Troy Davis and Amnesty International

Now, this person is dead.
I was and still am a member of Amnesty International.

I do not fervently call for an end to death penalty.
I was a bit appaled when people identified me as a anti-death penaltiest simply for being a member of amnesty.
But, these cases......they make me waver.....

50kg- Musicians

Ecstacy of daily life...

They can transform into Ballad princes as well.

When I walk the tracks, will you stand by me?- Review

While studying for the test, I watched the clip where
Stephen King, Rob Reiner, and sveral actual casts of the movie came out.

Except from Chris(River Pheonix died early), both old and young Gordie, Vern, Teddy, and Ace came out(And they changed alot~!).

Older Gordie
Although he did not have many scenes dedicated to himself, he was a wonderful narrator as Rob said. I reaaly liked that even at the time when this clip was shot, he still ha that voice. I think he'd be a good dubbing artist as well as an actor.
If he ever records an audio book, I'll remember to purchas it, and if there's a children's book, I'll start my kid's english with the book. I think such a voice would help my kid to more options than ordinary people.
I think I concentrate so much on voice because I lost my child voice as I matured and I feel deprived of the kinds of emotions I can express with my voice.

Rob Reiner
I think there was reason for Stephen King to like this guy. I found out by googling that Stephen King disliked many of the Hollywood films based on his novels cauz the screen writers and the directors changed the story so much(we also discussed it in class). But, I thik Rob was able to associate with King's feelings for real.

Younger Gordie
Wheaton grew up to be the doll faced youngster i hoped him to become. Personally, when I first saw him at Mr.Garrioch's class, I thought around now he might have become corrupted like that boy in Home Alone. But, he sounded quite bright in the clip. I think that perhepse he was the only kid that was really acting in the film. Teddy and Vern seem like as if they naturally ha the characteristics they were expected to have while Chris also had a similar background, I think. But, I think Wheaton had to really act about the parts where he is negelected from his parents. I dn't think parents willing to take his/her child to a movie try-out would have been neglectful to their child.
Overall, I like Wheaton immensly. I just saw a photo of him in his late thirties and....well everyone ages~.

Teddy
I'd like to have O'connell by my side around times like this, when I get blue and all soaked up by rain. I laughed my stress away when Rob mentioned about he's first encounter with O'connell. I think O'connell's really like Vern from The Body. I ccan just imagine O'connell burying pennies under the porch.


Teddy
I don't have much to say about him because I didn't like Teddy from the first place and Feldmen doesn't appear alot in the clips. But, I was a bit surprised to fnd out that Feeldmen temprarily gave up acting for almost a decade before a comebak in 2008. Still, I approve of his choice to direct a film. I would lke to watch how he put his hear to te film.

Ace
Sutherland seems familiar to me even though apparently I didn;t see any films where he came out as the main character. He seems likable despite the apparent potentials of making really scary threats. I won't like it if I had to go against him. I think Sutherland did a great job of acting Ace.Especially parts where he stops his gang with one motion. At first, I wanted to see how Sutherland plyed the scenes where he beat up Gordie, but afyter watching the whole clip, I decided that it would not do for Sutherland to run away in such a disgraceful way.

When it rains..

A:
When it rains...
you get wet.
It will pass
B:
Hey Jin,
when it rains-
you run for cover.

Which would you do?
I don't know sure myself... ...
but I think I want a change this time... ...
I'd better choose the one that takes effort.

Calling You -By Broken Valentine

I made this as an album cover for the band Broken Valentine's sole album Calling You.
This was a project in art class and although I took a relatively short time on this project than previous projects, this is the one I like the best.
I think it is because I liked the band's songs by heart and therefore became joyous when I put the essence of the songs in the album cover.
Of the songs, I concentrated on the songs Answer Me and Song of the Fossil.
The toung symbolizes all the empty promises mentioned in Answer Me while the background symbolize the mood of Song of the Fossil.

http://music.daum.net/album/main?album_id=491995
here, you can listen to the songs.

