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Robot pyramid raider fails travel bag

2008-12-12T11:20:00.001+08:00

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The Age September 18 2002
A small robot sent to solve one of history's mysteries only succeeded in presenting scientists and TV viewers with yet another mystery yesterday.With its camera peering through a hole in a small sealed door in Egypt's Great Pyramid to see what was beyond, it discovered yet another door. "It's another sealed door. This is very important," said an excited Zahi Hawass, director of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. The robot, the Pyramid Rover, took two hours to crawl along a narrow shaft, drill through a door, then push through its camera.Dr Hawass said the next job for researchers was to study the video tape and plan for further inspections, which could take up to 12 months. His council, engineers from the Boston firm iRobot and researchers from National Geographic, had spent a year planning yesterday's event. American TV stations went live showing the robot creeping along the 20-centimetre-square 60-metre-long shaft. As the robot inched along the rough-surfaced shaft toward the limestone door adorned with two copper handles, its path was lit by a blue beam.During the broadcast, Dr Hawass revealed a stone sarcophagus found in a tomb near the Great Pyramid containing the skeleton of a man thought to have died at the time of the pyramid's construction some 4500 years ago.

Hunger in southern Africa travel bag

2008-12-12T11:19:00.002+08:00

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AFRICA'S hunger is growing, dangerously. However quickly donors respond to the disastrous food shortage in southern Africa, millions more people will need aid over the next nine months.
Stocks from April's awful harvest are nearly exhausted. The World Food Programme (WFP) says that 7m people already need help, and that the numbers will double before Christmas. In the worst-affected countries, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, maize harvests were miserable, but cassava (木薯）and potatoes partly filled the gap. Now these are almost gone, too. Within months, say aid agencies, chronic （慢性的, 延续很长的）hunger could give way to starvation in the most remote areas. If donors are slow or obstructed, a vaster famine looms（迫近）.
Rural people are vulnerable even in normal times. Malawi's woes （悲哀）are typical: it has a shrinking economy and endemic poverty; half its children are chronically malnourished. An acute land shortage has led to over-use, soil degradation （退化）and small yields. Imported fertiliser could make even tiny plots productive, but most small farmers cannot afford to buy it, and donors are sending less of it free. An internal report written in July by Britain's Department for International Development admits that its own severe cut in “free inputs” for Malawi's farmers in 2000 and 2001 was a “more important factor” leading to hunger than two years of bad weather.
The meagre （贫乏的；不足的）harvests that resulted meant that the vulnerable have become desperate. In Ositeni, a village in central Malawi, a few withered maize stalks and yellowing cassava plants poke up from the dusty soil. The village has no irrigation, no grain silos（筒仓, 地窖）, and no tomatoes or cash crops （商品作物）to trade for nsima, the country's maize staple. In other years, able adults would find casual work on neighbours' fields, in exchange for food. Now there are no jobs.
Last week, the first sacks of charitable corn were unloaded for Ositeni's 13 most needy families. But stockpiles are needed before November's rains make the bare-earth roads impassably muddy. The WFP has appealed for $507m for southern Africa, but has so far raised less than a quarter of that. Last week, relief groups and the Red Cross launched their own campaigns, and a few million dollars have rolled in. It is already getting late, says Brendan Paddy of Save the Children: “During the region's 1991-92 shortage, food was already stockpiled in forward positions by now. We are three or four months behind.” Aid workers fear that donors will not respond until they see skeletal people on television.

5 scientific breakthroughs in the 21st century. travel bag

2008-12-12T11:19:00.001+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag It is predicted that there will be 5 scientific breakthroughs in the 21st century.
We'll know where we came from. Why does the universe exist? To put it another way, why is there something instead of nothing? Since the 1920s, scientists have known the universe is expanding, which means it must have started at a definite time in the past. They even have developed theories that give a detailed picture of the evolution of the universe from the time it was a fraction of a second old to the present. Over the next couple of decades, these theories will be refined by data from extraordinary powerful new telescope. We will have a better understanding of how matter behaves at the unfathomably high temperatures and pressures of the early universe.
We'll crack the genetic code and conquer cancer. In l9th-century operas, when the heroine coughs in the first act, the audience knows she will die of tuberculosis in Act 3. But thanks to 20th-century antibiotics, the once-dreaded, once-incurable disease now can mean nothing more serious than taking some pills. As scientists learn more about the genetic code and the way cells work at the molecular level, many serious diseases -- cancer, for one -- will become less threatening. Using manufactured "therapeutic" viruses, doctors will be able to replace cancer-causing damaged DNA with healthy genes, probably administered by a pill or injection.
We’ll live longer (120 years?).If the normal aging process is basically a furious, invisible contest in our cells--a contest between damage to our DNA and our cells' ability to repair that damage--then 2lst-century strides in genetic medicine may let us control and even reverse the process. But before we push scientists to do more, consider: Do we really want to live in a world where no one grows old and few children are born because the planet can hold only so many people? Where would new ideas come from? What would we do with all that extra time?
We’ll "manage" Earth.In the next millennium, we'll stop talking about the weather but will do something about it. We'll gradually learn how to predict the effects of human activity on the Earth, its climate and its ecosystems". And with that knowledge will come an increasing willingness to use it to manage the workings of our planet.
We’ll have a brain road map".This is the real "final frontier of the 2lst century: The brain is the most complex system we know. It contains about l00 billion neurons (roughly the number of stars in the Milky Way), each connected to as many as l,000 others. Early in the next century, we will use advanced forms of magnetic resonance imaging to produce detailed maps of the neurons in operation. We'll he able to say with certainty which ones are working when you read a word, when you say a word, when you think about a word, and so on.

My daddy was a donor travel bag

2008-12-12T11:18:00.002+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag Even as a child, Christine Whipp, now a 46-year-old grandmother, says she was aware that somehow life was not as it pretended to be.
　　 Her carpenter father had been an insulin-dependent diabetic who died when she was six. Christine and her mother never got on.
　　 Ten years ago, Christine's mother referred to the secret directly for the first time.
　　 “She told me that I had been conceived through donor insemination (DI) at the Margaret Jackson clinic in Exeter,” says Christine. “I was 40 when I found out that my father was a glass jar with a blob of sperm in it. My father doesn't have a face, or a name and he wasn't even a one－night stand. If my mum had had an affair at least there would have been sex and lust, something human rather than something so cold, scientific and clinical. My parents never even met. How weird is that? I still feel like a freak, a fake. I don't feel I know who I am any more.”
　　 Between 1940 and 1983, 483 children were conceived through anonymous DI at the private Exeter clinic, most by affluent middle-class mothers, not factory girls like Christine's mum. Christine has never knowingly met a single one of them, though it's almost certain that some-even scores - are her half - siblings. She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. Christine has no access to records, and it is likely that none survive. She has no rights to know anything about the man who helped give her life. The situation hurts. 'I was only made to assuage my parents' reproductive vanity,' she says bitterly.
　　 Almost 18,000 babies have been born through donated gametes (sperm and eggs) and embryos in the UK since the regulatory Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority was set up in 1991. Anonymous donations have allowed infertile heterosexual couples, gay couples and single women to create families that would otherwise never have existed. Between 1940 and 1990, tens of thousands more were conceived mainly using donated sperm, the low-tech end of gamete donation which has been around for over a century.
　　 While the first baby conceived with a donated egg was not born until 1987, the first documented case of donor insemination took place in 1884, when the Philadelphia-based doctor William Pan coast inseminated a sedated woman with a medical student's sperm without her permission or knowledge. Sperm insemination remains, by far, the most common donor conception procedure.
　　 No one can say exactly how many people alive in Britain today were conceived through donor conception-estimates put it at around 40,000.
　　 The received wisdom was that secrecy was in everyone's interests. The biological mother and her husband usually wanted to pretend that, genetically, the child was completely theirs. The clinics encouraged women to go home after artificial insemination and make love with their infertile husbands. Then the couple could cling to the possibility-however remote-that the child was really theirs. Some clinics even mixed a sterile husband's sperm with the donor's to keep the parental fantasy alive.
　　 The donor dads were shadowy figures, guaranteed anonymity by the clinics. That way there was no risk of the past -- and, conceivably, hundreds of offspring -- returning to haunt the donors, and clinics did not have the expense and hassle of records. Keep it secret, it's simpler, advised the doctors. But it is not proving that easy. Someone forgot that gurgling, happy babies grow up into adults with complex needs.
　　 “DI robbed me of half my genetic history, and it robbed my children and grandchildren too.”says Christine Whipp, she argued that she had the right to know her parentage.
　　 Since 1991, details about donors -- name, place and date of birth, medical history, physical characteristics, religion, occupation and interests -- have had to be registered with the HFEA but offspring have no rights of access. They may only check with the HFEA that they are not related to someone they intend to marry or ask the HFEA -- presumably they have to be, firstly, suspicious -- if they were the product of donated gametes or embryos when they reach 18.
　　 The HFEA says that it has yet to face a situation where it is asked to reveal the identity of a donor because a DI child has a genetic condition or a disease such as leukaemia where bone marrow from a biological father might be needed to save a child's life. “But the law is clear at the moment,' said a spokesman. “The identity of the donor cannot be revealed.”
　　 Joanna Rose, 28, DI－conceived, was recently granted leave by the High Court to begin an action under the Human Rights Act that would force authorities to give more 'non－identifying' information about donors to offspring born since 1991. Ms Rose, complains that she and her half-sibling Adam, 34, a conservation biologist, have suffered an identity crisis from knowing nothing about their biological father.
　　 The fertility industry is already issuing dark warnings that an end to anonymity will create a shortage of sperm, eggs and embryos, a terrifying prospect for the women having trouble conceiving, and the men who have difficulty fathering a child.
　　 Melissa was conceived through DI 37 years ago. Melissa's mother blurted out the truth in 1996 during a heart-to-heart chat. But it was five months before her father knew the secret was out. Her mum feared he might have a heart attack.
　　 Father and daughter have rarely discussed it since. Melissa, an only child, loves her dad.
　　 Melissa would like to discuss with her father the possibility of being more open with their friends. She spent two years abroad after learning the truth and discovered she felt “freer” when she could speak about being DI. “When I'm home I feel I'm an actor in a play again,” she says. Melissa felt something was not quite right as she was growing up. There was nothing she could put her finger on, or articulate, just this lingering unease. She grew up oddly disappointed that she was not at all like her father.“He's extremely capable, practical and focused,” she says. “I am the opposite extreme and I always felt he deserved someone more like himself.”
　　 Since 1996, she has veered between the joy of the truth and despair at an “insoluble situation”. She, too, talks of identity crisis. She wants to find her donor father but does not know how. She is most angry at the Government which, she argues, ought to do more to protect the rights of the DI children that adults are desperate to have. “My mother didn't think about the long－term implications,” she says. “They just wanted a baby so much.”
　　 Melissa argues that in future clinics should only recruit donors willing to be identified. She also wants a voluntary register for past donors. Because the consultation paper only consider the possibility of identifying future donors, Melissa says tens of thousands of DI offspring are being offered no hope of ever finding their donor parents. Melissa asks why, when adoption law changes were made retrospective, that is being ruled out by the Government for DI.
　　 The motivation of sperm donors varies. There are students who think, “￡15 a throw, twice a week, good beer money”, older men with perhaps more altruistic motives and, of course, egotists who, before limits were put on the number of sperm donations, seemed keen on hundreds of “minime's” running around.
　　 Until a couple of years ago there had been little research into the happiness and wellbeing of DI children. But a few studies since suggest many grow up feeling a secret is being kept from them, and at least half suspect their 'social' dad is not their genetic father before being told. Most think they have a right to find out who the donor is, and 60 per cent want to meet him. Despite evidence that secrecy is damaging, one study of DI families in Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain found that only 9 per cent of parents had told the truth to their children by the age of 12.
　　 William, 18, from north London, is a rarity. He cannot remember a time when he did not know that another man had helped his parents, Walter Merricks and Olivia Montuschi, create their family. “It is something I completely accept,” says William.
　　 His sister, Susannah, 15, conceived through another sperm donor, recently wrote touchingly of her interest in the man who 'gave me life and my parents great joy'. But William has no curiosity about his donor. He does not look at all like Walter, a lawyer, but he says he shares many of his personality traits. It's proof, William says, of the power of nurture.
　　 William thinks it would be “outrageous” to identify past donors, who were previously promised anonymity. He argues that the rights of adoptees to information about their birth mothers is greater than those of DI offspring. In DI, I see the sperm and eggs as components in baby-making, like the wheels are components of a car. Giving up sperm is not like giving up a baby.
　　 William's parents decided to be honest with their children from the start. Their motivation was not fear that their children might suffer an identity crisis as adults, but a gut feeling that a solid family could not be build on a lie.
　　 Canadian filmmaker Barry Stevens, conceived through DI in London 49 years ago, argues that even if sperm donations drop when anonymity disappears, why should DI offspring sacrifice their rights so sperm banks can be full? Stevens, who recently made an awardwinning film about trying to track down his biological father -- and perhaps 200 half-siblings -- is part of a lobby pushing the Canadian government to give DI offspring more details about donors.
　　 Stevens now argues the state has a duty to children whose parents lie to them. “The first relationship between a citizen and larger society is the birth certificate. In the case of these children that document is a lie. I would like to see everyone have access to their birth information.” How, he asks, can genetic heritage be so deeply embedded in our culture and then DI offspring be expected to accept that, for them, it does not matter?
　　 “Everyone was so keen to tell us it didn't matter. And then suddenly I felt this enormous anger-that was for me to decide.”

International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, June 26 travel bag

2008-12-12T11:18:00.001+08:00

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The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking （非法毒品交易）is celebrated on 26 June. It commemorates (纪念）the signature of the Declaration adopted at the International Conference against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on 26 June, 1987. Every year a theme for the day is established and thousands of people around the world are mobilized through the UNDCP field office network to celebrate the day.
note: UNDCP: United Nations International Drug Control Programme
This year's theme was "Sports against Drugs". UNDCP Headquarters in Vienna organized a day of fun and sports for 300 Viennese and international school children on 26 June at the Vienna International School. Young people participated in basketball and soccer clinics and "test your skills" competitions. Skateboarding and scooter （单脚滑行车）shows and a Tae kwon do （跆拳道）presentation also took place. The children had the opportunity to learn about drug abuse awareness and prevention through informational materials promoting a healthy drug-free life.

Passion, Pride and Profit travel bag

2008-12-12T11:17:00.002+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag International football is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Yet, argues Gideon Rachman, the game is less about money than about passion and national pride
ON THE night of July 12th 1998, a million people spilled on to the streets of Paris and converged (聚合，会聚）on the Champs-Elysées. France's victory over Brazil in the World Cup final that night sparked the biggest popular celebrations in the French capital since the liberation of Paris from the Nazis in 1944. It is safe to predict that on June 30th this year, as another World Cup is won, there will again be wild rejoicing somewhere in the world. According to the bookmakers（赌马者）, it may be in France again; or in Argentina, a football-mad country in desperate need of a boost to its morale(士气）.
But there is no need actually to win the championship to experience World Cup euphoria（欢欣鼓舞）. In some countries it is enough simply to qualify for the final stages of the tournament. In China, a quarter of the population—around 300m people— watched their country clinch （钉牢，确定；决定）its first ever place in the finals with a 1-0 victory over Oman （阿曼）late last year, and 500,000 people poured into Beijing's Tiananmen Square to celebrate. Senegal （塞内加尔（西非国家））is also a first-time qualifier. When its players flew home after securing （赢得，获得）a place in the finals, they were accompanied by the country's president, and the crowds were so thick that the 15-mile drive back from the airport to central Dakar （达喀尔(塞内加尔首都)took four hours. Even countries that never get near the finals can get caught up in the World Cup. When Diego Maradona, an Argentine football superstar, was disqualified from the 1994 World Cup for drug use, thousands of people in Bangladesh demonstrated against the decision.
Sports administrators like to debate which event draws the bigger audiences, the World Cup or the Olympics. In truth, nobody knows how many people watch either event on television. Many people will see the World Cup in bars or even—as in Brazil—on big screens put up on street corners. FIFA, the world football authority, claims that 33.4 billion people (equivalent to five times the world's population) watched some part of the 1998 World Cup; it arrived at this figure by adding together the audiences for all the games, including those who watched snippets （片断, 摘录）on the news. But whereas the audience for the Olympics is spread out across scores of events—many of which are deeply obscure for all but two weeks every four years—the World Cup has a unique ability to concentrate global attention on a single sport and, within that, a few crucial matches. Moreover, whereas most Olympic stars disappear from the horizon when the games are over, the stars of international football—such as France's Zinedine Zidane, Brazil's Ronaldo and England's David Beckham—are full-time global celebrities（名人）.
The staging of this year's World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea is an important moment for world football. The tag “the world's most popular sport” is already justified by the number of people who play and watch the game, but for now only three continents—Europe, Latin America and Africa—are truly football mad, with vast numbers of fans, well-established leagues （联赛）and a tradition of producing top players and teams. The first World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930, and for the next 64 years the tournament was staged only in Europe or Latin America. But, in a deliberate attempt to globalize the game, the football authorities awarded the 1994 event to the United States, where it played to huge and enthusiastic crowds. Staging this year's tournament in Asia was the obvious next step. And the 2010 World Cup has been promised to Africa.
Whether the game will really take root outside its traditional heartlands must remain open to question. Soccer is now said to be the most popular participatory sport for girls and boys in the United States. But although a professional soccer league has been established there, the game shows no real signs of displacing American football or baseball in the affections of the man in the sports bar, nor has it generated any real stars. Japan and China both set up professional leagues in the 1990s that are drawing respectable crowds, but their future remains uncertain. Much will hang on the success of this year's World Cup.
Even if professional football fails to take off in Asia and the United States, it will remain the most widely played and followed sport in the world. Like golf, cricket（板球）, tennis and rugby（橄榄球）, soccer (or Association Football, to give it its proper title) was invented in Victorian Britain. Cricket and rugby are now largely played in countries that formed part of the British empire, but soccer was spread around the world by the “informal empire” of trade and industry as British workmen and businessmen set up clubs around the world. The first Italian soccer team was the Genoa （热那亚(意大利西北部的州及其首府)）cricket and football club, set up by British expatriates（移居国外者）; the first Argentine side was the Buenos Aires （布宜诺斯艾利斯)football club, founded in 1867 as an offshoot （分支，衍生物））of the local cricket team. Anyone can play
Why was it football, rather than the other great Victorian sports, that captured the world? One reason may have been that it does not require expensive equipment or a well-manicured （修剪）playing surface. Football is ideally adapted to kick-arounds in the favelas （巴西的贫民区）of Brazil or the shanty （简陋小屋, 棚屋）towns of Africa, which continue to produce many of the world's leading players. Football's simplicity may also have contributed to its popularity as a spectator sport（吸引许多观众的体育比赛）. It means not only that everybody can play, but also that any country or club can aspire to win. Even the most famous players from the richest nations or clubs can be defeated by 11 inspired opponents. Whereas the Olympic-medal table tends to reflect the global pecking order（任何团体中之长幼强弱次序）—with the United States invariably at the top—in football the Americans are amiable also-rans（失败者,落选者）, last time beaten by Iran. Football's superpowers are Brazil, Argentina, Italy, France and Germany. Its rising powers are in Africa.
Any event that can attract the attention of billions of people would seem sure to be a big money-spinner（赚大钱的人，赚大钱的事业）. What business or product would not yearn （渴望, 向往）for exposure on such a scale? Certainly there is an ever-increasing amount of money washing around the game. The television rights for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups were sold for a minimum of $1.7 billion, an eightfold increase on the deal covering the previous three championships. Companies such as Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Toshiba, Hyundai and MasterCard queued up to sign World Cup sponsorship deals, said to cost up to $45m apiece. MasterCard's Deborah Hughes says the World Cup “delivers the most broad-based international TV audience possible”, and points out that after the last tournament MasterCard issued 1.5m “World Cup Affinity” credit cards. Most of them were new accounts.
In Western Europe, the popularity of football has played a big part in the evolution of the media industry over the past decade. In Britain, the success of BSkyB, a subscription-based satellite-television service that has broken the monopoly of terrestrial broadcasters such as the BBC, was built on Sky's acquisition in 1992 of the rights to live Premier League football. In France, Canal Plus, a subscription-based channel, wooed its audience with a formula of football and films. The print media too have become devoted to football. In Spain, France and Italy, some of the countries' best-selling newspapers are given over to sport, and above all football. And even such publications as Le Monde and the Financial Times (as well as The Economist) now write about the game.
Footballers and football clubs are also playing with ever bigger amounts of money. Mr Zidane （齐达内）recently attracted the biggest transfer fee （转会费）in football history, when Real Madrid paid $64.5m to secure his services; his post-tax pay is thought to be over $150,000 a week. That is still less than a top American sports star such as basketball's Michael Jordan can command, but perhaps not for long. Calculations by Deloitte Touche Sport, a consultancy, show that Manchester United, the richest club in international football, now has larger revenues than any franchise in America's National Football League (the kind that is played with helmets and hands). Stefan Szymanski, an economist at Imperial College, London, suggests that the football industry worldwide is worth about £150 billion ($216 billion).
But large revenues do not necessarily mean profitability. The world of football seems beset （困扰）by commercial disasters. The last two companies to own the rights to World Cup football—ISL of Switzerland and Kirch of Germany—have both gone bankrupt. Kirch made a profit out of selling on the World Cup rights, but suffered big losses on its pay-TV operations in Germany, mainly because it had overestimated the public's willingness to pay for watching televised German league football. Similar problems have sunk ITV Digital in Britain, which had paid £315m to get the rights to some low-grade English soccer games, only to find that viewers were not very interested. ITV Digital is now in administration and says it cannot pay England's lower-league clubs the money they had been promised. As many as 30 of the less glamorous （富有魅力的, 迷人的）professional English football clubs are thought to be in danger of going bust.
The big money in international soccer is concentrated on the elite European clubs, but some of them are also suffering serious losses. In Italy, top clubs such as Fiorentina and Lazio have had trouble paying their players this year. The English Premier League （英超联赛）is widely regarded as admirably businesslike, yet almost all Premier League clubs will lose money this year. The share prices of the 20 quoted football clubs in Britain have been plummeting, generally to around a third of their level two years ago. European problems, however, are dwarfed by the financial chaos in Latin America's clubs, where bankruptcies and strikes are commonplace.
Some of Europe's difficulties can be explained by technological and commercial change. When pay-TV arrived, it became plain that football rights were seriously undervalued, so their price shot up, making them too expensive in many markets. Now the inevitable correction has set in.
This is the kind of thing that could happen in any business. But football as an industry may also have a more systemic problem. The very passion that excites football crowds (and once excited investors) often causes decisions to be taken on non-commercial grounds. Many football clubs across the world are run at a loss by rich men, either for the love of the game or to boost their ego. With so many rich sponsors willing to burn money to fund their teams, even the clubs that are quoted companies—and thus obliged to put profits first—are sucked into a desperate struggle to secure the services of the best players. Footballers' pay has spiralled out of control. The more money the clubs receive, the more they are compelled to spend. Alan Sugar, an English businessman who retired from football-club ownership after a disillusioning decade, calls it the “prune-juice effect”: you can pour a lot in, but it all comes out at the other end. In Italy, according to recent calculations by UEFA, the European football authority, the cost of the players now averages 125% of club revenues (see chart 1).
But it is not just free-spending tycoons and glory-hunting clubs that make football a bad business to be in. Many football fans also seem to think that the sacred rituals of a football match should be protected from vulgar （庸俗的）commerce. For example, when Brazil's national side secured $160m in sponsorship before the 1998 World Cup from Nike, a sports-goods manufacturer, Brazilian fans, far from being delighted, complained that a symbol of national pride had been prostituted. Even club sides are sometimes pressurized not to behave commercially. Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, has forgone a possible euro10m ($9.2m) a year in sponsorship money by refusing to take advertisements on its shirts. Club officials explain that the team is a symbol of the Catalan region (or nation), so its shirts must remain pure.
But perhaps the biggest example of the anti-commercial impulses that run through the game is the World Cup itself. Football clubs around the world have to lend billions of dollars-worth of talent to their national sides, free of charge. The clubs will pay the players' wages throughout the tournament, and have to accept that their precious stars may return exhausted or even injured. Ronaldo of Brazil and Inter Milan entered the 1998 World Cup as the biggest and most bankable star in world soccer, but picked up injuries in the tournament and has never been quite the same since. Now he has returned to fitness—just in time to play for Brazil in this year's World Cup. Some clubs may find that they have a new star on their hands after the 2002 finals, but even that may be a mixed blessing. “It just means that their wage demands will go up,” laments a spokesman for the G-14, a lobby group for the biggest European teams.
Even so, it remains unthinkable for the clubs not to release their prized assets to the national sides. For a start, it would be against FIFA rules. Besides, most football administrators are also football fans and patriots. They want to see the best players perform in the World Cup. Football is not just a sport or a business. At the top level it is also closely intertwined with politics and national pride.

