All about Poverty 3 by Mayumi

All about Poverty No.3

Did you all see the cause of poverty to the children in the world?

I am concentrating on the issue of poverty in Asia because I myself came from an Asian country.  As we all know not all Asian countries suffer from poverty, but there are a lot of countries that also suffers from it. According to the web Japan, Korea is not experiencing poverty unlike Cambodia, Bangladesh, India and many more.[1] Now, let us see how the poverty is really a big problem for our future. Japan cannot be seen as one of the countries suffering from poverty or hunger as we see in the map. I feel that the people living in that country are lucky but sometimes selfish to act as if we do not to care with other countries that suffer from poverty.

[2]

You can see in the map which country is in the condition of poverty or in the state of poverty. Japan has no data much about poverty. I think it is because the way they took care of their people. They have the rule that makes their people well balanced. How? Well, by having the”義務教育” read as “gimu kyou-iku” or in  English “Compulsory Education” it is a rule that all children must finish their schooling until junior high school. [3] Many countries adapt this kind of organization and it could be the way to escape from poverty. France, Finland, Germany and many more as we can see most of the countries are developed country. Most country who is developing countries mostly suffers in poverty lack of food, clean water, daily necessities and medicines. There are many children, innocent man woman suffer from hunger. As you can read repeatedly do you recognize how lucky you are? See this picture

[4]

The child is eating the food from the ground his mother died from hunger and that he do not have anything to eat. Can you believe a child is also doing the things he could do just to live? We should look at ourselves that we have more as we have. We have our parents who support us. We could eat, drink clean water and of course have a shelter and warm family to rely on. See the child holding up the food without worrying whether the food is clean or not. While we are here in Japan, there is many food e.g. leftovers being thrown each day or even whole year.

Reflecting back here in Japan I did not think imagine eating a food from the trash or from the street grounds. We usually eat our food in our tables at home from a plate. We must think an idea to reduce the suffering of these young children who are wishing for a warm and kind hand to rely on. The way to solve this is still hard to do as the economy of each country changes and the people who are responsible for the help is difficult because handling their own family is difficult to. Life differs in each part in the world. We see each part of the world in different aspects. We may be enjoying at this time while we are eating and other is suffering in hunger dying for thirst and suffers from the heavy illness that can’t be cured

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[1] World Poverty, a look at causes and solutions: Poverty in Asia, caste and progress. Retrieve July 18, 2012 from http://world-poverty.org/povertyinasia.htm

[2] Retrieve July 19, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Percent_poverty_world_map.pngb

[3] See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_education

[4] Picture Retrieved July 23, 2012 from http://meditation.dmc.tv/peace/Core-Value-4-That-good-bad-actions-have-karmic-results.html  

reference of formula one

the reference of the formula one.
since i can not edit the formula blog, i will post the references of the pictures



Reference 
fomular one pic1. 
http://donggeulami.tistory.com/m/54 

http://ljh0215.tumblr.com/post/1412482013.--> the trophy


http://m.mydaily.co.kr/read.htm?newsid=201206081633132277 --> the advertisement

http://www.gwangnam.co.kr/news/news_view.htm?idxno=2011101515530721913 --> the champions and other people total 3 people.

Second Language Aquisition in Australia By Candy

After talking about second language in Japan and Hong Kong, this time I would love to share my thoughts on second language acquisition in a place where I used to study at, Australia.

Imagine you are at a place like this: You can smell the just-fried spring rolls; people holding bubble milk tea on their hands; you can hear people speaking in different languages, but mostly Chinese; you look around and everything is in Chinese, you are not in any Asian countries, but indeed you are in Australia, the China Town in Australia. In Australia, there are lots of people from overseas especially from Asian countries. Some immigrated to Australia, some come here for study and some is for work. Even though many people have different background in Australia, Australian second language acquisition is not very strong. When you walk on the street, English is usually the language you hear people speak most.

