The International Intoxication: Introducing THE INTERNATIONAL

By Lily

About this time last year, students at Harvard University were meeting late at night, as were students from Oxford, Toronto, Paris, and South Africa. In fact, in 53 countries covering four continents around the globe, students were gathering for one purpose and one only—the establishment of a revolutionary online newspaper: The International.
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The International is the masterpiece of the smartest brains working at fever pitch. A group of talented young people innovated and developed their wild idea of creating a non-biased, student-based—yet still extremely professional, carefully written and credible—newspapers online. Were they mad? Well, no! The community and its idea are thriving on Facebook and has recently become a registered non-profit company in the US, UK and Canada. The official website, theinternationalonline.com, now publishes 20 articles a month, and the amount of publication is continuing to grow.

Commitment to peace journalism
It may have occurred to us that we are so overwhelmed with pieces of information that we stop digesting them and lose interest in the kinds of social problems they represent. We wonder what do ugly scandals, obscene love-and-hate family affairs, bank (or bond, or stock market, you name it) crises and sick murderers really have to do with us.

By objectively analyzing undergoing conflicts and discussing possible solutions for them, readers of The International are brought to bear on issues with their own critical thinking. By framing arguments and controversies in dialogues that involve different perspectives of a certain issue, the newspaper prompts its readers to conceive problems as a whole instead of simple dichotomies. In addition, by shedding light on structural and cultural causes and debates, they learn various aspects of the story and have ample knowledge to form their judgments independently. Only through an in-depth understanding of these incidents can we, as people who live, who produce and complain about life, truly foster workable resolutions and end long-term conflicts.

The world is on sale, but what to buy?
In the era of communication, rapid and substantial news reports are poured into our daily lives. Hundreds of newspaper companies have prospered in less than a decade. Nevertheless, none of them feature on Peace Journalism. The International adhere to the faith that, only with full disclosure of information and uncolored objectivity could a media enrich its readers and enable an open-minded society to come. The news articles from The International are written by journalists from a number of countries, and the editor team consists of students of difference races, culture and social backgrounds. In order to process objective writing, the newspaper even invites its local readers, together with its extensive international volunteers, to convey their points of view and help complete a series report on certain subjects. Also notice that, one of the most important ambitions of The International lies in the report on potential conflicts, aiming to alert the world and spur prevention action. It encourages readers to adopt the tool of peaceful philosophy in sorting out problems that range from interpersonal to local and national, which stimulates the public’s awareness and increases peace—not just across the street, but rather, on the opposite side of the hemisphere.

Changing the world, one story at a time…
The newspaper has been very cautious in its pursuit of peace development. While some protest groups may lean toward the side of victims, The International remains neutral. It depicts conflict not as two groups against each other, nor as right against wrong; instead, it’s all about a large number of people that have different needs and interests and are at odds with each other. Accordingly, the newspaper requires its journalists to elaborate news stories as below:

In the article “Somali pirates hijack another vessel”, Lis Carter (a journalist) consciously avoids using emotional phrases. For example, he quotes: “We received an e-mail from the ship saying, ‘We are being attacked by pirates,’ ” instead of, “they had spent the past five months - the longest time Somali pirates have been held hostages - in fear of being shot” (an excerpt from the BBC news website). Carter uses feedbacks from government officials, owners of the ships and even the hostages to demonstrate the attitudes of diverse parties. Such information presentation provokes much discussion of the causes: Why are people willing to risk their lives in the business of piracy? The problem itself involves not just the pirates, but local leaders, financiers, and people who are higher up in the chain of command.

The article concludes by reminding us that, though the world pays more attention to American hostages, which is rather sad (since there are a bunch of others who have been held for months without anyone noticing), these hostages may create an opportunity for the international community to address the piracy issue. In short, the news article doesn’t pretend to offer a direct remedy; quite on the contrary, it introduces the paradoxes of humanity that we should reckon with.

Common values and student devotion
Founded originally by a group of grads, The International is now supported by millions of readers and has volunteers on campuses worldwide. The volunteers are contributors and are engaged in various newspaper activities, including publishing (website development), marketing, human resources, editing, finances and communications. MSN meetings are held monthly, and the discussion of the company’s future is open to everyone. Passionate students of different nationalities identify with the spirit of peace journalism and devote themselves to the project. As a result, the company has relied more on volunteers’ time contribution than on monetary contribution. Fast-paced and action-oriented as it is, the amount of paid-volunteers are increasing on daily basis. Applications are accepted on the website recruitment page and also on social networks on the internet.

Can idealistic journalism survive in the 21th century?
Raising your eyebrows? It is reasonable for you to be skeptical. Indeed, without The International, the world would keep on turning, and the latest gossip, sports games, political and social dramas—things people do care about—would still be reported on and be noticed. However, would something be missing, something elusive, something we have long ignored, or something that might be intriguing after we have discovered it? Have there been any ideals, moral ethics or dreams that we have neglected in the past that may prove essential and helpful during the course of life? The International attempts to wake people up, and show to them what the world is really like. Despite that it sounding tremendously idealistic, the newspaper pursues a higher standard of journalism that leads to a global society where people comprehend, discuss and interact with each other without boundaries.

A world where people make choices by their will power and embrace discrepancies seems undoubtedly utopian. The tide of criticism and doubts on peace journalism never stops pounding, yet for those who believes in the goodness of humanity, and for some who are convinced that a better world is possible, for them, the dream of peace journalism is an unstoppable urge.

Starting from the initial gathering and the first draft of the company charter, The International has struggled to persist in its ideals. The newspaper’s lack of appealing news elements—say, impassioned and sensational screed—is a big test, and so is the deficiency of substantial financial support. While only time can tell where the company is going, the future is looking bright with a lot of mutual communication between readers, and a pure confidence in human society, in us. So, I ask, is life really that hard, or are we ALL JUST a bunch of whiners?

Why can't we lose weight ?

By Jononbayar

One of the biggest issues in our society today is the weight problem. Weight problems are not just about how we look, but also about our health. Most people, who are overweight, have some kind of related problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer or hypertension. Is it a good idea to live unhealthily and suffer from these problems? What most people don’t realize is that it would take only half an hour of their day to be healthier and stay in good shape.

You might be wondering why it is so hard for most of us to a lose few pounds, no matter how hard we try by jogging, swimming or running. The answer lies in the way our body works. By eating we get our energy and by working out we use it up, but any excess amount of energy becomes fat. Because the fat in our body is an excess amount of energy, theoretically, if we find a way to use it up we will lose weight. Most people know that the longer they jog the more amount of calories they will burn, but after few months some get disappointed when they don’t get the results they want, or, in some cases, they even start to regain their weight. It is true that the longer you run the more calories you will burn, but it is true only in the short term. What happens is that our body gets used to the amount of exercise we do, so the more often we run the less energy we will need to use. It sounds illogical right? But it’s true! For example, if you run for 20 minutes and burn 300-400 calories, after a few weeks you will have to run 40 minutes to burn the same amount of calories. So, right now, you may be asking: Is there really a way to lose weight? The answer is yes.

The best way to lose weight and not regain it is through a combination of right exercises and healthy eating. If you do only one of them, then you will not succeed, because as I mentioned above eating is the same as getting energy and exercising is the same as using it. So, if you just keep using and refueling the energy in your body, you won’t really lose weight, and even if you do manage to lose some kilos chances are you will regain it again. Because a lot of people stop exercising after they have lost some weight, but the amount of energy intake is still same if not more, a lot of people not only regain their weight after a period of intensive exercise but actually put on more! The key to this problem is by decreasing your energy intake and increasing your exercise. You have probably heard people saying that they want to lose belly fat or lose fat from their legs, etc. In reality, you can not do that, you can’t chose the part of your body from which to lose weight. If a guy really wants to lose belly fat, it is not a matter of how many sit-ups he does. The only true way to decrease the amount of fat in each part of your body is to lose them all at the same time.

