Wednesday, 27 November 2013

QOL/ SOL thoughts

After you have written your essay you will need to answer the following questions:
1. What was the topic of your essay?
The topic of my essay was whether freedom of expression improve one's quality of life. 
2. How has your opinion changed through the research you did while writing your essay?
I have realized so many different groups are being denied and ignored by others. They are not able to obtain their right to right to speak whatever/wherever they want to, they face discrimination, bias, and harassment, and do not have any chance to prove to the country or world that they can make a significant change. Thus, having prejudice and being being racist to every group is not right and they do not deserve to be looked down. Equality is the key to happiness and success. 
3. What interesting facts did you find out during your research that you did not include in your essay (were not relevant to your topic?)

Places that have the most issues regarding freedom of expression are India, Nepal and Pakistan, where the caste system is still present. The Dalits have to part in the community or in the development of the government. In Serbia and Moldova, the pride parade by LGBT peope were banned and accused of an inappropriate cultural event. 
4. How do you think your quality of life and standard of living relate to others around the world (which country/demographic do you think your circumstances are on par with?)

Standard of living and quality of life are not equal for everyone in the world. These set the atmosphere and superiority of one's life. The high class, middle class and lower class people are usually separate and do not live in the same surrounding. This could lead to issues like strikes and protests against the government in order for a better education system or more jobs. However, with different lifestyles, it creates competition, improving the economy and condition of the financial system of the country. 

Monday, 25 November 2013

NGO

1. Greenpeace: Is one of the world's largest environmental organization and the headquarters is in Amsterdam, Netherlands. They focus on activities such as nuclear weapons and energy, the oceans, forests, climate change etc.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Greenpeace_International

2. All Bengal Women's Union: Started in 1932 by a group of women in West Bengal, they createhomes for old women, develop rehabilitation centers, give free legal aid to women and provide vocational training.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Bengal_Women%27s_Union

3. Human Rights Watch: Headquartered in New York City, it is an international human rights organization. They stand to prevent discrimination, bring offenders to justice, cease human rights violation, and enlist the public and international community  to support the cause of human rights. 


4. Natural Resources Defence Council: Is considered one of the biggest and prominent Big Green environmental group. They use law and science to protect the planet's wildlife and Earth's healthy environment for all living things. 


5. Lifeline Foundation: It is an NGO in Kolkata, India, and it provides with telephone counseling to mentally distressed individuals. It raises awareness regarding anxiety and depression, helping out those who have suicidal or emotional distress.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeline_Foundation

Questions

Tseki Lhamo (overpopulation):
1) What causes overpopulation?
2) What are the solutions for overpopulation?

Samiha Thapa (availability of energy):
1) After the sources of energy runs out, what are some alternatives?
2) What if the renewable energy are not able to function?

Saw Yan Naing:
1) What are some things that the government could do to protect these children?
2) Can there be any laws that can be enforced to give them the right to not participate in such horrible scenarios?

Sonam Deki:
1) What are the solutions to cease this terrible act of child marriage?
2) What are some of the punishments if one disobeys the laws?

Monday, 18 November 2013

Poverty

Poverty is the single biggest threat that humanity faces. Almost every issue that humanity is confronting recently, such as hunger, diseases, child labour, etc, fall under poverty. It is surely the worst case and if the condition continues to aggravate, there is no hope in development or improvement in society. What causes poverty? It is said that due to extreme external influences, the governments of poor nations and the people are powerless; hence, a few get wealthy and the majority struggles financially. A symptom of world poverty is world hunger. Interestingly enough, food aid from others can cause poverty and more hunger in long term since free or cheap food gets rid of local farmers or sellers and slants the market share of larger producers. In addition, countries that are corrupt can suffer from poverty. More than 25000 people were interviewed for BBC POLL on which was the biggest and the most serious problem that the world faced and the results were as following: 1 - extreme poverty (71%)2 - the environment or pollution (64%)3 - the rising cost of food and energy (63%)4 - the spread of human diseases (59%)5 - terrorism (59%)6 - human rights abuses (59%)7 - climate change (58%)8 - the state of the global economy (58%)9 - war or armed conflict (57%)10 - violation of workers' rights  (48%)In 10 countries, poverty was chosen as the most serious global issue currently. Although a rich country has a strong economy, if the majority of the population are struggling to survive, the country is in a big hazard. The improvement in standard of living and access to all the basic needs such as enough food, water, shelter, health and education, is the key to a proper and successful country with barely any poverty. 
Other issues like climate change cause bad consequences but it only worsens the pre-existing issues. These problems, like water shortages and spread of malaria, are issues that need to be addressed to the whole world whether or not climate change occurs. 




