Why do we write? The value of essays and research papers.

The Room for Debate section of The New York Times presents a variety of briefly argued opinions on topical issues several times a week. For example, over the last couple of weeks, the topics have included:

• "Should Parents Marry for the Kids?"
• "What Did We Learn from Irene?"
• "Do We Have to Tell the Kids?"
• "Could Farms Survive without Illegal Labour?"
  and
• "A Chance to Reshape the Economy"

Fascinating as the ideas the different writers present on these topics are, it was another one that I wanted to respond to. A couple of days ago, in response to recent articles arguing that research papers were of dubious value in the Internet age, Room for Debate invited five people to share their opinions on "Are Research Papers a Waste of Time?" (2011).

Unlike most such debates, the different writers pretty much agreed. Whilst other writers make the same or very similar points, I especially like the defence of essay and research paper writing by Pamela Ban, who emphasis, as the title of her contribution to the debate suggests, that such writing is itself "a learning experience" (2011).

I agree completely with Ban, and the other writers, that the Internet has made research much easier, but what the Internet is not and cannot be a substitute for having an idea about something that is not only well thought out and well supported, but that is also a new and interesting slant on a topic. It takes time to think of such a thesis to support, and as you essay (what does this verb mean?) to support your thesis, you might discover not only that you cannot, but that you don't really believe what you thought you believed simply because it's something you've picked up from dubious authorities such as parents, friends, teachers, Wikipedia and the like. I used the verbs essay and discover, whereas Ban lauds "the research paper as an academic exploration" (2011, ¶ 3), but I am sure we are in complete agreement. I think her ideas also relate to why academics write anything, a topic we touched on last week when we were working towards a definition of the adjective academic in the phrase AUA's Academic English Program.

What do you think? Why do you, and others, write essays and research papers? Do you agree with Ban and other contributors to "Are Research Papers a Waste of Time?" (2011)

You might also find it illuminating to check out the meanings and etymology of the verb essay, also the noun, for which the OALD is not a bad starting point.

__________

References

Are Research Papers a Waste of Time? (2011, August 28). The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/08/28/are-research-papers-a-waste-of-time

Ban, P. (2011, August 29). A Learning Experience. The New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/08/28/are-research-papers-a-waste-of-time/a-learning-experience

Room for Debate [homepage]. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate

A Beastly Affair: Religion in Lord of the Flies

Golding's novel is full of symbols: from the obvious symbolism of politics and authority that we see in the conch; to the symbolic meanings of space, as when Simon acts as a divider between Ralph and Jack in the very beginning of the novel; to the symbolic identification of groups that centres around food and its preparation, with pig hunting and the associated rituals, and the littluns who forage for and eat fruit together. Examples of the different types and uses of symbols in anthropology which are discussed in "Symbolic Systems and Meanings" (Hartmann & Blass, 2007, p. 12 - 16) abound in Lord of the Flies.

And as Hartmann and Blass also make clear, especially in "The Anthropological View of Religion", religion is an important element in studying cultural anthropology (p. 23 - 25). Not surprisingly, therefore, Golding also reflects this importance in his novel.

• What is the religion in Lord of the Flies? 
• Is this religion a force for good or evil? 
• Which boys are most religious? 
• Who is least religious? 
• Is Golding right?  

__________

References

Golding, W. & Epstein, E. (1954). Lord of the Flies. New York: Perigee.
Hartmann, P. & Blass, L. (2007). Quest 3 Reading and Writing. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Benefits of Ice-cream

Many people in class know that I’m an ice-cream lover. Many times, I try to tell others that ice-cream has many benefits. It can get rid of my headache, stress, bad mood, and other bad things in my life. That’s way, I would like to summarize these articles for support my idea. :)

According to “Lose Weight By Eating Ice Cream”( Millen), reporter point out that ice-cream can use for reduce weight and this way is better than to abstain food. It will melt the fat in your body. Moreover, in ice-cream has calcium that has effect to your body’s fat burning ability; if you have low calcium in your body, this function will be shut down. In addition, according to “Health Benefits of Ice Cream” (2010), calcium not only has effect to your body’s fat burning ability, but also has other benefits more than that. First, calcium is the important nutrient that helps to build up bones in your body. Second, it reduces the risks of some disease such as high blood pressure, colon cancer, and kidney stones. Third, it decreasing of bloating and resolving the mood swings. Furthermore, for women, ice-cream can help us “lead tolerable lives during the period” (¶5, 2010).

I really like these articles because it can support my idea that ice-cream has more benefits more than others thinking. When I have a bad mood or more stress, ice-cream can make me get better. In many situations, it can be my friends. I love to try new ice-cream’s shop and can eat it instead food. Recently, I found the buffet ice-cream’s shop that I can pay 249 baht and can eat more I can eat, but the problem is nobody wants to go with me because for 249 baht, they can spend for other buffets that suitable for them, so who love ice-cream and want to go with me please tell me soon. :)

__________

References

Gene D. Millen. Lose Weight by Eating Ice Cream. Ezinearticles. Retrieved August 30, 2011 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Lose-Weight-By-Eating-Ice-Cream&id=121760

Health Benefits of Ice Cream (2010). Retrieved August 30, 2011 from http://www.slideshare.net/feedbackreview/health-benefits-of-ice-cream-slim-ice-cream

The Beast's Threat: Who kills Simon?

As we very quickly covered this morning, in "Gift for the Darkness", the boys split into two groups, with Ralph's group hanging around the beach trying to keep a fire going, and Jack's group going hunting. Simon, not accepted by either Ralph or Jack, goes off alone to his secret place again, where he has an interesting conversation with the Lord of the Flies, who explicitly claims to be the beast, a claim that Simon is not so sure about - he contradict's the Lord of the Flies by telling it that it's just "a pig's head on a stick" (Golding & Epstein, 1954, p. 143). In response to this doubt, the Lord of the Flies gets angry and threatens Simon. It threatens to kill him if he keeps on thinking, reasoning and asking for evidence. More precisely, it's threat is that "we shall do you? See? Jack and Roger and Maurice and Robert and Bill and Piggy and Ralph. Do you. See?" (p. 144).

Sadly, in "A View to a Death", Simon continues to seek a true understanding of things by using reason and evidence, so the Lord of the Flies, the beast, acts on its threats: Simon is killed.

