英文 讀書會 Royal English Club.

Australia, home to the world's largest camel herd ,18 May 2013,By Sarah Bell BBC News
Australia is famous for its wildlife - kangaroos, koalas and numerous species of snakes and spiders - but it is also home to the world's largest herd of camels. There are about 750,000 roaming wild in the outback and they cause a host of problems. Camels were imported to Australia in the 19th century from Arabia, India and Afghanistan for transport and heavy work in the outback. But when the internal combustion engine came along and they were no longer needed, several thousand were released into the wild. With no natural predators and vast sparsely-populated areas in which to roam, the camels have flourished and are having a huge impact on the wilderness. "One of the biggest problems is that they drink large amounts of water. They gulp down gallons at a time and cause millions of pounds worth of damage to farms and waterholes which are used to water stock. They also drink dry waterholes belonging to the Aborigines," says explorer and writer Simon Reeve. Camels are almost uniquely brilliant at surviving the conditions in the outback. Introducing them was short-term genius and long-term disaster. Lyndee Severin runs a one-million-acre ranch west of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory that has been overrun by the camels. They do a lot of damage to infrastructure for us, so there's a lot of damage to fences. They break tanks, they break pumps, they break pipes, they break fences - fences have been our biggest concern," she says. But her concern is not confined to her own business - the camels put pressure on native Australian species by reducing food sources and destroying their habitats. "They will just take everything in the landscape and if they destroy the trees and eat the grasses there's no kangaroos, no emus, no small birds if there's no trees, no reptiles," she says.

Severin and her team shoot the beasts, often from helicopters, and leave them to rot where they fall. "It's not something that we enjoy doing, but it's something that we have to do. Camels roam freely across an area of 3.3 million sq km (1.3 million sq miles) encompassing the states of Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland, as well as the Northern Territory. They are mainly Dromedaries, but some are Bactrian camels. Humans have introduced dozens of species into Australia - including wild horses, pigs, goats, dogs, cats, rabbits and foxes - and these have now become a major problem for the ecosystem. In 2010 the Australian government endorsed a control plan, the Australian Feral Camel Management Project, which aimed to reduce camel densities through culling and mustering the animals for sale. Between 2001 and 2008 it was estimated there were up to a million feral camels in the outback, but thousands were culled under the project. Animals Australia, a pressure group, described this as a "bloodbath". or its part, RSPCA Australia says it would support a national approach to feral camel management, only if " the programmes are clearly explained and justified... and use the most humane methods available".

Use your money to buy happier time, By Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, Special to CNN, May 20, 2013
The logic is so simple: If I work hard now, the money I earn will give me the opportunity to do all the things that make me happy later. hat's the catch? It turns out that when we get into the habit of working and earning, it can be hard to stop. Instead of using our time to get as much money as possible, new research suggests that we'd be better off using our money to buy happier time. Remarkably, wealthy people -- despite having access to everything money can buy -- end up spending at least as much time as the rest of us on pursuits they don't enjoy. Like commuting. And, of course, working too much. Researchers have had no difficulty luring people into the trap of overworking and underenjoying. People in a recent study were told that their only goal in the study was to maximize their happiness. They could engage in "leisure" by listening to pleasant music or "work" by pushing a button to trigger an annoying noise. For every 10 pushes of the button, they were paid with a Hershey's Kiss. For five minutes, they could press the button as much as they wanted, and earn unlimited Kisses. They weren't allowed to eat any chocolates during this part of the study, but afterward. They got five more minutes to gorge on their earnings, with just one rule: They weren't allowed to take any leftover treats home. his simple study captures the predicament of modern life. With enough talent and hard work, we can earn more and more money, but we never get more than 24 hours in a day to enjoy the fruits (or chocolates) of our labor. The researchers discovered that most people worked really hard to earn chocolates in the first five minutes -- so hard that they couldn't possibly finish all of them in the second five minutes. This is the curse of work for all of us. We get so caught up earning money that we forget to leave ourselves time to enjoy it.

The researchers solved this problem for one group of participants by putting a cap on the number of Kisses they could earn. What happened? Capping their earning potential actually increased their happiness. Stepping outside of the laboratory and re-entering the real world, most people probably wouldn't volunteer to be in a "capped-income" group. Still, most of us could benefit by thinking more carefully about the tradeoffs we make between time and money. Our research suggests that people would benefit from asking themselves a basic question before reaching for their wallets: How will this purchase affect my time? If your child keeps asking for a pet, you could pay $50 for a goldfish, tank and a year's supply of fish food, or commit thousands of dollars to a golden retriever. Compared with a goldfish, caring for a dog comes with a big time burden and big price tag. But what many people fail to consider is that the dog might transform the quality of their time. Having a dog commits us to going on daily walks and chatting with other dog owners at the park. Research shows that exercising and talking to others are among the very happiest ways to use our time. In this case, dog beats fish. Some forms of socializing are better than others. Our research on online daters shows that they spend five hours per week searching through profiles and another seven hours writing and responding to e-mails, all for a payoff of less than two hours of real-life face-to-face interaction. Many online dating services are cheap or even free -- a seemingly good deal. But while other companies may cost more, they can lower these negative time costs of meeting new people.

A number of new companies charge single people to bring them together for activities ranging from wine tasting to hot air ballooning. There's no guarantee you'll meet your soul mate, but paying more for your dating service at least guarantees you'll enjoy your time -- getting tipsy, or high. Don't have the time or the money for a balloon ride? If you're like most Americans, your car may be to blame. On average, Americans spend two hours a day working just to afford their cars. Commuting ranks among the unhappiest activities in a typical day. When researchers in Germany did the math, they found that the average worker would need their income to go up by a third just to offset the happiness cost of tacking on a 20-minute commute. It may seem reasonable to solve the commuting problem by investing in a nicer car. Wrong. Sinking more money into a car is a bad deal for happiness. Although people expect to enjoy driving a BMW more than a Ford Escort, research shows that drivers get no more pleasure from commuting in an expensive car than a cheap one. As a result, Americans spend two hours of each day working just to afford cars that do little to improve their happiness. Even if it means taking a pay cut, many people would benefit from living closer to work -- or closer to public transit -- and getting rid of their cars altogether. In one survey, New Jersey commuters reported feeling considerably less stressed after commuting to work in New York City by train than by car. Focusing on how money can improve our time, rather than on how money can swell our coffers, offers the possibility of much more happiness. Of course, maintaining this focus can be challenging in the face of new products that dazzle us with appealing features. The $350 Harmony Ultimate remote control, for example, allows you to operate your TV and 14 other devices with a full-color touchscreen, promising to give you "all the control you deserve. It might be better, though, to reconsider how much time you spend with your TV in the first place. (According to the data, TV watching is a clear happiness drain). Instead of taking control of your home entertainment system, take control of the tradeoff you're making between money and time -- even if it means passing up some chocolate.

Dear fellows,

This is Julian and this week we are going to talk about cultural differences. I hope through this discussion we can learn information from each other and gather knowledge in different aspects.
See you guys soon!


Differences in Cultures
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Increasingly, managers must deal with multiple ethnic groups with very different cultures. Thanks to globalization, you are likely to work with Japanese, French, Chinese, German and all sorts of other nationalities. It is important to recognize that people from different cultures have are different in a variety of ways, including
•different ways of looking at things
•different ways of dressing
•different ways of expressing personality/goodness

In an ideal world ...
•the policemen would be English
•the car mechanics would be German
•the cooks would be French
•the innkeepers would be Swiss,
•and the lovers would be Italian

In a living hell ...
•the policemen would be German
•the car mechanics would be French
•the cooks would be English
•the innkeepers would be Italian
•and the lovers would be Swiss


These differences can cause problems interpreting what the other person is doing. Some simple examples:
•In the US, a firm, short handshake indicates self-confidence and (heterosexual) masculinity. A limp handshake by a man can be interpreted (usually wrongly) as a sign of homosexuality or wimpiness. But in most parts of Africa, a limp handshake is the correct way to do it. Furthermore, it is common in Africa for the handshake to last several minutes, while in the US a handshake that is even a few seconds too long is interpreted as familiarity, warmth and possibly sexual attraction.

•In Britain, men do not look at women on the streets. The French do. Recently, a French public figure mentioned in a speech that the Brits are all gay -- the evidence was their lack of overt interest in women.

Some dimensions along which cultures vary:

High Context vs Low Context
A low context culture is one in which things are fully (though concisely) spelled out. Things are made explicit, and there is considerable dependence on what is actually said or written. A high context culture is one in which the communicators assume a great deal of commonality of knowledge and views, so that less is spelled out explicitly and much more is implicit or communicated in indirect ways. In a low context culture, more responsibility is placed on the listener to keep up their knowledge base and remain plugged into informal networks.

Low context cultures include Anglos, Germanics and Scandinavians. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French.

Implications
•Interactions between high and low context peoples can be problematic. ◦Japanese can find Westerners to be offensively blunt. Westerners can find Japanese to be secretive, devious and bafflingly unforthcoming with information
◦French can feel that Germans insult their intelligence by explaining the obvious, while Germans can feel that French managers provide no direction

•Low context cultures are vulnerable to communication breakdowns when they assume more shared understanding than there really is. This is especially true in an age of diversity. Low context cultures are not known for their ability to tolerate or understand diversity, and tend to be more insular.

Monochronic vs Polychronic
Monochronic cultures like to do just one thing at a time. They value a certain orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time and place for everything. They do not value interruptions. Polychronic cultures like to do multiple things at the same time. A manager's office in a polychronic culture typically has an open door, a ringing phone and a meeting all going on at the same time.

Polychronic cultures include the French and the Americans. The Germans tend to be monochronic.

Implications
•Interactions between types can be problematic. German businessman cannot understand why the person he is meeting is so interruptible by phone calls and people stopping by. Is it meant to insult him? When do they get down to business?
•Similarly, the American employee of a German company is disturbed by all the closed doors -- it seems cold and unfriendly.

Future vs Present vs Past Orientation
Past-oriented societies are concerned with traditional values and ways of doing things. They tend to be conservative in management and slow to change those things that are tied to the past. Past-oriented societies include China, Britain, Japan and most spanish-speaking Latin American countries.

Present-oriented societies include the rest of the spanish-speaking Latin American countries. They see the past as passed and the future as uncertain. They prefer short-term benefits.

Future-oriented societies have a great deal of optimism about the future. They think they understand it and can shape it through their actions. They view management as a matter of planning, doing and controlling (as opposed to going with the flow, letting things happen). The United States and, increasingly, Brazil, are examples of future-oriented societies.

Quantity of Time
In some cultures, time is seen as being a limited resource which is constantly being used up. It's like having a bathtub full of water which can never be replaced, and which is running down the drain. You have to use it as it runs down the drain or it's wasted. In other cultures, time is more plentiful, if not infinite. In old agricultural societies, time was often seen as circular, renewing itself each year.

Implications
•In societies where time is limited, punctuality becomes a virtue. It is insulting to waste someone's time, and the ability to do that and get away with it is an indication of superiority/status. Time is money. In cultures where time is plentiful, like India or Latin American, there is no problem with making people wait all day, and then tell them to come back the next day.
•Time-plentiful cultures tend to rely on trust to do business. Time-limited cultures don't have time to develop trust and so create other mechanisms to replace trust (such as strong rule-by-law).

Question for Session I:
Following with the boom of globlization, there are more chances to deal with multiple ethnic groups with very different cultures.
1.Have you ever encounter culture shock or culture differences? Share with us your experience.
2.According to the author, the ideal world would be: English policeman/ German mechanics/ French cooks/ Swiss innkeepers/ Italian lovers. Do you have different opinion with the above saying?
3.In cultures where time is plentiful, like India or Latin American, there is no problem with making people wait all day, and then tell them to come back the next day. So how can we deal with this situation?

=====================================================================================================================================
Session II

Power Distance
The extent to which people accept differences in power and allow this to shape many aspects of life. Is the boss always right because he is the boss, or only when he gets it right?

Implications
•In high power distance countries (most agrarian countries), bypassing a superior is unsubordination. In low power distance countries (US, northern europeans, Israel), bypassing is not usually a big deal.
•In the US, superiors and subordinates often interact socially as equals. An outsider watching a party of professors and graduate students typically cannot tell them apart.

Individualism vs Collectivism
In individualist cultures, individual uniqueness, self-determination is valued. A person is all the more admirable if they are a "self-made man" or "makes up their own mind" or show initiative or work well independently. Collectivist cultures expect people to identify with and work well in groups which protect them in exchange for loyalty and compliance.

Paradoxically, individualist cultures tend to believe that there are universal values that should be shared by all, while collectivist cultures tend to accept that different groups have different values.

Many of the asian cultures are collectivist, while anglo cultures tend to be individualist.

Implications
•A market research firm conducted a survey of tourist agencies around the world. The questionnaires came back from most countries in less than a month. But the agencies in the asian countries took months to do it. After many telexes, it was finally done. The reason was that, for example, American tourist agencies assigned the work to one person, while the Filipinos delegated the work to the entire department, which took longer. The researchers also noticed that the telexes from the Philippines always came from a different person.

Problems Caused by Cultural Differences
•You greet your Austrian client. This is the sixth time you have met over the last 4 months. He calls you Herr Smith. You think of him as a standoffish sort of guy who doesn't want to get really friendly. That might be true in America, where calling someone Mr. Smith after the 6th meeting would probably mean something -- it is marked usage of language -- like "we're not hitting it off". But in Austria, it is normal.
•A Canadian conducting business in Kuwait is surprised when his meeting with a high-ranking official is not held in a closed office and is constantly interrupted. He starts wondering if the official is as important as he had been led to believe, and he starts to doubt how seriously his business is being taken
•A British boss asked a new, young American employee if he would like to have an early lunch at 11 am each day. The employee said 'Yeah, that would be great!' The boss immediately said "With that kind of attitude, you may as well forget about lunch!" The employee and the boss were both baffled by what went wrong. [In England, saying "yeah" in that context is seen as rude and disrespectful.]
•A Japanese businessman wants to tell his Norwegian client that he is uninterested in a particular sale. So he says "That will be very difficult." The Norwegian eagerly asks how he can help. The Japanese is mystified. To him, saying that something is difficult is a polite way of saying "No way in hell!". Dave Barry tells the story of being on a trip to Japan and working with a Japanese airline clerk on taking a flight from one city to another. On being asked about it, the clerk said "Perhaps you would prefer to take the train." So he said "NO, I want to fly." So she said "There are many other ways to go." He said "yes, but I think it would be best to fly." She said "It would very difficult". Eventually, it came out that there were no flights between those cities.

Three basic kinds of problems: interpreting others comments and actions, predicting behavior, and conflicting behavior.

Some Perceptions of Americans
Europe & especially England. "Americans are stupid and unsubtle. And they are fat and bad dressers."

Finland. "Americans always want to say your name: 'That's a nice tie, Mikko. Hi Mikko, how are you Mikko'

Indian. "Americans are always in a hurry. Just watch the way they walk down the street."

Kenyan. "Americans are distant. They are not really close to other people -- even other Americans."

