1. 好名字。
2. 他是谁？ 你是谁？
3. 爸爸，妈妈， 我有哥哥。
4.你要多大吧？
5.我们喝。
6.坐, 坐。
7. 那太好了。
8. 对不起。
9. 两瓶啤酒。
10. 什么得？
11.不客气。
12. 什么时候?
13.知道。
14.没有。
15.现在我有客气。
16.谢谢。
17.为什么？
18.好啊！
19.你好吗？
20.我们不再见面。
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Chi 201 Blog Post #1
1。我家有口人。我爸爸，我妈妈，一个哥哥，一个姐姐和我。
2。你明天晚上忙不忙？
3。不忙，为什么？
4。你想不想看电影？
5。想。你想喝点什么？
6。我要一杯茶，可以吗？
I was carousing through Youtube when I stumbled across some videos portraying some very beautiful traditional Chinese dances. It got me interested in the history of this type of dance and how it developed into what it is today. Chinese dance has its own unique style that sufficiently allows the artist to "express his thoughts and feelings with ease and grace." Ceramic pots from the Sun Chia Chai excavation site in the Chinghai province depict colorful dancing figures dating back to a time before the first Chinese characters were written. Around the 4th-millenium BC, the people of the Neolithic Yang-shao culture arranged group dances in which they would "lock arms and stamped their feet while singing to instrumental accompaniment."
Three-thousand years later, during the Shang and Chou periods, dance was divided into two distinct types: civilian, which included hand-held feather banners that represented the distribution of the game won by that day's hunting and fishing, and military, which featured weapons instead of ornaments and included the group swaying in a coordinated rhythmic motion. In both cases, their choreographed motions "expressed their veneration of the spirits of heaven and earth, acted out aspects of their everyday life, gave expression to shared feelings of joy and delight." One of the videos that I found on the internet is a very good example of what looks like a spiritual dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF-r2WgCBQw&feature=channel_page.
From 206 B.C.-220 A.D., members of the Music Bureau in the Han Dynasty made an earnest effort to collect folk songs and dances from different areas of Central Asia and Northern China.
This continued into the T'ang Dynasty during 618-907 A.D. during which the Garden Academy, the Imperial Academy, and the T'ai-ch'ang Temple came together and created the "Ten Movement Dance," which incorporated dance elements from China, Korea, Sinkiang, India, Persia, and Central Asia. Filled with intricate body movements, rich, colorful costumes, poetry, music, and plot, this colossal dance became the predecessor to the modern Chinese opera.
This is at least a brief overview of the origin of Chinese dance, although it's probably incomplete. Dance and music are one of the oldest human traditions in just about every culture, so it came to no surprise that China, as one of the oldest, would have a rich hostory of it. I'm not a dancer myself, but I love to watch them and I think it would be amazing to attend a live performance one day.
One more video I'd like to show consists of a Chinese "Ta Ge" dance, which is a folk dance accompanied by singing and was popular in the older days. The name literally means "singing while stamping the feet." The dance is usually performed during festive gatherings in the street or other public places: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=954mWpfKQiM
Sources: http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/28Arts451.html
http://www.houstoncul.org/eng_culexg/c004.htm
2。你明天晚上忙不忙？
3。不忙，为什么？
4。你想不想看电影？
5。想。你想喝点什么？
6。我要一杯茶，可以吗？
I was carousing through Youtube when I stumbled across some videos portraying some very beautiful traditional Chinese dances. It got me interested in the history of this type of dance and how it developed into what it is today. Chinese dance has its own unique style that sufficiently allows the artist to "express his thoughts and feelings with ease and grace." Ceramic pots from the Sun Chia Chai excavation site in the Chinghai province depict colorful dancing figures dating back to a time before the first Chinese characters were written. Around the 4th-millenium BC, the people of the Neolithic Yang-shao culture arranged group dances in which they would "lock arms and stamped their feet while singing to instrumental accompaniment."
