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Login Ask a Question Search About Us Policies Frequently Asked Questions Top-10 Favorites Order T-Shirt Archives Today's Posts (18) 21 20 19 18 17 16 14 13 12 11 10 09 07 06 05 04 03 02 31 30 29 28 27 26 24 23 22 21 20 19 17 16 15 14 13 12 10 09 08 07 06 05 03 02 01 30 29 28 26 25 24 23 22 21 19 18 17 16 15 14 12 11 10 09 08 07 05 04 03 02 01 31 29 28 27 26 25 24 22 21 |
Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, I recently saw "Ponyo," the new animated film by Hayao Miyazaki. I really enjoyed it. I was wondering if any of the board writers have seen it and how they think it compares to Miyazaki's other films. Also, in the theme song at the end of the movie, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... The singer refers to Ponyo's "round tummy." I thought this was weird because Ponyo (a little girl who is also a fish) doesn't have a noticeably round tummy that I could tell. So, I looked up the Japanese version of the theme song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... and found that it is full of references to Ponyo having a "round stomach". Is this some kind of japanese cultural reference? What does it mean to say someone has a round stomach? - Princess Mononoke
ADear Mononoke hime, When it comes to Japanese culture, there tend to be a lot of superstitions and strange beliefs that we might find odd in Western culture. For example, in many Japanese hospitals and public buildings you probably won't find a room number four. The word for "four" happens to be shi, which can also mean "death" (though the characters are different, they sound exactly the same). And what would go better with superstition than a little bit of luck? You may have even seen the beckoning cat before in the United States, perhaps at a Japanese restaurant or by the cash register of a small Asian store. Proudly displaying the character for fortune/blessing, this cat is supposed to lure in good luck for its owner. My first thought when I read your question was the song's reference to Ponyo's round stomach must have something to do with luck. Buddhism is prominent in Japan, and it is often considered very good luck to pat the round stomach of a large Buddha statue. I asked a couple of my Japanese friends about this, and they thought my speculation was as good as theirs. Ponyo's round stomach most likely refers, on many levels, to her good fortune. Unfortunately, I can't speculate much further on this as I have not yet seen Ponyo for myself, the only Miyazaki film that remains a mystery to me, but hopefully not for too much longer. I did, however, take the liberty of reading a short synopsis of the movie (I've never been a huge fan of surprises anyway), and it seems to have the same kind of cuteness to it that my favorite Miyazaki film has, My Neighbor Totoro. While I have loved the intriguing, yet complex, stories of some of Miyazaki's more recent films, there is just something special about his more "innocently adorable" films. Now I am just all the more anxious to go see this new gem. And for the record, the Japanese version of the theme song was so much more enjoyable. With the Japanese obsession with onomatopoeia and their excessive use in that song, it by far takes the cake on this one. きらきら, my friend. -Sky Bones ADear Princess Mononoke, I have yet to see Ponyo, although it looks great, but I may have some insight into your inquiry. I have been studying Chinese, and learned a bit about the culture. After some questioning, I have come across some really accurate-sounding speculation. Traditional Chinese medicine calls the stomach the center of the body's energy, and the center of instinct and intuition. Energy from the stomach, Qi, is essential for life. While Western society has usually seen the heart as the most important organ, the Chinese consider the stomach most important. Japanese thought and a degree of its culture has been influenced by the Chinese. So, similarly, the Japanese consider the stomach a vital organ. To see an example of this idea of stomach superiority, go to this page and search for "stomach art". In this way, the references to a "round stomach" are not at all derogatory; on the contrary, it is a compliment. Having a round stomach means a person is healthy, in body and in spirit. -Mico Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, Do the different pronunciations of places in New England (like Worcester) come from the British pronunciation, or are they just American? And either way, in the case of Worcester in particular, how did the pronunciation come about? - Gueaux Physch
ADear Gueax Physch, The New England accent is a non-rhotic dialect, which means the "r" sounds in the middle of words are dropped, i.e. hard pronounced hahd. The r sound may be also be lost when it comes at the ends of words, such as when water is pronounced wateh. Thus, the r's in Worcester are forgotten or softened to become WOO-ster or WOO-stah/ WOO-stuh. Bizarre, but true. (The local dialect of Worcestershire, England is also non-rhotic, which means that the legitimate, Worcestershire pronunciation of Worcestershire Sauce is Wuh-sta-shur Sahse.) The story of the non-rhotic accent in New England is a little convoluted, but after much research and a conversation with a Linguistics student- I believe it to be correct. Many years ago, there was a land with a seeming over-abundance of ambitious persons. These anxious citizens were dissatisfied with the lot that they had inherited in said land and eventually spilled out onto a continent with enough open space for their egos. Once they had grown accustomed to this merry arrangement they were easily affronted. This was caused by an overly developed sense of entitlement, i.e. life, liberty, "pursuit of happiness". However, the end of that story does not concern the plotline of dropped r's, and so I will continue. The pertinent item in all of that prologue was the