12/6/09
11/20/09
IMHO #2
On November 6, 2009, New York Times reported, "U.S. Unemployment Hits 10.2%, Highest in 26 Years". According to the article, today's great amount of unemployment is almost like huge jobless situation of the Great Depression.
The article says that "over the last three reports, average monthly job losses have slipped to 188,000, after factoring in upward revisions to the data for August and September. Temporary workers increased by 44,000 in October, adding to gains in the previous two months---an apparent sign that businesses had squeezed as much production as they could out of their existing work forces and felt the need to bring in more people" (Goodman).
This economic bad circulation generate worse economy...
My friend is working in Sushi restaurant, and she says the number of customers has dramatically decreased from last year. Her earnings also decreased because of the decline of customers, and she does not feel going out to eat, any more. She also says that before many customers came and eat sushi at sushi bar counter, but now, many of them just come to order to go. The situation of restaurant is very obvious because people first save money for food during economic depression. Such sever economic situation creates somber atmosphere in whole society, and people try to save more money, and economy is going worse. So this is all about bad circulation.
The economic depression also affects education. I believe that because of the bad economy, many students need to be educated. However, huge budget cuts damage higher education, especially in California. This means that the government does not see higher education as one of the most important factors to readjust the economy. I think that during economic depression, more and more skillful and knowledgeable students need to be educated because we need to reconstruct our economic structure with next generation for the future. Therefore, now is a time to invest next generation to reorganize our economy even though economic depression bear on state budgets.
source: New York Times, Nov 6. 2009. by Peter S. Goodman.
The article says that "over the last three reports, average monthly job losses have slipped to 188,000, after factoring in upward revisions to the data for August and September. Temporary workers increased by 44,000 in October, adding to gains in the previous two months---an apparent sign that businesses had squeezed as much production as they could out of their existing work forces and felt the need to bring in more people" (Goodman).
This economic bad circulation generate worse economy...
My friend is working in Sushi restaurant, and she says the number of customers has dramatically decreased from last year. Her earnings also decreased because of the decline of customers, and she does not feel going out to eat, any more. She also says that before many customers came and eat sushi at sushi bar counter, but now, many of them just come to order to go. The situation of restaurant is very obvious because people first save money for food during economic depression. Such sever economic situation creates somber atmosphere in whole society, and people try to save more money, and economy is going worse. So this is all about bad circulation.
The economic depression also affects education. I believe that because of the bad economy, many students need to be educated. However, huge budget cuts damage higher education, especially in California. This means that the government does not see higher education as one of the most important factors to readjust the economy. I think that during economic depression, more and more skillful and knowledgeable students need to be educated because we need to reconstruct our economic structure with next generation for the future. Therefore, now is a time to invest next generation to reorganize our economy even though economic depression bear on state budgets.
source: New York Times, Nov 6. 2009. by Peter S. Goodman.
11/15/09
Fish Out of Water
On November 14th, 2009, I attended a French cultural event with friends in Saratoga, California. "A Day in France, THE FRENCH FAIR" is an event that visitors can experience France with enjoying their tastes, musics, dances, and more.
When we got into the entrance, French greetings welcomed us and let us get inside. The French greeting and the smell of French foods made us to feel we were actually visiting France. First, we visited the booth selling French sundries, and their sundries were French unique colorful and cute ones. Then, the smell of French pastries tempted us. The booth of French pastries was full of sweet smells, and each of them were small one-bite art with colorful decoration. After we ate some pastries, we went to the outside place where several booths were selling French crepes, delicatessen, and more. The booth of French crepe had a long line of all others, so we also waited in a line to eat their crepes. We could choose the inside of the crepe such as cheese, green pepper, onion, bacon, fruits and more. I chose some vegetables, bacon, and cheese. I do not often eat crepes, but I really liked their crepe. After that we enjoyed French music and dance.
I never went to Europe, so this event was very interesting. In addition, I do not know any French language, so visuals of all signs and sounds of conversations were very new for me. As Japanese, I felt French culture is totally different from our Asian culture such as foods, music, and dance. I learned very interesting things in the relationship between French food and Japanese food. When I ate French crepe, my friend taught me that a paste of crepe was made from buckwheat. And, we Japanese traditionally eat lots of buckwheat by making into Soba noodle. When I knew a connection of French and Japanese food culture, I was surprised and made me to love French crepe more!!!!
