正港台灣製造! 優!

幾年前開始，台灣消費習慣一窩風地喜愛低價商品，十元商品店四處林立，用完就丟的心態令我十分驚心。一方面是用完就丟的習慣造成更多的環境問題(垃圾、毒物)，一方面則是這一些低價商品多是來自中國的劣質物，使用大量的人工化學製程。

近日，中國產品屢次出包的新聞令人驚慌，為了餬口，什麼違心的產品都願意做，只為賺取微薄利潤，也順便將誠信葬送。這股低價風氣在全球已經風行數十年，就在亞洲各國被中國低價品傾銷策略打得喘不過氣時，北美洲及歐洲各國終於也嚐到只問價格不問品質的惡果。

可喜的是，一路被廉價品傾銷打得滿頭包的台灣製造商們，終於熬出了頭！為向來品質就高人一等的台灣產品帶來嶄新的氣象。以前看到毛巾業者向政府抗議中國低價劣質毛巾讓他們沒了生路的新聞，總為他們感到痛心。就是憑藉對台灣人用心實在的天性的信心，我還是堅持使用品質好的台灣毛巾！時間果然可以證明一切！相信這些堅持品質的商家能永續地守護台灣人的健康！

ps.一味企求政府幫忙把關，不如自己多注意。健康真是萬金也求不來！

自由時報新聞：「這是哪做的」儼然成為新消費運動！
http://tw.news.yahoo.com/article/url/d/a/081005/78/173d1.html

〔記者／連線報導〕最近市面上有種自發的新消費行為，顧客上門第一句問的不是：「老闆，這個多少錢？」而是「老闆，這個是那裡做的？」 學校才剛開學，文具業者表示，這段日子以來，家長指名要台灣製造的文具比例的確大幅提高，雖然價格稍微高一點，但製作精細、耐用，最重要的是不會任意添加有毒物質，受到青睞。
彰化縣家具公會榮譽理事長邱建富也開心地說，最近常有顧客反映，中國製的沙發用不到一年就脫皮、褪色、裂開，即使台灣家具比中國家具貴上一成，也指名購買本土製造的家具，不像以前要花費唇舌教育消費者。
彰化市順富家具行老闆蔡勝利表示，現在真的常聽到「買中國家具不久就要丟掉，當然買台灣製的。」所以他運送家具時，外裝都會特別印上台灣製造。
飼養文蛤的張見忠表示，過去中國文蛤價格比本土蛤蜊便宜一半以上，頗受歡迎，但中國食品屢屢出包，讓本土蛤蜊買氣大旺。
至於高雄各零售量販業的食品業績平均下滑兩成，不過各縣市農會推出的食品卻很受青睞，買氣暢旺。通路業者說，很多大品牌食品的原料中國比例特別高，反而台灣製的小品牌原料製造都在台灣，買氣增溫。
台南大潤發表示，之前老人家較少看產品標示，現在大家都會注意標示，賣場裡中國製的產品即使出具檢驗合格證明，消費者仍怕怕，拿了又放回貨架。

1979及2000年的Penny冰帽(加拿大)

Penny冰帽(Penny Ice Cap)是加拿大最南端的大冰帽，位於Baffin島，高度可達約1,900公尺。就像其他北半球的冰川及冰帽，Penny冰帽正逐漸變薄，而且河谷冰川也在近數十年內縮減。2004年一項針對此地進行的研究，利用美國太空總署(NASA)1995及2000年的航空雷射流任務所獲得的資料顯示，冰帽的高度以每年1公尺的速度在降低，然而，科學家並不確定氣候變遷(全球暖化)及小冰期(Little Ice Age)結束以來對冰帽的衰退各造成多少程度的影響。

這兩張由NASA對地衛星所拍攝的影像為Penny冰帽北端在1997年(上圖)及2000年(下圖)的情形。有幾項訊息可以明顯地在這兩張夏季拍攝的影像上觀察到：1979年8月被冰封的湖，在2000年完全融化為水；照片右側的河谷冰川往河谷方向分叉成兩分支，而位於冰川末端的大湖內，1979年還滿佈著浮冰，到了2000年則完全消失。

雖然一些在Penny冰帽的變化發生地十分緩慢，但經過數十年或百年後，其他的變化就會變得十分明顯。2008年盛夏之際，在Penny冰帽所位處的Auyuittuq國家公園(Auyuittuq National Park)內，持續兩週空前的高溫，伴隨雨水降在冰雪和永凍層上，造成公園南邊有大量融水湧出，不但沖垮了一座橋，所引發的侵蝕及地滑(由於永凍層的融化)破壞了一部份的步道。

參考文獻

Abdalati, W., Krabill, W., Frederick, E., Manizade, S., Martin, C., Sonntag, J., Swift, R., Thomas, R., Yungel, J., and Koerner, R. (2004). Elevation changes of ice caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Journal of Geophysical Ressearch, 109, F04007.