Let me give you some information that you might be surprised at: There are 6900 languages existing throughout our planet[1] and 231 languages are spoken by people in Australia[2]. Globalization increases, but second language learning does not have the same demand. In Australia, the number of people learning a second language is on the downside and there are only 13% of year 12 students studied a second language in 2011[3]. However, when we are looking at the world’s population, there are only 5.6% speak English as a mother tongue but this number doubles when English is a second language[4]. On the other hand, the number of people who are bilingual is much more than monolingual people.

Second language education does not seem very important in Australia. Even though Australian education system offers a wide range of language courses in high school, most of the students do not choose to learn a second language as one of their study subjects. They would think that subjects like Mathematics, Science are much more essential than a second language. Students from year 1 to year 9, they need to choose a second language that offer at their school to learn, mostly French or German. Once they enter year 10, it becomes their own choice to choose to continue to learn or not. 

When I was studying in Australia, I was glad to meet an organization called “LCF Club” (Language Can Be Fun) which aims to promote to parents and children that second language is important in this 21^st century and learning languages can be fun. One of the managers of this club was my English and Japanese teacher therefore I was lucky enough to experience how this club conduct a language course by sitting-in one lesson. By sitting-in one lesson, I realised that there is no certain way to learn a language and it can be so much fun! There is no certain text book but by doing fun activities like singing, cooking, role playing etc, children can easily consolidate what they have learnt. Even though second language acquisition does not seem to be developing very well in Australia nowadays, I believe that by having this kind of organisations can help developing second language learning in Australia.

As to conclude, Australia is an English speaking country but its second language acquisition still need to be developed. Globalisation increases, demand for second language should be the same as well. There was a research done in 1996[5] discovered that in the 21^st century, because of the increasing of globalization, the acquisition of a foreign language will be a critical skill, like mathematics or science. Therefore, second language is important and Australia should develop second language learning better.

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[1] Clyne & Sussex, M & R 2010, '2020 - Languages', The Australian, 1 December, accessed 20 July 2012, <www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/languages/story-e6frg8nf-1225961567476 >

[2] We YouMe - Language is the key 2008, motion picture, Government of SA Department of Education and Children Service, South Australia

[3] Clyne & Sussex, M & R 2010, '2020 - Languages', The Australian, 1 December, accessed 20 July 2012, <www.theaustralian.com.au/news/arts/languages/story-e6frg8nf-1225961567476 >

[4] Why learn languages? 2011, World Languages and Culture, accessed 20 July 2012, <http://www.vistawide.com/languages/why_languages.htm>

[5] Peckham, R 11/9/98, Why Study a FL, University of Tennessee at Martin, accessed 22 July 2012, <http://www.utm.edu/staff/bobp/french/flsat.html>.

NBA and MLB where amazing happens -PART 5- JAKE

NBA and MLB where amazing happens -PART 5-             

 HAN SI HUN (JAKE)

Two years ago, I went to the Boston garden, which is one of the famous basketball team, Boston Celtics’ arena. Standing in this arena that was 50 times larger than my home, I felt like a needle in a haystack. So about 25,000 people surrounding me it’s like I’m one grain of sand in the ocean. The people around the arena form a black and yellow checker board. Their clothing engaged and looked like a throw. Smelling the concession stand made me feel like a starving child. The smell of hotdogs and Italian sausage reminds me of a back yard grill. The smell of melted cheese on nachos made my stomach growl wishing I had some. I was able to get a taste of the pretzels as a man and child walk by me with one. The warm bread with coarse salt was delicious.

        Then, a man on a microphone yelled out loud for the players to come out. The roar of the people surrounding me was like being right behind the jet of an airplane. The deafening noise made me squint my eyes. I clapped my hands along with other fans, and my hands felt oily after just eating a hot piece of pizza. My mouth was still filled with the sauce, saucy taste of the slice in my mouth. I looked down towards the court where the players have now started shooting baskets.  Their green coloured uniforms stand out in the glare of the spotlights above. The court had a waxy look, like it has just been swept, and the glass backboards, had a shine just as bright as a new car.

