週二(12/29) 1.愛你的敵人2.年度代表字

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愛你的敵人

Tips for Life’s Greatest Challenge: Love Thy Enemy   zenhabits  Post written by Leo Babauta

Whether you’re Christian or not, there’s something in the teachings of Jesus that is worth contemplation, for anyone who seeks to be a better person: his urging that we love our enemies.

Not just “Love Thy Neighbor”, which in itself can be a difficult thing.

But “Love your enemies”. That’s a powerful message, and it turns out, one of the greatest challenges in life.

Why Should I Love My Enemy?

•You’ll be happier. If you have anger or resentment inside of you, even if you don’t think about it all the time, there will be times when it surfaces. And that makes you unhappy. It’s destructive, inwardly (it eats you up) and outwardly (you might do destructive things to others). That anger also affects others around you, such as your loved ones, who are most likely affected in some way when you are angry — even if the anger isn’t directed at them. Removing this anger from yourself is a positive thing, and it will make you happier overall.

•You could make a friend. One of the most powerful effects of learning to love your enemy is that your enemy can become your friend. And while it is counterproductive to be fighting with an enemy (it hinders your progress), it is very productive to add new friends to your life — they can help you accomplish things, for example. A new friend, instead of an enemy, makes an incredible difference. And if that enemy is a family member or former friend, reuniting can be extremely powerful and important.

•You set a better example for others. Our actions set an example for other people in our lives. If you have children, for example, they learn from anything you do. Teaching them to hate is not a positive example. But teaching them to overcome that anger and hate, to make up with an enemy, and to love … there is no better example in life.

•It’s better for society. This one seems obvious to me, but it’s important. One little relationship might not seem to make a difference to society as a whole — who cares if I hate another person? But if we all hate other people, it creates a more divisive and fractured and angry society. I see the effects of this everywhere, from media and culture to politics to business to families being disrupted. And the opposite is true — if we can overcome that hatred, and learn to love our neighbor and our enemy, society is better of in so many ways.

Q:

Why we should we love our enemies?

What are the ways to ignore your enemy?

What are the greatest challenges in your life?

How to deal with your anger?

How to overcome feelings of hatred?

What are the ways to forgive and move on?

年度代表字

Words of the Year: These Characters Tell the Stories of 2015 in Strokes    blogs.wsj.com

In mainland China, President Xi Jinping’s anticorruption campaign is stretching into its third year. That’s helped propel the word “廉,” or “incorrupt,” to be named the countrys Chinese character of 2015.

The annual poll was organized by the government backed-Chinese National Language Monitoring and Research Center. It had asked Chinese netizens to submit nominations and vote for a word and phrase that best summed up the year.

An analysis earlier this month showed the number of Chinese institutions probed so far in 2015 is more than four times what it was in 2013 when Mr. Xi’s corruption crackdown began.

Across the Strait in Taiwan, more than 13,000 people voted for the Chinese word for change, “換,” in a way to show their desire for a new president and legislature ahead of next month’s elections.

The winning word had in fact been suggested by Taiwan’s leading presidential candidate and main opposition party nominee, Tsai Ing-wen, who argued that the island is facing tough challenges and needs reform.

Following a series of food safety, political and military scandals in Taiwan, respondents in 2013 and 2014 had chosen the words “fake” and “dark,” respectively. The poll is co-organized by Taiwan’s United Daily News.

In neighboring Malaysia, which this year endured slumping oil prices, a record-low currency and a political scandal, 16% of the more than 13,000 respondents to a poll run by the Han Culture Center said the word, “苦”or“bitter,”best reflects their 2015.

But“貪,meaning “greedy” or“corrupt in English, came in second with 15% of the total votes. The words popularity comes as Malaysias 1MDB scandal is drawing world-wide attention and has led to calls at home for the ouster of the country’s prime minister.

Further east, Japan’s kanji of the year, “安,” means safety, peace or security. It also happens to be one of the characters in the name of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (安倍晋三). Mr. Abe passed national security bills through parliament earlier this year, and the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation said the win by “安” reflects the Japanese public’s terrorism-related unease.

Q:

What do you think of the word of the year “change”“換”?

What are the things should be change for the New Year?

What do you think about “corruption” in Asian countries?

“安,” means safety, peace or security”

Do you think Taiwan is a safe living country?

Which country has good living conditions to live?

Is greed a bad thing?

