Be Trained and Get Employed

This article is based on Newsweek's article entitled "Corporate Learning", September 20, 2010.

They will mold you. They will improve your skills. Push you to reach your best, for you to become the best employee they can have.

Big companies are on it. They're establishing universities and institutions focusing primarily this very same goal: to equip the "learners" with the necessary knowledge and skills to produce employees that can somehow be 'perfectly fitted' for their own company.

This, in itself, is actually not a bad thing. They help much people develop multinational corporate skills and can be a great help for career advancement and financial freedom and security. But, unlike the traditional learning institutions, these corporate campuses established by the said big companies do not grant degrees. They only provide you with the necessary things appropriate for your any future position in their establishment.

Unlike traditional universities, corporate campuses generally do not grant degrees (though many partner with tradional colleges that do), concentrating instead on short-term immersion courses tailored to enhancing particular careers and business disciplines.

Job seekers and aspiring employees are turning to these corporate campuses.

Today, corporate colleges are considered the fastest-growing sector in higher education.

More than 4 million individuals are studying at a company university where by some estimates enrollments may soon outnumber those of traditional universities.

Some traditional learning institutions (and many do) may have somehow failed with their primary purpose, but they are to be blamed totally. Many factors might have influenced the lack of knowledge and skills students may have acquired from his years of studying. But, it sometimes depends on how the teachers encourage the students to learn.

In some countries, where traditional classroom education has failed, companies find themselves teaching reading and writing.

One superior advantage of enrolling in these corporate campuses is the individual company's advanced technology. They do not, in any way, double-mindedly provide you with the necessary things to equip you should they be secured that you will be a loyal employee , and will serve the company for long period of years.

But what really stands out is the curriculum. Young engineers undergo a program equivalent to an advanced computer-science degree.

They also teach you many practical things which you can never meet inside a traditional university's four walls.

You can go to business school and learn about global-supply-chain management and leadership. What is not easy is to learn about ways that are applicable to your business.

In a time when companies are often pioneering technology and innovation, there are things that no school can teach.

Taht is why, probably, they can not afford to hold back some of the company's secret information and innovations to those that have the greatest potential. It is an investment for them. Great minds are what they need. Each of them is aiming forward and upwards. And they're there to bring you to the peak of your own potential, molding you in their own unique way.

Infosys picks bright but often poorly trained recruits and turns them into world-class techies on its own campus.

The advantage here in the employee's part is that he's already got the skills, the ideas, and the experiences. And if given the opportunity, if they have desired in their heart to start their own, they can. But not necessarily as a competitor of their previous company who poured to them almost everything they have to know.

Never Underestimate Onions

ONIONS! I had never heard this!!!

PLEASE READ TO THE END: IMPORTANT

In 1919 when the flu killed 40 million people there was this Doctor that visited the many farmers to see if he could help them combat the flu...

Many of the farmers and their families had contracted it and many died.

The doctor came upon this one farmer and to his surprise, everyone was very healthy. When the doctor asked what the farmer was doing that was different the wife replied that she had placed an unpeeled onion in a dish in the rooms of the home, (probably only two rooms back then). The doctor couldn't believe it and asked if he could have one of the onions and place it under the microscope. She gave him one and when he did this, he did find the flu virus in the onion. It obviously absorbed the bacteria, therefore, keeping the family healthy.

Now, I heard this story from my hairdresser. She said that several years ago, many of her employees were coming down with the flu, and so were many of her customers. The next year she placed several bowls with onions around in her shop. To her surprise, none of her staff got sick. It must work. Try it and see what happens. We did it last year and we never got the flu.

Now there is a P. S. to this for I sent it to a friend in Oregon who regularly contributes material to me on health issues. She replied with this most interesting experience about onions:

Thanks for the reminder. I don't know about the farmer's story...but, I do know that I contacted pneumonia, and, needless to say, I was very ill... I came across an article that said to cut both ends off an onion put it into an empty jar, and place the jar next to the sick patient at night. It said the onion would be black in the morning from the germs...sure enough it happened just like that...the onion was a mess and I began to feel better.

Another thing I read in the article was that onions and garlic placed around the room saved many from the black plague years ago. They have powerful antibacterial, antiseptic properties.

