Desperate, Sick Indonesians Use Railroad Therapy

Villagers lie on a railway track for an electricity therapy in Rawa Buaya, Jakarta, Indonesia. 

Ignoring the red-and-white danger sign, Sri Mulyati walks slowly to the train tracks, lies down and stretches her body across the rails. Like the nearly dozen others lined up along the track, the 50-year-old diabetes patient has given up on doctors and can't afford the expensive medicines they prescribe. In her mind, she has only one option left: electric therapy. "I'll keep doing this until I'm completely cured," said Mulyati, while an oncoming passenger train sends a current racing through her body. She leaps from the tracks as the train approaches and then, after it has passed, climbs back into position. 

Pseudo-medical treatments are wildly popular in many parts of Asia. There are stories about people who are cured after touching a magic stone or eating dung from sacred cows. These miracles attract thousands, especially in Indonesia, where the health care system is not available to the poor.

Medical experts say there is no evidence that lying on the rails does any good. But Mulyati insists it provides more relief for her symptoms - high-blood pressure, sleeplessness and high cholesterol - than any doctor has since she was first diagnosed with diabetes 13 years ago. She turned to train track therapy last year after hearing a rumor about an ethnic Chinese man, who was partially paralyzed by a stroke, going to the tracks to kill himself, but instead finding himself cured. It's a story that's been told and retold in Indonesia.

Japan's bored audiences turn off TVs

The Japanese, once one of the most TV-addicted people on the planet, are watching less television these days. Daily TV viewing time, which averaged more than five hours in the 1970s, decreased to 3 hours and 28 minutes by 2010, according to the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute. Males aged 10 to 20 are watching less than two hours a day. Meanwhile, program ratings have been going down for most networks, including NHK, TV Asahi, NTV, TBS, Fuji TV and TV Tokyo, despite spikes for major sport events and other special programming.

There are various causes for this decrease in TV viewing. Like other countries, Japanese families no longer sit around the TV watching the same show, as viewers did in the 1960 to 1990s. The Japanese now use other devices for entertainment, including PCs, smartphones and game consoles. But the biggest cause, says Hiro Otaka, a media analyst for the Bunka Tsushin entertainment news services, is that the programs have become boring. "They don't put as much money or creativity into the shows as they used to, so program content has declined," he says. "You have so many of these cheaply made variety shows with comedians, it's hard to tell them apart. Viewers have just become tired of the same thing again and again."

Yakuza Awareness Classes

This August, Police in Fukuoka have started conducting organized crime education and awareness classes at middle and high schools in the prefecture. Prefectural police report that the current cultural tolerance of the yakuza often results in admiration of them by misinformed youth; indeed, many yakuza first participated in gang activities in their formative early teens. The police have therefore created this program to educate middle and high school students about the realities of yakuza life.

The curriculum includes ways of dealing with yakuza confrontations (for example, what to do when approached in the workplace by a yakuza demanding to be payed off), a run-down of how the yakuza make money (through drug smuggling, loan sharking and other illegal activities) and general advice on how not to get entangled in a gang.

Of the 69,000 students who had taken the class before June of this year, 24,000 were asked to participate in a survey. According to the results, 40% had some yakuza presence in their lives. 2% had reported they were even invited to join a gang. 97% of students reported that the classes were easy to understand, and that “they now understood the truth about the yakuza.”

In the space allocated for comments, some reported that there were shootings near their house, and that they were afraid of being hit by a stray bullet.

Seven teachers have a special license to teach the class. They plan to visit 545 public and private schools at least once by March of next year.

Cat cafes purrfect for lonely and childless people

TOKYO —On the third floor of a rather plain looking building in Ikebukuro, there is a small but busy cafe called Nekorobi. Customers do not come here for the food but for the staff, a sophisticated crew of 12 that are as varied as they are beautiful. 

After disinfecting their hands and putting on a specially provided pair of slippers, customers can talk to and play with Sugar, Aisha, Anko and the others for as long as they like, if they are willing to pay.

Nekorobi is one of Tokyo’s ever-growing numbers of cat cafes. Faced with a high cost of living, long working hours and the realities of life in cramped apartments, many Japanese people are unable to keep pets of their own.Cat cafes have increased in number for the Japanese population that is increasingly single and childless, and where loneliness is also a rising problem.

