Life & English

Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, falling between spring and autumn At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice. The date of the beginning of summer varies according to climate, tradition and culture, but when it is summer in the Northern Hemisphere it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa.

Schools and universities typically have a summer break to take advantage of the warmer weather and longer days. In almost all countries, children are out of school during this time of year for summer break, although dates vary.

Cute M.

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Children's Day is recognized on various days in many places around the world, to honor children globally. It was first proclaimed by the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in 1925 and then established universally in 1954 to protect an "appropriate" day.

International Day for Protection of Children, observed in many countries as Children's Day on June 1 since 1950, was established by the Women's International Democratic Federation on its congress in Moscow (22 November 1949).

Universal Children's Day is not simply a day to celebrate children for who they are, but to bring awareness to children around the globe that have succumbed to violence in forms of abuse, exploitation and discrimination.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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Many people say that the Internet is the most important invention ever, and I definitely believe that it is true.

Nowadays computer is so affordable that in every home you can find one. What is more, the Internet connects people all around the world, and allows making on-line businesses transactions and proving a special kind of education. Computers did not exist a century ago and people had happy lives without them. Nowadays, we take computers for granted and nothing can exist without them.

Life would stop without computers.  You wouldn’t even think how many common products are operated by computers. Our cars, microwave ovens, wristwatches and thousands of other gadgets. Appearing on the Internet you can search on World Wide Web – for information when you have to . There are millions of websites storing an endless number of data. You can find many dozens of information about everything on the Internet: history, animals, plants, nature, music, famous people etc. There are countless number of services available on the net.

What is more you can download music, films, listen to foreign radio stations, play games, read and subscribe newspapers and magazines and you can even purchase or sell various products, order food… In addition you can transfer money through the Internet, and learn languages on-line on several web pages and practice English because most users speak the language. You can keep in touch with friends or other people from other countries to write them e-mails if you have an e-mail access and it is very fast… 

Peter Tyler

(English teacher)

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Fourteen European cultural institutes and embassies show current movies from their countries. Screenings: 16 – 31 May 2014 at Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh city and Danang.

For two weeks, the cinemas of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang show movies from fourteen European countries. This year‘s event is opened by the British Council with their movie “How I live now” in Hanoi on 16 May. The fictitious drama is based on the novel of the same name by Meg Rosoff and is about Daisy, a 15-year-old American girl that is sent to her relatives in England. There, she has a great summer and falls in love with her eldest cousin Eddie who is as introverted and strong-willed as her.  The German entry is “Oh Boy” by Jan-Ole Gerster.

On the following days, the films of the other participating countries are screened.

Screenings:
16 – 31 May 2014
Hanoi,Ho Chi Minh city and Danang

(Source: www.goethe.de)

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(ICTPress) - On the occasion of celebrating Vietnam Science and Technology Day, May 18 as well as celebrating the upcoming 55^th anniversary of Ministry of Science and Technology, full of guests have received a pleasant surprise.

They had a chance to see a cyber performance designed by VinaREN and friends from Malaysia and Korea were invited to participate.

Cyber performance is one of the main activities of e-Cultures working group of APAN since 2011, contributing to the international cooperation in the field of science and technology at member states and narrowing the gap between science and humanity through “technology”.

The program included 2 main parts:

Part 1 consists of 3 traditional performances playing in serial model from Vietnamese, Malaysian and Korean artists. In part 1, participants heard Vietnamese traditional instrument ensemble performed by artists form Vietnam National Music Song and Dance theatre. Next was the traditional dance by the artists of University of Malaya; and finally, at the end of part there was a traditional instrument ensemble by Korean artists. All of the performances were shown on big screen so that every one can easily follow and enjoy.

Concerto with Vietnamese traditional musical instruments, title “Vietnam my home country” written by Do Nhuan, performed by Au Co traditional musical band of the Vietnam National Music Song and Dance theatre: “Please come to Vietnam, to the country of rich cultural identity of 54 ethics, to the country of hardworking and friendly people, to the country of many beautiful natural wonders”, opened the performance.

Second was synopsis of Datun and Julud Dance of Orang Ulu, Sarawak. Datun Julud or Hornbill Dance is a traditional dance from Sarawak. The dance was traditionally performed to greet returning warriors as well as to mark the end of the rice harvest season. “KIRIP”, which she swings it side by side smoothly. This dance was accompanied by the music from “sape”.

