Sunday: On This Day:
It seems that in Spain it is customary to eat one's morning cereal with chocolate milk.
Monday: Actually...
Anyone who drives a lot has heard the theory that you can save gas by following close to a big-rig truck on the highway. I always thought this was a myth, or at least that it made very little difference. But actually it turns out that there is a great deal of truth in it. A team of experts (Myth Busters!) carefully tested the theory, and found out that if you follow 100 ft (30 meters) from a semi going 60 mph (95 kpm), you save 11% of your petrol. At 50 ft (15 meters), 20%, and if you're willing to drive just 10 ft (3 meters) away from a giant semi truck, you could save as much as 39% on your gas usage! At 10 ft, however, the reaction time if something goes wrong is about 0.1 seconds, so it's practically suicidal to try it. The safe following distance at speeds of 60 mph is 150 feet (45 meters). So, don't try this at home, but it does work! :-)
Tuesday: Say What?
The Netherlands are half to two thirds below sea level. Hence its name! So, bring very vulnerable to floods, and being the most densely populated country in Europe, keeping the water out has formed a great part of the cultural and character. In the 13th century the country began using numerous windmills to pump the water out. In the second half of the 20th century, about 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) of dikes were built to keep out the ocean. The most recent solution is another entirely new approach: if you can't keep the water out, you have to rise above it! So, floating houses! Yes, houses complete with a garage, front lawn, and garden are being designed to float above rising water. In normal weather they sit on the ground, built around four concrete pillars. When flood come, the whole unit can slide up the pillars and stay above the water. The buoyancy comes from large, water-tight basements that hold enough air to keep the rest of the house afloat. Thus far there are only a few “floating neighborhoods”, but the idea seems to be gaining popularity! Just make sure you've found your sea-legs before coming for afternoon tea!
Wednesday: Wow!
Okay, I apologize to anyone who has a pet Pit Bull dog out there, but this is just too amazing to pass up. The Pit Bull has a stronger bite than any other dog. It is measured at 2000 pounds per square inch (140 Kilograms per square centimeter). Now, maybe that doesn't mean anything to you, so consider this. The Kodiak Bear (the giant Alaskan brown bear) has a bite force of 751. A Jaguar measures about 1000, and a tiger 1525. American Alligators are considered to have the greatest bite force on earth today, and a 12-foot (3.6 meters) American Alligator gave a reading of 2,125. That gives you an idea of the power of a pit bull. On top of that, pit bulls constitute 1% of all dogs in the US, and are responsible for 42% of dog related deaths.
Thursday: Series: Penguins Rock!
While this isn't a scientific classification, it seems to me that penguins can be found in two environments; ice or rocks. Next time I'll talk more about ice penguins (especially for those of you who haven't seen March of the Penguins yet), so this week Penguins Rock! There are four main breeds of “rock penguins,” the Adelie penguin, Chinstrap penguin, Gentoo penguin, and most predictably the Rockhopper penguin. All of these live in rocky areas and make their nests out of pebbles. In some cases the males will collect rocks and try to attract females by having the biggest pile. A shortage of pebbles can lead to vicious fighting, screaming, and stealing. When the female choses a mate, she will climb to the top and make a depression in the middle for the egg. This pile of rocks serves to keep the egg up off the frozen soil or sand.
In 2004 in the zoo, one of the more unexpected stories of the animal kingdom took place. Two male chinstrap penguins were in a pen with no females. Still, they built a nest of pebbles and took turns trying to "hatch" a rock. Later this rock was exchanged with a fertilized egg by a zoo keeper, and the two males hatched and raised the chick.
Friday: What is something you don't know about yourself?
Saturday: On A Personal Note: The Devil has only two real tricks. The first trick is to keep you from realizing what he's doing. If that doesn't work, then his second trick is to keep you from caring what he's doing.
This week (June 14-21) I experienced a relapse on some “personal-development” things I've been working on. I've been in the game long enough to see these things coming, to predict what the progression of events will be, and to know exactly what traps I'm stepping into. But somehow that doesn't seem to make a difference anymore. Every soldier gets tired of fighting, but sometimes you get more sick of fighting than you are sick of what you are fighting, if that makes any sense. I think that's what separates soldiers and heroes.
