Noom academic interest

I have a lot of interests, but not all of it has become my passion. I used to be a soccer player in school. I stopped because I found another interest which made me happier. I usually spend my time travelling and sitting on the beach. I have been to many countries which has beach such as ,Tahiti, Hawaii, Brazil , Uruguay, Argentina, Maxi-go and Australia. I like to swim in the ocean, but I don't like diving. I am not a risk-taking. I have a license for diving, but I don't like swimming underwater using special breating equipment. Do you like diving?

Austin's academic interest

Now, my academic interest is English. I want to improve my English for study in USA and i have to make it batter than now.

Pete's academic interests

 For now my academic interest is management. So I would like to prepare myself before I go to study aboard so I think Academic English Program is a good way for me I expect to improve skills in English for prepare myself before go aboard to continue study. I heard AUA  from my sister she told me that AUA has course from student that want to prepare themselves before go to study.

Mehdi's academic interest.

my  first academic interest is economic.When i was in high school the economy interested me. It was so amazing that how money circulate all around the world.

Som's academic interest

i started do ballet since i was 4 years old at waraporn-karnchana ballet school. there are many class of ballet. I stared at Pre-Primary. it teach just only how to move coordinate with your body and listen to the music. The second class is Primary. this is for 5 years old. After that there are 8 grade for basic level. People can study in Advance level when they re 11 years old.

in fact, i start learning about coffee. I think coffee is wonderful plant ^_^ in the future, i wish i hav my own outstanding coffee shop >w<

Anne's academic interest

My first real academic was photography. I like to go to other countries in order to take a photo such as taking a photo of  view and taking a photo of people. I think that taking a photo can bring my memories back.

__________

Pang's academic interest.

My academic interest is Law.I  learnt the basic Law when I was about 15 years old.I found that it was so interesting to learn because it is relating to my daily life.People need to know Law because there is no excuse when you break the law.No one can be excluded by saying they don't know it.Therefore,I set my goal that I would like to study Law in the university.I finally achieved my first goal by getting into Thammasat University.

Mo's academic interests

I was graduated in Veterinary medicine. Absolutely, science is my favorite. My research project at university was related to genetic. But during studying, I was rarely studied about it. So that I decided to learn more detail about genetic, I apply to genetic division in international program in Germany's university. My decision make many people confused why i chose to learn in Germany without fluency in German.

Yut's academic interest

I decided to study academic english at AUA because it is a good english program for me.  Last two year,  I used to study regular course.  However, I would improve my english is better not only speaking and listening but also writing and reading.

Benz's academic interests

I was interested in computer programing. I have played computer games since I was a child. Then, I want to learn how to create my own computer games.

J's academic interests

     My academic interest is finance. I think finance is very important for me because I don't want to be an employee all of my life. I would like to find someway to invest in something such as stocks,real estate or create my own business. The main purpose of invest is for financial freedom

Oh's academic interests

My academic interest is chemistry. Chemistry can be applied everywhere.You cannot refuse that you do not use shampoo,bath cream, body lotion or toothpaste in your routine life. These involve chemistry and this is the reason why I am interested in Chemistry. Moreover, Chemistry can make many amazing things. For example, carbon which is use as fuel can be the most valuable thing in the world which is diamond just only insert the high temperature and pressure.The arrangement of carbon molecule will then change so it it turns to be diamond.Thats amazing!!!!

Pantip's academic interests

My academic interset was travel business.I love to travel.I aways happy when I go to travel a new place.I can learn many thing  from the place that I travel.For example the language that they have

Peter's academic interests

My first real academic interest was biology. I loved growing trees and things when I was in primary school, and started reading high school biology books in my free time. I loved it. This lasted for a few years, and tehn my interests shifted to chemistry. In early highschool, chemistry was my favourite subject, but physics soon caught up and passed it. And all the time, mathematics was there. By the time I was in middle highschool, mathematics was my favourite subject. I loved the way the results were absolutely certain. I still enjoyed reading physics, chemistry and biology, but mathematics was me passion for the next few years, and continued when I when I went to university.

Welcome to Reading and Writing 3, term 5, 2012.

Thank you for registering for the Reading and Writing level 3 class in AUA's Academic English Program (AEP).

Over the next six weeks we will be working through two or three chapters in Hartmann's Quest 2 Reading and Writing [Quest] (2007), which might already be familiar to some of you from level 2 last term. As usual, we will be doing both a a bit more writing than Quest asks for and a bit more reading.

And this being 2012, we will be using the tools that are normal in modern academic institutions: email, the internet and so on; academics and students no longer submit their written work on scraps of paper, and we won't be doing that either.

I hope that you find the class both enjoyable and challenging so that our six weeks together will be productive and pleasant.