Turkey. "Once we were out in a rural area in the middle of nowhere and saw an American come to a stop sign. Though he could see in both directions for miles, and there was no traffic, he still stopped!"

Colombia. "In the United States, they think that life is only work."

Indonesia. "In the United States everything has to be talked about and analyzed. Even the littlest thing has to be 'Why, why why?'."

Ethiopia. "The American is very explicit. He wants a 'yes' or 'no'. If someone tries to speak figuratively, the American is confused."

Iran. "The first time my American professor told me 'I don't know, I will have to look it up', I was shocked. I asked myself 'Why is he teaching me?'"


Try this experiment:

Start by reading this:
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS
OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEARS
Now, quickly count the number of "F"s in that sentence. On average, anglos find fewer F's than do others. Why?

*The article is cited from "www.analytictech.com" and the link below:
http://www.analytictech.com/mb021/cultural.htm

Question for Session II:
Q1.Business leaders in different countries form their leadership in various way. For instance, typical Japanese company has different concern with the company in US. In your opinion, what kind of leadership fits better to Taiwanese companies.
Q2.Is there any way we can deal with the culture differences from beginning? to prevent problems happened in advance.
Q3.Any funny thing happened related to cultural differences in your experience? or from what you have ever heard? Please share with us.

22 people attended the May 18 (Sat. night) gathering. We welcomed visiting guest Elvis & Jason. Thanks to Dora, she gave a presentation about Miaoli.

24 people attended the May 16 (Thur. night) gathering. We welcomed visiting guest Lilian who works at multilevel marketing company.

Hello~
I am new member and want to join your English club!
Why do I want to join?
No doubt, I like to practice my English and make friends.
I will join this saturday night gathering(5/18) and have a good time.
Nice to know you all.

Session one
Do you ever wonder how your coffee house barista is able to pour those beautiful designs on top of your favorite foamy drinks?

It's called “latte art.” And believe me, there is definitely an art behind that perfect pour.

Eden-Marie Abramowicz is the girl you want preparing your morning cup of joe. She is the 2013 Southwest Regional Barista champion and works as an educator at Intelligentsia in Silver Lake, California.

She's been in the coffee industry for six years, and loves teaching coffee drinkers what makes coffee so special.

“For me, it has a lot to do with the concept of working with such a quality product, and to be able to celebrate that and be able to be an ambassador for that product, I feel is an amazing thing,” Abramowicz said.

But there’s a lot that goes into pouring latte art. Abramowicz says these five simple steps will help you get started.

1. Pour a cup of good, quality espresso – It has to be freshly brewed!

2. Steam your milk to 130-140 degrees, and knock out the bubbles. It should have the consistency of smooth, wet paint.

3. Tilt your cup of espresso.

4. Begin to pour a thin, straight line of steamed milk into the center of your espresso. The pour should be high and thin. At this point, no white from the steamed milk should be showing through the espresso.

5. Lower the steaming pitcher close to the surface of the drink and slowly un-tilt your cup – that’s when you begin your latte art.

Coffee introduction

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a distinct aroma and flavor, prepared from the roasted seeds of the Coffea plant. The seeds are found in coffee "berries", which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America,Southeast Asia, Maldives, and Africa. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world.[1] Coffee is slightly acidic (pH 5.0–5.1) and can have a stimulating effect on humans because of its caffeine content. It is one of the most consumed drinks in the world.
Wild coffee's energizing effect was likely first discovered in the northeast region ofEthiopia. Coffee cultivation first took place in southern Arabia; the earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century in theSufi shrines of Yemen.
In East Africa and Yemen, coffee was used in native religious ceremonies that were in competition with the Christian Church. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its secular consumption until the reign of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia. The beverage was also banned in Ottoman Turkey during the 17th century for political reasons and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.
Coffee berries, which contain the coffee seeds, are produced by several species of a small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown are also the most highly regarded Coffea arabica, and the "robusta" form of the hardierCoffea canephora. The latter is resistant to the coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix). Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor, before being ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways.
An important export commodity, coffee was the top agricultural export for twelve countries in 2004, and it was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value in 2005. Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment. Consequently, organic coffee is an expanding market.
Many studies have examined the health effects of coffee, and whether the overall effects of coffee consumption are positive or negative has been widely disputed. The majority of recent research suggests that moderate coffee consumption is benign or mildly beneficial in healthy adults. However, coffee can worsen the symptoms of some conditions, largely due to the caffeine and diterpenes it contains.


Questions

1. Do you like drink coffee? what kinds of flavor coffee you like?
2. How often you go to Starbucks buy the coffee?
3. Many studies have examined the health effects of coffee consumption are positive or negative ,how about your opinion?



session two
The 7-Minute Workout to Get in Shape Fast

Can you really get the perfect body in just seven minutes? A regular seven-minute workout may be all you need to stay in shape, according to the authors of a new study that’s getting buzz in fitness circles.
The high-intensity circuit training workout uses your own body weight and is backed up by science. The study, published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, shows that when you work close to your maximum capacity with resistance for even a short time, you can change your muscles in the same way that a few hours of running can.
“What makes this workout stand out is the pure efficiency of the entire model, as well as the fact that it can be done completely with body weight,” said Brett Klika, a performance coach at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla., and a co-author of the study.
A story on the workout was first published in the May 12 issue of The New York Times Magazine.

All you need is a chair to take on the 12 exercises in the sequence, which alternate between upper and lower body moves, with 10-second breaks in between. The breaks, as short as they are, are key to the results — from metabolic benefits to body weight and fat loss, according to the study. Plus, a shorter rest time means a shorter overall workout time to fit into a busy lifestyle.
Shipman commissioned Aaron Sterling, owner of the Sterling Gym in Washington, D.C., where she exercises, to help her run through the circuit of jumping jacks, crunches, push-ups, squats, planks and lunges.
“Because the right combination and the right sequence of muscles were fatigued, your actual performance improved,” Sterling told Shipman. “You look, for being so tired, much better and much more energized.”
Then, Sterling made her do it twice to prove that the quick, intense workouts can make you feel stronger,
“even as you think you might die,” Shipman said.
Exercisers can repeat the seven-minute workout two to three times, depending on how much time they have, according to the study.

While there are pros to the workout plan, celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak suggested proceeding with caution if you’re just starting out.

“I would say there is a big danger factor if you’re sedentary or moderately sedentary and you, all of a sudden, try and do the intensity that’s suggested,” Pasternak, author of “The Body Reset Diet,”

Here’s the routine:

1. Jumping jacks

2. Wall sit

3. Push-up

4. Abdominal crunch Core

5. Step-up onto chair

6. Squat

7. Triceps dip on chair

8. Plank

9. High knees/running in place

10. Lunge

11. Push-up and rotation

12. Side plank


Quessions

1.How many time you exercise in one week? What kinds of exercise you choice?
2.Do you have ever join any “Ironman Triathlon”competition? If yes , please share your experience
3. If you want to fitness body which part you wants to sculpture?



Agenda
7:00-7:25 Greetings and free talk
7:25-7:30 Opening remarks/ Newcomers self-introduction/ Grouping
(Session I)
7:30 ~ 8:05pm discussion session (35 mins)
8:05 ~ 8:20pm summarization (15 mins)
8:20 ~ 8:25pm Regrouping & instruction giving
(Session II)
8:25 ~ 8:35pm Taking a 10 minutes break (Intermission)
8:35 ~ 9:10pm discussion session (35 mins)
9:10 ~9:25pm summarization (15 mins)
9:25 ~ 9:30pm Concluding remarks/feedback from newcomers

The new meeting place of Thursday:
摩斯漢堡明曜店 (地下室)
捷運資訊： 近台北捷運 - 板南線 - 忠孝敦化站 (步行約5分鐘)

UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger,13 May
Eating more insects could help fight world hunger, according to a new UN report. The report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that eating insects could help boost nutrition and reduce pollution. It notes than over 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diet with insects. However it admits that "consumer disgust" remains a large barrier in many Western countries. Wasps, beetles and other insects are currently "underutilised" as food for people and livestock, the report says. Insect farming is "one of the many ways to address food and feed security". "Insects are everywhere and they reproduce quickly, and they have high growth and feed conversion rates and a low environmental footprint," according to the report.
Nutritional value
The authors point out that insects are nutritious, with high protein, fat and mineral content. They are "particularly important as a food supplement for undernourished children". Insects are also "extremely efficient" in converting feed into edible meat. Crickets, for example, need 12 times less feed than cattle to produce the same amount of protein, according to the report. Most insects are likely to produce fewer environmentally harmful greenhouse gases than other livestock. The ammonia emissions associated with insect-rearing are far lower than those linked to conventional livestock such as pigs, says the report.
Delicacies
Insects are regularly eaten by many of the world's population, but the thought may seem shocking to many Westerners. The report suggests that the food industry could help in "raising the status of insects" by including them in new recipes and adding them to restaurant menus. It goes on to note that in some places, certain insects are considered delicacies. For example some caterpillars in southern Africa are seen as luxuries and command high prices. Most edible insects are gathered in forests and serve niche markets, the report states. It calls for improved regulation and production for using insects as feed. "The use of insects on a large scale as a feed ingredient is technically feasible, and established companies in various parts of the world are already leading the way," it adds.

Lack of sleep blights pupils' education, 7 May 2013,By Sean Coughlan , BBC News education correspondent
Sleep deprivation is a significant hidden factor in lowering the achievement of school pupils, according to researchers carrying out international education tests. It is a particular problem in more affluent countries, with sleep experts linking it to the use of mobile phones and computers in bedrooms late at night. Sleep deprivation is such a serious disruption that lessons have to be pitched at a lower level to accommodate sleep-starved learners, the study found. The international comparison, carried out by Boston College, found the United States to have the highest number of sleep-deprived students, with 73% of 9 and 10-year-olds and 80% of 13 and 14-year-olds identified by their teachers as being adversely affected. In literacy tests there were 76% of 9 and 10-year-olds lacking sleep. This was much higher than the international average of 47% of primary pupils needing more sleep and 57% among the secondary age group.

Achievement gap
Other countries with the most sleep-deprived youngsters were New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Australia, England, Ireland and France. High-performing Finland is also among the most lacking in sleep. Countries with the best records for getting enough sleep include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Japan and Malta. The analysis was part of the huge data-gathering process for global education rankings - the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).These are among the biggest international benchmarks for education standards, based on tests taken by more than 900,000 pupils in primary and secondary schools in more than 50 countries and regional administrations. The rankings of results for maths, science and reading were published at the end of last year, with Asian education systems dominating the top of the tables. But the researchers also wanted to find out more about the influence of home life. There has been much analysis of the impact of family wealth and poverty, but the Boston College researchers also wanted to measure factors such as sleep and nutrition. So the tests were accompanied by questionnaires for teachers, pupils and parents about sleep patterns. And this information was compared with pupils' test results, so that the performance in maths, science and literacy could be compared with levels of sleep.

Brain food
"I think we underestimate the impact of sleep. Our data show that across countries internationally, on average, children who have more sleep achieve higher in maths, science and reading. That is exactly what our data show," says Chad Minnich, of the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center. "It's the same link for children who are lacking basic nutrition," says Mr Minnich, based at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College. "If you are unable to concentrate, to attend mentally, you are unable to achieve at your optimal level, because your mind and body are in need of something more basic. "Sleep is a fundamental need for all children. If teachers report such large proportions of children suffering from lack of sleep, it's having a significant impact. "But worse than that, teachers are having to modify their instruction based on those children who are suffering from a lack of sleep. "The children who are suffering from a lack of sleep are driving down instruction. "That means that even the children who are getting enough sleep are still suffering from this sleep-related dumbing-down.

Cramming school
The researchers uncovered regional trends that bucked expectations. Asian countries are the highest-performing in maths tests - and Mr .Minnich says this has often been associated with long hours and cramming in after-school classes. "One would assume that they would be extremely tired," he said. "And yet when we look at the sleep factor for them, they don't necessarily seem to be suffering from as much sleep deprivation as the other countries. "Getting a good night's sleep isn't going to transform an underperforming country into an education superpower. For instance, the least sleepy pupils seem to be in Azerbaijan, but they are still considerably behind the most sleep-deprived pupils in Finland. But researchers say that it does show how differently individual pupils might be placed on the ability spectrum, with lack of sleep representing the difference between being high-performing and average. There are also big changes as pupils get older. Younger pupils in South Korea have among the lowest levels of sleep deprivation in the world, but in secondary school they have some of the worst problems. There are differences within countries too. At the level of US states, among secondary pupils Colorado has a much worse problem with lack of sleep than Massachusetts. What the study does not show is why young people are missing out on sleep - or why more technologically advanced countries seem to have the biggest difficulties. But sleep experts point to a particular problem due to technology in children's bedroom - specifically the use of screens on smartphones or laptops late at night.

Serious barrier to learning
It isn't only that young people are kept awake by messaging their friends or using the internet. The light from the screen, held close to the face, is physically disruptive to the natural onset of sleep. "Having a computer screen that is eight inches away from your face is going to expose you to a lot more light than watching a television on the opposite side of the room," says Karrie Fitzpatrick, sleep researcher at Northwestern University in Illinois. "It's going to tell your brain to stay awake," says Dr Fitzpatrick. "That light can reset the whole circadian rhythm system and say, 'Wait a minute, it's not time to go to bed'. "Lack of sleep is also a serious physical barrier to learning. "Sleepiness is a problem at all stages that are relevant to learning, memory and academic performance," says Derk-Jan Dijk, director of the Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey. Research into sleep disorders and brain function has shown the importance of sleep in memory and consolidating information. Without sleep, the brain struggles to absorb and retain ideas. "There is a growing interest in the associations between adequate sleep and academic performance," says Prof Dijk.

11 people attended the May 11 (Sat. night) gathering. We welcomed visiting guest Ronald. We have our private space at Dante as photos.

17 people attended the May 9 (Thur. night) gathering. We welcomed visiting guest Candy. Guess What? Which of these drinks : Milkshakes, cola drinks, fruit juice, pearl milk tea,養樂多, 舒跑, 百香QQ, 美粒果 you think has the most sugar or the least sugar?

A total of 18 people one after another attended the May 4 outing, 13 people stayed to the end.

Photoed by Wendy Ray.

Photoed by Nicole Gilbo.

Photoed by Nicole Gilbo.

How much sugar is hiding in your food?

Most of us are aware sugar needs to be consumed in moderation. But many of us are consuming far more than we think. There's sugar 'hiding' in food and drink that might surprise us.
Manufacturers often add extra sugar to food because it makes them taste better. When fat is removed from a processed meal, for example, sugar is often added to help disguise the blander taste. Because of this, many foods we think of as wholesome - like yoghurt, granola bars, low-fat snacks and fruit-flavoured water - may actually contain much more sugar than we realise.
Like salt, these so called 'added sugars' help extend the shelf life of some foods, such as bread, breakfast cereals and tinned fruit and vegetables.Doctors worry that this makes it too easy to eat more sugar than our bodies can handle - because we don't always know when we're eating it.
What happens if you eat too much sugar?
Sugar is not inherently bad for you - it's the amount and how frequently you eat it that matters.
When we eat food, the sugars are broken down into glucose and fructose, which are absorbed into the bloodstream. However fructose must then be converted into glucose in the liver. If we consume more sugar than we burn through activity our liver converts the excess glucose into fat. Some of this fat stays in the liver but the rest is stored in fatty tissues around the body. This is why repeatedly eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain, and even obesity, when combined with a sedentary lifestyle.

