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  1.  By Sarah Liu, YAIC Weekly 
    February 11, 2013
    www.eslite.com
    www.pagesandpages.com.au

    "Can long distance romance work?" "I fell in love with my best friend. Should I tell her my feeling?" "Does my Mr. Right really exist?" "How could best collectively slack off, form a cartel and drag the examination marking standard down?" "How to crush the student cartel?" "Should I go to a university or get a real job?" "Which career should I choose?" "I don't have enough time!" "Should I study harder in order to get a better grade?" "Should I rely on the rankings?" "My socks don't match. What can I do?" "I use the same password on the Internet and I'm worrying that the hackers might find out!"



    www.positivemoney.org

    These questions were asked by the readers of the dear economist column and undercover economist column on Financial Times . The economist, Tim Harvord would answered the questions calmly without hesitating and frankly with his forthright language. He loves to employ economic models, quote statistical data and sometimes just reason them through logic. These all make his advice reliable and full of his personal charm. This book is consists of 150 problems, giving us the most realistic and entertaining economics that in the same time we can also learn so much from.

    timharvord.com


    "Can long distance romance work?" My friend asked me this question before. Unfortunately, at that time, I couldn't give her any useful advice. And now, before I can share Tim's advice with her, their relationship had already ended, proving that distance romance can't work. However, to those who hope to maintain a distance romance, they will like to know that the Alchain-Allen Theorem says that the Australians drink more high-level Californian wine than the Californians and it's because only expensive wine worth spending this transportation cost.

    johnwentparkland.blogspot.com


    "How could best collectively slack off, form a cartel(the behavior of collusion) and drag the examination marking standard down?" The question was asked by a student from "Cantorbridge College," who was learning economics and, like all of the students, wanted to study less but still get good grade. Tim, instead of rebuking him with moral standard like most of the teachers or elders, he gave him advice like these: give out cheap beers, take others' notes and bully the hard-working students. They might sound frightening, but viewing them as an utterly rational economist, these advice totally make sense.
    An economics professor saw the former article on the newspaper and thought that the letter must had come from his student. He then asked Tim if he had a plan to crush his students' cartel. Though Tim gave the professor some useful solutions, he ended this article with a really harsh comment: If you, an economics teacher can't use your intelligence to crush your students' cartel, then your students can't learn from you anyway. Wow, this economist is really out of the ordinary!
    The most fun part of reading this book is the various questions asked by all kinds of people. You can find yourselves having problems resembling to theirs and will learn the practical solutions. As for me, I'm going to get rid of all my single socks and buy dozens of identical pairs. Hope you'll get your answers here and make good choices in your lifetime.


    Reference:
    Dear Undercover Economist written by Tim Harford

    Posted by YAIC weekly at 7:17 PM | 0 comments | |


  2. By Amity Hsieh, YAIC Weekly
    March 11, 2013
                                    
                                                                                                 

    When we were little and about the age of 5, some of us might already get sick of the Disney movie “Pinocchio” - a movie once dramatically and drastically turned

     rapgenius.com
    a puppet into a real boy. 




















     cartoon-excellence.com 
    And, truth be told, we all seem to be familiar with the story line, realizing the blue fairy will eventually grant Pinocchio his request. 



    But the blue fairy is often busy nowadays.

    She forgets to listen to some of the children’s wishes…even when they sing,


    “When you wish upon a star           Makes no difference who you are
    Anything your heart desires      Will come to you”


    far away from the places we often see miracles. 

    Children in Meghalaya
    en.wikipedia.org
    Children in Meghalaya, India are little miners, digging coal in unbearable darkness where hope is not easily ignited. They managed to feed their family by laboring over $37 to $74 a week with tears and sweat. 

    www.thejakartaglobe.com
    The issue of child labor is heated and widely discussed. “It’s our implementation that’s the problem.” said Vandhana Kandhari, a child protection specialist at UNICEF. (Sources from the NY times)


    Corruption often involves in cases like this, and exploitation of labor along with trafficking is no longer rare among these children. Some of them are forced to work, while others choose to do so in order to save their family. 




    A Research Study in 2004 Conducted by Impulse reveals several facts based on the issue of child labor in Shilong, Meghalaya. Major findings are collected as below. 





    www.thejakartaglobe.com

    The majority of child laborers are between 11 and 14 years of age. Seventy-one percent of the children self-reported as being literate. Only 24 percent of those interviewed reported coming from rural families. The majority (52.82 percent) of children earn between Rs. 10-50 per day. Half of the children were satisfied with their current position, but the other half were not.