And if you ever have any question about anything, please feel welcome to ask us in class, email me, or write it up here on our class blog (Peter, 2011).

__________

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

Peter. (2011, February). AEP, Blogging our class. Class Blog - AEP at AUA. April 22, 2012 from http://peteraep.blogspot.com/p/blogging-our-class.html

So, you thought only non-natives had comma issues?

And showing the wonderful range of topics in the excellent New York Times is this recent opinion piece by writer Ben Yagoda, "The Most Comma Mistakes" (2012). (Yes, we do need the comma before the title of the article - why is explained in it.)

In his short essay, Yagoda explains clearly, with plenty of good examples, some common problems that native English speakers have with commas; as you will notice, many of these are exactly the same problems that AEP students have with commas: where do sentences begin and end, how can clauses be connected, when is information defining and non-defining (or essential v. non-essential as Yagoda describes it), and so on.

You might find it both entertaining and useful reading practice, and I hope encouraging since Yagoda is writing not for students learning English as a second language, but for native users in the US and elsewhere.

__________

References

Yagoda, B. (2012, May 21). The Most Comma Mistakes. The New York Times. Retrieved June 1, 2012 from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/the-most-comma-mistakes/

Is Hartmann right? Should all drugs be legalized?

"Medicine and Drugs: Addictive Substances" is the title of chapter 7 of Quest; it suggests the topic of the chapter very broadly, although not enough for us to actually know what the chapter is specifically about, which is the personal and social problems caused by the use of addictive drugs such as heroin, whisky, wine and other alcohol, yaa baa, cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products, cocaine, marijuana and so on. I am sure everyone can add to this short list of popular recreational drugs that people like to use and to which they sometimes become addicted.

At the end of the chapter, after three readings which establish the nature and extent of drug use and the associated problems, Hartmann gives us an example of a persuasive paragraph to analyse in which she answers the question: "What can be done about the problem of drug addiction?" (2007, p. 227).

It is Hartmann's answer to this question that prompted the latest poll for you to vote on, and which we want to discuss in the comments below.

So, what do you think? Is Hartmann right that all illegal drugs should be legalized to help solve the problem of drug addiction in societies?

• Of the three voting options in the poll, which do you think is right?   
• Why are the other two options wrong?  
• What arguments or evidence support your opinions here? You need support both for your own opinion and to oppose the contradictory opinions. 

As the discussion progresses and you are persuaded from one position to another, you can change your vote when you are signed in. 

__________

References

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

Didier Drogba will leave Chelsea this summer

Chelsea FC is the winner of UEFA Champions League. This is the good news for Roman Abramovich. One of the players that bring this success is Didier Drogba. He shot the final score to win FC Bayern Munich in the final match of UEFA Champions League last week. But it is a bad news that he decides to leave in this summer.

According to the news article “Didier Drogba will leave Chelsea this summer” from BBC website, He said "It has been a very difficult decision for me to make and I am very proud of what we have achieved, but the time is right for a new challenge for me."  It means that he will have a decision to leave from Chelsea. It is the bad news especially for the fan club because since he come to Chelsea, FC he is the one of the superstar in the team.

I think he is one of the most important players in the team. If he leave Chelsea it will be hard to find the new player to play like him. He is the legend player of Chelsea FC.

__________

References

Didier Drogba will leave Chelsea this summer (2012 May, 21). BBC News.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18152689

Is it right to diet during pregnancy?

Did your mother get more chubby than before after giving a birth to you? Will dieting in pregnancy period harm your unborn child? We have learnt from previously blog post about how overdue born affect a baby. Now, what if mother dieting while pregnancy?

According to “Weight management 'benefits' for mother and baby”, two groups are arguing is it appropriate to diet and monitor weight during pregnancy. London-based team said dieting and monitoring weight prevent excess weight gain and cut the risk of complications, while the advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), published in 2010, says: "Dieting during pregnancy is not recommended as it may harm the health of the unborn child."(¶5)

To solve this case, National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) compared mothers who diet and mother who doesn't control their weight during pregnancy period. As the result, mothers who diet are less likely to develop complications in the future and dieting doesn't affect babies' weight. However, Dr Shakila Thangaratinam, a consultant obstetrician at Queen Mary, University of London who led the study, warn that we should consider that researcher didn't advise women to lose weight during pregnancy, they just advised them to diet and control their weight properly.


This is a new knowledge for me as I keep doubting why my mother and my friends' mother are a little bit chubby more than before they became pregnant, maybe there're some misunderstandings about dieting while pregnant. They might think that they should eat for their babies too and that cause obesity or fatness in women after pregnant. But, according to this research, it's unnecessary. Mothers could control their weight while they are pregnant and it doesn't affect babies' health and weight. All they need for their babies is just nutritious food that provide essential vitamins. So, now you can tell someone who is going to become pregnant not to eat too much in order to have slender shape as before after pregnant instead of the chubby and out of shape one !


