Chinese New Year
Dear Editor: Chinese New Year, also called the Spring Festival, is today Feb. 16.
The Chinese use a lunar calendar based on the movements of the moon. The Chinese New Year falls on the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar.
The Chinese calendar is divided into lunar cycles of 60 years, and then further divided into five smaller cycles of 12 years. Each year is represented by an animal in the Chinese zodiac: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
2018 is the year of the dog. In the Chinese zodiac, the dog is a symbol of loyalty, responsibility, courage, sincerity, strength, trustworthiness, determination, perseverance, friendship, tenderheartedness, valiancy and heroism.
Preparation for the New Year begins on Feb. 8, 2018, and lasts until the New Year’s Eve, on Feb. 15. The celebration ends on March 2 which is the day of the Lantern Festival.
This year, I took my Chinese language students from MEHS to Anchorage to celebrate the Chinese New year with UAA, Confucius Institute, Bartlett High School and Chinese community. It is impressive to know that here they teach Chinese language from preschool to college. In the celebrations, these preschools sung Chinese songs and repeated many well-known Chinese poems.
The educators say learning Chinese will open more doors to compete in the global market. A market of which China is a great part of. China is Alaska’s largest trading partner. The Chinese economy is the second largest in the world and has had experienced the world’s greatest economic boom in the 21st century.
There are more Chinese native speakers than the combined sum of English and Spanish native speakers, making Chinese one of the most vital foreign languages to study.
When learning a foreign language, it is better to start at an early age. Therefore we should give our children this important language ability to expand their cultural outlooks and win future competitions.
Happy Chinese New Year!
Summer Shen, Sitka
Warm Springs Hearing
Dear Editor: I would like to urge all Sitkans who value public use of Baranof Warm Springs, its many recreational opportunities and serene natural beauty to attend a public hearing in Sitka on Friday, Feb. 23, beginning at 6 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
We are in danger of losing this resource and cannot afford to be complacent.
The proposed Baranof Hatchery would be smack in the middle of the bay at Baranof Warm Springs and will transform the bay into an industrial zone. It will have a devastating impact on all recreational uses: boating, use of the hot springs, hiking, and especially use of the Baranof Lake – the list goes on. If the hatchery plan were to be approved the lake water level would fall, the waterfall would at times dry up, and flow of the hot springs would be redirected to the hatchery.
The Baranof Warm Springs town site is zoned recreational and the development of a hatchery, an industrial operation, is not permitted according to city zoning, and for good reason: it is zoned recreational because it provides a vast array of recreational opportunities to residents and visitors alike. The proposed hatchery is also not in compliance with the city’s Coastal Management plan.
The development would negatively impact dock access for both float planes and boats. While it would seem that given all the negative impacts, that it is a no brainer to deny the proposal, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has essentially fast tracked the proposal.
The ONLY and FINAL time for public comment will be at the Feb. 23 public hearing at Centennial Hall!!! (with written comments accepted for an additional two weeks). Let’s not be complacent. If you care about Baranof Warm Springs and want it to remain a recreational gem, please attend the hearing and make your voice heard.
Barb Morse, Sitka
