1. In some movies the Black Americans play some game called "numbers".
   This is obviously some sort of illegal "lottery". Is this game still
   going on?

2. There is this hugely popular tv-show called Seinfeld. This guy gets
   millions of dollars per episode and NBC makes a lot of money (or made,
   Seinfeld has decided to stop doing the show. Good for him.) Now, I have
   watched this show and I do not like it. Actually I hate it, I think
   that the guy is just over-paid jerk. Is there something wrong with me?
   I mean, I enjoy most of the other American sitcoms. Is Seinfeld too
   Jewish-American for me?

3. Do they still hang or shoot criminals sentenced to death in the U.S.,
   or are all states using "cleaner" methods, such as lethal injections?
   How about electric chairs? Is the criminal allowed to choose the way to
   go, if the State in question uses several techiques?
=================================================================

1. In the movie Reality Bites, there is a scene in which the main
   characters are playing some kind of a social game. They are talking
   about some people or perhaps some TV-show characters, Willona etc. I
   don't have a clue what they were on about. Do you know what this game
   was? If you haven't seen the film, I can show you the scene on video.

2. What's the point and history of Groundhog Day? It seems to be the
   silliest American tradition one could think of.

3. How did American football come into existence? It seems to have nothing
   to do with "real" football, or "soccer", as the Americans call it.
==================================================================

1. What is the Rose Bowl? Why is it celebrated?
      -I just happened to see the parade right after New Year

2. Is it only because of Freedom of Speech act that talk show hosts (that
   means Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, the ones that I know) can make jokes
   about public figures,like Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Janet Reno, Bob Dole
   etc. and the British nanny sentencing some time ago?

3. About sports in the United States. Are baseball, hockey and American
   football the biggest (and only) spectator sports? What about other
   sports? There has to be viewers for horse racing also. And what about
   motor sports? Athletics? Skiing? Is there any correspondence between
   sports followers in Finland and in the United States?
===================================================================

1. I've read lots of totally unbelievable quotations from Mr Dan Quayle.
   What has he done to beacome a vice president? And was there any
   particular reason for it? What about the joke that he was a kind of a
   bodyguard to George Bush? No one would harm him because then Dan Quayle
   would become the president, better explanations?

2. We were told about the lifestyles of e.g. Babe Ruth and Joe Namath. Are
   there lots of other celebrities, politicians or athletes who have 'got
   away with' doing something illegal or unacceptable? Who are they?

3. 'Hillbillies' are often a source of humour in movies, tv-series and
   jokes. Many times 'hillbilly'-fathers/-brothers are sexually
   attractedto their daughters/sisters who are always very sensual
   characters. Is there a special reason for that?
=====================================================================

1. I've often wondered why the Mayflower is so important in American
   history and so frequently referred to in various contexts.  As far as I
   know, the people who came over to America on it were not the first
   settlers.  So why is this particular ship with its passangers always
   singled out?

2. How much does the culture of the Spanish-speaking part of the
   population influence American popular culture in general?

3. I remember reading somewhere that a far bigger percentage of the
   American people claim to be of Irish extraction than is historically
   true or even statistically possible.  Is this true and if so, what
   reasons are there behind this phenomenon?
======================================================================

1. Dr Pepper is one of my favourite drinks (yum yum:)) and I would be very
   interested in knowing its history!  Obviously, it is not quite as
   glorious as Coca Cola or Pepsi ...  Also, is there a special kind of
   stereotype of a Dr Pepper drinker??  (I was surprised to see Forrest
   Gump drinking it :), and then my Hanson-crazed little sister told me
   that the Hanson boys love it too - whatever that tells us...:))

2. Why is San Francisco so famous for its gays?  Or why is there such a
   gay culture there now?  There must be a some kind of story to it (that
   I am not aware of!).

3. More about California - people keep saying it is the mecca (well not
   exactly but anyhow) of healthy food and exercising - is that really
   only because of its climate and the beach culture - people not actually
   wearing much?? (And so having to expose their bodies more!)

4. Then I was curious about this name "Mary Jane" that I keep hearing in
   songs and all - does it have a special, American, history??
======================================================================

1. I've once read a book by Ariel Dorfman and Armand Mettelart called "How
   to Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic"
   (originally "Para leer al pato Donald", published in 1971). I can't say
   I would agree with its ideas, but there were some interesting things
   and ever since I read that book I've been wondering, why don't the main
   characters have "normal" families - there are just uncles, aunts,
   nephews, nieces etc. What does this indicate?

2. I would like to know more about bridal showers and baby showers. What's
   the origin of them? What do the girls / women do in them?

3. Is Elvis still alive? (Just kidding!) Actually, I want to ask, why is
   there such a strong "myth", that Elvis is still alive? I don't think
   this has "happened" to other dead celebrities, at least not to same
   extent. What does it tell about some people's attitude towards Elvis?
=======================================================================

1. Why is it that compared to Europeans Americans seem so naive? Very
   often in movies and TV we hear something like: You can't do this to me,
   I'm an American! Perhaps naivety isn't the best word to describe that
   sort of mentality, but I'm sure most people know what I mean.

2. Why do European TV-series or movies have to be adapted for the American
   audience? This has been done for example to Cracker and Nikita.

3. If compared to popular culture, what is considered high-brow in
   America? What are the "intellectuals" like?
=========================================================================

1. The previous episode of a tv-serie "Grace under Fire" (Äiti ja Risat)
   handled the subject of children's beauty competitions. How common these
   "Miss Something" contests for young children are in the US? In the same
   episode Grace said something like: "Now I know how Vanna White's mother
   must have felt like." Who is /was Vanna White?