Who kills Simon?
Is the Lord of the Flies' detailed list of names at the end of "Gift for the Darkness" correct?

__________

References

Golding, W. & Epstein, E. (1954). Lord of the Flies. New York: Perigee.

The Story of...

The Story of...

Last time I wrote about Echo, and today I'm going to write about her broken-heart story related to a gorgeous lad, whose name is Narcissus. This is an interesting story. Similar to my last article of Echo which is the name of Greek nymph became an English word in everyday use, narcissus is an English word, which has an origin in Greek Mythology as well, means "a plant with white or yellow flowers that appear in spring. There are many types of narcissus, including the daffodil", according to OAD (2010).

Narcissus was a beautiful lad. His beauty was really significant that all the girls who saw him immediately crushed on him, he was interested in no ones unfortunately. Echo is one of the girls longed to be his lover. Too bad that she was cursed by the Goddess-Hera- unable to speak first and always repeat the last word of others. So this was very hard for Echo when she loved Narcissus. She could follow him but couldn't speak to him. She had no idea how to make him pay attention to her.

One day, however, her chance had come. He went in to the mountain where she lived, and he was calling to his companions. Then she called back in rapture but only the last word of his speech. She was hidden by the trees so he did not see her, and he shouted, "Come!"(Mythology, 2010, p.115) She answered joyfully, "Come!"(p.115)

This is the reason for my last article I wrote the topic "Come!" "Come!" ;))

Stepped forward from the woods, but before she reached him he turned away with anger and said, "I will die before I give you power over me" (p.115). Then he was gone. That's a mistake. She didn't have a chance to excuse, with sadness she was left alone...

(Echo was near him but could do nothing.)

The time passed by, Narcissus went on his cruel way. After he broke many other girls' heart, he was punished by himself. As he bent over a clear pool for a drink and saw his own reflection, he fell in love with it at the moment. "Now I know what others have suffered from me...I cannot leave it. Only death can set me free" he cried. (p.115) And it came true. He was fascinated by himself, went nowhere, looked nothing except his own reflection. Echo was near him but could do nothing, she cried in silent. Finally, he was died near the pool. The nymphs he had scorned sought his body to give it burial, but they couldn't find it. "Where it had lain there was blooming a new lovely flower, and they called it by his name, Narcissus" (p.116).

So that is the end of Narcissus and the beginning of narcissus.

I like the stories of Greek gods that relate to reality..I mean there are something linked the story to today world, I didn't mean that all stories have to be true. I found that they are really interesting and amazing! One more thing, Narcissus is not only used as the English word to mean flower, but it is used in other word form...narcissism which its root comes from Narcissus means "the habit of admiring yourself too much, especially your appearance", according to OAD.

__________

References

(2010). Narcissus. Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary. Retrieved August 26,2010 from

http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/narcissus

(2010). Narcissism. Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary. Retrieved August 26,2010 from http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/narcissistic#narcissism

Hamilton E. (2010, January). Mythology. New York: Grand Central Publishing Hachette Book Group.

Lonely hearts, lonely love

In most of Asia, marriage is widerspread; in contrast, nearly half of marriages in some Western countries end in divorce, and half of all children are illegitimate. In Asian culture, people are close with their family. For example, they usually have dinner together. However, the world is changed. Even though traditional Asian family values are stronger than in Western countries, Asian marriage rate are decreasing. What’s happening in Asia? Why do Asian people marriage rate go down? When I read The Economist, a headline named “Asia’s lonely hearts” caught my interested.

This article primarily describes the decline of Asian marriage. The writer also provides some statistics to show how many people postpone getting hitched. Because it is hard for women being both employed and married in Asia, women are become highly educated, as a result, more and more women retreat from marriage. The authors points out disbennifits of unmarriage and suggests some solutions for divorced people.

In my opinion, people should enjoy single life because it is replete wih liberties which you could not imagine. When you are single, you have more time for activities. You can hang out with your friends whenever you want; you can go to the gym every day; if you like, you also can play a new instrument and so on. No matter what you do, no one will stop you. Moreover, being single life can improve people’s independence. People can use their newfound free time for solitary fun, as well as self-improvement. Being single compel you to do a lot of things for yourself such as cook, do laundry and tidy up your condo, you do not have any choices, you can’t rely on anyone, you have to do these things by yourself. In addition, in the absense of a relationship, people will have more time to focus on their work. They can concentrate on work and put in those extra hours on a project to impress their boss, because they do not need to worry that working will make them to ignore their partners. Stated briefly, everything has a good side. Although most people think unmarriage contributes a lot of problems in our society and family, it still has some advantages for us. Therefore, enjoy your single life.      __________

References

Asia’s lonely hearts(2011, Aug, 20). The Economist. Retrieved August,22,2011 from http://www.economist.com/node/21526350

Which do you prefer, girls or boys?

Nowadays, there are nermous simple blood tests which are good ways to determine a baby’s gender as early as few weeks into pregnancy. Experts say that blood test is possible to lead to more common use by parents, because they concern about gender-linked diseases, they are curious about the sex of their children. Even though simple blood test is not 100 percent accurate, it still helps parents to predict the sex of their children. When I read The New York Times, a headline named “Test Can Tell fetal Sex at 7 Weeks, Study Says” caught my interesed.

This article is mainly about a study shows that simple blood test can help parents to predict their children’s gender as early as six weeks. Dr. Louise Wilkins-Haug, she suggests that people should be careful to sure that procedures and advocate accuracy claims with statistics. However, women may spend a lot of money for the tests. Dr. Bianchi emphasises the importance of educating health care providers that pregnant women are buying these tests.

In my opinion, gender-selection technology is an excellent resourse for parents who do not want to pass certain genetic disorders to children but I do not think that it should be used in order to provide boys to parents who for some reasond believe that male children are better than female children, because it would create an imbalance, expecailly in certain cultures such as China and India. First of all, gender-selection damage society by imbalances in gender. China and India are the most typical example in this case.In 2005, there were 118 boys born per 100 girls, and the numberof boys in this statistic is increasing. As gender selection technology become more and more widespread, the number of men will contibue to go up. At the same time, the number of women compares with the number of men are decreasing. As a result, more and more men cannot find wifes and therefore it will probably cause crime such as rape and violent. Moreover, gender-selection is immoral because it is discrimination. In China and India, male can get more opportunities to study and work; in contrast, numerous women in China and India, they do not have a lot of chances to get higher education. Some parents believe that woman find a rich husband is better than get higher education.Obviously, it is totally a wrong perception. Everyone is equal, people should not determine children to get education by their gender, it is unfair. Women and men should be given the same position whatever in society and family.

