Educational testing

Most of people who want to study in higher education that they need to test which is conducted by government. Also they might be had a special experience whether it is good memory or not. In my experience, it dated back two decades. Like others, I was nervous those kinds significant exam before it begins from one years ago. It is more serious than religious ceremony. In addition, I was not good at such kind of special test even though it might decide one’s life.

First of all, educational testing has a disadvantages and advantages too. One of the disadvantages of educational testing is that it might be wrong to evaluate the testers who want to attend the university class. In other words, test will make the school as wrong place. School should teach many different subjects such as history, geography, ethics and so forth. However, in Korea many high schools have been focusing main subjects such as mathematics, English and so forth. It led to the public school as preparing place (Hak-Won) instead of real school. It causes serious burdens to the parents who have a prospective tester in terms of economic, social, even relationship among other family.

Second, another disadvantage of educational testing could not evaluate test-takers ability well. For example TOEFL(Test of English as foreign language) test try to identify people who study in abroad. However, it has some weakness such as lack of reliability, validity, and authenticity. Therefore people who got a high score in TOEFL cannot communicate well in university. Even those kinds of international test made a mistake. In other words, test cannot always explain everything.

In conclusion, educational testing should measure with many different ways for students who want to higher education. For example writing essay test is very effective way. If it can standardize with an appropriate way, it will be powerful method.

What is human being?

Human being is kinds of animal who can think, create and innovate in many positive ways for their history. In other words non-human being cannot do easily those kinds of activity. Given these facts, human being can develop their unique culture and community. In addition, doing those things can make human being more flourish than non-human being in terms of knowledge, art, culture and romance. However, some era of human history could not improve too much because of severe disease, war and so forth. In contrast, non- human being may think and innovate sometimes; however, they did not progress or a bit compare to previous ancestor. In addition non-human being uses tool for their convenience such as twig. It happens by chance. In another case, Nonja that had fed by caretaker in Austria, we can assume differently in her painting. She made a several “surprising” painting. Nevertheless, comparing to ten-thousand year ago, it seem to be same way with their intuition. Some people will argue those things; however, it could not accept generally. Also some animals can create their society almost human-being level such as chimpanzees. In conclusion, most differences between human being and non-human being is that the human being are developed by their discretionary decision. Again non-human being just survives with their severe surroundings.

What is magic?

According to the bunch of dictionaries magic is defined that the power to use supernatural force to make impossible thing happen, such as making people disappear or controlling events in the nature. From couple of thousands years ago, we have used magic a different place with different intentions. First, some religious group intend to use magic as strong evidence toward the god. Second, magician has ever had a treatment the people who had believed the power of magic. Given the history, some people who are fancied toward the magic which is dealt regard true. We can assume that those era people can easily believe such kind of belief. On the contrary, scientist can support their theory with scientific ways. I am certain that magic is unbelievable itself. However it does not change too much even modern technology society. In other case, many people have enjoyed the magic in many ways such as Disney world, entertainers, witchcraft, and even harry porter series. In addition, some people emphasize the magic as a secretive art which attempts to master supernatural forces in order to produce visible thing. Although this may be true, it cannot be justified by science. In sum, magic has a progressive debate though; we should live by rational way.

Is your mood affected by the space that you are in? If so, how?

I am glad to continue my blog again. Last term was challenging to me, definitely how can I manage this Blog? Thanks to Peter who is teacher in AUA, I have learnt many things that I have never had a blog before. I hope that any comment, idea and so forth please let me know. This is writing assignment by John who is my teacher.