      The game ended after that. Every single person in the crowd wore smiles on their face as if they had just won a prize. Few others screamed and showed displeasure as they swayed down the stairs to the doorway.  The noise had greatly decreased that gave my ears a rest.  It was down to a dull roar, like a breeze blowing around leaves. My feet and hands were in pain from being pounded for nearly three hours.

This shows how impeccable the NBA can give to the American people. Stadium or arena remains a very clear indicator of economic development to the cities this day. Regular season games and year-round franchise prompt eye-popping estimate of potential benefits. For example, the NBA’s Oklahoma City claimed that they pumped $22.6 million into the area’s economy annually. The presence of stadium and team do not only have economic benefit from the team but also they can let the citizen to be proud of their own cities. [1](Phil Caldwell,Jan2011)

Many people believe that Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) are very different. However, besides their obvious differences, they do have a certain level of similarities. First of all, both of them are two of the five highest grossing sports leagues in the United States. They are very popular and they both draw in very large crowds. These two sports have been around for many years, and they both look to have promising futures later in the world.[2]( Alan Wirzbickiv.Aug.2011) [3] (Susan Cohen-Dickler.Apr.20120

According to ESPN, about 29% of players in MLB and NBA are foreign players. Whether players from Korea or any other country which manage to become a MLB or NBA player, people will tend to assume that they do their country proud. However, I wonder the reason of why people assume that foreigners who are able to play in the America League considered a success? And why are NBA and MLB the biggest and interesting leagues in the world? [4](Associated press. Aprill.2012)

                                    (this graph shows the rising of the foreigner in the league)

 I think the answer for my first question is as capitalism drives the world virtually in every aspect, the most important thing in sports is the money. Another driving factor is the fame and reputation involved. We can say that the country that leads the world current era is the United States. The United States is pouring in a lot of capital in such leisure and sports. Therefore, once foreigners are able to play in the American league, they can earn a lot more money in the United States than their native countries. For example, the Korean famous baseball pitcher, Park Chan Ho used to get $17,000 in Korea; he was considered the highest salaries at that time in Korea. However, once he went to the Major League Baseball team, La Dodgers, his salary became $126,000. Korean people considered him the hero of the baseball because I think the money that he earned shows how good he is in that sport.[5](Song.1996)

       I think Basketball and baseball have become one way of achieving American dream. Through basketball and baseball, many people have achieved greatness (fame, and money) and most people use basketball and baseball through the NBA and MLB. Basketball and baseball are enjoyed by spectators all around the world because it gives people a common interest. Basketball and baseball are also enjoyed because it shows people enjoying the American dream and that can motivate people to chase their dreams, because basketball and baseball stars are usually the person you here about on the news in a rags to riches story, which can further inspire people. Basketball and baseball are sports that can show team work and a common goal. They can also relate to the American dream because it is something people can relate to.


Jason Thompson & Tyreke Evans- American Dream created by Elijah Everett

Even in countries when soccer is more famous than baseball and basketball, the interest shown in the game and the activities surrounding in the game are an important commercial message from the United States. However, the connection between the international fans and the team members was anything but commercial. The fans knew the team members and their playing style; they knew the colours and jersey numbers of favourite players, and they were enthusiastic in their support both for the team members as well as for the game. This is how impeccable of the NBA and MLB both domestic American and people around the world.

Another reason that the America has the biggest league in the basketball and baseball is because the explosion of interest and love in sports are bigger than any of the country in the world. I think the capital that they invested in scouting talented players is beyond comparison with other countries in the world. With the amount of money invested, naturally, the standard of the game will go up. Ultimately, players’ performances in the game meet the expectation of the fans.

In conclusion, we have to wait for the sphere of interest to increase the league’s standard or the interest from the fans. What makes the MLB and NBA interesting is the passion of the fans interest. I think other than the United States’ league; we need a lot of passion to increase the standard of the league. Even though MLB and NBA are two different things, they still have some similarities.

