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Strange Rules on Planes

October 14, 2015 by ehesson@pvs.org Leave a Comment

–by Amber Zheng

The holidays are coming. You’re making your plane reservations to see your family across the country. Many people complain about the strange rules of airlines. Undeniably, a lot of rules on airplanes do seem ridiculous. However, every one of these absurd rules is designed with the intent to save lives. Today, we are going to explain reasons behind some of these rules.

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The roof of this plane was ripped off at 23, 950 feet. Passengers survived . . . because they had their seat belts on. “Please move about the cabin with care.”

1. The flight attendant tells you: “All window shades have to be open on take-offs and landings.” You’ve been reading or sleeping and don’t want the blinding light of the sun coming up. Most airplane accidents happen on these two occasions–when taking off or landing. Open window shades make sure the lighting conditions inside the cabin are the same as the lighting conditions outside and give passengers visual access to the outside. If an emergency occurs, passengers are then adjusted to the lights outside and are aware of things that are happening outside so that the bailout can be more efficient. Moreover, rescuers are able to observe the situation inside through the windows so that they can conduct rescues better at accidents.

2. The loud speaker barks at you: “Luggage and other belongings have to be kept in designated places.” Your carry-on has to be stored in the overhead bin or tucked in to the seat in front of you. You want to get to your eyeglasses or gum or favorite book, and now it’s out of reach. Airlines tell us to tuck away carry-ons because doing so prevents luggage from flying crazily about the plane during emergencies. Flight attendants want to make sure nothing’s in the aisles so that people can move as quickly as possible at bailouts.

3. The airline safety video warns you, “Life jackets are not to be inflated before exiting the airplane.” You’re thinking, “Are you kidding me?! I don’t want to be flailing in the Atlantic Ocean trying to inflate a life jacket!” But, the Airlines tell us, if water enters the plane, inflated life jackets will keep people from diving down to escape from the plane. Besides, a person with an inflated life jacket on is very likely to block the emergency exit of the plane.

So, every strange rule . . . has its reason.

Filed Under: The World, Travel Tagged With: airlines, planes, rules, safety, Samuel L. Jackson

Immigration Wave in Europe

October 9, 2015 by ehesson@pvs.org 2 Comments

image2 –by Anna Kleckerova, European Correspondent

The situation with immigrants is getting worse with every day. These people are coming from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, filling up all European countries. Many of them went to Greece first. They want to get to Germany, Austria and Great Britain because the economies are good and the migrants often speak the languages, but they are not always accepted. Germany is accepting many of them. The Germans are really trying to help them and show the whole world that they are a better country than what many remember from their past. Immigrants with valid ID cards have the greatest chance of getting accepted. Other countries usually don’t have much mercy for the immigrants and send them back to the country from which they came.

I want to show you how brutal ISIS is to get you to better understand how important it is to help the migrants. A life in Syria is horrible. ISIS totally took control of everything there. They are an extreme sect of Islam. News organizations report members of ISIS murder, arrest, rape, enslave, and terrorize people who believe in another religion or don’t keep to their rules, often using the Quran as justification.

Rashid Khalidi, a professor of modern Arab studies at Columbia University, disputes that the Quran offers any justification for [things such as] beheading. He cites the lines coming immediately after one of the two verses used to justify the act: “Therefore, when you meet the unbelievers, smite at their necks.” But the very next line, contained in Chapter 47, Verse 4: “At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind the captives firmly. Therefore is the time for either generosity or ransom.”

So basically, Khalidi said, there’s nothing about this passage that justifies the cutting off of heads.

“It just shows that they don’t know anything about Islam and they probably don’t know how to read this properly,” he said.—PBS NEWSHOUR

ISIS has been taking prisoners (soldiers, journalists) and cutting their heimage1ads off while they were recording the whole process. The Czech News reports many young Syrian men are coming to ISIS because it is an easy way to get women as slaves, and their violence is constantly increasing.
The European Union is trying to solve this huge problem. Countries that are members of this Union had a meeting in Brussels and were talking about this immigration crisis. Their final verdict was that European countries have to split 120,000 immigrants between each other. All European countries now must support the vote in Brussels. One of the theories is to provide an island for this mass of people and send them there. But Europe has to start doing something with this or it will have a horrible impact on the whole continent, and America should help, too, because Europe will never be able to accept so many new people who are coming there every single day.

 

*Anna Kleckerova was born and raised in the Czech Republic, most recently coming to us from Prague. She is now a senior at PVS.

Filed Under: Politics, The World Tagged With: Europe, help, immigrants, migrants

Lost in Translation

October 7, 2015 by ehesson@pvs.org Leave a Comment

–by Amber Zheng

image14Words get funny when people put them into translators. We see a lot of this kind of “funny” translation in restaurants. 

 

 

 

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This actually means very spicy pork.

 

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This one is actually pepper and beef.

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This should read Yunan-style pepper and chicken breasts.

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Literally, it means homemade fried camel meat.

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The right version should be: “sixi” steamed gluten.

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Can you believe that the real name of this one is actually “Whatever”!? It doesn’t say anything about the ingredients.

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It should simply read “German-style pork.”

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The dish is a kind of vegetable stir fry, but the menu maker, clearly, couldn’t find the name of that vegetable on Google translator.

Filed Under: Humor, The World, Travel Tagged With: menu, restaurants, translations

Da Luo Han

October 7, 2015 by ehesson@pvs.org 1 Comment

–by Zhenzhou Hu

“Da Luo Han” is my hometown festival that celebrates our ancester Zhe Hu who was an incorruptible and intelligent Northern Song Dynasty official. During this holiday, people will not only wear traditional costumes to dance and perform Kung fu, but they will also talk about folk literature and art. In this way, people can promote friendship with each other.

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In ancient China, people hold flags similar to totems that serve as emblems of a village.

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People of my town carry a sculpture of the ancient Northern Song Dynasty official Zhe Hu. 80% of the people in my town are named “Hu.”

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Different tribes of my big village dance the ceremonial dances of their tribes. Many carry and move to a waist drum. Many of these dances are called “Waist Drum Dance.”

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My little brother, Lai Hu, this year participated in the festival. He dressed in the costume of Zilong Zhao, a military general who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period. The costume is stylized after that found in the Beijing Opera.

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Unlike my brother, I never performed. I was too shy—-Zhenzhou Hu.

 

 

Filed Under: The World Tagged With: Beijing Opera, Celebrations, Drama, Zhe Hu

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We are the Palm Valley Firebirds of Rancho Mirage, California. Join us in our endeavors. Venture through the school year with us, perusing the artwork of our students, community, and staff. Our goal is to share the poems, stories, drawings and photographs, essays and parodies that come out of our school. Welcome aboard!