Origin of Halloween

The Origin of Halloween



Some people view Halloween as a time for fun, putting on costumes, trick-or-treating, and having theme parties. Others view it as a time of superstitions, ghosts, goblins and evil spirits that should be avoided at all costs.



Halloween culture can be traced back to the Druids, a Celtic culture in Ireland, Britain and Northern Europe. Its roots lay in the feast of Samhain, which was annually on October 31st to honor the dead.

The Celts believed the souls of the dead roamed the streets and villages at night. Since not all spirits were thought to be friendly, gifts and treats were left out to pacify the evil and ensure next years crops would be plentiful. This custom evolved into trick-or-treating. They also had a celebration with a huge bonfire.



Vocabulary and phrase explanations:



Superstition - something that people believe but is probably not true. The belief is not based on reason or knowledge. It may be believed because if ones cultural history.



"Traced back" - to look back into the past and find where something came from



Roots - where something began.



"Rome the streets" - walking around in a neighborhood without a specific place to go.



Pacify - to calm



Evolve - to grow and change through time.



Bonfire - a huge fire made by people usually to celebrate some event.

Asian Quiz

What type of Asian are you? Girls, take this test to find out.

Guys, scroll down.

GIRLS
1. On a typical Friday night, you're most likely to be seen at:
A) pool hall
B) the mall
C) at home, getting an early start on homework
D) cafe shop
E) your friend's house, having a sleepover

2. Your normal everyday wear is:

A) tight shirts, spaghetti straps, baggy jeans, and extra dark lipstick
B) lots and lots of makeup - to impress the guys of course
C) thick glasses, long sun dresses, penny loafers, or sandals
D) high pumps, expensive designer clothes and tons of jewelry
E) college or Mickey Mouse sweatshirts with blue jeans

3. You usually give out your number when:

A) almost never, guys get scared off by your mean looks
B) any foine guy happens to ask for it
C) never - you're not supposed to talk to guys
D) there's money floating around him
E) any white guy asks for it

4. When you go to the mall, you:

A) give menacing stares to other Asian girls
B) follow a foine guy for awhile, then get his number
C) stick close to mom
D) get a guy to buy you a drink, then an outfit, maybe some jewelry
E) go with a large girl group to check out the hunky white guys

5. Your ideal guy:

A) could fight and take on any guy he sees
B) is anyone with a nice set of buns
C) ohmigod!!! a guy?! I think I'm feeling dizzy...
D) has money
E) one word: white

6. Favorite name brand is:

A) Calvin Klein
B) Polo, Hilfiger, or Nautica
C) Ummm...does Kmart brand count?
D) Bebe, Express, Banana Republic, DKNYE) Esprit, Guess

7. You're best known for:

A) beating up any girl that looks your way
B) going out with half of the male population
C) being the master cheat sheet for all tests
D) getting anyone to buy you anything you please
E) attending every single sorority party on campus

Time to add up the totals:

Mostly A's: Asian Thug Girl - sheesh, give some respect for the other girls. No one wants to date your scary ass face anyway.

Mostly B's: Asian Flirt - Hey save some guys for the other girls! Your a big time playa and you need to get over that.

Mostly C's: Asian Nerd - Get a life! Learn some social skills and don't be male phobic alright.

Mostly D's: Asian Gold Digger - Guys aren't just about money you know. In the future, your gonna get dumped for your demanding ways.

Mostly E's: Asian Whitegirl - Awww... Asian Thug Girl's gonna jump you for disgracing her race! Better get your act together and have some pride!

GUYS

1. On a typical Friday night, your most likely to be seen at:

A) the arcade
B) pool hall
C) cafe shop
D) the mall
E) basketball court or gym
F) local bar

2. Your normal everyday wear is:

A) baggy pants and heavy Nike jackets
B) dress shirt with loose fit khakis
C) tiny white shirts and black slacks with Fila slippers
D) only name brand clothes
E) sleeveless Nike shirts and warm-ups. also expensive Nike shoes
F) plaid shirts, tight-fitting jeans, and construction boots

3. Your car (or dream car) is a:

A) Mitsubishi Eclipse
B) Toyota Supra
C) Acura Legend
D) Acura Integra
E) Honda Prelude
F) any Ford model

