The rise of multinational corporations(跨国公司), global marketing, new communication technologies, and reducing cultural differences have led to a great increase in global public relations or PR.

Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the U.S leadership in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world’s top five public relations companies were American—owned. Now, only one is. The British are especially becoming more knowledgeable and creative. A recent study found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate（公司的） planning activities, compared to about one—third of U.S. companies. It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR.

Why is American falling behind in the global PR race? Firstly, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans fall behind their European and Asian counterparts（相对应的人） in knowing a second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson— Marshall’s U.S. employees know two languages. Some other US companies have about the same percentage. On the contrary, some European firms have half or more of their employees good at a second language. Finally, people abroad involved in PR tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal. However, European firms read the Wall Street Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in U.S.

Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN (Cable News Network). Turner recently said that the word “foreign” would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so inter—dependant that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.

Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities (operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders or other non-profit groups.

Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government’s Public Health Service.

Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100,000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would-be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20,000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10,000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low.

Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of each other’s patients in emergencies.

Physicians work long hours and must accept a great deal of responsibility. Many medical procedures, even quite routine ones, involve risk. It is understandable that physicians want to be well rewarded for making decisions which can mean the difference between life and death.

The city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province is a frequent headline. As a major tourist attraction in China, there were so many tourists during last year’s hottest travel seasons that most of them see only the top of each other’s heads rather than one of the many sights. Hangzhou is also famous for creativity and famous people, being home to Internet giants such as the Alibaba Group and Net Ease.

   However, the city has never drawn so much attention as it did in September, when the G20 Summit welcomed heads of the world’s 20 major economies and international organizations. For two days, they discussed topics including strengthened policy coordination, building new paths for growth, effective economic and financial governance, as well as strong world trade and investment.

   On the night of Sept 4, the city also entertained its guests and audience from around the world with a marvelous party directed by Zhang Yimou. The show, entitled Symphony on West Lake is based on Zhang Yimou’s Impressions of West Lake, an astonishing performance that takes place right on the surface of the water, combining music, dance, and light effects all against the backdrop of nature.

Influential discussions and attractive shows may be enough to draw the world’s attention toward Hangzhou, and for young people around the world, the G20 summit has more to offer. It is a global event that they can take part in as volunteers, to develop their communication skills. It is a multicultural dialogue, affecting these young people’s future career; it motivates and inspires youths of different cultures to exchange ideas; it even helps young Chinese people to learn more about their own culture. And these reasons are what are drawing the notice of young people toward the G20 summit.

The striving of countries in Central Europe to enter the European Union may offer a great chance to the continent’s Gypsies (or Roman) to be recognized as a nation, although one without a defined territory. And if they were to achieve that they might even seek some kind of formal place—at least a total population outnumbers that of many of theUnion’s present and future countries. Some experts put the figure at4m-plus; some advocates of Gypsy rights go as high as15m.

Unlike Jews, Gypsies have had no known fixed ancestral land. Though their language is related to Hindi, their territorial origins are misty. Romanian peasants held them to be born on the moon. Other Europeans (wrongly) thought them migrant Egyptians, hence the moving Gypsy. Most probably they were touring metal workers and entertainers who drifted west from India in the 7th century.

However, since communism inCentral Europecollapsed a decade ago, the thought of Romanestan as a landless nation founded on Gypsy culture has gained ground. The International Romany Union, which says it stands for10mGypsies in more than 30 countries, is nurturing the idea of “self-rallying”. It is trying to promote a standard and written form of the language; it waves a Gypsy flag (green with a wheel) when it tries to persuade organizations such as the United Nations; and in July it held a congress in Prague, The Czech capital. Where President Vaclav Havel said that Gypsies in his own country and elsewhere should have a better deal.

So far, the European Commission is cautious of encouraging Gypsies to present themselves as a nation. That might, it is feared, open a Pandora’s box already containing Basques, Corsicans and other awkward peoples. Besides, acknowledging Gypsies as a nation might have an opposite effect, just when several countries, particularlyHungary,Slovakiaand the Czech Republic, are beginning to treat them better, in order to qualify for EU membership. “The EU’s whole assumption is to overcome differences, not to highlight them,” says a nervous Eurocrat.

But the idea that the Gypsies should win some kind of special recognition asEurope’s largest continent wide minority, and one with a terrible history of torture, is catching on . Gypsies have suffered much slaughter over the centuries. In Romania, the country that still has the largest number of them (more than1m), in the 19th century they were actually enslaved. Hitler tried to wipe them out, along with the Jews.

“Gypsies deserve some space within European structures,” says Jan Marinus Wiersma, a Dutchman in the European Parliament who suggests that one of the current commissioners should be responsible for Gypsy affairs. Some distinguished Gypsies say they should be more directly represented, perhaps with a certain seats in the European Parliament. That, they argue, might give them a boost. There are moves underway to help them to get money for, among other things, a Gypsy university.

One big barrier is thatEurope’s Gypsies are, in fact, extremely diverse. They belong to many different, and often opposed, groups and tribes, with no common language or religion, Their self-proclaimed leaders have often proved quarrelsome and corrupt. Still, says, Dimitrina Petrova, head of the European Roma Rights Center in Budapest, Gypsies’ shared experience of suffering enables them to talk of one nation; their potential unity, she says, stems from “being regarded as sub-human by most majorities in Europe.”

