Sometimes when we touch

Another sweet song of today…

I Finally Found Someone

If I am not wrong, this is my second time to post this song. It still sounds beautiful to me.

What’s the most remote spot on Earth?

We live in a technologically advanced and interconnected world. Places that were once almost impossible to reach are now accessible by road systems, waterways and airplane rides. Despite the ease with which we can contact people on the other side of the globe — whether it be through the click of a mouse or a letter in the post — about 10 percent of the Earth is more than 48 hours away, by way of land travel, from the nearest city [/source]. While in recent years it definitely has become easier to reach far away lands, there are many places in the world that remain inaccessible, uninhabited and secluded — in other words, the most remote spots on Earth.

To determine whether a location qualifies as “remote,” you should consider the inaccessibility of the place (how difficult it is to reach the spot) and its isolation (the distance from the nearest inhabited location). In terms of inaccessibility, the point farthest from sea is the Eurasian Pole of Inaccessibility, which is located more than 1,553 miles (2,500 kilometers) from any ocean and is located in northern China. The point farthest from land is Point Nemo, which is in the South Pacific, more than 1,553 miles (2,500 kilometers) from any land mass [source 1="Murrell" language=":"]. Neither of these locations are inhabited by humans.

What’s the most remote inhabited location on Earth? A place called Tristan da Cunha. The approximately 270 residents of this archipelago see a mail ship only once a year [/source]. Tristan da Cunha is located at 37 South and 12 West, 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers) from St. Helena and 1,739.8 miles (2,800 kilometers) from the nearest mainland, the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. Tristan is circular in shape and is about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter with a total area of only about 30 square miles (78 square kilometers). The summer season falls between December and March. During the winter months, the central volcanic peak of Tristan, which rises to a height of 6,594 feet (2,010 meters), is covered in snow. Tristan da Cunha, the main island, is the only inhabited island in the chain. The other islands that make up the archipelago — Nightingale, Stoltenhof, Gough, Middle and the appropriately named Inaccessible — are not populated by humans.

But how did people come to inhabit this remote island chain? And how did they find out about it in the first place?

Tristan da Cunha: The World’s Most Remote Inhabited Island

Today, Tristan da Cunha is certainly off the beaten path and is considered the most remote inhabited island on the planet. But in the 17th and 18th centuries, the archipelago was on the preferred maritime route to the Cape of Good Hope and the Indian Ocean. The islands of Tristan da Cunha were discovered by Portuguese explorer Tristao da Cunha during an expedition to the Cape of Good Hope in 1506. In 1643, the first recorded crew, the Dutch Heemstede, landed on Tristan to replenish supplies. In 1650 and 1669, the Dutch initiated efforts to explore the island as a base but soon abandoned the idea, perhaps because Tristan lacked a safe harbor.

Several Americans attempted to make use of Tristan in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1790, Captain John Patten of Philadelphia used the island as a sealing and whaling base. In 1810, Jonathan Lambert of Salem, Mass., attempted to establish a trading station there. During the War of 1812, American forces used Tristan as a base to defend against British attacks.

While today’s Tristan is off the international political radar, it was at the center of the strategic military scene during the early 1800s. On Aug. 14, 1816, the British military took possession of the island to prevent the French from using Tristan to rescue the deposed emperor Napoleon who was imprisoned on St. Helena, about 1,242 miles (2,000 kilometers) away. The British also aimed to keep Americans from using Tristan as a base again.

Despite this initial political interest in Tristan, the British military soon lost interest in its strategic importance and began to gradually abandon the island in 1817. With the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, routes through the South Atlantic were no longer necessary for trans-Atlantic trade, and ships ceased to pass through Tristan. However, some of Tristan’s original residents stayed on the island, and, in addition to a few shipwreck survivors, they continued to populate the island. Many of their descendants still live on this remote island in the middle of the South Atlantic.

