Random 7: Theory, rules, and reality

There's this movement to widen the range of cars that a person can drive with a license for normal-sized cars, from lighter than 5 tons to those lighter than 6.5 tons (http://response.jp/article/2013/09/09/205954.html). The motive is that the age limit listed below hinders high-school graduate laborers to be of better use to his/her company, especially in the transportation industry, because they cannot drive trucks, prevented from applying for the license.

I think this is ridiculous. The age limits imposed upon each license is done so on the basis of responsibility and skill allocated to the age group. The license categorization of normal, middle, and large vehicles are done based on size, and the danger risks imposed by a vehicle increases with weight. So it doesn't make sense to allow people to drive vehicles for which they haven't tested their skills out for large vehicles.
(In that sense, I feel it impractical that people can drive motorcycles once they receive a normal license - you won't even get to practice riding one at the driving schools! )

 (image from: http://response.jp/article/2013/09/09/205954.html) 

There's a rift between the rules and reality, and it certainly isn't about the categorization of vehicles by weight - it is in the age restriction.  Since Japan has an established Driving School system, I believe there's no harm in lowering the overall age limit to, say, 15, with limitations such as the exclusion of students.

The good news is that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is considering that option too.

This is so similar to the situation of "illegal" drinking that permeates the Japanese society - drinking of 18 - 20 years old, especially. 18 is the age that most people basically are considered "adults" now, finishing high school, which although isn't compulsory education is basically considered one now, and either become employed or move on to college. Either way, alcohol comes into one's life prominently around the age of 18, and it really doesn't make sense that society continues to avert its eyes from the fact, while there is silent agreement and acceptance upon that under-aged drinking.

Yuca mentioned in her presentation that there's this psychological system within us that the more one represses  a (negative) thought, the more one thinks about it. There's also another study on the reason that children around preschool like saying "vulgar" words like "poop," with the reason being the instillation of the idea of taboo in them, and the excitement they feel by breaking the taboo of saying those words in public. (Can't remember where I read about it, sorry.)

Ignorance of disparity between reality and theory will do no one any good.

Random 6: Power of Humans

Sorry for the belated post. I was seriously busy with the ICU festival, as a member of the Festival Committee.
I continued the cycle of waking up at 6 am, working all day, standing and running, returning to the senpai's house I was staying at at 11 pm, going to sleep at 1pm. By the third day, I overslept. Hence, stamina.

Ever since reading L@E, I can't stop myself from affiliating actions in real life to the skills outlined by Perkins.

My senpai, who is the head of the financial department, was also stressed out by the last day.
We were counting the goods and money accumulated from selling the goods during festival, and he answered in an angry way when I asked him a question. I didn't mind much (didn't even think that he was venting his stress out on me), but he promptly apologized.
The part that I admire about him is that he is capable of reigning in his actions.

Anyways, we managed to plan out, and fairly successfully execute the festival.
The nice part was that the weather held out :)

And then there is the always powerful dancers of ICU. I really love dance; watching it of course, but it'll be fantastic if I could somehow learn to dance. Anyways, they were as great as always; people moving in ways that I'd never imagine otherwise.

I got to perform as a member of an a capella group this festival, and the power of songs was reinforced within me. It's amazing how beautiful a sound humans can make; with a capella, you use no instruments, just the voice and harmony of the members involved.

Songs with instruments are always welcomed too.

Westlife - You raise me up

I'm interested in education and development, and here's a documentary that has recently affected me. It's about how the love of one person can change the way another person's life is heading to.

The Boy They Call Fish

Then there's always the power of humor.

I can't stop myself from watching Japanese manzai recently, and nonstyle is my best choice right now.

They're really good at making a circular manzai, and their jokes refer to other jokes within the sequence.

My favorite is "迷子" (lost child)

nonstyle - lost child

There's also this Youtube channel called College Humor which Narumi introduced me to, 

College Humor - Internet Distractions

I really should be doing my essay now, shouldn't I...

Ramdom 5: Food

On October 22nd, Japanese food became designated as the Intangible Cultural Properties by UNESCO. ( http://www.asahi.com/articles/TKY201310220331.html)

I'm thinking too much about food these days...my essay topic being related to food, and also because I take food science :P

Food has so much impact on us. Without food, we cannot live. Then there are many influences that they have on our bodies - disease risk, physical well being, the usefulness of food chemicals, etc.

I also feel that providing food for someone, is an ultimate display of affection
Aside from the fact that it is life-sustaining, you need to take the time off to create something out of ingredients.

