How to deal with waste has been a problem since humans started producing it. As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste-disposal (处理) problem becomes increasingly difficult.

    During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select a faraway spot as a dump site. Residents or trash haulers (垃圾拖运者) would transport household rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site. Periodically (定期的) some of the trash was burned and the rest was buried. The unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by.

    Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of (处理). Those located on rivers often just dumped (倾倒) the unwanted remains into the water. Others built huge burners with chimneys (烟囱) to deal with the problem.

    Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modem society. The first problem is space. Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas. Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose. Property is either too expensive or too close to residential (住宅区的) neighborhoods. Long-distance trash hauling has been a common practice, but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is almost nonexistent (不存在).

    Awareness (意识) of pollution dangers has led to more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste, however, continues to grow.

    Recycling efforts have become commonplace, and many towns require their people to take part. Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 per cent of a city's reusable waste.

    Gorillas(大猩猩) are on the edge of extinction. They are calling on YOU to donate your phone today!

    You can now help save gorillas in Africa simply by donating your mobile phone! Coltan is a metallic ore(金属矿石) that is mined both in and out of Africa and can be found within many electronic devices such as mobile phones. The mining of coltan within the Congo River Basin is contributing to forest loss there, and is speeding up the loss of mountain gorillas at a shockingly fast rate. While efforts are being made to deal with this issue, the mining of coltan within gorilla habitat continues. It is very difficult to know which phones contain coltan mined from Africa; however, every phone can help save gorillas when donated to They're Calling on You.

    By donating your phone through the They're Calling You mobile phone recycling program you are:

    Preventing your phone from going to the landfill.

    Helping Melbourne Zoo raise money to support the Jane Good all Institutes monkey conservation work in Africa through the sale of refurbished(翻新)phones.

    Lessening the demand for coltan mining.

    To support the They're Calling You mobile phone recycling program you can:

    ⒈Visit Melbourne Zoo to collect a postage paid recycling bag, and post your mobile phone to the Aussie Recycling Program. Your phone will be resold to poor community groups.

    ⒉Register your support simply by emailing the registration form to zvfoundation@zoo.org.au or fax it to (03)9285-9377.

    Schools can get involved too! Please contact Kate McCabe at Melbourne Zoo by email or phone(03)9285-9471 Discuss adding this program to your course while inspiring students to take action for wildlife.

    For further information please contact: Rachel Lowry

    Ph:(03)9285-9377

    Mob: 0488-504-490

    Fax:(03)9285-9340

    Next time your mobile rings, let that be a reminder that “they're calling on you”!

    A young man was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when he noticed an old lady following him around. Thinking nothing of it,he ignored her and continued on. Finally, he went to the checkout line, but she got in front of him. “Pardon me,” she said, “I'm sorry if my staring at you has made you feel uncomfortable. It's just that you look just like my son who just died recently.”

    “I'm very sorry,” replied the young man, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

    “Yes,” she said, “As I'm leaving, can you say ‘Goodbye mother'? It would make me feel much better”. “Sure,” answered the young man.

    As the old lady was leaving the counter, he called out from behind her, “Goodbye mother!” As he stepped up to the checkout counter and put what he bought on the counter, he saw that his total was $127.5. “How can that be?” he asked, “I only bought a few things!”

    “Your mother said that you would pay for her.” said the clerk.

    Hip-hop culture covers many fields; it includes spoken words, break-dancing, beat-making, painting, fashion, lively design, technology, and more. Hip-hop is becoming the unofficial music in the education world, as more artists launch school programs, summer camps, and other activities connected city youth in the classroom through the beliefs of hip-hop culture. Even more and more university teachers — who once would have been strongly against hip-hop — have joined the crew. In the past two decades, hip-hop culture, including hip-hop education, has become a legitimate(合法的) field of study in universities and the subject of numerous books.