Anyway, I'm getting ready to leave for LA for my summer job at the English program on Thursday. I haven't had much time to get excited, but I think it'll be really fun. I'm also homing to get lots of interesting information from the international students for these DSN letters! In other news, I learned that I was refused for a study abroad scholarship that I was hoping for, which means that I'll only take one semester of classes in Prague instead of two. It's a shame, but I can still finish my degree requirements in one semester, and this way I'll be able to find a job for the second half of the year.
June 21-28:
It's been one week in Long Beach (not exactly LA, but basically in the same city) at the International English Program of English First (EF). The days have been packed, and of course it's impossible to describe or explain everything. If you know about the English Camps in Czech Republic, it's basically like that, except with 600 high school students from 10+ countries, on a university campus, where the Activity Leaders (that's me!) have no connection with the morning English classes (Hurray!). We were training for about 5 days, which was slow but good, and all the leaders got to know each other. Almost all of us have lived abroad, and I'm probably one of the least traveled people. Several people have lived on every continent, one guy speaks 8 languages, and there is incredible ethnic, political, and character diversity. On that last note, there is every character from “quiet little mouse,” to “does and says whatever he wants, and loudly” and from “makes friends with everyone” to “makes friends with no one.” It's very interesting to watch, and although there are some I avoid, I think I can work very well with the group as a whole. It's highly intensive, because everyone is very experienced, and they all know how to “unmask” people. I've never felt so vulnerable to a group, because they don't let me get away with any kind of character act or trick. Many people will directly challenge each other to bring out the truth of character, good or bad. So now that we all know each other very well (but for such a short time), it's wonderful and terrible to be working together 24 hours a day, with no other adults around, for two months. It's like a reality show! :-) The first chapter is done, and now that the students are here I think the story will change a lot.
The students arrived yesterday and the day before. Suddenly out quiet little campus changed 100%. At the airport it seems that 10% of students have lost their luggage. So far some of it has returned, a lot not. Other flights were caught in a storm at New York JFK airport, and had to stay there 8-12 hours. I've never seen such bad travel luck. Most students on arrival hadn't slept for 24+ hours. Needless to say, they are cranky and nervous and highly emotional, which made the first day a big drama, but it could have been much worse.
I had some trouble with my first roommate during training (he's one of the ones I now avoid), and was worried about controlling a hall of 35-40 teenage boys. But I felt very blessed by God that my new roommate (once the students arrived) is one of the two guys I most get along with, and we're a good team. I was also pleasantly surprised to be put in charge of a hall of girls (due to a shortage of female leaders). I get along with girls better, and thus far it's been very nice. The only problem is that every night after bedtime we must go through each room and do an official headcount (to see if any student is missing). This means knocking on the doors, usually waking up the girls, and if there is a missing student alert from another hall then we must do it again and go inside the room to see if the missing student is hiding to stay with her friends or boyfriend or something. That's kind of uncomfortable, and Sam (roommate) and I have both tip-toed around it thus far. But I think I have a very good rapport with all my girls, so I don't expect any major problems.
The first night there were only a few students here, but scattered around campus. I felt bad that they had to sleep alone on the first night (their official roommates had not arrived), so I pretended not to see when two of my girls when into the same room. I had counted four girls on that floor, so I thought it wouldn't matter as long as I knew where they were. Then we are supposed to stay on watch for 1 hour after to make sure everyone is really asleep. After about 45 minutes one of the other leaders comes up all stressed saying that there was a missing girl in another building and everyone was looking everywhere for her, and the director was about to call the police to look for her. This was news to me. Apparently they found out that the missing girl was friends with one of the girls on my hall, and they went straight to the room where I knew there were two girls. One of them was the missing girl that all the leaders were looking for. Apparently a girl went to bed very early on my hall so I didn't count her, and the room with two girls made five, one extra. The missing girl was supposed to be in an entirely different building. She just wanted to not sleep alone, and didn't realize that 30 people were waking up hundreds of students trying to find her. Well, everyone was understanding (a similar thing happened several times the next night to other people), but boy I took some heavy teasing for it!
Last night was when almost everyone else arrived, and we many students arriving after bedtime, three missing students at different times of the night, and after all that at 2 am, one of my girls started throwing up and needed the help of her escort (every country sends a native leader with their students, called escorts). I got to sleep at 2:30, and woke up at 6:00 to help with the arrival of the Russians (delayed in JFK).
Tonight everything will be easier because all the students will have arrived and the rooms will be full, so it will just be a matter of making sure two students are in each room and not all the extra complication of who should be where (I hope). Although there has been already many instances of switching name tags and even moving beds to other rooms, so anything is possible. Unfortunately other EF programs in other countries (and similar programs) have a reputation for being lax on the rules, so students don't take it seriously at first. Every year some students are sent home before the rest get the picture.
