Category Archives: April 2015

April 2015

April 18, 2015April 2015The CELOP Sun

American Easter Traditions

April 18, 2015April 2015Easter, HolidaysThe CELOP Sun

Written by Stephanie Ngom

My family celebrates Easter by decorating eggs, doing an egg hunt and eating a big breakfast or brunch. Decorating eggs when I was young was much more difficult. My mom used to make us poke holes in the top and bottom of the eggs and blow the raw egg out so she could use it for cooking later. Nowadays, we just hard boil the eggs. We put them in different colored dye to make fun patterns and mixtures of colors like blue, purple, yellow, red and green. My daughters also enjoy putting stickers and fancy decorations on their eggs, which we didn't have when I was growing up. These eggs are used later for an egg hunt.

Bunny Ears — Here's a picture of my daughter this year with her bunny ears

When my kids were young, I would make a special Easter basket filled with chocolate bunnies, jelly beans and a stuffed animal and put it at the end of their beds. They thought it was the Easter Bunny who left it for them. Then, they would go out into the yard and search for Easter eggs, both the ones we decorated and others that are plastic that you can fill with something. Sometimes I put coins or little candies in the plastic eggs. If the weather is bad, like it is this year, we hide the eggs in the house.

After the egg hunt, we usually make a big breakfast filled with eggs, potatoes and sausage. Sometimes we go out for a special brunch where they have a buffet with all kinds of fun Easter food. If we have family in town, we usually do something special if the weather is nice, like go for a long walk or go for a long drive with a beautiful view. If only the weather would cooperate!

FullSizeRender — An egg I decorated for Easter

Seagull as Heart

April 18, 2015April 2015poetryThe CELOP Sun

by Gwen Bindas
from her book, In This Place (Infinity Publishing; 2004)

Wingspan as it tilts white

In the overcast sky of an early spring morning:

Gulls circle, then descend,

As much motion as cry.

Creatures so far from shore,

They hover, suspended above trolley tracks,

Hubcaps, a crumbling cement barrier.

They dive, trusting, into a cityscape

Devoid of tide and misty horizon.

It’s a curious sort of progress,

To migrate this far from water,

To touch down near the possibility of sustenance

Amid broken asphalt,

Dusty stones, shiny metal stakes.

Gwen Bindas is a teacher at CELOP. Sometimes in Summer is her third published book of poetry.

Interviewing Luke

April 18, 2015April 2015InterviewsThe CELOP Sun

Written by Omar Mandurah

My great teacher, Nora Smith, suggested that I should interview Luke, one of the IT guys. It was an idea for me to try something different, but also because we're both majoring in computer science. This is my first time doing something like this, and I hope I'm not embarrassing myself by writing this article. I wanted it to be casual, but I didn't want it to lose its sense of an "interview". Without further ado, here's a summary of my interview with Luke.

Luke is a senior at BU, studying computer science. He originally started out as a mechanical engineer, then he switched to economics, but now he's studying computer science with a huge focus on mathematics. Of course, there is more to everyone than their major or their job so I asked about his hobbies and interests. Luke has a liking for arts. As a kid, he liked drawing and painting, and he wanted to be a comic book artist or something like that. He also has a keen interest in music. Although he's still a fledgling at it, he enjoys playing the guitar. He likes listening to various types of music, from Rock, Indie, and Country to Electronic and Rap music. He also likes going to the gym.

Luke wasn't always the computer guy. His interest in technology developed in late high school to early college. According to Luke, it was pretty easy getting into all the tech stuff. So if you don't have any previous experience, no need for you to worry.

Luke grew up in Boston, or Cambridge to be more specific. He attended a local, public high school, that is described as a "typical American high school you see in movies", from freshman year till junior year. For senior year, he attended a private high school that was more liberal and artistic.

Luke definitely enjoys being a student at BU. He likes big, urban universities. Although, BU wasn't exactly known as a tech school. To him, it felt like it was more suited for business and communication. His dream school was Columbia University in NY. Luke enjoys working in the IT department at CELOP. "The people are nice," he said, but he doesn't plan to stay there after graduating, as most other students in the department do too. He would love to work in a big company such as Google or Apple, and he loves working with machines, algorithms, statistics, data, and software. He also really likes the idea of educational technology. The first computer he ever used was the original iMac G3.

Luke loves eating out, hiking or playing basketball/racquetball on the weekends. His favorite spot to hang out here in Boston/Cambridge is Harvard Square, and his favorite food is burritos.

