Blog Homework 4: What do you want the government to do??

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your blog comments last week. They were very enjoyable to read. You all had many reasons for liking autumn. Hiroki, Yasuhiro H., Yurika, Ayata, Yoko, Akihiro, Kaori, Narifusa, Hikari, Shiho, Toshiro, Yuri and Yasuhiro T. all said they loved food available during autumn. Hiroki, Yasuhiro H., Chisato, Takaaki, Hikari, Toshiro, Yuki and Yasuhiro T. said that they enjoy the cool and comfortable autumn weather. Many of you also like the atmosphere of autumn: the air, the sounds, the smells, the wind, the sky and the moon (Ayano, Hikari, Chisato, Saki, Yuki, Kousei, Toshiro, Ayano, Saki, Naoya and Yurika). Akihito and Narifusa like travelling during autumn, Takaaki likes climbing mountains, Ayato, Reiji and Yoko like playing sports and participating in sports festivals, and Hikari likes sleeping in autumn. Natsumi said that she likes autumn events, but she was the only person who doesn’t like autumn! I like autumn, but actually I agree with her. Autumn can feel a little lonely.

You all also have many things that you’d like to do this autumn. Many of you (Naoya, Kousei, Yukie, Ayato, Yoko, Reiji, Takaaki, Shiho and Toshiro) are looking forward to catching up on your reading. Kousei, Toshiro, Yukie, Yoko, Hideaki, Kaori and Shiho all want to go travelling and see the colorful maple leaves. Hiroki, Yukie, Yasuhiro Hl, Akihiro, Yuki and Yasuhiro T. are looking forward to playing sports, and Yukie, Yasuhiro H., Yoko, Kaori and Kousei are looking forward to eating delicious autumn foods. Shihori would like to do some cooking and to try preserving foods. Yurika would like to experience Halloween. Yuri wants to watch some movies or dvds. Akihiro wants to get his license so he can go traveling. Hiroki, Yukie and Natsumi are looking forward to the school festival. And, Ayano, Toshiro, Hikari and Chisato are all looking forward to seeing the meteor shower. This was last night, wasn’t it? I hope you all managed to see it!! Have a great autumn!

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Okay, on to this week’s blog topic. As you all know, in August this year there was a general election in Japan, and the Democratic Party won office. Some people say that the Democratic Party won because many people were sick of the Liberal Democratic Party and wanted a change. Others say that people were moved by the Democratic Party’s “manifesto” and their promises and vision for social change in Japan. Whenever I turn on the TV these days, I constantly hear people talking about the Democratic Party’s new policies, for example ”こども手当て－Child Benefit Payments”, “高校無料化－Free high school education”, “高速道路の無料化－Toll-free highways”, “税金のムダづかいを無くす－Eliminating wasteful use of taxpayer’s money”, etc etc etc.

In this week’s blog, I want you to answer this question: What do you want the government to do? In other words, what kind of policies do you want the government to introduce? Any ideas are okay!! Please share your opinions!!

Here's my idea: In Japan we must make “welfare pension” (厚生年金), “national pension plan” (国民年金) or “mutual pension” (共済年金) payments every month. I too have to pay nearly 30,000 yen every month for this!! In my country, Australia, we don’t make “welfare pension”, “national pension plan” or “mutual pension” payments. Instead we have “superannuation” (退職年金？？) and it is compulsory for all workers to pay superannuation payments every month. Also, the company we work for also has to pay some money to our superannuation fund. The main benefit of superannuation is that the money you pay comes back to you, and people generally use this money to live off of when they retire. There is also an “age pension” (高齢年金) given to people 65 years and over who need it. This is funded by the government’s “general revenue” (一般歳入). Anyway, I wish Japan would introduce a “superannuation system” like my country, Australia. (Read this for more information about superannuation in Australia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superannuation_in_Australia)

So, please write about 150 words by next Tuesday midnight. Please read the blog entry of the person who wrote before you and give them a small comment. Also, please try to read as many of your classmate’s blog entries as possible.

Have a great week and enjoy the school festival,

Kris

Blog Homework 3: Autumn has arrived...

Hi everyone,

Thanks for writing your blogs. It was interesting to read about your opinions on children having mobile phones. And I was surprised to see that most of you disagree with children having mobile phones! 11 people think it is a good idea for children to have mobile phones, while 15 believe that it is not necessary.

Hiroko, Ayano, Yukie, Ayato, Yurika, Kumiko, Yoko, Shihori, Kousei, Yuri and Yasuhiro H. all believe that children should have mobile phones. They had various reasons for thinking so. Hiroki, Ayano, Yukie, Ayato, Kumiko, Yoko, Shihori, Chisato, Yuri and Yasuhiro H. noted that having a mobile phone is important for children for safety reasons. If children have a mobile phone, they can call their parents in the case of an emergency. So, parents can also feel peace of mind, knowing that they can contact their children anytime. Ayano and Yukie noted that mobile phones give children more chances to communicate with people, and Yukie said that it could be a good learning opportunity for children. Very rightly, Yurika, Kousei, Saki and Yuri argued that if parents are careful with mobile phone settings and teach their children how to use them properly, then it is quite safe for children to be given mobile phones.