__________

References
Test Can Tell Fetal Sex at 7 Weeks, Study Says(2011, Aug, 9). The New York Times Retrieved August, 16,2011  from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/10/health/10birth.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=sex%20selection&st=cse

Responses to Poverty

Question 3 on page 88 of Quest gives five quotations on the topic of poverty (Hartmann & Blass, 2007).

The greatest of evils and the worst of crimes is poverty.
 - George Bernard Shaw

A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilisation.
 - Samuel Johnson, quoted in Boswell's Life of Johnson, 1770.

Anticipate charity by preventing poverty.
 - Maimonides

If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
 - John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, 1961.

The truth is we are all caught in a great economic system which is heartless.
 - Woodrow Wilson, The New Freedom. 

In a comment respond to one or several of these quotations. If you like, write a couple of comments. 

• Is there a quotation that you especially like? Which one? Why? 
• Is there one that you dislike? Why? 
• Do you have any questions about them? What? 
• ?
• And question 4 in Quest: In your culture are there any famous saying or proverbs about poverty?

__________

References

Hartmann, P. & Blass, L. (2007). Quest 3 Reading and Writing, (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. 

Pop Culture

According to today’s discussion, we were talking about what is the definition of Culture which brings us to the word Pop Culture as well. So I’m still thinking what does it really mean. Pop Culture is Culture or not? Then I google and search Wikipedia for Pop Culture and I would like to share it with you guys.

Popular Culture (commonly known as pop culture) is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the late 20th and early 21st century. Heavily influenced by mass media, this collection of ideas permeates the everyday lives of the society.(Wikipedia, 2011)

Popular Culture noun cultural activities or commercial products reflecting, suited to, or a imed at the tastes of the general masses of people. (dictionaryreference, 2011)

Pop culture is, put simply, the events, people, fads and trends that capture the public imagination. It is also a term used to describe current cultural trends, and culture trends of the past that have achieved enduring status. ( articlesbase, 2011)

References

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/popular+culture Retrieved on August23, 2011 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_culture Retrieved on August23, 2011 http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/what-is-pop-culture-535466.html Retrieved on August23, 2011

Effect of married and divorced with weight

When I studied at my university, I used to observe and concluded with my friends that having boyfriend or girlfriend can effect to people to gain weight. It concluded from observation and my experience and I believe it is true, so when I saw “Marriage and divorce 'up weight', says stud” in the Health section of BBC news (2011), it make me remind to this topic again and I think that it can support my idea.

The reporter point out that marriage and divorce can stimulate weight gain. This information is from studying of 10,071 people. The researcher compared the BMI (Body Mass Index) of people who married and divorced with other who have just married or single. Women who have just got married were a greatest risk of large weight gains (increasing more than a three point BMI). 33 percents of women who married have higher risk of a small increase in weight (increasing about a three point BMI), 48 percents higher risk of large weight gains and 22 percents of women who have just divorced have higher risk of a small increase in weight. For men, 28 percents of them have more likely to have a small increasing weight, and 22 percents for the men who have just divorced.

Before I will give my opinion about this news, I want to give more information about BMI or Body Mass Index (line 3 in ¶2). It is a standard index for measuring obesity. If you want to calculate your BMI, you can calculate by this formula: weight(kg)/[height(m)]sq and compare your answer with information below.

Underweight: Men 20.7 or less, Women 19.1 or less
Ideal weight: Men 20.7 to 26.4, Women 19.1 to 25.8
Marginally Overweight: Men 26.4 to 27.8, Women 25.8 to 27.3
Overweight: Men 27.8 to 31.1, Women 27.3 to 32.2
Very Overweight or Obese: Men 31.1 to 45.4, Women 32.3 to 44.8
Extremely Obese: Men greater than 45.4, Women greater than 44.8 (Owyoung)

For me, I completely agree with point that married can make people gain weight because it similar with my first thinking. Maybe they are happy with their life after married, or they may think they don’t have to worry about their weight or their shape because they already have partner, so they gain weight. However, I doubt about why people who divorced gain weight because I think they have to sad or mournful, so it might affect them less weight, not gain weight, but maybe they happy with their freedom. :)

__________

References

Marriage and divorce 'up weight', says stud. (2011, August 22). BBC News. Retrieved August 23, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14592168

Owyoung, P. How to Calculate Body Mass Index for Men. eHow. Retrieved August 23, 2011 from http://www.ehow.com/how_4867177_calculate-body-mass-index-men.html

Thai is on the eleventh of world English speaking rank. But...

Yesterday, I watched a news program on TV. It said about a very interesting issue that Thai people have been voted to be among the most first ranks in the world who speak English language very beautifully. Then I interestingly looked at the TV content and searched for more details about this news.

From CNN Go's article: "World's sexiest accents", Thai had been voted to be the eleventh on the sexiest English accents ranking (Burchette, 2011). The reporter says that Thai language have use of five tone marks [wan-na-yuk] which makes our accents used in any language sound like a lullaby song and "R-rated karaoke". Argentine whose rank is the twelfth are described as "a tightly tuned guitar of G-strings strummed by a lamb shank". Other higher ranks in this vote are, for example, Italian whose sound like "a Ferrari saxophone" is the sexiest accents, and French, the second, who have "a 30-year-old teenager sound". The vote is conducted via facebook page by CNN Go (Facebook).

Now, 23-August-2011 0:19 a.m., I have checked for the earliest vote result, the most voted belongs to Trinidadian. We can see that this is not a reliable result. Therefore, we should not worry, if Thai got the sixteenth now. I also have a quick check for people who vote for Thai; as you can guess, over a half of the voters are Thais.

I have to tell that I a little bit disappoint, because I try looking for useful information which might be an academic opinion or reliable collective data. Some sort of information that can be used for improving my English skill or my confidence. However, I end up finding a joyful website which is ok for looking for amusing contents. Anyway, you can help me by comment my English accent or give an idea about common accent of Thai people when they speak English. Fortunately, we have two Chinese and one native-English speaker excellent teacher who can help us.

