Memory of Germany

Minji Lee

It was last winter vacation. Accurately one year ago, I was spending my winter vacation doing nothing special. All of a sudden, I realized I was wasting my youth and began to search for an opportunity which would make me refreshed in poor boring days. I found "International Work Camp Program" on a website. It is one of volunteer activities focused on group life with other friends from various countries and giving those people chance to experience international exchange. It is progressed for 2 to 3 weeks in 60 countries all over the world. Decisively, the entry fee was only 300 dollars! It suited to me perfectly. Even though I had to cover the airline ticket for myself, the total fee was much cheaper than normal 2 weeks-journey. In addition, what I really wanted was actually not just going somewhere else, but confirming the fact that I am alive in such this wide world. Finally, I picked one program held in Germany, and went to Germany.

The everything I underwent including buying airline tickets, going to the airport, boarding into airplane, sleeping and eating was super exciting! I can not forget the moment that airplane departed from runway. I can not forget the evening scenery I saw over the window. And the first step on Frankfurt airport, the smell of sandwiches arranged on kiosk, the people who helped me to reach the place where I need to go, I can still remember all of that.

For 2 weeks, I stayed with 11 friends from Russia, Croatia, Ukraine, Finland, France, Japan, and Germany. This communication with the whole world was what I really wanted! Through this, I could share and discuss about our belief and principle together and compare the differences between us. Even though I was in only Germany, I could learn about various things of various countries during having conversation with them. I can sure it would be good fertilizer for me, maybe also for them to develop.

Everyday We made our meals together. Only at that time, we exceptionally could be the kindred spirit because everybody tried to seek the only genuine taste. And we talked all day long, worked, studied, went on picnics and laughed together. For me, Everything was just super fantastic. My 2 weeks flew by in a flash.

This experience might be not such tremendous for someone. But I know I got many genuine enlightenment and wisdom of life enjoying this travel. I realized the world is really vast, and the people with whom we can be friends are so numerous as well. Before leaving Korea, I felt little hesitance about spending such a lot of money for this travel. But after coming back to Korea, the remaining little suspicion was totally disappeared. 

Now I am spending the golden time neither in Korea nor in Germany, but in United States!
I am not sure whether I can achieve the goal I set before I came here, but I am pretty sure that I am already having gorgeous time with lovey new friends. I hope that I will write about this life in United States as blissfully just as I wrote about Germany!

Lastly, does anyone wanna visit Germany here? Please take me too!!!!

Global Warming

-----------------------Jen

Climate scientists spent many decades to find out what reason for global warming. Most scientists agree that the biggest problem is the “greenhouse effect.”The greenhouse effect is a process in which sunlight reaches Earth’s surface, some of which is absorbed by Earth, but most of which is reflexed back to the atmosphere. In addition to sunlight, greenhouse gasses also reflex heat energy back to the Earth. If the greenhouse gases increase, the temperature of the Earth will keep increasing. There are some causes for global warming such as carbon dioxide, methane and deforestation. There are many effects for global warming; for example, rising sea level and killer storms.

The primary cause of the increasing of the Earth’s temperature is carbon dioxide (CO₂), which is rising in the atmosphere and trapping more warmth because of human activities. As the population rate grows rapidly, we demand more cars. It means that we need to burn more and more fossil fuel for transportation and manufacturing. On the other hand, burning fossil fuel at power plants generates electricity, which also leads to large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

Methane (CH₄) is one of the greenhouse gases, emitted from animals, agriculture, and Arctic seabeds, causing global warming. When bacteria decompose organic material, it will produced methane. This process also happens in the body of animal. When the amount of animals increased, the content of methane released into the atmosphere increased. Moreover, according to Andrew Williams, global warming will accelerate the rate of methane escapes from Arctic seabed, and it will cause the phenomenon of greenhouse effect become more obviously.

In addition to carbon dioxide and methane, deforestation also results in global warming. Using wood as a material for fuel is one reason for deforestation. Another reason is our demand for wood and paper products. When the trees in the forest photosynthesize, it can remove and store carbon dioxide. Deforestation releases more carbon(C) and reduces a large amount of carbon capture on the Earth.

On the other hand, as the global warming becoming more serious, there are some impacts on the Earth. Global warming will cause many serious impacts on the Earth. First, according to Dana Nuccitelli, there is a research published in Science Magazine which states that due to ice sheets melting in Greenland and Antarctica, sea level rise estimated amount should be increased at 0.8~2.0 meters, about 3.5 times of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) prediction. People who live in island need to displace, and sea level rising will affect millions of people on the world. For instance, people who live in Maldives mush find a new place because of rising sea level.