    Health problems identified include cough, tuberculosis, skin diseases, anaemia, physical growth retardation, and other deficiencies. A large majority (89 percent) have an addictive habit such as chewing betel nuts, smoking, dendrite sniffing, and consuming alcohol.

    The large majority (94 percent) reported they had never been arrested.






    United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

    www.ghananewsagency.org
    United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is guided under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its’ mission is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. 
    (UNICEF)
    Apparently, the child labor in Meghalaya violates the convention.Yet, the profit always keeps a business going. Laws can even find themselves lost in the intersection where money and human rights meet. 




    Children in Uganda

     A bit further down to Uganda, where children are suffering from a threat of a malicious rebel army, and the government soldiers. 


    en.wikipedia.org


    Children were forced to separate from their beloved ones and left places where their ancestors had settled and lived for generations when the rebel appeared. Many were killed and the rest was awaiting help as well as salvation from their government.


    When the government soldiers arrived, the sun seemed to be brighter again. However, the sun disappointed the Ugandan at last and burned them to death.

    It still puzzles the Ugandan that the government soldiers would harm, rape, and kill them for the sake of money, only because the soldier are not well-paid by the government. 


    Children in Meghalaya lose their right to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation. And children in Uganda sacrifice their right to survival.



    Are we, or are we not, protecting these children?

    www.cbtrust.org.uk



    UNICEF now in 2013 supports the right of every child by registering their birth

    Registering a child’s birth is a focal step towards safeguarding a child’s protection by establishing an official identity, a recognized name and a nationality. 

    (IMDB)
    UNICEF is now working with governments and partners worldwide to register children’s birth, with the further aim of protecting children from child labor, forcible conscription, child marriage, trafficking and facing trial as an adult.

    Anthony Lake, the executive director of UNICEF put,
    “We must count every child because every child counts.”



    We are hoping the new policies and resolutions within a nation or globally may gradually bear fruit. 

    www.thejakartaglobe.com

    And let the darkest hour be just before the dawn


    May the children’s hands are in ours,

    “Little puppet made of pine, awake. The gift of life is thine.”



    To learn more about the issue, please visit

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/world/asia/in-india-missing-school-to-work-in-the-mine.html

    http://www.thejakartaglobe.com
    http://www.unicef.org/crc/index_30160.html
    http://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_58010.html
    http://www.impulseasia.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54






    Posted by YAIC weekly at 5:16 PM | 0 comments | |

  3. Taiwan Lantern Festival

    Monday, March 04, 2013


    By Jim Liu, YAIC Weekly
    March 4, 2013

    During the Taiwan Lantern Festival, we can see many lanterns in the sky. As a Chinese people, we cannot miss this big event. Therefore, let me introduce Taiwan Lantern Festival for you.

    This year the Taiwan Lantern Festival is held by Hsinchu County Government.

    There are five zones in this area which show their features, including：

    1. Soaring Snake Zone
    2. Hsinchu Opto Technology Lantern Zone
    3. Animated Art Zone
    4. Local Culture Zone
    5. Charming Hsinchu Zone

    Soaring Snake

    The theme of this year's Taiwan Lantern Festival will emphasize on innovation and breakthrough based on strong winds, high speeds and the future, connecting images of high speed and future style for the connection of the Taiwan High Speed Rail Hsinchu Station to the Taiwna lantern Festival. The master lantern in the main lantern zone show will be showed in conncert with beautiful lighting effects and bamboo structures to incorporate concepts of sustainable environment protection.


    Hsinchu Opto Technology Lantern Zone

    What is most admired in Hsinch County is the intimacy of the land and the people, and the love and protection of the homeland. Thus the sporlight of the Lnatern Festival of Hsinchu County shows not just tech industries but also awareness of the importance of environmental protection. It tells that we have to try our best to protect our environment.


    Animated Art Zone

    During the Taiwan Lantern Festival, the animated art zone will be the place taht grabs both adults and attention. In fact, the Hsinchu County Government has adopted the concept of the Neiwan scenic area, and used a combination of cartoon and local features in a lively animation and cartoon zone.


    Local Culture Zone

    Hakka immigrant in the early days settled on the ridges and plains of Hsinchu County, making the county a major Hakka area for more than a hundred years. Today its residents are mostly Hakka, and they live in harmony with other races. There are also a large number of aboringinal tribes in the remote mountains of Hsinchu County. Therefore, during the 2013 Taiwan Lantern Festival Hsinchu County has constructed a unique zone to make us know more about local cultures in Hsinchu.


    Charming Hsinchu Zone

    Hsinchu County Government cling to a vision of marching to the world. Thus, it has made use of all the resources of Hsinchu County while the essence of the county is condensed so that you can know about the entire county at the lantern festival. As the case stands, the four respective areas, friendly city lantern area, natural exploration hall, street browsing and giant lantern area, and the 13 townships landscape boulevard are designed in order to make visitors fall in love with the charms of Hsinchu County.

