Source: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20140417-bringing-round-a-hostile-crowd

Ross Monaghan used to have the thankless task of explaining to local residents why mobile phone towers might soon by towering over their back gardens, as part of his job in the telecommunications business.

Sometimes, his fellow executives didn't help.

"I once (saw) a senior executive turn up to an angry meeting in an expensive car to explain why his company couldn’t spend more money on the local community," wrote Monaghan in an email. "First impressions count. If you blow it, there is almost no chance of recovery,” added Monaghan, who later became chief executive officer of the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association and is now a lecturer at Deakin University in Melbourne

source: http://www.ehow.com/info_8402082_science-weather-affects-human-emotions.html

Weather, including the temperature, cloud cover, wind and rain or snow can greatly affect a person's emotions, health and even quality of life. Our emotions are more than just how we feel on the inside. Our feelings also affect our decision-making ability and how we think. Many people are familiar with the "winter blues," but health-affecting weather goes beyond the cold months; everybody reacts differently to various types of weather.

http://www.blifaloo.com/info/lies.php

How to Detect Lies

Become a Human Lie Detector (Part 1)

Warning: sometimes ignorance is bliss. After gaining this knowledge, you may be hurt when it is obvious that someone is lying to you. The following deception detection techniques are used by police, forensic psychologists, security experts and other investigators.

Introduction to Detecting Lies:

This is just a basic run down of physical (body language) gestures and verbal cues that may indicate someone is being untruthful. Remember: these signs don't indicate someone is lying, just that they are more likely to be lying.

If you got here from somewhere else, be sure to check out our Lie Detection index page for more info including new research in the field of forensic psychology. Last update: April 10th, 2013.

Signs of Deception:

Body Language of Lies:

• Physical expression will be limited and stiff, with few arm and hand movements. Hand, arm and leg movement are toward their own body the liar takes up less space.

Hello, guys! I'm sorry that I didn't explain very well about the article last night.

The article is a book review, and some examples (A&F, Starbucks, HBO...) mentioned in the article are from the book "Niche: Why the market no longer favours the mainstream".

I read the book couple weeks ago but I kinda forgot about the content so couldn't explain why those examples are regarded "niche market" in the article.

I reread the book today and want to share the content of the book with you. Please give me ten mins to explain more about the article~~thx! 

http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2011/03/niche-market-gap-idea-beasts

Niche: Why the Market No Longer Favours the Mainstream

I once tried to buy a shirt at Abercrombie & Fitch. It was clear the staff did not want to sell me anything. I could handle the loud music, but their dismay at having to deal with anybody more than a decade or so away from bouncy castles finished me off and so I left.

Leaving all that aside, there was no intrinsic reason why I should not buy an A&F shirt. The styles were similar to those of many other shops, from Ralph Lauren at one end of the market to Gap at the other. Oldies wear such things as often as teenagers. The only difference was that the clothes were more crumpled, more expensive and more heavily branded. But the ageism of the staff and the mood of the store - dark, noisy, faintly threatening - sent the signal that these versions of ordinary clothes were specifically intended for the young.

A&F's business is not clothes, it is niche marketing. This is an idea that has been around for some time. The old assumption that advertising and marketing should aim for sales volume has been superseded by the idea that they should aim for specific sectors. Any loss of volume should be offset by a widening of profit margins; make people feel special and they will be willing to pay more.

The internet ensured that niche marketing became the orthodoxy. Costs are lower online, and tracking consumers in order to spot trends and cultivate loyalty is easier. The approach was crystallised in the idea of the long tail - the total market in niche items is as valuable as or more valuable than the total of mass-market items. This may always have been potentially true, but the internet made it exploitable.

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/fashion/the-found-art-of-thank-you-notes.html?ref=fashion

When Jimmy Fallon sits down to write his weekly thank-you notes on “The Tonight Show,” he is both ribbing and breathing life into a custom many felt was headed the way of the dodo. “Thank you, cotton candy,” Mr. Fallon scribbles on a correspondence card, “for making my grandmother’s hair look delicious.” Thank you, “bowling, for giving me an excuse to drink with somebody else’s shoes on.”

“Thank you, Chris Christie,” he writes, “for going back for seconds.”

Judge Upholds Country of Origin Label for Meat

Clip:https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_stewart_how_to_rebuild_democracy#t-640388

1. A paradox says that north Koreans are the happiest people all over the world. Do you think it is right? Or what is the pitfall behind this phrase?
2. What is the value of freedom? How much would you trade for freedom?

Dead or Reborn? Taiwanese Democracy

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in Taiwan had sent the cross-strait service trade agreement to a plenary session without being screened this week. More than 500 advocates and many civic groups gathered outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei on Tuesday evening to make stern remonstrances.  Some of the protesters broke into the meeting room of the Legislative Yuan not only to show great anger but to remind the authority that "the Congress belongs to the people" and a politician should speak the voice of his people. It's the first time in Taiwanese history for citizens to occupy the Parliament. These young protesters demand President Ma and the KMT party should never pass the trade agreement without giving a line-by-line review because this deal could impact tens of millions of Taiwanese people.

While the young students and civic groups, mostly NGOs, decide to stay up all night at the Legislative Yuan until the KMT and the government admit this current agreement being invalid, the deployment of hundreds of  riot police has been made by the authority.  Having no water, food, sleeping bags, air-conditioning and even not being allowed to use the restrooms at the beginning, some people  condemn the government for being inhuman and brutal.  However, more and more citizens gather at the Legislative Yuan in order to support these protesters with food and drinks.  Despite the confrontation with the riot police, those occupying the Legislative Yuan insist a non-violent protest.  Some sit still, others sing, still others share their significant observation on the  issue.  Many protesters outside the Legislative Yuan even persuade the exhausted police to stand by the people, fighting for the rights of the citizens in Taiwan. Even though some reports accuse the protesters for damaging the Congress building and harming the police.  Those who stay inside the meeting room post pictures on the FB to show how well-behaved the protesters are.  They request the media, the government and all the people in Taiwan to understand it's not a war between mob and the riot police.  This is all about democracy.

As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee thought her country was “the best on the planet.” It wasn't until the famine of the 90s that she began to wonder. She escaped the country at 14, to begin a life in hiding, as a refugee in China. Hers is a harrowing, personal tale of survival and hope — and a powerful reminder of those who face constant danger, even when the border is far behind.

Source: http://www.ted.com/talks/hyeonseo_lee_my_escape_from_north_korea#

Questions: 

1. What do you know about North Korea and South Korea?