References

Burchette, J. (2011, August 18). World's sexiest accents. CNN Go. Retrieved August 23, 2011 from http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/life/worlds-sexiest-accents-130333?page=0,0

Sexist Accents Facebook Pool. Facebook. Retrieved August 23, 2011 From http://www.facebook.com/questions/10150343024785166/?qa_ref=qd

Does sperm donor should have name on the child's certificate?

As Monday is my duty to post on AEP blog, I was trying to read articles to find the interesting one. Then I stopped at BBC news, on article "Australian sperm donor loses fight with lesbian couple". I think it is a new thing to me and I want my colleague to know.

From the article, a court in Sydney ruled that a name of a man who donated sperm must be removed from the child's birth certificate, he had no contractual right to be registered on the certificate. The sperm donors have no parential rights under Australian law. Before being the case in the court, this man donated his sperm to lesbian couple, and when baby born, the mother's partner wanted her name on certificate to avoid confusion with schools, hospital, and government departments. So she broutht this case to the court, and won the case even though she split with her partner already. In this case, Judge concedes that the sperm donors did not have agreement before the birth that he would be on the register when he agree to donate his sperm. Furthermore, he has considerabel sympathy for the man, he has done what he considers has been his very best for the child.

I also have sympathy for the man, but I think he would know his position with the child since he made decision to donate his sperm to the couple. If the court allow his name on the certificate, it might be some confuse ando will cause many problem with a child. So I support the decision of the court in this case. What do you think if this situations happen to you?

__________

References

The BBC news (2011, August 17). Australian sperm donors loses fight with lesbian couple. The BBC news. Retrived August 22, 2011. From http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14554886

Wine Guidance

Are you in love with drinking? For me, yes. I love drinking beer, whisky, and also wine. Every time I get into a wine shop, I always face trouble how to choose one. There are plenty of them available in the store with different types, and different tastes. I could not remember all of them. It would be easy for me if I have someone besides me who is always available to assist me to select my glass. Finally, thanks for today’s technology, I got that person.

According to the article “App in One Hand, Wine Glass in the other” from The New York Times, Bob Tedeschi introduces seven smart phone applications connected with wine stuff; Cor.kz, VintageChart+, Hello Vino, Natalie MacLean Wine Picks&Pairing, Daily Grape, Wine Search ,and Wine Locator. All of them aim to provide users the information they might need to know about wine. Cor.kz is the best all-purpose for serious wine drinkers and collectors. It costs $4 for both Apple and Android. VintageChart+, Hello Vino, and Natalie MacLean Wine Picks&Pairing which are free help users navigate a wine list. For Dairy Grape, Gary Vaynerchuk shares his wine experience via his almost-daily videos. Wine Search which is a new and free application has 500,000 wines selling at various retailers in its database, but its information sorting is still under developing, while Wine-Locator, which costs $1, does a good job on data sorting, but it covers only 18 vineyards.

After I read the article, I download all applications which are free except Wine Search because of its drawback as Bob states. I try all of it, and here is my quick review.

VintageChart+: It provides ranking categorized by country and wine type. (Not my requirement)

Hello Vino: It asks me some questions to help me find my right bottle. (I like it)

Natalie MacLean Wine Picks&Pairing: This app aim to assist users about how to match wine with food. It doesn’t tell the details about the wine. (Good app, I will keep it)

Dairy Grape: This app does not suit me. I don’t like its video. I prefer text.

I finally decide to keep Natalie MacLean Wine Picks&Pairing and Hello Vino as my favorite apps in my phone, and delete the other two.

How about you guys! Any other apps to suggest me?

__________

References

Tedeschi, B. (August 17, 2011). App in One Hand, Wine Glass in the other. The New York Times. Retrieved on August 21, 2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/18/technology/personaltech/for-wine-lovers-apps-to-search-pair-and-rate.html?ref=dining

Is internet disruptiving the labour market in developped countries?

Nowadays, internet has greatly changed people's life style. It has provided great opportunities for us and made life so convinient. Today the BBC article Internet opens doors for developing world workers(Fiona Graham) caught my eyes. I am wondering what's the difference internet made between developed countries and developing countries.

The article started with the dilemma of an India mother, who has to compromise her previous good job with her family. Later she found the website Freelancer.com and started to get some projects to work at home. In that way, she can not only take good care of her 18-month-old baby but also make some money to contribute to the family. A young man in Kenya has been freelancing for about a year by writing articles for his clients, which has given him freedom and also opportunity to start his own small business in the future. A father in Philippines with five childrens to raise doesn't want to go abroad to make more money because he can't bear the thought of leaving his children and family behind. "Freelancing has allowed him to remain at home with his children, and still provide for the family". Controversy arises since some people think that the freelancer in developping countries are "significantly cheaper than their first world counterparts" and they are actually interupting the developped countries's labour market.
I don't think that internet is interrupting labour market in developped countries. I think everyone has the equal right to compete for a job. Healthy competition actually is good for the labor market. Internet has contributed longer to the developed countries than to developping countries. This late opportunties to people in great need should not be counted as an threat to the labour market in developped countries.

References
Fiona, G.(2011, August 18). Internet opens doors for developing world workers. BBC News, Retrieved August 18, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14579720

"Come!" "Come!"

I have been thinking what I'm going to write on today blog, and I think...why don't I write an amusing thing in this time. So I think about the topic that I'm interested in and hope it could be interesting to you guys.

Everyone must know the word "echo", but not everyone knows the origin of this word. According to OAD, echo is "the reflecting of sound off a wall or inside a confined space so that a noise appears to be repeated; a sound that reflect back in this way". However, it's not just a vocabulary; in fact, it's the name of nymph in Greek methology.

The story begin with Zeus, the greatest divinity who wielded the awful thunderbolt, loved visiting the earth to consort with beautiful nymphs. Echo was excepted, she was an beautiful nymphs as well, but her voice was much more beautiful than her appearance, so Zeus preferred listening to Echo's attractive voice and did nothing with her. However, Hera, the queen of the immortal world who was Zeus's wife, came to the earth to find out her husband's love affairs. She came to the mountain where gorgeous nymphs lived, by the time she entered, Echo was singing, suddenly she was attracted by Echo'voice. Then Zeus could escape from his angry wife. Hera was so furious and turned against Echo. "The goddess condemned her never to use her tongue again except what was said to her." (p.114), according to Mythology by Edith Hamilton. Hence, Echo always said the last word but no power to speak first, and this is the origin of "echo" which usually can be found in canyons.