Deductive reasoning on who my MANNITO is

*This is a deductive reasoning about my previous MANNITO and it was proven wrong(T.T)

Throughout the past weeks we have participated in manito activities, I have noticed some traits in the letters and the method of delivering such letters to me that lead me to believe that I knew my manito^^ I kept it to myself and didn’t even share it with my roommates because I feared you would shy away from me if I did so.
So, please enjoy my “deductive reasoning” and keep up with the manito activities~

1. From the 1st message to the 4th
I didn’t really think of much except that my manito was enthusiastic and I’d probably have a fun experience.

2. The first! Letter
Your use of 해욱찡 made me think of one person that I think both you and I know.
But your style of writing made me uncertain.
Cauz your style was that of a typical Valley girl and the person definitely wasn’t one.
Then, the third paragraph made me to think that you and I were in the same class and probably not just any class but B2.
And then two people came into my mind.
Two people who said similar things repeatedly and most importantly at a class that I was thinking of at that time.
But it only confused me because the two people would have never used such a writing style.
Then there was your explanation!!kk

3. The fifth, sixth message and something someone said
You stayed up until two on the day many others stayed up to prepare for the physics quiz…
And then someone asked me which module I was listening to…hmm(different modules took the test on different days)

4. The second letter
You said you blew away our 개천절 vacation.. sth most people say, but also sth someone I was suspecting said a lot.

5. The seventh to tenth messages
Nothing much…. And I beginning to lose my confidenceㅠ

6. The second letter
The letter was very pleasant to read but it didn’t show much,
except.. your phrase “사실 고의야 ㅋㅋㅋ” fit in with what I thought of as the personality of my suspect.

7. 11th~14th messages
Nothing much again

8.The 15th message
This message was a bit surprising in a way because you were a bit silent over the past few days(which I perfectly understand) and then you sent me the message… right after I saw someone that I was suspecting..! Though it was a short moment, I think you recognized me, which lead to the message.

This is all I have currently…
When I started typing this an hour after my last test, I thought of posting it since not much time is left between today and 민족제… but I recognized that you might be disappointed and therefore postponed it until 전야제!

On The Body -3

I really like this clip.
Although many of my family members take offense at the use of Hallelujah as meaning somewhat close to love, I was uncertain about my own feelings.
This clip might be what's needed to make me certain, in a way different from my kins.

On the Body -2

The Gothic world of Stephen King: landscape of nightmares
authors:Gary Hoppenstand,Ray Broadus Browne
starting from Pg64

An university level essay on The Body
http://americanaejournal.hu/vol5no2/csetenyi

A review
http://ukfilm.forumco.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=611

Four beings as kids -book review

Up to the second part of the story, the boys are still just kids goofing around.
But, from these parts, we gain a sense of how these boys are linked together and what these boys are like as individuals. The way how several sceenes are focused on two characters serve to highlight the personalities of the characters and the way they commute with each other.

Gordie and Chris' experience at the back streets signal to the readers certain characteristics of the two boys. Gordie is sincere and often more serious than the rest of them to daily life, whereas Chris, still sincere, finds enough space for such jokes and surprises.

Teddy's attempt at the ultimate train dodge leads to three discoveries; Teddy's half-mad, Gordie's sincere, and Chris is the mutual leader. Teddy's mental fervor is kind of expected from the description the readers are given at the start of the novela and Gordie's sincereness is merely being confirmed again. But, Chris' matureness and leadership does not quite surface until around this time in the book.

Last of all comes Milo Pressmen(keeper of the garage waste) and his dog Chopper. From this instant we get a feeling of who Vern is like- a bit more idle and childish than most other kids of his age. At the same time comes Teddy's outrage and the following breakdown which helps us engage with the character better.

On The Body- 1

An older Teddy

Dead

Will i be sad that i am dead?

Am i sad that i am dead?

When i am dead, am i sad?

dEAD.

DeAD

DEaD

DEAd

A fire goes dead.

The ash left is dead.

A light goes off

The shadow is dead.

Probably the best vocal in KMLA history

*All of these songs are creadited to yeeun sung (A graduate of KMLA).

Heard it for the first time.
But, knew it would be great since Senior Sung sang it~!

I'm, going to stuff it with songs~
ps-the song My Aquarium was recorded in an actual studio!

2NE1 -lonely[whim]

I found these clips while searching for a music video to make me feel more miserable.
But, when I saw these special versions of a song that penetrates deep into one's heart, I didn't feel sad anymore......guess it's because these versions express a different mood from the original one.

