5月19日的讀書會在黃晉英秘書長主持下，第一場由孫菊君小姐報告《達利的666個簽名》，作者為Stan Lauryssens，本書以小說的手法，描述其由販賣知名超現實主義藝術家Salvador Dali的作品，到研究達利的藝術商業行為，並分析達利一生作品的真假。江豪文先生提問，達利如何利用媒體成名？報告人回答，達利與時尚界關係密切，像是電影、服裝設計、舞台設計......等等都有達利的蹤跡，塑造出藝人的形象吸引媒體追逐。林俊興董事長指出，從書所述達利的生平可知，藝術家最需要的是原創力，特別是在獲得一定的藝術成就之後，即面臨是否江郎才盡的壓力，有些藝術家會在常人視為怪異的行徑中尋找靈感與刺激，或是設法重組自己過去的作品來勉強充數或換取金錢，這大致是達利晚年的寫照。　　
　　第二場由姚維正先生報告《生命的密碼，色彩知道》，為獨創「色彩密碼學」的張志雄所著。作者認為人是不停流動的能量，不同的能量狀態有各自對應的色彩，亦能代表不同的人格特質，若能以此知己知彼，將有助於人際互動及事業發展。江豪文先生提問，作者是否有引用實證的心理學實驗以驗證其獨創的色彩對應人格特質理論？報告人表示，本書可視為作者的一家之言，作者強調自己是直覺判定，也未交代其學說中基本七彩的來由，故有待科學驗證。林俊興董事長認為，作者是透過色彩察覺以綜合研判一個人的狀態，類似星座、命理等工具以為人解惑。林董事長以醫學藉由臉色判定人的生理狀態為例，說明色彩透露的訊息可能較命理結構更為科學，因此色彩可以作為個人與環境互動的參數之一，但不能無限上綱地過度推論。
　　At the first session of bookish assembly hosted by Secretary General Huang Chin-ying on May 19, Ms. Sun Chu-chun reported on the book Dali and I: The Surreal Story, written by Stan Lauryssens. The book described, in fictional style, how the writer gone from dealing in famous surrealist painter Salvador Dali's works to researching the commerce behind Dali's art, and analyzing the real and fake works in Dali's lifetime. Mr. Jiang Hao-wen asked how Dali made use of the media to gain fame. Ms. Sun Chu-chun replied that Dali had a close relationship with the fashion world. Dali's works could be found in movies, fashion design, stage design, etc., giving him the image of a showbiz personality that attracted the media. President Lin Chun-shin pointed out that one could perceive from the account of Dali's lifetime that what an artist needed most was original creativity, especially when he/she felt the pressure of exhausted talent after gaining certain artistic achievement. Some artists found inspiration and excitement through their unconventional behavior, or attempted to reorganize their past works as an apology for something better or in exchange for cash – this was basically the portrayal of Dali in his later years.
　　In the second session, Mr. Yao Wei-cheng reported on the book Life Code, Color Decodes, written by Jeremy Chang, the original creator of "cryptology of colors". The writer believed the human being is a constant flow of energy. Each energy condition has its own corresponding color, which also represent different personality trait. Human interaction and career development would benefit from understanding yourself and others. Mr. Jiang Hao-wen asked if the writer's unique theory on the correspondence between color and personality was based on proven psychological experiments. Mr. Yao Wei-cheng replied that that book may be seen as the writer's own school of thought and yet to be scientifically proven. The writer emphasized that his judgment was made by instinct and did not mention the basis for the seven fundamental colors in his theory. President Lin Chun-shin pointed out that the writer achieved a comprehensive judgment of an individual's condition through color observation – much like the way zodiac signs and fortune telling were used as tools to provide answers. Using the example of judging a person's physiological condition by facial color in medical science, President Lin Chun-shin explained that the information revealed by colors might be more scientific than fortune telling. Thus, colors could be used as one of the parameters for human interaction with the environment, but it is by no means unlimited.

