30,000 tonnes of food "wasted"

I founfd this news on BBC!

The giant supermarket Tesco has revealed that 28,500 tonnes food waste were generated in their store and distribution centers. Despite this supermarket has been struggle with this problem not to produce any waste, it does not go well. This store stated they want to make a change in their store.

After finished reading, I thought of the case of Japan, because the Japan wastes the largest amount of waste in the world. Therefore, Japan is worse than this company. When I worked some restaurant, I astonished the amount of it. The stores created so much amount of waste everydays. It is really "Mottainai"!! this word is kind of Japanese spilit toward the feeling of throwing the food in vain. But unfortunetly, I have no idea to solve this problem. It is because, the stores can not manage with holding enough foods, so they tend to stck more and more food to attract the customer. The bad thing is to throw the food without any hesitation when these foods don't reach the shelf-ife.

Question!
* What is your norm to choose fruit or vegitables?
* What do you think aboout the waste of food?

Starbucks Marketing Price in China

 I read this article about the worldside coffee chain Starbucks.
 The company is now expanding its market especially into China, but the prices of drink are about one-third more than at a Starbucks in Chicago because of the blind faith of local consumers in Starbucks in the country.
 I love coffee though I merely go to Starbucks. Some college students and people tend to think where they go as a cafeteria is Starbucks in spite of many others. Sometimes, I use such cafes to have a coffee break, but I don't stick to Starbucks; however, some of the consumers do. I think that the strategies in China are working well because there has to be such customers in the country as well. After reading this article, I kind of got interested in how marketing prices differ depending on sales places. I hope coffee prices in Japan are not so expensive though.

Q1: Which cafeteria do you go to? Why do you choose it?
Q2: What do you know is sold in higher price than the raw price in Japan?

School aims to give biracial kids a place to ‘be themselves’

I found the article on children who have a Japanese mother and a foreigner father (especially an American father) in Okinawa on Japan Times.

A special school for mixed children was established by their mothers in Okinawa. Though it provides good education, there are some problems; finance, poor official supports, the range of ability among children and unorganized working environments. Moreover, those children need to take strong Japanese education to live in Japan.

I have never heard any stories that mothers built a school for their children by themselves. Therefore, I was really surprised to read this article, and I thought that managing education by themselves must be effective to learn what they actually require. On the other hand, I also thought that Japanese government or local education committee should back them up. However, as I read the article, I got a little confused about the importance of Japanese education for them. Learning English means learning their background for them, so it would be important. However, they need to acquire Japanese abilities to adapt themselves to Japanese society. 

Now, I want to ask you about mixed children.

Do you think that it is difficult for them to go to the same school with Japanese? Why?

Do you think that children must concentrate Japanese education to work in Japan?

World's best airports to sleep in

I found a interesting article on cnn.

According to this article, something we can do at the airport is not only shopping but also staying to wait our flights. Essential criteria for sleeping is "the four C's: comfort, convenience, cleanliness and customer service. The best airport to sleep at is Singapore Changi Airport which is the top for 17 years. The worst one is Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

It is important that we can stay and sleep at the airport because if the flight started early in the morning, I have to go there before midnight due to the train schedule. In Japan, the Narita international airport is not good for sleeping at because around a convenience store is closed until the midnight and we can stay at only a lobby. Also there are neither any shower rooms nor beds to sleep. It is not so comfortable that we get tired. On the other hand, the Shin-Chitose airport provided a spa and bathrooms perfectly. As the article said, the Inchoen airport is very beautiful and convenience. I think all of the airports should be provided bed rooms and shower rooms, if so, travelers could go at the midnight easily. I often use some airports as a trip so it will make me happy.

In addition, I have 2 question here: Which airports do you think most comfortable? What things make the airport comfortable?

Facebook allows teenage users to post publicly on site

I found this article on BBC.

Facebook will allow users under 18 to post publicly on the site, in response to user’s requests. Facebook’s directors decided it for teenagers to improve the experience on Facebook. However, there are concerns about abuse, so the default of sharing is set as “friends” to remind anyone can see their post.

Until reading this article, I did not know that users under 18 were allowed to share posts only with “friends of friends” on Facebook. Besides it, I did not know children under 13 cannot use Facebook, so I was surprised how much care Facebook took with privacy of young people. Losing the limit of sharing posts is a chance for teenager to communicate with indefinite people and to know various kinds of news in the world. But there are some crimes which are committed through SNS such as Facebook, so I think users should remember their posts can be seen by anyone, and consider whether they will share their post.

Questions:
・What do you think about the change(Users under 18 can post publicly on Facebook)?
・Have you ever shared something on internet sites? What contents did you share?

1.6 Million Dollars Legacy

 Have you ever bought so much expensive things on the internet market or antique shop before? Me neither!
So today I found an interesting.... and quite rich news on Japan Times website.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/20/world/titanic-bandmasters-violin-is-sold-for-record-1-6-million-at-auction/#.UmSzdphTCSo

This article says the violin which was used by the bandmaster in Titanic has sold 1.6 million dollars on Saturday by a figure collector. The bandmaster's name is Wallace Hartley, the one victim of Titanic's disaster.  It was originally gift from his fiancee Maria Robbinson and mede in Germany. Unfortunately,  this instrument is not able to be used because this is corroded.

Titanic tragedy is now well-known by us by the popular movie. I guess this accident brought human beings how the ship must be built, and I want to pray for them. Anyway, I cannot image what can I do if i had 1.6 million dollars. Maybe I won't buy this kind of legacy,  but I want to go traveling abroad, like Germany. Also,  I wander that how this violin was left. It cannot be played already because of rotten from long time ago. Moreover, this article doesn't say who had been keeping this one. If I can, I want to see this violin a t once in my lives.

So I want to ask you guys
1.What kind of things do you pay 1.6 million dollars for?
2.What a thing have you ever amazed at the most?

Well, this is the song said that Wallace played during the ship sinking,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwLl5nY5WPI

Peace you.

Where is the best city?

I found this news on CNN.

Every year, the world's best cities are chosen by readers of magazine as Readers' Choice Awards. This year, 16,000 properties were chosen by 1.3 million people. The results are different between each year, and this year, Bruges and Cape Town tied for 11th.
  

According this article, the top cities are changed every year. Actually, I’m not familiar with some top cities that ranked and I don't know about the top city, San Miguel de Allende, so I searched about it and I found some pictures. They were really good, for example, the cathedral. About the other cities, Japanese historical city, Kyoto was tied for 14th place. I think Kyoto is one of good places and many foreigners visit there, so it is natural to be selected as a good place. There is information not only the best cities but also the top hotels and resorts, and top airlines. I think it is interesting to compare with the results of the past.

I have questions for you.

1.    Have you ever been to these top cities in the article?

2.    What do you think is the main point that cities have chosen as the best?