Cross-river double happiness
By Fan Xiaoming 2009-10-27
Construction crews work on the lower section of the Minpu Bridge, the first double-deck bridge in Shanghai and a structure that will become the world's longest span of its type. Linking Minhang District and the Pudong New Area, the 3.6-kilometer-long bridge is expected to open to traffic at the end of this year. The main span of the cable-stay bridge will measure 708 meters. The crossriver connection will slash travel times from the downtown to the suburbs, Pudong International Airport and neighboring Zhejiang Province. Its upper level is part of an expressway with a speed limit of 120 kilometers per hour, while traffic on the six-lane lower level will be restricted to 60 kph, according to its builder, Shanghai Foundation Engineering Co Ltd.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Japan's hip young farmers dig in to avert food crunch
Japan's hip young farmers dig in to avert food crunch
by Harumi Ozawa Harumi Ozawa – Sun Oct 25, 11:54 pm ET
TOKYO (AFP) – Young Japanese are fleeing the urban jungle for the half-abandoned countryside on a mission to make farming cool again and cut Japan's frightening food deficit in the process.
Organic farming converts, rice-growing Tokyo fashionistas and other young greenfingers have trickled back into rural Japan where many farm towns have been slowly dying amid fast-greying Japan's demographic crunch.
Japan, the world's second-largest economy, now imports 60 percent of its food, and many worry about future food security if climate change rocks global food supplies or energy costs swing international grain prices.
In a high-tech country that grew rich on selling cars and electronics, the young farmers are standing up to reinvent the image of agriculture.
"No matter how big Japan's economy is, no matter how much cash it stacks up, this country will soon be unable to buy so much food from overseas," Yusuke Miyaji, 31, recently told a crowd of young farmers.
"I want to make a job in the primary sector cool, striking and profitable," said Miyaji, dressed in overalls, to applause from his audience. "Kids should dream of becoming farmers, not baseball players!"
Miyaji, who comes from a pig farming family, has created a network called Kosegare, a word meaning farmer's son, that has attracted more than 200 young farmers and supporters who share his sense of crisis.
"The time left for us to revamp this industry is probably about five years," Miyaji warned his squad of youthful activist farmers.
Under his scheme, produce is marketed under the network's "Refarm" brand. Members share information on organic farming and urge supportive consumers to buy directly from them to cut distribution and commission costs.
Encouraged by the movement, Kaori Nukui, 31, who joined her parents last year to grow green tea and shiitake mushrooms, said that after years in the city she now saw a business opportunity in family farming.
"I had no interest before in taking over this business," said Nukui, who had worked for Tokyo consulting and public relations firms for seven years, as she drove a pick-up truck to a mushroom house in Iruma, north of Tokyo.
"My mother also wanted me to marry a businessman rather than work the land," she said. "But when I thought of starting a business myself, I realised my parents had already built a good foundation for me."
Data shows Japan's farming population is quickly ageing and that many farm households have no working heir, as birth rates have fallen and children have left country towns for the bright city lights.
More than 70 percent of Japan's working farmers are aged 60 or older, and nearly half are over 70.
Only 8.5 percent are aged 39 or younger.
About 3,800 square kilometres (1,520 square miles) of farmland have been abandoned and laid waste throughout the nation. In 88 percent of cases, the owners said they were too old to work the fields.
Japan, which kept its food self-sufficiency ratio above 70 percent in the late 1960s, now produces only 40 percent of its food and buys almost all its wheat, corn and soy beans from overseas.
Domestic production of meat, particularly beef and pork, has fallen from 96 percent in 1960 to about half in 2007.
The country grows enough rice for domestic consumption, thanks to heavy trade protection which has also made the rice sector highly inefficient.
The government has for years tried to reduce rice farming acreage in order to limit supply, keep the market price high, and thereby allow Japanese rice farmers to continue to make a living.
The new government led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has pledged to abolish the policy but keep subsidising rice farmers.
Seeing the dire situation of farmers, even girls with trendy hairstyles and long painted fingernails in Tokyo's fashionable Shibuya shopping district have jumped onto the rural bandwagon.
Shiho Fujita, a 24-year-old singer, music producer and model, is leading a squad of "gal" farmers who have cultivated rice in the countryside, and dishes out advice in her blog on growing zucchini and tomatoes.
"It may be difficult for gals and young people to start farming instantly," she writes. "But if the agro-industry becomes more exciting by young people joining it, then Japan's farming will definitely change.
