周五(2/28)1.悲慘世界 2.《來自星星的你》

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悲慘世界

The Brazilian Slum Children Who Are Literally Swimming in Garbage(vice.com By Talita Corrêa)

The Brazilian city of Recife is known for its majestic bridges, but in November a newspaper photo highlighted one of the metropolis’s uglier aspects. Published in the Jornal do Commercio, the picture showed a nine-year-old kid named Paulo Henrique submerged in a garbage-filled canal beneath one of those famous bridges, picking cans out of the filthy water so he could sell them.

According to government estimates, some 6,500 children live in the slums in the Arruda and Campina Barreto neighborhoods on Recife’s north side. Many of them wade through garbage to eke out a living just as Paulo does, but it was only after his image appeared in the press that the local government and international authorities took notice of their plight. In response to the photo and the accompanying article, the government promised to place Paulo, his mother, and his five siblings on welfare.

Unfortunately, this publicity hasn’t yet resulted in the other children of the slums getting more money or services.

“We try to keep them busy, give them education and proper food, but with the money we get, we can only assist 120 of these young kids [at a time],” said Anatilde Costa, a social worker at the Asylum Home of Divine Providence, a local NGO that provides food, clothing, and education to the children. “Many others live in a pitiful situation... Like they are animals.” Her organization receives a small amount of money from the federal government, but it subsists mostly on donations.

Larissa Silva, a ten-year-old who has chronic ringworm covering 80 percent of her body, lives a few miles away from the Asylum’s headquarters. When I met her at the cardboard house she shares with her family she asked me, “Do you think I like living here?” I said no, and she responded, “But I do. It’s the only life I know.”

Fabiana, Larissa’s mother, told me, “We spend two months collecting all kinds of aluminum material and then we sell it to a company that pays us 130 reals [around $55] for recycling. I raise my three kids like this.”

On my way out of the slum I ran into Jeferson, Larissa’s brother. He told me he hopes it rains soon so that he can take a bath and play on the garbage rivers at high tide.

Les Miserables (Liberty Times)

On Jan. 15, the man brought the tank to a police station and turned himself in. The 33-year-old man, identified only by his last name Chen, told the police that his family of four had gone days without fuel for cooking or a hot bath.

He decided to go to the police because he felt ashamed after seeing the news reports and because his wife wanted him to do the right thing, according to the police.

While at the police station, Chen and his wife explained that they could not make enough money doing odd jobs.

Chen said he originally wanted to get some charcoal on Christmas Day and use it to put an end to the lives of his family, but the sight of the unsecured gas tank changed his mind.

Ward Chief Liang was confident that the family can get help from the government. They were eligible for help but did not know how to apply for it, she said.

Questions:

1. “According to this article, some 6,500 children live in the slums”

How to help for the slum kids?

2. What do you think about the kid wade through garbage to eke out a living?

3. How to help poor children to have a better future?

How to help improve the lives of the poor?

What is the best t way to fight global poverty?

4. What do you think of the man who stealing a gas tank?

Would you forgive the man if were the vender?

5. What is real hunger?

Have you ever let yourself experienced true hunger?

6. Should the rich be required to give money to the poor?

7. Is giving money the only way to help poor people?

《來自星星的你》

My Love From the Star (offbeatchina.com)

South Korean’s new TV melodrama My Love From the Star is reaching a new high of how popular a K-drama can be in China. The on-going TV series is a combo of fish-out-of-water comedy, romance, suspense and science fiction that tells the love story between an alien (in the form of a perfect human) who has been stranded on earth for 400 years and a top female star in South Korea.

The main male character Do Min-joon, played by young star Kim Soo-hyun, is an alien with superman powers who looks just like a cute college boy but has actually lived in South Korea for over 400 years. As many Chinese fans pointed out, the character is the ultimate boyfriend fantasy – rich, smart, handsome, is a professor and has worked as a government official, a scientist, a doctor and a lawyer, and with super powers. “No man on earth can be as perfect as he is. He has to be an alien,” commented many Chinese netizens.

The Twilight type of show surprisingly attracts a very large audience in China, including many popular Chinese stars. For example, Yang Xi, popular Chinese TV and film star, compared her own newly-wed husband with Do Min-joon.

And guess what, the show was not even aired on TV. iQIYI.com, a popular online streaming service in China, bought the right to bring the show to its Chinese audience. As of this weekend, the first 17 episodes on iQIYI have been viewed more than 350 million times. And the number doesn’t even take into account of websites that feature the show illegally.
 

Questions:

1. Do you like watching Korean soap operas?

What do you think about Korean soap operas?

2. Do you believe aliens exist?

3. What to do if you encounter alien?

Is it possible falling in love with an alien?

4. What to do if you found your boy friend or girlfriend was an alien?

In your opinion, what does an alien look like?

6. Why are Korean soap operas so popular?

7. What do you think about cosmetic sugary among Korean actors?

8. Would you like to travel to another planet?

Will we live on the other planets?

