There is a large percentage of Asian people in the US. They'rehard working, respectful but strange sometimes. If you don't understand theculture, you will get some problems with them. Asian people are different fromany other cultures if you think you know them, you might want to think again.

How are they different? When it comes to most Asian culture,respect is everything. You can do anything you want but don't disrespect anAsian man. You will get some real consequences afterward and especially if heis your boss. It's something called “face saving” in the Asian culture.It's ridiculous sometimes but it's their culture. Sometimes their culture cancome in between their relationship at work. Asian people might expect a lot ofrespect from their co-workers when their co-workers just see them as an equal.

Americans are very different from Asian people. If you're Asian,you might want to understand the American culture and even adapt to theirculture if you work with them. It will be easier for you since you're in theircountries. Imagine an American working in China, expecting Chinese co-workersto get along with him when he criticizes them straight out on every singlematter in front of everyone. I think they will take him outside and take careof him. It just doesn't work that way with Asian people.

If you're an American boss giving your Asian employee a review,you will see that they will have a problem with your negative remarks. Theywill think that you don't like them, disrespectful, and want to get rid ofthem; when in fact, you're just doing your job. Of course, it's not fair foryou as an American boss but just expect that it can be something that is onyour Asian employee's mind.

When milk arrived on the doorstep

    When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr.Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn't take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.

    Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note-"Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery"—and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically appear.

    All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn't freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.

    There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practiced to have a delivery service.

    Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch. Every so often my son's friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.

    Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has good heart, but always feared applying for a new job.

One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appointment was at 10 am and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre(轮胎） of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said, “Well, I could take you to the office for your interview. It's the least I could do. Please. I insist.” Jimmy agreed.

Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applications waiting to be interviewed. Jimmy still had some grease on him after the car repair, but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt. One by one, the applicants left the interviewer's office with disappointed look on their faces. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked, “Do you really need to be interviewed?” Jimmy's heart sank. “With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?” he thought to himself.

Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy's surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning. It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.

“Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into the office. I just know you'd be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!” Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee as he landed himself a new job.

    Some people might dream of splendid surroundings—but also need a reasonably affordable cost of living. Try one of these four astonishing spots for a magical retirement, from an International living.com report, where retirees can live well on less.

    Sintra, Portugal

    A favorite summer retreat of former royalty, which is just a 40-minute train ride from Lisbon, is the pastel-painted Palace of Pena, a 19th-century Romanticist marvel with pink turrets and daffodil-yellow tower on a hill surrounded by pine forests. A couple could live well in this arts-rich tourist town, though pricier than other cities in Portugal, on a budget of $ 3,065 a month.

    Cusco, Peru

    Cusco, Peru's most historic city, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Once an Incan capital. Cusco has clear, sunny days. Colonial structures have been changed into fashionable restaurants, shops and even homes. Superfoods, like chia seeds, quinoa and maca, are inexpensive and plentiful. A retired couple could enjoy a good life on$ 1,700 a month.

    The West Coast, Ireland

    The Wild Atlantic Way is a cycling or driving route that stretches across the west coast of Ireland. At the heart of the route is one of the most amazing natural wonders, the landmark Cliffs of Moher in County Clare—one of Ireland's most visited natural attractions. On a budget of around $ 2, 800 a month, a retired couple could live quite comfortably.

    San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

    San Miguel was declared a UNESCO World Heritage City in 2008.The colonial centro has much to offer retirees: low cost of living, arts, charming local cultural traditions and mild weather year-round. San Miguel is a few hours' drive from Mexico City. The days are comfortably warm and the nights blessedly cool. A retired couple could live comfortably on a monthly budget of $ l, 650.

    Exercise could not only benefit your body, but also imp rove your memory, researchers found recently. In their paper published on Monday, researchers from the University of California, Irvine in the United States and the University of Tsukuba in Japan introduced their experiment and conclusion.

    Scientists invited 36 volunteers who were in their early 20s to do 10 minutes of light exercise before taking a memory test in which they were shown pictures like broccoli(西兰花)or picnic baskets and asked to recall them later. The same experiment was repeated with the same group of volunteers without exercising. "The memory task was really quite challenging ,said Michael Yassa, co-author of the study and a neuroscientist (神经科学家)at the University of California, Irvine. "We used very tricky similar items to see if they would remember whether it was this exact picnic basket versus (对抗)that picnic basket. "

    Researchers also scanned brains of some of the participants during the experiment. They found strengthened communication between regions involved in the storage and recollection of memories in brains of those who had exercised. This suggested that just 10 minutes of light exercise like walking, yoga or Tai Chi might increase memory power.

    As all the volunteers in the experiment were relatively young, researchers are still working to look at the effects of light exercise on older people. " Our future goal is to try to develop an exercise prescription (处方)that can be used by older adults who might have disabilities or mobility impairments, but can still adopt very simple exercise rules of life and be able to, perhaps, delay cognitive decline temporarily," said Yassa.

    Sagrada Familia (2, 056, 448 visits/year)

    Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 00 (October-March)    09: 00-20: 00 (April-September).

    Admission: $11, or $10 with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: Yes

    The temple has been under construction since 1882 and they've still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished. The project's vast scale (规模) and its special design have made it one of Barcelona's top tourist attractions for many years.

    La Pedrera (1, 133, 220 visits/year)

    Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 30 (November-February)    09: 00-20: 00 (March-October)

    Admission: $9. 50. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: No.

    This building used to be called Casa Mila, but nowadays it's more commonly known as La Pedrera. It was made of bricks and had colorful tiles (瓷砖).

    Barcelona FC Museum (1, 032, 763 visits/year)

    Opening hours: 6th April-4th October: (Monday to Saturday) 10:00-20:00; the rest of the year: 10: 00 to 18: 30.

    Admission: $8. 50 for entry to museum and an extra $17 for a guided tour.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    It is now generally considered as the best football museum in the world. You can see so many trophies (奖杯), pictures and statues of great football players. I'm not a football fan but I still enjoyed walking round this museum.

    Miró Museum (518, 869 visits/year)

    Opening hours: Check website for details as they vary depending on the time of the year.

    Admission: $8. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    This museum has a wide range of Miró's works dating back as far as 1914. This artwork collection includes not only his paintings but also a good selection of sculptures.