http://www.theguardian.com/society/poverty

http://www.thp.org/learn_more/issues/poverty?gclid=CIO3-Mq13LoCFWlT4godvTkA7w

http://www.poverty.com/

http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/programs/energy-and-climate/poverty-not-global-warming-remains-biggest-challenge/

http://www.globalissues.org/article/4/poverty-around-the-world#WorldBanksPovertyEstimatesRevised

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty

http://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2013/07/08/climate_change_isnt_worlds_biggest_problem_106585.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hFX8Y4c3W0WzTKKk7FpXNGLTGBfQ

http://www.globescan.com/news_archives/bbcWorldSpeaks-2010/

10 main issues - UNICEF


  1. Health: People who are healthy will create better lives for themselves, their communities and their countries. Improving the health of the world's children is a core objective by UNICEF.
  2. Nutrition: People who are well nourished tend to be more healthy, productive and it benefits their whole community as well as the whole world. 
  3. Child trafficking: This is a violation of the children's rights and denies their opportunity to reach their full potential of a well-being person. Proper social services and health care is required for them. 
  4. Child labour: This triggers intergenerational cycles of poverty and it hinders achieving any goals of the government and undermines national economy. 
  5. Gender equality: Promoting equal rights, especially to women and girls, aid in the country programmes of political, social and economic development in their communities. 
  6. HIV/AIDS: Many, particularly in Africa, are suffering from this disease and if it is not prevented or the epidemic does not cease, it will be hard for the community to develop. 
  7. Poverty: Children who face poverty, might not have the chance to experience proper education and be healthy. This threat could be passed on through generations and experience inequality in society. 
  8. Quality of education: Only some have access to high quality education and some have such poor quality education that it does not count as education. Quality education is education that works for every child and enables them to achieve their full potential. 
  9. Water, sanitation and hygiene: Bad WASH (Water, sanitation, hygiene) results to poor production of any product and national economies suffer; hence, sustainable development is impossible without it. 
  10. Global economic crisis: Due to the global economic crisis, many households are not able to afford essential needs, protection, health and right education. Many governments lack the resources but have a high demand. Therefore, they need assistance and need to partner with other governments to improve the situation. 

Monday, 11 November 2013

Standard of living for the minorities (Digital desk)

Minority groups are considered to be any group of who are singled out from everyone else in the society due to their cultural characteristics and are treated unequally with multiple discrimination. Lack of power is their main feature and the biggest issue.

1) Sri Lanka - minority women face sexual violence and insecurity: Tamil and Muslim women in Sri Lanka are suffering and struggling from abusement and are not able to sustain their lives properly since they do not have any income. Their standard of living is very different from men and those who are not considered as minorities.  (http://www.minorityrights.org/12117/press-releases/minority-women-in-sri-lanka-facing-increasing-levels-of-sexual-violence-and-insecurity.html)

2) People with disablilities: the disablility rights movement tries to help those in need to be accepted by society and as a normal human being. They are disadvantaged by everyone else and are seen as unnecessary or useless creatures. Although there has been improvement, the standard of living for people with disabilities is very bad and different from those who do not have any physical or mental issues. They are not able to have any occupations and even if it is, they have very low wages.

3) LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgenders): they have been hated on since the early 1900s and are seen as malicious human beings.Due to their sexual desire towards the same gender, they are sometimes declined for jobs or are offered with extremely low amount of income.

4) Tibet: Tibet has been conquered by China for over 50 years and are trying hard to fight back as well as be free. They are being ignored and looked down by the Chinese. Hence, they were not able to afford any proper possession and had to obtain it through hard work. Nevertheless, the living standard of Tibetans have remarkably improved.

5) Germany (Nazi, WW2) - Jews: during world war 2, Jews were considered to be minorities and were blamed for everything bad that happened in germany. There was the holocaust where millions of them were sent to concentration camps and killed. Their standard of living was extremely low and they were treated with merciless disrespect. Every possession of luxury were taken away and were not capable to earning an money.

Monday, 28 October 2013

Essay outline

Topic: Does freedom of expression affect one's quality of life?

