7.8-magnitude quake rocks China

Oh my god! How a terrible news! When I look this news, I am almost heartbreaking.

The following is news summary:
A massive earthquake in central China yesterday killed at least 7,000 people in Sichuan
Province, with the overall death toll expected to increase sharply. Xinhua news agency said 80
percent of the buildings had collapsed in Beichuan County and that another 10,000 people were
believed hurt there.
The epicenter was in Sichuan, striking 92km northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit in the middle of the afternoon — when classes and offices
were full.

It’s hard to believe that such terrible thing will happen. Making me feel that

human’s life is very fragile. We are hardly to fight against the power of nature,

and it usually can’t be predicted. We can’t know what will happen next

second. It’s all depends on the will of god. What we could do is to reduce the

harm that we cause.

I always feel that the technology now day will solve many things, like predict the

occurrence of earthquake. This event makes me feel that technology is limited

to the nature.

The whole city destroyed by the earthquake. It’s really hard to image! I hardly

believe that it is true. And it’s so close to us. This event makes me bring 921

earthquake’s image to mind. So many people dead and so many people hurt.

The situation in China is worsening than us several times. I am scared to seen

these scenes, and I hope it’s better not happen again.

Bike smiling!!

The news is from the blog : David on formosa--4 May is Bike Day

The following is my summary and some opinions of mine.

The bike month is May each year, and the bike day is on May fifth. In this day, every

city and county will attend this activity with great enthusiasm. Now day, People pay

more and more attention to become health, earn more leisure time and do good

thing to environment. This activity fit the life attitude of most modern people. It’s

held in order to make citizens enjoy riding bicycle.

“Bike smiling” is a slogan in the activity. I think it means that people should feel

happy in this activity and be healthier. Besides, I think smile is a very good attitude

toward life. It’s a behavior easy to do and will make things easier.

The person who wants to be environment-friendly will interest in this news. I think that

people like riding bike or willing to do benefit to the environment will attend this

activity together.

It’s a well exercise outside. Riding bike on road is more leisure and ease than a

scooter. In my childhood, I like to ride bike beside the farmland and enjoy the gentle

touches of breeze and sunshine. This activity is a good opportunity to call on people

doing healthy and right thing. I am happy to see this good thing happened. It means

that there are many people trying to protect the earth. If I have a bicycle next year,

I will invite some friends to attend this activity.

World Vision Taiwan hopes to make prayers heard

163 children came to Taiwan to perform in a prayer concert organized by World Vision
Taiwan today. The children — from Mongolia, the Philippines, Swaziland, Romania,
El Salvador, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Ecuador and Taiwan
— are recipients of World Vision Taiwan’s humanitarian aid programs.Some of the
prayers will be accompanied by music and sung by the children at the concert.

The post is from :http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/05/03/2003410937

Every time I saw the news about World Vision, I will pay much attention. It’s really

a well organization that dedicated to help children in whole world. My classmates in

senior high school and I have sponsored a child in Ecuador. We just need to pay 700

hundred a month to help him, but for him that it’s a really great support. We had

written a letter to him and he had written back to us with his photo. He is so cute. I feel

so touched.

I feel that this activity is positive and meaningful. I believe that our sponsorship not

only offer children support but also offer them the food for mind. The theme is “Pray

for Chang”. I think every child has their own heartfelt wishes. In their prayer, I saw

that there are many children suffer in pain and live in bad status. The sponsor and

kindhearted behavior will bring them support and huge hope about future.

In nowadays society, some guy would use people’s kindness to cheat them of their

money or even body. That makes some people have fears to help people. I hope

these events will reduce that will make our society more positive.

I trust that world vision is a great group to help children. I wholehearted support this

activity. Because there are so many children on the earth cannot go school, eat

food, and even wear a cloth. You can help someone else until you have ability.

That will be better and will not become another burden. We have such great bliss

to own so many things, so we should not be close to someone really need help.

City gov't urged to control number of taxis

A Taipei City Council member urged the city government yesterday to impose a

ceiling on the number of taxis in the capital city in view of the high vacancy rate of

the cabs and the traffic problems they cause.

from:http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/taipei/2008/04/19/152591/City%2Dgov%27t.htm


Everywhere I go in Taiwan, there are always many Taxis. Taxi driver become a hot

job due to those people who can’t find other jobs. This phenomenon actually brings

out so many problems. Taxi drivers had high frequency that violates the traffic rules.