Well, in one more way it's a lot like a big (Czech) English Camp, that it's an enclosed universe. Everything is focused on here and now, and there is always something that needs urgent attention. I mean, we're almost glorified baby-sitters for 600 kids, and trying to organize a good time for them at the same time! There is not a minute to think about anything outside the camp. I'm writing this now because I was scheduled to pick up a late (Danish) group at the airport, but their flight was delayed so I get to rest for a couple hours. The only way I can describe the “enclosed universe” is that I've only been here 7 days, and already I have to concentrate really hard to picture my close friends or family. It's already like a different life. It's strange to say that, but it give you an idea of how intense the atmosphere is here.
On a positive note, I love it! :-) For so many reasons that I can go into now, I think this is exactly what I needed to heal some emotional wounds. I'm so thankful for the challenge and interaction, and I'm so overjoyed to discover that I still love this kind of activity and atmosphere, because I began to fear that I was losing that love. And with all that, I get paid!
I'd better go. I need to prepare the orientation speech for the late group from Denmark. I don't know when I'll get the time and energy to write again, so until we talk again take care and God bless!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Discover Something New #12 Kiwi Spelling School Meets Electric North Korean Penguin!!
Wednesday: On This Day:
On June 6th, 1999, there was a jail break in São José dos Campos. Actually, jail break isn't exactly the right term, since what really happened was that 345 prisoners suddenly rushed for the main gate and ran out without being stopped, shot at, or challenged in any way. The escapees invaded homes, took hostages, and stole cars to get away. The authorities killed two fugitives and wrongfully imprisoned five innocent citizens. After 4 days 191 fugitives were still at large. It is strongly suspected that the warden and prison guards were bribed to allow the breakout.
Thursday: Say What?:
These days we've all heard something about the “Hermit Kingdom.” North Korea is the most secretive and for me the most frightening country on earth today (as for frightening, N. Korea has the fourth largest army in the world, 1.2 million soldiers, which means that 1 in 20 people is in the army. But anyway, this isn't what I wanted to talk about). The National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il claims an ideology called Juche (pronounced “joocheh”), which in N. Korea is centered on a principle of self-reliance and not being dependent. This translates into a national rejection of all things foreign and especially western, and a policy of isolation from the corrupting, manipulative, and evil effects of outside influences. Kim Jong-il, however, doesn't seem to practice what he preaches. It is reported that Kim has a private collection of 20,000 DVDs. Since North Korea doesn't have much of a film industry (although he did personally order the kidnapping of a South Korean film director and his actress wife in hopes of starting a North Korean film industry), it can be assumed that most of these are foreign. It's said that his favorite films include “Friday the 13th,” “Rambo,” and James Bond, Godzilla, and Hong Kong action movies. Scary, huh? He also likes any film with Elizabeth Taylor. Go figure.
Kim also spends $700,000 a year on Hennessy cognac, which makes him the biggest customer of the drink. He owns 100 imported limousines, and has a basketball signed by Michal Jordan (a gift from US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Kim is evidently a big fan of basketball).
On another note, Kim shares his father's extreme fear of flying. Whenever he has made his rare visits to Russia or China, he has traveled by armored train.
Friday: Wow!:
Electric eels are actually fish, and the work like a long, swimming battery. The head is the positive pole and the tail is the negative pole. The organ that produces the electricity is made of 5,000-6,000 separate parts, and emits 25-50 electrical pulses per second. If you are ever wading in a marshy area of the Amazon Basin and see one, don't worry, it won't see you. Electric eels go blind as they become adults because of exposer to constant electric fields. But unfortunately they can hear every move you make and sense you with their electric “radar,” so you might want to get out of the water. Adults can grow to be 8 feet long (2.5 meters), and can attack with as much as 600 volts, which is enough to potentially kill a horse or send a grown man flying through the air!
Saturday:
Snoopy (the dog in the comic strip “peanuts”) has a brother named Spike. He lives in the desert, and is poor and looking for a way to make money.
(Thank you Kaori of Japan!)
Sunday: Series:
I'm announcing a new category to this newsletter. There are some things that just cannot be covered in a single entry, and I'm confident that you won't quickly grow bored of it, so I'll announce a “Series.” Usually this topic will continue for a month, or until I'm bored of it. And what better topic to start with than Penguins! I'm going to start with an introduction to the species in general, and then maybe do several profiles of specific types of penguins.
