Friday, January 28, 2011
The wide isles in grocery stores are for paunchy men and women.
And mega companies are for bureaucratic and staid business management, in certain ways.
Gird your loins, Canadians.
It will a tough global competition for work. This country needs to invest more in innovation and productivity enhancement.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The majority of native English speakers, in contrast to the majority of ESL learners,
acquired their bases of active vocabularies throughout their childhood family life and their education in primary and secondary schools and universities.
You know what? Why has the Chinese housing market been constantly berated in China?
Why not just marketize it? Hmm...
If you are an English learner, no matter how hectic your life is,
keep reading at least one or two pages of text in English everyday. That activity alone, can at least counter or check the natural depreciation of one's English proficiency.
The current recession has seen many wrecked careers which were established or budding.
People are scrambling to salvage the wreckage.
I personally think that too many people in Canada and China borrow too heavily,
particularly in their house mortgage arrangements, to maintain their capacity of maneuvering the risk of becoming wretches when bad economic times attack.
Some people spend too much time on expanding their passive vocabularies,
while paying too little heed to enhancing their somewhat wretched active vocabularies.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Article via web - 为什么要重视新闻英语
"
为什么要重视新闻英语 -|Hi－Jo 发表于 2008-6-19 10:44:00
对中级水平的学生，我历来推荐使用音频(包括视频）的新闻英语学习、教学。为什么？
首先是听力训练。英语要从耳朵开始，我不知道已经说了多少遍，也许一些读者已经接受。不接受的，以后也要接受。不从这里开始，只有哑巴英语。
第二，新闻容易获得。有电台，有电视，有Podcast，很多都有下载的段落，而且发音地道清晰。有无文字（transcript)，倒在其次。
第三，新闻有连续性、重复性，对语言学习，尤其重要。
第四，有新颖性、兴趣性，容易引起兴趣和讨论。
第五，相对简单，至少结构上，比较简单。
第六，内容信息量大，单词量丰富。
第七，可以学到知识。时事也好，科技、时尚也好，都可以和社会同步。
第八，用mp3或电脑，都方便复习、模仿的训练。
...
"
- Excerpted from http://blog.zhuhai.gd.cn/user1/elmlab/archives/2008/3553.html (now defunct) in around 2008
- Recycled in 2011
为什么要重视新闻英语 -|Hi－Jo 发表于 2008-6-19 10:44:00
对中级水平的学生，我历来推荐使用音频(包括视频）的新闻英语学习、教学。为什么？
首先是听力训练。英语要从耳朵开始，我不知道已经说了多少遍，也许一些读者已经接受。不接受的，以后也要接受。不从这里开始，只有哑巴英语。
第二，新闻容易获得。有电台，有电视，有Podcast，很多都有下载的段落，而且发音地道清晰。有无文字（transcript)，倒在其次。
第三，新闻有连续性、重复性，对语言学习，尤其重要。
第四，有新颖性、兴趣性，容易引起兴趣和讨论。
第五，相对简单，至少结构上，比较简单。
第六，内容信息量大，单词量丰富。
第七，可以学到知识。时事也好，科技、时尚也好，都可以和社会同步。
第八，用mp3或电脑，都方便复习、模仿的训练。
...
"
- Excerpted from http://blog.zhuhai.gd.cn/user1/elmlab/archives/2008/3553.html (now defunct) in around 2008
- Recycled in 2011
Another fact is,
a myriad of young people in the U.S. feel wretched about their prospects. They don't think they have a bright future, in the so-called 'land of opportunities'.
As a matter of fact,
last several decades have also seen the CONTINUOUS DECREASING of median annual real income of middle class American workers. Ah, what wretchedness.
In the U.S. and Canada, last several decades have seen that workers' loyalty to their employers becomes wrecked.
Well, but who was disloyal to whom at first?
Christianity and Buddhism are the two most popular religions that the human kind possesses.
The scriptures of the former were written in ancient times in Hebrew and ancient Greek. And the scriptures of the latter were written in Sanskrit and ancient Chinese.
I don't know much about the two religions. And I know nothing about the above mentioned languages, except for ancient Chinese, to a quite limited extent.
I don't know much about the two religions. And I know nothing about the above mentioned languages, except for ancient Chinese, to a quite limited extent.