"And I think, Japan needs it."
by Harumi Ozawa Harumi Ozawa – Sun Oct 25, 11:54 pm ET
TOKYO (AFP) – Young Japanese are fleeing the urban jungle for the half-abandoned countryside on a mission to make farming cool again and cut Japan's frightening food deficit in the process.
Organic farming converts, rice-growing Tokyo fashionistas and other young greenfingers have trickled back into rural Japan where many farm towns have been slowly dying amid fast-greying Japan's demographic crunch.
Japan, the world's second-largest economy, now imports 60 percent of its food, and many worry about future food security if climate change rocks global food supplies or energy costs swing international grain prices.
In a high-tech country that grew rich on selling cars and electronics, the young farmers are standing up to reinvent the image of agriculture.
"No matter how big Japan's economy is, no matter how much cash it stacks up, this country will soon be unable to buy so much food from overseas," Yusuke Miyaji, 31, recently told a crowd of young farmers.
"I want to make a job in the primary sector cool, striking and profitable," said Miyaji, dressed in overalls, to applause from his audience. "Kids should dream of becoming farmers, not baseball players!"
Miyaji, who comes from a pig farming family, has created a network called Kosegare, a word meaning farmer's son, that has attracted more than 200 young farmers and supporters who share his sense of crisis.
"The time left for us to revamp this industry is probably about five years," Miyaji warned his squad of youthful activist farmers.
Under his scheme, produce is marketed under the network's "Refarm" brand. Members share information on organic farming and urge supportive consumers to buy directly from them to cut distribution and commission costs.
Encouraged by the movement, Kaori Nukui, 31, who joined her parents last year to grow green tea and shiitake mushrooms, said that after years in the city she now saw a business opportunity in family farming.
"I had no interest before in taking over this business," said Nukui, who had worked for Tokyo consulting and public relations firms for seven years, as she drove a pick-up truck to a mushroom house in Iruma, north of Tokyo.
"My mother also wanted me to marry a businessman rather than work the land," she said. "But when I thought of starting a business myself, I realised my parents had already built a good foundation for me."
Data shows Japan's farming population is quickly ageing and that many farm households have no working heir, as birth rates have fallen and children have left country towns for the bright city lights.
More than 70 percent of Japan's working farmers are aged 60 or older, and nearly half are over 70.
Only 8.5 percent are aged 39 or younger.
About 3,800 square kilometres (1,520 square miles) of farmland have been abandoned and laid waste throughout the nation. In 88 percent of cases, the owners said they were too old to work the fields.
Japan, which kept its food self-sufficiency ratio above 70 percent in the late 1960s, now produces only 40 percent of its food and buys almost all its wheat, corn and soy beans from overseas.
Domestic production of meat, particularly beef and pork, has fallen from 96 percent in 1960 to about half in 2007.
The country grows enough rice for domestic consumption, thanks to heavy trade protection which has also made the rice sector highly inefficient.
The government has for years tried to reduce rice farming acreage in order to limit supply, keep the market price high, and thereby allow Japanese rice farmers to continue to make a living.
The new government led by Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has pledged to abolish the policy but keep subsidising rice farmers.
Seeing the dire situation of farmers, even girls with trendy hairstyles and long painted fingernails in Tokyo's fashionable Shibuya shopping district have jumped onto the rural bandwagon.
Shiho Fujita, a 24-year-old singer, music producer and model, is leading a squad of "gal" farmers who have cultivated rice in the countryside, and dishes out advice in her blog on growing zucchini and tomatoes.
"It may be difficult for gals and young people to start farming instantly," she writes. "But if the agro-industry becomes more exciting by young people joining it, then Japan's farming will definitely change.
"And I think, Japan needs it."
