just enjoy ourselves

You guys must have talked much about various animals in the Columbus Zoo.However,I would like to share something else with you,which seems fresh to me.

I have seen a wide range of strollers in the zoo,which it is impossible for me to have a look at in China.Also, I found two quotes of Martin Luther on a sign.One is "Conservation is spiritual."And the other is "Everything that is done in the world is done by hope."They all helped me think deeper and made me inspired.

What impresses me most is the Boat Ride.With sunshine,green trees,the blue sky,pretty good clouds and slow flow of clear water,I enjoyed all in a wonderful mood.Although we were tired, we experienced so many things which we had never all our lives.So,just enjoy ourselves and learn something while traveling.Only in this way,can we leave life to the fullest.

climate change——a serious problem

Before the essay, I would like to say something about myself. I spent a lot of time in my childhood playing in the yard nearby. And there were many games we played were with the grass, insects, little kitties, dogs, chickens or even some little birds falling out of their nests. And when I grew up a little, I read a series of books called Hal and Roger Hunt. Those books gave me tremendous ideas and different knowledge about the nature. Such as the fact that cheetah used to be pet of the Egyptian, or the difference between African and Asian elephant. I guess that is one of the most important reasons why the nature fascinates me so much. And as a result, I care quite a lot about the nature and write the following essay.

climate change
After the Copenhagen Climate conference, an increasing number of people pay attention to the green house gas emission and the climate change.

According to my own feeling, the climate seems to keep stable and it was even colder in winter in Wuhan recently. So, what I feel conflicts with the reports from scientists and researchers’. But considering the fact that those scientific reports based on a wider range of data and longer series of time, I believe what scientists tell us——the climate of our planet is warmer.

Climate change leads to many significant results. First one is that iceberg and glacier in both Arctic and Antarctic areas will melt and the sea level will rise. This will lead to lose of the habitat for both human beings and animals that used to live there. If the sea level keeps rising, some islands will disappear one day. It will cause not only problems in eco-system, but also some serious international political affairs dealing with those people who lose their country land.

The second one would be that the rising temperature will destroy some delicate niches for some creatures. And more species will become endangered or even extinguished after that. As what we learned today in the wetland, there are so many species of animals, plants and insects living in the wetland. And the slight change of temperature will leads to significant change in the eco-system.

And the third one is quite a novel way of considering this temperature problem. There are many viruses and bacteria frozen in the glacier. Once the glacier melt, those ancient viruses that we have no immunity to will be extremely dangerous. From this perspective, even those who do not care much about the nature should think about the vital result of climate change.

According to the reasons discussed above, even climate change may be not that obvious to us, we would better attach more importance to it. Maybe what we can do is slight, but slight change is better than not. So turn off the AC or light when you do not need it, ride a bike rather than drive (if possible) or print on both sides of a piece of paper. All these actions seem to be negligible, but if we all keep that in mind, I am sure that we can limit our own carbon footprint and make a big difference in the long run.

Boy--that was fun

It was great to have you all over to Jim's house tonight. We would've done it at my house, but Jim's is so much bigger and cooler than mine. Plus, Jim's family is a big one, so he has enough chairs and forks for everyone. For years, I've told Jim about how excellent and fun my Chinese students are. Tonight I told him that since he's never come to China with me, I decided to bring a little China to him. Thank you all for being such gracious and charming guests. While we were cleaning up, Jim kept talking about how much fun he had with you.

One thing I want to commend all of you on is the way that you're taking advantage of your opportunities here in the U.S. I have seen it in the little things, like the way you ate the corn tonight (many Americans think corn cooked that way is strange) and in the way most of you learned to play Squeak. I have seen it in the bigger things, too--like the way you're getting more confident in talking with Mike, Hans and I in English, and the way you spoke up about what you really thought during class this morning. If you asked me, that's why we're here--to seize our opportunities, to try new things, to take calculated risks. If we always did the same things the same way, life wouldn't be very interesting. I hope you can all keep it up--we have been offered a tremendous opportunity here this summer, and we need to keep taking advantage of it.

OK--I need to go to bed--I have to teach about art tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity for all of us.

culture shocks!!!

