A boy with a balloon was sobbing sadly at a corner of a street.
" Why are you so sad?"
" It is about my balloon."
" What is wrong with your balloon?"
" My friend Jonny got a white balloon, Jenny got a white balloon, Matt got a yellow balloon. Yet, I get a black balloon. I am afraid that the balloon won't fly."
" Do you have helium gas inside the balloon?"
" Yes. But my balloon is black."
" Why don't you release the balloon, to see if it will fly or not."
The boy releases the balloon, and surely, the balloon flies to the sky. The boy smiles.
" It is what 'inside' determines whether the balloon will fly or not, not the color of the balloon"
A tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said that it is the " character" not the skin color that should determines the destination of a person.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Billy The Boy Who Killed The Monster
The original story appears in Scandinavian Fairy Tales. I re-tell in a much simplified version.
Billy, a pale and listless boy, likes to talk to the moon. Every evening as the light of the moon streamed like liquid gold over the horizon, Billy would go out of the house and climbed up on the roof. And as the silvery light silently flooded the sea, the fjords, the forests, and the distant glaciers with brightness, he would sing out hymns of praise to the moon.
His mom and dad knew about it and they did not like that at all. One day, as Billy was on the roof and sang the song to the moon, Billy's mother called upon him.
"Stopped singing and come down the roof at once." she continued and flung him a pail. "Go to the well and get some water. At least, you'll be good for something.'
Billy felt crushed. Reluctantly he took the pail and walked to the well which was quite far away from his house.
"Who are you?" the boy asked.
"I am Askadalan, a wandering poet." said the stranger. "I have heard your songs that you were singing to the moon; and I like it very much."
"Thank you." said the boy. Billy took a close look on the stranger. The stranger has a black cloth, greenish eye and was terrified by the stranger's look.
"If you like the moon so much, I show you how to contact the moon." the stranger said, " Look down in the well, the moon is there. If you go down the well, you can physically contact the moon."
"The moon in the well is only the reflection. How can I trust you to go down the well without being hurt." said the boy.
The stranger found that he could not persuade the boy to get down the well, and decided to grab the boy and force the boy to get down the well.
The boy kicked and screamed; he finally got hold the stranger's black cloth. The boy pulled and twisted the cloth hoping to chock Askadalan. With a final desperate effort, the cloth tore and billy rolled into the bushes free. With the moonlight, he now saw the stranger much more closely. The stranger actually had three heads, not just one head. The stranger is a monster.
The monster approached the boy and tried to grab to boy. The boy said a silent prayer to the moon. " Please help me, the Moon." Suddenly, he saw a bright shining object near him. It was a scythe with a sharp blade. The boy took the scythe to defend himself against the monster.
The blade under the moon light shone bright against the monster's eyes and the monster could not see a thing. With such an opportunity, the boy used the scythe to kill the monster.
The boy finally stumbled home. His parent saw his body were all covered with bloods. "What happened?" his parent asked. " I killed the three-head monster". Initially, his parent did not believe him but then found out the blood on the boy's body was not from the boy, because the boy had no bleeding wound.
The boy then told his parent how he killed the monster with the help of the moon. Overnight, the boy became the hero of the village he had lived in. Nobody complained about his singing hymns to the moon anymore.
Billy, a pale and listless boy, likes to talk to the moon. Every evening as the light of the moon streamed like liquid gold over the horizon, Billy would go out of the house and climbed up on the roof. And as the silvery light silently flooded the sea, the fjords, the forests, and the distant glaciers with brightness, he would sing out hymns of praise to the moon.
His mom and dad knew about it and they did not like that at all. One day, as Billy was on the roof and sang the song to the moon, Billy's mother called upon him.
"Stopped singing and come down the roof at once." she continued and flung him a pail. "Go to the well and get some water. At least, you'll be good for something.'
Billy felt crushed. Reluctantly he took the pail and walked to the well which was quite far away from his house.
As he was approaching the well, a stranger stood by the well.
"Who are you?" the boy asked.
"I am Askadalan, a wandering poet." said the stranger. "I have heard your songs that you were singing to the moon; and I like it very much."
"Thank you." said the boy. Billy took a close look on the stranger. The stranger has a black cloth, greenish eye and was terrified by the stranger's look.
"If you like the moon so much, I show you how to contact the moon." the stranger said, " Look down in the well, the moon is there. If you go down the well, you can physically contact the moon."
"The moon in the well is only the reflection. How can I trust you to go down the well without being hurt." said the boy.