The third was the live performance of Korea. It is a traditional music called Dae-gum San-jo. It is a free style duet with a bamboo flute and Korean drums. Dae-gum is a bamboo flute that has very clear sound with vibrating pitch. Jang-gu is two sided drums that can be played with two hands, left and right. The musicians from Daejeon Yeonjeong Municipal Music Institute were Yong-Moo Lee, a Dae-gum player and Byeong-Gon Kim, A Jang-gu.

Part 2, viewers had a chance to enjoy a special joint performance, Vietnamese artists played “Spring aspiration” composed by Mozart while as Malaysian and Korean artists danced based on the music played by Vietnam. The world of human classic musical, the huge musical heritage of Mozart is one of the biggest in humanity. In many famous performances (for orchestra, opera) written by Mozart about love, spring, youth, “Spring aspiration” is one of the greatest. The message of love, spring, nature has been transcended throughout the performance of Mozart and “Spring aspiration” has spoken the desire for love, spring, and nature of humanity in general. “Spring aspiration” is not only the message full of love between human, the love between human and nature but also shows the great gratitude towards nature, the greatest present that Mother nature gives to us.

The unique point of this performance was the organizers combined the real performance of dancers with 3D animation to create a vector motions from dancers’ original performances was shown on the big screen below.

Here is the clip from the performance:

In order to achieve this goal, in this program, participants used different ICT hardware and software to combine the live performance of the artists with technological effects to create a consistent performance showing on the big screen at the venue and streaming online to the viewers at different places in the world through high bandwidth connection VinaREN which was linked to TEIN4 network and other international ones such as APAN, Internet 2, GREANT, Transpac 2, RED clara…

Director of VinaREN, Dr. Nguyen Hong Van said that in order to having the interesting 30-minute cyber performance VinaREN had three months to discuss and exchange the draft with Malaysia and Korea. With careful preparation and 3D vectored animation, the performance brought new and different aspect to view full performance in one screen.

Dr. Nguyen Hong Van and co-workers behind the performance

Thanks to the sponsor of European Commission (EC), TEIN*CC, the support of APAN, VTN and other members of TEIN*CC, National Agency for Science and Technology Information,  “Cyber performance on VinaREN – TEIN4” with Malaysian and Korean partners was successful./.

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Hanoi, May 2014 - with some views of West Lake...

A corner in West Lake

Lotus tea and Steamed lotus rice in West Lake

Fried shrimp in batter is a special food of West Lake

Flowers - colors of life

Other corner of West Lake. A circle of memory.

(Photos: Happy N.)

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Dear Readers.

On occasion of  “Life & English” one year old, 19^th May 2013 – 19^th May 2014, ICTPress informs about the result of the English writing contest as follows:

With the subject: “How does internet, computer, laptop, tablet, mobilephone, smartphone…make your life better?”, in the submission period from 15^th Jan  2014 to 15^th May  2014, the English writing contest of ICTPress received more 60 texts from young writers in Vietnam and other countries. ICTPress selected the good texts, edited and published in "Life & English" section.

We are living in a Networked Society.  Our young writers are joining to Networked Society. Their writing is a part of connections. Their writing is a starting point for new ways of innovating, collaborating and socializing.

3 awards for 3 authors who have articles have most readers. Their name and nicknames are: Cute Mite, Duong Minh Khanh and Tina B.

10 gifts will be sent to 10 authors who submit most articles at the earliest.

ICTPress is going to sent gift and awards to the writers.

Network Society is wondeful. Although the contest is finished, we look forward to continue receive your stories telling your personal experience in a Networked Society.

 Thanks & Best Regards.

ICTPress

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(ICTPress) - The Ministry of Information and Communications has just received and announced  World Atlas of the Phillippe Vandermaelen and its value in affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the archipelagoes on East Sea.

Minister Nguyen Bac Son and CEO Ngo Chi Dung announced the World atlas of the Phillippe Vandermaelen in Hanoi in May 13, 2014 (Image: Minh Thien).

The Ministry of Information and Communications has been aware of the importance of the document, purchased the atlas with support from Ngo Chi Dung, director of ECO Pharmaceutical Company.

Minister Nguyen Bac Son said when the World Atlas displayed to the public in Ha Noi to raise awareness about the nation's indisputable sovereignty.

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc from Ha Noi National University, vice chairman of the Vietnam Historical Science Association, found the maps at a bookstore in Belgium and have had many discussions with foreign scholars and experts that they also affirmed the value of the map.