References
“Weight management 'benefits' for mother and baby”. (2012, May 18). BBC News. Retrieved May 18, 2012 from  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18101423.

Rainbow Gaga is Lady Gaga's Fan or not??

When I introduce myself, my name is Rainbow Gaga, your thoughts probably immediately jump to Lady Gaga. Indeed, my English nickname does have a link to Lady Gaga. During the time, she came to Taiwan, I sang her hit song "Poker Face" so frequently that people surrounding me started to call me Gaga gaga.... As a result of  combining Rainbow which is original one with Gaga which is parts of Lady Gaga, I got this super long and a bit super star name.  But it doesn't mean I am one big fan of Lady Gaga. Maybe her edginess is too over to me.

BBC News reported a piece of news on this Tuesday about 2012 Lady Gaga Concert in Indonesia. It is said that concerning about security, Indonesian police have refused to issue a permit for US pop star Lady Gaga's concert next month because that Islamic groups and community leaders had objected to the show. They claimed Lady Gaga is a vulgar singer who wears only panties and a bra when she sings, also has negative effects on their younger generation. On the other hand, there are some opposite voices from Lady Gaga's fans saying ¶ "Lady GaGa is in fact a very unique singer. She's one of my inspirators", "Watching The Born This Way Ball for 2 hours won't hurt Indonesian people! GOD GAGA IS NOT A TERRORIST!!" ¶


Although Lady Gaga's clothes, make-up and hair styles sometimes is too exaggerating to me, like wearing raw beef, I just regard it as her performance style which is wacky, edgy or unique. However, these personal characteristics of Lady Gaga are seen as coarse, dangerous on different person or in the different place, such as Indonesia which their culture is more conservative and puritan. There is no doubt that culture plays an vital role to us. It is relevant to the passage "Culture and Mental Illness" on Chapter 6 Quest which talks about " the role that culture plays in the labeling of behavior as "abnormal"". Sometime, a person is assumed that he/she is abnormal only in which the culture think it is not normal. Hence, we can understand why Lady Gaga is not welcome to perform in Indonesia.

I'm wondering if Lady Gaga promises she will not wear any strange, odd costumes by no means showing any parts of her body, only face, is she allowed to held on her concert in Indonesia? I think it will make more and more people curious about how she will look in a totally different style. Moreover, I am also looking forward seeing how she use her creative idea into the controversial concert. Now, I am thinking maybe I should buy Lady Gaga's ticket for the concert in November in Thailand 2012 to experience and to find out how amazing, how attractive, and how creative she is. Maybe I'll become one of her Big Fans one day.

__________

References

Lady Gaga Indonesia concert denied permit by police. (2012, May 15) BBC News. Retrieved May 18,
2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18073961

Hartmann, P (2007) Culture and Mental Illness. Quest 2 Reading and Writing. Retrieved May 18, 2012

Fugu: The fish more poisonous than cyanide

     Japanese food is always amazing! Most of them are fresh and have delicacy texture and taste. Fugu or blow fish is one of them that is not only the most superp menu but also the most dangerous thing to eat.

     According to BBC news, Fugu fish is a lethal fish whose deadly poison, Tetradotoxin, is 200 times more dangerous than cyanide. However, Japanese people still love to eat it because of its extraordinary texture and taste. Japanese people have a method to cut Fugu so that its poison cannot harn eaters. Japanese Fugu cheif has to get an authorized license before he can serve Fugu in the restuarant. Nevertheless, the Japanese government has recently allowed Fugu to be sold by non-authorized seller in an off-site. This results in the outcry from the former authorized cheif who tried very hard to get the license.
     I do not agree to the Japanese government 's consensus. I think if Fugu can be bought easily, even in the bar and marketplace, and who sells it is not an authorized Fugu cheif, the mistake when cutting or cooking it can occur and then cause a harm to the customers.
     I also wonder why Japanese people have an eager to eat strange things like Fugu even though they know their dangerousity and in the past many people died from misusing it. As I know, the tetradotoxin can make the body numb, paralyzed and finally dead. For me, it is not at all worthwhile eating Fugu and ending with paralyzed or dead only for trying the so-called beautiful texture and taste.
     Maybe the possible result of Japanese government's consensus such as having more people died from Fugu will enlighten the Japanese how dangerous it is why it should not be eaten.

P.S. I know eating Fugu is their culture, but I am only talking in scientific way.  

                                               __________

References

Roland Buerk (2012, May 17). Dicing death: The fish more poisonous than cyanide. BBC news. Retrieved May 18, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18065372