The name penguin probably came from Welsh, meaning “white head.” However, there is a lot of evidence that the name comes from the Latin “pinguis” which means “fat.”
While penguins can be found in Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (Faukland islands), Norway (Peter I Island), a large number of small islands, and of course Antartica, they all live entirely in the southern hemisphere. The northern-most live on the Galapagos islands, just south of the equator. This means that polar bears are not predators of penguins, and that probably no polar bear has ever met a penguin in the wild. Penguins have
very few land predators, especially the further south you go, as nothing else wants to be out in the cold. This means that penguins are often very friendly and curious about humans, since they have no reason to be afraid (see picture).
Being approached by a curious penguin could be delightful or rather intimidating, depending on the size. Can't imagine an intimidating penguin? Well consider that emperor penguins can be 6 ft high (1.8 meters), and weigh up to 100 pounds (45 k)! On the other side, the Little Blue Penguin grows to an average of 16 inches (40 cm) and 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram).
Of course we know that all penguins are excellent swimmers, but just how excellent? The Emperor penguin can hold its breath for 22 minutes, and dive up to 1870 feet (565 meters). I have trouble diving 15 feet! The Gentoo penguin can swim 22 mph (36 kph). So basically if you run from a penguin as fast as you can on a sheet of ice, and the penguin is swimming under you, you're a goner. And some (the Emperor, for example), can jump more than 6 feet (1.8 meter) out of the water. Imagine you're a person of normal height, standing on the edge of the ice, minding your own business, and suddenly a 100 pound penguin comes rocketing out of the water and flies over you. Who says penguins can't fly?!
For some final trivia: Almost all penguins lay two eggs (except Emperor and King). Most penguins couples care for the eggs as a team. They drink salt water (they have filters that dispose of the salt through their nose). They have an incredible navigation system, being able to find their way home from 100s of miles away, and science still doesn't understand how they do it. Finally, penguins are scientifically considered to be the coolest animals on earth!
Next week: Penguins and Rocks (or Penguins Rock!)
Monday: Actually...:
I always assumed that African colonialism lasted 300-400 years, but that's actually not true at all! Certainly Europeans were taking slaves out of Africa for many hundreds of years, but the period of actual political
occupation didn't begin until the 1880s. Before this time there were only a few permanent European stations on the coasts of the continent. (see pic: Africa 1878) In 1884 the Berlin Conference made “flag-planting” legal in Africa. 
This meant that whichever country put a flag on an area 
first could claim it for themselves. In less than 20 years the entire continent was claimed by European powers (see pic: Africa 1914). Even more amazing is that the colonial period collapsed just a suddenly as it was constructed. There was a flurry of independence revolutions in the 50s and 60s, and by 1980, only South Africa and Namibia were still colonies (see pic: Africa 1980). That's a pretty dramatic tide of power!
Tuesday:
The other day I was watching two of my Japanese friends discussing how to translate a phrase from English to Japanese. They were speaking in Japanese so I really couldn't follow much (okay, not a syllable). Then one of them started making lines in the air in a questioning way, and I realized she was asking about spelling! This was a revelation for me, because I'd never thought about spelling problems with Japanese and Chinese characters, but it suddenly dawned on me that all those lines and dashes could be “misspelled” just as easily as English words, and maybe more easily! When I asked if they had to think about spelling one said “well yeah, it's complicated!” Sure, it's common sense, but I'd never thought about it before.
(Thanks Megumi and Kaori!)
Wednesday:
A while ago I talked with a friend of mine who studied in New Zealand, and I got some very interesting information about the New Zealand school system. (and for my Kiwi readers, feel free to correct me! (for anyone who doesn't know, “New Zealanders” are often called “Kiwis,” probably because the unusual and adorable kiwi bird is endemic to New Zealand, and because New Zealander is too long to say regularly)). Kiwi schools are uniform statewide, meaning that material, holidays, and even uniforms are the same at virtually every school. All students wear uniforms, which speaks of the British heritage of the nation, but my friend reported that there is a fascinating blend of the more strict British approach and the very relaxed Pacific Island approach. It's normal for students to come to school in full uniform, but barefoot. Also, apparently almost all the teaching material is based on New Zealand: the history, literature, art, politics, economics, etc. is all about New Zealand with very little about other countries. Well, that's how it is in the US, but it's surprising for a smaller country.