Luke is pretty content with his life. He hopes to find a job in software engineering after he graduates from BU. He would like to continue his studies in Masters and PhD, but that'll be for later. I asked him "If you were to work for pleasure but not for money, what would you want to be?". He said that maybe he would open a coffee shop or a restaurant, or perhaps even be a writer. However, he still loves doing things involved with technology and research.

Finally, I asked him if he had been out of the U.S. He hasn't been anywhere too far. Out of the U.S. he had only been to Canada and Mexico. He is having plans to maybe go to Buenos Aires in Argentina for a job opportunity. Luke speaks a little bit of Spanish and he would love to learn more, but he thinks it's a bit quixotic.

That's about it for the interview. My notes weren't very organized so I apologize to Luke if any of the information is inaccurate. I didn't want it to be this boring "Q&A" style interview.

NOTE: IMAGES NOT TAKEN BY ME. ALL FROM GOOGLE IMAGES.

Evening Dress

April 18, 2015April 2015FashionRanda Katib

The dress is designed to have a lot of folds and made with a stretch fabric. It is best for thin bodies because it gives the body a bigger look. This style is popular among young women.

Employees Attrition

April 18, 2015April 2015CareerRawabi Alsuwailem

Employee attrition is a serious issue that causes many problems for the employee and the company itself. The turnover rate is increasing in some companies, especially small companies where the employees feel dissatisfaction for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons are related to the company’s policies and rules, and some are related to the employees' circumstances.

Some reasons to leave a job are low pay, long working hours, a negative working relationship between employee and supervisor, hiring the wrong staff who lack knowledge or are not well educated for the job, lack of training, promotions, and benefits.

Training is very important for new employees and old employees as well. It is good for them whether to improve their skills or gain new ones for their careers. In addition, training plans such as IDP (Individual Development Plan) are very important, especially for new employees; it is a good thing to let them understand their job very well. Also, it helps them to know what they will be in the coming years.

Employees always need to feel safe in their job by having a clear idea about what the rules are, and in which position they will be in the future. Giving employees a very clear job description and scale make them very productive and devoted.

In addition to promotions, job seekers always prefer to have a job with some benefits such as, good allowances, medical insurance, discounts on fitness centers and bonuses.

Low pay is a disappointing thing, especially with long working hours. So, raising the low salary at least 5 percent a year will make the employees pleasant and more active.

Long working hours is one of the strongest reasons for employees to quit their jobs. Some workers are students or have families to take care of, so they can not handle long work hours and maintain quality in their performance. In fact, the best solution for this case is not giving the students a full time job, and cooperating with the employees who have families by creating a good relationship with them from the manager's side.

Negative work relationships between employees and supervisors have an effect on employee morale. It will make them feel under pressure all the time. In addition, it will make them feel distrustful of their supervisors because they know that their supervisors will not give them what they really deserve. Actually, some companies found that trained supervisors are more efficient than the supervisors who just studied general business or have experience in a different field, so hiring the right supervisor for the position is needed.

Recruiting the wrong staff affects company performance. Recruiters have to choose well-educated employees who have a vast knowledge about the department that he or she will work in. Also, they need to consider experience as an important element in the candidate selection process.

Reduction in workforce costs the company a lot of money; it is very expensive. Actually, the high rate of turnover means low production and profitability. In addition, the process of hiring replacement employees is costly. The company needs to pay for the advertisement of vacant jobs,training programs and reserve a place for interviews if there are a lot of vacant positions, such as a hotel hall. However, companies have to be ready for a shortage of employees at anytime. They need to have temporary solutions such as having a number of stand by’s and a data bank of C.Vs.

Lastly, scheduling training programs for employees, promoting them, increasing their salary, motivating them, and appreciating their work, will result in increasing company revenue. It will also create happy and productive employees which will help the company to retain them.

* Photo source:

http://emilybennington.com/leadership/what-do-employees-want/

Restaurant Review: BURGERFI

April 18, 2015April 2015Restaurant ReviewsRina Hirate

Do you want to eat a delicious burgers near CELOP? The CELOP Sun members recommend BURGERFI! This restaurant is on Commonwealth Ave, just a few minutes walk from CELOP.

This burger shop has enough seats to sit down, so you may visit there with a big group and I liked the restaurant's design. It felt fancier than Uburger or Tasty burger. We ordered BURGERFI, Onion rings, and Hand-cut fries.

