gift that is ugly or very unusual, so it is not considered insulting at all to give or receive this type of gift. (And what most people probably do with a White Elephant is store it in a closet and use it for the next year’s White Elephant!). People will laugh and have fun with the silly gifts, and maybe have a little informal contest to see who has the ugliest White Elephant.



Where does the term “White Elephant” come from? It used to be that in Thailand, a white elephant was considered sacred, and thus it was a sign of favor for the ruler to give someone a white elephant as a gift. However, an elephant is not a very practical gift (they eat so much, and are difficult to take care of, unless you have a zoo), so it was also a gift that turned out to be a burden. Thus the term “White Elephant” came to represent an undesirable or unwelcome gift.

Have you ever gotten a "white elephant"? What was it?

Halloween Pumpkins

Halloween was last Saturday, so here are a couple of pictures from that. We don't do the trick or treat thing, but I did get some pumpkins and we carved them.

Here are two glowing pumpkins:




The smaller pumpkin:




The larger pumpkin:

Culture Focus: Mother’s Day

In the United States, this past Sunday was Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day is always the second Sunday in May. Its US origins date back to the early 20th century. Julia Ward Howe, who is the same lady that wrote the words to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” first proposed a type of mother’s day in the US with her “Mother’s Day Proclamation” in 1870. This proclamation, though, is more of an encouragement for women to bring about an end to war by becoming involved in the political process, than it is an ode to honor mothers.

However, it was a woman named Anna Jarvis who trademarked the phrases “second Sunday in May” and “Mother’s Day” in 1912. Her intent was to encourage each family to honor its mother, thus making it a personal, familiar holiday. The holiday was nationally recognized in 1914. Consequently, children and adults alike take this opportunity to honor and remember their mother with flowers or gifts.

There is no typical flower or particular gift associated with Mother’s Day, but sentimental gifts tend to be quite popular. For example, a mom might receive a necklace, bracelet, or ring with birthstones of all her children. Gifts of cards and candy are also very common. Mom might also be treated to breakfast in bed, or be taken out for dinner – indeed, Mother’s Day is the most popular day of the year to eat out in the US, so if you do go out for dinner the second Sunday in May, be sure to make a reservation!

Culture Focus: Easter

This Sunday is Easter. Even though Easter is the day on which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, many people in the U.S. observe it as a secular holiday celebrating the arrival of spring. Due to its connection to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the date of Easter is tied closely to the Jewish holiday of Passover, and so is based on the lunar calendar. Since Passover is celebrated in conjunction with the full moon, the Church decided to celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (the day in the spring when day and night are of equal length). Consequently, the date of Easter is not fixed, but jumps around from year to year. In particular, this year Easter falls extremely early, on March 23 – one of the earliest dates possible.

The main figure in a non-religious celebration of Easter is the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny brings children a basket full of colored eggs, chocolates (particularly rabbit-shaped chocolate), jelly beans, marshmallow chicks, marshmallow eggs, and other sweet things that give dentists nightmares :) ! Oftentimes, a cuddly stuffed animal or other toy will be included in the Easter basket. It is also somewhat customary to dress up in a new Easter dress and hat (or bonnet) (girls) or pants, suitcoat, and tie (boys) as the winter clothes are put away and exchanged for the new, fresh fashions of spring.

Most people do not do Easter decorations, but it is traditional to get a white lily known as an Easter lily (Latin name: Lilium longiforum). These flowers are very fragrant, and the white color symbolizes purity.

Other Easter traditions include eating a special dinner, generally ham or lamb. Most stores are closed on Easter, but a number of restaurants remain open, so some people prefer to go out to eat instead of cooking an elaborate dinner at home.

Culture Focus: Kissing Boo-Boos

When a child gets a minor injury, such as a cut, scrape, or bump or bruise, this is called a “boo-boo.” (More generally, any kind of minor mistake can be called a “boo-boo.”) Of course, even though the injury is minor, the child thinks that the hurt is much worse than it really is. The child will often carry on, or behave like the hurt is unbearable. We then “cure” the hurt by kissing it. So, a typical dialogue might look like this:

Child: Ow, Mommy! I fell down and hurt myself!

Mother: Oh, did you bang your knee?

Child: Yes! It hurts so bad!