The world’s first cat cafe opened in Taiwan in 1998, but after it became popular with Japanese tourists, Japan’s first cat cafe, Neko no Jikan (or “Cat Time”), opened in Osaka in 2004. There are now at least 39 cat cafes in Tokyo alone, and some are so popular that reservations are required. Because of this popularity, the cats have also become mini-celebrities, starring in magazines and coffee table books.

Anti-Korean Wave in Japan turns political

Despite Bae Yong-joon’s continued demigod status in Japan and K-Pop’s domination on the Oricon charts these days, it seems that some Japanese have had enough of weepy Korean soap operas and Korean idols. 
 

Although the exact numbers vary according to media outlets, Chosun Ilbo reported that 500 demonstrators gathered outside Fuji TV headquarters on Aug 7, ostensibly to protest the broadcaster’s perpetuation of the Korean Wave. 

GIRLS GENERATION appear at MTV Video Music Aid Japan

Popular Japanese actor Sousuke Takaoka, 29, of “Battle Royale” fame first sparked controversy when he tweeted anti-Hallyu sentiments last month. “I’ll never watch Channel 8 (Fuji TV) again,” he said. “I often think it’s Korean TV. Japanese people want traditional Japanese programs.” 

When Takaoka was reportedly dropped from his agency following his Tweets, critics of Korean pop culture and right-wing nationalists organized the rally via the Internet. 

Twitter spread word of the anti-Hallyu charge, which took on a political slant as some protesters whipped out Japanese flags and chanted “Long live the emperor” while others belted out the Japanese national anthem.

Men's life expectancy rises, but women's falls

The average life expectancy of Japanese women slipped 0.05 year in 2010 to 86.39 years, the first decline in five years, but remained the highest in the world, the welfare ministry said Wednesday.

"Last summer's intense heat wave probably took a toll on many physically fragile seniors," an official at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said.

 

Heat stroke-related deaths reached an all-time high of 1,718, with those aged 65 and above accounting for 80 percent of the total. Deaths among the elderly from heart disease and pneumonia also increased — especially last summer — compared with a year earlier, decreasing women's life expectancy, according to the ministry.

Japanese men's life expectancy, however, hit a new high for the fifth straight year at 79.64 years, although the annual increase was just 0.05 year, down from 0.3 in 2009, the ministry said.

Worldwide, the longevity of Japanese women remained the highest for the 26th year running. Women in Hong Kong ranked second with a life expectancy of 85.9 years, followed by French women at 84.8 years.

Japanese men, meanwhile, moved up the global rankings from fifth in 2009 to fourth last year. Men in Hong Kong came top with a life expectancy of 80.0 years, while Swiss men placed second at 79.8 years and Israeli men were third at 79.7 years.

Wedding rings a hot item in disaster zone

Sendai — Sales of engagement and wedding rings have risen sharply at major department stores in Sendai since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Fujisaki, a Sendai department store founded in 1819, said an increasing number of customers have bought rings since the store fully reopened on April 22, with May-July sales rising roughly 30 percent from a year earlier.

 

"I think the disaster prompted people to rethink the bond they have with their partners and to reflect on family," said Yuka Aihara of Sendai Mitsukoshi, which saw April-July wedding and engagement ring sales double from a year earlier after full store operations resumed in April.

Sendai Mitsukoshi's customers are mainly elderly women, but "since the disaster, we now have more couples in their 20s or 30s," said Akira Sato, who runs the store's jewelry section.

At Fujisaki, a young woman who was looking for a wedding ring for her partner said the catastrophe motivated them to get married.

When the quake struck, the woman, who is from the Kanto region, was visiting her boyfriend in Rikuzentakta, Iwate Prefecture, one of the worst-hit areas. It took them four days to be reunited at a shelter, prompting them to tie the knot, she said.

Photos of the Day: 8-22-11

A boulder topped with a pink ribbon and covered in a spray-painted message: "Happy birthday, Isa" sits in the driveway of Isabelle Prevost in Acton Vale, Quebec. The 20-ton stone was left there as a gift by Dany Lariviere, Prevost's ex-husband and mayor of a nearby municipality, following lengthy divorce proceedings. Lariviere joked that his wife had always wanted a big rock (diamond) — and he quipped that this one is, in his words, between 18 and 24 "carat-tons".

Susanne Eman, 32, and her two sons, Brendin and Gabriel, do their weekly shopping trip at the local supermarket in Casa Grande, Arizona. She is trying to become the fattest woman ever. Already 50 stone (318 kg), she aims to reach a whopping 115 stone (732 kg) by guzzling more and more food every day.

