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Bernard English
Online English Tutor/Teacher
- Native Speaker of American English Conversation practice. Chatting or in-depth discussion of news articles. TOEFL-IELTS practice / CV, SOP, journal paper, essay revision 英語家教 彈性排課, 免通勤, 托福, 職場英文, 履歷/論文修改…等。 請看我的學生推薦信。
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email: bernard.english@gmail.com
Monday, August 21, 2017
Robert E. Lee and Trump
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Nuclear Power Plants vs. Nuclear Weapons
Make more nuclear weapons and let the nuclear waste drop in someone else's backyard!
Friday, February 3, 2017
Rethinking health reform by Bernard
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Email interface for the elderly
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Taiwanese Raised in America (TRIA)
Friday, November 6, 2009
My new business venture
- $100 NT per blow to buttocks with any object of your choosing (minimum 5 blows)
- $200 NT per slap to the face (minimum of 3 slaps)
- $300 NT per bare knuckle punches anywhere below neck (sorry no direct punches to the face)
- If the child cries during the punishment I will also kick them at no extra charge
Legal Issues
I have been warned by my lawyer that allowing only adults to hire me may lay me open to the charge of age discrimination. Therefore, any child between the ages of 10 and 16 may also hire me to "punish" their parents. The age restriction is due to the fact that children under 10 may not understand the import of hiring me, and I feel that anyone over 16 is old enough to administer their own beatings.
Monday, December 8, 2008
The $NT 3,600 will mislead Taiwanese consumers and investors
One overlooked problem with the government program of boosting consumption by giving out $NT 3,600 vouchers is that it may mislead consumers and businessmen. In the first case, if the vouchers do in fact temporarily boost the economy, some people may misinterpret this as more than just a temporary improvement, thus consuming or spending more than is warranted by the underlying fundamentals of the economy.
In the second case, a sound economic recovery may happen to coincide with the voucher stimulus. But now, especially cautious consumers and investors may discount the recovery, mistakenly attributing it to the voucher scheme. They will be waiting for, what they believe to be a false recovery, to fizzle, hopefully to be followed by a true recovery. All the while they will be delaying their purchases and investments, which will of course prolong the slowdown.
Artificial stimulation of the economy makes it much harder to predict the future direction of the economy. Not only is the economic data itself harder to interpret, but now investors must also try to read the political tea leaves: What will polititians do next? Will they approve another stimulus package? When? How much? Interference in the economy adds political uncertainty to the untold difficulties of strict economic prediction. To some extent, this is even true of beneficial interference, such as tax reductions.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Extreme Sports
Spectator A: Boy, I think he is using performance enhancing drugs.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A peaceful resolution to the Taiwan-China problem
A few ways of peacefully resolving Taiwan-China relations:
- China could allow Taiwan sovereign status in exchange for its vote in international organizations. This is not unprecedentent: the Soviet Union refrained from incorporating some Eastern European countries in exchange for their votes against Western countries.
- Make Taiwan a safe haven for Chinese money, legal as well as illegal. A no questions asked policy regarding the origin of funds would attract enough money from mainland Chinese businessmen and corrupt bureaucrats to assure that the rich and powerful, for fear of losing their money, would never countenance aggression against Taiwan.
- China could buy simply buy Taiwan. They just spent about 40 billion USD on the Olympics, so surely they can give each Taiwanese (about 23 million) one million USD as a payoff to become part of China. My guess is most Taiwanese would accept the offer in exchange for giving up their sovereignty. Unfortunately Beijing would never agree to such a resolution because Xijiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and just about every oil rich Chinese province would threaten to declare independence if it were not awarded large amounts of money.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Confucian Values
Granted that not every single Asian will conform to Mahathir's description of the stereotypical Asian, but as one of the foremost proponents of Asian and Confucian values, you would think Lee Kuan Yew would be a paradigmatic example of a distinctive Asian way of doing things. Actually his abrasive manner is just another reminder of how Asians are not all that different from the supposedly incorrigible Western individualists.
Let's take an example from everyday life--driving. So is there a Confucian way of driving? And if so, is it superior to the decadent Western way? As far as I can see, driving in Taipei, a "Confucian" city, does not fit my image of Confucian values. There is absolutely no thought given to pedestrians by drivers; pedestrians routinely run across the street, even when they have a green light, in order to get out of the way of oncoming cars. I have even seen mothers quickening their pace as they push a baby stroller just to avoid getting hit. On the other hand, in the U.S. pedestrians have the right of way, and this is generally honored by drivers. The rule of thumb is that if pedestrians have to break their stride, then the driver is in error. This rule seems to be unknown in Taiwan.
At least as far as driving goes, I prefer the decadent Western way to the supposedly Confucian way in Taipei. If Lee Kuan Yew or Dr Mahathir really believe in all their rhetoric about the Asian way of doing things, either of them might try crossing Taipei streets imagining that socially oriented drivers infused with Confucian values will take care not to hit him--I don't think either would survive one day.