NASA影像是由Jesse Allen利用馬里蘭大學(University of Maryland)全球土地覆蓋數據數據庫(Global Land Cover Facility, GLCF)及美國地調所(United States Geological Survey)所提供的對地衛星資料繪成。由Rebecca Lindsey完成圖說。感謝NASA哥達德太空飛行中心(Goddard Space Flight Center) Claire Parkinson協助影像解釋。

原文  http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18154

Han's Joke

Here is Han's another joke although last Sat. when I released him for a little break, he run out the field. It made me angry that I didn't mention he would be out of control like that. Okey! I should recall the funny thing that makes me smile.

Aug. 31 night, when I took Han home, we met Rainbow's masters (Rainbow is a four-month-old female golden-retriever). Han treated them as old friends whom have not seem for a long time and he even laid down on the street. I told them maybe sometimes they can take Rainbow to our lab to let them two cute dogs play together. (Actually, they took Rainbow to my lab next night that's Han's fourth birthday!!) It was a little late, so after about 15minutes, we said goodbye to each other.

On the way we went home, there is a guy took a bowl of instant noodles with him just several steps ahead. Han was so happy to see him and trying to say hello in his special way--jumping and biting someone. I stopped him even though the guy looked like to say hello to Han too, but he soon realized that Han is an over excited dog!! ^^: I took Han across the street, but he still was excited about approaching the guy over the street. I yelled "what are you doing?" to stop him, and the guy said "I just want to get across the street." with a scared tone. ^^:

Do you like this one? There's another one. I'll tell you later......:-)

Han's Diary 20080903

上個星期天晚上(8/31)，志偉心血來潮帶小馯去校園逛了至少半個小時，回來後，志偉去拿開水要給他喝，就在這個空檔，這小傢伙不停地在實驗室穿梭，我心裡才在納悶，明明他看起來很累，為何一點都不喘，很安靜地在實驗室裡繞來繞去。我怕他熱，還說要開電扇給他吹，他就在我腳邊躺了下來。忽然這傢伙的嘴巴動呀動的，就奇怪沒給他東西吃，為啥吃東西吃的津津有味，喝令他吐出來，你猜是啥?竟然是雞骨頭！！一邊覺得他亂吃東西，一邊又覺得這傢伙真是老實的可愛，從外頭叼了美味的骨頭回來卻沒有偷偷吃掉，硬是在我面前表演！看樣子～小馯還得跟小馱多學學，才能享受打野食的樂趣！哈～

9/1是小馯的生日，煮了紅蘿蔔排骨湯幫他祝壽一下！雖然我覺得他不太懂為何有大餐可以吃，還真感謝這個小朋友常帶給我們生活裡不停的爆笑效果。喔！～晚上rainbowl小妹終於出現了，一隻只有四個月大的小黃金，跟小馯玩得不亦樂乎。小馯多了個小小玩伴囉！

狂奔於中大湖的小馯

久違中大湖，帶小馯去了三次，第一次陰雨綿綿，第二次大雨滂沱，第三次太陽則微微露臉。而我最喜歡大雨滂沱的中大湖，除了沒有行人打擾的清靜，穿著雨衣陪小馯在雨中欣賞美麗的中大湖。小馯似乎很喜歡沒人的中大湖，在相思樹林裡前後左右不停地狂奔，還不忘回奔撞得我一身溼。這跟在家裡總是呼呼大睡的他很不相同，我也樂見大雨滂沱與興奮狂奔的小馯。

別離

我不喜歡離別，但因為相處過。在異鄉與異國人譜出難以抹滅的回憶。

送Saki去機場時，才意識到要分離了，雖然還是說說笑笑，雖然八月還可能在台灣相見，但就是有點捨不得。她是個知進退的瘋狂可愛小女生，朋友成群。我想她的人生會很精彩！希望她找到好工作，跟大地(Daichi)能續緣。