In writing class today, I have talked with Sa who is my classmate. I had to give a question “how is your mood affected by the space that you are in”? She answered it that was very interesting to me because my concept toward that question is almost same as like her. When she has been a place where is crowded, She felt annoy. I would not like to ask exactly, why the place does her make badly. In my perspectives, this is attributed by personal characteristic. She says that she likes beach, mountain a sort of remote place where is not messed up. In addition she has never been nightclub, pub and so forth. I am personally certain that most group as Sa’s age willing to enjoy those places. Again, I had visited those places infrequently; however my mood is a stable condition sometimes even though I cheered up by myself. After I read the “Symbolic System and Meanings” on page 12, I thought about relationship again. In the reading I found out some ideas there as follow: first, a close distance among the people does need a close relationship. For example, after I had finished a soccer game with co-workers I felt a good feeling often. Because we already allowed each other personal distance by game rules then we did not feel about it. In summary, we should respect each ethnic background, personal preferences and cultural bias. Again understanding those things is quite useful a global era.

What, if anything, should be done to protect small, local retailers from the expansion of large chain stores throughout Thailand?

Given, the benefits of free market competition and customer discretion, the expansion of large chain stores should be legalized in Thailand. First, Keith Blois, who argues in his dissertation “Retailing in Bangkok an intriguing example of agglomeration” that the Thai government would not want to protect the retailers shows that some retailers want to operate together in large chain stores in Thailand. Furthermore, the retailers have learnt from large chain stores such as Lotus, big C and Top supermarket, which have executed customer satisfaction, sustainable competitive strategies and a service attitude toward customers. If government can keep a free-market system between large chains and retailers, the latter shall learn from free market competition such as a price policy, customer’s value and marketing policy. From the above the retailers will know what they have to implement, even though the retailers have a small sized shop. Considering this, the government shall support temporarily the retailers; however, they will lose their competition in the market if the retailer could not adapt market value. I am certain that these kinds of policy can not last forever for the retailers because customers want to support price-merit rather than other factors. Secondly, many customers shop in accord with their needs, wants and concerns. In other words, if the retailers did match customer’s needs, wants and concerns, customers will shop in large chains. One example is convenience which is a vital element for people who are busy. Again, this is a core value of customer discretion regarding customer interests. Although the government might give some disadvantages to the large retailers such as limited opening hours, or a tax burden, people in Thailand want to maximise their utilities in terms of time saving, money and even convenience. In conclusion, the government needs to find alternatives for the retailers such as self-survival strategies, cooperation with small and even large chain stores, service quality and good customer relationships too. Adapting to new trends itself has pros and cons; however, the root of economic growth should come across with retailers who are the economic blood in Thailand.

A Life in Poetry

Derek Walcott: A Life in Poetry



Susan P. Alonso
Poet Derek Walcott, 77, received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1992.


Sea Grapes
by Derek Walcott

That sail which leans on light,

tired of islands,

a schooner beating up the Caribbean

for home, could be Odysseus,

home-bound on the Aegean;

that father and husband's

longing, under gnarled sour grapes, is

like the adulterer hearing Nausicaa's name

in every gull's outcry.

This brings nobody peace. The ancient war

between obsession and responsibility

will never finish and has been the same

for the sea-wanderer or the one on shore

now wriggling on his sandals to walk home,

since Troy sighed its last flame,

and the blind giant's boulder heaved the trough

from whose groundswell the great hexameters come

to the conclusions of exhausted surf.

The classics can console. But not enough.

Sea Grapes
by Derek Walcott

Did you enjoy the poet?
first of all, thanks for reading this poet.

Frankly,I did not understand well.

Why i chose this one? i might believe that it has sung poeter's life even my father's.

It might be unreal and old story, however I personally believe that classic works is eternal even human' life is just second.

Seize the day "Joon thought"

Almost 10 years ago, sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh was interviewing poor people in Chicago about unemployment when he noticed something: Many of them seemed to spend more money than they earned each month.