Here are some other health problems that can be caused by eating too much sugar:
• Diabetes: Consuming too much sugar in your diet can lead to obesity, which increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Those with this condition don't produce enough insulin and aren't sensitive enough to what's produced. Blood sugar levels aren't regulated properly leading to thirst and tiredness in the short-term and damage to blood vessels, nerves and organs if left untreated.
• Heart disease: Obesity also raises blood pressure and 'bad' cholesterol levels while lowering levels of 'good' cholesterol. These all contribute to raising the risk of heart disease.
• Fatty liver disease: Excess sugar can be stored as fat in the liver. The condition has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes and even liver cancer.
• Tooth decay: When we eat sugary foods, bacteria in our mouths break down the carbohydrates and produce acids that dissolve minerals in our tooth enamel. The longer the sugar is in contact with teeth, the more damage bacteria can cause. Left untreated this can cause pain, infection, and tooth loss.
• Bad mood: Sugary foods like chocolate, cake and biscuits have been labelled 'bad mood food' by the NHS. They can give you a quick burst of energy by causing a sharp increase in blood sugar, but when levels fall this can make your mood dip. This cycle can make you feel irritable, anxious, and tired.
How can I tell if I'm eating sugar in disguise?
Working out how much sugar is in your food or drink can be confusing as it appears under many different disguises, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose and honey.

Food manufacturers are not required by law to separate added sugars from naturally occurring sugars on a nutrition label, but you can find out how much total sugar is in a product by looking for the 'carbohydrates (of which sugars)' figure.
More than 15g of total sugars per 100g means it has a high sugar content, 5g of total sugars or less per 100g means it has a low sugar content.

Session One
1. Eating too much sugar may cause some problems, including diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, etc. Have you ever had any friend who had this kind of problem? How do they control their diet?
2. Do you read nutrition facts label before you choose the food? What do you focus on? Calories, sugar, fiber or sodium? Why?
3. Do you have a healthy balanced diet? Share your experiences with us.
4. We will have a guessing game: “ how much sugar is hiding in the drinks”



Session Two

Five things that stop a good night’s sleep

Tossing, turning, can't get to sleep? It's a familiar feeling for many. Here are five things that could be preventing us from getting the restful night we need.

An uncomfortable or noisy environment

As we start to fall asleep, our muscle tone reduces and our limbs begin to relax. We may feel drowsy but our brain is still active, and any noise or discomfort can make it hard to fall asleep.
As we drift into light sleep, an area of the brain called the thalamus starts to block the flow of information from our senses to the rest of the brain. But it will still let through noises, which can wake us up.
After about half an hour of light sleep, most of us enter a type of deep sleep called slow-wave sleep. The changes in the brain neurochemistry typical of deep sleep, make it harder to be woken up. But some things will always get through - such as our names being called out loudly.Missing out on any part of our usual cycle of sleep results in reduced quality and quantity of sleep.

An irregular routine

We all have a built-in body clock which tells us when we are tired, and helps synchronise thousands of cells in our body to the circadian rhythm.The main synchroniser for our body clock is light. Our eyes react to the light and dark, even when our eyelids are closed.Daylight prompts our brains to reduce the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. We become more alert, and wake up.
If we sleep less, because of going to bed late or waking up early, we're unlikely to get as much deep sleep as we need, or enough of the stage that comes after it - REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when we do most of our dreaming.

Stimulants - coffee, alcohol, food

Caffeine is a stimulant which can stay in our system for many hours. Drinks high in caffeine make it harder to fall asleep and can result in more time in the lighter stages of sleep, with less deep sleep.
Drinking alcohol often makes us snore more, making it harder to breathe, and so making us more restless.
Although alcohol initially helps some of us fall asleep, too much of it may disrupt sleep. A lot of alcohol close to bedtime means we can go straight into deep sleep, missing out on the usual first stage of sleep.
As the alcohol starts to wear off, our bodies come out of deep sleep and back into REM sleep, which is much easier to wake from.
In the course of a night we usually have six to seven cycles of REM sleep, which leaves us feeling refreshed. However, a night of drinking means we'll typically have only one to two, and wake up feeling exhausted.
Eating a large, heavy meal too close to bedtime may also interfere with sleep. Spicy or fatty foods can cause heartburn, which leads to difficulty in falling asleep and discomfort throughout the night.
Foods containing a chemical called tyramine (examples include bacon, cheese, nuts and red wine) can keep us awake at night.Tyramine causes the release of noradrenaline, a brain stimulant. Carbohydrates, such as bread or pasta, have the opposite effect. They trigger the release of hormone serotonin, which makes us sleepy.

The wrong body temperature

Our core body temperature goes down when we sleep. It's controlled by our body clock, which starts to open up the blood vessels of the hands, face and feet, to lose heat, as we approach the time we should be sleeping.But if our bedrooms or duvets are too warm, our bodies can't lose heat. That can lead to restlessness and discomfort.Our core temperature should only be half a degree less than during the day. If we get too cold, we get restless.

A busy mind

Stress is the enemy of sleep. In bed, our mind is left free to wander, and feeling anxious about getting enough sleep will only make it worse.
In these states people lose track of time. You may nod off and wake up again but it may still feel as if you are getting no sleep at all. This can result in fragmented sleep with less time spent in the deep stages of sleep. Sleep experts recommend getting up and doing an activity which distracts our mind from worry - such as a puzzle - before trying to sleep again.

Questions for Session Two

1. How many hours do you usually sleep each day? Is it enough for you? Do you think we need to sleep 8 hours a day?
2. The five things mentioned above will stop a good night’s sleep. Has this ever happened to you before? What was it?
3. Stress often interferes with sleep, and make the next day more difficult to manage. Have you ever tried to take pills or having sleep therapy to get a good night’s sleep? Share your tips with us.

Agenda
7:00-7:25 Greetings and free talk
7:25-7:30 Opening remarks/ Newcomers self-introduction/ Grouping
(Session I)
7:30 ~ 8:05pm discussion session (35 mins)
8:05 ~ 8:20pm summarization (15 mins)
8:20 ~ 8:25pm Regrouping & instruction giving
(Session II)
8:25 ~ 8:35pm Taking a 10 minutes break (Intermission)
8:35 ~ 9:10pm discussion session (35 mins)
9:10 ~9:25pm summarization (15 mins)
9:25 ~ 9:30pm Concluding remarks/feedback from newcomers

The new meeting place of Thursday:
摩斯漢堡明曜店 (地下室)
捷運資訊： 近台北捷運 - 板南線 - 忠孝敦化站 (步行約5分鐘)

Here are some fun links related to culture differences.


http://youjen.pixnet.net/blog/post/146231904



http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=WcEfzHB08QE



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXI2_ZimlCk

5/09 (Thur)
the article is here

The gathering will be cancelled at Dante Caf'e on this Saturday's evening.

If there is a heavy rain on Saturday, we will postpone this activity to May 11th. If it is only occasional showers, we will still go. If I want to postpone it to May 11th, I will announce it on the Facebook page and also on our website here in Saturday morning.

Note: We may switch the meeting indoor to outdoor this Saturday so please check Royal Website or FB before joining the meeting.

Mother and devoted wife: the private life of Britain's Margaret Thatcher, By Robin Millard, AFP, April 10, 2013,

LONDON--Behind the black door of 10 Downing Street, in her private life Margaret Thatcher was a housewife mother of sometimes troubled twins, supported by her ever-loyal husband Denis. In her autobiography she wrote: “I could never have been prime minister for more than 11 years without Denis by my side.” The prime minister dubbed the “Iron Lady” applied her relentless work ethic to home life, overseeing the rearing of her children Mark and Carol and performing domestic duties — with Denis' help. Mark, in particular, would spark unwelcome headlines later in life, being fined by a South African court for the role he played in financing an attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea in 2004. Margaret Thatcher was imbued with her economic and political outlook by her grocer father Alfred, a Methodist preacher, grocer and local councilor in the eastern English town of Grantham. But she also had the housewife instincts of her mother Beatrice and would think nothing of immersing herself in domestic duties while political storms raged around her. Discussing her private life in detail was never something that came easily to her. And her businessman husband Denis was even less likely to give details away — his trump card being his blank refusal to speak to what he called the “reptiles” of the press. However, in her 1996 biography of her father, Carol Thatcher shed light on how the family operated behind closed doors, with Denis letting Margaret get on with her career while he continued with his. “If marriage is either a takeover or a merger, then my parents enjoyed the latter,” she wrote. Denis Thatcher first met his second wife in February 1949 when she was 23 and he 34. Some friends of his were having the young parliamentary candidate over for dinner after watching her give a speech.

Denis, a wealthy, shy divorced man who served in World War II and inherited his father's paint factory, gave her a lift back to London, out of courtesy. Asked whether Margaret fell in love at first sight, Denis said: “No; there were two elections to fight first. She stood for Dartford twice and lost twice and the second time she cried on my shoulder I married her.” They wed in London on December 13, 1951. Her twins Mark and Carol were born by cesarean section six weeks early. She felt unwell during her pregnancy and given that she had a child of each sex, did not feel the need to have any more offspring. The future prime minister's work ethic applied to the family home in Chelsea, west London, where she juggled her job, studying for her exams to become a lawyer, organising the household, shopping, sewing, cooking and ironing. Their nanny Barbera recalled: “She did everything — she was so ultra-efficient that it was very difficult to fault her. “Mrs. Thatcher always got her own way because Mr. Thatcher allowed her to. She'd say, 'We've got to go to this, this and this.' And he said, 'Oh well,' and accepted it.” The Thatchers were not the type to lounge around on holiday either, preferring sight-seeing rather than relaxing by the pool. While he relished a gin and mixer, Thatcher was partial to a whisky to keep her going during the long nights writing speeches. She reportedly slept for only four hours a night and her husband was the only one who could order her to bed and relieve her exhausted staff. Fiercely anti-socialist, Denis agreed with her on everything politically except her support for capital punishment. However, he never strayed into her political life.

Armless but not defeated, 2013-04-16, By Xu Wei and Sun Ruisheng ( China Daily)
Her plight would have made a lesser person give up, but Luo Fengzhi had the love, courage and perseverance to move forward in life despite her disability. Xu Wei and Sun Ruisheng report in Taiyuan, Shanxi. Born armless, Luo Fengzhi, 30, has proved that feet can be capable alternatives. Luo, from Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, has been a subject of extensive media coverage since she was in primary school and her story has been a source of inspiration to many. She became the focus of the media again recently when she became the life tutor of a 3-year-old, also born armless, abandoned and then adopted in Taiyuan earlier this year. "I kept telling people: It does not make sense to complain about life. Even if you are disabled, your life can still be wonderful," she says. Life has never been easy, but looking back, Luo says she has survived, and experienced both bitter and sweet moments with the help and support of so many kind people. She says she also needs love, courage and perseverance and that's what she hopes to share, to inspire and encourage others."I might not have a life as splendid as many aspire to, but I do have a life that I enjoy," she says. "I hope, through me they can see the future of the child and hold on to it," she says, referring to the adoptive parents of her little charge. Luo, born in Wucun village, Qingxu county in Taiyuan, was abandoned by her biological parents. She was abandoned a second time by another family who took her home before being finally adopted by her current parents who lived in the village nearby. "My mother told me I barely survived the low temperatures in April and there were already ants in my belly when my uncle took me home," she says. Despite the bitter episodes in her early life, Luo says her childhood was happy and she never found it difficult getting along with other children. She says she barely remembers how she gradually got used to using her feet to eat and to get dressed, and eventually, to cook, to sew and to write with her feet." Probably it is part of our survival instinct," she says.

The biggest challenge for Luo was the stigma in society. "My mother had to keep pleading with the school principal to enroll me and try to convince them that I would not be of any trouble to them," she recalls. At the age of 12, a letter she wrote to Sun Wensheng, the then governor of Shanxi province, brought her unexpected fame. In the letter, she voiced her support for a water diversion project in the province and told the governor of her personal story. She also included her savings of 11.9 yuan ($1.90) in the envelope. "I saw television reports about the project and how important it was. So I thought I should be part of it too," she recalls. She did not expect Sun to respond to her letter, followed by numerous reporters wanting to interview her. The media coverage also helped her get the attention of many people, who started mailing her packages of books and snacks. The media spotlight gradually faded as she went to junior high school. After graduation, she was enrolled in a technical school in Taiyuan, but was refused admission after "the teachers took a look at me". That experience taught her a hard lesson. "It made me realize that despite all the media reports and attention, you still have to rely on yourself," she says. She wrote a second letter that changed her life, this time to a radio program dedicated to helping the disabled. The radio station took up her case and negotiated with the school administration, and the school eventually agreed to accept her into the college. She chose business English as her major, hoping to become a translator or interpreter someday. However, when she graduated three years later, "it seemed I could never compete in the job market," she says. "In most cases, the human resource person would tell me they had already got the right person for the job."

It took her one year to finally land a job as an operator at a telecommunications company. She was more than content with the job even though it required working 24 hours for each shift. Months later, she quit the job and got married to Xu Jin, a security guard. Their baby was born in 2007, one year after they got married and the baby brought her the happiest days in her life, she says, even though they had to live a very frugal life. Unfortunately, they lost the child to congenital heart disease when he was just one and a half years old. Luo says she thought of killing herself several times after their son died, but realized that losing her as well would be too cruel to her husband. "I felt guilty as well: If we had more money, we might have been able to save our baby. "She started job hunting again and eventually decided to open an online store on Taobao.com, China's largest online marketplace. Her store now brings in about 3,000 yuan a month. Luo says the balance between giving and taking is one of life's central issues for her, a result of all that continuous media coverage over the years. Even today, many of her customers at Taobao.com buy her goods after learning of her stories and she often receives phone calls offering to send gifts, which she always refuses. "I think my current life is good enough. I don't want to be a subject of pity. I never regarded myself as any different from others," she says. There is one request that Luo never turns down, and that is to speak at schools or orphanages. "I learned from experience that there are many kind people in society. Giving lectures is probably the only thing I can do to pay it forward. As long as it helps people, I will do it," she says.

How much sugar is hiding in your food?