Three-thousand years later, during the Shang and Chou periods, dance was divided into two distinct types: civilian, which included hand-held feather banners that represented the distribution of the game won by that day's hunting and fishing, and military, which featured weapons instead of ornaments and included the group swaying in a coordinated rhythmic motion. In both cases, their choreographed motions "expressed their veneration of the spirits of heaven and earth, acted out aspects of their everyday life, gave expression to shared feelings of joy and delight." One of the videos that I found on the internet is a very good example of what looks like a spiritual dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF-r2WgCBQw&feature=channel_page.
From 206 B.C.-220 A.D., members of the Music Bureau in the Han Dynasty made an earnest effort to collect folk songs and dances from different areas of Central Asia and Northern China.
This continued into the T'ang Dynasty during 618-907 A.D. during which the Garden Academy, the Imperial Academy, and the T'ai-ch'ang Temple came together and created the "Ten Movement Dance," which incorporated dance elements from China, Korea, Sinkiang, India, Persia, and Central Asia. Filled with intricate body movements, rich, colorful costumes, poetry, music, and plot, this colossal dance became the predecessor to the modern Chinese opera.
This is at least a brief overview of the origin of Chinese dance, although it's probably incomplete. Dance and music are one of the oldest human traditions in just about every culture, so it came to no surprise that China, as one of the oldest, would have a rich hostory of it. I'm not a dancer myself, but I love to watch them and I think it would be amazing to attend a live performance one day.
One more video I'd like to show consists of a Chinese "Ta Ge" dance, which is a folk dance accompanied by singing and was popular in the older days. The name literally means "singing while stamping the feet." The dance is usually performed during festive gatherings in the street or other public places: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=954mWpfKQiM
Sources: http://www.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/html/en/28Arts451.html
http://www.houstoncul.org/eng_culexg/c004.htm
Saturday, April 25, 2009
中文 Blog #4
一。你帮我这人，好吗？
二。今天晚上我吃大晚饭，十点睡觉，你睡得很晚吗？
三。三点开会，他一点就来了。
四。大家下午，现在我们开始开会。帅男的课你们都预习了吗？
五。有个法国朋友真好，他写字写得很好。
My father sent me a link one day to a gallery of architectural wonders around the globe. While browsing through, I encountered a paragraph of information and a couple of pictures depicting the former Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. It's origins can be traced back to the Song Dynasty when it served as a watchpost for pirates with thirty guards in 1668. The political debates over the owenership of the city began in 1843, when Britain sent soldiers to occupy Hong Kong Island. Chinese authorities used the watchpost to keep British influence over the city in check. For the next 50 years, Hong Kong and Britain continued to struggle for hold over the fort until it was at last ceded to Britain in 1898. The British proceded to invade the city in 1899 only to find it deserted.
In 1900, Kowloon Walled City was turned into a tourist destination for civilians to experience "a little bit of old China." In the mid-20th century, whenever the Chinese government tried to evacuate the residents, rioting ensued. Many portions of the city were successfully demolished (such as in 1940, when everything but the Yamen military sector was destroyed) but every time, more people would come in and build cramped structures over the ruins. In 1971, the population had grown to 10,000 people attempting to live in 2,185 dwellings. The stark history of Kowloon Walled City ended in 1987 when the Hong Kong and Chinese governments announced plans for its complete demolition. Over the next couple of years, the city was entirely evacuated and then wiped out in 1993.
However, before the demolition crews were brought in, reporters came into investigate the mysterious living conditions of the city, previously inaccessible to outsiders because of the dangers of drugs and crime. What they found was a maze of rat-infested alleyways with piles of trash lining the corners. In the end, the city consisted of 259 tenement buildings packed together in a 7-acre plot. Yet despite the appearance of an unsanitary slum in the middle of Hong Kong, the city was actually a self-organized and sufficient community (albeit one based on illegal substances and acts). The "three vices" (prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse) were the main trade, especially after WWII.
When former residences were interviewed, they claimed that, despite their surroundings, they could "cultivate a positive outlook on life...to transcend suffering and grow in conditions of hardship...seeking spiritual rather than materialistic fulfillment in life". Factory workers and dentists found success in the city and there was even a single postman for all 35,000 inhabitants at the time, whose knowledge and ingenuity made him one of the few "authority figures."
