Current Event - Video project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlowzFsRYnY&feature=youtu.be

Current Event - Movie Review

Movie Review

Captain Phillips is base on a real story that happens in 2009. One main actor is Tom Hank, who plays captain of American cargo ship, Richard Phillips. The other main actor is Barkhad Abdi, who playsSomali pirate captain, Abduwali Muse. 

Captain Phillips leads a cargo ship to deliver goods. At the same time, Somalis plan to hijack some ships to earn money. During Indian Ocean, Captain Phillips finds their cargo ship is traced by Somali ship that is led by Muse, so he commands the crew to set up their equipment to protect their ship. Phillips asks the crew speeding their cargo ship to keep from Somali ship. However, Somalis succeed to board Phillips’s ship and control the ship. Muse threatens Phillips to kill the crew if Phillips don't give him money. Phillips and his crew use their advantages that they are more familiar with the environment of cargo ship than Somalis to attempt to control back the ship. The crew succeed to catch the pirate captain Muse and ask Somali to swish their captain. After they release Muse, Somali break their promise and then take Phillips hostage and escape.

The actors’ performance are professional. Both captain's performance attract me a lot and make me like I am in the story. Muse always says "Take it easy. Everything is gonna be alright." and then smiles. On the other hand, Phillips's face is not easy at all and always observes the situation to plan how to escape in his brain. I can feel what he is feeling, especially when Somalis decide to shot him. At the moment, I can feel fear and despair. Good performances can lead audience experience what the actors' emotion and thought.

The plot catches my eyes to focus on what will happen next and make me tense util ending. When Somania captain try to search engine room, some crew hide inside. I feel tense and fear they might be caught by Muse. Suddenly,  they actively catch Muse. I like this dramatical transportation and I think they have a chance to win back their ship, but more challenges appear than I expect. I pray and hope everything will be fine. 

I will recommend my friends to watch this movie because the plot is perfect and actors' performance are professional. During watching this movie, the audince will forget temporarily who they are and enjoy what will happen in the movie.

Current Event Week 4 - Respond

http://hanbyulsong.blogspot.com/2013/11/week-5-article-1-lighting-landscaping.html?showComment=1384703182975#c6839228019050171767


I agree with you that it is a good way to discuss how to improve the waking safety after all members of the meeting walk in the campus together to find the place that need more brighter. In addition, I also agree with your idea that more lights is not enough to reduce crimes. I think personal awareness is another way can reduce crimes. For instance, avoid going outside alone at night or invite friends to go together. If people decrease their chances to involve crimes, the rate of crimes would fall. Before outside becomes dark, I will come home is the way I use to keep my personal safe in Atlanta. This habit is totally different from the habit I was in Taiwan. In Taiwan, the public place is safe even though 10 o'clock at night because many people still walk outside. So, in Taiwan, I was usually outside at night. However, different country has different situation, knowing how to protect yourself is one way to avoid involving crimes and decrease crimes happen.

Current Event Week 4 - Article 2 (local)

New ‘Hunger Games’ Movie Drives Visitors to Film Locations in Atlanta

The Hunger Games : Catching Fire was filmed largely in Atlanta including Swan House (above picture), Georgia World Congress Center, and Goat Farm Arts Center. It would drive fans to these film location and benefit economy of Atlanta.

When I found this news, I was excited and surprised because the news mixes my love movie and my life together. I will go to these places to experience the environment and remind the movie plot, particularly Swan House and Goat Farm Arts Center. 

Popular movies can always benefit local economy. Recent decade, Taiwanese movie are gradually accepted by audience. The first Taiwanese popular movie, which is Cape No.7, brings revolution of nation movies. After Cape No.7, residents are willing to choose our own movies in a variety of movies. Further, Cape No7 drives many fans to visit the places which are filmed in the movie and bring good income to south of Taiwan. After that, Taiwanese movie market follows this successful model and create many popular places, which are abandoned or forget historic places. Therefore, if the movies pick the places associated with real buildings and area, it will bring many advantages. I can image Hunger Game will assist these places to attract people again.     

