Dongmen Shopping Center

It seems that you were really uncomfortable being inside DongMen. Granted, it is a dirty place. How do you feel knowing that people live in that environment, and children grow up there? What kind of reaction do you have when you see people living in a place like DongMen surrounded by the relative wealth of Hsinchu right outside? What do you think should be done, if anything? How do you think DongMen went from being an operational, thriving shopping center to its current state?

It kind of creeps me out to know that people live back inside that abandoned shopping mall. I think we take a lot of things for granted too. We all live in nice houses with hot water and food to eat when we want it but sometimes we forget about the people that don't have those luxuries. I think being in that environment for the few hours that we were there was enough to kind of make me thankful for what I have. I can't imagine what it would be like to be homeless. It must be very lonely, which is something I am not necessarily comfortable with. Our trip to dongmen didn't only involve homeless people though. Some of those houses were pretty crappy. Again, it just makes me thankful for what I have. As far as what we can do for them...nothing. I mean, I'm sure they are content with the way they are living because they have had so long to get used to it. I don't really think anything should be done. Its impossible to get everyone on the same level. Our society is a hierarchy where we have the high class, which is wealthy and then we have the lower class, which isn't as fortunate. That's just how it is. I'm sure some of the larger companies like SOGO, FE21, Windance, Carrefore and RT mart are the reason the shopping center isn't thriving anymore. How do we know that the shopping center used to be thriving? Honestly, I can't imagine that place being very successful. There are houses and every room is so tiny. The Dongmen shopping center is definitely an interesting place and I'm sure I will wander in there a few times.

River Choreography

The main idea that we can draw from the article is that these large companies in science park are contaminating the world we live in, more specifically, the river. These businesses do their everyday routines in order to be successful business enterprises however they neglect one thing: the well being of Hsinchu residents. I think we can do a routine where we have trash scattered all along the river and we have to do a dance/routine in order to pick it all up. That way we can see the importance of throwing away trash, so we don't spoil the environment. I would suggest doing a scene where we walk through the water but the water in the canal is horrendous. We might be able to use the rocks going across the middle in some neat way. I really think that we should try some sort of trash routine. We can collect a lot of trash and somehow make it into a cool routine where we are dancing (since this is dance class) and picking up trash and throwing it away. I think we would have to incorporate some kind of crawling motion in order to pick up the trash. I think this idea has some potential, but I'd like to hear some other ideas. They might help me finalize my idea or come up with something new.

Cradle to Cradle

McDonough Ted-talk

“Our Goal is a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy and just world, with clean air, water, soil and power- economically, equitably, ecologically and elegantly enjoyed.”

I thought this ted-talk by William McDonough was amazing. The first time I watched it I wasn't that into it but after watching it a 2nd and 3rd time, I came to realize that it is actually pretty good. McDonough really stresses the whole idea of how we design things and takes a lot of factors into account. He said in the beginning of his talk that “design is the first signal of human intentions.” He goes on to question what our human intentions should be and how we are going to accomplish them. I think one of the questions he posed, which was, “How do we love all the children of all species for all time?”, was really good. He then explains how this has to be the first question we ask ourselves when deciding on a design. I could go on and on about this ted-talk but I'm going to control myself and focus on the designing of green buildings.

I think its incredible to see such amazing cities, where sustainability is the number one priority. It is really quite amazing that we can build buildings and still remain green. The things McDonough is working on is remarkable. This ted-talk really made me think of Angus and Jack, who both happen to be in France. Angus is greatly concerned with finding corporations that are sustainable and that aren't notorious for damaging the environment. Jack is very interested in green architecture and making the world a healthier place. I think there is hope, and like McDonough said, ““We see that the companies acting ethically in this world are out performing those that don't.”