Yui則是同班兩期的同學，還住在一起兩個月。很懷念有她的日子，在她離開後，我就窩在她原來的房間裡寫這個回憶。言行舉止很規矩的她，是個派對女孩，平日乖乖地上課，週末則是個晚出早歸的女子。尤其回日本前的十幾天，她常不在家。One day she said, “Sorry! I’m a bad girl!!!” I said, “No! When I was your age, I did the same thing!!”  嗯！很有趣的對話，但我相信在最後的這幾天，她活的很開心！尤其最後一個晚上，家裡來了近二十個人，快把家裡給擠爆了！也快把這個安靜的社區搞翻過來。把她送上飛機，這難忘的二十個小時。

TV Programs Worth Watching

AECP A1 Essay #1

How many hours a day do you watch TV? Do you never stop switching the remote control to change the channels when you watch it? TV is one of the most popular entertainment media in the world. Many people spend a lot of time watching TV programs; for instance, the average Taiwanese watches TV for more than seventeen hours a week. As a result, it becomes more and more important for us to choose worthy TV programs to watch. There are numerous ways to pick suitable TV programs, but I think that TV programs worth watching depend on the age of the audience, the audience’s purposes, and the opinions of experts.

First of all, TV programs worth watching depend on the age of the audience. Actually, TV programs are always designed for different ages in many countries; thus, many countries have already set up a TV rating system, especially for protecting children. There are four ranks of TV rating systems in the U.S.; for example, TV-G is suitable for all audiences, TV-PG is parental guidance suggested, TV-14 is parental guidance for children under fourteen, and TV-MA is suitable for mature audiences. If the TV rating system is complete, you can easily choose the fit of TV programs to watch.

Second, TV programs worth watching depend on the audience’s purposes. The common types of TV programs are comedy, news, education, sports, game shows, reality shows, talk shows, teenage shows, soap operas, etc. Sometimes, we can learn new knowledge from TV, such as the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and National Geographic. If you like to travel, the Lonely Planet will be a good option; moreover, you can pick the news channels, like CNN, BBC, ABC, etc, and realize what is happening around you, in your country, or in the world. I like to watch the sports and dramas, such as ESPN, Friends, Lost, and the Nanny. By watching these TV programs, especially after an exhausting working day, I can feel really relaxed.

Finally, TV programs worth watching depend on the opinions of experts. An investigation that was made by the University of Washington in Seattle in 2006 found 40% of three-month-old babies and 90% of two-year-old children watched TV programs more than one hour a day in the U.S. Furthermore, if children are too young to start watching TV, there will be more serious effects than on older children. Other experts have said if children watch TV more than one hour a day, it will affect their attitude in school; in addition, if they watch TV more than three hours a day, they will have more problems in studying. For these reasons, parents should take care about not only what kind of TV programs their children watch, but also when they start to watch and how long they watch them.

All in all, we have different ways, like the TV rating system, your purposes, and the expert’s opinions to choose TV programs worth watching. At present, there are so many programs on TV, and in fact, you don’t want to watch most of them even once. If you want to spend a lot of time or you just have a little time to watch them, you had better have your own way to select the suitable TV programs for yourself and your children before you turn on the TV set.

The Snowy Owl

AECP A1 Assignment #2- Summary & Quotation

The Snowy owl is one of the biggest owls in the world and also the biggest bird in the Arctic area. Its length is 21-26 inches, but when it spans its wings, it could be 60-65 inches. The female owl’s body is about 20% bigger than the male’s. Although most of the owls go out for searching prey at night, the snowy owls always do that during the daytime. Their sharp claws called talons and eyesight help them to catch the lemmings and other kinds of mice for main food easily, and sometimes they eat rabbits and birds.

However, during the long and extremely cold winter in the Arctic area, it’s too hard for them to find enough food. The Wildlife Fact File (1991) stated, “The snowy owl is capable of fasting up to 40 days at a time. It survives on the thick deposits of fat under its skin” (p. 3), or they would migrate to the southern places, even to the Caribbean Sea. In the article, they indicated “they have long been rare in Europe, but a careful protection program enabled one pair to breed successfully in Scotland. In eight seasons, they had borne 23 healthy chicks” (Wildlife Fact File, 1991, p. 3).