My point isn't that Taiwanese are bad drivers or that Confucian values are not valuable. I just feel that it is very hard to pinpoint exactly what Confucian values are today and how they manifest themselves in people's daily behavior. Other than among academics and chauvinistic politicians such as Lee Kuan Yew, I don't think that for the average individual the Western or Confucian values uniquely regulate behavior, however much it may have done so in the past. The single exception may be the reluctance of Asians to express their opinions publicly. Then again, Lee Kuan Yew isn't exactly shy.
In fact, Lee Kuan Yew's creation, the strictly regulated city-state of Singapore should make anyone suspicious of the island's Confucian values. A nanny state is only required when people won't conform to the group oriented, self-sacrificing image of Confucianism espoused by Lee Kuan Yew. But Singapore's leaders know perfectly well that Singaporeans (76.8% of whom are ethnic Chinese according to the CIA Factbook) would not live up to this stereotypical image, hence, the strict regulations.
You can read some of these at http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/international/singapore
Monday, June 9, 2008
Political Arithmetic
Total number of electors in the electoral college: 538
All population figures are 2007 estimates from factfinder.census.gov
A positive number in Column C shows that a state benefits from the electoral system.
A negative number (shown in red) indicates that a state has reduced voting power under the electoral system.
A | B | C | ||||
Rank | State | State's Population | State's Electoral Votes | State's Population as % of Total US population | Number of State Electors as % of Total Electors | Effect of Electoral College Column B– Column A |
1 | California | 36,553,215 | 55 | 12.12 | 10.22 | -1.896 |
2 | Texas | 23,904,380 | 34 | 7.93 | 6.32 | -1.606 |
3 | New York | 19,297,729 | 31 | 6.40 | 5.76 | -0.636 |
4 | Florida | 18,251,243 | 27 | 6.05 | 5.02 | -1.032 |
5 | Illinois | 12,852,548 | 21 | 4.26 | 3.90 | -0.358 |
6 | Pennsylvania | 12,432,792 | 21 | 4.12 | 3.90 | -0.219 |
7 | Ohio | 11,466,917 | 20 | 3.80 | 3.72 | -0.084 |
8 | Michigan | 10,071,822 | 17 | 3.34 | 3.16 | -0.179 |
9 | Georgia | 9,544,750 | 15 | 3.16 | 2.79 | -0.376 |
10 | North Carolina | 9,061,032 | 15 | 3.00 | 2.79 | -0.216 |
11 | New Jersey | 8,685,920 | 15 | 2.88 | 2.79 | -0.092 |
12 | Virginia | 7,712,091 | 13 | 2.56 | 2.42 | -0.141 |
13 | Washington | 6,468,424 | 11 | 2.14 | 2.04 | -0.100 |
14 | Massachusetts | 6,449,755 | 12 | 2.14 | 2.23 | 0.092 |
15 | Indiana | 6,345,289 | 11 | 2.10 | 2.04 | -0.059 |
16 | Arizona | 6,338,755 | 10 | 2.10 | 1.86 | -0.243 |
17 | Tennessee | 6,156,719 | 11 | 2.04 | 2.04 | 0.003 |
18 | Missouri | 5,878,415 | 11 | 1.95 | 2.04 | 0.096 |
19 | Maryland | 5,618,344 | 10 | 1.86 | 1.86 | -0.004 |
20 | Wisconsin | 5,601,640 | 10 | 1.86 | 1.86 | 0.002 |
21 | Minnesota | 5,197,621 | 10 | 1.72 | 1.86 | 0.136 |
22 | Colorado | 4,861,515 | 9 | 1.61 | 1.67 | 0.061 |
23 | Alabama | 4,627,851 | 9 | 1.53 | 1.67 | 0.139 |
24 | South Carolina | 4,407,709 | 8 | 1.46 | 1.49 | 0.026 |
25 | Louisiana | 4,293,204 | 9 | 1.42 | 1.67 | 0.249 |
26 | Kentucky | 4,241,474 | 8 | 1.41 | 1.49 | 0.081 |
27 | Oregon | 3,747,455 | 7 | 1.24 | 1.30 | 0.059 |
28 | Oklahoma | 3,617,316 | 7 | 1.20 | 1.30 | 0.102 |
29 | Connecticut | 3,502,309 | 7 | 1.16 | 1.30 | 0.140 |
30 | Iowa | 2,988,046 | 7 | 0.99 | 1.30 | 0.310 |
31 | Mississippi | 2,918,785 | 6 | 0.97 | 1.12 | 0.148 |
32 | Arkansas | 2,834,797 | 6 | 0.94 | 1.12 | 0.175 |
33 | Kansas | 2,775,997 | 6 | 0.92 | 1.12 | 0.195 |
34 | Utah | 2,645,330 | 5 | 0.88 | 0.93 | 0.052 |
35 | Nevada | 2,565,382 | 5 | 0.85 | 0.93 | 0.079 |
36 | New Mexico | 1,969,915 | 5 | 0.65 | 0.93 | 0.276 |
37 | West Virginia | 1,812,035 | 5 | 0.60 | 0.93 | 0.329 |
38 | Nebraska | 1,774,571 | 5 | 0.59 | 0.93 | 0.341 |
39 | Idaho | 1,499,402 | 4 | 0.50 | 0.74 | 0.246 |
40 | Maine | 1,317,207 | 4 | 0.44 | 0.74 | 0.307 |
41 | New Hampshire | 1,315,828 | 4 | 0.44 | 0.74 | 0.307 |
42 | Hawaii | 1,283,388 | 4 | 0.43 | 0.74 | 0.318 |
