Summary of Two Articals

Congo's erupting volcano boosts tourism

Since 1998 the Congo, in Africa has been in civil war with reports of even children being forced to fight as soldiers and people only living off 2 dollars a day. However, on November 6^th the Mount Nyamulagria volcano began erupting and tourist started visiting in record numbers. Sixty to seventy people have paid $300 dollars each to travel an hour from the city of Goma to the Virunga National Park where the volcano is located. The tourist say that the colors are so vivid that they sleep with there tents open facing the volcano so that they can see the beauty at night.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is home to more than eight national parks. With the European Union trying to boost tourism in the area. Africa’s oldest national park is expected to bring in over 1 million in revenue, which is a first in its history. Many governments still warn its citizens about the dangers of traveling in the Congo. For adventures the Congo experience is better than any five star hotel.

 

Report: 1 in 5 U.S. children at risk of hunger

The United States Department of Agriculture released a report that said in 2010, 14.5% of households in the United States lacked the resources to provide enough food for everyone in their home. There are more than 6.4 million households that see disruptions in eating habits because there is not enough food. That means that they do not have the budget to provide their families with at least three meals a day. Most of these families use public assistance in the form of food stamps. This helps a little but the key is to stretch the dollar and provide more healthy meals.

An organization is bringing together young chefs to help. A nonprofit group called Feed America, a network of more than 200 food banks, is holding classes that teach single parent families and young mothers how to shop for and prepare healthy dishes. The mothers bring their children with them to help the children understand the healthy alternatives too. With these classes and the education being shared maybe less children will be going to bed hungry.

Global Warming Summary

                                                                     Global Warming

             

When we talk bout global warming, we are actually talking about having too much of something that naturally occurs. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases trap some of the outgoing energy from Earth and in turn retain the heat. This is almost the same as a greenhouse. The same way a greenhouse makes the temperature comfortable enough for plants to grow the natural greenhouse makes it a hospitable 60 degrees Fahrenheit on Earth. The problem is that people have been creating more greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution than at any other time in Earths history. This is thought to have already caused the loss of many of Earth's ice glaciers. If we continue at the same pace carbon dioxide concentrations are predicted to be 30 to 150 percent higher than today, by year 2100. If governments are successful at putting in policies that reduce emissions we might be able limit the effect of too much greenhouse gas.

                             

“Celebration”

                     “Celebration”

As you walk the campus of ASU you will find many interesting sculptures. I would like to share with you some information about one of the sculptures that I see regularly. The name of the sculpture is “Celebration.” Arizona State University commissioned artist Jerry Peart to create this sculpture in 1984, in honor of its centennial celebration. The medium is painted aluminum sheet. The statue consists of abstract geometric shapes and stands at 23 feet high with a width of approximately 19 feet, 6 inches. Jerry Peart was born and raised in Winslow, Arizona and earned a BFA degree from Arizona State University in 1970, where he was also awarded the “Outstanding Student Award” by the faculty. Afterwards he went to Chicago where he joined the large scale, sculpture community. There he helped Stever Urry on his creation “The Arch.” Later he would open his own studio and perfect his large scale, abstract style. Over the years Jerry Peart has created over 35 large scale, abstract, public sculptures; that can be found in almost every state in America as well as parts of Asia. The sculpture “Celebration” combines the geometric shapes with many different colors. I believe that the use of the primary colors as well as the school colors and shapes do give the feeling of a party as you move around the figure.

The Ice Hotel

                  The Ice Hotel

         Every year an Ice Hotel that includes an Ice Chapel, Ice Cinema and Ice Art Hall is built in Sweden. The ice hotel is located on the shores of the Torne River in the Swedish Lapland. In the old village of Jukkasjarvi; the ice hotel is built with 30,000 tons of pure snow and in an area of 30,000 square feet. The ice hotel can provide room for 100 guests at the same time. The inner temperature is between -4 degrees and -9 degrees centigrade. Guests are interested in this unique experience. The hotel provides each guest with a special sleeping bag and warm outer clothing. There are four different types of rooms. The first is a Double Room. It has a thermal sleeping bag that is placed on a special bed of snow and ice. The bed is also covered with reindeer skins. The second type of room is a Suite. It is decorated with ice art and sculptures. Guests who stay in the Double Room or Suite are awakened in the morning with a hot cup of juice.  The third style that is available is an Aurora House Cabin. The cabin has two separate bedrooms, one with a single bed and one with a double bed. The rooms have a ceiling skylight. You can view the midnight sun or the Aurora Borealis. The fourth type is the Chalet Cabin. They offer two elaborate bedrooms with four beds. Both the Chalet and Aurora House cabins have a TV, telephone and private bathroom with a shower and toilet. Whether you stay in a Double, Suite, Aurora House or Chalet Cabin breakfast is included.

My favorite high school class.

            My favorite high school class was my English class for a lot of reasons. First of all, my English teacher was a nice and friendly person, as well as easy-going. The second reason was that I was a teacher’s assistant during high school. The class voted and then the teacher chose an assistant. The assistant would be responsible for handing out class work and even preparing a quiz at the end of the week, on the things covered in class. Another reason was I am interested in American movies and English songs. The more I improved my English level the easier I could understand. To sum up, my English class was an awesome part of high school for me.  

Vancouver Trip

            The most exiting experience is I lived in Vancouver for six months last year. I went there for traveling and studying. I went to CCEL to learn English, and I rented a place near English Bay downtown. It is a beautiful city. I am lucky that I was there during the Olympics in the winter. There were a lot of foreigners and visitors. The city was pretty busy and crowded at that time.  Everyday had a lot of different kinds of activities. Especially, all of the Canadians were crazy on the last day, because they had the finial win against the United States. Everybody went out and celebrated on the main street. It was a special experience for me. The second one was the naked beach called “ wreck beach.” The weird thing was that it is located in the University of British Columbia. Can you image a lot of university students naked there? I went there and I did not know what should I look at.  Of course, I did not get naked and I wore sunglasses. I just felt uneasy there. It was a good experience but I think I will not go to the naked beach again. It made me feel embarrassed. 

My Introduction "Who Is Effie"

               Who is Effie? Effie is currently a student at AECP. She grew up in Taipei,Taiwan; a small island in the Pacific Ocean. Taipei is home for the second highest building in the world, Taipei 101. Taipei is also famous for its relaxing hot springs. Taiwanese people enjoy good food. The most popular dishes are rice, noodle, and steamed dumplings. Some of the most popular restaurants are called hotpot or “Shabu Shabu.” Young people in Taiwan like to socialize and gather at night markets that sell everything from “stinky tofu” to wholesale clothing, and “bubble tea.” Who is Effie? I am Effie, I am your classmate and I am looking forward to learning more about the United States.

Writing&Reading

     I prefer to read books about conversation and efficiency. My favorite book is "Conversational English for Chinese Speaker." I bought this book when I was back in Taiwan. I enjoyed reading on my trip here. It covers many useful topics.
For example, "How to understand American People," this chapter taught me about things such as in the American society people highly regard the laws, justice systems, credit standing, as well as the American spirit of service being greatly encouraged throughout everyone's life. Another chapter "Table manners," helped me understand things such as not being late for a dinner party and do not seat yourself until the ladies are seated. To sum up, I prefer reading books to improve myself. I think it is a good way to learn more English.