Most of us are aware sugar needs to be consumed in moderation. But many of us are consuming far more than we think. There's sugar 'hiding' in food and drink that might surprise us.
Manufacturers often add extra sugar to food because it makes them taste better. When fat is removed from a processed meal, for example, sugar is often added to help disguise the blander taste. Because of this, many foods we think of as wholesome - like yoghurt, granola bars, low-fat snacks and fruit-flavoured water - may actually contain much more sugar than we realise.
Like salt, these so called 'added sugars' help extend the shelf life of some foods, such as bread, breakfast cereals and tinned fruit and vegetables.Doctors worry that this makes it too easy to eat more sugar than our bodies can handle - because we don't always know when we're eating it.
What happens if you eat too much sugar?
Sugar is not inherently bad for you - it's the amount and how frequently you eat it that matters.
When we eat food, the sugars are broken down into glucose and fructose, which are absorbed into the bloodstream. However fructose must then be converted into glucose in the liver. If we consume more sugar than we burn through activity our liver converts the excess glucose into fat. Some of this fat stays in the liver but the rest is stored in fatty tissues around the body. This is why repeatedly eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain, and even obesity, when combined with a sedentary lifestyle.

Here are some other health problems that can be caused by eating too much sugar:
• Diabetes: Consuming too much sugar in your diet can lead to obesity, which increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Those with this condition don't produce enough insulin and aren't sensitive enough to what's produced. Blood sugar levels aren't regulated properly leading to thirst and tiredness in the short-term and damage to blood vessels, nerves and organs if left untreated.
• Heart disease: Obesity also raises blood pressure and 'bad' cholesterol levels while lowering levels of 'good' cholesterol. These all contribute to raising the risk of heart disease.
• Fatty liver disease: Excess sugar can be stored as fat in the liver. The condition has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes and even liver cancer.
• Tooth decay: When we eat sugary foods, bacteria in our mouths break down the carbohydrates and produce acids that dissolve minerals in our tooth enamel. The longer the sugar is in contact with teeth, the more damage bacteria can cause. Left untreated this can cause pain, infection, and tooth loss.
• Bad mood: Sugary foods like chocolate, cake and biscuits have been labelled 'bad mood food' by the NHS. They can give you a quick burst of energy by causing a sharp increase in blood sugar, but when levels fall this can make your mood dip. This cycle can make you feel irritable, anxious, and tired.
How can I tell if I'm eating sugar in disguise?
Working out how much sugar is in your food or drink can be confusing as it appears under many different disguises, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose and honey.

Food manufacturers are not required by law to separate added sugars from naturally occurring sugars on a nutrition label, but you can find out how much total sugar is in a product by looking for the 'carbohydrates (of which sugars)' figure.
More than 15g of total sugars per 100g means it has a high sugar content, 5g of total sugars or less per 100g means it has a low sugar content.

Session One
1. Eating too much sugar may cause some problems, including diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, etc. Have you ever had any friend who had this kind of problem? How do they control their diet?
2. Do you read nutrition facts label before you choose the food? What do you focus on? Calories, sugar, fiber or sodium? Why?
3. Do you have a healthy balanced diet? Share your experiences with us.
4. We will have a guessing game: “ how much sugar is hiding in the drinks”



Session Two

Five things that stop a good night’s sleep

Tossing, turning, can't get to sleep? It's a familiar feeling for many. Here are five things that could be preventing us from getting the restful night we need.

An uncomfortable or noisy environment

As we start to fall asleep, our muscle tone reduces and our limbs begin to relax. We may feel drowsy but our brain is still active, and any noise or discomfort can make it hard to fall asleep.
As we drift into light sleep, an area of the brain called the thalamus starts to block the flow of information from our senses to the rest of the brain. But it will still let through noises, which can wake us up.
After about half an hour of light sleep, most of us enter a type of deep sleep called slow-wave sleep. The changes in the brain neurochemistry typical of deep sleep, make it harder to be woken up. But some things will always get through - such as our names being called out loudly.Missing out on any part of our usual cycle of sleep results in reduced quality and quantity of sleep.

An irregular routine

We all have a built-in body clock which tells us when we are tired, and helps synchronise thousands of cells in our body to the circadian rhythm.The main synchroniser for our body clock is light. Our eyes react to the light and dark, even when our eyelids are closed.Daylight prompts our brains to reduce the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. We become more alert, and wake up.
If we sleep less, because of going to bed late or waking up early, we're unlikely to get as much deep sleep as we need, or enough of the stage that comes after it - REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when we do most of our dreaming.

Stimulants - coffee, alcohol, food

Caffeine is a stimulant which can stay in our system for many hours. Drinks high in caffeine make it harder to fall asleep and can result in more time in the lighter stages of sleep, with less deep sleep.
Drinking alcohol often makes us snore more, making it harder to breathe, and so making us more restless.
Although alcohol initially helps some of us fall asleep, too much of it may disrupt sleep. A lot of alcohol close to bedtime means we can go straight into deep sleep, missing out on the usual first stage of sleep.
As the alcohol starts to wear off, our bodies come out of deep sleep and back into REM sleep, which is much easier to wake from.
In the course of a night we usually have six to seven cycles of REM sleep, which leaves us feeling refreshed. However, a night of drinking means we'll typically have only one to two, and wake up feeling exhausted.
Eating a large, heavy meal too close to bedtime may also interfere with sleep. Spicy or fatty foods can cause heartburn, which leads to difficulty in falling asleep and discomfort throughout the night.
Foods containing a chemical called tyramine (examples include bacon, cheese, nuts and red wine) can keep us awake at night.Tyramine causes the release of noradrenaline, a brain stimulant. Carbohydrates, such as bread or pasta, have the opposite effect. They trigger the release of hormone serotonin, which makes us sleepy.

The wrong body temperature

Our core body temperature goes down when we sleep. It's controlled by our body clock, which starts to open up the blood vessels of the hands, face and feet, to lose heat, as we approach the time we should be sleeping.But if our bedrooms or duvets are too warm, our bodies can't lose heat. That can lead to restlessness and discomfort.Our core temperature should only be half a degree less than during the day. If we get too cold, we get restless.

A busy mind

Stress is the enemy of sleep. In bed, our mind is left free to wander, and feeling anxious about getting enough sleep will only make it worse.
In these states people lose track of time. You may nod off and wake up again but it may still feel as if you are getting no sleep at all. This can result in fragmented sleep with less time spent in the deep stages of sleep. Sleep experts recommend getting up and doing an activity which distracts our mind from worry - such as a puzzle - before trying to sleep again.

Questions for Session Two

1. How many hours do you usually sleep each day? Is it enough for you? Do you think we need to sleep 8 hours a day?
2. The five things mentioned above will stop a good night’s sleep. Has this ever happened to you before? What was it?
3. Stress often interferes with sleep, and make the next day more difficult to manage. Have you ever tried to take pills or having sleep therapy to get a good night’s sleep? Share your tips with us.

Agenda
7:00-7:25 Greetings and free talk
7:25-7:30 Opening remarks/ Newcomers self-introduction/ Grouping
(Session I)
7:30 ~ 8:05pm discussion session (35 mins)
8:05 ~ 8:20pm summarization (15 mins)
8:20 ~ 8:25pm Regrouping & instruction giving
(Session II)
8:25 ~ 8:35pm Taking a 10 minutes break (Intermission)
8:35 ~ 9:10pm discussion session (35 mins)
9:10 ~9:25pm summarization (15 mins)
9:25 ~ 9:30pm Concluding remarks/feedback from newcomers

The new meeting place of Thursday:
摩斯漢堡明曜店 (地下室)
捷運資訊： 近台北捷運 - 板南線 - 忠孝敦化站 (步行約5分鐘)

Dear fellows,

This is Julian and this week we are going to talk about cultural differences. I hope through this discussion we can learn information from each other and gather knowledge in different aspects.
See you guys soon!


Differences in Cultures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Increasingly, managers must deal with multiple ethnic groups with very different cultures. Thanks to globalization, you are likely to work with Japanese, French, Chinese, German and all sorts of other nationalities. It is important to recognize that people from different cultures have are different in a variety of ways, including
•different ways of looking at things
•different ways of dressing
•different ways of expressing personality/goodness

In an ideal world ...
•the policemen would be English
•the car mechanics would be German
•the cooks would be French
•the innkeepers would be Swiss,
•and the lovers would be Italian

In a living hell ...
•the policemen would be German
•the car mechanics would be French
•the cooks would be English
•the innkeepers would be Italian
•and the lovers would be Swiss


These differences can cause problems interpreting what the other person is doing. Some simple examples:
•In the US, a firm, short handshake indicates self-confidence and (heterosexual) masculinity. A limp handshake by a man can be interpreted (usually wrongly) as a sign of homosexuality or wimpiness. But in most parts of Africa, a limp handshake is the correct way to do it. Furthermore, it is common in Africa for the handshake to last several minutes, while in the US a handshake that is even a few seconds too long is interpreted as familiarity, warmth and possibly sexual attraction.

•In Britain, men do not look at women on the streets. The French do. Recently, a French public figure mentioned in a speech that the Brits are all gay -- the evidence was their lack of overt interest in women.

Some dimensions along which cultures vary:

High Context vs Low Context
A low context culture is one in which things are fully (though concisely) spelled out. Things are made explicit, and there is considerable dependence on what is actually said or written. A high context culture is one in which the communicators assume a great deal of commonality of knowledge and views, so that less is spelled out explicitly and much more is implicit or communicated in indirect ways. In a low context culture, more responsibility is placed on the listener to keep up their knowledge base and remain plugged into informal networks.

Low context cultures include Anglos, Germanics and Scandinavians. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French.

Implications
•Interactions between high and low context peoples can be problematic. ◦Japanese can find Westerners to be offensively blunt. Westerners can find Japanese to be secretive, devious and bafflingly unforthcoming with information
◦French can feel that Germans insult their intelligence by explaining the obvious, while Germans can feel that French managers provide no direction

•Low context cultures are vulnerable to communication breakdowns when they assume more shared understanding than there really is. This is especially true in an age of diversity. Low context cultures are not known for their ability to tolerate or understand diversity, and tend to be more insular.

Monochronic vs Polychronic
Monochronic cultures like to do just one thing at a time. They value a certain orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time and place for everything. They do not value interruptions. Polychronic cultures like to do multiple things at the same time. A manager's office in a polychronic culture typically has an open door, a ringing phone and a meeting all going on at the same time.

Polychronic cultures include the French and the Americans. The Germans tend to be monochronic.

Implications
•Interactions between types can be problematic. German businessman cannot understand why the person he is meeting is so interruptible by phone calls and people stopping by. Is it meant to insult him? When do they get down to business?
•Similarly, the American employee of a German company is disturbed by all the closed doors -- it seems cold and unfriendly.

Future vs Present vs Past Orientation
Past-oriented societies are concerned with traditional values and ways of doing things. They tend to be conservative in management and slow to change those things that are tied to the past. Past-oriented societies include China, Britain, Japan and most spanish-speaking Latin American countries.

Present-oriented societies include the rest of the spanish-speaking Latin American countries. They see the past as passed and the future as uncertain. They prefer short-term benefits.

Future-oriented societies have a great deal of optimism about the future. They think they understand it and can shape it through their actions. They view management as a matter of planning, doing and controlling (as opposed to going with the flow, letting things happen). The United States and, increasingly, Brazil, are examples of future-oriented societies.

Quantity of Time
In some cultures, time is seen as being a limited resource which is constantly being used up. It's like having a bathtub full of water which can never be replaced, and which is running down the drain. You have to use it as it runs down the drain or it's wasted. In other cultures, time is more plentiful, if not infinite. In old agricultural societies, time was often seen as circular, renewing itself each year.

Implications
•In societies where time is limited, punctuality becomes a virtue. It is insulting to waste someone's time, and the ability to do that and get away with it is an indication of superiority/status. Time is money. In cultures where time is plentiful, like India or Latin American, there is no problem with making people wait all day, and then tell them to come back the next day.
•Time-plentiful cultures tend to rely on trust to do business. Time-limited cultures don't have time to develop trust and so create other mechanisms to replace trust (such as strong rule-by-law).

Question for Session I:
Following with the boom of globlization, there are more chances to deal with multiple ethnic groups with very different cultures.
1.Have you ever encounter culture shock or culture differences? Share with us your experience.
2.According to the author, the ideal world would be: English policeman/ German mechanics/ French cooks/ Swiss innkeepers/ Italian lovers. Do you have different opinion with the above saying?
3.In cultures where time is plentiful, like India or Latin American, there is no problem with making people wait all day, and then tell them to come back the next day. So how can we deal with this situation?

=====================================================================================================================================
Session II

Power Distance
The extent to which people accept differences in power and allow this to shape many aspects of life. Is the boss always right because he is the boss, or only when he gets it right?

Implications
•In high power distance countries (most agrarian countries), bypassing a superior is unsubordination. In low power distance countries (US, northern europeans, Israel), bypassing is not usually a big deal.
•In the US, superiors and subordinates often interact socially as equals. An outsider watching a party of professors and graduate students typically cannot tell them apart.

Individualism vs Collectivism
In individualist cultures, individual uniqueness, self-determination is valued. A person is all the more admirable if they are a "self-made man" or "makes up their own mind" or show initiative or work well independently. Collectivist cultures expect people to identify with and work well in groups which protect them in exchange for loyalty and compliance.

Paradoxically, individualist cultures tend to believe that there are universal values that should be shared by all, while collectivist cultures tend to accept that different groups have different values.

Many of the asian cultures are collectivist, while anglo cultures tend to be individualist.

Implications
•A market research firm conducted a survey of tourist agencies around the world. The questionnaires came back from most countries in less than a month. But the agencies in the asian countries took months to do it. After many telexes, it was finally done. The reason was that, for example, American tourist agencies assigned the work to one person, while the Filipinos delegated the work to the entire department, which took longer. The researchers also noticed that the telexes from the Philippines always came from a different person.

Problems Caused by Cultural Differences
•You greet your Austrian client. This is the sixth time you have met over the last 4 months. He calls you Herr Smith. You think of him as a standoffish sort of guy who doesn't want to get really friendly. That might be true in America, where calling someone Mr. Smith after the 6th meeting would probably mean something -- it is marked usage of language -- like "we're not hitting it off". But in Austria, it is normal.
•A Canadian conducting business in Kuwait is surprised when his meeting with a high-ranking official is not held in a closed office and is constantly interrupted. He starts wondering if the official is as important as he had been led to believe, and he starts to doubt how seriously his business is being taken
•A British boss asked a new, young American employee if he would like to have an early lunch at 11 am each day. The employee said 'Yeah, that would be great!' The boss immediately said "With that kind of attitude, you may as well forget about lunch!" The employee and the boss were both baffled by what went wrong. [In England, saying "yeah" in that context is seen as rude and disrespectful.]
•A Japanese businessman wants to tell his Norwegian client that he is uninterested in a particular sale. So he says "That will be very difficult." The Norwegian eagerly asks how he can help. The Japanese is mystified. To him, saying that something is difficult is a polite way of saying "No way in hell!". Dave Barry tells the story of being on a trip to Japan and working with a Japanese airline clerk on taking a flight from one city to another. On being asked about it, the clerk said "Perhaps you would prefer to take the train." So he said "NO, I want to fly." So she said "There are many other ways to go." He said "yes, but I think it would be best to fly." She said "It would very difficult". Eventually, it came out that there were no flights between those cities.

Three basic kinds of problems: interpreting others comments and actions, predicting behavior, and conflicting behavior.

Some Perceptions of Americans
Europe & especially England. "Americans are stupid and unsubtle. And they are fat and bad dressers."

