March 31, 2010
Different Weather Different Condition
It snows heavily in Edinburgh as it is March now however it is quite normal in Scottish people’s opinion because it is a good activity to skiing during Easter Holiday for them. For me, a Chinese student who is fresh in Britain, it is quite strange as it is warm in a whole month which enable me to put on T-shirts and skirts yet become minus degree suddenly.
The students suffer a lot today as it is slippery and heavy snow makes clothes and hair wet. People cannot hold umbrella because of the strong wind. Many students in Merchiston Campus suggest they prefer to stay in library or JK Center after class rather than go back home. The bad weather also delays the buses as it is quite unsafe to drive in normal speed on slippery road.
People here do not like the rainy and snowy weather which yet is the most expected thing in Yunnan Province in China where the most serious drought happens. Chinese people have one bowl of water to drink or wash per person per day; some children have to walk several miles in order to get two buckets of water for their family. The lands become cracking and all the grains which make country people live die. Prime Premier Wen Jiabao comes to Yunnan to investigate the real condition and monitor the disaster relief work. When he is seeing the living condition of people, he speaks with tears.
All the companies and people in other province launch activities to fund the disaster area. They donate millions bottles of water and pray God to rain as soon as possible. Different weather makes different condition. It has not been raining in Yunnan for three months yet rains nearly every day in Edinburgh. People in Edinburgh damn the rainy weather yet people in China pray to rain.
Professional Placement Report
Zhejiang Television Station is the most famous station in Zhejiang Province and its news television programs and journalists are the most professions are the most professional ones. Therefore I do want to have internship in the station during summer holiday. At first, I had emailed my resume to the producer of the news program and explained my wish and strength in a personal statement. But she told me that the program had no plan to recruit any interns in the summer. I felt disappointed yet then I realized that one of my mother’s friends- Liu Fei, was the producer’s classmate in university so that I asked Liu to help me get a chance to have a interview with the producer and then I could persuade her to give me the placements myself. During the interview, I explained my performance in the university, showed her some video clips and podcasts I have done during study and told her my strong intension of experiencing journalism in television program. Finally, she agreed to give me the opportunity to do internship in the program but what I could only do is to be an assistant of anchors or camera men during broadcasting which meant I had no right to report news myself or to do some journalism interview myself. Whatever, this was still a great opportunity to become a real journalists.
March 30, 2010
A Long-running British Strike
Following a strike lasting many days, the Royal Mail and Communication Workers Union have been holding peace talks. Targets for the delivery of first and second class letters were missed in the bitter row over jobs, pay and services. Then a deal aimed at ending the long-running postal workers’ dispute was agreed on Mar 8, including a 6.9% pay rise over three years. An 80-page agreement produced by the marathon talks includes a 2% pay rise in April followed by increases of 1.4% and 3.5% in subsequent years. The working week will be cut and postal workers will have greater job security, while agreeing to deliver a “transformation” of the business. The CWU said members would also receive lump sums of about £2,500 as well as weekly basic pay supplements and other improvements such as extra maternity and paternity pay.
March 26, 2010
Chinese Perspective on US Company Feeling Unwelcom
Jingjiao and I talk to presenter Amy Sutherland about the story in the news today that American companies are feeling increasingly unwelcome in China.
March 22, 2010
Study Abroad
2009 was the year of homecoming, and 2010 is the year of outgoing for some university students.
Suzanne Smith, Faculty Administrator at Edinburgh Napier University, has talked about exchange programs currently on offer to students. In addition, some international students have introduced their experiences of studying abroad.
March 21, 2010
Engaged at 18?
A girl engaged at 18 years old? Her fiancé is still a student? They are planning to get married when they got graduated from university? It looks like a fairy tale that cannot exist in real world. Yet this couple engaged on Valentine’s Day and their parents held a big engagement ceremony to inform relatives and friends.
Anna Husband, the 18-year-old fiancée, is studying graphic design in Edinburgh as a university fresher and her boyfriend is in Newcastle. It seems that she is just beginning her new life in an unfamiliar city so that she may not know what kind of career she will undertake and that what kind of challenge she is going to meet in the future. However, she decided to get to engaged with a boy who grows up with her together and is planning to bond her future with the boy. It is her decision. Though Anna’s parents were surprised about the news, his boyfriend’s family were quite happy about it as their family tradition is to get married in a young age and have many babies. Both of their friends celebrated their engagement when they came back to university.
Though it is the family’s tradition to get married, it is quite unusual in Scotland for people under 20 to get married. From Scottish Government Statistics, there are only 85 persons under 19 getting married in 2007. And also from 1990’s last century to 2007, the number of young people getting married is decreasing from 1071 to 85 rapidly. In addition this special group constitutes a tiny part in married people.
“I didn’t make the decision impulsively when he proposed.” Anna says happily, “He is my Mr. Right! I know him from childhood and he is a good guy and we will have a happy life. This is enough.” However, her fiancé proposed in a romantic way that he put the engagement ring in a Valentine cake, made by him, and when Anna found the ring, the boy kissed her and ask her to marry him. “I was crying at that moment. I will remember forever.” Actually, Anna and her fiancé have a careful plan for their future including their study, career and even their babies. After graduation, Anna will come back to Newcastle and hold a big wedding in their hometown. And then the couple prefers to live in Edinburgh for 3 years to find a job matching their major and enjoy Scottish culture. After then, if they have babies, Anna decides to go back to England and open a studio to receive some cases and her boyfriend will help manage it as he is studying business management, but if not, they will go to Africa to do volunteer job in order to help others.
She seems not like her peers, who enjoy temporary happiness and care not about long-terms plans. Anna really understands what she needs and what she is pursuing.
March 15, 2010
Doctor’s opinion on Beckham’s injury
This is a very short interview with Doctor Harry Burnett talking about David Beckham’s latest injury which will ban him to attend the World Cup in South Africa. Listen to it.
March 11, 2010
Chinese Students in Napier
This is a simple podcast between a professor and two Chinese students talking about their life in Edinburgh Napier University
Chinese Christian in Edinburgh
How should one define Chinese Christian? Bible containing some Chinese characteristics? Some Chinese people believing in Christianity? Generally speaking, the majority of Chinese people do not have any traditional religion such as Buddhism, Islam let alone Christianity which is a western religion far away from oriental life. However, there is a group Chinese Christian in Edinburgh meeting every Sunday in church to do mass and pray just like what common Christians do.
March 8, 2010
Edinburgh castle, be army base for 10 years
A 10-year plan for Edinburgh Castle has been agreed, which reinforces the commitment between Historic Scotland and the Army to share the site. There were previous concerns that the military would pull out of the base, leaving it as only a visitor attraction. The castle remains an army base, as well as Scotland’s biggest visitor draw, and the plan will bolster co-operation in the use of its space. The castle is Scotland’s leading tourist attraction with over a million visitors each year and hosting major international events such as Homecoming 2009. Some souvenir shops look forward to this plan because it will help the castle attract more tourists and host more events resulting in an increase in profits. However, some local people do not care much about the plan and how the castle is used for military purposes. Nearby residents told Edinburgh Napier News the castle should simply be used by everyone as much as possible. Today toutists in the city seemed to know very little about the plan. Some commenting that the attraction will always be popular with visitors because of its historical importance and fantastic appearance.
LA's Colorful Sky 