2. When visiting my relatives in Detroit, Michigan, couple of years ago, I
   came across this sport called soft ball (hobby of my distant cousin).
   Is it meant only for girls as an easier option for baseball, and how
   common it is as a sports game?

3. Here in Finland cellular phones are common peoples' toys nowadays. Is
   it so also in the US, or do they still have some sort of higher status
   qualities (e.g. do you see them only in the hands of businessmen)?
==========================================================================
1. There are different kind of soft drinks on sale in the USA. Are there
   brand names that are linked to certain groups in sodas like there are
   in beers?

2. There is an increasing call for 'family values' in the USA. This has
   already caused changes in TV-programmes, for example. Are Americans
   really as religious as they try to appear, and is this effecting also
   pop-culture?

3. Do they still publish pictures of missing children on milk cartons? (if
   there still are milk cartons?)
=========================================================================

1. How do Americans define "a movie star"? In one issue of Entertainment
   Weekly (Fall '96) a movie star was defined as "having created a unique
   personality" - that one has a "stamp of originality that lives in our
   culture both as a type and as a inimitable singularity."

2. The difference between a movie star and an actor or actress. Does a
   movie star have to be talented? Basically, the occupation of a movie
   star is an actor (and a good actor has to ge gifted), but which is
   ultimalely more important, talent or good looks?

   Comparing Marilyn Monroe and for example Joanne Woodward; the former is
   definitely a star, she was fourth in the top 100 movie star list
   (Entertainment Weekly, fall' 96), but the latter wasn't found at all.
   The latter was even considered to be a "box-office poison" in the 60s.
   Still many critics praise Joanne Woodward for her performances.

3. How well-known are the names of Lee Grant, Charlotte Rampling and Julie
   Christie to the American audience?
=========================================================================

1. It seems to me that the Americans accept the use of drugs more easily
   than the use of alcohol. Why is that?

2. The Levi's jeans became extremely popular in Finland about ten years
   ago. Has there recently been that kind of boom in the US as regards of
   a clothing brand etc. ?

3. What's the origin of Halloween?
=========================================================================

1. A couple of days ago I saw an interview with (Dutch) film director Paul
   Verhoeven and he claimed that sex and nudity are almost taboos in the
   American society. Why?

2. What are the biggest record companies in the U.S. and how much money
   are all the exported American music products worth? The amount of the
   foreign records sold in the U.S.?

3. I have read that in the U.S. Disney COMICS are not nearly as popular as
   here in Finland. Is it only Disneyworld and Disney movies etc. that
   appeal to the ordinary U.S citizens?
=========================================================================

1. What do you think is the explanation for the fact that everything is
   bigger in the U.S. (cars, buildings, supermarkets, food packages, etc.)?

2. Does the general public still go to the movies in the U.S.? Have
   people's habits changed with the emerging of videos and movie channels?
   Is the 'drive-in theater' still as popular as it used to be?

3. Which is more popular, baseball or football? Do the groups of people
   that follow these sports differ in any way (differences in their social
   status, for example)?
==========================================================================

1.  The definition of "pop-culture": what does it cover, what is and what
    isn't pop-culture?

2.  Pop-art. Yes, Andy Warhol. But also other non- audio/audiovisual
    artists: painters etc.

3.  Is the line between pop and "high culture" fading? Vanessa Mae and
    Linda Lampenius (yuk!) play classical music in a very pop-sense. Nigel
    Kennedy did that ages ago. Luciano Pavarotti sings with U2 (not very
    American examples, I know) and so forth. What do you think?
==========================================================================

1. According to my experience U.S.A is really behind in development of
   certain appliances (dishwashers, vacuums ....) Yet they seem to think
   that they are ahead of everybody else in this matter. What is the real
   story behind this?

2. How come American tourists are so annoyingly proud of their country(are
   they taught that at school or something?)

3. Is it true that products like Schnickers , Popsi ... really exist?
==========================================================================

1. What are the libraries like in the USA, and how much are they used by
   so called 'ordinary people'?

2. Is the number 13 'bad luck' in United States, and are there any other
   symbols or numbers that have superstitious meanings?

3. Since nowadays nearly everyone in Finland owns a cellular phone, I
   would like to know if cellular phones still are regarded as luxurious
   in the United States, or are they as common there as they are here?
==========================================================================

1. Why are conspiracy theories so popular in the U.S.? Where do these
   theories come from?

2. Why do many (murder) trials become big media spectacles? (eg. the trial
   of O.J. Simpson)

3. Is there a reason why many mass murderers and other criminals become
   media stars? Some criminals actually have fans who wait for days
   outside the court houses to get a good seat at the hearing. The Manson
   family for example was very popular.
==========================================================================

1. Has there been any serious attempts or plans in the US to censor the
   internet?

2. Why do you think driving under the influence of alcohol is considered a
   lot more acceptable in the US (and in other English speaking countries
   as well, it seems) than in Finland?

3. Can American authorities interfere with the publishing of music on
   albums in any other way than with those ridiculous "parental advisory"
   stickers? Is there a way to ban an album or to prevent its publishing?
==========================================================================

1. The origins of doughnuts and why/how have they gained such popularity
   in America?

2. Where does the word shower come from in terms like 'baby shower',
   'bridal shower' etc.?

3. The different uses of the word 'pink' - such concepts like the Pink
   Panther, seeing pink elephants, pink Cadillac, Pretty in Pink (a film),
   'pink' referring to (male) homosexuals. How is it that this colour has
   so many connotations? What does the usage of 'pink' imply in the
   occasions mentioned above?