Finland. "Americans always want to say your name: 'That's a nice tie, Mikko. Hi Mikko, how are you Mikko'

Indian. "Americans are always in a hurry. Just watch the way they walk down the street."

Kenyan. "Americans are distant. They are not really close to other people -- even other Americans."

Turkey. "Once we were out in a rural area in the middle of nowhere and saw an American come to a stop sign. Though he could see in both directions for miles, and there was no traffic, he still stopped!"

Colombia. "In the United States, they think that life is only work."

Indonesia. "In the United States everything has to be talked about and analyzed. Even the littlest thing has to be 'Why, why why?'."

Ethiopia. "The American is very explicit. He wants a 'yes' or 'no'. If someone tries to speak figuratively, the American is confused."

Iran. "The first time my American professor told me 'I don't know, I will have to look it up', I was shocked. I asked myself 'Why is he teaching me?'"


Try this experiment:

Start by reading this:
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS
OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEARS
Now, quickly count the number of "F"s in that sentence. On average, anglos find fewer F's than do others. Why?

*The article is cited from "www.analytictech.com" and the link below:
http://www.analytictech.com/mb021/cultural.htm

Question for Session II:
Q1.Business leaders in different countries form their leadership in various way. For instance, typical Japanese company has different concern with the company in US. In your opinion, what kind of leadership fits better to Taiwanese companies.
Q2.Is there any way we can deal with the culture differences from beginning? to prevent problems happened in advance.
Q3.Any funny thing happened related to cultural differences in your experience? or from what you have ever heard? Please share with us.

Session one
Do you ever wonder how your coffee house barista is able to pour those beautiful designs on top of your favorite foamy drinks?

It's called “latte art.” And believe me, there is definitely an art behind that perfect pour.

Eden-Marie Abramowicz is the girl you want preparing your morning cup of joe. She is the 2013 Southwest Regional Barista champion and works as an educator at Intelligentsia in Silver Lake, California.

She's been in the coffee industry for six years, and loves teaching coffee drinkers what makes coffee so special.

“For me, it has a lot to do with the concept of working with such a quality product, and to be able to celebrate that and be able to be an ambassador for that product, I feel is an amazing thing,” Abramowicz said.

But there’s a lot that goes into pouring latte art. Abramowicz says these five simple steps will help you get started.

1. Pour a cup of good, quality espresso – It has to be freshly brewed!

2. Steam your milk to 130-140 degrees, and knock out the bubbles. It should have the consistency of smooth, wet paint.

3. Tilt your cup of espresso.

4. Begin to pour a thin, straight line of steamed milk into the center of your espresso. The pour should be high and thin. At this point, no white from the steamed milk should be showing through the espresso.

5. Lower the steaming pitcher close to the surface of the drink and slowly un-tilt your cup – that’s when you begin your latte art.

Coffee introduction

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a distinct aroma and flavor, prepared from the roasted seeds of the Coffea plant. The seeds are found in coffee "berries", which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America,Southeast Asia, Maldives, and Africa. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world.[1] Coffee is slightly acidic (pH 5.0–5.1) and can have a stimulating effect on humans because of its caffeine content. It is one of the most consumed drinks in the world.
Wild coffee's energizing effect was likely first discovered in the northeast region ofEthiopia. Coffee cultivation first took place in southern Arabia; the earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century in theSufi shrines of Yemen.
In East Africa and Yemen, coffee was used in native religious ceremonies that were in competition with the Christian Church. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its secular consumption until the reign of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia. The beverage was also banned in Ottoman Turkey during the 17th century for political reasons and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.
Coffee berries, which contain the coffee seeds, are produced by several species of a small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown are also the most highly regarded Coffea arabica, and the "robusta" form of the hardierCoffea canephora. The latter is resistant to the coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix). Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor, before being ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways.
An important export commodity, coffee was the top agricultural export for twelve countries in 2004, and it was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value in 2005. Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment. Consequently, organic coffee is an expanding market.
Many studies have examined the health effects of coffee, and whether the overall effects of coffee consumption are positive or negative has been widely disputed. The majority of recent research suggests that moderate coffee consumption is benign or mildly beneficial in healthy adults. However, coffee can worsen the symptoms of some conditions, largely due to the caffeine and diterpenes it contains.


Questions

1. Do you like drink coffee? what kinds of flavor coffee you like?
2. How often you go to Starbucks buy the coffee?
3. Many studies have examined the health effects of coffee consumption are positive or negative ,how about your opinion?



session two
The 7-Minute Workout to Get in Shape Fast

Can you really get the perfect body in just seven minutes? A regular seven-minute workout may be all you need to stay in shape, according to the authors of a new study that’s getting buzz in fitness circles.
The high-intensity circuit training workout uses your own body weight and is backed up by science. The study, published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal, shows that when you work close to your maximum capacity with resistance for even a short time, you can change your muscles in the same way that a few hours of running can.
“What makes this workout stand out is the pure efficiency of the entire model, as well as the fact that it can be done completely with body weight,” said Brett Klika, a performance coach at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla., and a co-author of the study.
A story on the workout was first published in the May 12 issue of The New York Times Magazine.

All you need is a chair to take on the 12 exercises in the sequence, which alternate between upper and lower body moves, with 10-second breaks in between. The breaks, as short as they are, are key to the results — from metabolic benefits to body weight and fat loss, according to the study. Plus, a shorter rest time means a shorter overall workout time to fit into a busy lifestyle.
Shipman commissioned Aaron Sterling, owner of the Sterling Gym in Washington, D.C., where she exercises, to help her run through the circuit of jumping jacks, crunches, push-ups, squats, planks and lunges.
“Because the right combination and the right sequence of muscles were fatigued, your actual performance improved,” Sterling told Shipman. “You look, for being so tired, much better and much more energized.”
Then, Sterling made her do it twice to prove that the quick, intense workouts can make you feel stronger,
“even as you think you might die,” Shipman said.
Exercisers can repeat the seven-minute workout two to three times, depending on how much time they have, according to the study.

While there are pros to the workout plan, celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak suggested proceeding with caution if you’re just starting out.

“I would say there is a big danger factor if you’re sedentary or moderately sedentary and you, all of a sudden, try and do the intensity that’s suggested,” Pasternak, author of “The Body Reset Diet,”

Here’s the routine:

1. Jumping jacks

2. Wall sit

3. Push-up

4. Abdominal crunch Core

5. Step-up onto chair

6. Squat

7. Triceps dip on chair

8. Plank

9. High knees/running in place

10. Lunge

11. Push-up and rotation

12. Side plank


Quessions

1.How many time you exercise in one week? What kinds of exercise you choice?
2.Do you have ever join any “Ironman Triathlon”competition? If yes , please share your experience
3. If you want to fitness body which part you wants to sculpture?



Agenda
7:00-7:25 Greetings and free talk
7:25-7:30 Opening remarks/ Newcomers self-introduction/ Grouping
(Session I)
7:30 ~ 8:05pm discussion session (35 mins)
8:05 ~ 8:20pm summarization (15 mins)
8:20 ~ 8:25pm Regrouping & instruction giving
(Session II)
8:25 ~ 8:35pm Taking a 10 minutes break (Intermission)
8:35 ~ 9:10pm discussion session (35 mins)
9:10 ~9:25pm summarization (15 mins)
9:25 ~ 9:30pm Concluding remarks/feedback from newcomers

The new meeting place of Thursday:
摩斯漢堡明曜店 (地下室)
捷運資訊： 近台北捷運 - 板南線 - 忠孝敦化站 (步行約5分鐘)

It's time to suck in some fresh air and see the beauty of the spring. After a good and sufficient night sleep, pack with your good mood, let's go together to see the beautiful tung blossem during day time and fireflies in the evening in Tuchen. Also remember to prepare your lunch, 'cause we're going to have a picnic there, like what we did while we were an elementary school student. After the journey, we're going to enjoy the delicious Thai food at 泰之雲 restaurant for dinner. (The restaurant also provides dishes for vegetarians.)

So....dress casually with your sneakers. If you have a flashlight, bring it along, but try to make it not too light in order to prevent scaring the little fireflies. You can stick the translucent red-colored paper to the light source of your flashlight.

[Note]: The last shuttle bus will be at 6:00 pm, so if you want to see the fireflies, you won't have bus to take, you have to walk down the mountain with me, ha ha... Besides, if you don't want to eat in that restaurant, also let me know.

MRT Yongning(永寧) station, exit 3, in Tuchen(土城)
10:00 am, May 4th, 2013

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/a ... 2003560640

Session1
Nation confirms its first case of H7N9 avian flu

A 53-year-old Taiwanese man who had worked in China’s Jiangsu Province has tested positive for the H7N9 avian flu virus, the Central Epidemic Command Center said yesterday.
The man, who is now in serious condition, is receiving treatment, including intubation, in a negative-pressure quarantine ward, the center said.
It marked the first confirmed human infection of the new bird flu strain in Taiwan and also the first confirmed H7N9 case outside of China, the center said.
The infection source of the first imported H7N9 case remained unknown, because he neither came into contact with poultry or other birds during his stay in Jiangsu, nor had he eaten raw or undercooked eggs or poultry while there, the center said.
The patient fell ill three days after his return from China, the center said.
According to the center, 139 people are known to have come into contact with him. Three of them had close contact, 26 had contact more than seven days ago (putting them past the infectious period) and 110 are hospital personnel, it said.
Three of the hospital personnel, who had taken proper protective measures when providing medical care for the patient, have developed respiratory symptoms, the center said.
The center added that all those who have had contact with the patient have been notified and told to take care of their health.
They will be subject to close monitoring until the infectious period expires, the center said, adding that public health officials will help people on the watch list get medical treatment should they develop flu-like symptoms, such as fever or coughing.
According to the center, the patient is a hepatitis B carrier and also suffers from hypertension, adding that his H7N9 infection was confirmed yesterday.
The center said it had informed the WHO and China of the case earlier in the day.
China reported the world’s first confirmed human infections of H7N9 on March 31, and as of Tuesday, 108 cases had been confirmed in China, with 22 deaths.
The CDC said there is still no evidence that the H7N9 virus has mutated into a form that will allow sustained person-to-person transmissions.
Later yesterday evening, the Taipei City Government launched its emergency response mechanism to provide information to the public. It also opened an avian flu hotline on (02) 2375-3782 to answer questions from those who have concerns about the flu.
Taipei City’ Department of Health Chief Secretary Chiang Yu-mei (姜郁美) said that people with questions can also call the 1999 Citizen Hotline and that department members would assist the hotline staff with inquiries about the flu, and seek to reduce public panic over the first case of H7N9.
Head of the department Lin Chi-hung (林奇宏) yesterday declined to confirm whether the first H7N9 case was in Taipei, but said the department will inspect the facilities of the city’s designated avian flu response hospital, Taipei Hoping Hospital, and another 16 hospitals that are equipped with quarantine rooms to prevent a potential outbreak.

Q1.Have you ever been to china recently? did you fell uncomfortable this week?
Q2.If unfortunately you get flu and the doctor say you infected H7N9 avian flu virus,what do you think in that moment?
Q3.if the epidemic of H7N9 avian flu virus become person-to-person transmissions, what did you want to do?


Session2
20 of the world's most beautiful World Heritage Sites
By Sarah Reid, for CNN Travel

You heard of the two guys who recently opted in to a two-year, $1.5 million holiday? These are some of the sights they'll be privy to.

Luxury website VeryFirstTo.com unveiled its £990,000 ($1.5 million) trip just a month ago, a luxury expedition to all 962 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in what's been billed as the world's most expensive vacation.
Two men have reportedly signed up -- a Chinese student and an Italian businessman.
Their "vacation" will take them from dazzling underwater ecosystems to the ruins of ancient civilizations, otherworldly natural landscapes to more modern works of architecture.
Each year, around 25 sites deemed to have "outstanding universal value" are inscribed on the list, and we couldn't resist choosing a few favorites.
We've rounded up 20 sites that we'd be looking forward to most if we were going on the trip.

Angkor, Cambodia
The site lies a 20-minute tuk-tuk ride from the city of Siem Reap, with the bulk of visitors traveling between November and February, when the weather is dry and temperatures are coolest (25-30 C). You can explore Cambodia on a Geckos Adventures tour.

Acropolis, Greece
It's possible to take a tour to the site, or simply wander there from Athens on foot. The route along Adrianou Street to the back entrance of the site is a gentler climb than the Dionysus Theatre entrance. For more information, visit the Greece Tourism website.

Bagan, Myanmar
Located in Burma's central west, Bagan is serviced by flights, buses and trains from Yangoon. Accommodation is centered in the surrounding villages of New Bagan and Nyaung Oo. Tours available with Intrepid.

Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Located nearly 1,000 kilometers from mainland Ecuador, the islands are serviced by flights from Quito and Guayaquil. Multi-day boat cruises are generally the best way to explore the islands. Celebrity Cruises will get you around the Galápagos in style.

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, Turkey
Due to the remote nature of the site in central Anatolia, most visitors opt to fly in from Istanbul to visit the area on a tour, or drive. Hotels cut out of the rock provide accommodation. For more information, visit the Turkey Tourism website.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Larger islands are well-serviced by flights from mainland Australia. It's also possible to visit the reef via day trips from northern Queensland ports including Cairns and Port Douglas. For more information, visit the Tropical North Queensland Tourism website.

Hampi, India
Hampi is serviced by overnight bus from Goa. Trains run to nearby Hospet from Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Calcutta, and visitors will find a good range of low- to mid-range lodgings around Hampi village. Tours available through On The Go Tours.

Iguazu National Park, Brazil and Argentina
The less-developed but refreshingly uncrowded Brazilian side of the falls is a half-hour bus ride from the city of Foz do Iguaçu. It's the same distance to the falls from Puerto Iguazu on the Argentine side. The two countries are connected via a bridge downriver of the falls. For more information, visit the Argentina Tourism website.

Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Most visitors to this remote southern region of Argentina base themselves in El Calafate, the closest town to the park entrance. There are daily flights and buses from the capital Buenos Aires. For excursion options, check out Gigantes Patagones.

Machu Picchu, Peru
Several multi-day treks terminate at Machu Picchu, but it's also possible to take a train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, and climb a steep flight of stairs or bus up to the site. Only the first 400 daily visitors are granted entry to Wayna Picchu, a separate set of ruins overlooking the main complex. Tucan Travel offer a range of tour options.

Mont-Saint-Michel, France
Mont-Saint-Michel is serviced by buses/tours from Rennes and Saint-Malo, but it's also possible to lodge in one of Mont-Saint-Michel's small hotels. For more information, visit the Normandy Tourism website.

Petra, Jordan
Buses and day/overnight tours run from Jordan's capital Amman and the port city of Aqaba. It's also possible to organize tours from Egypt, and the Israeli resort town of Eilat. For longer stays, bunk down in Wadi Musa, Petra's neighboring town. For more information, visit the Jordan Tourism website.

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Just 25 kilometers southwest of Cairo along the Nile River, the complex is most easily visited on a day trip from Egypt's capital. For more information, visit the Egypt Tourism website.

