Bibliography Nepal and Uzbekistan

"2012 Index of Economic Freedom." Nepal Economy: Facts, Data, & Analysis on Economic Freedom. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012

 "About Uzbekistan / People." About Uzbekistan / People. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.

"Central Intelligence Agency." CIA. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.

 "Human Rights Report Alleges Torture, Abuse in Uzbekistan." The Washingtion Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012

 "In Report on Nepal Conflict, UN Human Rights Chief Voices Concern over pace and Extent of Justice Efforts." UN News Center. UN, 08 Oct. 2012. Web. 21 Dec. 2012

Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.

"Nepalese Culture." Nepalese Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.

 "News from Uzbekistan - UzNews.net." News from Uzbekistan - UzNews.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.

"The Tip of the Iceberg- Stopping Child Labor in Uzbek Cotton Fields – Media Voices for Children." Media Voices for Children RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.

 "Uzbekistan - Uzbek Culture, Customs and Traditions." Uzbekistan - Uzbek Culture, Customs and Traditions. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.

 "Vertical News - Nepal News : Nepal Tourism News: Nepal Travel News : Nepal Trekking and Mountaineering News :Nepal News Updates." Vertical News - Nepal News : Nepal Tourism News: Nepal Travel News : Nepal Trekking and Mountaineering News :Nepal News Updates. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2012.

Bibliography on Japan and Thailand

Works Cited

"Central Intelligence Agency: Japan." CIA. N.p., 5 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

EyeZFoTo. "Bangkok Docks - Thailand." Flickr. Yahoo!, 05 Aug. 2009. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"JAPANESE CULTURE." - CULTURE OF JAPAN. GoJapanGo, 2011. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Japan's Economy & Global Economic Crisis. Perf. Max Keiser. YouTube. YouTube, 17 May 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Japenesepod101. "Japanese Culture - How to Visit a Shrine in Japan." .Japanese Culture - How to Visit a Shrine in Japan . YouTube, 02 Jan. 2009. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"Laundry Thai Style." YouTube. YouTube, 6 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Marshall, Andrew. "Is Thailand Losing the Battle Against Human Traffickers." Time World, 08 July 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.

N.d. Photograph. Astro Boy. Cartoon Excellence, 6 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

N.d. Photograph. Go! Phuket. Go Travel. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

N.d. Photograph. From The Shadows. Debito, 2 Oct. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

N.d. Photograph. Japan Abductions. 07 Mar. 2011. Web. 20 Dec. 2012

N.d. Photograph. Posts Tagges Temples in Japan. Mojo Travel. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"News." AirAsia Rallies to Thai Tourism Players to Welcome Chinese Travellers in 2013. Travel Daily News, 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Saunders, Dr. Peter. "LifeNews.com." Japan Proposes Robots to Help Elderly as Population Implodes. Life News, 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"Stop Japan Abductions." NEW WEBSITE EXPOSES JAPAN'S HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS :. World Press, 1 Sept. 2010. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"Thai Culture." Thai Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"Thailand." CIA. N.p., 5 Dec. 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"Thailand Remains Major Centre for Human Trafficking." The Nation. N.p., 28 June 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

"Thailand Vows to Tackle Human Trafficking - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English." Thailand Vows to Tackle Human Trafficking - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English. Al Jazeera, 23 June 2012. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Uzbekistan's got the goods....

The Uzbekistan economy actually has a lot going for them. I was surprised to learn this considering I had never heard of the country prior to my trip. Turns out they export about five times the amount that they import and they possess many natural resources that are needed around the world. I took a trip through the Fergana Valley- a region famous for its cotton, silk, wine and oil fields. Along the way, I enjoyed many of the wineries and beautiful scenery. Here is a picture I took:

After World War II, industrialization increased drastically and many of the main industries now include food processing, machine building, metallurgy, and the manufacture of textiles. Some of their main exports are automobiles and machinery, on top of their rich resources. 

http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/world/uzbekistan-economy.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uz.html

Uzbekistan, why you gotta be so mean?