So that's the abridgement of Echo story, I hope everyone would enjoy this story. If you have similar stories, please feel free to share, it would be great! Anyway, if anyone wonders about my topic, I will have an answer next Friday. ;))

__________

References

Hamilton E. (2011, January). Mythology. New York: Grand Central Publishing Hachette Book Group.

(2011). echo. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved August, 19, 2011 from http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/echo

Should we eat dogs?

This follows up an issue that has been reported in The Nation over the past week, and which I cited in a comment on the post about what our next class reading should be (Aphisakulchat, 2011a; Phanom, 2011). The vote for our next reading is for an exploration of the morality of eating meat. The specific question of whether dogs should be on the dinner menu seemed usefully topical for a discussion to get us thinking about the issues involved. It would appear from later reports in The Nation that a lot people seem to disagree with the idea that dogs should be treated as food as donations have now reached the sum of 13.5 million Baht so that "the canines [can be] saved from the cooking pot" (Aphisakulchat, 2011b, ¶ 2).

• So, were the Thai government officials acting justly in stopping the slaughter of the dogs in Nakhon Phanom? Or were the arrests and other actions to prevent the dogs being eaten immoral? 
• Should those who enjoy Poodle or plump Alsation  for lunch be indulging that taste? 
• Is it OK to eat dogs? 
• Should eating dog be illegal? 
• When may dog be eaten? 
• When shouldn't it be eaten? 
• Should the saved dogs be killed or kept alive? Always? 
• Is killing dogs wrong? Why or why not? Under what circumstances? 

__________

References

Aphisakulchat, T. (2011a, August 14). Dog traders given bail by Isaan court. The Nation. Retrieved August 19, 2011 from http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/08/14/national/Dog-traders-given-bail-by-Isaan-court-30162712.html

Aphisakulchat, T. (2011b, August 18). Donations, food pour in for rescued dogs. The Nation. Retrieved August 19, 2011 from http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Donations-food-pour-in-for-rescued-dogs-30163054.html

Phanom, N. (2011, August 13). Dogs saved from dinner tables, but still in danger. The Nation. Retrieved August 19, 2011 from http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2011/08/13/national/Dogs-saved-from-dinner-tables-but-still-in-danger-30162662.html  (I am certain that The Nation does not really have a reporter with this name, but it is the person to whom they've attributed the article.) 

Grammatical confusion

Upon a discussion in the class this morning, I have asked a question about how difference between "try + -ing" and "try + to + infinitive" is. Finally, I have found some information about the question which may be beneficial for further understanding in using this verb phrase.

Try + -ing = to attempt to solve a problem by doing something.
Try + to + infinitive = to attempt and fail to do something.

Compare:
I tried turning the tap but the water still poured out. (I managed to turn the tap)
I tried to turn the tap but it was too old and rusty. (I couldn't turn the tap)

To sum up, It has a slightly different sense in using.

_________

References

Pauline Cullen (2007). Common mistakes at IELTS Intermediate and how to avoid them. Cambridge University Press.

Let’s go working out!

Living in a big city, you may feel tired and polluted. Everyday people have to wake up early to fight with bad traffic to be on time for their work or class. So in their spare time, some want to rest, some go travel and some do hobby. I’m one of people who go exercising when they are free of work. That’s why I’m interested this article “15-minute daily exercise is 'bare minimum for health” from BBC News.

The article reports that according to research in Taiwan, people just exercise only 15 minutes a day by 3 years, it helps to cut death risk 14%. Furthermore, in UK research is added more if you stay in front of TV 6 hours a day, your life will be shorter for 5 years. UK government recommends that adult should exercise 150 minutes. Also experts suggest that it is a good start to exercise minimum of 15 minutes a day. "You can get good gains with relatively small amounts of physical activity. More is always better, but less is a good place to start." (Biddle, S. 2011)

Actually I have been addicted to exercise for several years since I recover from hypothyroidism. My thyroid infected from tuberculosis which can happen in Thailand 1 in 400 people. (Normally people tend to get an infection of tuberculosis in lungs.)How good luck I am! I was suffered for almost 3 years. That time I took lots of medicines so I gained weight for almost 10 kgs with weakness muscles. After I recovered, I plan to reorganize my life style. I plan to eat fruit and fresh vegetable everyday and also try to avoid junk food as much as possible. I turn to play sport to make myself healthier. That is to say, I go cardio at the gym, swimming, playing tennis, playing golf, yoga and Pilates. Later, I lost some weighs, get strong body and feel happier. Now, I exercise 5-6 days a week; weekday I go to gym or yoga place or tennis court, weekend I go swimming or golfing with family. With healthy body, I can do anything what I want. This moment I'm healthier and happier. Guys, let's go working out!

References

Roberts,M. (2011, August 16). 15-minute daily exercise is 'bare minimum for health. BBC News. Retrieved August 17, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14526853

Etymology

Today before we finish the class about 10 minutes, Peter wrote on a whiteboard about “Etymology” but he didn’t explain or give any clues. After the class, we start talking about this word. Once Peter mentioned about this word but he didn’t explain anything. So we are still very curious. Now I’m doing a new paragraph of culture topic and accidentally found this word again in Wikipedia. So I want to share with you guys. Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during earlier periods of their history and when they entered the languages in question. (2011)

Also, in Thai, there is a special vocabulary for Etymology which is called ni-ruk-ti-sart (นิรุกติศาสตร์)

Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology Retrieved on August 17,2011 http://th.w3dictionary.org/index.php?q=etymology Retrieved on August 17,2011 http://www.bkkonline.com/word/18-oct-47.shtml Retrieved on August 17,2011

Is Buddhism a religion? The uselessness of dictionaries.

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (OALD), which lists three distinct definitions for it, religion requires gods except when it means "a particular interest or influence that is very important in your life", such as football (def. 3).

Since definition 3., which would allow not only football, as in the OALD's example, but literally anything, fashion and chocolate, for example, to be religions, is far too inclusive to be useful, we can reject it. This rejection leaves two definitions, both of which involve gods. Since Buddhism does not necessarily entail any belief in or worship of gods, it would seem that it really isn't a religion, and that those who voted against its being listed as a religion in class yesterday are right.