Today, Tristan is classified as a United Kingdom Overseas Territory, and all of its residents are British citizens. The residents of Tristan da Cunha, who live in the settlement of Edinburgh, share just eight surnames [source 1="Weaver" language=":"]. Tristan houses a school, hospital, post office, museum, cafe, pub, craft shop, village hall and swimming pool. The island is financially self-supporting, and residents earn most of their income from fishing and, oddly, the sale of postage stamps. An optician and dentist are sent from the United Kingdom once a year. While there’s no airport on Tristan, cruise ships occasionally visit the island, and crawfish trawlers from Cape Town come to the island about six times per year [/source].

Link: http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/most-remote-place1.htm

Photo by James P. Blair/National Geographic/Getty Images. A man climbs among stumpy tree ferns above Hottentot Gulch, Tristan da Cunha Island.

Photo DigitalGlobe via Getty Images. This satellite image shows Tristan da Cunha Island.

Will DPJ policy push women into work?

By MICHIKO MUNAKATA and NATSUMI MIZUMOTO
Kyodo News

Even before she begins her career, Shiho Umeki, 22, has always planned to reduce her work after getting married, just like her mother before her. That was until the Democratic Party of Japan won the Aug. 30 election.

The change in the political landscape has prompted her to rethink her plans because the DPJ, looking for ways to bankroll its promised generous child allowances, pledged during the campaign to ditch tax deductions for spouses.

Ending the deductions “would be a historic changeover as it will bring about a profound change in women’s lifestyles,” said Emiko Ochiai, a professor of family sociology at Kyoto University.

Along with the DPJ’s vow to let married couples use separate surnames, ending the spouse exemption would give working women a supportive push, experts say.

“I thought after getting married that I would be a housewife working only at an easy pace just like my mother, but will that become difficult?” asked Umeki, a senior at Waseda University in Tokyo. She has been recruited to start working for a drug company next April.

“It means society will change, won’t it?” asked the resident of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, in reference to the DPJ’s plan to do away with the tax deductions.

As a part-time worker, her mother has intentionally kept her income below ¥1.03 million a year so she won’t lose her status as a tax-exempt spouse.

The tax system under which breadwinners, mostly husbands, can claim an exemption for their spouses has been in place since 1961.

The ¥1.03 million income ceiling for spouses compares with an average annual salary of ¥4.37 million for private-sector employees in 2007 — ¥5.42 million for men and ¥2.71 million for women — according to the latest data released by the National Tax Agency.

It is common for wives to work fewer hours than their spare time from housework and child-rearing allows so they can take advantage of the system, which is widely regarded as giving housewives preferential treatment.

The DPJ says it wants to abolish the system under the assumption it has discouraged women from attaining economic self-reliance.

“The current tax system that particularly gives nonworking housewives preferential treatment is problematic and we think it should be rectified,” then DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada said at a news conference Sept. 4.

The party is considering scrapping the tax deductions for both spouses and dependents starting in fiscal 2011, when it plans to fully implement its promised monthly child allowances of ¥26,000 per child after distributing half that sum in fiscal 2010.

Experts say the poor circumstances for mothers to work more hours should also be addressed, such as the short supply of day care services.

The number of children on waiting lists for licensed day care facilities as of April jumped 29.8 percent from a year before to 25,384, a record surge as mothers went looking for work during the economic slump, the welfare ministry said Sept. 7.

“I’m worried about whether I can continue working after giving birth,” Umeki said. “If the DPJ says it will change Japan, I want it to realize reforms that women can say they are happy about.”

To boost gender equality, the DPJ wants to give married couples the choice “at an early date” to adopt separate surnames, according to its policy index for 2009.

Under the Civil Code, couples currently have no choice but to pick either surname, most often the husband’s in light of underlying social pressures, to be legally recognized as married.

“I want the policy to be legislated as quickly as possible,” said Noriko Higuchi, a 50-year-old licensed dietitian in Sendai who has been in a group campaigning for the option since 1991.

“It will require no money nor will it force everyone to follow it, but it would be encouraging for quite a few people,” she said, explaining her own experience of switching to her maiden name 18 years ago as a matter of identity, seven years after being officially registered under her husband’s surname.

