What is a good friend?

What is a good friend? A good friend is someone who you can depend on, someone whom you can trust, and someone who you can enjoy the same activities with. First of all, a good friend is someone you can completely depend on. You can count on them to be there for you whenever a problem arises. You can depend on them to be there for you whenever you need them. For example, you can expect your good friend to be there for you if your boyfriend or girlfriend suddenly dumps you; or if you failed an assignment. Since a good friend would always be there to support you. Secondly, a good friend is someone you can trust; a person who you can confide in. A trustworthy friend is someone who you do not mind sharing all your deepest darkest secrets with; and can trust to not to tell others about it. For instance, if you tell your good friend about a boy or girl you have a crush on, you can trust them to not tell others about it. Lastly, a good friend is someone you can enjoy the same activities with. This is a friend you would prefer to go out with as you are sure they would be interested in the same activities as you. This is a friend who has the same hobbies and interests as you do. For example, if you enjoy shopping, you can ask your friend to join you, as they would probably be interested. To conclude, a good friend is several things. A good friend is someone whom you can be dependent on, a person who is trustworthy, and someone who you can enjoy the same activities with. 

Growing Problem: Population

Sociologists have recently found out that the population in poorer countries is growing rapidly than the rich nations. In the United States, birth rates are rapidly declining. However, in developing countries, the population is multiplying faster compared to the developed countries. The earth’s population has increased tremendously during the last hundred years due to advances in the medical field and technical field. Cities have grown due to the increase of population. When the human population increases, the amount of land does not increase. Cities are expanding vertically. Also, with the growing population excess pollution can be created as there will be more people creating pollution.

Increase in population also puts pressure on the developing nations as they have to struggle economically. Another major problem is the problem of resources. There are only a limited number of resources on this earth. It is not enough to support the worldwide population. I believe in order to improve life of humans; the government must control the growing population. I think the government should regulate the amount of children a person is allowed to have especially in countries such as India who have a massive population. Otherwise the growth of world population will result in serious problems which will be difficult to handle. In my opinion, we should act soon on this growing population problem. Social agencies should generate awareness of the growing population problem. I believe this world will become a better place if this problem can be solved.

Article here: 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140920-population-11billion-demographics-anthropocene/

Thoughts on Child Labor

It is 2016 and there is still child labor in the world. To be honest, it is very sad. In some countries in Asia, like India and China, it is relatively common to see children on the street helping their parents to sell items or working in people’s house as a servant. I feel very sad whenever I see children on the streets begging or selling things. I believe those kids should be in school, they should be getting an education. They should not be selling items on the streets or in the marketplace. These children are vulnerable. They are regularly exploited by their employees as they are children. They have no choice but to work to earn a living for their family. I believe everyone has a right to an education.

Knowledge is power.Unfortunately, not all kids are as blessed to get an education. Their parents cannot afford to do so. It is a Catch-22 situation. The children work because their parents cannot afford to send them to school. This results in them not getting a formal education which results in them working for a low-pay job even in their adult life which results in those individuals living in poverty for the rest of their life. The cycle of poverty is never-ending.  If I have the chance in the future, I would like to help those kids. Because I, personally, am really fond of children, so I would like to help them or to teach them if possible. I would like to help them get out of the cycle of poverty. I think everyone has a right to an education. People should not turn a blind eye to child labor; it is a very serious issue. We should all work together and put a stop to child labor.

http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_215170/lang--en/index.htm

Japan as a Tourist Destination

     Have you ever been to Japan? I have not, but I would love to! I have heard that Japan has a lot of famous sightseeing places such as the Himeji Castle, Mount Fuji etc. Since I am someone who loves history and culture, Japan would be a great place for me to travel to. Japan is filled with unique Buddhist temples, pagodas which I would love to visit one day. I hope I save enough money so I will be able to travel to there. I also like the fact that Japan tries to preserve its ancient heritage, unlike some countries which do not do such a great job in taking care of their historical structures. I think it is cool that Japan is a mix of old and new. You have the modern Japan, anime, cosplay etc. And on the other hand you have the traditional Japan with its geisha and traditional Buddhist temples. Cities like Tokyo are modern and high tech; you will see modern buildings in them as well as ancient Japanese traditional architecture. I think it is very beautiful that a country can manage to maintain its ancient heritage while also becoming a modern country at the same time. All countries should try to maintain their traditional heritage and modernize at the same time. I see several countries trying to modernize quickly, and in the process they end up destroying many of these ancient heritage sites. I think that is wrong. I understand that many developing countries like China want to modernize rapidly, so they choose to do so. I firmly believe there should be a balance between the old and the new. It is important for countries to modernize but not in the expense of traditional heritage. 

Thoughts on Climate Change

I believe climate change is a very serious issue and if we do not do something about it quickly, there will be dire consequences. We can feel that the temperature is increasing globally, the weather is becoming erratic. There are droughts in places like California. The monsoon has weakened in India by 10% because of El Niño. To be honest, this is bad news. If the monsoon has weakened by 10 % that will definitely affect the agriculture there. Climate change is affecting people’s lives in unimaginable ways. The article also mentioned that 2014, 2015, and 2016 will be some of warmest years ever. This summer, the temperature in New Delhi, India hit 50 degrees Celsius! That has never happened before!I remember being in India during the summer in my childhood and the hottest it would get was around 45                                         degrees Celsius. It proves that the world is really getting warmer;

it is not just a hoax. I think that the governments around the world should have strict regulations regarding greenhouse gas emissions. I think the government should regulate how much a person should be allowed to drive a month and encourage people to use public transportation. I also think that the government should place harsh restrictions on factories producing pollution. Every time I pass through factories in Taipei or in other cities in Taiwan , I see carbon dioxide being emitted. Carbon dioxide is being emitted all over the world, especially in countries like China which has a huge population and a growing industry.  All I can think about is the air pollution being created. I believe that climate change is a very serious issue, and if we do not do something about it soon, there will be side effects which we are already beginning to see. 

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/environmental-pollution-caused-factories-31217.html