The first thing that makes me immense myself in thinking is about the cultural diversity and social tolerance in America society. It is a common thing to encounter people with different races, different colors and different customs in street, restaurant, airplane and so forth. Although we can hardly deny that discrimination and bias actually incubate in America, generally speaking, America, as an immigrant country, maintains a relatively high sense of tolerance and respect for different kinds of people, no matter what their races, religions, and sexual orientations are. Consider in depth, may be such social and cultural diversity is the foundation of a democratic society, since almost every people can be guaranteed with certain degree human rights and strive for hope and happiness.
Another thing that surprises me is that most people in OHIO are so friendly and polite. I really appreciate the dinner offered by Jams, and also the help of many strangers, such as book sellers, waiters and so on. However, I also want to say something about a bad experience a couples days ago. When we went walking, some young adults made rude gestures to us and yelled “Chinese ”. At first, I was a little sad about it. But now, I think the reason of their rudeness is that they wanted to be distinguished from other people, considering that they are in adolescence. In fact, gold cannot be pure and world cannot be perfect. And the most important thing is that we have to encounter different people, to explore different culture, and even to suffer some difficulties and disappointments, with a tolerant heart and a deep thought.
The American class style is also an attractive thing for me. I really enjoy such discussion in class, because instead of negative accepting knowledge, we become the positive participants in learning process. From my perspective, the genuine purpose of education is not rooted in stuffing knowledge but stimulating visceral interest, ignite splendid imagination, and excavate inner potential. Only in this way can education better deliver science and humanity.
by Sophy

When Teledram Shines in Reality

Before I came to USA, I have made about 1,100mins subtitles for American teledrama in China, so, I have got a whole picture about United States in my mind, everything is familiar to me here, but maybe a little bit different for my schoolmates. I am lucky 'cause it is kind of like come across some old friends I have known before, so sweet. What I want to say about my feeling is that I like who am I when I am here in OSU.

Well, Oh my god! My labtop has been hacked! And the words above is what I have done a few days before. It seems like it will be a liitle bit inconvenient for me to unpdate my blog until I got it fixed. God bless me.

Anxious to meet you

Some of you might have met my son, Bobby, in Wuhan. My husband and I are anxious to meet you and maybe I can cook some American or Italian food for your cookout.

Claudine

Mike's blog entry for Monday, July 19

Hello students, and hopefully by today, you will all have your Gmail accounts and be members of the blog. I'm hoping you will be reading this from the library.

Please use the blog to post one of your first two Composition Book entries. As you type from your notebook, please add and revise where needed. Also, feel free to introduce some things about yourself as you write on the blog, so that everyone is able to get to know you a little better through reading your writing.

I'm going to just write a few words about the Zoo yesterday. I had a wonderful time, and in thinking about it, what stands out to me is the importance of the Zoo for us, and for our children. We must keep teaching people to be aware that the world is not just for humans, and that animals are such an important aspect of our lives. They are part of our ecosystem, and even though we may not realize it, we all depend on each other. You cannot have unbalance in the ecosystem without a consequence.

It was so great to see the children get excited about seeing so closely the polar bears, leopards, and koala bears that they would never see without the zoo. The beauty of the animals is a powerful argument to make sure we maintain a habitat for them, and the mystery of the animals is powerful, too.

I grew up on a farm, feeding animals each morning at 5 a.m. for chores. We had chickens, sheep, pigs, cattle, horses, goats, and of course cats and dogs, too! My world was full of animals and they made my life more fulfilled.

As I grew older, I was the first in my family to have the chance for an education. I left the country life and went to the city. I have gained a lot, as now I have a chance to increase my knowledge and opportunities. Yet, I have also lost something, and that is my connection to nature and everyday life with animals. The Zoo reminded me not to forget about our partners in the world, and it made me understand possibly why it has been difficult and a little lonely since my dog Loki died in June. He was a really good friend and companion to me for 11 years.

Animals really can be a powerful part of our experience, and I am thankful for all the reminders that the Zoo offered me to that point. I hope you enjoy the pictures of Lucia, Wu Ling, Jean, Queena, Emily, Beth, Kelly, Kiera, James, Fang Ming, the polar bears, and Loki that I uploaded with this post.

Mike

P.S. I tried to embed a slideshow of the pictures I took at the Zoo, so we shall see if it works. . .