December 21 2007

Merry Christmas!
First, I want to mention the photo of my previous entry. I took it at a shopping mall, the Big Step, in America-mura, Shinsaibashi. Actually, there used to be a school building at the site. It was my junior high school until decades ago. When I was a school girl, our school was divided into to buildings. The first year and the third year students went to the main building and the second year students went to the sub-building. The main building was at the Big Step site at that time. After a few years of my graduation, the two buildings were united and the main building site was sold. Whenever I visit the Big Step, I remember my colorful school days, not only bright things but also sad or hard things! Especially I love going there at Christmas time because the light tree is so beautiful!!



1) What is a nativity play?
The Nativity Play is the recreation of the scene of Jesus’ birth in the stable and the story of how Mary and Joseph were visited by the Shepherds and Wise Men. The parts of Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds and the Wise Men are played by the children.

2) What is a Christmas carol?

Christmas carols are the songs which are sung during the Christmas season and also about Jesus and the time when he was born. Originally, they were written for a special purpose, often to accompany performances of religious dramas dating from medieval times. Over the years, the word 'carol' changed its meaning, referring only to certain kinds of songs, the word carol became known as Christmas songs.

3) What is a pantomime?

A pantomime is a traditional British Christmas play. They are an important part of the Christmas festivities in Britain. They are performed in theaters, villages halls and community centers. A pantomime is contained of cross dressing and audience participation.

4) What are mince pies? Find a photo of one.

see here.

5) Find a photo of a Christmas pudding.

see here.

6) Find a photo of a Christmas cake.

how about this?

I found a yummy blog called "CakeJournal.com"!! Visit here.


7) What are Brussels sprouts? Find a photo of some.

The Brussels sprout is a cultivar group of Wild Cabbage cultivated for its small (typically 2.5 - 4cm, 1 - 1.5 inches diameter) leafy green heads, which resemble miniature cabbages.

In the UK, Brussels sprouts are a traditional winter vegetable, and are often eaten boiled with a roast dinner, particularly at Christmas. They can also be stir-fried, roasted, or made into soup.
(excerpts from the wikipedia)

See the photo of it here.


Find a Christmas photo and put it on your blog.
I put a photo of dancing snowmen. I took it at the USJ the other day.


I wish all of you a Happy New Year!!

World News B #9 December 14th, 2007

1. Visit your classmates’ blogs and read what they wrote for last week’s assignment (December 7th). Leave some comments.

I left my comment on Nancy’s blog!

2. Read Mr Sheffner’s answers to last week’s questions.

3. What is Amnesty International? What does it do?

Amnesty International is an international organization for human rights which work to improve people’s lives through campaigning for internationally recognized human rights to be respected and protected for everyone.

4. Here is a recent report from Amnesty International: Torture/health concern/possible prisoner of conscience UZBEKISTAN Ikhtior Khamroev (m), aged 22. Student Ikhtior Khamroev, who has been in jail since September 2006, was reportedly severely beaten on 29 November. Sources inside the prison have told his father that Ikhtior had also received stab wounds to the abdomen, but was locked in a punishment cell rather than taken to hospital. He is believed to have been detained because of the activities of his father, a prominent human rights defender, and may have been beaten to punish his father for his recent anti-government statements.
1. Find one or two news articles about Ikhtio Khamroev (in English or Japanese) and link to them. How many can you find?
I found three.
http://www.amnesty.or.jp/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=1604&sel_lang=english
http://blhrri.org/kokusai/sos/sos_3903.html (in Japanese)
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2007/12/ikhtiyor_hamroe.html

2. Where is Uzbekistan? Find a map and link to it.
Usbekistan on GoogleMap


3. Is the sad story of Ikhtior Khamroev “news” or not?
I think it’s newsworthy.

1. If you think it is news, why is not on TV and in the newspapers?

I have no idea. It is not on TV only in Japan or any other countries? If it’s not on the Japanese media only, maybe it’s far away from here? Or some giant powers prevent it from covering overseas? I don’t know. I want to look into it further.