Silver Week
Silver Week
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silver Week (シルバーウィーク, Shirubā Uīku?) is a new Japanese term applied to a string of consecutive holidays in September. In 2009, the term has gained popularity[1], referring to the unusual occurrence of a weekend followed by three Japanese public holidays in September. The holidays are:
Respect for the Aged Day, third Monday of September
Autumnal Equinox Day, astronomically determined, but usually September 23
Kokumin no kyūjitsu, the day in between the two other holidays
Japanese law stipulates that if there is only one non-holiday in between two public holidays, that day should become an additional holiday, known as a Kokumin no kyūjitsu (lit. Citizens' Holiday). It is unusual for September to get this extra holiday. In Japanese pseudo-anglicism, "silver" is a commonly used, polite adjective for referring to the elderly, deriving from their gray hair. More probably, however, the term "silver week" refers to the second rank after the more famous "Golden Week". The holiday period is sometimes used for foreign travel.[2][3]
Prior to 2009, a different definition of Silver Week referred to the days in the second half of November around the time of Labour Thanksgiving Day[4], or during the first week of November by another source[5]. Historians have identified Silver Week itself as a commercial invention of the 1950s film industry, keen to promote cinema attendance during the holiday by reference to the popularity of leisure pursuits during the better-established Golden Week[5], yet another invention of the Japanese film industry.[6] However, this older definition of Silver Week did not catch on nor did it make it to some dictionaries.[7]
September occurrences
The five day break occurs in the following years:
September 19 — September 23: 2009, 2015, 2026, 2037, 2043, 2054, 2071, 2099
September 18 — September 22: 2032, 2049, 2060, 2077, 2088, 2094
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silver Week (シルバーウィーク, Shirubā Uīku?) is a new Japanese term applied to a string of consecutive holidays in September. In 2009, the term has gained popularity[1], referring to the unusual occurrence of a weekend followed by three Japanese public holidays in September. The holidays are:
Respect for the Aged Day, third Monday of September
Autumnal Equinox Day, astronomically determined, but usually September 23
Kokumin no kyūjitsu, the day in between the two other holidays
Japanese law stipulates that if there is only one non-holiday in between two public holidays, that day should become an additional holiday, known as a Kokumin no kyūjitsu (lit. Citizens' Holiday). It is unusual for September to get this extra holiday. In Japanese pseudo-anglicism, "silver" is a commonly used, polite adjective for referring to the elderly, deriving from their gray hair. More probably, however, the term "silver week" refers to the second rank after the more famous "Golden Week". The holiday period is sometimes used for foreign travel.[2][3]
Prior to 2009, a different definition of Silver Week referred to the days in the second half of November around the time of Labour Thanksgiving Day[4], or during the first week of November by another source[5]. Historians have identified Silver Week itself as a commercial invention of the 1950s film industry, keen to promote cinema attendance during the holiday by reference to the popularity of leisure pursuits during the better-established Golden Week[5], yet another invention of the Japanese film industry.[6] However, this older definition of Silver Week did not catch on nor did it make it to some dictionaries.[7]
September occurrences
The five day break occurs in the following years:
September 19 — September 23: 2009, 2015, 2026, 2037, 2043, 2054, 2071, 2099
September 18 — September 22: 2032, 2049, 2060, 2077, 2088, 2094
UK boosts standing but Asian countries 'snap at our heels'
UK boosts standing but Asian countries 'snap at our heels'
8 October 2009
By Phil Baty
US dominance slips, UK improves position but China and Korea close the gap, writes Phil Baty
The UK has improved its standing in the world university rankings, claiming four of the top six places and boosting its representation among the global top 100.
But a strong performance from Asian countries has prompted warnings that the UK's global success is at risk without greater investment to see off such "fierce competition".
The US' Harvard University remains top of the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings for the sixth year running. But the UK's University of Cambridge is now second, pushing Yale University into third place.
Fourth place is taken by University College London, up from seventh last year. Fifth place is shared by Imperial College London, up from sixth, and the University of Oxford, which has slipped from fourth spot last year.
"These rankings provide a useful indicator of the growing international dominance of the UK higher education sector," said Steve Smith, president of Universities UK.
"Despite fierce competition, the UK continues to punch well above its weight. We are second only to the US, which spends twice as much as we do as a proportion of national income, and we are closing the gap."
But he added: "It is clear that countries such as China will continue to invest heavily in their higher education systems, so we cannot presume that we will automatically maintain this leading position."
After Oxford and Imperial in fifth place, the next ten places in the table are filled by US institutions.
But the US' overall dominance of world higher education appears to be slipping: it has 32 universities in the top 100 this year, down from 37 last year.
Four US institutions have dropped out of the top 200, giving it a total of 54 that make the grade, down from 58 last year. The UK has 29 institutions in the top 200.
Japan has 11 institutions in the top 200, up from ten last year, and its representation in the top 100 has increased from four to six.
Hong Kong has five institutions in the top 200, up from four last year, including three in the top 50: the University of Hong Kong, up two places to 24th; Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, up four places to 35th; and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, down four places to 46th. City University of Hong Kong rose 23 places from 147th to 124th.
Mainland China has maintained its position, with six institutions in the top 200. South Korea also increased its representation in the full list, with four institutions included in the ranking compared with three last year. Its best-placed institution, Seoul National University, rose from joint 50th to joint 47th.