Momentum for opening up the option by amending the Civil Code increased in the early 1990s and culminated in a draft government bill in 1996, but since then it lost steam due in part to the recent tendency for fewer people to marry and more women being allowed to go by their maiden names in business, she said. There have also been campaigns by groups opposing the notion of giving couples the choice, she said.

“Many people have already put dual surnames into practice through such possible means as the use of maiden names and unregistered marriages,” said Ayumi Sasagawa, 45, who has lobbied LDP lawmakers to make the change.

“But everyone is fed up with various problems they face in their daily lives just because their names are not legally recognized,” she said.

Link: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090922a4.html

My BMI & Daily Needs

You are a 25 year old woman, 5ft 5in / 165cm tall, with a current weight of 52.0kg. You lead a sedentary lifestyle.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Your BMI
19.1

BMI is a standardized ratio of weight to height, and is often used as a general indicator of health. The “normal” BMI for an adult woman of your height is 18.5 to 24.9. This translates to a healthy weight range of 50 to 68 kg.However, BMI does not take body composition into account. A weight above this range could still be considered healthy if your percentage body fat is less than average. For more accurate determination of body fat levels, consider using a body fat caliper.

Calories Burned

Your Calories Burned
Daily Energy Expenditure: 1861 kcal ( 7792 kJ)

Note: Accurate determination of the Calories you burn can only be accomplished by individual physiological testing. This calculation is merely an estimate that was derived from regression formulas and data provided by these sources:

2002, “Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids,” Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine.

Ainsworth B.E., 2002, January, “The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide,” Prevention Research Center, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, Univ of SC.

In the above table, the Daily Energy Expenditure includes Basal Energy Expenditure (BEE), the energy consumed by daily activities, and the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF).

This estimate represents the total daily Calories needed to maintain your current body weight. To gain or lose weight, you may need to adjust your Calories upward or downward from this amount.

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Recommended Minimum Daily Needs

Your Recommended Minimums
Total Carbohydrate	130.0	g
Dietary Fiber	25.0	g
Linoleic Acid	12000.0	mg
Alpha-Linolenic Acid	1100.0	mg
Protein	42	g
Vitamins
Vitamin A	2333.0	IU
Vitamin C	75.0	mg
Vitamin D	200.0	IU
Vitamin E	15.0	mg
Vitamin K	90.0	mcg
Thiamin	1.1	mg
Riboflavin	1.1	mg
Niacin	14.0	mg
Vitamin B6	1.3	mg
Folate	400.0	mcg
Vitamin B12	2.4	mcg
Pantothenic Acid	5.0	mg
Biotin	30.0	mcg
Choline	425.0	mg
Minerals
Calcium	1000.0	mg
Chromium	25.0	mcg
Copper	0.9	mg
Flouride	3.0	mg
Iodine	150.0	mcg
Iron	18.0	mg
Magnesium	310.0	mg
Manganese	1.8	mg
Molybdenum	45.0	mcg
Phosphorus	700.0	mg
Selenium	55.0	mcg
Zinc	8.0	mg
Click on nutrients for best sources

Here is an estimate of your minimum daily nutrient needs, based of the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) established by the Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine (IOM)…

Click here to update individualized Daily Needs preferences with these values.

Note: The above recommendations are only estimates of your minimum needs, and do not take into account any illness or genetic individuality. These recommendations are specific to women between the ages of 19 and 30, and may differ from the standardized Daily Values used on nutrition facts labels. Some of the nutrients included in these recommendations are not yet tracked by NutritionData.com.