11/7/09
Target Audiences
Overall Target Audiences of ELLE
These two magazine advertisements are from "ELLE" last summer.
First one is an ads of "GUESS", and second one is an ads of "LACOSTE".
Magazine "ELLE" is target to age 23 up to 35 women who are interested in current fashion, lifestyle and culture. ELLE is distributed over 43 countries widely throughout the world. It focuses on four major cities; New York, London, Paris, and Milano, and reports newest contents to the readers. So, the target audiences should be young, middle or high class, international, and fashionable women all over the world. The targeted women like to know newest culture around the world, and they do not hesitate to spend time and money on following the latest trend.
1) GUESS
The purpose of this ads is to shape GUESS's brand image over the audiences. It is not promoting any specific products but telling their concept and direction. As their brand image, they are for cool and sexy women. Although it is too sexual and obscure, its vivid image strongly represents their brand.
I think this ads mismatch with ELLE's readers because the ads is target to younger women than ELLE's audiences. Also, ELLE's readers want more high-end and exclusive products. Therefore, if the ads can focus more on GUESS's luxuriness than its sexiness, it will successfully attract ELLE's readers.
2) LACOSTE
This ads successfully represents their clean and sporty brand image to the audiences. The whole structure, flow, and movement of pink woman contribute to shape their fresh and sweet perfume's image. Also, this ads can attract ELLE's readers because LACOSTE's brand image and product match with ELLE's readers' needs. They like something clean, rich, fresh, but sporty because they are 20 to 30 years old, educated, and middle or high class women.
Word of the Week #10 Last One !!
Enthusiasm (noun)
Source:
I found a word "enthusiasm" from a book titled, "the girl in the tangerine scarf" by Mohja Kahf.
Sentences:
"Khadra's own enthusiasm for the Islamic Republic had dimmed..." (Kahf 349).
Definition-1:(from Oxford dictionary)
enthusiasm=noun
great enjoyment, interest, or approval
Definition-2:(from LONGMAN dictionary)
enthusiasm=noun
a strong feeling of interest and enjoyment about something, and an eagerness to be involved in it
Own Sentence Using "enthusiasm"
The students show spontaneous enthusiasm to study more foreign language and culture.
Source:
I found a word "enthusiasm" from a book titled, "the girl in the tangerine scarf" by Mohja Kahf.
Sentences:
"Khadra's own enthusiasm for the Islamic Republic had dimmed..." (Kahf 349).
Definition-1:(from Oxford dictionary)
enthusiasm=noun
great enjoyment, interest, or approval
Definition-2:(from LONGMAN dictionary)
enthusiasm=noun
a strong feeling of interest and enjoyment about something, and an eagerness to be involved in it
Own Sentence Using "enthusiasm"
The students show spontaneous enthusiasm to study more foreign language and culture.
11/3/09
Japanese Internment Memorial
On the Japanese Internment Memorial, Ruth Asawa vividly describes the life of Japanese Americans in an internment camp during the 1940s. By creating the memorial, Asawa tried to engrave Japanese Americans' experiences in an internment camp on the memorial, and she wants people to remember the historical incident.
The materials of this memorial is bronze, and its darkness, graveness, and heaviness create a serious and realistic mood around this historical affair even though the memorial is in the city of San Jose and surrounded by buildings.
The internment of the Japanese people in the U.S. started December 7, 1941, which was after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In the name of national defense, President Franklin D. Roosevelt released Executive Order 9066, which intended to keep Americans safe by keeping Japanese Americans away from their territory. Although Japanese people in the U.S. were American citizens and legal residents, more than 100,000 of them were forced to evacuate from their hometowns to an internment camp because the U.S. nation considered them as a threat.
Specifically, during this time, there were many Japanese Americans in San Jose's Japan town, and they ran more than 50 businesses. However, most of the 3,000 Japanese Americans had to leave their homes and relocate. San Jose Mercury News reported that Japanese Americans were held in the gymnasium of San Jose State University before they moved to an internment camp.