4. Skills:

A) robbing houses
B) gambling
C) squatting
D) scoring digits from girls
E) dribbling a ball across the court
F) drinking till you vomit

5. Your ideal girl is:

A) easy and likes to play dirty
B) impressed by every little thing you do
C) speaks her language and wears spaghetti straps with 10 inch heels
D) HELLA foine!
E) sporty and athletic but girly
F) one word: white

6. Favorite name brand is:

A) Timberland, Lugz, Fubu
B) Armani Exchange, Banana Republic
C) Calvin Klein, Guess
D) Polo, Hilfiger, or Nautica
E) Nike
F) Stussy, Mossimo

7. Most used pick up line:

A) "Let's go to my house, we fuck, then you disappear, aight?"
B) "Hey baby, wanna ride in my 16-valve twin-cam lowered supra with BBS gold spiked rims and a subwoofered stereo that'll leave you breathless?"
C) "Dooh yooh likkee to singh Karaoke baaby."
D) "Sup hunnie, you kinda cute, can I get your number?"
E) "Oooohh, that's nothing. Come over here and I'll show you some real courting skills."
F) "You know what? It's strange, but I get mistaken for a white guy all the time!"

8. Most prized possession:

A) money and drugs
B) cell phone and carC) ability to squat
D) pager (got to keep up with your girls)
E) your shoes
F) your Nine Inch Nails CD

Time to add up the totals:

Mostly A's: Asian gangsta - Don't be trying to act hard and tough around everyone, cuz you not!

Mostly B's: Asian showoff - Stop showing off your cell phone and car alright, we already know you got one.

Mostly C's: Asian Squatter - Where'd you learn to squat so well huh? Oh yea, and learn some English you FOB!

Mostly D's: Asian Mack - Dayam, your like a walking phone book wit all the numbers you got.

Mostly E's: Asian Baller - I got advice for you: don't wear those tank tops cuz u got skinny ass arms.

Mostly F's: Asian Whiteboy - Have some pride in yourself!! And stop acting white washed you disgrace.


otential MatchesAsian Gangsta loves Asian Thug GirlAsian Showoff loves Asian Gold DiggerAsian Squatter loves Asian ?Asian Mack loves Asian FlirtAsian Baller loves Asian ?Asian Whiteboy loves Asian Whitegirl

大家好，我是傅貝蕾

My name is Berenice Flores, in chinese is傅貝蕾. I was born in September 30th, 1977 at Mexico City. My family members are my mother, father an older brother and me.

In August 1995 at Universidad de las Americas I started to study International Relations finishing it in May 1999, in August of the same year I started to elaborate my thesis about “the Economic Association, Political Arrangement and Cooperation Agreement between Mexico and the European Union”, which I finished in March, 2000. Finally in May 11th, I hold my professional examination getting my Bachelor’s Degree.

In order to follow the needed requirements to get my degree, during seven months, from June 1999 to January 2000, I provided social service as analyst at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), General Administration of United Nations Organization Department.

In June 2000, after I got my Bachelor’s Degree, I started to work as promoter at Far East Trade Service, Inc. (TAITRA Mexico) after two years as trade analyst.
Because I am interested on International Trade and Business, in 2003 I decided to improve my knowledge getting International Trade Diploma by Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM). Later, in April 2004 I became Trade & Projects Specialist.

In order to learn more about Customs Office procedures in 2005 I studied at International Trade & Customs Operations Seminar offered by Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM).
In September 2005 I was promoted as Administrative Manager of Far East Trade Service, Inc. (TAITRA Mexico) which changed its name to Taiwan Trade Center, Mexico City. Since Mexico I started to study mandarin but to really learn it, I decided to come to Taiwan applying to Taiwan Scholarship to study one year mandarin and after do my Master (IMBA).

Therefore, my Office has granted me a couple of sabbatical years to upgrade my International Business, Marketing and Management knowledge and skills to further help enhance trade between Mexico and Taiwan in the future.

Some of my knowledges which I have been acquired throughout my work experience are: Mexico’s Foreign Trade Law, Mexico’s Customs Law, Mexico’s Labor Law, Custom Relationship Management System, Trade Opportunity Database, World Trade Atlas System, SAAI M3 System (Customs System).