You can do any kind of exercise such as swimming, jogging, running, etc. But from my point of view, running is the best for both men and women. Because your muscles use most of your energy, so the bigger the muscle size the more energy you will use, and your legs have the biggest muscles in your body thus using them as the main energy burner would be the most effective. As I mentioned above, don’t let your body get used to the exercise you do. For example, running for 20 minutes at the same speed will help your body get used to the exercise, instead you should alternate between jogging for a few minutes and sprinting as fast as you can for a few minutes, in other words you run slowly for several minutes and then speed up and then slow down again to let your body rest. Doing this kind of high intensity interval running on treadmill will help you lose a lot more weight in a short period. But still it may take more than four to five months to lose 7 or 8 pounds, so be patient. Here is a suggestion for how you can run on high intensity interval mode: first always do some stretching, because if you don’t you can easily injure yourself, then warm up for 5 minutes on the treadmill. If the maximum speed on your treadmill is 20 then choose 11 out of 20. After warming up, increase your speed to 18 for 1 minute, slow down to 11 for 2 minutes, and repeat this cycle 3 times. In total it should be 5 minutes warm up, 1 minute high intensity, 2 minutes slow, 1 minute high intensity, 2 minutes slow, 1 minute high intensity, 5 minutes cool down. After running like this for 4 weeks, you should increase to 2 minutes high intensity running with 2 minutes rest, increase it again on the 5th week and so on until you reach your goal.

The second most important part is healthy eating. Many people don’t realize how important it is. If you don’t eat healthy, don’t even bother exercising to lose weight because it simply won’t work. The benefits of eating right foods diminish if you don’t get the frequency and timing right. The best way is to have five to six small meals throughout the day. It lets you eat less overall without feeling ravenous and deprived. Here is the best way to schedule your meals.

Eat your first meal as soon as you can after getting up in the morning. Try to eat every 3 hours after that have some snack or drink before and after exercising. Your basic diet should include proteins, starches, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Here are some names of the better foods such as eggs, fish (especially tuna), turkey, rye bread, sweet potatoes, whole wheat, fat-free milk, apples, pears, broccoli, spinach, almonds, etc. DON’T EAT FAST FOOD. For a more specific diet, you can refer to the next article written by Julia.

Here is a simple way of calculating your basic calorie needs. Your weight in pounds multiplied by 11 equals your basic calorie needs. Take you basic calorie needs and multiply it by 30% if you are moderately active, 40% if you are really active, and this is your metabolic rate. Take this metabolic rate and add your basic calorie needs, thus you can get the right amount you need just to maintain your current body composition without gaining fat. To lose fat, subtract 500 calories a day from this amount. In this way, you will lose approximately 1 pound per week. Lets run an example, say you weigh 165 pounds, and you are really active, doing some sports etc.

Step 1: 165 x 11= 1815
Step 2: 1815 x 0.4= 726
Step 3: 1815+726=2541
Step 4 : 2541 – 500= 2041 (cal/day)

Also, you should carefully plan your diet, at least for a while. Start by determining your actual food intake: keep a 3 day food diary, making a list of every thing you eat during those 3 days. Although no one can say that losing weight is an easy task, with my way you can definitely reach your goal, and the great thing is you only need to be patient.

Inter-facing the In-between Worlds: An Interview with Dr Bennett Yu-Hsiang Fu

LYLA XUAN HUANG

Famous for his beamy grin and passion for teaching, Dr. Bennett Yu-Hsiang Fu, who, however, “hates any kind of titles,” has just received his second Excellent Teaching Award and is expected to be promoted to Associate Professor this year – and this is merely his fourth year at NTU. With his already abundant academic achievements, he is currently working on two book projects, one on Chinese Canadian women's writing and the other on the dialogue between Taiwan literature and Canadian literature. Apart from the two monographs, he is conducting research on his NSC projects and writing many other journal articles on new subjects. In this interview Bennett talks about how his extensive life experiences have influenced his outlook, the way he perceives himself both in the Canadian and the Taiwanese contexts, along with his expectations both as a scholar and an educator.

The possibility and the positivity of living in the in-between worlds

Defining himself as a “flexible citizen,” in socio-cultural anthropologist Aihwa Ong’s words, Bennett traces his idea of boundary crossing to his mobile traveling around different countries either by himself or with his family since childhood. Besides living and studying in Taiwan and Canada, the opportunity to experience diverse cultures and ways of life has also helped shape his definition of identity. Bennett describes himself as one who possesses a “double vision” due to his special background. “When in Canada, I am the ‘invisible minority,’” he says with a smile, “whereas in Taiwan, the ‘invisible majority’.” Nonetheless, this paradox does not abate his critical view of his position in either culture. Conversely, it is through the double vision that he can always examine either Taiwanese or Canadian affairs from a different perspective and, more importantly, evince the alertness to any idée fixe wherein prejudices are hastily conceptualized. Bennett admits that when he was doing his MA at the University of Rochester, New York, he was absorbed by the so-called Americanism, subjected to peer pressure and assimilation. But now, with full confidence in his unique identity, Bennett reiterates the possibility and the positivity of living in an in-between world, where his sense of belonging is not hinged on nationality or ethnicity. Without any CBC or dual citizenship complex, he simply loves both countries to the same degree. “When I am in Taiwan, I hardly think of anything in Canada,” he contends, “and vice versa – I just live in the moment and enjoy it to the fullest.” One may marvel at this carpe diem spirit, yet he jokingly adds, “But there are still times when I wake up in the morning, not knowing where I actually am.”

“Do they really miss anyone doing Faulkner?”

It may be difficult to believe that Bennett, who specializes in Asian North American Studies and Canadian Literature, initially dreamed of being a Medievalist – for the love of Chaucer and the Arthurian legends. Later on, Romanticism, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner and American Modernism were all on his dream list of scholarship. When asked what urged him to shift his interests from those Western canons to his current subjects, Bennett mulls over the question, leaning his head on one hand, “It was just like...one day I woke up and asked myself, ‘Do they really miss anyone doing Faulkner? ’ and the answer is obviously clear.” Clearly this was another epiphanic moment, and it serves as the epitome of Bennett’s life attitude – that is, while being “extremely optimistic,” in his phrasing, he never ceases to show deep and humanistic concerns as a scholar. With Joan Baez as an idol and role model in his adolescence (and even now), he was already immersed in the folksinger’s political engagement as well as her commitment to reform and activism. Also, when Bennett was working on his dissertation at L’Université de Montréal, he was profoundly affected by the bilingual, bicultural environment itself as well as by his two supervisors. After the disillusionment with the American academic training and assimilation politics, his Montréal years were delightful, like a breath of fresh air – partly thanks to the generous university teaching offers and full scholarships. Apart from working with his supervisor researching on feminism, he was blessed with a versatile co-supervisor, a Romanian savant speaking 15 languages, teaching Japanese and French, and above all, leading him to all the kaleidoscopic domains of minority discourses. As Bennett recalls, “Both of them showed me what ace scholarship was like. From them I learnt discipline and diligence.” Benefiting from their insightful supervision, he decided to set his eyes on Chinese Canadian women's writings, through which to tackle the multiple oppressions – regarding race, gender, sexuality, and class – of diasporic or native Chinese Canadian women, thus unmasking the absurdity of mainstream cultural hegemony. His current topic is “Taiwan Literature in Dialogue with World Literature,” a five-year NTU DFLL group project, which hopes to bridge Taiwan with the world in era of globalization by excavating hidden voices and creating new ones.