Professor Nguyen Quang Ngoc prensented the valued information of the World Atlas (Image: Minh Thien)

He also deliverd all valured information of the world Atlas to the audiences from many organizations gatherd in its announcing ceremony in Hanoi:

In 1827, Philippe Vandermaelen (1795 - 1869), the remarkable geographer, member of the Paris Geography Association, published the World Atlas that comprises 6 volumes with 7 general maps of five continents, 381 detailed maps, 40 pages of statistics and a lot of information on natural, political and mineral geography. The Atlas has been completed on the basis of the best world maps at that time, together with the information from astronomical observation or the voyages in a lot of places on earth and unanimously drawn in accordance with the 1/1641836 scale, dimension of 53,5X37cm, which can be pieced together into a globe of diameter of 7.755cm. This is really the great landmark marking the stage of overdeveloping of the modern technology of drawing and printing maps in early 19^th Century. For nearly 200 years, the Atlas has become extremely famous, being exploited and used by a lot of countries in the world.

The maps showed in Hanoi

The Asian volume has 111 maps, mainly arranged in volume two of the Atlas. Vietnam was introduced at that time through the maps number 97,105, 106 and 110. Partie de la Cochinchine is the map 106 where the central coast line was drawn from the 12^th Parallel to the 16^th Parellel. In the high sea, Paracels (Hoàng Sa) was drawn in detail and preciseness from about the 16^th latitude to the 17^th latitude and from the 109^th longitude to the 111^th longitude. The Paracels archipelago in the map has Pattles and Duccan islands in the west; Tree and Lincol, Rocher au desus de l’eau in the east and Triton in the southwest, right below the 16^th latitude; Investigateur is deep to the south at about 14.5^th latitude. Apart from the area determined as the Paracels, the map has also another map which introduces in short the Empire of An Nam.

Next to the Partie de la Cochinchine, up above is the map number 98 with the name the Partie de la Chine in the 18^th-21^st latitude and the 106^th-114^th longitude which drew the Guangdong and Hainan, showing that China’s southernmost boundary is yet to touch the 18^th latitude. All China’s maps from the decade of early 20^th Century backwards also match fully the Western maps with no drawing of China’s southernmost territory beyond the 18^th latitude. This not only reflects the objectivity and precision of the Atlas, but also makes a contribution to enhancing further the value that evidences of Vietnam’s sovereignty of the Paracels reflected in the Partie de la Cochinchine.

At the beginning of the 16^th Century, there were some Western maps that drew the Eastern Indian area with marks of Paracels in the middle of East Sea and the coastal area in the west of Paracels (the coast of Central Vietnam) was marked Costa de Paracels (the Hoang Sa waters). Entering the 17^th Century and particularly the 18^th Century, a lot of maps reflected clearly the geographical position and characteristics and the sovereignty relations of the Paracels with the Đàng Trong region. However, most of these maps arranged the Paracels in the general East Indian region.

Only until early 19^th Century when the Nguyen Dynasty was set up with the affirmation of Vietnam’s sovereignty in a complete manner, it really followed the principle of acquisition of territories by the Western recognition and praise, the Western map officially affirmed the Paracels archipelago lay within Vietnam’s territories and belonged to Vietnam. The Partie de la Cochinchine is the first map that mapped out in an absolutely precise manner the position (latitude and longitude), geographical characteristics, the Western name of the biggest and most important island in the Hoang Sa archipelago. The map placed in the Cochinchine region was an organic and inseparable part of Empire An Nam. It proves clearly and precisely Vietnam’s sovereignty over the internationally recognized Paracels.

The World Atlas of Philippe Vandermaelen in general and the Partie de la Cochinchine in particular can be considered in all aspects as the priceless document that not only raises the standard scientific value of the propaganda and education of sovereignty over islands and sea, but also is the convincing, true and effective evidence and international legal value for the struggle to defend the sacred sovereignty over islands and sea of the Fatherland of Vietnam.

A representative from French embassy in Hanoi saw the detailed maps. (Image: Minh Thien)

Thanks to our colleagues in Paris, we can have the first information about the Atlas; on the other hand we are given conditions by the Ministry of Information and Communications to expand the exploitation of the sources of relevant information. Mr. Ngo Chi Dung, General Director of the ECO Pharmaceuticals Company has funded us to carry out the survey of 5 sets of Atlas in the national libraries in France and Belgium, the Geographical Library of Royal Belgium, the library of Paris University; to have discussion and unanimous assessment of the geographical experts, topographers, historians, lawyers and librarians in Paris and Bruxelles so as to be able to have the foundation to determine the World Atlas of the ancient Bookstore Sanderus, No. 32, Nederkouter, Gent City, Belgium, as the original in Bruxelles in 1827. After having important information, he decided to buy the complete set of 6 World Atlas to help make fuller historical and legal evidences concerning Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracels.

