Underwater Treasures

Underwater Treasures
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1912992,00.html

Archaeologists have discovered the wrecks of five ancient ships, and their cargo is in perfect condition

By Laura Slot



Researchers have found five ancient ships on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy. One of the ships is more than 2,000 years old and the others are about 1,600 years old. The ships carried vases filled with wine, olive oil, fish sauce and other products for trade. Kitchen tools, bowls and glass objects were also onboard. The wrecks are a real treasure, because all their cargo is in perfect condition.

"It is like an underwater museum," said Annalisa Zarattini, who is an expert in underwater archeology in Italy. The ships were probably trying to find shelter from a storm close to Rome and Naples, but then sunk.

Hidden in the Deep

The ships still look good after thousands of years because they sank in a deep part of the sea, Zarattini said. Here, the ships were protected from strong underwater currents so they weren't damaged. The wrecks were also safe from treasure hunters, who probably couldn't dive that deep. Almost none of the vases and other goods broke, because the ships didn't turn over in the storm.


The ships sank while sailing along an ancient Roman trading route. Traders shipped goods from distant places such as Africa and Spain to Italy. Foods such as fish sauce were a delicacy in ancient Rome.

The researchers found the wrecks using sonar technology, which uses soundwaves to scan the bottom of the sea for objects. The vases, bowls and tools they found in the ships will be studied and displayed in museums in Italy. The researchers will continue to search for more shipwrecks, trying to preserve them before treasure-seeking divers plunder the wrecks and steal valuable treasures.

Max-I think the things in the shipwreck are valuable because it is over 2000 years old and it is not been damaged! For goodness sake that the treasure hunters didn’t take the things because they can’t dive that deep. We should protect those things because they are less seen so no one can steal it.

Blessing tourism for Japan guests

Blessing tourism for Japan guests
http://www.studentpost.com.tw/commentary/default.asp?sIssue=1138
日本觀光客的祈福之旅

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Approximately 79,000 Japanese tourists visited Taiwan this past April, a three percent drop over April of a year ago.

News was recently released that the Taipei City Government has invested some NT$10 million (US$300,000) in new tour promotional packages again aimed at the Japanese market.

The new promotional packages tout a list of Taipei temples, and urge people in Japan to jump on a plane and fly to Taiwan for temple hopping that will supposedly lead to good luck in life.

The promoters are waving a litany of blessings in the air that several temples are claiming to offer to their adherents. I have heard of entertainment tourism. I have heard of eco-tourism, medical tourism, and educational tourism. Why not make room now for blessing tourism?

The promotional blurbs urge Japanese travelers in need of high grades for examinations to bow heads and light incense at Taipei's Confucius Temple. The Great Teacher is waiting for an opportunity to shower rewards on scholars under stress.

Our would-be Japanese guests surely know the difference between puffery and truth. There is no need to get too worked up about this imaginative, if somewhat comically designed sales strategy. The question that remains, however, is what such sales pitches do to the image of a country I dearly love.

Max-I think the Japanese people travel here to pray by the Confucius temple because they want to travel safe and have good luck. But why blurb so much for Taipei temples? Because the Taipei temples are good and bless people. So let’s make a room for blessing tourism.

Homework-Writing

July 24, 2009

P.2

One day, they went to the park to go fishing. One fisherman was very good at fishing that he caught many fish, but the other one didn’t catch any fish because he wasn’t good at it. Suddenly the fisherman caught another fish, but the other one caught a rubber tire instead of a fish.

P.24&25

A. One man was thirsty in the desert but there was no water to drink. Then a person selling ties asked the man: “Want to buy some ties?” But he didn’t want to buy because he only wanted water. He kept walking, and found another person selling ties. He still ignored him and kept walking on. Finally he found a building, and he went in. But the guard said: “To go in, you must have a tie.”

B. Hey, did you ever hear this one? A woman goes in a diner and ordered a cup of coffee. She takes a sip and screams, “This coffee tastes like mud.” The waiter said, “Well, it was ground this morning.”

The Dalai Lama

July 22, 2009

The Dalai Lama

By Max

I think the Dalai Lama is a good and peaceful person because of he wants to let many people peaceful like him too. Unlike the poor, they are so peaceful but rich people are not peaceful. The Dalai Lama promotes peace, compassion, and tolerant with several ways, like looking at all situations from all angles will let you become open and knowing this earth as a home. He also gave some green tips like turn off the lights when you’re not using it, recycle garbage, and to clean beaches full of garbage (My own idea.). Doing this and other great things can let us become different, and let the world become different.