2. If you think it is not news, why not?

4. How many Japanese versions of this British news story can you find? What are the key points of this story (in Japanese)?
I could only find one article. http://blhrri.org/kokusai/sos/sos_3903.html
イクティオル・カムロブさんに対する、正当な理由のない拘束と暴力行為。また、これが人権活動家である彼の父親に対する制裁行為である疑いがあること。

5. Read Masa’s blog and leave a message. (Do you know the blog of another Japanese person in the US? Tell us about it on your blog).

One of my blog friends, Hanna, has been studying in San Francisco, too! She is now working on her doctoral dissertation. Her blog is mostly written in Japanese. Her eyes are focused on ethnic issues, cultural differences between countries, and often Japanese education issues. She writes about things as a Japanese woman who lives in the US. I enjoy reading all of her entries very much! Please visit her blog “multicultural SF”

World News B #8 December 7th, 2007

Beowulf First Page

Uploaded by litmuse on 13 Dec 05, 12.14AM JST.

1. Write about these two movies:
1. Beowulf
2. The Golden Compass

2. Write in MS Word, spell check, then upload to your blog. On your blog, add links to people or places. You can also add photos, but ALWAYS give credit (say where you got the photo from, who took the photo, and add a link back to the original).

3. Answer all these questions:
1. What or who is Beowulf?

The mightiest warrior in the age of heroes.

2. What is this movie based on?

It is based on the Old English epic poem of the Beowulf.

3. When and where was Old English spoken? (from when until when?)

Old English was spoken in parts of what are now England and southern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century.

4. What does Old English look like? Find a photo on the Internet.

See here: http://english3.fsu.edu/~wulfstan/110v.jpg

5. What does Old English sound like? Find a sound file on the Internet

I found the sound clips of “Readings from Beowulf”. See the link below:
http://faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/Beowulf.Readings/Beowulf.Readings.html
(From the University of Virginia website: http://faculty.virginia.edu/OldEnglish/index.html)

See also: http://www.beowulftranslations.net/benslade.shtml

6. What is the story of Beowulf? (Who are the main characters? Where and when does it take place? What are the key events?)

In the age of heroes comes the mightiest warrior of them all, Beowulf. After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel, he incurs the undying wrath of the beast's ruthlessly seductive mother, who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The ensuing epic battle resonates throughout the ages, immortalizing the name of Beowulf. (from Wikipedia)

Main characters:
Beowulf (a hero) portrayed by Ray Winstone
King Hrothgar (the king of Heorot) by Anthony Hopkins
Grendel (monster) by Crispin Glover
Queen Wealthew (Hrothgar’s wife) (the mother of Grendel) by Angelina Jolie
Unferth by John Malkovich

7. What happens to Beowulf at the end of the poem (not the movie)?

The battle sequence between Grendel's mother and Beowulf which leads to end with her death.

8. Who is the director? What other movie has (s)he directed? Have you seen any of them? If so, which one? Did you like it?
The director is Robert Zemeckis.

He has directed the following movies:
I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), Used Cars (1980), Romancing the Stone (1984), Back to the Future (1985), Amazing Stories (1986), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future Part III(1990), Tales from the Crypt (1991), Death Becomes Her (1992), Forrest Gump (1994), Contact (1997), Cast Away (2000), What Lies Beneath (2000), The Polar Express (2004) and Beowulf(2007).

I've seen the Back to the Future and the Contact. I liked the Back to the Future because it's full of thrills!

9. Who are the main actors in this movie?

Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover, Brendan Gleeson, and Angelina Jolie.

1. Choose one of the actors or actresses. What other movies has this person been in? Did you see any of those movies? If so, which one? Did you like it?

I chose Anthony Hopkins who appeared in the movies shown here: Anthony Hopkins
I liked him being in the movie, "Remains of the Day". He was kind of very quiet throughout this movie but showed his strong presence.