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周六(12/26) 英文電影欣賞 討論 & 歡樂火鍋趴

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今晚 12/26 週六讀書會  英文電影欣賞 討論 & 歡樂火鍋趴

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週五(12/25)1.過去一年 反省 2. 選美烏龍

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過去一年 反省

Questions for a New Year’s Eve reflection  by Tsh Oxenreider  theartofsimple.net

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?

5. Pick three words to describe this past year.

8. What were the best books you read this year?

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?

15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?

選美烏龍

Crown slips as Miss Universe 2015 host names the wrong woman as winner  Associated Press

The Miss Universe 2015 contest has ended in confusion and disarray after the host mistakenly named the wrong woman as the winner.

Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo from Colombia had already been crowned and was standing on stage to cheers from the Las Vegas audience when mortified host Steve Harvey returned to announce the error.

“OK, folks, um, I have to apologise,” he said, walking back on stage while Arevalo was proudly waving to fans, holding the winner’s bouquet and wearing the Miss Universe sash. “The first runner-up is Colombia,” he went on, “Miss Universe 2015 is Philippines.”

The camera panned straight to a stunned Miss Philippines, Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, who started slowly walking to the front of the stage. For a few awkward moments the two women stood side by side, in front of a TV audience of millions from around the world, before Harvey explained that he read the card naming the winner and runner-up in the wrong order.

“I will take responsibility for this, it was my mistake,” he told the crowd. “It’s on the card ... horrible mistake, but I can show it to you right here,” he said, holding up the card.

“It is my mistake, but it’s still a great night.”

“Please don’t hold it against the ladies, please don’t. I feel so badly but it’s still a great night.”

As he spoke, a former Miss Universe winner quickly removed the crown from Arevalo and placed it on Wurtzbach. The broadcast ended moments later.

The reaction on social media was swift, with viewers expressing dismay at the “fail of the decade”.

Later, Wurtzbach told reporters that she wished Arevalo well.

“I’m very sorry. I did not take the crown from her,” she said. “None of this was done on purpose. It was an honest mistake.”

Q:

What do you think about beauty pageant contests?

What do you think about miss universe 2015 host names the wrong woman as winner?

What is your own standard of beauty? What is true beauty?

What to do when make a huge mistake?

How to apologize when made mistakes?

Are beauty pageants a way to objectifying women?

環球小姐（Miss Universe）選美總決賽慘出包！主持人竟然搞錯了今年的冠軍得主，將原本屬於菲律賓小姐的后冠給了亞軍哥倫比亞小姐。當哥倫比亞小姐上台戴上后冠，感動的接受全場觀眾的歡呼時，台下主持人突然拿著麥克風上台，焦急的宣布該后冠是要給菲律賓小姐的，讓全場人士盡傻眼。

來自哥倫比的佳麗，阿勒伐洛（Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo）上台領冠、接受全場歡呼慶祝時，主持人哈維（Steve Harvey）一臉慌張的衝上台告訴大家，他錯把亞軍（first runner-up）得主當成冠軍，真正的選美皇后優勝者應該是菲律賓小姐，渥茲巴赫（Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach）。

當這2位佳麗突然聽到主持人宣布這項消息時，都感到非常的錯愕，菲律賓小姐在聽完結果後，更是用呆滯的眼神凝視著觀眾，啞口無言的站在舞台上，彷彿這一切來得太突然一樣，觀眾席更是頻頻爆出噓聲。

已經戴上后冠的哥倫比亞小姐，也很有風度的一笑置之，面帶尷尬的表情讓助理取下她原本已經戴穩的后冠，轉交給正確的獲勝佳麗。

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週二(12/22) 1.時間銀行2.如何獲得新觀念

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時間銀行

The Time Bank    inhabitat.com  Via The Guardian

In Lyttleton, New Zealand, an unusual currency has been circulating for the past decade, and now it’s gaining attention on a global scale. In the small port town, residents contribute hours to a ‘time bank’ from which others can make withdrawals, effectively allowing community members to trade the skills they possess in exchange for services they need. In a community where time literally is money, local residents have discovered a new kind of wealth.

A time bank is a unique system that places equivalent values on the time of all residents, regardless of occupation. That is to say that one hour of an attorney’s time is worth the same as one hour of childcare services. For every hour of time contributed to the bank, each member earns one credit, to be exchanged for an hour of someone else’s time. When you’re accustomed to attaching dollar amounts to all kinds of services, from house painting to transportation, it can be a little daunting to wrap your mind around the concept of a time bank. That is, until you learn more about how well it works, and you can see all the rhyme and reason at play.

