My youngest son Jack has begun to learn the cello (大提琴). Every night, he carefully gets his cello out of its case and begins practising. I won't lie; It's not pretty. While he's getting better every day, he has a long way from becoming the next Yo-Yo Ma.

    This led me to wonder what Yo-Yo Ma was like the first time he played the cello. Of course, we now know him as one of the most excellent artists in the world, but I'm sure that when he first tried, he wasn't much better than my son. I'm not suggesting that Jack is going to take the classical music world by storm one day. But he's got to start somewhere.

    Michael Jordan wasn't born playing basketball, but I'm sure that he had to start somewhere. Warren Buffett wasn't born making great investment choices, but he had to start somewhere. J. K. Rowling wasn't born a writer, but he had to start somewhere. Bruce Springsteen wasn't born a songwriter and performer, but he had to start somewhere. Each of these individuals is now famous as being at the top of their occupation. But when they first started, their skills would have been disappointing and their potential unrealized. It has taken years of hard work to realize their undoubted talents. But they had to start somewhere.

    I don't know what my kids are going to do with their lives, but they have a great opportunity to explore a wide range of experiences before focusing on one or two things that they can be crazy about and good at. It's my job as dad to encourage them not to be put off by their bad first efforts. Because everyone has to start somewhere.

    On October 23,2016,David Pologruto,a high school physics teacher,was stabbed（刺）by his smart student Jason Haffizulla.Jason got straight A's and was determined to study medicine at Harvard,yet this was his downfall.His physics teacher gave Jason a B,a mark Jason believed would undermine his entrance to Harvard.After receiving his B,Jason took a butcher knife to school and stabbed his physics teacher.

    How can someone as smart as Jason do something so dumb?Studies show there is little or no correlation between IQ and emotional intelligence.

    During my early university years,I regarded myself as an intelligent guy.I got good marks in mathematics, physics,and other subjects.I thought such skills would surely give me a bright future.After one year of study with decent marks,I began to see two major classes of students.The first category of students turned up to few lectures, partied every weekend,enjoyed a great social life,and did minimal work to pass courses.The second category of students were intelligent and hard workers who got good grades and were very focused on their studies.Surely would these intelligent and hard-working students find the great jobs before the other lazier class of students?

    Not so. Students are often shocked upon graduation that their qualifications are not as important as they once thought.Graduates enter the workforce only to realize that co-workers hate them and less intelligent people are the ones receiving promotions.

    Educational skills are useless in some industries when interpersonal skills are absent.You can have great ideas, theories,and solve complex problems,but if you cannot effectively communicate in a persuasive and exciting manner by relating to your fellow humans,you will face an uphill battle in whatever challenges you encounter.It's not that people dislike you because of your intelligence;it's that people dislike you because you're rude and not understanding. The intelligent person with poor communication skills is insensitive or unaware of others' emotions.

    One cold morning in winter, I went alone to a hillside to do some hunting. I sat there waiting for about an hour. Suddenly, a big beautiful deer appeared less than 20 feet away from me. There was no cover near him. Surely I could shoot him.

    To my surprise, he came toward me! He was curious, I suppose, or maybe he was stupid. For this was not a young deer, but a fully grown-up one. He must have known about men and their guns. But this deer came closer, and I still waited. His big eyes never moved away from my face. His wonderful head with a set of antlers (鹿角) was clearly in sight.

    I was getting a bit nervous as he walked closer. A big deer can do a lot of damage. Well, he walked right up to where I was sitting. Then he stopped and looked at me.

What happened next was hard to believe. But it all seemed quite natural. I held out my hands and touched his head right between the antlers. And he liked it. The big, wild, beautiful deer bent his head.

    I touched his head and body. His nose touched my shoulder. I fed him with my last sandwich.

    Well, he finally went his way, down the hill. Shoot him? Not me. You wouldn't, either. Not after that. I just watched him go, a strong deer carrying a proud head.

    I picked up my gun, and started walking back. Suddenly, I heard two shots, one after another. If you have hunted much, you will know what two shots mean. They mean a kill. I had forgotten that there were other hunters around.

    You will now understand why I gave up hunting from that day on.

    God has a way of allowing us to be in the right place at the right time.