There's the expression "胃袋をつかむ" - literally "to take hold of one's stomach" - which is an idiom of love.
To "take hold of one's stomach" is to charm someone by the meals you make. It is mostly used as a disguise or those typical condescension   If your "stomach gets taken hold of" by someone else, it means that you've fallen in love with that person for his/her cooking skills (or so you say.)

Then came the brownies.

I was depressed on Friday because I had messed up with a client of mine from the ICU Festival Committee. In short, I missed an appointment to hand them the completed pamphlet and collect the advertisement fee.
I bicycled all the way to the place, soaking wet from head to toe, my right hand strained from holding onto the handle for dear life, my left hand strained from holding onto my swaying umbrella...
Then I had to walk my bike back for 40 minutes, in the rain, because I couldn't get its lights to turn on. I didn't know how to ventilate my frustration.

Then I remembered that I had Ken's brownie left uneaten (I had the appointment after 4th period.)

Thank you Ken for the brownies.
It really lifted my spirit up (*lightened up*), and I feel all better now.

The indescribable sweetness also really reminded me of the U.S. :) (in a fantastic way of course.)

Book 5: Chapter 7 Risk

It's really difficult to change the way/method that you've been doing something, especially when it comes to life-and-death situations.
Reading the example of IBM's risk taking made reminded me of the recent changes in the electronics field.

With South Korean companies prevailing and succeeding in the television field, Panasonic made the news with its intention of exiting the plasma television business. The company intends "to focus on higher profit margin products"(ZD Net: Panasonic to end plasma television business.)

I also came about an article by Bloomberg explaining how the decision of exiting the television field decided the future of electronics companies. (Sorry, Japanese article)
 ∟Bloomberg: Hitachi's road to regeneration - The exit from the television field that decided the future of electronics companies


I'm pretty sure that decisions to cut prospective fields and products are excruciating ones, and it can't come without greater risk. You can't know if your decision is going to let live or die the whole company.
Hopefully, Panasonic's "[r]isk tak[ing will] make things" - good things "happen" (151.)

On the other hand, it seems like some companies (McDona...never mind) haven't had so much luck.

Then, there are companies that haven't changed their ways. One example is Yoshinoya.
Yoshinoya is determined to serve U.S.A. beef on their rice for gyuudon.
Even during BSE, their stance has not wavered.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetalone/258128269/)

Actually, the reason that Yoshinoya didn't convert to other beef can be affiliated to past failure; it's profits plummeted when they changed to different beef because the taste of their gyuudon changed.

Another factor contributing to this inertia, I think, is that people around the globe, and not just Japanese people, know much about the scariness of BSE. My memories from when news about BSE was sensational is that everything was vaguely scary. What I am going to say is mostly second-handed information from "The Family That Couldn't Sleep" by D. T. Max which I borrowed from Narumi. As a disclaimer, it is also not aimed to be harmful rumor, but prion-related diseases are scary as hell.

Prions are misformed proteins which somehow becomes the culprit behind many critical diseases. One symptom of FFI, one prion disease, for example is insomnia to the point of death. Once the disease manifests, one will not be able get actual sleep until he/she falls into a comatose leading straight to death. Some prion-related diseases transcend species and some don't. Not everybody who have the misformed proteins get sick and die. But the difference between even the Nuclear Plant rumors and BSE beef, I think, is the fact that we don't know what COULD happen, and that the problem is still ONGOING.

In all, though I think the need to be "comfortable with the discomfort of risk"(153) is a great way of putting things. The thing you need is trust in yourself and your experience.

LINKS:
[Yoshinoya and Meat Safety]
CS Monitor: US is confident beef is safe, experts aren't
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0425/Mad-cow-US-confident-beef-is-safe-food-safety-experts-aren-t-sure
Japan to relax ban on U.S. beef importation (Done this February)
(http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASDF2800Q_Y3A120C1PP8000/)

Random 4: Worth a Thousand Words

Art in terms of paintings is a passion of mine, although I'd have almost nothing deep or knowledgeable to say about them.

Pablo Picasso's Guernica helped me pass the Eiken 1st class, my interview question being "Do you think art is an effective tool for social activity?"

On the other hand, I still find it hard to appreciate abstract art.
I've always liked art with shapes that I'd immediately recognize (and that is probably one reason that I have such a non-flexible mind.)

What I like most about painting is the ability to manually reproduce something in real life - like the subtle differences of color, the exact shapes, and so on, so that might be why. The amazement of people being able to reproduce real-life pictures or beautiful shapes is universal, I believe.