And they have begun to be a bit more practical. InSlovakiaand Bulgaria, for instance, Gypsy political parties are trying to form electoral blocks that could win seats in parliament. In Macedonia, a Gypsy party already has some—and even runs a municipality. Nicholas Gheorge, an expert on Gypsy affairs at the OSCE, estimates that, spread overCentral Europe, there are now about 20 Gypsy MPS and mayors, 400-odd local councilors, and a growing number of businessmen and intellectuals.

That is far from saying that they have the people or the cash to build a nation. But, with the Gypsy question on the EU’s agenda inCentral Europe, they are making ground.

The rise of multinational corporations(跨国公司), global marketing, new communication technologies, and reducing cultural differences have led to a great increase in global public relations or PR.

Surprisingly, since modern PR was largely an American invention, the U.S leadership in public relations is being threatened by PR efforts in other countries. Ten years ago, for example, the world’s top five public relations companies were American—owned. In 1991, only one was. The British are especially becoming more knowledgeable and creative. A recent study found that more than half of all British companies include PR as part of their corporate（公司的） planning activities, compared to about one—third of U.S. companies. It may not be long before London replaces New York as the capital of PR.

Why is American falling behind in the global PR race? Firstly, Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs. Knowledge of world geography, for example, has never been strong in this country. Secondly, Americans fall behind their European and Asian counterparts（相对应的人） in knowing a second language. Less than 5 percent of Burson— Marshall’s U.S. employees know two languages. Ogilvy and Mather have about the same percentage. On the contrary, some European firms have half or more of their employees good at a second language. Finally, people involved in PR abroad tend to keep a closer eye on international affairs. In the financial PR area, for instance, most Americans read the Wall Street Journal. Overseas, their counterparts read the Journal as well as the Financial Times of London and The Economist, publications not often read in this country.

Perhaps the PR industry might take a lesson from Ted Turner of CNN (Cable News Network). Turner recently announced that the word “foreign” would no longer be used on CNN news broadcasts. According to Turner, global communications have made the nations of the world so inter—dependant that there is no longer any such thing as foreign.

Market analysts in the United States have recently been quoted as saying that the biggest thr eat to the luxury (奢侈品) industry in the US is the tech industry. This is according to an article by fellow journalist Ashley Lutz. Her suggestion is sound. The main idea of her ar Her suggestion is sound. The main idea of her ar e is that products from Tiffany & Co. find their biggest competition not from other luxury brands but from companies like Apple. Lutz points out that luxury products are often only for “show,” while the attraction behind tech products is functionality.

You find few people in the United States today willing to purchase luxury goods at full price. It didn’t use to be that way. Luxury goods used to be actually exclusive. That meant you needed to travel to the right store to purchase them, and you didn’t even have the option of getting a deal.

Today, no one wants to pay full price for luxury goods. People have the unfortunate belief that fakes (赝品) somehow are equal to originals, and if you can’t get a deal on eBay, Amazon, or in an outlet store, purchasing a luxury product probably isn’t worth it. Luxury brands struggle to remain high-end (高档的) images despite the reality that the American consumer is motivated much more by discounts than they are by brand names or image.

Yet people stand in line to pay full price for a new product from Apple and crowds gather to hear about a new smart phone. While electronics are updating every day, people are purchasing technology at full prices much more than they are purchasing luxury goods. What are high-tech makers doing right that luxury makers are pitifully failing at?

Carefully looking at the situation, it would appear as if the Internet didn’t hurt the luxury industry, expectation from the consumers did. What people want these days more than anything is stuff that does something. They want cars that drive, shoes that are comfortable, games that are fun to play, screens that are beautiful to look at, tools that are useful, and entertainment that is entertaining. Little of that fits into what the luxury industry has typically offered with its status, image, and fine materials. The sad reality is that luxury products aren’t that luxury any more.

I was reading these intriguing stories behind a group of great logos in the world. Personally Nike is my favorite one—it's so simple. And I liked the stories behind them, which made me forget all other things. McDonald's, Apple, Mercedes Benz and Adidas own great logos as well，and they are among my very favorites.

Nike

In the Greek myth, Nike is the goddess of victory and the source of inspiration for soldiers. This logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek goddess. Nike's logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for $35，and was registered as a trademark in 1995.

McDonald's

The logo was designed in 1962 by Jim Schindler to resemble the archshaped signs on the side of the company's then walk­up hamburger stand. Later on, the two golden arches were combined together to form the M．The McDonald's name was added to the logo in 1968.

Apple

There are different stories behind Apple's logo. The first logo was a reference to the religious story of Adam and Eve, in which the apple represented the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One year later, the second logo was designed in 1977 by Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne，and it described Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo didn't stay long. One year later it was replaced almost immediately by graphic designer Rob Janoff's “rainbow apple”，a rainbow­colored silhouette(轮廓)of an apple with a bite taken out of it. And then the rainbow­colored apple was replaced by the onecolored logo in 1998. It has not been changed so far.