Nice try~!

they seem okay, but definately need alot of practice.
Still, it was refreshing to hear two men take the part of four girls.


Regge Version><
(I so love these girls--though, to think of it they're the elder...k)

The edge of blueness is gone and replaced with a regge feal~
I especially like the choice of instruments.
I think it fits well with 2NE1's mood in the MV.

Christina's version from the compatition SUPERSTAR K

She tried hard to put alot of emotion in the song....
but I only find it a well sung version, not something that touch the heart like the original one.
Her facial expression ruined most of it.
She seemed too intent on forcing us to feel the same emotion she felt.

Pure instruments..

Sound combination of finger-style and down-up(?) stroke
A peaceful sadness I guess.
Not as desperate or miserable as the original, but kind of like recalling a forgotten time of sadness with an understanding.

3 Words to describe myself metaphorically

Black/green/ash

I am a man in black. Yet, I do not dress in black . Still, black becomes my heart that suffers from the bite of a snake I never knew to have such a venom. A tender heart eclipsed by the grotesque, thing it has become. Oh! What a fool I was. A green sprout yearning for the brightness of rainbows. Vivid are those who cloak themselves in rainbow. Oh! Had I only known that all radiance in essence were the daughters of venom. Would then I might have not become the ash I am. A pile of ash without the light I once loved.

My Hero

Heroes are supposed to be the guys with the innocent face, nicely shaped body, and all the good virtues; or so I am told. But, Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities has a cynical, care-free attitude which shows in his face, is not the best shaped man in the novel, and shows a degree of socially condemned actions. Be that as it may, Carton is Darnay, Lucie, Gablle, many others, and my hero.
A protagonist merely has to lead the story’s narrative, but a hero has to relieve other characters from impending dangers. For Sydney Carton, relieving Charles Darnay and his family from the tangled doom of the French revolution was the burden. Carton comes to Darnay’s rescue in both of such cases. At Darnay’s trial at London, where he is accused for being a spy in service of France only because he is a French immigrant sighted at a particular place, he appears out of nowhere and makes the foremost evidence in favor of the accusation invalid. He does this by simply asking the witness to distinguish him from Darnay. When the witness who previously claimed to be capable of identifying Darnay anywhere cannot tell the two almost identical looking people apart from each other, Carton succeeds in rescuing the accused. Carton faces a harder task yet when he decides to smuggle Darnay out of Bastille. Bastille, unlike Old-Baily at London, is controlled by people determined to put Darnay to the guillotine whether the condemner wants to undo the condemnation or not and Carton is forced to use illegal methods. At the end, Carton succeeds in using the same talent from Old-Baily to rescue Darnay—he dresses up as Darnay and with the aid of Solomon Barsad, exchange himself and Darnay. Even though the narrative is centered around Lucie and Darnay, her lover, their family could not have been protected from the turbulent events without Carton.
When I was yet green, I used to believe that at the end, heroes are the people who win all they desired for and keep what is rightfully theirs. Now, having matured a bit, I find people who are willing to sacrifice their own goals for those dear to them as the true heroes. Carton sacrificed his devotion, wealth, life, and rightful credit so that he might protect the joy of life of those he valued. Carton has a sincere, loving heart for Lucie. Yet, he sacrificed his own desire because Lucie was already in love with Darnay. Carton had inherited his family’s wealth. This also he sacrificed without taking back one bit when he passed all his identity to Darnay. Carton gave up his life for Darnay’s and asks for none in exchange. Even as he earnestly searched for a meaning in his life, he yielded it without hesitation the moment he felt his life was needed to secure the happiness of those he loved. Carton accomplished novel deeds worthy of great respect. Still, he did them in such a way that even his very best friends did not know them well. Even to his last moments, he made no effort to be credited. Such honorable sacrifices should not be disregarded any more than a war-hero’s valor in battle.
To conclude, Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities is my hero because he is the one that relieved others from harm’s way and he is the one that gave up all he had for the good of his beloved ones. In a time of great turbulence, Carton went out of his way to secure others’ lives from ill accusations. Although he had as much claim to his love, inheritance, life, and due respect, he sacrificed all of them for his friends and their family. A man that may not fit so well with my childish dreams, Carton shall never have to go looking for a seat of honor in my heart.