  1. Protecting the right to defend human rights 
  2. Impact on poverty, discrimination, religious and cultural factors, minority groups e.g) discrimination against LGBT & restrictions on minority languages
  3. Exmaples of success

Sunday, 27 October 2013

The man who lives without money

This Irish man, Mark Boyle, lives a life with a low standard of living, but a high quality of life. Since he does not earn any money, he will not be able to purchase big, expensive, luxurious stuff to fill his lifestyle and obtain whatever he desires. However, the good side is that he will not lose any money and as he got to change his lifestyle, it benefited not only the society but the environment as well. Even though it might have been hard for him to make his own shelter, bathe in the river, grow food and live without electricity, he mentions that he was extremely happy the whole entire year and it toughened up him not only physically but mentally also. He figures out that "friendship , not money, is real security." Hence, despite his low standard of living, he has a good quality of life by being happy.

http://www.conscious-news-media.com/2013/10/the-man-who-lives-without-money.html#.Um0in_mGGYp

Standard of living and Quality of life

Standard of living: 
It refers to the level of material comfort measured by goods and services available to a specific individual, group or nation.  Some of the factors of Standard of living are income, poverty rate, quality and availability of employment and education, economic and political stability, costs of goods and services, national economic growth etc. With this, factors like the life expectancy the inflation rate, the number of days the workers get for vacation can be measured. It is also used to compare geographic areas as well as distinct points in time.

Examples:
1. Students in Woodstock have a high standard of living. They are provided with a good education system and possess costly valuables. Also, compared to the others that live in Mussoorie, the students have a comfortable lifestyle.
2. Those who are considered as a "millionaire" or "billionaire" have a high standard of living. They own a lot of money and have luxurious lives. They are able to get any goods or services available.
3. The lowest caste in India, the untouchables, have no access to any luxurious or expensive goods and services. They stay in slums and have a very difficult time, having a low standard of living.
4. People who own a business can have either a high or low standard of living. Depending on their income and how much they earn, it can be a profit or loss that decides their standard of living.
5. Employees in Woodstock are difficult in financial terms and they do not enough money to spend for their 'wants'. Hence, we donate and aid them with other products and make their standard of living a bit better.

Quality of life: 
It refers to one's personal satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the cultural or situation under which he or she lives. The factors used to measure Quality of Life are equal protection of law, freedom of movement and thought, free choice of employment, right to vote and human dignity, freedom from slavery and torture etc.

Examples:
1. Woodstock students have many rights and have the right to vote or run for positions and have freedom from torture. Since we get personal satisfaction from everything we get here, students have a high quality of life.
2. Usually those who do not have the occupation that they do not want, they have a low quality of life by having stress, sadness and no joy in their lives. For instance, students who are forced to become an engineer or doctor study so much that they have such a stressful life.
3. Students in Korea, from elementary to High school, are forced to study and get high scores in their tests even if it is to sacrifice one's sleep or meal time. They are stressed throughout their life and Korea has the highest suicidal rate among teenagers in the world.
4. One who has a family who can support him or her and companions that are there to socialize has a good quality of life. With a family and friends, one can be happy and live a joyful life.
5. Those who have not went through extreme hardships such as cancer or any family losses are considered to have good quality of life since they have not got any hardcore stress or their affection have not been hurt.

Standard of living OR Quality of life

1. Qatar - Low quality of life but high standard of living

  • Quality of life score: 6.462
  • GDP per capita: 103,900$

2. Kuwait - Low quality of life but high standard of living

  • Quality of life score: 6.171
  • GDP per capita: 45,455$

3. Portugal - High quality of life but low standard of living

  • Quality of life score: 7.307
  • GDP per capita: 23,800$

4. Greece - High quality of life but low standard of living
  • Quality of life score: 7.163
  • GDP per capita: 24,900$

5. Cyprus - High quality of life but low standard of living
  • Quality of life score: 7.097
  • GDP per capita: 27,500$

Friday, 4 October 2013

Personal response

Personal response

What have I learned?
 - After all the hard work of researching, gathering information and putting it all together to see whether the immigration laws in Canada, Mexico and America are ethical, I learned that immigration is not simple, but a sophisticated action that requires lots of skills and patience. The laws in Canada were expected and they were fairly straightforward as well as ethical for all foreigners no matter who it is. Something interesting I learned was that the immigration laws in Mexico is tougher than they are in America. I was expecting US immigration to be strict since there are many illegal immigration, especially people from Mexico. However, Mexico is unfair towards the immigrants and do not give them equal rights. Nevertheless, the countries are connected and related so there are advantages in immigrating to one of those countries if you are from North America. In most occasions, Mexicans and Canadians are not required to have a visa to enter America. 


