Register in person, by phone 264-8833, or by mail. Use form given.

178 IN Winchester St, Chicago

Basic Photography

    This is an eight-hour course for beginners who want to learn how to use a 35mm camera. The teacher will cover such areas as kinds of film, light, and lenses(镜头). Bring your own 35mm camera to class. Course charge: $50. Jan.10,12,17,19, Tues. & Thurs. 6:00~8:00 p.m. Marianne Adams is a professional photographer whose photographs appear in many magazines.

Understanding Computers

    This twelve-hour course is for people who don't know very much about computers, but need to learn about them. You will learn what computers are, what they can and can't do, and how to use them. Course charge:$75. Equipment charge:$10. Jan.14,21,28, Sat. 6:00~10:00 p.m. Joseph Saimders is Professor of Computer Science at New Urban University. He has over twelve years of experience in the computer field.

Typing

    This course on week-days is for typing. You are tested in the first class and practice at one of eight different skill levels. This allows you to learn at your own speed. Each program lasts 20 hours. Bring your own paper. Course charge:$125. Materials charge:$25. Two hours each evening for two weeks. New classes begin every two weeks. This course is taught by a number of business education teachers who have effectively taught typing courses before.

Oil Painting

    Oil paint is easy to use once you learn the basics. When you enroll(注册) in this oil painting course, you will learn to draw and paint using many oil painting techniques under complete guidance and instruction. Together—with the teacher's knowledge and your passion—we'll unlock your creativity and develop your potential! Course charge: $35. Jan. 5,12,19,26, Thurs. 2:00—5:00pm. Ralf Ericssion has taught beginners to masters and he has learned that everything builds on just a few basic concepts that he will show you here.

    Traffic problems are an everyday concern in many cities, including Washington, D. C. A growing number of Washingtonians are turning to bicycles to get to and from work. In fact, the number of commuters who use bicycles has doubled in the city since 2007.

    Ralph Buehler teaches urban planning at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University，popularly known as Virginia Tech. He has written a book about urban biking, called City Cycling. He says there is a reason why urban bike tiding is now becoming more popular.

    “Over the last 60 to 70 years, cities in America have been adapted to the automobile.”

    “Most cities took advantage of the money coming for the interstate (洲际)highway system, from the federal government, starting in 1956. There was a 90 percent federal match(补贴)so the cities only had to put up 10%. It was very tempting.(临时的).”

    In the years after World War Two, many Americans moved to suburban communities, just outside major cities, They decided to travel great distances to and from work in exchange for a home in the suburbs. Their cars became a symbol of freedom.

    But today, many people believe they can save money by living in the city.

    Greg Billing is with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. “When a person makes a change from using a car to using a bike, he/she is saving anywhere between 8 or$9,000 a year.”

    Ralph Buehler says governments save money when people use bicycles. “Building bicycling facilities(设施) is much cheaper than building and maintaining road facilities or public transport.”

    Washington, D.C has also taken steps to protect bike riders. It approved a safe passing law and created areas on the road between cars and bikes.

    The United States Census Bureau says 4% of the city's workers ride to work by bike. The only city on the East Coast with more bike commuters is New York.

    Diana Ross, American pop singer and actress, achieved international popularity, first as the leader singer of the Supremes and later as a solo(独唱的) artist. Diana Ross was born on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan. She was the second of six children of Fred and Ernestine Ross, who lived in one of Detroit's poor districts. Because her family were closely connected with each other, Ross almost didn't notice the difficult life as she grew up.

    Ross professional career began in 1959, when she joined several neighborhood friends to form the Primettes. The group was renamed the Supremes after signing a recording contract (合同) with Motown late the following year. The group produced many number-one hit singles (热门单曲) on the US Billboard hot 100, including Baby Love, Stop! In The Name of Love and Someday We Will Be Together. In 1967, the group was renamed Diana Ross and the Supremes, foreshadowing（预示） Ross' solo career, which she started in 1970.

    Beginning with Ain't No Mountain High Enough from her first solo album, Ross enjoyed more than ten years of great success with her hit singles. Ross also developed a film-acting career in the 1970s, beginning with a starring role as blues singer Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues and continuing with Mahogany, for which she also recorded the theme song Do You Know Where You're Going To.

    However, in the mid-1980s, Ross saw her career begin to wane. Most of her albums were re-recordings of earlier material. In 2006, she produced I Love You, a collection of love songs by many artists, and she started an energetic concert tour the following year to make the album publicly known. Although you can't find her songs on the US Billboard Hot 100 now, Ross remains popular as one of the leading musical performers of all time.

    When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie". My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games, Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them, we always felt better when she was around.

    One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破)one of Dad's shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, "Bad girl," she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.

    Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet, she went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull her hair. she never barked(吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loves everyone.

(Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us.)

    Unlike most other holidays, the history of April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is not totally clear. The only point in time that can be agreed on as the beginning of this tradition was 1582, in France. Before that year, the New Year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25th. The celebration reached the highest point on April 1st. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX，the Gregorian calendar(公历，阳历) was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1st.

    However, because in those days communications were not as developed as they are today, many people did not receive the news for several years. Some people refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st. These backward people were considered "fools" by other people. They  were often sent on "fools" errands(徒劳无益的工作)  or were made the targets of jokes.

    This developed, over time, into a tradition of playing a trick on someone on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the Britain and France. April Fools' Day thus developed into an international fun feast, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own kind of humor at the expense of their friends and families.

The Chinese Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu is often called the sage(圣人) of poetry. Unlike Li Bai, this poet wrote in various styles, and his works were often innovative(创新的) in language and subject matter. His poems were also filled with meaning. 

His innovation was not at all welcome. The readers of his time rarely showed much appreciation of his original and innovative works. The masses in fact hated and scolded them. Like many artists, Du Fu was only recognised for his genius long after his death. 

Du Fu was born in Luoyang, Henan Province. Although he came from an influential literary family, his early attempts to gain a position in the government by way of the exam system failed repeatedly. He was 43 years old when he finally managed to hold an official position. This was the time when Emperor Xuanzong was attracted to the beautiful Yang Yuhuan and made her his concubine(妃子), which Du Fu severely criticised in his Song of the Beautiful Ladies. 

As the emperor got distracted from important government affairs, some military leaders were becoming too powerful. Du Fu took office in 755, and in the same year a rebel(叛乱) leader An Lushan led his army into the capital of Tang Dynasty. The emperor fled to the west and left the governing of the state to his son. Du Fu and his family took the road north to escape the rebels. 

The poet left his family and tried to get to the headquarters of the new emperor, but he was caught and held prisoner by the rebels in Chang'an. After order was restored again, Du Fu got back his position in the capital. However, he did not enjoy the favour of the new emperor and was given a minor provincial post. In 759 he finally left this disgraceful position and spent the rest of his life wandering around the country.