101 Tapei: the world's largest steel orb inside the tallest building

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Originally uploaded by nimobimo.

Mrs. Lisa (Lihui) Wu, Magnet parent, and Mrs. Hsu Lee Liu, both of Taiwan and, now, Shreveport, visited classes this week.

Among the topics we covered:
* Feng Shui (Literally, "wind" & "water"), the arrangement of the elements of your life, principally buildings and furniture, so that your life will be healthy and wealthy.
* Chinese numerals and the the 4 tones of the Taiwanese dialect.
* 101 Taipei, the world's tallest building. Built in earthquake-prone Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, it has a special steel ball housed near the top that balances the sway.
* Chop stick technique.
* Chinese cookies and dessert.
* Stir fried rice.

In my class notes:
* wok and quick stir fry.
* Szechwan & Hunan regions, where the cooking is often peppery.
* soybean, the perfect food.

Bureaucrats and bureaucracy: may be inflexible, obstructive ("never admit error," "chain of command") and prone to random bias. But also may be enlightened. Sketch: people behind large desks.

Repousse: working a pattern into malleable metal by tracing and chasing a design. An ancient art. See the Egyptians.