2011年11月29日 星期二

Doing Our Own Thing

Americans no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. Mr. McWhorter’s academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of “whom,” Coach Outlet Online Store for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English.
But the cult of the authentic and the personal, “doing our own thing,” has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page. Equally, in poetry, Coach Poppy Outlet the highly personal, performative genre is the only form that could claim real liveliness. In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft.
Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like, care. As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive -- there exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas. Coach Purse He is not arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper.
Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend to elaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned to most English-speakers. Mr. McWhorter acknowledges that formal Chanel Purse language is not strictly necessary, and proposes no radical education reforms -- he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful. We now take our English “on paper plates instead of china.” A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one.

Evidence from brain imaging supports this view

Of all the components of a good night’s sleep, dreams seem to be least within our control. In dreams, a window opens into a world where logic is suspended and dead people speak. A century ago, Freud formulated his revolutionary theory that dreams were the disguised shadows of our unconscious desires and fears; by the late 1970s, neurologists had switched to thinking of them as just “mental noise” -- the random byproducts of the neural-repair work that goes on during sleep. Now researchers suspect that dreams are part of the mind’s emotional thermostat, regulating moods while the brain is “off-line.” And one leading authority says that these intensely powerful mental events can be not only harnessed but actually brought under conscious control, to help us sleep and feel better, “It’s your dream,” uggs clearance outlet says Rosalind Cartwright, chair of psychology at Chicago’s Medical Center. “If you don’t like it, change it.”
Evidence from brain imaging supports this view. The brain is as active during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep -- when most vivid dreams occur -- as it is when fully awake, says Dr, Eric Nofzinger at the University of Pittsburgh. But not all parts of the brain are equally involved; the limbic system (the “emotional brain”) is especially active, while the prefrontal cortex (the center of intellect and reasoning) is relatively quiet. cheap air max “We wake up from dreams happy or depressed, and those feelings can stay with us all day.” says Stanford sleep researcher Dr. William Dement.
The link between dreams and emotions shows up among the patients in Cartwright’s clinic. Most people seem to have more bad dreams early in the night, uggs clearance progressing toward happier ones before awakening, suggesting that they are working through negative feelings generated during the day. Because our conscious mind is occupied with daily life we don’t always think about the emotional significance of the day’s events -- until, Hermes Birkin Purse it appears, we begin to dream.
And this process need not be left to the unconscious. Cartwright believes one can exercise conscious control over recurring bad dreams. As soon as you awaken, identify what is upsetting about the dream. Visualize how you would like it to end instead; the next time it occurs, try to wake up just enough to control its course. With much practice people can learn to, Coach Purse Outlet literally, do it in their sleep.
At the end of the day, there’s probably little reason to pay attention to our dreams at all unless they keep us from sleeping or “we wake up in a panic,” Cartwright says. Terrorism, economic uncertainties and general feelings of insecurity have increased people’s anxiety. Those suffering from persistent nightmares should seek help from a therapist. For the rest of us, the brain has its ways of working through bad feelings. Sleep -- or Chanel Wallet rather dream -- on it and you’ll feel better in the morning.

There are upsetting parallels today

Do you remember all those years when scientists argued that smoking would kill us but the doubters insisted that we didn’t know for sure? That the evidence was inconclusive, the science uncertain? That the antismoking lobby was out to destroy our way of life and the government should stay out of the way? Lots of Americans bought that nonsense, and over three decades, some 10 million smokers went to early graves.
There are upsetting parallels today, as scientists in one wave after another try to awaken us to the growing threat of global warming. The latest was a panel from the National Academy of Sciences, enlisted by the White House, Coach Poppy to tell us that the Earth’s atmosphere is definitely warming and that the problem is largely man-made. The clear message is that we should get moving to protect ourselves. The president of the National Academy, Bruce Alberts, added this key point in the preface to the panel’s report: “Science never has all the answers. But science does provide us with the best available guide to the future, and it is critical that Coach Purse our nation and the world base important policies on the best judgments that science can provide concerning the future consequences of present actions.”
Just as on smoking, voices now come from many quarters insisting that the science about global warming is incomplete, that it’s OK to keep pouring fumes into the air until we know for sure. This is a dangerous game: by the time 100 percent of the evidence is in, it may be too late. With the risks obvious and growing, a prudent people would take out an insurance policy now.
Fortunately, the White House is starting to pay attention. But it’s obvious that a majority of the president’s advisers still don’t take global warming seriously. Instead of a plan of action, Coach Handbag Outlet they continue to press for more research -- a classic case of “paralysis by analysis.”
To serve as responsible stewards of the planet, we must press forward on deeper atmospheric and oceanic research. But research alone is inadequate. If the Administration won’t take the legislative initiative, Congress should help to begin fashioning conservation measures. A bill by Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Coach Kristin Handbag which would offer financial incentives for private industry, is a promising start. Many see that the country is getting ready to build lots of new power plants to meet our energy needs. If we are ever going to protect the atmosphere, it is crucial that those new plants be environmentally sound.

2011年11月28日 星期一

In the first picture

How ironic the two pictures are in describing one of the most widespread social phenomena concerning idol adoration! In the first picture, a young man writes the name of Beckham on his face. In the second picture, another young man spends 300 Yuan in dealing with his hair to make himself look like Beckham.
The meaning conveyed in the two pictures reveals that in current China some young people are losing themselves Coach Purse. I am greatly shocked by the enthusiasm for this British football superstar shown by these two young men. Frankly speaking, things of this kind really happen among us. Some people, especially college students, do nothing but concentrate on imitating superstars. This does great harm to their study and growth. If we can’t stop the worsening of this tendency, Chanel Purse our own culture will be damaged, and we ourselves will be the ultimate victims.
From my point of view, a lot of measures should be taken to save our losing culture and re-find ourselves. In fact, some measures have already been taken. In my university, campaigns have been launched to educate people to pay more attention to our traditional culture and read more books instead of focusing on our appearances.As a result, Hermes Purse we have witnessed some improvements but still there is a long way to go.

Everybody loves a fat pay rise

Everybody loves a fat pay rise. Yet pleasure at your own can vanish if you learn that a colleague has been given a bigger one. Indeed, if he has a reputation for slacking, you might even be outraged. Such behaviour is regarded as “all too human,” with the underlying assumption that other animals would not be capable of this finely developed sense of grievance. But a study by Sarah Brosnan and Frans de Waal of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, which has just been published in Nature, suggests that it is all too monkey, as well.
The researchers studied the behaviour of female brown capuchin monkeys. They look cute. They are good-natured, cooperative creatures, Coach Poppy and they share their food readily. Above all, like their female human counterparts, they tend to pay much closer attention to the value of “goods and services” than males.
Such characteristics make them perfect candidates for Dr. Brosnan’s and Dr. de Waal’s study. The researchers spent two years teaching their monkeys to exchange tokens for food. Normally, the monkeys were happy enough to exchange pieces of rock for slices of cucumber. However, when two monkeys were placed in separate but adjoining chambers, Coach Purse so that each could observe what the other was getting in return for its rock, their behaviour became markedly different.
In the world of capuchins grapes are luxury goods (and much preferable to cucumbers). So when one monkey was handed a grape in exchange for her token, the second was reluctant to hand hers over for a mere piece of cucumber. And if one received a grape without having to provide her token in exchange at all, the other either tossed her own token at the researcher or out of the chamber, or refused to accept the slice of cucumber. Indeed, Coach Handbag Outlet the mere presence of a grape in the other chamber (without an actual monkey to eat it) was enough to induce resentment in a female capuchin.
The researchers suggest that capuchin monkeys, like humans, are guided by social emotions. In the wild, they are a co-operative, group-living species. Such co-operation is likely to be stable only when each animal feels it is not being cheated. Coach Kristin Handbag Feelings of righteous indignation, it seems, are not the preserve of people alone. Refusing a lesser reward completely makes these feelings abundantly clear to other members of the group. However, whether such a sense of fairness evolved independently in capuchins and humans, or whether it stems from the common ancestor that the species had 35 million years ago, is, as yet, an unanswered question.