How has what I have learned changed my opinion?
 - I thought it would be very simple and easy to immigrate to another country and get a job or any occupation to earn money, but after learning all the laws, I realized it would be better to stay in my innate country and settle there. However, it did not change my mind of travelling around the world since immigration laws do not apply while travelling. 

Thursday, 26 September 2013

Essay Outline

Planning sheet for Individual Research

Name:  Kyung ho Jung


Individual Research title: Immigration laws


What question do I want to ask?
·         What are the immigration laws in the US, Mexico and Canada?
·         Do they have anything in common and what is different?
·         Are any of their enforced laws related to one another?
·         Is it ethical for US to have different immigration laws for each country?


Where will I find the information to answer my questions?
·         EBSCO
·         Britannica School
·         Factreal.wordpress.com
·         Humanevents.com


How will I analyse the information?
·         Look for the difference between each country’s immigration laws and whether they are ethical or unethical. Is it fair or biased towards a specific country?


How will I identify and evaluate possible scenarios?
·         I will identify and evaluate possible scenarios by looking at the condition and current situation of the topic and whether it is a big issue or not. It will depend on how the immigration if occurring currently in USA, Mexico and Canada.


Possible scenarios
·         US will have strict immigration laws since there are many people who immigrate illegally and just intrude their nation without any certified permission. Also, these include drug dealing and other hazardous resources might be traded among illegal citizens. Mexico will most probably protect their border, but without as much security as US and have less strict regulations regarding the immigration. Canada will be the most peaceful and calm about immigration.


Evaluation of scenarios
·         There are many Mexicans who immigrate to US illegally, in violation of US nationality law, and this has been an issue for a long time. Immigration rules have become much more stringent and the security for illegal border crossing is serious and intense. Those who have an occupation in Canada and anyone who is a family member to the Canada’s citizen are permitted to immigrate and settle in the country. Due to the illegal immigration, the laws in Mexico have been stricter and have affected migrants to Mexico as well.


Possible courses of action

·         Each country could enforce the same law on one another to make it fair and justice. Being ethical regarding the immigration is right and by making less biased toward a specific country, will improve the relationship between the countries As well. 

Monday, 23 September 2013

Rational Choice Theory

Definition: An economic principle that assumes that individuals always make prudent and logical decisions that provide them with the greatest benefit or satisfaction and that are in their highest self-interest.

Ethical foreign politics are laws or fundamental actions that are done during any activities that are associated between different countries and Rational choice theory can affect it by undermining the trust between countries. Each one of them will think the country that they are interacting with are taking advantage of the trade that is happening. However, it can also be beneficial as the countries are earning what they require and need and the optimal condition. Hence, Rational choice theory can have a negative as well as positive impact on the ethical foreign politics.

Examples of Ethical foreign policy

1. In the US, officials must preserve American value by making an honest assessment of the issues at stake. Domestic support for US foreign policy should not be needlessly undermined and to preserve the values, officials must be sincere regarding the nature of Washington's proposed clients. Also, as partnerships such as authoritarian allies will become necessary, so Washington's association should not be the main factor in achieving a crucial goal. http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/creating-effective-ethical-foreign-policy-7358?page=1

2. William Hague, a British Foreign Secretary, believes that the main purpose of it is to promote human rights and trade and commerce should appear to be the core. He stated Foreign policy is domestic policy written in large and it has the power to transform human rights. For the right foreign policy for Britain, everyone should be ambitious toward the goal and inspire others with values and resolve the issue regarding poverty or political repression. http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/resources/commentary-and-analysis/1480-hague-and-an-ethical-foreign-policy

- The best foreign policy to create peace and not conflict are those which consider the after-effects and policies that benefit not only regarding peace or conflict, but the rights or other struggles that people are facing today. For instance, the foreign policy which Hague imposes on Britain to improve human rights. Policies that ponder about others such as the allies are also means to bring peace to the world. 

Tuesday, 17 September 2013

Ethical Foreign Politics

What is foreign ethical politics?

Foreign ethical politics are principles that are imposed in activities associated with the governments of different countries. 

How does it conflict or match with peace and conflict?

