POSTER FOR FINANCIAL AID OF ASTHMA IN TOKYO

This is the poster for financial aid that Tokyo prefecture made to help people who suffer financially to see doctor and to pay hospital charges for asthma.

People who are eligible have to …

1) continuously live in Tokyo for at least one year (for under three years old, at least six month)

2) have bronchial asthma or some related illness (under 18years old, this aid apply to those who have bronchial asthma, asthmatic bronchitis, chronic bronchitis pulmonary emphysema or some related illness)

3) join the health insurance

4) do not smoke

This description was used until 2008. From August 1^st, 2008 Tokyo prefecture changed the recruitment and expanded age range of the bronchial asthma from under 18 to all age.

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Title: The number of people who are authorized to get this financial aid past ten years from 2010

From 2001, even though the number of people who get this financial aid decreased in 2007, it is keep increasing and in 2010, 85,575people get this aids. In 2008, as I mentioned above, the number of people suddenly increased because of the expansion of age range.

In order to spread this aid, Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health put advertizing in homepage, giving posters, put ads in the local magazine, put ads in TV and radio, established counseling agency (from April 2008), put poster at the subway station.

I don't know how to upload the pictures...

3/23/2012 Skype with professor in California

Today, two grads student, who research about the air environment and asthma in Terran and California, and my professor had skype meeting with the professors in UCI!

My professor invited me to join and observe/listen the meeting. Two grads students made their research powerpoint and presented what they learned and what they thought about the connection between the California and Terran.

Since I did not have the background knowledge of neither Terran and California, it was hard to follow but there were many things to learn from their thoughtful conversation and the powerpoint that grads students made.

Also, before the meeting, my professor's assistant looked though first summary of what I learned and checked my work. I'm going to post that on next blog!

3/2 Missed Internship

Because MArch 2nd was the last day before spring break, and also because my flight was on that day, I could not go to internship.

I am excited to go to internship tomorrow after school!!

February 24: Debate workshop

On February 24th, my mentor held workshop for junior high school students including her daughter. It was whole day program. In the morning, students went to many department and learned different subject that can improve the environment. By using the knowledge that they gained from morning workshop, they prepared for debate.

The debate topic was whether the country should keep continuing to dig the whole and make tunnel for getting oil.

SInce I had school on that day, I joined this workshop when the kids alreadt prepare for the debate and ready to start debate. Mostly, the debate was controlled by the grads student from many departments.

Before I went there and listened their debate, I thought since it is the debate by the junior high kids, it would be somehow childish? discussion. However, thier debate was super/extremely well done and I was amazed by how they had their own strong perspective and use their knowledge to convince other side of people.

They talked confidently and calm. I learned many things from them that day. I was impressed by the abilities of junior high school students and felt kind of shame of me because my debate in high school was much worse than me...:( But it was good to be there and hear many relevant opinions from them!

2/17/12 Exchanging each new knowledge

On February 17th, I met other grads students again with my mentor and discussed our development in research.

Each of us learned many things about our topics, but we needed to start considering what we will to talk about in symposium.

Even though I cannot go, these grads students and my mentor will go to California sometime this year and they will interview workers who work at the factory, company, and organization that help to crean the environment or produce pollution. Just only listening to them is exciting enough to learn many connection between each companies and environment which eventually effect on the cause of asthma.

I gradually get to know these grads students, so we can exchange our idea and thoughts more smoothly than before, which is nice to work at college where no one was my friend.

The grads student who Iran always brings the news that I have never heard and the pictures that I haven't seen before. Since Iran country itself neglects controlling the air pollution, she told me that country hardly allow citizens to claim about pollution and bad environment.

When I research about Asthma and environment in Japan, I try to look for interesting, eye-catching news that no one ever heard; however, I am struggling to find those news...

I hope I can find some news that I can show in the symposium in May.

2/17/2012 Start Discussing

I'm so sorry that I haven't written this for long time.

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On February 17th, my mentor talked to me and three other grads students who also do the same researching style as me for different part of the world and organized what we should research on.

As I mentioned before, one of the student research about Iran. The new two people are researching about Terran and California.

What I was surprised was since these countries that grads students are researching on are very polluted places so that many of the question that my mentor gave us are useful to research; however, since Japan is not that famous for polluted air, most questions are not applied to Japan (such as the organization that take care of air pollution- there is no such organization specific to air pollution).

For our symposium in May, my mentor introduced the blog/website that Asthma depeartment manages. She told us to submit what we learn and share each other. I am planning to submit some pictures with analysis and also some data for Asthma in Japan.