I remember that the replication of Georgia O'Keefe's pansy drawing was my favorite activity during art class in middle school.

(http://www.allposters.co.jp/-sp/%E3%83%91%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B8%E3%83%BC-1926-Posters_i290799_.htm)

I'll upload a picture of my drawing if I can locate it.

Here are some of those other art that really amazed me.

Unicursal dragon Kosyuuya (Nikko) [日光一筆龍　晄秋家]
∟With the exception of decoration and color, these people draw a significant dragon with one "swipe" of the brush!!

(http://www.kousyuuya.com/purchase)

How to Draw a Realistic Bag of Chips
∟Just Watch

 

How to Draw a Realistic Water Drop
∟With this Technique, anyone will be able to draw a realistic water drop!

Then there is this Japanese Gag comic/animation about Renoir and Cezanne by Kosuke Masuda that I am addicted to.

Book 4: Chapter 7 - Conflict

 I think dealing with conflicts is a difficult matter, especially if you're a part of it.
According to Perkins, Shackleton had done a fantastic job in keeping a cool head and resolving conflicts.The tactics are 1. "Dea[ling] with Anger in Small Doses," 2. "Engag[ing] Dissents," and 3. "Avoid[ing] Needless Power Struggles."

So far, chapter 7 has been my favorite chapter of "The Edge." The chapter really got me to think about the different kinds of struggle that I've experienced so far. Here are some of those:
 
This is more connected to the conflict activities we have done in class, but I have been experiencing the importance of withdrawl. In a discussion with my friends from my circle about what we should do during the ICU festival, we came across an impasse concerning a topic and whether or not we should feature it. I made a concession, and things moved on smoothly.

Also, this isn't exactly a "conflict," but I also have experience in avoiding "struggles."
There are times when someone from my part-time job tells me to do something that I had been doing a while ago, but not just at the moment that the person looked in to my actions. Some examples are greeting customers cheerfully and organizing the disheveled piles of clothing (I work in an apparel shop). I don't talk back, or claim that that person wasn't looking (as much as I'd like to do). I know that the person means good to me, is thinking about how I may improve my performance and efficiency in contributing to the store and customers. It is also a waste of time to do so.

Lastly, there is enticement. I've been involved with an English class of children about 5 years old. Some were older than that, and some younger. The children were playing with building blocks during free time, and a  boy who was one of the oldest was trying to take a block away from one of the younger ones. The older boy had already been displaying a tendency of trying to have everything his way, and he seemed to be used to it, too. Now, don't get me wrong, I like all the children; I think they all have their charm. 
But I couldn't look this over. I sort of raised my voice, and talked the boy into giving up the toy for the time being.

He gave up the toy, then proceeded to declare that he hated me. 
I don't think that I did anything wrong, but in this sense, I want to learn better ways of persuading and enticing others.

(image from: http://antialias02.deviantart.com/art/Building-Blocks-315890796)

As a side note, while I agree that Shackleton’s leadership and ability to care for others and conflicts were outstanding, I feel that Perkins might be over-crediting him. I’m pretty sure that other crew members had grown more cooperative through the perils. Of course, this transformation must for some part owing to Shackleton’s aforementioned strategies. On the other hand, I doubt that the risk of leaving them behind weren't the only decisive factors that led to Shackleton's taking McNeish and Vincent with him to South Georgia Island (p.120-122, "Engaging Dissents").

Random 3: Wish Upon the Stars

"I want to become a millionaire/billionaire."

This is probably one of the most typical wishes written on Tanzakus - the reed-shaped paper strips on which one writes his/her wish to be granted by Orihime and Hikoboshi on July 7th.

It is already Mid-October, and some of you might think that talking about Tanabata is a off season, but it doesn't matter: it's 28 degrees Celsius today anyways. 

Anyways, I used to consider this wish to be simplistic, and lacking much thought.
But reconsidered, the wish for affluence might be deeper than I once perceived.

Today, one is basically immobile without money. I've come to increasingly appreciate money through my part time job. Before working, I hadn't had any real idea on how hard it is to earn money. Now I do. I may work 8 hours on Sunday, but that'll only provide me with ¥8,000; matriculation cost ¥300,000. I would've had to work another full day just to enter ICU.

One of my ambitions is to pursue the field of Development. 
Bill Gates, 2nd of the world's top 20 billionaires, is famous for his philanthropy.
Whatever his motivation is, it makes no difference on the fact that his philanthropic actions make a huge difference. Good intentions will not make the difference, money will.