The driver of this car tried to find her way out of a traffic jam - only to drive into a lane of freshly laid cement. The driver, believed to be a lawyer, was attempting to perform a U-turn when she made the embarrassing mishap in front of bemused construction workers. She then had to sit in the car while dozens of passing people took pictures of the Lexus GS in Houston, Texas.

Tribesmen work at the Mae Salong Flower Hills Resort in the Mae Salongnok District, Chiang Rai Province, in Thailand

Holidaymakers, most with swimming rings, crowd in a salty swimming pool, locally known as "China's Dead Sea'', as they wait for man-made waves coming to them during a hot summer day in Daying county in southwest China's Sichuan province.

Japanese migrants caught between cultures

THE huge Japanese earthquake and the contrasting fortunes of the Japanese and Brazilian economies have sent many Brazilian-Japanese back to Brazil. 
 
But Japanese with roots in Latin America are finding that despite the economic boom in Brazil, wealth and jobs are yet to trickle down to the poor.

And the unpleasant existence they endured in Japan - discriminated against and ostracised - is often no better in Brazil.

Academic and documentary-maker Kimihiro Tsumura has made a film on these people, trapped between two radically different societies.

As Japan's economy sinks while Latin America's rises, such people are questioning where their future lies. The Japanese government has offered to pay for their tickets out of the country - provided they don't return.
For Professor Tsumura, this policy is unfair. "Morally, it's against human rights," he said. "For the families who choose to take the grant, they can't come back to Japan for three years, if at all. It's just so opportunistic."

The degasegi, as they are known, are usually employed on three-month contracts and are the first fired when there's a downturn. The children are allowed - and in the case of some families, expected - to work in factories from the age of 15.

Several hundred thousand people in Japan have roots in Latin America. They come from a 2.5 million-strong Japanese diaspora based mainly in Brazil. Their life can be a dispiriting process of bouncing between two worlds as the economic circumstances and immigration laws change.

Places to Visit in Japan

Since the March 11 disaster, Japan has struggled to attract visitors back to its shores. Earlier this year, the world watched in horror as the country was hit by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, followed by a devastating tsunami and a nuclear crisis, all in quick succession. The disaster left almost 25,000 people dead or missing, while the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant plunged Japan into its worst crisis since World War II.

As horrifying as the images of these natural disasters were, what caught the attention of many people around the world was the resilience of the Japanese people, who showed courage and solidarity throughout. It is this same spirit of perseverance that has led Japan to launch a campaign to invite visitors back to the country, just five months after the disaster. The Asia Inbound Sightseeing Organization recently invited 25 journalists from eight countries to spend a week in Japan, to help spread the word that the country is back on its feet and ready to welcome guests.

Chiba Prefecture

Located in the greater Tokyo area, Chiba Prefecture has many natural and cultural attractions.

Shinshoji Temple in Narita is the main Buddhist temple in the area, and was built in the eighth century. The temple known is for its fire-burning ceremony, in which people pray for their wishes to come true, led by the temple’s highest priest. Monks are often spotted filing in and out of the temple.

Yamanashi Prefecture

Located in the mountains of Yamanashi Prefecture, Kofu is the heart of Japan’s wine country.

Mercian winery, one of the biggest wine companies in the country, which produces fine reds and whites under the Chateau Mercian label, is open to visitors all year round.

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan, at around 3,776 meters. It’s located around 100 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, on the border of Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures.

Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture

For golf enthusiasts, Yugashima Club Hotel and Resort in Izu city is definitely worth a visit. The hotel and club are set in a secluded area of Izu, and the 18-hole course not only provides a challenge for golfers, but also some glorious views of Mount Fuji.

Trade in Human Hair Booming

The global trade in human hair is soaring and becoming a major industry, according to e-commerce website alibaba.com. Celebrities are increasing the popularity of using real hair to supplement their own. In recent months singer Beyonce, footballer Wayne Rooney and actor Sarah Jessica Parker have all been seen sporting new and more voluminous locks.

Sarah Jessica Parker

Alibaba spokeswoman Linda Kozlowski said: “There's been a huge upswing in hair. The celebrity culture has made hair extensions more popular, and everyone wants hair from India.” Hair stylist Lucinda Ellery explains why: “There is a big religious reason in India for people to get rid of their hair. They get it cut off and give it to monks. Now it's…an economic resource for the country," she said.