10. What is “The Golden Compass” based on?
“The Golden Compass” is based on a book titled “Northern Lights”.

11 Who wrote the original story? When?
Philip Pullman wrote the original story in 1995.

12 What is the story? (Who are the main characters? Where and when does it take place? What are the key events?)
The story is about a orphan girl, Lyra, who lives in a fantastical world where the dictator, Magisterium, threatens to dominate it. One day, Lyra’s friend kidnapped, so she starts her journey to save her friend.

13 Where is Oxford (UK)? Find a map.

multimap

world atlas

大きな地図で見る

14. How many colleges are there?
There are two universities in Oxford; University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University.

15 Who is the director? What other movie has (s)he directed? Have you seen any of them? If so, which one? Did you like it?
The director is Chris Weitz. He’s directed American Pie, Down to Earth and About a Boy. Unfortunately, I have never seen any of his movies. I’ve heard a good reputation of “About a Boy” from my friends. I think I should see it!

16 Who are the main actors in this movie?
The main actors are Daniel Craig, Ian McKellen, Ian McShane and Sam Elliott.

1 Choose one of the actors or actresses. What other movies has this person been in? Did you see any of those movies? If so, which one? Did you like it?
I liked Nicole Kidman in “The Hours”. I loved it so I bought the DVD and even the bilingual script book after seeing it!

17 There is some controversy about this movie? What is it?

There is some controversy about religious aspects in this movie. In the Original book, the dictator Magisterium is depicted as a symbol of the Catholic Church. But in this movie, Magisterium represents all dogmatic giant organizations.

World News B #6 November 16th, 2007

2. Watch this video and write about it on your blog:
How much television do you watch every week?
What are the messages of this video? (Write two messages).
Do you agree with these messages?
What do you think of television?

Unfortunately, we couldn't watch the video.

3. What is November 11th called in Britain? Go to the Woodlands Junior School homepage to find the answer.
November 11th is called “Remembrance Day(Poppy Day)” in Britain.

1. Who lays a wreath?
Wreaths are layed beside war memorials by companies, clubs and societies, following the first wreath layed by the Queen.

2. Where?
It takes place at the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London.

3. Why?
To remember all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts.

4. How many years is it since the end of World War One?
It’s been 89 years since the War.

5. What is the red flower?
A poppy.

6. (Bonus question) Why is this red flower used on November 11th?
In Flanders, the whole western part of Belgium, some of the most concentrated and bloodiest fighting of the First World War took place. After the fighting, everything was completely devastated, no exception for natural life. However, in such a desperate place, only one living thing survived, which was a poppy.

John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Canadian Armed Forces, was so deeply moved by the flowers, and wrote a poem about them. The poem was published later and the poppy became a popular symbol for soldiers who died in battle.

7. (Watch a video of this year’s event here).

4. What happened on November 6th in London?
It’s the day of the State Opening of Parliament (the first day of the new parliamentary session).

5. What happened on November 10th in London?
It is the day of the Lord Mayor’s Show.

6. What is the Mayor’s name?
David Lewis.

World News B #5 November 2nd, 2007

Stars & Stripes
Originally uploaded by MarkyBon

1.Go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7017636.stm
1.On your blog, answer these questions:
1.Who was killed, where, when, and how?
A Japanese journalist, Kenji Nagai was shot to death by a government soldier near the Sule pagoda in Burma on Thursday, while he was covering the anti-government protests.

2.Why is this news important for many people around the world?
According to TV footage which has emerged after the event, there is a possibility that Mr. Nagai may have been killed intentionally, not by accident. If so, Japanese government may take a tougher line against Burma's military regime. Japan has been a leading aid donor to Burma and has been criticesed for failing to take a tougher line against the regime. So the world is watching the solving process between two countries.


2.Now read this news item and answer the questions: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7070551.stm
1.How many people marched in central Burma?
More than 100.

2.What kind of people marched?
Monks.

3.When and where did they march?
In central Burma on Wednesday.

4.What happened in that same city on September 6th, 2007?
Soldiers had beaten up monks there on that day.