Mother: Come here. Let me kiss it and make it all better.

(The child comes to his mother, who then kisses the knee.)

Mother: How’s that? Feel better now?

Child: Yes. Thank you, Mommy.

Culture Focus: Losing Baby Teeth

Losing baby teeth is sort of a significant event in American culture, and so we have a ritual associated with it. When a child loses a tooth, he saves the tooth and puts it under his pillow that night when he goes to bed. During the night, the “tooth fairy” comes and takes away the tooth. In place of the baby tooth, the tooth fairy leaves some money – maybe a quarter, or even a dollar in some cases. Of course, the “tooth fairy” is really Mom or Dad :).

Sometimes, a fancy little pillow or pocket is used to hold the tooth until the tooth fairy comes, and then the money is put in the pillow or pocket. Usually, though, the tooth is just placed under the child’s sleeping pillow.

When a child notices that a tooth is loose, he gets excited, because he knows that it will fall out soon. He may wiggle the tooth every day until it is ready to fall out, or he may ask a parent or older sibling to help him pull it out. A favorite method for pulling out a loose baby tooth is to tie a string around the tooth and yank it out quickly. Other times a parent may use a small cloth (to get a better grip on the tooth) to pull out the tooth. Sometimes, though, a child expects that having a tooth pulled will hurt too much, and would rather let it fall out on its own. Such children may find that they bite something crunchy, like an apple, and look down to see their baby tooth stuck in the apple!

Culture Focus: Elections – The Primary Process

For this week’s culture focus, I thought I’d give a very brief introduction to the American primary process. The United States is in the middle of its primary elections, a process whereby eligible American citizens choose whom they want to see on the ballot for the Presidential election held later in November. Each state holds either a primary or a caucus to determine which candidates will receive delegates to the national conventions that will be held later in the year. The Democratic Party and the Republic party each have separate primaries/caucuses, generally held on the same day. Democratic delegates will attend the Democratic National Convention from August 25 – 28 in Denver, Colorado. The Republican delegates will attend the Republican National Convention from September 1 – 4 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Each presidential candidate must receive a certain number of delegates to win his party’s nomination for the presidency: the Republican candidate needs 1191 delegates for the nomination. The Democratic situation is a bit more complicated, because of disputes over the delegates from Michigan and Florida – without the delegates from these two states, the Democratic candidate needs 2024.5 delegates for the nomination; with these two states, the number of delegates needed is 2206.5. As things stand right now (2/19), Clinton and Obama are rather close, so people are very interested in following the primary process. On the Republican side, McCain has a comfortable lead over Huckabee, so McCain will most likely be the Republican candidate.

In addition to choosing and nominating the party’s choice for Presidential candidate, it is at the conventions that each candidate will name his selection for Vice President, also known as his “running mate.” There is a great deal of speculation over who will be the running mate on both the Republican and Democratic tickets, but both sides will take into account what areas are weak politically, and nominate a running mate to compensate for his weaknesses. For example, if a candidate is concerned about his ability to woo Southern voters, he would probably strongly consider choosing a Southern politician as his running mate. (This was one of the main reasons why John Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson as his running mate in 1960, even though Kennedy couldn’t stand the fellow. Johnson was from Texas, and Kennedy needed to win in the South in order to win the election.)

Culture Focus: American Presidents

In the U.S., next Monday is a national holiday called “Presidents’ Day.” It is a day set aside to honor those men who have served our country in the highest position of leadership. Originally, February was noted for having the birthdays of two of our most well-known Presidents: Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22). Several years ago, it was decided that rather than taking two separate days off that were relatively close together, it was better to combine them into one holiday that could honor all the Presidents. Thus, Presidents’ Day was born. It is a holiday where schoolkids, banks, and government workers (including the post office) get a day off, but most everyone else works.

We like to say that any child can grow up to be President, but in reality there are some eligibility requirements that a potential candidate must meet. According to the U.S. Constitution, a President must be at least 35 years old, a natural born citizen, and have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

A President can be elected to office at most twice. Franklin D. Roosevelt served four terms, but after his presidency, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, instituting presidential term limits.