If ethical foreign politics actually did exist and were respected by the governments, they will be able to handle issues properly and although there might be conflicts, it will be minor. Also, peace among the countries will grow as well as revive when this is followed.

Do ethical foreign politics actually exist? 

I believe that ethical foreign politics do not actually exist, but it is something that countries are trying to enforce and practice this when two or more governments interact. This might be moral behaviours or an instinctive action that are common to do and know it will benefit one another if it is carried out such as being polite. Hence, ethical foreign politics exist within our instinct and actions, but it is not required or a law that actually enforced. 

Monday, 16 September 2013

International Newspapers

Colorado flooding:

1) New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/us/colorado-towns-are-left-stranded-in-deadly-floods.html?_r=0
In New York Times, the article talks about the loss and the tragic destruction of homes and land that have been destroyed by the flood. They interviewed people and wrote what the witnesses said. The bias in this article is that it focuses on what the victims had to say about the damage and how it affected and would affect their life. Instead of just informing about the flood, it depends and relies on those who experienced and seen the actually happening.

2) Washington Post -http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/people-rescued-by-helicopters-from-colorado-flooding/2013/09/13/b9823d0c-1cdd-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html
The Washington post notes how people were saved by helicopters and those who were trapped. From time to time, it lists when and how people were rescued from their roofs and even those who were almost drowning. The bias in this article is based on the authorities and officials who were there to rescue and help them. It talks about what was done and how far it was done as time passed.

3) USA Today - http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/09/15/boulder-colorado-floods-larimer/2815667/
USA Today has notes down all that happened and it has opinions of the citizens, victims as well as the officials and authorities. I believe this article is the most reliable and the bias in it is trustworthy because it cites all the information given. Also, they interviewed those who lived in that area for a long time, to increase the credibility of the story. It also has many footage and photos of the actual disaster that it had taken place.

4) Houston Chronicle (chron.com)  - http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Flooding-brings-tales-of-rescues-improvisation-4815256.php?cmpid=hpts
This article consists of true stories of victims and they tell tragic stories that occurred due to the flooding. The bias in this article is to convince the readers with emotion and talk about how neighbors come together to protect each others' families and homes. It retells all the memorable stories which appeals the readers' emotions.

Foreign ethical politics

What is foreign ethical politics?

Foreign ethical politics are principles that are imposed in activities associated with the governments of different countries. 

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

For and Against the impact of internet

1. Manali Oak (For) - working in the software industry, she list the positive impacts of the internet. It provides us with current news and communication between people from distant places. The search engines also have affected our lives to be much easier and convenient. Emails and instant messages, such as chatting, have made communication much more easier and social networking sites as well as blogging websites provide us with essential information and awareness. (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-internet.html)

2. Joseph Mazer (Against) - As an assistant professor in Clemson University, he found out that extreme use of internet can lead to depression an loneliness. Their communication between others will reduce as well as aggravate as time passes. Their social development in making friends and interacting with others will definitely be limited. It will cause many to lose track of time and aggravate their health. (http://phys.org/news/2012-10-negative-effects-internet.html)

3. Ramona French (For) - A Swedish author who believes that internet will affect us beneficially. With the internet, we are able to expand our knowledge by the access of the information provided. One will be able to learn about what is going on around the world and be aware of the necessities and significant requirements. We can use social networking programs such as skype and facebook, to contact those in other countries and someone far away. With the ability to communicate much easier and more, relationships between others can be improved. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/168003-positive-effects-of-internet-addiction/)

4. Justin Nicholas (Against) - Studying medicine and dentistry, he mentions the disadvantage of the internet. Firstly, he talks about the time consumption. Although some might think it is useful using the internet and browsing for hours, it is mostly useless and a waste of time. Advertisements take a lot of time in attracting the user's attention. Also, he mentions about the unreliability of the sources given. Most of the information might be rumors or made up by random people. some information are not proved and sites provide fake knowledge to the users. (http://www.ehow.com/info_8194143_positive-negative-impacts-internet.html)