There is another consequence of global warming; we will have more killer storms. An inconvenient truth, starring former U.S. Vice President Al Gore claims that the number of Category 4 and Category 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in 2005. Also a study published in the journal Nature says that global warming will markedly increase the strength of the storms such as hurricanes and cyclones in the world.

In summary, greenhouse effect is the biggest problem to cause global warming. If we produce more greenhouse gases, it will accelerate global warming. We should do our best to reduce the speed of global warming. It is everyone's responsibility to protect the earth, for there is only one earth.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-causes

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2008/09/04-01.html

http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080903/full/news.2008.1079.html

How to be successful??

By: Abdullah Tours

How to be successful??  If u want to be successful there are many things you need to work on it and change it in your life style. In fact, it takes more than wishes to be successful in your life. If you really want to be a successful person then you should have a goal to achieve and organize your life.

 

Initially, if you don't have a dream right now then quickly take some time to find one because it’s going to be the fuel that will keep you going until you reach your goals. Ask yourself some questions and think deeply for the answer, what I will become after 20 years or who I’m going to be after a while?? You must visualize the kind of life you want to live 2, 3 or 20 years from now. To be successful in life first thing you should have a big dream and goal to look forward in the future and don’t look back to your past just focus into your dream. For example: my goal is to get PHD in Law form U.S and I will back to my country and achieve justice and victory the oppressed. Moreover, this is a strong reason that makes me a successful person in my life because I have ambition to follow Which is a major cause of followed in my life and for everyone should have a goal in life to have a meaning and do your best to reach your goal.

 

 

 On the other hand, to become successful person in your life that you should organize your daily life. Moreover, sort your daily schedule and try to be healthy we have a wisdom says (Healthy mind in a healthy body). Also, do not postpone until tomorrow what can be done today. Moreover, try to accompany with successful people in your life because the friend drawer, if your friends are successful you will become like them, either if your friends are failure will become like them too, that’s happened with me in my first year at the university I met failure friends and my GPA was going down I got 2.50 out of 5, but in the second Term I changed my friends and I got to know smart friends and my GPA rose to 4.10. In addition, look for a successful person around your society for example: your father, teacher, or one of the Celebrities it could be any one in your community and try to become like him. Precisely, I’m trying to be like my father due to; my father a successful person in his life as head of a family of 8 people he is always trying to make us happy and try to do the impossible to help us succeed. Also, he provided for us everything we need and he owned a big house, also he is very witty in his field in dentistry.

 

In conclusion, eventually to become a successful person, you must pursue your goal and should you organize your life. In my opinion, to become a successful person not just stay and wishful or thinking to achieve something, but you must make an effort and tried your best to reach for your success. Do you thing to reach your goal easy???

Movie Recommendation

By Erin

      Coach Carter is based on a true story of Richmond high school  basketball coach Ken Carter.Due to poor academic results, the coach Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated high school basketball team. It is drama sport film directed by Thomas Carter in 2005.It premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on January 14, 2005 grossing $67,264,877 in domestic ticket receipts.

     The story is talking about Richmond high school basketball team suffered through a four win season and their coach couldn't deal with the players any more. He wants retired, so Ken Carter takes over the head coaching job for the Oilers basketball team at his old high school Richmond. The very first day that he got the school, he quickly learns that the athletes are rude and disrespectful. He makes them sign a contract which is they have to attend all their classes, sit in front row of their all classes, keep their GPA at least 2.3, and wear a jacket and tie on game days. When he find out the players are not follow the contract, he locked the gym's door, and stopping practicing and attending the game. Even the team just started winning, the whole are mad about it. He still locked the door. Until the school has a hearing, and everyone agree to unlock the gym's door and let them attend the game. He resigned his commission. He just want everyone know that most of Richmond high school can't finish their school, and they go the wrong way. Only few people can get in the college. After the hearing, the player still study in the gym. Finally they all got the great scores in their class.  The film's epilogue display a series of graphics stating that a number of players went in to attend college furthering their study.