Captain Keane Sent Home From Ireland Camp travel bag

2008-12-12T11:17:00.001+08:00

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DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland captain Roy Keane was sent home from a training camp in the Pacific Thursday after abusing coach Mick McCarthy, a bombshell (.炸弹, 突发而惊人的事物) decision that shattered (粉碎，破坏）his team's World Cup hopes. "Roy Keane will be taking no part in the World Cup -- he is going home," McCarthy said. "Sanity （心智健全，头脑清楚）is more important," was Keane's verdict （判决，定论）after what McCarthy described as a "slanging match" between the two men, which took place in front of the Irish team. The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) backed McCarthy, and said a consensus of a meeting of the team and coaching staff had found recent remarks by Keane were "totally unacceptable." "It's also been said that Roy's response on the matters involved here was considered objectionable," FAI treasurer John Delaney said. Keane, Ireland's only world class player, had strongly criticized training facilities on the island of Saipan. McCarthy decided the volatile （不稳定的）Manchester United midfielder （中场选手）was a disruptive （分裂性的）influence and undermining team morale（士气）. "I cannot and will not tolerate being spoken to with that level of abuse being thrown at me so I sent him home. "I have made the right decision not only for the benefit of me but for the squad（队伍）," McCarthy told Irish reporters. Earlier this week Keane had threatened to fly home before the tournament starts on May 31. In one interview he said that to log all his complaints "I'd need my own newspaper" and claimed the team's treatment by Irish officials was a joke. A FIFA spokesman said a player could be replaced in a squad only because of a serious injury. "This appears not to be the case with Roy Keane," he told Sky Sports television. Delaney said the prospects for replacing Keane with Celtic midfielder Colin Healy were slight. "We will certainly seek a dispensation from FIFA in that regard but it's most unlikely that we will be able to do that," Delaney said. Ireland, which handed in the names of its 23-strong squad on Wednesday, may therefore start the tournament with only 22 men. "This is a huge decision but I am happy to go to the World Cup one man down rather than with a man who shows utter disregard and disrespect for me," said McCarthy. Bookmakers （以赌赛马为生的人）lengthened the already long odds （极为偶然的机会）on Ireland to win the World Cup to 100-1 from 80-1 after Keane's expulsion（逐出, 开除）. Defender Steve Staunton will take over as captain. The news was received in stunned amazement by Irish fans, thousands of whom had planned to fly to Japan for the first game against Cameroon on June 1. "I felt like someone had died when I first heard the news," said Francis Walsh-Kemmis, 25, an Internet Web site designer preparing to fly out to Asia this weekend. "It's just awful. Without Keane we've lost our driving force. There isn't going to be anyone making those crucial tackles in midfield. The FAI are idiots for sending him home." Keane played in the 1994 World Cup and is one of the finest midfielders in Europe. Earlier Thursday he announced he would quit international soccer after the 2002 tournament. "Yeah, that will be it. That will be it for me and life goes on," Keane, who has strongly criticized team facilities and travel arrangements in the past, had said. PERSONAL REASONS Keane's threat to fly home from the training camp Tuesday was based on "personal reasons" but he changed his mind after talking to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. "It was the tip of the iceberg," Keane told Irish reporters in Saipan where the team is preparing for its opening match against Cameroon. "I've basically had enough of certain things." Keane, who has played almost 60 games for Ireland, was irate （生气，发怒）about the state of the pitch （球场）in Saipan which he said was as hard as a car park. "You've seen the training pitch and I'm not being a prima donna（歌剧中的女主角, 首席女歌手）. Training pitch, travel arrangements, getting through the airport when we were leaving, it's the combination of things. "I can't imagine any other country, countries in the world who are far worse off than us, playing on something like that," the 30-year-old said. "But you know, we're the Irish team, it's a laugh and a joke. We shouldn't expect too much." Keane, who is struggling with a knee injury, is famous for his no-nonsense approach both on the field and off it. He recently castigated （严惩）his United team mates after the team failed to win a trophy for the first time since 1998 and his temper has frequently got him into trouble

America acts travel bag

2008-12-12T11:16:00.001+08:00

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In a powerful, wide-ranging speech, President George Bush has cast aside his hands-off attitude to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and committed America to ending it. Is he too late?
　
Bush takes a gamble
“ENOUGH is enough,” declared George Bush on Thursday April 4th, signalling a complete U-turn in American policy towards the Middle East. After Bill Clinton's failure to achieve a deal between Israelis and Palestinians during the final months of his presidency, Mr Bush has been loth (勉强的）to commit America's prestige, and his own political capital, to the same complex and dispiriting task. But the scale of violence between Palestinians and Israelis, and the threat that their conflict will destablise the entire region, has forced him to change his mind. The “storms of violence cannot go on”.
In a powerful and wide-ranging speech, perhaps one of the best he has ever given, Mr Bush castigated all sides in the Middle East. He lambasted （严厉指责）Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, for not doing enough to curb Palestinian terrorists and said that he had failed his own people. He told Arab nations that they had to accept Israel's right to exist, and bluntly told Iran and Syria to stop supporting anti-Israeli terror. Of the suicide bombers he said: “They're not martyrs. They're murderers. And they undermine the cause of the Palestinian people”.
Though he sympathised with Israel's attempt to “root out terrorist nests”, he also warned Israelis that they had to “show a respect for and concern about the dignity of the Palestinian people who are and will be their neighbours”. And he made a direct demand: Israel had to withdraw immediately from the West Bank and Gaza, and Israeli settlement activity in occupied territories “must stop”.
Mr Bush seemed almost impatient with all parties in the conflict. “The outlines of a just settlement are clear: two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security,” he said, and went on to paint a picture of a Middle East transformed by “trade and development and democracy”. The Palestinians, he told them and other Arab nations “need Israel to be an economic partner, not a mortal enemy”. And he clearly pledged more active American involvement in bringing about peace: “I have no illusions. We have no illusions about the difficulty of the issues that lie ahead. Yet our nation's resolve is strong. America is committed to ending this conflict and beginning an era of peace.”
Mr Bush also announced that he is sending Colin Powell, America's secretary of state, to the Middle East next week to take charge of efforts to bring about a ceasefire and begin political talks. Later on Thursday, the United States supported a UN Security Council resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from Palestinian cities “without delay”, the third time America has backed a Middle East resolution in a month, after blocking all such resolutions in the previous year.
Mr Bush's intervention is, necessarily, a gamble. But he now seems to feel that not becoming more directly involved is even riskier. He stuck to his priority of fighting terrorism in all its forms, but seemed to recognise that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not easily fit the clearer moral dichotomy of America's fight against al-Qaeda, and that Palestinian terror attacks were not going to end without a political solution.
Reaction to Mr Bush's speech was mixed. Palestinian leaders welcomed the speech. “From our side, we are committed to the declaration of President Bush without conditions,” they said in a statement. Some bridled （昂首(表傲慢.愤怒等）at his harsh criticism of Mr Arafat, though most recognised that Mr Bush was also reaffirming Mr Arafat's role as the sole spokesman for the Palestinian people, at least for the moment. And Mr Bush's speech gave Palestinians what they wanted most: direct American intervention to restrain the Israelis and agreement that political talks had to begin at once, along with security talks, and not only after all violence had ended, which has been the demand of Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister.
Mr Sharon's response was more muted. He said that the invasion of Palestinian areas was justified because “negotiating before terror is subdued will only lead to its continuation.” And Israel did nothing to halt its invasion. A standoff around the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem continued and there were further clashes in Nablus and Jenin. Mr Sharon did agree to let General Anthony Zinni, Mr Bush's envoy in the region, see Mr Arafat, after refusing to do so earlier, and turning away a European Union delegation which had also demanded to see the Palestinian leader. By delaying Mr Powell's visit until next week, Mr Bush may have given a green light to Mr Sharon to continue Israeli occupation of West Bank towns until Mr Powell arrives.
One question must be: has Mr Bush waited too long to intervene? What is now happening looks, feels and smells like war. It involves the largest call-up of Israeli reserve soldiers since the Lebanon war; the invasion and re-conquest of all but two—Hebron and Jericho—of the eight main cities in the West Bank; Mr Arafat held captive in his Ramallah headquarters; skirmishes on Israel’s northern borders; Israeli and Palestinian civilians killed in their dozens, by suicide-attacks or by military attacks of great ferocity.
　
One question must be: has Mr Bush waited too long to intervene? What is now happening looks, feels and smells like war
Since the second intifada erupted in September 2000, over 1,140 Palestinians and over 400 Israelis have been killed. Of these, 250 Palestinians and 124 Israelis perished last month alone. The latest and cruellest round in the conflict was triggered on March 27th. A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a hotel in Netanya on the eve of the Jewish Passover holiday, killing 25 Israelis and wounding over 100. It was the worst atrocity carried out inside Israel in the intifada.
Mr Sharon declared his country at war and Mr Arafat an “enemy”, who, “at this stage, will be isolated”. The army was dispatched to invade Ramallah, Mr Arafat’s “temporary” West Bank capital, and to enter his compound, besieging him on one floor of his three-storey office block. Mr Sharon would prefer to expel Mr Arafat, if any country could be found to take him and—even less likely—if he could be persuaded to go rather than stay around, awaiting the “martyrdom” he claims to covet. Mr Sharon was forced to compromise on a policy of “isolation” because some of his cabinet members opposed expulsion, and the intelligence services unanimously advised against it.
Israel says the aim of its takeover of cities is to “uproot the terrorists” that have taken sanctuary within them. Palestinians say it is Israel’s final assault on what is left of Mr Arafat’s Palestinian Authority (PA), as a prelude to the removal of the leaders themselves. Both are right, because Mr Sharon defines the PA as “a coalition of terror established by Arafat”.
The Israeli army is now going after Mr Arafat’s inner circle. It is pursuing senior security officials who had previously been considered immune, partly because they have worked closely with the CIA, and partly because some of them had been seen by Israel as pragmatic alternatives to Mr Arafat.
Among the 25 or so Palestinians slain in Ramallah this week were five PA police officers, shot in the head in what Palestinians insist was a summary execution by the Israeli army. And one of the most telling events was Israel’s aerial bombardment of the PA’s Preventive Security Force (PSF) headquarters to compel the surrender of 200 Palestinians inside it. Until recently, the Palestinian police and the West Bank PSF were probably the only Palestinian security forces not engaged in fighting.
The Israelis say that they are searching for, and weeding out, fugitives and terrorists. But the Palestinians claim that the Israeli army’s operations inside their cities are about seeking “submission”, not fugitives. For five continuous days Ramallah’s 100,000 residents endured a total curfew, often without electricity, food or water; this was briefly lifted at mid-week, only to be reimposed. Offices were shelled, homes ransacked, ambulances shot at, hospitals raided, the dead left unburied, and roads, walls and cars crushed by the marauding, unassailable tanks.
The Israelis, on their side, suffer fear. The first five days of the Ramallah curfew saw Palestinian suicide-bombers hit West Jerusalem (twice), Tel Aviv and Haifa, leaving 18 civilians dead and scores injured. Israel is hoping to arrest or kill suicide-terrorists before they can act. But there is little that it can do to catch a Palestinian who wants to die wreaking （发泄）havoc（大破坏）.
In recent days, Hizbullah, a Lebanon-based militia, has mounted attacks on Israeli positions in the Shebaa Farms area, a disputed tract of land on the Lebanon-Syria border, occupied by Israel since 1967. Hizbullah, however, denies Israeli accusations that it has this week fired katyusha rockets into Israel itself. As tension on the border mounts, Mr Sharon has warned Syria that it is “not immune” from military action.
Arab governments, meanwhile, find themselves facing popular demands to do more to help the Palestinians. Following Palestinian appeals, and big demonstrations in Cairo, Egypt has announced that it is curtailing contacts with Israel, though not severing diplomatic relations. Jordan, the other Arab country to have signed a peace treaty with Israel, is under pressure to do likewise.
It was precisely this risk—that the conflagration （大火，突发）between Israelis and Palestinians could inflame the entire Middle East—which has forced Mr Bush to intervene. But the intensity of the conflict, with so many deaths on both sides, could also make achieving a ceasefire and settlement much more difficult. If Mr Bush is to succeed where so many earlier American presidents have failed, he will have to devote the full weight of America's attention, political clout and prestige to the problem. His speech on Thursday seemed to indicate that this is what he intends to do. This is welcome news. But tough days still lie ahead.

Happiness and Wealth travel bag

2008-12-05T16:56:00.001+08:00

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Living standards have soared during the twentieth century, and economists expect them to continue rising in the decades ahead. Does that mean that we humans can look forward to increasing happiness?
Not necessarily, warns Richard A. Easterlin, an economist at the University of Southern California, in his new book, Growth Triumphant: The Twenty-first Century in Historical Perspective. Easterlin concedes that richer people are more likely to report themselves as being happy than poorer people are. But steady improvements in the American economy have not been accompanied by steady increases in people‘s self-assessments of their own happiness. "There has been not improvement in average happiness in the United States over almost a half century----a period in which real GDP per capita more than doubled," Easterlin reports.
The explanation for this paradox may be that people become less satisfied over time with a given level of income. In Easterlin‘s word: "As incomes rise, the aspiration level does too, and the effect of this increase in aspirations is to vitiate the expected growth in happiness due to higher income."
Money can buy happiness, Easterlin seems to be saying, but only if one‘s amounts get bigger and other people aren‘t getting more. His analysis helps to explain sociologist Lee Rainwater‘s finding that Americans‘ perception of the income "necessary to get along" rose between 1950 and 1986 in the same proportion as actual per capita income. We feel rich if we have more than our neighbors, poor if we have less, and feeling relatively well off is equated with being happy.
Easterlin‘s findings, challenge psychologist Abraham Maslow‘s "hierarchy of wants" as a reliable guide to future human motivation.
Maslow suggested that as people‘s basic material wants are satisfied they seek to achieve nonmaterial or spiritual goals. But Easterlin‘s evidence points to the persistence of materialism.
"Despite a general level of affluence never before realized in the history of the world." Easterlin observes, "Material concerns in the wealthiest nations today are as pressing as ever and the pursuit of material need as intense." The evidence suggests there is no evolution toward higher order goals. Rather, each step upward on the ladder of economic development merely stimulates new economic desires that lead the chase ever onward. Economists are accustomed to deflating the money value of national income by the average level of prices to obtain "real" income. The process here is similar----real income is being deflated by rising material aspiration, in this case to yield essentially constant subjective economic well-being. While it would be pleasant to envisage a world free from the pressure of material want, a more realistic projection, based on the evidence, is of a world in which generation after generation thinks it needs only another 10% to 20% more income to be perfectly happy.
Needs are limited, but not greeds. Science has developed no cure for envy, so our wealth boosts our happiness only briefly while shrinking that of our neighbors. Thus the outlook for the future is gloomy in Easterlin‘s view.
"The future, then, to which the epoch of modern economic growth is leading is one of never ending economic growth, a world in which ever growing abundance is matched by ever rising aspirations, a world in which cultural difference is leveled in the constant race to achieve the goods life of material plenty, it is a world founded on belief in science and the power of rational inquiry and in the ultimate capacity of humanity to shape its own destiny. The irony is that in this last respect the lesson of history appears to be otherwise: that there is no choice. In the end, the triumph of economic growth is not a triumph of humanity over material wants; rather, it is the triumph of material wants over humanity."