The structure of Kowloon Walled City is undeniably fascinating. It was made of a conglomerate of 14-story high buildings that towered over the surrounding urban city. Along the exterior north side, various businesses were fortunate to set up for the main thoroughfare of Hong Kong. Illegal balconies dotted the walls, attempts made by the residences to extend what little space they had. Inside, the streets were six-feet wide with little to no connection with the outside world. The rootops were so densely packed that natural light couldn't reach the bottom; eventually flourescent lights were set up to allow the inhabits to see. Moisture from overhead piping made umbrellas a near requirement. The rooftop became an escape from interior living as a place where horizontal movement across the city and a fresh-aired playground area for children.
Call it morbid curiosity, but I love learning about places like this. There's a surreal quality to hearing about the environment found in places like this. I wouldn't have wanted to live there, myself, but as a fiction writer, I can easily see basing a story on something like Kowloon Walled City. I'm amazed that it was able to endure for its 100 years and become a self-sufficient community. I still have to do some research and find out where they got their food. In doesn't sound like there were any imports from outside and I don't think any space was farmable land. I still want to learn more about the City, but I hope I've been able to outline some main points of information in this entry.
My sources (that have galleries of the city before destruction):
http://www.archidose.org/KWC/Main.html
http://www.tofu-magazine.net/newVersion/pages/KWC.html
二。今天晚上我吃大晚饭，十点睡觉，你睡得很晚吗？
三。三点开会，他一点就来了。
四。大家下午，现在我们开始开会。帅男的课你们都预习了吗？
五。有个法国朋友真好，他写字写得很好。
My father sent me a link one day to a gallery of architectural wonders around the globe. While browsing through, I encountered a paragraph of information and a couple of pictures depicting the former Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong. It's origins can be traced back to the Song Dynasty when it served as a watchpost for pirates with thirty guards in 1668. The political debates over the owenership of the city began in 1843, when Britain sent soldiers to occupy Hong Kong Island. Chinese authorities used the watchpost to keep British influence over the city in check. For the next 50 years, Hong Kong and Britain continued to struggle for hold over the fort until it was at last ceded to Britain in 1898. The British proceded to invade the city in 1899 only to find it deserted.
In 1900, Kowloon Walled City was turned into a tourist destination for civilians to experience "a little bit of old China." In the mid-20th century, whenever the Chinese government tried to evacuate the residents, rioting ensued. Many portions of the city were successfully demolished (such as in 1940, when everything but the Yamen military sector was destroyed) but every time, more people would come in and build cramped structures over the ruins. In 1971, the population had grown to 10,000 people attempting to live in 2,185 dwellings. The stark history of Kowloon Walled City ended in 1987 when the Hong Kong and Chinese governments announced plans for its complete demolition. Over the next couple of years, the city was entirely evacuated and then wiped out in 1993.
However, before the demolition crews were brought in, reporters came into investigate the mysterious living conditions of the city, previously inaccessible to outsiders because of the dangers of drugs and crime. What they found was a maze of rat-infested alleyways with piles of trash lining the corners. In the end, the city consisted of 259 tenement buildings packed together in a 7-acre plot. Yet despite the appearance of an unsanitary slum in the middle of Hong Kong, the city was actually a self-organized and sufficient community (albeit one based on illegal substances and acts). The "three vices" (prostitution, gambling, and drug abuse) were the main trade, especially after WWII.
When former residences were interviewed, they claimed that, despite their surroundings, they could "cultivate a positive outlook on life...to transcend suffering and grow in conditions of hardship...seeking spiritual rather than materialistic fulfillment in life". Factory workers and dentists found success in the city and there was even a single postman for all 35,000 inhabitants at the time, whose knowledge and ingenuity made him one of the few "authority figures."