“I will stay here...as long as I can.”
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Bennett is not merely excelling in an academic sense. I remember in a course with him, he once quoted bell hooks’s first major book on education, Teaching to Transgress, to expound his philosophy of teaching. Even now, I can recollect those powerful, pulsating lines such as “Accepting the teaching profession as my destiny” or “The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy.” Truly, he is a professor that writes a way-beyond-your-wildest-dreams email at 2:00 in the morning only to encourage students to further ponder over some controversial issues discussed in class – for he, to quote bell hooks again, “celebrate[s] teaching that enables transgressions – a movement against and beyond boundaries.” Even though he passed the public service examination of Commission de la fonction publique du Canada after finishing his Ph. D., Bennett, instead of being an attaché in Canada or a businessman like his father, chose to become a professor, or in his words, more an eduactor than a scholar for his sheer passion for teaching. “I am really satisfied with what I have now,” he emphasizes, “because I can always find new ideas and refresh myself in every different course. I love everything I teach; I love the students here...they’re just so cute.” As a professor, he is willing to help students with their academic pursuits; as an educator, the role he always prefers, he is constantly inspired with the awareness that he is also participating in the students’ character building. Surely, with Bennett around, one is easily enchanted by his infectious happiness and charming personality. When asked how long he plans to stay in Taiwan, he firmly answers that there is indeed no better alternative than the status quo. “So, I will stay here...as long as I can,” Bennett promised with another splendid smile.

Fun in Manila － An Awesome Summer Escape

By Kevin

Remember the MasterCard commercial, where the suited yet restless Pierce Brosnan caught a street cab in order to shuttle through killer traffic and peddlers, only to miss the tasty local fair? If that reminds you of something, then I can describe a similar scene, without Mr. Brosnan, in the Philippines, a country harboring more than 7000 islands, big and small, peaceful and warring, thickly settled and sparsely populated.
After counseling dozens of primary-school kids at an English camp last summer, I decided that traveling would be a good outlet for my leftover energy. So, with some of my friends in tow, I made an excursion to Manila in the Philippines.

Koreans, Koreans, and more Koreans

Had I spent only a day or two in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, the odds are that I would be tricked into believing this is some Korean summer resort with 90% of its residents hailing from Southeast Asia. Pretty much everywhere we went, we were showered with greetings in Korean. At the malls we shopped, restaurants we dined, and schools we visited, the Koreans were a common sight. Once, we detoured to an island off the southwest coast of Manila and were welcomed by none other than the national flag of Korea! Although this ethnic phenomenon is a bit of a novelty, it is fast becoming a norm because teenagers and young adults from Korea have started the practice of taking a year off in an effort to learn English. Very often, they’ll choose the Philippines for the first few months of their language-learning tour before making tracks to countries like Australia, Canada, or America to complete their journey.

Colorful treats and daunting experiences

Typical of most countries in the tropics, fruit often finds its way into the local diet and dishes. While fruit-flavored popsicles may be somewhat commonplace, “halo-halo” is the Filipino version of shaved ice in Taiwan and, for that matter, a more colorful and whimsical one. Often including banana slices, sweet ube, palm and jack fruit plus one or two scoops of ice cream of different flavors, halo-halo looks more like a palette than an actual summer treat. Besides halo-halo, banana sticks (they grill the fruit, literally) and colorful drinks mixed with jellies made of mysterious fruit are readily available if you dare to brave the food stands on the streets.

But for some these treats do not spell anything exciting, or may even seem boring. Well, how about trying some “balut?” This is boiled fertilized egg that contains a duck or chicken fetus…yes, you can see it, and, yes, you can eat it. Once, balut was even featured in the reality show “Fear Factor!” Believed to be magical for male fertility, it’s mostly sold as a street food. Strangely, you’re more likely to spot balut vendors only after 9 or 10 P.M. when they hawk their wares in Styrofoam boxes surrounded by expectant, grinning male patrons.

Ways of getting around

Though notorious during rush hours, as in other metropolises, traffic can sometimes be an interesting scene to watch in Manila. Here, cabs are of different colors (because they are owned by different companies), but, more interestingly, jeepneys, pedicabs, and even horse-drawn carriages parade the streets. For tourists, this is the best way to get around the city in style. Though it is not a joke when I say that people do not pay any attention to traffic lights, except for the major ones, and jaywalking happens everywhere.

Even compared to Taiwan, the cost of transportation is very reasonable in Manila. But, as in many tourism-dependant countries, taxi drivers will not lose a chance to rip off foreign visitors, and neither will pedicab or horse-carriage drivers. Should adventure happen to be your thing and haggling with physical gestures or some nonsensical noises a game in itself, then try the jeepneys! Even without air-conditioning or much room for its passengers, a jeepney is quite like the bus in Taiwan for the convenience it brings to the locals and the commuting public. It can usually seat up to a dozen, and passengers pass the fare through other passengers to the driver because the congested cabin makes it impossible for them to hand it directly to him. Jeepneys are perfect for travelers with a tight budget. The vehicles are proud displays of their owners’ aesthetic differences and artistic streaks. Though cheap and a good chance to experience the local everyday culture, taking a jeepney can be risky if you’re a lone passenger. After all, it always pays to stay vigilant while traveling in a foreign country and, in fact, stories of tourists being robbed are not that uncommon there.

Modern/historical

With its share of colonial history, Manila is a city that maintains its historical past whilst pioneering in technological advances. From Spanish fortresses to universities with hundreds of years of history, from a China town that preserves the record of immigration history to pious Catholic churches that are frequented merry newlyweds, Manila’s regional and international architecture is home to both the old and new, secular and religious. Note that the city is also known for its huge numbers of museums and exhibitions. Do plan a trip or two to any of these sites showcasing Manila’s vibrant past, present, and cultural dynamics!

The unbearable

True. For a city that has so much to offer, it’s hard to find fault, but, let’s say there are always some and it’s always great to be aware of them just in case. Besides traffic that irritates and overcharging that infuriates, please stock up on some potent medicine and Kleenex because very likely, the food or weather will upset your constitution during your first few days there. Losing a big chunk of your budget visiting the hospital ER is nothing when compared to the delirious cycles of diarrhea, exhaustion and aches that often come up from nowhere. My research on the trustworthy Google database assures me that there are really no serious parasites or infectious bacteria to worry about in Manila, but, you never know.

Also, from personal experience, if you should get lost or have your map “stolen,” I would advise against taking a local Filipino’s directions too seriously. Backpacking veterans on the PTT would really back me up here! Typically, the last thing a local would admit to is their inadequate knowledge of their turf and how to get around it. Once, when we were in a mall trying to find a post office, we ended up getting more than five exquisite sets of directions. Even the Information desk gave us the wrong directions. Tsk, tsk.

Cliché or not, my trip to Manila instilled in me the understanding of both cultural novelty and historical intricacies. It also taught me Hospitality. Fortunately, my friends and I were blessed to meet a Chinese-Filipino couple who treated us like kids of their own. When our return flight was fatefully canceled owing to a typhoon, and we were unable to buy another one-way ticket that was fully priced (425 USD) by the then-only-available China Airlines, this couple instantly became our home stay and provided a haven in our distress. A blessing in disguise, if you will, we were able to savored more gourmet dishes that we hadn’t had a chance to try earlier. So, instead of going back to school, like most of our classmates, we were saved by a typhoon and showered with hospitality.