The thing that most surprised me is that high school is seven years, but students can leave whenever they want. That right, when they've had enough of high school they just stop going! Okay, it's not that simply. After high school there are two main options. To go to a university you must go through all seven years of high school. But many students choose a career or trade they want to go into, and leave high school to go to a school that will train them in that specific job (such as mechanics, police, or carpenters). So as the years go by, the classes in high school get smaller and smaller, until by the seventh year there are much fewer students than in the beginning!
(Thank you Rinn of California and New Zealand!)
Thursday: World Problems:
Have you ever thought of mice as a potential “world problem”? When you see this video from Southern Australia, you will! http://www.glumbert.com/media/mice
Friday: Question:
An interesting question was brought to my attention a while ago. Considering that western culture has a long tradition of women wearing head coverings, such as Catholic Nuns, Mennonites, Amish, and early Calvinists, etc.; why do we have such problems with Muslim head-coverings?
Saturday: On a personal note:
Of the many voices in a Man, the soul speaks the softest, but it possesses the greatest effecting power over every element of life. Still the soul speaks only through this mouth of flesh, and the spirit is buried deep beneath all that this body feels and needs.
And on a slightly less abstract personal note: my plans for the summer. Well, some of you know that my brother Ben and his fiancé Liz announced their wedding for August 31st. They chose the week that their best friends and I would all be in the same state, so there weren't too many options. This means that I won't be returning to the Czech Republic until after the wedding (I plan to arrive in Prague on the evening of September 4th). So the goal now is (in order) 1. get a summer job and make money for the ridiculously expensive tuition costs of studying abroad in Prague ($11,000 just for classes!) 2. apply for as many scholarships as possible, 3. relearn the Czech language :-/ 4. work on my photography and opening up photographic jobs. 2½: Answer all the emails sitting in my box!
I thought I'd found the perfect opportunity for all of this, which was to teach English in South Korea for a month at a summer camp. Many of these jobs pay $2000 and airfare for one month of teaching, so it seemed like the perfect thing. After several days of emails with a very nice Korean teaching agency, during which I got pretty excited about the idea, I discovered during our phone conversation about an hour ago that you cannot get a Korean work visa without a completed bachelor's degree. Grrrr, one semester away. Well, maybe in the future...
So now I'll be looking for a regular summer job serving yogurt or cutting down bushes or something. :-) Scholarships are still a priority, I just need a little break from academic activities. I've started reading a Czech book again (with my pocket dictionary falling apart from use). And for photography, please check out http://www.risingdove.deviantart.com/
So my only exciting plan is a determination to visit Matt Slabaugh and Jessie Folk (and maybe Steve Cone) in Chicago, probably in mid-August (of course, this is the first time they've heard of this plan, so we'll see how carefully they read these newsletters! :-). And as for 2½, this is part of the attempt to reconnect with everyone. I'm slowly working through the individual emails that pilled up when school was overwhelming. If there's something urgent that I haven't answered please remind me. Thanks.
Okay, I wrote this a few days ago. The new news is that I got a job! And it's much more exciting than I imagined! It's in Long Beach (Los Angeles), with an English camp for international high school students (I know, is that perfect or what?!) My job will be as an Activity Leader, which means that I'll help organize students in daily sports, games, and trips to theme parks, museums, etc. We'll also take trips to Las Vegas and San Francisco. It's my job to make sure the students stay entertained while not breaking any rules. Basically, it's a bigger (600 students), less stressful (the day starts at 10:00!) English camp where I get paid! ($2000!). It's perfect! And also I now have an adventure and new experience to look forward to, which is really nice. And I'll be back in time for the wedding! The down side is that I thought I had three months to finish my summer goals, and now I basically have two weeks, but I'll have to manage!
Okay, that's all for now. Remember to check out http://www.risingdove.deviantart.com/ and http://www.discoverthepenguinsworld.blogspot.com/
Other Business:
Corrections:
Jitka Stara, who wrote a great note in response to “The Battle is in Surrender,” lives in Bavorov, CZ, not Branov, as I wrote. Sorry Jitka!
Comments:
In response to the question: “Are grades important?” Daniel Goudy of Chico, CA., had this to say: “Grades are simply a scoring system used to track how well you're doing at the game of school. As such, these points we call "grades" are not important in and of themselves, let alone relative to themselves. The problem is that people like to use them as indicators of status and ability, however inaccurate that may be. In such a context, the assumption of their importance can lead to them assuming importance. Not to put too fine a point on it, the important point to remember about the importance of points is that important people point to points as pointers of importance.”