Are they right? Is Buddhism really not a religion? Who is wrong: the Thai government, which thinks Buddhism is a religion, or the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, which apparently thinks that Buddhism is not a religion?

And it gets weirder because the OALD's single definition for Buddhism explicitly says that it is a religion: "an Asian religion based on the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama (or Buddha)" (Buddhism, 2011).
Perhaps the OALD is psychotic? It certainly seems to need some help. Can you help this esteemed dictionary?

__________

References

Buddhism, noun.  (2011). Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved August 17, 2011 from http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/Buddhism

religion, noun. (2011). Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved August 17, 2011 from http://www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com/dictionary/religion

Buying Motorola Mobility of Google

I believe that nobody don't know Google and nobody never use one application from this company such as Google search, Google Translate, Google Chrome, and so on. Therefore, everyone wouldn't deny that Google is very important and has more effect for our life. That's way, when I saw this news, I wanted to share it to everyone.

According to "Google to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5bn" in the Business section of BBC news (2011), the reporter point out that Google has formally announced that Google going to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5bn (approximately 375 billions baht). It should be completed by the end of this year, or early in 2012. After this news was announced, Shares in Motorola Mobility jumped 56%. By the way, executives of Motorola Mobility said that this is a new opportunity for costumers who will be exposed to completely operating system Android on mobile phone.

In my opinion, buying Motorola Mobility can make many benefits for Google. (Absolutely sure, because if it's not useful for them, why they buy it?) Google may want to expand the market of communication Technology. Before this case, Google used to join to produce and design Sumsung Galaxy Tab, which use Android system. Moreover, from buying Motorola Mobility, Google will be ownership of 17,000 mobile patents (Google deal boosts shares in Asian phone makers,2011), so they can use it for do many many thing. From the reason that Google doesn't have to pay cost for copyright, so it can cut price to lower than other competition.

__________

References

"Google to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5bn". (2011, August 15). BBC News. Retrieved August 16, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14530543

"Google deal boosts shares in Asian phone makers". (2011, August 16). BBC News. Retrieved August 16, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14539241

Deleted

This morning I took note of some typical classroom behaviour.
Six people were using an eraser, and one person was using liquid paper.

Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?

These questions about erasing also seems to me to connect with one of the important points in the analysis of the paragraph of definition that you are doing this evening (Hartmann & Blass, 2007, p. 40 - 41), and the paragraph due tomorrow evening. What do you think?

__________ 

References

Hatmann, P. & Blass, L. (2007). Quest 3 Reading and Writing (2nd. ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.

For the Plugged-In, Too Many Choices

Everyday I like to spend my time almost one hour with Facebook for updating status and contributing some comments to my friends, and I believe that many peoples around the world are having the same routine as me. I like social network, Facebook, because it has brought me to meet my old friends, and we can keep in touch even we have not joined each other for years. Nowadays, there has been an increasing ways to connect people by social networks as appeared in the article "For the Plugged-In, Too Many Choices" writen by Stephanie Rosenbloom in The New York Times.

The article talked about many choices of social networks currently such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and other innovations of website like Klout, PeerIndex. Social networks are very popular which can say that every one in four-and-a half spent of website is spent on a social network site or blog. The writer raised some example of an influence of social network to daily life of Ms. Jessica H. Lawrence, who used social network, Twitter, to set up her new life in New York City by tweet messages for job, apartment, and boyfriend. More over, the article mentioned about plentiful of useful website to help social network users to manage themselve, for example, Pin.fm help user can post same comment across multiple networking site by double click or mouse. Some web allows user to write posting month in advance and schedule them to publish in later date like TwitResponse, Buffer, SocialOomph. On the other hand, some people are thinking that all these networking are leading to allienaton. Some have taken a social media detox, or opted out only to opt back in again. Too choices for social network are waitiong for users to use them.

I like an opinion "social network are leading to allienation" even I have recognized that there has been a lot of advanges from them in terms of working and communication. Even social network bring people more close to each other but it is in only unreal social, I concern that in the real social those users are still lonely and separte from real world. Maybe I am thinking too much!!!

References

Rosenbloom, Stephanie.(2011, August 10). For the Plugged-In, Too Many Choices. The New York Times. Retrieved at August 15, 2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/fasione/digitally-fatiqued-networkers-try-new-site-but-strategize-to-avoid-burnout.html?ref-technology

The degraded coral and seawater

Few months ago, I went to Kood Island which is located in Chanthaburi Province and very close to Cambodia's border. It is an exceptionally beautiful island with an amazing, long-white beach. I can remember swimming in very clear water and partaking in other outdoor activities such as snorkeling. However, I was disappointed with coral snorkeling since it has been coral bleaching caused by climate change. In addition, the degraded water quality caused by waste-water from tourist boats has worsened the marine ecology, especially sea creatures. Combined with reading the article provided on BBC website, I am now awakened that the phenomenon of the coral bleaching and poorer seawater quality impacts the coral and marine ecology on global scale.

According to the article written by Nick Bryant, agricultural pesticides are now exacerbating the Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage-listed natural wonder in Australia. Over the last few years, the Great Barrier Reef has been damaged by massive coral bleaching resulted from the warming sea temperature, yet it is reported that there has found that agricultural pesticides are great risks which threaten water quality there. The prime reason behind this is because "the heavy flooding and a cyclone that ripped through northern Queensland earlier in the year are thought to have made things worse, by flushing pollutants out to sea." The article also reported that "many horticulture producers were using practices considered unacceptable", particularly in the sugar cane industry in the northern Queensland. Fortunately, there have been requests to constrain the use of pesticides and to prohibit the use of certain herbicides; however, "sugar cane producers have argued that there are no alternatives to adequately protect their crops".

Again as with other major environmental damages, a major threat facing the natural environment comes in human form. The opposition to use alternative ways to protect their farms reflects that sugar cane producers have not adequately developed an awareness of the importance of the marine ecosystem which creates biodiversity and supports the livelihood of millions of people. It is true from the article mentioned that the deteriorated marine ecosystem can probably be alleviated through using more "environmentally friendly methods" instead of using insecticides and chemicals substances in the farming industry. Yet, it is interesting to note that other forms of pollution such as sediment from coastal land development, destructive fishing, waste-water from inland, not to mention the careless feet of inexperienced divers, are no less threatening to the future of coral and marine ecology than global warming and agricultural pollutants. These disastrous activities, therefore, not only need an effective solution to carry out, but also the commitment to enforce it in order to retain marine resources for the future generations.

