Bangladesh

- Bangladesh is located in Southern Asia between Burma and India.

- The capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka.

- Europeans began to set up trading posts in this area of Bangladesh in the 16th century. They became East Pakistan in 1950s then they were indepentent from Pakistan in March 26, 1971.

- Flag

Green color: It represents the passion of young people and the green land of bangol.

Red color: It represents the sacrified people who fought for their people's freedom and independence.

- Seasons: It is a tropical country consisting 6 seasons in a year.

Spring(December~Feburary), Summer(March~May), Rainy(June~August), Autumn(September~October), Late Autumn(October~November), and Winter(November~December)

- Population: The population is relatively young because their life expectancy is just 63 years for both men and women. 0~25 age group comprises 60% and 65~older age group is just 3%.

- Religion: Islam is around 90%, Hinduism is 9% and Buddhism is under 1%.

- Economy

(1) Two thirds of the population works in the agricultural sector. They grow very significant quantities of rice, tea and mustard.

(2) More than three quarters of Bangladesh's export earnings come from the garment industry. Many other country invest in Bangladesh because they have cheap labour and low conversion cost. More than 3 million people work in this industry and 90% of them are women.

(3) According to the World Bank, the most significant obstacles to growth in Bangladesh are poor governance adn weak public institutions.( The literacy rate is approximately 41%, which are 50% among men and 31% among women.)

- Sports: Cricket and football are more popular than Kabbadi which is the national game.

- Current Issue: Women and children are trafficked to India and Pakistan for sexual exploitation.

Kyrgyztan

* National Flag

- There are 40-ray sun on the flag

: That represents 40 tribes of Manas who are mythical heros who unified 40 tribes against the Khitans.

- There are 2 sets of three lines

: This describes traditional tent, "Yurt" which nomad uses generally.

- The red color of background means peace and openness of Kyrgyzstan.

* General Information

- They were independent from Soviet Union on March 3rd in 1922 and also a member of CIS(Commonwealth of independent States)

- Officially the Kyrgyz Republic is a country in Central Asia and bordered by Kazakhstan to the North, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east.

- Capital: Bishkek(the photo of the right=>)

- Language: Kyrgyz, Russian

- Ethnic groups: Kyrgyz 70%, Uzbek 15%, Russian 9% and etc.

- Religion: Muslim 80%, Russian Orthodox 17%

It's a real story...'The stoning of Soraya M'

When I heard about this movie from Ms. Emily just before I watched it, I didn't think much that it was very serious. However in the middle of this movie, I became falling into it. After watching this movie, I would love to recommend this movie for getting a chance that people could get to know about the hidden real situation in part of our earth.

Women rights....it seems that there's no rights to women in that small village of Iran even if women are nothing....like being lower lebel than animals. One guy in the movie says that muzzles should be for women, not for dogs because he doesn't like that old woman who spoke to men directly, strictly and strongly as a truth. Those behaviors are out of their traditonal social rules. I cannot imagine that kind of situations. How can women express their opinions? They're supposed to follow men.
Generally parents love their every children regardless their sex. However Soraya's husband doesn't take care of his daughters. It looks he doesn't think daughters as his children. It's totally different from his sons. Aisian
Could you imagine that your family members accept to kill you? How could a real father agree to kill his daughter? How could the real sons throw stones to their mother to kill? How could her husband choose to get rid of his wife just because he want to marry a young woman earlier? They all said those behaviors were just as God.

UAE(United Arab Emilates)

* UAE(United Arab Emilates)
- UAE is located between Saudi Arabia and Omen bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Percian Gulf.

- UAE was indpendented from British December, 2 in 1971.

- UAE is "the Black Gold in middle East" in world oil market, so the key of oil price in Middle Eastern oil producers is impacted by UAE.

Czech Food

- Most Czechs enjoy their food very much and mealtimes are special occasions.

- Czechs like sugar in just about everything, it seems. Sauces, gravies, and salad dressings are uncommonly sweet. A common meal for children is noodles, with loads of sugar, ground poppy seeds and melted butter.

- Czech food is not exactly diet food. When you buy a "salad" at a deli, what you often get is a very thick mayonnaise-based dressing and small pieces of vegetables and meat. Vegetarianism is only recently catching on in Central Europe, so there aren't many options, unfortunately. But if you like beets, turnips, carrots, onions and potatoes, you're in luck.

- Spices most commonly used are: caraway, poppy, paprika and dill. Condiments are: mustard (smooth and grainy), sauerkraut, tartar sauce, horseradish and very sweet ketchup. Most dishes come with "Zeli" or cabbage. Many things are marinated, so if you're vinegar fan, you have a lot to look forward to!

- If you want to sample Czech cuisine, start with "Veprove Knedliky," your basic pork plus dumplings. Ordering "Teleci Kyta" will result in a leg of deer. "Beefsteak na Kyselo" is a steak with a sour, creamy gravy. For something zesty and hearty, you can't go wrong with a bowl of goulash, although that's technically Hungarian, not Czech.

- The national beverage is beer. If you want to get a chance to sample the finest beers of the Czech Republic, you should be better to go to Prague during the beer festival. The country is famous for beers such as Pilsner Urquell and Budvar, but drinkers will find much more to enjoy at the Czech Beer Festival(May 14th to 30th).

* What did influence to Czech cuisine?

(1) Historically
Czech cuisine was influenced historically by the surrounding regions that dominated the country.
In 1273, Count Rudolph, King of Germany, controlled most of Europe including the region of the present Czech Republic. The Germans brought roast goose, sauerkraut, and dumplings, which have become Czech staple dishes.

In 1526, Ferdinand I of Austria began his reign as King of Bohemia (a western region in the Czech Republic). At that time from Vienna, the capital city of Austria, schnitzels (breaded and fried chicken or pork patties) were introduced to the Czechs.