Sunday, 8 September 2013

Impact of internet through media on children

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZYPKrOOy0w

This video was made by 6 RMIT university students to talk about whether internet is child-friendly or not. It explains how the exposure of internet to children can harm them and change their mind sets while growing up.
Although the internet connects people all around the world, saves money and time for communication, and provides knowledge to us, it has negative influences that can harm our, especially children, mental and physical abilities. Porn sites, gambling sites, addiction, social networking etc. all can bring a negative impact on the children. Explicit contents alter the mindset of children and affects the way they grow up. Facebook, Skype, MSN, twitter etc. are all social networking programs that allow people to interact with one another through chats or video. Even though the children might think they are "socializing," they are actually just sharing their personal information and if this is leaked, it highers the risk of getting hacked. Being insecure about one's personal information can cause a serious issue. There is  high chance of strangers or stalkers to obtain your information and do bad stuff with it. Cyber-bullying has grown and become something unavoidable.
After they list out all the negative impacts, they come up with 2 solutions. Instead of just taking away the computer from the child, the parents should block all the sites that are inappropriate and unwanted with a Anti-virus setting, router setting and a text filter. Another solution is providing proper education regards the danger of internet through real-life lessons or videos and programs. Monitoring the child should the most important. In addition, the commonwealth internet content law, established by ACMA, Internet service provider and Internet content hosts control children's access to internet content.

Thursday, 5 September 2013

The Social Impact of the Internet on Our Society

Purpose:
To inform that internet creates new methods for citiznes to communicate and how it affects their life in various aspects. For instance, it can be used for in the field of Education, Health care and Business. It also tells us that internet affects us in most welcoming, exciting and challenging ways.

Argument (Main point):
Internet helps in the field of education, health care and business in various ways. In the areas of education,it helps the children in school to learn much more enthusiastically with exciting, interesting, engaging and very lively. The excitement and usefulness that the internet brings to everyone is beneficial and students are able to study much better. It gives great learning with much joy.
Due to the internet, it aids in the field of health care by giving free research and information regarding the health care to the general public. It provides a vast knowledge of great sources about the alternatives, side affects, treatments etc. there are also many sites that deal with many aspects of mental health.
Finally, in the field of business, internet will help many businesses to grow and experts predict that it will grow and advance greatly. Airline tickets, books and even computers are the most sold products in the internet in addition to tourism. Consumers purchase numerous objects and plan out their vacations through the internet.
Hence, internet is very useful and impacts our lives in positive aspects. education, health care, business are all major parts of the internet and benefits them greatly.

Bias:
This article talks about all the positive aspects of internet and the positive influences it brings to our lives. However, it does not mention any of the negative effects of internet and the danger it can cause. It is very biased towards one side and the author claims that internet is a being used for only beneficial purposes. It also does not consider those who do not have internet or computers, since the author is stating that without the internet, life will be harder and uncomfortable.

http://www2.math.umd.edu/~bnk//CAR/project.htm

Tuesday, 3 September 2013

Japan to spend $470 million in effort to deal with toxic water at Fukushima plant

Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the government decided to spend 470 million dollars to deal with the nuclear accident and the toxic water crisis. National authorities are taking a part in aiding the aftermath and cope with the Tokyo Electric power company struggles. 
It happened approximately one month ago and 300 tons of toxic water was spilled. Another issue is that radioactive groundwater is leaking into the pacific ocean and is one of the biggest long-term problem. 
A plan that the government came up with was to freeze the ground that acquired 320 million dollars to prevent radioactive particles to seep out. However, this technique was not used for years and decades. This is the only way to hinder the leaks of groundwater permanently. TEPCO is involved and tries to help their problem. 

Thursday, 29 August 2013

My world view

How does family and culture affect your world view?

As a very important element in one's life, family teaches you to accept all cultures, appreciate them and think of as well as treat everyone equally.
I thoroughly believe that respect, care and honor are all essential aspects of building an honest, true, strong society. I see the world as a place where we can enjoy and have fun, but this can only be achieved and done by cherishing the Earth. Racism, Sexual discrimination, trafficking are issues that cause many to be mad and make the world a dangerous place. However, on the other hand, your family is always there to support you and your culture defines who you are, making it a paradise. Our world consists of good and bad, happy and sad, optimism and pessimism. Our world is unpredictable. Our world is hell as well as heaven. We tend to search for only what is beneficial for us, but sacrificing and helping for the others can lead to a much better world to live in. Each and every individual is important, precious and deserve to be respected. Everyone has their unique characteristics which makes them even more valuable.
Everyone has their own perspective and world view. Family and culture hugely affect our point of view and nothing in the world is wrong.