2011年11月23日 星期三

What is an intellectual?

Is it true that the American intellectual is rejected and considered of no account in his society? I am going to suggest that it is not true. Father Bruckberger told part of the story when he observed that it is the intellectuals who have rejected America. But they have done more than that. They have grown dissatisfied with the role of intellectual. It is they, not America, who have become anti-intellectual.
First, the object of our study pleads for definition. What is an intellectual? 46) I shall define him as an individual who has elected as his primary duty and pleasure in life the activity of thinking in Socratic Coach Purse way about moral problems. He explores such problems consciously, articulately, and frankly, first by asking factual questions, then by asking moral questions, finally by suggesting action which seems appropriate in the light of the factual and moral information which he has obtained. 47) His function is analogous to that of a judge, who must accept the obligation of revealing in as obvious a manner as possible the course of reasoning which led him to his decision.
This definition excludes many individuals usually referred to as intellectuals -- the average scientist, for one. 48) I have excluded him because, while his accomplishments may contribute to the solution of moral problems, he has not been charged with the task of approaching any but the factual aspects of those problems. Chanel Purse Like other human beings, he encounters moral issues even in the everyday performance of his routine duties -- he is not supposed to cook his experiments, manufacture evidence, or doctor his reports. 49) But his primary task is not to think about the moral code, which governs his activity, any more than a businessman is expected to dedicate his energies to an exploration of rules of conduct in business. During most of his waking life he will take his Hermes Purse code for granted, as the businessman takes his ethics.
The definition also excludes the majority of teachers, despite the fact that teaching has traditionally been the method whereby many intellectuals earn their living. 50) They may teach very well and more than earn their salaries, but most of them make little or no independent reflections on human problems which involve moral judgment. This description even fits the majority of eminent scholars. “Being learned in some branch of human knowledge is one thing, living in public and illustrious thoughts,” as Emerson would say, “Coach Large Purse is something else.”

The earliest forms of art

Many things make people think artists are weird. But the weirdest may be this: artists’ only job is to explore emotions, and yet they choose to focus on the ones that feel bad.
This wasn’t always so. The earliest forms of art, like painting and music, are those best suited for expressing joy. But somewhere from the 19th century onward, more artists began seeing happiness as meaningless, phony or, worst of all, boring, as we went from Wordsworth’s daffodils to Baudelaire’s Coach Madsion Handbag flowers of evil.
You could argue that art became more skeptical of happiness because modern times have seen so much misery. But it’s not as if earlier times didn’t know perpetual war, disaster and the massacre of innocents. The reason, in fact, Coach Outlet Online Store may be just the opposite: there is too much damn happiness in the world today.
After all, what is the one modern form of expression almost completely dedicated to depicting happiness? Advertising. The rise of anti-happy art almost exactly tracks the emergence of mass media, and with it, a commercial culture in which happiness is not just an ideal but an ideology. People in earlier eras were surrounded by reminders of misery. Coach Poppy Handbag They worked until exhausted, lived with few protections and died young. In the West, before mass communication and literacy, the most powerful mass medium was the church, which reminded worshippers that their souls were in danger and that they would someday be meat for worms. Given all this, they did not exactly need their art to be a bummer too.
Today the messages the average Westerner is surrounded with are not religious but commercial, uggs clearance outlet,uggs clearance and forever happy. Fast-food eaters, news anchors, text messengers, all smiling, smiling, smiling. Our magazines feature beaming celebrities and happy families in perfect homes. And since these messages have an agenda -- to lure us to open our wallets -- they make the very idea of happiness seem unreliable. “Celebrate!” commanded the ads for the arthritis drug Celebrex, before we found out it could increase the risk of heart attacks.
But what we forget -- what our economy depends on us forgetting -- air max outlet, uggs on clearance is that happiness is more than pleasure without pain. The things that bring the greatest joy carry the greatest potential for loss and disappointment. Today, surrounded by promises of easy happiness, we need art to tell us as religion once did, Memento mori: remember that you will die, that everything ends, and that happiness comes not in denying this but in living with it. It’s a message even more bitter than a clove cigarette, yet, somehow, a breath of fresh air.

shifting baseline

When prehistoric man arrived in new parts of the world, something strange happened to the large animals. They suddenly became extinct. Smaller species survived. The large, slow-growing animals were easy game, and were quickly hunted to extinction. Now something similar could be happening in the oceans.
That the seas are being overfished has been known for years. What researchers such as Ransom Myers and Boris Worm have shown is just how fast things are changing. They have looked at half a century of Coach Poppy data from fisheries around the world. Their methods do not attempt to estimate the actual biomass (the amount of living biological matter) of fish species in particular parts of the ocean, but rather changes in that biomass over time. According to their latest paper published in Nature, the biomass of large predators (animals that kill and eat other animals) in a new fishery is reduced on average by 80% within 15 years of the start of exploitation. In some long-fished areas, it has halved again since Coach Purse then.
Dr. Worm acknowledges that these figures are conservative. One reason for this is that fishing technology has improved. Today’s vessels can find their prey using satellites and sonar, which were not available 50 years ago. That means a higher proportion of what is in the sea is being caught, so the real difference between present and past is likely to be worse than the one recorded by changes in catch sizes. In the early days, too, longlines would have been more saturated with fish. Some individuals would therefore not have been caught Coach Handbag Outlet, since no baited hooks would have been available to trap them, leading to an underestimate of fish stocks in the past. Furthermore, in the early days of longline fishing, a lot of fish were lost to sharks after they had been hooked. That is no longer a problem, because there are fewer sharks around now.
Dr. Myers and Dr. Worm argue that their work gives a correct baseline, New Coach Outlet which future management efforts must take into account. They believe the data support an idea current among marine biologists, that of the “shifting baseline.” The notion is that people have failed to detect the massive changes which have happened in the ocean because they have been looking back only a relatively short time into the past. That matters because theory suggests that the maximum sustainable yield that can be cropped from a fishery comes when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of its Coach Poppy Outlet original levels. Most fisheries are well below that, which is a bad way to do business.

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    How Can a Parent Help?

