News Clipping 2011.06.30

   1.          City living affects your brain, researchers find

The part of the brain that senses danger becomes overactive in city-dwellers when they are under stress

    June 22, 2011

Researchers found that the regions of brain that regulate emotion and anxiety are overactive in city-dwellers.

The brains of people living in cities operate differently from those in rural areas, according to a brain-scanning study. Scientists found that two regions, involved in the regulation of emotion and anxiety, become overactive in city-dwellers when they are stressed and argue that the differences could account for the increased rates of mental health problems seen in urban areas.

Previous research has shown that people living in cities have a 21% increased risk of anxiety disorders and a 39% increased risk of mood disorders. In addition, the incidence of schizophrenia is twice as high in those born and brought up in cities.

1.          7 Foods for a Good Mood

Foods that would cheer you right up

June, 2011

There's something about comfort food that makes a bad day feel all better. But before you load up on the snacks that brings the calories along with the feel-goods, check out what should you be eating instead the next time you are hit with a case of the blues. That's what we call guilt-free snacking. 
Skim milk
Rich in tryptophan, milk products help our brain synthesize serotonin, a natural chemical that induces calm and happiness. It also contains a good amount of antioxidants, vitamin D and vitamin B12 that fight stress and aids in anti-aging.
Blueberries
These little blue fruits are abundant in vitamin C and antioxidants, both of which are known stress-busters. They are also rich in fibre which aids in digestion. 
Beans
Beans, in particular soy beans, are rich in soluble fibre, folic acid and omega-3 fats, all known to help in mood improvement. They are also excellent sources of iron calcium. 
Bananas
Like milk, banana contain tryptophan which is then converted into 'happy chemical' serotonin. It also contains carbohydrates which help boost energy and its high potassium content prevent cramps.
Chocolate
There's a reason why chocolate is one of the most popular feel-good foods around: the sugar helps boost levels of endorphins, your body's natural pain and stress fighters, hence reliving symptoms of stress that could impede your good mood. Remember to keep the chocolate intake to healthy doses, of course.
Oily fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines
Oily fishes such as salmon and mackerel are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are known to improve moods. They are also packed with vitamin B6 and B12 which help in the production of serotonin. If you don't quite fancy fish, omega-3 supplements can be used as a substitute. 
Nuts
Jam packed with nutrients, namely protein, minerals (especially selenium which acts as an antioxidant), and omega-3 fats, nuts not only help to improve your mood, but also make up a big part of your daily nutrient intake. They also contain vitamin E, an anti-stress antioxidant. 

2.          Oil market caught flat-footed

CNN   June 23, 2011

(CNN) – A surprise attack from an unlikely source sent oil prices reeling Thursday.

The International Energy Agency, the Paris based research arm of 28 industrialized countries, held an emergency press conference to announce that its members would release 60 million barrels onto the market – allocating two million barrels a day for a month.  Half of the total will be coming from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

It is only the third time the IEA tapped reserves; the first was in 1991 during the Gulf War, then again in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina wiped out some production in the Gulf of Mexico.

3.          Tseng scores huge victory at LPGA Championship

Reuters     June 28, 2011

       

PITTSFORD, New York -- Yani Tseng of Taiwan underlined her status as women's world number one by winning the LPGA Championship by 10 strokes on Sunday to become the youngest female golfer to amass four major professional titles.

The 22-year-old Tseng, who began the overcast day with a five-shot lead, doubled her advantage by posting a final-round 66 at Locust Hill for a record-equaling total of 19-under-par 269 that left American Morgan Pressel (71) a distant second.

Tseng, who won the 2008 LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock and last year's Kraft Nabisco and Women's British Open at Royal Birkdale, surpassed Pak Se-ri of South Korea and Tiger Woods, who were both 24 when they won a fourth professional major. 

News Clipping 2011.06.23

1.       How’s the Weather?

The New York Times     June 16, 2011

Jacob Magraw

LATELY, the Sun has been behaving a bit strangely. In 2008 and 2009, it showed the least surface activity in nearly a century. Solar flare activity stopped cold and weeks and months went by without any sunspots, or areas of intense magnetism. Quiet spells are normal for the Sun, but researchers alive today had never seen anything like that two-year hibernation.

Now that the Sun is approaching the peak of its magnetic cycle, when solar storms — blasts of electrically charged magnetic clouds — are most likely to occur, no one can predict how it will behave. Will solar activity continue to be sluggish, or will solar storms rage with renewed vigor?

2.      Under pressure, Syria's Assad pledges reforms

Los Angeles Times   June 20, 2011

The embattled president mentions a possible change in the constitution to allow political parties, but opponents say he offers no concrete steps toward democracy.

In his first public address in over two months, Syrian President Bashar Assad, facing international and domestic pressure for rapid change, promised to open the country's political system and allow for a change of the constitution, but he unveiled no concrete new reforms and continued to blame unspecified foreign conspiracies for the violence perpetrated by his security forces.

The speech Monday fell far short of internal Syrian and international demands for a dramatic opening-up of one of the world's most tightly controlled police states. Critics said the vision he outlined ultimately failed to include concrete steps toward the democracy that protesters demand.