On the other hand, Akihiro, Naoya, Natsumi, Yasuhiro T., Kaori, Takaaki, Hikari, Toshiro, Narifusa, Shiho, Hideaki, Chisato, Yuuki, Saki and Shotaro are all against children having mobile phones. One of the major reasons why Naoya, Natsumi, Kaori, Yasuhiro T., Takaaki, Hikari, Toshiro, Narifusa, Shiho, Hideaki, Chisato, Yuki and Shotaro are against children having mobile phones is because of the associated dangers. There are many dangers related to mobile phone use, such as losing communication skills, getting caught up in internet crime and also various health concerns. Akihiro, Natsumi, Yasuhiro T., Toshiro and Yuki are also concerned that children may waste their time and miss many opportunities if they are given mobile phones. Naoya worries about children become over dependent on their mobile phones and Takaaki and Shotaro warn about the high cost of having a mobile phone.

Personally, I think I’m also against children having mobile phones. It doesn’t really seem to be necessary, and is just another distraction in a world where there are already enough distractions, like TV and the internet. Actually, when I was a child there were no mobile phones!! However, if I were a parent, I would probably want my child to carry a mobile phone when going to and from school. In the past there were many public phones around the place, however now most have disappeared because of the spread of mobile phones. So, if my child wanted to contact me urgently, they may not be able to do so without a mobile phone. Anyway, it was very interesting to read your ideas. Thanks.

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Okay, now on to this week’s topic “autumn” (or “fall” in Northern America). Well, as I’m sure you’ve all noticed, it has gotten colder recently, and it’s getting darker earlier at night. It seems that autumn has arrived. Personally, autumn is one of my favorite seasons, both in Japan and in Australia. I love the deep sky and the cool wind that we can experience during autumn. In Australia there is nothing special that people do during autumn. But in Japan, you have many special things that you can enjoy, such as seeing the beautiful colored maple leaves (紅葉), and eating delicious autumn foods. Also, it seems that people in Japan like to travel, read books, play sports or enjoy the arts during autumn. I was very surprised to discover this when I first came to Japan.

Anyway, in this week’s blog I want you to write about the following things:
1. What do you like most about autumn?
2. What do you want to do this autumn?

As always, aim for around 150 words, and don’t forget to write your name. Also, please remember to leave a comment/message to the person who wrote before you. And, if possible, try to read as many of your classmates’ blog comments as possible. The deadline is midnight next Tuesday (20th October).

Best of luck, and have a good week.
Kris

Blog Homework 2: Is it okay for children to have mobile phones?

Hi everyone,

First, thank you very much for writing your blogs last week. It was very interesting to read about your summer holidays. I think there were some common patterns to people’s summer holidays.

For example, Hiroki, Akihito, Chisato, Naoya, Takaaki, Hikari, Narifusa and Saki all studied for their drivers’ licenses. Some people were successful, but others weren’t. Keep trying!!

Nearly everyone went back to their hometown: Hiroki, Yukie, Ayano, Yurika, Chisato, Akihiro, Narifusa, Shiho, Yasuhiro T., Takaaki, Hikari, Kousei, Yuri, Toshiro, Kaori, Shotaro, Yoko and Ayato (but his hometown is Shimonoseki!)

Yukie went overseas to Qingdao, and Yasuhiro H., Naoya and Toshiro all travelled within Japan. By the way, Yukie, why did you go to Qingdao. Was this for 国際インターンシップ?

Yasuhiro H. (baseball), Ayato (tennis) and Toshiro (futsal) all participated in sports matches.

Finally, Akihito, Yasuhiro T., Shotaro and Hikari all worked during the summer holiday.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday!! It sure sounds like it.

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For this week’s blog, I want to hear your opinions about “children using mobile phones”. Last night I saw this online news story about children using mobile phones (video: http://media.theage.com.au/opinion/national-times/too-young-for-a-mobile-phone-772184.html?&from=strap, article: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/are-kids-becoming-phone-addicts-20090615-c9s2.html). Some people say that it’s good for children to have mobile phones, because their parents can always know where they are. But other people say that mobile phones can be dangerous for children. Some children may become “mobile phone addicts”. Some children may use their phones too much and get expensive phone bills. Recently there was a similar debate in Japan, with Osaka talking about banning mobile phones at elementary schools. What do you guys think?? Is it good or not good for children to have mobile phones? Why? Please share you opinions in about 150 words!! Also, please read the blog of the person before you and give them a small comment. Finally, try to read as many of your classmate’s blogs as possible! Please write your blog comment by next Tuesday (13th) MIDNIGHT!

Best Wishes,

Kris