"四依四不依"
"所谓四依与四不依，即： (一)依法不依人。(二)依了义经不依不了义经。(三)依义不依语。(四)依智不依识。（了义经，说示究竟显了之义之经典也。不了义经，谓隐覆实义，而为方便之说，不明了开显法性实义经典。） "
- 佛家语
It is said that mobile micropayments will be insinuated, or ushered, into people's daily life in the U.S. and Canada.
Well, Japan leads the league, for years already, certainly.
My impression has been that in the management tiers of big American companies,
every single participant nearly strains every sinew to maintain his position and compete in advancing a career in a vast organization. It's a tough life, actually.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Sigh. Starbucks shops provide darn good coffee, damned good music,
nice view, and friendly staff. How can you resist?
Two momentary thoughts just popped up in my mind.
1. French girls' visages are so petite in general, comparing with those of the descendants of other European nations.
2. Everyone nowadays is plugged into the internet almost all the time.
2. Everyone nowadays is plugged into the internet almost all the time.
Blackberry has such a vast installed base.
(Pic from http://goo.gl/slaLP)
However, many people, including myself, are anticipating that base to dissipate gradually.
Some articles on The Toronto Star are more insinuative than Chinese people can imagine.
Yes, insinuation is an art that many journalists in North America make use of.
I personally think that a sinewy man is more substantial than a muscular one.
Analagously, a scholarly person is even better than an erudite one. Do you agree?
The costs of the government's undertakings,
many of which have become sinews so consequential to citizens' life, are often greatly underestimated by some citizens.
Article via web - Goldman Sachs to Fine-Tune Business Practices
Lo and behold, Goldman Sachs has restated that
"Our clients’ interests always come first."
Monday, January 24, 2011
The wrecks of divorced marriages are often not very healthy for children in the long run.
That fact cannot be denied.
中国大陆的富豪们，大量移民加拿大，
看见温哥华的地产价格，太有喜感啦，赶快趁“便宜”买。
温哥华的本地人，看见最近若干年的温哥华的地产价格，觉得极其极其灵异，赶快趁贵卖。
整个的场景非常有爱的说。
你知道吗？会有多少人会逐渐地搬离温哥华？
温哥华的本地人，看见最近若干年的温哥华的地产价格，觉得极其极其灵异，赶快趁贵卖。
整个的场景非常有爱的说。
你知道吗？会有多少人会逐渐地搬离温哥华？
Sunday, January 23, 2011
An acquaintance of mine got into a car accident.
He didn't get severely injured. But his car became just a wreck right on the spot.
A car on the road is really fair game.
A car on the road is really fair game.
People are pruning the numbers of others whom they heed on their social networking websites.
Time is expensive. And attention should be respected.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Excerpt - 所謂「國際觀」，就是在這種不斷的漣漪「波及」中逐漸累積見識
談臺灣的「國際化」危機 ─ 龍應台女士
「
...
以香港為例。二○○五年底世貿組織要來香港開會，一個這樣的會議給香港人帶來什麼？世貿會議在這裡開，負責協調組織會議的政府官員，從首長到最底層的小公務員，在與各國政府和代表不斷的來往溝通中，認識了國際的議題，更學到國際應對的技巧。衝著世貿會議，全世界反全球化的組織也動員要來香港抗議，由香港的民間團體負責統合。於是香港的民間團體從統合的運作中又學到了全球性的組織操作，而且在一瞬間就與全世界的反對組織接軌。至於普通市民，由於新聞的炒作，那平常不關心的人對世貿議題會得到多一點認識，平常關心的人更有機會取得第一手的訊息。
一次重大的國際會議就像一顆石頭拋進池塘裡，漣漪一圈一圈擴散，整個池子受「波及」，而所謂「國際觀」，就是在這種不斷的漣漪「波及」中逐漸累積見識，逐漸開闊眼界，而且深刻覺得自己是國際動脈的一份子。
幾十年沒有這樣的國際會議，幾十年沒有這樣的國際參與和對話，幾十年沒有這種國際議題的撞擊，幾十年沒有這種國際思潮和辯論的陶冶，也就是說，幾十年被排除在國際社區的外面，你能怪台灣人與世界不同調，你能怪台灣人缺乏國際觀嗎？
...