TED Michael Pritchard's water filter turns filthy water drinkable

What an innovation! Michael Pritchard has saved the world with his novel technique, the Life Saver.

Thanks to his fervent efforts, people who previously had to suffer from numerous illnesses or quit education can now be free from the burden of finding drinkable water every day. Before, children from families that were far away from sources of drinkable water had to quit school and help their mothers carry water for several miles. This did not help a bit in increasing the family’s hopes of escaping poverty and rather hurt the children by exposing them to harsh labor from an early age. Worse, if the only water available was contaminated, children grew sicker every day from the water they drank.

But, the feat to be soon be accomplished by Life Saver will mitigate such a crisis. By providing Life Saver to people suffering from lack of clean water, the rate of death and illness caused by either the depletion of water or the intake of filthy water can be greatly alleviated. Moreover, Life Saver will free millions of people from the burden of searching and transporting clean water. This in turn will enable children to attend schools and grown females to spend the time on other matters such as taking care of babies or making clothes to sell. Such a change will gradually rejuvenate the society as a whole.

Nonetheless, obstacles other than the paucity of natural resources themselves still remain. Let us think back to 2008 when Myanmar was hit by a cyclone. Due to the catastrophe, aids—including water supplies—were sent from all parts of the world in philanthropic spirit. However, the pretentious government disdainfully rejected all supplies with western logos on it, primarily UN logos. This exemplifies the executive forms of hindrance met in this field. Even if people benevolently send supplies to such areas, oftentimes the reigning governments show indifferent behavior towards it. This can traced to the fact that many regions suffering from lack of clean water supply are under authoritarian rule that show apathy to the most important matters at hand for the common people. Worse, a significant portion of the people in need of the Life Saver follows anti-government movements known to be fickle and recalcitrant to international organizations. If the people in control of the region in need of aid do not heed to well-meant advice and help, all our efforts are simply belittled.

I only hope that Michael Pritchard as an entrepreneur can stomach the loss and humiliation in process if we are to succeed in providing people with the Life Saver.

life; a game I play

I will die. But, I never know when I’ll die. I never know because I never know when I will let go of my life. Having lived for 16years and a week, I can count dozens of plans I made when I was young. As a child, I used to believe that when I have lived this long; I’ll have friends that to me are like Damon was to Pythias. Apparently, I draw a big, blank, and a bit oval circle in my mind when I count such friends. Plans like these, they are worthless. They are worthless because the game I play—life—is hard to win and yet easy to lose.
I’ve always dreamed my life like a fantastic game, a game which is fun to play, but too hard to win. My family of three was oriented toward making the game I play a fun one. Even as I trace the faintest memories I have—a picture or two of mother holding my hands as I walk up forgotten stairs—and the farewell father gave me this chuseok, I can’t recall my family working against me playing the game. And I feel grateful for that, and that gratefulness might help me win the game I play.
Being the only child of my family, I was granted favors and chances that others never got. Whereas I was granted the freedom to pour all the resources my family could afford into the game I play, my class mate had to share what his older sister left him with his twin brother. To feel the pressure is a dreadful thing. The pressure has helped me in realizing an important aspect of the game I play. It is not difficult at all to give up.
Still, I feel that I’ve acknowledged another aspect of the game I play. As much as people’s faith in my success at the game pressures me, it also assists me in winning the game. This is because the faith steadies me when I am ready to falter. When I let myself lose footing and give in to the pressure, the faith people have in my success at the game steadies my wobbling legs.
Life is the game I play. All people play this game. All people play this game at one time. I don’t know how it is for others, but to me, the game is steady as a rocking horse because all the faith people built on me throughout my life helps me up when I am ready to fall.