Microsoft finds inside resistance travel bag

2008-12-05T16:55:00.000+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag Some Microsoft Corp shareholders say the software maker's 44.6 billion U.S. dollars bid for Yahoo! Inc may backfire and reduce its ability to compete with Google Inc in Internet consumer services and advertising."This is a stupid deal, and I'm not happy," said Jane Snorek, who helps manage more than 70 billion dollars in assets at First American Funds in Minneapolis. She told Bloomberg News that the firm began selling much of its Microsoft position on Thursday when the stock dropped 6.6 percent, the most since April 2006. "I'm expecting slow market-share erosion from Microsoft and Yahoo!"
Microsoft announced an unexpected 44.6-billion-dollar bid for Yahoo Friday. Some Microsoft Corp shareholders say the software maker's bid for Yahoo! Inc may backfire and reduce its ability to compete with Google Inc in Internet consumer services and advertising. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer is attempting the biggest technology takeover on record after his own efforts failed to narrow the gap with Google.Acquiring Yahoo! would still leave Microsoft with a smaller share of the Web search market, and Ballmer would face the distraction of combining the businesses, said Colin Gillis, an analyst at Canaccord Adams in New York."Sergey and Larry are going to have no problems sleeping," Gillis said, referring to Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. "I don't see them tossing in their beds tonight."Gillis recommends buying Google shares, has a hold rating on Yahoo!, and doesn't cover Microsoft. He doesn't own shares in the companies.The 31-dollar--a-share bid of cash or Microsoft stock is 62 percent more than Yahoo!'s closing price on Thursday. Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, fell 2.15 dollars, to 30.45 dollars on Friday in Nasdaq Stock Market trading.Ballmer, 51, has presided over a 44 percent drop in Microsoft shares since taking over as CEO in January 2000.
Yahoo!, which reported its eighth straight quarter of declining profit this week, had dropped 18 percent this year before the offer was announced. The shares rose 9.20 dollars, or 48 percent, to 28.38 dollars on Friday.Holders of Yahoo! stock would be able to choose to take 31 dollars in cash or 0.9509 of a Microsoft share for each Yahoo! share. Microsoft will pay for half the purchase with cash and half with stock, the company said.Yahoo!, based in Sunnyvale, California, has also failed to break Google's hold on the market, losing Internet search users and share of the online ad market. The stock had lost almost half its value in the past two years before the deal was announced."Yahoo! has struggled mightily to compete against Google," said Dave Stepherson, a fund manager at Hardesty Capital Management in Baltimore, which holds about 281,000 Microsoft shares in its 650 million dollars under management. "That is not going to change just because they're pairing up with Microsoft."
The price is "incredibly expensive," and Microsoft may have done better by making smaller purchases to build out its own business, he said.Ballmer himself told analysts in July 2006 that buying Yahoo! wouldn't help Microsoft improve its search business, because only Google has a better quality product than Microsoft.

China vows to stabilize prices, prevent price hikes travel bag

2008-12-05T16:54:00.000+08:00

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The Chinese government decided on Wednesday to take further measures to stabilize market prices and increase the severity of punishments for those guilty of driving up prices through hoarding or cheating.
During a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Wen Jiabao the government urged all local authorities to strengthen price management and supervision and to enact the necessary steps to keep the market prices in order and safeguard consumers' interests.

"Prices of gasoline, natural gas and electricity shall not be adjusted in the near future, and charges for gas, water, heating and public transport in cities shall not be raised," a statement released from the meeting said.
"Fees for medical treatment shall be stabilized. Prices of major fertilizers, such as carbamide and phosphate fertilizer, shall also be kept steady and can only be raised really because of cost increase and after being approved by the regulator," it said.
The government announced it would temporarily intervene in the setting of prices of daily necessities in line with the Price Law.
The State Councilors urged relevant government departments to tighten supervision over price hikes of major goods and services and to monitor price-cost relations closely to help enterprises fix prices more reasonably.
"Companies who collude in jacking up prices, stoke up fears for price hikes by hoarding or spreading phony information, or raise prices before they are approved and registered officially will face stern penalties," the statement said.

They also decided at the meeting to make amendments to the Regulation on Administrative Punishment for Price Violations to allow more stringent penalties and define procedures of price adjustment applications.
"No malpractice that violates the laws and regulations and disturbs the market order will escape punishment," the release said.

Local governments are also required to conduct special checks over the grain, oil, meat and liquefied gas prices before the Spring Festival, China's traditional lunar New Year which falls on February 7 this year, in order to stabilize prices and ensure adequate market supplies.

China's inflation rate hit a new 11-year high of 6.9 percent last November, prompting the government to enact a series of measures, including subsidizing pig breeders and oil makers, in order to fight price hikes.

Perseverance can make miracles happen! laptop bag

2008-12-04T15:00:00.000+08:00

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An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money left. They were moving to a smaller house because they could not afford to stay in the present house after paying the doctor's bills. Only a very costly surgery could save him now and there was no one to loan them the money.
When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother with whispered desperation, 'Only a miracle can save him now', the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her piggy bank from its hiding place in the closet. She poured all the change out on the floor and counted it carefully.
Clutching the precious piggy bank tightly, she slipped out the back door and made her way six blocks to the local drugstore. She took a quarter from her bank and placed it on the glass counter.
"And what do you want?" asked the pharmacist. "It's for my little brother," the girl answered back. "He's really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle."
"I beg your pardon?" said the pharmacist.
"His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?"
"We don't sell miracles here, child. I'm sorry," the pharmacist said, smiling sadly at the little girl.
"Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs."
In the shop was a well-dressed customer. He stooped down and asked the little girl, "What kind of a miracle does you brother need?"
"I don't know," she replied with her eyes welling up. "He's really sick and mommy says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it, so I have brought my savings".
"How much do you have?" asked the man. "One dollar and eleven cents, but I can try and get some more", she answered barely audibly.
"Well, what a coincidence," smiled the man. "A dollar and eleven cents - the exact price of a miracle for little brothers."
He took her money in one hand and held her hand with the other. He said, "Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need."
That well-dressed man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed without charge and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again and doing well.
"That surgery," her mom whispered, "was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?"
The little girl smiled. She knew exactly how much the miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a little child.
Perseverance can make miracles happen!

Three Days to See laptop bag

2008-12-04T14:49:00.000+08:00

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All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year; sometimes as short as twenty-four hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed man chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited.
Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings? What happiness should we find in reviewing the past, what regrets?
Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with a gentleness, a vigor, and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of "Eat, drink, and be merry," but most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death.
In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. he becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It ahs often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do.
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.
The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would tech him the joys of sound.
Now and them I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they see. Recently I was visited by a very good friends who had just returned from a long walk in the woods, and I asked her what she had observed.. "Nothing in particular, " she replied. I might have been incredulous had I not been accustomed to such reposes, for long ago I became convinced that the seeing see little.
How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing worthy of note? I who cannot see find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough, shaggy bark of a pine. In the spring I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud the first sign of awakening Nature after her winter's sleep. I feel the delightful, velvety texture of a flower, and discover its remarkable convolutions; and something of the miracle of Nature is revealed to me. Occasionally, if I am very fortunate, I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song. I am delighted to have the cool waters of a brook rush thought my open finger. To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. To me the page ant of seasons is a thrilling and unending drama, the action of which streams through my finger tips.
At times my heart cries out with longing to see all these things. If I can get so much pleasure from mere touch, how much more beauty must be revealed by sight. Yet, those who have eyes apparently see little. the panorama of color and action which fills the world is taken for granted. It is human, perhaps, to appreciate little that which we have and to long for that which we have not, but it is a great pity that in the world of light the gift of sight is used only as a mere conveniences rather than as a means of adding fullness to life.
If I were the president of a university I should establish a compulsory course in "How to Use Your Eyes". The professor would try to show his pupils how they could add joy to their lives by really seeing what passes unnoticed before them. He would try to awake their dormant and sluggish faculties.
Perhaps I can best illustrate by imagining what I should most like to see if I were given the use of my eyes, say, for just three days. And while I am imagining, suppose you, too, set your mind to work on the problem of how you would use your own eyes if you had only three more days to see. If with the on-coming darkness of the third night you knew that the sun would never rise for you again, how would you spend those three precious intervening days? What would you most want to let your gaze rest upon?
I, naturally, should want most to see the things which have become dear to me through my years of darkness. You, too, would want to let your eyes rest on the things that have become dear to you so that you could take the memory of them with you into the night that loomed before you.
If, by some miracle, I were granted three seeing days, to be followed by a relapse into darkness, I should divide the period into three parts.
The First Day
On the first day, I should want to see the people whose kindness and gentleness and companionship have made my life worth living. First I should like to gaze long upon the face of my dear teacher, Mrs. Anne Sullivan Macy, who came to me when I was a child and opened the outer world to me. I should want not merely to see the outline of her face, so that I could cherish it in my memory, but to study that face and find in it the living evidence of the sympathetic tenderness and patience with which she accomplished the difficult task of my education. I should like to see in her eyes that strength of character which has enabled her to stand firm in the face of difficulties, and that compassion for all humanity which she has revealed to me so often.
I do not know what it is to see into the heart of a friend through that "Window of the soul", the eye. I can only "see" through my finger tips the outline of a face. I can detect laughter, sorrow, and many other obvious emotions. I know my friends from the feel of their faces. But I cannot really picture their personalities by touch. I know their personalities, of course, through other means, through the thoughts they express to me, through whatever of their actions are revealed to me. But I am denied that deeper understanding of them which I am sure would come through sight of them, through watching their reactions to various expressed thoughts and circumstances, through noting the immediate and fleeting reactions of their eyes and countenance.
Friends who are near to me I know well, because through the months and years they reveal themselves to me in all their phases; but of casual friends I have only an incomplete impression, an impression gained from a handclasp, from spoken words which I take from their lips with my finger tips, or which they tap into the palm of my hand.
How much easier, how much more satisfying it is for you who can see to grasp quickly the essential qualities of another person by watching the subtleties of expression, the quiver of a muscle, the flutter of a hand. But does it ever occur to you to use your sight to see into the inner nature of a friends or acquaintance/ Do not most of you seeing people grasp casually the outward features of a face and let it go at that?
For instance can you describe accurately the faces of five good friends? some of you can, but many cannot. As an experiment, I have questioned husbands of long standing about the color of their wives' eyes, and often they express embarrassed confusion and admit that they do not know. And, incidentally, it is a chronic complaint of wives that their husbands do not notice new dresses, new hats, and changes in household arrangements.
The eyes of seeing persons soon become accustomed to the routine of their surroundings, and they actually see only the startling and spectacular. But even in viewing the most spectacular sights the eyes are lazy. Court records reveal every day how inaccurately "eyewitnesses" see. A given event will be "seen" in several different ways by as many witnesses. Some see more than others, but few see everything that is within the range of their vision.
Oh, the things that I should see if I had the power of sight for just three days!
The first day would be a busy one. I should call to me all my dear friends and look long into their faces, imprinting upon my mind the outward evidences of the beauty that is within them. I should let my eyes rest, too, on the face of a baby, so that I could catch a vision of the eager, innocent beauty which precedes the individual's consciousness of the conflicts which life develops.
And I should like to look into the loyal, trusting eyes of my dogs - the grave, canny little Scottie, Darkie, and the stalwart, understanding Great Dane, Helga, whose warm, tender , and playful friendships are so comforting to me.
On that busy first day I should also view the small simple things of my home. I want to see the warm colors in the rugs under my feet, the pictures on the walls, the intimate trifles that transform a house into home. My eyes would rest respectfully on the books in raised type which I have read, but they would be more eagerly interested in the printed books which seeing people can read, for during the long night of my life the books I have read and those which have been read to me have built themselves into a great shining lighthouse, revealing to me the deepest channels of human life and the human spirit.
In the afternoon of that first seeing day. I should take a long walk in the woods and intoxicate my eyes on the beauties of the world of Nature trying desperately to absorb in a few hours the vast splendor which is constantly unfolding itself to those who can see. On the way home from my woodland jaunt my path would lie near a farm so that I might see the patient horses ploughing in the field 9perhaps I should see only a tractor!) and the serene content of men living close to the soil. And I should pray for the glory of a colorful sunset.
When dusk had fallen, I should experience the double delight of being able to see by artificial light which the genius of man has created to extend the power of his sight when Nature decrees darkness.
In the night of that first day of sight, I should not be able to sleep, so full would be my mind of the memories of the day.
The Second Day
The next day - the second day of sight - I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling miracle by which night is transformed into day. I should behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with which the sun awakens the sleeping earth.
This day I should devote to a hasty glimpse of the world, past and present. I should want to see the pageant of man's progress, the kaleidoscope of the ages. How can so much be compressed into one day? Through the museums, of course. Often I have visited the New York Museum of Natural History to touch with my hands many of the objects there exhibited, but I have longed to see with my eyes the condensed history of the earth and its inhabitants displayed there - animals and the races of men pictured in their native environment; gigantic carcasses of dinosaurs and mastodons which roamed the earth long before man appeared, with his tiny stature and powerful brain, to conquer the animal kingdom; realistic presentations of the processes of development in animals, in man, and in the implements which man has used to fashion for himself a secure home on this planet; and a thousand and one other aspects of natural history.
I wonder how many readers of this article have viewed this panorama of the face of living things as pictured in that inspiring museum. Many, of course, have not had the opportunity, but I am sure that many who have had the opportunity have not made use of it. there, indeed, is a place to use your eyes. You who see can spend many fruitful days there, but I with my imaginary three days of sight, could only take a hasty glimpse, and pass on.
My next stop would be the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for just as the Museum of Natural History reveals the material aspects of the world, so does the Metropolitan show the myriad facets of the human spirit. Throughout the history of humanity the urge to artistic expression has been almost as powerful as the urge for food, shelter, and procreation. And here , in the vast chambers of the Metropolitan Museum, is unfolded before me the spirit of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as expressed in their art. I know well through my hands the sculptured gods and goddesses of the ancient Nile-land. I have felt copies of Parthenon friezes, and I have sensed the rhythmic beauty of charging Athenian warriors. Apollos and Venuses and the Winged Victory of Samothrace are friends of my finger tips. The gnarled, bearded features of Homer are dear to me, for he, too, knew blindness.
My hands have lingered upon the living marble of roman sculpture as well as that of later generations. I have passed my hands over a plaster cast of Michelangelo's inspiring and heroic Moses; I have sensed the power of Rodin; I have been awed by the devoted spirit of Gothic wood carving. These arts which can be touched have meaning for me, but even they were meant to be seen rather than felt, and I can only guess at the beauty which remains hidden from me. I can admire the simple lines of a Greek vase, but its figured decorations are lost to me.
So on this, my second day of sight, I should try to probe into the soul of man through this art. The things I knew through touch I should now see. More splendid still, the whole magnificent world of painting would be opened to me, from the Italian Primitives, with their serene religious devotion, to the Moderns, with their feverish visions. I should look deep into the canvases of Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Rembrandt. I should want to feast my eyes upon the warm colors of Veronese, study the mysteries of E1 Greco, catch a new vision of Nature from Corot. Oh, there is so much rich meaning and beauty in the art of the ages for you who have eyes to see!
Upon my short visit to this temple of art I should not be able to review a fraction of that great world of art which is open to you. I should be able to get only a superficial impression. Artists tell me that for deep and true appreciation of art one must educated the eye. One must learn through experience to weigh the merits of line, of composition, of form and color. If I had eyes, how happily would I embark upon so fascinating a study! Yet I am told that, to many of you who have eyes to see, the world of art is a dark night, unexplored and unilluminated.
It would be with extreme reluctance that I should leave the Metropolitan Museum, which contains the key to beauty -- a beauty so neglected. Seeing persons, however, do not need a metropolitan to find this key to beauty. The same key lies waiting in smaller museums, and in books on the shelves of even small libraries. But naturally, in my limited time of imaginary sight, I should choose the place where the key unlocks the greatest treasures in the shortest time.
The evening of my second day of sight I should spend at a theatre or at the movies. Even now I often attend theatrical performances of all sorts, but the action of the play must be spelled into my hand by a companion. But how I should like to see with my own eyes the fascinating figure of Hamlet, or the gusty Falstaff amid colorful Elizabethan trappings! How I should like to follow each movement of the graceful Hamlet, each strut of the hearty Falstaff! And since I could see only one play, I should be confronted by a many-horned dilemma, for there are scores of plays I should want to see. You who have eyes can see any you like. How many of you, I wonder, when you gaze at a play, a movie, or any spectacle, realize and give thanks for the miracle of sight which enables you to enjoy its color , grace, and movement?
I cannot enjoy the beauty of rhythmic movement except in a sphere restricted to the touch of my hands. I can vision only dimly the grace of a Pavlowa, although I know something of the delight of rhythm, for often I can sense the beat of music as it vibrates through the floor. I can well imagine that cadenced motion must be one of the most pleasing sights in the world. I have been able to gather something of this by tracing with my fingers the lines in sculptured marble; if this static grace can be so lovely, how much more acute must be the thrill of seeing grace in motion.
One of my dearest memories is of the time when Joseph Jefferson allowed me to touch his face and hands as he went through some of the gestures and speeches of his beloved Rip Van Winkle. I was able to catch thus a meager glimpse of the world of drama, and I shall never forget the delight of that moment. But, oh, how much I must miss, and how much pleasure you seeing ones can derive from watching and hearing the interplay of speech and movement in the unfolding of a dramatic performance! If I could see only one play, I should know how to picture in my \mind the action of a hundred plays which I have read or had transferred to me through the medium of the manual alphabet.
So, through the evening of my second imaginary day of sight, the great fingers of dramatic literature would crowd sleep from my eyes.
The Third Day
The following morning, I should again greet the dawn, anxious to discover new delights, for I am sure that, for those who have eyes which really see, the dawn of each day must be a perpetually new revelation of beauty.
This, according to the terms of my imagined miracle, is to be my third and last day of sight. I shall have no time to waste in regrets or longings; there is too much to see. The first day I devoted to my friends, animate and inanimate. The second revealed to me the history of man and Nature. Today I shall spend in the workaday world of the present, amid the haunts of men going about the business of life. And where can one find so many activities and conditions of men as in New York? So the city becomes my destination.
I start from my home in the quiet little suburb of Forest Hills, Long Island. Here , surrounded by green lawns, trees, and flowers, are neat little houses, happy with the voices and movements of wives and children, havens of peaceful rest for men who toil in the city. I drive across the lacy structure of steel which spans the East River, and I get a new and startling vision of the power and ingenuity of the mind of man. Busy boasts chug and scurry about the river - racy speed boat, stolid, snorting tugs. If I had long days of sight ahead, I should spend many of them watching the delightful activity upon the river.
I look ahead, and before me rise the fantastic towers of New York, a city that seems to have stepped from the pages of a fairy story. What an awe-inspiring sight, these glittering spires. these vast banks of stone and steel-structures such as the gods might build for themselves! This animated picture is a part of the lives of millions of people every day. How many, I wonder, give it so much as a seconds glance? Very few, I fear, Their eyes are blind to this magnificent sight because it is so familiar to them.
I hurry to the top of one of those gigantic structures, the Empire State Building, for there , a short time ago, I "saw" the city below through the eyes of my secretary. I am anxious to compare my fancy with reality. I am sure I should not be disappointed in the panorama spread out before me, for to me it would be a vision of another world.
Now I begin my rounds of the city. First, I stand at a busy corner, merely looking at people, trying by sight of them to understand something of their live. I see smiles, and I am happy. I see serious determination, and I am proud, I see suffering, and I am compassionate.
I stroll down Fifth Avenue. I throw my eyes out of focus, so that I see no particular object but only a seething kaleidoscope of colors. I am certain that the colors of women's dresses moving in a throng must be a gorgeous spectacle of which I should never tire. But perhaps if I had sight I should be like most other women -- too interested in styles and the cut of individual dresses to give much attention to the splendor of color in the mass. And I am convinced, too, that I should become an inveterate window shopper, for it must be a delight to the eye to view the myriad articles of beauty on display.
From Fifth Avenue I make a tour of the city-to Park Avenue, to the slums, to factories, to parks where children play. I take a stay-at-home trip abroad by visiting the foreign quarters. Always my eyes are open wide to all the sights of both happiness and misery so that I may probe deep and add to my understanding of how people work and live. my heart is full of the images of people and things. My eye passes lightly over no single trifle; it strives to touch and hold closely each thing its gaze rests upon. Some sights are pleasant, filling the heart with happiness; but some are miserably pathetic. To these latter I do not shut my eyes, for they, too, are part of life. To close the eye on them is to close the heart and mind.
My third day of sight is drawing to an end. Perhaps there are many serious pursuits to which I should devote the few remaining hours, but I am afraid that on the evening of that last day I should again run away to the theater, to a hilariously funny play, so that I might appreciate the overtones of comedy in the human spirit.
At midnight my temporary respite from blindness would cease, and permanent night would close in on me again. Naturally in those three short days I should not have seen all I wanted to see. Only when darkness had again descended upon me should I realize how much I had left unseen. But my mind would be so crowded with glorious memories that I should have little time for regrets. Thereafter the touch of every object would bring a glowing memory of how that object looked.
Perhaps this short outline of how I should spend three days of sight does not agree with the program you would set for yourself if you knew that you were about to be stricken blind. I am, however, sure that if you actually faced that fate your eyes would open to things you had never seen before, storing up memories for the long night ahead. You would use your eyes as never before. Everything you saw would become dear to you. Your eyes would touch and embrace every object that came within your range of vision. Then, at last, you would really see, and a new world of beauty would open itself before you.
I who am blind can give one hint to those who see -- one admonition to those who would make full use of the gift of sight: Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. And the same method can be applied to the other senses. Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra, as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. Touch each object you want to touch as if tomorrow your tactile sense would fail. Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Make the most of every sense: glory in all the facets of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you through the several means of contact which Nature provides. But of all the senses, I am sure that sight must be the most delightful.