The stranger found that he could not persuade the boy to get down the well, and decided to grab the boy and force the boy to get down the well.
The boy kicked and screamed; he finally got hold the stranger's black cloth. The boy pulled and twisted the cloth hoping to chock Askadalan. With a final desperate effort, the cloth tore and billy rolled into the bushes free. With the moonlight, he now saw the stranger much more closely. The stranger actually had three heads, not just one head. The stranger is a monster.
The monster approached the boy and tried to grab to boy. The boy said a silent prayer to the moon. " Please help me, the Moon." Suddenly, he saw a bright shining object near him. It was a scythe with a sharp blade. The boy took the scythe to defend himself against the monster.
The blade under the moon light shone bright against the monster's eyes and the monster could not see a thing. With such an opportunity, the boy used the scythe to kill the monster.
The boy finally stumbled home. His parent saw his body were all covered with bloods. "What happened?" his parent asked. " I killed the three-head monster". Initially, his parent did not believe him but then found out the blood on the boy's body was not from the boy, because the boy had no bleeding wound.
The boy then told his parent how he killed the monster with the help of the moon. Overnight, the boy became the hero of the village he had lived in. Nobody complained about his singing hymns to the moon anymore.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Peter and Napoleon
I have heard this story few years ago during one of Wisconsin Story Tellers Get Together event.
Peter was a Russian peasant living in Ivantown of West Russia. Ivantown was such a small town that French soldiers did not notice its existence in the map when French invaded Russia in 1812.
Two years after French invasion, French retreated in a hurry. Retreating French soldiers occasionally strayed and wandered around the farms of Ivantown looking for shelter and help; so were the Russian soldiers who were chasing and hunting after the French soldiers. Peter was apolitical; when French needed help, he helped them. Peter also helped the Russian soldiers if they need food or shelter.
One day, there were two French came to Peter asking for help. One was a normal size French soldier; one was very short. The short French soldier wore a special uniform decorating with many shining medals.
"Hide me, please" The French soldiers pleaded.
"Why don't you go under that mattress", Peter said.
Peter then put sheets covering the mattress.
Few moment later, a group of Russian soldiers came to Peter.
"Have you seen any French soldiers?" , the Russian soldiers asked.
"No", Peter said.
The Russian soldiers searched the house, poke everything with their bayonets. After finding nothing in the house, the Russian soldiers went away.
"You save our lives," the French soldiers said coming out the mattress.
"I am the French emperor, the mighty, all powerful Napoleon," the short French soldier continued, " because you have saved our lives, in return, I am going to grant you three wishes".
"What are your three big wishes in your life?" the French asked.
After hesitating a while, Peter said, " I have married my wife for more than 40 years. I love my wife; but because I am so poor, I don't have money to buy her a gift. So, my first wish is to buy a pair of dress shoe for my wife."
" Your first wish is granted. we will buy your wife the most fashionable French dress shoes for your wife. What is your second wish? " asked Napoleon.
" We lived in this house for more than 25 years", after hesitating a few moment, Peter continued, " the roof is leaking. I would like to have my roof repaired."
"Your second wish is granted. We will fix your roof with the best materials produce in France. What is your third wish? Make it big; because I am the emperor. I can do anything."
This made Peter hesitating even more. Being a simple Russian peasant, a new roof and a pair of new shoes were good enough for him. "What is my third wish? " Peter thought hard.
Finally, he said to Napoleon,
"A few moment ago, you were hiding below a mattress while the Russian soldiers were poking with their bayonets. What was your feeling?"
Napoleon suddenly became very angry. "This is an insult to the emperor. Soldiers take him"
Any person giving insult to the French emperor would be shot. The French soldiers seized Peter and tied him to a post.
French execution of a prisoner usually took place at dawn. The prisoner would be taken to a place in front of a firing squad. Under the commanding order, "1" means soldiers would take the firearm; "2" means "to aim"; and "3" means "to shoot".
At the dawn, Peter was brought to the place in front of a firing squad. French soldiers put a blindfold over his eyes.
"1", the commander ordered, and the soldiers reached out their fire arms.
"2", and the soldiers were aiming at Peter.
"Stop". came a voice of a galloping personal messenger from Napoleon.
"Peter's life will be spared." said the messenger. The messenger also handed Peter a note, a handwritten note from the emperor.
"You were asking me how I felt when Russians were poking the mattress with the bayonets. I think after you survived the firing squad, you should have got your answer from this experience."