       If u haven't seen this movie ~ go catch it up :)

Movie--Chris

                                                               Movie

What do you usually do in your free time? Doing exercise? Climbing mountain? Having party? Chat on online? These are some chooses from some people, but most people love to watch movie when they are free. In fact, 2011 movie revenue which is including the movie box office sales and leasing, Blu-ray and DVD revenue, movies, TV channels, online on-demand platform broadcast revenue, up from $ 61.4 billion in 2010 to $ 62.6 billion, and it is expected by 2015year rose to $ 68.9 billion. movies have became to an important word to every people, people always talk about the movie that they have heard or watched. Why are movies so popular? Because movies bring the us a new life, give us more fun, and let us know more truth.

First of all, Movie gives us a new life, it chronicles the history and culture. Before the appearance of the film, we can only use text and sound to express and heritage, but since the film industry is more and more developed, people began to use video to record life and even to express ideas. Because movie can be more easier and more clearer to understanded, people use movie for expression becomes more widespread.

In addition, movie gives us a new way to have fun. Movie is kind of entertainment because people usually watch it for fun. As people's lives become increasingly complicated, and books and music can not meet them, the movie has became to the best choice. For example, movie has lot of species, thriller, comedy, action movies, etc. People always have many way for picking. That makes people can not be separated from the film.

Moreover, movie tells us more truth. With the growing demand for knowledge, we make knowledge into a movie show to the next generation. that imparting knowledge easier, and people can learn faster and easier. We can learn lot of knowledge without the books. The most important thing is if we make the history to a video that can not be distorted, future generations will have a better understanding of our history.

All in all, the movie is a product of the new century, it is loved by the people, used by the people ,so it should also be protected by the people. Prohibit the illegal use of the film, the development of the film will be better.                            

Gun Control

Mashael Almansour

          There is no shadow of doubt on the fact that the gun is big issue in the world. There are two kinds of people, which they agree or disagree with use gun. Some of theme side that dangers you don’t use it, and some of them side you have to use for many reason like work or protect their lives. I agree with that.

          First of all, gun is important for many people, who work in the field, which requires that for emblem, the cops work, must use the gun for protect life of people. As you show, cops carry the gun all day in them work, which is important in them work.

       In addition, the people can use gun for safety, when their lives are in dangers area, they have to use it if they need it. For example, I know a friend, who lives in dangers place told me, in one day in midnight while he watched T.V, he hard some thing happen in the backyard, then he went to get his gun, after that he walked slowly to backyard then he saw the thief traded to enter in side, then he Injury pistol with his feet and then called the police and made to investigate the matter and arrested the thief. That is why I agree you have tit have gun to use it if you need it.

        On the other hand, some people may say that the gun is so dangerous because some people use it for fun or revenge, which is related for killing a lot of people. According to the anti-gun people, close to 40,000 Americans die each year from gunfire. Nearly half of these deaths are homicides committed with cheap and easily obtainable, American-made handguns. In a recent year, handguns were used in nearly one million violent crimes, but this includes 30,862 suicides (1996), which may have been completed by other means without a gun available. Of the 10,000 remaining deaths, we can eliminate approximately 1400 as accidental (1994 figure) which gets the total down to 8600 - presumably the number who die by "hostile" gunfire. But what we cannot do is weed out the gang-related or drug-related killings or the justifiable homicides where battered spouses kill an abuser and similar situations. Using the 8600 figures, that's 0.0035% of the population. If we consider the 8600 in light of their 3 million gun-carrying civilians per day, then we are facing a yearly "misuse"percentage of less than 0.00008%. That would be a 99.99% safety rate! This might be true in some situation but some times you have to use it for protect your self. In fact more people will protect themselves then use it just for fun that is why I said gun is important to use like what happened with my friend.

          In conclusion, gun control is so remarkable to safe your life, only if you use it on the right way. Also to protect your life if something bad happened.

Reference

http://hematite.com/dragon/antigunstat.html

Six Foods for a Happy Belly

Mashael Almansour

  

     Louis, in the article “Six foods for a happy belly” explains what the best way is to make the belly happy. According to Louis, there are six foods to make the stomach happy. The author starts the article by saying what a happy belly is? Yes it has many ways to get the happiness for belly like relaxation while eating instead of rushing while stressed and choosing the best good for health body such as milk, apple, banana, honey. Then the author clime “Fermented foods provide probiotics that aid digestion and more. Having an intestinal flora microbial balance of 80 percent to 20 percent healthy bacteria to pathogenic bacteria is vital for even more than good digestion. It's an important part of our immune system. In my view this information was surprising me, I’d expected that all microbial were dangerous. On the other hand, I agree with author to the health foods are remarkable for the body. In particular, author provides ways for people the search for good way to get the healthy food, such as natural and energy foods that help the person to develop his health. In addition, the article was helpful to me because it sight me how I can improve me health, but I would like to now more about the kind of food I have focus a bout. Yes the author mentions that. However, that is not enough. I need more. 