This trip certainly had its ups and downs, but I will always remember it fondly and with a great deal of gratitude.

Holy Week in Guatemala

by Willy Leung

Many of you have probably never had a Holy Week, and some of you might
not even know anything about it, because in Asia, Holy Week is not considered a national holiday. But what is Holy Week exactly? In the Christian tradition, it (also known as “Semana Santa” in Spanish) is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday, and lasts from Palm Sunday (or in the East, Lazarus Saturday) until, but not including, Easter Sunday, since Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of The Great Fifty Days. Holy Week commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, which begins with his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

In Guatemala, authentic traditions - of religion, culture and region - are accessible to visitors, not ust for observation but for participation. It's an exotic place where the majority of the population remains Mayan, and where raucous festivals and religious processions take over village streets, especially during Semana Santa.

At the time of Semana Santa and each Sunday during Lent, emotional, reverent processions of locals drift ponderously through Antigua Guatemala's streets, surrounding and shouldering andas, wooden platforms (that may be as long as 40 feet) with figures of Jesus, Mary or patron saints on top.

The night before Easter, church members create intricately designed alfombras (carpets). Made from vibrantly colored sawdust or sand, flower petals and pine needles, alfombras might depict biblical, Mayan or national symbols, such as the quetzal, a bright green bird with yard-long tail feathers that is Guatemala’s national bird. Preparations for the carpets begin weeks-- sometimes months--ahead. There are two types of carpets made during Semana Santa. The carpets along the processional route are made by residents who invite friends and family to assist them. The carpets in the churches, made by the brotherhoods, are for the holy vigils. The
brotherhoods were originally called cofradías, and nowadays they are mostly religious organizations. The brotherhoods have to be either men or women, not both. In the past, it was
thought that the carriers participated solely as a form of penance. Today there is some degree of social status involved, but the principal motivation is still a show ofdevotion by the carriers.

After the carpets are made, these works of art are trampled down by the processions, a poignant reminder of the fleeting cycle of life, from ashes to ashes, dust to dust. If more than one procession goes down a street, a new carpet is made for each procession. Processions are very important during Holy Week. Each procession leaves from its church and follows a route through the streets before returning to the church several hours later. Purple is the color of the robes worn by the carriers up to Good Friday, and then the robes are changed into black to represent mourning.

Processions generally begin with incense carriers and the brotherhood's banner, followed by the anda and thousands of carriers. Carriers will carry the float for a block, and then a new group will take their turn. Each turn is determined by the carriers' shoulder height to ensure that the float is balanced. This is very important as a float can weigh as much as 7,000 pounds (3,150 kilograms.)

A block behind the main float, there will be a group of women that carry a smallerfloat (size is relative here) with the figure of the Virgin Mary. The women wear white for the procession before Good Friday. Following behind there is usually a funeral marching-band and two additional floats holding the sculptures of San Juan and Maria Magdalena.

Firecrackers are heard throughout the city, and masses are held in all the churches. On Easter, firecrackers and the pine smell of copal incense signal the approach of a procession. If you’re lucky, the carriers might let you try to hold the float, and since the bulky weight pushes on your shoulders, as you walk to the beat of the mournful and haunting music, you might better understand the ritual, the people and the tradition, and perhaps feel grateful to be a part of it.
Holy Week is definitely one of the most important traditions in Guatemala. Since Taiwan doesn’t have these kinds of procession, you might want to visit Guatemala sometime to experience this huge event. Come to Guatemala on Holy Week and be part of the local tradition!

EMERGENCY ROOM FRENZY — A VOLUNTEER STORY

BY BICKEY CHANG

“He’s having trouble breathing. Somebody. Do something. Quickly. Quickly…”

The voice came from a middle-aged woman, positively freaking out. By her side was an old man sitting in a wheelchair, panting weakly. The nurse barely turned, for the man’s condition did not seem very serious, and she was accustomed to screaming people. She was already busy questioning another patient about his condition and taking down his blood pressure. The woman was puzzled by the nurse’s signal for her to calm down. Well, she didn’t even know the old man whom she’d met on the street and brought here, but couldn’t someone do something for him? The nurse was concentrating on the other patient. And, without warning, the man stopped breathing.

This is one of the most horrifying moments I have witnessed. It happened during my second year as a volunteer at the school’s affiliated hospital. As a volunteer, I am at the very bottom of the service chain. My job description includes the entire “triage to discharge” process — taking the blood pressure and temperature of patients, putting fresh sheets on clean beds, pushing patients in beds around for different radiology tests, picking up drug prescriptions, buying dinner for patients who come in alone…almost anything to make the patients’ stay more comfortable.

The emergency room is very different from what I thought it would be like. Perhaps one of the most interesting things I learned working there is that most patients who come in are not necessarily in immediate danger.

“So, how long have you had this stomachache?”
“Eh…since two weeks ago.”

Not every patient comes in bleeding all over; not every patient comes in suffocating or with a heart attack. Instead, patients often have suffered a chronic condition for quite some time before deciding to walk in. Other times it may be only a minor cut. I often wonder why some patients chose not to pay a visit to clinics instead. Indeed, their conditions can often be critical, but not every case is necessarily going to be fatal any minute.

The implication behind this is an impossibly long wait for those who are not in immediate danger. The triage system is generally effective in ensuring that patients with immediate, life-threatening conditions are cared for the minute they arrive. Normal patients, however, have to wait on average thirty minutes to an hour to speak to a doctor. There are simply too many patients and too little time and care available.

I often think of the emergency room as the epitome of society and its problems. Most common is the sight of elders walking in by themselves. They are often used to being alone, but in illness, their lonely state make them appear heartbreakingly vulnerable and helpless. AIDS patients and victims of crime also walk in the door. Perhaps most shocking is the sight of suicide cases. Hearing their stories illustrate vividly for me the cruelty of human tragedy. Seeing these people in the hospital, I realize how wrapped up I can be within my own safe world of people similar to me, ignorant of people with such tremendously different lives who live right next to me. I find them all there, everybody from society, in the hospital emergency room, seeking the same help.

It’s not easy to define what I see as the profundity of working in the emergency room. Being humbled by my inability to serve, my lack of understanding of the typical emergency room problems, I only see these social problems in a box even though they are all essential parts of my experience. Most of the time, I’m invigorated by the simple idea that I can volunteer for my own community. In an increasingly international world, students like me often choose to serve for a very short period of time in third-world countries far away from home. For me, serving the needy within my own community for a more sustainable period of time embodies more pristinely and directly the truth of voluntary servitude.

So what happened to the man who stopped breathing?

“He’s…Somebody. Do something.”

The woman was at loss for words. Was it on her if this stranger died? The nurse was still busy questioning. She finished her sentence before realizing what had happened. “Code, code…triage needs assistance. Triage needs assistance.” Nurses and volunteers from the nearby internal medicine station rushed over to help, and the man was rushed in to a doctor. I later found out that the man had lived. It turned out to be just another typical yet ex-traordinary day in the emergency room.

Can Internet Get Us Everything? Top 5 Reasons Why People Shop Online

By Maggie Wang

Yes indeed, is the response to the title—but only in terms of commercial service, for life itself involves more than what the Internet can provide. But, there’s no way to deny that nowadays Internet plays quite a huge role in our daily lives. Is the rain outside holding you back from enjoying a shopping spree in a retail store? That problem doesn’t seem to exist any more, since more people are choosing to stay right where they are and, with access to the Internet, and buy commodities with a simple click.