Variety of Hair Extensions for Sale

 The alibaba.com website reports a 160 per cent increase in searches for “human hair” in the past year. The USA, China and Britain are the three largest international buyers. Ms Ellery said the rise of social media websites is one reason behind the success of the industry, saying: "It's really driven by things like Facebook and Twitter, tabloids and magazines. Women want to be more and more glamorous, as a result of this big celebrity culture."

Paris Hilton

She added that the cost of human hair is also rising with its demand: "In the last 10 years, it's tripled, doubled and tripled again." Alibaba says blonde is the most popular color because it can be easily dyed to match the customer’s own natural color. It says wavy is the biggest-selling texture, recently overtaking straight hair.

Air-Conditioned Clothes a Hit in Japan

Could air-conditioned clothes be the next big thing? Japanese inventor Hirosho Ichigaya seems to think so. The former Sony engineer has created a company called Kuchofuku (“air-conditioned clothing” in Japanese) to help beat the heat of the Japanese summer. There is a shortage of power in Japan following the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in March. Many offices and schools must not turn their air-conditioning below 27 degrees. Around 1,000 companies in Japan, including Toyota, have bought Kuchofuku for their staff.

Mr Ichigaya started Kuchofuku in 2004 after working on finding more energy-efficient alternatives to air conditioners. He wanted to find a way to reduce global warming. His company is now struggling to meet the orders for his clothes, which have become the must-have item of the summer. All of the clothes have small fans inside them. These make a non-stop breeze and evaporate sweat. Ichigaya said: "People ask me why I would want to wear a jacket when it's so hot. I tell them because it's cooler than being naked.”

Answers: TOEIC # 501

1. A
2. B
3. C
4. C
5. C
6. A
7. A
8. D

TOEIC Part 5 (Test Sheet # 501)

Directions: A word or phrase is missing in each of the sentences below. Four answer choices are given below each sentence. Select the best answer to complete the sentence. Then mark the letter (A), (B), (C), or (D) on your answer sheet.

1. Register early if you would like to attend next Tuesday’s ------- on project management.
(A) seminar
(B) reason
(C) policy
(D) scene

2. Paul Brown resigned last Monday from his position as ------- executive of the
company.
(A) fine
(B) chief
(C) front
(D) large

3. The financial audit of Soft Peach Software ------- completed on Wednesday by a certified accounting firm.
(A) to be
(B) having been
(C) was
(D) were

4. The organizers of the trip reminded participants to ------- at the steps of the city hall at 2:00 P.M.
(A) see
(B) combine
(C) meet
(D) go

5. ------- is no better season than winter to begin training at Silver’s Fitness Center.
(A) When
(B) It
(C) There
(D) As it

6. The recent worldwide increase in oil prices has led to a ------- demand for electric vehicles.
(A) greater
(B) greatest
(C) greatly
(D) greatness

7. Maria Vásquez has a wide range of experience, ------- worked in technical, production, and marketing positions.
(A) having
(B) has
(C) having had
(D) had

8. Tickets will not be redeemable for cash or credit at any time, ------- will they be replaced if lost or stolen.
(A) but
(B) though
(C) only
(D) nor

Answer Key

Photos of the Day: 7-8-11

Photo No. 1

Photo No. 2

Photo No. 3

Photo No. 4

Photo No. 5

Photo No. 6

Photo No. 7

Song: Green Grass Grows All Around

Part 1: HOLE

There was a hole

In the middle of the ground

The prettiest hole

That you ever did see

And the green grass grows all around, all around

And the green grass grows all around, all around

Part 2: TREE

And in this hole

There was a tree

The prettiest tree

That you ever did see

Well the tree in the hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

And the green grass grows all around, all around

Part 3: BRANCH

And on this tree

There was a branch

The prettiest branch

That you ever did see

Well, the branch on the tree

And the tree in the hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

And the green grass grows all around, all around

Part 4: NEST

And on this branch

There was a nest

The prettiest nest

That you ever did see

Well, the nest on the branch

And the branch on the tree

And the tree in the hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

And the green grass grows all around, all around

Part 5: EGG

And in this nest

There was an egg

The prettiest egg

That you ever did see

Well, the egg in the nest

And the nest on the branch

And the branch on the tree

And the tree in the hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

And the green grass grows all around, all around

Part 6: BIRD

And in this egg

There was a bird

The prettiest bird

That you ever did see

Well, the bird in the egg

And the egg in the nest

And the nest on the branch

And the branch on the tree

And the tree in the hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grows all around, all around