In response to the question several months ago, “Isn't it true that everyone in the world likes cookies? Have you ever known any human being who did not like eating warm, fresh, home-made cookies?” Summer Root of Chico, CA., mentioned an experience to me. Apparently when their family was living in Western Africa (sorry, I can't remember the country. Senegal?) there were in a rural area. The Root family made cookies for them, but the people had never encountered processed sugar. Most of the children liked them, but the adults decidedly did not. Well, one more potential absolute goes splat! Thanks Summer!
On June 6th, 1999, there was a jail break in São José dos Campos. Actually, jail break isn't exactly the right term, since what really happened was that 345 prisoners suddenly rushed for the main gate and ran out without being stopped, shot at, or challenged in any way. The escapees invaded homes, took hostages, and stole cars to get away. The authorities killed two fugitives and wrongfully imprisoned five innocent citizens. After 4 days 191 fugitives were still at large. It is strongly suspected that the warden and prison guards were bribed to allow the breakout.
Thursday: Say What?:
These days we've all heard something about the “Hermit Kingdom.” North Korea is the most secretive and for me the most frightening country on earth today (as for frightening, N. Korea has the fourth largest army in the world, 1.2 million soldiers, which means that 1 in 20 people is in the army. But anyway, this isn't what I wanted to talk about). The National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il claims an ideology called Juche (pronounced “joocheh”), which in N. Korea is centered on a principle of self-reliance and not being dependent. This translates into a national rejection of all things foreign and especially western, and a policy of isolation from the corrupting, manipulative, and evil effects of outside influences. Kim Jong-il, however, doesn't seem to practice what he preaches. It is reported that Kim has a private collection of 20,000 DVDs. Since North Korea doesn't have much of a film industry (although he did personally order the kidnapping of a South Korean film director and his actress wife in hopes of starting a North Korean film industry), it can be assumed that most of these are foreign. It's said that his favorite films include “Friday the 13th,” “Rambo,” and James Bond, Godzilla, and Hong Kong action movies. Scary, huh? He also likes any film with Elizabeth Taylor. Go figure.
Kim also spends $700,000 a year on Hennessy cognac, which makes him the biggest customer of the drink. He owns 100 imported limousines, and has a basketball signed by Michal Jordan (a gift from US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Kim is evidently a big fan of basketball).
On another note, Kim shares his father's extreme fear of flying. Whenever he has made his rare visits to Russia or China, he has traveled by armored train.
Friday: Wow!:
Electric eels are actually fish, and the work like a long, swimming battery. The head is the positive pole and the tail is the negative pole. The organ that produces the electricity is made of 5,000-6,000 separate parts, and emits 25-50 electrical pulses per second. If you are ever wading in a marshy area of the Amazon Basin and see one, don't worry, it won't see you. Electric eels go blind as they become adults because of exposer to constant electric fields. But unfortunately they can hear every move you make and sense you with their electric “radar,” so you might want to get out of the water. Adults can grow to be 8 feet long (2.5 meters), and can attack with as much as 600 volts, which is enough to potentially kill a horse or send a grown man flying through the air!
Saturday:
Snoopy (the dog in the comic strip “peanuts”) has a brother named Spike. He lives in the desert, and is poor and looking for a way to make money.
(Thank you Kaori of Japan!)
Sunday: Series:
I'm announcing a new category to this newsletter. There are some things that just cannot be covered in a single entry, and I'm confident that you won't quickly grow bored of it, so I'll announce a “Series.” Usually this topic will continue for a month, or until I'm bored of it. And what better topic to start with than Penguins! I'm going to start with an introduction to the species in general, and then maybe do several profiles of specific types of penguins.
The name penguin probably came from Welsh, meaning “white head.” However, there is a lot of evidence that the name comes from the Latin “pinguis” which means “fat.”