」
- Excerpted from the web in around 2008
- Recycled in 2011
「
...
以香港為例。二○○五年底世貿組織要來香港開會，一個這樣的會議給香港人帶來什麼？世貿會議在這裡開，負責協調組織會議的政府官員，從首長到最底層的小公務員，在與各國政府和代表不斷的來往溝通中，認識了國際的議題，更學到國際應對的技巧。衝著世貿會議，全世界反全球化的組織也動員要來香港抗議，由香港的民間團體負責統合。於是香港的民間團體從統合的運作中又學到了全球性的組織操作，而且在一瞬間就與全世界的反對組織接軌。至於普通市民，由於新聞的炒作，那平常不關心的人對世貿議題會得到多一點認識，平常關心的人更有機會取得第一手的訊息。
一次重大的國際會議就像一顆石頭拋進池塘裡，漣漪一圈一圈擴散，整個池子受「波及」，而所謂「國際觀」，就是在這種不斷的漣漪「波及」中逐漸累積見識，逐漸開闊眼界，而且深刻覺得自己是國際動脈的一份子。
幾十年沒有這樣的國際會議，幾十年沒有這樣的國際參與和對話，幾十年沒有這種國際議題的撞擊，幾十年沒有這種國際思潮和辯論的陶冶，也就是說，幾十年被排除在國際社區的外面，你能怪台灣人與世界不同調，你能怪台灣人缺乏國際觀嗎？
...
」
- Excerpted from the web in around 2008
- Recycled in 2011
Vintage music video - 齐秦 - 不必勉强
Lyrics copied from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWwIzQgJic :
不必勉強
作詞：陳昇 作曲：李柏
在每個分手道別的地方 總留一些紛亂的腳印 誰不曾徘徊過 不曾留戀過 將思念藏在未知的重逢裡 在一個淒清寒涼的夜裡 含著眼淚我默默離開你 千言和萬語 無從說起 只有靜待傷痛的痊癒 ＊離開你不容易 想念你不得已 如果你真在意 不必勉強你自己 我不怪你 日記裡太擁擠 只要輕輕把我抹去 在好多好多翻滾的夜裡 我在夢中輕輕呼喚你 想你的笑容 想你的身影 把思念化做蒼白的回憶 每一個淒美愛情故事裡 總有令人傷痛的際遇 不能不想你 不能忘記你 將思念藏在未知的重逢裡
Rock and roll from Taiwan. Held especially dear by me. Love it immensely.
On every news website or TV program you turn to,
there is a lot of mentioning of Twitter and Facebook. Heed that, my friend.
Before seeing the 1997 movie Titanic,
I hadn't known that the historic Titanic steamship tragedy was the biggest shipwreck at the beginning of the 20th century.
Just how closed we average Chinese children were to the outside world.
Just how closed we average Chinese children were to the outside world.
Twitter and the likes are considered to be microblogging service,
while Facebook and so on social networking service.
I feel that on average, stripped off monetary issues,
women cast their ideals into their lovers and their offspring, while men cast their ideals into their own enterprises and / or into women.
Gee. There are so many distinct types of drinkware in the Western world.
(Picture via http://goo.gl/IBnSd)
Rocks glass (a.k.a. old fashioned glass and lowball glass), table-glass, wine glass, shot glass, highball glass; mug, coffee cup; and on and on.
Personally I'm fond of rocks glass, table-glass, and mug. :-)
Friday, January 21, 2011
I would say that for any person, it is consequential of keeping more or less engaged the whole way in many spheres,
e.g. work, family, academic training and self-training, news following, sports, arts, and friendship.
Well, certainly that is not easy at all.
Well, certainly that is not easy at all.
Ireland has been engulfed in such a deep crisis.
(Pic from http://goo.gl/kjHkB)
(Image from http://goo.gl/ISA4q)
A lot of Dublin's real estate stands tenantless.
I don't know. I like radio plays more than theatrical plays.
I wonder if the playwrights of them are of different breeds. Just wondering.