On the occasion that the Ministry of Information and Communications organized the ceremony to present and introduce this set of Atlas, we would like to express our thanks to all the organizations and individuals for their great efforts to have the presence of the World Atlas of Philippe Vandermaelen in Vietnam and it has officially become the national treasure of Vietnam.

It would like to say further that this Atlas has got the boundaries, the scope of territories and territorial waters which are clearly defined and easily recognized. If you find anything that needs explanation, you can quickly examine it on the website or directly study the originals in a lot of libraries and archives in Europe and America and now in Hanoi, Vietnam, Professor Ngoc said.

Here are the the reference links you can find in the Internet further approving the maps:

http://www.ubka.uni-karlsruhe.de/kvk/view-title/index. php? katalog=HEBIS&url= http%3a%2f%2fcbsopac.rz. uni-Frankfurt.de%3a80%2fDB%3d2.1%2fCHARSET % 3dUTF-8%2fIMPLAND%3dY%2fLNG%3dDU% 2fSRT%3dYOP%2fTTL%3d1%2fCOOKIE%3dU203%2cK203%2cI251%2cB1999%2b%2b%2b%2b%2b%2b%2cSN%2cNDefault%2blogin%2cD2.1%2cE145894ae-1%2cA%2cH%2cR129.13.130.211%2cFY%2fSET %3d1%2fSHW%3fFRST%3d5&showCoverImg=1./.

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What do we think about a Networked Society?

It is our vision of what will happen when everything that can benefit from being connected is connected, empowering people, business and society.

The first 20 years of mobile and internet evolution was characterized by innovating for users. Now, the current growth wave is different. The trend of smartphones is developing rapidly. The question now is: how large can this transformation be?

It is opening opportunities and challenges.

Tina B

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Life & English: “How has technology changed our lives?”

3D television, Iphone, Internet Explosion, and healthcare devices used to be dreams of mankind eras ago. We are using wonderful products made of technology innovation. Many of us seem not to care of what those bring to our lives and how those change our world. However, the fact that technology opens a bloomy period where human have opportunities to improve our world and live a better and more comfortable life.

Ten years ago, televisions only had two colors, black and white. Now, a television is designed as a full package box with various applications like music shows, movies, online commerce, etc in high definition quality. In our parents’ generation, the functionalities of a phone might be dialing and answering. Still having those features, a mobile phone is nowadays all of what you need to entertain and relax. They contain media, games, books, even compatibility of connectivity with other digital devices. As we can see, our world has marvellously changed for only 10 years. I think each of us is aware of these changes more or less. 

Technological advances involved not only in entertainment industry and devices manufactory but in every facet of our lives. For instance, in the field of healthcare, it has helped doctors to diagnose and treat fatal diseases and illness.  We also reduce a huge cost experiments by pre-analyzing genes of species on computer. And for those who want to shop, they can purchase everything, from a pen to a house, without even leaving your comfortable chair. Technology is now an essential part of our lives. I cannot imagine a day without mobile phones, televisions, and internet. That will be a day when all of our activities get disordered and a tremendous crisis will stand a good chance to raise.

Even though technology has so many advantages, it still has some negative impacts. Nowadays, machines do most of our jobs and help us cut down burdens of life. Hence, we literally become dependent on them.  This will lessen our competence and, in the day without technology, the world can be submerged in darkness. In other words, we should find a renewable energy for fear that we should be in short of electricity one day. Moreover, with waves of entertaining applications, internet turns into an addictive place where young generations leave their real lives and spend hours in vain. Consequently, students, the future of countries, ignore the importance of study and disappoint their families. Violent games, besides a role of entertaining purpose, make children scuffle on streets and somehow caused many deaths. It is harmful that we use advances in technology and science with a bad consciousness. Therefore, it is recommended that raising awareness of using entertaining devices should be widely discussed. Internet security in a digital world is a considerable matter. Now, almost data is digitalized, which can be an easy target for blackhat hackers to get your private information. More and more website attacks are happening and are increasing every hour. To us, potential victims, we should know how to protect ourselves from risk. That is when human life is enlightened by technological masterpieces in safe. 

Depending on bad side or good side we look, each one of us has our own thoughts and feeling of what we gained from technology. However, it is uncontroversial that technological advances have made great impacts on our lives and, together with science, they are doors opening to a better living standard for human. So, everyone should turn technology into advantage to make a better life and be aware of riskiness of overusing.

Author: Truong Vo Huu Thien

Address: University of Science

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