Peter was a Russian peasant living in Ivantown of West Russia. Ivantown was such a small town that French soldiers did not notice its existence in the map when French invaded Russia in 1812.
Two years after French invasion, French retreated in a hurry. Retreating French soldiers occasionally strayed and wandered around the farms of Ivantown looking for shelter and help; so were the Russian soldiers who were chasing and hunting after the French soldiers. Peter was apolitical; when French needed help, he helped them. Peter also helped the Russian soldiers if they need food or shelter.
One day, there were two French came to Peter asking for help. One was a normal size French soldier; one was very short. The short French soldier wore a special uniform decorating with many shining medals.
"Hide me, please" The French soldiers pleaded.
"Why don't you go under that mattress", Peter said.
Peter then put sheets covering the mattress.
Few moment later, a group of Russian soldiers came to Peter.
"Have you seen any French soldiers?" , the Russian soldiers asked.
"No", Peter said.
The Russian soldiers searched the house, poke everything with their bayonets. After finding nothing in the house, the Russian soldiers went away.
"You save our lives," the French soldiers said coming out the mattress.
"I am the French emperor, the mighty, all powerful Napoleon," the short French soldier continued, " because you have saved our lives, in return, I am going to grant you three wishes".
"What are your three big wishes in your life?" the French asked.
After hesitating a while, Peter said, " I have married my wife for more than 40 years. I love my wife; but because I am so poor, I don't have money to buy her a gift. So, my first wish is to buy a pair of dress shoe for my wife."
" Your first wish is granted. we will buy your wife the most fashionable French dress shoes for your wife. What is your second wish? " asked Napoleon.
" We lived in this house for more than 25 years", after hesitating a few moment, Peter continued, " the roof is leaking. I would like to have my roof repaired."
"Your second wish is granted. We will fix your roof with the best materials produce in France. What is your third wish? Make it big; because I am the emperor. I can do anything."
This made Peter hesitating even more. Being a simple Russian peasant, a new roof and a pair of new shoes were good enough for him. "What is my third wish? " Peter thought hard.
Finally, he said to Napoleon,
"A few moment ago, you were hiding below a mattress while the Russian soldiers were poking with their bayonets. What was your feeling?"
Napoleon suddenly became very angry. "This is an insult to the emperor. Soldiers take him"
Any person giving insult to the French emperor would be shot. The French soldiers seized Peter and tied him to a post.
French execution of a prisoner usually took place at dawn. The prisoner would be taken to a place in front of a firing squad. Under the commanding order, "1" means soldiers would take the firearm; "2" means "to aim"; and "3" means "to shoot".
At the dawn, Peter was brought to the place in front of a firing squad. French soldiers put a blindfold over his eyes.
"1", the commander ordered, and the soldiers reached out their fire arms.
"2", and the soldiers were aiming at Peter.
"Stop". came a voice of a galloping personal messenger from Napoleon.
"Peter's life will be spared." said the messenger. The messenger also handed Peter a note, a handwritten note from the emperor.
"You were asking me how I felt when Russians were poking the mattress with the bayonets. I think after you survived the firing squad, you should have got your answer from this experience."
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Fox River in Appleton Has Plenty of Bases
Fox River in Appleton has plenty of smallmouth-bases and rock-base. The smallmouth bass is generally brown (seldom yellow) with red eyes,and dark brown vertical bands, rather than a horizontal band along the side. According to Wikipedia, female smallmouth base is larger than male smallmouth base. Adult male smallmouth base weighs approximately 2 pounds, while the female weighs approximately 5 to 6 pounds.
My friend, Dr. Yang and I fish few days ago; he caught about 10 fish while I caught about 5 fish. One of the fish caught by Dr. Yang was a 2-pound smallmouth base. He was very happy with that.
Photos attached showed the games caught by me and Dr. Yang.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
How much Is 30,000 Barrels A Day of Oil Spill?
It has been more than two months since BP(British Petroleum) offshore oil spill off the coast of Gulf of Mexico. It was initially stated that 5000 barrels of oil spill per day. Now, the new estimate is 30,000 barrels of oil spill per day.
Exactly, how much oil is 30,000 barrels? I did some research on the data. Here are the results: 1 barrel is 40 gallon, and 1 gallon is 3.785 L. 30,000 barrels is equivalent to 4.5 million Liters. A standard Olympic size swimming pool has a volume of approximately 2.5 million Liter.