__________e at

References

Nick Bryant (2011, August 13). Australia's Great Barrier Reef 'at risk from pesticide. BBC News. Retrieved August 14, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14516253

Extensive reading 2: eating animals or religion?

We've started reading William Golding's very famous novel Lord of the Flies, which you might already have realised has been widely written about in numerous online sources, whose quality varies from good to garbage. I don't think there is anything wrong with checking out those sources for ideas; when I write the exam and essay questions on the novel, I assume that you will have looked at those sources: they cannot replace reading the novel carefully, and you have to read the novel to be able to judge which sources are good and which are garbage.

Although we are reading the novel as a topic on which to practice academic reading and writing, especially writing, we also want to do some more academic extensive reading. I've already decided on the second essay we will read, which is by an academic working in the field of behavioural economics, which will go well when we start our economics chapter in Quest in a week or so. However, we also want to read something more directly related to the issues that are coming up in our study of cultural anthropology. You've probably already started to make connections between the novel and the ideas in chapter 1 of Quest, but something a bit more academic, with a serious thesis being supported by a well-developed argument, is a good idea, and this is where you get a choice.

Would you like to read about:

• the morality of eating meat, or 
• the moral value of religion? 

Both are relatively short philosophy essays addressing issues that are closely connected to the ideas that we are currently exploring in "Cultural Anthropology".

You have three days to vote in the poll on the right, and to support your preferred option in comments below.

You can sign in and change it as many times as you like, but please only vote once in the poll!

"Thinking Forward for Satisfyingly Result"

Besides the first woman Prime minister in Thailand, the riot in Britain is one of the interesting news which I really keep looking forward. In fact, I don't concern about news in other countries, but because I will go to Britain soon, and that makes me really wonder-'how can I go there?' After finished reading the news about riot in Britain; according to Cameron's Broken Window, the situation in Britain seems to be more severe caused by the suppressed emotion in those poor people.

An old-fashioned Marxist might imagine that the broken windows and burning houses expressed a raging political reaction to government spending cuts — but this time that explanation would be too facile.

It is not that facile likes many people are thinking about..

Cutting costs-This British policy is incompetent; although it is a good idea, but it doesn't work effectively likes it should be. In addition, the ways of those officers act with residences seem to be a racism which brings more anger to the rioters. Consequently, there are vigilantes occurred in order to protect themselves.

“We have to do things for ourselves,” a 16-year-old in Hackney told The Guardian, convinced that the authorities did not care about, or know how to protect, communities like his.

____

I think those situations are truly caused by the neglect of the government. If the government carefully considered about the long-term of their policy, the outcome wouldn't be like this, and it would benefit every part of the society-not only the authorities. Pertaining to this point of view, not merely British government, but also Thai government have to comprehensively think in long-way of each policy in order to ameliorate everyone in the country and not follow every British step likes we always do. _

Anyway, the other possible outcome from this crisis could be the reduced poundage and the value of bath would be better...I hope. >.<"

References

Sennett R. and Sassen S. (August 10,2011), Cameron's Broken Window. The New York Times. Retrieved August 12,2011 from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/opinion/when-budget-cuts-lead-to-broken-windows.html?_r=2

Universities, their students, and their business

Thinking of England at this moment, we cannot help thinking of the riot happening in big cities there. Being a Thai student who is going to study there soon, Pim tries to update the news to make sure of her security. "On the day that my family agreed to send me there, they are sure that it is a worthy investment." she said. "I am careful in planning all about this. My family is not rich." A young girl and a hope of a bourgeois family added.

The story of Pim and current situations in UK remind me of the students' protest in Wesminster last November (2010). The tuition fee rise made students frustrated. Though the situation about England's education has already calmed down. The future of education, not only in England but in many countries, is still questionable. The article in BBC News Is the student customer always right? shows that after the fee has risen, universities themselves are in awkward situations as well as in doubt about their academic progress because students became customers who are always right.

The article talks about instability in institutions. When universities have to adjust their system to respond economic system, they must handle financial problems themselves. Furthermore, universities are out of government's system, that means no subsidy from state. (Thailand's universities are the same.) Running their business as a company, they must offer products that consumers needs. Well, marketing strategies will be needed. The courses that can attract students will survive successfully but, how about the courses that have little demand? Won't department of philosophy, section of pali, and section of comparative literature be closed? These subjects are not popular, but it does not mean that they are not important. Business company can also easily forget that researches are essential for academic progress. Scholars have to find fund themselves and they have to wait... Some universities have no choice to send their teachers to reputable universities though other schools are more specialized in specific subject. Marketing reason is strong and no one can refuse it. If not, they might die.

Next, the article about social mobility. UK society investigates this change closely. People are afraid of negative impact and other organizations and charity groups are going to get involved. In Thailand, public and state's organization like Commission of Higher Education tries to examine educational standard. "If you pay all, you graduate" is the saying for some programmes like a scandal in Esan University recently. I do not want to hear this saying in my country and I think government and public must not allow this situation occur. In some cases, universities sell degree, or in better cases, they just produce students in mass. Education became business in some countries besides tourism and other business. From now on, how can we be sure about educational standard?

Finally, the author raises very interesting topic about life style of students. Students would expect to have better experience as they pay three times more than students in the past. It's time for university to provide good information about their programmes with public relation (or advertisement). Moreover, they must give life style and leisure experience that students want. Considering a university whose students are from rich family, they have lots of facilities for this reasons such as big buildings, gym, department store in or near university. I like those nice service they provide for their students, but that also means students have to pay more for what is not "education".

Everything has to chage at some points, universities too. Now, this dramatic change leads to instability in universities, concerns in society, and changes of students life style. Universities have to listen more to their customer's demand. We must adapt ourselves to the world (of capitalism and so on). I agree with that, but do not forget that educational institutions have different objectives from companies: to educate people and to provide knowledge to develop the country.

References
Sean Coughlan. Is the student customer always right? (2011 June 28). BBC News. Retrieved August 12, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-13942401

Glory be to our friend

Dear Gloria and everyone,


This is the first time I take course at AUA. The first day I came to Ajarn.Peter's class, it was late (as often) and I remember that you suggested me to do things. We sat together sometimes, but I was impressed with your friendliness, your competence, and your dedication in work. I often find you learning English and Thai in extra time after class. I have many impressive things despite the short period of time.
Today, I was sorry to find that you have left Thailand already. However, I am sure that you will be successful. Enjoy your study in China. You will be my model when I study Master. I am sure we are all happy to have you.