So what are the exact reasons why people prefer shopping online? Five major reasons explained:

People shop online to avoid crowds
Sick of screaming babies, annoying people, no parking, checkout assistants who give you attitude, bad smelling toilets? Happen to be in a bad mood, feeling like cutting off any contact with other living beings? No need to give reluctant verbal or expressional responses, just log online and pay with credit cards or wire transfer to certain accounts, and the mission is accomplished!

Shopping online is popular with people who have hectic schedules. It saves time and allows consumers to do other things

Got a tight schedule but still got your heart set on purchasing new items? Remember those days of wasting time driving or walking between stores to find which one had the cheapest prices? The elixir has been found: shopping online transforms price-comparing to a breeze—with a few mouse clicks

you can do everything from the comfort of your bed! Some online bookstores also offer services like “next-day delivery,” which quickens the process of ordering, and you can simply wait at home or walk to the nearest
convenience store in your neighborhood to pick up the orders.

There are a variety of products available
From groceries to luxuries, from tissue paper to designer bags, there are numerous options at your hand. Websites here and abroad provide national or international deliveries of products from around the world—thus you can stay at home but feel like you’re shopping at an upscale 5th Avenue department store in Manhattan, maybe only minus the glamorous atmosphere. After all, sometimes you have to be a little more “practical.”

The prices are competitive
Usually there are some discounts or e-coupon codes on shopping or bidding websites where the pretty prices are displayed, especially for books. Second-hand commodities are also sold on the bidding websites and can be really good bargains, if you are comfortable with their less-than-new conditions. Or, when it comes to buying items from countries with additional sales tax regulations, like the United States, you can go online and buy things tax free.

Product information is also easily available on the same sites
Even now, there are many people who still wonder, “How do you gauge the size, the texture, or any of the details when you can’t observe the item in person?” Take purchasing clothing for instance, actually the description of the item is usually quite clear on the websites, often there are size charts, detailed close-up images, or pictures of real models wearing the clothes., you even have the option of reading reviews from other people around the world, lest you should be conned into buying a piece of rubbish that doesn’t suit you or meet with your expectations. It’s your own job to weigh the products before buying them, of course, and one of the ways to be sure is to measure what you want to buy with similar products at hand or compare the feedbacks.

Convenient as online shopping may seem these days, with easier payment systems, please try not to get too addicted to it. Otherwise, you may end up buying things on impulse and then putting them back on bidding websites like Ebay or Yahoo for sale. This means you may be worrying about how to deal with useless piles of junk all the time.

So, what do you think? Even though many people aren’t willing to use online shopping because of personal preference, safety concerns, unfamiliarity and so on, I’m off to order the latest issue of my favorite magazine from books.com.tw…in my pajamas.

Your Summer Starts with the Right Step – Flip Flop Fever

By Cindy

Summer! Craving for the beach? Or simply looking forward to a touch of sun on your skin? Whether you’re in your minis or shorts, with sunglasses or not, the most indispensable item for the season is a pair of trendy flip flops. Slip them on and, voila! Your vacation begins with your very first step.

Flip flops are easy-to-get and easy-to-wear accessories that have been popular for decades in many places around the world. Their origin can be traced back to Japan, and that is the reason why people in New Zealand call flip flops jandals, a term derived from Japanese sandals (“J” replacing the first “s” in “sandals”). It is believed that during the post war period, servicemen molded this ingenious footwear into its modern version. In developing countries, flip flops are often made from recycled rubber and can be found at a very low price. They have long been popular in the tropical countries of Southeast Asia, South America, and countless Pacific islands. Yet, they did not become a fashion statement until recent decades, and even later in Taiwan.

So why do people love this footwear so much? Also known as ‘‘thongs,’’ flip flops have a simple and distinctive design – a Y-shaped strap that holds the foot against a flat sole. Flip flops appear in various styles, colors, and materials; some are decorated with flashy beads and jewelry, others have elaborate print patterns. They can be found at a friendly price in night markets or in more pricey brand-shops like Havaianas, Quicksilver, or Reef. Don’t forget you can also show off your nail polish and toe rings! Flip flops allow you to play with your creativity, and they give a casual aura that blends into the laid-back tone of a sunny season.

Since flip flops do not wrap your feet under layers of fabric, they allow your feet to breath in the open air, and you don’t have to worry about getting stinky, wet feet on rainy days, either. They are undeniably comfortable and probably the reason why so many home-stuck locals love them, too. Notice that the made-in-Taiwan blue-and-white slippers can be found in nearly every household. People like flip flops also because they are easy to carry around, and some even enjoy making funny sounds while walking in them. Furthermore, flip flops act as sanitary footwear at public swimming pools or showering places by preventing the contamination of foot-related fungus infections.

On the other hand, flip flops have their shortcomings, especially when it comes to health. Doctors strongly advise against wearing them for long periods of time because they make your feet vulnerable to all kinds of danger, especially stubbed toes, and that’s not to mention how filthy your feet may get after a day of walking. In addition, flip flops do not provide good support for your feet as there is no cushion on the perfectly flat sole. You could also trip easily, resulting in ankle sprains and even tendonitis. And even if you don’t trip, you may get sore legs from awkward walking positions since you have to make an effort to keep the flip flops between your toes while moving around. In fact, what is most infuriating of all is that they break easily (I once broke mine in a mall)! As flip flops are replaced more frequently than any other types of footwear, they may pose a threat to the environment that is already having too much difficulty digesting the planet’s wastes. And, of course, flip flops are not very welcomed in the workplace and schools. Many people, especially our parents’ generation, still consider them too informal and sloppy.

There is no denying that flip flops do have their unique appeal both aesthetically and ergonomically. Right now there are even designs specifically made for wedding occasions – with the words Just Married stamped under the sole! But remember to wear them smart: don’t play tennis with your flip flops, and always pay a little attention to how you match them with your clothes (no one wants to be labeled a ‘‘tai-ke’’ or ‘‘a-chai’’). With the appropriate look and an appropriate purpose, you can cheer for summer and wriggle your toes – your feet deserve some sunshine and fresh air!

Not All Greek To Us From Fraternities and Sororities to Secret Societies

By Peggy Pei Yao Chang

Remember how Elle Woods finally wins Professor Stormwell’s recognition by identifying herself as the current president of Delta Nu? Remember how the “sisters” backed her up during a crisis in both episodes? Legally Blonde might no longer be in, but what about Gossip Girl, in which Chuck Bass gets sacked by a bunch of “brothers” during his campus visit to Yale? What on earth are these sisters and brothers about? How worlds apart from us are the American college students.

These “brothers” and “sisters” are in fact members of fraternities and sororities, which represent an essential part of American college life. While the names of North American fraternities and sororities generally consist of two or three Greek letters (most often initials of a Greek motto), fraternities and sororities are oftentimes referred to as Greeks, since the individual fraternity or sorority is called a Greek House. As a manifesto of American college social life, Greek Houses symbolize strong brotherhood and sisterhood. Almost all Greek Houses, therefore, value symbols. Pins and badges are the most popular objects, but in Legally Blonde rings are also of symbolic significance. For instance, it is Professor Stormwell’s ring that Elle spots in the salon that confirms their sisterhood. How, then, do you go about finding a “brother” or “sister?”

In order to become a “brother” or “sister,” one has to undergo an application process that involves “rushing” and “pledging.” The process of joining a fraternity or sorority begins with a “rush week,” or the formal recruitment period, during which potential members are able to learn about each other and the organization. After the rush week, potential members will have to “pledge,” namely apply for membership. Upon meeting the requirements of “pledgeship,” the pledges will be initiated to become full members. The initiation, including secret ceremonies and rituals, however, often raises “hazing issues.”

