Ambassador Liao's Farewell Party

One of my best friends invited me to attend this wonderful party held on  late March, in China Town. Before the party began, Keith, one of the library's visitors, introduced me to the departing Ambassador Liao and his lovely wife. Surprisingly, Ambassador Liao chose me and mentioned my story in his speech along with the other two people at the party. It gave me an opportunity to stand up, wave to the audience, and show the audience where I am currently employed. It's an honor.
God speed, ambassador Liao!

Chinese Cultural Festival in China Town

                                          美食節/Chinese Cultural Festival/April 20, 2013

Ruby's Read/April

Albert Einstein.....Genius of the Twentieth Century

Albert Einstein was born in Ulm,Germany in 1879. When he was a toddler, his parents worried about his non-talking, but Albert said he knew how to talk, he was simply waiting to speak in complete sentences.

When Albert was 5 years old, his mother hired a tutor and a violin teacher for him, she thought that discipline would help him act in a more normal way. But a simple gift from his father was that truly sparked Albert's mind and imagination. The little compass made a deep and lasting impression on Albert Einstein, he believed that " Something deeply hidden had to be behind things."

When Albert was 7, he went to school, since hi was the only Jewish child in his class, he was teased about his religion, and he didn't like sports also, the boys in his class ignored him. For Albert's part, he didn't like his strict teachers or how they taught, he only paid attention to the subjects that interested him, especially math and science, but even with his rebelling, he got good grades.

Albert found many ways on his own to test his mind, and his determination knew no bounds. When he first learned geometry, he spent the next three weeks reworking the book's math equations! He liked to do "thought experiments". For these hi linked his science knowledge with his imagination. As Albert's imagination grew his impatience with school grew as well, when he was 15 years old, he was asked to leave school because his teachers had finally had enough of his independent learning style. Now Albert's family no longer worried about his mental abilities, they worried about his future.

The business of Albert's father was not doing well, the family had no extra money to help Albert in the years ahead, Albert announced that he wanted to become a science teacher, and he found a excellent school that would prepare him for that career. Even at this school, he chose to learn in his own way, and that kept him from getting a job. He searched for several years, and he was hired by the patent office finally. He loved his job, it also gave him time to work on his own scientific projects.

In 1905, Albert published some articles in a famous German physics journal, " Photons and energy quanta","E = mc² " ,"General theory of relativity", his years of reading,questions and thought experiments were the building blocks for some discoveries that turned out to be groundbreaking.

In 1909, Albert's successes meant he could leave the patent office, he was finally a science teacher, but the success didn't help his family life, he spent much of his time working and writing scientific papers, he and his wife were divorced in 1919. Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921, in spite of this prize and his fame, his religion caused him problem once again. In 1933, Adolf Hitler was elected to be the leader of Germany, in the same year, Albert and his second wife were visiting in the United States. He knew if they returned to Germany, his wife would be in danger, so he accepted a job at Princeton University, and he and his second wife decided to make the United States their home.

Albert Einstein believed in a child's power of imagination and sense of wonder, he also felt that his own imagination and sense of wonder were responsible for his success. He died in 1955, even today people think of Albert Einstein's successes as monumental.

Ruby

 

 

April's Monthly Meeting/4-24-2013

April’s Monthly Meeting

            There are five of us attending today’s monthly meeting. The sharing of reading summary started with Lily. The book she has been reading is called “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White. Lily didn’t have a written summary for she was not able to finish the book. It started from a farm owned by father of a girl named Fern. There was this runt pig who was too weak to make a good or valuable profit. Fern’s father was considering to finish the piglet. But Fern would like to keep the small pig and treat him like a baby. Fern fed the little pig with bottled milk and it grew! Fern’s uncle took in the pig and kept it in his farm living with other domestic animals. This was where Lily’s bookmark labeled. Sherri read this book before and told the members that this is a good classic book and the primary characters are Charlotte, the ever wise spider, and others. We can’t wait for Lily to finish this book and share what she would learn from this book.

            Ruby read about life of the genius, Albert Einstein. In her summary, there were years and eras stating the genius’s discoveries and contributions to the human world. E=MC2 stands for Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared.

E= energy M=mass C= the speed of light 2= squared (a number times itself)
A famous equation created by Albert Einstein in relation to his Special Theory of Relativity.
Because the speed of light is a very large number and is multiplied by itself, this equation points out how a small amount of matter can release a huge amount of energy, as in a nuclear reaction.
In average human terms, e=mc^2 basically represents the amount of energy you'd get if you totally converted an object's mass into pure energy.

            When Ruby finished her book report interesting thing happened: Otoor read the same topic though by different author. This was the second time similar situation took place at our meetings. Shaking my head I wondered what this meant to our group. It’s a good sign that members tried and read nonfiction after reading fictions. As I stated in the beginning of this reading club that the best way and attitude toward learning the language of English is to overcome the concept and thought of “learning.” We are here to savor and enjoy the beauty of the English language and get better of using it to serve our individual purposes. It looks like members of this group are growing and gaining their own sense of self-growth and soul development. It’s a gain I look forward to acquiring and maintaining.

            “The Language of Flowers” was the book Sherri read and shared with the reading group. It’s about a lady who had difficulty holding bond with others. She grew up in a foster family and didn’t have the ability to build or keep relationship with anyone. But she is good at flowers and excels at helping customers to pick the kind of flowers meaningful to them. Eventually she met a young man who is also good at detecting the language of flowers. They had a daughter and the lady had to give away her daughter to the young man who was the father of the infant girl. At the end, the young man was able to use the language of flower to break down the lady and together they had a good ending.

            Because of this book about flowers and their meanings the group decided to talk more about flowers, their meanings, and what they are to people.