Wednesday, 28 August 2013

Impact of Internet

The impact of internet 

The internet has become a significant source in the world and our daily life. It has positive as well as negative influences on our life and alters our world views. Although it might be an essential necessity, it can lead to extreme issues and cause terrible outcomes. Internet definitely changed my perspective of certain aspects and I tend to depend on it many times. For instance, if there is any research project, instead of going to the library to find and read books, I will search on the internet, especially Google, and search for sources. Although the information it provides are not as reliable as the books give, it is much more convenient and saves up a lot of time. Wikipedia, Yahoo answers, Wiki answers etc. are considered to be ineffective sources, but myriad of people employ them and rely on the information given. Also, internet has caused many people to be lazy. Instead of going to the movie theatre, many people are downloading the movies either legally or illegally and watching it through their computer or TV. It has affected many of the children, distracting them in studies, increasing the number of kids with obesity and wasting their time. Due to the internet, my habits have changed and it has affected my lifestyle.

Sunday, 18 August 2013

Family and Culture Interview

1. Yuthok (Bhutan) -  
Culture: Protection.
Family: Comfort.

2. Saharsha (Nepal) - 
Culture: Defines ethnicity.
Family: Anyone who is close to your heart, not only relatives.

3. Daniel Lee (Korea) - 
Culture & Family: Should be intertwined.

4. Pranit (India) - 
Culture: Life.
Family: Nothing great and doesn't like it very much.

5. Zach (USA) - 
Culture: Your heritage.
Family: The poeple you can rely on, not only related to you.

Sunday, 11 August 2013



http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?sid=0f38d474-4291-4ca9-9cbe-2add5a6024da%40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=22&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d




Source: You Can't Fire Me, I'm Your Father

About: Discusses the parental values that are important to a family business. Definition of values; Ways of identifying the values needed in a business; Strategies in using values as tools in employee motivation.





http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=864c868e-b41d-4a16-9160-82deb9058fd4%40sessionmgr12&vid=1&hid=22&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=eric&AN=ED536813






Source:Center for the Study of Social Policy

About: The relational well-being of families is an important factor affecting a family's economic success, physical and mental heath, the readiness and success of children in school, and the engagement of youth in positive and productive roles. In short, the strength of family bonds is crucial to a family's capacity to provide, nurture, and care for its members. "Strong Family Relationships" is defined as the relational well-being of families. While the successful promotion of "strong family relationships" is clearly tied to ensuring family economic success and family health, this brief focuses primarily on strengthening the formation of families, the interaction of parents and children, the connection of families to social networks, and the adequacy and quality of necessary family resources. Addressing these many facets of family life is important given the dramatic changes and pressures associated with contemporary American family life. For example, fewer couples are marrying or are choosing to marry at later ages, more are cohabiting, increasing numbers of children will spend some part of their childhood in a single parent home, and rising health care, housing, and child care costs are making it difficult for families to balance the competing demands of work and family. This brief is a companion to a complete policy and research paper that provides an overview of current trends affecting American families and offers a beginning framework for state policies that strengthen family relationships.




http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=5&sid=56c54c8b-8fe3-48eb-8239-d5a9e5add45a%40sessionmgr12&hid=123&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ehh&AN=88336375




Source: Art Education

About: The article presents a speech by Bernard Young, professor of Art Education at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona and recipient of the Lowenfeld Award, delivered at the 2012 NAEA (National Art Education Association) National Convention, held in New York City, in which he discussed the influence of art educator and humanitarian Viktor Lowenfeld, the concept of self-identification and African American artists and the influence of scholars Samella Lewis, John Biggers and W. Lambert Brittain

Monday, 5 August 2013

Family and Culture

Family and Culture

I come from a background where family is the most important thing in life. Especially, your parents/elders. So, respect toward the elders is very essential. Also, family consists of much love and caring. There is me, my parents and my sister in my family. It is important to look highly on my grandparents and care about the rest of my family such as my aunts, cousins and uncles. I believe family is a significant factor to happiness and success.

In my culture, celebrating Chinese new year and eating rice cake is very common. We eat rice cake believing that we would live longer and healthier. Although others tend to be ignorant regards our or any other culture, it is important to respect as well as view other cultures without any ridicule. Culture, also, is something that should be venerated and is a building block of a person, a whole community and the whole nation.

Family and Culture are valuable features that one should cherish and think highly of it. It should be something extremely precious that ignoring or leaving them behind is a terrible crime. They are definitely the most important in anyone's life.