Summary

Last year, employers added 3 million positions. Especially, Business&Professional services and Healthcare created the most staffing positions. Also, last year proved to be a good year for blacks and Latinos looking for work. They saw stronger employment growth over the past 12 months than whites. Economist explains this is because whites usually see larger gains earlier in economic recoveries. The share of black and Latino workers participating in the labor market has increased since last December, while the rate slipped slightly for whites. However, this news is not all good because Blacks and Latinos still have far higher unemployment rates than whites. In addition, the reason young adults employment rate grew is said to be recovery from great recession.

My opinion

I think that racial discrimination is still strongly effect young adults’ choosing jobs. Although more and more Blacks and Latinos succeeded in getting hired compared to that of other years that is because they are more likely to be on margins of whites, according to the economist. Also, Black and Latinos still have far higher unemployment rates than whites. US government should revise the system that White people get higher jobs first and then Black and Latino people get the margin of it. I think this time, just have recovered from great recession is good opportunity to reform the bad habit.

In this TED Talk, the speaker, Ken Robinson questions present education system that focuses too much on language and mathematics and argues that this system deprive the students of their potential creativity. From his experience of traveling around the world, he found that Every education system on earth has the same hierarchy of subjects. At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts. Everywhere on Earth. And in pretty much every system too, there’s a hierarchy within the arts. However, he thinks that dance, which is usually valued less than art and music even in the category of arts, is as important as math. He thinks that this education system is created by scholars and is to make scholars.

Why do we study? To enter university? Why do we study in university? To get a good job? However, no many companies want students who are only good at studying anymore. I think that students who are especially good at and have worked hard on something are strongly needed in this time. Including me myself, students who have been educated like that can do everything of a sort.

When I was a student of junior high school, I focused on studying math, Japanese, English, Science and Social studies and made little of those art subjects such as music, arts because about entering university, I was judged by only Math, Japanese, English, science and social science and I thought those ‘important’ subject are only subjects I should focus on. However, I should have worked harder on those art subjects. Those art subject, I can express others more easily. Those art, dancing, painting, play a music instrument have clear attraction and I can impress others.

The only thing is that interaction among sense of values of various fields make creativity. The more knowledge and experience you possess, the more ideas and expressions by creativity you come up with. Only study music or only study art are not enough to gain the creativity. However, doing everything by yourself is inefficient and not clever.

I think that the best way is that each of student develop the field he/she is good at and making group and sharing information, create something.

For that, I think that schools should ascertain each of the student’s talent first and then educate them to develop the talent further like Ken Robinson speaks in this movie.

In this article, Apple is reported to have routinely deleted songs the customers had downloaded from Apple ‘s competitors’ music stores. Therefore, a class of 8 million iPod owners argued that Apple abused its monopoly power in the music industry to force out competition and they are asking for 350 million dollars.

Summary

Pro-Europe parties secured a big win in an election in Ukraine, with president Petro Poroshenko hailing people’s support for his plan to end a separatist war and pursue democratic reforms sought by the west.  He mentions that majority of voters were in favour of the political forces that support the president’s peace plan and seek a political solution to the situation in the Donbass. President Petro poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk were both taking over 21% of the votes cast from a field of 29 comparing parties.

Reaction

Although Pro-Europe party have secured a big win in an election in Ukraine, I don’t think Ukraine is ready to join EU because many trouble have happened in Ukraine such as Crimean crisis, the crash ofMalaysia Airlines Flight 17 and the war between Pro-Russian and Pro-European.  Therefore, domestic politics are still confused. Even they succeeded to join  EU, they would probably cause a trouble and it might confuse whole EU and the world.  I think that Ukraine should solve the problems happening inside of the country one by one carefully first, and then, try hard to join EU.

I believe in the power of chocolate.

The reason I chose this topic is simply I really love chocolate. Chocolate gives me great courage and power. For example, I was a 3^rd year student in high school and I studied very hard to pass the entrance exam of the university. It was really stressful to study all the time and I felt a lot of pressure to pass the test. Since I had no time to do things other than studying, the only pleasure for me then was eating delicious food, especially chocolate. However tired I was, it encouraged me to continue studying. It made me relax. It helped me a lot. Also, It worked to make me concentrate on studying too. Because of the sugar it contains, eating chocolate before taking test or studying enabled me to concentrate more on the task. I eat chocolate whenever I take tests. Chocolate is like an amulet for me. So I became interested in the power of chocolate.

The power of chocolate is proved scientifically too.

The main effect for people are following.

1, Effective for preventing high blood pressure

One of the polyphenol, ‘Epitecakin’ which is contained in chocolate affects blood vessels and prevents and improvement of high blood pressure.

2, Good for losing weight.

The ‘Epitecakin’ also increases the amount of the muscle and works to decrease the weight.

3, Relax effect

The sweet smell which is unique to chocolate helps us to concentrate and remember. Moreover, the content ‘Teoplomin’ calms the nerve.

4, Good for beauty health

Chocolate contains various well-balanced minerals such as Calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. They have good effects on beauty.

Chocolate has been used as medicines for a long time.

It was said that ‘ If you have one chocolate drink, you can walk all day long without eating anything.’ As to be said like this, chocolate was said to be excellent in analeptic and recovery from exhaustion.

It is for what mashed cacao and was made tabular to have been made and to have been used at the time of Azteca as an expedition of food.

It seems like what we call an instant chocolate just said in now, and was pouring out and drinking hot water.

Although it was told that the Azteca empire had the mighty military strength, possibly the power was brought about with chocolate.

Furthermore, it was combined with various medicinal herbs and also used as a cure-all which is effective against a toothache, alleviation of fever, an arrest of hemorrhage, an indigestion, etc.

It seems that Maia’s people used also for the medical treatment and the sunscreen of a burn the cacao butter which can be taken from cacao.

Now, cacao butter is used as materials of cosmetics products.

Summary

Columbian police have arrested 46 members of the Rastrojos criminal gang in northern Atlantico department. They are accused of extortion from shop owners and selling illegal drugs in the coastal city of Barranquilla. It is said that the Rastrojos have smuggled at least 30 tons of cocaine into Mexico since 2008.  Combating the activities of the criminal bands is one of the priorities of the Columbian government. There are many gang groups which deal with drug smuggling. They are rich and virtually stronger than the government. The same thing can be said in East Asia and other South American countries.

My reaction

My group mainly discussed mainly following two points.　First, “Why are the gangs so strong in Columbia?”I think that they are so strong in Columbia because they are rich because of the profit from smuggling drugs to USA. Since Columbia is close to USA, smuggling drugs to USA must be very popular and it must be sold very high price. Also, they have a lot of weapons that can hurt people.Second, “In most countries, why only drugs are prohibited but Tabaco and alcohol?”In my point of view, these are almost the same because they are all addictive and do harm to our body. The same thing can be said to sugar and other things too. However, drugs are the most harmful and addictive among those. So we should prohibit taking drugs and also take care not to take too much of other addictive things.