This ted-talk also reminded me of the novel Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. The book talks a lot about mother culture and how long ago we split into two groups, the takers and the leavers. I see McDonough's plans for the Chinese cities as a step backwards or closer to the leaver lifestyle. With his ideas we are making the world a better place to live. Another question he asks is, “How can we secure local society, create world peace and save the environment?” I think this is a question we should all ask ourselves and really spend some time contemplating the whole concept. One way we can start is by spreading the word. We can take the initiative and try to be one of the first green schools in all of Taiwan. I could really talk about this ted-talk for another 30 minutes, but I shall stop.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McDonough
http://www.mcdonoughpartners.com/
http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRjz8iTVoo

Hawken Chapter

Connection

Connection between "Waste Not" and SKOSMI

Upon completing “Waste Not” I sat at my desk and tried to remember the most important things I should have taken from the article. I found, after much thought, that this was impossible. This chapter was jam-packed with so much information that I just couldn’t do it. I then began to think about how my internship/senior project could relate to “waste”. How could a sports medicine clinic where the number one priority is helping people have negative impacts on the world? I tried to recall any section that talked about healthcare, and soon enough I came an interesting section. Although the chapter had 14 pages, I am only going to focus on a single paragraph. The first paragraph on page 58 talks about the amount of money “wasted” on healthcare each year. This made me think about how many patients might go in for therapy/massage that don’t really need it. “In health care, $65 billion is spent annually on nonessential or even fraudulent tests and procedures (including 420,000 unneeded caesareans).” That is $65 billion dollars that doesn’t necessarily need to be spent, which is considered wasting. It took me awhile to find the connection but I finally got it.

The paragraph at the top of page 58 made me think about whether or not patients at Shin Kong Orthopedic Sports Medicine Institute could fit into the same boat. I’d assume that they would although the article is mostly talking about people who seek help with obesity, heart disease, and dietary choices.

Another way that “Waste Not” might connect with my senior project is through the materials in which the Sports Medicine clinic uses. What did it take to make the tools and equipment that the clinic uses? How many trees were cut down to make them? How much water was wasted? Does the material include waste products or anything that may be harmful to the environment? These are all questions that I have yet been able to answer. Will I answer them? Yes, of course. I just need some more time in the environment to be able to ask these questions.

There are two ways (at least I think so) that this chapter, “Waste Not”, relates to my senior project/internship. First of all, it talks about the amount of money wasted on healthcare each year, which closely relates to the sports medicine clinic I am working at. Secondly, the chapter talks about the coke can and all the processes that it went through to get to its ultimate stage. I can look at the different sports medicine tools and equipment and do the same kind of thing. Are these materials used at SKISMO environmentally friendly?

I look forward to furthering my understanding of waste and how I can relate it to my senior project.

AP English: James Baldwin's intent for writing "Stranger in a Village."

James Baldwin, throughout the essay, expresses the anger or "rage" that he feels because of white supremacy. During this time period, in Switzerland, blacks were considering "exotic rarities", and when seen were treated as if they weren't human. Baldwin talks about how the children and sometimes even adults would touch his hair just because it was a different texture and wasn't seen everyday. I feel that Baldwin's intent for writing this essay is to express his feelings and beliefs about the way whites once treated blacks. In paragraph 25 of the essay Baldwin tells us that, "This worlds white no longer, and it will never be white again." Black men are no longer considered rarities and are finally accepted into society, as human beings. Baldwin talks about the rage he feels sometimes of the way he is treated.

"There is a dreadful abyss between the streets of this village and the streets of the city in which I was born, between the children who shout Neger! today and those who shouted Nigger! yesterday—the abyss is experience, the American experience." I feel this is a very important excerpt because It expresses the difference between the way blacks are treated in America verses, in this case, Switzerland. Baldwin's main intent is to express this difference and also talk about how blacks should be treated equally.

These are just a few of the main ideas that I got from reading this essay. I think I will try to read it again sometime this week to really capture the meaning of it. Wish I could have been in class to discuss Baldwin's intent, and what others took from the reading.