Rapa Nui, Chile
While it's possible to access Easter Island by air from Tahiti, most visitors opt for the five-and-a-half hour flight from Santiago, Chile. For more information, visit the Chile Tourism website.

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
The short October/November and March/April rainy seasons notwithstanding, the Serengeti, usually accessed via Kilimanjaro or Nairobi airports, offers great game viewing year-round. For tours, visit the Audley Travel website.

Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
The central Sri Lankan site is located two-three hours by local bus from the city of Kandy (via Dambulla, home to a massive cave temple complex). It's also possible to organize a tour or personal driver from Kandy. For more information, visit the Sri Lanka Tourism website.

Tulum, Mexico
Located a few minutes drive from the small Yucatan Peninsula township of Tulum, the easily accessible ruins lie about 60 kilometers south of the larger township of Playa del Carmen, and a further 60 kilometers from Cancun. For more information, visit the Mexico Tourism website.

Valletta, Malta
Just south of Sicily, Malta is connected by flights from across Europe. It's possible to lodge in Valletta, but the bulk of visitors make for the tiny nation's beach resorts. For more information, visit the Malta Tourism website.

Venice and its lagoon, Italy
Venice is served by nearby Maro Polo and Treviso airports, while trains arrive at the Venezia Santa Lucia train station in the western part of the city. For more information, visit the Italy Tourism website.

Yellowstone National Park, United States
Located around 100 kilometers from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the closest major airport hub, the park has five main access points. Most visitors choose to drive throughout the park, camping en route. For more information, visit the Wyoming Tourism website.

Q1. if you just can choice one Heritage Sites from this article,which one is your favorite? why?
Q2. Have you been to any Heritage Sites in Taiwan recently?
if you want to recommend Taiwan's Heritage Sites to foreign friend ,which site you will recommend?
Q3. Could you share your private viewpoint to everybody?

Agenda
7:00-7:25 Greetings and free talk
7:25-7:30 Opening remarks/ Newcomers self-introduction/ Grouping
(Session I)
7:30 ~ 8:05pm discussion session (35 mins)
8:05 ~ 8:20pm summarization (15 mins)
8:20 ~ 8:25pm Regrouping & instruction giving
(Session II)
8:25 ~ 8:35pm Taking a 10 minutes break (Intermission)
8:35 ~ 9:10pm discussion session (35 mins)
9:10 ~9:25pm summarization (15 mins)
9:25 ~ 9:30pm Concluding remarks/feedback from newcomers

The new meeting place of Thursday:
摩斯漢堡明曜店 (地下室)
捷運資訊： 近台北捷運 - 板南線 - 忠孝敦化站 (步行約5分鐘)

Photoed by Wendy Ray.

Photoed by Nicole Gilbo.

Photoed by Nicole Gilbo.

UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger,13 May
Eating more insects could help fight world hunger, according to a new UN report. The report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that eating insects could help boost nutrition and reduce pollution. It notes than over 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diet with insects. However it admits that "consumer disgust" remains a large barrier in many Western countries. Wasps, beetles and other insects are currently "underutilised" as food for people and livestock, the report says. Insect farming is "one of the many ways to address food and feed security". "Insects are everywhere and they reproduce quickly, and they have high growth and feed conversion rates and a low environmental footprint," according to the report.
Nutritional value
The authors point out that insects are nutritious, with high protein, fat and mineral content. They are "particularly important as a food supplement for undernourished children". Insects are also "extremely efficient" in converting feed into edible meat. Crickets, for example, need 12 times less feed than cattle to produce the same amount of protein, according to the report. Most insects are likely to produce fewer environmentally harmful greenhouse gases than other livestock. The ammonia emissions associated with insect-rearing are far lower than those linked to conventional livestock such as pigs, says the report.
Delicacies
Insects are regularly eaten by many of the world's population, but the thought may seem shocking to many Westerners. The report suggests that the food industry could help in "raising the status of insects" by including them in new recipes and adding them to restaurant menus. It goes on to note that in some places, certain insects are considered delicacies. For example some caterpillars in southern Africa are seen as luxuries and command high prices. Most edible insects are gathered in forests and serve niche markets, the report states. It calls for improved regulation and production for using insects as feed. "The use of insects on a large scale as a feed ingredient is technically feasible, and established companies in various parts of the world are already leading the way," it adds.

Lack of sleep blights pupils' education, 7 May 2013,By Sean Coughlan , BBC News education correspondent
Sleep deprivation is a significant hidden factor in lowering the achievement of school pupils, according to researchers carrying out international education tests. It is a particular problem in more affluent countries, with sleep experts linking it to the use of mobile phones and computers in bedrooms late at night. Sleep deprivation is such a serious disruption that lessons have to be pitched at a lower level to accommodate sleep-starved learners, the study found. The international comparison, carried out by Boston College, found the United States to have the highest number of sleep-deprived students, with 73% of 9 and 10-year-olds and 80% of 13 and 14-year-olds identified by their teachers as being adversely affected. In literacy tests there were 76% of 9 and 10-year-olds lacking sleep. This was much higher than the international average of 47% of primary pupils needing more sleep and 57% among the secondary age group.

Achievement gap
Other countries with the most sleep-deprived youngsters were New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Australia, England, Ireland and France. High-performing Finland is also among the most lacking in sleep. Countries with the best records for getting enough sleep include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Japan and Malta. The analysis was part of the huge data-gathering process for global education rankings - the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS).These are among the biggest international benchmarks for education standards, based on tests taken by more than 900,000 pupils in primary and secondary schools in more than 50 countries and regional administrations. The rankings of results for maths, science and reading were published at the end of last year, with Asian education systems dominating the top of the tables. But the researchers also wanted to find out more about the influence of home life. There has been much analysis of the impact of family wealth and poverty, but the Boston College researchers also wanted to measure factors such as sleep and nutrition. So the tests were accompanied by questionnaires for teachers, pupils and parents about sleep patterns. And this information was compared with pupils' test results, so that the performance in maths, science and literacy could be compared with levels of sleep.

Brain food
"I think we underestimate the impact of sleep. Our data show that across countries internationally, on average, children who have more sleep achieve higher in maths, science and reading. That is exactly what our data show," says Chad Minnich, of the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center. "It's the same link for children who are lacking basic nutrition," says Mr Minnich, based at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College. "If you are unable to concentrate, to attend mentally, you are unable to achieve at your optimal level, because your mind and body are in need of something more basic. "Sleep is a fundamental need for all children. If teachers report such large proportions of children suffering from lack of sleep, it's having a significant impact. "But worse than that, teachers are having to modify their instruction based on those children who are suffering from a lack of sleep. "The children who are suffering from a lack of sleep are driving down instruction. "That means that even the children who are getting enough sleep are still suffering from this sleep-related dumbing-down.

Cramming school
The researchers uncovered regional trends that bucked expectations. Asian countries are the highest-performing in maths tests - and Mr .Minnich says this has often been associated with long hours and cramming in after-school classes. "One would assume that they would be extremely tired," he said. "And yet when we look at the sleep factor for them, they don't necessarily seem to be suffering from as much sleep deprivation as the other countries. "Getting a good night's sleep isn't going to transform an underperforming country into an education superpower. For instance, the least sleepy pupils seem to be in Azerbaijan, but they are still considerably behind the most sleep-deprived pupils in Finland. But researchers say that it does show how differently individual pupils might be placed on the ability spectrum, with lack of sleep representing the difference between being high-performing and average. There are also big changes as pupils get older. Younger pupils in South Korea have among the lowest levels of sleep deprivation in the world, but in secondary school they have some of the worst problems. There are differences within countries too. At the level of US states, among secondary pupils Colorado has a much worse problem with lack of sleep than Massachusetts. What the study does not show is why young people are missing out on sleep - or why more technologically advanced countries seem to have the biggest difficulties. But sleep experts point to a particular problem due to technology in children's bedroom - specifically the use of screens on smartphones or laptops late at night.

Serious barrier to learning
It isn't only that young people are kept awake by messaging their friends or using the internet. The light from the screen, held close to the face, is physically disruptive to the natural onset of sleep. "Having a computer screen that is eight inches away from your face is going to expose you to a lot more light than watching a television on the opposite side of the room," says Karrie Fitzpatrick, sleep researcher at Northwestern University in Illinois. "It's going to tell your brain to stay awake," says Dr Fitzpatrick. "That light can reset the whole circadian rhythm system and say, 'Wait a minute, it's not time to go to bed'. "Lack of sleep is also a serious physical barrier to learning. "Sleepiness is a problem at all stages that are relevant to learning, memory and academic performance," says Derk-Jan Dijk, director of the Sleep Research Centre at the University of Surrey. Research into sleep disorders and brain function has shown the importance of sleep in memory and consolidating information. Without sleep, the brain struggles to absorb and retain ideas. "There is a growing interest in the associations between adequate sleep and academic performance," says Prof Dijk.

20 people attended the April 27(Sat. night) gathering. We welcomed visiting guest Mr. Lee who was invited by Sophia.

17 people attended the May 9 (Thur. night) gathering. We welcomed visiting guest Candy. Guess What? Which of these drinks : Milkshakes, cola drinks, fruit juice, pearl milk tea,養樂多, 舒跑, 百香QQ, 美粒果 you think has the most sugar or the least sugar?

21 people attended the April 25(Thur. night) gathering. We welcomed 3 visiting guests: Annie, Eric, Bryan who is senior high school student. For the question 10 of today's topic, my comment is that no good deed goes unpunished.

A total of 18 people one after another attended the May 4 outing, 13 people stayed to the end.

Note: We may switch the meeting indoor to outdoor this Saturday so please check Royal Website or FB before joining the meeting.

Mother and devoted wife: the private life of Britain's Margaret Thatcher, By Robin Millard, AFP, April 10, 2013,

LONDON--Behind the black door of 10 Downing Street, in her private life Margaret Thatcher was a housewife mother of sometimes troubled twins, supported by her ever-loyal husband Denis. In her autobiography she wrote: “I could never have been prime minister for more than 11 years without Denis by my side.” The prime minister dubbed the “Iron Lady” applied her relentless work ethic to home life, overseeing the rearing of her children Mark and Carol and performing domestic duties — with Denis' help. Mark, in particular, would spark unwelcome headlines later in life, being fined by a South African court for the role he played in financing an attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea in 2004. Margaret Thatcher was imbued with her economic and political outlook by her grocer father Alfred, a Methodist preacher, grocer and local councilor in the eastern English town of Grantham. But she also had the housewife instincts of her mother Beatrice and would think nothing of immersing herself in domestic duties while political storms raged around her. Discussing her private life in detail was never something that came easily to her. And her businessman husband Denis was even less likely to give details away — his trump card being his blank refusal to speak to what he called the “reptiles” of the press. However, in her 1996 biography of her father, Carol Thatcher shed light on how the family operated behind closed doors, with Denis letting Margaret get on with her career while he continued with his. “If marriage is either a takeover or a merger, then my parents enjoyed the latter,” she wrote. Denis Thatcher first met his second wife in February 1949 when she was 23 and he 34. Some friends of his were having the young parliamentary candidate over for dinner after watching her give a speech.

Denis, a wealthy, shy divorced man who served in World War II and inherited his father's paint factory, gave her a lift back to London, out of courtesy. Asked whether Margaret fell in love at first sight, Denis said: “No; there were two elections to fight first. She stood for Dartford twice and lost twice and the second time she cried on my shoulder I married her.” They wed in London on December 13, 1951. Her twins Mark and Carol were born by cesarean section six weeks early. She felt unwell during her pregnancy and given that she had a child of each sex, did not feel the need to have any more offspring. The future prime minister's work ethic applied to the family home in Chelsea, west London, where she juggled her job, studying for her exams to become a lawyer, organising the household, shopping, sewing, cooking and ironing. Their nanny Barbera recalled: “She did everything — she was so ultra-efficient that it was very difficult to fault her. “Mrs. Thatcher always got her own way because Mr. Thatcher allowed her to. She'd say, 'We've got to go to this, this and this.' And he said, 'Oh well,' and accepted it.” The Thatchers were not the type to lounge around on holiday either, preferring sight-seeing rather than relaxing by the pool. While he relished a gin and mixer, Thatcher was partial to a whisky to keep her going during the long nights writing speeches. She reportedly slept for only four hours a night and her husband was the only one who could order her to bed and relieve her exhausted staff. Fiercely anti-socialist, Denis agreed with her on everything politically except her support for capital punishment. However, he never strayed into her political life.

Armless but not defeated, 2013-04-16, By Xu Wei and Sun Ruisheng ( China Daily)
Her plight would have made a lesser person give up, but Luo Fengzhi had the love, courage and perseverance to move forward in life despite her disability. Xu Wei and Sun Ruisheng report in Taiyuan, Shanxi. Born armless, Luo Fengzhi, 30, has proved that feet can be capable alternatives. Luo, from Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, has been a subject of extensive media coverage since she was in primary school and her story has been a source of inspiration to many. She became the focus of the media again recently when she became the life tutor of a 3-year-old, also born armless, abandoned and then adopted in Taiyuan earlier this year. "I kept telling people: It does not make sense to complain about life. Even if you are disabled, your life can still be wonderful," she says. Life has never been easy, but looking back, Luo says she has survived, and experienced both bitter and sweet moments with the help and support of so many kind people. She says she also needs love, courage and perseverance and that's what she hopes to share, to inspire and encourage others."I might not have a life as splendid as many aspire to, but I do have a life that I enjoy," she says. "I hope, through me they can see the future of the child and hold on to it," she says, referring to the adoptive parents of her little charge. Luo, born in Wucun village, Qingxu county in Taiyuan, was abandoned by her biological parents. She was abandoned a second time by another family who took her home before being finally adopted by her current parents who lived in the village nearby. "My mother told me I barely survived the low temperatures in April and there were already ants in my belly when my uncle took me home," she says. Despite the bitter episodes in her early life, Luo says her childhood was happy and she never found it difficult getting along with other children. She says she barely remembers how she gradually got used to using her feet to eat and to get dressed, and eventually, to cook, to sew and to write with her feet." Probably it is part of our survival instinct," she says.

The biggest challenge for Luo was the stigma in society. "My mother had to keep pleading with the school principal to enroll me and try to convince them that I would not be of any trouble to them," she recalls. At the age of 12, a letter she wrote to Sun Wensheng, the then governor of Shanxi province, brought her unexpected fame. In the letter, she voiced her support for a water diversion project in the province and told the governor of her personal story. She also included her savings of 11.9 yuan ($1.90) in the envelope. "I saw television reports about the project and how important it was. So I thought I should be part of it too," she recalls. She did not expect Sun to respond to her letter, followed by numerous reporters wanting to interview her. The media coverage also helped her get the attention of many people, who started mailing her packages of books and snacks. The media spotlight gradually faded as she went to junior high school. After graduation, she was enrolled in a technical school in Taiyuan, but was refused admission after "the teachers took a look at me". That experience taught her a hard lesson. "It made me realize that despite all the media reports and attention, you still have to rely on yourself," she says. She wrote a second letter that changed her life, this time to a radio program dedicated to helping the disabled. The radio station took up her case and negotiated with the school administration, and the school eventually agreed to accept her into the college. She chose business English as her major, hoping to become a translator or interpreter someday. However, when she graduated three years later, "it seemed I could never compete in the job market," she says. "In most cases, the human resource person would tell me they had already got the right person for the job."