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Recommended Macronutrient Distribution

Your Recommended Ranges
Carbohydrate: 45 to 65% of total Calories
Fat: 20 to 35% of total Calories
Protein: 10 to 35% of total Calories

Note: These recommended ranges for macronutrients are based on your age and come from the IOM

Dating Tips: 9 Ways to Make Your Relationship Last

1. Delineate “yours,” “mine,” and “ours.” If you have finances that should be placed in each of these three categories (for example, you have an inheritance and he has a savings account he accumulated before the marriage, and you also have a checking account to which you both contribute), have an upfront conversation about those assets and what belongs to whom. Moreover, talk about your time away from “together” activities, like he wants to bowl with the guys on Tuesday nights and you want to attend your yoga class on Wednesday. Respect these important delineations. Doing so will make the relationship stronger.
2. Carve out time to be together. Sure, you’re busy working and attending meetings, but how important are those things if your relationship falls apart? Make time to do things together that you both enjoy. This could be anything from grocery shopping to taking in a movie. Take regular vacations together — at least a couple of long weekends and, better yet, a couple of long vacations (more than a weekend jaunt). Commit to a weekly date night and make it as unbreakable as that all-important staff meeting at work.
3. Take care of yourself. Spend time every day on your appearance and your physical well-being. Work out regularly, eat healthy, and stay fit. Not only will your partner like looking at you, but you’ll feel better about yourself.
4. Make sure communication goes both ways. Many relationships fail because of misunderstandings. Effective communication skills are necessary if your relationship is going to survive. If there is a hint or vibe that your partner is disconnected or you are unhappy about something, do not ignore those signals or feelings. Approach your mate and suggest an open discussion. You may be frustrated, angry, or hurt and so may he or she, but always stay calm and reasonable. Your goal should be to resolve differences, and the only viable way of doing so is through open and direct communication.
5. Criticize gently. Don’t judge too harshly. If you criticize, do so in the same way you would want others to criticize you. Be kind and considerate.
6. Never stop courting one another. Gifts, compliments, and a loving embrace go a long way, especially when they are a surprise. Send unexpected greeting cards, slap a Post-It note where you know your mate will find it, keep those flowers coming in a “just because” way. Treat your partner with the same courtesies you did when you were dating. A terrific mindset is to pretend you are trying to win your partner all over again.
7. Keep the flame burning. Keep your romance alive despite the chaos and craziness life can present from living in the midst of sheer reality. Resolve to offer up romantic suggestions for your partner’s pleasure, even if only occasionally, like cooking her favorite meal when you know she’s had an impossible day, or entice him into a bubble bath with you just for the fun of it. Little gestures like these from time to time can ensure that the flame you once had burns forever.
8. Spell out your terms of endearment. Call out the expectations for one another in the form of the “terms” of your relationship together. Put them in a contract, if you like. This contract will simply clarify and document those needs and wants that mean a lot to you. For example, though he typically runs late, your agreement might specify those times when he agrees not to be late; she may agree to keep her spending at a certain limit, though she typically has little restraint as she traipses through the mall. Discussing these boundaries, as well as your needs and wants, can prevent either of you from stepping over the line and causing irritation. It is often the disappointments (needs and wants, gone unexpressed) that bring down a relationship.
9. Renegotiate your contract. Your relationship will evolve, and your needs and wants will change right along with it. Once a year, it’s a good idea to review, update, or revise your contract with each other — whether it is verbal or written. Be mindful, however, not to allow such a “contract” to ruin your relationship.
Read more articles from Hitched at hitchedmag.com.

Link: http://dating.personals.yahoo.com/singles/relationships/24336/dating-tips-9-ways-to-make-your-relationship-last;_ylc=X3oDMTQzdXMzZTc3BF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjE0MjQ3ODE4OQRrAzkgV2F5cyB0byBNYWtlIFlvdXIgUmVsYXRpb25zaGlwIExhc3QEc2VjA2ZwX3RvZGF5BHNsawNkYXRpbmctdGlwcy05LXdheXMtdG8tbWFrZS15b3VyLXJlbGF0aW9uc2hpcC1sYXN0

My recent activities

Six performers of fishing dance @ Kota-cho this year

This is me!

@ Toki Premium Outlet with Sokhom

Everyone is waiting for firework @ Nagoya Port. I am very sure they are not disappointed, for the firework is really beautiful indeed.

I look to you

‘I look to you’ is all what Whitney wana say in her lastest album.

How much are these two songs alike?