目前分類：Essays (7)

瀏覽方式： 標題列表 簡短摘要


  Tsunami strikes Ao Nang, Thailand, 2004[1]

(繼續閱讀...)

asakaze 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()

▲top

    When I get back home, the first thing I do is turn on the computer - if it hasn’t been turned on yet - to manage my blogs.  In addition to that, I have plenty of things to do online, such as doing research for my papers, listening to the radio on National Public Radio’s website, reading news articles on CNN and TIME, watching music clips on YouTube, searching for data on movies and joining discussions on IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes, and buying books and DVDs on Amazon.com/jp.  In other words, I’ve found that it has become difficult for me to imagine a life without the Internet.  Moreover, it is apparent that I am not alone.  Based on long-term observations, persistent "field study" and my personal experience of being an Internet addict, it has dawned on me that there are three main reasons why people become heavily dependent on the Internet: the convenience, the resourcefulness, and the entertainment that the Internet provides.

To begin with, the Internet has developed into such a ripe stage that it now makes people’s lives extremely convenient.  For example, people now don’t have to run their errands to pay their bills at different places; instead, with a few quick clicks of the mouse, they can pay all kinds of bills online, such as phone bills, credit card bills, electricity fees, and even taxes.  As for shopping, e-commerce provides an easier and more efficient alternative to physical stores.  Online stores take pride in their huge variety of merchandise for customers to choose from; furthermore, owing to cost savings in administration and management, they are also able to offer special discounts to make their goods more desirable.  When the products in demand are rare or cannot be purchased locally, online stores are always the best choice.  With its reasonable prices, secure payment, and speedy international shipment, once having experienced online shopping, one finds it hard to resist the temptation to stick to it.    The Internet also brings many conveniences when it comes to arranging travel.  Before the trip, one can easily check the schedule of transportation facilities online and make flight, train, liner, restaurant, and hotel reservations without troublesome procedures.

(繼續閱讀...)

asakaze 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()

▲top


     The new landmark of Taipei--Taipei 101[1]      

(繼續閱讀...)

asakaze 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()

▲top
     The true identity of Anna Anderson, the most famous Anastasia claimant, has remained one of the most controversial issues in modern history.  However, under scrutiny and with the aid of further references, the answer seems to be more than crystal clear; that is, in spite of her claims, Anna was not Anastasia, but a Polish woman named Franziska Schanzkowska.  
     First of all, the reaction of Anastasia’s relatives should be critically examined.  Even though several relatives of Anastasia recognized Anna as Anastasia by certain physical traits and Anna’s descriptions of the places that Anastasia had been to, most of the royal family repudiated such “evidence.”   Furthermore, it was suggested that Anna might have been taught by supporters who had knowledge of the Tsar’s family, such as Gleb Botkin[1], whose father had been the Imperial Family's personal physician.  As for the physical traits similar to those of Anastasia, it makes sense to speculate that they might have been forged during Anna’s long stays in hospitals throughout her lifetime.  
(繼續閱讀...)

asakaze 發表在 痞客邦 留言(2) 人氣()

▲top
     After more than a century of advocacy for equality between the two sexes, the preference for boys over girls is once again demonstrated in the U.S, a result which has persisted since 1941.  

(繼續閱讀...)

asakaze 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()

▲top
     According to Sandy Baum and Kathleen Payea, one’s level of education determines one’s payment and taxes.  In 2003, among the average full-time year-round workers in the United Sates, it was people with professional degrees which, according to the definition on Wikipedia, refer to academic degrees which are “designed to prepare the holder for a particular career or profession, such as law, medicine, architecture, accounting, engineering, religious ministry, or education”[1], that earned the most.  The average amount of money they earned annually reached up to $95,700, and their tax payment was $27,200.  As for people with other degrees of advanced studies, those having doctorate degrees received $79,400 and had $21,400 in tax payments, while people owning master’s degrees grossed $60,500, and paid $15,000 in taxes.  People who possessed bachelor’s degrees earned $49,900, which was 30 percent higher than the income of those with associate degrees; on the other hand, there was a comparatively slight distinction, only 3 percent higher, in the average earnings of people with associate degrees and people with some college but no degrees.  It becomes apparent that with a higher education, people’s earnings and tax payments increased accordingly.  For example, people having master’s degrees earned 200 percent more than those with high school diplomas, and nearly 280 percent more than those with less than HS diplomas (Baum & Payea)[2].

 

(繼續閱讀...)

asakaze 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()

▲top

      With the development of modern technology, our daily lives are filled with electronic products of all kinds; however, it is arguable that we can fully enjoy the convenience they are supposed to bring without paying a price for our excessively growing reliance on them.  
     

(繼續閱讀...)

asakaze 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣()

▲top