BURGERFI - my first impression of this burger was that it's small... I thought it was not enough for me because I usually eat a lot . However, look at this Burger, it's double beef! This burger was really meaty. The beef was tender and the vegetables were fresh. I want to eat this again.

Onion rings - have you ever tried such big Onion rings? They are really big and delicious. Additionally, the fries are also very tasty. Not too oily or salty!

Overall, I would like to visit BURGERFI again, and try other burgers. Let's eat tomorrow's lunch at this burger shop!

BURGERFI:

961 Commonwealth Avenue

Boston, MA 02215

Photo credits: Felix Poon

Toronto Visit

April 18, 2015April 2015TravelKatja Alexandra Davidoff

Photos by Maria Tomeho-Palermino Document7 copy

Toronto 3 copy

The Sword and Four Dragons drag Democracy

April 18, 2015April 2015PoliticsSihun Kim

Written by Sihun Kim
Graphic Designed by Sihun Kim

The viewpoints expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not in any way reflect the beliefs and viewpoints of the CELOP Sun, CELOP, or Boston University

Political Issues in Capitalism in Countries in East Asia

The productivity of Japan, a country involved in World War II, was paralyzed. The United States, which occupied Japan, made a plan for the defeated nation to behave as if it was an Alps country of Asia; a peaceful agrarian country like Switzerland. In addition, they prepared a partition plan for Japan with their Allies; the United Kingdom, the Republic of China, and the Soviet Union. However, a war in Korea, (a neighboring country of Japan), which entailed the conflict of the capitalism of the South and the communism of the North made them change their minds about the necessity of making Japan into a strong country and a front line defender of the United States due to the fear of communism. The Japanese industry had been revived by special procurements from the war in Korea. Those responsible for war crimes returned to the political world. Under a strong one-party rule and supporting western countries, the Japanese economy recovered beyond the war period. They held the Olympic games in Tokyo, 1964. They became the model for Asian values. As a result, the four countries which had been influenced by Japan, such as S.Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, turned to dictatorship governments which sought economic development . The page below introduces Japan, also called the Chrysanthemum and the Sword, as well as Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, known as the Asian four dragons. They succeeded in economic growth following Japan.

Japan

After World War II, Japan, one of countries of the Axis of power, had been divided between the conservatives and the progressives in their political ideologies. In spite of the disbanding of the Nazis, the Japanese rightists were able to survive. The damage suffered by western allies was from Germany but not from Japan. Therefore the Japanese politicians weren't punished by the Western countries despite the damage they caused. Nevertheless the Japanese conservatives could not ignore the progressives even though they still had political power. However, after the leader of the progressives was assassinated by a young boy of the conservatives in 1960, Japanese politics began to turn to to the right. After the conservative party had support, civic movements shackled and dissolved. This movement turned out to be an underground-organization. During the dictatorship of the conservatives for 50 years, the movement receded into the dim past by Japanese citizens who had experienced high economic development. During this high-growth period, the government got huge support from Japanese citizens. On the other hand, the government distorted several facts, such as the education of history, territorial issues, and post-war compensation issues. This caused friction between Japan and other surrounding countries. At the time of the 90's during the economic crisis which was called the lost decade, the Progressive Party took over for a short period. However despite that short period, the Liberal Democratic Party was the first party of Japan. Unlike the opposition party, claiming the need to apologize to neighboring countries, the basic position of the Liberal Democratic Party was a consistently contradictory description. In the 21st century politicians, especially those who are right-wing and including the government party, participate in memorial events at Yasukuni Shrine. This facility is a memorial for war criminals of World War II. In addition, the government supported xenophobic organizations by deleting Japanese criminal acts that occurred during the war from textbooks, thereby abolishing the Constitution Article 9 which prohibits the act of aggression to other countries. From this perspective the Japanese government stepped on militarism.

Republic of Korea (South Korea)

South Korea, gaining independence at the end of the World War II, had experienced the biggest political storms in East Asia. In S.Korea, a capitalist government had been destroyed in the war-torn by the invasion of N.Korea. As a result, there could not exist any political ideology except for right-wing conservatism in South. There were three military dictators under the guise of stability in the country. It had been a dark period because plenty of people who disagreed with the government policy had been accused of being spies of N.Korea, so they received the death penalty or served sentences in prison, and the military attacked citizens. However, the first transfer of power from the conservatives to the progressives was done peacefully because of the economic crisis in 1998. S.Korea overcame the economic crisis under the new leaders control, but people wanted a strong leader who could boost the economy instead of a peaceful democratic leader. As a result, a new conservative president ended a decade of liberal rule in 2008. The conservative party however, tried to made public facilities such as airports or public transportation systems their own possessions. This wasteful spending for civil work led to a draining of the nation’s budget. In 2012, the presidential election was took place. 51% of the votes could barely keep the conservative party in the regime, but not much later it emerged that national secret agents and the military had been involved in the election to change the results. The new government had a Seoul city hall official pegged as a N.Korean spy to resolve the crisis in 2013. However he was found innocent because of a document, which was submitted by the prosecution and identified as a fake document. In addition, a ferry accident in 2014 aroused suspicion that a government had been denied an emergency rescue to divert public attention.

