monday (7/29) morning readings

[Anonymous]

I came across this news article in the LA Times today. It explores the new law in China mandating that people visit their elders. Since many young adults in China have two parents and four grandparents, this could get to be quite a lot of visiting. I'm sure there are more subtleties to both the law and the situation.

[Anonymous]

It saddened me to read the article titled “With Wounded Pride, Unemployed Koreans Quietly Turn to Manual Labor” Reading about how young and middle aged people, who have worked all throughout their early years, expecting a white collar job, to read about them coping with such a disappointing change in their expectations, it just broke my heart. They are ashamed about doing jobs, even though very physically demanding, that are very essential in most societies. The "somebody's got to do it" kind of jobs that most people look down on are now seeming to get a lot of attention. It reminds me of the baby boomers who have lived well all their lives and now may have to think about doing without a lot of luxuries. Our students may have to do without things to save themselves. What would they be willing to give up?

[Anonymous]

After watching the videos and reading the articles, the water shortage and the way China will handle it are fascitnating and scary for the country. Last semester, my Chinese students and I had many disccusions with what their concerns were about China and there has never been a mention about the water problems. Most of their focus was on air pollution and ways to solve it now. I am a bit baffled that water never came up. I am starting to wonder if this would be somehow related to their affluent upbringing or their lack of awareness on the subject. I can't wait for them to return from summer break to have this discussion with them!
edited by lchisholm on 7/29/2013

[Anonymous]

“In the end,” said Yoshitomo Mukai, whose store, Jungle, took over some of Robot
Factory’s old stock, “robots are still expensive, and don’t really do much.”

This would be a great article for a class activity on why things are produced. Many of the students enjoy playing with electronics developed in Asia, but I would ask the students if electronic play devices are really essential. What would happen if the younger generation does not embrace recreational robots or video games? This topic has so much room for discussion. I'm sure the students would love to voice their opinion on this matter.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,
Attached are a few readings about demographic and ecological trends in East Asia. Please take a look at them and think about a few central questions.

How large are the populations of China, Taiwan, the two Koreas, and Japan? Beyond those numbers, what are the central trends in these countries demographic composition? What are the implications of those trends?

What are the physical assets and limitations of East Asia? What energy, water, and pollution challenges exist? What is being done or could be done to overcome these challenges? Do those solutions lead to other problems?

Please feel free to offer answers to these questions here or to simply think about them for Monday.
edited by Clay Dube on 7/26/2013

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[Anonymous]

Very interesting lecture on the environmental challenges faced by China. Some points which stuck out for me: 16 - 24% of China's carbon emissions are from manufacturing goods sold to the US, so we should probably take credit for them. Half of the water in China is not fit to drink and half of that is not fit for anything viable. Rather than thinking of China as "red" (communist) or "green" (new energy), Jonathan Watt's suggests we think of gray China and then shows many pictures of the smog. He ends the lecture with the idea that in the 19th century, England taught the world how to produce; in the 20th century, US taught the world to consume; and in the 21st century, we need someone to teach us how to sustain. Thanks Professor Dube for the suggestion.

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