Climate Change; obstacles to solving it

Climate effects the way we eat, clothe ourselves, and play. Thus, changes in the climate trigger alarms to every governing body in the world. Yet, the world has hardly ever come to a solid agreement on how to react towards the climate changes. This can be traced to the following two reasons: the different climate problems each nation faces and the different industrial levels each country is in.
On this globe, various climates exist beside one another in such a way that even neighboring countries’ climates cannot be expected to be the same and a single country cannot be expected to be composed of only one climate. In other words, the problems that neighboring countries face might be different and problems within a single country might also differ by region. Because of this, countries that would have otherwise have been trusty allies in reaching agreed goals become unreliable and countries that in other cases would have been unified become tattered by internal conflicts. To illustrate, countries with diverse climates such as Canada and Chile might find it hard to come up with a focused solution that most of their citizens’ support.
The varying level of industrial development is also a hazard for international agreement on solution to climate change. Even if two countries are composed of the same climate, the way each country views the problem depends on their industries. To be more specific, while more developed countries that focus more on non-manufacture industries such as media or transportation often want strict rules on solving the climate change, other countries that depend more on manufacturing business wish for less regulations.
Ergo, the main obstacles in achieving an agreed solution to climate change are the different climate each country has and the different industries each country focuses on.

How I believe in

I believe in things that I perceive to be true.

I believe in diversity-because I know it to be true.
Policy makers believe in standardization-because they expect it to be simple.

I believe in help for the minority- because I felt it to be true.
Economists believe in survival of the fittest-because they thought it to be efficient.

I believe in reverance for agreed rules-because I take it to be true.
Childhood gangstars believe in wanton rebellion-because they take it to be .

I believe in relativity-because I understand it to be true.
Racists believe in supremacy-because they understand it to be right.

Recording History

Historians define history as the chronological record of past events. This plainly shows us the value of record in history. The time of past without records-called in such names as the dark age and the prehistoric times - is very often wrapped in a veil of mystery that allows no solid truth to be revealed. Such absence of evidence usually leads to the situation where false assumptions and claims create controversies still ongoing in the present society. One of such a case regarding Korea was the distorted interpretation of its genesis. Japanese historians and politicians have claimed that the absence of Korea’s own genesis indicates that Korea adopted the Chinese genesis and that Korea was always dependant on other countries for its cultural needs; ultimately claiming that it was the duty of Japan to colonize Korea and develop its culture.
However, recent research signifies that we were never dependent on China for a genesis and that ours merely disappeared during the Joseon dynasty due to Confucianism scholars who disapproved records that collided with the thought that Korea was inferior to China. Yet the dispute goes on with an upper hand for Japan because of our lack of evidence.
On the other hand, there are also cases where disputes are soundly solved thanks to records of history. To illustrate, we were able to defend the originality of Hanguel with a book called Hunminjeongeum Heyreybon Though not widely known, there have been assertions that Hanguel was derived from Tamil language and that King Sejong merely adjusted it to fit the Korean language better. Although quite a number of differences existed, we were not able to refute it with certainty because we did not posses records telling us how King Sejong created Hanguel. Nonetheless, Hunminjeongeum Heyreybon documented how Hanguel was invented leaving no doubt.
From such cases we can infer the value of recording history. By accurately recording history, we can protect our rights and become better prepared for distortion of history .However, few people from recent generations have succeeded in recognizing that the most important factor is to record the present. This is because if we stop recording the present-thinking we still remember it-our children will have to deal with the same lack of evidence in the future.
As the ways of recording becomes diverse, we should put arduous effort into recording history using various methods and modify or translate past records into newer methods in an effort to keep them intelligible

Climate Change; what it is and what can be done about it

Forty percent of the world’s population depend on Mt. Himalaya for water. But, if the world does not take action to a certain event, these people might face a serious problem with their water supplies in the near future. Mt. Himalaya’s glaciers are the root of the seven rivers that pour into the Indian peninsula, Tibetan plateau, Indochina, and China itself. The problem is that due to drastic changes in the earth’s temperature, those glaciers are about to melt. This leads to the drying up of the reservoir of forty percent of the world’s population. If the world is to prevent this from becoming a reality, measures need to be taken regarding the mitigation of climate change.

Climate change as used in this essay refers to drastic changes in the climate due to human activities. To the norm, climate change is often recognized as ice melting in the glaciers. However, climate change is more complicated than a single event. Climate change is triggered by the emission of green house gases which results in trapping more heat in the earth’s atmosphere than is needed. In the recent sixty years, this phenomenon has grown even more and scientists have begun to recognize the threat this brings. Because the heat does not leave Earth, the overall temperature rises, resulting in climate change. Hence, the world should admit climate change and take measures to it.