How to start a community seed bank

Lyttleton’s time bank, the first in New Zealand, began in 2005 as a complementary currency system intended to build social ties among community members. In 2010, the area was hit by the first in a string of massive earthquakes that destroyed homes and businesses, disrupted utility services, and damaged hospitals and nature reserves. At that time, the time bank had 30,000 traded hours in total and an average of 400 hours were being traded each month. In the weeks following the earthquake, the number of traded hours more than doubled.

During the earthquake recovery period, the time bank became an essential function in the community and a way to provide the kind of support people truly needed at that time. The bank became a throughway for information and resources of all kinds. In addition to getting “jobs” done, like home repairs, the time bank fostered a sense of cooperation in the community and led to partnerships with other organizations to harness even more resources to respond to residents’ needs. Basically, the time bank has made people care more about others and feel more willing to help one another.

Q:

What do you think the idea of time bank?

Do you willing contribute hours to help other people?

Do you think is a good idea that trading the skills people possess in exchange for services someone they need?

What to do if a friend asked for financial help?

What are the way to provide the kind of mutual support to friends?

How to cherish your time?

How to made people care more about others?

如何獲得新觀念

How to Gain a New Perspective

As a person is growing, that person has a certain way of looking at what happens before his or her eyes. Once you've seen life from a different point of view, you gain a very wide knowledge of your world. Try to see the world from a new perspective! It'll be worth it.

   

Increase your awareness. One of the most important things in life is to be aware of yourself. To be aware of every step you take, the words you say, and actions you perform is very important. You probably do this already. After the day is over you might be thinking: "I wonder what would've happened if I went to the movies instead of studying." To be aware of yourself is kind of like having a bird's eye view of what you're doing.

      Travel. Traveling is an awesome (and fun) way to gain a new perspective. Land yourself in a totally different country from your own and explore the culture. Compare countries and how they value different ideas and rules. For example: In Thailand, driving can be terrifying for an American the first time. The cars move faster and come dangerously close to each other, motorbikes weave through the traffic, people run across busy streets; it is the complete opposite to what an American is used to. After a few weeks though, the heavy traffic, the fast cars and seemingly crazy pedestrians would become normal. When the American returns to America, he or she will think, "I forgot how slow the cars here went."

      

    Clean. Get rid of some of your old stuff that you don't need anymore. Move your furniture around and vacuum in those hard to reach spots. Go through all your drawers and reorganize them. Wash those mirrors, windows, and TV screens. Try to not leave a speck of dust behind. If you do this, you'll be putting your old self in the trash can, and you'll have a blank new perspective to work with.

    Image titled Gain a New Perspective Step 4

    Workout. A new body helps you have a new perspective. Those distances you couldn't handle before, you can now do with ease. Picture it.

Q:

How to gain a new perspective?

Can you see life from different point of views?

What are the ways to acquire knowledge?

What are the ways to grow mentally and physically?

What are the benefits of traveling?

What are the benefits of regular exercise?

What do you think of the heavy traffic in Taiwan?

時間真是金錢 紐西蘭辦時間銀行

台灣醒報台灣醒報

【台灣醒報記者黃捷綜合報導】電子商務正夯，但比起雲端貨幣，你聽過「時間貨幣」嗎？在紐西蘭的利特爾頓，這種不尋常的貨幣已經流通了將近十年，近日這種類型交易規則受到全球關注。舉例來說，一個律師和一位保母提供一小時的服務是等價的，存進時間銀行的每個小時，都能平等的換到他人提供的一小時服務。

在利特爾頓這個港岸小鎮，居民可以把時間存進「時間銀行」，並讓他人提領你的時間。時間銀行中，社區成員能用自己擁有的技能交換所需的服務，對小鎮居民來說，時間真的就是金錢，這比支付寶、信用卡更無形，卻一點也不虛擬。

時間銀行的概念強調，無論職業、勞動貴賤，「每個人的時間都等值」，這對習慣使用貨幣交易的人們來說，或許「時間貨幣」的邏輯令人生懼，但在這裡，從住家油漆到交通運輸，一切服務交易都習以為常。

根據《inhabitat》報導，利特爾頓的時間銀行從2005年開始運作，宗旨為建立社區成員之間的社會連結。2010年時，這個小鎮遭強震摧殘，許多家庭和企業受災，公共設施及醫院也停擺，當時，時間銀行存進的小時數爆增到兩倍，平均每個月有400小時交易。

災後復原期間，時間銀行成了當地最重要的支持網絡，人們從那裡獲得資訊及各類資源，不只是修復家園，時間銀行更促進了社區的凝聚意識，導向互助合作、資源分享的夥伴社群，讓居民更關心彼此，也更願意幫助他人。

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周六(12/19) 1.冬季憂鬱症2.真夠朋友

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冬季憂鬱症

Beating the winter blues (Key symptoms)

It is thought that SAD affects around 2 million people in the UK and more than 12 million people across Northern Europe. It can affect people of any age, including children.