3.      175 killed from China floods; more than 1.6 million evacuated

CNN        2011.06.20

Beijing (CNN) -- At least 175 people have died from flooding this month in southern and eastern China, the country's Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday.

Another 86 people are missing from the flooding that began with rainfall on June 3. The ministry said 13 provinces have been affected, more than 1.6 million people have been evacuated, and the direct economic losses has reached 32.02 billion yuan ($4.9 billion).

The flooding has destroyed at least 8,400 houses in Zhejiang province alone, a provincial agency said.

4.      Stocks mixed after delay on Greek debt deal

Associated Press      June 20, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks indexes were mixed in early trading Monday after European leaders failed to agree on releasing more financial aid to Greece.

In order to get the aid, Greece has to agree to more budget cuts, which has been causing unrest and political upheaval there. The Greek government faces a confidence vote on Tuesday.

Prime Minister George Papandreou's newly-reshuffled government is expected to prevail in the confidence vote, and officials say they expect Greece to get its next installment of emergency loans in July. If Greece defaults on its debt, it could trigger losses for the banks that hold Greek bonds and more turmoil in financial markets.

Grammar Focus2. I wish 假設語氣

1. 與現在事實相反
 Use wish + past tense to refer to present wishes.
 I live with my parents.

 I wish I didn't live with my parents.

 I wish I had  my own apartment.

Life is difficult.

I wish life were easier. (單數一律使用were)

I wish life weren't so difficult


*出自Cambridge interchange student's book2

2. wish表示現在或未來可能發生的事(v or can、will、may、must + v)
    I wish you have a wonderful life.

3. 與過去事實相反

4. 與未來事實相反或不可能發生的事(were to)

News Clipping 2011.06.16

            

1.       AMERICA'S DEBT CRISIS

Debt ceiling FAQs: What you need to know

CNN   May 18, 2011

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress he would have to suspend investments in federal retirement funds until Aug. 2 in order to create room for the government to continue borrowing in the debt markets.

The funds will be made whole once the debt limit is increased, Geithner said in a letter. "Federal retirees and employees will be unaffected by these actions."

He went on to urge Congress once again to raise the country's legal borrowing limit soon "to protect the full faith and credit of the United States and avoid catastrophic economic consequences for citizens."

Congress, meanwhile, is not showing any signs of budging. Many Republicans and some Democrats say they won't raise it unless Congress and President Obama agree to significant spending cuts and other ways to curb debt. (Social Security and Medicare squeezed)

Geithner told Congress that he estimates he has enough legal hoop-jumping tricks to cover them for another 11 weeks or so.

But then he said that's it. If lawmakers don't get it together by Aug. 2, the United States will no longer be able to pay its bills in full. (Slashing spending alone won't cut it)

The rhetoric about whether to raise the ceiling and under what conditions has been loud, harsh and, at times, misleading. Exasperatingly, it's far from over.

2.      Squatter Nation: 5 years with no mortgage payment

CNN    June 12, 2011

Millions are staying in their homes without paying their mortgages.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Charles and Jill Segal have not made a mortgage payment in nearly five years -- but they continue to live in their five-bedroom West Palm Beach, Fla. home.

Lynn, from St. Petersburg, Fla., has been living without paying for three years.

In Thousand Oaks, Calif., an actor has missed 30 payments, and still, he has not lost his home.

They're not alone.

Some 4.2 million mortgage borrowers are either seriously delinquent or have had their cases referred to lawyers to pursue foreclosure auctions, according to LPS Applied Analytics. Of those, two-thirds have made no payments at all for at least a year, and nearly one-third have gone more than two years.

These cases can go on and on. Nationwide, it takes an average of 565 days to foreclose on borrowers in default from their first missed payments to the final auction. In New York, the average is 800 days and in Florida, where the "robo-signing" issue is particularly combative, it's 807.

If they want to fight evictions hard, borrowers can remain in their homes even longer while their cases are being worked through.

The Segals have been doing that -- in court. They bought their home in 2003 with an adjustable rate mortgage. After a few years, their monthly payments tripled to $3,000, just as their home-inspection business was cratering.

3.  Apple unveils 'iCloud' storage, new operating systems

        CNN       June 6, 2011

  

San Francisco (CNN) -- Apple's Steve Jobs on Monday announced a new service called "iCloud," which lets Apple product owners store documents and music on the Internet instead of on their own computer hard drives or mobile phones.

iCloud expands on the trend of cloud computing, which refers to the idea that computer users are storing more of their information "in the cloud" of the Internet rather than on their own storage drives.

All of a person's Apple devices -- iPhone, iPads and Mac computers -- sync wirelessly with Apple's iCloud, giving users access to their documents, photos, apps, calendars and e-mails from any location, not just on a specific gadget.

"We think this is going to be pretty big," said Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, who has been on medical leave since January.