Every May to September, the female owls that are more than two years old can lay one egg. It takes about one month to hatch the eggs; then the chicks can break the shells by themselves and stay with their parents about one and a half months before they have the ability to take care of themselves. The article says, “The owlets hatch after a 30-day incubation period, using a temporary ‘egg tooth’ to crack through their shells. At hatching, they are covered with thin, white down, which is soon replaced by a coat of sooty, black down. At 43-50 days, they can fly. After 60 days, they are able to hunt” (Wildlife Fact File, 1991, p. 2). The life-span of the owls can be up to fifteen years; on the other hand, if they are raised by humans, their life-span can be up to twenty-eight years, almost twice longer than life in the wild.

*Reference

Wildlife Fact File. (1994). Snowy owl. (Card 11, Group2: Birds), 1-4.

The Hairy Mammoth

AECP A1 assignment #3-Summary and Quotation

ps. I put it & "Snowy Owl" here because I love them and hope I did a good job in summary! Ha!

The hairy mammoths are the biggest elephants in the Earth’s history, but they all were extinct ten thousand years ago. The average hairy mammoth was 12 feet tall, and its weight could reach 13,225 to 15,450 pounds. The scientists discovered them in the Arctic area, such as “Siberia, northern Europe, northern Eurasia, and North America” (Wildlife Fact File, 1991, p. 4) and found there are many similarities between them and the modern elephants. By studying the modern elephants and the fossils of mammoths they have found, scientists can rebuild the amazing creatures now.

The hairy mammoths were vegetarians; therefore, they had big flat teeth to chew the plant that had a lot of fibers. They lived in one of the severest cold areas in the world, so they had to eat a large amount of food to maintain their fatty body and had hair to keep them warm. The Wildlife Fact File (1991) stated, “Their fat, which was especially thick around the shoulders, was used as an emergency store of food” (p. 3). Although they were the biggest animals at that time, they still had some predators, such as humans, Saber-toothed tigers, and wolves. Humans hunted the mammoths with spears and axes for food and clothing. The scientists guessed that only humans and wolf groups could hurt the adult mammoths because they hunted the mammoths in groups or with tools; on the other hand, the Saber-toothed tigers would prey only on the young mammoths.

The female mammoths could be pregnant after they were ten to twelve years old; furthermore, it took twenty-two months to gestate and just have a newborn from a conception. They liked to live together; thus, the pregnant and young mammoths could get good protection from other adults, and their lifespan could be up to sixty years.

*Reference

Wildlife Fact File. (1991). Hairy Mammoth. (Card 4, Group7: Prehistoric & Extinct Animals), 1-4.

The Grand Canyon

My AECP A1 assignment #1--Describe a Place(2nd draft)

During this winter break, I went to the south rim of the Grand Canyon with my friends. This was my second time there, and I still enjoyed the scene very much. First, we went to the desert view. There is a tower that is the highest place of the south rim and was built by the Native Americans. The first floor is a shop where they sell all kinds of regular souvenirs with the Grand Canyon logo, such as mugs, T-shirts, postcards, etc., but they also display some handicrafts that were made by the Native Americans. For example, they weave a kind of special blanket with colored twine. They make rocks and minerals of different colors into sand and use the sand for painting symbols on rocks or walls that are called rock art. After I went up to the tower, the walls of the tower were painted with all kinds of symbols. Each symbol has a specific meaning, such as the sun, the moon, rain, and all kinds of animals. When I arrived at the highest floor, the fourth floor, I saw the beautiful valley of the Colorado River. Because of the continent uplifting, the river water had the potential to erode the ground and made the sharp and deep valley of the Grand Canyon. The deepest location from the rim to the river could be over one mile deep. Most of the upper formations of the Grand Canyon are limestone, and their color is red-brown because of the large amount of iron. After that, we went to the Bright Angel, which is also an amazing place. When I was on the rim, I saw some small houses in the valley, and they all were covered with bright-white snow. A man told us that it takes about 8 hours to arrive at the houses. We tried to take a walk along the trail, but the trail was covered with snow. Although it was the first time I could touch snow and I felt extremely excited, it was too cold for me to walk on the icy trail for a long time. After about 30 minutes, I gave up and went to the nearest shop and bought some useful books about the Grand Canyon. When we left there, we saw the beautiful sunset. The sunlight made the walls of the canyon reflect red, orange, rose, and some amazing warm colors. It was a wonderful trip for me, and I want to go there again.