Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, and the other gold.

    This song expresses a nice rule: increasing friends. Sometimes things actually work out that way. I've met adults who've said, “We've been friends since kindergarten!” A friend who has known you forever is a treasure. But friendships don't always last — especially for children.

    When I was growing up, my family moved about every three years. The advantage of this was that I got to see different parts of the world, and it made my family very close. I also learned to be pretty good at making new friends, and, to keep in touch with old friends, I became a great letter writer. But I always admired those kids who stayed in one place and kept their friends for a long time. I didn't learn that children's friendships can disappear even when no one moves until I was much older, with children of my own.

    Sometimes friendships end in quarrels and hurt feelings. But perhaps the most painful end to a friendship is the one-sided rejection — one friend turns away, or chooses someone else as a close friend, and the other child is left feeling sad and wondering why this thing happened. The end of a friendship is often sad, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Often the end of one friendship makes more room for other friendships to grow.

    People are being lured(引诱) onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they're paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.

    Most Facebook users don't realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they're paying for Facebook because people don't really know what their personal data is worth.

    The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook—you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things—your city, your photo, your friends' names—were set, by default(默认) to be shared with everyone on the Internet.

    According to Facebook's vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don't share information, they have a “less satisfying experience”.

    Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they're online connecting with their friends?

    The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator(议员) Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set principles for social-networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them，” Schrage admits.

    I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy is only the beginning, which is why I'm considering deactivating (撤销) my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I'm upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don't know. That's too high a price to pay.

    As you enter university, you are likely to be confused by new demands and challenges. You need to decide for yourselves what you want to achieve when you graduate. It is important that you have appropriate and realistic expectations of a university education and know how far you can go towards achieving your personal and academic goals, so that you will have a sense of achievement at the end of your first year as well as when you graduate.

        This website aims to be a quick one stop information hub to help you understand more about learning at HKU and make better use of HKU's support services.

    University Life is an adventure that—literally everyone here is a key player.

    Your strategic moves at each stage have a direct impact on the outcomes of this adventure. The key to winning is mainly about how you manage your resources, especially your time. Most successful players engage themselves in activities that meet their needs and goals.

    First Year Experience

    As a new player, you may find yourself standing at the crossroads and wondering which directions you should go. An open mind for handling new challenges and a roadmap or planning and setting priorities during your stay at     HKU are what you need to start your journey.

    And don't forget to check out the following to familiarize yourself with the 'game rules', 'support and resources' and 'opportunity cards' on hand:

    * HKU Education aims to help to fulfill what you are expected to achieve.

    * The key cards that contribute to your academic, professional and social excellence, e. g. Horizons Office, Common Core, Centre for Sports and Exercise (CSE), Centre for Applied English Studies (CAES).

Volunteer With CarePartners

    CarePartners volunteer opportunities cover a wide range of needs and areas，so whatever your interests, talents or skills are, we can find the fit that works for you.

Retail Volunteers

    Interested in volunteer work at the Hospice Thrift Store or Estate Sales? Check out the list of opportunities, or sign up now. Volunteers are also needed to assist in Rehabilitation Hospital Gift Shop. For more information, please contact Sharon Peareon at 828-277 4888

    Special Event Volunteers

    Drums and Dragons — This is a brand-new fundraising event. Dozens of volunteers managed a dragon boat race. Visit the event website for Drums and Dragons. For updates about this unique and competitive event, please “like” our FaceBook page, Drums and Dragons. To join the race, please contact John Napolitano at 828-277-4816.

    Little Trees Project — For over ten years, the Little Trees

    Project has been delivering decorated trees to patients served by CarePartners programs. Last year, school children and adult volunteers decorated nearly 800 trees with handmade decorations and heartwarming notes. For more information, please contact Lynn Blankenship at 828-777-2827.

    Hospice Volunteer Application Process

    If you're interested in becoming a Hospice volunteer, you will need to fill out an application, sign a confidentiality agreement, and provide two references. Once your application is received, we will arrange a personal interview so that we can answer your questions and become more familiar with your interests and availability. If you are specifically interested in working with Hospice patients, call Danny Johnson at 828-274-9567.

    Carrots are grown on farms and in family gardens throughout the world. Carrots are easy to raise and easy to harvest. They taste good.

    When people think of carrots, they usually picture in their minds a vegetable that is long, thin and orange in colour. But carrots come in many different sizes and shapes. And not all carrots are orange. For the best results, carrots should be grown in sandy soil that does not hold water for a long time. The soil also should have no rocks. To prepare your carrot garden, dig up the soil, loosen it and turn it over. Then, mix in some plant material or animal fertilizer. Weather, soil conditions and age will affect the way carrots taste. Experts say warm days, cool nights and a medium soil temperature are the best conditions for growing carrots that taste great.

    Carrots need time to develop their full sugar content. This gives them their taste. But carrots loose their sweetness if you wait too long to remove them from the ground. The best way to judge if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its colour. Usually, the brighter the colour, the better the taste.

    Carrots are prepared and eaten in many different ways. They are cut in thin pieces and added to other vegetables. They are cooked by themselves or added to stews. Or, once they are washed, they are eaten just as they come out of the ground.

    What a day! I started at my new school this morning and had the best time. I made lots of new friends and really liked my teachers. I was nervous the night before, but I had no reason to be. Everyone was so friendly and polite. They made me feel at ease. It was like I'd been at the school for a hundred years!

    The day started very early at 7:00 am. I had my breakfast downstairs with my mom. She could tell that I was very nervous. Mom kept asking me what was wrong. She told me I had nothing to worry about and that everyone was going to love me. If they didn't love me, Mom said to send them her way for a good talking to. I couldn't stop laughing.

    My mom dropped me off at the school gates about five minutes before the bell. A little blonde (金发的) girl got dropped off at the same time and started waving (招手) at me. She ran over and told me her name was Abigail. She was very nice and we became close straight away. We spent all morning together and began to talk to another girl called Stacey. The three of us sat together in class all day and we even made our way home together! It went so quickly. Our teacher told us that tomorrow we would really start learning and developing new skills.

    I cannot wait until tomorrow and feel as though I am really going to enjoy my time at my new school. I only hope that my new friends feel the same way too.