Article 5 of the UDHR states that everyone has the right to freedom from torture and degrading treatment, but that just isn't the case in Uzbekistan these days, especially when it comes to Uzbekistan's prisons. Prisoners often have had to endure electric shocks, beatings with rubber batons, and sexual violence. Now, I don't know about you but I don't think anyone should have to be tortured, even if they are criminals who deserve a life in prison. I spoke to one man who was accused of stealing at a young age and sentenced to 5 years in prison. His experiences were nothing less than disturbing and you could still see the effects of the prison beatings in his appearance. "I was forced to do hard labor," he said, "and it wasn't uncommon for me to have multiple severe burns after a days work. The worst part was that I had to write letters to my family saying I was fine and that everyone was treating me well. I think that hurt more than all the physical pain."

The causes of these Human Rights violations are most closely related to power and political systems. There is an absence of laws protecting the inmates and as prisoners who are supposed to be submissive to the officials, they are powerless to change their situation.

The best solution in this case would be to integrate officials for the Human Rights Watch committee into the prisons and to gain support from the Western nations that are currently ignoring the issue altogether.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/dec/16/human-rights-report-torture-abuse-uzbekistan/?page=all

http://www.uznews.net/news_single.php?lng=en&cid=3&nid=8377

If only it were a game of hide and seek in Nepal....

While there are many great things I can say about Nepal, there is one unceasing conflict going on in the Nepali Region, and that is the rising number of "unlawful killings, disappearances, torture, and sexual violences." At least that's what the headlines of the newspapers read. Especially in the large cities, I would see the posters families put up- the ones that say MISSING: Please call with any info. It broke my heart to see the sad faces of the people taping the posters to poles and trees and anywhere else they could.

The reason for these offenses is most likely due to the fact that, again, Nepal lacks a stable central government and therefore an absence of enforcement and laws that protect Human Rights. The higher poverty levels may also play a role in the high amounts of crime in Nepal.

To prevent these crimes in the future, Nepal ultimately needs to educate more people to be police enforcement instead of farmers and agriculturalists and there needs to be raised awareness about these issues so help can be given to those in need.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=43231#.UNJVGG_LRio

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/NP/OHCHR_Nepal_Conflict_Report_Q_A2012.pdf

Nepal is poor is assets but rich in spirit

According to the CIA World Factbook, Nepal is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world...which I witnessed and confirmed from my travels there. Their main source of income comes from Agriculture, which employs 75% of their total population. Farms can be seen for miles on end! However, unlike farmland that you would picture in the United States, there are farms in Nepal that are tucked deep into the mountains! This is a picture I took while I was there:

While flipping through channels on the Nepalese TV stations, I stopped on the news channel and as I was watching I learned a little about their economy. It seems that they have had a very unstable central government and have made little efforts to "engage in world markets", as the newscaster put it. In addition, they, like us, have a trade deficit. They are importing $5 billion worth of goods per year while only exporting around $1 billion worth of goods.

I talked to some locals during my travels about their jobs and the economic situation in Nepal and almost all of them said they were underemployed, or overqualified for their jobs and that ever since leader Madhav Kumar resigned in 2010 in order to break away from the Maoist Party, government stability just hasn't been the same. People in Nepal aren't as free as they would like to be. And since the Maoist party in Nepal resents Indian influence within their country, they have recently called for a ban on Bollywood movies in this region. This movie goes into more detail about the current situation.

http://www.heritage.org/index/country/nepal

Sell It, Buy It From Thailand

While travelling through the blissful docks of Thailand I noticed a lot of the exports that were going on ships. Some of the main exports were mostly machinery, electronics, agricultural components and jewelry. With Thailand being a hot spot for tourism it was interesting to see that their economy is not just focused on that but other exports also.

Even with all these different exports their economy is not doing so well. When I talked to locals, they say what hit them hard was all the flooding in 2011 affecting Bangkok damaging most of the manufacturing sector. Lots of merchandise was lost and put a lot of pressure on companies and the economy. Thailand is slowly trying to recover but it takes time but their is a lot of pressure. Hopefully something can be done to bring Thailand back to track from all the natural disasters and other factors that have prevented them from doing so.