    How Can a Parent Help?
    Mothers and fathers can do a lot to ensure a safe landing in early adulthood for their kids. Even if a job’s starting salary seems too small to satisfy an emerging adult’s need for rapid content, the transition from school to work can be less of a setback if the start-up adult is ready for the move. Here are a few measures, drawn from my book Ready or Not, Here Life Comes, that parents can take to prevent what I call “work-life unreadiness.”
    You can start this process when they are 11 or 12. Periodically review their emerging strengths and weaknesses with them and work together on any shortcomings, like difficulty in communicating well or collaborating. uggs clearance outlet, cheap air max Also, identify the kinds of interests they keep coming back to, as these offer clues to the careers that will fit them best.
    Kids need a range of authentic role models – as opposed to members of their clique, pop stars and vaunted athletes. Have regular dinner-table discussions about people the family knows and how they got where they are. Discuss the joys and downsides of your own career and encourage your kids to form some ideas about their own future. When asked what they want to do, they should be discouraged from saying “I have no idea.” They can change their minds 200 times, but having only uggs clearance, cheap air max shoes a foggy view of the future is of little good.
    Teachers are responsible for teaching kids how to learn; parents should be responsible for teaching them how to work. Assign responsibilities around the house and make sure homework deadlines are met. Encourage teenagers to take a part-time job. Kids need plenty of practice delaying gratification and deploying effective organizational skills, such as managing time and setting priorities.
    Playing video games encourages immediate content. And hours of watching Chanel Wallet TV shows with canned laughter only teaches kids to process information in a passive way. At the same time, listening through earphones to the same monotonous beats for long stretches encourages kids to stay inside their bubble instead of pursuing other endeavors. All these activities can prevent the growth of important communication and thinking skills and make it difficult for kids to develop the kind of sustained concentration they will need for most jobs.
    They should know how to deal with setbacks, Hermes Wallet stresses and feelings of inadequacy. They should also learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts, ways to brainstorm and think critically. Discussions at home can help kids practice doing these things and help them apply these skills to everyday life situations.
    What about the son or daughter who is grown but seems to be struggling and wandering aimlessly through early adulthood? Parents still have a major role to play, but now it is more delicate. Coach Purse Outlet They have to be careful not to come across as disappointed in their child. They should exhibit strong interest and respect for whatever currently interests their fledging adult (as naive or ill conceived as it may seem) while becoming a partner in exploring options for the future. Most of all, these new adults must feel that they are respected and supported by a family that appreciates them. How Can a Parent Help? Mothers and fathers can do a lot to ensure a safe landing in early adulthood for their kids. Even if a job’s starting salary seems too small to satisfy an emerging adult’s need for rapid content, the transition from school to work can be less of a setback if the start-up adult is ready for the move. Here are a few measures, drawn from my book Ready or Not, Here Life Comes, that parents can take to prevent what I call “work-life unreadiness.” You can start this process when they are 11 or 12. Periodically review their emerging strengths and weaknesses with them and work together on any shortcomings, like difficulty in communicating well or collaborating. Also, identify the kinds of interests they keep coming back to, as these offer clues to the careers that will fit them best. Kids need a range of authentic role models – as opposed to members of their clique, pop stars and vaunted athletes. Have regular dinner-table discussions about people the family knows and how they got where they are. Discuss the joys and downsides of your own career and encourage your kids to form some ideas about their own future. When asked what they want to do, they should be discouraged from saying “I have no idea.” They can change their minds 200 times, but having only a foggy view of the future is of little good. Teachers are responsible for teaching kids how to learn; parents should be responsible for teaching them how to work. Assign responsibilities around the house and make sure homework deadlines are met. Encourage teenagers to take a part-time job. Kids need plenty of practice delaying gratification and deploying effective organizational skills, such as managing time and setting priorities. Playing video games encourages immediate content. And hours of watching TV shows with canned laughter only teaches kids to process information in a passive way. At the same time, listening through earphones to the same monotonous beats for long stretches encourages kids to stay inside their bubble instead of pursuing other endeavors. All these activities can prevent the growth of important communication and thinking skills and make it difficult for kids to develop the kind of sustained concentration they will need for most jobs. They should know how to deal with setbacks, stresses and feelings of inadequacy. They should also learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts, ways to brainstorm and think critically. Discussions at home can help kids practice doing these things and help them apply these skills to everyday life situations. What about the son or daughter who is grown but seems to be struggling and wandering aimlessly through early adulthood? Parents still have a major role to play, but now it is more delicate. They have to be careful not to come across as disappointed in their child. They should exhibit strong interest and respect for whatever currently interests their fledging adult (as naive or ill conceived as it may seem) while becoming a partner in exploring options for the future. Most of all, these new adults must feel that they are respected and supported by a family that appreciates them.

    It never rains but it pours.

    It never rains but it pours. Just as bosses and boards have finally sorted out their worst accounting and compliance troubles, and improved their feeble corporation governance, a new problem threatens to earn them – especially in America – the sort of nasty headlines that inevitably lead to heads rolling in the executive suite: data insecurity. Left, until now, to odd, low-level IT staff to put right, and seen as a concern only of data-rich industries such as banking, telecoms and air travel, information protection is now high on the boss’s agenda in businesses of every variety.
    Several massive leakages of customer and employee data this year – from organizations as diverse as Time Warner, the American defense contractor Science Applications International Corp and even the University of California, Coach Poppy Berkeley – have left managers hurriedly peering into their intricate IT systems and business processes in search of potential vulnerabilities.
    “Data is becoming an asset which needs to be guarded as much as any other asset,” says Haim Mendelson of Stanford University’s business school. “The ability to guard customer data is the key to market value, which the board is responsible for on behalf of shareholders.” Indeed, just as there is the concept of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Coach Purse perhaps it is time for GASP, Generally Accepted Security Practices, suggested Eli Noam of New York’s Columbia Business School. “Setting the proper investment level for security, redundancy, and recovery is a management issue, not a technical one,” he says.
    The mystery is that this should come as a surprise to any boss. Surely it should be obvious to the dimmest executive that trust, that most valuable of economic assets, Coach Handbag Outlet is easily destroyed and hugely expensive to restore – and that few things are more likely to destroy trust than a company letting sensitive personal data get into the wrong hands.
    The current state of affairs may have been encouraged – though not justified – by the lack of legal penalty (in America, but not Europe) for data leakage. Until California recently passed a law, American firms did not have to tell anyone, Coach Kristin Handbag even the victim, when data went astray. That may change fast: lots of proposed data-security legislation is now doing the rounds in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, the theft of information about some 40 million credit-card accounts in America, disclosed on June 17th, overshadowed a hugely important decision a day earlier by America’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that puts corporate America on notice that regulators will act if firms fail to provide adequate data security.

    2011年11月22日 星期二

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    What might account for this strange phenomenon?

    If you were to examine the birth certificates of every soccer player in 2006’s World Cup tournament, you would most likely find a noteworthy quirk: elite soccer players are more likely to have been born in the earlier months of the year than in the late months. If you then examined the European national youth teams that feed the World Cup and professional ranks, you would find this strange phenomenon to be ever more pronounced.
    What might account for this strange phenomenon? air max outlet, uggs on clearance Here are a few guesses: a) certain astrological signs confer superior soccer skills; b) winter born babies tend to have higher oxygen capacity, which increases soccer stamina; c) soccer-mad parents are more likely to conceive children in springtime, at the annual peak of soccer mania; d) none of the above.
    Anders Ericsson, a 58-year-old psychology professor at Florida State University, says he believes strongly in “none of the above.” Ericsson grew up in Sweden, and studied nuclear engineering until he realized he would have more opportunity to conduct his own research if he switched to psychology. His first experiment, nearly 30 years ago, involved memory: uggs clearance outlet,uggs clearance training a person to hear and then repeat a random series of numbers. “With the first subject, after about 20 hours of training, his digit span had risen from 7 to 20,” Ericsson recalls. “He kept improving, and after about 200 hours of training he had risen to over 80 numbers.”
    This success, coupled with later research showing that memory itself is not genetically determined, led Ericsson to conclude that the act of memorizing is more of a cognitive exercise than an intuitive one. In other words, whatever inborn differences two people may exhibit in their abilities to memorize, those differences are swamped by how well each person Coach Purse Outlet “encodes” the information. And the best way to learn how to encode information meaningfully, Ericsson determined, was a process known as deliberate practice. Deliberate practice entails more than simply repeating a task. Hermes Birkin Purse Rather, it involves setting specific goals, obtaining immediate feedback and concentrating as much on technique as on outcome.
    Ericsson and his colleagues have thus taken to studying expert performers in a wide range of pursuits, including soccer. They gather all the data they can, not just performance statistics and biographical Chanel Wallet details but also the results of their own laboratory experiments with high achievers. Their work makes a rather startling assertion: the trait we commonly call talent is highly overrated. Or, put another way, expert performers – whether in memory or surgery, ballet or computer programming – are nearly always made, not born.

