Hola! What Language Is Your State Speaking?
Although there is no official language in the United States, the vast majority of Americans speak English, and it is the language used by the government and in commerce. However, in a land comprised of immigrants, it’s not surprising that a language other than English is often spoken in American homes. The American Community Survey, […]
Is the ‘Average’ American Family Vanishing?
The average American family used to look very much like the fictional Cleaver family in the classic television show Leave It to Beaver, with two married parents and the father as the breadwinner. But that family arrangement is no longer the norm in the United States. “There is no average American family and that’s what’s […]
Most Admired US Jobs Don’t Always Pay Top Dollar
MORE ABOUT AMERICA Wild West Ghost Town Emerges from Watery Grave What Happens When Americans Tweet What They Eat Why Small US Towns Embrace Their Weirdness Money and prestige don’t necessarily go together when it comes to the jobs Americans admire most. Although doctors top a Harris Poll list of the most prestigious jobs in […]
American Students Lag Behind in Study Abroad Programs
For millions of students around the world, it’s the highlight of their college career: the opportunity to leave their campus for a semester to travel overseas and study abroad. However, fewer than 10 percent of American students take advantage of the chance to study in a foreign country. And that’s a concern, according to the […]
‘Is Africa a jungle full of elephants and lions?’
“Is Africa a jungle full of elephants and lions?” “Mommy, do you have AIDS?” Cameroon native Paulette Mpouma cringed whenever her U.S.-born children posed these and other questions that illustrated how their understanding of her native continent had been shaped by Western stereotypes. “Their impression of Africa was sickness and poverty and jungle also,” Mpouma […]
Arab Americans Go Online for Marital Matchups
When Arab American Hania Masri (not her real name, which I’ll explain later) wanted to meet and settle down with someone from a similar cultural background, she turned to an online matchmaking service for help. One husband and two children later, she’s glad she did. Hania — outgoing, attractive and personable, with an advanced degree […]