World’s finest: an Anglo-American affair
Rank Institution
1 Harvard University
2 University of Cambridge
3 Yale University
4 University College London
=5 Imperial College London
=5 University of Oxford
7 University of Chicago
8 Princeton University
9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
10 California Institute of Technology
Best by country
Country Rank Institution
Australia 17th Australian National University
Canada 18th McGill University
Switzerland =20th ETH Zurich
Japan 22nd University of Tokyo
Hong Kong 24th University of Hong Kong
France 28th Ecole Normale Superiéure, Paris
Singapore 30th National University of Singapore
Ireland =43rd Trinity College Dublin
South Korea =47th Seoul National University
Netherlands =49th University of Amsterdam
China =49th Tsinghua University
Denmark 51st University of Copenhagen
Germany 55th Technical University of Munich
New Zealand =61st University of Auckland
Belgium 65th Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Sweden =67th Lund University
Taiwan =95th National Taiwan University
Norway 101st University of Oslo
Israel 102nd Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Question of resources
In light of the results and ahead of the publication of the Government's Higher Education Framework, due this month, the mission groups representing the UK's research-intensive institutions warned that the sector needed more resources to remain competitive.
Wendy Piatt, director-general of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities, said that "China and Korea, which are investing massively in their best institutions, are snapping at our heels. There is no mistaking the alarm bell warning that our success is at risk if we as a nation don't take action to fight off such fierce competition."
She said that the recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report, Education at a Glance, confirms that the UK's rivals are "investing much more public and private money in higher education - with the UK below average in terms of total higher education investment as a proportion of gross domestic product".
"Following enormous investment, China has overtaken the UK in terms of total research publications. Japan and South Korea are investing hugely in their leading universities and, as this table indicates, it is starting to pay off," Dr Piatt added.
"If we allow ourselves to fall behind our international rivals, we will lose our ability to attract world-class academics, vital business investment and leading international students.
"League-table bragging rights would be the least of our worries."
Paul Marshall, executive director of the 1994 Group of smaller research-intensive universities, said: "The Government must target policy and funding so that leading UK universities can continue to compete with the world's best. It must not spread resources so thinly that we risk damaging our world-class research-intensive universities."
In the UK, the University of Edinburgh jumped into the top 20 for the first time, from 23rd last year to joint 20th.
Excluding the UK, Europe has 21 institutions in the top 100, up from 19 in 2008. ETH Zurich is the highest-placed institution.
Germany, in particular, saw improvements, with the University of Karlsruhe making it into the top 200 (184th). Germany's best-placed institution, the Technical University of Munich, rose from 78th to joint 55th.
Norway (with two institutions in the top 200), Sweden (with five) and Russia (with two) all improved their representation.
The highest-placed institution outside the US and UK was the Australian National University, which slipped from 16th to 17th. Australia held its own in the rankings, with eight universities in the top 100 compared with seven last year.
Canada's highest-placed institution, McGill University, took 18th position, up two places from last year. In general, Canada saw a decline in its standing, with a drop from 12 to 11 institutions.
The UK's strong performance was celebrated by Higher Education Minister David Lammy. Writing in the special rankings supplement in this issue of Times Higher Education (see centre pages), Mr Lammy points out that the UK undertakes 5 per cent of the world's scientific research with only 1 per cent of the world's population, "produces more publications and citations per researcher and per pound of public funding than any of our major competitors", and attracts almost 12 per cent of all overseas students.
Pat Killingley, the British Council's director of higher education, said that the rankings will "help us to continue to attract fresh talent to UK education". She added that the growing importance of collaboration meant that rising Asian stars "should be viewed more as potential partners than as rivals".
phil.baty@tsleducation.com
8 October 2009
By Phil Baty
US dominance slips, UK improves position but China and Korea close the gap, writes Phil Baty
The UK has improved its standing in the world university rankings, claiming four of the top six places and boosting its representation among the global top 100.
But a strong performance from Asian countries has prompted warnings that the UK's global success is at risk without greater investment to see off such "fierce competition".
The US' Harvard University remains top of the Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings for the sixth year running. But the UK's University of Cambridge is now second, pushing Yale University into third place.
Fourth place is taken by University College London, up from seventh last year. Fifth place is shared by Imperial College London, up from sixth, and the University of Oxford, which has slipped from fourth spot last year.
"These rankings provide a useful indicator of the growing international dominance of the UK higher education sector," said Steve Smith, president of Universities UK.
"Despite fierce competition, the UK continues to punch well above its weight. We are second only to the US, which spends twice as much as we do as a proportion of national income, and we are closing the gap."
But he added: "It is clear that countries such as China will continue to invest heavily in their higher education systems, so we cannot presume that we will automatically maintain this leading position."