---

　　　　5月26日的讀書會在黃晉英秘書長主持下，第一場由劉美琴小姐報告《現代生死學》。作者為呂應鐘教授，專長領域為飛碟研究及超心理學等。本書以生命科學、人文關懷、社會禮俗等方面來探討生死學，包括知識層次的分析及體驗層次的陳述。高傳棋先生問不同文化系統對死亡觀念的差異？報告人答，以西方的葬禮而言，通常會以簡單的儀式來陳述往生者為大家帶來的歡樂，此點與東方的葬禮著重點不同。林俊興董事長表示，就個體層次，老年人面對死亡的基本態度是求得善終，而善終意味著生前使用身體得當，沒有過度耗損，故死時能夠無病無痛安詳辭世；就族群的層次而言，生命的意義在於個體創造最佳表現，並對群體產生正向貢獻，在有限的生命週期中，把思想與基因傳承下去，個體的「死」只是傳承任務的解除，使族群綿長才算是真正的「生」。
　　第二場由張培臣先生報告《氣候變遷與水資源》，本書為澳洲Bryson Bates、波蘭Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz、中國Shaohong Wu及英國Jean Palutikof等氣象研究專家合著，IPCC出版，旨在探討氣候變遷對水循環系統的影響，透過區域分析，提供淡水資源管理、氣候變遷及社會經濟發展等相關決策的建議。於討論時段，江豪文先生以其於留學休斯頓的期間遇上罕見的颶風、降雪事件，試問可否視為氣候趨於正常或異常的現象？報告人答，當氣候模型可預測或解釋氣候現象時，通常會稱之為正常，反之則是為異常。林俊興董事長認為，應以地球物理的角度來看待氣候變遷與水循環系統，因為升溫會促進蒸散作用，使大氣中含水量的極端值增大，進而影響氣候模式；換言之，氣候模式相較於地球物理來說是末節的結果，故我們需要以更宏觀的角度，來整合思考地球物候變遷的情形。
　　At the first session of bookish assembly hosted by Secretary General Huang Chin-ying on May 26, Ms. Liu Mei-chin reported on the book Contemporary Life and Death Studies, written by Professor Lu Ying-chung who specialized in UFO research, and parapsychology. The book was a discussion of life and death studies from the perspectives of life science, humanitarian concerns, social customs and etiquette based on a structure of knowledge level analysis and experience level description. Mr. Gao Chuan-chi asked about the difference in the concept of death in different cultural systems. Ms. Liu Mei-chin answered that, in Western funerals, usually a simple ritual was held to recount the joy that the dead had brought to people, and this was different from the emphasis of an Eastern funeral. President Lin Chun-shin pointed out that, on an individual level, an elderly person's basic attitude toward death was the hope of having a good ending, which meant having used the body properly and without over exhaustion in life and thus dying peacefully without pain or sickness. On a group level, the meaning of life was for the individual to achieve optimal performance and positive contribution to the group, and pass down thoughts and genes within a limited life cycle. The "death" of an individual simply meant being relieved from the mission of passing down a legacy and true "living" was helping the continuation of the group.
　　In the second session, Mr. Chang Pei-chen reported on the book Climate Change and Water, jointly written by Australian Bryson Bates, Polish Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz, Chinese Shaohong Wu and British Jean Palutikof, and published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The book explored the impact of climate change on the water recycling system, and provided recommendation on solutions for freshwater management, climate change and socioeconomic development. During the discussion, Mr. Jiang Hao-wen asked if the rare occurrences of cyclone and snowfall he encountered while studying in Houston were a norm or anomaly. Mr. Chang Pei-chen replied that when a climate phenomenon could be forecasted or explained by a climate model, it was usually referred to as a norm. If it could not be forecasted, it was called anomalies. President Lin Chun-shin was of the opinion that climate change and water recycling system should be seen from the geophysical perspective, i.e. the weather pattern was impacted by extreme increase in water content in the atmosphere from water evaporation caused by rising temperature. In other words, the weather pattern was the end result of Earth physics. Thus we should contemplate Earth and climate change from a more macro perspective.