This is the other note. Lots of times when we have stomach problems we don't know what to blame. Maybe it's the onions that are to blame. Onions absorb bacteria is the reason they are so good at preventing us from getting colds and flu and is the very reason we shouldn't eat an onion that has been sitting for a time after it has been cut open.

LEFT OVER ONIONS ARE POISONOUS

I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, Makers of mayonnaise. Questions about food poisoning came up, and I wanted to share what I learned from a chemist.

Ed, who was our tour guide, is a food chemistry whiz. During the tour, someone asked if we really needed to worry about mayonnaise. People are always worried that mayonnaise will spoil. Ed's answer will surprise you. Ed said that all commercially-made mayo is completely safe.

"It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really necessary." He explained that the pH in mayonnaise is set at a point that bacteria could not survive in that environment. He then talked about the summer picnic, with the bowl of potato salad sitting on the table, and how everyone blames the mayonnaise when someone gets sick.

Ed says that, when food poisoning is reported, the first thing the officials look for is when the 'victim' last ate ONIONS and where those onions came from (in the potato salad?). Ed says it's not the mayonnaise (as long as it's not homemade mayo) that spoils in the outdoors. It's probably the ONIONS, and if not the onions, it's the POTATOES.

He explained onions are a huge magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions. You should never plan to keep a portion of a sliced onion.. He says it's not even safe if you put it in a zip-lock bag and put it in your refrigerator.

It's already contaminated enough just by being cut open and out for a bit, that it can be a danger to you (and doubly watch out for those onions you put in your hotdogs at the baseball park!). Ed says if you take the leftover onion and cook it like crazy you'll probably be okay, but if you slice that leftover onion and put on your sandwich, you're asking for trouble. Both the onions and the moist potato in a potato salad, will attract and grow bacteria faster than any commercial mayonnaise will even begin to break down.

Also, dogs should never eat onions. Their stomachs cannot metabolize onions.

Please remember it is dangerous to cut an onion and try to use it to cook the next day, it becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse stomach infections because of excess bile secretions and even food poisoning.

Please pass this on to all you love and care about.

— with Adonain Danny Rivera.

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♥   source   ♥

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The South Koreans

One Saturday, while I was cleaning the room, I saw some National Geographic journals dated 1980's. I had no intention in reading them, but I checked the featured articles written at the side of each journal. The last two topics in the August 1988 issue attracted me the most.

South Korea // Kyongju

So, after I finished arranging all the stuffs, I immediately went to the bed and started reading the article. It really gave me a lot of information about one of the nations I am most curious about. It talked about the history, the people, and their culture.

Whenever I read about the Confucian classics, Korean scholars, and Joseon dynasty, I could not help but remember the Korean drama, Sungkyunkwan Scandal. It's a nice drama, by the way.

So, I am just going to post some parts in the article. Some of the things might not be true anymore, since there is already a huge change from 1988 to 2012.
But this was about the South Korea 24 years ago.
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THE SOUTH KOREANS

by BOYD GIBBONS
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SENIOR STAFF

Their nation's dynamic economic growth is shadowed by recurring civil discontent.


♥ Koreans are preoccupied with appearances, especially for foreigners, and they are not comfortable with saying precisely what they think or how they feel.

♥ Centuries of Confucian culture and rule have layered an authoritarian hierarchy on Korean society -- ruler over subject, parents over children, husband over wife, elder over younger. Only friends are equals. Status is reflected even in the language, with different verb endings for a higher person to use when talking to a lower, and the reverse.

♥ South Korea's economy is dominated by big conglomerates, or chaebol -- Daewoo, Hyundai, Samsung, Lucky-Goldstar -- wired to the government by money and connections.

♥ "In Korea, nobody respects businessmen because, historically, doing business was low-class, and they weren't well-educated. Now they are. Before I die, I want to see businessmen respected as much as professors."
- Kim Woo Choong
the founder and head of Daewoo (defunct)

♥ "Koreans won't settle for second best. They don't think compromise. They want to win 100 percent."
- Jack Ward of General Motors in Seoul

♥ "I've worked in Brazil, Mexico, Europe. I've never seen people work as hard as Koreans. They make the Japanese seem lazy by comparison. They can also be hardheaded."
- Allen Patrick of Ford Motor Company

♥ Modern Korean society seldom reflects the Confucian ideals of serenity and calm. Koreans are intense, visceral, impatient, fractious, raucous.

