Hello, Friends,
We have had some crisp days lately. The tops of the maple trees are turning orange. Leaves are drifting off of others. Brown County is famous for beautiful fall leaves and color. Whether you are hunkering down or out of town, you can enjoy Hoosier fall color via the Brown County Leaf Cam.
I became a football widow this week. This happens every year. There College SEC on Friday night and all day and night on Saturday. NFL (National Football League) games are played Sunday, Monday and Thursday. That leaves only Tuesday and Wednesday when my husband is aware of his surroundings!
Current Events
September 11 came and went. This was the 19th anniversary of the attacks on the United States on U.S. soil by . Aside from the rapidly changing news cycle, one big similarity between the days following 911 and COVID-19 has been the absence of jet airliners in our skies. On Saturdays, bi-planes have been flying over our neighborhood. I saw two jets flying over at the same time on Thursday. Happily we may have to miss a lot of great events, but NAS Oceania Airshow broadcast live on Facebook on Saturday. What a great way to enjoy jet noise and learn more about sea based flight from the U.S. Navy.
That isn't all that is in the air. Earlier this week we had haze from the wildfires out on the West Coast. There were some strange sunrises and sunsets.
TikTok and WeChat are on the verge of being cancelled in the United States. There are questions about the viability of cyber security of data within these applications or apps. Good news...TikTok is being purchased by Oracle and WalMart for use in America.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg died on Friday. You can read about her life and accomplishments from this History article. This article has narration to practice your English listening skills.
Preschool Stories and More: Mondays, 10:30-11:30, beginning September 21
Join Miss Tomoko and all the kids to read stories and learn games and fun. The first half hour is for the kids, the second half hour is for parent questions and conversation. Register to join the fun or email for more information.
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30
We discovered who Theophilous could be. Our research shows that the Bible doesn't specify who he is, but there are a five of suppositions in Wikipedia: a person of honorary title, a Roman official, a honorary title "friend of God", the Apostle Paul's lawyer, or Jewish priest. In the grand scheme of things, who Theophilous is specifically is not as important. What is implied in this name is that this "friend of God" is respected and Luke's discussion uses scientific and legalistic rules to confirm what Theophilious was taught about the life of Jesus.
Our discussion for this week covered Luke 1: 5-25 which is the story the foretells the birth of John the Baptist. This is quite a story! The miracle of this child's conception isn't believe by his father.
September 22: Zoom over to talk about the story about the foretelling of another miraculous conception in Luke 1:26-38.
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00
We talked about COVID 19 statistics and testing. So much ground has been covered since this disease was first discovered. When the pandemic hit the American shores in March, very little was known about it's transmission, what comorbidities would make it lethal, what demographics were most at risk. People feared for resources like hospital space and ventilators to help people survive. All we knew was that it was deadly. We have learned so much and the more that we learn changes how we look at this disease. One thing to be sure, there are plenty of statistics to be seen and data to be traced. There are dashboards for tracking on every level. State dashboards (Indiana C include number of tests, results, deaths, hospital ICU and cases.
We compared and contrasted retirement ages and benefits in the various countries. In the United States, Social Security benefits can be paid out early or can begin at a later date. This chart explains how these benefits are paid. Overall, the United States Government is striving to make information clear and accessible on line. This is particularly helpful during this pandemic when people need to access information and can not go to an office.
September 22: Zoom over to join me in my kitchen to make a classic midwestern fall dish.
Afternoon Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00
We talked about hospital practices in the United States as it pertains to having babies. We compared practices in different countries and in the U.S. We talked about immigration and visas. The official government site for applications can be found on this USA.gov site. If you want official information, be sure that the site you visit ends in .gov and has a lock before the https:// to reach an official site with up to date information. Information submitted to these pages are secure. USCIS has everything you need to know about visas in straightforward English. You can file forms, manage your case and calculate fees from this site.
September 23: Join us to talk about what is on your mind.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00
There are so many interesting topic and conversations happening in all of our classes. For all of our classes, here is a great site that has quick reference information for Common English Words. Browse this site to learn more about learning English. Look the list over. Do you know all of the words? Can you use each them in a sentence? Can you pronounce them easily? Understanding these words and using them well are key to understanding and being understood.
September 24: Join our classes to grow.
End of the Week Conversation: Fridays, 10:30-12:00
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