HI, ladies!!
It is Sunday, September 14, 2008, today, and it has been very humid, because a typhoon is slowly approaching.
I’d like to write following issue now:
Are genetically modified foods safe?
Recently genetic engineering has been developed to create high-quality foods. It can also alleviate food shortages, however, it will give bad effects to human society.
First, it can pose great health risks to human beings, by developing new allergy or poisonous substances whose existence has never been established in the body system.
Second, it will damage the ecosystem, by spreading their genes to other plant species. Thus, it can make unexpected effects to our environment.
Finally, it allows some companies to control food market, by causing continued sales of their products. They will exploit old-styled farmers in poor countries.
In conclusion, although genetically modified foods seem to be useful for great demand for foods around the world, it can be greatly harmful to us. (123)
It was too short. So, see you tomorrow. Good night, wonderful friends…
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Dear Cherry and friends,
Good evening! How are you?
I enjoy reading your on-line debate.
GM or contaminated food and bio-fuel are very seasonal topics.
Just recently, I found a convenient change in the system of our city library.
Or perhaps, I had not known such a feature.
Our city has a main library and several branch libraries. One of the branch libraries called “distribution center” is close to my house.
A few days ago, I wanted to borrow a book but it was not available. So I had to reserve the book so that they would tell me as soon as it became available.
Not only did I find I could reserve the book on-line, but also they could send it to the distribution center.
Moreover, I can receive other books in the main library at the distribution center.
By yesterday, the library system sent me e-mail telling the books I reserved were available.
Today, I went to the distribution center within a five-minute drive from my house to get them.
It takes more than 20 minutes to go to the main library by car.
It's a time- and energy- saving service provided by our library.
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Jane Rendall's The Origins of Modern Feminism describes how westerners thought about women's rights and status from the end of 18th century to the 19th century and how contemporary women fought for themselves.
Chapter 3 examines the 'feminization' of evangelical religion.
The evangelical movement “conditioned the earnestness of what in England was called the Victorian ethos. It was very biblical; puritan in behaviour; and dedicated to the propagation of the gospel both at home and abroad.” (The Oxford History of Christianity, p.351)
The evangelicals were deeply aware of original sin and made it a principal to fight against vice.
Being “assumed to be potentially closer to God”, women were believed to have “greater power to embody the evangelical appeal.” (Rendall, p.75)
William Wilberforce and Hannah More were among the leaders of evangelicalism within the Anglican Church. They left works of prescriptive literature.
Wilberforce inspired upper and middle class contemporaries with his “fervor against slavery.” (p.88)
Having a conservative view to the discussion of women's right, More felt female education was defective. She saw, as Rendall suggests,“[g]irls were not sufficiently prepared at an early stage to receive religion as they should, or ... to acquire a properly submissive temper.” (p.89)
In the process of 'feminization,' self-negation, gentleness, temperance, and chastity considered as female virtues. Protestant evangelical Christianity animated American women to organize revival movements directed towards activities such as moral reform. In some denominations in the United States, woman preachers appeared, but most of them “faced considerable hostility.” (p.80)
In Britain, the British and Foreign Bible Society founded 1803 propagated the Gospel by distributing Bibles. More distributed Bibles and formed day and Sunday schools to spread the evangelical message.
Evangelical women followed her example. (p.91)
Woman subscribers increased in philanthropic associations and missionary societies.
Women's philanthropy as well as their religious activities can be discussed within the framework of the 'feminization' of religion.
Ellen Ranyard's Bible women described by Prochaska exemplify such voluntary agents.
In France, the catholic revival 'feminized' religion like Protestant evangelicalism in Britain in the U.S.
In France, men and women practiced religion differently and women acted faithfully to carry out their religious obligations. However, Catholic women rarely organized for religious causes.
With a clear growth in millenarianism, some women proclaimed themselves as messiahs and their preaches attracted quite a few people. Historians have discerned such spiritualism as a 'sturdy feminism.'
(p.101)
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Good night.
Hi, ladies!!!
How delightful it is to read a pro vs. con discussion between Sunflower and Cosmos! To build up an opinion is very crucial in this type of discussion, I believe, and thus actually your personal preference to any social issue is not so important. You can be a pro or con. I also enjoy Cherry’s writing about social issues of today. Virtually I hope Peach will join Cherry and they have a vivid debate, so that their command of English and discussion skills will definitely improve. Am I asking too much, Peach?