That's because they were doing odd jobs, working off the books.
He ended up writing a book out of his research called Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor.
Venkatesh says there's a huge amount of economic activity taking place in the inner city that isn't reflected in official government statistics about income and employment. He says this underground economy enables a lot of people survive — but it also exacts a toll.
His research continued when he moved to Columbia University in New York.
A few years ago, Sudhir Venkatesh was talking to a vendor at a newspaper kiosk in Harlem. Venkatesh realized that he'd somehow torn the pants he was wearing.
"And the guy said, 'Well, why don't you go to my friend who's a tailor on 117th Street, and tell him that your cat keeps creeping up your leg.'
"And I said, 'Well, hi, Joe sent me and my cat keeps creeping up my leg.'
"And he said, 'Oh, OK,' and he takes me in the back where there's another whole store that's completely off the books. And I pay in cash, and I get treated fairly and it's completely off the books."
Venkatesh returned to the vendor and ask more questions.
"And he said, 'Well, do you need someone to clean your apartment? Do you need someone to fix your car? Do you need a Social Security card? Do you need a plane ticket to Haiti? What do you need?'"
Venkatesh tells the story to illustrate how big the underground economy is in neighborhoods like Harlem. Outsiders come into the inner city and see only unemployment and idleness, but many people are working off the books. Some of this is criminal — drug dealing and prostitution — but much of it exists in a kind of moral gray area.
Sharelle, 43, lives in subsidized housing in Harlem. She hasn't had a job in years – but she works all the time. She runs an after-school day care in her apartment, where children are laughing and playing cards. She also looks after an elderly woman in her Harlem neighborhood twice a week.
"I do the housekeeping, clean her bedroom, do the kitchen," said Sharelle, who didn't want her last name aired.
Sometimes she gets a few extra dollars helping her neighbors fill out state tax forms or babysitting. If Sharelle reported this income to the government her rent would go up, so almost all the work she does is under the table.
"Miss Hinxson is off the books, their mother is off the books, the little girl Courtney that I went to pick up is off the books," she said.
Venkatesh says there are countless people like Sharelle in the inner city, scraping by on odd jobs. They make and sell box lunches at construction sites, or fix cars in an alleyway. Venkatesh admires the entrepreneurial drive of people like Sharelle.
"These are flexible entrepreneurs who have enormous skills, and will go where the market takes them," he said.
But Venkatesh says there's also a big downside to the underground economy. Because this kind of work is unregulated, people can't go to the authorities for help when they need it. That means there's no one to resolve disputes.
"There's no government that's enforcing contracts, so you have to simultaneously solve the disputes you have, to simultaneously create the norms and expectations for what's fair and what's right," he said. "You may have to go out and punish people who don't pay you or don't deliver a good or service."
In that kind of environment personal relationships matter, even more than in the mainstream economy. In Off the Books Venkatesh writes about the complex web of loyalties and obligations that hold up the economy in a neighborhood in Chicago. He gives the neighborhood a fictitious name but it's a real place. Venkatesh spent years there trying to get people to open up to him about how they made money. Harvard sociology professor William Julius Wilson, who served as Venkatesh's dissertation adviser, says the book reveals a world most Americans know little about.
The book just does an outstanding job of providing information on the way people have top make ends meet and how people survive," Wilson said. "And the importance of using different strategies."
Off the Books portrays a neighborhood where economic need blurs the lines between legitimate business and criminals. A beauty parlor rents out its space to drug dealers to run dance parties. A pastor lends money to help start a gypsy cab service.
It's also a world where business owners cooperate with one another to a surprising degree. They lend one another money and workers, and swap information about money-making opportunities. Venkatesh talks about a pastor he met who ran a school janitorial service. He was given the chance to take a contract in another neighborhood — one that would have brought in a lot more money.
"But he won't do it because it's the ghetto that enables him to survive, and he feels that if he goes out to a neighborhood where he doesn't know anyone, he's not going to have friends, he's not going to have friends who support him," Venkatesh said. "I mean, it's a very peculiar sort of thing to watch."
Venkatesh says that is one of the big downsides to the underground economy. People who work off the books for long periods can end up afraid to leave that world and isolated from the broader economy — which limits how much money they can make. He says that's an issue that society will have to address if it ever wants to bring real growth to the inner city.

Joon thought!

As you know already, many conglomerates has controlled economy all over the world.

Since K.Marx there are pros and cons in terms of money,labour and even national economic system. What did you have a belief people those who worked in odd jobs? It is fair and unfair?

Sometimes they did not pay a tax for government though, Who is cares? If you have a idea please let me know.