周六(11/2)1.優質好友特質2.如何真誠稱讚?

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優質好友特質

Essential Qualities of A Good Friend

1. Honest

Among the traits of a best friend, honesty is easily one of the most significant.

Your friends should tactfully tell you the truth, rather than lying to keep you happy in the short term.

For example, they should be straightforward when it comes to discussions about clothes, romance, job opportunities and how you come across to others.

They should never be cruel or abusive. On the other hand, deceitfulness and manipulativeness are tell-tale qualities of a bad friend.

And if you find out that a friend is lying to other people, the chances are fairly high that they are dishonest with you as well.

2. Accepting

Great friends are accepting, even when their lives diverge from your own. They will understand that your choices are your own, and see that what’s right for them isn’t necessarily right for you.

So, for example, they won’t try to make you change how you look, pressure you to do things that make you uncomfortable, or fight with you when you reveal you have a different view about something. It’s fine for them to challenge you and encourage you to say more about your values, but this should always be done in an even-handed way and it shouldn’t be done with the goal of changing who you are.

(Is something holding you back from utilizing The Law Of Attraction successfully? Click here now to take the free quiz!)

3. Non-Judgmental

You need friends who make you feel confident about who you are, not people who induce self-doubt.

Indeed, a non-judgmental approach is also one of the characteristics of a good person more generally. Your friends should listen to you and do their best to put themselves in your shoes, even if means trying to relate to a very different belief system.

Friends who try to convince you that there’s a “right” way to be will often turn out to be bullies, and can make you feel very insecure about your individuality. It’s your uniqueness that will actually attract people who are a good match for you.

4. Loyal

Loyalty is unquestionably one of the most important qualities of a good friend.

You need to know that this person will stick by your side no matter what and that their commitment to you is not fickle.

The very best friends will help you out when you’re struggling, whether it’s with money, love, mental health difficulties or something else entirely.

In contrast, “fair weather friends” are ones who are only there when things are good for you and when you have plenty to give.

This indicates that they’re only interested in what you can do for them and that they don’t value you as much as you deserve.

5. Respectful

Mutual respect is one of the most powerful traits of a good friendship, and a lack of it is a serious warning sign that you’re entering into an abusive dynamic.

There are lots of facets to respect. For example, your friend should keep your secrets, not talk about you behind your back, and value your time.

In addition, they should form opinions about you for themselves rather than listening to gossip. Further, once again, if you’re talking to a friend who is telling you people’s personal business, it’s likely that they’re using your secrets as conservational currency in their chats with other people.

6. Trustworthy

                         

Finally, never underestimate the importance of aspects of friendship that involve trust. Trustworthiness isn’t just about keeping confidences, as discussed above. It’s also about sticking to a certain set of moral principles that relate to the aforementioned traits of honesty and respect. For example, someone who flirts with your partner or tries to undermine you at work isn’t really a friend, and definitely can’t be trusted with anything important.

In contrast, friendships that are built on trust are usually long-lasting and deeply satisfying. Make it a priority to create this kind of relationship with people. Offer trust, and make it obvious that you can be trusted in response.

 

如何真誠稱讚?

How to Give Sincere Compliments

oprahmag.com

Link your compliment to something you genuinely feel.

To give a compliment that really resonates, Liben suggests a three-step process, which starts by identifying an action or quality that you truly respect or appreciate. "The compliment should be authentic," she says, and connected to values that you personally hold dear or that you know are important to that person.

Then, think about why you appreciate that quality.

The next step is to figure out the reason this quality resonates so strongly with you. So to put the first two steps together, for example, if you're thinking about complimenting a friend about her vacation-planning skills leading up to your girls trip, consider why you appreciate the related actions—did she make the trip fun and stress-free for everyone else, for example? Then, connect the first two steps to deliver the compliment, being as specific as possible. So in the case of the getaway, it might be something like, "You're so fantastic at picking incredible places to eat! I so appreciate that you're in control."

Be authentic and specific, not hyperbolic.

Liben also recommends keeping in mind the "KISS" method for giving compliments: That is, "Keep It Sincere and Specific."