Some courses that I had taken part are:
*Forum: the Economic Association, Political Arrangement and Cooperation Agreement between Mexico and the European Union, Apr. 2000.
*International Financial Crisis, March 1999.
*Managerial Meeting Al Partenariat’99 European Union-Mexico-Centro America, Feb. 1999.
*Current Tendencies of Economic Adjustment & Democracy in Latin-American, Nov. 1996.
Mi nombre es Berenice Flores, en mandarín 傅貝蕾. Nací el 30 de Septiembre de 1977, en la Ciudad de México. Mi familia la forman mi mamá, mi papá y mi hermano mayor.

En agosto de 1995 inicie mi estudios de Licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales en la Universidad de las Américas terminando en mayo de 1999; en agosto del mismo año comencé a elaborar mi tesis sobre el ”Acuerdo de Asociación Económica, Concertación Política y Cooperación entre México y la Unión Europea”, la cual terminé en marzo del 2000 realizando mi exámen profesional en mayo y obteniendo así mi título profesional.

Como requisito para graduarme, durante siete meses, de junio de 1999 a enero del 2000, en la Dirección General de Naciones Unidas de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores realice mi servicio social como Analista. Una vez obtenido mi título, en Junio del 2000, empecé a trabajar como Promotor en Far East Trade Service (TAITRA México), después como Analista Comercial y más tarde como Especialista Comercial y de Proyectos. En septiembre de 2005 fui nombrada Gerente Admistrativo de Far East Trade Service, que cambió su nombre a Taiwan Trade Center, Mexico City.

Dado mi interés en Comercio Exterior decidí estudiar en el Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México un Diplomado en ésa área y posteriormente un Seminario en Operación Aduanera.

En México comencé a estudiar mandarín pero para realmente aprenderlo decidí solicitar una beca para poder venir a Taiwán a estudiarlo y posteriormente continuar mis estudios realizando una maestría (MBA). Con este propósito, la Oficina me ha concedido un par de años sabáticos.

Rain -- a short, fun poem (beginner)

When I first arrived in Taiwan, 2 and a half months ago, it rained almost everyday! This poem describes how I felt when I woke up and saw that it was STILL raining! Please don't think that I feel rain is bad, actually, rain is a wonderful thing because it makes the plants grow and it gives us life :)

Rain
by Shel Silverstein

I opened my eyes and looked up at the rain,
and it dripped in my head and flowed into my brain,
and all that I hear as I lie in my bed Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.
I step very softly, I walk very slow, I can't do a handstand--
I might overflow, So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--
I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

Chien-Ming Wang...The 57th most influential person

Chien-Ming Wang
By Betty Bao Lord

Chien-Ming was named the 57th most influentail person by time magazine.

At 8, barely off the boat from Shanghai, I found my way to the American Dream, courtesy of my love for Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play major league baseball.

Now there's Chien-Ming Wang. He's a member of my tribe. He too wrestles (sturggles) with English. But he has more in common with Jackie than with me. The Yankees ace (great player) won 19 games last year, and as runner-up (second place) for the Cy Young Award, he is a rising star. In his island home, he is already a supernova (very famous). Whenever he pitches, whether it's a live telecast or a rerun, Taiwan ditches (puts aside) its political woes and personal cares to huddle in the most unlikely places—from bars to beauty parlors to boardrooms—to cheer Chien-Ming. No matter that the fan shouting alongside is mandarin or mendicant (a person who lives by begging ), from the mainland or local born, a great-great-grandma with bound feet or a bare-bottomed tot, the voices are one (everybody cheers for him from the oldest to the youngest people).

Once Jackie's excellence and elegance broke the color barrier (african american and white European American). Nowadays the Ichiros, Dice-Ks and Chien-Mings (people from all over the world) of baseball are chipping away at the culture barrier. At a time when clashes of civilizations warm up in the on-deck circle, this 8-year-old heart dreams of a world as hopeful and intimate as bygone Ebbets Field.

Asteroids... Large Rocks in Space!

Asteroids Rock
Could a giant space rock slam into Earth in 30 years?

PLANET POUNDING

Space rocks have pounded the planets for years. All one has to do is look at Mercury or Mars to see the scars left by these crashes. Even our moon is scarred. What about our planet? Surely Earth is safe.