Current Event Week 4 - Article 1 (National)

SeaWorld challenges ban limiting interaction between whale and trainer

How distance is a good distance between killer whale and trainer during performances is controversial in this article. OSHA ( Occupational Safety and Health Administration ) argues that SeaWorld has responsibility to limit closed contact between trainers and whales to protect trailer's safety base on many studies and facts.

I agree with OSHA that SeaWorld has a duty to protect employees' safety and change some performance forms; however,  OSHA could not restrict how interact between trainers and killer whales. For entertainment purpose, such show really attracts to the public and bring audience unique experience. I remember the first I watched the Dolphin Show in Georgia Aquarium. It was amazing to see the relationship between performers and dolphins. I can observe their interaction and dolphins in short distance during the show. I personally approve this show to performance but how to balance safety and entertainment is a big challenge for SeaWorld. 

  

Current Event Week 3 - Respond 1

News: http://newsbootcamp.blogspot.com/2013/11/article2.html

I agree with your idea that streetcar might not work for residents in Atlanta. However, for tourists, it might work because streetcar could attract tourists to use to visit Atlanta for the first time. For instance, when I visited San Francisco, the city remain the cable car to let visitors to experience the historical visit and watch the view of the city. Cable car benefits economy and remain the city history. Therefore, I think that building streetcar also could benefit Atlanta economy. 

Creating modern building and remaining historical building is one of topic I am interested in. I love to visit the city have mixed history together. I can find the path of history when I visit it. Atlanta lacks historical building to tell his story. So, I agree with streetcar have to be built for tourists. 

Current Event Week 3 - Article 2

Macy’s goes for artificial Great Tree

Macy in Lenox Mall use an artificial tree to celebrate annual holiday festivity this year instead of a real tree due to environment friendly. However, some people who are fans of holiday traditions disagree with this idea. They feel sad because traditions will go away.

I agree with Macy's idea. By technology development, people can use technology bring some life revolution. If follow the traditional way, human will destroy trees every fall for decorating Christmas. Macy adopt this way to protect environment and saving energy, which is a great idea to combine celebrating holiday and protecting environment.

I also can understand the feeling that some people fear tradition will go away, but we have to rethink what the meaning of the holiday is. Family can come together and celebrate together. So, we don't need to focus on the form.

In my country, people play string of small firecrackers to celebrate every Chinese new year; however, the firecrackers bring some environment problems. So recent year, we use environment-friendly firecrackers to celebrate. Environment-friendly firecrackers can mimic the sounds of the real firecrackers, but won't create any piece of trash. At the beginning, some people also disagree this product, but they are used to this product by time going. Therefore, some ways will be changed to celebrate holidays but these ways won't change meaning of the holiday. We don't need to avoid changing.    

Current Event Week 3 - Article 1

2013 Atlanta Canstruction Competition

The 15th annual Atlanta Canstruction Competition is held from Nov.8~Nov.17 in Colony Square, whose address is 1197 Peachtree Street. Competing teams are supposed to use canned and packaged food to create sculptures. After the exhibition, all the food they use and additional donations will be donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. 

Using caned and packaged food to create is a great idea and a big challenge for creative thinking. I personally love such creative art, especially the element of art relate to real life, which makes art closer to me. Some works attract my eyes. For instance, above picture is one of my favorite movie. I can see a good structure made of some familiar food, which is interesting in me. In addition, I approve the way that all income of the exhibition will be donated to Food Bank to help people. Such activity can usually encourage me to participate because I can enjoy a good exhibition and help people at the same time.

(Agreement)

    

Current Event Week 2 - Article 3

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Current Event Week 2 - Article 2

Am I a bad parent if I give my kids candy?

According to the article, "Should I give my children candy? " is a question parents have to think not only in the Halloween but also everyday. Candy harms people's teeth and also relate to the disease that are diabetes and obesity. If parent don't educate their kids the harmfulness of candy and limit their child
eating candy, it will influence their kids dental health in the future.

Diabetes and Obesity are serious diseases in developed countries. The habit of eating food has changed and it is getting worse now. We need to inform our next generation to choose health food for themselves and built their habit of eating from early age.