While penguins can be found in Africa, South America, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom (Faukland islands), Norway (Peter I Island), a large number of small islands, and of course Antartica, they all live entirely in the southern hemisphere. The northern-most live on the Galapagos islands, just south of the equator. This means that polar bears are not predators of penguins, and that probably no polar bear has ever met a penguin in the wild. Penguins have
very few land predators, especially the further south you go, as nothing else wants to be out in the cold. This means that penguins are often very friendly and curious about humans, since they have no reason to be afraid (see picture).Being approached by a curious penguin could be delightful or rather intimidating, depending on the size. Can't imagine an intimidating penguin? Well consider that emperor penguins can be 6 ft high (1.8 meters), and weigh up to 100 pounds (45 k)! On the other side, the Little Blue Penguin grows to an average of 16 inches (40 cm) and 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram).
Of course we know that all penguins are excellent swimmers, but just how excellent? The Emperor penguin can hold its breath for 22 minutes, and dive up to 1870 feet (565 meters). I have trouble diving 15 feet! The Gentoo penguin can swim 22 mph (36 kph). So basically if you run from a penguin as fast as you can on a sheet of ice, and the penguin is swimming under you, you're a goner. And some (the Emperor, for example), can jump more than 6 feet (1.8 meter) out of the water. Imagine you're a person of normal height, standing on the edge of the ice, minding your own business, and suddenly a 100 pound penguin comes rocketing out of the water and flies over you. Who says penguins can't fly?!
For some final trivia: Almost all penguins lay two eggs (except Emperor and King). Most penguins couples care for the eggs as a team. They drink salt water (they have filters that dispose of the salt through their nose). They have an incredible navigation system, being able to find their way home from 100s of miles away, and science still doesn't understand how they do it. Finally, penguins are scientifically considered to be the coolest animals on earth!
Next week: Penguins and Rocks (or Penguins Rock!)
Monday: Actually...:
I always assumed that African colonialism lasted 300-400 years, but that's actually not true at all! Certainly Europeans were taking slaves out of Africa for many hundreds of years, but the period of actual political
occupation didn't begin until the 1880s. Before this time there were only a few permanent European stations on the coasts of the continent. (see pic: Africa 1878) In 1884 the Berlin Conference made “flag-planting” legal in Africa. 
This meant that whichever country put a flag on an area 
first could claim it for themselves. In less than 20 years the entire continent was claimed by European powers (see pic: Africa 1914). Even more amazing is that the colonial period collapsed just a suddenly as it was constructed. There was a flurry of independence revolutions in the 50s and 60s, and by 1980, only South Africa and Namibia were still colonies (see pic: Africa 1980). That's a pretty dramatic tide of power!Tuesday:
The other day I was watching two of my Japanese friends discussing how to translate a phrase from English to Japanese. They were speaking in Japanese so I really couldn't follow much (okay, not a syllable). Then one of them started making lines in the air in a questioning way, and I realized she was asking about spelling! This was a revelation for me, because I'd never thought about spelling problems with Japanese and Chinese characters, but it suddenly dawned on me that all those lines and dashes could be “misspelled” just as easily as English words, and maybe more easily! When I asked if they had to think about spelling one said “well yeah, it's complicated!” Sure, it's common sense, but I'd never thought about it before.
(Thanks Megumi and Kaori!)
Wednesday:
A while ago I talked with a friend of mine who studied in New Zealand, and I got some very interesting information about the New Zealand school system. (and for my Kiwi readers, feel free to correct me! (for anyone who doesn't know, “New Zealanders” are often called “Kiwis,” probably because the unusual and adorable kiwi bird is endemic to New Zealand, and because New Zealander is too long to say regularly)). Kiwi schools are uniform statewide, meaning that material, holidays, and even uniforms are the same at virtually every school. All students wear uniforms, which speaks of the British heritage of the nation, but my friend reported that there is a fascinating blend of the more strict British approach and the very relaxed Pacific Island approach. It's normal for students to come to school in full uniform, but barefoot. Also, apparently almost all the teaching material is based on New Zealand: the history, literature, art, politics, economics, etc. is all about New Zealand with very little about other countries. Well, that's how it is in the US, but it's surprising for a smaller country.
The thing that most surprised me is that high school is seven years, but students can leave whenever they want. That right, when they've had enough of high school they just stop going! Okay, it's not that simply. After high school there are two main options. To go to a university you must go through all seven years of high school. But many students choose a career or trade they want to go into, and leave high school to go to a school that will train them in that specific job (such as mechanics, police, or carpenters). So as the years go by, the classes in high school get smaller and smaller, until by the seventh year there are much fewer students than in the beginning!
(Thank you Rinn of California and New Zealand!)