If the President becomes sick or otherwise unable to fulfill his duties, the Vice President is authorized to take his place until he recovers. This is how Gerald Ford became President in 1974, making him the only man to serve as President without being elected either to that office or the office of Vice President. Ford was appointed Vice President in 1973 by President Nixon when Nixon’s original Vice President, Spiro Agnew, resigned. Nearly a year later, Nixon himself resigned, and Ford became President.

Other Presidential trivia:

• William Henry Harrison (9th President) served the shortest presidency. He gave a lengthy inaugural speech (105 minutes) outdoors in March without wearing a hat or overcoat. Consequently, he developed pneumonia and died about 32 days after being elected.
• John Tyler (10th President) was the president with the most children – 15!
• James Buchanan (15th President) was the only President that never married.
• Grover Cleveland (22nd President) was the only President to be married while in the White House. He was also the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms (22nd President and 24th President).
• Teddy Roosevelt (26th President) is the one from whom we get the name of the child’s toy “teddy bear.” He was also the first President to call the Presidential residence the “White House” – before that, it had been called the Executive Mansion, or the President’s House.
• William Taft (27th President) was the first President to own a car.
• Harry S Truman (33rd President) used to get up at 5 a.m. to practice the piano for two hours.
• John F. Kennedy (35th President) was the first Roman Catholic to be elected President. He was also the youngest elected President.
• Ronald Reagan (40th President) was the oldest elected President.

Culture Focus: Valentine’s Day

For our culture focus this week, we’ll take a look at an unofficial holiday that many Americans celebrate: Valentine’s Day. There were several early Christian martyrs named Valentine, but it is not clear how a saint’s feast day came to be associated with a day celebrating romantic love. According to legend, one of the Roman emperors had ordered young men to remain single, believing that married men did not make good soldiers. The priest Valentine nonetheless performed marriage ceremonies in secret for young men.

Whatever the origins of St. Valentine’s Day, it is a day for lovers to remember one another and affirm their love. It is especially common for boyfriends and husbands to give their girlfriends and wives flowers, candy (particularly chocolate), cards, and / or take them out to a romantic dinner. Roses are a favorite gift on this holiday. Sometimes, the color of the rose may have special meaning. According to Wikipedia,

• Red: A very close friendship, love "I Love You"
• Pink: Grace, gentle feelings of love and friendship
• Dark Pink: Gratitude
• Light Pink: Admiration, sympathy
• White: Innocence, purity, secrecy, friendship, reverence and humility.
• Yellow: Often akin to joy and deep friendship or platonic love. In German speaking countries, however, they can mean jealousy and infidelity.
• Yellow with red tips: Friendship, falling in love
• Orange: Passion
• Burgundy: Beauty
• Blue: Mystery
• Green: Calm
• Black: used to signify death (black being the color of death) often of old habits. In a positive light it signifies rebirth after death. Also, slavish devotion (as a true black rose is impossible to produce)
• Purple: protection (paternal/maternal love)

For Valentine’s Day, the most common color for roses is red.

Although children are too young to be interested in romancing the opposite sex, it is common for children to pass out children’s valentines to all their classmates and teachers. It is also common for the children to pass out “conversation hearts,” which are little candy hearts with various sayings stamped on them.

Culture Focus: The Super Bowl

American football is a unique sport that is enjoyed by many, especially men and boys. It is a fall sport, and the culmination of the professional season is a game called the Super Bowl. Post-seasonal college football games have a history of being called “bowl” games, stemming from the famous Rose Bowl game in Pasedena, California on New Year’s Day. Thus, when the Super Bowl was created as a result of the merger between the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) in 1966, it was decided to use to call this world championship of football a “super bowl” game. The name stuck, and Americans have been enthusiastically watching this “world series” of football every January/February since 1967.

An average of 80 – 90 million Americans watch the game every year, making it one of the most-watched television programs of the year in the U.S. Not surprisingly, advertisers pay enormous amounts of money to have their commercials shown during the program – in 2007, a 30-second commercial cost $2.6 million dollars to be shown during the Super Bowl game.

Another feature of the Super Bowl game is its 30-minute halftime show, the entertainment provided when both teams take a break halfway through the game. Most singers, bands, and other performers can only dream of having a part of this widely-viewed event, as the entertainment is generally done by well-known names such as Prince, Janet Jackson, and U2.