"Hyperbole or gratuitous praise can cheapen the gesture, making it feel empty and disingenuous. An honest compliment, even if it's a small one, carries more weight," she explains.

So, for example, telling your friend that the party she threw was "Literally the best night ever," might come off as less meaningful than something along the lines of, "I love how you had icebreaker games ready to go so we could all get to know each other as soon as we got there! Hosting seems to come so naturally to you and I really appreciate you always introducing me to new people."

Done right, even seemingly superficial compliments can make someone's day.

"Never underestimate the power of a 'your blouse is beautiful' or 'your haircut is fantastic,' to brighten someone's day," says DeAlto. "Yet we can always dig deeper and find an attribute, personality trait or accomplishment to compliment as well."

...but use adjectives.

Liben agrees that "Skin-deep compliments may sometimes feel shallow, but in the right context, they can be empowering and appreciated." She recommends making a simple compliment resonate even more by actually connecting it to a more emotional thought, like instead of saying, "I love your dress!" adding something like, "Your sunny yellow dress is beautiful and seeing it brightened my morning!"

Compliment your favorite traits in your romantic partner.

The formula of specific trait plus emotional connection works for complimenting romantic partners on a deeper level as well, and can even help your relationship. "Identifying and celebrating what you adore about your partner can improve your relationship by increasing mindfulness," says Liben, adding that as a bonus, "the effects of complimenting a romantic partner can also contribute to greater conflict resolution and better communication."

Use compliments as a tool in the workplace.

Regularly complimenting your co-workers or employees can actually boost their performance: Liben points to a link between expressing well-deserved performance-related recognition and improving professional output. To do this as effectively as possible, "the compliment should be genuine and deserved," she says, as well as performance-specific.

"Use context clues to help you formulate an appropriate sentiment. For example, after a coworker gives a powerful presentation, compliment her delivery rather than her outfit," she says.

Don’t be afraid to compliment a stranger!

Whether it's a person on the train or a musician whose performance rocked the house, well-founded (read: not creepy!) compliments are generally appreciated. But for people who are shy, it can be easier said than done. ("What if she thinks I’m weird?" or some version of that may be running through your head.)

"Start by taking the emotional thermometer of the situation by making eye contact with the receiver," advises Liben. "Then proceed with a smile. Be direct and speak in an audible volume that conveys confidence."

Besides likely bringing a smile to the other person's face, Liben adds that "If complimenting a stranger is outside your comfort zone, it can be a real dopamine rush."

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週五(11/8)1.死刑遏止犯罪嗎?2.一無所有 如何過日子?

板區橋文化路一段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)

新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮左轉    PM 7:00--9:30

死刑遏止犯罪嗎?

Criminals given death sentence in Taiwan will be executed: Premier Su    Taiwan News

KMT lawmaker calls on government to proceed with executions, premier says law will be upheld

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) on Friday (Oct. 4) expressed his support for upholding the law to carry out the death penalty for certain criminal offenses.

Speaking at a Legislative Yuan hearing, Su said that under the current law, it is the state’s responsibility to carry out the sentence if a criminal is given the death penalty. He was responding to opposition Kuomintang lawmaker Shen Chih-hwei (沈智慧)'s question as to whether the Tsai administration would hesitate to carry out capital punishment.

Does the Death Penalty Deter Crime? - Death Penalty     deathpenalty.procon

PRO (yes)

"[O]ur recent research shows that each execution carried out is correlated with about 74 fewer murders the following year... The study examined the relationship between the number of executions and the number of murders in the U.S. for the 26-year period from 1979 to 2004, using data from publicly available FBI sources... There seems to be an obvious negative correlation in that when executions increase, murders decrease, and when executions decrease, murders increase...

In the early 1980s, the return of the death penalty was associated with a drop in the number of murders. In the mid-to-late 1980s, when the number of executions stabilized at about 20 per year, the number of murders increased. Throughout the 1990s, our society increased the number of executions, and the number of murders plummeted. Since 2001, there has been a decline in executions and an increase in murders.

It is possible that this correlated relationship could be mere coincidence, so we did a regression analysis on the 26-year relationship. The association was significant at the .00005 level, which meant the odds against the pattern being simply a random happening are about 18,000 to one. Further analysis revealed that each execution seems to be associated with 71 fewer murders in the year the execution took place...

