Religious believers of every hue at least hold the proper structure of a society.

It appears that more and more people who had had Christian and Jewish faith have turned agnostic.

Victoria Nuland's father, Professor Sherwin B. Nuland, a native Jewish American and a surgeon, is one of them. "Although raised in a traditional Orthodox Jewish home, Sherwin now considers himself agnostic, but continues to attend synagogue." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwin_B._Nuland )

In a typical democratic society, damning reports are broadcast every now and then.

Is it a good thing for the society, or is it a bad thing?

It doesn't feel good to see the unabated downward spins of career roller coasters of many people in this insecure era of demotions and lay-offs.

人言啧啧的“啫啫鸡煲”和“啫喱水”

从小到大，我肯定读过很多白字。最近几年才自知的有豉（chǐ）。

有些中餐馆的女侍应将“啫啫鸡煲”的“啫啫”读成“zhū zhū”，今天查了一下，其实应该读作“zé zé”。我猜“啫”应该是广东话里的字，象声字；所以他们不将“啫啫鸡煲”称作“啧啧鸡煲”。其实，“啧啧”形容咂嘴的声音，那道菜品叫“啧啧鸡煲”貌似也不错。当然，“啧”字既可以做褒义（例如“啧啧称羡”），又可以做贬义（例如“啧有烦言”），不如“啫”来得清爽不产生误解。

另外，对于英文的 “gel” 一词的翻译，“啫喱水”，为什么很多人读作“zhě lí shuǐ”？应该是“zé lí shuǐ”才对啊。

It's sad to finally see that the traditional Chinese culture is almost flat in Mainland China.

It seems that Christianity is against one being idolatrous.

The Christian view of idolatry is intriguing to me.

Debate is also common in ancient China's courtyards and some Buddhist temples, according to history.

It seems that nearly all the major religions prohibit self-slaughter in the world.

More and more fun is nixed out of modern life.

Allez-y, thé rouge.

This post-industrial world has resolved communities into loose groups of perpetually mobile profit-seeking individuals.

Can this terrible obesity trend be abated in the U.S. and Canada?

See http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/an-epidemic-of-obesity/ .

To thaw means to melt.

Interestingly, Armageddon, the apocalypse, was foretold in both Christianity and Islam.

Finally I've gotten an Asian strainer to help with my cooking.

In proper English, when in a restaurant, parents with a toddler should ask a waitron for a booster seat, not for a booster.

A piece of phenolic cookware essentially means its handles are phenolic, which translates into plain English as "heat resistant handle(s)".

Since when has the word "staunch" become a negative one?

"Stuffy" should be negative, but should "staunch" too?

The United Church of Canada is "the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Roman Catholic Church."

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Church_of_Canada .