"Hazing" is a ritualistic harassment supposedly carried out by pledges and often includes physical and emotional violence. Chuck Bass’ getting sacked in Yale, for example, features the spirit of fraternity hazing. “I don't have a very high opinion of fraternities and sororities,” says Kate Fortin, a Tufts alumnus friend of mine . “I think that they promote hazing, which can be really dangerous [for] people have died because of alcohol poisoning related to pledging events.” The first publicized hazing incident, for instance, was the accidental killing of Mortimer Leggett, a Kappa Alpha pledge in 1873, who fell off a railroad trestle blindfolded.

According to the list provided by Hank Nuwer in Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking, hazing can go so far as “burning, sexual favors, drugs, kidnapping, branding, and bribes.” Negative images are thus associated with Greek Houses and extend to college life as a whole. “I wonder what college is like for you guys in Taiwan. In America, college is where you are supposed to drink a lot, have a lot of sex, get real wild, and skip a lot of classes,” an American professor in DFLL once stated in class.

Despite the negative associations, Greek Houses still flourish in the United States. It turns out that a form of solidarity does result from hazing and binge drinking, and the bond of brotherhood and sisterhood often remains even after graduation. Hollywood aside, Rachel Doyle, a Richmond University alumnus as well as a friend of mine remarked: “I was involved in a sorority during college, and I still consider myself a ‘sister.’ Some of my best friends were girls I met in my sorority.”

Knowing enough about America, you may wonder if there are also Greek Houses in Taiwan as well. Well, no. However, similar organizations do exist in Taiwanese colleges, where alumni of senior high schools practice a system called “family.” Each year, freshmen are assigned to a family, where a “family papa” and a “family mama” are supposed to care for them in terms of orientation as well as schoolwork. Another similar system affiliates students by their registration numbers, that is, students sharing the same seven digits of their registration number (aka students ahead or behind in years) are deemed “family,” and the seniors should, hopefully, take care of the juniors. Even though neither system is as large-scaled or close- knitted as the Greek House, the three of them share the same purpose of orientation for freshmen.

What’s more, although there might not be real Greek Houses in Taiwanese colleges, secret societies do exist on campus. Take NTU for example, the Juemin Society (覺民學會) used to dominate the student autonomy and is still in operation (though significantly less influential) nowadays. Deriving its name from national hero Lin Juemin (林覺民), the Juemin society was established by the current president Ma Ying-jeou in reaction to the Diaoyu Islands Movement (保釣運動). During the KMT reign in the 70s and 80s, the Juemin Society stood out as a secret society outside KMT control. Its membership was exclusive and opened only to “elite” individuals. The society became so influential that its members claimed the position of President of the Student Government (台大代聯會主席) for almost a decade. Such terms as the “Juemin Dynasty” (覺民王朝) were even coined, indicating the secret society’s incredible dominance.

Greek Houses, “families,” and secret societies alike converge to in their search for a sense of belonging as well as unity. Upon entering a new environment, people seek to affiliate with others of their kind. While the “families” in Taiwanese colleges are the initial forms of such attempts at unification, the mentality often evolves and ends up as exclusionary and elitist, as is the nature of Greek Houses. The Juemin Society, from this light, is the ultimate practice of the belonging and the search for self-identification. From Greek Houses to secret societies, we perceive this universal craving for affiliation. The Greek House, from this perspective, is not all Greek to us after all.

Suggestions for a more creative Taipei!

by Erik Leu

We NTU students have been living in Taipei city, where NTU is located, for at least a while. For sure, it’s hard to disregard the convenience of finding tasty foods and appealing entertainment. In Taipei, meals or snacks can be found around the clock and convenience stores can be reached every hundred meters. However, we seem to need a little more than that.

The longer we live here, the more we will realize there is a real gap between the ideal city and the one we’re living in. Taipei is ameliorated from time to time and many people have gotten used to the irritating aspects of living in this city, if I were asked, “Do you love living in Taipei?” my answer would certainly be ‘‘Yes!’’ However, there are some things that puzzle me. For example, apart from visiting the tallest building in Taipei, what else could a foreign visitor do? Personally, I always carry with me a phrase from the famous writer: “You can always be travelling, even when you’re walking along the same path every day. The only need is to open your eyes as if you’ve never seen this world before.” When I bear this sentence in mind, I do see more and really start to appreciate what is inside this city. Despite that, self-examination still calls for improvements.


After some discussions with my friends, some ideas emerged. They might not be entirely workable or the most necessary, but sometimes brilliant ideas are inspired by unfit ones. Below are a few suggestions:

1. Place big outdoor screens displaying residents’ creative works.

We already see enough movie trailers and commercial ads on TV, so why should all the images and words displayed in public places also be from companies that are persuading us to buy? Can’t individuals get a chance to show themselves and their works? Wouldn’t you be excited? There can be short films, pictures, poems, all sorts of creative works. It surely will be a great encouragement for amateurs who will have a chance to be exhibited and admired.

Different themes and competition could also be held to maintain the excitement and the vitality. We could regularly request photos of Taipei’s various street spots and landscapes, thus we get the chance to see different parts of Taipei from unique perspectives, and realize the unrealized.

2. Preserve and renovate local communities that have cultural significance.

As space is constantly in demand and metropolis renewal is always taking place, we inevitably tear down more and more old apartments, which is considered normal for a thriving city. Since lots of modern cities look very similar, apartments resembling western ones surely won’t distinguish Taipei from other cities. What would stand out might be its old buildings and apartments that are specially designed to fit Taiwanese living needs and the local weather, in other words, Taiwan’s own features. Preserving old communities keeps the traces of time and the loveliness developed by people down the ages. A city rubbing its past off is like a city giving up its potential treasures.

3. Publish series of travel notes written by locals.

Since regular traveling guidebooks can’t really show the potentials of Taipei, we then might publish series of Taipei travel notes annually or periodically, that are written by local people. It gives more than a glimpse of Taipei, portraying the lives and fun under the surface. It’s always not that easy to see through the surface and reach the soul of Taipei, therefore, a publication by its local inhabitants can serve as a voice coming from the inside of the city; it will offer what regular guidebooks can’t offer – experiences only known and felt by those living here. It would also make an interesting guide for foreign backpackers, or even the less-travelled Taipei residents, who want to know the city better.

Oversharing Is Here to Stay!

By Linda Wan-hsiang Hsu

Diaries, photos, film clips—people once stored up these so-called “private” things, but now everything is not as personal as it may seem. Diaries with a lock have become a once-were. As blogs and Facebook popped up, things people once kept to themselves go public, even intimate photos made public are not uncommon at all. Sharing is good, but when sharing overkills, it becomes “oversharing”—a term that refers to people who don’t know how to put their brakes on. Webster’s New World Dictionary selected “overshare” as the word of the year in 2008, meaning TMI (too much information)—to divulge excessive personal information, as in a blog, broadcast interview, or a slip of tongue in public. The newly coined word reflects the current trend in public communications and personal sharing of information, especially with blogs and Facebook prevailing. Some people are prone to overshare by default, but technology further enables oversharing, and elevates it to another level.

Oversharing is no longer confined to the case of letting out others’ secrets, but now includes giving out personal information deliberately, voluntarily, and even subconsciously. Cases in oversharing vary, ranging from celebrities openly disclosing their secrets, colorful sex lives, likes and dislikes, to personal bloggers keeping a laundry-list diary and updating it on a 24/7 basis with records of a raining day, the sandwich they had for breakfast, and even such extreme cases of posting sex videos. Gawker.com listed some of the most high-profile bloggers in “The compulsive Oversharers of the Internet: A Field Guide,” featuring some of the most notorious bloggers who keep their blogs as a sex column and are hell-bent on sharing their promiscuous sex lives.