Republic of China (Taiwan)

After World War II, the current government party of Taiwan which retreated from mainland China to the Taiwanese islands because the communist party took over . Taiwan is largely divided into a native-Taiwanese group, born on the island and an immigrant group, who came from mainland China. Mostly, there are plenty of immigrants in the government party and plenty of rich people in this group. After the Chinese civil war between the communists and the capitalists, the Chinese capitalist emigrated to the island. The native-Taiwanese had been discriminated against as an immigrant group. At that time, the natives used to say unflattering things about the immigrants from the mainland because it was felt that the immigrants had exploited the natives more than the colonial exploitation policy of Japan. A native Taiwanese resistance in February 28, 1947, also known as the 228 Incident gave much anguish to the Taiwanese because about 20,000 citizens were sacrificed by the military. Martial law had been declared since 1949 and lasted for 40 years. The opposition party had been banned by the law until the 1990’s. The National Assembly had elected a president until 1990. At that time the voting count of the government party was over 95% was quite similar to S. Korea in the military dictatorship period of the 1970's and also the current situation in N. Korea. From 1996 to the present time, because the presidential election system had been changed into a direct election, the government party had taken 50% of the votes. It was a result unlike previous elections, and in the election of 2000, the government party was defeated. It had became the first transfer of power from the government party to the opposition party. In 2008, the government party reclaimed its regime with a candidate who had come from Hong Kong, and his cabinet had operated the pro-Chinese line. However, it sparked the strong citizen opposition, and the party defeated a local election in major Taiwanese cities such as Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, Taoyuan, and Tainan in 2014.

Hong Kong

Until 1997, Hong Kong had been a colony area of the United Kingdom. After 1997, when Hong Kong returned to China, Hong Kong was pledged broad autonomy when it returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula. Therefore, even though Hong Kong was just a small administrative area, they had high autonomy such as a constitution, an administration, and a supreme court. However, as time passed, the influence of the Chinese government increased. First of all, even though a minister of Hong Kong had been elected by an election, the candidates could only be selected in the National People's Congress of China that had been claimed by Hong Kong's citizens. The citizens had demanded a direct minister election, which had not been approved by the mainland government. Finally, the people began a civic movement known as the Umbrella Revolution against the Chinese government and to keep their democracy. The revolution began September 26, 2014, and it continued for 3 months. All Hong Kong universities had joined in this movement, and spread to not only college students and intellectuals but also to regular citizens and high school students. The revolution had been operated as peaceful and it was introduced to the foreign media as the Umbrella Revolution because participants had used an umbrella to cover their bodies from tear gas, which was fired by the police. As time went by, the protesters lost their power, and the movement finished in December 15. Even though the citizens could not get democracy, its ideals have spread in Hong Kong and the government is presently an eyesore in politics. Furthermore, the government party of Taiwan which a co-operative party for the Chinese government had been defeated in a local election in Taiwan. The Chinese government, which had been seeking One China, took a hard-hit.

Singapore

Singapore, one of the colonies of the United Kingdom, is a unique country which is the most successful economically but a failure in democracy. To reference Singaporean politics, it needs just one person. There is a strong man in Singapore who became an attorney in London and became a famous person while he had been attending a labor activity. In 1959, he became a leader of the Singaporean self-government, and he sought to join the Federation of Malaysia, in the hope of helping it survive. However, in August of 1965, Singapore was kicked out from the Federation because the Malaysian government viewed Singapore, where the most population is Chinese, as a threat. Singapore, gained independence by force and decided pursue economic development with a strong rule. As a result, Singapore became an economic leader in East Asia. In addition, Singapore is ranked successfully as one of the places with the lowest crime rates and the lowest corruption rates as compared with other counties. This is mentioned on this page because of the strong social rule such as large fines, flogging, and beyonds common ideas. The Prime Minister of Singapore ruled Singapore for 30 years, and has been accused of being monopolizing the country's wealth. His son successfully gained his father's seat as the Prime Minister as well as riches. Due to these actions, Singapore was sometimes referred to as the rich North Korea. Due to his controlling nature, the country has always monitored the Internet and the media. As a result, they recorded the lowest level of speech freedom rate in the world. Korean dictators have violently put down those who oppose the regime; however, in Singapore, most companies are in his possession, so he already has control. He controls the masses through punishment by using the judicial system of law from the government side and his economic status. He died yesterday, and has been attracting attention and his death may result in changes to the democracy of Singapore.