            We look forward to seeing each other again next Wednesday.

What's happening

I haven't had time to publish any book review this month though it didn't mean I stopped reading. The following are books I read so far:
Title: The Personality Code: Unlock the Secret to Understanding Your Boss, Your Colleagues, Your Friends..and Yourself
Author: Bradberry, Travis
Subject: Personality
Call Number: 155.2 B798P 2007
ISBN: 9780399154119

Title: Driving Excellence: Transform Your Organization's Culture-and Achieve Revolutionary Results
Author: Aesch, Mark
Subjects: Organizational Effectiveness; Leadership; Success in Business
Call Number: 658.4 A253D 2011
ISBN: 9781401323974

Title: How to Make Performance Evaluations Really Work: A Step-by-Step Guide Complete with Sample Words, Phrases, Forms, and Pitfalls to Avoid
Author: Shepard, Glenn
Subjects: Employees-Rating of
Call Number: 658.3125 S547H 2005
ISBN: 9780471739630

There are some books I read but, somehow, I failed to finish reading. My mind is set on another venue and reading becomes random. But it's still my habit to have books at places I like to read the most, i.e. bedside, restroom, dinner table, etc. Hopefully I would be able to get back the reading track.

March Read/Otoor's

After the Rain    /    Virginia’s civil war Diary

By Mary Pope Osborne

                           November 2, 1864 a little girl about 10 years old was living with her pa her brother Jed and his wife Jane Ellen was going to have a baby in April.

They moved to Washington City looking for new jobs. The girl heard her family talking about the president Lincoln they hoped he will be reelected next week and they said the president Lincoln is only man in the world who can put an end to slavery forever.

Their house in Washington City was so small they got their water out side.  The girl slept on sofa in the parlor shivering with cold. Jed and pa were going every day looking for job

Jed wanted to be a reporter in news paper pa hoped he could play his violin at one of Washington City’s theaters a cold rain always falls out side while the two men was going to look for job.  African Americans people had come to Washington in search of freedom from slavery. Confederate deserters and bandaged Union soldiers also straggled by they fought for different armies, but they all looked much the same-sad and weary. Both sides

Were desperate for the war’s end. Jane Ellen helped the girl with her lesson until she could afford a real school. Also she was worried a bout Jane sickness because she remembered her mother died when she born.

President Lincoln had been reelected for that they were all so happy the cheering crowd marched through the streets of Mr. Lincoln’s Washington.  They sang’ the battle cry of freedom.’  In November 23, 1864 the president had declared the last Thursday of every November as a national day of thanksgiving. Pa tried to work as a woodcutter but he wasn’t strong enough so he hurt his back chopping wood. Jed had to help him home and put him in bed Jane was too sick, the girl thought to work to save her family, looking in newspaper she found a job in a beautiful house with stone steps A Widow named Mrs. Porter gave her fifty cents a day to do light house keeping, day by day her job got better Mrs. Porter liked her to read from the Bible or Shakespeare or Walter scot.

Mrs. Porter’s grandchildren were coming to visit from New York City for Christmas holiday. The girl dreamed that the children would tell her stories about their life and she would tell them about the Battle of Getty burg also she thought maybe they invite her to see New York City, but when they arrived they didn’t seem to take notice they ignored her she felt like a girl made of air, she said with her self ‘this how all servants feel why? What if the porter children ‘owned me? They might even beat me, if I didn’t do what they wanted! She felt sad not talking with her family she mostly ate beans she liked ice cream and sugar cookies she sighed and said ‘she wish going to see a play at fords new theatre some day but it cost too much she heard the children talked about Tad Lincoln as if he were their friend. Tad was only ten years old goes every where with his father president Lincoln.  The president was pushing for a change to the constitution to end the slavery once and for all. After in January 31, 1865 Congress had voted to pass the thirteen Amendments to abolish slavery that was great news also Jed had had a better job at news paper Pa could get his chance to be a violin player in professor Withers’ orchestra!

Pa wanted the girl to stop working and going to school.

Every day more and more Rebs desert the confederate army they were all streaming into Washington the south had no more men to fight for it, the capital of the confederacy in ruins Union troops had taken over the city. President Lincoln and his son Tad had gone to Richmond many African American knelt before the president to thank him for freeing them from slavery but the president told them not to kneel before him ‘you must kneel to God only thank him for your freedom’ he said.  Flags waved in the rain all up and down the street president Lincoln appeared, bright and happy he told the band to play ‘Dixie’ He said that (Dixie) belongs to all of us again and not just to the south.

After that, bad news happened quickly president Lincoln was shot the man who shot him leaped from the president’s   box onto the stage.  He jumped on an hours in the alleyway and dashed a way in the dark.  The president had been shot in the head. The night was so dark, it felt like every candle on earth had gone every one couldn’t sleep. The president was shot by an actor named John Wilkes Booth. The assassin had not caught yet. They all wept and prayed together. President Lincoln was dead. A cold rain was falling, the sky wept rain as it did the morning after the Battle of Gettysburg. That was terrible dream.

The minister, Reverend Crane, said that the president died for our country just as Christ died for the world. The assassin couldn’t escape there was 100/000 reward for the capture of John Booth. Many southerners think the president was their friend too; at the war end he chose the path of forgiveness instead of revenge.

Day after Jane Ellen had strong pain caring to the hospital she got a baby they named him Abraham Lincoln Dickens. Jed came home he said John Booth in a barn he was shot in the head and died. Other conspirators were being sought.

In may4, 1865 the president was buried in Springfield, Illinois. We felt great sorrow for our whole nation also the little girl felt sorrow for Tad Lincoln, just few month ago she thought he was the luckiest boy in the world, but then she said she felt sorrow for Tad for loosing great father and great leader.