One encounter that signifies this is the poster of Medicines Sans Frontiers (Doctors without Borders)

(image from: http://dohiga.blog137.fc2.com/blog-date-201302.html)

which reminded me of this 

(excuse my inappropriateness.)

For me, the quote above, which roughly translates into "If you're going to sympathize, give me money/ I need your money, not your sympathy," is more of a buzzword. Therefore, I do not know the exact context in which it was used,  but it is from a famous drama: 家なき子/ I think that this poster is counter effective, since it aroused antipathy within me. And not just me, apparently. Just like with negotiations, I think they have a better way of wording their intentions. The poster seems to be unintentionally criminalizing people who do not involve themselves with the efforts of the MSF.

Even though sympathy and empathy may move mountains at times, if no one takes action upon it, nothing will happen. The Arab Spring, for an example, is considered a failure in part because no one took initiative after the successful revolutions. This in turn led to chaos. Bill Gates is saying on his homepage that one motivation to build his own Foundation was a statement by his trusted friend Warren Buffett to not just invest in safe projects but to "[t]ake on the really tough problems." I'm not going to go into what those "safe" or "really tough problems" are, but it's always easier to take these kinds of actions if you already have the money. Student organizations, for an example, must apply to funds in order to financially alleviate themselves. 
And before any of this is the fact that self-made millionaires/billionaires are those who have succeeded in their fields of ambition. They can kill two birds with one stone - success in their interests and contribution to those in need. One can, obviously, monetarily succeed in the Development Studies field too.
 
In addition, "Wealth Creation as an end" is the definition of Economic Development, one of the approaches to Development that I learned in Introduction to Development Studies. With money comes freedom. In this approach, increase of income is regarded as the ultimate goal of humanity.

Of course, Quality of Life isn't determined solely by money. But money is also indispensable for any kind of action today. Without money, many of us wouldn't have been able to attend ICU in the first place. Speaking about myself, I am really grateful for my parents for giving me this opportunity to do so.I don't want to make money-earning as the "end" of my life, but I just felt that the Tanabata wish of becoming a rich person wasn't so ridiculous after all.



Additional Content:
If you're curious about the origination of Tanabata, and why Orihime and Hikoboshi are thought to grant human wishes on their annual date, read this. [J]
There are also other interesting reads that you can do
[J] 七夕と笹の由来 

Random 2: In pursuit of "Ignorance" - the ideal kind of education

 In elementary school, I always used to be ashamed about my ignorance. At that time, I was attending cram school for the middle school entrance exams, but whenever something came up that I didn't know, I'd just feel ashamed and feel stumped. When there was a math question I didn't understand, I'd freeze. No asking teachers, no nothing.

"Ignorance"

"Ignorance" is a word often used to criticize a person for his/her lack of knowledge, it also connotes being intentional in the dark. In any case, being ignorant is unimpressive.

 In his TED video "Pursuit of Ignorance," though, neurologist Mr. Stuart Firestein endeavors on the importance of "ignorance." He mentions "high-quality ignorance," which means "purely not being aware of something just yet." He talks about how most people regard science as fact-finding, a subject whose aim is to find and place the missing pieces of knowledge of humanity, but in fact, it is a subject whose "true objective" lies in finding what is still unknown. Mr. Firestein also notes that the part of "finding out what is still unknown" is what makes science exhilarating.

Later in the video, he connects this to education. He says, with William Butler Yeats' quote "Eduation is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire," that the educational system should also function to nurture the ability to question, of being "ignorance-literate." By "the filling of a pail" students are merely being stuffed with facts. But with "the lighting of a fire," the chain reaction of knowledge is set.


What allowed me to change from a educationally stumped girl into a fairly well-fairing person was my middle school experience. Frankly put, I had more opportunity to ask my teachers questions. My teachers taught me their subjects not just by telling me of something directly connected to it, but things such as real-life examples and side notes which set off the light inside me. The more I learned, the more things I knew I still didn't know. This experience made me feel like I just discovered the world.

I believe that the condemnation of ignorance still persists in the educational environment. To me, that is very undermining. Education shouldn't be something that fills pails and makes students believe that they have nothing more to learn. We're all born "ignorant" as babies, and what makes us believe that education has told us all we have to know?
The long term and short term goal was mentioned as one important aspect of leadership, but I think its importance perseveres here too.

The ideal kind of school is a place that nurtures, treasures, and produces quality "ignorance."

Book 3: Chapter 5: The Team Message

Shared/group identity, keeping everyone informed, and having each others' backs were the 3 qualities emphasized in Chapter 5.