group of settlers had a common national origin; most of them came, at least ancestrally, from Mother England. This meant that they already shared a cohesive dialect right from the get-go, which would evolve throughout the area. This sets New Englanders apart from the majority of the United States. The interior of which was settled by people of not only different dialects but languages- Scottish, Irish, French, Dutch, German etc. The rest of the country, for the most part, wasn't unified enough across large geographic swatches to develop unique pronunciations like New England did. Here we must return to those ungrateful colonists. These victims of wanderlust did not speak the dropped r's version of today, but instead spoke the older rhotic British English, or Oxford English. The non-rhotic accent didn't develop until much later. However New England, although it had bitten the hand that fed it, had not cut ties with Britain after its newfangled independence. Those forgiving Brits still laid anchor in ports all across the Eastern Seaboard. These ships were manned mostly by those salt of the Earth sailors that hailed from the working classes of Southeast England- which, coincidentally- is the home of the non-rhotic English vernacular (and thus the entire storyline of My Fair Lady). And every knows there is something contagious about a jolly British accent. I mean, who doesn't get a kick out of trying to talk like The Beatles? New Englanders are no different and did experience their own British Invasion of sorts. They picked up some of the jargon and changed it around, meanwhile working their own lovable linguistic idiosyncrasies. So yes, New Englanders do speak a bit like the British, but not for the reason you think they would. Mostly though, the accent was their own invention, and therefore, American. -Ineffable Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, How necessary are the CDs for Italian 101? If I can get a good deal on a textbook that doesn't include the cds, should I go for it? Or do I just shell out the money at the bookstore? - Nimbus2000
ADear Nimbus 2000, In a language class, the CDs are beyond helpful. If you listen to them a little bit every day, your listening skills will be a million-thousand times better (hey, if you start at zero, of course they will be). I looked up the pricing, and I can understand your wariness towards purchasing the quite pricey textbook and CDs. Now, I am going to tell you a BYU Well-Kept Secret. In the JFSB there is a place called the Humanities Learning Resource Center (HLRC). If you go there and ask for the Italian 101 audio CDs that accompany your textbook, you can purchase them for no more than a few dollars. I did this for my 200-level language classes. Being able to transfer the files from the CDs to my iPod was convenient and cheap. But wait, there is more! If you do not have a few dollars to spare, or do not have a few dollars you want to lose, then you have another option. Anytime, day or night, from any computer, you can access the HLRC online. Find your class, and listen to all the CDs online. So, yes, the CDs are very important. But, don't spend more than you must. -Mico, who always wanted to learn Italian Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, I've been considering asking this question for quite some time. I guess I've finally come to the point where I'm not quite sure what to do and I desperately need advice. A year and a half ago I got married after only dating for about 6 months. I remember feeling at the time that I was marrying more out of logic than for love. I believed that happiness in marriage was mainly a matter of choice. I considered myself pretty much in love with my husband, but not deeply. The first summer of our marriage he was working full time and going to school full time. I suddenly found myself in a marriage that I didn't know if I wanted to be in, on birth control pills that made me absolutely miserable and I was constantly extremely depressed. In a desperate attempt to try and make myself happier I stopped taking the birth control pills and (big surprise) got pregnant. During my pregnancy I attended school full time while my husband worked full time and we didn't see each other very often. I tried my best to do things for him to show my love and try to make our marriage better. Though I had hardly any energy I kept the apartment pretty clean, I made him romantic dinners, I went out of my way to find things that I could do for him. I didn't say anything when he came home from work and played video games all night instead of trying to spend time with me. Through all of this time my husbands show of affection got weaker and weaker. By the time I was six months pregnant he completely stopped instigating anything physical. He'd kiss me if I kissed him, but he often went out of the door to work without even hugging me goodbye. I tried to call this to his attention, but it didn't ever get better. On top of everything, my husbands activity in the church dropped. I found myself going to church by myself often, and our prayers and scripture study together became nonexistent. Jump ahead to nine weeks after my son was born. In an act of desperation I asked my husband if he felt like he was in love with me. His reply was essentially no, mainly because I had gained weight during pregnancy and he was no longer attracted to me. This was after I had shown him the diet and exercise program I had drawn up for myself in order to lose that weight. He has since recanted and insists that he does love me, but I can not get over the fact that he said something like that to me because I struggled with a serious eating disorder for about 8 years, which he knows. I've talked to him. I've let him know that I need more affection in our marriage. I've asked him what kinds of things he does to show me that he loves me and his answer was 'kiss you and take you out'...but he doesn't kiss me and I'm the one that plans all of the dates. I've started trying to start our prayers together again at night, but he is never the one to remember. So now that I've written a ridiculously long explanation, I come to my question. I've been considering divorcing my husband. If there were not a child involved I think I probably would already be on the road to getting out of this marriage, but I want my son to be in a home where his parents are together if at all possible. I am trying so hard to make this work. I won't go into the list of things I'm doing because this question is already so long, but needless to say, I'm trying. I am miserable. I try and let my husband know I'm miserable and he does nothing to try and make things easier. What should I do? - Hurt