    I was walking down a dark street late one evening when I heard screams coming from behind a clump of bushes (灌木). Alarmed, I slowed down to listen and soon realized that what I was hearing was the unmistakable sounds of a struggle: mad fighting and tearing of clothes.

    Only yards from where I stood a girl was being attacked. Should I get involved? I was worried about my own safety, and regretted having suddenly decided to take a new route home that night. What if I became another victim? Shouldn't I just run to the nearest phone and call the police?

    The girl's cries were growing weaker. I knew I had to act at once. How could I walk away from this? I finally made up my mind. I could not turn my back on the fate of this unknown girl, even if it meant risking my own life.

    I am not a brave man, nor am I physically strong. I didn't know where I got the courage and strength, but once I had decided to help the girl, I became strangely different. I ran behind the bushes and pulled the attacker off the girl. Struggling, we fell to the ground, where we wrestled for a few minutes until the attacker jumped up and escaped.

    Out of breath, I stood up and approached the girl, who was behind a tree, sobbing. Not wanting to frighten her further, I at first spoke to her from a distance. "It's okay," I said softly. "The man has run away. You're safe now." There was a long pause and then I heard the words, spoken in wonder, in amazement. "Dad, is that you?" And then, from behind the tree, out stepped my youngest daughter, Katherine.

Cattle manure(粪肥) has become one of the world's greatest environmental killers, but one Dutch artist is using chemistry to turn it into something that is both eco-friendly and valuable.

In recent years, scientists around the world have made great progress in their attempts to recycle cattle manure, including turning it into natural fertilizer, but Eindhoven designer Jalila Essaidi didn't think they were efficient enough to solve the global manure problem. So she started on her very own solution, one that approached animal waste as a valuable material that could be processed into useful products.

She started by separating the waste, with the dry manure used to get pure cellulose(纤维素) from the grass that cows eat. From the wet manure, she got acids used to create a natural liquid plastic which was used to make fiber that are later turned into fabric(material used for making clothes).

This new material was named Mestic, from mest, the Dutch word for manure. Essaidi claim that it has the same function as plastic from fossil fuels, but is bio-degradable(可生物降解的). Better yet, the degradability can be dealt with in the lab, making it possible to create materials that last for different periods of time depending on their purpose. "This is not the first time that scientists have been looking for ways to solve the manure problem, but it is the first time that manure is being considered as a valuable resource." the Dutch designer said.

Last year, Jalila Essaldi partnered with the city of Eindhoven to produce a fashion show using Mestic-based fabrics. Her Mestic collection was so impressive that clothing giant H&M awarded her the Global Change Award and a $1million prize. And cow manure is just the beginning of Jalila Essaldi's experiments with animal waste. "After cows, we'll deal with pigs and other animals," she said.

Take one step closer to the lights on Broadway－build essential theater skills and start carving out your own creative professional path

Immersing themselves in the amazing, unparalleled New York theater scene, students will explore and analyze the craft, including creating an original piece and meeting professionals in the field. Throughout the term, students will use both classroom work and site visits around the downtown to examine and complete the creative process of taking an initial idea to production, gaining technical expertise (专业知识) and fluency in theater.

Students will also explore different areas of professional skill development, including playwriting structure and techniques, acting methods that help bring a play to life, scene structure. The course is open to all students－from those who are curious about the field but have no prior experience to those who already have one (or more!) plays, waiting to be developed.

Course Highlights

● Complete a hands-on experience in playwriting, acting and production, learning about the real processes the industry uses to create theater productions.

● Brainstorm, develop a concept, write and workshop a draft of a short play or scene, and bring it to stage with input and feedback from instructors and peers.

● Get a close-up view of the often-opaque (不透明的) business of theater, focusing on impacts to the profession brought about by social movements and current events.

Tuition*

● Residential Program (Students live in dorm-like facilities in the center of the city): $6,845

● Day Program (Students commute to class every day and do not receive accommodation and board): $5,560

(We encourage graduating seniors to apply before June 21, 2024 for a $425 discount on tuition.)

Term Date: July 21－Aug 2, 2024

Application Deadline: Friday, July 12, 2024

Contact Admission: info@nytedu.com

*We believe financial circumstances should not prevent someone from joining our program. Explore financial aid and scholarships.Learn More