    As is illustrated in the picture

    As is illustrated in the picture, the two disabled persons whose crippled legs are bound together do a lot of traveling. Accordingly, this far-reaching picture reflects a common phenomenon in today’s Coach Poppy Handbag society: the people who are in the dark want to turn the corner but they can not make it respectively and in turn they have to choose to pull together in times of trouble.
    There are several reasons accounting for this. Since we have to live in an on-the-move lifestyle, we may encounter various plights, where we would be at a loss rather than to seek for others’Coach Handbag Outlet assistance. Further more, if we do not offer help to each other when we confront dilemma, we would not realize our dream. And no issue in China is as basic to build up the society in harmony as to conduct coordination in face of disasters.
    Judging from what have been argued above, people have come to realize the value of mutual aid. It is, therefore, necessary that some effective steps be made to advocate spirit of supporting each other. To begin with, New Coach Outlet the government should make laws to encourage people to unite. In addition, people should enhance the awareness of caring each other especially when they are in trouble. Only in those ways, can we make people, even not being acquaintance, help each other.

    2011年11月21日 星期一

    It used to be so straightforward

    It used to be so straightforward. A team of researchers working together in the laboratory would submit the results of their research to a journal. A journal editor would then remove the authors’ names and affiliations from the paper and send it to their peers for review. Depending on the comments received, the editor would accept the paper for publication or decline it. Copyright rested with the journal publisher, and researchers seeking knowledge of the results would have to subscribe to the journal.No longer. The Internet–and pressure from funding agencies, who are questioning why commercial publishers are making money from government-funded research by restricting access to it- is making access to scientific results a reality.
    The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has just issued a report describing the far-reaching consequences of this. The report, by John Houghton of Victoria University in Australia and Graham Vickery of the OECD, makes heavy reading for publishers who have, so far, made handsome profits. Coach Purse But it goes further than that. It signals a change in what has, until now, been a key element of scientific endeavor.The value of knowledge and the return on the public investment in research depends, in part, upon wide distribution and ready access. It is big business. In America, the core scientific publishing market is estimated at between $7 billion and $11 billion.
    The International Association of Scientific, Chanel Purse Technical and Medical Publishers says that there are more than 2,000 publishers worldwide specializing in these subjects. They publish more than 1.2 million articles each year in some 16,000 journals.This is now changing. According to the OECD report, some 75% of scholarly journals are now online. Entirely new business models are emerging; three main institutional subscribers pay for access to a collection of online journal titles through site-licensing agreements.
    There is open-access publishing, typically supported by asking the author (or his employer) to pay for the paper to be published. Finally, there are open-access archives, where organizations such as universities or international laboratories support institutional repositories. Hermes Purse Other models exist that are hybrids of these three, such as delayed open-access, where journals allow only subscribers to read a paper for the first six months, before making it freely available to everyone who wishes to see it. All this could change the traditional form of the peer-review process, at least for the publication of papers.

    50 We are thus led to distinguish

    There is a marked difference between the education which every one gets from living with others, and the deliberate educating of the young. In the former case the education is incidental; it is natural and important, but it is not the express reason of the association.46 It may be said that the measure of the worth of any social institution is its effect in enlarging and improving experience; but this effect is not a part of its original motive.
    Religious associations began, for example, in the desire to secure the favor of overruling powers and to ward off evil influences; family life in the desire to gratify appetites and secure family perpetuity; systematic labor, for the most part, because of enslavement to others, etc. 47Only gradually was the by-product of the institution noted, air max outlet, uggs on clearance and only more gradually still was this effect considered as a directive factor in the conduct of the institution. Even today, in our industrial life, apart from certain values of industriousness and thrift, the intellectual and emotional reaction of the forms of human association under which the world's work is carried on receives little attention as compared with physical output.
    But in dealing with the young, the fact of association itself as an immediate human fact, gains in importance.48 While it is easy to ignore in our contact with them the effect of our acts upon their disposition, uggs clearance outlet,uggs clearance it is not so easy as in dealing with adults. The need of training is too evident; the pressure to accomplish a change in their attitude and habits is too urgent to leave these consequences wholly out of account. 49Since our chief business with them is to enable them to share in a common life we cannot help considering whether or no we are forming the powers which will secure this ability. If humanity has made some headway in realizing that the ultimate value of every institution is its distinctively human effect we may well believe that this lesson has been learned Chanel Wallet largely through dealings with the young.
    50 We are thus led to distinguish, within the broad educational process which we have been so far considering, a more formal kind of education -- that of direct tuition or schooling. In undeveloped social groups, Hermes Wallet we find very little formal teaching and training. These groups mainly rely for instilling needed dispositions into the young upon the same sort of association which keeps the adults loyal to their group.

    Our main end was to catch fish

    The most thoroughly studied in the history of the new world are the ministers and political leaders of seventeenth-century New England. According to the standard history of American philosophy, nowhere else in colonial America was “So much important attached to intellectual pursuits ” According to many books and articles, New England’s leaders established the basic themes and preoccupations of an unfolding, dominant Puritan tradition in American intellectual life.
    To take this approach to the New Englanders normally mean to start with the Puritans’ theological innovations and their distinctive ideas about the church-important subjects that we may not neglect. Coach Poppy But in keeping with our examination of southern intellectual life, we may consider the original Puritans as carriers of European culture adjusting to New world circumstances. The New England colonies were the scenes of important episodes in the pursuit of widely understood ideals of civility and virtuosity.
    The early settlers of Massachusetts Bay included men of impressive education and influence in England. `Besides the ninety or so learned ministers who came to Massachusetts church in the decade after 1629 Coach Purse,There were political leaders like John Winthrop, an educated gentleman, lawyer, and official of the Crown before he journeyed to Boston. There men wrote and published extensively, reaching both New World and Old World audiences, and giving New England an atmosphere of intellectual earnestness.
    We should not forget , however, that most New Englanders were less well educated. While few crafts men or farmers, let alone dependents and servants, left literary compositions to be analyzed, The in thinking often had a traditional superstitions quality. A tailor named John Dane, who emigrated in the late 1630s, left an account of his reasons for leaving England that is filled with signs. sexual confusion, economic frustrations , and religious hope-all name together in a decisive moment when he opened the Bible, told his father the first line he saw would settle his fate, and read the magical words: “come out from among them, touch no unclean thing Coach Handbag Outlet, and I will be your God and you shall be my people.” One wonders what Dane thought of the careful sermons explaining the Bible that he heard in puritan churched.
    Mean while , many settles had slighter religious commitments than Dane’s, as one clergyman learned in confronting folk along the coast who mocked that they had not come to the New world for religion . “Our main end was to catch fish. ”