When they compete for business, they are usually speeding and illegal parking.

And bad quality of taxi driver causes danger to the passengers and pedestrians.

On the other side, it’s only way that they can earn enough money to raise family.

It’s hard to make a conclusion that which point of this issue is right. I think some

taxi drivers should cultivate their mind and observe the rules at least, because the

safety of passengers is the responsibility of drivers. The solution of an excess of

taxi is to create better job opportunities so that many taxi drivers will have more

choices. It actually causes the burden of society.

Current Events:Kaohsiung MRT commuter numbers skyrocket

"Commuter numbers have skyrocketed in the first week since the opening of
Kaohsiung's mass rapid transit (MRT).
The MRT company and city government host some performances of bands
and singers to attract Kaohsiung youths.
Residents in Kaohsiung can take free rides in trial runs until April 6."
The news resource from
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/kaohsiung/2008/03/16/147418/Kaohsiung%2DMRT.htm


I am glad to see this news. It's an important mass transit in Kaohsiung city.

I am a kaohsiung resident, but I study at north Taiwan. I usually ride the MRT

in Taipei to go to many places, so I think that the MRT in Kaohsiung could

bring residents great convenience.

Kaohsiung is a beautiful city which fills with romantic atmosphere.

The KMRT(kaohsiung MRT) stations’ shape symbolize the spirit of

Kaohiung. I believe that Kaohsiung city will become more convenient,

complete, and attractive. I hope the problem of air pollution will reduce

so that our life quality will be better.

By traveling with KMRT, I wish that this beautiful harbor city could be

well-known some day.

I had introduced some Kaohsiung’s night view in February posts

last year. Just take a look if you want to know more about Kaohsiung!

cook cook!

The picture is fromhttp://www.sc.xinhua.org/content/2004-09/27/xinsrc_1109012711345461364919.jpg

Last time, I went to my aunt’s coffee shop. She cooked many dishes to treat me,

and I love the “egg-over-rice” most. It’s delicious, but it’s a little expensive.

It is 120 dollars a dish in her coffee shop. But finally I realized that cook a delicious

one by ourselves is so easy if you follow these steps.

First, you should prepare ingredients you need included cooked rice, ketchup,

eggs, some meat diced, onion diced, and pepper. Second, you should fry the meat

diced and onion until it almost well-done. After that, you should put the cooked

rice in and spread ketchup on the cooked rice and mix it well. The amount of

ketchup is adjustable. All depends on how much you like ketchup; moreover,

ketchup is the main key to this dish. The third step is to fry eggs. You should

stir two or three eggs and fry eggs to be big and flat shape. Finally, it’s time to

put the fried rice on the half side of egg and make another side over it. Pepper

and ketchup could be added on the top of it to increase palatability.

As you can see, egg-over-rice is quite simple to make. After I know how to cook it,

I can make it by myself anytime if there is a kitchen. You can try to make one

and follow these directions.

I hope that you will like it!

American photographer - Robert Mapplethorpe

Most of Mapplethorpe's portraits of children were made within the more

controlled conditions of the studio, stripped of settings and props and rendered in a

rich palette of blacks, whites, and grays. Unlike his eroticized male nudes, the

photographer's images of children are never cropped, nor are sections of their body

blown up into fetishistic details. Their bodies are aestheticized, but not as sexual

beings; rather, in works such as Melia Marden (1983) and Eva Amurri (1988),

they resemble the eternally childish putti of classical and Renaissance art.

His first Polaroids were self-portraits and the first of a series of portraits of his close

friend, the singer-artist-poet Patti Smith. These early photographic works were

generally shown in groups or elaborately presented in shaped and painted frames

that were as significant to the finished piece as the photograph itself.

This stunning example of Robert Mapplethorpe's work demonstrates the dramatic

evolution in the treatment and meaning of still life over the past two centuries.

Mapplethorpe's still lifes cannot be fully understood apart from his homoerotic

figurative works. Mapplethorpe interpreted flowers, the reproductive structures

of seed-bearing plants, as interchangeable with the male sex organ. Of all flowers,

he was especially attracted to the calla lily, a symbol of homosexuality.

Biography:
http://www.mapplethorpe.org/biography.html

The informations are from http://www.mapplethorpe.org