I am grateful to Alice for her efforts to keep writing her book review, which is very significant to her. I sincerely hope that Gloriosa will follow Alice. Again, am I expecting too much, Gloriosa?
Could I mention something more about my research into 11 male missionaries? Or am I boring you?
Six out of 11 men were sons of church ministers or very serious religious families, which is, in a way, very understandable. The professions of the fathers of the other five men are unknown, though.
It seems that their coming to Japan as a missionary was an expected step forward or a means of promotion in the church world. (This cannot be applied to the cases of female missionaries. This is a fascinating discovery to me, though I know very well that it does not matter to you at all.)
The reason I made this research is, as I remarked you previously, my personal interest in what type of male beings came to Japan as a missionary. But at the time I wanted to know what sorts of disparity existed in Christian missionaries in terms of life security, treatment and care after their retirement as a missionary.
There were quite a few differences between female and male missionaries to Japan; their family background, their education level, their expected carrier possibility followed by their retirement, and others.
In the case of a male missionary, getting married meant gaining a missionary assistant (his wife), while for a female missionary, the story is not the same. You may think that it is s minor issue and too of trifle to discuss. Maybe so, but I am interested in these trivial matters. Funny, isn’t it?
Well, I will go back to work, my precious friends. I hope you will have a brilliant and stunning Monday!!!
Hi Cherry and dear friends,
It is Monday, September 15. It started to rain in the late afternoon. The temperature is not so high like last three days but very humid and uncomfortable. Finding we were safe last Saturday morning, I felt very relieved. Because some of my friends were really afraid of the prediction of a Brazilian which a big earthquake would hit this Tokai area. It was said that the man predicted the attack on Sep.11 in NY and some disasters in the past. Believe it or not, it might be better to prepare for the natural disasters.
It is a great pleasure to read Plum’s research into 11 male missionaries each time. It is very interesting to know how your curiosity comes and evokes. It is also very delightful to read your essay, how you spent the day sometimes. Thank you so much for introducing your research as well as your enjoyable days.
I’m always overwhelmed with the wealth of writings in this blog. It takes time to read because it is very high level for me. Recently, I enjoyed reading the debate over the current issues. I was very moved by everyone’s clear, firm and persuasive opinions. It is difficult for me to express what I am thinking, how and why I am thinking so. My idea is swaying from side to side all the time. It is good lessons to read your splendid writings.
Some of you might know about one of the NHK’s educational programs, “English to Anne’s World” broadcasted last spring from April to June. In this program, the instructor, Yuko Matsumoto, introduced some parts from several chapters in the original English book “Anne of Green Gables” by showing the beautiful scenery of Prince Edward with an actress, Keiko Matsuzaka. I enjoyed that program very much. I read all series of Anne’s book in Japanese a long time ago. At that time I was absorbed in the Anne’s world which I thought those were perfectly just for children.
In this program, Ms. Yuko Matsumoto introduced a different approach to “Anne of Green Gables” not as a children’s book. Since I haven’t read it in English, it was very new and exciting. I was surprised that the author, Montgomery, quoted a lot of sentences and phrases from very famous writers and poets, such as Shakespeare, Browning, Dickens, Wordsworth and Tennyson and more. (I didn’t learn about some of those authors so much.) I also learned that many names, places and stories were related with Christianity, especially the Presbyterian Church.
I found this is not merely a story about a talkative, dreamy and attractive girl, but a great drama which shows us the importance of love and relationship with people and the way how to live with positive thinking. I will try to read this whole story in original.
I hope you have a nice evening. Bye for now, my wonderful friends.
Hi, ladies,
It is so difficult for me to write about social issues. However I manage to enjoy the pro and con of the discussion as Cherry enjoys doing so.
Are genetically modified food safe?
It is difficult to judge the safety of genetically modified food because we don't predict the possible bad effect cased by the accumulation. Still I think it is nonsense to show only distrust toward these food because of the following three reasons.
Firstly indications of the package is hard to believe. For example tofu made from soy beans. Soy beans have been modified against pest and disease for some extent. It is hard to allow them being called without modification 100 percent.
Secondly we don't know the exact data. Some false data telling the danger of these food were once given. Being so the image is very bad. I've learned the only Japanese people want to buy the non-modification food. The growers of soy beans grow non-modification food only for the Japanese people, which we should pay more.
Thirdly we should make use of a scientific approach more. Pest and disease are sure to be dangerous.
Oh, it's time to stop writing.
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