How To Be Happy, laptop bag

2008-12-03T10:51:00.000+08:00

laptop bag computer bag travel bag At the airport bookstore, there are only about a dozen freestanding shelves of books. It's Darwinian selection at its most brutal: only the most popular authors, the newest novels, and the most recognizable classics survive. You won't find the lesser known works of Oscar Wilde or Voltaire or even Hemingway — there isn't space for them. Jane Austen makes only the briefest appearance, and Edgar Allen Poe shows his face only at Halloween. There are no collections of poetry beyond Dr. Seuss.
There is, however, a whole rack of self help books.
Americans are obsessed with making ourselves better. Smarter. Thinner. You can buy books to improve your vocabulary. You can devour a stack of books that will teach you to work more efficiently, more ruthlessly, and claw your way to the top — and then you can read books on how to stop and smell the roses and enjoy your life more fully. There are even books that will teach you how to organize your closets.
All of these things dance around the essential truth: we want to be happy. We want to be loved. We want to find meaning in our lives and feel that our contributions make a difference.
This, then, is the Rusty Brain Guide: How To Be Happy.
Eat more cookies. Abstaining from a single cookie isn't going to make you look svelte and toned. Go on, eat some cookies. I recommend the double chocolate ones with chocolate chips inside.
Sing. In your car. In elevators. At the mall, especially at Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn. In hospital corridors. Before important client meetings. When people give you that patronizing look, wink at 'em.
Make Popsicles.
Stay home on the weekend and disconnect your phone.
Bring a plastic straw to a fancy restaurant. Make loud gurgling sounds when you get to the bottom as you attempt to drink every last molecule of diet Coke.
Order the stuff on the menu that you've never heard of — like Gkaeng Cheud Bplah Meuk Yad Sai (Stuffed Squid Soup with Napa Cabbage or Squash).
Talk to strangers.
Collect something weird that isn't expensive but is relatively hard-to-find.
Wear odd hats in public places.
Amass a jar of coins. Bury them in your back yard. Draw a treasure map and give it to a friend.
Walk to the park near your house. Do some somersaults. When was the last time you did a somersault, anyway?
Eat pickles out of the jar.
Build a Web site and write your own Rusty Brain column (Matt only).
Spend a day by yourself. Leave your cell phone at home. Wander the streets, muttering to yourself and occasionally disagreeing with what you've just muttered.
Buy a puppy. Name it Charo.
Get your teeth capped. Move to Hollywood. Become a star. (Isn't that what you've been dreaming about anyway?)
Wear thong panties under your habit (nuns only).
Throw a surprise birthday party for a friend. Invite lots of people. Make sure that your friend's actual birthday is nowhere near the date of the party.
Belch in public. Then sigh contently.
Suntan naked on a public beach. Adopt a European accent for the day to explain your complete lack of modesty.
Quit your worthless job and dedicate your life to the study of the Moroccan flute.
Fly a kite.
Stop wasting your life with the Moroccan flute and get a real job.
Volunteer at your library, or church, or your local soup kitchen, or Habitat for Humanity. Wear clothes so ratty that you are often mistaken for one of the "needy."
Use the word "Jonesing" as often as possible. As in, "Man, I'm Jonesin' for some homemade Popsicles." Studies have shown this will make you happy.
Join a bowling league. Buy a large red bowling ball. Name it "Gorbachev."
Drive to the nearest national forest. Hike a mile with a backpack full of cold fried chicken and biscuits. Find a clearing where you will not meet a single human and have a picnic. Stare at the clouds for a full afternoon and dream.
Think about the things you love to do. Now go do those things more often.
Meet someone, fall in love, live happily ever after.

Angel trolley bag

2008-11-26T11:20:00.001+08:00

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Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. 　　 One day the child asked God: "They tell me you are going to send me to earth tomorrow but 　　how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?" 　　 God replied: "Among the many angels, I have chosen one for you. She will be waiting for 　　you and will take care of you." 　　 "But, " said the child: "tell me here in Heaven I don‘t anything else but sing and smile. 　　That‘s what I need to be happy!" 　　 God said: "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will 　　feel your angel‘s love and be happy." 　　 "And," said the child: "how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, If 　　I don‘t know the language that men talk?" 　　 "That‘s easy", said God: "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words 　　you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak." 　　 The child looked up at God saying: "And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?" 　　 God smiled at the child saying: "Your angel will Place your hands together and will 　　teach you how to pray." 　　 The child said: "I‘ve heard on earth there are bad men. Who will Protect me?" 　　 God put his arm around the child, saying: "Your angel will defend you - even if it means 　　risking life!" 　　 The child looked sad, saying: "But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore." 　　 God hugged the child: "Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you 　　the way to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you." 　　 At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be 　　heard. 　　 The child, in a hurry, asked softly: "Oh God, if I am about to leave now Please tell my 　　 Angel’s name!" 　　 God replied: "Your angel‘s name is of no importance...you will simply call her MOMMY!"

Friendship and love, trolley bag!

2008-11-26T11:18:00.001+08:00

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Friendship is a quiet walk in the park with the one you trust love is when you feel like you are the two aroundFriendship is when they gaze into you eyes and you know they carelove is when they gaze into your eyes and it warms your heartFriendship is being close even when you are apartlove is when you can still feel their hand on your heart when they are not nearFriendship is hoping that they experience the very bestlove is when you bring them the very bestFriendship occupies your mind love occupies your soul Friendship is knowing that you will alwarys try to be there when in needlove is a warming touch that sends a pulse through your heartFriendship can survive without lovelove cannot live without friendship

Every Woman is beautiful. trolley bag

2008-11-26T11:18:00.000+08:00

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A little boy asked his mother "Why are you crying?"
一个男孩问他的妈妈：“ 你为什么要哭呢？”
"Because I'm a woman," she told him.
妈妈说：“因为我是女人啊。”
"I don't understand," he said.
男孩说：“我不懂。”
His mum just hugged him and said, "And you never will."
他妈妈抱起他说：“你永远不会懂的。”

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"
后来小男孩就问他爸爸：“妈妈为什么毫无理由的哭呢？”
"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.
他爸爸只能说：“所有女人都这样。”

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.
小男孩长大了，成为一个男人，但他仍就不懂女人为什么哭泣。

Finally he put in a call to God; and when God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"
最后，他打电话给上帝；在上帝拿起电话时，他问道：“上帝，女人为什么那么容易哭泣呢？”

God said: "When I made the woman, she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough to give comfort."
上帝回答说：“当我创造女人时，就让她很特别。我使她的肩膀能挑起整个世界；同时却又柔情似水。”

"I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children."
“我让她的内心很坚强，能够承受分娩的痛苦，并能多次忍受来自自己孩子的拒绝。”

"I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining."
“我赋予她耐心使她能在别人选择放弃的时候继续坚持着，并且无怨无悔的照顾自己的家人渡过疾病与疲劳。”

"I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly."
“我赋予她在任何情况下都会爱孩子的感情，即使她的孩子伤害了她。”

"I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart."
“我赋予她包容她丈夫过错的坚强，并用他的勒骨塑成她来保护他的心。”
"I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly."
“我赋予她智慧让她知道一个好丈夫是绝不会伤害他的妻子的，但有时我也会考验她支持自己丈夫的坚持与决心。”

"And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."
“最后，我让她可以流泪。只要她愿意，这是她所独有的。”

"You see, the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair."
“你看，女人的漂亮不是因为她穿的衣服，她保持的体型或者她梳头的方式。”

"The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides."
“女人的美丽必须要从她的眼睛中去看，因为那是她心灵的窗口，爱居住的地方。”

Every Woman is beautiful.
每个女人都美丽。

Relationship that Lasts, travel bag

2008-11-21T21:49:00.002+08:00

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If somebody tells you, “ I’ll love you for ever,” will you believe it? 　　 I don’t think there’s any reason not to. we are ready to believe such commitment at the moment, whatever change may happen afterwards. as for the belief in an everlasting love, that’s another thing. 　　 Then you may be asked whether there is such a thing as an everlasting love. I’d answer i believe in it. but an everlasting love is not immutable. 　　 You may unswervingly love or be loved by a person. but love will change its composition with the passage of time. it will not remain the same. in the course of your growth and as a result of your increased experience, love will become something different to you. 　　 In the beginning you believed a fervent love for a person could last indefinitely. By and by, however,“ fervent” gave way to “ prosaic” . Precisely because of this change it became possible for love to last. then what was meant by an everlasting love would eventually end up in a sort of interdependence. 　　 We used to insist on the difference between love and liking. the former seemed much more beautiful than the latter. one day, however, it turns out there’s really no need to make such difference. liking is actually a sort of love. by the same token, the everlasting interdependence is actually an everlasting love. 　　 I wish i could believe there was somebody who would love me for ever. That’s, as we all know, too romantic to be true. Instead, it will more often than not be a case of lasting relationship.

The Powerful Gift of Love, travel bag

2008-11-21T21:49:00.001+08:00

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The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg. It had been a year since Susan, 34, became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self pity. And all she had to cling to was her husband, Mark. Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again. Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted Susan, and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized the arrangement wasn't working. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But she was still so fragile, so angry - how would she react? Just as he predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I'm blind!", she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I am going? I feel like you're abandoning me." Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat. Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, and his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself. On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying the fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure do envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?" The driver responded, "It must feel good to be taken care of and protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and again asked, "What do you mean?" The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you as you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady." Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness

Skyscrapers and Environment - travel bag

2008-11-21T21:02:00.000+08:00

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In the late 1960's, many people in North America turned their attention to environmental problems, and new steel-and-glass skyscrapers were widely criticized. Ecologists pointed out that a cluster of tall buildings in a city often overburdens public transportation and parking lot capacities.Skyscrapers are also lavishconsumers, and wasters, of electric power. In one recent year, the addition of 17 million square feet of skyscraper office space in New York City raised the peak daily demand for electricity by 120, 000 kilowatts -- enough to supply the entire city of Albany, New York, for a day.Glass-walled skyscrapers can be especially wasteful. The heat loss (or gain)through a wall of half-inch plate glass is more than ten times that through a typical masonry wall filled with insulation board. To lessen the strain on heating and air-conditioning equipment, builders of skyscrapers have begun to use double-glazed panels of glass, and reflective glasses coated with silver or gold mirror films that reduce glare as well as heat gain. However, mirror-walled skyscrapers raise the temperature of the surrounding air and affect neighboring buildings.Skyscrapers put a severe strain on a city's sanitation facilities, too. If fully occupied, the two World Trade Center towers in New York City would alone generate 2.25 million gallons of raw sewage each year -- as much as a city the size of Stanford, Connecticut, which has a population of more than 109, 000.

The Nobel Academy, travel bag

2008-11-21T21:00:00.001+08:00

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For the last 82 years, Sweden's Nobel Academy has decided who will receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, thereby determining who will be elevated from the great and the near great to the immortal.But today the Academy is coming under heavy criticism both from the without and from within. Critics contend that the selection of the winners often has less to do with true writing ability than with the peculiar internal politics of the Academy and of Sweden itself. According to Ingmar Bjorksten, the cultural editor for one of the country's two major newspapers, the prize continues to represent "what people call a very Swedish exercise: reflecting Swedish tastes." The Academy has defended itself against such charges of provincialism in its selection by asserting that its physical distance from the great literary capitals of the world actually serves to protect the Academy from outside influences. This may well be true, but critics respond that this very distance may also be responsible for the Academy's inability to perceive accurately authentic trends in the literary world.Regardless of concerns over the selection process, however, it seems that the prize will continue to survive both as an indicator of the literature that we most highly praise, and as an elusive goal that writers seek. If for no otherreason, the prize will continue to be desirable for the financial rewards that accompany it; not only is the cash prize itself considerable, but it also dramatically increases sales of an author's books.

Love Is Not Merchandise,travel bag

2008-11-21T20:59:00.000+08:00

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Love Is Not Like Merchandise　　By Sydney J.Harris　　A reader in Florida, apparently bruised by some personal experience, writes in to complain, “If I steal a nickel’s worth of merchandise, I am a thief and punished; but if I steal the love of another’s wife, I am free.” 　　　　This is a prevalent misconception in many people’s minds---that love, like merchandise, can be “stolen”. Numerous states, in fact, have enacted laws allowing damages for “alienation of affections”.　　　　But love is not a commodity; the real thing cannot be bought, sold, traded or stolen. It is an act of the will, a turning of the emotions, a change in the climate of the personality.　　　　When a husband or wife is “stolen” by another person, that husband or wife was already ripe for the stealing, was already predisposed toward a new partner. The “love bandit” was only taking what was waiting to be taken, what wanted to be taken.　　　　We tend to treat persons like goods. We even speak of the children “belonging” to their parents. But nobody “belongs” to anyone else. Each person belongs to himself, and to God. Children are entrusted to their parents, and if their parents do not treat them properly, the state has a right to remove them from their parents’ trusteeship.　　　　Most of us, when young, had the experience of a sweetheart being taken from us by somebody more attractive and more appealing. At the time, we may have resented this intruder---but as we grew older, we recognized that the sweetheart had never been ours to begin with. It was not the intruder that “caused” the break, but the lack of a real relationship.　　　　On the surface, many marriages seem to break up because of a “third party”. This is, however, a psychological illusion. The other woman or the other man merely serves as a pretext for dissolving or a marriage that had already lost its essential integrity.　　Nothing is more futile and more self-defeating than the bitterness of spurned love, the vengeful feeling that someone else has “come between” oneself and a beloved. This is always a distortion of reality, for people are not the captives or victims of others---they are free agents, working out their own destinies for good or for ill.　　But the rejected lover or mate cannot afford to believe that his beloved has freely turned away from him--- and so he ascribes sinister or magical properties to the interloper. He calls him a hypnotist or a thief or a home-breaker. In the vast majority of cases, however, when a home is broken, the breaking has begun long before any “third party” has appeared on the scene.

Another Love! laptop bag

2008-11-12T20:49:00.001+08:00

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Inside the Russian Embassy in London a KGB colonel puffed a cigarette as he read the handwritten note for the third time. There was no need for the writer to express regret, he though. Correcting this problem would be easy. He would do that in a moment. The thought of it caused a grim smile to appear and joy to his heart. But he pushed away those thoughts and turned his attention to a framed photograph on his desk. His wife was beautiful, he told himself as he remembered the day they were married. That was forty-three years ago, and it had been the proudest and happiest day of his life.
What had happened to all that time? Why had it passed so quickly, and why hadn’t he spent more of it with her? Why hadn’t he held her close and told her more often that he loved her? He cursed himself as a tear came from the corner of his eye, ran down his cheek, then dropped onto the note. He stiffened and wiped his face with the back of his hand. There was no need for remorse or regret, he told himself. In a few moments he would join her and at that time would express his undying love and devotion.
After setting the note ablaze he dropped it into an ashtray and watched it burn. For a time the names cast moving shadows on the walls of the darkened room, then they nickered and died out. The colonel dropped the cigarette to the floor and ground it out with his heel, then clutched the photograph to his breast, removed a pistol from his pocket, placed the barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger. In the ashtray a small portion of the note remained. Where it had been wetted by his tear it had failed to bum, and on that scrap of paper were the words "died yesterday."

Evolution of Sleep ! laptop bag

2008-11-12T20:48:00.001+08:00

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Sleep is very ancient. In the electroencephalographic sense we share it with all the primates and almost all the other mammals and birds: it may extend back as far as the reptiles.There is some evidence that the two types of sleep, dreaming and dreamless, depend on the life-style of the animal, and that predators are statistically much more likely to dream than prey, which are in turn much more likely to experience dreamless sleep. In dream sleep, the animal is powerfully immobilized andremarkably unresponsive to external stimuli. Dreamless sleep is much shallower, and we have all witnessed cats or dogs cocking their ears to a sound when apparently fast asleep. The fact that deep dream sleep is rare among prey today seems clearly to be a product of natural selection, and it makes sense that today, when sleep is highly evolved, the stupid animals are less frequently immobilized by deep sleep than the smart ones.But why should they sleep deeply at all? Why should a state of such deep immobilization ever have evolved? Perhaps one useful hint about the original function of sleep is to be found in the fact that dolphins and whales and aquatic mammals in general seem to sleep very little. There is, by and large, no place to hide in the ocean. Could it be that, rather than increasing an animal's vulnerability, the function of sleep is to decrease it? Wilse Webb of the University of Florida and Ray Meddis of London University have suggested this to be the case. It is conceivable that animals who are too stupid to be quiet on their own initiative are, during periods of high risk, immobilized by the implacable arm of sleep. The point seems particularly clear for the young of predatory animals. This is an interesting notion and probably at least partly true.

The poor are very wonderful people ! laptop bag

2008-11-12T20:46:00.001+08:00

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The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition，and I told the sisters: You take care of the other three. I take care of this one who looked worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand as she said just the words “thank you” and she died. I could not help but examine my conscience[良心]before her and I asked what would I say if I was in her place.
And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself. I would have said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but she gave me much more-she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face.
As did that man whom we picked up from the drain[阴沟、下水道], half eaten with worms, and we brought him to the home. “I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die like an angel, loved and cared for.” And it was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that, who could die like that without blaming anybody, without cursing anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel-this is the greatness of our people. And that is why we believe what Jesus had said: I was hungry, I was naked, I was homeless, I was unwanted, unloved, uncared for, and you did it to me.
I believe that we are not real social workers. We may be doing social work in the eyes of the people, but we are really contemplatives[修行者、沉思冥想的人] in the heart of the world. For we are touching the body of Christ twenty-four hours... And I think that in our family we don’t need bombs and guns, to destroy, to bring peace, just get together, love one another, bring that peace, that joy, that strength of presence of each other in the home. And we will be able to overcome all the evil that is in the world.
And with this prize that I have received as a Prize of Peace, I am going to try to make the home for many people who have no home. Because I believe that love begins at home, and if we can create a home for the poor I think that more and more love will spread. And we will be able through this understanding love to bring peace be the good news to the poor. The poor in our own family first, in our country and in the world.
To be able to do this, our Sisters, our lives have to be wove with prayer. They have to be woven with Christ to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because to be woven with Christ is to be able to understand, to be able to share. Because today there is so much suffering... When I pick up a person from the street, hungry, I give him a plate of rice, a piece of bread, I have satisfied. I have removed that hunger.
But a person who is shut out, who feels unwanted, unloved, terrified, the person who has been thrown out from society-that poverty is so full of hurt and so unbearable... And so let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love, and once we begin to love each other naturally we want to do something.