    Hip-hop culture has influenced every piece of American and global culture because the culture is so prevalent. Teachers must be willing to engage in it if it's part of the unique reality of their students' lives. That way, teachers can truly be effective, reaching students in a meaningful, culturally connected way.

    Teachers might at first feel frightened by hip-hop culture, an area in which they might not have previous knowledge or experience. But a lack of knowledge is actually a blessing; the best trained hip-hop educators have been those that are at the beginning disconnected(分离的) from the culture. One of the biggest sayings in hip-hop is “keep it real”. If a teacher comes to the classroom and says, “I don't know hip-hop, but I recognize that it's your culture and I want to learn,” the kids will teach the teacher, and then the students will be more willing to learn from that educator. Hip-hop is about a respect for youth culture.

    Tim Ma's parents came to the United States from Taiwan in the 1970s. They opened a restaurant. It was not a success. They found success in America, however, in computers and engineering. In part because of their own experiences, Ma's parents hoped he would study to become an engineer or doctor. They wanted financial security for their child.

    Growing up, Ma considered many professions—writer, fireman, even president. But he had a sense early on… I didn't want to be an engineer. However, Ma did well in math and science classes in high school and he ended up choosing to study electrical engineering in college.

    Several engineering jobs later, though, Ma had a change of heart. He wanted to leave the engineering world behind and enter the restaurant business. It was in his blood. After all, his parents had owned a Chinese restaurant in Arkansas. His uncle also owned one in New York.

    His parents, Ma says, could not understand why he would want to leave such a good job to open a restaurant. They had worked long hours but their own restaurant still failed. They kept asking. Why?

    But Ma remained certain. He was going to do things differently than his parents. He was able to learn from their one major mistake as restaurant owners—they knew very little about the art of cooking. So, at age 30, Ma left engineering and returned to school—cooking school.

    Ma soon learned that he enjoyed cooking. In 2009, Ma opened his first restaurant in Virginia. It is called Maple Avenue. At Maple Avenue, Ma cooked, cleaned the ovens, fixed equipment and paid bills. He worked long hours, seven days a week. His long hours paid off. Ma opened his fourth restaurant last year, Kyirisan in Washington, D.C.

    Kyirisan's success is due to the creative menu and food, Ma says. But mostly it just comes from completely hard work. I think in this country you can create your own success, just by working hard. Not because you're smarter than anybody, not because you're more creative than anybody, just by working hard. And I think that's why a lot of people end up coming to America.

    For the business traveler who's all about efficiency: check out these hotels that will get you in and out with a minimum trouble.

    When you're pressed for time on a business trip, nothing can annoy you more than a slow hotel check-in process. On your next trip, try these hotels that offer a speedier check-in process.

    ◆Marriott Detroit Airport

    Another option for business travelers in a hurry: Marriott is rolling out its mobile check-in app to 325 hotels this year, including the Marriott Detroit Airport hotel. (I've tested the app itself but not for a real visit quite yet.) here is the basic idea: you download the iPhone or Android app. The night before, you can "check-in" virtually. When you arrive, you get an alert that the room is ready and your key, which is already tied to your reservation, is waiting for you at the desk.

    ◆Hyatt Regency Minneapolis

    I happened to stay at this hotel recently and liked how fast the kiosk check-in works. The kiosk asks you to insert your credit card, similar to an airport terminal. The whole process took about 3 minutes. When I left, I was equally impressed with the fast check-out: An agent meets you in the lobby with, an iPad and asks for an email to use for a receipt. The big advantage: you never have to wait in line.

    ◆Radisson LaCrosse

    The Radisson is trying to make the kiosk process even faster. At a few select hotels like the Radisson Lacrosse in Wisconsin, you use a mobile app to register and then receive a barcode by email or text. When you get to the kiosk, you can scan the barcode to get your key without any other steps required. It's super fast. You can find this new check-in system at the Radisson hotels in Salt Lake City, Seattle, and Phoenix as well.