 Having a common goal is important for a team. A team is formed for some kind of purpose, and without coordination on those terms, nothing can move forward.

This is something so obvious yet something that is easily forgotten.
This is because, I believe, team formation is often times beyond the power of oneself.

For an example, sports teams are constituted by people who come to the same club, etc. Sports clubs at schools are created by those who enter the same university, then progress to join the same club.
The members don't choose the team: whoever come, whoever the members are.

One memorable event concerning "team identity"is this presentation I did presentations for ethics class in high school. The first problem was that the teacher chose the teams, so there wasn't much chemistry between the members in the first place. The other problem  was that it was a "project" for "ethics class," which meant that motivation was low in the first place.  We chose a topic anyways and designated parts.

Output was bad. Some people didn't do their designated part even though I checked on them a couple of times on their progression, most weren't present for morning practices, etc. Some parts, I thought and still think, are due to the nature of the actual members. On the other hand, there was much deficiency in the way I assumed lead.
I wish I took more time to talk as a whole group, and made sure that everyone knew what they were doing; so sharing information and having each others' back. It's difficult to progress without having some kind of goal, and it was no different in the case of this ethics project case.

Looking at the various ways Shackleton motivated his teammates like voluntarily assuming extra watch, and willingly and smoothly helping poor performers, the leader's ability to emphasize the team identity is of great importance. The more trust and connection on an organic level you can establish, the more effective the team will become. On the other hand, I also think that it is important for each team member to realize that each team is formed for a certain purpose, and that each person has something to contribute to it. In all, the importance of consciously assessing what a "team" is spoke out to me in this chapter.

The Edge 2: Chapter 3 - The Power of Positive and Negative Thinking

In Chapter 3 of "The Edge," Perkins lists "optimism" to be one of the qualities of Shakelton and leaders.
The catch is, according to Perkins, that it's not just optimism, but "optimism that is checked by reality."
 
With "optimism," I always think of the way people baselessly think that everything will turn out fine without commitment of any effort to whatever they are tasked to do. According to Free Dictionary, optimism is defined as "a tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation."

I don't think that optimism in terms of positive thinking is useless.
Working at UNIQLO, there are so many times that I get scolded or cautioned by other staffs, many times about mistakes that I just happened to make that one time which makes me have all these "negative" feelings like sadness, frustration. The worst occasion is when I get scolded about leaving a shelf messy, with clothing all over the place and unfolded, when I've been away from my designated area for a long time attending to customers. It really sucks because that means that they are perceiving me as someone who hasn't learned the way the store operates, and the store's philosophy of keeping the store organized at all times. The frustration sometimes almost inhibit me from appreciating what I have been told, but I always care to say "thank you" to the person. It might be different from "positive thinking" since it is pure etiquette as well as my responsibility to improve the way I work. Nonetheless, this has helped me feel more gratitude towards the person and learn better from my mistakes.

"Negativity" isn't all that bad, though. There's this article "The Power of Negative Thinking," which talks about how negative thinking - thinking about worst-case scenarios - is highly effective in reality assessment as well as determination of future decisions.

I've always been what Perkins might call a  "pessimist" when it comes to exams during middle and high school. No matter how much I studied, it never seemed to be enough; I was always worried that I'll fail. So I just studied more. Here, negative thinking didn't result in inertia or inaction - it always gave me more incentive to take actions, to study.

I feel that the "Positive Thinking/ Optimism" encouraged by Perkins and "Negative Thinking/ Pessimism" promoted by the WSJ article are basically the same thing.  The difference is just about the ratio of positive to negative. The former has more of the "positive," obviously, because it focuses on the future, what possible steps can be taken rather than on the risks, while the latter focuses more on the risks, and formulate future steps based on them.

Being able to encourage and give hope to others is important, perhaps indispensable for being a leader, but I believe that the important thing here is to always have the mentality and the drive, the energy and power to keep moving forward, even when times are dire.

(http://www.collegemediamatters.com/2012/05/04/college-memes-final-exams-edition-guest-starring-effie-trinket-the-rock-polar-bears-pawn-stars-guy/)

Random 1: Technology and Food

"Technology and Food." There's a lot on the news about that. 

The serving of the world's first test-tube burger created a sensation this August in London.

Then there is the 2011 experiment by Japanese scientists in Okayama that synthesized meat out of human feces...
 →Digital Trends: Japanese Scientists Synthesize Meat from Human Feces 
I tried to look up more current information, but there was none.

