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Rob_Hugo@PortNWInteresting Article in the LA times today about a Chinese car company and the Chickasaw Indian tribe partnering to build MG sports cars on the Sovereign Chickasaw nation in southern Oklahoma. One benefit of this is to avoid paying taxes. =:O [Edit by="abroughton on Dec 10, 10:20:08 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousOH...and a great Diane Sawyer special on TV last night was North Korea - Exposed...or something like that. There were some very...I believe the word she used was Unsettling....kids playing musical instruments in perfect harmony.
AnonymousDid anyone read the article in the LA times last week about the government of South Korea pursuading the makers of daytime drama television shows to portray motherhood as more desireable. Current and recently past shows have shown kids as a burden and single life as fun. And this has coincided with a shrinking population. Now, they are trying to shift the focus to portray family life as a good thing. :~ [Edit by="abroughton on Dec 17, 9:59:39 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousI read in the Beach Reporter that Vistamar school in Manhattan Beach is offerring classes in Mandarin. Vistamar is a new private school that opened in 2005. They have 38 students taking chinese. 8)
AnonymousA friend of mine teaches biology at Vista Mar. It's a tiny private school that charges $22,000 per year for tuition. They have less than 200 students, so 38 learning Mandarin is a lot.
Louis
AnonymousWow!! 38 out of 200. That's near 20% of the student body learning Chinese. That's about the same percentage of people in the world that speak mandarin.
In the book, "The World is Flat", Friedman mentions that Jet Blue Airlines, instesad of outsourcing their call center to Asia, they Insourced it to Mormon housewives. When you call Jet Blue for a reservation, you get a mormon mom in her house with a high speed connection.
In last week's LA times, there was an article about a company called Teresis that edits reality show footage. They tried to outsource the job to India. The typists had to watch hours of film and type everything they heard. It did not work. The dialects and coloquialisms did not get translated.
So, now it is insourced to Missouri housewives. They sit at home and type up all the crap that is said on the hours and hours of footage. Then, those transcripts are used to narrow the footage down to a one hour show. They get paid per word. It averages between 10 and 20 per hour. Not bad. (a)
AnonymousBeing in the seminar makes me so aware of the articles in the LA Times about China and Japan. Having traveled to China makes everything seem so much more real to me. There was an article recently about an ancient Chinese village that has been affected by tourism and it has changed the way people live. The money is not getting into the hands of the villagers but into the hands of the more well to do. Peoples' way of life are being altered by the capitalists! It makes me think of the ying and the yang so apparent on our trip.
In another article lateley it told about how Japanese leaders are calling for children in Japan to be taught patriotism in schools. After the war nationalism was discouraged. Now leaders are saying children in Japan need to be encouraged to be more patriotic. I wonder what the Japanese school children think when they come to America and say the pledge of allegiance every morning? Now that I have traveled to China I would love the opportunity to travel to Japan.
AnonymousI just read in the local newspaper, the Daily Breeze, that Japan's birth rate during 2006 rose for the first time in six years. Therefore, it appears that the sun will continue to rise and give them a glimmer of hope for a rapidly aging society. The article continued to state that despite the increase in the birth rate it still remains far below the 2.1 rate needed to keep the population steady. The birth rate in 2006 was 1.29 babies per woman.
Jewell Toombs
AnonymousI read an interesting and sad article this weekend about a little Japanese girl, Sadako, who is known around the world as the child who helped make the paper crane an international sign of peace (didn't know it was an international sign of peace). It's the story of how when she was 2 years old, the atom bomb dropped on her city of Hiroshima. By age 11, she developed many health problems and leukemia because of the bomb. She heard a Japanese legend that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes would be granted a wish so she started folding them in hopes of getting well again. She died before she finished. Her friends dreamed of making a monument in her honor and today there is a statue of Saduko holding a golden crane in Hiroshima Peace Park.
