Mom and Her Children

(Me with my mom and my sister on a trip to Yangmingshan on Monday)

"Your mom looks great!--having good children really helps..."

ICRT--"當年學生K英文 必聽ICRT"--from UDN

http://udn.com/NEWS/ENTERTAINMENT/ENT7/8642581.shtml

當年學生K英文 必聽ICRT

【聯合報╱記者陳景淵／台北報導】

2014.04.29 03:29 am

ＩＣＲＴ過去是大學生、高中生學習英語「必備」工具，包括補教界名師賴世雄，就是天天聽駐台美軍廣播電台（ＩＣＲＴ的前身）自學，練就一口「道地」美式英語。

Oral English Activities--a Website

When I taught English, I put much emphasis on speaking. Yesterday I came across this FB post by a dear friend Sarah Yin (殷彩鳳老師).

http://waze.net/oea/

Oral English Activities

"School in the cloud: Children with mentors on the other side of the world"--from BBC

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26356160

School in the cloud: Children with mentors on the other side of the world

By Alison Gee

BBC World Service

25 April 2014 Last updated at 00:04

Five years ago, an Indian schoolboy struck up an unlikely friendship with a retired teacher in London - and with her help he is now studying to be a doctor. Even though they live thousands of miles apart and have never met, they can't imagine life without each other.

My comments: This reminds me of the story "Information Please." Genuine care and love between strangers.

TIME's 100 Most Influential People

The annual list of TIME's 100 most influential people has just come out. Guess who tops the list?

http://time.com/collection/2014-time-100/

Taiwan Students' English Writing Ability--數理好、英文寫作差 教育怎因應？

http://udn.com/NEWS/OPINION/X1/8635017.shtml

數理好、英文寫作差 教育怎因應？

【聯合報╱陳信文／清華大學全球事務長（新竹市）】

2014.04.25 03:16 am

台灣年輕人在全球之競爭力，是最近常被提到的議題。昨日聯合報報導台灣學生數學程度全球領先與進步幅度很大。台灣學生平均數理程度優異，應是長久存在的事實。

Aesop's Fables at Two Websites

At this website, readers can find 82 stories in Aesop's Fables. By reading only one each day, as suggested, you can finish the stoires in less than 3 months.

http://www.dusklight.com/aesop/

After Around Twenty Years...

This afternoon, I took my mom to Cheng Hsin[g] General Hospital to consult the doctor about her knee problems. Though scheduled to have a knee operation tomorrow at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, my mom has been reluctant about it.

No Venture, No Gain

Today George and I took my mom-in-law to China Medical University Hospital in Yunlin for an evaluation by Dr. Lin Hsin-jung (林欣榮醫師) to see if she could undergo a medical experiment intended to enable stroke patients to move their stroke-impaired limbs on their own. It took us about four hours to drive to the hospital. Since my mom-in-law got a stroke around ten years ago and the old MRI images on the CD from the hospital she received treatment then didn't show sufficient information Dr. Lin needed, my mom-in-law has to go back to the hospital for an MRI scan in mid-May.

Making Learning English Fun--唱歌找彩蛋… 偏鄉娃：英語好好玩

http://mag.udn.com/mag/edu/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=509594

唱歌找彩蛋… 偏鄉娃：英語好好玩

【聯合報╱記者郭宣彣／彰化縣報導】2014/04/21

Get Back to Happiness--楊定一／取捨之間 如何回到快樂

http://mag.udn.com/mag/life/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=509629

楊定一／取捨之間 如何回到快樂

【聯合報╱楊定一】2014/04/21

"Entrepreneurs reveal their failures en route to success"--from BBC

In a sense, the stones that these entrepreneurs tripped on were the stepping stones to success. You can find the entrepreneurs' photos on the webpage.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27068901

Entrepreneurs reveal their failures en route to success

By Tony Bonsignore Business reporter, BBC News

20 April 2014 Last updated at 00:13

Millions of people dream of starting their own company, but only some are brave enough to take the leap.

Fewer still go on to great success.

Hsin-hsin Junior High Schoolmate Reunion

To enlarge the photo, please click it.

Calla Lily

If the flower were red or yellow, would it still be this beautiful?

"South Korea ferry: Messages from a sinking ship"--from BBC

Remember to say "I love you" often.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27045924

South Korea ferry: Messages from a sinking ship

17 April 2014 Last updated at 10:53

As a South Korean ferry came to a shuddering halt and rapidly began to sink, some of those on board sent harrowing text messages to their loved ones.

My comments: Click the link above, and you can see a message from a student on board to his mother.

Keep the Smile

Though not finding the beautiful shells as I expected, I still kept the smile.

"Blood moon: Sky gazers mesmerized as red hue lights up night sky"--from CNN

You must click the link and watch the video! It's a rare scene.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/15/tech/innovation/blood-moon/index.html

Blood moon: Sky gazers mesmerized as red hue lights up night sky

By Faith Karimi and Paul Vercammen, CNN

April 15, 2014 -- Updated 1325 GMT (2125 HKT) | Filed under: Innovations

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Sky gazers caught a glimpse of the "blood moon" crossing the Earth's shadow Tuesday in all its splendor.

"Travelers' choice: World's top 25 destinations"--from CNN

I love traveling. So this kind of lists always appeal to me.

Click the link and you can see the photos of 20 cities among the 25.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/08/travel/top-world-destinations-tripadvisor/index.html

Travelers' choice: World's top 25 destinations

By Marnie Hunter, CNN

April 8, 2014 -- Updated 0410 GMT (1210 HKT)

(CNN) -- You blinked and a quarter of the year flew by. It's time to plan a vacation.