    Want to know more about Taiwan Lantern Festival?

    You can surf this website：

    http://2013taiwanlantern.net/tw/index.php

    References:

    http://2013taiwanlantern.net/tw/index.php

    Posted by YAIC weekly at 1:53 PM | 0 comments | |

  4. 2013 World Economic Forum (the Davos)

    Saturday, February 16, 2013


    By Zale Chen, YAIC Weekly
    February 16, 2013


    Davos 2013─Welcoming Address by the Executive Chairman

     For over 40 years, the World Economic Forum (the WEF, or the Davos) has served as a global platform where selected politicians, representatives from academia, chief executives and leaders from all walks of life gather together to exchange ideas regarding global issues. The WEF is held in Davos, Switzerland in every January.

    the World Economic Forum

    the Davos, Switzerland

    Founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab, a business professor at the University of Geneva, the WEF was originally named as the “European Management Forum”. Later in 1987, it changed its name into the “World Economic Forum” with the ambition to provide a platform for discussing global issues and trying to find resolutions. Moreover, it broadened its focus from management to economic, social and political issues.

    Professor Klaus Schwab

    The mission of the WEF is fully manifested in its motto: “committed to improving the state of the world.”

    “The World Economic Forum is not a decision-making body. It is a platform for initiatives, programs and taskforces. It gives each of our participants the possibility to shape their own opinion based on the latest strategic insights,” said Schwab.

    This year, the WEF lasted from Jan.23 to Jan.27 with the theme of “Resilient Dynamism”. Defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “resilience” means the ability to become strong, healthy or successful after something bad happens and “dynamism” refers to the energy and strong desire to make something happen.

    Therefore, the purpose of the WEF 2013 annual meeting: “Resilience Dynamism” was to calling upon leaders and people to shove worries aside and root out outdated ideas in order to be brave to develop future plans for changes and to keep moving forward.

    In 2012 annual meeting, the WEF focused much on the issue of the European debt crisis. However, through the economic development last year, the European debt crisis has eased up. The 2013 annual meeting therefore concentrated more on the fiscal cliff in the United States, the possibility of war of exchange rate in Asia, the role Mainland China plays in global economy and the threats the emerging economics has brought to the environment.

    Also, according to Global Risk Report 2013 released by the WEF, the global society is now faced with three major risks which are: wealth gap (severe income disparity), unsustainable government debt (chronic fiscal imbalances) and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

    This generation is the most complicated and yet interconnected one in the human history in which we are faced with dreadful challenges as financial crisis and value conflicts. As Schwab said, leaders in 2013 should be both “resilient” and “dynamic” to face these challenges. Through the WEF, we could make more people be aware of these global issues and make changes to improve the state of the world in 2013.

    References:
    Executive Summary, World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2013.
    http://www3.weforum.org/docs/AM13/WEF_AM13_ExecutiveSummary.pdf
    http://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2013
    http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-risks
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

    Posted by YAIC weekly at 10:27 AM | 0 comments | |

  5. Tension in Northeast Asia rises

    Saturday, February 09, 2013

    By Cheryl Yu, YAIC Weekly 

     February 9, 2013
    According to Time Magazine, the status of Mainland China in both politics and economy enhanced through the past years; therefore, the tension between countries in Northeast Asia have escalated. The condition in Northeast Asia now resembles that of Europe in 1914: a powder keg.
    Former prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd
    Kevin Rudd, the Former Prime Minister of Australia, said “The region increasingly resembles a 21st-century maritime redux of the Balkans a century ago - a tinderbox on water. Nationalist sentiment is surging across the region, reducing the domestic political space for less confrontational approaches. Like the Balkans a century ago, riven by overlapping alliances, loyalties, and hatreds, the strategic environment in East Asia is complex.''

    The relationships between countries in East Asia are at stake.

    Japan and China: The conflict has continued since Japan's cabinet secretary announced the government had purchased Diaoyu islands from a Japanese citizen on September 11. The nationalism on both sides of the East China Sea has intensified over this dispute. The conflict between China and Japan has actually started hundreds of years ago. The history makes everything more complicated.

    Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un
    North Korea’s military exercise: Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, has led the relation between itself and South Korea and Japan in to a tense situation. Missiles have been launched for five times ever since Kim Jong-un takes the position as the leader of North Korea. Besides the launch of missiles, the nuclear tests have brought Pacific region in to nerves. The US and South Korea warned North Korea recently of "further consequences" if it carried out a third nuclear test.

