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March 22, 2011 I think that Americans are the most car-dependent nation. 89% of American households have a car. Some people even say, "If you don't have a car, you are not an American." Having a car helps Americans follow their main values, some of which are individualism and control over the environment. I agree that having control over mobility helps people save their time. Saving time helps people save money. However, I do not understand why Americans like huge cars with huge engines, which cost them a lot. Yesterday I drove to Modesto, CA. A good friend of mine wanted to buy a car there and I would help him to drive his rental car back if he decided to buy a new one. When we were driving on the freeway about ten miles away from Modesto, I realized that every single car on the road was either a pickup truck or an SUV. I asked my friend if he noticed something unusual on the road and he said yes. American media has created a fake illusion that people really need those huge cars. Moreover, after a certain period, people do not even doubt that it is true. Those illusions were created by the combined efforts of the oil and car industries. The main purpose of a car is to commute which many people forget. For many people, having a faster, more powerful and sexier car becomes a need. I remember that in Belarus people always choose more economical and universal cars because fuel was very expensive.  March 15, 2011 I was not sleeping in the night of the 11th to 12th of March when my parents called me around 4 am and told me that a huge earthquake had just happened near the Japanese coast. They also told me that the earthquake had produced a tsunami that caused huge damage to the Japanese coast and the waves were moving to the American west coast. I was shocked. I was never told how to act in case of a tsunami. I opened a weather web site and found a tsunami warning in San Francisco. It said that the wave should hit San Francisco at 8:08 am and people who live near coastal area should move away. I live on Treasure Island whose elevation is about 8ft. The waves which would hit San Francisco were expected to be up to 3 ft high and I was not sure whether they were high enough to get over the island or not. I decided to warn all my neighbors, take my close friends and move out to San Jose before 6 a.m. I was in San Jose having my breakfast and searching the news at around 7:30 a.m. A couple of hours later, we found a video of how the tsunami damaged the San Cruz harbor and were happy that our island was not damaged. We decided to go back and around noon, we were back at home. This adventure was very unusual for me because when I lived in Belarus I never worried about natural disasters. The worst things that could happen were storms or blizzards. Now I live in one of the most seismically dangerous places in the world, and I should be prepared for earthquakes and tsunamis. I cannot even imagine what could have happed if the earthquake had taken place near the Californian coast. March 8, 2011 Medical scientists estimate an autism ratio of 1 in every 150 children in the United States; others estimate 1 in 500. Researchers have also found a link between autism and the age of the child's father. An older father increases the odds of parenting an autistic child. Nowadays people are getting married at older and older age compared to past centuries. I am 23 right now and not even planning to have children in the next five or even ten years. All of those facts increase my chances of parenting an autistic child. Even if the odds are close to zero, it is still possible. If I were a parent of an autistic child, my life as a father would be different and more complicated compared to fathers of normal children. If I were "lucky," I would be responsible for my child and I would try to do my best to help him. Parenting an autistic child would take much more time than parenting a normal one. If I were married, probably only one of us could work. Having only one working parent usually means that a family's income is lower than if both parents work. Parenting an autistic child would take many more resources for medical specialists, special treatments and special schools. All of this would also decrease a family's income. If my first child were autistic, I would like to have another normal child who could be successful. However, if other parents had an autistic child, most of them would probably stop and have no more children. Parenting an autistic child would cost me much more and take much more time. I know that it is important to start helping my child as soon as I realize that the child is autistic. I would consult with specialists to find the best treatment for my child because treatments for each autistic child are different and unique. I would also assess my child for signs of progress because treatments may not work. I would try to get as much information as I could about autism and methods, which help autistic children. I would find an appropriate school for my child because regular schools do not have appropriate tasks for autistic children. Probably a special school for autistic children would help. Parenting an autistic child would completely change the rest of my life. Taking care of autistic children requires much more time and many more sources than parenting normal children. I am afraid that I would never relax because there is no cure for autism. February 15, 2011 When I first came to San Francisco I wondered why this city is so expensive and why everybody wants to live here. Real estate prices are about 50% higher than in the average American city and the quality of buildings is much lower. More than half of the buildings are about a hundred years old. Parking in the city by the bay is expensive and it is almost impossible to find a convenient lot near a place you need to go during the daytime. Many homeless people live on the streets downtown and the city does not make the impression of a rich city at all. However, after a couple months of living in San Francisco I understood how beautiful it is. Clean and fresh air from the Pacific Ocean, beautiful sunsets, parks, hills, bridges, unique climate and the special San Francisco freedom make this city unforgettable. When people are tired of urban life, San Francisco offers many escapes for everybody. In two hours of driving north, wine lovers can find the famous Napa Valley. For people who like winter sports, San Francisco offers beautiful Lake Tahoe where people can ski and enjoy snowy mountain winters from November until April. Incredible Monterey Bay is located one and a half hours of driving south where people can enjoy sun and Californian beaches. When people live in San Francisco they can always find something interesting and new to do and the city will never make them worn out. February 1, 2011 When people hear, "California", they usually imagine sun, beaches and the Pacific Ocean. That is what I thought about California before I came to San Francisco in summer 2008. Rain, clouds, fog and a cold wind were not the weather that I had dreamed about. There is no climate in San Francisco. There is only the weather and it is unique. I remember Mark Twain's quote, "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Everybody who has ever been in San Francisco would understand his humor. The summer in San Francisco is cold compared to the rest of California. This is my first winter in San Francisco and I would say, "The warmest summer I ever spent was a winter in San Francisco." This is unique because San Francisco is not located in the southern hemisphere where the seasons are reversed. Winter in San Francisco is mild. The temperature is usually over 10° C and sunny days outnumber cloudy and rainy days. Another miracle is San Francisco's famous fog. I have never seen such a beautiful natural phenomenon. According to Wikipedia: "In San Francisco, the fog is created when warm, moist air blows from the Pacific Ocean across the cold water of the California Current, which flows just off the coast. This creates cool moist wind along the coast." Even if the days are pretty warm, nobody would say that the nights are warm too. When the sun sets, cold wind from the ocean blows over San Francisco from all sides. I think that everybody should visit San Francisco, and I'm proud that I live in such a beautiful place. |