If you think about it, it's not that outrageous (of course, it's completely repugnant at first encounter.)
Humans, feces, feces meat, regular meat...they're all composed of atoms. The difference is the combination of atoms. Even if the same atoms are used, there is the possibility of isotopes.
It even presides over the in vetro fertilized patty in that the technology reuses waste while the former simply creates more. The synthesized meat which the Okayama scientist displays in the video above looks just like normal meat, too.

It's not like they're telling us to do what these guys do.

(http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baby_koala.jpg)

Think of sulfur. We Japanese people tend to describe the smell of hot springs as "sulfuric," and from this many people uneducated in chemistry think that sulfur smells. In truth, that isn't the case.
Sulfur by itself does not smell. The "rotten egg" smell is caused by sulfur COMPOUNDS, like H2S (Hydrogen sulfide). So if you were to "cut up" the compounds into atoms, the horrid smell would be gone.
What the Okayama scientists are doing is basically the same, though psychologically, it is hard to accept.

There are many other things, like DNA modification to the invention of agricultural tools, evolution of kitchen and cooking tools, waste problems, etc. Technology has changed the way that we humans interact with our food.
But today, I won't be going into all that scientific stuff.

Its about one of my current hobbies: restaurant/cafe hunting.

I recently have had quite a many occasions where I had to/got to eat out with other people, and it gets monotonous when you start running out of places to eat. You might not call it really "hunting" because I don't wandering around places and randomly going into one. I either happen upon some information about the place like with #3 below, or search using keywords on Google:
- I use the internet.

I've had 3 chances to actually do something with this newly-fermented hobby:

1. A sushi restaurant in Iwate's Iwaki during the summer.
∟The review site which I found the restaurant informed me that it was a Kaitenzushi. It indeed had a rail, the only problem being that it wasn't moving. The store also boasted of unique menus, and they had some, but they were pretty costly.

It became a reminder not to trust the internet so much. Nevertheless, it had served as an incentive for me to explore Iwaki further. 

2. caffe beanDaisy
This is a cafe in Yokohama. It had a really nice, relaxing atmosphere; the walls and floor were wood, and the illuminations were subdued. I was having a meeting with my friend, so it helped in that the place was basically quiet too.

3. Pizza at the ongoing Italian fair at Shinjuku's Takashimaya

Akinari Makishima, the 2010 world champion of Pizza-making is holding a special event where you can eat-in the pizza that he and his staff make.
The Italian fair will be held till this Monday, so anyone interested should definitely give it a go.

Restaurant/cafe hunting really is fun because it prompts me to go into avenues and take turns that I've never taken before. If it is close to my home, I get to know more about my hometown. If it is close to university, the same for that town. If the restaurant/cafe is nice, it can become a future dining place with various friends as well. 
Not only that, the hunt has given me opportunity to experience atmospheres that I've never experienced before. It's also really interesting to just immerse myself in various buildings with different themes. Since I am eating there, it gives me time to absorb the many amazing different ideas and space that people can create.

Now I can't even think of how I would've found these places otherwise- I probably wouldn't have... especially #3.

These events spoke to me about the significance that information and one's ability to obtain it has.

RAB

. . .

Anyways

Schools which have implemented tablets and other technology are being featured increasingly in the news.
There's an article by the Wall Street Journal titled For the Web-Deprived,  McDonald's is Study Hall,
which talks about  how limited internet connectivity is still a huge problem, and a growing problem, producing even wider gaps
This lack of connectivity limits both the studnets' and the schools' ability to make use of the internet effectively.
Cafes in Japan too appeal to customers with the "There's Wi-Fi here"  pop-ups. There's already a first-world problem regarding unstable connectivity on the campus of ICU.

I find it so interesting how technology and science has not only directly affected food and changed the way they are, but also has had significant effect on how they are presented to potential customers.

This hunt really allows me to see things and experience things that I have never done before; I am keen on continuing this. Anyone who'd like to join me is always welcome :)

The Edge 1: Chapter 1 -Vision and Focus -

Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is surely a famous song.

I don't know when I first listened to this song, and when I started to sing it in Karaoke, but I sure was confused when people kept saying "Oh, Armageddon!"

Just a few days ago, I finally got to see the film.

It felt great, finally being able to solve all the mystery around this "Armageddon" thing.
Now I have a clear vision of what people are talking about when they say "Armageddon" upon hearing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

The song was used in a pretty unexpected, but the only matching place in the movie...

(Picture from: http://www.benitomovieposter.com/catalog/armageddon-p-138632.html?language=en)

The movie was apparently made in a rush, and there are some parts that I'd seriously like to complain about, and the event sequences were typical of apocalypse movies + I could guess who was going to survive, it was a pretty good film. Enough with the movie critique. 