Very different search capacities among Google's search engines, or search functionalities
According to my own experience, the search box in the top navbar, and the search box gadget provided by Blogger, which is powered by the Google Blog Search engine, do NOT yield complete results at all. By contrast, the domain search simply used on Google's main web page does yield complete and thorough search results.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A great contradiction
It seems that Ayn Rand's moral philosophy, which has remained quite popular in the U.S. since the 1940s, doesn't square with the famous John F. Kennedy quote "my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."
Vintage music video - 风雨兼程 - 程琳
Lyrics copied from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b26cmL-w9a0 :
【風雨兼程】 3分49秒
今天你又去遠行
正是風雨濃
山高水長路不平
願你多保重
記得那年初相識
也在風雨中
風濃雨濃情更濃
祝你早成功
來也匆匆去也匆匆
就這樣風雨兼程
來也匆匆去也匆匆
就這樣風雨兼程
明天我也要登程
伴你風雨行
山高水長路不平
攜手同攀登
還是常言說得好
風光在險峰
待到雨過天晴時
捷報化彩虹
Introduction copied from http://goo.gl/GjVjf :
风雨兼程
词：王晓岭 曲：季承、晓藕
...
作曲家季承简介
1965年毕业于中央音乐学院作曲系，师从苏夏先生，原任中国人民解放军军乐团创作室主任，一级作曲家。 主要作品1、 交响诗《秋收起义》（获1977年全军第四届文艺会演优秀创作奖）；序曲《万岁，伟大的祖国》（获1979年全国文艺会演二等奖）；序曲《希望》（获1994年团优秀作品奖）；《骑兵团进行曲》（获1991年全国进行曲比赛二等奖）；管乐小品《苏醒吧，森林》（获1990年全军调演二等奖）；歌曲《风雨兼程》（获1985年“歌曲”晨钟奖）。
作曲家晓藕简介
晓藕，原名严晓藕。王晓岭、季承和晓藕曾经是八十年代流行歌坛的创作“铁三角”，王晓玲负责作曲，季承、晓藕作曲。严晓藕原为中国人民解放军军乐团创作室主任，中国音乐家协会会员，中国电视音乐研究会名誉理事。 1945 年出生，陕西澄城人，大学时学习钢琴专业。 1973 年任军乐团专业创作员，凭自己的聪明和勤奋，把数百首音乐作品推向了社会。并突破了进行曲的程式，充分发挥不同乐器的音色，甚至把声乐与管乐宏大的音响交织在一起，用一种乐曲取得不同的效果。她的执着追求迎得了社会的赞誉，部分作品获全国性大奖。代表作有《万岁，伟大的祖国》 、《 光荣的凯旋》 、《 三个小伙伴》 、《 思乡》 、《 庆丰年》 、《 赞美》 、（欢聚》 、《 前进吧！战友》 等及盒带专辑，还为 10 多部电视片谱写音乐，她的不懈精神，报刊曾详细的在《 音乐家介绍》 栏目里作了报导。
词作者王晓岭简介
王晓岭，词作家、一级编剧。北京军区政治部战友歌舞团团长，中国音乐家协会理事，中国音乐文学学会副主席，全军高级职称评委。 主要歌曲作词有：《当兵的人》、《让我们舞起来》、《阳光路上》、《风雨兼程》、《祖国赞美诗》、《军中姐妹》等。曾获解放军文艺奖多种奖励，三次荣立二等功。
演唱者程琳简介
程琳六岁开始学习拉二胡，八岁登台演出，十二岁考入海政歌舞团任二胡演奏演员。十三岁一曲《小螺号》传遍祖国大江南北，迅速成为中国歌坛年龄最小的新星。
演唱者龚玥简介
...
有爱。
I'm glad that China has reached out its publicity hands to the society of the U.S.
I hope that the 'extra large, extra red beachhead in Times Square' will gradually become a fountainhead of China's assimilation into the Western world.
To Microsoft
If you've done with that Bing search engine thing, can you please take a long careful look at the social networking arena and do something significant in there post-haste, for your own good?
Software programs, including web services,
really should regard memory economy. A bad example is Adobe Flash Player.
Some consumers don't understand companies. And some citizens don't understand the government.
Different orientations of the two parties involved in each above case.
Consumers and customers in China have become so subtle.
They can really understand and discriminate products and services.
The Chrome browser's image rendering engine seems interesting,
especially when it's rendering favicons.
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