Sweet Love ! laptop bag

2008-11-12T20:45:00.000+08:00

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A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and ndeeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think: "When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8 "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4 "Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5 "Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - ag e 6 "Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4 "Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7 "Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8 "Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!) "If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet) "Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7 "Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6 "During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy - age 8 "My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6 "Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine - age 5 "Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7 "Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4 "I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4 "When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an imagination) Karen - age 7 "Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6 "You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8 And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbour was an elderly gentleman who had rece ntly lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbour, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry" When there is nothing left but love, that is when you find out that love Is all you need.

Work and Pleasure ! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:44:00.002+08:00

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To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say: “I will take an interest in this or that.” Such an attempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet hardly get any benefit or relief. It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual labourer, tired out with a hard week’s sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball on Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or business man, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.
　　It may also be said that rational, industrious useful human beings are divided into two classes: first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure; and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, not only the means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest forms. But Fortune’s favoured children belong to the second class. Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation. Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of a diversion of effort, is essential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their minds.

The Most Unforgettable Person I Ever Know! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:44:00.001+08:00

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In my life I have net many people who are really worth recalling. But perhaps the most unforgettable person I’ve ever known is one of my Chinese language teachers. To many students, ‘teacher” is just a word, I think. For me, however, it means much more. That’s because I am lucky to have an excellent teacher. He made me want to listen to everything he said in class.
What frequently bring back memories of my school teaching is his special qualities. First of all, I was attracted by his lively wit. He is not as serious as most teachers are, and thinks of his students as friends. Because of his personality, all of his students are close to him. I remember that we students always anticipated his class with great eagerness because his lectures were humorously delivered, never failing to provoke chuckles or loud laughers. Second, he gave us the greatest gift a teacher can offer -- an awakening of a passion for learning. He not only led us t to an appreciation of the beauty and perfection of Chinese and literature, but also aroused our great interest in exploring something deeper in this field. Finally, I was deeply impressed by the respect he showed for us. As he treated us like friends rather than students, we all liked to visit his home for social activities as well as for academic advice. Although it is nearly ten years since I attended his last class, he is the talk of our old classmates, and I know part of him has already stayed in my heart.

My Dear Parents! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:42:00.002+08:00

trolley bag trolley luggage laptop bag If anybody asks me, ‘what is your most important thing in your life?” My answer isn’t myself, money, my future lover, or…, but my parents.
I love them. Although I never said that words to them, I think we seldom said that words to each other, but we know we love each other. I can remember that when I was a small girl, my parents took me everywhere I wanted …
In my memories, my mother always covered her five fingers in my arse. Now I’m an adult, I sometimes told my relatives that she used to be a cruel mother. And she explained that how mischievous I used to be, and she was so worried about me. Though, she was a bit strict when I was young, and a bit talkative nowadays. But I still think she is the most beautiful woman in my mind. Even though she is getting older, she always wears fashionable clothes and shoes. She is so active and beautiful, I think. But I don’t like the sentence she always tells me, it just like defiance, “Dear! Look, your Mom has so nice finger!” Oh, of course I admit that she really has so nice finger. But your know, never tell girls (especially fat girls) how nice your finger is, please! That’s my Mom, a fashionable woman. I love her!
My Dad, a humorous “big Boy”, he loves me very much, and also my Mom. Although I’m 20 years now, he always calls me in a sweet voice. Sometimes I really couldn’t stand it, but if he didn’t call me in that way, I couldn’t bear much more, I think! Perhaps he seldom taught me a lesson, so I remembered the only four times he beat me, and I remembered very deeply. Every time I recalled these four times, he always said, “Oh, no! You still remember that, why do you have so good memory? But do you remember I was you “nianbu” in winter? Do you remember I enclasp you through the whole night just because you crying all the time? Do you remember…? “I’m afraid I can’t, Dad! “Oh, No!” I love my Dad, and I know that he loves me so deeply, because I’m his little princess. Everybody says that I have a warm family. We like friends but not like the traditional parents and children. Whatever, I like my family, I love my parents, and I’ll love them forever, even the next transmigration!

A Dying Angel (Upon a true story)! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:42:00.001+08:00

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The sun is shining brightly out of my window. I can feel the sunbeam come straight from my eyes to my heart. But there is no warmth. I’m still really cold.
After the first remedy, I never feel any better. Everyone warned me not to move anywhere. Even a little cut may deprive my life.
“My honey,” Mommy said to me with manful spirit in her eyes. “Please go on, you’re strong enough, you’re brave enough to live on!”
“Don’t worry,” I smiled, “I’m Ok, Mommy, I’ll never give up.” Mommy smiled as return after hearing my words.

But how can I go on? I am the biggest criminal in my family! It’s I who have spent each penny in my family which was made yb my parents for their whole lives. It’s my blood cancer that made my parents become old overnight, but they still have to smile and encourage me though they’re being killed by the much more sorrow than I am. How can I still live in this family? How can I still live in the world?
In fact, we have had no money to pay for the second remedy. I don’t know why I have to be paid so much to keep the little time in my life. It’s really unnecessary.
Severe pain is killing me. I want to stop. I don’t want to be the criminal. I don’t want to leave the world with an empty family and hopeless parents. I don’t want to be the heavy burden of my family of my world in my last days.
I suddenly feel the wall coming to me. All is black. I passed out again. I don’t know how many times I pass out and revive. I hope, I wish this is the last time.
A familiar song comes to my clear mind:
“Mama, you gave life to me,turned a baby into a lady;Mama, all I have to offer was a guarantee of you loving me…
Good-bye is the saddest word I’ve ever heard,Good-bye is the last time I can hold you near.Someday you’ll say that word and I will cry,It will break my heart to hear you say good-bye.Till we meet again, until than good-bye.”
I don’t know if I’m still alive. But I’m sure I could see the drops of tears coming from Mommy’s eyes and she is smiling. She said to me: “ Baby, I know you’re leaving, I know I can’t stop you from leaving me. Take care of yourself whether you’re in the human world or not. I will always- love – you!”

48 Tips to a Happy Marriage! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:41:00.000+08:00

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I came across a list titled: “48 Tips to a Happy Marriage”. I thought that they are worth mentioning and maybe exploring. I wonder how much of these are followed by couples in our society and do they find them relevant and applicable?
Since I am still single; I will comment about each one from my own perspective and state what I think about it; by that; I am not dictating or promoting anything, I am just thinking in the form of writing.
The list goes as follows; if you become bored while going through them, stop and come back later because I found them very interesting and I am hoping you will do too:
1. Start each day with a kiss ~ I think this one is not that hard; on the contrary; it can be healthy and nice.
2. Wear your wedding ring at all times ~ most couples do wear the ring, however; their reasons might vary, so as long as they think of it as a sign of their commitment to their spouses, then they are on the safe side.
3. Date once a week ~ I believe this one is very healthy; maybe not as often as once a week, let’s say every other week or that a date can be inside your home and that you don’t have to go somewhere fancy to have it, you get the idea, right?
4. Accept differences ~ No one is perfect. However; healthy arguments are good for the relationship, hence; the most important thing would be learning how to compromise with one another.
5. Be polite ~ Please, thank you, you are welcome… these are not only meant for strangers; your own spouse and family should come first and you must always use these phrases inside your home.
6. Be gentle ~ a person is supposed to be the closest to his/her spouse, being gentle is crucial to keep them close enough or they will find that comfort elsewhere.
7. Give gifts ~ nice small gifts are appreciated every once in a while
8. Smile often ~ I would say: Smile Always because it is contagious and you are more likely to be smiled at when you show your teeth more often!!
9. Touch ~ intimacy between married people is very important and touching is a means of communication that reflects closeness, connection and love; it is your way of keeping the spark alive.
10. Talk about dreams ~ dreams of the future that is; if you don’t share your dreams with your spouse; then who?
11. Select a song that can be “our song” ~ this sounds like a cliché, but it can be nice, don’t you think?
12. Give back rubs ~ this means: be comforting both mentally and physically and if you don’t know how to give back rubs and massages; it is time to learn!
13. Laugh together ~ laughter is like smiling and as they say: it is medicine. When you share good laughs together; the fun grows in the relationship and you grow closer and stronger every day.
14. Send a card for no reason ~ another cliché? Maybe, but everyone likes to receive a nice “I love you” or “I miss you” notes every once in a while; it does boost one’s ego, doesn’t it?
15. Do what the other person wants before he or she asks ~ of course; you need to know your spouse so well to be able to do this one. I guess this comes with time as you grow to know each other but seek to get that knowledge; don’t assume that it will come to you!
16. Listen ~ this could be the most important one ever, but note that you should listen with empathy and not just hear what they are saying; you should get involved.
17. Encourage ~ positive support and being there for one another is also very important; seek their support and give them yours and be generous!
18. Do it his or her way ~ sometimes; you need to do things their way just to show how much you love them and respect their feelings.
19. Know his or her needs ~ what good is a spouse if he/she does not know the needs of their significant others? This should be your primary concern!
20. Compliment twice a day ~ everyone likes to hear something nice as a compliment; so give them that when it is due. It should not be literally twice but don’t be extreme by not giving at all or giving too much; just say something nice when you can.
21. Fix the other person’s breakfast ~ it doesn’t have to be breakfast in bed though!
22. Call during the day ~ but don’t over do it and be obsessed with calling him/her. Give them their space but also show them that you think of them by a 2-minutes phone call saying “how are you doing?”
23. Slow down ~ and don’t jump to conclusions; always give the benefit of the doubt and wait to hear them out.
24. Cuddle ~ yes; intimacy is very important and reflects love and deep feelings.
25. Ask for each others’ opinion ~ absolutely; whose opinion would you seek if not your spouse’s? Your decisions will reflect both your lives and not only your own, so their opinion is important for you to make the right move.
26. Show respect ~ all the time; whether you are alone or among others. Showing respect is more important than showing love.
27. Welcome the other person home ~ show enthusiasm when they come home and greet them; this means that you are happy because they are home now and that you were waiting for them!
28. Look your best ~ I understand that this is not easy to implement since we face different situations all day long, however; it does count that you make the effort to look your best every once in a while just for their sake and not only because you are going out or expecting guests, get the point?
29. Wink at each other ~ another cliché? Probably, but it can be any other gesture like smiling their way across the room or dining table, or holding their hand for a minute, just anything that appeals to both of you.
30. Celebrate birthdays in a big way ~ this does not mean a big party; just show them you care about their personal occasions.
31. Apologize ~ and don’t be too stubborn to admit that you made a mistake, because apologizing can clear things between you and allows you to move on from the conflict in a healthy manner.
32. Forgive ~ from the heart and not only in words; forgive them and mean it.
33. Set up a romantic getaway ~ this sounds like fun every once in a while; no harm in that!
34. Ask, “What can I do to make you happier?” ~ in other words; communicate and keep it going, because one’s needs might change along the way, and what they used to like a couple of years ago might not be appealing to them now; so make sure you ask them what does make them happy and do it.
35. Be positive ~ even when it is a negative era of your lives; always try to show the full half of the cup.
36. Be kind ~ and nice.
37. Be vulnerable ~ let those guards down and show your true colors.
38. Respond quickly to the other person’s request ~ show them that you are doing this because you care for them the most.
39. Talk about your love ~ again; communicate. Always tell them as well as show them how much you love them and how happy you are because of having them in your lives.
40. Treat each others’ friends and relatives with courtesy ~ even if you don’t like their family and/or friends, you treat them with respect and courtesy for the sake of your spouse; they deserve that much.
41. Send flowers every Valentine’s Day and anniversary ~ or just for the sake of it; flowers can say a lot on your behalf.
42. Admit when wrong ~ don’t be too arrogant to say it.
43. Be sensitive to each other’s sexual desires ~ more importantly; understand these desires and keep the communication going.
44. Pray for each other daily ~ and do it from the heart.
45. Watch sunsets together ~ just share such moments together; it does not have to be sunset; it can be anything else.
46. Say “I love you” frequently ~ don’t assume that they know you love them; everyone likes to hear it, so say it!
47. End the day with a hug ~ show closeness and again; intimacy.
48. Seek outside help when needed ~ if you reach a point when you feel that you cannot solve the problem alone; seek the help of someone you both trust before giving up, or go for professional help as a last resort. Never feel ashamed of that; seeking help is a lot better than giving up and doing your very best to solve your issues. You owe it to yourself and to them to do that.

Love People In All Kinds Of "Weather"! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:40:00.001+08:00

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Make sure your love is unconditional. Make sure you love people in all kinds of "weather". Or else what is the use if we love a person only when he is good or she is nice? When I need the people most that's when they leave me. All the time. So please, I hope you won't be like that. We always have to consider the other party, your companion's situation and mood. Maybe he's in difficulty right now. That's why his mood is not so sweet.
Maybe she has so much work to do and so many headaches, so she cannot be so darling like usual. That time is the time when we need to show our most noble quality, the way we want ourselves to be.
It's not that if you are sweet to that person then he will love you more. Maybe he will, maybe he won't. But that is not the point to be good and to be noble. To be good, to be noble is for ourselves because we choose to be that way, we want to keep being that way, and we feel good about it. It's not because, "Okay, now he needs me more. If I show more sympathy, then our love will be stronger"; It's not even to be considered.
But most of the time we fail the test. When people are in most difficulty, we just leave them, or we are cold and indifferent. "Oh, you're not nice to me. All right, all right.";"You'll come and need me soon."; Of course they will. When they're in a better mood, when everything goes better, of course they'll come around. But then it's too late. Then it is not love anymore. It's just a need for each other. That's different, because you are used to each other and you need each other sometimes out of habit, out of convenience, out of financial security reasons -- anything. But it's not true love.
True love is we stick together in "thick and thin";. Especially when it's thin, when it's troublesome. Then we should really bridge over the "troubled water". That's what they say in English. But most of us fail the test, to ourselves, not to our partners. He might leave you, he might stay with you, because you're nice or not nice. But you fail yourself. You leave yourself. You leave the most noble being that you really are. So we should check up on this to our family members or whomever that is beloved and dear to us. Most of the time in critical situations, we just turn our backs and that is no good.
Of course we have our anger, our frustrations, because our partners are not as loving as usual, or whomever that is; but he or she is in a different situation. At that time, she or he is in mental suffering. It's just as bad or even worse than physical suffering. Physical suffering you can take a pill or you can have an injection and it stops or at least temporarily stops, and you feel the effect right away; or at least if people are in physical suffering, everyone sympathizes with them.
But when they are in mental anguish, and we pound them more on that, and we turn our backs and become cold and indifferent, that is even more cruel, even worse. That person will be swimming alone in suffering. And especially they trust us as the next of kin, the next person, the one that they think they can rely on in times of need; and then at that time, we just turn around and are snobbish, because they didn't treat us nice so we just want to revenge. That's not the time. You can revenge later, when he's in better shape. Just slap him.
Actually, at that time, the person is not his usual self anymore. He was probably under very great pressure that he lost his own control. It's not really lost his own control, but for example, when you are in a hurry, your talk is different. Right? "Hand me that coat! Quick! Quick! Quick!" Things like that. But normally, you would say "Honey, please, can you give me that coat." Is that not so? (Audience: Yes.) Or when you're in pain -- for example stomach pain, heartache or whatever -- you scream loudly; and anyone who comes to talk to you, you don't talk in the usual way anymore, because you're in pain.
Similarly, when you are in a mental or psychological pain, you talk also in a very grouchy way, very cross. But that is understandable. So if we -- any so-called loving partner or family member -- do not understand even this very least, very basic concept, then we're finished. Then we are really in a bad situation. It's not that the partner will do anything to us. Whether he does anything to us later or not, that is no problem. The problem is us. The problem is we degrade ourselves, that we make less of a being of ourselves than we should be, than we are supposed to be, or that we really are. So do not make less of a being of yourselves.

My Irreplaceable Treasure ! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:38:00.000+08:00

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[1]Recently I gave a dinner party for some close friends. To add a touch of elegance to the evening, I brought out the good stuff--my white Royal Crown Derby china with the fine blue-and-gold border. When we were seated, one of the guests noticed the beat-up gravy boat I'd placed among the newer, better dinnerware. "Is it an heirloom?" she asked tactfully.
[2] I admit the piece does look rather conspicuous. For one thing, it matches nothing else. It's also old and chipped. But that little gravy boat is much more than an heirloom to me. It is the one thing in this world I will never part with.
[3] The story begins more than 50 years ago, when I was seven years old and we lived in a big house along the Ohio River in New Richmond, Ohio. All that separated the house from the river was the street and our wide front lawn. In anticipation of high water, the ground floor had been built seven feet above grade.
[4] Late in December the heavy rains came, and the river climbed to the tops of its banks. When the water began to rise in a serious way, my parents made plans in case the river should invade our house. My mother decided she would pack our books and her fine china in a small den off the master bedroom.
[5] The china was not nearly as good as it was old. Each piece had a gold rim and a band of roses. But the service had been her mother's and was precious to her. As she packed the china with great care, she said to me, "You must treasure the things that people you love have cherished. It keeps you in touch with them."
6] I didn't understand, since I'd never owned anything I cared all that much about. Still, planning for disaster held considerable fascination for me.
[7] The plan was to move upstairs if the river reached the seventh of the steps that led to the front porch. We would keep a rowboat downstairs so we could get from room to room. The one thing we would not do was leave the house. My father, the town's only doctor, had to be where sick people could find him.
[8] I checked on the river's rise several times a day and lived in a state of hopeful alarm that the water would climb all the way up to the house. It did not disappoint. The muddy water rose higher until, at last, the critical seventh step was reached.
[9] We worked for days carrying things upstairs, until, late one afternoon, the water edged over the threshold and rushed into the house. I watched, amazed at how rapidly it rose.
[10] After the water got about a foot deep inside the house, it was hard to sleep at night. The sound of the river moving about downstairs was frightening. Debris had broken windows, so every once in a while some floating battering ram--a log or perhaps a table--would bang into the walls and make a sound like a distant drum.
11] Every day I sat on the landing and watched the river rise. Mother cooked simple meals in a spare bedroom she had turned into a makeshift kitchen. She was worried, I could tell, about what would happen to us. Father came and went in a small fishing boat. He was concerned about his patients and possible outbreaks of dysentery, pneumonia or typhoid.
[12] Before long, the Red Cross began to pitch tents on high ground north of town. "We are staying right here," my father said.
[13] As the water continued to rise, I kept busy rowing through the house and looking at the furniture that had been too big to move upstairs. I liked to row around the great cozy couch, now almost submerged, and pretend it was an island in a lake.
[14] One night very late I was awakened by a tearing noise, like timbers creaking. Then there was the rumbling sound of heavy things falling. I jumped out of bed and ran into the hallway. My parents were standing in the doorway to the den, where we had stored the books and my mother's beloved china.
[15] The floor of the den had fallen through, and all the treasures we had tried to save were now on the first floor, under the stealthily rising river. My father lit our camp light, and we went to the landing to look. We could see nothing except the books bobbing like little rafts on the water.
[16] Mother had been courageous, it seemed to me, through the ordeal of the flood. She was steady and calm, and kept things going in good order. But that night she sat on the top of the stairs with her head on her crossed arms and cried. I had never seen her like that, and there was a sound in her weeping that made me afraid. I wanted to help her, but I couldn't think of what I could possibly do. I just knew I had to figure out something.
17] The next morning, after breakfast, I did a geography lesson and then Mother said I could go downstairs and play in the boat. I rowed once around the down-stairs, avoiding the mess of timbers in the hall where the terrible accident had occurred. The books had begun to sink. I stared down into the dark water and could see nothing. It was right then that I got the idea.
[18] I made a hook from a wire coathanger and carefully fastened it to a weighted line. Then I let it sink and began to drag it slowly back and forth. I spent the next hour or so moving the boat and dragging my line--hoping to find pieces of my mother's lost treasure. But time after time the line came up empty.
[19] As the water rose day after day, I continued trying to recover some remnant of my mother's broken china. Soon, however, the water inside had risen to the stairway landing. On the day water covered the gutters outside, my father decided we would have to seek shelter in the tents on the hill. A powerboat was to pick us up that afternoon. We would leave by the porch roof.
[20] I spent the morning hurriedly securing things in my room. Then I got into my rowboat for the last time. I dragged my line through the water. Nothing. After some time I heard my parents calling, so I headed back toward the stairway. Just as I made the last turn, I snagged something.
[21] Holding my breath, I slowly raised my catch to the surface. As the dark water drained from it, I could make out the bright roses and gold leaf design. It seemed dazzling to me. I had found the gravy boat from my mother's china service. My line had caught on a small chip in the lip.
[22] My father called down to me again. "This is serious business," he said. "Let's go." So I stowed the treasure in my jacket and rowed as fast as I could to the stair landing.
23] The powerboat picked us up and headed to higher ground. It began to rain, and for the first time I was really afraid. The water might rise forever, might cover the whole valley, the trees, even the hills.
[24] By the time we were settled in a Red Cross tent, we were worn out. Father had gone off to care for sick people, and Mother sat on my cot with her arm around my shoulder. She smiled at me, if you can call it that. Then I reached under my pillow and took out the gravy boat.
[25] She looked at it, then at me. Then she took it in her hands and held it for a long time. She was very quiet, just sitting, gazing at the gravy boat. She seemed both close to me and also very far away, as though she was remembering. I don't know what she was thinking, but she pulled me into her arms and held me tight.
[26] We lived in the tent for weeks, cold and often hungry. As the flood crested, an oil slick caught fire and burned our house down to the waterline. We never went back. Instead, we moved to a house near Cincinnati, far from the river.
[27] By Easter we were settled in, and we celebrated that special Sunday with a feast. While Dad carved the lamb, Mother went into the kitchen and returned with the gravy boat. She held my gift for a moment as though it was something unspeakably precious. Then, smiling at me, she placed it gently on the table. I said to myself right then that nothing would ever happen to that gravy boat as long as I lived.
[28] And nothing ever has. Now I use the gravy boat just as she had, taking it carefully from the shelf and filling it just as she did with dark, rich turkey gravy for family dinners and other special occasions. When guests ask about the curious old dish, I sometimes tell the story of how I fished it from the river in our house.
[29] But beyond the events of the flood, the gravy boat is a treasure that connects me to the people and the places of my past. Mother tried to explain, and now I understand. It is not the object so much as the connection that I cherish. That little porcelain boat, chipped and worn with age, keeps me in touch--just as she said it would--with her life, her joy and her love.