Mercedes Benz

The Mercedes Benz logo, which was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, consists of a simple description of a three­pointed star that represents its rule of the land，the sea and the air. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Marcedes is the name of Maybach's elder daughter, while Benz came as a result of a combination with Benz，Cie. and DMG in 1926.

Adidas

The Adidas logo, which was created by the founder of the company Adi Dassler, represents mountains, pointing towards the challenges that are seen ahead and goals that can be achieved. The logo was used for the first time in 1967.

Nowadays, the food that you buy comes from many different countries．Have a look in your fridge, cupboard, and fruit bowl and check the origins(来源) of the food．Perhaps there are apples from California, lamb from New Zealand, or potatoes from Egypt? You will probably be surprised how far food travels to get to your plate．This journey, from “field to plate”, is called “food miles”．A food mile is the distance that food travels from the farmer’s field to the person who buys the f ood．Nowadays, food often travels thousands of miles to get to the consumer(消费者)．Why is this, and what are the effects(影响) of these long distances?
　　Traditionally, farmers sold their food in the local market so the food didn’t have to travel very far．The consumers also did not travel very far, because they went to their local market to buy the food．This was a good system for farmers and consumers．However, there were some disadvantages．For example, consumers could only buy food that farmers produced locally．In addition, they could only get food that was in season．Now, because of modern technology, food comes from all over the world．We do not have to wait for spring or summer to buy strawberries or tomatoes．They are available in winter if we want．
   Some countries have to import(进口) most of their food．This is because they have difficult climates．The United Arab Emirates(UAE), for example, gets 85% of its food from other countries．Even food made in the UAE often uses imported materials．
   What’s wrong with “food miles”? Is this not a good way of increasing international trade? I believe these miles are worrying for a number of reasons．First of all, because food travels such long distances．we need more planes, lorries, and ships to move the food．This means we use more oil or petrol, so there is more pollution and more global(全球的) warming．In addition, food that travels a long way is not fresh and usually not very tasty．Tomatoes, for example, are picked early and stored for their long journey．For this reason, they are usually tasteless when they get to the consumer．Local food has a better taste, a nd it also reduces the amount of global pollution．We need to buy more local food．

China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, is held in Guangzhou every spring and autumn. The Fair is a comprehensive(综合) one with the longest history, the highest level, the largest scale, the most complete exhibit variety, the broadest distribution of overseas buyers and the greatest business turnover (成交量) in China.

Canton Fair attracts more than 24,000 China's best foreign trade companies with good credibility and sound financial capabilities, and 500 overseas companies to participate in the Fair.

Canton Fair is a platform for import and export mainly, with various and flexible patterns of trade. Beside traditional way of negotiating against samples, the Fair holds Canton Fair Online. Various types of business activities such as economic and technical co-operations and exchanges, goods inspection, insurance, transportation, advertising and consultation are also carried out in flexible ways. Business people from all over the world are gathering in Guangzhou, exchanging business information and developing friendship.

               Events Schedule of the 115th Session of Canton Fair

The modern international city of Shenzhen, in South China, continues to rise as the city celebrates the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

Former leader Deng Xiaoping mapped out an area of the city in the 1970s and designated it a special economic zone in 1980. To date, the zone has realized an average annual growth of 23.5 percent, accumulating more than 12 trillion yuan ($1.8 trillion) in GDP.

Its development became an economic power based on inclusiveness（包容）.

There is a famous saying in Shenzhen, "You become a Shenzhener once you come to the city", a sentence that welcomes everyone who moves to the city to follow their dreams, including Pony Ma Huateng, founder of Tencent Holdings.

"I grew up, studied and established a business in Shenzhen, so I have witnessed how a small fishing village became todayˈs modern metropolis³," Ma said on Aug 25 at a meeting to celebrate Shenzhenˈs birthday.

"The cityˈs openness, inclusiveness and encouragement of creativity leave the deepest impression," Ma said. "Shenzhen is a city where young people can realize their ambitions."

Up to June, Shenzhen-based Tencent was in the top five Internet companies in terms of market value in the world. In the first half of this year, Tencent achieved revenue of 45.8 billion yuan ($7.5 billion).

So far, Shenzhen has more than 6,700 high-tech enterprises and 1,146 innovative startups, according to government statistics.

While the city was devoted to drawing talent and excellence from around China, many foreign enterprises were also attracted by its inclusive attitude toward startups.

MyOffer, which helps international students with university placements⁴, overseas internships⁵ and career development, recently moved its office from London to Shenzhen.

Hao Philip, the company founder and CEO, said the cityˈs dynamic environment and government support are the major reasons for the relocation.

Besides, its location has become a natural advantage, Hao said.

"Shenzhenˈs geographic location is also a key reason why we decided to relocate from London this year. Shenzhen sits between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as the whole of Southeast Asia," Hao said.

However, Shenzhenˈs rapid development also faces many challenges. Education is one of the most pressing.

Xu Yangsheng, president of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, proposed that Shenzhen should take full advantage of Hong Kongˈs education resources and use them as a channel to attract more international talent.