 

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html

Rice and Fish For You and Yen's For Me

In Japan their economy is not doing so hot just like everyone else due to some critical events. The tsunami that hit them in 2011 did not just affect Japan emotionally and their population but their society and their economy. It has left them in a horrible debt, which is what most countries have also. They have shut down a lot of nuclear power plants leaving a lot people out of jobs and electricity is scarce. It made me realize how much electricity I actually use for such small unnecessary things.
So I then looked up on what the government is trying to do to help their situation. They are trying to increase their exports and create free trade agreements with US, Europe, China and other countries. I thought that is a very logical way to try help boost their economy.

I hope all goes well for them as things don't look too good with the older population, closed nuclear plants and them having to heavily relying on exports. Hopefully it will be a smooth and not too bumpy ride for them.

http://apratz.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/the-cluster-web-of-technological-innovation-across-japan-recapturing-the-economic-growth/

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html

I Will Twirl If You Give Me Freedom From Thailand

One of the biggest factors I saw while travelling through Thailand was that there were a lot of clubs and a lot of prostitution. As I dug deeper into the situation I found that Thailand has a high percentage of human trafficking. I thought it was a shame for such a beautiful country for it to be using people like that just for sex and money. Human trafficking has become a major issue in social problems in the world. I think it is sad that a lot of these people, mostly women and children, are being forced into slavery as a prostitute. I read up on some articles on the issues,as seen below. Most of the women and children who are brought to Thailand for prostitution are from China, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia and Singapore.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Thailand-remains-major-centre-for-human-traffickin-30185065.html

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2012/06/201262310492706615.html

Some of the reasons why this may have started is the large amount of tourists that come into Thailand from these neighbouring countries. This is a way of them to get women and children without having to pay for travel. Human trafficking for some people helps them get a lot of money easily. It is said that it is for economical reasons why it has increased so much in Thailand. I think it is horrible that people cannot find another way to make money and abuse these women and children.



Some ways this could be stopped is that the Thailand government puts prevention of human trafficking, prosecutes and convict offenders. Also they could help tackle forced labor and help rescue the women and children who are bought through human trafficking etc.

Thailand needs to do something about this as this is becoming a serious and dangerous matter.

Uzbekistan? It should be Uzbekisong!

Experiencing the Uzbekistan Culture is really something else! Their culture is rich with music and dancing and handicrafts that have been passed on since ancient times! Music accompanies nearly every aspect of the Uzbek's daily lifestyle- whether it's a lullaby before bedtime or a song sung at a funeral. Many of the songs heard in Uzbekistan have an eery, mysterious sound to them, which is one of the reasons why I think their music is so unique. I was told by a man named Simara that Uzbekistan also hosts an annual music festival called Shark Taronalari international music festival, which attracts many people every year. As I was walking through the city of Buxoro, i couldn't help but notice all the blue and white ceramic pottery and gold thread embroidery, two items that Uzbekistan is notoriously famous for.

Since I was there during the Uzbekistan New Year, or Navruz, which occurs on March 21st,  I got to witness the celebrations of this holiday. Village homes were cleaned and decorated and people threw out anything broken or unneccessary as a symbol of tidying up one's life, forgiving others, renewing friendships, and establishing peace to last the rest of the year. It was cool to see how the families greeted one another, by kisses on the cheek- something that's not usually done here in the US of A!