Western vs. Eastern medicine

Hello everybody! The question I am going to try to explore is, "How does Eastern medicine differ from that of Western medicine?" and "What specific role does Sports medicine play in our society, both locally and globally?" I am really interested in learning about the human body AND sports. What profession combines the two? A sports medicine doctor or Orthopedic surgeon.

I am privileged to have found a great internship opportunity in Taipei with a one of a kind Orthopedic surgeon who specialized in sports medicine. He seems pretty eager to get started and I know I can't wait.

As for how this internship will relate to my senior project, I'd like to compare the way the Western world conducts its medical routines with that of the Eastern world. Once I get my ideas organized I'd like to create a few guiding questions to help guide me along my journey. An example of a question I might ask could be, "Why is health care so expensive in the US, while we can get the same treatment for almost nothing here in Taiwan?"

I am also going to use this internship experience to learn more about myself. Is Sports medicine the field I want to be in? Do I really want to go to Medical school? Will I be happy with my job and at the same time make others happy?

While I am at my internship in Taipei I will be able to watch Dr. Wang ( I think thats his name...) perform medical techniques on his patients. (those with clothes anyway :P). If the doctor is busy I will have the opportunity to work closely with some of his assistants, who I hope speak English! I really look forward to starting my internship next week and will update you guys when I can!


If you're interested in checking out the website for where I will do my Internship, here it is:
http://www.skosmi.com.tw/

HSIP Influence

I began reading this article without any prior expectations or thoughts. I don't know much about the Hsinchu Science Park because neither of my parents work there and I rarely get the opportunity to converse with employees of the Science Park. Another reason I might not know or hear much is because I am foreign and don't speak Chinese fluently. HSIP has to be a big deal. I mean, its considered the Silicon Valley of the east, which is pretty important. I'm curious to know whether or not HSIP gets mentioned on the news often or if things stay behind the scenes.

After reading this article a few things stuck with me. We were asked to pick a topic from the article that most impacts us (as an individual), and I'd have to say the thing that impacts me the most is the amount of pollution these companies are creating outside of the factories. I honestly don't know too much about the science park so there aren't too many things that could affect me personally, probably because I am just unaware. Everyday we must travel outside to get to where we have to be, whether its school, music lessons, downtown, etc. This means that we breath the air that is in the atmosphere at that given time.

After reading this article I finally realize that the air we breath isn't all that clean and fresh. There isn't much we, the people outside of the companies, can do to prevent this either. I mean we could petition and try to get the government to do something about the way these companies are running their businesses but that is hard to do. The government and managers of these companies are all about the money. They want to market their particular cause the best way possible, hoping to make themselves look good. What most people don't know, unless you've read this article, is that these companies are not as good as they may "seem". The 1997 fire at UMC is a great example. The article states that the community overheard that the fire chief purposely chose to deny any sort of toxic chemicals for the sake of looking good, and environmentally friendly. A week or so later the guy was in the hospital, because of those very fumes that he denied being present at UMC. Its amazing to see what lengths people will go just to try and look good. I guess I'm sort of straying from my main idea: what impact the environmental wastes and pollution have on me.

Almost every time I go downtown I have to look into the canal, which is full of filth, trash and who knows what else. I've never actually thought about WHY the canal looks the way it does. Could it be because of these big companies and corporations? I'm really not sure. The companies put far too many toxins and far too much waste into the atmosphere, which we happen to be surrounded by. I think this is one of the biggest problems we face today, Pollution, and its affects on the community. So many people get sick and are sent to the hospital because of this pollution, and who gets blamed? No one! Companies continue producing their products regardless of how much waste they emit and the number of people admitted to the hospital continues to grow. Until the government decides to do something about these problems, we will be breathing in insanitary air. This article really opened my eyes to what is happening around me. Since being in Taiwan I have lost touch with the news and media world, mainly because I cannot understand what is being said. This article, being that it is in english, was very beneficial and I hope we can continue to promote awareness on this very important issue!