We know that, for whatever reason, there is a simple but dramatic relationship between the number of executions carried out and a corresponding reduction in the number of murders."

Paul H. Rubin, PhD, Professor of Economics at Emory University, wrote in his Feb. 1, 2006 testimony "Statistical Evidence on Capital Punishment and the Deterrence of Homicide” before the US Senate Judiciary Committee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights, available at judiciary.senate.gov:

Cons

"[T]here is not the slightest credible statistical evidence that capital punishment reduces the rate of homicide. Whether one compares the similar movements of homicide in Canada and the US when only the latter restored the death penalty, or in American states that have abolished it versus those that retain it, or in Hong Kong and Singapore (the first abolishing the death penalty in the mid-1990s and the second greatly increasing its usage at the same), there is no detectable effect of capital punishment on crime. The best econometric studies reach the same conclusion…

[L]ast year roughly 14,000 murders were committed but only 35 executions took place. Since murderers typically expose themselves to far greater immediate risks, the likelihood is incredibly remote that some small chance of execution many years after committing a crime will influence the behaviour of a sociopathic deviant who would otherwise be willing to kill if his only penalty were life imprisonment. Any criminal who actually thought he would be caught would find the prospect of life without parole to be a monumental penalty. Any criminal who didn’t think he would be caught would be untroubled by any sanction."

"In my view deterrence plays no part whatsoever. Persons contemplating murder do not sit around the kitchen table and say I won't commit this murder if I face the death penalty, but I will do it if the penalty is life without parole. I do not believe persons contemplating or committing murder plan to get caught or weigh the consequences. Statistics demonstrate that states without the death penalty have consistently lower murder rates than states with it, but frankly I think those statistics are immaterial and coincidental. Fear of the death penalty may cause a few to hesitate, but certainly not enough to keep it in force."

 

一無所有 如何過日子?

How to Live on Practically Nothing      wikihow

      Follow a budget and be frugal. If you're already following a budget, check that it's working for you. If it isn't, it may be time to create some spending rules for yourself. You'll want to start thinking about each purchase, no matter how small, as it fits into your monthly budget. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use a budgeting app like Mint or Level Money. These apps track your spending for you and allow you to see exactly where your money is going and where you can make cuts.[2]

        Set aside the sense that a budget is a confining way to live. Following a budget is actually a very liberating way to live – it provides parameters, it helps to keep you in check when you feel reckless, and it can even help you to rein in bad habits such as spending to soothe yourself, buying take out instead of cooking a healthy meal, or letting someone else weed your veggie patch when the workout would do you good (and save you gym fees).

    Find ways to make more money or to trade your skills. If you don't have or don't want to have a job, be on the lookout for ways in which you can raise more cash by working for yourself. Or, trade your skills with others whose skills you need, bartering your way to get what you need rather than spending actual cash.

        Grow vegetables and sell them at the local farmer's market.

        Make soap, cosmetics, jewelry, etc., and sell these at a local craft market.

        Offer your pruning, mowing, tutoring, cleaning, car-washing services to locals at decent prices.

        Look for items in thrift stores that you can flip online. Some people are so good at doing this that they make a living out of selling secondhand goods online.

Lowering Your Cost of Living

    Reduce your utilities bills. Lowering your electric and gas bills doesn't mean living in a dark and cold house. By making a few changes, you can still live comfortably while reducing your power and heat consumption and saving money on your bills. For example, try setting your thermostat as low as is comfortable in the colder months and wearing more clothing indoors to save money on heating costs.

        Never leave the thermostat on at all unless you are home. In addition, never leave energy-guzzling electronics like televisions plugged in when not in use.[3]

        In some cases, more drastic steps like investing in better windows and insulation for your home can save you a good amount of money each month.

    Reduce your water bill. You can lower your water bill by simply changing a few of your habits. For example, try only running dishwasher and washing machine when they are absolutely full. You can also practice taking "navy showers," where you only run the water to wet yourself and rinse, leaving the water off while you soap up and cleanse.

