Where do strange local pronunciations come from and how do they establish such an amazing foothold?
Case in point: When I first moved to Austin, Texas I discovered one of the main streets was named “Manchaca”. Now, growing up one of my friends was named David Menchaca (almost identical spelling) and he pronounced his name [...]
At no time am I more aware of the importance (and lack) of manners in society than when on vacation. Living in a tourist town like San Francisco you get to see the mindset of the vacationer: ‘This is my vacation. I’ve been waiting for this. I’m paying a lot of money for this. [...]
In 1991 my favorite band in the world, hands-down, was Pixies. Ask my wife. “Bossanova,” “Surfer Rosa” and “Doolittle” were the only cassettes in my car. I listened to them over and over and over again. They are still my favorite band to this day (although, The Smiths will always be [...]
“A chicken in every pot! A car in every garage!” …and, you can add, junk made out of fiberboard in every living-room.
There’s no doubt that the Industrial Revolution was a two-edged sword. The benefits have been obvious: through efficient means of mechanization and engineering, products could be made at a much faster rate. Since the [...]