(2) Climate & Geography
Czech cuisine is considered heavy and very filling, with meals centered on meats and starches. This is because Czech winters are long and cold, which doesn't allow to get a variety of fresh vegetables. In fact, if you take some salads, they typically are limited to two vegetables, such as tomato and cucumber. However Houby (mushrooms:the picture on the right=>) are the exception, which grow very well in local forests and are popular in soups, such as houbova polevka myslivecka (Hunter's mushroom soup).

Seafood is not widely available because the country is not located by any large bodies of water. The fish, usually carp and trout, are raised in artificial lakes or fish farms. Some Westerners may think eating carp is unappealing, but in the Czech Republic, the water where they are raised is drained clean every year, so it's ok.

* A few things worth knowing

- Most dishes are pork and beef but chicken, turkey, fresh-water fish, duck, lamb, and rabbit are common as well.

- " Knedlik": the most common side dish, dumpling which made of wheat or photato flaour is boiled as a toll of dough. This is usually cut into slices and served with gravy.

- " Medallions": " a pice of meat/ sliced flat/ like a medal"

- " Spis" : It's like a shish-kebab which grilled meat and vegetables on spear.

- " Svickova": It's the national dish. It's good if you get ready to eat lots of photatoes.(the picture on the right=>)

- "Dobrou chut": Czechs say to each other before they begin a meal. It means "Bon appetit"="Hope it tastes good!"

* Recipe

(1) Knedlíky (Czech Dumplings)

-Ingredients
1 egg, beaten , ½ cup milk , 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon baking powder , 4 to 5 slices white bread, cut into cubes

-Procedure
Knedliky, or dumplings are made from dough that is boiled in water.

a. In a mixing bowl, combine beaten egg, milk, flour, baking powder, and salt until smooth.
b. Add bread cubes in batter and mix well.
c. Make 2 small balls from the dough.
d. Fill a large pot about half full with water and bring to a boil.
e. Drop the dough balls into the pot of boiling water and cook 10 minutes, then roll knedlíky over and cook an additional 10 minutes.
f. Remove immediately from the water and cut in half to release steam.
g. Serve with roast pork, sauerkraut, or kure na paprice.

Man-maade beauty, Charles Bridge in Prague

This bridge is the oldest one of many bridges on the Voltava river and a symbol of Prague. It was founded by Charles IV in the year 1357. By the latest researche the construction was started by Master Otto and finished by Peter Parler in 1402. The Charles Bridge was named after King Charles.Both ends of the bridge are divided by towers (the Lesser Town Bridge Towers, the Old Town Bridge Tower). The bridge is 515 meters long and 10 meters wide, which was enough for 4 carriages to cross at the same time. Until 1683, there were no statues on the bridge. From then to 1928 thirty sculptures and sculptural groups of saints were gradually set on the bridge piers. They form two rows, one on each side. The fourth statue, Nepomuk is believed to be good luck if you touch the small staues at each bottom corner of the statue. That's the reason why those two spots are so shiny.

This bridge is just for walker. You can see the fantastic scenery like a painting if you pass the towers which are at both ends of the bridge. If you want to see the best view of the castle of Prague, stand on this bridge and look at the castle. That's the best way. In my opinion, that's the reason why Disney mimiced the castle of Prague to take their trade mark. How wonderful it is!!

Climate & Geography

* Climate
Czech Republich has a continental climate with relatively warm springs, hot summers, dry autumns, and cold, cloudy winters. The temperature difference between summer and winter is very high because of its landlocked geographical position and mountain district.

- Spring: During March, April and May, the temperature usually increases rapidly especially during April. At this period, the weather and temperature tends to vary widely during the day.

- Summer: The warmest months are June,July and August. On average, summer temperatures are about 20 degrees higher than during winter. Especially in the last decade, temperatures above 30 °C (86 °F) are not unusual. Summer is also characterized by rain and storms.

- Autumn: This season begins in September, which is still relatively warm and very dry. During October, temperatures fall back under 15℃~10℃(59℉~50℉) and trees begin to shed their leaves. By the end of November, temperatures range around the freezing point.

- Winter: During January, February and December, there is usually snow in the mountains and sometimes in the major cities and lowlands.

# The best time to visit #
The best time to visit is in May or September due to the fact that the weather is mild and it is less crowded. In July and August, the hostels are crowded with students; in April and October, it is less crowded and accommodation rates are cheaper. However, you can choose the season that you like more.

* Geography

The Czech landscape is quite varied. Bohemia to the west consists of a basin, which is drained by the Elbe (Czech: Labe) and Vltava rivers and surrounded by mostly low mountains, where one also finds the highest point, 1,602 metres(5,256 ft) in the country. Moravia, the eastern part, is also quite hilly and is drained predominantly by the Morava river, but also contains the source of the Oder (Czech: Odra) river. Water from the landlocked Czech Republic flows to three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea.

- Elevation extremes : The lowest point is Elbe River 115 m and the highest point is Sněžka 1602 m

- Natural resources in Czech Republic are hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber, and uranium.

- 41% of the land is arable land, 2%of the land is permanent crops, 11% of the land is permanent pastures, 34% of the land is forests and woodland, and 12% is other.

- The main natural hazards in Czech Republic is flooding

# The natural place to visit : Český ráj = Bohemian Paradise

Bohemian Paradise is a protected landscape area located in the Czech Republic. There are numerous hiking and biking trails and several campsites. Most popular attractions include rock town(skalní město), Valdštejn Castle, and volcanic basalt rock 'fingers'. The nearest towns are Jičín and Turnov, both of which are an approximately 1 and 1/2 hour train ride from the capital city of Prague.