♥ They touch a lot; men squeeze your knee to make a point, walk arm in arm, shove past you on the sidewalks, shoulder ahead to be first in line, and drive as if pedestrians and other cars are targets.

♥ This is a man's world, and they're out late every night singing, carousing, and drinking like fish.

♥ Men with status strut on their heels, chest out, arms parenthetical -- "Out of my way!"

♥ Every Korean has a group of lifelong friends toward whom loyalty is as important as affection. "Qualifications are not nearly so important as what province you come from or what school you attended," an American banker observed.

Family:

♥ The family is the preeminent influence in everything Korean. Koreans rarely divorce. A divorced woman is socially scarred, has trouble finding a job, and has few rights over her children.

"This is a male-oriented society. If the mother wants to take her children overseas, she has to get her former husband's consent. But he can take them without her consent. Our entire society considers divorce a disgrace." - a woman lawyer

♥ "Although I was Western-educated, I have never told my wife 'I love you'. You don't express those emotions. If you hear a couple talking that way, you know their marriage is in trouble." - Professor Moon

♥ Korean women are looked upon as men's servants and washed up if still single at age 30. A married woman is not supposed to have male friends.

♥ In the past, women were not permitted outside the home after dusk, and today few Korean men encourage their wives to work.

♥ Korean mothers run the home, raise the children, and manage the money, investing in real estate, stocks, and especially in the informal women's saving groups called kye.
"Middle-class Koreans," an envious American had said, "have more money in the bank than either you and I would dream of having."

♥   ♥   ♥

♥ "Grabbers" -- the professional toughs of the riot police.
Grabbers travel light: running shoes, color-coordinated windbreakers and helmets, and open-fingered gloves for grabbing, with a coarse padding over the knuckles so punches won't slip. They are expert in tae kwon do, the Korean martial art -- and they seem to enjoy using it.

♥   ♥   ♥

Their belief:

First unified in A.D. 668 by a predominantly Buddhist kingdom, Korea was dominated by a Confucian dynasty from the late 1300s until the Japanese occupation of 1910. By the 1880s Protestant missionaries were introducing modern education, agriculture, and medicine. At night the cities glow with red neon crosses on thousands of churches.

"By 1970 we had three million Christians in Korea." Dr. Suh Kwang Sun is a professor of theology at Ewha Woman's University in Seoul. "Now there are some ten million. Why? Buddhism had been pushed into the background by 500 years of the Choson dynasty, which had become impotent and corrupt. Koreans needed a new value system that would match the invading Japanese. Christianity became an enlightening force among Koreans, a sanctuary. Today we never know when the North Koreans will attack. So where do you get comfort, assurance? The church. Koreans have lost their communities in this rapid industrialization. The churches give the uprooted courage and confidence to work diligently to become the newly rising middle class."

♥   ♥   ♥

Education:

South Korea has one of the world's highest percentages of citizens attending college.

Like the Japanese, Koreans drive their children to study in order to pass the exams to get into the top schools, such as elite Seoul National University.

Most high-school students don't make it to college, and of those who do and graduate, many have difficulty finding work.

"From junior high through high school," a professor said, "the children are studying until 2 a.m. to pass those exams. Parents have little time to see them."

"Students who fail the entrance exams feel they've failed life," his wife said.

In any year a high-school graduate can apply to only one university. If his examination grade is too low, he waits until the next year, head down in a cram school.

In this rote-learning, exam driven milieu the cram schools are a big business.

♥   ♥   ♥

♥ Among all Koreans, there is a powerful nationalism -- with racial pride humming in the veins -- and though older Koreans may look West with gratitude, students usually do so in anger.

♥ "They are so proud of their culture and history, so proud of being Korean. A very optimistic people."

- Professor Hong Sung Chick

former director of the Asiatic Research Center at Korea University

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31 Ways to Get Smarter

I found this article in Newsweek magazine, and it's really interesting. Those of you out there who are readers of this magazine, I bet you've already read about this. ^_^

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Brain training to sharpen memory. Aerobic exercise to preserve gray matter. Meditation to hone connections between reason and emotion.
It all sounds great, but there's something that has long bothered us about the growing number of studies pinpointing ways to buff your brain: they don't go far enough.