The structure of Kowloon Walled City is undeniably fascinating. It was made of a conglomerate of 14-story high buildings that towered over the surrounding urban city. Along the exterior north side, various businesses were fortunate to set up for the main thoroughfare of Hong Kong. Illegal balconies dotted the walls, attempts made by the residences to extend what little space they had. Inside, the streets were six-feet wide with little to no connection with the outside world. The rootops were so densely packed that natural light couldn't reach the bottom; eventually flourescent lights were set up to allow the inhabits to see. Moisture from overhead piping made umbrellas a near requirement. The rooftop became an escape from interior living as a place where horizontal movement across the city and a fresh-aired playground area for children.
Call it morbid curiosity, but I love learning about places like this. There's a surreal quality to hearing about the environment found in places like this. I wouldn't have wanted to live there, myself, but as a fiction writer, I can easily see basing a story on something like Kowloon Walled City. I'm amazed that it was able to endure for its 100 years and become a self-sufficient community. I still have to do some research and find out where they got their food. In doesn't sound like there were any imports from outside and I don't think any space was farmable land. I still want to learn more about the City, but I hope I've been able to outline some main points of information in this entry.
My sources (that have galleries of the city before destruction):
http://www.archidose.org/KWC/Main.html
http://www.tofu-magazine.net/newVersion/pages/KWC.html
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Final Story Idea
Okay, so this may seem like a radical idea, but just let me explain it. I want to write a feature story about the threat of a zombie invasion in Edwardsville, what would the authorities do, how to prepare, and procedures that could be taken to survive. At the end, I would take the information I collected and explain that the same preparations could be taken to avoid other (more real) disasters, like natural dangers or if a school shooting were to occur. I could include a list of suggestions about what one could put into a "zombie survival kit" that could also be used in a 48-hour kit. Of course, I would want to interview some people as to what measures they would take to survive a zombie invasion.
I think this would be a very fun project and would be enlightening for safety procedures on campus. I would probably restrict the focus of the article to SIUE and the students and faculty.
I think this would be a very fun project and would be enlightening for safety procedures on campus. I would probably restrict the focus of the article to SIUE and the students and faculty.
Friday, April 3, 2009
杜心怡 Chi Blog #3
一。小朋, 我们一起开会！
二。是吗？我不知道！以后你有空吗？
三。今天五点以后才有空。我得考试。
四。你回来以后给我打打电话吧。
五。行，没问题。
As with the rest of the world, China has done many experiments with stem cell research and cloning, all the while raising international ethical questions. Chinese scientists are making fast progress; a group in the Central South University in Changsa is working on developing human embryo clones while a team in the Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences in Guangzhou is trying to fuse human and rabbit cells together to make more tissue for research. In 2000, they successfully cloned their first animal, which was a goat. Now, Dr. Li Shangang, a researcher at the National Center for Molecular Genetics and Animal Breeding of the Beijing Institute of Animal Sciences, has lead an experiment to produce a rabbit clone from the back skin cells from a 20-year-old rabbit embryo. Malaysia has utilized cloning to maintain the population of leatherback turtles and try and save them from extinction. However, many people believe that Chinese scientists might be willing to challenge ethical boundaries so they can compete with the U.S. and Europe in areas like stem cell research. In response, individual institutions have strict guidelines in place clearly stating what type of work is acceptable and what should be discarded, not only for the sake of their own consciences, but to show the rest of their world that their scientific teams can adhere to internationally accepted standards.
Part of the reason why I wanted to write about this subject is because I'm interested in stem cell research and I was surprised to learn how truly advanced the scientific efforts of China had become. I don't know if I would be willing to accept it if anyone tried to clone an actual human being, but I do believe that stem cell research would help for replacing sick organs or curing illnesses. If China's research was brought into consideration, we could achieve even more progress.