        You should also thoroughly inspect all of the pipes and fixtures in your house for leaks, no matter how small. Even a tiny leak can add up to a lot of lost water, and increased cost, over months or years.

        Additionally, you can invest in low-flow toilets and showers to save even more on water bills in the long run.

    Eat seasonally. Cutting food expenses doesn't require you to sacrifice your health. Eating Seasonal food will always be cheaper than food flown or shipped in from elsewhere because there is more of it available and it doesn't incur such high transportation costs. As an added bonus, it's also fresher.[7]

        Visit farmer's markets and supermarkets nearer closing time. You'll be able to find more bargains and even throwaway items when the sellers need to move their produce on. See how to save money at a farmers' market for more information.

        In supermarkets, check out the bakery, meat, and fruit and vegetable areas for nightly bargains. Many fresh pre-packaged products such as salads-to-go will be cheaper in the nights to make way for the next day's fresh produce.

        Grow your own if you have a permanent place for at least a season. Even using a community garden can be a great way to get fresh, cheap food and to meet new friends.

    Don't shop for groceries every week. Instead, only go shopping when your groceries have run right down to bare minimum. Replenish perishables such as milk and bread as needed but try to cope by eating down everything already in your cupboard, fridge, and home.

        Another way to do this is to not go shopping one week a month. During that week, you have to live off whatever is in your kitchen. Many people find this is a very creative time.

        Use coupons and discounts to reduce food costs. Start with the weekly sales flyer and spend some time working out the cheapest ways to eat.

        Drink tap water. Water is the healthiest drink and the cheapest. Put a filter on your tap if you're worried about contaminants; it's a health investment even on a frugal budget.

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周六(10/26)1.雙語的好處 你會幾種?2.為何糖對身體不好?

星期六 聚會時間 晚上7:00-9:30

板橋區文化路一段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)

新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮左轉

雙語的好處 你會幾種?

The Advantages of a Bilingual Brain | OpenMind bbvaopenmind

About half of the population speaks two languages ​​perfectly. In addition to the obvious advantages when travelling to other countries or looking for a job, bilingual people have better skills such as memory or attention. Recent research has also shown that their brains delay the symptoms of dementia and that they recover better after suffering a stroke.

In terms of our memory, mental calculations or understanding a text, we use what is called the working memory, which is related to the temporary storage of information and its processing. This ability develops during childhood.

According to research from the universities of York (Canada) and Granada (Spain), bilingual children between five and seven years old who participated in the study performed better than the monolingual ones on those tasks that involved using the working memory. In addition, this ability benefited the development of other executive functions, especially when these functions were interacting with each other.

Other studies have also analysed the development of these functions, but taking into account the family income level of the children participating.

Bilingual students have cognitive advantages compared to monolinguals. Credit: Hepingting.

Pascale Engel de Abreu, director of the Language and Cognitive Development group at the University of Luxembourg, participated in a study in which they compared the different cognitive abilities of 80 second-grade students, all from low-income families. Half of the children lived in Luxembourg and spoke both Luxembourgish and Portuguese, while the rest resided in Portugal and used only Portuguese.

As Engel de Abreu explains to OpenMind, bilingual students displayed cognitive advantages compared to monolinguals. These skills focused on executive functions, “especially tasks tapping into cognitive conflict resolution,” she adds.

Although those students who mastered two languages ​​knew fewer words than their monolingual peers, they performed the control tasks better, i.e. those that required selective attention and the elimination of interference.

Delay dementia

Along with better attention and memory, speaking two languages ​​also seems to offer benefits when developing dementia. “Symptoms of dementia are delayed in individuals who have been lifelong bilinguals,” says Ellen Bialystok, Research Professor of Psychology and Walter Gordon York Research Chair of Lifespan Cognitive Development at York University (Canada), in a conversation with OpenMind.

In a study in which the professor and her team reviewed neuroimaging and behavioural studies that analysed bilingualism in adulthood, the scientists concluded that mastering two languages ​​protects against cognitive deterioration by improving the cognitive reserve.

This concept refers to the protective effect of mental and physical activity carried out throughout life in the face of healthy aging. According to some studies, bilingualism can delay the onset of symptoms in people suffering from dementia by just over four years.