Chomp! Meat Eating Plants

July 22, 2009

Chomp! Meat eating plants

By Max

Meat eating plants eat insects when they’re hungry. Meat eating plants like Venus flytraps, Pitchers, Cape sundews, Alice sundews, Titan butterwort, and many others, use some sweet juice to let the insect fly in and drink it, and it catches the insect. Venus flytraps just let the insect fly in the trap to drink juice, and the flytrap catches it. Pitchers let insects get stuck in the pitcher and eat it. Sundews let insects fly in to suck the juice and use their sticky leaves to tie the fly. Butterworts use their sticky leaves too to eat the insects been sticked to its leaves.

The World Game's Fireworks

Sunday, July 19th, 2009

The Fireworks

By Max

Today we went to see the fireworks in the evening. At 8:00, we changed our clothes and we went out. We first went to Green Bay, and we walked there because of no bikes or motorcycles can go in. We saw a lot of people, about 20000 people. We came up the ramp, and went down the ramp to the ground. We heard a band singing there on a very big stage. I want to see the concert, but since Dad only wanted to go to eat some food, so we quickly walked away. We went in the door to the food area and got a handbill. At the food area, there are a lot of tents, and it had various kinds of food. We didn’t walk along because I don’t want to eat it. So we sat on the manhole cover. We waited and waited until the first firework happened on the back of us. We can’t watch it very clearly, because there is a building which blocked the firework. But it was still very beautiful, because it has many colors and big explosions. But at 9:00, the “real” firework finally started. The firework had even bigger bangs and a part that shoots fireworks like a fast shooter! After the firework, I think that this firework is the most beautiful, and this is the first time I had seen the firework with a short distance! After the firework, we went to see a softball game. It is Taiwan versus Japan. After we arrived, the score is tied 1-1. But at the 8th inning, that player that defenses home base didn’t catch the ball thrown from the other player and let Japan score another point and ended the game winning! I think that the player is stupid and should been replaced! After the ball game, we went home.

Reading Rules!

Reading Rules!

TFK Kid Reporter Forrest Simpson reports on the 2009 Children's Choice Book Awards

By TFK Kid Reporter Forrest Simpson
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1899667,00.html

The second annual Children's Choice Book Awards were held on Tuesday May 12, in New York City. The awards were part of Children's Book Week, which is celebrated across the country from May 11 to May 17. It is the nation's oldest literacy event, now celebrating its 90th anniversary.

Kid Reporter Forrest Simpson was there to see popular authors including Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) and Lauren Myracle (Thirteen). But in the end, the vampires ruled, as Stephenie Meyer, author of the hugely popular Twilight series earned Author of the Year. Meyer beat Kinney, Rick Riordan (author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series), James Patterson (Maximum Rider) and Christopher Paolini (Brisingr) for the top title.

A Star-Studded Night

The gala was all part of a week-long effort to encourage kids to pick up a book and gain a passion for reading. Authors, illustrators and special guests gathered to talk about the importance of reading. "Books expose us to a world of possibilities," says Robin Adelson, the executive director of the Children's Book Council.

The awards were funny and lively, thanks to host Jon Scieszka. Scieszka is the author of several best-selling children's books including Time Warp Trio and The Stinky Cheese Man.

Whoopi Goldberg was honored with the Impact Award. She explained that because she was dyslexic, she came to reading late. "I didn't really pull it together until my teens, but I've always loved stories," she said. "I've always thought that if you could give kids fun and interesting books that they would grasp and hold onto reading."

What Was Your Favorite Book?

More than 220,000 kids around the country voted for their favorite books and authors. Here's what they chose:

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year
Spooky Cemeteries by Dinah Williams
Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year Thirteen by Lauren Myracle
Teen Choice Book of the Year Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Author of the Year Stephenie Meyer for Breaking Dawn
Illustrator of the Year Jon J. Muth for Zen Ties

Max-I think reading books will be fun for all of us, because many books include an interesting story that lets us have different feelings and when you had done reading the first chapter, you may have the curiosity to keep reading. Like me, I don’t like reading Chinese books before, but now I like reading books because I start reading a few books a day.