43 | Rhode Island | 1,057,832 | 4 | 0.35 | 0.74 | 0.393 |
44 | Montana | 957,861 | 3 | 0.32 | 0.56 | 0.240 |
45 | Delaware | 864,764 | 3 | 0.29 | 0.56 | 0.271 |
46 | South Dakota | 796,214 | 3 | 0.26 | 0.56 | 0.294 |
47 | Alaska | 683,478 | 3 | 0.23 | 0.56 | 0.331 |
48 | North Dakota | 639,715 | 3 | 0.21 | 0.56 | 0.346 |
49 | Vermont | 621,254 | 3 | 0.21 | 0.56 | 0.352 |
50 | District of Columbia | 588,292 | 3 | 0.20 | 0.56 | 0.363 |
51 | Wyoming | 522,830 | 3 | 0.17 | 0.56 | 0.384 |
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Don't boycott the Olympics - end them permanently
International sports competitions are a great idea, but they should be organized along non-nationalist lines. Teams can be sponsored by private sports organizations or companies, as is the case in many sports leagues today. The cooperation between the potentially diverse members of such teams would replace the ethnic and nationalist divisiveness of the current Olympic system. If this were done, the distractions of nationalist politics could be replaced by a focus on the drama of actual sports competition.
1936 Berlin Olympics FROM Infoplease
In Berlin, dictator Adolf Hitler and his Nazi followers felt sure that the Olympics would be the ideal venue to demonstrate Germany's oft-stated racial superiority. He directed that $25 million be spent on the finest facilities, the cleanest streets and the temporary withdrawal of all outward signs of the state-run anti-Jewish campaign. By the time over 4,000 athletes from 49 countries arrived for the Games, the stage was set.
1976 Montreal Olympics FROM InfopleaseTwelve weeks before the opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games, the USSR has announced it is boycotting them. It is expected most of the Eastern Bloc will follow suit.
. . .right before the Games were scheduled to open in July, 32 nations, most of them from black Africa, walked out when the IOC refused to ban New Zealand because its national rugby team was touring racially segregated South Africa. Taiwan also withdrew when Communist China pressured trading partner Canada to deny the Taiwanese the right to compete as the Republic of China.
1980 Moscow Olympics FROM Wikepedia
Though the Games have aimed to be an arena free of politics, the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan spurred United States President Jimmy Carter to issue an ultimatum that the United States would boycott the Moscow Olympics if Soviet troops had not withdrawn from the country by 12:01 A.M. Eastern Standard Time on February 20, 1980; the official announcement confirming the boycott was made on March 21.The United States was joined in the boycott by some other populous countries - including Japan, West Germany, China and Canada. Some of these countries competed at the Olympic Boycott Games at Philadelphia. Notably, the United Kingdom, France, and Greece supported the boycott but allowed their athletes to participate if they wished (the U.S. did not). The United Kingdom and France sent a much smaller delegation of athletes than usual. Nevertheless, the delegation of the United Kingdom was the largest among Western Europe, with 170 athletes applying to compete.[1] Spain, Italy, Sweden, Iceland and Finland were other principal nations representing western Europe,[1] though Italian athletes belonging to military corps did not attend the Games, due to the government's support of the boycott. The boycott severely affected many events.
. . . Altogether, the athletes of 16 countries were not represented by their national flags, and the Olympic Anthem replaced their national anthems at medal ceremonies. As a result, there were a few ceremonies where three Olympic Flags were raised.
1984 Los Angeles Olympics FROM BBCThe announcement, which was made on Russian TV this afternoon, blamed the commercialisation of the games and a lack of security measures, which amounted to a violation of the Olympic charter.
The Soviet Union accused the United States of using the games "for political purposes" and "stirring up anti-Soviet propaganda" and of having a "cavalier attitude to security of Russian athletes".