Where exactly is the line between sharing and oversharing? Is blogging an artistic personal disclosure or simply oversharing? The line seems blurred to many people. It is a rather subjective term—it all depends on how you feel when knowing about a particular piece of information. “Keep it to yourself. We don’t want the details,” some conservative people may say to oversharers. But it seems that a majority of the people join in and enjoy riding the bandwagon. “Of course we understandable, for like the pursuit of sensational news, people seek to satisfy their desire to peep into others’ private lives. People who are not done with oversharing online may be easily categorized as hypocrites, for if people are amused by the non-tabooed discussion in Sex and the City and exposing reality shows, then why can’t they appreciate oversharing as well?

Judging from the psychological perspective, some psychologists believe that oversharing is a result of increasing individualism, which amounts to self-confidence or a narcissistic tendency. People indulge themselves in oversharing because it is something private about them. How can others not be interested in things concerning them? Whereas other psychologists view the influx of oversharing as a healthy form of interpersonal communication−oversharing is simply a willingness to share one’s less sparkling, less disguised, and more vulnerable side. Either way, this explains the tendency of online oversharing in one’s blog, for blogging offers a place where a record of one’s existence is kept. An online space for recording one’s life in details and venting one’s emotions provides a sense of belonging, a sense of community, since it is a place where friends or even strangers can skim over what one writes, know how one has been recently, and comment on it. People long for connection with others, and blogs, Facebook, all sorts of online networking and attendant oversharing, fulfill their desire to be noticed and cared for.

Although the word “overshare” seems off-putting because of the prefix “over,” the reason it stands out as the word of the year, according to the editors at Webster’s New World Dictionary, is because of its rather “slip-slippery, chameleon-like” connotation. For some people, it is a pejorative term because they rail against disclosing any personal information online or in public, while for others, it is rather neutral or even appreciated, since a full divulgence of one’s intimate, under-wrapped life is the break-of-convention that they’re looking for. There’s no definite conclusion to the debate. Ultimately, everyone will have his own say concerning oversharing. Whether you like or dislike this trend, the emergence of blogs certainly spells the end of the concealing of personal information, and oversharing is definitely here to stay.

leisure sickness (noun):
a purported syndrome, not universally recognized by psychologists, by which some people (typically characterized as workaholics) are more likely to report feeling ill during weekends and vacations than when working.

overshare (verb):
to divulge excessive personal information, as in a blog or broadcast interview, prompting reactions ranging from alarmed discomfort to approval.

cyberchondriac (noun):
a hypochondriac who imagines that he or she has a particular disease based on medical information gleaned from the Internet.

selective ignorance (noun):
the practice of selectively ignoring distracting, irrelevant, or otherwise unnecessary information received, such as e-mails, news reports, etc.

youthanasia (noun):
“ … the controversial practice of performing a battery of age-defying medical procedures to end lifeless skin and wrinkles; advocated by some as a last-resort measure to put the chronically youth-obsessed out of their misery … Think of it as mercy lifting.” —Armand Limnander, New York Times

http://newworldword.com/

How much do you know about brassieres?

By Diana Tsai

Have you ever been curious about why women spend so much time selecting their bras? Do you know that some women leave messages on their bras for their men? Do you think that a woman should wear bras in public? Conversely, can a man wear bras as well? No matter which gender you are, everyone should be able to decode the secret of the brassiere.

What are brassieres? According to the dictionary, it is “an article of clothing to restrain, cover and support women’s breasts to shape their figures.” The origin of the brassiere is derived from the corset. A corset is a garment worn to mold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes. However, some health problems arose because of the misuse of the corset.

Hence, the brassiere was developed in the late nineteenth century, when the term became commonly used in the English language.

Standardized sizes for brassieres were introduced in the 1920’s by dressmaker Ida Kaganovich Rosenthal, a Russian-Jewish immigrant in the United States who founded the Maidenform Company. The basic bra consists of two cups for the breasts with a central gore, two shoulder straps and a band surrounding around the bust. There are some tips for women regarding how to select the most fitting bra. First of all, the under-band should be horizontal and attached to the back comfortably when you see it from the side. Also, the front underwire must lie flat against the sternum. The breasts should be enclosed by the cups with a smooth line against the shape of the chest.

Make sure that the bras are not making any ridges or bulging over the cups. Each bra is composed of adjustable hooks which can be adjusted so the shoulder straps are in the vertical position. People need to take the breast volume, the shape, the size and the spacing into consideration. If women wear the wrong size of bra or wear bras in the wrong position, it will cause the breasts to sag or induce other figure-related issues. Therefore, the chest and the breast size should be taken into account in order to find a correctly fitting bra. How can we familiarize ourselves with the sizing systems of bras? Bra sizing systems are different from country to country. According to research, many physicians believe that bra size is meaningless when breast volumes are calculated accurately. The current system of determining bra size is inaccurate and almost useless.

In addition to different styles of bras and the lack of standardization between brands, one can see why finding a comfortable, well-fitting bra is more a matter of educated guesswork, or trial and error, than of precise measurements. Nowadays, a growing number of women like to customize personals bras in order to achieve a perfect fit.

What kind of signals does a bra give? Using the Semantic Differential Method we can see that color affects people’s purchasing behavior.

Research has shown that color is a critical factor in determining the visual effects of the bras. Visual effects play an important role in bra choosing. For example, white is the favorite color for both men and women. Women in white bras want to express their desire for possessing pure love. Another magical color is burgundy red. Burgundy red causes the strongest stimuli and visual impression, it arouses human sexual desire. On the contrary, what would be the most unacceptable color? Statistically, jade green is loathed by most people as it supposedly suppresses sexual attraction.

Therefore, you might want to be careful about selecting the colors of your bras. Whether women should wear bras or not has been controversial for a long time. People have questioned the practical needs of wearing a bra. Although a bra can prevent breast ptosis (the drooping or sagging of the breasts), it still causes health issues, such as fibrocystic diseases, breast cancer, dermatosis and even scoliosis.

Some feminists view the brassiere as a symbol of repression of women’s bodies. Actually, some bras are designed be fashionable rather than functional. Women who buy fancy and attractive bras have said that they consider bras to be accessories, not requisites. A book called “Dressed to Kill” suggests that wearing bras threatens women’s bodies with death. Therefore, some people believe that women should be encouraged to liberate themselves by refusing to wear bras and becoming bra-less women.

Some people consider wearing bras as conforming to social expectations and following the trend. Some believe that women wear it just to please the eyes and thus deform their bodies to aesthetic ideals. Others say that wearing a bra can help them feel at ease at work and move more comfortably while exercising. No matter what the reason is, women should have the right to decide whether or not to wear bras.

To sum up, a brassiere is a symbol of women’s ongoing dialogue with society; it is an attempt to communicate with themselves and also with men. Those who understand this will make good use of it. Just let your bras speak for you!

Fad Diet- Savior or Devil in Disguise?

By Julia Chen

Still remember several years ago when Jennifer Aniston appeared in front of the press with her perfectly fit body, attributing her figure to the so-called Atkins diet? Can you believe the banana shortage in Japan was simply due to a book claiming its weight-losing efficacy? Are you one of the followers or skeptics of either of these diets but haven’t really uncovered its secrets? These dietary regimes may seem passé already, but people worldwide are still practicing them. The question worth considering is what risks may lie behind these fad diets. So, let’s take Atkins and the Japanese banana diet as examples, and examine how they work and what potential threats they pose.