Thursday: World Problems:
Have you ever thought of mice as a potential “world problem”? When you see this video from Southern Australia, you will! http://www.glumbert.com/media/mice
Friday: Question:
An interesting question was brought to my attention a while ago. Considering that western culture has a long tradition of women wearing head coverings, such as Catholic Nuns, Mennonites, Amish, and early Calvinists, etc.; why do we have such problems with Muslim head-coverings?
Saturday: On a personal note:
Of the many voices in a Man, the soul speaks the softest, but it possesses the greatest effecting power over every element of life. Still the soul speaks only through this mouth of flesh, and the spirit is buried deep beneath all that this body feels and needs.
And on a slightly less abstract personal note: my plans for the summer. Well, some of you know that my brother Ben and his fiancé Liz announced their wedding for August 31st. They chose the week that their best friends and I would all be in the same state, so there weren't too many options. This means that I won't be returning to the Czech Republic until after the wedding (I plan to arrive in Prague on the evening of September 4th). So the goal now is (in order) 1. get a summer job and make money for the ridiculously expensive tuition costs of studying abroad in Prague ($11,000 just for classes!) 2. apply for as many scholarships as possible, 3. relearn the Czech language :-/ 4. work on my photography and opening up photographic jobs. 2½: Answer all the emails sitting in my box!
I thought I'd found the perfect opportunity for all of this, which was to teach English in South Korea for a month at a summer camp. Many of these jobs pay $2000 and airfare for one month of teaching, so it seemed like the perfect thing. After several days of emails with a very nice Korean teaching agency, during which I got pretty excited about the idea, I discovered during our phone conversation about an hour ago that you cannot get a Korean work visa without a completed bachelor's degree. Grrrr, one semester away. Well, maybe in the future...
So now I'll be looking for a regular summer job serving yogurt or cutting down bushes or something. :-) Scholarships are still a priority, I just need a little break from academic activities. I've started reading a Czech book again (with my pocket dictionary falling apart from use). And for photography, please check out http://www.risingdove.deviantart.com/
So my only exciting plan is a determination to visit Matt Slabaugh and Jessie Folk (and maybe Steve Cone) in Chicago, probably in mid-August (of course, this is the first time they've heard of this plan, so we'll see how carefully they read these newsletters! :-). And as for 2½, this is part of the attempt to reconnect with everyone. I'm slowly working through the individual emails that pilled up when school was overwhelming. If there's something urgent that I haven't answered please remind me. Thanks.
Okay, I wrote this a few days ago. The new news is that I got a job! And it's much more exciting than I imagined! It's in Long Beach (Los Angeles), with an English camp for international high school students (I know, is that perfect or what?!) My job will be as an Activity Leader, which means that I'll help organize students in daily sports, games, and trips to theme parks, museums, etc. We'll also take trips to Las Vegas and San Francisco. It's my job to make sure the students stay entertained while not breaking any rules. Basically, it's a bigger (600 students), less stressful (the day starts at 10:00!) English camp where I get paid! ($2000!). It's perfect! And also I now have an adventure and new experience to look forward to, which is really nice. And I'll be back in time for the wedding! The down side is that I thought I had three months to finish my summer goals, and now I basically have two weeks, but I'll have to manage!
Okay, that's all for now. Remember to check out http://www.risingdove.deviantart.com/ and http://www.discoverthepenguinsworld.blogspot.com/
Other Business:
Corrections:
Jitka Stara, who wrote a great note in response to “The Battle is in Surrender,” lives in Bavorov, CZ, not Branov, as I wrote. Sorry Jitka!
Comments:
In response to the question: “Are grades important?” Daniel Goudy of Chico, CA., had this to say: “Grades are simply a scoring system used to track how well you're doing at the game of school. As such, these points we call "grades" are not important in and of themselves, let alone relative to themselves. The problem is that people like to use them as indicators of status and ability, however inaccurate that may be. In such a context, the assumption of their importance can lead to them assuming importance. Not to put too fine a point on it, the important point to remember about the importance of points is that important people point to points as pointers of importance.”
In response to the question several months ago, “Isn't it true that everyone in the world likes cookies? Have you ever known any human being who did not like eating warm, fresh, home-made cookies?” Summer Root of Chico, CA., mentioned an experience to me. Apparently when their family was living in Western Africa (sorry, I can't remember the country. Senegal?) there were in a rural area. The Root family made cookies for them, but the people had never encountered processed sugar. Most of the children liked them, but the adults decidedly did not. Well, one more potential absolute goes splat! Thanks Summer!
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