Readers??? Blog

Share Health Care in Engineering Terms: 2016-12-17 10:50; I don for a moment my engineering hat, that I wore for more than fifteen years before hanging it up to become a globe-trotting teacher. Fundamentally, there are 2 types of maintenance: preventive and corrective. Corrective maintenance occurs when a system suffers what is called catastrophic failure. Machines cannot run, buildings cannot be occupied and roads cannot be driven on in that condition. Workers/technicians are deployed to effectuate repairs, and they stay on the job ...; 2557 views|4 comments Popularity 2

Share What is Rude?: 2016-12-10 09:10; Early morning, my neighbor clatters down the stairs. Just about when he hits the first landing, right by my apartment door, he makes a great honking sound, snorts, and spits a wad as he descends the last few steps to the foyer. I can hear 'floop!' as he ejects his mucous and the 'splat' as it hits the floor. A few buildings away, another man engages in a sneezing fit. It seems to be a ritual for him. I can hear him every morning. He does nothing to muffle his affliction. ...; 6194 views|27 comments Popularity 13

Share The 'Face' Effect: 2016-11-27 11:04; Giving 'face' is a Chinese expression for respect and civility. In everyday society, it is common to 'give face' to people, even those you don't like or respect ??? not exactly fawning, but courteous: frosty but polite, one could say. Face-giving is essential in business relationships, where a single act of disingenuousness can cost years of relationship-building effort. When you break it down, giving face equals not saying what you really feel. Recently, in Am ...; 5315 views|45 comments Popularity 6

Share Like I Ever Had a Dog or a Cat: 2016-11-12 09:12; ???I love you so much! I love you! I love you like I ever had a dog, or a cat! I LOVE YOU!!!??? I roared with laughter at this declaration of love from my 7-year old granddaughter, Katherine. No longer should we say 'I love you so much'; there is now a more profound way to express love. And, it can be amplified: 'I love you like I ever had 7 dogs and 5 cats!', for example. Besides, 'I love you so much' is grammatically incorrect. There is no comparative ...; 7039 views|37 comments Popularity 7

Share The Top Five: 2016-10-21 20:09; With no set curriculum to teach and no mandatory assignments to give out, I have the latitude to talk about anything that strikes our fancy in class. This is a privilege I am ever grateful for. Now, well entrenched into my 7 th year of teaching, I pause to think about the Top Five most appreciated/engaging lessons that are a part of the standard teaching toolbox I have built over the years. These lessons are chosen as 'prime' based on participation and student enthusiasm. ...; 6126 views|6 comments Popularity 6

Share Do You Have an English Name?: 2016-10-1 08:56; T'is the season, again, for freshmen to hit the classrooms. Tanned from their 2-week military stint, they eagerly await their foreign teacher's dispensations: of tales from the west, of ways to learn English better, of a name they can proudly boast. One of the most common questions my freshly minted students ask: ???Can you give me an English name???? I most certainly can, but the range of names that originate in England or other English speaking nations is pretty small. Cons ...; 8976 views|36 comments Popularity 12

Share For Andrew: Notes on Germany: 2016-9-7 14:59; As I prepare to leave clean air and cool weather, I reflect on what makes Germany so unique and desirable a place to live, compared to other countries. Not just China, but for refugees from all over. Organization: Germany seems to run like a well-oiled machine. From large societal concerns like transportation to smaller, local customs, there seems to be no discord ??? unlike the cacophony of China. Seldom did I hear any horns honking for their right of way in Germ ...; 7068 views|13 comments Popularity 5

Share The Food: 2016-9-1 10:06; I don't think I need to write long narratives about the food in Germany, just an explanation of the pictures... right? For my 3-day stay in Frankfurt, I opted to shop for typical components of a traditional German 'abendbrot' ('evening bread', AKA dinner): bread, meat, cheese, a buttery spread, some fruit and a sweet for dessert. It was the first time I had ever eaten lemon flavored chocolate. If possible, it won't be the last time: it was delicious! It is ...; 4839 views|9 comments Popularity 3

Share Berlin: 2016-8-26 18:24; I've been strangely apposed in writing about Berlin, probably because the tsunami of feeling I washed away in (and I am still swimming in). It is easy for me to step back and be objective about other locations but when the houses I grew up in, the school I graduated from, the places I worked at are still standing, after all these years, and I'm standing in front of them, awed at how time seems to be playing on 2 levels ??? the past and the present... Berlin blew me away. ...; 5085 views|3 comments Popularity 1

Share China V. Germany: 2016-8-16 10:57; I think it inevitable, as I wander around here, that I would compare my adopted home (China) to my former one. Here is how they stack up so far. Cleanliness: a tie. Although Germany has cleaner air and bluer skies, there are so many cigarette butts and gum wads and so much trash on the ground! I have a new appreciation for the street sweepers in China, and for the people who meticulously scrape gum off the sidewalk. In the week I've been here, I've seen ...; 6395 views|13 comments Popularity 5

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