After Oxford and Imperial in fifth place, the next ten places in the table are filled by US institutions.
But the US' overall dominance of world higher education appears to be slipping: it has 32 universities in the top 100 this year, down from 37 last year.
Four US institutions have dropped out of the top 200, giving it a total of 54 that make the grade, down from 58 last year. The UK has 29 institutions in the top 200.
Japan has 11 institutions in the top 200, up from ten last year, and its representation in the top 100 has increased from four to six.
Hong Kong has five institutions in the top 200, up from four last year, including three in the top 50: the University of Hong Kong, up two places to 24th; Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, up four places to 35th; and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, down four places to 46th. City University of Hong Kong rose 23 places from 147th to 124th.
Mainland China has maintained its position, with six institutions in the top 200. South Korea also increased its representation in the full list, with four institutions included in the ranking compared with three last year. Its best-placed institution, Seoul National University, rose from joint 50th to joint 47th.
World’s finest: an Anglo-American affair
Rank Institution
1 Harvard University
2 University of Cambridge
3 Yale University
4 University College London
=5 Imperial College London
=5 University of Oxford
7 University of Chicago
8 Princeton University
9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
10 California Institute of Technology
Best by country
Country Rank Institution
Australia 17th Australian National University
Canada 18th McGill University
Switzerland =20th ETH Zurich
Japan 22nd University of Tokyo
Hong Kong 24th University of Hong Kong
France 28th Ecole Normale Superiéure, Paris
Singapore 30th National University of Singapore
Ireland =43rd Trinity College Dublin
South Korea =47th Seoul National University
Netherlands =49th University of Amsterdam
China =49th Tsinghua University
Denmark 51st University of Copenhagen
Germany 55th Technical University of Munich
New Zealand =61st University of Auckland
Belgium 65th Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Sweden =67th Lund University
Taiwan =95th National Taiwan University
Norway 101st University of Oslo
Israel 102nd Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Question of resources
In light of the results and ahead of the publication of the Government's Higher Education Framework, due this month, the mission groups representing the UK's research-intensive institutions warned that the sector needed more resources to remain competitive.
Wendy Piatt, director-general of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities, said that "China and Korea, which are investing massively in their best institutions, are snapping at our heels. There is no mistaking the alarm bell warning that our success is at risk if we as a nation don't take action to fight off such fierce competition."
She said that the recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report, Education at a Glance, confirms that the UK's rivals are "investing much more public and private money in higher education - with the UK below average in terms of total higher education investment as a proportion of gross domestic product".
"Following enormous investment, China has overtaken the UK in terms of total research publications. Japan and South Korea are investing hugely in their leading universities and, as this table indicates, it is starting to pay off," Dr Piatt added.
"If we allow ourselves to fall behind our international rivals, we will lose our ability to attract world-class academics, vital business investment and leading international students.
"League-table bragging rights would be the least of our worries."
Paul Marshall, executive director of the 1994 Group of smaller research-intensive universities, said: "The Government must target policy and funding so that leading UK universities can continue to compete with the world's best. It must not spread resources so thinly that we risk damaging our world-class research-intensive universities."
In the UK, the University of Edinburgh jumped into the top 20 for the first time, from 23rd last year to joint 20th.
Excluding the UK, Europe has 21 institutions in the top 100, up from 19 in 2008. ETH Zurich is the highest-placed institution.
Germany, in particular, saw improvements, with the University of Karlsruhe making it into the top 200 (184th). Germany's best-placed institution, the Technical University of Munich, rose from 78th to joint 55th.
Norway (with two institutions in the top 200), Sweden (with five) and Russia (with two) all improved their representation.
The highest-placed institution outside the US and UK was the Australian National University, which slipped from 16th to 17th. Australia held its own in the rankings, with eight universities in the top 100 compared with seven last year.
Canada's highest-placed institution, McGill University, took 18th position, up two places from last year. In general, Canada saw a decline in its standing, with a drop from 12 to 11 institutions.
The UK's strong performance was celebrated by Higher Education Minister David Lammy. Writing in the special rankings supplement in this issue of Times Higher Education (see centre pages), Mr Lammy points out that the UK undertakes 5 per cent of the world's scientific research with only 1 per cent of the world's population, "produces more publications and citations per researcher and per pound of public funding than any of our major competitors", and attracts almost 12 per cent of all overseas students.
Pat Killingley, the British Council's director of higher education, said that the rankings will "help us to continue to attract fresh talent to UK education". She added that the growing importance of collaboration meant that rising Asian stars "should be viewed more as potential partners than as rivals".
phil.baty@tsleducation.com
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