ADear Hurt, Look, personally, I can't tell you if you should get divorced or not... but I can tell you that there is a free online guidebook for people in your situation. Check it out right here. It will tell you more about how much divorce will cost (monetarily, emotionally, etc.), and how maybe you can help an unhappy marriage become a happy one. That's all I've got. -Whistler AHurt- I think the first thing you need to do is go to your husband and show him your question to us. Guys can be kind of dense about things, and it's possible he has not realized how big of a problem this is. Be direct, and make sure he knows how much he is hurting you and your marriage. Talk about your issues; discuss your depression, how you feel he doesn't find you attractive, how you think he doesn't love you, his distant behavior, his inactivity, and anything else that's been bothering you that you didn't mention. Tell him how you are considering divorce as an option, and make sure he understands that you mean it. It's possible that you could just be reading him wrong. Perhaps he's feeling neglected because of the new baby; perhaps he has commitment or intimacy issues. Maybe he doesn't enjoy physical manifestations of affection (some people don't). Maybe he's got depression issues of his own, and he doesn't know how to deal with them. Maybe he was never truly in love in the first place, like you. The point is, you need to talk to him without skirting the issue or downplaying its importance, and get an explanation for his behavior and either a promise that he'll do better that he actually keeps, or a divorce and a new guy. Once you have discussed it with him, I suggest going to marital counseling together. I would advise that you begin with a professional (not your bishop yet; I suspect your husband would be uncomfortable with that) who has studied and who you would both be comfortable seeing. Discuss your issues with them openly and honestly, and see if you can make progress. I might also suggest that you see a therapist for your own personal issues. It kind of sounds as if you might possibly have depression issues (I could be wrong), and it may be post-partum depression, which is very, very common amoung new mothers. If it would make you happier, I think it would be money well-spent. Continue to try to make you marriage better. Spend more time with each other. Be affectionate, even though I'm sure it has to be hard for you given his disinterest. Encourage him to make time to spend with you and your baby. Give 100% to keeping this marriage going, and see if your husband reciprocates. As a last resort, if none of these other suggestions work, you could try a trial separation. It would be very hard, and it would probably lead directly to divorce. If you are happier alone than with him, and if you're correct and his behavior stems from not wanting to be with you, well, divorce might be the answer. Divorce is not pretty, and it would be expensive and emotionally damaging. Counsel with the bishop and a divorce lawyer, talk with your parents or a close friend so that you have some place to go, be aware that he'll probably have to pay you child support, and be ready to start a new life without him. It will be hard, expensive, emotionally intense, and painful, and I think it should only be your very, very last resort after you've done everything else you can think of, but it would be better than being in a miserable marriage with a guy who neglects you and your children. Anyway, I hope I was helpful. I just think you need someone who is willing to give everything to make his marriage better, and it sounds like your husband isn't doing that. You deserve better, and I hope you get it. If you need to talk about it, please feel free to email me: cuddlefish at theboard.byu.edu. Seriously. I want to help you in any way I can. I'm sorry you're having such a rough time. - Cuddlefish ADear Hurt, I decided to e-mail my mom to see what advice she might have; though she hasn't been in your particular situation, she has been happily married for 25 years, so I thought her experience might be helpful. Here's what she said: My first reaction was, "They need marriage counseling!" but that is already suggested. Also, the wife could be encouraged to know that all marriages go through bad times, and those often pass. It sounds like she is working very hard to keep her marriage together, and maybe she just needs to have patience and keep on for a while. Having a baby is stressful on many marriages, and intimacy issues are common. Counseling can help. Just knowing she is not alone can help!I definitely agree that marriage counseling is a good idea, I wish you luck as well! —Laser Jock Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, Do breast implants interfere with or prevent breast feeding? - Rangiku
ADear Rangiku Maybe. Depends on the surgery and the damage to nerves. I quote from this site:
-Humble Master Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, What was the official high and low temperture in Salt Lake City on August 14, 1944 and at what time to they happen? - (brough Dorny)