Reference

1.     Phil Caldwell. Oklahoma City Thunder: New Forbes NBA Numbers Certainly Nothing To Celebrate!. Bleacher report. (Jan.28.2011) Retrieved from  http://bleacherreport.com/articles/588737-oklahoma-city-thunder-new-forbes-nba-numbers-certainly-nothing-to-celebrate

2.     Alan Wirzbicki. The NBA is the world’s top basketball league but maybe not much longer. Boston.com (Aug.4.2011) Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/blogs/the_angle/2011/08/the_nba_is_the.html

3.     Susan Cohen-Dickler. Major League Baseball Is the Best Sports League in the World: A Fan’s Take. Yahoo sports. (Apr.6.2012) Retirieved from http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ycn-11198396

4.     Associated press. Percentage of foreign player rises. ESPN.(April.2012) Retrieved from http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7779279/percentage-foreign-major-league-baseball-players-rises

5.     Song Che Soo. Park Chan Ho’s salary becomes $126,000. Kyung Hyang Newspaper. (April.1.1996) Retrieved from: http://newslibrary.naver.com/viewer/index.nhn?articleId=1996040100329117003&edtNo=40&printCount=1&publishDate=1996-04-01&officeId=00032&pageNo=17&printNo=15726&publishType=00010

The Japanese Diet - Healthy or Not?

The Japanese Diet – Healthy or Not?

I have been interested in the 高齢化problem in Japan, our aging society. Japanese people have the highest life expectancy in the world. It is aging faster than any country in history. The biggest problem is that the working age population is decreasing so fast, and the people aged between 15 and 64 will become fewer and fewer. Everybody is worried about how the too few young people will be able to support so many oldsters. There are many sides of this story to look at, but since my blog is about Japanese food, I will stick with my topic today and see if Japanese food has something to do with the longevity of the people. (Meredith Melnick, 2011)

I read excerpts from a book called Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother’s Tokyo Kitchen by Naomi Moriyama. (www.webmd.com) She talks about why Japanese people not only live longer but also stay healthier later into life than people from some other countries. And Japanese people have the number one lowest obesity rate in the world. That is only 3% overweight compared to 11% for French and 32% for Americans. They say that it isn’t all in the genes because when Japanese people eat a Western-style diet, they get fat quickly.

One reason Japanese people stay thin is because we “eat with our eyes.” When we eat Japanese food, we eat less because we enjoy the beauty of the many small dishes beautifully arranged in small portions. That is maybe one reason we eat about 25% fewer calories every day than the average American. Restaurants in the U.S. have humongous servings all on one or two plates. (If you have traveled to the U.S.A. you know there are many huge people walking around, and you can just imagine how many calories they packed away in a day’s time.)

Another point is all the rice we eat. Eating rice at most every meal fills up our bellies so we don’t get so hungry for junk food.

The next point is veggies. Japanese women answered in a survey that they most enjoyed preparing is various types of 煮物 simmered vegetables. Every Japanese meal has many kinds of vegetables, and we cook them in many healthy ways such as stir-fries and steaming.

Japanese have less heart disease than most other countries because we eat so much oily fish that has Omega 3. Although Japan has only 2% of the world’s population, we eat 10% of the world’s fish. That also means we eat less red meat.

Other healthy foods that we always eat in Japan are soy products such as tofu, natto, edamame, and miso. Recently there is a boom of another kind of fermented seasoning called shiokoji (the same koji that is used to make amazake + salt). Green tea is supposed to be very healthy because it has anti-oxidents.

There is a BIG BUT here, though (no pun intended.lol)! All the fish and veggies and soy served on beautiful dishes in small portions is THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF JAPANESE EATING. Unfortunately, the way we really eat has changed drastically. Japanese now eat much more meat, bread, and dairy products, and that means we also eat less rice and fish. According to World Health Organization, there has been a progressive increase in death from cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. (WHO Study Group 1990, pp50-53) It must be all the tonkatsu, tempura, yakisoba, ramen…and all those other delicious dishes that we have learned to love. The biggest problem, they say, is all the salt in the Japanese diet (tonkatsu, yakisoba, ramen…more tonkatsu). I was always told not to drown my sashimi in soy sauce because soy sauce is pure salt.

