【推荐1】Steve Forest is a scientist. He’s standing on an island off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Below him are several hundred penguins and their children. Forrest’s job is to count every one of them. It's snowing. There is a big wind, too. And their children won’t stay still. Penguins are great climbers. So Forrest and the team members must be too. And penguins aren't always clean.

Forrest has been coming to Antarctica every January for six years. He's helping count the area’s penguins. This will help researchers better understand the Antarctic environment. There used to be lots of penguins in Antarctica, “It's all because of climate change,” Heather J. Lynch says seriously. She is leading the research team. The team member Noah Strycker adds, “We know climate change is hitting the Antarctic Peninsula harder than anywhere else in the world. We are following the situation closely.”

Scientists think that warming waters do harm to krill, the tiny animals that penguins eat. This is bad for the sea life. But krill are hard to study, so researchers pay attention to penguins. They’re easier to follow. They return to the same place each year to lay eggs. If penguins aren't doing well , krill probably aren't either. “Penguins give us an idea about what is going on in the sea around us,” Forrest says.

This year, Lynch’s research team uses a drone to help them. They fly it over an area to take pictures to count penguins.

Counting penguins is quite necessary. The more we learn, the more we know about krill and the ocean animals that depend on them. When we understand them, we can start fixing them. We should consider carefully what Lynch says: “What’s happening in the Antarctic is happening everywhere.”

【推荐3】A new study shows the singing noises made by humpback whales(座头鲸) might be a sign of being lonely. Scientists who recorded humpback whale behavior in Australia discovered that fewer whales made the singing noises as their population grew.

“Humpback whale song is loud and travels far in the ocean,” said marine biologist Dunlop of the University of Queensland in Brisbane. She has long studied humpback whales and helped lead the new study. Her work has centered on humpbacks that reproduce near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. She made an unexpected discovery as the number of whales sharply rose following the end of commercial whaling. “It was getting more difficult to actually find singers,” she said. “When there were fewer of them, there was a lot of singing. Now that there are lots of them there is no need to sing so much.”

Scientists first began to hear and study the songs of the humpback whales in the 1970s. They used underwater microphones to do so. Only male whales sing. Scientists think the whales sing to display their power.

Eastern Australia’s humpback whales came close to disappearing in the 1960s, when their number dropped to around 200. But over time the population began to regrow, climbing to about 27, 000 whales by 2015. That number is near pre-whaling levels. As the number of whales increase, their singing behaviors changed. Dunlop said while 2 in 10 males made wailing noises in 2004, 10 years later the number had dropped to 1 in 10.

It is said that humpback whales must have been singers long before whale fishing diminished their numbers. But the new study proves how necessary their beautiful songs were to their survival and recovery. Clearly singing became extremely valuable when their numbers were very low.

【推荐1】The men glanced around the living room which Hana had taken great pains to decorate properly. A new flowered rug lay on the floor, and fresh white curtains that Kiku had helped Hana sew hung at the windows. The first tight buds of the flowering peach in their yard had begun to bloom, and knowing there would be callers, Hana had arranged a bunch on the table.

“We’ ll come right to the point,” a tall red-headed man said without bothering to sit down.

“There’ve been some complaints from the neighbourhood about having Japanese on this block,”

Taro caught his breath. “I see. Can you tell me who it was that complained?”

“Just some of the neighbours.”

“What is it that we have done to offend them?”

“Well, nothing specific.”

Taro looked at each of the men in turn and tried to keep his voice steady. “Gentlemen,” he began. “My wife and I looked many, many months to find a home where we might raise our daughter. When the owner said there would be no objection to our moving in here, we trusted him. It was a dream come true for us. We have already spent much time and money to make this house our home. And now, you would ask us to leave?”

Taro dared not stop before he finished all he wanted to say: “I should like to meet those neighbours who object to us,” he said. “Is it any of you gentlemen?”

The men looked uncomfortable. “We’re just here to represent them.”

“Then please invite them to come talk to me. If they can tell me why we aren’t desirable or why we do not deserve their respect, I shall consider their request. I am the proprietor of Takeda Dry Goods and Grocers on Seventh Street and I would be happy to have them visit my shop as well.”

The men glanced uneasily at one another and had nothing more to say.

【推荐3】Graduation is a significant milestone for everyone. An 89-year-old man called Rene Neira had been trying to finish a degree since the 1950s. However, in the 1960s, he was so passionate about urban and economic development of the southside of San Antonio that he stopped school and got involved with the local government. From that time, one of his life goals was to earn a degree in economics. In 2017, the grandpa and his 19-year-old granddaughter both enrolled (入学) at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

“There were times when we would get lunch together, be in the library together, and just work silently side-by-side,” Melanie Salazar, Rene’s granddaughter, recalled. “He always had something to say, especially if his professors had different opinions than him,” Melanie said. “And there were often times when a professor would invite him to talk about the past.”

Rene’s college years weren’t easy. “He has worked very hard over time. Especially in recent years, with hearing loss and going through seasons of not having a car, there was a term where he had to take medical leave because he had a stroke, so he couldn’t go back to school that term. And then the pandemic started,” said Melanie.

After four years, their hard work finally paid off—they graduated. Together, they stood on the stage. Everyone broke into applause and cheered for this fantastic pair.

Their story has been making waves online. People have nothing but good words for them, “Awww... I love stories like this. This was such a beautiful moment. Congratulations to both of them. Grandpa definitely demonstrated that one shouldn’t give up their dream no matter how long it takes,” one wrote. Another wrote, “I’m motivated to go back to school myself, thanks to his example.”

Rene had the determination to finish his degree even at an advanced stage in his life. Hard work, patience, and determination are the keys to success, especially when the path is not easy or clear.

【推荐1】When I was in second grade, I discovered my parents’ 600 Film Polaroid camera. Somehow, there was still film inside of the camera and the camera worked! I spent that night taking pictures of my family and our pet dog. The next day, I convinced my parents to let me take it to class and took pictures of my friends. I instantly fell in love with capturing memories.

From then on, I would always ask my parents if I could borrow their digital camera during family vacations. I loved taking pictures of everything in sight. When I saw the pictures, I was filled with happiness from the moments I was able to record.

At high school, I took some photography courses furthering my curiosity for this art form. I learned about editing and the wonders of Photoshop. I learned what a great tool it is and I tried my best to practice as often as I could. When I was looking at universities, I was extremely interested in art schools because of photography. I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to do something more with photography. However, I also had a dream and passion to study business. I eventually decided to attend a university where I had the opportunity to study both fields.

During my first year of college, I decided to pursue a photography minor. My love for Business and Marketing helped me to turn my passion into a business. I created Angelica Carrete Photography in 2016 as a way to do more with my hobby. I challenged myself to grow as a creative every day and tried my best to stay motivated through the struggles that come with being a college student. I created this blog as a way to express my thoughts on the many different aspects of photography and to further challenge my creativity. I am so excited about this journey!