However, some people claim that climate change is merely a fraud. These people play with skepticism and make the innocent public doubt the facts. Mostly, these people object to climate change with the following three assertions: that it is only a manipulation by superpowers, that it is merely a natural cycle, and that the statistics are not consistent.

Nevertheless, such doubts do not stand valid when compared to solid logic. First, the graphs and the statistics people are presented with cannot be manipulated. Even if we take into account the possibility that a few results might be fabricated by superpowers, people cannot deny the mountains of research from all around the world that stand witness to the climate change happening in our life. Second, it is true that there is a cyclic pattern with Earth’s temperature. However, the recent rise in Earth’s temperature is far greater than the rise in the past. Even the rise during the medieval warm-age skeptical people point at, is less than one/fifth of the rise that is happening currently. Third, the difference of statistics is due to the regional distinctness each country has. This results in the diverseness of the effects of climate change; in certain areas, it appears in the form of melting glaciers, while in other areas, it appears in the form of record-breaking floods.

Therefore, it is inevitable that the world needs to register climate change as a serious threat and take actions. Actions should be taken in three levels; government scale, private industry scale, individual citizens scale. Since, climate change is not restricted the specific regions, governments need to work on intergovernmental cooperation on this issue. This can be achieved through frequent international conferences such as the UN Climate Change Conference that is held annually. Also governments should help in producing unbiased research. Recently, the IPCC has reached this state and has succeeded in providing reliable facts for people to discuss on. Meanwhile, private industries should focus on green growth. By adopting green technologies and participating in mitigation plans, greener growth can be achieved. Also, hosting events that bring public interest to this issue can help.

Lastly, individuals should try to learn more on climate change. By becoming educated on this issue, they can make wise actions in their daily life, such as separate-garbage-collection and buying products manufactured by green technology.

To feel that U belong

Belong. Earth belongs to the group of objects called planets. Fire belongs to the category of five elements frequently referred by Greek philosophers. All beings and all words belong to something. However, it is not always that people recognize the simple fact. Rather, oftentimes, people feel the opposite. The problem is, if people do not recognize this simple fact for too long, they fall into states of depression and lose confidence in their being, a problem I also faced.
Pacing back and forth in the empty corridor, I was feeling distraught. I was back from camp for only 3 days and I was already missing school and the people that shared my life there. Though it was 3 weeks into the summer break, I’ve been away from school for only 2 days before I returned to participate in this camp my school offered. And it was the greatest experience I had this year. I so felt like I belonged at the place. My life was cherished by the beautiful feeling that I belonged at the place.
That golden phase was over now. My darn lab top failed to catch the internet and my only contact to the people remaining at camp, a medium called Facebook, was cut off from me. No one answered the text messages my worn down phone sent and no messages were sent. The sky wasn’t helping me anymore. With the phalanx of clouds and rain arrows my army of hope wasn’t faring well. I didn’t belong here, in this industrialized, sad urban setting where no one wanted me.
I tried plan B. Instead of trying to feel belong among the friends that forgot me, I tried to blend in with the objects and people that surrounded me right now. For the past hours, this didn’t show any promising signs. I decided to take a trip to the busy street downstairs. Stepping out from the elevator, I began walking through the flow of umbrellas and raincoats. I shivered under the cold wind. Or, was really it the wind that made me shiver? With this sudden thought, I stopped dead and realized that wind was not as cold as I expected; it was august anyway. The problem was that I couldn’t feel the warmth I always expected when walking through the bustling crowd. I felt so alone. Oftentimes, when I became depressed I liked to throw myself in the flow of humans and the onset of words people uttered as they passed. But, at that moment I couldn’t. I felt like a lone boulder at the edge of a waterfall that resisted blending in with other sediments flowing with the river.
I felt so lonely. I wondered…”did I live so arduously for this, to never feel belonging to any group?”?
But, then something caught my attention. Something vibrated in my pocket. I took it out. It was my cell phone. I opened the slide phone. “Hello, this is Hae Uk Ko—“. “Tea—cher!! I’m Seongmin and I’m revising my thesis right now, I’ll read it over so you can….”. I reckon he said something more. But I don’t remember anything except that I told him he was on the right track.
I walked back towards my apartment. I couldn’t resist a smile as a warm current wrapped me all over. As I opened the door the TV blurted out, “Tomorrow, the clouds will clear and sun will shine for the first time in four days”.