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1931397.stm
http://www.scienceahead.com/entry/china-gets-success-in-cloning-worlds-first-rabbit/
二。是吗？我不知道！以后你有空吗？
三。今天五点以后才有空。我得考试。
四。你回来以后给我打打电话吧。
五。行，没问题。
As with the rest of the world, China has done many experiments with stem cell research and cloning, all the while raising international ethical questions. Chinese scientists are making fast progress; a group in the Central South University in Changsa is working on developing human embryo clones while a team in the Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences in Guangzhou is trying to fuse human and rabbit cells together to make more tissue for research. In 2000, they successfully cloned their first animal, which was a goat. Now, Dr. Li Shangang, a researcher at the National Center for Molecular Genetics and Animal Breeding of the Beijing Institute of Animal Sciences, has lead an experiment to produce a rabbit clone from the back skin cells from a 20-year-old rabbit embryo. Malaysia has utilized cloning to maintain the population of leatherback turtles and try and save them from extinction. However, many people believe that Chinese scientists might be willing to challenge ethical boundaries so they can compete with the U.S. and Europe in areas like stem cell research. In response, individual institutions have strict guidelines in place clearly stating what type of work is acceptable and what should be discarded, not only for the sake of their own consciences, but to show the rest of their world that their scientific teams can adhere to internationally accepted standards.
Part of the reason why I wanted to write about this subject is because I'm interested in stem cell research and I was surprised to learn how truly advanced the scientific efforts of China had become. I don't know if I would be willing to accept it if anyone tried to clone an actual human being, but I do believe that stem cell research would help for replacing sick organs or curing illnesses. If China's research was brought into consideration, we could achieve even more progress.
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1931397.stm
http://www.scienceahead.com/entry/china-gets-success-in-cloning-worlds-first-rabbit/
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
MC Story #4 Idea
I'm planning on writing an editorial based on the idea that SIUE should be doing more to ensure that deer roam around campus after nightfall. There are several highway systems in Southern Illinois that have the danger of deer running across the road, but because the road systems are so large, they can't do much to regulate the population of the deer on the roads. However, SIUE is a fairly localized area and the faculty or executive powers of the college could be putting funds in to find a way to keep the campus safer for both nighttime motorists and the deer. I will research different ways this can be achieved other than killing the animals. I'm sure that other areas with the same hazards have experimented with methods to discourage them.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Mass Comm Story #3 Idea
Since I'm returning home for the whole week of Spring break, I thought it would be easier to write a story based in my hometown of Freeport, Ill. I thought about doing a consumer review comparing at least three foreign resaurants in the area. There are two Chinese restaurants, one Mexican, and, for comparison reasons, I could include an American western -style restaurant in the review. However, if I need to narrow the focus even more, I could just do a story on the Chinese restaurants. I know that at least one of them changed ownership in the recent past and I would like to get the opinions of other customers as to how that affected the quality of the food. One of them is a diner restaurant while the other is a buffet, so I could make observations on how these styles affect their popularity. I plan to try and get an interview with the owners and at least one or two customers from the restaurants I write about.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Chinese Blog Post #2
我觉得小张的弟弟好玩。
是吗？为什么？
他是好看！他也觉得跳舞有意思。
你们昨天晚上跳舞？你后来喝什么了？
我喝了两瓶啤酒，小张喝了一杯茶。
At first I considered writing a blog entry on the traditional wedding ceremonies of the Chinese, but while doing my research into the subject, I found that the process leading up to the ceremony is just as interesting. When the groom decides he wants to marry a certain girl, his family will hire a spokeswoman (in the old days, she was usually a midwife or an elderly woman) to communicate the desire for marriage to the bride's family. If the request is accepted, the groom's family will ask for the brides 'Eight Letters' which represent her birthdate. A fortune teller will take both the bride's and groom's 'Eight Letters' and determine whether or not they will make a suitable couple. The groom's family will then gather together a series of initial and formal gifts to present to the bride's family on a specially selected day (including cash, food, and sacrifices for worshipping ancestors) before the families finally select a wedding date and hold the ceremony. Compared to the traditions of American weddings, I think that these steps are extremely elaborate and very respectful to both parties. I would be curious to try it myself if I lived in the country. The customs that they follow seem to show complete reverence for both the bride and the groom and the love they share (in an idealized setting), which would be what I would want in my marriage.