Good luck, Gloria
Naya

__________

More solutions are needed for drug abuse

A few months ago, I read a long Chinese novel Red Prescription written by a popular female writer Bi Shumin. The story is about a female director of a drug addict rehabilitation hospital. Out of curiosity and with the help of the director, her best friend registered into the hospital as a faked patient and lived with various drug abusers. She found out their normal lives are greatly affected by drugs. As long as they started to take drugs, it would be very difficult to stay away from them. Some people lost their job or family; some people started to committee crimes, like robbery, breaking house, breaking bank machine, or even get into the illegal drug business to get money to buy drugs. Even rehabilitation hospital can not one hundred percent sure to help you out from addiction, since drug abuser are very likely to get addictive again after recovery in hospital due to the nature of drugs and the limitation of medicine for new drugs.

I didn’t finish summary up the story since it is such a long novel. The part that makes me connect this novel with Gloria’s blog is the distorted life of the drug abusers. Even though I agreed with Peter on legalization of drugs, I am still very concern about the use of drugs. What if this happens to our children in the future? They might easily become addictive to drugs since they can be legally purchased which will inevitably cause damage to their health and greatly affect their normal life. Is there better choice than legalization of drugs? How about extremely strong punishment on drug dealers? What do people think about introduce drug information into student’s classroom to avoid their contact with drugs?

This is getting more complicated. I would like to stop here and come back to comment on it later.

Why Can’t We Imagine Ourselves Getting Old?

According to various kinds of cosmetics these days, we can’t deny that senescence is an enemy for female around the world, include metrosexual and homosexual as well. Senescence or biological aging is the change in the biology of an organism as it ages after its maturity. Such changes range from those affecting its cells and their function to that of the whole organism.(2011) Furthermore, ageing (British English) or aging (American English) is the accumulation of changes in an organism or object over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change.(2011) Why can’t we imagine ourselves getting old? This question doesn’t be written for asking, but for reminding why don’t you picture of how you will be looked like when you reach over 70 years old.

The authors begin with one man whose name “Methuselah” from Bible. He died in the age of 969 years old. They also show the number of UK girls, which have a one-in-three chance of reaching 100 years old, however, UK boys has a one-in-four chance. Moreover, more information is added about world population that by 2066 there will be half a million centenarians. A study in the Lancet last year suggested that half of babies born after 2000 will reach 100 years old. (¶ 6)Anyways, the practical issue is pensions. “We simply can’t look to our grandparents’ experience of retirement as a model for our own.” Says pension minister Steve Webb. “We will live longer and we have to save more.” Our ageing populations require a revolution in the way that social and economic policy operates, according to Joseph Coughlin, an age researcher at MIT. “We need a vision that says ageing is not just about frail.” He told the Financial Times last month. “Ageing is about all of us, and how we keep people productive for as long as possible.” (¶ 8) Also, the authors interview old and young people. The old woman who is 100 this year named Evelyn Blackshaw. She never considered herself become old; for example, she keeps her mind and body active through puzzles, reading and dancing. As Leon Trotsky put it: “ Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that happen to a man.” Behavioral thinkers believe that most people are incapable of imagining themselves getting old, one reason why people fail to invest sufficiently in a pension. In contrast, the young ladies who were interviewed have their point of views that they don’t want to exceed 50. Because they afraid of the way their face will look like and get worried about their ability to take care of themselves.

For my points of view, there are several reasons why people can’t imagine themselves getting old. First of all, everyone has their own duties everyday such as working and studying. So, people don’t have time to think about long term planning and how they look like when they reach more than 60 years old. Besides their main duty when they have free time or holiday, people tend to spend time with family or lovers. They go travelling and playing sports.

Second, some people realize that nowadays there is a large amount of illness cover all over the world which we can’t find the way to cure. Also, Hi-technology creates too much transportation which may lead to accidents, as we heard from media, every day many people dies because of the accidents. In addition, the world has many impacts of pollution from human being. The catastrophe normally occur some parts on earth such as global warming, flooding, tsunami, and earthquake. Therefore, people don’t realize that they will survive until they reach centenarians.

Third, by negligence; that’s too far. Most people have a plan only this moment, today, tonight, tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year or more than one years but not more than 20 years. As we can notice from the world investigation, people have economical plan for deposit for short term more than long term. In case of long term, they invest not over than 50 years, such as banking and gold investigation. Most people want to spend their money this life before they die, so they just keep money for short time not too long. Usually people can imagine having reproductive life plan. That’s to say since being born, people grow up, get old, get married, have children, have grand children and die. But no one plan to die after 100 years old. Everyone just think of a process of life not life after done process.

From Buddhism, we have rule of Trailak; the three characteristics of existence which are impermanence, incompleteness or suffering and non-self. (2011) First, Impermanence (Pāli: annicca) expresses the Buddhist notion that all compounded or conditioned phenomena (all things and experiences) are inconstant, unsteady, and impermanent. Everything we can experience through our senses is made up of parts, and its existence is dependent on external conditions. Next, Incompleteness or Suffering (Pāli: दुक्ख dukkha ; Sanskrit दुःख duḥkha) is also a central concept in Buddhism. The word roughly corresponds to a number of terms in English including suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness, sorrow, affliction, anxiety, dissatisfaction, discomfort, anguish, stress, misery, and frustration. Not-self (Pāli: anatta; Sanskrit: anātman) is the third mark of existence. Upon careful examination, one finds that no phenomenon is really "I" or "mine"; these concepts are in fact constructed by the mind. (2011) When people are enlightened by these three characteristics of Trailak , they will have conscious to live their lives carefully, they will imagine what will their lives look like in the future and accept we will getting older and die one day without worry about their image.

References

De Castella, T. and Brown, V. (2011, August 5).Why Can’t We Imagine Ourselves Getting Old? BBC News Magazine. Retrieved August 10, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14412025

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ageing Retrieved August 10, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism#Three_Marks_of_Existence Retrieved August 10, 2011

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

Retrieved August 10, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosexual Retrieved August 10, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senescence Retrieved August 10, 2011