It spoke a lot about being a leader, too. A person who can be considerate of others at the most crucial times, a person who can willingly sacrifice himself for others...

It wasn't just about Harry Stamper,

 [SPOILER ALERT]

the leader of the gang who, excluding astronauts, are a bunch of oil plant workers which Hamper owns. So, most of the crew who went to space in order to destroy the huge asteroid that is about to hit Earth are a bunch of laymen about space. They were trained for a mere few days, and then went to space. To destroy a huge asteroid which is due to shatter Earth in its journey through space.

Even when their friends get killed by space in a millisecond, they continue with their duty - to drill a hole into the asteroid where they can implant a nuclear bomb which will shatter the asteroid before it hits the Earth, making it mostly non-apocalyptic.

The will to go on - would I have been able to hold it?

Shakelton surely did. He learned about it from his earlier expeditions (21). Not only that, he was able to successfully steer his crew that way.

[SPOILER ALERT]

I mean, I'd even hesitate now if I was asked if I'd like to go on a TRIP to space.

I get goosebumps watching pictures of supernovas...

(Picture from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/universidadcatolica/4521853388/)

 

They're so beautiful...

The men of Armageddon goof off, and joke no different on their way to space than their regular days, they focus. 

Reading of Shakelton's success after their ship got stuck, and ultimately broke down, I've increasingly come to realize how important that is. Some stress is good, but panic will make one's brain stop thinking. On the other hand, it's not good to force one's self to think that everything is completely normal and harmless, in a manner that forces one to escape from reality (one person had space dementia, and I don't think this is unrelated).

I don't know if Shakelton did this, but I think it is important to acknowledge, in times of trouble, that one is actually in trouble. Not so that one can curl up into a fetal position and wallow and die or wait until someone comes to the rescue, but so that one can unify the mind and reality, and hold a cool head.

∟If you are the type that was able to laugh at the one above, try this.

It's amazing that he was able to, like I mentioned above in the [SPOILER] section, navigate his crew's agitation for the sake of their total survival, carving out a plan from nothing in the middle of nowhere, with no help available, where each day could be their last, forsaking his long-held dream of doing something in the Antarctic.

I'd really like to read books about the expedition and Shakelton himself now.

Class 2: Negotiations - Never forget the goal -

Water takes up 71% of the Earth's surface.

...and 75% of the human body. 

(Well actually, this is only for infants, the percentage in adults is more like 60%. I wanted to make some dramatic impact.)

I've never ever considered doing so until now, Juicy oranges might be a great snack after running.
After all, the orange that Ken gave us was really tasty.

But for me, nothing beats a glassful of water, maybe with some ice around this time.  

After all, water is vital for survival.
You'll get dehydrated if you lose more like 15% of your water.
You can't expect to live more than 2 to 3 days without water, wherease you might survive weeks without food.

Just think about it.
"I'm not going to eat anything a week" = Ok, you're fasting or going on a diet.
"I'm not going to drink anything for a week" = CRAZY
(→HowStuffWorks "How long can you go without food and water?")


And in Palestine, water is a pressing problem.

Palestine doesn't, as is obvious from its location, have much rain, and when it rains, it easily vaporizes.
Aquifers(underground water) and the Jordan River are their main water sources.

Yep, this is also something from the conference that I talked about in my last post.
But hear me out.

Israel is also rather on the water-shortage side. But it also cuts off Palestinian aquifer by building the Wall and thus creating a de facto border which includes more water in Israeli land. Israelis can water their lawns while Palestinians have to ask neighbors for drinking water.
Most Israeli people don't know about the water shortage of Palestinians, and there are some faults on the Palestinian side too. For me, and for this topic, though, I feel that the Israeli government is at fault.

Anyways.
With this topic, we did negotiations.
The basic situation: There are two states Nations "1" and "2" (we used much more sophisticated names in the camp). Nation 2 just earned its independence from 1.  There is also a river that is an important water source for both states, which originates in Nation 1. Nation 1 decides that it wants to build a dam for industrial use, to boost its economy, and thus, a negotiation between the states was held.
(Nations 1 and 2 were used so that we (mainly the Israeli and Palestinian participants) could keep a cool head about the whole process.)

I was in a State 1 group, namely, the one that has the "upper hand. " My team could basically ignore Nation 2 and build the dam. But that was while the whole situation was limited to the scope of States 1 and 2.

You can basically do anything. Build the dam no matter what the other says, force a hard bargain on State 2, etc.
An Israeli girl (though she is over 20 years old) had a different idea.