Recipe – Korean vegetable dishes for spring and Vegetable Bibimbap

April 18, 2015April 2015Food, Korea, Korean Culture, RecipesSihun Kim

Written by Sihun Kim / Rina Hirate

Photo credit by Sihun Kim / Rina Hirate

Spring is really here in Boston. The trees begin to bud, and it became a season to eat fresh green food. Korean people love to eat herbs and vegetables. They especially love to eat Bellflower Root, Bracken, and Spinach. Traditionally, Bellflower root (a root) means ancestor, Bracken (a stem) means parents, and spinach means your descendants. They eat these three dishes to remember and express gratitude for their family including their ancestors.

Sigeumchi Namul (Seasoned Spinach)

Ingredients (4 servings):

1 bunch of Spinach
0.7g Salt
0.5g Soy sauce
1g Minced garlic
0.5g Chopped onion
0.5g Crushed sesame seeds
1g Sesame oil

Directions:

1. Boil water and add salt to taste.

2. Put the spinach into the boiling water for only a quick second in order to sterilize the spinach.

3. Put that spinach into cold water and squeeze the water out of it.

4. Divide the spinach into two bunches.

5. Add salt, soy sauce, minced garlic, and chopped onion to the spinach. Use your hand and mix all of these ingredients together.

6.Finally add crushed sesame seeds and sesame oil and mix well.

Enjoy your Sigeumchi Namul.

Doraji Namul (Seasoned Bellflower Roots)

Ingredients (2-3 serving):

200g Doraji
1 tablespoon Cooking oil
3 tablespoons Water
1 teaspoon Sesame seeds
1 tablespoon Sesame oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1/3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/3 tablespoons garlic

Directions:

1. Put the Doraji in water for over 6 hours in order to remove any bitterness.

2. After 6 hours, if you don't taste any bitterness from the Doraji, remove it from the water. If you still taste bitterness, let it soak another hour.

3. Put the Doraji into the boiling salt water (1/4 cup water + 1 tablespoon salt ). Boil the Doraji for two minutes. Then move them into the cold water.
4. Cut them into 4 cm lengths.

5. Add 1 teaspoon Salt, 1/3 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce. Form them into a ball and mix them with the Doraji.

6. Put 1 tablespoon cooking oil into a pan. Put the Doraji in the pan and cook it on low heat for 2 minutes. Then add 3 tablespoons of water and cover the pan. Cook them for 2 minutes.

7. Open the pan cover and add 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and 1/3 tablespoons garlic.

Enjoy your Doraji Namul.

Gosari Namul (Seasoned Bracken)

Ingredients (2-3 serving)

200g Gosari

1 tablespoon cooking oil
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

1. Put the Gosari in the water for 24 hours a day before you start cooking.

2. Cut them into 4cm lengths.

3. Add 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon salt and mix them.

4. Put 1 tablespoon cooking oil in to a pan and cook the Gosari for 2 minutes with middle heat. Then, add 3 tablespoons of water and cover the pan and stew them for two minutes. Remove the pan cover, cook them for 1.5 minutes on medium heat.

Enjoy your Gosari Namul.

What can we make with these dishes? - Vegetable Bibimbap!

Put only Rice, Korean Hot pepper paste, Sesame oil, and a Fried egg! and mix it!

Mini Quiz!
One day Girl A decided to make Spinach. She put the spinach into the boiling water in order to sterilize it. After she washed it in cold water, she realized that it was not its original green color... She was surprised. What mistake did she make?

1. The girl does not have cooking skills.
2. She washed the spinach before she added it to boiling water.
3. She covered lid while she was boiling the spinach.

The answer is 3.
The reason why the spinach color changed to a greenish-yellow is that spinach causes a reaction with the dye component. However, if you open the lid you can prevent discoloration. Salt will also be effective. Thus, to keep the spinach’s color and taste, open the lid while you are boiling the spinach!