5.How do we know this march took place? The article gives two sources of information. What are they?
The BBC's Asia correspondent, Andrew Harding, reported what happened and the Democratic Voice of Burma, a Norway-based radio station run by dissident journalists, introduced one monk's words.

6.Does this news item on the BBC website make the marchers more safe or less safe?
I think this news item may make the marchers less safe.

7.What does “bloody crackdown” mean?
Strict and violent action with a lot of killing and injuries (by the military government) to stop the demonstrators.

8.What does “nationwide pro-democracy protests” mean?
Burmese people's demands for the change of their government from the current ruling junta to the democratic one.

9.What does “forcibly recruiting children” mean?
The Burmese army's action to force children into joining them.

10.Who told the BBC that the Burma military are forcibly recruiting children? Do you believe it?
The Human Rights Watch organization says that. I can believe it.

11.The BBC also asked the Burma government about this. What did the Burma government say? Do you believe them?
The government insists it is opposed to the use of child soldiers. I don't believe them.

12.Why did the BBC ask Human Rights Watch AND the Burma government? Was this a good idea?
In media coverage, we expect a balanced approach. So we need opposing points of view.


3.What happened on Friday September 28th? (Use your own words, don’t copy and paste the text). http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/28/myanmar.dissidents/

The Burmese military junta cut off the Internet connection so the information about the bloody violent crackdown became suddenly invisible from outside the country.

1.Why did the Burma government do this, do you think?
Because they didn't want the world know the situation. They want to make up the situation as they want it to be.


4.Go to the Woodlands Junior School’s homepage to find the answers to these questions.
1.What is November 5th called in Britain?
It's called "Bonfire Night".

2.What do people do on this day?
People celebrate this day by lighting huge bonfires, letting off magnificent fireworks, and burning an effigy (a reminder of Guy Fawkes).

3.Why? (What is the historical reason?)
In the gunpowder plot, Guy Fawkes and his group attempted to blow up the Parliament. They were found before doing it and were executed by burning. So people celebrate the day by gunpowers and burning an effigy which representing Guy Fawkes.


4.Go to Flickr, type the answer to 5.1 in the search box, and find an interesting photo to put on your blog.

World News B #4 October 26th, 2007

(I took this photo in my neighborhood the other day)

1. Visit your classmates' blogs from last week.
2. Look at question #11. Choose your 3 favourites.
I chose the following three. All are cool!!!

I want to equal world.
Doraemon appeared.
A day becomes more than 24 hours.


3. 20 minutes language practice (listening, vocabulary, grammar, etc)
I did the "Criminal terms" (http://a4esl.org/q/f/z/zz34mmn.htm)
I learned the following terms.
accessory 共犯
leprosy　腐敗
larceny　窃盗罪
perjury　偽証罪


4. Find a news item in English. Blog it. 45 minutes.

Title: Living Beneath the Surface, Undocumented and Unsure
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/nyregion/24about.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

Summary: This article is about the new proposal of the New York State's Governor, Eliot Spitzer, in which he said he would permit people who could meet rigorous standards of proof for their identity to get driver's license, regardless of their immigration status. The governor argues that it would reduce unlicensed or uninsured drivers on the streets and also hit-and-run accidents.

My thoughts: I know breaking the law of where you live is a bad thing. So staying in a country where you don't have any legal status would be also a bad thing. Apparently giving undocumented immigrants driver's licenses wouldn't be a good thing. But it's not that simple in America.

I met many people in ESL school in NY when I studied there for 3 months in 2005. They all were immigrants from all over the world. Most of them worked for a very long hours every day and night illegally. But I couldn't blame them because they needed money for their family and they were needed by somebody. In the U.S., a lot of undocumented immigrants are working in a harsh environment. And the government knows it and rather overlooks the problem. Now America can't exist without illegal immigrant labor force. They need their credit cards to live in an apartment on their own or some of them need their driver's licenses to work. But they can't have both of the needed ones. It's very complicated situation. We might have similar problems in our country in the future since we will have less labor force year by year. So I'm interested in how America deals with the problem.