    2011年11月20日 星期日

    Eating Custom and Practice


    Eating Custom and Practice
    American eating is funny. They eat almost everything with a fork, and it appears that holding a knife in one's right hand longer than a few seconds is considered to be against good table manners.
    The system is that if it is absolutely necessary to use a knife, people take the fork in their left hand, and cut off a piece of meat or whatever it is in the normal manner. Then they put the knife down, transfer the fork to their right hand, and only then do they transport the food to their mouth. This is clearly ludicrous, but it is considered good manners.
    There are several results of this system. First, if it is not absolutely necessary to use a knife, Americans don't use one, because obviously this greatly complicates things, and you will therefore see them trying to cut things like potatoes, fish and even bacon with a fork. Second, towards the end of a course, since only one implement is being used, Coach Purse food has to bo chased around the plate with the fork — and for the last mouthful the thumb has to be used to keep the food in place, although one is not supposed to do this.
    Third, tables are generally laid with one knife and two forks, the outside fork being for the salad. There is no need for foreign visitors to follow the American system and try to eat the salad with only a fork, but if you do use your knife, remerber to save it for the meat course. Even desserts (except ice cream) are eaten with a fork if at all possible, and the spoon you see by your dessert is meant to be for coffee (but if you use it for your dessert no one will say anything Chanel Purse).
    Some Breakfast Dishes
    Breakfast in a restaurant is a very enjoyable experience. If you order eggs in a restaurant, the waiter/waitress will ask you how you want them . You can reply that you want them "scrambled" or "boiled". It is not sufficient, however, to ask for them "fried"; you will have to specify whether you would prefer them "sunny-side-up", "over", "Hermes Purse over-easy/easy-over"
    American sausage comes in slices and is quite spicy. But you can also have link sausage. American bacon comes in small strips, can be rather fat, and is served crispy. It is usually very tasty, and you can eat it with your fingers. "Hash brows" are shredded and fried potatoes. They are wonderful, especially with fried eggs and ketchup. "Pancakes", sometimes called "hot cakes", are made with baking power. They are normally served in a pile Coach Purse Outlet, and you are supposed to put butter and syrup on them. "Jelly" is jam and includes grape jelly, which is very tasty. Toast is often served already buttered. "English muffins" are like small crumpets without the holes and are served toasted. You put jam on them. A "biscuit" is a snall, scone-like bread roll, often served hot. Orange juice and coffee are often serced with breakfast.

    Fast Food

    Fast Food
    Fast-food chains,American-style, are currently on the increase all over the world.Most of these places work on a similar principle. There is a long counter , above which is displayed a list(often with pictures) of the items available, and behind which several people(often students working for the minimum wage)are serving. Individual queues form in front of each assistant .You receive what you order more or less immediately and take it on a tray to a table, picking up thing like straws, peper, salt, ketchup,pickles and napkins(usually paper napkins) on the way.If yo can’t see any knives and forks , this means you are supposed to eat with your hands.If you can’t see any straws, that’s because they are hiding in the straw dispenser that you have to fiddle with the bottom of it to get a straw(one at a time)to emerge.When you’ve finished, you yourself throw away everything except the tray Coach Poppy
    Many fast-food places have drive-in facilities.You place your order from your car via a microphone and then drive round to a special window to pay and pick it up .You may even encounter places where a waitress bring your meal out, and you sit and eat it in the car from a tray hooked over the door through the open window. You may be asked if your order is “for here Coach Purse”or “to go ”(i.e.to take away).In some states there is no sales tax on food consumed.
    Types of Fast Food Restaurants
    The most widespread type of fast-food restaurant is that serving hamburgers, such as the chains of MacDonald.All the different chains have their own specialties .Arby’s restaurants serve large roast beef, ham and cheese, and turkey “sandwidhes”. Some restaurant chians specialize in serving steaks quickly and cheaply. And then there’s Kntucky Fried Chicken.
    Chips
    Chips in Amercis are called “French fries”or “fries ”for short.(Note that in the USA “chips” mean crisps).“French fries”are normally thinner than chips.Amercians generally put ketchup on their chips,Coach Handbag Outlet and you will not normally find vigegar.
    Pizzas
    There are many specialty pizza restaurants in America, and many of them take telephone orders and deliver pizzas to your home, which can often be convenient.They come in different sizes, Coach Kristin and a large one can be big enought for a party of four people.If you want ot share a pizza but can’t agree on the ingredients , it is possible to order two different sets of toppings ,one set on each half.
    Ice-Cream
    Shops selling large number of different flavors of ice-cream are very common in America. If you are not sure what flavor you want ,generaly you can sample a small spoonful of a particular flavor to see if you like it. You can either have your ice-cream in a “plain cone” or in a “sugar cone”.
    Soft Drinks
    Fast-food restaurants do not serve alcohol.The soft drinks most often sold are Coca-Cola and Pepsi——Cola, plus fizzy drinks (which are like leminade)and root beer(which is like cough medicine).Fizzy drinks are known as “carbonated beverages” or ,more colloquially,“soda”,“pop”,“soda pop” Coach Madsion,and “soft drinks”.
    All these drinks come with lots of ice. In fact, you will probably find as much ice as drink in your drink.If you ask for a soft drink without ice, they will think you are funny but will probably oblige.(They may charge you a bit extra, for ice is cheaper than Coke.)

    Grooming and personal hygiene


    Grooming and personal hygiene have been around for ages. It's hard to imagine a time when people weren't concerned with taking care of their appearance and their bodies. Perhaps these practices started when Adam first took a bath and combed his hair before going on a date with Eve. Or maybe they began when Eve put on some herbal makeup to make herself more beautiful. No matter where they started, grooming and personal hygiene have become an important part of everyone's daily routine.
    You might think that all modern societies would have the same grooming and personal hygiene practices. After all, doesn't everybody take baths? Most people do recognize the need for hygiene uggs clearance, uggs on clearance, which is the basis for cleanliness and health-and a good way to keep one's friends. Grooming practices include all the little things people do to make themselves look their best, such as combing their hair and putting on makeup. However, while most modern people agree that these things are important, people in different cultures take care of themselves in different ways.
    There used to be an old joke in America that people should take a bath once a week, whether they need one or not. In fact, though, Americans generally take a bath-or more commonly, uggs clearance outlet,uggs clearance a shower-every day. But in contrast to some cultures, most Americans get their shower in the morning, so they can start the day fresh. And instead of going to a beauty parlor for a shampoo, many Americans prefer to wash and style their own hair. So if Americans have a "bad hair day," they have no one to blame but themselves. But most people in America do head for the beauty parlor or barber shop occasionally for a haircut, a perm or just some friendly conversation.
    Americans are known for having very sensitive noses. In America, "B.O." (body odor) is socially unacceptable. For that reason, Americans consider the use of deodorant or anti-perspirant a must. Ladies often add a touch of perfume for an extra fresh scent. Men may splash on after-shave lotion or manly-smelling cologne. Another cultural no-no in Chanel Wallet America is bad breath. Americans don't like to smell what other people ate for lunch-especially onions or garlic. Their solution? Mouthwash, breath mints and even brushing their teeth after meals.
    Some of the cultural variations in grooming practices result from physical differences between races. Whereas many Asian men have little facial hair, Westerners have a lot. As a result, most American men spend some time each day shaving or grooming their facial hair. Beards and mustaches are common sights in America, although their popularity changes from generation to generation. Most American men who wear facial hair try to keep it nicely trimmed. American women, on the other hand, generally prefer not to be hairy at all Hermes Wallet. Many of them regularly shave their legs and armpits.
    Americans put great value on both grooming and personal hygiene. For some people, taking care of themselves has become almost a religion. As the old saying goes, "Cleanliness is next to godliness." Whether or not being clean and well-groomed brings one closer to God, it certainly brings one closer to others. Americans look down on people who don't take care of themselves, or who "let themselves go." To Americans, even if we don't have much to work with, we have to make the best of what we've got.