Perhaps one of the most interesting things I discovered is the variety of clothes from the cities to the more suburban areas of Uzbekistan. In the cities, there's your average English outfits and as you move farther out, you will find more of the traditional dresses, zarchapans, and turbans.

http://www.uzbekistan.org/uzbekistan/people/
http://www.silkroadtreasuretours.com/uzbeks-culture

"Taken 3- Japan Style"

http://stopjapanabductions.org/news/new-website-exposes-japan%E2%80%99s-human-rights-violations/

While travelling through Japan I came upon an issue not something Japan would be proud about. Many people from religious minorities groups are being abducted or forced to convert from their religion. When I heard this, I was like no way could this happen. One lady I met, her son got abducted because he proclaimed his was Roman Catholic and did not practice Shinto, the main religion in Japan. When I asked the lady if she had reported to the police about the situations, she said no. Her friend, who's husband was also abducted a couple of years, tired to get the police to investigate and find her husband. They refused to help them and told them the best thing they could do is to convert to Shinto. I was literally horrified when I heard this. There were also rumours that some police actually worked with perpetrators. Many people have tried to take it to civil courts but were disregarded and classified as "family matters or problems."

The reasons why this is an issue is that Japan is trying to keep its culture and not become to Westernized. Some believe if they get rid of the people who are different and who want change it will go away and they can control it. It is more a political matter also as some people don't want any of these people going into government and changing this and customs. They are afraid of change.

I think the best way to solve this problem is for other countries to help save these minority groups but taking them away from Japan or talking to Japan leaders about protecting these people's human rights. If they do not listen they should bring it to the United Nations and let them deal with situation. Overall this needs to be stopped as these people's human rights are being violated. I would hate to have to live everyday in fear of being abducted because I practice a different religion.

No time to harvest education in Uzbekistan....

As I was walking around the countryside of Uzbekistan, I couldn't help but notice that all the people harvesting the cotton in the fields were CHILDREN and not adults! Why weren't these kids in school getting an education and where were their parents? Well, my curiosity got the best of me so I went to talk to some of the kids, which was a struggle considering they would need an education to learn to speak English. From what I understood, they labor long hours in the field and have little time for school. Since the children will work for less money than their parents, the country of Uzbekistan has taken advantage of the situation and forced them to be cotton harvesters. This action has received international attention and criticism. The issue became even more significant to me when i learned that Uzbekistan is the world's second largest cotton exporter and fifth largest producer! Lots of labor + high demand =  lots of child workers and undereducated citizens. I did the math.

This relates to the sustainable development of the country because it shows how Uzbekistan isn't perhaps as developed as other countries since a large portion of their labor force comes from minors.


https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uz.html
http://mediavoicesforchildren.org/?p=2460

All Thai's and No Bows

http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/thaicult.html
Traveling through Thailand was expectational. Great sites but also experience an interesting culture. One of the big culture characteristics that shocked me will in Thailand is that they see being white or whiteness as a symbol of beauty and of higher status. To have darker skin means lower status because most of these people work in the fields on farms etc. While people with lighter skin have the more upper class jobs etc.  Their culture has developed this way of thinking because they associate wealth with the western part of the world, so they want become more like them, so become paler. This way of thinking was also the way of thinking of Westerners during the 18th and early 19th century. Nowadays we Westerners we are obsessed with tanning and not being pale. It was interesting to see many Thai people walking around with umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. If I went to live in Thailand I would be a billionaire because I'm so pale. Heck ya!

Another culture characteristics that I found unique was that Thai people wash their clothes. They wash tops, jumpers, sweatshirts etc. separate from their underwear, pants and trousers. They do this separate because of their Buddhist religious background. They believe that the top part of the body is sacred while the bottom part of the body is unclean. They do not associate them in any form of washing. This i found strange but also unique. 

Here is a clip on Thailand's culture on washing:

Care for a Nepalese Salad?

Sounds weird right? But there are so many different aspects that go into the diverse Nepalese culture!

I'll start by talking about all the different types of people i encoutered on my journey. This nation is a very densely populated nation; there are around 30 million people in a land area that is slightly larger than the state of Arkansas. The best part however is that no two cultural groups are the same! There is a wide variety of races and tribes, costumes and languages, and the main religions are Hinduism and Buddhism. In addition the terrain ranges from nearly sea level to an altitude of 4800 meters high! This means that as altitudes change, so do the different lifestyles and social customs.While these people seem very different on the outside, they are all unified in the their values of religious tolerance and loyalty to the Monarchy and their rich cultural festivals.