ADear brough Dorny, Psh, of course we can answer this. The maximum temperature was 88.0 degrees Fahrenheit, at 3:32 in the afternoon; the minimum temperature was 67.0 degrees Fahrenheit, at 1:45 in the morning. Times are approximate. See USU's Utah Climate Center for all your historical weather inquiries. -Mico the Meteorologist Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, How many men and women at BYU have been commissioned into the Air Force and the Army ROTC program sense they were established at BYU? (brough Dorny)
ADear brough Dorny, Since 1969, every BYU ROTC student who has been commissioned 2nd Lieutenant at BYU has been given membership into the Helaman's 2000. There is a list, by year, of every student who has done this on BYU's Army ROTC website. You can look through there and see for yourself that since 1969, quite a few BYU students have done well in the program. In fact, if you would like, you are welcome to count them all. However, statistics on how many students total have joined the Air Force or Army ROTC at BYU in the last 40 years is not any accessible place, without sneaky dealings among top government officials, that is. -Mico Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, Is it predicative that a patriotic person chooses to speak his native language unless when it is necessary not to? I come from a country that was blessed to contain the highest concentration of the best English speakers in Asia after almost 50 years of American rule. However, I get a sense that many of us don't embrace our native language as much as we embrace English. In fact, people from my country who come to America seem to just lose the language, and in many cases, they would choose to converse in English rather than in the native language with their fellow countrymen! Isn't that absolutely ridiculous? I have friends here in the US (and even at home) who are like this, and it is disappointing. The most disappointing and most ridiculous person I have met was this fellowman who has only been here in the US for two years but claims that he has TOTALLY forgotten our native language. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely have nothing against English. It's just that when I speak English with other people from my country, I don't feel the cultural identity and the freedom that our national heroes have fought and died for. - Any guess as to where I'm from?
ADear Philippines, For the record, I believe in standing for the national anthem, respecting our flag, and honoring those great men and women who fought to give me freedom. My favorite holiday is Independence Day. I believe that it is about more than barbecues and fireworks, although those are great too. I love my country. Now, this is my opinion, and I am in no way trying to offend or rebuke anyone. Just wanted to get that out there. I see myself as incredibly patriotic, but I honestly don't think that it is ridiculous for people to choose to speak English over their native language, if they feel so inclined. I also don't think that it is ridiculous for native English speakers to choose to speak a different language. I think that the biggest factor is comfort. If you are more comfortable speaking a different language than your mother country's tongue, then speak the other language. I only see a problem with it (here's the kicker) if your "other language" tendencies begin to interfere with your ability to communicate with those around you. For instance, I have never been out of the United States. English is my native tongue, and what I feel most comfortable speaking. If I went to Italy, I would switch to Italian, in order to better communicate with the people of Italy. Out of convenience, I would probably not switch back and forth between English and Italian. I don't see that as being unpatriotic, just as adapting to change. Of course, I would definitely hang on to my knowledge of English. My goal wouldn't be to replace my knowledge of English with my knowledge of Italian, but to add to my knowledge of both languages, as I am currently doing. Of course, the same goes for you. If you feel more comfortable speaking in your native tongue, and other people can communicate with you when you do so, you shouldn't feel pressured to speak a different language. I can understand the need for a cultural identity, but sometimes it is difficult to change when you are so used to a certain way of doing things, especially when you see nothing wrong with what you are doing. Best of luck, ⋯Anomalous ADear Tagalog speaker, I agree with Anomalous - patriotism is a very personal thing that can be manifest in very different ways. Take me, for example. I have had some weird fixation on Britain since I was old enough to know what Britain was. I have had roommates joke that I was born on the wrong side of the pond - something about my humor, interests, diction, and general mannerisms strike some people as more stereotypically British than American. However, I don't see my international interests as something that manifests a lack of patriotism, especially when you consider that I also share some habits with certain American stereotypes. For example, I spent this past Fourth of July tubing on the Provo River, devouring greasy fried chicken, and singing along (quite badly) to every country song that came on the radio. I don't think that this possibly disturbing set of behavior says much about patriotism either, though. To me it is more about cultural identification and preference than a deeper sense of attachment to one's country. Now, language does tend to be more closely tied to national identity than some of the examples I have cited. However, I still think the basic principle is the same - patriotism is about much more than what might be seen as a rational preference or habit. Perhaps your friends feel a sense of accomplishment at having mastered a ridiculously complex language along with learning their native language, or find that it is easier to discuss certain subjects in English. Or perhaps they are just in