    2011年11月19日 星期六

    Marriage of American Style

    "I do." To Americans those two words carry great meaning. They can even change your life. Especially if you say them at your own wedding. Making wedding vows is like signing a contract. Now Americans don't really think marriage is a business deal. But marriage is serious business.
    It all begins with engagement. Traditionally, a young man asks the father of his sweetheart for permission to marry her. If the father agrees, the man later proposes to her. Often he tries to surprise her by "popping the question" in a romantic way.
    Sometimes the couple just decides together that the time is right to get married. The man usually gives his fiancee a diamond ring as a symbol of their engagement. They may be engaged for weeks, months or even years. As the big day approaches, bridal showers and bachelor's parties provide many useful gifts. Today many couples also receive counseling during engagement. This prepares them for the challenges of married life.
    At last it's time for the wedding. Although most weddings follow long-held traditions, there's still room for American individualism. For example, the usual place for a wedding is in a church. But some people get married outdoors in a scenic spot. A few even have the ceremony while skydiving or riding on horseback! The couple may invite hundreds of people or just a few close friends. They choose their own style of colors, decorations and music during the ceremony. But some things rarely change. Chanel Wallet The bride usually wears a beautiful, long white wedding dress. She traditionally wears "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue." The groom wears a formal suit or tuxedo. Several close friends participate in the ceremony as attendants, including the best man and the maid of honor.
    As the ceremony begins, the groom and his attendants stand with the minister, facing the audience. Music signals the entrance of the bride's attendants, followed by the beautiful bride. Hermes Wallet Nervously, the young couple repeats their vows. Traditionally, they promise to love each other "for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health." But sometimes the couple has composed their own vows. They give each other a gold ring to symbolize their marriage commitment. Finally the minister announces the big moment: "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride!"
    At the wedding reception, the bride Coach Purse Outlet and groom greet their guests. Then they cut the wedding cake and feed each other a bite. Guests mingle while enjoying cake, punch and other treats. Later the bride throws her bouquet of flowers to a group of single girls. Tradition says that the one who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry. During the reception, playful friends "decorate" the couple's car with tissue paper, tin cans and a "Just Married" sign. When the reception is over, the newlyweds run to their " Coach Large Purse decorated" car and speed off. Many couples take a honeymoon, a one- to two-week vacation trip, to celebrate their new marriage.
    Almost every culture has rituals to signal a change in one's life. Marriage is one of the most basic life changes for people of all cultures. So it's no surprise to find many traditions about getting married . . . even in America. Yet each couple follows the traditions in a way that is uniquely their own.

    Love of American Style

    An old song says that "love makes the world go around." If you watch Americans on Valentine's Day, you can believe it. The whole country breaks out with little red hearts. Love-struck people give cards, flowers and candy to their sweethearts. You might call it an annual celebration of love.
    Americans are romantic all year long, but especially on February 14. Valentine's Day gives people an excuse to ask someone they admire to "be their valentine Coach Leather Bag.
    The American concept of love and romance begins with dating. Young people date in several ways. At first they might have group dates with several boys and girls together. Later, they start going on single dates-just one boy and one girl. Sometimes a boy and a girl will go to a movie. Maybe they will go to a party at a friend's house. Or they might go out to eat.
    When two couples go out together, we call it double dating. A friend might even arrange a blind date for you with someone you don't know. That doesn't mean you keep your eyes closed the whole evening! You just don't know who your partner will be until the time for the date. If someone asks you for any kind of date, and you don't want to go, you may politely say, Coach Poppy Handbag "No, thanks."
    Americans view dating differently from people in other cultures. New Coach Outlet American young people see a date as a time just to have fun. They don't always have a romantic interest in mind. Someone may go out with one person this week, and another person the next. After a while, a boy and a girl may decide they want to " Madison Bag go steady." This means they think of each other as "boyfriend and girlfriend." It also means they don't want to date anyone else. Romance is beginning to bloom.
    Romantic love is very much a part of American culture. Movies, TV shows and books in America all picture people falling in love. Americans know that no romance is perfect, but still they try to find the ideal person. Actually, love is a part of every culture, not just American culture. People all over the world search for Coach Tote Bag happiness in a loving relationship.
    Maybe love does make the world go around.

    2011年11月18日 星期五

    Law and Order

    What does it mean to obey the law? That depends on where you are. Different cultures have very different views of obeying the law. In some cultures, law-abiding citizens try to keep the letter of the law. That is, whatever the law says, they do. In other cultures, good citizens live by the spirit of the law. They see the law only as a general guideline. Often they obey the law only when someone official is looking. The situation in America fits into the first category. That doesn't mean all Americans keep the law. But American culture teaches people to respect the law--even to the smallest detail.
    Driving habits illustrate American respect for the law. A driver will usually stop for a red light, even when there are no other cars around. People treat the lines marking streets and roads as definite boundaries, not just decora-tions. Vehicles yield to those with the right of way-particularly pedestrians. Actually, Coach Purse though, drivers don't always keep traffic rules. For example, many drivers ignore freeway speed limits. But Americans generally drive with careful attention to the rules.
    History gives several clues to explain American attitudes toward the law. The U.S. Constitution, the basis for all laws in America, reflects many historical influences. The Magna Carta, or "Great Charter," was one. King John of England was forced to sign this document in 1215. It placed the king under the authority of the law. No longer was the king law; rather, the law was king. Chanel Purse America's Christian heritage has also shaped how people view the law. For one thing, the Bible reveals God's unchanging laws which people must obey. It also teaches people to respect human authority as established by God.
    Of course, not everyone in America abides by the law. Crime is a growing problem. For that reason, law enforce-ment officials will never be out of a job. Police officers have their hands full trying to arrest lawbreakers. Detective agencies spend countless hours trying to figure out unsolved crimes. Nevertheless, Hermes Purse most Americans still like to believe that the "long arm of the law" will eventually nab the bad guys.
    But even bad guys in America have the right to a fair trial. When a person is brought to an American court, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Many ancient Eastern systems, in contrast, viewed an accused person as guilty until proven innocent. They used torture and other extreme measures to find out the truth. uggs clearance outlet, cheap air max The American system tries to protect the rights of the accused. Still, the system is far from perfect. Court cases involving celebrities like O.J. Simpson can become media circuses. Skilled lawyers sometimes use minor issues to get their clients set free. And prison inmates may live even better than many poor citizens.
    No one believes a perfect legal system is possible. Yet every society has laws. uggs clearance, uggs on clearance Whether people follow the letter of the law or just the spirit of the law, they recognize the need for laws to keep order in society. Without them, chaos would result. If every man were a law unto himself, no man would be free.

    Raising Children

    The job of raising children is a tough one. Children don't come with an instruction manual. And each child is different. So parents sometimes pull their hair out in frustration, not knowing what to do. But in raising children-as in all of life-what we do is influenced by our culture. Naturally then, American parents teach their children basic American values.
    To Americans, the goal of parents is to help children stand on their own two feet. From infancy, each child may get his or her own room. As children grow, they gain more freedom to make their own choices. Teenagers choose their own forms of entertainment, as well as the friends to share them with. When they reach young adulthood,Coach Poppy they choose their own careers and marriage partners. Of course, many young adults still seek their parents' advice and approval for the choices they make. But once they "leave the nest" at around 18 to 21 years old, they want to be on their own, not "tied to their mother's apron strings."
    The relationship between parents and children in America is very informal. American parents try to treat their children as individuals-not as extensions of themselves. They allow them to fulfill their own dreams. Americans praise and encourage their children to give them the confidence to succeed. When children become adults, their relationship with their parents becomes more like a friendship among equals. But contrary to popular belief, most adult Americans don't make their parents pay for room and board when they come to visit. Even as adults, they respect and honor their parents.
    Most young couples with children struggle with the issue of childcare. Mothers have traditionally stayed home with their children. Coach Purse In recent years, though, a growing trend is to put preschoolers in a day care center so Mom can work. Many Americans have strong feelings about which type of arrangement is best. Some argue that attending a day care center can be a positive experience for children. Others insist that mothers are the best caregivers for children. A number of women are now leaving the work force to become full-time homemakers.
    Disciplining children is another area that American parents have differing opinions about. Many parents feel that an old-fashioned spanking helps youngsters learn what "No!" means. Others prefer alternate forms of discipline. For example, "time outs" have become popular in recent years. Children in "time out" have to sit in a corner or by a wall. Coach Handbag Outlet They can get up only when they are ready to act nicely. Older children and teenagers who break the rules may be grounded, or not allowed to go out with friends. Some of their privileges at home-like TV or telephone use-may also be taken away for a while. Although discipline isn't fun for parents or children, it's a necessary part of training.
    Being a parent is a tall order. Coach Kristin It takes patience, love, wisdom, courage and a good sense of humor to raise children (and not lose your sanity). Some people are just deciding not to have children at all, since they're not sure it's worth it. But raising children means training the next generation and preserving our culture. What could be worth more than that?