And the green grass grows all around, all around

ENDING

And the green grass grows all around, all around

And the green grass grows all around, all around

 =====================================================

Part 1: HOLE
TEACHER: There was a hole
STUDENT: There was a hole
TEACHER: In the middle of the ground
STUDENT: In the middle of the ground
TEACHER: The prettiest hole
STUDENT: The prettiest hole
TEACHER: That you ever did see
STUDENT: That you ever did see
TOGETHER:
And the green grass grows all around, all around
And the green grass grows all around, all around


Part 2: TREE
TEACHER: And in this hole
STUDENT: And in this hole
TEACHER: There was a tree
STUDENT: There was a tree
TEACHER: The prettiest tree
STUDENT: The prettiest tree
TEACHER: That you ever did see
STUDENT: That you ever did see
TOGETHER:
Well the tree in the hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
And the green grass grows all around, all around

Part 3: BRANCH
TEACHER: And on this tree
STUDENT: And on this tree
TEACHER: There was a branch
STUDENT: There was a branch
TEACHER: The prettiest branch
STUDENT: The prettiest branch
TEACHER: That you ever did see
STUDENT: That you ever did see
TOGETHER:
Well, the branch on the tree
And the tree in the hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
And the green grass grows all around, all around

Part 4: NEST
TEACHER: And on this branch
STUDENT: And on this branch
TEACHER: There was a nest
STUDENT: There was a nest
TEACHER: The prettiest nest
STUDENT: The prettiest nest
TEACHER: That you ever did see
STUDENT: That you ever did see
TOGETHER:
Well, the nest on the branch
And the branch on the tree
And the tree in the hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
And the green grass grows all around, all around

Part 5: EGG
TEACHER: And in this nest
STUDENT: And in this nest
TEACHER: There was an egg
STUDENT: There was an egg
TEACHER: The prettiest egg
STUDENT: The prettiest egg
TEACHER: That you ever did see
STUDENT: That you ever did see
TOGETHER:
Well, the egg in the nest
And the nest on the branch
And the branch on the tree
And the tree in the hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
And the green grass grows all around, all around

Part 6: BIRD
TEACHER: And in this egg
STUDENT: And in this egg
TEACHER: There was a bird
STUDENT: There was a bird
TEACHER: The prettiest bird
STUDENT: The prettiest bird
TEACHER: That you ever did see
STUDENT: That you ever did see
TOGETHER:
Well, the bird in the egg
And the egg in the nest
And the nest on the branch
And the branch on the tree
And the tree in the hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grows all around, all around
And the green grass grows all around, all around

ENDING
TOGETHER:
And the green grass grows all around, all around
And the green grass grows all around, all around

Song: " Down in Grandpa's Farm"

I.

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

Down in Grandpa's farm there is a black and white cow.

Down in Grandpa's farm there is a black and white cow.

The cow, she makes a sound like this: MOO MOO

The cow, she makes a sound like this: MOO MOO

II. 

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

Down in Grandpa's farm there is a little yellow duck.

Down in Grandpa's farm there is a little yellow duck.

The duck, he makes a sound like this: QUACK QUACK

The duck, he makes a sound like this: QUACK QUACK

III.

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

Down in Grandpa's farm there is a great big pig. 

Down in Grandpa's farm there is a great big pig.  

The pig, she makes a sound like this: OINK OINK

The pig, she makes a sound like this: OINK OINK

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

We're on our way, we're on our way,

On our way to Grandpa's farm.

Song: "If All The Raindrops"

If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops,

Oh, what a rain that would be!

Standing outside with my mouth open wide,

Eh eh eh eh, eh eh eh, eh eh eh!

If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gum drops,

Oh, what a rain that would be!

If all the snowflakes were candy bars and milk shakes,

Oh, what a snow that would be!

Standing outside with my mouth open wide,

Eh eh eh eh, eh eh eh, eh eh eh!

If all the snowflakes were candy bars and milk shakes,

Oh, what a snow that would be!

If all the sunbeams were bubble gum and ice cream,

Oh what a sun that would be!

Standing outside with my mouth open wide,

Eh eh eh eh, eh eh eh, eh eh eh!

If all the sunbeams were bubble gum and ice cream,

Oh what a sun that would be!