Accents

A lot of people speak English. Obviously, the English language started in England. Through conquest and colonization, English spread. It's now the "native" language for people all over the world. Plus, it's the chief international language. Still, even though it's a single language, people from different places speak English differently.

Naturally, people from the same country should speak more like each other; and people from different countries would have more different accents. English has grown so diverse that there are different words and expressions for things in different areas. Plus, the accents make them sound so different from each other. You might even need an interpreter when you're talking to somebody from a different English-speaking country (not to mention when people are speaking English as a foreign language)!

But sometimes, even people from the same country have quite different accents; for example, the United States. People from Alabama speak differently than people in New York, and they both speak differently than people from Wisconsin. And some of them have accents so strong you can barely understand them! Of course, it doesn't seem that way to them. But how does that happen - why are there even different accents? Alabama isn't all that far away from New York - why are people from New York and Alabama speaking differently from each other? New York City and Boston aren't that far away - but those people sound different from each other. Even people from New York City and upstate New York sound different - and that's the same state!

Then, there's the so-called "neutral" English accent. Is the "neutral" accent in one country the same as in another country? And, what does that mean? In the U.S., we seem to think that this is a "mid-Western" accent. Sometimes it's called a "TV accent." Most national TV news anchors and reporters don't seem to have a regional accent - they seem to have the "neutral" accent, right? Even people who star in shows that take place in spots where there are strong accents don't necessarily have that accent. And, how does one particular accent get to be the "neutral" one? I guess because we all understand them, and we can't tell where they're from.

Some people think that television is actually going to kill-off regional accents. These neutral people are beemed (or cabled) into our homes. Everyone listens to the same neutral voices, and adjusts to them. Soon, everyone will talk the same. This is a good thing: We'll all be able to communicate easily, right? Or, is it worthwhile to have accents?

Excessive Partying

People like to have parties. They like parties so much that "party" has become a verb. People like to party. And these parties are getting more and more extravagant.

It seems like not so long ago, children's birthday parties were quite simple and low-key. Nothing more than some other kids, a couple of party games, and some cake. Now people are renting out banquet halls and country clubs for this - especially for events like "Sweet Sixteen" parties. Why is a 16th birthday so important for a girl? Nothing big happens at 16. Most states allow someone to get a driver's license, but boys don't have "sweet 16" birthdays. And isn't getting the license itself enough of a celebration of that momentous event? Years ago, 16 may have been a more important turning point in a young woman's life. Nowadays, turning 16 no longer signals that she is of marrying age. Maybe a big sixteenth birthday party actually sends the wrong signal, and suggests that her parents think she's "an adult" or "fair game."


What about other parties? Haven't they gotten out of control? Bar and Bat Mitzvahs that parents save up for for years - and this is a 13 year old kid! Or, remember the First Communion party for young Anthony Corleone in The Godfather: Part II, that was on a lake in Nevada and the Corleones invited a U.S. Senator they'd never met?! Of course, that party involved other elements....


Plus, there are the "wedding spectaculars." [The Godfather had a pretty big wedding at the beginning of that film.] Surely, everyone wants to have a nice wedding, but the pre-wedding parties seem to be getting out of hand. Bachelor/-ette parties are getting more and more elaborate. Instead of just an evening out in the hometown, people are taking trips to Vegas or Atlantic City or Montreal. And these parties don't just last one night, but a full weekend, a long weekend, or maybe even most of a week. And then there's the Engagement party, some sort of pre-wedding fête that has come to mirror the wedding reception in extravagence, and where the protocol/etiquette about gift-giving seems to be still evolving.

I guess everyone just likes to party ... in style.

Penguins

Sometimes, trends come along in popular culture. It could be clothes, pass-times, foods, or almost anything. When they arrive, they seem to appear everywhere. In stores, movie-theaters, and fast-food restaurants! There have been Pet Rocks, bell-bottoms, and fins on cars. Sometimes we have to wonder what causes these phenomena, and how long can they last?

Interestingly enough, a strange group is now riding the crest of a popularity-wave. They're penguins! Penguins starred in a 2005 film, "March of the Penguins." This movie even won the Academy Award for Best Documentary. Plus, the penguins raked in more money at the box office than Best Picture winner, "Crash."

Also in 2005, a group of four innovative penguins had an important, if not-quite-starring, role in "Madagascar." In a film that was a comedy, the penguins provided further comic relief. ["The penguins are psychotic!!"]

Once again, penguins were in a starring role in 2006. "Happy Feet" opened at theaters at the end of last year, and has an all-star group of voices for the penguins. (Yes, the penguins had to have humans do their voices for them.)

It seems that penguins are everywhere these days. Obviously, they've landed starring roles in movies. These movies have product tie-ins and other commercial ventures. There are penguin toys, penguins websites, and of course a professional hockey team (although this was long before 2005).

What explains this penguin-mania?! Is there a powerful Antarctic presence lobbying hard in Hollywood or Madison Avenue? Obviously, mighty forces have stepped-in and put these penguins in the spotlight. Until recently, penguins did not seem to be a group that craved attention or power. Will 2007 reveal yet another penguin film? Will they get their own TV show? Perhaps a penguin will get a elected to Congress in 2008. (It's possible - they're popular, and seem awfully savvy.)

How long can it last? Eventually, the zeal for penguins may lead to their demise. Or, will they meet a seal?