    2011年11月17日 星期四

    Growing Old In Americn

    Happy birthday! Do birthdays really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthdays celebrate the day we were born. Moreover, that extra candle on the cake represents another year of growth and maturity-or so we hope. We all like to imagine that we're getting wiser and not just older. Most of us enjoy observing the miracle of growth in others, as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderful process. But growing old? That's a different story.
    Growing old is not exactly pleasant for people in youth-oriented American culture. Most Americans like to look young, act young and feel young. As the old saying goes, "You're as young as you feel." Older people joke about how many years young they are, rather than how many years old. People in some countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americans seem to favor those that are young, or at least "young at heart."
    Many older Americans find the "golden years" to be anything but golden. Economically, "senior citizens" often struggle just to get by.Retirement-typically at age 65-brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social Security benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition, medical care and housing. Some even experience age discrimination. In 1987, American sociologist Pat Moore dressed up like an older person and wandered city streets. She was often treated rudely-even cheated and robbed. However, dressed as a young person, she received much more respect. Of course, not all elderly Americans have such negative experiences. But old age does present unique challenges.Coach Poppy
    Ironically, the elderly population in America is expanding-fast. Why? People are living longer. Fewer babies are being born. And middle-aged "baby boomers" are rapidly entering the ranks of the elderly. America may soon be a place where wrinkles are "in." Marketing experts are already focusing on this growing group of consumers. And even now the elderly have a great deal of political power. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), with over 30 million members, has a strong voice in Washington.Coach Purse
    A common stereotype of older Americans is that they are usually "put away" in nursing homes and forgotten about. Actually, only about 5 percent live in some type of institution. More than half of those 65 or older live with or near at least one of their children. The vast majority of the elderly live alone and take care of themselves. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 75 percent own their own homes. Over a million senior adults live in retirement communities. These provide residents with meals, recreation, companionship, medical care and a safe environment.Coach Handbag Outlet
    Despite the challenges they face, Americans in their "twilight years" generally refuse to give up on life. They find a variety of ways to keep themselves active. To help them stay in shape, they may join mall walkers clubs, fitness programs and even the "Senior Olympics." They can enjoy hours of entertainment at senior centers and adult amusement parks. Many enroll in continuing education programs to maintain their mental skills. For Americans, if you're going to grow old, you might as well do it gracefully. Coach Kristin

    2011年11月16日 星期三

    Driving In America

    Meet Mitsuaki. He recently arrived in the United States to enter university. He wants to do well in his studies and adjust to the new culture. But Mitsuaki has a problem. It's not his roommates. It's not his school fees. It's not even his English ability. Mitsuaki's problem is that he doesn't have a car. And in America, that really makes him a foreigner. Mitsuaki has already discovered a basic fact of American culture: Driving is a way of life.
    It's not that there's no public transportation in America. Many cities have taxis, buses and subways to help commuters get to and from work. Some large universities even have buses to take students to classes across campus. But most people find it much more convenient to drive, even if they do have to deal with traffic. Nowadays busy families often have more than one vehicle. Many people view their car as a status symbol. But no matter their social status, people without wheels feel tied down.[Coach Purse, Chanel Purse]
    When Mitsuaki first arrived, he was amazed at how young many American drivers there were. Young people in America often get their driver's license around age 16 by passing a written test and a driving test. In many cases, before they can get their license, they have to take a driver education course. This course gives students hands-on practice with driving. It also helps to reduce the high cost of insurance. For teenagers, being able to drive--and in some cases, have their own car--is a big deal. It gives them a sense of power and freedom. Many young Americans consider a driver's license a right, not a privilege. It's rare to find an American teenager without one.  Mitsuaki finally decides that he needs a car. His host family helps him find a good used car to buy. But before he gets his license and starts driving, he has to understand that the American style of driving is defensive, not offensive. He also needs to learn some of the basic rules of the road that good drivers follow.
    10 Commandments of Good Driving in America:
    1. Yield to vehicles who have the right of way. [Hermes Purse, Coach Large Purse]
    2. Don't cut in front of other vehicles.
    3. Drive within the speed limit.
    4. Obey all road signs and police officers.
    5. Pull over to the side of the road when you hear a siren.
    6. Stop completely at red lights and stop signs.
    7. Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
    8. Park only in a designated parking space.
    9. Use your turn signals when turning or changing lanes.
    10. Don't drink and drive.
    As a car owner, Mitsuaki has the responsibility of maintaining his car. He knows that regular maintenance checkups can help to prevent many serious problems. But no matter how careful the maintenance, all vehicles need to be repaired sometimes. Many Americans take their cars to a garage for maintenance and repairs. Others like to work on their own vehicles. Not Mitsuaki.[Chanel Wallet, Hermes Wallet] He decides that being a student is enough work for him.
    Driving is to Americans what flying is to birds. It's almost part of their nature. For many Americans, being behind the wheel is like their natural habitat. But if they don't drive carefully, they can become an endangered species.

    Drinking in American(II)

    Beer

    American beer, with very few exceptions, varies from the mediocre to the terrible. There are not many types of beer in the US—“light” and “dark” are two terms commonly used. It is therefore normal to order beer simply by brand name. In a restaurant, in fact, it is quite all right to order “a beer”, and they will tell you what they have. It is not necessary, either, to specify quantity when ordering beer. If it comes in bottles or cans, you will get a bottle or can, and if it’s “on tap” you will get a glass, unless you order a “pitcher” i.e.a jug). The latter is very convenient thing to do, since you can then take the jug and glasses to your table and keep filling up without going back to the bar. (It is harder, however, to know how much you have drunk. uggs clearance, uggs on clearance) Some beer comes in bottles with tops that look as if they need an opener, but you can, in fact, screw them off by hand—though you have to be very careful not to hurt yourself. It is possible, in some stores and bars, to find a wide selection of beer from all over the world, especially Western Europe and Australia, and it is good fun to experiment with these.

    Cocktails

    Cocktails and “mixed drinks” are much more popular and rather stronger in the USA than in Europe, and visitors may not be familiar with some of the terminology. “On the rocks”, as you probably know, means with ice,[uggs clearance outlet,uggs clearance ] while “straight up” or “up” means neat and without ice. There are hundreds of different cocktails, and there is no space here to list all the different names. The Hard Stuff In America “whiskey” means bourbon unless otherwise indicated. Bourbon is a rather oily spirit made from maize. Rye whiskey is called “rye” and Scotch whiskey “Scotch”.