The results, BP oil spill is equivalent to 1.8 standard Olympic size swimming pool volume of oil spill everyday.
Exactly, how much oil is 30,000 barrels? I did some research on the data. Here are the results: 1 barrel is 40 gallon, and 1 gallon is 3.785 L. 30,000 barrels is equivalent to 4.5 million Liters. A standard Olympic size swimming pool has a volume of approximately 2.5 million Liter.
The results, BP oil spill is equivalent to 1.8 standard Olympic size swimming pool volume of oil spill everyday.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Dr. Chen Got A Raise. But, How much?
Yesterday, Dr. Chen received a letter from the Provost of the University. The letter says, "I am pleased to inform you that .... you will receive a basis rate adjustment of 3.93% salary increase effective August 23, 2010."
The letter continues, " As a reminder, the Governor issued Executive Order 285 mandating furloughs currently remains in effect through June 30, 2011. Therefore, under the UW System plan for implementing the furloughs, your salary will be reduced by 3.065% through June 30, 3022."
So, Dr. Chen net salary raise ends up of 0.865% of raise in 2010.
The letter continues, " Congratulations on your salary adjustment. I wish you continued success in your career."
The letter continues, " As a reminder, the Governor issued Executive Order 285 mandating furloughs currently remains in effect through June 30, 2011. Therefore, under the UW System plan for implementing the furloughs, your salary will be reduced by 3.065% through June 30, 3022."
So, Dr. Chen net salary raise ends up of 0.865% of raise in 2010.
The letter continues, " Congratulations on your salary adjustment. I wish you continued success in your career."
Monday, May 24, 2010
Global Warming and Ice Core Analysis
The Earth is rapidly warming-up. This is what the news media telling us everyday. The scientific journal also presents scientific data that shows the Earth temperature has increased about 1.5 C over the last 100 years.
Being a chemistry professor, I am very curious on how this data is collected and why this 1.5 C temperature rise is such a big deal
First, this is about data analysis: How do scientist know the Earth temperature profile over thousand or hundred of thousand years ? It turns out their data are based on ice-core isotope ratio analysis. Let me explain how this is done.
First, they drill and take ice core over a frozen lake out of Greenland. The depth of the ice core will correspond to the years-past that the ice were formed; assuming the ice never melted and new snow would cover over the old ice and snow-ice were accumulated over million years. Then take the ice sample at a particular depth which corresponds to the years that the ice were formed, scientists measured their hydrogen isotope ratio. Well, a question is what this isotope ratio is going to tell us about the temperature.
This has something to do with the difference of the vapor pressure-temperature profile between H2O and D2O. Being heavier than H2O, at a given temperature, the vapor pressure of D2O is lower than that of H2O. So, there will be more H2O vapor than D2O vapor at any given temperature. As the Earth temperature gets warmer, then H2O vapor will be even more abundant than D2O vapor; thus a smaller H/D ratio in the condensed phase of the ice core sample. Thus by measuring the H/D ratios over different ice core depth, scientist can reconstruct Earth temperatures over million of years of past history.
This would be a great problem exercise for a physical chemistry student to put their knowledge of vapor pressure concept into the context of the real-world problem-solving.
Being a chemistry professor, I am very curious on how this data is collected and why this 1.5 C temperature rise is such a big deal
First, this is about data analysis: How do scientist know the Earth temperature profile over thousand or hundred of thousand years ? It turns out their data are based on ice-core isotope ratio analysis. Let me explain how this is done.
First, they drill and take ice core over a frozen lake out of Greenland. The depth of the ice core will correspond to the years-past that the ice were formed; assuming the ice never melted and new snow would cover over the old ice and snow-ice were accumulated over million years. Then take the ice sample at a particular depth which corresponds to the years that the ice were formed, scientists measured their hydrogen isotope ratio. Well, a question is what this isotope ratio is going to tell us about the temperature.
This has something to do with the difference of the vapor pressure-temperature profile between H2O and D2O. Being heavier than H2O, at a given temperature, the vapor pressure of D2O is lower than that of H2O. So, there will be more H2O vapor than D2O vapor at any given temperature. As the Earth temperature gets warmer, then H2O vapor will be even more abundant than D2O vapor; thus a smaller H/D ratio in the condensed phase of the ice core sample. Thus by measuring the H/D ratios over different ice core depth, scientist can reconstruct Earth temperatures over million of years of past history.
This would be a great problem exercise for a physical chemistry student to put their knowledge of vapor pressure concept into the context of the real-world problem-solving.
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