The Love in That Summer ! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:33:00.002+08:00

trolley bag trolley luggage laptop bag She enjoyed Strauss, KFC and Brazil Espresso, I know, she was like a busy bee in an office building in a decent grey dress suite. That was the case before she met me and all this has vanished since she fell in love with me.

Let me date back to 1997. I started my so-called business and she followed me without any reservation. That summer came very early and the flowers made a red city. We lived in a small suburb house, which was an illegal construction, with wind blowing through four sides into the house. That made our temporary home.
Just for saving money, we walked to our downtown store in the mooring, ate very simple lunch just worth 1.5 Yuan for each, and walked back home in the evening, thus we felt totally exhausted every day. We seemed to live through one whole year in such situation.
We tasted hardships and sorrows in those days. At that time, the business was my totem, while the love was her belief. These were all on which we could rely to go ahead.

One day, we walked home very late. She sat at the bed edge and washed her feet. I went to the landlord for boiled water to make instant noodles. When I came back with a thermos bottle, I found that she had fallen into a sound sleep. She kept a pose of being totally exhausted with her feet dunked in the basin. One of her arms was under her body, thus a light snore could be heard. I tiptoed to the bed with the intention of flipping her over to make her more comfortable. I gazed at her face, a young and pretty one which was filled with tiredness. On this pretty face, I found a mosquito.

That summer, the city was like a huge steamer box. We put off the time of buying a mosquito net one day after another just for saving money. I knew mosquitoes flew everywhere in our room, but it seemed nothing to me. So exhausted when lying on the bed, I doubted whether I would wake up even if someone cut a piece off my body, let alone mosquitoes bit me.

The mosquito lay on her forehead and sucked her blood greedily. She was sleeping like a baby and feeling nothing at all. Perhaps she was dreaming of our business turning better. There came a sudden throb in my heart. I reached my hands and waved, but the mosquito cared nothing about my threat. With the intention of patting it to death, I raised my hand high, but could not bear to pat down. I was afraid of waking her up -- because she was so worn out.

Between her and me, a puny mosquito was harming her at the moment. I stood there woodenly with my hand in the air. I fell into conflict and worry. Suddenly, I began to detest myself deeply. On that summer night, I stood there with an extremely guilty feeling for her and our love. After the mosquito flew away, I forgave it, but I could not forgive myself.

When I passed by a peddler‘s stall one day, I found a pink mosquito net priced at 16 Yuan. Many things could be done with the money at that time. Then I stayed up the whole night, waving a hardboard to keep mosquitoes from approaching her just like a guard. I acted as her temporary mosquito net. After a while, she woke up and gazed at me. Ten minutes later, tears flooded her face.
The next day a pink mosquito net hung in my room. We just kept silent when hanging it on our bed. I gave it to her as a gift, but I did not tell her my intention. I felt it was like a full-blown rose which could be regarded as my compensation for the love. But I thought that nothing could really make it up. That day was also her birthday.
Still later, there was a period of time, I got or we got 160,000 Yuan. We bought a lot of things, but we never bought a mosquito net. We did not need mosquito net any more, because no mosquito could fly into our well-decorated room. However, I always feel that all my money and belongings are far less valuable than the 16-yuan mosquito net to her or to our love.
That summer was gone. We could do nothing but love each other.

Words From a Father ! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:33:00.001+08:00

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In the doorway of my home, I looked closely at the face of my 23-year-old son, Daniel, his backpack by his side. We were saying good-bye. In a few hours he would be flying to France. He would be staying there for at least a year to learn another language and experience life in a different country.
It was a transitional time in Daniel‘s life, a passage, a step from college into the adult world. I wanted to leave him some words that would have some meaning, some significance beyond the moment.
But nothing came from my lips. No sound broke the stillness of my beachside home. Outside, I could hear the shrill cries of sea gulls as they circled the ever changing surf on Long Island. Inside, I stood frozen and quiet, looking into the searching eyes of my son.
What made it more difficult was that I knew this was not the first time I had let such a moment pass. When Daniel was five, I took him to the school-bus stop on his first day of kindergarten. I felt the tension in his hand holding mine as the bus turned the corner. I saw colour flush his cheeks as the bus pulled up. He looked at me-as he did now.
What is it going to be like, Dad? Can I do it? Will I be okay? And then he walked up the steps of the bus and disappeared inside. And the bus drove away. And I had said nothing.
A decade or so later, a similar scene played itself out. With his mother, I drove him to William and Mary College in Virginia. His first night, he went out with his new schoolmates, and when he met us the next morning, he was sick. He was coming down with mononucleosis, but we could not know that then. We thought he had a hangover.
In his room, Dan lay stretched out on his bed as I started to leave for the trip home. I tried to think of something to say to give him courage and confidence as he started this new phase of life.
Again, words failed me. I mumbled something like, "Hope you feel better Dan." And I left.
Now, as I stood before him, I thought of those lost opportunities. How many times have we all let such moments pass? A boy graduates from school, a daughter gets married. We go through the motions of the ceremony, but we don‘t seek out our children and find a quiet moment to tell them what they have meant to us. Or what they might expect to face in the years ahead.
How fast the years had passed. Daniel was born in New Orleans, LA., in 1962, slow to walk and talk, and small of stature. He was the tiniest in his class, but he developed a warm, outgoing nature and was popular with his peers. He was coordinated and 6)agile, and he became adept in sports.
Baseball gave him his earliest challenge. He was an outstanding pitcher in Little League, and eventually, as a senior in high school, made the varsity, winning half the team‘s games with a record of five wins and two losses. At graduation, the coach named Daniel the team‘s most valuable player.
His finest hour, though, came at a school science fair. He entered an exhibit showing how the circulatory system works. It was primitive and crude, especially compared to the fancy, computerized, blinking-light models entered by other students. My wife, Sara, felt embarrassed for him.
It turned out that the other kids had not done their own work-their parents had made their exhibits. As the judges went on their rounds, they found that these other kids couldn‘t answer their questions. Daniel answered every one. When the judges awarded the Albert Einstein Plaque for the best exhibit, they gave it to him.
By the time Daniel left for college he stood six feet tall and weighed 170 pounds. He was muscular and in superb condition, but he never pitched another inning, having given up baseball for English literature. I was sorry that he would not develop his athletic talent, but proud that he had made such a mature decision.
One day I told Daniel that the great failing in my life had been that I didn‘t take a year or two off to travel when I finished college. This is the best way, to my way of thinking, to broaden oneself and develop a larger perspective on life. Once I had married and begun working, I found that the dream of living in another culture had vanished.
Daniel thought about this. His friends said that he would be insane to put his career on hold. But he decided it wasn‘t so crazy. After graduation, he worked as a waiter at college, a bike messenger and a house painter. With the money he earned, he had enough to go to Paris.
The night before he was to leave, I tossed in bed. I was trying to figure out something to say. Nothing came to mind. Maybe, I thought, it wasn‘t necessary to say anything.
What does it matter in the course of a life-time if a father never tells a son what he really thinks of him? But as I stood before Daniel, I knew that it does matter. My father and I loved each other. Yet, I always regretted never hearing him put his feelings into words and never having the memory of that moment. Now, I could feel my palms sweat and my throat tighten. Why is it so hard to tell a son something from the heart? My mouth turned dry, and I knew I would be able to get out only a few words clearly.
“Daniel," I said, "if I could have picked, I would have picked you."
That‘s all I could say. I wasn‘t sure he understood what I meant. Then he came toward me and threw his arms around me. For a moment, the world and all its people vanished, and there was just Daniel and me in our home by the sea.
He was saying something, but my eyes misted over, and I couldn‘t understand what he was saying. All I was aware of was the stubble on his chin as his face pressed against mine. And then, the moment ended. I went to work, and Daniel left a few hours later with his girlfriend.
That was seven weeks ago, and I think about him when I walk along the beach on weekends. Thousands of miles away, somewhere out past the ocean waves breaking on the deserted shore, he might be scurrying across Boulevard Saint Germain, strolling through a musty hallway of the Louvre, bending an elbow in a Left Bank café.
What I had said to Daniel was clumsy and trite. It was nothing. And yet, it was everything.

Happiness Equates with Fun? trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:26:00.000+08:00

trolley bag trolley luggage laptop bag I live in Hollywood. You may think people in such a glamorous, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more abiding emotion.
Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells "happiness".
But in memoir after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children, profound loneliness.
The way people cling to the belief that a fun-filled, pain-free life equates happiness actually diminishes their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But, in fact, the opposite is true: More times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very endeavors that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, civic or charitable work, and self-improvement.

The Five Images of Love! trolley bag

2008-11-12T20:23:00.000+08:00

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No one understands the nature of love; it is like a bird of heaven that sings a strange language. It lights down among us, coming from whence we know not, going we know not how or when, striking out wild notes of music that make even fatigued and heavy hearts to throb and give back a tone of courage.
The sorts and kinds of love are infinite in number, infinite as the days of the years of time. Each one of us is capable of many and various loves. We cannot love two creatures, not two dogs, with the same love. To each of those whom we love we offer a gem of different colour and value;—to the unknown Master of the heavens, ah! who shall tell of what sort is the love we offer to Him? Yet in this love, too (which is natural worship), we discover the same vibrational atmosphere that invades the soul of all lovers.
I doubt we shall not get much nearer to the nature of love by mere talking. Intellectual statements are of little use. God does not make intellectual statements, He creates. We have to find our way about in the vast medley of created things that life spreads out around us, and pick up what bits of knowledge we can as we make our way along.
Let me choose five images that will give an idea of what the awaking of this new life means.
I. Shall we not say that the creature without love is like the lamp unlit? There it is, and no one needs it. But touch it with flame, and it trembles and glows and becomes the centre of the room where it stands. Everything that falls under its rays is new-gilt. So does the lover see all natural things quite new.
II. Or take the image of the withering plant that is dying of drought. The sun’s rays have parched it; the roots have searched and searched for moisture in a soil that grows every day harder and drier. The plant wilts and hangs its head; it is fainting and ready to die, when down comes the rain in a murmuring multitude of round scented drops. the purest thing alive, a distilled essence, necessary to life. Under that baptism the plant lifts itself up; it drinks and rejoices. In the night it renews its strength; in the morning the heat it has had from the sun, reinforced by the rain, bursts out into coloured flowers. So I have known a man battered by hard life and the excess of his own passions: I have seen love come to such a man and take him up and cleanse him and set him on his feet; and from him has burst forth a flood of colour and splendour—creative work that now lends its fiery stimulus to thousands.
III. Another image might be of the harp that stands by itself in golden aloofness. Then come the beautiful arms, the curving fingers that pluck at the strings, and the air is filled with melody; the harp begins to live, thrilling and rejoicing. down to its golden foot.
IV. Or picture the unlighted house, empty at fall of night. The windows are dark; the door shut; the clean wind goes about and about it, and cannot find an entrance. The dull heavy air is faint within; it longs to be reunited to the wind of the world outside. Then comes the woman with the key, and in she steps; the windows are opened, the imprisoned air rushes out, the wind enters; the lamps and the fire are lit; so that light fills windows and doors. The tables are set, there is the sound of footsteps; and more footsteps. The house glows and lives.
One could please oneself by many more images; such as the white garment of feathers that the young swans put on in the spring: the young flowers opening out their cups to the Sun that fills them with his golden wine. All life is full of such images, because nature has ruled that love, energy, beauty, and joy are one.
V. A last image only I would like to add because of the pleasure it has given me. On the north door of the Cathedral of Chartres there is a sculptured design, some six hundred years old, of God creating the birds. God is charming, quite young, not more than thirty-eight or so; He has a most sweet expression. Behind Him a little stands the Son, about seventeen, tall as He and very like Him, but beardless. He has the same sweetness of look, as though upon each countenance an ineffable smile were just dawning. The Father is holding something that time has broken in His hand; most likely it is a bird. What a fortunate moment! What a fortunate thought! No wonder they both look pleased. Never have the birds disappointed Him as have we, His ruder children. Every spring since then these small creatures praise Him, head turned skywards, for the joy of the beloved, for the secret nest.
Imagining and pondering, one is apt to grow a little wise; now perhaps we may say that love is a radiant atmosphere of the soul, a celestial energy, a fluid force.
This force, this energy is set running in the wide kingdom that is within us by some Spirit touch. A soft tumult takes place in the life within; waves on waves of joy, desire, grief, ecstasy begin to run, making a trembling music that often causes the whole body to shake and tremble too.
I am in love with love; I do adore it;—from the smile on that rough fellow’s face as he talks to his dog, to the ardours of a St. Francis or a Joan of Arc. That bright creative flame, winged, conferring the gift of tongues, master of all music, of all joy, is the best thing we have of life.

Top 10 science discovery 2004-10 trolley bag

2008-09-17T16:05:00.001+08:00

trolley bag trolley luggage laptop bag 10. Researchers have developed techniques to identify genes in ocean water or in specimens recovered from deep underground. Thousands of new genes have been found. By sequencing these genes, researchers hope to identify news species and, perhaps, learn how organisms survive in harsh and forbidding locations on Earth.

Top 10 science discovery 2004-9 trolley bag

2008-09-17T16:04:00.002+08:00

trolley bag trolley luggage laptop bag 9. A new form of research and aid is creating "a revolution in public health," said Science. The partnership of public and private organizations worldwide is changing the way drugs are developed, tested and distributed to the poorest nations on Earth, the journal said. Researchers tallied at least 92 public-private partnerships worldwide attacking such diseases as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.

Top 10 science discovery 2004-8 trolley bag

2008-09-17T16:04:00.001+08:00

trolley bag trolley luggage laptop bag 8. It is one of the most common and universally known substances, but researchers are still learning more about water. Several teams of researchers made new discoveries about how water molecules（分子） bind together and how electrons（电子） and protons（质子） dissolve in water. Some of the findings are questioned and Science noted: "Water still gives researchers much to scratch their heads about."

Top 10 science discovery 2004-7 trolley bag

2008-09-17T16:03:00.002+08:00

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7. Naturalists tracking the fate of wild species worldwide reported bad news. A survey of amphibians（两栖动物） found that of 5,700 known species, about 30% were at risk of extinction. A survey in the United Kingdom found that butterflies, songbirds and native plant species are all losing ground in the battle for species survival.

Top 10 science discovery 2004-6 trolley bag

2008-09-17T16:03:00.001+08:00

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6. Astronomers discovered a pair of neutron stars（中子星） locked in orbit of each other and spewing out beams of radiation. Both objects are pulsars（脉冲星）, rapidly flickering on and off with pulses of energy. One object is pulsing at the rate of 44 times a second. By studying the radiation, astronomers hope for the first time to learn about the density of matter within a neutron star.

Top 10 science discovery 2004-5 trolley bag

2008-09-17T16:02:00.002+08:00

trolley bag trolley luggage laptop bag 5. Scientists discovered that "junk DNA," the base pairs between known genes in the human genetic structure, play an important role. Several research teams have found that DNA between genes helps determine how vigorously and often the genes are activated and shapes the coding for protein production.

Top 10 science discovery 2004-4 trolley bag

2008-09-17T16:02:00.001+08:00

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4. U.S. and Austrian scientists created a new form of condensate（冷凝物）, an ultracold gas that slips into a quantum state where a group of atoms act as a single superatom. The achievement was notable because it used fermions（费米子）, a class of atoms with a nuclear structure that makes it difficult to create a condensate.

Top 10 science discovery 2004-3 trolley bag

2008-09-17T16:01:00.002+08:00

trolley bag trolley luggage laptop bag Third on Science's list of 2004 breakthroughs was the cloning of human embryos by South Korean researcher Woo San Hwang and his colleagues. The work was not an attempt to genetically duplicate a human. Instead, the researchers hoped to make embryonic stem cells for research purposes. Although many other mammals have been cloned, the work was the first to demonstrate that cloning techniques would work with human cells.
Following are the rest of Science's 2004 selections.

Top 10 science discovery 2004-2 trolley bag

2008-09-17T16:01:00.001+08:00

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The first runner-up for breakthrough of the year was the discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores of fossils from a species of tiny humans who stood about 3 feet tall and had a brain less than a third the size of modern humans. Yet, the diminutive（小的） hominid（原始人） lived about 18,000 years ago. This suggests that Homo floresiensis shared the Earth with Homo sapiens（人类）, or modern people. Science said some described the find as "the biggest discovery in half a century of anthropological research."

