This is what I found:

1 'Bless you'. It is thought that when we sneeze, part of our soul is leaving our body during that quick yet uncontrollable moment, and the devil would seize that opportunity to steal our soul. If someone near you says 'bless you' when you sneeze, you will be protected against the devil's will. This being the case you should always thank the person saying 'bless you as they are trying to protect you.

2 British people touch wood or knock on wood to prevent bad luck. Some believe that there is a little elf in trees and in wood. So by touching wood or furniture you stop the devil listening to what you just said, so that you keep your good luck coming in. This could explain why the British tend to love wooden furniture.

3 British people love plants and flowers if you can find a clover with four leaves instead of the usual three, then you are thought to be very lucky as you got something from God, something that can fend off bad luck.

4. Animals play an important part in British superstitions. For example, it is considered to be lucky to meet a black cat. You may notice that a lot of black cats are featured on many good luck greeting cards and birthday cards in this country. However, black cat means bad luck in North America such as the U.S and Canada.

5. According to some, one ancient British superstition holds that if a child rides on a bear's back it will be protected from whooping-cough. While in ancient times bears used to roam Britain, now they are only kept in zoos.

6. Another animal that has a superstitious colour is ravens. It was long believed that if the ravens leave the tower then the crown of England will be lost, and the Empire will be fallen. So that tradition is still kept till this day at the Tower of London which has at ravens which are taken good care of but their wings slightly cut off.

7. Finally it's numbers that are loved or hated. The number '7' is lucky whereas '13' is not, which I think is well-known throughout the world. I know that the Chinese love the number '8' but '4' is to be avoided as it sounds the same as the word death. In Italy 13 and 17 are the unlucky numbers instead of 3 and 7, which are the lucky numbers.

I wonder what is the lucky number (or unlucky number) in your country and why. And I am looking forward to hearing from you.

A good weekend to you all and I will be back next week
Li

You may have been very young when the Twin Towers were attacked in 2001.
Nearly 3000 people died and two gigantic skyscrapers were brought down .

click here to see the pictures

http://www.911memorial.org/

The idea is to build a memorial on Ground Zero, the former site of World Trade Centre in lower Manhattan.

The 9/11 Memorial features two enormous waterfalls and reflecting pools, each about an acre in size, set within the footprints of the Twin Towers.

The nearly 3,000 names of the men, women, and children killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 are inscribed in bronze on parapets surrounding the twin memorial pools.

It is supposed to be one of the most eco-friendly memorial plazas ever constructed, with more than 400 trees surrounding the whole area. The design has been made to convey a spirit of hope and renewal.

At the moment the memorial is in its last stage of construction. But in 30 days' time it's going to be opened to the public.

The construction started in 2006 and has been led by architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker, whose design was selected over 5,000 other submissions.

When it opens it is expected to become one of the most popular landmarks in New York, with up to 10,000 visitors a day.

Well, New York has lots of other interesting places that I can tell you about but perhaps I will talk about them another time.

Till next time,

Yang Li

You may have heard of the London cycle scheme, which is designed to be environmentally friendly and has been used by millions of people in London. But have you heard of the Pedal Bus? According to the Evening Standard The London Pedal Bus is the latest and most sociable way to travel.

The reason why it is called the Pedal Bus is because every passenger has to pedal to keep the bus going. There is no petrol or electricity used; instead it's manpower, or foot power to be exact.

You need to be physically strong to do the pedalling and it can be good exercise. The fun thing is the way the seats are laid out - passengers sit around a bar while wine and beer is poured for them to enjoy as they travel, but not the driver though.

Well some people may say what about rain? What about the speed of travel? Well both are concerns for the sceptic.
Would I want to try one soon? Yes definitely, provided it's a sunny day.
This new invention, the Pedal Bus is the brainchild of 38-year-old Luke Roberson. "I was inspired by the multi-person bicycle," he says. "But I wanted to make one that was sturdier and better suited to parties and events." Hiring a Pedal Bus has become a trend among corporate clients as a way of team building.
It's fun for some but you should be careful if you are not physically fit enough for that that kind of activity.

If you were to design an eco- product, what would that be?
Till next time
Yang Li