When it comes to architecture, there are 3 different styles in Nepal.

                     

Pagoda Style

Stupa style 

Shikhara Style



Last but not least, the Nepalese cuisine is exquisite! It is usually made up of bhat (boiled rice or grains) accompanied with roti (unleavened bread) and an assortment of vegetables, meat and fish. Customary Etiquette says that you should only eat with your right hand and use your left only for picking up a glass since the left hand is usually used for toiletry purposes. Also, meals are often eaten while sitting on the floor, unless you are in a city restaurant. I thought this was a refreshing change to our American customs, but it did take a toll on my back!

All in all, the Nepales culture is a wonder to be experienced and treasured!

http://www.thamel.com/htms/religions_culture.htm

All A's for Japan

http://www.gojapango.com/culture/culture.html
http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/his135/Events/Anime62/Anime62.html
Not only in my journey through Japan did I find the country fascinating  I found some unique characteristics about their culture that stood out for me. One of the big things was Anime, their cartoon animations. I found it amazing  that it wasn't just cartoons for children and teens but that many adults watch it for entertainment. When I talked to people about it they were proud of this type of animation as it was created by a Japanese man called Osamu Tezuka. It was founded after World War II when Tezuka broke from the governments demand to only draw cartoons for propaganda. He then formed his own company and published his best famous work, Astro Boy. From there Anime sprung to life and is popular all over the world.

Not only did I find Anime interesting to see and talk about I found their Unique architecture interesting too. I found their Temples to have interesting structure and associated a lot with Japan. Most of these temples are Buddhist temples and some date back to a thousand years ago. Many are World Heritage sites and contain many information of Japan's history, style and pictures. 

Here is a video on Japenese culture and activities:

The Best of Nepalese Culture

We Welcome You With Open Arms!

My first impression when I walked into Thailand was how many Chinese tourists there were. I was shocked but also thought it was interesting to see that Thailand was not only a hot spot for Western tourists but also for Asian tourists.

Here is an article showing why there is an increase in Chinese tourists in Thailand.

http://www.traveldailynews.asia/news/article/50904/airasia-rallies-to-thai-tourism

With this new relationship and deal it is reducing prices for Chinese people to travel to Thailand, encouraging them to go there. This is good for business in Thailand as it a very focused on tourism. With all the natural disasters that have happened to them in the years with this new relationship it will help them economically to move on from the disasters.

I See Old People...

As I was walking through the streets of Japan one of the many things that caught my attention was how many people were older. It intruiged me to know that almost 30% of Japan's population is over 65. I thought this was intersting that here in the US we are starting to face this problem with higher percentages of population belong to the older generation.

Here is an article I found on how Japan is dealing with their older populaion:

http://www.lifenews.com/2012/11/12/japan-proposes-robots-to-help-elderly-as-population-implodes/

I thought it was intersting that they are trying a new way of facing this problem of older population. Instead of raising taxes on the younger generation they trying to use the power of technology to solve the problem. Not economics but rather science! As Japan is known for their high level of scientists of making of robots I doubt they will have any problem creating a robot that could take care of the elderly at a cheaper expense.

The Nepal Tourism Year has Begun!

http://www.verticaladventures.biz/newsletter/news/nepal-tourism-year-2011.php

As you may know, Nepal is famous for is beautiful sights and rugged terrain. It is the home of the Himalayan Mountains and the World Famous Mount Everest which draws thousands of adventure seeking tourists every year! This is extremely beneficial to the Nepalese Economy and accounts for a large chunk of their country's income.

As a tourist in Nepal, I wanted to take in as much of Nepal as I could in the short time that I was there. Some of the activities I did included: Trekking through Kathmandu Valley, which is home to many intricate sculptures, monuments, and artistic temples from the Golden Era; went sightseeing in Balaju Garden and the Garden of Dreams, River Rafting on the Trishuli River, and Horseback Riding through the magnificent mountains. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I would strongly suggest putting it on your bucket list!

Here are some pictures from my adventures:

Where Our Travels Will Take Us