It took her one year to finally land a job as an operator at a telecommunications company. She was more than content with the job even though it required working 24 hours for each shift. Months later, she quit the job and got married to Xu Jin, a security guard. Their baby was born in 2007, one year after they got married and the baby brought her the happiest days in her life, she says, even though they had to live a very frugal life. Unfortunately, they lost the child to congenital heart disease when he was just one and a half years old. Luo says she thought of killing herself several times after their son died, but realized that losing her as well would be too cruel to her husband. "I felt guilty as well: If we had more money, we might have been able to save our baby. "She started job hunting again and eventually decided to open an online store on Taobao.com, China's largest online marketplace. Her store now brings in about 3,000 yuan a month. Luo says the balance between giving and taking is one of life's central issues for her, a result of all that continuous media coverage over the years. Even today, many of her customers at Taobao.com buy her goods after learning of her stories and she often receives phone calls offering to send gifts, which she always refuses. "I think my current life is good enough. I don't want to be a subject of pity. I never regarded myself as any different from others," she says. There is one request that Luo never turns down, and that is to speak at schools or orphanages. "I learned from experience that there are many kind people in society. Giving lectures is probably the only thing I can do to pay it forward. As long as it helps people, I will do it," she says.

Dear fellows,

This is Julian and this week we are going to talk about cultural differences. I hope through this discussion we can learn information from each other and gather knowledge in different aspects.
See you guys soon!


Differences in Cultures
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Increasingly, managers must deal with multiple ethnic groups with very different cultures. Thanks to globalization, you are likely to work with Japanese, French, Chinese, German and all sorts of other nationalities. It is important to recognize that people from different cultures have are different in a variety of ways, including
•different ways of looking at things
•different ways of dressing
•different ways of expressing personality/goodness

In an ideal world ...
•the policemen would be English
•the car mechanics would be German
•the cooks would be French
•the innkeepers would be Swiss,
•and the lovers would be Italian

In a living hell ...
•the policemen would be German
•the car mechanics would be French
•the cooks would be English
•the innkeepers would be Italian
•and the lovers would be Swiss


These differences can cause problems interpreting what the other person is doing. Some simple examples:
•In the US, a firm, short handshake indicates self-confidence and (heterosexual) masculinity. A limp handshake by a man can be interpreted (usually wrongly) as a sign of homosexuality or wimpiness. But in most parts of Africa, a limp handshake is the correct way to do it. Furthermore, it is common in Africa for the handshake to last several minutes, while in the US a handshake that is even a few seconds too long is interpreted as familiarity, warmth and possibly sexual attraction.

•In Britain, men do not look at women on the streets. The French do. Recently, a French public figure mentioned in a speech that the Brits are all gay -- the evidence was their lack of overt interest in women.

Some dimensions along which cultures vary:

High Context vs Low Context
A low context culture is one in which things are fully (though concisely) spelled out. Things are made explicit, and there is considerable dependence on what is actually said or written. A high context culture is one in which the communicators assume a great deal of commonality of knowledge and views, so that less is spelled out explicitly and much more is implicit or communicated in indirect ways. In a low context culture, more responsibility is placed on the listener to keep up their knowledge base and remain plugged into informal networks.

Low context cultures include Anglos, Germanics and Scandinavians. High context cultures include Japanese, Arabs and French.

Implications
•Interactions between high and low context peoples can be problematic. ◦Japanese can find Westerners to be offensively blunt. Westerners can find Japanese to be secretive, devious and bafflingly unforthcoming with information
◦French can feel that Germans insult their intelligence by explaining the obvious, while Germans can feel that French managers provide no direction

•Low context cultures are vulnerable to communication breakdowns when they assume more shared understanding than there really is. This is especially true in an age of diversity. Low context cultures are not known for their ability to tolerate or understand diversity, and tend to be more insular.

Monochronic vs Polychronic
Monochronic cultures like to do just one thing at a time. They value a certain orderliness and sense of there being an appropriate time and place for everything. They do not value interruptions. Polychronic cultures like to do multiple things at the same time. A manager's office in a polychronic culture typically has an open door, a ringing phone and a meeting all going on at the same time.

Polychronic cultures include the French and the Americans. The Germans tend to be monochronic.

Implications
•Interactions between types can be problematic. German businessman cannot understand why the person he is meeting is so interruptible by phone calls and people stopping by. Is it meant to insult him? When do they get down to business?
•Similarly, the American employee of a German company is disturbed by all the closed doors -- it seems cold and unfriendly.

Future vs Present vs Past Orientation
Past-oriented societies are concerned with traditional values and ways of doing things. They tend to be conservative in management and slow to change those things that are tied to the past. Past-oriented societies include China, Britain, Japan and most spanish-speaking Latin American countries.

Present-oriented societies include the rest of the spanish-speaking Latin American countries. They see the past as passed and the future as uncertain. They prefer short-term benefits.

Future-oriented societies have a great deal of optimism about the future. They think they understand it and can shape it through their actions. They view management as a matter of planning, doing and controlling (as opposed to going with the flow, letting things happen). The United States and, increasingly, Brazil, are examples of future-oriented societies.

Quantity of Time
In some cultures, time is seen as being a limited resource which is constantly being used up. It's like having a bathtub full of water which can never be replaced, and which is running down the drain. You have to use it as it runs down the drain or it's wasted. In other cultures, time is more plentiful, if not infinite. In old agricultural societies, time was often seen as circular, renewing itself each year.

Implications
•In societies where time is limited, punctuality becomes a virtue. It is insulting to waste someone's time, and the ability to do that and get away with it is an indication of superiority/status. Time is money. In cultures where time is plentiful, like India or Latin American, there is no problem with making people wait all day, and then tell them to come back the next day.
•Time-plentiful cultures tend to rely on trust to do business. Time-limited cultures don't have time to develop trust and so create other mechanisms to replace trust (such as strong rule-by-law).

Question for Session I:
Following with the boom of globlization, there are more chances to deal with multiple ethnic groups with very different cultures.
1.Have you ever encounter culture shock or culture differences? Share with us your experience.
2.According to the author, the ideal world would be: English policeman/ German mechanics/ French cooks/ Swiss innkeepers/ Italian lovers. Do you have different opinion with the above saying?
3.In cultures where time is plentiful, like India or Latin American, there is no problem with making people wait all day, and then tell them to come back the next day. So how can we deal with this situation?

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Session II

Power Distance
The extent to which people accept differences in power and allow this to shape many aspects of life. Is the boss always right because he is the boss, or only when he gets it right?

Implications
•In high power distance countries (most agrarian countries), bypassing a superior is unsubordination. In low power distance countries (US, northern europeans, Israel), bypassing is not usually a big deal.
•In the US, superiors and subordinates often interact socially as equals. An outsider watching a party of professors and graduate students typically cannot tell them apart.

Individualism vs Collectivism
In individualist cultures, individual uniqueness, self-determination is valued. A person is all the more admirable if they are a "self-made man" or "makes up their own mind" or show initiative or work well independently. Collectivist cultures expect people to identify with and work well in groups which protect them in exchange for loyalty and compliance.

Paradoxically, individualist cultures tend to believe that there are universal values that should be shared by all, while collectivist cultures tend to accept that different groups have different values.

Many of the asian cultures are collectivist, while anglo cultures tend to be individualist.

Implications
•A market research firm conducted a survey of tourist agencies around the world. The questionnaires came back from most countries in less than a month. But the agencies in the asian countries took months to do it. After many telexes, it was finally done. The reason was that, for example, American tourist agencies assigned the work to one person, while the Filipinos delegated the work to the entire department, which took longer. The researchers also noticed that the telexes from the Philippines always came from a different person.

Problems Caused by Cultural Differences
•You greet your Austrian client. This is the sixth time you have met over the last 4 months. He calls you Herr Smith. You think of him as a standoffish sort of guy who doesn't want to get really friendly. That might be true in America, where calling someone Mr. Smith after the 6th meeting would probably mean something -- it is marked usage of language -- like "we're not hitting it off". But in Austria, it is normal.
•A Canadian conducting business in Kuwait is surprised when his meeting with a high-ranking official is not held in a closed office and is constantly interrupted. He starts wondering if the official is as important as he had been led to believe, and he starts to doubt how seriously his business is being taken
•A British boss asked a new, young American employee if he would like to have an early lunch at 11 am each day. The employee said 'Yeah, that would be great!' The boss immediately said "With that kind of attitude, you may as well forget about lunch!" The employee and the boss were both baffled by what went wrong. [In England, saying "yeah" in that context is seen as rude and disrespectful.]
•A Japanese businessman wants to tell his Norwegian client that he is uninterested in a particular sale. So he says "That will be very difficult." The Norwegian eagerly asks how he can help. The Japanese is mystified. To him, saying that something is difficult is a polite way of saying "No way in hell!". Dave Barry tells the story of being on a trip to Japan and working with a Japanese airline clerk on taking a flight from one city to another. On being asked about it, the clerk said "Perhaps you would prefer to take the train." So he said "NO, I want to fly." So she said "There are many other ways to go." He said "yes, but I think it would be best to fly." She said "It would very difficult". Eventually, it came out that there were no flights between those cities.

Three basic kinds of problems: interpreting others comments and actions, predicting behavior, and conflicting behavior.

Some Perceptions of Americans
Europe & especially England. "Americans are stupid and unsubtle. And they are fat and bad dressers."

Finland. "Americans always want to say your name: 'That's a nice tie, Mikko. Hi Mikko, how are you Mikko'

Indian. "Americans are always in a hurry. Just watch the way they walk down the street."

Kenyan. "Americans are distant. They are not really close to other people -- even other Americans."

Turkey. "Once we were out in a rural area in the middle of nowhere and saw an American come to a stop sign. Though he could see in both directions for miles, and there was no traffic, he still stopped!"

Colombia. "In the United States, they think that life is only work."

Indonesia. "In the United States everything has to be talked about and analyzed. Even the littlest thing has to be 'Why, why why?'."

Ethiopia. "The American is very explicit. He wants a 'yes' or 'no'. If someone tries to speak figuratively, the American is confused."

Iran. "The first time my American professor told me 'I don't know, I will have to look it up', I was shocked. I asked myself 'Why is he teaching me?'"


Try this experiment:

Start by reading this:
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS
OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEARS
Now, quickly count the number of "F"s in that sentence. On average, anglos find fewer F's than do others. Why?

*The article is cited from "www.analytictech.com" and the link below:
http://www.analytictech.com/mb021/cultural.htm

Question for Session II:
Q1.Business leaders in different countries form their leadership in various way. For instance, typical Japanese company has different concern with the company in US. In your opinion, what kind of leadership fits better to Taiwanese companies.
Q2.Is there any way we can deal with the culture differences from beginning? to prevent problems happened in advance.
Q3.Any funny thing happened related to cultural differences in your experience? or from what you have ever heard? Please share with us.

It's time to suck in some fresh air and see the beauty of the spring. After a good and sufficient night sleep, pack with your good mood, let's go together to see the beautiful tung blossem during day time and fireflies in the evening in Tuchen. Also remember to prepare your lunch, 'cause we're going to have a picnic there, like what we did while we were an elementary school student. After the journey, we're going to enjoy the delicious Thai food at 泰之雲 restaurant for dinner. (The restaurant also provides dishes for vegetarians.)

So....dress casually with your sneakers. If you have a flashlight, bring it along, but try to make it not too light in order to prevent scaring the little fireflies. You can stick the translucent red-colored paper to the light source of your flashlight.

[Note]: The last shuttle bus will be at 6:00 pm, so if you want to see the fireflies, you won't have bus to take, you have to walk down the mountain with me, ha ha... Besides, if you don't want to eat in that restaurant, also let me know.

MRT Yongning(永寧) station, exit 3, in Tuchen(土城)
10:00 am, May 4th, 2013

How much sugar is hiding in your food?

Most of us are aware sugar needs to be consumed in moderation. But many of us are consuming far more than we think. There's sugar 'hiding' in food and drink that might surprise us.
Manufacturers often add extra sugar to food because it makes them taste better. When fat is removed from a processed meal, for example, sugar is often added to help disguise the blander taste. Because of this, many foods we think of as wholesome - like yoghurt, granola bars, low-fat snacks and fruit-flavoured water - may actually contain much more sugar than we realise.
Like salt, these so called 'added sugars' help extend the shelf life of some foods, such as bread, breakfast cereals and tinned fruit and vegetables.Doctors worry that this makes it too easy to eat more sugar than our bodies can handle - because we don't always know when we're eating it.
What happens if you eat too much sugar?
Sugar is not inherently bad for you - it's the amount and how frequently you eat it that matters.
When we eat food, the sugars are broken down into glucose and fructose, which are absorbed into the bloodstream. However fructose must then be converted into glucose in the liver. If we consume more sugar than we burn through activity our liver converts the excess glucose into fat. Some of this fat stays in the liver but the rest is stored in fatty tissues around the body. This is why repeatedly eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain, and even obesity, when combined with a sedentary lifestyle.

Here are some other health problems that can be caused by eating too much sugar:
• Diabetes: Consuming too much sugar in your diet can lead to obesity, which increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Those with this condition don't produce enough insulin and aren't sensitive enough to what's produced. Blood sugar levels aren't regulated properly leading to thirst and tiredness in the short-term and damage to blood vessels, nerves and organs if left untreated.
• Heart disease: Obesity also raises blood pressure and 'bad' cholesterol levels while lowering levels of 'good' cholesterol. These all contribute to raising the risk of heart disease.
• Fatty liver disease: Excess sugar can be stored as fat in the liver. The condition has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes and even liver cancer.
• Tooth decay: When we eat sugary foods, bacteria in our mouths break down the carbohydrates and produce acids that dissolve minerals in our tooth enamel. The longer the sugar is in contact with teeth, the more damage bacteria can cause. Left untreated this can cause pain, infection, and tooth loss.
• Bad mood: Sugary foods like chocolate, cake and biscuits have been labelled 'bad mood food' by the NHS. They can give you a quick burst of energy by causing a sharp increase in blood sugar, but when levels fall this can make your mood dip. This cycle can make you feel irritable, anxious, and tired.
How can I tell if I'm eating sugar in disguise?
Working out how much sugar is in your food or drink can be confusing as it appears under many different disguises, such as sucrose, glucose, fructose and honey.

Food manufacturers are not required by law to separate added sugars from naturally occurring sugars on a nutrition label, but you can find out how much total sugar is in a product by looking for the 'carbohydrates (of which sugars)' figure.
More than 15g of total sugars per 100g means it has a high sugar content, 5g of total sugars or less per 100g means it has a low sugar content.