《來自星星的你》（韓語：별에서 온 그대）為韓國SBS自2013年12月18日起播出的水木迷你連續劇，由朴智恩擔任編劇，與《風之畫師》、《樹大根深》導演張太侑攜手製作。全智賢是自1999年《歡樂時光》之後時隔14年復出電視劇場，並且與曾在2012年電影《神偷大劫案》合作過的金秀賢再度搭檔。

以《朝鮮王朝實錄》中1609年（光海君1年）的不明飛行物相關紀錄為基礎發揮荒誕的想像，講述從外星來到朝鮮時代的神祕男人就此生活到400年之後的現代，遇見著名女演員並墜入愛河的浪漫喜劇。[1][2][3

「來自星星的你」紅透亞洲 韓國遊火了

【聯合報╱記者陳言喬／台北報導】 「敏俊為了頌伊，一定會留在地球的。」近來在南韓、大陸、台灣甚至整個亞洲都創下極佳收視率的韓劇「來自星星的你」即將完結篇，眾多網友都在討論這部戲，除扣人心弦的故事情節，它還帶動南韓的旅遊熱，甚至帶動大陸民眾吃炸雞，再次顯現南韓的文化軟實力。網民、學者熱議   這部戲去年十二月十八日在南韓首播，一周只播兩集。根據調查，此劇不僅在韓國的最高收視率達百分之廿七點四，名列去年南韓迷你劇第一名，在大陸網站點擊量更已超過十億，並在整個亞洲地區走紅。「星星」每逢周三、周四在南韓播出，經過一天時間的處理配上中文字幕，隔一天出現在網站上，很多大陸網民每逢周四、周五就守在網站上看最新一集的劇情。這部戲集合愛情、浪漫、幻想和喜劇，成功擄獲各地年輕男女的心，故事敘述四百年前一名外星人都敏俊（金秀賢飾）墜落到地球，四百年後再等待一顆彗星返回，但在返回前結識了千頌伊（全智賢飾）。兩人從消除誤會，歷經劫難，進而相愛，但當頌伊知道敏俊如果不回去母星，會死在地球時，頌伊悲傷不已。但為了愛、為了敏俊能夠存活，她做出決定…一名大陸網友稱「這部戲很感人，讓你一直哭還想繼續看」，一些大陸民眾聚在一起就在討論下周的大結局，幾乎所有的網民都認為都敏俊即使會死，也一定會選擇留在愛人身邊。

家禽業挽回市場 就連一些社會學者也在網路討論此劇成功之處，並再次談到韓國電視劇、歌曲的文化軟實力。

大陸媒體報導，劇中全智賢心情不好時說「下雪了，怎麼能沒有炸雞和啤酒」，這一句話讓炸雞一夕間在大陸大賣，讓Ｈ7Ｎ9疫情大受影響的家禽業，挽回部分市場。

杭州一家餐廳在二月十四日西洋情人節期間主打炸雞啤酒套餐，情人節賣出了上千套。上海一家韓式炸雞店，買一份炸雞得排隊三小時。湖南長沙有一婦女連吃八餐炸雞，長出一臉痘痘。

劇中睡前書也紅

就連知名的社群軟體「微信」，只要輸入「炸雞和啤酒」，手機螢幕就會出現下雪的場景。

「星星」還捧紅了全智賢用的唇膏、金秀賢的睡前讀物。大陸旅行業者最近還推出「韓國首爾、江原道五日遊」行程，到多處拍攝地景點參觀，例如在清平湖邊的小法蘭西村，都敏俊向千頌伊獻出全劇最浪漫的吻，讓遊客感受一下此劇愛情的氣氛。

  

這是周六(3/1)文章

                                    
1.富人稅/空氣汙染 

The wealthy could pay more tax
The government’s pursuit of a capital gains tax has raised questions about how much different classes should contribute to tax revenues. Hon Hai Chairman Terry Gou believes the wealthy could pay more and proposed that Taiwan’s 300 wealthiest contribute an additional NT$18 billion a year.

 Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou is offering his own take on the capital gains tax. He believes that rich people can pay a little more in taxes, sparing others from a capital gains tax.
 

 The rich are not heartless. None of them want to avoid all taxes. We have contacted several lawmakers and said that paying tax is the right thing to do.

Gou believes that the 100 wealthiest people in Taiwan should contribute an additional NT$10 billion in tax revenues, spread out proportionally. And those from 101 to 200 should contribute another NT$5 billion, and 201 to 300 should contribute an additional NT$3 billion. When added together, this would be an additional NT$18 billion in tax revenues.

Terry Gou held a press conference to announce his tax proposal. He expressed concern that the burgeoning European debt crisis and Taiwan’s troubled capital gains tax could slow the economy.

Finance minister describes tax reform plan as giving back (focustaiwan)

Taipei, Feb. 24 (CNA) Finance Minister Chang Sheng-ford described the concept behind the government's tax reform plan he outlined Monday as a "feedback tax," with the wealthy giving back to society and the government giving back to salaried workers and the disabled.

He said the plan would focus on narrowing the rich-poor divide by increasing the taxes paid by high-income earners and big financial institutions while increasing deductions for salaried workers and people with disabilities to ease their tax burdens.

