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.

    India has a very vast history and heritage（遗产）. The country has witnessed some of the most important events in the past and every event has an effect of its own on the culture, religion, lifestyle, and economy of the country. This is one of the leading reasons why tourists prefer India to travel and explore. Historical tours in India provide everything that a traveler expects from his/her journey. These historical tours give an opportunity to study and explore Indian history.

    Historical tours of India generally consisted of four phases: ancient, medieval（中世纪的）, modern India and contemporary（当代的）India. Some of the historical travel packages are:

    Forts and Palaces

    The rich cultural past of India is reflected in the countless（无数的）forts and palaces across the country. Most of the forts were constructed as a defense device to keep the enemy away and palaces were made on the names of the kings and queens. Some of the famous forts and palaces are: Agra Fort (Agra), Fatehpur Sikri (Agra), Hawa Mahal (Jaipur), Amber Fort (Jaipur), City Palace (Jaipur), Gwalior Fort (Gwalior), Mysore Palace (Mysore), Red Fort (Delhi), etc.

India Heritage Tours

    The main purpose of India Heritage tours is to make Indians as well as tourists familiar with the rich Indian legacy（遗产）. The heritage of the country is at least 5000 years. Some of the heritage tours are: medieval heritage, Rajput heritage, Golden Triangle, splendid Gujarat, etc.

    South India Historical Tours

    The Southern India is known for its diversity and there are many places, which attract tourists, not only from the country but also from all around the world. The famous tourists' destinations（景区）in South India include Goa, Cochin, Kerala, Munnar, Periyar, Kottayam and the list goes on and on.

    Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, lots of traffic jams and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes (废气). So the city began a project to improve the situation.

    Under the Velib project ('Velib' comes from vélo liberté, or 'bicycle freedom') people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour on the bike is free, but if you don't return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it's only €1 a day or €29 a year! The bicycles are heavy (25 kg), and they are all grey and have baskets. There are about 20,000 of them in the city, and around 1,450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!

    Paris is not the first city to have a project like this. But not everybody thinks it's a great idea. One Parisian said, “These bicycles are only for short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won't use a bicycle — they'll still use their cars.”

    A city spokesman said, “The bicycle project won't solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren't any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too.”

    Wong Fuk-wing, a Hong Kong volunteer at an orphanage (孤儿院) in Yushu, was killed in the earthquake when he was trying to save others on April 14, 2010.

    Wong managed to run safely out of the building with some children when the first quake happened at 7:50 am on April 14, but he went back inside to rescue three other children and three teachers inside, although he knew the danger of aftershocks (余震).

    At 10 am, all the children and one of the teachers were saved. However, Wong was buried under the fallen building and died. The other two teachers were still waiting to be rescued.

    46-year-old Wong was a truck driver, who often said he could only give his efforts to charity instead of money, as he did not earn a lot. His tragic (悲剧的) end touched the hearts of many people both in Hong Kong and on the mainland.

    Wong began volunteering in 2002. In 2003, Wong was told by the doctor he got serious illness, which gave him a great blow. However, the illness did not deter the warm-hearted man. When the earthquake struck Wenchuan in Sichuan Province in 2008, Wong rushed to the disaster area of Shifang to offer his help though his family did not want him to go.

    In fact, Qinghai is a place Wong had often visited since 2006. As a volunteer, he gave out medicine and clothing to the orphanage there. No one could expect that Wong would die helping others.

    Hong Kong Chief Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen said he had "the highest respect" for the hero who gave his life for others. "What he did has shown the Hong Kong spirit." The citizens of Hong Kong called him "the pride of Hong Kong's people" and people on the mainland have also praised him as "a true hero".

If you have a passion for music, art, history and more, indulge it on a Yoyo Odyssey Cultural Tour!

How we travel can make the difference between just visiting a place, or really experiencing it from the inside out, which is why Yoyo has created its new Odyssey Cultural Tours collection.

These small-group, luxury tours offer a deep div e into history, art, music, literature, dance and astronomy, while enjoying everything that a destination has to offer, from exceptional places to stay to the best of local food.

Each holiday has the service of a Yoyo tour manager and we'll take care of you every step of the way, providing a VIP car service to your UK departure point for overseas trips, flights and transfers, all transports to accommodations, travel insurance and much more.

For music lovers; Yoyo has partnered with the Royal Academy of Music to create unique short breaks in London with concerts by talented young musicians from the Academy.

You'll be in expert hands-each tour is accompanied by a specialist in their field who's skilled at sharing their expertise through insight-packed talks throughout the holiday. Backstage, behind-the-scenes visits give a fascinating perspective on new places as well as cities that you may already know and love, all in the stimulating company of like-minded travellers.

ABC Music readers will receive an exclusive 5 per cent discount on all Yoyo Cultural Odyssey Tours-just quote the code ‘ABCR' when booking. To find out more please visit yoyo.uk/COT.

Whales are celebrated for being the largest and most intelligent creatures in the ocean. Now, biologists have discovered that they also capture（捕获） tons of carbon from the atmosphere, a service with an economic value of US $1 trillion for all the great whales, according to a new study published by the International Monetary Fund. The study points out that protecting whales, normally viewed as a human good, also has a monetary motivation.

"The carbon capture potential of whales is truly incredible," said the report. "Our conservative estimates put the value of the average great whale at more than US $2 million, and easily over US $1 trillion for the current stock of great whales." Whales absorb carbon in their bodies during their long lives, some of which stretch to 200 years. When they die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking the carbon with them. According to the study, each great whale traps around 33 tons of carbon dioxide on average. A tree during the same period only contributes to 3percent of the carbon absorption of the whale.

Whale populations are today a smidgen of what they once were. It is estimated that there are slightly more than 1.3 million whales in the ocean, a quarter of their pre-whaling number of 4 t o5 million. Some species in particular, like the blue whale, are only 3 percent of what they used to be. "We can create financial methods to promote the restoration of the world's whale populations," said the report's authors. "Rewards could help those who pay significant costs as a result of whale protection."

With the Paris Agreement coming into force next year and the effects of climate change ever more widespread, we must prevent the harm to whales. Researchers analyzed that unless new methods are put forward, it would take over 30 years to double the number of current whales, and several generations to return them to their pre-whaling numbers. "Society and our own survival can't afford to wait this long," they said.