weblog #12 China's Panda Diplomacy With Taiwan

According to China's Panda Diplomacy With Taiwan, Beijing has sent two pandas to Taiwan as a present.

Sending the pandas to Taiwan may seen friendly, but people all know that there are much more motives and reasons why Beijing and our president would agree with this lovely present. Besides, putting the wild animals in cases in the zoo is actually not doing them any good. Main land China is claiming its sovereignty and our president Ma is trying to show friendliness.

Talk about something more practical. How much money did the government spent to greet the two guests? How much money can the zoo earn from them? How much money does it need to feed them? How many people can they attract, after almost everyone has seen them? To be honest, I am not interested in these two animals at all, although I am really an animal lover. I have seen pandas on TV and pictures for a lot of times. In addition, they are not as new as penguins or koala bears. Therefore, I do not think the panda storm will last long.

Come along with this news, the two sides of the strait began direct daily flight on Dec. 15, which took the two pandas. Finally people come and go freer than before, but there may be many problems coming along, and that is another article.

weblog #11 First Face Transplant Performed in the U.S.

According to First Face Transplant Performed in the U.S., Cleveland Clinic surgeons have performed the nation’s first near total face transplant.

In this case, the recipient of the facial transplant surgery was suffering from facial damage. If not for the surgery, no one could imagine what would happen on the woman. Many people may think that it sounds like a plastic surgery, but, in my opinion, the surgery was done not for good looking but for medical purpose. The series of the surgery had been done in China and France. Later on, similar surgeries were done in these two countries.

Nevertheless, there is something that might be troublesome. The rejection of the foreign tissue transplanted from another body. Recipients have to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives, but it may be risky if the effectiveness decreased.

Medical technology is now improving fast conspicuously. As a result, people are able to live longer and longer. After human-to-human organ transplant, now scientists are doing research on animal-to-human organ transplant. Scientists implant human genes into animals’ cells and then gene manipulated animals would be born. These animals’ will carry organs that are genetically similar to humans’ organs. Afterward, scientists are hoping to transplant the organs to humankinds as soon as possible. However, there are some moral issues that are still under discussing.

weblog #10 Google updates search index with old magazines

According to Google updates search index with old magazines, Google has added a magazine rack to its Internet search engine.

Google has been extending its business domain ambitiously. After trying to buy , this time it turns to books. They cooperate with libraries and publishers after the copyright problem was solved. I think the program is really a beneficial idea. It will make us easier to find information without looking through piles of books. Of course if they extend the program to more books and magazines or even research paper, it will be so much more convenience for researchers and students to do their work.

The other service they provide is the newspaper online. It may be useful, but there are already many similar services on different websites, so I wonder how it will be different from those on serving.

As to the pictures, it looks like the same idea of the newspapers. However, one reason why it is different I thought of is that pictures usually has right of portrait which keeps people from spreading and celebrities who have the right can made a lot of money by selling their own pictures to publishers.

There are some other problems. Some of the magazines already have their own websites. Would Google buy them, too? And how will other search engines react?

weblog #9 Lots of TV and Web harms kids' health

According to Lots of TV and Web harms kids' health, exposure to media sources makes children more prone to a range of health problems including obesity and smoking.

After televisions are invented, people are getting more and more used to staring at screens for a long time and teenagers are the most group which is accepting those information. Research were conducted which revealed that watching TV would make kids become stupid. When computers emerged, the condition has more chance to happen. People keep staying in front of screens longer and longer. Some of them even get addicted to it. I think I am maybe addicted to screens, too. I could sit on the sofa and watch TV for a whole day or use the computer until my eyes are sore.

However, my grade was not too bad but I think I am not a person that can do critical thinking. I can think of practical things when others are dreaming but I cannot give any opinions after I watched a movie or read a book. I have been thinking this for a while.
Maybe it is because I watched too much TV so I am not able to think more. Then I made a decision. I will not have TV in my house after I have children. In this way, we can do many more meaningful things instead of getting stupid and fat.

weblog #8 A Plan For Hard Times: Print Cash

According to A Plan For Hard Times: Print Cash, residents in Riverwest will print their own money to keep the area economy humming.

People in Riverwest decided to print their own local money as recession fears grow. The money can be used only in that area and has local landmarks instead of presidential portraits on it. Dozens of such systems flourished during the Great Depression. They emerged as a solution in order to against globalization by keeping wealth in local people’s hands. It is a very attractive and maybe useful idea when the economy looks so hopeless now. The method benefits residents through an exchange process. The money they print costs less than traditional dollars. And when businesses agree to value the local currency the same as the greenbacks, they also get a free stack to kick-start spending.

At first, it may sound like the consumption vouchers that will be provide later in Taiwan.
However, the differences are that their local money will increase in value but consumption vouchers won’t and consumption vouchers’ using has a time-limit which the other does not have. Nevertheless, there is one thing I am worrying about. Both of the ideas are producing money. Wouldn’t there be a problem of inflation? And then I think: maybe in the experience of the past this situation has never happened before.

weblog #7 Consumer Prices Fall on Drop in Energy Costs

According to Consumer Prices Fall on Drop in Energy Costs, consumer prices dropped by the largest amount in 61 years in October as gasoline pump prices dropped by a record amount.

The economy condition this year has been a tragedy. Many people or companies have lost a large amount of money. Since savings has decreased, people have been less willing to spend money. Therefore, people will do their best to cut down expenses on what costs the most, such as food and energy. What wonders me the most is why on foods and energy? Should not it be clothing or entertainment? It seems that Americans usually place priority on clothing or entertainment, no offence. Take myself for example, if I am in that situation, I would prevent myself from looking for new clothes and have entertainment that is for free, such as surfing the Internet or go watching movies in the library.

Recently, our government announced a new policy which is to provide consumption vouchers valued at NT$3,600 to each citizen hoping to stimulate consumer spending to help revitalize the domestic economy. Japan has carried out similar policy before. As to America, it may be hard to put into practice because of the serious recession which happened early this year. However, the policy did not reach the officials expectation very much.

weblog #6 Pepsi Ice Cucumber, Anyone?

According to Pepsi Ice Cucumber, Anyone?, products in Japan are always replaced speedily and are various in kinds.

Japan is a already developed country, over developed, in my opinion. People are always working samely day after day. They need more stimulation to infuse themselves some vigor and power. Therefore, business men have been racking their brains to satisfy these picky and fickle consumers. I have been to Japan a few times and what I have seen is that they certainly are working very hard. Any snack or beverage can have more than three flavors in order to encourage people to buy, but some of them really confusing. For instance, cucumber cola or pumpkin cream puffs are seemed really unable to be found in western countries but are simply so normal all over Japan.

The culture in Japan is so special that even international corporations have to take special measures to match up with Japanese shopping habits. However, there are disadvantages. The inconvenience of unable to find replaced flavor can be upsetting and discouraging. In Taiwan, the situation is not as extreme as the original country so customers do not have to worry about what choices to make. Nevertheless, we have less choices and the shelves in stores seems to have less creativity, innovation and, especially, vitality.