Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

Accessing academic articles as an individual unaffiliated with any academic institution can be financially daunting. Academic journals put out by major publishers require expensive access fees to access their content. Many aggregation websites, not the least Google Scholar and JSTOR, either have their own subscription fees, lead back to sites with their own fees, or are not comprehensive enough to reveal all the most relevant and up-to-date research in a particular field. While universities have the financial resources to provide their researchers with access to many of these databases, individuals cannot hope to do so.

For those with some familiarity with the Japanese language, honorific language is one of the big challenges of using the language for daily interactions. Sentences with the same meaning can be written and spoken in multiple ways, with different wording used to show differing levels of respect for the intended audience. When speaking to those of more advanced age and higher social status, one is expected to use honorific language that shows deference and respect. Failure to do so is not just rude but makes the linguistic output feel awkward and out of place. 

Today, the Philippines ushered in a new political age as the country elected a new president with a controversial background. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his famously shoes-loving wife Imelda, was elected in a landslide victory, with analysts predicting the continuation of the outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte's attempt to create more balance in the country's foreign policy between the US and China. Indeed, Rodrigo's daughter Sara was elected as the vice president in a transparent partnership with Bongbong all but ensuring policy consistency under the new administration. 

2018年、台湾政府は2030年までに台湾を英中バイリンガル国家にする 計画を発表 し、英語教師の雇用や訓練、英語教材の作成や利用を目的とする、台湾各地の学校、政府機関に対する 3400万米ドル の初期投資をすることにした。首都台北では、大学とのコラボによる英語教師の研修プログラムが推進され、2021年までには小学校から高校まで含む 51校 がバイリンガル教育対象校と指定された。台北はシンガポールを模範とし、海外人材も在住しやすいグローバル社会を目指している。