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READ STUFF.
LEARN NEW LANGUAGES.
MASTER CHESS.
Zone out.
Getting a bigger brain is easier - and more fun - than you think.

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1) PLAY WORDS WITH FRIENDS

Alec Baldwin is onto something. Research shows word puzzles can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and dementia, so don't feel guilty whiling away time with the popular smartphone game. Just make sure to turn it off when you fly ...

2) EAT TURMERIC

A common spice in Indian and Thai curries, this gingerlike root contains curcumin, which may reduce the risk of dementia. Just be tidy: in India, it is also used as an orange-yellow dye.

3) TAKE TAE KWON DO

Or dance. Or play squash. Look for an activity that raises your heart rate and requires a lot of coordination, says John J. Ratey, Author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. Even homebuddies should be able to find a brain-boosting sport with interactive-game technologies like Microsoft Kinect and Nintendo Wii Fit.

4) GET NEWS FROM AL JAZEERA
Don't shut yourself out from new ideas. A 2009 study found that viewers of Al Jazeera English were more open-minded than people who got their news from CNN International and BBC World.

5) TOSS YOUR SMARTPHONE
Like, in the garbage: constantly checking your email disrupts focus and saps productivity. And go offline from time to time by installing Freedom, Internet-blocking software that lets you concentrate on the task at hand.

6) SLEEP. A LOT.
Take a nap, then get to bed early. Harvard research has shown your brain continues to process memories even after you've gone to sleep, so you can recall them better later.

7) DOWNLOAD THE TED APP
The world's greatest minds gather annually at TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conferences to explore the cutting edge of issues like brain mapping and prenatal intelligence. If you can't attend, download the TED app for iOS and Android.

8) GO TO A LITERARY FESTIVAL
Are Los Angeles, Wales, and Jaipur places you've always wanted to visit? Well, they all have major annual book festivals, so buy a ticket at the right time and learn a thing or two from big-shot authors like Tom Stoppard and Jennifer Egan as you travel.

9) BUILD A 'MEMORY PALACE'
A trick for quick recall: associate the thing you want to remember with a vivid image. You may not have the patience to build a "memory palace", but at least get a sense of such techniques by reading Joshua Foer's Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything.

10) LEARN A LANGUAGE
Mastering a second language gives a workout to your prefrontal cortex, which affects decision making and emotions. Enroll in a class, embed in deepest Sichuan province, or simply pick up Rosetta Stone software and teach yourself Latin.

11) EAT DARK CHOCOLATE
It might not boost your IQ overnight, but dark chocolate is reported to have memory-improving flavonoids. And go ahead and pair it with a glass of red wine - another great flavonoid source.

12) JOIN A KNITTING CIRCLE
Whip out the needles and make an awesome scarf. Refining motor ability can bolster cognitive skills. Plus - it'll keep you warm this winter.

13) WIPE THE SMILE OFF YOUR FACE
Experiments have shown that the simple act of frowning makes you more skeptical and analytic in your thinking.

14) PLAY VIOLENT VIDEOGAMES
Yes, you read that right. Various studies have found that videogames quicken reactions, improve multitasking, and reduce hostile feelings after a stressful task. So check out one of these winter's hot sellers - Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or Batman: Arkham Asylum.

15) FOLLOW THESE PEOPLE ON TWITTER
Nouriel Roubini
(@Nouriel): Take in his economic genius - and friend him on Facebook to see photos of his playboy lifestyle.
Jad Abumrad
(@JadAbumrad): His show "Radiolab" is the smartest guide to science and philosophy on the airwaves.
Colson Whitehead
(@colsonwhitehead): The acclaimed novelist is just as insightful and funny in 140 characters.

16) EAT YOGURT
Probiotics are good for your stomach, but studies on mice suggest they are good for your brain, too: mice who ate them handled anxiety better and showed increased activity in sections of the brain handling emotions and memory.

17) INSTALL SUPERMEMO
If you want to commit something to memory, the best time to recall it is the instant before you forget it. The flashcard program SuperMemo helps you catalog that important new data - and then reminds you to remember it at that perfect moment before it slips away.

18) SEE A SHAKESPEARE PLAY
Reading the Bard has been shown to engage the brain more actively than most contemporary texts, but watching him can't hurt either. This winter, go see Titus Andronicus in New York City or The Two Gentlemen of Verona in Washington, D.C.

