The four things that doom relationships

Author: John Gottman 

John has studied thousands of couples and show Four things came up again and again that indicated a relationship was headed for trouble. He call them "The Four Horsemen Of The Relationship Apocalypse"

#1: Criticism

Criticism is staging the problem in a relationship as a character flaw in a partner. The Masters did the opposite: they point a finger at themselves and they really have a very gentle way of starting up the discussion, minimizing the problem and talking about what they feel and what they need.

#2: Defensiveness

The second horseman was defensiveness which is a natural reaction to being criticized. It takes two forms: counterattacking or acting like an innocent victim and whining. Again, the Masters were very different even when their partner was critical. They accepted the criticism, or even took responsibility for part of the problem. They said, “Talk to me, I want to hear how you feel about this.”

#3: Contempt

Contempt is talking down to their partner. Being insulting or acting superior. Not only did it predict relationship breakup, but it predicted the number of infectious illnesses that the recipient of contempt would have in the next four years when we measured health.

#4: Stonewalling

It’s shutting down or tuning out. It passively tells your partner, “I don’t care.” And 85% of the time it’s guys who do this.

John is a professor emeritus at the University of Wrashington and co-founder of the Gottman Institute. He’s published over 190 papers and authored more than 40 books, including:

• Principia Amoris: The New Science of Love
• The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
• The Relationship Cure: A 5 Step Guide to Strengthening Your Marriage, Family, and Friendships

Source:

http://tienganh99.wordpress.com/2014/12/13/the-4-most-common-relationship-problems-and-how-to-fix-them/

Read more »

Reading: ”X-ray Art”

Tia X quang ( X-ray ) không chỉ ứng dụng trong chẩn đoán y khoa mà còn có thể dùng để tạo ra tác phẩm nghệ thuật , thời trang hay trang trí . 1. Read the text

Podiatrist Dr. Paula Fontaine is preparing her next x-ray shoot… and it’s not of a foot or a leg. Today she is photographing a turtle shell that her business partner Joseph Moisan will turn into a work of art. Together they own “radiant art studios” that sells fine art prints, jewelry and home goods made from prints from the x-ray machine in Dr. Fontaine’s office in Westminster, Massachusetts.

- It’s a collection of images based on both organic and inorganic subject matter. We take pictures of all sorts of things like light bulbs, feet, shells. And we create art using a process called digital map painting on top of the x-ray images.

Moisan was originally hired by Fontaine to work on her computers. But after he learned how to operate the x-ray machine, he noticed that he could treat the pictures like his regular digital photographs.

- It’s kind of like a serendipity kind of moment because that little light bulb goes off and you think to yourself, ‘I could make this work.’

Since then the duo has displayed their work at numerous art shows and on their website, challenging the notion that beauty is just skin-deep…

2. Understand the vocabulary

Podiatrist - a doctor who treats injuries and diseases of the foot.

Fine art - a type of art (such as painting, sculpture, or music) that is done to create beautiful things.

Hired - to give work or a job to (someone) in exchange for wages or a salary.

Serendipity - luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for.

Duo - two people who perform together, are usually seen together, or are associated with each other.

Challenging - difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable.

Notion - an idea or opinion.

3. Watch the video

From : http://www.abaenglish.com/blog/feed

Read more »

Alarm Over Mekong Region’s Rapidly Disappearing Forests

By Rachel Vandenbrink
Rừng Việt Nam ở khu vực sông Mekong bị tàn phá nhanh chóng và có khả năng biến mất hoàn toàn nếu không có biện pháp năn chặn . Bản tin từ đài châu Á về hiện trạng này.








The greater Mekong region in Southeast Asia could lose nearly a third of its forests within the next two decades if governments don’t boost protection, a leading conservation group warned Thursday, saying the region’s freshwater ecosystems are also threatened by planned dams.


Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam have lost nearly one third of their forest cover over the past 35 years, leaving the region with about half of its natural forests, the report by the World Wildlife Fund said of the region centered around the Mekong River.

The forests are being overtaken by farmland and replaced with agricultural plantations growing rice, rubber, sugar, and other commodities for export, the report said.

Other areas are damaged by logging—linked to a rise in demand for timber in China, Thailand, and Vietnam—while mangrove forests have been cleared to make way for rice paddies and shrimp farms.

Using satellite imagery, the WWF’s researchers calculated that between 1973 and 2009, Cambodia lost 22 percent of its forest cover, Burma and Laos each lost 24 percent, and Thailand and Vietnam each lost 43 percent.

The “hotspots” most at risk for further deforestation include the margins of large forest blocks that remain in Cambodia, Laos, and Burma, the report said, adding that national statistics from Vietnam and China have “masked” overall losses in regional tree cover because they include large monoculture plantations that are gradually replacing natural forests.

'At a crossroads'

The region has retained forests covering a total of some half of its land area, but if current deforestation rates persist, another third could be lost, with devastating consequences for wildlife, the report said.

“The Greater Mekong is at a crossroads,” said Peter Cutter, a WWF land conservation expert.

“One path leads to further declines in biodiversity and livelihoods, but if natural resources are managed responsibly, this region can pursue a course that will secure a healthy and prosperous future for its people,” he said.

Mekong dams

The greater Mekong region, which also includes southwestern China’s Yunnan and Guangxi, is a biodiversity hotspot and supports some 70 million people depending directly on its ecosystems for food, water, and livelihood.

The region is bound together by the Mekong River, which hosts 13 unique but interconnected freshwater ecosystems, which are threatened by planned dams.

The controversial Xayaburi dam under construction in northern Laos is a “key threat” to the health and productivity to the region, and will block migratory fish and sediment flow with devastating consequences for livelihoods and food security, the WWF warned.

If all 11 planned dams on the main stem of the Mekong River are built, fish supply could be cut by 40 percent, the report said.

But because the region is still rich in natural capital, building greener economies is still “well within reach,” if regional governments coordinate properly, the WWF concluded.

"Given that the majority of the region's biological heritage and supporting ecosystems occur in landscapes that cross borders, regional collaboration is critical," Cutter said.

"Increased and more sustainable investment in maintaining ecosystem integrity must also be a priority at landscape, national, and regional scales."

Read more »

Reading News : World deltas tabled in HCM City

Source: VietNam Feeds

As many as 300 policymakers, experts and scientists from Sub-Mekong region countries and other nations across the globe are gathering at an international conference in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss solutions to some of the most acute challenges facing Vietnam and its delta, as well as the broader Mekong River system.

Addressing the 2013 World Deltas Dialogues II, which kicked off on May 19, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai said the Mekong Delta region is facing serious water-related challenges from global warming and climate change, notably salt water intrusion.

Climate change scenarios in Vietnam show that sea levels could rise by up to 1 meter by 2100, covering 40% of the Mekong Delta.

These problems are truly challenging the regional ecosystem, the agro-fishery industry and food security, said Lai.

He added that the conference will provide a forum for global representatives to share their experiences in managing and dealing with arising challenges in deltas across the world, particularly the Mekong Delta region.

The Delta 2013 Vietnam, themed “Solutions for the Ecosystem ahead of unforeseeable aftermaths,” is jointly organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, America’s Wetland Foundation (AWF), the Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, and the Dutch and US Embassies in Vietnam.

Delegates at the conference discussed long-term issues relating to the Mekong Delta’s development and ecosystem balance, experience in coping with climate change in the Mississippi Delta and how to adapt to flooding in the Mekong Delta region and Vietnam’s coastal areas.

The conference, with the first event held in the US three years ago, will last until May 23.

Read more »