Her proposal: To negotiate a trade alliance with Nation 2, with a big bargain of about 50% trade in exchange for scrapping the dam plan.

After a few negotiations, the two nations came to an agreement.

The agreement: Nation 2 will reserve a 35% trade margin and Nation 1 10%, and the dam deal is off.

There were 2 of the same negotiations going on. Ours finished in a matter of seconds while the other went on in a heated discussion.

The plan's significance doesn't end there though. With a peaceful trade alliance, allies of Nation 2 will also be more willing to trade with Nation 1, which will surely increase its production ability and boost its economy.

"Never forget the ultimate goal, but change approach accordingly, be flexible" - Now that I think about it, this is the same as The advice of Chapter 1 of The Edge.

The girl told me she learned her way in a Negotiations Class at an Italian University, where she attended for one year as an OYR.
It wasn't something that I was used to, or something that I even considered. Some part of it is due to the fact that I can't help considering games as "games," something that I can't construct participants, players, situations, etc, outside of what I have been given as a prerequisite of the game.

Our proposal which looked into the future and not just this second, was fruitful.

(Picture from: Gizmodo [J])

Class 9/11: Interpersonal Communication

Nonchalantly inviting people over for card games, sharing tobacco, wrapping arms around people they've met only a few days before to take pictures... That's the way of the Palestinians and Israelis. Engaging, friendly, energetic...you name it.

This summer, I've had the opportunity to go on a two-week long camp with Palestinian and Israeli college students through this organization I've joined upon entrance to ICU. They were by far the friendliest people I have ever met.

One game we played...a game called TAKI:

 (Image from: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Taki-CARD-GAME-FOR-YOUNG-AND-SENIOR-/270938928320)

It is very similar to UNO, with some strange features like switching cards with people next to you.

They brought many things from Israel and Palestine to show us Japanese participants - games, food, and their life story. They were simply fun, and I also got to know a bit more about a land I knew not much about until then.

Though I do believe age is one factor to be considered- the college students, especially the Israeli people were at the maximum 9 years older than I - I believe it can be said that it is their character, how people in the Middle East work, that made this intimacy all possible.
(The reason behind this significant age difference is military service. Israeli men have a compulsory military service for 3 years and women 1, and upon completion of military service, it is common for people to go on a carefree journey that lasts about an year. People start college after all this.)

There are many things I want to learn from their attitudes- not just for leadership, but to become a better person, a funner person to be and to be with in general.


Most of the other significant experiences I have regarding interpersonal communication - especially those physical ones - come from middle school.

I remember being scared of looking blue-eyed people in their eyes when talking to them. I always had this feeling of being sucked into them - getting dizzy and all. I eventually mustered my courage and got over it. Today, I have no difficulty looking into their eyes...at least, I think so.

Then there's also the effort I put in to try keeping up the habit of bowing to teachers in the U.S. once I moved there for middle school. Bowing to a person while passing by him/her, as most or all of those reading my blog may know, is a natural, respectful action towards the person.
- Didn't work.
  Just like the awkward handshake, bowing didn't work because the receptor (recepient) - the teacher - didn't have any idea or appreciation of being bowed to.

Conversation about receptors can lead to food science - the reason that a body cannot appreciate or notice some substance or taste is because it lacks the receptors. For an example, the reason that people get poisoned with puffer fish poison is because the  human tongue don't have receptors that catch them.We don't spit the puffer fish poison out because we don't notice them!

(image from http://photozou.jp/photo/show/206346/18957453)

One of my childhood dreams is to eat this puffer fish sashimi.
Anyways, I do believe that receptors differ for each person and their affiliation - such as country.
 I felt that in class there was a tendency to regard the "Western (U.S. style et al.)" physical intimacy as the best. It is true that there are many things that can and should be learned from the intimacy, as mentioned with the Middle-Eastern style in the beginning, there is beauty in the way that, for an example, Japanese do things.
Bowing to teachers and smiling affection towards them was, I felt as an elementary schooler, a  beauty.

As a last note, here's a Youtube video about empathy, which completely goes over the explanations about mirror neurons.

 RSA Animate - Emphatic Civilization

(RSA Jump to their HP)

This is all good, but, taking an example from the video, there are some people who don't think spiders crawling up one's arm as creepy. They don't feel plight - rather, they exclaim that the spider is cute and promptly takes that spider into their own cupped hands. Are mirror neurons initiated in these cases?
　→　How to stop being afraid of spiders: http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Being-Afraid-of-Spiders