So it pretty much comes down to the choices we make about what we do eat and don’t eat. I don’t really want to get old and fat any sooner than I have to, but I sure do love tonkatsu.

Diet, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases, Report of a WHO Study Group, World Health Organization Technical Report Series 797, Geneva, 1990, p 50-53.

Japanese Longevity – How Long Will It Last? By Meredith Melnick, Sept 5, 2011, healthland.time.com/2011/09/05/Japanese-longevity---how-long-will-it-last/  

 Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother’s Tokyo Kitchen by Naomi Moriyama, 2005 http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diets-of-world-japanese-diet.

Baton Twirling: Comparing Canada and Japan

Baton Twirling: Comparing Canada and Japan

Mizuki Kuwahara

In grade 9, I had to decide which course I want to go in high school; Super English Language Course (we call it SEL course), which is a course include one year of exchange student in abroad and study all subjects in English conducted by native English speaker, or ordinary course, which is all class conducted in Japanese. I had heard that if I take SEL course, I cannot enter any sports team, because the class is until 7^th period, and many assignments, so no time for practice and hard to handle. Therefore, it was hard for me to choose baton or English because I love both and I knew that both are really attractive.

As I told in my last blog, I learned that my effort will pay me back. Another thing that I learned from my Junior High School life with baton is; “限界を決めるのはいつも自分” which means there is no limit, if you don’t decide it, or always you decide the limit. I decided to do both, because I did not want to make limit on myself. Actually it was not just me who entered SEL course and joined to sports team. Kunika joined girls’ soccer team, Kimuchi was in Kendo team and some of my friends were in volleyball team and brass band.

When I was grade 10, after three months I enter High School, I left Japan for studying abroad in Canada for a year. I arrived at Regina airport and my host mother told me “I saw your picture doing baton on application form. I found baton school in here, so you can go, if you want to, because I think it is better for you to make friends and English, also it makes you easier to join your team in Japan when you go back. ” Of course I replied “Yes!! I want to practice baton! I think it is good for me and I want to know how practice is conducted is different.”

I chose Martin School of Dance and Baton Twirling. I did not know it is strongest dance team in Regina, Saskatchewan, and many baton twirlers go to World Competition, which held in once a year in August. I decided to compete in solo routine, because I thought it is good chance to improve my twirling skill.

One difference in the ways of practice is conducted between Japan and Canada was length of time of practice. I had a jazz class and two baton class in a week. I was really happy because I did not have practice every day and I had lot of time to hang out with my Canadian friend and host family. I think the reason why Canada has less practice time is, culture is different. In Japan, people have become no consideration on having good time with their family on weekdays or weekends. The society became put effort on improving economy but not on the family. Japan knows that we have to work hard for compete with other country. However, in Canada, the time flew slowly and many people think spending time with their family or yourselves is more important.

Another difference that I realize is the quality of skills is higher in Japan. Japanese people work very hard, put many efforts for making sensitive things and do minute works. I think this is why Japanese twirler are always on the top in each division in World Competition. Japanese twirlers are more flexible, twirl baton faster than Canadian twirlers. If the twirler is flexible and baton twirls fast, the body line, dancing and baton shape looks beautiful and these considered when judges decide prize. Also, practice place was different. Usually to practice baton it requires high height roof. My team mostly practiced outside because other club teams using gym and we had less opportunities of using gym. However, most of baton school in Japan, baton studio have higher roof, or use gym instead. In Canada, they used old school’s gym, so I could always practice inside, but it was really small and roof was low. This cause when they toss baton, spin and catch it, their spins are not beautiful enough, because they hurry to spin many times before they catch it.