19) REFINE YOUR THINKING
The brain has two distinct modes of thought, according to Daniel Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow. System 1 is fast and automatic; System 2 is slower and more effortful. Understand these two systems, Kahneman argues, and we may be able to detect our own lazy biases and make better choices.

20) HYDRATE
Sure, every doctor and trainer tells you this, and we will, too; dehydration forces the brain to work harder and may dampen its planning ability.

21) CHECK OUT ITUNES U
Just because you don't live in Princeton doesn't mean you can't audit an Ivy League course. Top-tier schools put their lectures online at iTunes U in everything from ancient philosophy to astrophysics.

22) VISIT MOMA
Not only does it make you look smart, but viewing art has been shown to reduce stress, letting you focus on the things that really matter. This year's must-see shows include Damien Hirst at the Tate Modern (April 4) and Cindy Sherman at MoMa (Feb. 26).

23) PLAY AN INSTRUMENT
Strum chords, tickle the ivories, play a jug. Learning an instrument boosts IQ and increases activity in parts of the brain controlling memory and coordination.

24) WRITE BY HAND
Remember what that feels like? Brain scans show that handwriting engages more sections of the brain than typing. Bonus brain boost: it's easier to remember something once you've written it down on paper.

25) THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE
This time-management method has nothing to do with pasta, but aims to make you productive using nothing more than a kitchen timer. Use it to help work in 25-minute blocks, taking a short break after each; the frequent rests aid mental agility.

26) ZONE OUT
Let your mind wander. A string of studies suggests that zoning out, especially when you don't consciously realize you're doing it, allows the brain to work on important "big picture" thinking.

27) DRINK COFFEE
And don't just drink one cup: women who drank four cups of coffee a day were less likely to suffer depression than women who drank just one cup a week. Other studies have shown coffee to bolster short-term memory.

28) DELAY GRATIFICATION
Studies have found that children who were able to resist a marshmallow placed in front of them turned out, years later, to have higher SAT scores than students who snatched it up. The more successful children didn't necessarily have a natural gift for patience; they controlled their attention by focusing on something else, like singing a song.

29) BECOME AN EXPERT
Master one task you really enjoy and your brain will perform more efficiently when you do it. Chess whizzes, for example, recognize patterns more quickly than amateurs. Expertise is not innate - practice, as the old saw goes, does make perfect.

30) WRITE REVIEWS ONLINE
Anyone can be a critic on the Internet - and you should too. When you like or hate something, review it on Amazon, Yelp, whatever. Typing out your opinion will help you to better understand your own thinking.

31) GET OUT OF TOWN
Life in a big city can drive you to distraction, writes science journalist Jonah Lehrer. Spending just a few minutes on a crowded street impairs memory and self-control, as your brain processes all the stimuli. So plan a weekend getaway: getting in touch with nature helps the brain to recover.

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♥   (｡◕‿◕｡)   ♥

Wishing Stars (Inori Boshi ~ いのり星 ~)

June 1, while I was watching NHK World, the show was about these LED orbs. One professor in Tokyo University said that while they were riding a helicopter around Tokyo with his wife, he could see the beauty of the city with the lights of the buildings, and thought that it looks wonderful. But he noticed that there was an area that was dark and somehow void. He realized that was the river. So, he said that people should also treasure the river.

And this Inori Boshi shows that the rivers are something we must treasure.

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These Inori Boshi were made by Panasonic. It uses LEDs which saves energy and also rechargeable through solar power (solar-powered lights).

And one thing I like with this is that it automatically lights when you put it on the water.

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Pupils from Kototoi Elementary School helped recharging these Inori Boshi before they officially put these on the river. They brought the lights on the rooftop (of their school, I think), allowing these to gain energy and recharge from the sun.

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May 6, when they put the Inori Boshi on the river (including the pupils from Kototoi Elementary School and some other people), many people watched and were really amazed by the view. (I think that was a festival, Hotaru Festival?). Some of them were interviewed, and one said, "I wish for everything to go well for us."

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And honestly, even though I only saw it on television, it really looked great. And my wish was that I was there, too, watching the amazing view of the river lit up by those wishing stars.

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♥   (｡◕‿◕｡)   ♥