According to Sue Pavlovich of the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association (SADA), these 10 tips could help.

1. Keep active

Research has shown that a daily one-hour walk, in the middle of the day, could be as helpful as light treatment for coping with the winter blues.

2. Get outside

Go outdoors in natural daylight as much as possible, especially at midday and on brighter days. Inside your home, choose pale colours that reflect light from outside, and sit near windows whenever you can.

3. Keep warm

Being cold makes you more depressed. It’s also been shown that staying warm can reduce the winter blues by half. Keep warm with hot drinks and hot food. Wear warm clothes and shoes and aim to keep your home between 18C and 21C (or 64F and 70F degrees). For further information on what you can do, including applying for grants to keep your home warm, read our article on keeping warm and well.

4. Eat healthily

A healthy diet will boost your mood, give you more energy and stop you putting on weight over winter. Balance your craving for carbohydrates, such as pasta and potatoes, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. "Some people tell us that taking extra vitamin D helps," adds Pavlovich. Good food sources of vitamin D include oily fish and eggs.

5. See the light

Light therapy can be effective in up to 85% of diagnosed cases. One way to get light therapy at home in winter is to sit in front of a light box for up to two hours a day.

Light boxes give out very bright light that is at least 10 times stronger than ordinary home and office lighting. They’re not available on the NHS and cost around £100 or more.

6. Take up a new hobby

Keeping your mind active with a new interest seems to ward off symptoms of SAD, says Pavlovich. "It could be anything, such as playing bridge, singing, knitting, joining a gym, keeping a journal or writing a blog. The important thing is that you have something to look forward to and concentrate on," she adds.

7. Join a support group

Think about joining a support group. Sharing your experience with others who know what it's like to have SAD is very therapeutic and can make your symptoms more bearable.

Q:

1. Do you have the winter blues?

How to get rid of depression? Why do people get depressed?

2. Does the cold weather affect people's emotions? Why?

3. What are the winter activities you do usually?

Can exercise help people ease depression?

4. How to form new hobbies?

5. How can you help a friend who seems depressed?

Where to go for help if you in emotional difficulty?

真夠朋友

Ways to Be a True Friend   By Lori Deschene Tiny Buddha

Always be there, even in silence. (Nerrisa Nam)

Be kind and listen. Be fun and light. Be serious when needed, love extensively, and forgive always. (Sandra Lumb)

Guide each other in times of need with your honest opinions. (Ashna Singh)

A true friend is someone who always listens and is genuinely interested in the good and bad, and someone who calls or writes just to say hello. (Kimberly McCarthy)

Be loyal in confidence and character, always open and inviting to share concerns, always honest even if you disagree. (Peggy Turner Beatty)

A true friend tries his best to cheer you up when you are upset and makes you feel special. (Kalpana Tewani)

Try and improve their life though your friendship. (Barry Cassidy)

Be genuinely happy when they get, receive, or achieve something you truly desire. (Heather Tucker)

Share the truth in your heart, without the fear of misunderstandings. (Ricardo Marques)

Be loyal and forgive but above all: love and respect. (Casey Jo Wagner)

Accept the person as they are, as an individual, without conditions. Also, as important as it is for you to be there for them, sometimes you have to be willing to let them be there for you. (Casey Kimes)

Help yourself and those closest to you grow. To live means to grow, and a true friend is someone that you can honestly say has helped define you as an individual. (Kevin Ball)

Walk in to a friend’s aid when others are walking out. (Larry Stilts)

Don’t hold grudges over petty disagreements. (Annika de Korte)

Q:

What are the ways to be a true friend?  

Do you know who your real friends are?

Are you willing be kind and be a good listener to friends?

How friends to guide each other in times of need?

How to cheer friends up when they are feel down?

How honest can you be with a friend?

How to help a friend in need?

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