AnonymousBeing the librarian that I am, I needed to put in a plug about two books about Sadako. One is an elementary level book called Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Coerr) and the other is probably middle school level and is called One Thousand Paper Cranes: Story of Sadako and the Children's Peace Statue. The custom of folding a thousand paper cranes is also for (Japanese) celebratory occasions, often made for wedding gifts. A thousand paper cranes are folded using gold origami paper and arranged in either the shape of flying cranes or in the Chinese character for "good fortune." Then this is put into a beautiful picture frame and presented as a wedding gift.
Aileen Willoughby
AnonymousThis morning's L.A. Times has an article on the front page about the controversy in China over traditional vs modern medicine. A college professor started an online petition "calling for traditional medicine to be stripped from the Chinese Constitution." He and his critics are opposed to traditional Chinese remedies because of their ties to witchcraft and because of its abuse. Proponents are fighting back with charges of their "murdering" Chinese culture. For PVHS teachers, you have online access to the L.A. Times article through our database Elibrary. Search through Advanced Search Options, select Browse publications, find L.A. Times, then find Jan. 8, 2007 issue, then browse down under title, "Column One: Scalpel vs. herb in China."
Aileen Willoughby
AnonymousI saw another editorial piece discussing how different historical rulers would have approached our situation in Iraq. The most interesting one for us was Ghengis Kahn. He did attack and hold Iraq for 100 years. His approach was much different than the current American approach. And much more effective. They slowly approached the capitol winning over the small towns along the way. He also made it known that it was god's will that Iraq was to be captured and anyone going against that was against god. Lastly, he properly informed everyone - both the soldiers of the Mongols, and those being defeated, the legal justifications of why everything was being done. I think I'll vote for Ghengis if he is on the 2008 ticket. :}
AnonymousIf anyone is interested in this event on Jan 31, I believe it is still available. Read below.
There is a Russian player on each team, so there is a strong Asia connection. 😛
PALOS VERDES SEA KINGS
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Presents
NBA Basketball
At the Staples Center in Los Angeles
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
VS.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Girls Basketball team, The South Torrance Spartans will be playing the Palos Verdes Sea Kings and both team would like to invite you to join them for our fun filled action packed night of NBA Basketball as the Los Angeles Clippers take on the Chicago Bulls. This year’s event will be highlighted with the first ever high school game to be played on the Staples Center court. And for the high school game you will be in the Lower Level. At 2:00 PM (JV) and 3:30 PM (Varsity) South Torrance will be playing Palos Verdes.
Price is $25.00 per ticket. All seats for the NBA game will be located in the upper level. Don’t miss out on this fun filled night of NBA Basketball. Tickets will sell fast and all orders need to be received by December 15, 2006 to be guaranteed seating with our group. Please send one check per order , fill out the form listed below, and give it to your favorite Palos Verdes Girls Basketball player.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact Name:______________________ Phone Number____________________
Player Name: _______________________ Team Circle: Varsity JV F/S
Number of Tickets ________________ X $25.00 = ________________________
Make Checks Payable to Bob Lyons. Should you have any questions, contact Bob at 310-265-4555 or [email protected]
AnonymousWhile listening to last night's lecture abour Chong'er, I was wondering, what are we supposed to think about the role women play? Chong'er was kicked out by his step-mom, the wife of the guy who wanted to see Chong'er's fused ribs told her husband to befriend him, instead of peeking on him, and one of his many wives scolded him for splashing her. I thought Confucius teachings instructs us that women should always defer to their husbands. I thought it was interesting that, for the most part, what we read included "strong" women figures, rather than those who always listen to their man.
AnonymousI was in Thailand over Christmas Break. "Western Weddings" seems to be a big deal over there (I think we saw some of this type of advertising when we were in China, too). There were billboards all over the place depicting smiling couples - grooms in interesting tuxedos and brides wearing white gowns. I can't remember the exact catchphrase, but it was something like "Modern in marriage, modern in life". I can't help but think to myself... any way to make a buck.