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.