     World War I began because of a build-up of tension between Britain, Italy, France, Germany, the Austria-Hungarian Empire and Russia. Northeast Asia must cooperate and respect more instead of focusing on countries’ own interests to prevent another World War from happening.

    More Information:
    Japan, China, and the Tide of Nationalism
    Rudd tells of risks over Asia divisions
    North Korea
    US warns of N Korea nuclear test 'consequences'
    Photos taken in order:







    Posted by YAIC weekly at 12:43 AM | 0 comments | |

  6. Is world peace possible?

    Thursday, February 07, 2013

    By Jim Liu, YAIC Weekly
    February 7, 2013

    Psychologist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker at Harvard University thinks it is completely predictable that wars between countries might go the way of slave auctions, debtors’ prisons and other barbaric customs.There are some parts to the brain that impel us to carry out violence, such as the thirst for revenge, feelings of tribalism, or the quest for dominance. 

    In Asia, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, abbreviated as DPRK, has recently done nuclear tests. The picture on the below is a nuclear test site and water cooling plant. It showed that DPRK started to warn countries not to interrupt them to start the war with South Korea. The enmity between DPRK and South Korea could trace back to the Korean War and therefore the revenge between DPRK and South Korea still have a long way to improve the situation.

    In the Middle East, there were many uprisings two years ago. People in the Middle East are eager to get the right of freedom and the most important problem is the poverty gap.

    The first uprising was in the Tunisia. A street vendor Mohamed Bouazzi committed the suicide because of the high unemployment rate of teenagers in Arab, rising food price and a lack of freedom which result in the series of uprisings. Most importantly, the country’s president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has governed the Tunisia for 23 years in power. However, the Tunisia government did not take care of the potential threat. As a result, country’s people topple the government. 

    Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Syria and Yemen successively start the demonstrations because the long regime, poor economy and a lack of freedom. 

    When the street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Tunisia, this suicide ended up a series of events that would entirely change the Arab world forever and ever. 

    Although the world seems that it was not peaceful at all, many countries’ people have empathy and reason that allow us to see violence as a problem to be solved. For this reason, we still try hard to reach the world peace.



    Despite the fact that now the goal of the world peace is not carried out, we now are on the way to peaceful world.


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Posted by YAIC weekly at 7:42 PM | 0 comments | |

  7. Daily Shower Can Be a Killer

    Friday, February 01, 2013


    By Yusra Cheng, YAIC Weekly

    February 1, 2013



    In a morning, an old man, Jared, escaped from a dangerous situation. Neither a armed robber broke into his house nor did he find himself face to face with a ferocious dog during this bird walk. What he survived was his daily shower.

    Falls are a common cause of older people. Among his wife's and his circle of close friends over the age of 70 ( he is 75 now ), one became crippled for life, one broke the shoulder and one broke a leg in falls on the sidewalk. One fell down the stairs, and another may not survive a recent fall.

    Life expectancy for a healthy American man of Jared's age is about 90. If he's to achieve his statistical quota of 15 more years of life, that means about 15 times 365, or 5475, more showers. But if Jared were so careless that his risk of slipping in the shower each time were as high as 1 in 1000, he'd die or become crippled about five times before reaching his life expectancy. He has to reduce the risk of shower accidents.


    This calculation illustrates the biggest single lesson : the importance of being attentive to hazards that carry a low risk each time but are encountered frequently.

    Studies have compared Americans' perceived ranking of danger with the rankings of real danger, measured either by actual accident figures or by estimated number of averted accidents. It turns out that we exaggerate the risks of events that are beyond our control, that cause many deaths at once or that kill in spectacular way -- crazy gunman, terrorists, plane crashes, nuclear radiation, genetically modified crops. At the same time, we underestimate the risk of events that we can control and of events that kill just one person in a mundane way.

    However, Jared has become constructively paranoid about showers, stepladders, staircases and wet or uneven sidewalks. As he drives, he remain alert to his own possible mistakes ( especially at night ), and to what carelessness other drivers might do.

    Jared's hyper-vigilance doesn't paralyze him or limit his life : he doesn't skip his daily shower and he keeps driving. He enjoys all those dangerous things, but he keeps the risks of accidents far below 1 in 1000 each time.

    Actually, this is not only just for the elders but also those people like you and me. Several weeks ago, I was fainted in the bathroom. Thanks God there were other people found me and sent me to the hospital. After this horrible experience, I become more careful about whether my health is in good condition. Above all, just be aware of any tiny danger around you because it may be a lethal.


    News adopted from Jared Diamond
    Published in The New York Times on January 29
    Pictures by Alex Nabaum







    Posted by YAIC weekly at 11:52 PM | 0 comments | |