Top 10 science discovery 2004-1 trolley bag

2008-09-17T15:57:00.001+08:00

trolley bag trolley luggage laptop bag Water and robots on Mars chosen as tops in 2004 by 'Science'
WASHINGTON — The conclusive discovery by a pair of wheeled robots that Mars once had vast pools of water and possibly could have harbored life was chosen by the editors of the journal Science as the most important scientific achievement of 2004.
Scientists announced in March that the Mars once played host to salty seas. This Mars Express image indicates water erosion.
NASA's two Mars rovers（漫游者）Opportunity and Spirit, landed on the Red Planet early in 2004 and have since found clear and conclusive evidence that Mars was drenched with（浸透） water at some time in its history.
The editors of Science, one of the world's leading publishers of peer-reviewed, original research, judged the robotic accomplishment as the top scientific "Breakthrough of the Year."
"Inanimate, wheeled, one-armed boxes roaming another planet have done something no human has ever managed," Science reported in this week's edition. "They have discovered another place in the universe where life could once have existed."
Nine other scientific achievements, including discovery of another species of human, were selected as runners-up, but Science editor-in-chief Donald Kennedy said "there wasn't much doubt about this year's winner."
Opportunity and Spirit found unmistakable proof of Martian water: rippled sediments（沉积物） that were once at the bottom of a shallow sea, and rock that once was so water-soaked that "it had rotted," the journal said.
"Their finds mark a milestone in humankind's search for life elsewhere in the universe," Science said.
Kennedy said one of the most important messages from the remote exploration is "the extraordinary efficiency of these robot missions."
He said it is clear that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration must not abandon its robotic exploration while gearing up for President Bush's program to send humans to the moon and later to Mars.
"To do one at the expense of the other would be a mistake," Kennedy said. "It remains to be demonstrated what a human exploration could do that we can't do now or couldn't do in the next 10 years with robotic technology."

What is Bluetooth? 3 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:56:00.001+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag 1Ms/s symbol rate exploits maximum available channel bandwidth
　　Fast frequency hopping avoids interference
　　Adaptive output power minimizes interference
　　Short data packets maximize capacity during interference
　　Fast acknowledge allows low coding overhead for links
　　CVSD (Continuous Variable Slope Delta Modulation) voice coding enables
operation at high bit- error rates
　　Flexible packet types supports wide application range
　　Air interface tailored to minimize current consumption
Basic Technical Information—Based upon a small , high performance integrated radio transceiver ,each of which is allocated a unique 48-bit address derived from the IEEE 802·standard .
　　Operate in the unrestricted 2.45GHz ISM free band, Which is available globally although slight variation of location and width of band apply
　　Range set at 10m to optimize for target market of mobile and business user
　　Gross data rate 1Mbit/s with second generation plans to increase to 1Mbit/s
　　One-to-one connections allow maximum data transfer rate of 721kbit/s (3 voice channels)
　　Uses packet switching protocol based on frequency hop scheme with 1600 hops/s to enable high performance in noisy radio environments .The entire available frequency spectrum is used with 79 hops of 1Mhz bandwidth , analogous to the IEEE 802.11 standard
　　Low power consumption longevity for battery powered devices . During data transfer the maximum current drain is 30mA. However during pauses or at lower data rates will be lower

What is Bluetooth? 2 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:55:00.000+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag What is Bluetooth Technology?
　　Bluetooth technology which apart from Ericsson, has gained the support of Nokia, IBM, Toshiba, Intel and many other manufacturers
　　eliminates the need for wires, cables and connectors for and between cordless or mobile phones, modems, headsets, PDAs, Computers, printers, projectors, local area networks, and so on, and paves the way for new and completely different devices and applications.Technology Characteristics

What is Bluetooth? 1 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:54:00.002+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag Bluetooth is a universal radio interface in the 2.45GHz frequency band that enables portable electronic devices to connect and communicate wirelessly via short-range, ad hoc networks. Each unit can simultaneously communicate with up to sever other units per piconet. Moreover, each unit can simultaneously belong to several piconets.

what is Multimedia? 2 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:54:00.001+08:00

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So what is multimedia? By now you should agree that multimedia isn't any one thing but a complex entity that involves the many things: hardware, software, and the interface where they meet. But we've forgotten the most important thing that multimedia involves: you. Yeah, sure. With multimedia, you don' t have to be a passive recipient. You can control. You can interact. You can make it do what you want it to do. It means you can tailor a multimedia presentation to your own needs. You can cut through the chaff and dig directly into the important data in a report, pull together reports and video clips from around the world that interest you. That's the strength of multimedia and what distinguishes it from traditional media like books and television.　　What does multimedia do? It presents information, shares ideas and elicits emotions. It enables you to see, hear, and understand the thoughts of others. In other words, it is a form of communication.

what is Multimedia? 1 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:53:00.000+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag The answer is neither simple nor easy. Multimedia is the combination of computer and video technology. Multimedia really just two media sound and pictures, or in today's term, audio and video. Multimedia itself has its binary aspects. As with all modern technologies, it is made from a mix of hardware and software, machine and ideas. More importantly, you can conceptually divide technology and function of multimedia into control systems and information. The enabling force behind multimedia is digital technology. Multimedia represents the convergence of digital control and digital media－－the PC as the digital control system and the digital media being today's most advanced form of audio and video storage and transmission. In fact, some people see multimedia simply as the marriage of PCs and video. PC power has reached a level close to that needed for procession television and sound data streams in real time, multimedia was born. Multimedia PC needs to be more powerful than mainstream computer－－at least the multimedia PC defines the mainstream. Among contemporary PCs, about the only things that separate an ordinary computer from multimedia are a soundboard and a CD- ROM driver. The CD serves as multimedia 's chief storage and exchange medium. Without the convenient CD, the PC industry would lack a means of distributing the hundreds of megabytes of audio, visual, and textual data that make up today's multimedia titles. Without CD, you couldn't buy multimedia because publishers have no way of getting it to you.

What is earthquake? travel bag

2008-09-17T15:52:00.000+08:00

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An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves（地震波）. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer（地震检波器）, also known as a seismograph（地震仪）. The moment magnitude of an earthquake is conventionally reported, or the related and mostly obsolete Richter magnitude(里氏量级）, with magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible 感觉不到的 and magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified Mercalli scale（麦加利震级, 麦氏震级）.
At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by a shaking and sometimes displacement （位移）of the ground. When a large earthquake epicenter （震中）is located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami（海啸）. The shaking in earthquakes can also trigger landslides and occasionally volcanic activity.
In its most generic sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event—whether a natural phenomenon or an event caused by humans—that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture（破裂, 裂开） of geological faults（断层）, but also by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments.
An earthquake's point of initial rupture is called its focus or hypocenter. The term epicenter means the point at ground level directly above this.

Danger from Home 7 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:51:00.001+08:00

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While pollutants commonly found in indoor air are responsible for many harmful effects, there is considerable uncertainty about what concentrations or periods of exposure are necessary to produce specific health problems. People also react very differently to exposure to indoor air pollutants. Therefore, further research is needed to better understand the effects of indoor air pollution and to find efficient ways to protect our health.

Danger from Home 6 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:50:00.003+08:00

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Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal. It is prudent to try to improve the indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not noticeable.

Danger from Home 5 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:50:00.001+08:00

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Certain immediate effects are similar to those from colds or other viral diseases, so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of exposure to indoor air pollution. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to the time and place the symptoms occur. If the symptoms fade or go away when a person is away from the home and return when the person returns, an effort should be made to identify indoor air sources that may be possible causes. Some effects may be made worse by an inadequate supply of outdoor air or from the heating, cooling, or humidity conditions prevalent in the home.

Danger from Home 4 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:49:00.000+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag The likelihood of immediate reactions to indoor air pollutants depends on several factors. Age and pre existing medical conditions are two important influences. In other cases, whether a person reacts to a pollutant depends on individual sensitivity, which varies tremendously from person to person. Some people can become sensitized to biological pollutants after repeated exposures, and it appears that some people can become sensitized to chemical pollutants as well.

Danger from Home 3 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:48:00.000+08:00

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Immediate effects may show up after a single exposure or repeated exposures. These include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Such immediate effects are usually short-term and treatable. Sometimes the treatment is simply eliminating the person's exposure to the source of the pollution, if it can be identified. Symptoms of some diseases, including asthma, hypersensitivity, pneumonitis, and fever, may also show up soon after exposure to some indoor air pollutants.

Danger from Home 2 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:47:00.000+08:00

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There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home. These include combustion sources such as oil, gas, coal, wood, and tobacco products; building materials and furnishings as diverse as deteriorated asbestos-containing insulation, wet or damp carpet, and cabinetry or furniture made of certain pressed wood products; products for household cleaning and maintenance, personal care, or hobbies; central heating and cooling systems and humidification devices; and outdoor sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution.

Danger from Home 1 travel bag

2008-09-17T15:41:00.001+08:00

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Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health, but many do not know that indoor air pollution can also have significant health effects. Environmental Protection Agency studies indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be 2～5 times, and occasionally more than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels. These levels of indoor air pollutants may be of particular concern because most people spend about 90％ of their time indoors.

Only In America... shoulder bag

2008-07-09T11:29:00.000+08:00

shoulder bag special bag travel bag Only In America... can pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance. Only In America...are there handicap parking places in front of a skating rink. Only In America...do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front. Only In America...do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a diet coke. Only In America...do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters. Only In America...do we leave cars worth tens of thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage. Only In America...do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have Call Waiting so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place. Only In America...do we buy hotdogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight. Only In America...do we use the word "politics" to describe the process so well: "Poli" in Latin meaning "many" and "tic" meaning "bloodsucking" creatures. Only In America...do they have driveup ATM machines with Braille lettering. Only In America...can a homeless combat veteran live in a cardboard box and a draft dodger live in a White House.

The Three Bears nonwoven bag

2008-07-09T11:23:00.000+08:00

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It's a sunny morning in the Big Forest and the Bear family is just waking up.Baby Bear goes downstairs and sits in his small chair at the table. He looks into his small bowl. It is empty! "Who's been eating my porridge?" he squeaks. Daddy Bear arrives at the table and sits in his big chair. He looks into his big bowl. It is also empty! "Who's been eating my porridge?" he roars. Mummy Bear puts her head through the serving hatch from the kitchen and yells, "For Pete's sake, how many times do we have to go through this? It was Mummy Bear who go up first. It was Mummy Bear who woke everybody else in the house up. It was Mummy Bear who unloaded the dishwasher from last night and put everything away. It was Mummy Bear who went out into the cold early morning air to fetch the newspaper. It was Mummy Bear who set the table. It was Mummy Bear who put the cat out, cleaned the litter box and filled the cat's water & food dish. And now that you've decided to come down stairs and grace me with your presence.... listen good because I'm only going to say this one more time....... I haven't made the @#*% porridge yet!!

Mommy is going to eat your fingers sports bag

2008-07-09T11:22:00.001+08:00

sports bag nonwoven bag trolley bag As I was trying to pack for vacation, my 3-year-old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point, she said, "Mom, look at this," and stuck out two of her fingers. Trying to keep her entertained, I reached out and stuck her fingers in my mouth and said, "Mommy gonna eat your fingers!" pretending to eat them before I rushed out of the room again. When I returned, my daughter was standing on the bed staring at her fingers with a devastated look on her face. I said, "What's wrong honey?" "Mommy, where's my booger?"

Male vs. Female Vocabulary pencil bag

2008-07-09T11:18:00.000+08:00

school bag pencil bag laptop bag THINGY (thing-ee) n.female: Any part under a car's hood.male: The strap fastener on a woman's bra.VULNERABLE (vul-ne-ra-bel) adj.female: Fully opening up one's self emotionally to another.male: Playing football without a helmet.COMMUNICATION (ko-myoo-ni-kay-shon) n.female: The open sharing of thoughts and feelings with one's partner.male: Scratching out a note before suddenly taking off for a weekend with the boys.BUTT (but) nfemale: The body part that every item of clothing manufactured makes "look bigger."male: What you slap when someone's scored a touchdown, home run, or goal.Also good for mooning.COMMITMENT (ko-mit-ment) nfemale: A desire to get married and raise a family.male: Not trying to pick up other women while out with one's girlfriend.ENTERTAINMENT (en-ter-tayn-ment) n.female: A good movie, concert, play or book.male: Anything that can be done while drinkingFLATULENCE (flach-u-lens) n.female: An embarrassing by-product of digestion.male: An endless source of entertainment, self-expression and malebonding.REMOTE CONTROL (ri-moht kon-trohl) nfemale: A device for changing from one TV channel to another.male: A device for scanning through all 75 channels every 2 1/2 minutes.

Ponderables? pencil bag

2008-07-09T11:17:00.002+08:00

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How do crazy people go through the forest? They take the psycho path. How do you get holy water?Boil the hell out of it. What do Eskimos get from sitting on the ice too long?Polaroids. What do prisoners use to call each other?Cell phones. What do you call a boomerang that doesn't work? A stick. What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Nacho Cheese. What do you call Santa's helpers? Subordinate Clauses.What do you call four bull fighters in quicksand? Quatro sinko. What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite. What has four legs, is big, green, fuzzy, and if it fell out of a tree would kill you? A pool table. What is a zebra?26 sizes larger than an "A" bra. What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches? A nervous wreck.What's the difference between an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer? The taste. What's the difference between roast beef and pea soup?Anyone can roast beef. Where do you find a no legged dog? Right where you left him. Where do you get virgin wool from? Ugly sheep. Why are there so many Johnsons in the phone book? They all have phones. Why do bagpipers walk when they play? They're trying to get away from the noise.Why do gorillas have big nostrils? Because they have big fingers.

Old Farmer Johnson was dying. school bag

2008-07-09T11:17:00.001+08:00

school bag pencil bag laptop bag Old Farmer Johnson was dying. The family was standing around his bed. With a low voice he said to his wife: "When I'm dead I want you to marry farmer Jones." Wife: "No, I can't marry anyone after you." Johnson: "But I want you to." Wife: "But why?" Johnson: "Jones once cheated me in a horse deal!"

Who Is the Laziest? tote bag

2008-07-09T11:16:00.001+08:00

shopping bag tote bag travel bag Father: Well, Tom, I asked to your teacher today, and now I want to ask you a question. Who is the laziest person in your class? Tom: I don't know, father. Father: Oh, yes, you do! Think! When other boys and girls are doing and writing, who sits in the class and only watches how other people work? Tom: Our teacher, father.

I think that I'm a chicken shopping bag

2008-07-09T11:14:00.000+08:00

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I think that I'm a chicken

Psychiatrist: What's your problem? Patient: I think I'm a chicken. Psychiatrist: How long has this been going on? Patient: Ever since I was an egg!

The mean man's party cosmetic bag

2008-07-09T11:13:00.002+08:00

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The notorious cheap skate finally decided to have a party. Explaining to a friend how to find his apartment, he said, "Come up to 5M and ring the doorbell with your elbow. When the door open, push with your foot." "Why use my elbow and foot?" "Well, gosh," was the reply, "You're not coming empty-hangded, are you?

The mean man's party cosmetic bag

2008-07-09T11:13:00.000+08:00

A letter from Aunt Martha handbag

2008-07-09T11:11:00.000+08:00

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Got a letter from my Aunt Martha the other day. She writes... The other day I went to the local Christian bookstore and saw a "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker. I was feeling particularly sassy that day, because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting. So I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper.Boy I'm glad I did, what an uplifting experience that followed! I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the lord and how good he is...and I didn't notice that the light had changed. It is a good thing that someone else loved Jesus because if he hadn't honked I'd never have noticed! I found lots of people loved Jesus! Why, while I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, And then he leaned out his window and screamed "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! GO! GO! Jesus Christ! GO! GO!" What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!!!!! Everyone started honking! I just leaned out my window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people! I even honked my horn a couple times to show my love.There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a sunny beach. I saw another guy waving in a funny way, with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. Then I asked my teenage son in the back-seat what that meant, he said that it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something. Well, I've never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My son burst out laughing...why even he was enjoying the religious experience! A couple of people were so caught up in the moment, that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed, so I waved to all my sisters and brothers grinning, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kinda sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign, as I drove away. Praise The Lord For Such Wonderful Folks!

A letter from Aunt Martha handbag

2008-07-09T11:01:00.000+08:00

handbag cosmetic bag trolley bag Got a letter from my Aunt Martha the other day. She writes... The other day I went to the local Christian bookstore and saw a "Honk if you love Jesus" bumper sticker. I was feeling particularly sassy that day, because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting. So I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper.Boy I'm glad I did, what an uplifting experience that followed! I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the lord and how good he is...and I didn't notice that the light had changed. It is a good thing that someone else loved Jesus because if he hadn't honked I'd never have noticed! I found lots of people loved Jesus! Why, while I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, And then he leaned out his window and screamed "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! GO! GO! Jesus Christ! GO! GO!" What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!!!!! Everyone started honking! I just leaned out my window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people! I even honked my horn a couple times to show my love.There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a sunny beach. I saw another guy waving in a funny way, with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. Then I asked my teenage son in the back-seat what that meant, he said that it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something. Well, I've never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My son burst out laughing...why even he was enjoying the religious experience! A couple of people were so caught up in the moment, that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me. I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed, so I waved to all my sisters and brothers grinning, and drove on through the intersection. I noticed I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and I felt kinda sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign, as I drove away. Praise The Lord For Such Wonderful Folks!

What would have been different if B water bag

2008-07-09T10:59:00.000+08:00

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1. Their #1 product would be Microsoft Winders 2. Instead of an hourglass icon you'd get an empty beer bottle 3. Occasionally you'd bring up a window that was covered with a hefty bag 4. Dialog boxes would give you the choice of Ahh-ight or Naaaaa 5. Instead of ta-da the opening sound would be dueling banjos 6. The Recycle Bin in Winders'95 would be an outhouse 7. Whenever you pulled up the sound player you'd hear a digitized drunk redneck yelling Freebird! 8. Instead of Start Me Up the Winders'95 theme song would be Achy-Braky Heart9. PowerPoint would be named ParPawnt 10. Microsoft's programming tools would be Vishul Basic and Bishul C++ 11. Winders'95 logo would incorporate the Confederate Flag 12. Microsoft Word would be just that: one word 13. Instead of latte carts we'd have grits carts 14. New Shutdown wav: Y'all come back now, Yah hear? 15. Instead of VP, Microsoft big shots would be called "Cuz" 16. Hardware could be repaired using parts from an old Trans-Am 17. Microsoft Office replaced with Micrasawft Henhouse 18. Four words: Daisy Duke Screen Saver 19. Well, the first thing you know, old Bill's a billionaire 20. Speadsheet software would include examples in inventory dead cars in your front yard 21. Flight Simulator replaced by Tractor Pull Simulator22. Microsoft CEO: Bubba Gates 23. Instead of asking "where do you want to go today? it's more like Hey mister, can I ketch a ridein the back? 24. Free eraser to erase the scribbble marks off the screen when using the NotePad

Ventriloquist cooler bag

2008-07-09T10:58:00.000+08:00

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A young ventriloquist is touring the Southwest and stops to entertain in an Arkansas bar. He's going through his usual stupid redneck jokes, when a big burly guy in the audience stands up and says threateningly, "I've heard just about enough of your smart mouth hillbilly jokes - we ain't all stupid here in Arkansas!" Flustered, the ventriloquist begins to apologize, when the big guy interrupts him and says, "You stay out of this mister-- I'm talking to the smart mouth little fella on your knee!"