“These are activities we can engage in to keep our brains and minds healthy (music, social groups, exercise, etc.). Bilingualism is one such experience,” says Bialystok.

However, the researcher emphasizes that mastering several languages ​​does not prevent dementia but, apparently, bilingual people live with the disease longer before the symptoms become evident and interfere with their independence.

Improve the recovery from a stroke

Bilingualism also seems to be beneficial when a person suffers a stroke. People who speak several languages ​​are twice as likely to recover their normal cognitive functions after an attack of this type compared to those who speak only one.

Transparent brains showing the left and right hemispheres. The functional and structural data indicate that neural correlates of bilingualism are observed in the frontal lobes.

 

為何糖對身體不好?

Reasons Why Too Much Sugar Is Bad for You

healthline.com

Rates of obesity are rising worldwide and added sugar, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages, is thought to be one of the main culprits.

Sugar-sweetened drinks like sodas, juices and sweet teas are loaded with fructose, a type of simple sugar.

Consuming fructose increases your hunger and desire for food more than glucose, the main type of sugar found in starchy foods (3Trusted Source).

Additionally, excessive fructose consumption may cause resistance to leptin, an important hormone that regulates hunger and tells your body to stop eating (4Trusted Source).

In other words, sugary beverages don’t curb your hunger, making it easy to quickly consume a high number of liquid calories. This can lead to weight gain.

Research has consistently shown that people who drink sugary beverages, such as soda and juice, weigh more than people who don’t (5Trusted Source).

Also, drinking a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to an increased amount of visceral fat, a kind of deep belly fat associated with conditions like diabetes and heart disease (6Trusted Source).

    Summary Consuming too much added sugar, especially from sugary beverages, increases your risk of weight gain and can lead to visceral fat accumulation.

High-sugar diets have been associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including heart disease, the number one cause of death worldwide (7Trusted Source).

Evidence suggests that high-sugar diets can lead to obesity, inflammation and high triglyceride, blood sugar and blood pressure levels — all risk factors for heart disease (8Trusted Source).

Additionally, consuming too much sugar, especially from sugar-sweetened drinks, has been linked to atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by fatty, artery-clogging deposits (9Trusted Source).

A study in over 30,000 people found that those who consumed 17–21% of calories from added sugar had a 38% greater risk of dying from heart disease, compared to those consuming only 8% of calories from added sugar (10Trusted Source).

Just one 16-ounce (473-ml) can of soda contains 52 grams of sugar, which equates to more than 10% of your daily calorie consumption, based on a 2,000-calorie diet (11).

This means that one sugary drink a day can already put you over the recommended daily limit for added sugar.

    Summary Consuming too much added sugar increases heart disease risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and inflammation. High-sugar diets have been linked to an increased risk of dying from heart disease.

A diet high in refined carbs, including sugary foods and drinks, has been associated with a higher risk of developing acne.

Foods with a high glycemic index, such as processed sweets, raise your blood sugar more rapidly than foods with a lower glycemic index.

Sugary foods quickly spike blood sugar and insulin levels, causing increased androgen secretion, oil production and inflammation, all of which play a role in acne development (12Trusted Source).

Studies have shown that low-glycemic diets are associated with a reduced acne risk, while high-glycemic diets are linked to a greater risk (13Trusted Source).

For example, a study in 2,300 teens demonstrated that those who frequently consumed added sugar had a 30% greater risk of developing acne (14Trusted Source).

Also, many population studies have shown that rural communities that consume traditional, non-processed foods have almost non-existent rates of acne, compared to more urban, high-income areas (15Trusted Source).

These findings coincide with the theory that diets high in processed, sugar-laden foods contribute to the development of acne.

    Summary High-sugar diets can increase androgen secretion, oil production and inflammation, all of which can raise your risk of developing acne.

The worldwide prevalence of diabetes has more than doubled over the past 30 years (16Trusted Source).

Though there are many reasons for this, there is a clear link between excessive sugar consumption and diabetes risk.

Obesity, which is often caused by consuming too much sugar, is considered the strongest risk factor for diabetes (17Trusted Source).

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