Yummy!

Here in Taiwan,we have lots of Chinese cuisines. Deep in roots,many people inherit great skills in making tasty foods from their families. Noodles are several delicious Chinese foods worth talking about.

I like noodles,especialy for Beef Noodle and Wonton Noodle. Since Beef Noodle is kind of expensive to try (the price per bowl is between 2 to 4 US dollars,normally),I would instead order Wonton Noodle.

Wonton,looking like another kind of dumling,is great to eat when you have it with noodles. With the smell of meat inside it and the steam coming out from the soup,it's very enjoyable to have it. It's the essence of Chinese food.

Alas! Good Wontons are less seen these days among eateries along streets. Good Wontons are often hand-made,and they're gradually replaced with cheap ones made by machines. So it's common that one may order and have a bowl of Wonton Noodle which is without "soul". And thus having it with a pity.

Euro and Germany

The Euro has been plagued with sovereign debt problems. It is said that only few countries have the deep pockets to save the Euro. France and Germany are among the list,especially Germany.

Germen economy was weak a decade ago,it was once called an european patient. Now it looks like Germany is the key nation which can keep the european monetary union function well.

But the central european economic hub is reluctant to bail out other states,the Merkel administration acted very carefully about the funding issue. Some high-ranking officials even spoke against any bailout plans for Greece,including Kanzlerin Merkel herself.

Is Germany overreacted and too careful about the crisis? And thus causing the deprecition of Euro?

I have no idea about the scoop. But according to german research institutes,Greece might have held something back,that is the Greek government deficit might be bigger than what is known by the public.

In this crisis,the world is informed again about the european monetary integration and has reviewed the role Germany plays in it.

Last week's economist had a special report on Germany,it unveiled many reforms Germans had been thruogh,and what were left after them.

Take a look at the picture below.(Courtesy:Economist.com)

















I'm surprised by the GDP per person are so high in some areas .
Although Germany has problems to fusion the east and west parts of it,overall its economy is healthier than elsewhere in Europe.

Germany enjoys a trade surplus,it has the second or third largest common account surplus in the world mostly by exporting their products to the neighboring countries. Even in this european financial crisis,Germany might have beneficted more than others - by depreciation of Euro,it will have a bigger margin.

It's time for Germans to think about the future of Europe,and that's their future,too.

Japan,a long way to recovery

I saw an artical featuring the fall of Japan's economy. It was a brilliant cover story by a local news magazine here in Taiwan.

In that artical,the main reason that caused the fall of Japan's once powerful economic strength was the sharp appreciation of its currency.
With the appreciation,the export power had been hurt. The prosperities in stock market and real estate were soon broken.

Not long ago,there was another local news magazine putting out articals about Taiwan's currency policy. They argued Taiwanese central banker shall let the New Taiwan Dollar increase its value,rather than constant depreciation,given the alteration of international economics and local industry outlook.

That is an issue we can keep an eye on for many decades. Monetary policy is not just about economics,it's also related to politics.

Right now,I think we're lucky to have a wise central banker,who has done his job beautifully for many years.

Paris

Ernest Hemingway said that if you stay in Paris for a while when you're young,Paris would be a moveable feast for you. Is that true?

Yes,I think that's true! And he was probably damn right to comment that.

I stayed in Paris for six days during the Chinese New Year holidays. There,in Paris,I saw a different world I had never experienced before.
Everything was big in Paris. The Louvre,the Invalidee,the Versailles and the
river Seine. I should have used the phrase for the U.S.,'cause that's how people depict America. "Even the ants are bigger in America."

But I rather gave that kind of phrases to Paris. Having been so ignorant to Paris,France and Europe,I only had few images in my mind about the city and the nation. When I was near the end of my trip,I realized that France,letting us take Paris as a projection of its national wealth and power,was quite a highly civilized country with high-end technology and uniqe appreciation of art. France has far more than coffee and wine.

People there were nice. Not arrogant at all. Though they barely spoke English,they were willing to help me.

I came to know on the last day that there were so many celebrities,artists,statesmen,etc. shared this city one time or the other in their lives. As a tourist,a traveler,I had my footprints set in Paris as well,and I might some day proudly say that I was there when someone great was there too.

Biennvenu a Paris!

Abraham Lincoln

(Photo:dr-belair.com)
Several months ago,I read a book written for high school students. It was a Abraham Lincoln biography.

The book was in a prosaic and chronicle pattern,easy for readers to get a whole view of Lincoln's life,and also rich in content when you wanted to discover more. Through this book,I realized Lincoln's greatness and his contrbution to the U.S.

 Lincoln was great because he stopped the possible breakdown of the federation,and he contributed indirectly to the super power status the U.S. has enjoyed to date. Some historians argued why America didn't separate into pieces,as nations respectively,like continental Europe. The answer might be Lincoln. He saved America as a whole,and made people know a separate America was no longer available.

Lincoln fought the civil war because he had to. He was reluctant to open fire to his fellow citizens. And,by the book,throughout the war Lincoln was not always confident that he would finally win. That is the vital detail we should keep in mind. He was an ordinary person,just like you and me. He fought the war by his will,and finally perseverance paid off and led him to the victory.

Lincoln was vividly portrayed in the book. He saved the Union,he wanted his countrymen to be treated equally no matter what colors their skins were,and he has been regarded one of the greatest presidents Americans admired as a result.

Body of Lies

I've watched this movie over and over again for these days. It's worth of watching. I don't know if it is used as a teaching material for diplomats,but it's so genius that everyone gets to know how secret agents operate their tasks. And how dangerous they are!

The screenplay is great. Though one would doubt why would a pro agent (Ferris,starring Leonardo DiCaprio) fall in love with a local girl and get caught by people using her as the bait.

And,in the late of the movie,agent Ferris is taken into a car by several other cars producing a sandstorm to cover and make the satellite surveillance completely useless. How come Ferris doesn't carry a GPS gadget to identify himself ?

All in all,this is a good story told by a good director and acted by good actors. Director Ridley Scott,the director of the epic Gladiator,has talents to deliver a great amount of information to audience piece by piece. And Russel Crowe,one of Ridley Scott's favorite actors,plays his role vividly and hatefully as a CIA Near East division head.

While I enjoy this movie,I also wonder what if some other people,unlike diplomats,have watched and studied it? Maybe terrorists,maybe would-be terrorists?
But with so many talents in Tinseltown,people might not worry about this. Screenplay writers would come up with greater plots to outdo this one.

The Lisbon Treaty

Before going to Europe,I'm interested in the process of European integration. Not long ago,the Lisbon Treaty was ratified by the EU members. What is it?
What's the impact when it comes into force?

I didn't have too much time to study the treaty sentence by sentence,so I read over the "fast facts"of the treaty,and came up with my take of it.

Well,for the people who are doubtful about the idea "the world is flat" will be assured that they're not wrong. And for the Eurosceptics,the treaty proves again that "all the european states linking together as a country functions well" doesn't work.

The Lisbon Treaty,coming after the failed European Constitution,bears so much pressure to keep the EU members all together and better enough to rival its counterparts,like the United States and China.  So it allows the EU members to keep their rights and prevend the EU regulations and laws to intervene in their sovereignty.

Some member states have the final say on the issues like taxation,immigration and abortion policies. While keeping highly flexible,the functioning of the Union under the Lisbon Treaty might still stay where it is today. Without a single policy and consensus,one might expect more treaties and amendments to come.

European Union is an acclaimed and succesful regional integration example. Euro states have been working on staying as a whole from a single market to a single,well,federation. But after four decades of hard work,the EU and its people still need more time to get their plans come alive.