The phrases that struck me in this article are words by Bishop DiMarzio:
"There is a demand for the labor provided by immigrants, but no coherent system for recognizing their presence in society."
"We have allowed persons to enter and have integrated them into the labor market, but now through sporadic enforcement of immigration laws we hope that they will leave and no others will come."

Ummmm.....it's a difficult situation!!!!

5. Read your classmates blogs. Blog about some of them. 15 minutes.

I read the first posting of RAGAMI san's blog and liked the title's meaning!
The title is "あいり～らいふ". And she says that:
「あいり～（irie）」はジャマイカの言葉で
「楽しい」とか「最高」、「平和」という意味♪
だから日常が楽しかったり最高な日に
なるようにってことでこれにしました(*･∀･*)

Now, I'll try to translate her idea into English. I'm sorry if I'm wrong. Maybe she wants to say:

"My blog's title 'irie' is a Jamican term, meaning 'exciting!', 'fabulous!' or 'peaceful!' I wish everybody's life would be fun and great so that's why I chose it!"

I love your idea, RAGAMI!


Naoko

World News B 2007 October 19th

(I took this photo just near the Shoin university when I was enjoy walking along the river with my husband the other day)

1-4. [Vocabulary quiz by my favorite order]

1. independent 独立した
2. integrity　誠実、正直、高潔、品位
3. creative　創造的
4. unique　唯一、独特
5. individual　個人、個々
6. compromise　妥協、和解
7. freedom　自由（特に、束縛からの自由）
8. group グループ、集団
9. beauty　美、美しいこと
10. power　力、権力

8. Go to your blog and read any comments you may have. If you have comments, answer them.
No comment so far.

9. On your blog write your answer to this question: "Our World News Blogs are all completely public. What do you think about this? Do you prefer some privacy, or is it ok to be completely public?"

I think our blogs' being public has both positive and negative points.
Positive points are:
1. We can communicate not only with the class members but also with people in the world! There are millions of people who speak and write English!
2. We maybe try to write meaningful things if we know anybody in the world might look at it.
3. The number of people you know off the net is limited, at school, in your neighborhood, or your relatives. You can know new people, possibly who live in a country which is far away from your country through the Internet.

Negative points are:
1. You might find stranger's harmful comments on your blog. So you have to maintain your blog in good condition.
2. You have to decide to what extent you can reveal your privacy. Anybody can get your information by reading your blog.

So as for our World News class blogs, I'm in favor of being public because I think it's good for us to be able to communicate with people in the world!


10. Practice English vocabulary online for 15 minutes
I went to this website: http://a4esl.org/a/v5.html
I tried "Top 20 World Languages" and got 15/20.

11. What news would make you happy to read today? Write 3 imaginary headlines.
"Free ride on any transportation system this weekend!"
"Free admission fee for USJ until Christmas!"
"Perfect telepathy system invented!"


12. Find a news article about your theme and write about it on your blog:

a. news article title,
"Navigation Help for Surfacing Subway Riders"

b. URL,
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/nyregion/17direction.html?ref=nyregion

c. summary of content: who is it about? What is is about? Where is it about? When is it about?

This article is about the experiment by New York City and the private business improvement district around Grand Central Terminal, which offer a new way to help people go where they want to go when they emerge from the subway station to the streets. They have installed compass-shaped decals on sidewalks, which carry two kinds of information: directions for north, east, south and west, and the names of the nearest streets.

d. your comments: why did you find it interesting? Is there any useful information? What?

I am the one who have been completely lost when emerging from subway stations lots of times! Even in my familiar city, Osaka, I got lost many times at the top of the steps of the subway stations. I'm sure many of you have been in a similar situation! I've experienced it not only in Japan but also in other foreign big cities like New York, Hong Kong, or London! I think this idea is good for Osaka and Tokyo, too! I hope Japanese subway transportation companies' authorities look at it and consider installing these decals in my country's subway stations!