Adventure I’d like to have

Adventure I’d like to have

BY:ABDULRAHMAN ALSHEHRI

            Probably most of us if not all would like to have at least one adventure in our life. Regardless to what kind of adventure we are looking for, some people want to have an extremely dangerous adventure, while the others looking for the safe ones. Actually, it’s a kind of excitement and fun to experience something different or weird in your life. Moreover, these different kinds of adventure can cause some changes in person’s life. For example, some people are having phobia from high places like mountains, therefore they are trying to break up their fear by going to such places and try to be familiar with them.     

            Also, some people are practicing different kind of adventures, in order to increase their level of tolerance, especially those who like to engage in a highly dangerous adventure. Further, among the age group, the young people are categorized as the most age group who possess the peak of excitement and thrill to go behind such adventures. In addition, more interesting is that there are so many adventure games or sports of different levels, so every one can enjoy his/her favorite game or sports. Some of these sports or games are roller coaster, punjee, mountaineering, parachute flying and skydiving.

            Although, some adventure games or sports are very dangerous, I always loved to try them. One of the most adventure sports that I really want to try is skydiving, Jumping of a plain from high altitude, which is very exciting and craziest thing a person can do. I have one of my friends who have had skydiving in California six months ago, he really enjoyed it, but he was very scared at the moment when he was trying to jump out of the plane. After, when he was falling down, he started thinking about his life and what if he dies. Soon after the parachute opened and landed safely, he got relaxed and felt happy that every thing went back to normal. So, I am very excited and waiting for the chance to live that experience in skydiving soon.

How to Perform a Particular Chemistry or Physics Experiment

-------------------------Jen

          

          Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of scientific method is, “principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.” In order to correspond with the spirit of science, this approach must be based on the collection of observable experience, measurable evidence, and in line with the principle of clear reasoning. There are three steps to use scientific method in a chemistry or physics experiment such as hypothesis, experiment, and confirmation.

          The first step is to make a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a conjecture, based on the knowledge obtained while formulating the question. It may be an explanation through observed the behavior of our world. We must use sense organs to observe and pay attention to the change in natural phenomena, and recorded it. Interpreting or explaining the facts that obtained from observation. It may come out some predictions based on the hypothesis.

          The second step is to perform an experiment. The purpose of an experiment is to determine whether the observation of the behavior from real world agree with or conflict with the predictions which were derived from a hypothesis. After establishing a hypothesis, we can look for related information from the paper and design manners and steps of the experiment. Trying to collect empirical data through observation and experiment in order to test the hypothesis based on facts is true or false.

          After making a hypothesis and performing an experiment, the final step is to confirm the conclusion. The data we collect at the beginning usually has no system, and we can’t use it to verify the predictions. We have to analyze the data in order to determine what is better to explain the predictions. It is necessary to repeat the experiment many times and analyze statistically to avoid errors or misunderstandings during experiment. If the evidence reveals the hypothesis is false, a new hypothesis is required. If the experiment supports the hypothesis, but the evidence is not strong enough for high confidence, other predictions from the hypothesis must be tested. Once the hypothesis is strongly supported by evidence, it means that the hypothesis might be true.
          In conclusion, a hypothesis must pass through many strict proofs by the scientific method. Only when the theoretical results correspond with experimental data, the hypothesis can be widely accepted by academia. In order to reduce the chance of deviation results, scientific research is usually objective. The most important thing is to confirm the repeatability of the experiments to increase the credibility.

Does Green tea prevent certain types of cancers?

 

  Mashael Almansour     

According to article, Does Green tea prevents certain types of cancers? There are advantages for green tea, and how the green tea reduces the incidence of cancer. That is because it has a specific thing called (EGCG). As some scientists in Spain and Britain mention,” EGCG seems to accomplish the remarkable feat of preventing cancer cell growth by inhibiting a particular enzyme, dihydrofolate. According to a Professor Roger Thorneley of the John Innes Center in Norwich, England, "This is the first time, to our knowledge; a known target for an anti-cancer drug has been identified as being inhibited by EGCG". That news makes the people who love tea happy because they enjoy for tea and its health. In addition, green tea is suitable for all people except for pregnant women, because they have to get folic acid supplements for protect newborns against spina bifida. Also the green tea if it is used too much has the effect of lessening folic acid's effectiveness. That why the pregnant women should not use it.