Session One
1. Eating too much sugar may cause some problems, including diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, etc. Have you ever had any friend who had this kind of problem? How do they control their diet?
2. Do you read nutrition facts label before you choose the food? What do you focus on? Calories, sugar, fiber or sodium? Why?
3. Do you have a healthy balanced diet? Share your experiences with us.
4. We will have a guessing game: “ how much sugar is hiding in the drinks”



Session Two

Five things that stop a good night’s sleep

Tossing, turning, can't get to sleep? It's a familiar feeling for many. Here are five things that could be preventing us from getting the restful night we need.

An uncomfortable or noisy environment

As we start to fall asleep, our muscle tone reduces and our limbs begin to relax. We may feel drowsy but our brain is still active, and any noise or discomfort can make it hard to fall asleep.
As we drift into light sleep, an area of the brain called the thalamus starts to block the flow of information from our senses to the rest of the brain. But it will still let through noises, which can wake us up.
After about half an hour of light sleep, most of us enter a type of deep sleep called slow-wave sleep. The changes in the brain neurochemistry typical of deep sleep, make it harder to be woken up. But some things will always get through - such as our names being called out loudly.Missing out on any part of our usual cycle of sleep results in reduced quality and quantity of sleep.

An irregular routine

We all have a built-in body clock which tells us when we are tired, and helps synchronise thousands of cells in our body to the circadian rhythm.The main synchroniser for our body clock is light. Our eyes react to the light and dark, even when our eyelids are closed.Daylight prompts our brains to reduce the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. We become more alert, and wake up.
If we sleep less, because of going to bed late or waking up early, we're unlikely to get as much deep sleep as we need, or enough of the stage that comes after it - REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, when we do most of our dreaming.

Stimulants - coffee, alcohol, food

Caffeine is a stimulant which can stay in our system for many hours. Drinks high in caffeine make it harder to fall asleep and can result in more time in the lighter stages of sleep, with less deep sleep.
Drinking alcohol often makes us snore more, making it harder to breathe, and so making us more restless.
Although alcohol initially helps some of us fall asleep, too much of it may disrupt sleep. A lot of alcohol close to bedtime means we can go straight into deep sleep, missing out on the usual first stage of sleep.
As the alcohol starts to wear off, our bodies come out of deep sleep and back into REM sleep, which is much easier to wake from.
In the course of a night we usually have six to seven cycles of REM sleep, which leaves us feeling refreshed. However, a night of drinking means we'll typically have only one to two, and wake up feeling exhausted.
Eating a large, heavy meal too close to bedtime may also interfere with sleep. Spicy or fatty foods can cause heartburn, which leads to difficulty in falling asleep and discomfort throughout the night.
Foods containing a chemical called tyramine (examples include bacon, cheese, nuts and red wine) can keep us awake at night.Tyramine causes the release of noradrenaline, a brain stimulant. Carbohydrates, such as bread or pasta, have the opposite effect. They trigger the release of hormone serotonin, which makes us sleepy.

The wrong body temperature

Our core body temperature goes down when we sleep. It's controlled by our body clock, which starts to open up the blood vessels of the hands, face and feet, to lose heat, as we approach the time we should be sleeping.But if our bedrooms or duvets are too warm, our bodies can't lose heat. That can lead to restlessness and discomfort.Our core temperature should only be half a degree less than during the day. If we get too cold, we get restless.

A busy mind

Stress is the enemy of sleep. In bed, our mind is left free to wander, and feeling anxious about getting enough sleep will only make it worse.
In these states people lose track of time. You may nod off and wake up again but it may still feel as if you are getting no sleep at all. This can result in fragmented sleep with less time spent in the deep stages of sleep. Sleep experts recommend getting up and doing an activity which distracts our mind from worry - such as a puzzle - before trying to sleep again.

Questions for Session Two

1. How many hours do you usually sleep each day? Is it enough for you? Do you think we need to sleep 8 hours a day?
2. The five things mentioned above will stop a good night’s sleep. Has this ever happened to you before? What was it?
3. Stress often interferes with sleep, and make the next day more difficult to manage. Have you ever tried to take pills or having sleep therapy to get a good night’s sleep? Share your tips with us.

Agenda
7:00-7:25 Greetings and free talk
7:25-7:30 Opening remarks/ Newcomers self-introduction/ Grouping
(Session I)
7:30 ~ 8:05pm discussion session (35 mins)
8:05 ~ 8:20pm summarization (15 mins)
8:20 ~ 8:25pm Regrouping & instruction giving
(Session II)
8:25 ~ 8:35pm Taking a 10 minutes break (Intermission)
8:35 ~ 9:10pm discussion session (35 mins)
9:10 ~9:25pm summarization (15 mins)
9:25 ~ 9:30pm Concluding remarks/feedback from newcomers

The new meeting place of Thursday:
摩斯漢堡明曜店 (地下室)
捷運資訊： 近台北捷運 - 板南線 - 忠孝敦化站 (步行約5分鐘)

21 people attended the April 25(Thur. night) gathering. We welcomed 3 visiting guests: Annie, Eric, Bryan who is senior high school student. For the question 10 of today's topic, my comment is that no good deed goes unpunished.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/a ... 2003560640

Session1
Nation confirms its first case of H7N9 avian flu

A 53-year-old Taiwanese man who had worked in China’s Jiangsu Province has tested positive for the H7N9 avian flu virus, the Central Epidemic Command Center said yesterday.
The man, who is now in serious condition, is receiving treatment, including intubation, in a negative-pressure quarantine ward, the center said.
It marked the first confirmed human infection of the new bird flu strain in Taiwan and also the first confirmed H7N9 case outside of China, the center said.
The infection source of the first imported H7N9 case remained unknown, because he neither came into contact with poultry or other birds during his stay in Jiangsu, nor had he eaten raw or undercooked eggs or poultry while there, the center said.
The patient fell ill three days after his return from China, the center said.
According to the center, 139 people are known to have come into contact with him. Three of them had close contact, 26 had contact more than seven days ago (putting them past the infectious period) and 110 are hospital personnel, it said.
Three of the hospital personnel, who had taken proper protective measures when providing medical care for the patient, have developed respiratory symptoms, the center said.
The center added that all those who have had contact with the patient have been notified and told to take care of their health.
They will be subject to close monitoring until the infectious period expires, the center said, adding that public health officials will help people on the watch list get medical treatment should they develop flu-like symptoms, such as fever or coughing.
According to the center, the patient is a hepatitis B carrier and also suffers from hypertension, adding that his H7N9 infection was confirmed yesterday.
The center said it had informed the WHO and China of the case earlier in the day.
China reported the world’s first confirmed human infections of H7N9 on March 31, and as of Tuesday, 108 cases had been confirmed in China, with 22 deaths.
The CDC said there is still no evidence that the H7N9 virus has mutated into a form that will allow sustained person-to-person transmissions.
Later yesterday evening, the Taipei City Government launched its emergency response mechanism to provide information to the public. It also opened an avian flu hotline on (02) 2375-3782 to answer questions from those who have concerns about the flu.
Taipei City’ Department of Health Chief Secretary Chiang Yu-mei (姜郁美) said that people with questions can also call the 1999 Citizen Hotline and that department members would assist the hotline staff with inquiries about the flu, and seek to reduce public panic over the first case of H7N9.
Head of the department Lin Chi-hung (林奇宏) yesterday declined to confirm whether the first H7N9 case was in Taipei, but said the department will inspect the facilities of the city’s designated avian flu response hospital, Taipei Hoping Hospital, and another 16 hospitals that are equipped with quarantine rooms to prevent a potential outbreak.

Q1.Have you ever been to china recently? did you fell uncomfortable this week?
Q2.If unfortunately you get flu and the doctor say you infected H7N9 avian flu virus,what do you think in that moment?
Q3.if the epidemic of H7N9 avian flu virus become person-to-person transmissions, what did you want to do?


Session2
20 of the world's most beautiful World Heritage Sites
By Sarah Reid, for CNN Travel

You heard of the two guys who recently opted in to a two-year, $1.5 million holiday? These are some of the sights they'll be privy to.

Luxury website VeryFirstTo.com unveiled its £990,000 ($1.5 million) trip just a month ago, a luxury expedition to all 962 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in what's been billed as the world's most expensive vacation.
Two men have reportedly signed up -- a Chinese student and an Italian businessman.
Their "vacation" will take them from dazzling underwater ecosystems to the ruins of ancient civilizations, otherworldly natural landscapes to more modern works of architecture.
Each year, around 25 sites deemed to have "outstanding universal value" are inscribed on the list, and we couldn't resist choosing a few favorites.
We've rounded up 20 sites that we'd be looking forward to most if we were going on the trip.

Angkor, Cambodia
The site lies a 20-minute tuk-tuk ride from the city of Siem Reap, with the bulk of visitors traveling between November and February, when the weather is dry and temperatures are coolest (25-30 C). You can explore Cambodia on a Geckos Adventures tour.

Acropolis, Greece
It's possible to take a tour to the site, or simply wander there from Athens on foot. The route along Adrianou Street to the back entrance of the site is a gentler climb than the Dionysus Theatre entrance. For more information, visit the Greece Tourism website.

Bagan, Myanmar
Located in Burma's central west, Bagan is serviced by flights, buses and trains from Yangoon. Accommodation is centered in the surrounding villages of New Bagan and Nyaung Oo. Tours available with Intrepid.

Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Located nearly 1,000 kilometers from mainland Ecuador, the islands are serviced by flights from Quito and Guayaquil. Multi-day boat cruises are generally the best way to explore the islands. Celebrity Cruises will get you around the Galápagos in style.

Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, Turkey
Due to the remote nature of the site in central Anatolia, most visitors opt to fly in from Istanbul to visit the area on a tour, or drive. Hotels cut out of the rock provide accommodation. For more information, visit the Turkey Tourism website.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Larger islands are well-serviced by flights from mainland Australia. It's also possible to visit the reef via day trips from northern Queensland ports including Cairns and Port Douglas. For more information, visit the Tropical North Queensland Tourism website.

Hampi, India
Hampi is serviced by overnight bus from Goa. Trains run to nearby Hospet from Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Calcutta, and visitors will find a good range of low- to mid-range lodgings around Hampi village. Tours available through On The Go Tours.

Iguazu National Park, Brazil and Argentina
The less-developed but refreshingly uncrowded Brazilian side of the falls is a half-hour bus ride from the city of Foz do Iguaçu. It's the same distance to the falls from Puerto Iguazu on the Argentine side. The two countries are connected via a bridge downriver of the falls. For more information, visit the Argentina Tourism website.

Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Most visitors to this remote southern region of Argentina base themselves in El Calafate, the closest town to the park entrance. There are daily flights and buses from the capital Buenos Aires. For excursion options, check out Gigantes Patagones.

Machu Picchu, Peru
Several multi-day treks terminate at Machu Picchu, but it's also possible to take a train from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, and climb a steep flight of stairs or bus up to the site. Only the first 400 daily visitors are granted entry to Wayna Picchu, a separate set of ruins overlooking the main complex. Tucan Travel offer a range of tour options.

Mont-Saint-Michel, France
Mont-Saint-Michel is serviced by buses/tours from Rennes and Saint-Malo, but it's also possible to lodge in one of Mont-Saint-Michel's small hotels. For more information, visit the Normandy Tourism website.

Petra, Jordan
Buses and day/overnight tours run from Jordan's capital Amman and the port city of Aqaba. It's also possible to organize tours from Egypt, and the Israeli resort town of Eilat. For longer stays, bunk down in Wadi Musa, Petra's neighboring town. For more information, visit the Jordan Tourism website.

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
Just 25 kilometers southwest of Cairo along the Nile River, the complex is most easily visited on a day trip from Egypt's capital. For more information, visit the Egypt Tourism website.

Rapa Nui, Chile
While it's possible to access Easter Island by air from Tahiti, most visitors opt for the five-and-a-half hour flight from Santiago, Chile. For more information, visit the Chile Tourism website.

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
The short October/November and March/April rainy seasons notwithstanding, the Serengeti, usually accessed via Kilimanjaro or Nairobi airports, offers great game viewing year-round. For tours, visit the Audley Travel website.

Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
The central Sri Lankan site is located two-three hours by local bus from the city of Kandy (via Dambulla, home to a massive cave temple complex). It's also possible to organize a tour or personal driver from Kandy. For more information, visit the Sri Lanka Tourism website.

Tulum, Mexico
Located a few minutes drive from the small Yucatan Peninsula township of Tulum, the easily accessible ruins lie about 60 kilometers south of the larger township of Playa del Carmen, and a further 60 kilometers from Cancun. For more information, visit the Mexico Tourism website.

Valletta, Malta
Just south of Sicily, Malta is connected by flights from across Europe. It's possible to lodge in Valletta, but the bulk of visitors make for the tiny nation's beach resorts. For more information, visit the Malta Tourism website.

Venice and its lagoon, Italy
Venice is served by nearby Maro Polo and Treviso airports, while trains arrive at the Venezia Santa Lucia train station in the western part of the city. For more information, visit the Italy Tourism website.

Yellowstone National Park, United States
Located around 100 kilometers from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the closest major airport hub, the park has five main access points. Most visitors choose to drive throughout the park, camping en route. For more information, visit the Wyoming Tourism website.

Q1. if you just can choice one Heritage Sites from this article,which one is your favorite? why?
Q2. Have you been to any Heritage Sites in Taiwan recently?
if you want to recommend Taiwan's Heritage Sites to foreign friend ,which site you will recommend?
Q3. Could you share your private viewpoint to everybody?

Agenda
7:00-7:25 Greetings and free talk
7:25-7:30 Opening remarks/ Newcomers self-introduction/ Grouping
(Session I)
7:30 ~ 8:05pm discussion session (35 mins)
8:05 ~ 8:20pm summarization (15 mins)
8:20 ~ 8:25pm Regrouping & instruction giving
(Session II)
8:25 ~ 8:35pm Taking a 10 minutes break (Intermission)
8:35 ~ 9:10pm discussion session (35 mins)
9:10 ~9:25pm summarization (15 mins)
9:25 ~ 9:30pm Concluding remarks/feedback from newcomers

The new meeting place of Thursday:
摩斯漢堡明曜店 (地下室)
捷運資訊： 近台北捷運 - 板南線 - 忠孝敦化站 (步行約5分鐘)

20 people attended the April 27(Sat. night) gathering. We welcomed visiting guest Mr. Lee who was invited by Sophia.

Gathering cancelled on May 4th. We're going out.
The weather is fine, so we're going out to enjoy some fresh air and doing some exercise. Therefore, the gathering on this evening (May 4th) will be cancelled.

But the weather is unstable, so remember to bring an umbrella or a rain coat with you.

19 people attended the May 2(Thur. night) gathering.

Photoed by Wendy Ray.

Photoed by Nicole Gilbo.

Photoed by Nicole Gilbo.

A total of 18 people one after another attended the May 4 outing, 13 people stayed to the end.

17 people attended the May 9 (Thur. night) gathering. We welcomed visiting guest Candy. Guess What? Which of these drinks : Milkshakes, cola drinks, fruit juice, pearl milk tea,養樂多, 舒跑, 百香QQ, 美粒果 you think has the most sugar or the least sugar?