World News B 2007 October 12th

(This is one of my three kitties. Her name is Momo!)

Hi everyone! My name is Naoko. I’m new in this class. I was accepted as an auditing student. I’m very glad to be able to learn with all of you! So..... nice to meet you all!

I read the following 4 articles on Japan Times Online as my picks for today.

The questions for the answers are;

1. What is the title and URL of the news item?

2. Is this news item interesting to you?

3. Who (what sort of person) would be most interested in reading this news item?

4. Why?

5. Does this news item give you any useful information?

6. What is the useful information?

7. Could you use this information to improve your life or the life of your family, or your friends or people in the world?

8. How?

My first pick:

1. Title: Singles find community in 'social apartment

2. It is very interesting for me to know the new trend about how to communicate and even live with others who are not friends or relatives.

3. People who are single, or going to be single (maybe thinking of divorcing with their spouse?).

4. Because, I think, they might be looking for somewhere to live where they don’t feel lonely.

5. Yes, it does!

6. People in Japan and the living circumstances among young people have been changed to an active way. It pleased me a lot!

7. Yes, I could.

8. I can tell my single friends when they feel lonely and look for the new place to live. And they might find their new happy family there!

My second pick:

1. Title: Yoko Ono peace tower shines on in Reykjavik

2. I’m always very interested in how to improve peace in the world, so this article was really moving to me!

3. People who wish peace in the world and also who are in the Beatles’ generation would be interested in this article.

4. Because this article would make people aware of peace. I think it’s very important. Also the Beatles’ generation might want to know what Yoko Ono, the widow of John Lennon, is doing.

5. Yes, it does in some ways.

6. It gave me a conversation topic with others.

7. Actually, it might not improve my daily life in Japan, but I can talk about it with my friends who live not only in Japan but also in other countries.

8. As I answered to the prior question, I can talk with others about this, and I believe the conversation will improve the situation in the world.

My third pick:

1. Title: Alleged suicide helper for hire held in slaying

2. Interesting, but I felt very sad and angry.

3. Any people who read this article.

4. Because it’s so cruel criminal that would grip everybody’s attention.

5. Yes, it does.

6. I have to be careful there might be terribly bad websites on the net. Also I thought I have to be careful not to say, “I want to die!!” easily, because somebody might ask such kind of people to help me commit suicide!

7. Yes, I think I could.

8. We have to stop these kinds of criminals. Also we should help each other when someone around you has a trouble which might lead to killing himself or herself.

My forth pick:

1. Title: Videotaping interrogations worth a look?

2. Yes, very interesting.

3. People who are interested in the new lay judge system in Japan.

4. The day when the new lay judge system go into operation in Japan is soon coming, so we are more and more interested in the lay judge system and all the information around the Japanese Judicial system.

5. Yes, it does very much.

6. I’m basically in favor of recording the whole interrogation especially with serious crimes. This article gives me both pros and cons on this issue.

7. Yes, I could.

8. Many of my friends are also very much aware of the new lay judge system, or rather afraid of possibly being chosen as a lay judge in the future. So I can tell this information to my friends and talk over the issue deeply. It’d be useful when we are involved in criminal situations regardless of which kind of position we would be in.

OK, finally, as for my theme for this term, I’ll choose “New York City”!

I chose there because I’ve been listening to a radio talk show every weekday night airing from the city on the net, also I’ve been there two times before so I have several friends living there.

A new item about NYC, I’ll introduce one of the segment on my favorite radio program.

They conducted a project called, “Are you being gouged?” in which listeners go to shops in their neighborhood and report the price of the same three items on the project’s website.

You can see how the prices are vary depends on the areas in New York City.

Go to the following URL and see the segment “Are You Being Gouged? The Results”. Click any of the images you’d like to know the prices. You can listen to the segment if you like by clicking the play button. I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2007/10/11

OK, I’m going to visit your websites and write my comments on some of them.

See you next week!

Naoko