Current Event Week 2 - Artticle1

NYC Council gets tough on tobacco, approves raising purchase age to 21

On Oct 30, 2013 New York City Council pass a bill that increase purchasing age from 18 to 21 in order to protect people from harmlessness of tobacco.
Comparing with America, the legal age of buying tobacco is 18 in Taiwan. 18 years old is considered as a magic number that people have ability to think everything thoroughly and have responsibilities to manage their behavior. However, many teenagers still ignore the law and follow their curiosity to try tobacco even though they know disadvantages of the tobacco. Some people that are over 18 years old consider tobacco as a social tool to shorten the distance of other people when they meet each other first time.  People have different reasons to use tobacco and convince their behavior reasonably. Therefore, limiting the age to buy tobacco is negative method to prevent people from illness. Sometimes I am wonder what is the value of the law that limits the age to buy tobacco.

Stargazing in the desert: The magic of Namibia's night skies

From Aja Harris, CNN

updated 6:26 AM EDT, Wed October 9, 2013

Every week, Inside Africa takes its viewers on a journey across Africa, exploring the true diversity and depth of different cultures, countries and regions. Follow host Errol Barnett on Twitter and Facebook.

Namib Desert, Namibia (CNN) -- It's thought to be the world's oldest desert. The sun has been beating down on it for at least 55 million years and it covers an area of around around 31,200 square miles. The Namib Desert is an unforgiving landscape but it's where Rob Johnstone chooses to spend his spare time.

As the sun begins to set, the astronomer drives out to an abandoned airstrip in the middle of the desert and sets up his complicated telescope as the remnants of the day's light disappears. "

This landscape is ideal for stargazing," says Johnstone, "because if you look around you, you can see a 360-degree panorama of the horizon."

"We really have an unobstructed view of the night sky. There's literally no light pollution whatsoever. It's completely dark. That is what we're looking for and that is what makes this area so incredibly special."

The Namib Desert is largely unpopulated, extremely calm and, therefore, incredibly dark. This makes it one of the best places in the world to stargaze.

 Read more: Ghost towns and wild horses in the desert

 "This is where the stars shine - they don't twinkle, they shine," Johnstone says. He spends as much time as possible gazing at the skies: "I haven't discovered anything of importance yet, like maybe a comet or dwarf planet, but I'm still young -- I've got plenty of time left."

Last year, the International Dark Sky Association selected this area as an international dark sky reserve, which means it has one of the darkest skies measured on Earth. It is the first place in Africa to be given the title and one of only four other places in the world.

Johnstone first decided to pursue astronomy when he saw Halley's comet in 1986. Now he travels around Namibia, providing stargazing and astronomy education through his company, Space Observation Learning Namibia. His goal is to have more young heads in the clouds.

 "Nobody looks up anymore," Johnstone laments. "When you look up into the night sky through a telescope like this, it makes you feel very small, especially when you find out how big some of the stars are. Antares, which is a red supergiant star, is 550 times bigger than our own sun."

 Namibia's night sky is one of its greatest tourist attractions, but with the country's increasing development comes the threat of light pollution. Introducing too much light to the area will damage ecosystems as well as stargazing opportunities. Night-time lighting can disturb the sleep patterns of animals, which can alter feeding and mating behavior.

Read: Namibia's iconic red women

Absalom Vilho is an environmental educator at Nadeet, the Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust. He lectures visiting students about how to lessen light pollution and has made it his mission to teach fellow Namibians about sustainable lifestyles that will keep the sky pristine.

He feels a very personal attachment to the Namibian sky. "If I think back to when I was young, I was always told stories by my grannies associated with something to do with the stars up there," he says.

"It's something I grew up with from a young age. I don't want to wake up one day and find it gone."

Though funding is a challenge, along with keeping up with the latest equipment, Johnstone is also determined to enlighten more people about Namibia as an ideal location for stargazing. For him, one glimpse into deep space makes it all worth the effort.

"I think the one big question everybody asks is 'are we alone?' -- Is there other life out there?

"You know, given the size of our milky way galaxy, which is 100,000 light years in diameter, and the fact that almost every single star we see is a double star -- in other words it's two stars orbiting each other -- and there are planets orbiting around those, it suddenly makes you feel not alone anymore."

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