Chang cited comments by two of Taiwan's most prominent entrepreneurs to back the idea.

 

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Chairman Morris Chang said he "hoped taxes would be increased for high-income earners and cut for the poor," the finance minister said, while Hon Hai Group Chairman Terry Gou has said that "a rich man can be said to be a gentleman if he pays more taxes."
 

Based on the concept, the tax reform package includes the creation of a new individual income tax bracket with a marginal income tax rate of 45 percent for people reporting annual taxable income of over NT$10 million (US$329,446) a year.
 

Under the current tax code, the 40 percent rate bracket kicks in at a taxable income of more than NT$4.4 million.
 

The revision, if put through, is expected to affect around 9,500 people and generate an additional NT$9.9 billion in tax revenues.
 

In addition, the business tax for banking and insurance institutions will return to the previous 5 percent from the present 2 percent, which is expected to generate an additional NT$21 billion in tax revenues.
 

Also, the current tax credit afforded to individual shareholders receiving dividends would be cut by 50 percent and would generate more than NT$50 billion in tax revenues. All told, the increases will inject an additional NT$80 billion into national coffers.
 

 At the same time, the ministry will give back to most taxpayers by raising the special deduction for salaries and wages and disabilities from the current NT$108,000 to NT$128,000 per person, benefiting 6.47 million salary earners and 515,000 people with disabilities.
 

Incentives will also be provided for small and medium-sized companies to hire more workers and for businesses to engage in research and development.
 

This will leave most people with higher after-tax incomes, representing a "salary increase" at a time when most workers have seen little salary growth, Chang said.
 

The finance minister estimated the cost of these givebacks at about NT$10 billion, leaving NT$70 billion to contribute to the government's budget deficit, which has reached NT$270 billion to NT$300 billion in recent years.

Other ways to cover the deficit this year, Chang said, would be to save NT$45 billion by restructuring spending, issue NT$120 billion in new debt, collect NT$30 billion on the sale of shares in publicly run enterprises, and earn NT$10 billion through the revitalization of assets.

Q:

Do you think air pollution is a problem?

How do you think nations should resolve air pollution problems?

What we can do to improve air quality

Which cities have the worst pollution? Which country has the worst air pollution?

Which city has the best living quality?

Listing world's most livable cities?
 Air pollution (theguardian.com)
 

Chinese scientists have warned that the country's toxic air pollution is now so bad that it resembles a nuclear winter, slowing photosynthesis in plants – and potentially wreaking havoc on the country's food supply.

 

Beijing and broad swaths of six northern provinces have spent the past week blanketed in a dense pea-soup smog that is not expected to abate until Thursday. Beijing's concentration of PM 2.5 particles – those small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream – hit 505 micrograms per cubic metre on Tuesday night. The World Health Organisation recommends a safe level of 25.

The worsening air pollution has already exacted a significant economic toll, grounding flights, closing highways and keeping tourists at home. On Monday 11,200 people visited Beijing's Forbidden City, about a quarter of the site's average daily draw.

Q:

Should the rich be required to pay higher taxes in the Taiwan?

Why the rich should pay more taxes?

Why do people want rich people to pay more tax?

Do you think the rich are generous?

Why are poor people more generous than wealthy people?

 2.新聞討論

 

YouBike rental volume grows 10 times in one year

 
Taipei, Feb. 26 (CNA) The number of rentals of YouBikes -- urban rental bicycles that serve as part of Taipei's public transportation system -- surged 10 times in 2013 compared with the previous year, the city's Department of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said Wednesday.

The YouBike rental system has become increasingly popular since its establishment in 2009, when it had 11 rental stations scattered around the city and 500 bikes for rent. As of the end of 2013, the number of rental stations had grown to 136, with 4,545 bikes available for hire, the department said.
Q: what do you think of the YouBike?

 

 

 

Around-the-corner convenience stores in Taiwan

The number of convenience stores in Taiwan has broken the 10,000 mark, averaging one such store for every 2,000 members of the population, the highest density in the world.
 

Even though some pundits said as long as a decade ago that the convenience store market had become saturated, growth has not slackened.

7-Eleven boasts the largest number of convenience stores in Taiwan at 4,943, followed by FamilyMart at 2,900, Hi-Life at 1,296 and OK-Mart at 880.

 Q: what do you think ofconvenience stores in Taiwan?

Taiwanese band Mayday heads to Amsterdam after rocking Paris

 

  Mayday's concert in London Friday.
 Paris, Feb. 24 (CNA) Taiwanese band Mayday is heading to Amsterdam to round up its first European tour, after rocking thousands of fans in Paris on Sunday.

 "Next stop, Amsterdam, the 'Flower City.' Here we come," band members wrote on their Facebook page Monday.

The rock band will hold the third and final leg of its European tour at the Heineken Music Hall in the Dutch capital on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, over 4,000 fans, many of them ethnic Chinese, attended the band's concert in Paris on Sunday, waving blue glow sticks to create the effect of a vast blue ocean at the Zenith arena.

Q: what do you think about pop music bands in taiwan?