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Early Experiment in Centralization
The problems of Georgia colonists actually began with the Trustees of Georgia, primarily led by General James Oglethorpe and Lord Percival. Boorstin writes that "It would be hard to find another venture of 18th-century colonizing and empire-building whose leaders were more disinterested or more free of sordid motives." But that wasn't enough. The Georgia Charter was drawn up in 1732. Basically, poor British subjects, some of whom had criminal backgrounds, were to settle in the new colony of Georgia. The aim was to relieve England of having to take take care of those British subjects who were a burden and to use the colonists to defend the territory against enemies, i.e. the Indians, Spanish and French. As one of the Trustees' publications states, "England will grow rich by sending her Poor Abroad."
So what went wrong?
1- Trustees' Vision: Georgia's economy was supposed to be based on manufacturing silk.
Reality: Only the black (instead of the white variety) mulberry tree was common in Georgia and its leaves were not suitable for silkworms. Many of the silkworms perished.
2 - Trustees' Vision: 50 acres would be enough to support a family.
Reality: It wasn't. Some blamed the colonists for not working hard enough. However, the makeup of the early settlers chosen to colonize Georgia should have indicated that they might need more than the theoretical 50 acre-minimum they were alloted. The colonists were chosen precisely because they could not make a living in England. Their was no reason to think they would be super colonists.
3 - Trustees' Vision: Men can be induced to work hard even if it does not benefit their families. The Georgia Charter of 1732 stipulated that land was not salable nor divisible and could only be inherited by a male heir.
Reality: Since the land reverted to the Trustees if there was no suitable heir, many saw no
point in working hard to develop their land.
4 - Trustees' Vision: The allocation of resources by micromanagement from thousands of miles away would be an efficient way of provisioning the colonists. The colonists were supported with donations from English charitable organizations and subsidies from the British Government (the only colony to receive such help for non-military purposes). The paternalistic rule of the colony can be glimpsed from the "Rules for the year 1735" which lists the supplies colonizers of a new Georgia town will receive.
Reality: The colonists simply demanded more and more assistance. They developed neither the political skills of self-government nor economic initiative. Eventually the Trustees concluded that the poor "who had been useless in England, were inclined to be useless in Georgia likewise." That seems rather harsh since the Trustees created many of the problems faced by the colonists.
The Upshot? - Many simply decided to leave Georgia for another colony.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Screening out e-mail with Taiwanese IP addresses
This reminds of an older college professor who said that when he was an undergraduate at Harvard, a student could finish an entire semester without the professor ever having revealed his political inclinations.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
A comparison of the US and Taiwan
Category | Taiwan | US |
total area | 35980 sq km | 9,826,630 sq km |
population | 22.9 million | 301.1 million |
median age: | 35.5 | 36.6 years |
birth rate: | 8.97 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 14.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
male life expectancy: | 74.65 years | male: 75.15 years |
female life expectancy: | 80.74 years | female: 80.97 years (2007 est.) |
government branches: | executive, legislative, judicial, examination, and control | executive, legislative, judicial |
ethnic groups: | Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84% mainland Chinese 14% indigenous 2% | white 81.7% black 12.9% Asian 4.2% Amerindian and Alaska native 1% native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2% |
net migration rate: | 0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 3.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
religion: | mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5% | Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10% (2002 est.) |
household savings rate: | 20% (2007) Taipei Times | -.3% (2005) Bureau of Economic Analysis |
homeownership rate: | 86% (2002) Lu and Chen | 69% (2005) Danter.com |
average home size: | 42.2 ping (2006) Liberty Times | 70 ping USA Today |
suffrage (投票, 參政權, 選舉權): | 20 years of age | 18 years of age |
legislative branch | unicameral legislative yuan | bicameral congress |
(225 seats; 168 members elected by popular vote) | senate (100 seats) and house of representatives (435 seats) | |
GDP per capita (PPP) | $29,600 (2006 est.) | $43,800 (2006 est.) |
population below poverty line: | 0.9% (2006 est.) | 12% (2004 est.) |
public debt: | 34.6% of GDP (2006 est.) | 64.7% of GDP (2005 est.) |
export partners: | China 22.5%, Hong Kong 15.7%, US 15%, Japan 7.3% (2006 est.) | Canada 22.2%, Mexico 12.9%, Japan 5.8%, China 5.3%, UK 4.4% (2006) |
import partners: | Japan 23%, China 11.9%, US 10.9%, South Korea 7.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.9% | Canada 16%, China 15.9%, Mexico 10.4%, Japan 7.9%, Germany 4.8% |
major exports 2006 (economist.com) | machinery&electrical equipment 49.8%, base metals 10.7%, precision instruments 8.2%, plastic&rubber articles 7.1% | capital goods (excl auto) 45.8%, industrial supplies 30.5%, consumer goods (excl auto) 14.3%, automotive vehicles, parts&supplies 11.8% |
All data from CIA Factbook unless otherwise noted.
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