Many offices have informal betting pools based on the Super Bowl. The participants of the pool carefully study the odds for the teams playing off in the championship, and place bets according to various factors, such as a team’s past history, who’s on the injured list, or where the Super Bowl will be held. Pools are a form of gambling, and are therefore illegal in most places. However, that doesn’t seem to stop those who want to pay and play in the pool!

Culture Focus: Birthdays

For our culture focus this week, I thought I’d take a look at how American children typically celebrate birthdays. A child’s first birthday is considered a significant milestone, so many families mark this event with a relatively big celebration, although it is not as big a celebration as in Korean households. The first birthday is largely attended by family and perhaps a few close friends, who bring gifts for the child and enjoy birthday cake and ice cream.

As the children get older, the birthday celebration focuses more on a party for the birthday child and his friends, which is generally separate from any private celebration the family may have. The birthday child invites his friends over for a party, where the emphasis is on fun and games. In addition to opening presents and having birthday cake and ice cream, the children may play party games like the following:

1. Pin the Tail on the Donkey

In this game, a poster of a tailless donkey is put on the wall at the children’s height. Each child is given a paper tail, and they take turns trying to put the tail on the proper spot. To make things more difficult, the child stands several feet away, is blindfolded and spun around several times before he is released to walk towards the donkey to put the tail on. From the spinning, the child is usually disoriented, so the child might end up putting the tail on the donkey’s head, stomach, or other place. The winner is the one who gets the tail closest to its proper spot.

2. Musical Chairs

In this game, chairs are placed in a long row, with the chairs facing alternate directions. There is one less chair than there are children. Someone begins playing music, and the children march around the chairs in a circle. As soon as the music stops, every child must take a chair and sit down. The child who is slowest doesn’t get a chair, and is out of the game. Then one more chair is removed, and the game repeats, until there is only one child left – the winner.

3. Drop the Clothespins in a Bottle

In this game, children stand over a bottle that is placed on the floor. The bottle has a narrow opening, and the child tries to put the clothespins in the bottle by dropping them from chest height. If he gets a clothespin in the bottle, he can continue until he misses. The child who gets the most clothespins in the bottle wins.

Older children (teenagers) generally do not play these types of games, and the party becomes more of an opportunity for the teenager to enjoy the company of his friends, eating, talking, and doing teen-type activity. Many teens regard the 16th birthday as a milestone, since this is the age at which teens are allowing to get a driver’s license. The 18th birthday is also significant, since at age 18 the teen is no longer considered a minor child, but an adult.

Culture Focus – Names

English names follow a typically Western naming convention: first name, middle name, and last name. A child is given his name at birth, which is recorded with the hospital and county before the child goes home from the hospital. In olden days when babies were born at home, the official name registration was more likely to done at the time of the child’s christening, or baptism, which was generally held sometime during the child’s first month.

The first name is also called the given name, since it is the name given to the child at birth by the parents. Middle names are also typically given to a child, but they are seldom used except in official documents. Also, since parents usually use a child’s full name (first, middle, last) when reprimanding the child, most people associate the use of the full name with getting in trouble. The last name (also known as family name or surname) comes from the father. Girls have their father’s name until they are married, at which time they generally give it up and assume their husband’s family name. For this reason, we speak of a woman’s maiden name (the name she had before she married) and her married name.

Typical boys’ names (with shorter versions in parentheses) are: John, David (Dave), Michael (Mike), Mark, Stephen (Steve), Robert (Bob, Rob), Timothy (Tim), Bradley (Brad), William (Will, Bill), and Thomas (Tom). Typical girls’ names are: Mary, Diane (Diana), Cheryl (Sherry, Sheri), Sarah, Julia (Julie), Ann, Nancy, Deborah (Debby, Deb), Barbara (Barb), and Carol. According to the Social Security website, the top ten baby names for boys and girls in 2006 are:

Boys:
1. Jacob
2. Michael
3. Joshua
4. Ethan
5. Matthew
6. Daniel
7. Christopher
8. Andrew
9. Anthony
10. William

Girls:
1. Emily
2. Emma
3. Madison
4. Isabella
5. Ava
6. Abigail
7. Olivia
8. Hannah
9. Sophia
10. Samantha