Lesson 12
Dear Yuki,
Thank you for your twelfth message. My
comments and corrections follow.
Sincerely,
Prof. Sue Garreis
Prof.
Susan Garreis,
Hello.
Thank
you for your reply and corrections of my English.
I
will answer your questions.
In the US, it is hard for college students to find summer jobs.
How
is that?
Our economy took a serious downturn in
2008.
We are still recovering.
Many jobs were lost.
Not everyone who wants a job has one.
So older people will work at a job that
college students would usually have.
College students work at jobs that high
school students usually have.
It is not true in every place in the US. It
is true in many places, though.
→I see.
Autumn
deepened, it became quite chilly in Japan.
How
is it there?
It is cooler in the US, too. It is not
chilly yet. It is pleasantly cool.
I love this weather!
→I like this season too.
It's
nice and cool.
Do
you have a favorite cafe?
I love Starbucks hot green tea.
However at this time of year, this is a
very popular drink:
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/pumpkin-spice-latte
Pumpkin spice latte is delicious!
→It looks very delicious!
Because
Halloween is near, the product of various pumpkins is sold in a shop in Japan.
I
love pumpkin foods!
When
I was young, I dressed in a witch costume and participated in Halloween
parties.
I
said "Trick or Treat" to my parents and teacher and got many candies.
Do
you do anything for Halloween?
> We do a lot in the US for Halloween.
Already the candy is in the stores. There are costumes for sale everywhere.
>My witches hat is out. This year I will
decorate it with fall leaves and pretty ribbon. I don't dress in costume any
more.
>I love to be at my house and pass out
candy to the neighbors' kids. Fewer and fewer little kids go from house to
house, though.
>Mostly the little kids go to organized
parties at a friend's house or a shopping mall.
>When I was a kid and when my kids were
kids, we dressed up in costumes that we made.
>Farmers, ghosts, witches, princesses
and robots were popular choices. They were easy costumes to make.
>Kids went to every house in the
neighborhood with a porch light on. Most houses were lit. Everybody gave out
candy.
>It was great to sift through the candy
when we got home. I was never very good at saving candy to eat later. I still
am not!
>This year I plan to sit outside with
lots of small pretzel bags.
>I will hand them to each child who
comes my way.
Do you have a favorite sport that you like
to play or watch?
I
like to play badminton and volleyball.
Sport
is also my way of relieving stress.
>It is an excellent way of relieving
stress. I loved badminton in college.
Sincerely
Yuki
<Homework>
1. The population of the United States is
about 300,000,000 (three hundred million).
The exact number is in the blue box labeled
U.S. Population.
There are about 500,000 (five hundred
thousand) CPAs in the United States.
One of approximately 600 U.S. citizens is a
CPA. (300,000,000 divided by 500,000)
A. What is the population of Japan?
→Japan's population is 127,070,000 people.
B. Where did you find your answer?
→This is due to the survey was conducted in September
2013.
URL:
http://www.stat.go.jp/data/jinsui/new.htm
C. How many CPAs are there in Japan?
→Number of Certified Public Accountants in Japan is
31,736 people.
D.Where did you find your answer?
This is as of August 31, 2013.
→URL:
http://www.hp.jicpa.or.jp/ippan/about/outline/pdf/kaiinnsu-201308.pdfHowever, this is the number of members in
the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants. I can’t tell the exact
number of people.
E. How many Japanese citizens are there per CPA?
→One of the about 5,000 Japanese citizens is a CPA.
>>Thank you for all your answers. It
is ok to use the number of JICPA members as a proxy for the number of CPAs.
2. Why is the citizen to CPA ratio higher
in the US than in Japan?
→A U.S is bigger than the Japanese
economic scale.
Also
the population of U.S is greater than that of Japan.
>>Both of these are true statements.
The main reason, I believe, is because the US is a self-reporting country for
tax purposes. Many CPAs help people figure out their taxes. We have some
automatic payments of tax through employers, but there are many things that are
taxed besides income.
3. How is the U.S. system of licensing CPAs
different from the Japanese system?
Requirements
in the United States,
・Four years of college education.
・Tested and two days.
・From one year to two years of
experience.
In
contrast, the requirements in Japan,
・Three-day pass the exam.
・At least 2 years experience.
>>Thank you. This was an excellent
way to organize the answer.
4. How easy was this lesson for you?
The accounting was: Somewhat hard
The English was: Somewhat hard
Getting to and using the linked web pages
was: Somewhat hard
---------------
The two attached files are the next lesson.
The first file (#12A Investor 2013) talks
about many sources of one company's financial information on the Web.
The second file (#12B
ShareholderLetterAMAT2012) is the letter
to shareholders. Each company sends out a letter to its owners. The letter is
always upbeat. Management wants the shareholders to be happy with the company.
The letter is part of the annual report.
These days most actual or potential
investors get their information about companies and industries online.
Right now the US is in a very interesting
position.
Never in my lifetime have the legislative
and executive branches of the government been so opposed to each other.
Most ordinary citizens are disgusted with
their elected officials.
Since the government is partly shut down,
many people are not getting paid.
Those people and their families will suffer
a very real economic hardship because of lost wages.
There is serious talk that the US will not
be able to extend its debt ceiling.
The US might actually default on the bonds
that are held worldwide.
I cannot imagine the short and long term
global effects of a default.
I sincerely hope that every member of
Congress who currently holds office will not be re-elected in the next
elections.
I am embarrassed for my country.
What do people in Japan say about the
predicament the US is in?