Education in Travel

What looks like very pleasant to our eyes and inviting to our taste buds is actually meant for canine pleasures. Found this pet shop with a wide selection of canine delicacies for all occasions.

Dog food Japanese style

We surely miss all these jidou hanbaiki 自動販売機(じどうはんばいき) – Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita around the world, averaging one machine for every 23 people. There are vending machines for hot and cold beverages, cigarettes, ice cubes, eggs, vegetables, umbrellas, beer, rice wine, instant noodles, and much more. It seems every street corner has at least one. There are close to 6 million machines throughout the country, generating a huge amount of sales.

In 2008, a smart card called taspo was implemented in tobacco vending machines to restrict sales of cigarettes. From such machines, cigarette purchases may only be made by taspo card holders, which is issued to adult applicants (in Japan,  this is 20 years of age). The card is held up to a sensor after money is inserted into the machine. Some beer vending machines also require age verification.

Vending machines in Japan

At the Fukuoka Airport, I saw a tobacco vending machine customer holding up his wallet to the sensor. He did not even have to take out his card. This looked very futuristic to me.

Japan spends  a lot of money on its conveniences, but still neglects to hire proof-readers/translators when putting information onto print.

Translation Japanese - English

The simple beauty of a stone basin and floating flower heads, as seen in Japan, inspired me to take out my Imari bowl and snap off some pansy heads from the flower box on the balcony.

Stone basin with flower heads

 

The Evolution of European English

This has been circulating the net for quite a few years. I have just received it once again via e-mail, and in case you have missed it, here it is:

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as “Euro-English”.
In the first year, “s” will replace the soft “c”.. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard “c” will be dropped in favour of “k”. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.
There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome “ph” will be replaced with “f”.. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.
In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.
Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.
Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent “e” in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.
By the 4th yer peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing “th” with “z” and “w” with “v”.
During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary “o” kan be dropd from vords kontaining “ou” and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl.
Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi TU understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.
Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.
If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.

Vacancy at Frankfurt International School

Posted 13 Jan 2012

Upper School Openings for school year 2012/2013, effective August 2012

Applications are invited for the following positions:

* ICT Coordinator Upper School: This is initially a one-year parental leave position position.

* IB Physics and General Science teacher: Successful teaching of physics to IB required.

* Humanities Psychology: An experienced teacher of IB Psychology and middle years Humanities.

* English: An experienced teacher of media studies and middle years English.

* Learning Support: To provide academic support for students in grades 6 – 12 working collaboratively with one other learning support teacher and classroom teachers.

Applications should be in writing and directed to the Upper School Principal Rhiannon Wood with copy to Teresa Dupre within seven working days of this notice.

Visit Career Opportunities at Frankfurt International School for more information.

The Copper Sign by Katia Fox

I have read the trilogy of Das Kupferne Zeichen (The Copper Sign), Der Silberne Falke (The Silver Falcon), and Der Goldene Thron (The Golden Throne), in German, written by Katia Fox.

I am quite delighted to know The Copper Sign will soon be available in English as well.

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Earlier this year, I also got to meet the author at a book reading in Bad Homburg.

Her first book is now available on pre-order at Amazon.com:

The Copper Sign

Release date: 06 December 2011.

The second book of her trilogy, The Silver Falcon, is scheduled for release in December 2012. No release date has been set for the trilogy’s final book.

List of Easily Misspelled Words in English

Found this useful list of 100 Most Often Misspelled Words in English on YourDictionary.com, including a printer-friendly version.

When our spelling is perfect, it’s invisible. But when it’s flawed, it prompts strong negative associations.

Marilyn vos Savant –

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