Monthly Archives: May 2010

Blant and honest

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today while walking with my mom in the neighborhood during our shopping trip, we had to stop a few times when my mom met people she knows and had a little chat about me and my home visit. I didn’t know … Continue reading →

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Bargaining

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Qin Tang

My daughter asked for a pair of flip flops before our trip. I told her to wait and buy a pair in China. You get more choices for a less price. Today I took her to the street market near my parents’ home … Continue reading →

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A few comparisons

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Qin Tang

Traveling offers the opportunity to broaden one’s viewpoint and to see things from a different perspective, to make some conparisons. Here are a few observations I gained from my China trip on the first couple of days.  My first part of the flight … Continue reading →

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Greetings from China

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Qin Tang

Greetings from Suzhou, my hometown in China. My trip from Minnesota to China was a safe one, but definitely not smooth. I had to wait in the airplane at the St Paul-Minneapolis International Airport for 4 hours while a mechanical problem on the Boeing 747 … Continue reading →

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Creating Magic – book interview

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Qin Tang

This week I interviewed Rebecca Fabunmi, Mn/DOT Special Assistant to Commissioner/Deputy Commissioner. We talked about the fourth book in the Commissioner’s Reading Corner Book of the Month series, Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney by Lee … Continue reading →

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Innovation

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Qin Tang

The most interesting part of my job as a librarian at Mn/DOT is writing articles for Mn/DOT’s employee newsletter Newsline and for the Library’s newsletter New Library Materials. Recently I attended an online conference on innovation and wrote the following … Continue reading →

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Decluttering for a good cause

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Qin Tang

Spirit of Life Bible Church will have a garage sale on June 4th and 5th for the benefit of missions and sound/video equipment. Spirit of Life is located near Sam’s Club at 690 Commerce Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125. In the … Continue reading →

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New research about GMO

Posted on May 22, 2010 by Qin Tang

Check out the following article and website on GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). Warning: This Common Food Causes Devastating Offspring Defects in New Research Study Institute for Responsible Technology

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The joy of gardening

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Qin Tang

What’s so special about this bowl of salad? Nothing, except it’s from my own vegetable garden and it is the first salad of the growing season I got to taste for lunch today. I love gardening and eating fresh vegetables directly from the garden.  The … Continue reading →

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Local auto repair shop recommended

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Qin Tang

When it comes to vehicles and driving, I am not only directionally challenged, but also mechanically challenged. I don’t know much about cars and how they work. I found it is not uncommon that some repair shops take advantage of female … Continue reading →

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Minnesota Emerging Leaders Institute

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Qin Tang

Tonight I am working on my application for the 2010-2011 State of Minnesota Emerging Leaders Institute (ELI). ELI is a leadership development program for a select group of thirty emerging leaders from across state government designed to help them become … Continue reading →

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Technologies made driving easier

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Qin Tang

Like many women, I am quite directionally challenged. I don’t have a good sense of direction. In addition, I learned to drive after I came to the U.S., more than 10 years later than the average people learn to drive … Continue reading →

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Healthy choice

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Qin Tang

About 10 years ago I stopped drinking milk. I hardly eat any meat except some seafood occasionally. Reading the following articles this week reinforced my belief that eating more vegetables is the healthier choice. The Problem with Factory Farms  Factory … Continue reading →

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French fries caused controversy

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Qin Tang

Judy Spooner’s article in this week’s Woodbury Bulletin – What does future hold for French fries in school cafeteria? – has brought quite a few comments from readers on the Bulletin’s website. The comments fall in two groups. One group … Continue reading →

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A poet in the making

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Qin Tang

My daughter Amy prefers writing poems than doing the dishes or playing piano. Today when I asked her to wash the dishes after dinner, she asked: "Can I write five poems instead of washing the dishes?" She hadn’t written any poems … Continue reading →

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Overabundance on display

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Qin Tang

After I picked up my son from a special school event, we stopped at a few houses in our neighborhood on the way home. Today is the beginning of the annual Lions Club Garage Sale in Woodbury. It’s interesting to … Continue reading →

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The magic of ARE

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today, out of blue, a certificate of appreciation showed up in my mail box. It says: “Certificate of Appreciation is hereby granted to Qin Tang for your leadership and dedication as an agency wellness champion.” Underneath are the following two … Continue reading →

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Bad day

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today was not a good day for me. First I was upset about a family issue. Then something happened to my van as I was about to leave for home. Police had to be called. After three phone calls and … Continue reading →

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Lincoln on Leadership – book interview

Posted on May 10, 2010 by Qin Tang

I recently interviewed Serge Phillips, Mn/DOT federal relations manager. We talked about the third book in the Commissioner’s Reading Corner Book of the Month series, Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times by Donald T. Phillips.       Tang: Why … Continue reading →

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Visiting Sioux Falls

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Qin Tang

Over the weekend my family had a short visit to Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota, with a population of 155,000, about half of the size of population in St. Paul, the second largest city in Minnesota. We … Continue reading →

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Article about bottled water

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Qin Tang

I want to share an article by Dr. Mercola about bottled water: This Common Beverage Can Spike Brain Damage, Obesity, and Cancer Risk

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Living in a distracted world

Posted on May 7, 2010 by Qin Tang

We are living in a distracted world. In our every day life we face many distractions. For some people, the distraction is TV or video games, for some it is Internet and web surfing, and for some it is shopping … Continue reading →

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Fashion Feng Shui – dressing with intention

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Qin Tang

Today I attended a brown bag presentation on dressing with intention. This was part 2 on Feng Shui presented by certified Feng Shui practitioners Caroline Lehman, Karen Hollingsworth, Mary Conley and Carol Seiler. Fashion Feng Shui is dressing with intention … Continue reading →

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Men and women differences

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Qin Tang

Will Manley is a retired librarian and city administrator, and author of several books. I have enjoyed reading his monthly column Will’s World in American Libraries for several years. I love his humorous commentary on library and life in general. … Continue reading →

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Why you should stop watching TV

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Qin Tang

Reading Celestine Chua’s blog post Top 10 Reasons You Should Stop Watching TV reinforced my own belief that watching TV is more than a waste of time. As I mentioned in a Woodbury Bulletin column TV Fasting August, I have not watched … Continue reading →

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Slow consumption

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Qin Tang

Utne Reader, a magazine started in Minnesota more than 20 years ago, is a digest of independent ideas and alternative culture, drawn from alternative and independent press. In the March /April issue of Utne, I read an article titled Slow … Continue reading →

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