Atkins Diet
Proponents of the Atkins diet believe in a low-carbohydrate principle. They consume very little carbohydrate, certain non-starchy vegetables, and liberal amounts of protein, mainly from meat, so as to transform the body from a carb-burning to a fat-burning mechanism. Its dieters are thus known for their unrestrained consumption of meat, fish, and poultry, which astonishingly leads to drastic weight loss. But is it really that easy? Can simply putting rice and bread aside, while inviting meat instead, successfully help you become slimmer? Effective as it may appear, researchers have increasingly become more concerned about the risks involved. For one thing, Atkins’ high protein method is unsuitable for those with artery diseases or gout. For another, immoderate meat consumption may lead to serious heart problems. Therefore, if a long-term and healthy type of diet is what you are looking for, the Atkins diet may be way too risky. What really makes people leery is the death of Dr. Robert Atkins, the renowned creator of the diet. Allegedly he died of complications resulting from his eponymous diet. The truth remains unknown, but there are numerous cases of people having health problems after being on the Atkins diet. People should be cautious about jumping on the Atkins bandwagon before there is some solid scientific evidence to show it is beneficial and not harmful.


Morning Banana Diet
As its name suggests, the morning banana diet does not restrict you to consuming bananas only, but features a simplistic weight-losing method: eat one banana with a warm glass of water as breakfast. Feel free to have anything for lunch and dinner, as long as you don’t eat in excess; you can even enjoy an afternoon tea and dessert, but dinner after 8 o’clock or late night snacks are prohibited. Such dieters are also recommended to turn in before midnight. Many may doubt the effectiveness of this diet for its lax requirements, and will likely be struck dumb when hearing that famous Japanese pop star, Fukada Kyōko(深田恭子), has lost up to 12 kilos within 3 months by going on this very diet. Another astounding success, isn’t it? Disappointingly, the morning banana diet has its shortcomings as well. Bananas are high in potassium and sugar, from which kidney and diabetes patients had better be removed. Also, experts suggest that breakfast take up at least 30% of the entire day’s consumption, and one banana is definitely insufficient. Some may be frantic with excitement or misled by the diet, ending up eating bananas only. These people usually gain weight instead, for they forget calories in bananas are no less than in rice.

After having a better understanding of these two fad diets, it is important that you ask yourself a question: are you someone who would rather pay anything, including gambling away health, just to shed some weight? If not, then learn to be a smart and practical dieter. You have to accept that there is no shortcut to becoming slimmer, and that the eternal motto of losing weight is called “eat less and exercise more.” Cliché as it is, what people usually don’t know is how to eat less while satisfying their hunger, so here are some tips for you. Smart dieters would eat 3 meals a day at regular hours. Their diets consist mainly of vegetables, proteins, and small portions of lean meat and carbohydrates. Some people may skip breakfast or lunch, believing this will make them thinner. Stop skipping meals! A body going without food for too long will send the calories it finally gets straight to its fat cells. Before each meal, having some liquids, such as clear soup, fresh juice, or even water, helps to fool your empty stomach into thinking it is already half full. Too many carbohydrates and sweets are said to stoke your appetite, so avoid consuming either one in excess.

A more balanced diet does not ask you to cut down drastically on certain kinds of nutritional sources, so such diets do no harm in the long run. After knowing how and what to eat, don’t forget the “exercise more” part. The above two fad diets do not require you to exercise, but the fact is, exercising is the only way to prevent you from regaining weight. Ready to go on a diet? Beware and think twice before leaping too fast into fad diets!

Facing the truth—There is no magical bullet for weight loss!

By Daniel Li

Last night I turned on the TV and kept switching channels from one to one hundred. It turned out that there were at least 2 commercial channels trying to sell watches and jewelry, another 2 variety shows introducing new tools for home cleaning, and, most astonishingly, dozens of TV programs showing miraculous pills for weight loss. I was deeply intrigued by photos of subjects who took pills for only several weeks and showed massive weight loss on the waist and hip. I could almost hear a deep voice coming from nowhere tempting me to call the hotline on the bottom of the screen. It didn’t even require doing any exercise or taking body combat lessons, not to mention the restricted daily calories intake. They also claimed that the ingredients were all natural and that they will give a full refund if it doesn’t work. Ironically, even with weak scientific experiments and improbable guarantees from some so-called “scientist,” people, especially those of my mother’s age, trust the products as long as they’re new and “healthy.”


Watching the commercial channels is like experiencing a process of subconscious hypnotizing. The fancy images and sound effects create a fascinating atmosphere making it easier for unwary viewers to focus on the products. The passionate voice of the host speaks to our hidden desire for perfect fitness and provides false hope for those who have long lost self-confidence due to their physical shortcomings. For someone who may be at the end of their rope, this may seem like the last chance! The show presents an unreachable dream that will never come true; the salvation it offers is only a journey into deeper darkness. The speaker on the commercial channel knows exactly what the audience wants to hear, what their deepest desire is, and what they dislike most. They know exactly how to find their way into people’s hearts, how to break down the last walls of rationality, and how to manipulate trust. At this stage, the victims become deaf to warnings, they cannot see through the fictitious opportunity that is offered by propagandists claiming to help them regain control of their lives. What they don’t realize is that the cage of inferiority that has been set for them is break-proof, so once they’re in it no matter how they struggle they will only bury themselves deeper into a living hell.


Taking those loss pills is like smoking; even though we know we’re taking a great risk and sacrificing our health to pursue temporary satisfaction, we tend to ignore the negative impacts as long as they are not life threatening. In fact, we find ourselves continuously losing the battle against our own desires. As we enjoy the vanity brought on by the sudden weight drop, the side-effects of the drug also starts to affect our daily life. Sleep disorder and loss of appetite are common symptoms for drug users, which causes paranoia. At some point, we won’t be able to take the mental burdens any longer; we will want to make a change for good, to get rid of every physical flaw once for all, to defeat the temptations that keep taking control of our life. However, when these passions are aroused and when crunch time comes, a little voice will speak up from the corner of our soul and tell us to stop fighting, it will tell us that our efforts are useless and that life would be much easier if we just gave up struggling. We then create all sorts of excuses to run away from pressure, which could’ve served as an impetus to conquer and defeat our weaknesses. Complicated? Not really! It’s just a self-activated mental mechanics that tries to prevent us from becoming disappointed with ourselves. And that, most importantly, it is the biggest challenge we have to face in the weight losing process.


So what makes us so vulnerable when it comes to weight loss and how can we resist buying those products? Does the terrifying feeling stem from others’ judgment of our appearance or the sudden embarrassment that occurs when choosing the size of our clothes? No! Nothing matters once we lose our self-esteem. Once we no longer feel safe and we crave for guidance from anyone pretending to help us, in the hopes of being rescued, then, my friend, you will get served!


It’s time to start a new life! You don’t need pills to help you pursue a better life. What you have to do is to accept who you really are by telling those who judge you by your BMI to go to Hades! Remember you’re doing it for yourself, not for your bf or gf, but yourself only! And it’s time to set up your short-term and long-term goals separately. A short-term goal has to be attainable within, say, a few weeks. It will encourage you to follow the schedule and keep exercising regularly. A long-term goal can help you maintain the fitness that you have spent countless hours on. You have to know that losing weight is a long and painful process and that it may take more than you think to accomplish your goal. But if this is a bitter pill to swallow, trust me, the experience will help you find yourself!