the habit of speaking English all the time, seeing as they are living in the United States. Ultimately, my answer to your opening question is no; patriotism should not be defined solely by a set of habits or even preferences - I believe patriotism is rooted in deeper feelings of appreciation for the things one loves about his or her country, whether or not this love is always shown outwardly. ~Hermia ADear Nope, You are not the only person to have wondered about this. Rushdie, an Indian writer, argued that English was an Indian literary language. He chose to write in English and use an occasional word from his native tongue. He felt that since many Indians would grow up learning English that it was becoming a native language. Now, for the other side of the coin, let's look at Ireland. They recently gained their independence from Britain, but by that time most people had grown up learning English, not Irish (Gaeilge). Now Irish is a required school subject, and around 40% of the population can speak it, but it's still not the default language for most. Would kids in Ireland be less patriotic to speak to their friends in English, a language they learned before learning Irish and that they felt more comfortable speaking in? I would say no, but I haven't been in that situation, so I'm not sure how I would feel if, say, China took over the USA and my grandchildren preferred to speak Mandarin instead of English. Wait, I know how I would feel: isolated. :-( -Whistler Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, I'm a freshman taking ECON 110 with Kearl this semester. I do pretty well with school; but some of the stories from that class sound terrifying. I'm resolved to work super hard in that class, but I was wondering if any of you veterans had some good advice? Or just advice for super-hard classes in general? -Already reading
ADear Already, Longtime reader and friend of the Board Fredjikrang provided some good insight about this very subject in his blog not long ago. Read the post here. Best of luck, Waldorf and Sauron ADear Reading Already, If you decide to read the blog post that Waldorf and Sauron referenced, make sure to also read the comments. When you go into a class, take other people's advice, but also make your own judgment calls. I didn't take Econ 110, and probably never will, but there is a strategy to hard classes. Do not procrastinate, ask for help from the T.A.s anytime you do not understand something, and study as much as you need to. T.A.s have told my classes so many times that they wish more people would take advantage of them. They are there to help you get through any hard subjects, so don't be intimidated. Also, as a freshman, you will be tempted to be social more often than you want to study. If you let that happen, your grades will undoubtedly suffer. You can do it! Do not fear, it is only a class. -Mico AAR- Always be sure that you understand one concept before moving on to the next. Economics builds on itself, and not understanding a crucial earlier bit of information will make it hard to understand the harder stuff that comes later. Take notes, read the readings before class, ask questions, do your homework, and you should be fine. - Cuddlefish Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, Say you write your local congressman about an issue, and you unexpectedly receive a response in the mail from said senator, which is undoubtedly awesome. Is it customary to write back thanking the senator for taking the time to write and send a response, or do most senators not expect or want a thank you note? - Sam, the Nanti-SARRMM
ADear Sam, Considering Congressmen generally do not personally respond to letters, you should feel lucky. Writing back to say thank-you is polite, and definitely not out of the ordinary. Plus, it will show how much the issue and his concern meant to you. -Mico ADear Sam, the Nanti-SARRMM, I worked as an intern for a state congressperson (werf was the Speaker, actually), and it was my job to handle constituent concerns, meaning that I read all the mail and manned the phone line. We didn't get too, too much mail, but I personally wrote every single one of them back and then handed them off for a signature after a staffer had approved them. The Speaker, who is my favorite politician in the whole wide world, did not write a response the whole time I worked for werf, though werf's staff told me werf had written responses before a couple times. It's good business to write the constituents back, even if they don't have concerns you really need to worry about. You keep them happy and you keep their vote. I've never worked for a congressperson, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they have staffers who write constituents back for them. Maybe the senator in question really did read your mail and respond. I'm not thinking it's very likely. Therefore, I do not think it is necessary to write your senator back, because it's just one more piece of mail for some staffer to sift through. I don't mean to say that your letters mean nothing, by the way. Letters, especially if a politician receives many, many letters about the same thing, can make an impact. You just shouldn't be under the impression that because it came from their office and bears their signature that the politician in question actually read your letter or wrote the response. - The Black Sheep Back to top QDear 100 Hour Board, On the TV show Hell's Kitchen oftentimes Gordon Ramsey gets so mad he stops dinner service and has the chefs shut down the kitchen. Does he just do this for show and has some sous chefs finish service, or does he really turn customers away? - Chef
AChef- I can find no reports about people being turned away from his restaurants because he closed the kitchen. However, plenty of people seem to have issues with the quality of his restaurant's service, given the price. - Cuddlefish |
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