Summer vacation is nearly almost over and I have been spending my time in southwest China from August 3 to 21. I have to say dispite all the talk about the Beijing olympics it must really be "Beijing"s olympics and not really Chinas because here in the south you would never really know if or when they are going on as most people are just minding their own business. If you don not have a TV then all the better.

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Have you ever noticed that after eating a meal at a fast food restaurant, you feel hungry a few hours later? Why is that? Are you just plain hungry or is there something in the food that is causing this hunger? If you haven't had the chance to watch the movie, "Super Size Me", click here and watch it now for free!

"Super Size Me" is one man's journey into the world of weight gain, health problems and fast food. It's an examination of the American way of life and how we are eating ourselves to death. Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock unravels the American obesity epidemic by interviewing experts nationwide and by subjecting himself to a 'McDonald's only' diet for thirty days straight. His Sundance award-winning feature is as entertaining as it horrifying as it dives into corporate responsibility, nutritional education, school lunch programs and how we as a nation are eating ourselves to death.

The entire documentary is here for free. Click "Watch film now" here (100minutes)
http://freedocumentaries.org/film.php?id=98

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Since the industrial revolution in this modern age hand-made crafts are a disappearing tradition. Everyone is seeking cheap products that do not last. Tourists are not interested in quality but a bargain. Handmade pottery lives on at the Iroha Studio!

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I just realized today the difference between university/high school students in Japan/Canada and Chinese university/high school students. Japanese/Canadian university/high school students leave there trash around campus/school with the thinking someone else will take care of it later so I do not have to do it or maybe they do not even think about who collects it they just leave it. I was shocked to see one student dump his cup ramen in the sink and did not bother to clean it up, it was disgusting, impossible to use the sink. In China, I have seen students make a mess perhaps a bigger mess than Japanese/Canadian students but the difference here is I was impressed as to how fast they cleaned it up and without assigning roles – they just did it. No one said who did what; it was as though the party continued seamlessly right into the clean-up. That is what I call cooperation. I really think it comes down to who thinks who is responsible / accountable. Chinese students felt everyone is responsible and everyone should participate in cleaning up the mess. Japanese/Canadian students believe it is not mine therefore, I do not have to touch it or it is not my job. Someone else is there to clean up.

Comment! (2) | Recommend! | Categories: responsiblity [t], accountability [t]