You Might Be a Redneck! portfolio

2008-07-09T10:54:00.000+08:00

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What's the last thing you usually hear before a redneck dies? 'Hey y'all... Watch this!'How To Pick Up A Chick In Arkansas:Hey Baby! Nice tooth.You Might Be A Redneck If...You think the last three words of the nationalanthem is 'start your engines.'You Might Be A Redneck If...Fifth grade was the best six years of your life.You Might Be A Redneck If...One of your kids was born on a pool table.You Might Be A Redneck If...If you refer to the fifth grade as, "your senior year".You Might Be A Redneck If...You think the stock market has fence around it.You know yer a redneck when you take a load to thedump and bring back more than you took.You Might Be A Redneck If...You've ever been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.You Might Be A Redneck If...Your grandfather died and left everything to hiswidow... but she can't touch it 'til she's fourteen.You Might Be A Redneck If...The figurines on top your wedding cake were wearing overalls.You Might Be A Redneck If...Your favorite restaurant has a sawdust floorYou Might Be A Redneck If...You've ever burped and killed a flyYou Might Be A Redneck If...There were dogs in the church on your wedding dayYou Might Be A Redneck If...You're saving up to gravel your driveway.You Might Be A Redneck If...You've ever bought a used cap.You Might Be A Redneck If...You turn the sprinkler on and tell the kidsit's a water park.You Might Be A Redneck If...You've ever had to have a wrecker pull your carout of a pothole in your driveway.You Might Be A Redneck If...Your wedding cake was made by Sarah LeeYou Might Be A Redneck If...You've ever had a dream about beef jerky.You Might Be A Redneck If...Winn-Dixie catered your wedding.You Might Be A Redneck If...Your not actually able to read the Richard Petty Story, but you sure like to look at the pictures. You Might Be A Redneck If...You've ever tried to pass an entire funeral procession.You Might Be A Redneck If...Your driving a vehicle with no original body parts.You Might Be A Redneck If...In preparation for a romantic evening, you stop by thegrocery store for a bottle of Mr. Bubble.You Might Be A Redneck If...The fireworks stand gives you a volume discount.

Redneck Etiquette hydration pack

2008-07-09T10:53:00.000+08:00

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- Redneck Driving Etiquette - Dim your headlights for approaching vehicles, even if the gun is loaded and the deer is in sight. When approaching a four-way stop, the vehicle with the largest tires always has the right of way. Never tow another car using pantyhose and duct tape.When sending your wife down the road with a gas can, it is impolite to ask her to bring back beer. Never relieve yourself from a moving vehicle, especially when driving.Do not remove the seats from the car so that all your kids can fit in. Do not lay rubber while traveling in a funeral procession.- Redneck Personal Hygiene - Unlike clothes and shoes, a toothbrush should never be a hand-me-down item. If you have to vacuum the bed, it's time to change the sheets.While ears need to be cleaned regularly, this is a job that should be done in private using one's OWN truck keys. Plucking unwanted nose hair is time-consuming work.A cigarette lighter and a small tolerance for pain can accomplish the same goal and save hours. Note: Its a good idea to keep a bucket of water handy when using this method. - Redneck Dining Out - Remember to leave a generous tip for good service. After all, their mobile home costs just as much as yours. - Redneck Entertaining in Your Home -A centerpiece for the table should never be anything prepared by a taxidermist. Do not allow the dog to eat at the table . . . no matter how good his manners are. If your dog falls in love with a guest's leg, have the decency to leave them alone for a few minutes. - Redneck Dating (Outside the Family) - Always offer to bait your date's hook, especially on the first date. Be aggressive. Let her know you are interested: "I've been wanting to go out with you since I read that stuff on the men's bathroom wall two years ago." If a girl's name does not appear regularly on a bathroom wall, watertower, or an overpass, odds are good that the date will end in frustration. - Redneck Theater Etiquette - Crying babies should be taken to the lobby and picked up immediately after the movie has ended. Refrain from talking to characters on the screen. Tests have proven they can't hear you. - Redneck Wedding Etiquette -Livestock is usually a poor choice for a wedding gift. Its is not okay for the groom to bring a date to a wedding. When dancing, never remove undergarments, no matter how hot it is. A bridal veil made of window screen is not only cost effective but also a proven fly deterrent. For the groom, at least rent a tux. A leisure suit with a cummerbundand a clean bowling shirt can create a natty appearance.Though uncomfortable, say yes to socks and shoes for this special occasion.- Redneck Etiquette for All Occasions -Never take a beer to a job interview or ask if they press charges. Always identify people in your yard before shooting at them.Always say "Excuse me" after getting sick in someone else's car. It's considered tacky to take a cooler to church. Even if you're certain that you are included in the will, it's considered tacky to drive a U-Haul to the funeral home.The socially refined never fish coins out of public toilets, especially if other people are around. Always provide an alibi to the police for family members.

Where is Jesus today? drawstring backpack

2008-07-09T10:52:00.000+08:00

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A Sunday School teacher of pre-schoolers was concerned that his students might be a little confused about Jesus Christ because of the Christmas season emphasis on His birth. He wanted to make sure they understood that the birth of Jesus occurred a long time ago, that He grew up, etc. So he asked his class, "Where is Jesus today?" Steven raised his hand and said, "He's in heaven." Mary was called on and answered, "He's in my heart." Little Johnny, waving his hand furiously, blurted out, "I know! I know! He's in our bathroom!!!" The whole class got very quiet, looked at the teacher, and waited for a response. The teacher was completely at a loss for a few very long seconds. He finally gathered his wits and asked Little Johnny how he knew this. And Little Johnny said, "Well...every morning, my father gets up, bangs on the bathroom door, and yells 'Jesus Christ, are you still in there?'!"

The Lone Ranger backpack

2008-07-09T10:50:00.000+08:00

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A teacher cautiously approaches the subject of sex education with her fourth grade class because she realizes Little Johnny's propensity for sexual innuendo. But Johnny remains attentive throughout the entire lecture. Finally, towards the end of the lesson, the teacher asks for examples of sex education from the class. One little boy raises his hand, "I saw a bird in her nest with some eggs." "Very good, William," said the teacher. "My mommy had a baby," said little Esther. "Oh, that's nice," replied the teacher. Finally, little Johnny raises his hand. With much fear and trepidation, the teacher calls on him. "I was watchin' TV yesterday, and I saw the Lone Ranger. He was surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of Indians. And they all attacked at one time. And he killed every one of them with his two guns." The teacher was relieved but puzzled, "And what does that have to do with sex education, Johnny?" It'll teach those Indians not to fuck with the Lone Ranger."

A Never Finished Job student bag

2008-07-09T10:49:00.001+08:00

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I was going away for a few days and left my husband a list of chores. For fun, I put down as Item 5: Think about your wife a lot. After I returned, my husband proudly reported that he had completed every job. When I saw the list, however, each item except No.5 had been crossed off. "What's this!" I exclaimed, "Didn't you think about me while I was gone?" My chagrin vanished when he replied cheerfully, "I started to, but just never finished."

A Never Finished Job student bag

2008-07-09T10:49:00.000+08:00

Spain‘s future queen is pregnant briefcase

2008-07-09T10:48:00.000+08:00

briefcase student bag laptop bag Princess Letizia, the future Queen of Spain, is three months pregnant with her first child, the Royal Palace has announced.　　　　Letizia Ortiz, 32, married Crown Prince Felipe, 37, in May last year, shortly after the Madrid train bombings.　　　　The baby, due in November, will be second in line to the throne after the prince, who is King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia‘s only son.　　　　If the child is a girl, she will be in line to the throne after any sons that Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia might have in the future.　　　　Under the Spanish constitution, the eldest male automatically succeeds, even if he has an older sister.　　　　However, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has pledged to change the law, saying it discriminates against female royals.　　　　The couple took Spain by surprise when they announced their engagement in November 2003.　　　　The crown prince‘s romance with a woman who was a well-known television presenter and a divorcee had been kept a secret. They had met at a dinner party during the previous year.　　　　King Carlos said the pregnancy was "great news".　　　　Prince Felipe‘s sister, Princess Cristina, the second daughter of King Carlos and Queen Sofia, is also pregnant and expected to have her fourth child at the beginning of the summer.

jaguar computer bag

2008-07-09T10:46:00.000+08:00

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Maya, right, a young dotted jaguar, walks by the side of her mother in the Nyiregyhaza Animal Park in Nyiregyhaza, 245 kms east of Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, April 28, 2005. It is the first jaguar to be born in a Hungarian zoo for twenty years. Maya‘s parents have black fur, but her fur will remain dotted according to experts of the zoo. The cub is raised by her mother only, the father is kept separated. (AP Photo/MTI, Istvan Kiss)

Joke:Airhead laptop bag

2008-07-09T10:45:00.000+08:00

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An airhead goes for a job interview in an office. The interviewer starts with the basics. "So, Miss, can you tell us your age, please?"The airhead counts carefully on her fingers for half a minute before replying "Ehhhh... 22!"The interviewer tries another straightforward one to break the ice. "And can you tell us your height, please?"The young lady stands up and produces a measuring tape from her handbag. She then traps one end under her foot and extends the tape to the top of her head. She checks the measurement and announces "Five foot two!"This isn't looking good so the interviewer goes for the real basics; something the interviewee won't have to count, measure, or lookup. "Just to confirm for our records, your name please?" The airhead bobs her head from side to side for about ten seconds, mouthing something silently to herself, before replying "Mandy!"The interviewer is completely baffled at this stage, so he asks "What were you doing when I asked you your name?""Ohhhh, that!" replies the airhead," I was just running through that song, 'Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you....' ".

Joke:HOW "THEY" DO IT WHEN IT COMES TO SEX trolley luggage

2008-07-09T10:44:00.000+08:00

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英文笑话:HOW
文章来源:英语学习更新时间:2007-10-26 10:27:55
Joke:HOW "THEY" DO IT WHEN IT COMES TO SEXAccountants do it with Double Entry Actors do it in the Lime Light Acupuncturist do it with a small prick Ambulance driver comes quicker Astronomers do it while gazing at Uranus Australians do it Down Under Bach did it with the organ Bankers do it with interest Bartenders do it on the Rocks Batman does it with Robin Bookeepers do it for the record Bookworms only read about it Bosses delegate the task to others Chess players check their Mates Consultants tell other people how to do it Cops do it with cuffs DJs do it on request Deep-sea divers do it under extreme pressure Dentist do it orally Detectives do it under cover Doctors do it with patience Dont's do it with Bankers, most of them are Tellers Drummers do it with both hands and feet Elevator men do it up and down Engineers do it to specifications Engineers do it to a first order approximation English do it with an accent Firemen do it with a big hose Frank Sinatra do it his way Garbagemen come twice a week Gardeners do it on the bushes Gas attendants Pump all day Golfers do it in 18 holes Landlords do it every 1st of the month Managers make others do it Marketing reps do it on commission Pizza delivery man comes in 30 minutes or it's free Waiters and waitresses do it for tips Zoologists do it with animals

Joke:First cum First serve trolley bag

2008-07-09T10:43:00.000+08:00

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In an NYC RestaurantA waitress walks up to one of her tables in a New York City restaurant and notices that the three Japanese businessmen seated there are furiously masturbating.She says, "What the hell do you guys think you are doing?" One of the Japanese men says, "We are all berry hungry."The waitress says, "So how is whacking off in this restaurant going to help that situation?"One of the other businessmen replies, "Because menu say, FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED."

Joke:Psychic duffel bag

2008-07-09T10:42:00.000+08:00

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A woman went to　the local psychic in hopes of contacting her dearly departed grandmother. The psychic's eyelids　begin fluttering and she begins moaning. Eventually, a voice comes, saying,　"Granddaughter? Are you there?"The granddaughter,　wide-eyed responds, "Grandma? Is that you?""Yes granddaughter,　it's me."　"It's really you,　Grandma?" the woman repeats."Yes, it's really　me, granddaughter."　The woman pauses　a moment, "Grandma, I have just one question for you.""Anything, my child." "When did you learn　to speak English?"Submitted　by Adleen

Joke:Jokes travel bag

2008-07-09T10:41:00.000+08:00

travel bag duffel bag trolley bag Teacher : History is a very interesting subject. It tells you about what had happened in the past.Student : Please teacher,I don't think I want to study history.Teacher : Why?Student : There is no future in it.Teacher : Ted,if your father has $10 and you ask him for $6, how much would your father still have?Ted : $10.Teacher : You don't know maths.Ted : You don't know my father!Mother : David, come here.David : Yes, mum?Mother : You really disappoint me. Your results are getting worse.David : But I will only get my report book tomorrow.Mother : I know that.But I am going to Hong Kong tomorrow, so I am scolding you now.Father : Why did you fail your mathematics test?Son : On Monday,teacher said 3+5=8Father : So?Son : On Tuesday,she said 4+4=8 And on Wednesday,she said 6+2=8.If she can't make up her mind,how do I know the right answer?A mother and son were doing dishes while the father and daughter were watching TV in the living room. Suddenly,there was a loud crash of breaking plates, then complete silence. The daughter turned to look at her father.Daughter : It's mummy!Father : How do you know?Daughter : She didn't say anything.Old lady : Doctor,I've got a pain in my left leg.Doctor (after examining her) : It's caused by old age.Old lady : Nonsense. My right leg is all right and it's as old as the left leg.Two men were facing each other on the train.First man : I know my hearing isn't that good, but I never thought this would happen. I must have gotten stone deaf. Here you have been talking to me for an hour and I can't hear a word.Second man : I wasn't speaking. I was only chewing gum.An English professor wrote these word's "Woman without her man is a savage" on the blackboard and directed his students to punctuate it correctly.The men wrote "Woman, without her man,is a savage"The woman wrote "Woman : without her, man is a savage."

The Hart and the Vine laptop bag

2008-07-08T13:51:00.001+08:00

laptop bag computer bag travel bag A HART, hard pressed in the chase, hid himself beneath the largeleaves of a Vine. The huntsmen, in their haste, overshot theplace of his concealment. Supposing all danger to have passed,the Hart began to nibble the tendrils of the Vine. One of thehuntsmen, attracted by the rustling of the leaves, looked back,and seeing the Hart, shot an arrow from his bow and struck it. The Hart, at the point of death, groaned: "I am rightly served,for I should not have maltreated the Vine that saved me."

The Hart in the Ox-Stall trolley bag

2008-07-08T13:50:00.000+08:00

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A Hart hotly pursued by the hounds fled for refuge into anox-stall, and buried itself in a truss of hay, leaving nothing tobe seen but the tips of his horns. Soon after the Hunters came upand asked if any one had seen the Hart. The stable boys, who hadbeen resting after their dinner, looked round, but could seenothing, and the Hunters went away. Shortly afterwards the mastercame in, and looking round, saw that something unusual had takenplace. He pointed to the truss of hay and said: "What are thosetwo curious things sticking out of the hay?" And when the stableboys came to look they discovered the Hart, and soon made an endof him. He thus learnt that
Nothing escapes the master's eye.

The Heifer and the Ox travel bag

2008-07-08T13:49:00.000+08:00

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A HEIFER saw an Ox hard at work harnessed to a plow, andtormented him with reflections on his unhappy fate in beingcompelled to labor. Shortly afterwards, at the harvest festival,the owner released the Ox from his yoke, but bound the Heiferwith cords and led him away to the altar to be slain in honor ofthe occasion. The Ox saw what was being done, and said with asmile to the Heifer: "For this you were allowed to live inidleness, because you were presently to be sacrificed."

The Hen and the Golden Eggs special bag

2008-07-08T13:45:00.000+08:00

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A COTTAGER and his wife had a Hen that laid a golden egg everyday. They supposed that the Hen must contain a great lump ofgold in its inside, and in order to get the gold they killed it. Having done so, they found to their surprise that the Hendiffered in no respect from their other hens. The foolish pair,thus hoping to become rich all at once, deprived themselves ofthe gain of which they were assured day by day.

Hercules and the Waggoner nonwoven bag

2008-07-08T13:43:00.000+08:00

sports bag nonwoven bag trolley bag A Waggoner was once driving a heavy load along a very muddyway. At last he came to a part of the road where the wheels sankhalf-way into the mire, and the more the horses pulled, the deepersank the wheels. So the Waggoner threw down his whip, and kneltdown and prayed to Hercules the Strong. "O Hercules, help me inthis my hour of distress," quoth he. But Hercules appeared tohim, and said:
"Tut, man, don't sprawl there. Get up and put your shoulderto the wheel."
The gods help them that help themselves.

The Horse and Groom sports bag

2008-07-08T13:42:00.000+08:00

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A GROOM used to spend whole days in currycombing and rubbing downhis Horse, but at the same time stole his oats and sold them forhis own profit. "Alas!" said the Horse, "if you really wish meto be in good condition, you should groom me less, and feed memore."

The Horse and the Stag school bag

2008-07-08T13:39:00.000+08:00

school bag pencil bag laptop bag AT ONE TIME the Horse had the plain entirely to himself. Then aStag intruded into his domain and shared his pasture. The Horse,desiring to revenge himself on the stranger, asked a man if hewere willing to help him in punishing the Stag. The man repliedthat if the Horse would receive a bit in his mouth and agree tocarry him, he would contrive effective weapons against the Stag. The Horse consented and allowed the man to mount him. From thathour he found that instead of obtaining revenge on the Stag, hehad enslaved himself to the service of man.

The Hunter and the Woodman tote bag

2008-07-08T13:38:00.001+08:00

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A HUNTER, not very bold, was searching for the tracks of a Lion. He asked a man felling oaks in the forest if he had seen anymarks of his footsteps or knew where his lair was. "I will,"said the man, "at once show you the Lion himself." The Hunter,turning very pale and chattering with his teeth from fear,replied, "No, thank you. I did not ask that; it is his trackonly I am in search of, not the Lion himself."
The hero is brave in deeds as well as words.

The Image of Mercury and the Carpenter shopping bag

2008-07-08T13:37:00.001+08:00

shopping bag tote bag travel bag A VERY POOR MAN, a Carpenter by trade, had a wooden image ofMercury, before which he made offerings day by day, and beggedthe idol to make him rich, but in spite of his entreaties hebecame poorer and poorer. At last, being very angry, he took hisimage down from its pedestal and dashed it against the wall. When its head was knocked off, out came a stream of gold, whichthe Carpenter quickly picked up and said, "Well, I think thou artaltogether contradictory and unreasonable; for when I paid youhonor, I reaped no benefits: but now that I maltreat you I amloaded with an abundance of riches."

The Jackdaw and the Fox cosmetic bag

2008-07-08T13:36:00.000+08:00

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A HALF-FAMISHED JACKDAW seated himself on a fig-tree, which hadproduced some fruit entirely out of season, and waited in thehope that the figs would ripen. A Fox seeing him sitting so longand learning the reason of his doing so, said to him, "You areindeed, sir, sadly deceiving yourself; you are indulging a hopestrong enough to cheat you, but which will never reward you withenjoyment."

Jupiter and the Monkey handbag

2008-07-08T13:35:00.002+08:00

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JUPITER ISSUED a proclamation to all the beasts of the forest andpromised a royal reward to the one whose offspring should bedeemed the handsomest. The Monkey came with the rest andpresented, with all a mother's tenderness, a flat-nosed,hairless, ill-featured young Monkey as a candidate for thepromised reward. A general laugh saluted her on the presentationof her son. She resolutely said, "I know not whether Jupiterwill allot the prize to my son, but this I do know, that he is atleast in the eyes of me his mother, the dearest, handsomest, andmost beautiful of all."

The Kid and the Wolf water bag

2008-07-08T13:35:00.001+08:00

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A KID, returning without protection from the pasture, was pursuedby a Wolf. Seeing he could not escape, he turned round, andsaid: "I know, friend Wolf, that I must be your prey, but beforeI die I would ask of you one favor you will play me a tune towhich I may dance." The Wolf complied, and while he was pipingand the Kid was dancing, some hounds hearing the sound ran up andbegan chasing the Wolf. Turning to the Kid, he said, "It is justwhat I deserve; for I, who am only a butcher, should not haveturned piper to please you."
In time of dire need, clever thinking is keyor Outwit your enemy to save your skin.

The Kingdom of the Lion cooler bag

2008-07-08T13:34:00.000+08:00

cooler bag water bag laptop bag THE BEASTS of the field and forest had a Lion as their king. Hewas neither wrathful, cruel, nor tyrannical, but just and gentleas a king could be. During his reign he made a royalproclamation for a general assembly of all the birds and beasts,and drew up conditions for a universal league, in which the Wolfand the Lamb, the Panther and the Kid, the Tiger and the Stag,the Dog and the Hare, should live together in perfect peace andamity. The Hare said, "Oh, how I have longed to see this day, inwhich the weak shall take their place with impunity by the sideof the strong." And after the Hare said this, he ran for hislife.