On the memorial, Asawa describes the scene in which Japanese Americans evacuated their hometown to an internment camp by a train. The train runs across the left side of the memorial and tells the story of their parting. The tall observatory soars on the center of the rectangular shaped memorial, and it generates a sharp and harsh mood over an internment camp. Around the observatory, there are the scenes of Japanese Americans' daily life in an internment camp. Some scenes tell that they get together in the Japanese style room and make a tight community. Also, there is a description that children play around the observatory. Their faces are full of smiles, and it tells that children are innocent even under the severe conditions. The vicious wire fence covers the top of the memorial, and it keeps Japanese Americans inside of an internment camp and isolates them from the outside world. The bronze monument includes details of each scene, and its fine work brings out even the sounds of people in the scenes.
Ruth Asawa, who is a famous Japanese American artist, started researching Japanese immigration to the U.S. and how their internment affected their lives in Santa Clara County when she began creating memorial. Many people from the community contributed to her to create such a great memorial by telling their stories and memories. There are family crests on the memorial, and those families experienced the internment. She spent almost a year and half finishing sculpting everything on the memorial, so she put all her effort and passion to leave a memory of the Japanese internment for the future generations. As long as Asawa left such a powerful and influential memorial of Japanese Americans' harsh experience, I hope that something like the Japanese internment will not happen again in the U.S.
sources:
1) Japanese-American Internment Camps
http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/camp.html
2) Ruth Asawa Lanier. Inc.
http://www.ruthasawa.com/index.html
The materials of this memorial is bronze, and its darkness, graveness, and heaviness create a serious and realistic mood around this historical affair even though the memorial is in the city of San Jose and surrounded by buildings.
The internment of the Japanese people in the U.S. started December 7, 1941, which was after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In the name of national defense, President Franklin D. Roosevelt released Executive Order 9066, which intended to keep Americans safe by keeping Japanese Americans away from their territory. Although Japanese people in the U.S. were American citizens and legal residents, more than 100,000 of them were forced to evacuate from their hometowns to an internment camp because the U.S. nation considered them as a threat.
Specifically, during this time, there were many Japanese Americans in San Jose's Japan town, and they ran more than 50 businesses. However, most of the 3,000 Japanese Americans had to leave their homes and relocate. San Jose Mercury News reported that Japanese Americans were held in the gymnasium of San Jose State University before they moved to an internment camp.
On the memorial, Asawa describes the scene in which Japanese Americans evacuated their hometown to an internment camp by a train. The train runs across the left side of the memorial and tells the story of their parting. The tall observatory soars on the center of the rectangular shaped memorial, and it generates a sharp and harsh mood over an internment camp. Around the observatory, there are the scenes of Japanese Americans' daily life in an internment camp. Some scenes tell that they get together in the Japanese style room and make a tight community. Also, there is a description that children play around the observatory. Their faces are full of smiles, and it tells that children are innocent even under the severe conditions. The vicious wire fence covers the top of the memorial, and it keeps Japanese Americans inside of an internment camp and isolates them from the outside world. The bronze monument includes details of each scene, and its fine work brings out even the sounds of people in the scenes.
Ruth Asawa, who is a famous Japanese American artist, started researching Japanese immigration to the U.S. and how their internment affected their lives in Santa Clara County when she began creating memorial. Many people from the community contributed to her to create such a great memorial by telling their stories and memories. There are family crests on the memorial, and those families experienced the internment. She spent almost a year and half finishing sculpting everything on the memorial, so she put all her effort and passion to leave a memory of the Japanese internment for the future generations. As long as Asawa left such a powerful and influential memorial of Japanese Americans' harsh experience, I hope that something like the Japanese internment will not happen again in the U.S.
sources:
1) Japanese-American Internment Camps
http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/camp.html
2) Ruth Asawa Lanier. Inc.
http://www.ruthasawa.com/index.html
11/1/09
Word of the Week #9
Source:
I found a word "frowning" from a book titled, "the girl in the tangerine scarf" by Mohja Kahf.
Sentences:
"She could easily picture those in the Dawah Center-her own mother and father, for example-frowning and turning away from Seemi and her family" (Kahf 334).
Definition-1:(from Oxford dictionary)
frowning=adjective
frown=verb
crease your forehead to show displeasure or concentration
Definition-2:(from LONGMAN dictionary)
frowning=adjective
frown=verb
to make an angry, unhappy, or confused expression by moving your eyebrows together
Own Sentence Using "frowning"
She stood frowning at the closed door for a long time.
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