What Is the Story Behind the Picture?

This was the picture the contestants based their story on at last Saturday's New Taipei Junior High School English Speech Contest. I posted it here with the permission from the host school.

16 Tips on Being Happy--"16種快樂方法 有科學根據" from UDN

This article is followed by its original English version from The Huffington Post.

http://udn.com/NEWS/HEALTH/HEA7/8608912.shtml

16種快樂方法 有科學根據

【聯合報╱記者吳佳珍、鄭涵文／輯譯】

2014.04.13 05:03 pm

做哪些事情可以讓快樂指數提升？《赫芬頓郵報》（The Huffington Post）整理出16種經科學驗證，並能讓你更快樂的小訣竅。

This two-dimensional happiness matrix efficiently shows different ways to happiness.

A Special Campus--New Taipei Municipal Jhanghe Junior High School

This morning I went to Jhanghe Junior High School in Chungho to judge a speech contest. Heading for the contest room, I was attracted by what was displayed along the hallway--the flags of countries around the world. A good way to raise students' awareness of the global village!

A Three-Minute Video That Might Make You Cry

Believe in Good....



This is a video posted on FB by my sister-in-law who lives in Canada. Watching it, I was moved to tears, especially when the little girl shows up in school uniform, indicating she is receiving education, which she could have only dreamed about.

Penghu--a Serene Getaway

The day before yesterday, I posted the photo on my FB page and asked my FB friends where I was. Seeing the basalt rock formations, they all knew it's Penghu except one.

Penghu-Day 3

Yesterday, we visited several famous scenic spots: the basalt rock formations, the beach, the whale hole, etc.

The hostess of our bed & breakfast said she can just leave her car key in the car after parking it without worrying it would be stolen. Impressive!

Penghu

I'm in Penghu. Yesterday we arrived by plane. It took about 50 minutes. My first time to this lovely place.

The air is fresh. No pollution. No traffic jam. The buildings are simple, with very few highrises. People are friendly. Famous for its seafood.

There is only one MacDonald's. Only one senior high school and one vocational school.

A nice place to relax!

 

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

A marvelous website for English learners who want to hone their listening skills.

http://www.esl-lab.com/

"High school student goes 8 for 8 in Ivy League college admissions"--from CNN

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/01/us/new-york-student-accepted-ivy-league/index.html

High school student goes 8 for 8 in Ivy League college admissions

By Lauren Morton and Lorenzo Ferrigno, CNN

April 2, 2014 -- Updated 1735 GMT (0135 HKT)

New York (CNN) -- A New York high school student has made it to the Elite Eight in a different sort of March Madness.

Kwasi Enin of Shirley has been accepted by the eight Ivy League schools -- Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Princeton and Cornell -- and then some. He will have his choice as the decision deadline of May 1 approaches.

Worksheets for Gungor's "A Tale of Two Brains" and the Key to the First

To help students learn from Mark Gungor's talk "A Tale of Two Brains," I made three worksheets on the morning of this past Tuesday. One is to fill in the blanks while or after listening, another is to re-arrange the jumbled sentences based on the talk, and the other to categorize statements into M (Men) or W(Women). Basically, they are the same thing in different formats.

"The Conditioned"--A Touching Story

A true story of how a homeless man in Brazil not only returned to his family but fulfilled his dream of having his poems published because of the kindly intervention of a woman. Lovely!

To read the English subtitles in part of the film, you'd better watch it full-screen.

From 19 on BCT to 830 on TOEIC--"基測英文19分 多益考830分留學去"

http://mag.udn.com/mag/edu/storypage.jsp?f_MAIN_ID=171&f_SUB_ID=123&f_ART_ID=506962

基測英文19分 多益考830分留學去

【聯合報╱記者余佳穎／新北報導】2014/04/04

新北市德霖技術學院應用英語系學生李鏡安，從小就是「菜英文」，國中基測只考19分。上大學後為了拚出國，每天苦讀英文，多益考到830分，申請上英國利物浦大學英語教學研究所。

Persist in What You Love--"郭兆林：有興趣的事，就要一直追下去"--from UDN

http://udn.com/NEWS/NATIONAL/NAT5/8589222.shtml

郭兆林：有興趣的事，就要一直追下去

【聯合報╱記者陳皓嬿／台北報導】

2014.04.03 03:29 am

「你是什麼樣的人？不是由你的能力定義，而是由你的選擇。」觀測到重力波印記的科學家、史丹佛大學助理教授郭兆林昨在台大演講時，引用了這句「看似出自卡謬之口，但實際上是小說哈利波特中校長鄧不利多的名言」作為結尾。郭兆林笑說，過去當學生時，自己成績不是最好、發表論文不是最多，考試要求一小時內作答，讓他覺得很難、很緊張，電磁學還只考六十分，但是觀念學得很清楚。

Class 120

Class 120 is a quiet class. They accept whatever is given to them, if not willingly, then without complaint. Take tests for example. Before the 1st mid-term, they were given quite a few review quizzes, but I didn't hear them whine or see any frown.

Seven-a-day fruit and veg 'saves lives'--from BBC

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-26818377

Seven-a-day fruit and veg 'saves lives'

By Pippa Stephens

Health reporter, BBC News

1 April 2014 Last updated at 06:58

Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day is healthier than the minimum five currently recommended and would prolong lives, experts say.

Talk Given at Taipei University of Technology

http://www.cet-taiwan.com/drCET/detail.asp?serno=699

This afternoon, my dear friend Annie (詹麗馨老師) LINEd me the link to my part of the talk we gave at Taipei University of Technology on Sunday, March. 23 on Teaching English Listening Skills.