4. Roubini Says ‘Perfect Storm’ May Threaten Global Economy

Bloomberg   Jun 12, 2011

A “perfect storm” of fiscal woe in the U.S., a slowdown in China, European debt restructuring and stagnation in Japan may converge on the global economy, New York University professor Nouriel Roubini said.

             

There’s a one-in-three chance the factors will combine to stunt growth from 2013, Roubini said in a June 11 interview in Singapore. Other possible outcomes are “anemic but OK” global growth or an “optimistic” scenario in which the expansion improves.

“There are already elements of fragility,” he said. “Everybody’s kicking the can down the road of too much public and private debt. The can is becoming heavier and heavier, and bigger on debt, and all these problems may come to a head by 2013 at the latest.”

Elevated U.S. unemployment, a surge in oil and food prices, rising interest rates in Asia and trade disruption from Japan’s record earthquake threaten to sap the world economy. Stocks worldwide have lost more than $3.3 trillion since the beginning of May, and Roubini said financial markets by the middle of next year could start worrying about a convergence of risks in 2013.

簡單看財報1

看財報時常常不知道該看那些，老只看eps跟每月營收大增與毛利率

 列出以下幾項必看項目，可上網查詢
http://taiwanrate.net/index.php
http://www.taiwan-game.com/

1. 財務結構:
   負債佔資產比率: 負債比越高代表資金槓桿越大，最好不要超過40%
2. 償債能力
    流動比率(一年內資產變現償債能力):流動資產除以流動負債,一年內可變現的資產，如存貨、應收帳款若流動比高於200%代表償債能力具一定水準。
若一年內可以變現的資產低於債務金額(流動比低於百分之百) ，則代表經營出現問題。
    速動比率(短期的償債能力):速動資產除以速動負債，能立即變現的資產如現金、股票
    若高於100%，表示立即償債能力相當穩定。
    若低於八成(企業手邊可動用資金低於債務金額的八成) ，則代表經營出現問題。
    
3.獲利能力
    毛利率、營益率 低於10%的盡量不要買好了   
   ROE(股東權益報籌率):一般而言ROE在20%以上就算是非常好的公司(台積電只有
   09年在18.4%其餘都在20%以上)

4.經營能力
   應收帳款週轉率、存貨周轉率:
  存貨週轉率＝營業成本÷存貨  ,代表管理存貨效率依行業特性有不同的標準
   應收帳款週轉率＝營業收入÷各期平均應收款項餘額, 帳款回收現金的速度 ,因此回收速度愈
  快，對公司的資金運用愈有利

5. 現金流量:

   現金流量比率 ＝（營業活動淨現金流量 ÷ 流動負債）× 100%

  現金流量率高，表示公司的現金比較充足，短期償債能力足夠。

News clippings 2011.06.09

1.     WHO: Cell phone use can increase possible cancer risk

CNN        2011.06.01

(CNN) -- Radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The agency now lists mobile phone use in the same "carcinogenic hazard" category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.

What that means is they found some evidence of increase in glioma and acoustic neuroma brain cancer for mobile phone users, but have not been able to draw conclusions for other types of cancers

"The biggest problem we have is that we know most environmental factors take several decades of exposure before we really see the consequences," said Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

2.     E.coli: Is my salad safe?

CNN   June 03, 2011

(CNN) -- From milk powder tainted with industrial chemicals in China to eggs contaminated with salmonella in the UK, food safety scares are nothing new, but the latest -- a deadly outbreak of E.coli in Germany is different.

While previous scandals have left consumers wary of burgers, ready-made sauces and juicy t-bone steaks, this case has struck at those who thought they were doing all they could to eat healthily: Salad vegetables are emerging as the prime suspect.

Health experts are working against the clock to find the exact source of the killer strain of E.coli which has left 16 dead and hundreds more sick, some of whom are critically ill with kidney and neurological complications.

3.     How do you eat safely in China?

CNN    2011.05.18

Beijing (CNN) -- I was out shopping for groceries the other day with a friend of mine who has been living in Beijing for over a decade. We stopped by the fruit section, and I automatically gravitated to the bright red apples that looked delicious sitting on the store shelf.

She immediately stepped in. "I choose the apples that are pock-marked and are slightly bitten up by bugs," she told me while replacing the apples in my basket. "I figure if the fruit is good enough for the insect, it's good enough for me."

In China, she told me, the most perfectly formed, most appetizing piece of fruit is the scariest of them all.

With so many food safety scandals in China, everyone seems to have a philosophy on how best to eat. Avoid seafood. Never eat meat from the local market. Don't eat Chinese branded dairy products including cakes.

Probably the best and most consistent piece of advice I have gotten is to diversify your diet. "Rotate your poisons," a food safety expert advised me. It's enough to make you paranoid about eating anything at all.

Fear over additives, antibiotics, fake foods, and dodgy practices has grabbed hold of consumers here, some of whom are taking matters into the own hands by forming organic food buying clubs.

4. Discussion:  The impact of DEHP on the people in Taiwan

(1) What is your opinion about this even?

(2) After the event, what will you do?  Will you change your eating habits?

   How? 

(3) What do you think our government should do to prevent the similar events

   From happening again?  Do you have any suggestions?