The National Immigration Agency (NIA) in Taiwan announced that new immigrant mothers who aredivorced with children born in Taiwan are allowed to continue staying in Taiwan despite that they lose thecustody of their children. The NIA’s decision to amend the law is invariably linked with the protection of thechildren’s rights and interests. The NIA restated that Article 31 of the Immigration Act in 2007 was modifiedto safeguard the rights and interests of foreign spouses after a divorce. The amendment contains enabling themto have the custody of children after a divorce and get divorced with their Taiwanese spouses if they are victimsof domestic violence.

      In the past, new immigrant mothers who are divorced without the custody of their children are usuallycompelled to leave the country. Yet, their right to have visitation of their children will still be granted dependingon the NIA’s evaluation of each case concerning to what extent the mothers are involved in bearing and rearingtheir Taiwan-born children before they are deported finally. With this adjustment in law, the court will decidewhether a mother can obtain the custody of her child/children according to paragraph 4 of Article 31 of theImmigration Act. Once granted, a new immigrant mother in such a circumstance will be authorized to continuedwelling in this country. In the case of a new immigrant mother who has already gone back to her country oforigin after a divorce, the NIA claimed that she can still come back to Taiwan with a visitor visa provided thatshe used to be a legal resident in Taiwan who was the primary caretaker of her child/children or kept in fullcontact with them.

Drinking coffee has become a crucial part of the daily routine of 110 million Americans. Over the past 20 years, over 19,000 studies have been conducted to examine the impact of coffee on one’s health. There appears to be both benefits and potential hazards associated with this drink. Some studies have shown that coffee may reduce the risk of diabetes. After analyzing data on 120,000 people over an 18-year period, researchers at Harvard have concluded that drinking 1 to 3 cups of coffee each day can reduce diabetes risk by several percentage points, compared with not drinking coffee at all. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees provide similar results, which suggests that a coffee component other than caffeine may have beneficial effects on blood sugar levels. Researchers also find that coffee can lower the risks of Parkinson’s disease, colon cancer, and gallstones. On the other hand, some researchers have found that coffee is not for everyone. In excessive amounts－meaning more than whatever one’s body can tolerate－coffee can decrease the flow of blood to the heart, increase blood pressure, and cause rapid heartbeat. In addition, pregnant women should limit their caffeine intake because fetuses are sensitive to caffeine.

    A potato farmer was sent to prison just at the time when he should have been digging the ground for planting the new crop of potatoes. He knew that his wife would not be strong enough to do the digging by herself, but that she could manage to do the planting; and he also knew that he did not have any friends or neighbors who would be willing to do the digging for him. So he wrote a letter to his wife which said, “Please do not dig the potato field. I hid the money and the gun there.” 

   Ten days later he got a letter from his wife. It said, “I think somebody is reading your letters before they go out of the prison. Some policemen arrived here two days ago and dug up the whole potato field. What should I do now?” The farmer wrote back at once, “Plant the potatoes, of course.”

        Cleanliness has long been next to godliness for the hygiene-conscious Japanese, but fortune-tellers are now advising those who want to succeed in life to start by scrubbing the smallest room.

        Cleaning the Toilet to Attract Luck published this month is the latest in a series of books advising readers on how to attract good fortune using a brush and an array of cleaning fluids. “Don’t just wipe the floor, polish it,” the book instructs. “It’s important to maintain a positive mood while cleaning.” The books are inspired by Buddhist teachings and feng shui, a traditional Chinese belief that people’s fortunes are determined by their surroundings. 

        The idea that Lady Luck may be hiding in the lavatory has been taken up by magazines and television programs. “I won the lottery! I married my ideal person! I got pregnant!” read some of the claims on the cover of another book on the topic, published last year

        The idea that a clean toilet can bring good fortune, or even make you more beautiful, has existed in Japan for many years, according to Yuka Soma of Makino Publishing in Tokyo, editor of one of the toilet books. But she is still waiting for a big stroke of luck. “I’ve always cleaned my toilet every day, so it never really gets dirty,” she said. “At least it’s easy that way and it probably helps keep my family healthy,” she said.