I agree with that. Green tea has many Interests. The important Interest for my is

Lessening the obesity. I recommend all the people to use it.

 

http://www.vitaminstuff.com/notes-green-tea-prevent-cancers.htm

The Genuine Beauty

By. Minji Lee

      What do you think of this woman? Is she beautiful? 

      I guess some of you are feeling a sense of disharmony on her overall face. And most of you can predict the fact that she might had plastic surgery.

     This woman appeared on a korean TV talk show which I enjoyed. As we expected, she had plastic surgery. Even twenty times at that for the past six months. It was fair for her to invest one million dollars in it. She said she still wanted to get more surgical procedures and never wanted to stop it. Even though, these days, we are accustomed to many people who did plastic surgery, her smiling face looked especially artificial.

     I think there are some problems not on her face, but on her mind; because, she wanted to completely delete her past in memories as if it has no difference from a pair of old socks. She seemed to even “detest” the everything of her past. I was shocked to have heard her expression about it. "disgusting". The word was too rabid. How could she express herself such roughly? However, the more pitiful fact is that the people like her are increasing day by day.

     We know many scholars have speculated this phenomenon was caused by Lookism and every media is encouraging distorted stand of beauty. The legs of actresses and female k-pop group members are getting longer and longer, thinner and thinner. How about their eyes? It's much more difficult to find someone who has little eyes than big eyes. Are tiny narrow eyes not beautiful? Are short legs lousy? Who did make such that rule? Who did force you to think narrow eyes and short legs are ugly?

     

     There are too many people, especially girls who think like "Why is my nose so big? Why is my skin so dirty? Why ever are my thighs too big!" Well, let’s think about it. Will the people become upset watching your skin because it is not so clean? Will the people think you are so stupid because you have such big thighs? I guess they may not. Then, let’s go the most fundamental question, will the people think that you are terrible because your face is different from celebrities in TV? I know the answer is "No". 

     We don’t need to have a guilty of our appearance. You don't have to think that your natural figure is not beautiful or even disgusting since your figure is out of line with your ideal. Of course, you can seek your own standards of beauty that you think right. But as everyone in this world has different point of view on beauty, everyone can be beautiful. Therefore, narrow eyes are wonderful as well as big Almond-shaped eyes. Either short  legs and long legs are gorgeous.

     If you have some shortcomings of your body, you'd better not think you're terrible but try to take yourself as you are and have a good opinion of it. In addition, if you invest your energy in remedying the shortcomings of your body such as exercise, or dietary treatment rather than just visiting plastic surgeon, you certainly will feel much worth.

Effect of being a foreign student

by: Abdullah Tours.

 These days, a lot of students try to get education on around the world. In fact, most of the student comes to study in U.S.A to get higher education, and I’m one of them. There are a lot of challenges you will face to be a foreign in a foreign country for example: home sick and different life style.

Homesick comes to any person who live away from his family and his country.  My life in U.S is getting really hard due to I live out of your country and away from my family. While I live here in the U.S I have a major problem with the food .Actually I can’t cook at all, but I’m trying to learn some of the easy one dishes, and my mom is teaching me over (Skype) while I’m trying to cook with my roommate, and I don’t like to eat junk food every day, because junk food it unhealthy and not delicious as the home cooking   .In addition, anyone who lives far away from his country and family will have homesick because he does not get used to live away from his family for example: live away from parent’s, away from friends and your culture in your country.

on the other hand, life at U.S.A, it’s really expansive for me due to the fact that I have to pay for everything which I  didn't get used to it, when I was living with my family. It cost a lot of money to study in a foreign country, even though my family tries to support me with money. Moreover, I just come here to complete my master degree in Law and to improve my English language. Also, it’s really nice to live in a foreign county because I have fewer responsibilities and be in depended for example: I don’t have to take my little sister to school, and to take the trash out and buy food from the grocery every week.

In conclusion, beaning a forging student has many difficulties such as get homesick and different kind of food. In my opinion it’s a nice experience to have it with your education in a foreign country.