Source: http://www.chinese-poems.com/wedcus.html
是吗？为什么？
他是好看！他也觉得跳舞有意思。
你们昨天晚上跳舞？你后来喝什么了？
我喝了两瓶啤酒，小张喝了一杯茶。
At first I considered writing a blog entry on the traditional wedding ceremonies of the Chinese, but while doing my research into the subject, I found that the process leading up to the ceremony is just as interesting. When the groom decides he wants to marry a certain girl, his family will hire a spokeswoman (in the old days, she was usually a midwife or an elderly woman) to communicate the desire for marriage to the bride's family. If the request is accepted, the groom's family will ask for the brides 'Eight Letters' which represent her birthdate. A fortune teller will take both the bride's and groom's 'Eight Letters' and determine whether or not they will make a suitable couple. The groom's family will then gather together a series of initial and formal gifts to present to the bride's family on a specially selected day (including cash, food, and sacrifices for worshipping ancestors) before the families finally select a wedding date and hold the ceremony. Compared to the traditions of American weddings, I think that these steps are extremely elaborate and very respectful to both parties. I would be curious to try it myself if I lived in the country. The customs that they follow seem to show complete reverence for both the bride and the groom and the love they share (in an idealized setting), which would be what I would want in my marriage.
Source: http://www.chinese-poems.com/wedcus.html
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
In-Class Interview: Frank Pinkley
Sitting down with Frank Pinkley, 23, I could tell he was not a man to let school and work bog him down. With a confident smile, he told me about his successful internship with the Anheuser-Busch Company in the Ozarks and his achievements at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.
Pinkley started his college career going to SIUE for one semester. He tried for a change of pace and move out west to attend the University of Colorado for another semester. He later returned to Edwardsville to try for a degree in Mass Communications, although he doesn't intend to pursue a career in journalism or broadcast.
Having settled down in the Midwest, in 2007 he decided to branch out and took an internship with the Anheuser -Busch beer company in the Ozarks. Anheuser-Busch helped produce Budweiser and Bud Light products before it was bought out and had to close its services to the employees. Pinkley lost his job with them in the process, but his close relationship with his old boss opened another opportunity.
During the school year, he is employed at a hotel in downtown Edwardsville, but when he isn't enrolled in classes, he "cares for his [boss's] water crafts in the Ozarks.”
“I'm kind of like a Personal Assistant now,” Pinkley said.
Pinkley grew up in Chathal, IL, a small town near Springfield. In such a close-knit community, the best thing was that he could become familiar with most of the other residents.
“I literally could not go somewhere and not see someone I knew,” he said. Then he added, laughing, “I guess that was the worst thing, too.”
Pinkley lives in a duplex off of the SIUE campus with two other roommates and gets around on his Honda 600 CBRRR motorcycle. He described his new living conditions as “Spacious. Luxurious. Fabulous”; the perfect base while he continues down the road to success.
Pinkley started his college career going to SIUE for one semester. He tried for a change of pace and move out west to attend the University of Colorado for another semester. He later returned to Edwardsville to try for a degree in Mass Communications, although he doesn't intend to pursue a career in journalism or broadcast.
Having settled down in the Midwest, in 2007 he decided to branch out and took an internship with the Anheuser -Busch beer company in the Ozarks. Anheuser-Busch helped produce Budweiser and Bud Light products before it was bought out and had to close its services to the employees. Pinkley lost his job with them in the process, but his close relationship with his old boss opened another opportunity.
During the school year, he is employed at a hotel in downtown Edwardsville, but when he isn't enrolled in classes, he "cares for his [boss's] water crafts in the Ozarks.”
“I'm kind of like a Personal Assistant now,” Pinkley said.
Pinkley grew up in Chathal, IL, a small town near Springfield. In such a close-knit community, the best thing was that he could become familiar with most of the other residents.
“I literally could not go somewhere and not see someone I knew,” he said. Then he added, laughing, “I guess that was the worst thing, too.”