    Wine

    In bars wine can often be bought by the glass. Don’t be misled by names such as “Chablis” is used to refer to white wine, and “Burgundy” to red—Americans seem never to have heard of white Burgundy. [uggs clearance outlet, cheap air max]

    Drinking in American(I)

    Alcohol and the law
    It is difficult to give a description of American laws concerning alcohol because they vary from state to state and city to city. The following, though, may be noted. Some towns,even state are totally is sold at all except that they allow the sale of very weak (3.2 percent alcohol) beer,known as “three-two” beer. Some places do not allow the sale of alcohol on Sundays, even in shops—you may find a bar locked over the alcohol shelves. You can see it but not buy it! Other places permit alcohol to be sold on Sunday afternoons and evenings, but not on Sunday mornings. (Note that this means sales have to stop at midnight on Saturday.[Coach Leather Bag] In many parts of America, you are not allowed to drink alcohol in a public place.That is, you may not sit in a parkor walk along a street drinking beer,and you cannot even take a nice bottle of wine on your picnic. In some places, people can be seen taking drinks in public places from cans wrapped in brown-paper bags. These are not cans of Coca-Cola [Coach Poppy Handbag]. And in many states you are not allowed to drink alcohol while driving, or even have an opened alcohol container in the car.Some bars have a license only for beer and wine. Others are also allowed to sell spirits and thus, as Americans say, “mixed drinks”. Many bars have a period known as “happy hour”, often longer than an hour, when they sell drinks at lower-than-usual prices. This is usually around 5 p.m. and may be only on certain days of the week.
    The Legal Drinking Age
    Legal drinking age varies from place to place but is generally between 18 to 21. Some places permit the consumption of beer at 18 but spirits only at 21. Others permit the consumption only of “three-two” beer from 18 to 21. (Young people therefore often drive from one place to another with more liberal drinking laws. In any case, in some parts of the USA young people are allowed to vote [Coach Poppy], marry, raose children, keep full-time jobs, be tried in courts as adults, join the army and even buy guns—but NOT have a glass of beer. In some places people aged between 18 to 21 are allowed to go into bars but not allowed to drink. Another even more interesting aspect of American drinking-age laws is that in some places people below legal drinking age are not even allowed to sell alcohol. Providing Proof of Your Age In most places these drinking laws are fairly rigidly enforced. You may,[Coach Purse] for example, find people lining up to get into a bar and discover that the queue is caused by a guard on the door who is asking everybody for ID. If you ask him why he wants to know who you are, he will inform you that he actually wants confirmation of how old you are. On such occasions Americans often show their driving licenses, which have their date of birth written on them.

    2011年11月13日 星期日

    How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere

    How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere
    By Larry King


    I never wanted to be anything but a broadcaster, a talker. And for 40 years, I've been doing just that. To me, the ability to talk well is one of the great pleasures in life and can bring with it some of life's greatest rewards
    I'm not saying it's always easy. The vast majority of people would rather jump out of an airplane without a parachute than sit next to someone they've never met at a dinner party.
    But the more you work at it, the easier it will be. To get you started, here are my six basic ingredients for learning how to talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere.
    1. You Don’t Have to Be Quotable. If you could have witnessed my first morning in broadcasting, you would have bet the ranch that I was the last guy who’d survive, much less succeed, as a professional talker.
      It happened at WAER, a small radio station in Miami Beach, on the morning of May 1, 1957.1 had been hanging around there hoping to crash into my dream world of radio. The
      station's general manager liked my voice but didn't have any openings.
      I lived near the station and went by every day,watching the disc jockeys, the newscasters, the sports announcers. After three weeks the morning deejay quit. The manager told me I
      had the job starting Monday morning.
      I didn't sleep that whole weekend. I kept rehearsing things to say. By Monday I was
      a basket case.
      The manager called me into his office to wish me luck. And then I was on the air.
      Picture me at 9 a.m. sitting in the studio with my new theme song, Les Elgart's “Swingin' Down the Lane," cued up. I start the song. Then I fade the music down so T can talk. Only nothing comes out. My mouth feels like cotton.
      So I bring the music up and fade it again. Still no words coming out of my mouth. It happens a third time. The only thing my listeners are hearing is a record going up and down in volume.
      Finally, the exasperated manage kicks open the door to the control room and shouts,
      'This is a communications business! "Then he turns ant leaves, slamming the door behind
      him.
      In that instant, I leaned toward thc microphone and said: “Good morning This is my first day on the radio. Chanel Wallet, Hermes Wallet. I've been practicing all weekend. But my mouth is dry. I'm nervous. The general manager just kicked open the door and said, ‘This is a communication' business.’” I wasn't exactly quotable that morning, but I was able to get some thing out by telling my listeners about the predicament I was in, and that gave me the confidence to continue. The rest of the show--as well as my career--went fine.
    2. Attitude Counts. After that fiasco in Miami, I made a commitment to keep talking even when it might not be comfortable--in other words, to work at it. The right attitude--the will to talk--is
      crucial to becoming a better talker.
      I think one reason I've had a certain amount of success in broadcasting is that the audience can see I love what I'm doing. You can't fake that. And if you try, you will fail.
      Tommy Lasorda, the former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, once came on my radio show the night after his team suffered a crushing loss in the National League playoffs.Coach Purse Outlet, Hermes Birkin Purse. From his enthusiasm you never would have guessed he was the losing manager.
      When I asked him how he could be so exuberant, he said, "The best day of my life is when I manage a winning game. The second-best day of my life is when I manage a losing game." That enthusiasm and his willingness to share it have made him a successful manager and a very successful talker too.
    3. Remember to Take Turns. Careful listening makes you a better talker. Good follow-up questions are the mark of a good conversationalist. In fact, I have an important rule that I remind myself every morning:
      nothing I say this day will teach me anything; So if I'm going to learn, I have to do it by listening.
    4. Broaden Your Horizons. The best conversationalists are able to talk about issues and experiences beyond their
      own daily lives. You can expand your world through travel, but you can also do it without leaving your own back yard.Coach Purse, Chanel Purse.
      When I was a boy, my widowed mother got an elderly woman to care for us while Mom tried to scrape up money for food, clothing and to keep our little apartment. The helper's
      father had fought in the Civil War, and as a child she had actually seen Abraham Lincoln. I was able to talk to her, so in a way my childhood was a window on another era in history.
      The point is this: people with backgrounds different from your own can help broaden your conversational repertoire and your thinking.
    5. Keep It Light. One of my cardinal rules of conversation is never stay too serious too long. Similarly, a key quality I look for in a potential guest is a sense of humor, preferably self-deprecating. Frank Sinatra is one guest who's never been afraid to make fun of himself.Hermes Purse, Coach Large Purse.
      During an interview with me, Sinatra recalled comedian Don Rickles coming over to his table at a Las Vegas restaurant to ask a favor. Rickles was dining with a friend.
      “Would you mind saying hi to her, Frank?"
      "Of course not," the singer replied. "Bring her over"
      Then Rickles said that his friend would be even more impressed if Sinatra could come over to their table. So a short time later, Sinatra good-naturedly walked across the restaurant, slapped Rickles on the back and said how delighted he was to see him.
      Whereupon Rickles said, "Beat it, Frank. This is personal."
      What's key to the story--and most appealing to the audience--is that Sinatra so obviously enjoys retelling this joke at his own expense.
    6. Be the Genuine You.
    Anybody I've ever talked to for more than a few minutes knows at least two things about me: I'm from Brooklyn. New York, and I'm Jewish. That's because I'm deeply proud of both.
    You should be as open and honest with your conversational partners as you'd want them to be with you, willing to reveal what your background is and what your likes and dislikes
    are. That's part of the give-and-take of conversation, part of getting to know people.
    Talk-show hosts Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford come into our homes easily and naturally, and they're not afraid to reveal their tastes or tell stories on themselves. Without making themselves the focus of their talk, they are themselves. If they--or a guest--tell a sad or joyful story, they are not afraid to show their feelings.
    Mel Tillis, the successful country-and-western singer, is absolutely charming as an interview guest, even though he stutters. It doesn't show up when he's singing, but it does when he's talking. Instead of letting it bother him, Mel is upfront about the problem, jokes about it, and is so completely at ease with himself that he puts you at ease too.
    As for myself, I learned something critical after surviving that case of "mike fright" on my first day of broadcasting: be honest, and you won't go wrong.
    WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING to one person or a million, the rules are the same. It's all about making a connection. Show empathy, enthusiasm and a willingness to listen, and you can't help becoming' a master of talk.