Not really. Take Australia, for instance. There you'll find a group of 13 craters. Huge space rocks gouged them out about 5,000 years ago.

Craters are also found in Argentina in South America. There you'll find large teardrop holes in the ground. These formed when a 200-meter (600-foot) space rock broke up as it skipped across the landscape.

Signs of this cosmic beating are also found closer to home. In Arizona, you can find a 1.6-kilometer-wide (1-mile-wide) crater. This is Meteor Crater. A speeding space rock blasted it out about 5,000 years ago.

These aren't the only impact craters. More than 200 have been found. That may not seem like many, but wind and water can erode, or wear away, old craters. They don't last long.
Craters show that space rocks have slammed into our planet. That raises a big question. Could it happen again? To answer that, we have to know where space rocks come from.

ON THE ROCKS

Most space rocks start off in the asteroid belt. It is an area between Mars and Jupiter. Millions of asteroids orbit our sun there. Most scientists think asteroids are leftover material from the formation of our solar system.

The asteroids found there range in size. Most are pebbles. Some are large stones. Other asteroids are 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) across. If all the asteroids were gathered together, though, they would form an object less than the size of our moon.
The NEAR spacecraft crashed into one of these asteroids on February 12, 2001. It's called Eros. It's one of the largest asteroids. As NEAR zoomed in on the asteroid, it took lots of photos. They showed that the asteroid has long grooves. It is also pocked with craters. One of the largest is nearly six kilometers (four miles) across. Unfortunately, NEAR went dead as it crashed into Eros. Still, it showed for the first time what an asteroid looks like close-up.
The asteroids in the asteroid belt do not pose much of a threat to Earth. They stay there for the most part. Some, however, drift out of the asteroid belt. They may come closer to Earth. These asteroids are more threatening.

CLOSER TO HOME

Some asteroids come much closer to Earth. These are called Near-Earth Objects. Take an asteroid named Apophis, for example. This 320-meter-wide (1,050-feet-wide) asteroid was discovered just a couple of years ago. Yet some scientists are already worried about it.
Apophis passes near Earth about every 16 years. Its next visit should be in 2013. That shouldn't cause a problem. It will pass by us harmlessly. This space rock will pass Earth again on April 13, 2029.

This time it will be much closernly 35,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) away. It will be so close that Earth's gravity may change its orbit. Now that could cause a big problem.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT?

Instead of passing by Earth, this asteroid could slam into our planet in April 2036. The most likely spot is off the coast of Mexico.

To learn more, NASA plans on sending a spacecraft to the asteroid. The spacecraft would put a homing beacon on it. That would help scientists accurately track the asteroid.

Scientists have already sent one spacecraft to a Near-Earth Object. Last September, a Japanese spacecraft visited an asteroid slightly larger than Apophis. The space rock is made of boulders. It looks more like a pile of rubble than a solid chunk of rock. Scientists think it formed when two space rocks slammed into each other. Could Apophis also be a pile of space rubble?
By first charting Apophis's path through space and then going there, scientists can decide how to deal with the asteroid. It will most likely never slam into our planet.

If it is ever on a collision course, scientists can take care of the asteroid. They could send a spacecraft to it. The spacecraft would act like a tractor and pull the asteroid away from Earth. So don't worry too much. Even if an asteroid comes close, the sky isn't falling.


Article by Lesley J. MacDonald. Top-of-page photo by ?Don Dixon /cosmographica.com. "Asteroids Rock" appears on pages 18-23 of our September 2006 issue.

Hi, I'm Michael Pope

Hello, my name is Michael. I am from the United States. I grew up in New Jersey, but I have lived in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Currently, I have been living in Taiwan for 2 months and am really enjoying it here. I like the warm weather, the food and the people. Some of my favorite things to do are listen to music, go hiking, explore Taiwan and meet new people. I am also a student at the Cultural University’s Mandarin Training Center where I am a beginner student learning Mandarin.

Beginning on 5.21.2007 I will be part of an English language club where students of The Cultural University can come and talk in English. We can share our interests and teach each other about our different cultures. It will be great fun! I look forward to making new friends, so please come and join me!

English Language Club
Days: Monday - Thursday
Hours: 7:00pm – 9:00pm


Michael