Pinkley lives in a duplex off of the SIUE campus with two other roommates and gets around on his Honda 600 CBRRR motorcycle. He described his new living conditions as “Spacious. Luxurious. Fabulous”; the perfect base while he continues down the road to success.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Chi Blog Post #1
好久不见！你的生日想做什么？
我觉得跳舞有意思。我们做那！
你早上看电影吗？
我早上只喜欢睡觉，可是我们吃午饭。
那太好了！我还找别人。
One Chinese cultural practice that I've always been interested is the Chinese/Lunar New Year Festival that occurs annually between January 21 and February 19. Each year in a 12-year sequence is named after one of the zodiac animals (i.e. dragon, lion). The animal for 2009 is the ox. During the festival, towns and villages set up lanterns, floral displays, and brightly colored banners with New Year's greetings in calligraphy. On the first day of the new year, people will put on new clothes to show that they are discarding the old year and its misfortunes and take a myriad of gifts to their friends and relatives. Some well-known traditions are the dragon and lion dances that take place in the streets. The vibrant puppets are supported by 50 or more people and paraded in front of home and store fronts. The celebrations end with the lantern festival, during which children gather in the streets and carry brightly colored lanterns of various shapes and merchants hang lanterns in front of their shops. I've always wanted to attend one of these celebrations. Just seeing coverage about them on the news is probably far less exciting than being there in person!
Source: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761595955/Chinese_New_Year.html
我觉得跳舞有意思。我们做那！
你早上看电影吗？
我早上只喜欢睡觉，可是我们吃午饭。
那太好了！我还找别人。
One Chinese cultural practice that I've always been interested is the Chinese/Lunar New Year Festival that occurs annually between January 21 and February 19. Each year in a 12-year sequence is named after one of the zodiac animals (i.e. dragon, lion). The animal for 2009 is the ox. During the festival, towns and villages set up lanterns, floral displays, and brightly colored banners with New Year's greetings in calligraphy. On the first day of the new year, people will put on new clothes to show that they are discarding the old year and its misfortunes and take a myriad of gifts to their friends and relatives. Some well-known traditions are the dragon and lion dances that take place in the streets. The vibrant puppets are supported by 50 or more people and paraded in front of home and store fronts. The celebrations end with the lantern festival, during which children gather in the streets and carry brightly colored lanterns of various shapes and merchants hang lanterns in front of their shops. I've always wanted to attend one of these celebrations. Just seeing coverage about them on the news is probably far less exciting than being there in person!
Source: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761595955/Chinese_New_Year.html
Friday, January 30, 2009
Story Asssignment #1 Idea
I plan to write on the Psychic Fair that will be held on February 6th from 7-11:59 p.m. in the Meridian Ballroom of the University Center. Although it's occurring within the story deadline, I'll still write the story as a preview. I think it is a good topic for the novelty and unusual nature of the event. Many people are naturally interested in the supernatural/mystic side to life and the school plans on hosting a variety of mind readers and fortune tellers. I plan on trying to get an interview with Brian Brushwood, an expert who will be performing that evening, others who helped with arranging the event, as well as students who are planning to attend.
Monday, January 26, 2009
MC 202 Assignment
A freshman student was found injured in the basement of a dormitory at SouthernIllinois University Edwardsvile at 7:40 A.M. this morning.
Police believe 18-year-old Thomas Schwanke fell anywhere from two to ten stories down a trash
chute around 2:00 A.M. Witnesses who had seen Schwanke earlier than night say they saw Schwanke drinking.
Mary Rouse, Dean of Students at the university, said that the incident again raises concern about alcohol abuse on campus.
Schwanke is being treated at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, although hospital officials are declining to discuss his condition or the extent of his injuries.
Police believe 18-year-old Thomas Schwanke fell anywhere from two to ten stories down a trash
chute around 2:00 A.M. Witnesses who had seen Schwanke earlier than night say they saw Schwanke drinking.
Mary Rouse, Dean of Students at the university, said that the incident again raises concern about alcohol abuse on campus.
Schwanke is being treated at Anderson Hospital in Maryville, although hospital officials are declining to discuss his condition or the extent of his injuries.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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