Popularism

Popularism. This concept means the opposite of many values that I cherish and look upon as a golden rule for my actions. The concept contradicts values such as individuality-the value of originality that each being has, diversity-the value of differences made by comparison to other beings, respect for the minority-the value of regarding minorities as no less than the majority merely for numbers. Hence throughout my years, when I was faced with the task of having to deal with a mob of people unable to think as individuals but as a part of the flow that were guiding them, I met despair.
The thought of people moving towards a certain purpose without actually recognizing what it would result in always terrified me. People affected by popularism could act without consideration, they could commit crimes and feel no remorse for it, and what’s more could justify their actions under the name of the will of majority. People would destroy people’s individuality and feel no remorse for the damage inflicted to the individuals. People would try to fit others into the same standard as they had and forget about the loss of diversity that each person had. People would force minorities into submission with the sheer power created by majority and believe that they were a democratic group.
To me such a thought was no better than drugs or drinks that make people forget themselves. When people fell in the flow and became a mob jointed by popularism, they were no better off than people who had drunk past their limit or who had taken a pill of marihuana. To me, polpularism was what made sane people lose their sanity and commit such wrongs without realizing it.

Reviewing ~Google Docs~

[Get Addicted to it!]
Google Docs is one of the many office suits people use to create documents on computer. At first glance, it doesn’t seem any more different than Microsoft Word and hundreds of other programs with the same purpose.


But, as many others would have felt, Google Docs was the perfect example where one should not judge a book by its covers. Google Docs is distinguished by four characteristics.




1. Multiple User Collaboration System ★★★★★

Unlike Microsoft word processor, Google Docs is web-based. This means that different people in different places can work on the same document simultaneously. This most convenient technique helps people save time wasted on reviewing, revising and arguing. Since, people can voice their opinions of other’s writings at the same time as others write; documents can be reviewed by our teammates the moment we create a document, thereby saving time that would have otherwise been wasted on responding to each teammate’s suggestion.

When several people are writing and editing the same document, the cursors and the shade that show which parts are selected are given different colours.



2. Security ★★★☆☆
Another important factor in evaluating office suits is their security measures. Often, people hesitate from using web-based office suits on the basis that the use of internet makes it prone to leaking. However, the possibility of such an incident is as low as the possibility of my computer falling under remote control by some genius hacker. Plus, even if other people are logged in to Google Docs, there is no fear of the document becoming opened to other users. This is also true for people that worked with the same group members just a minute ago. To illustrate, let’s assume that there were six co-workers that belonged to the same team and worked on the same project. Among the many tasks that the team was burdened with, one task was meant for only three of them, Cedric, Kendrick, and Edrik. But, because the team was working on another topic a moment ago, Beth forgot and attempted to get access to the document which she was forbidden to. In such a case, Beth would find out that the document page does not react to her clicks.

3. Document History ★★★★☆

A chief concern for many office workers is the safety of their documents. People, whether they be a student writing his application letters or a senate editing his Thanksgiving speech, always worry about their files getting blown up to nothing. Mainly, two types exist for such accidents. It can be done by the collaborators of the file. Often, people either forget to save their documents before they end the page or they save the file when they did not intend to. But, the agony of realizing what a fool I am can be saved thanks to Google Docs. Even if such an accident occurs, a perfect history of the file remains in the REVISE column and can be used to change the document to any previous state. Also, computer viruses can wipe out the whole memory of your hardware in one stroke. But, documents in Google Docs are not affected by such follies.

4. Reasonable Accessibility ★★★☆☆
Google Docs is free for all people with a Google account. Almost all office suit producers provide their programs at their chosen price. Even if people need to create a Google account for accessibility, the account itself is free. Moreover, Google account is a vitally needed perquisite to enjoy the benefits of Multiple User Collaboration System, whereas other web-based office suits require unnecessary steps to use it.


I first came upon Google docs while preparing a debate case with my friends. Although all of us were KMLA students, our gender were not the same and none of us had a lot of shared schedules. Faced with such obstacles, we were desperately searching for new methods of communication other than sending document’s to each other’s mail all the time when we stumbled across this brilliant program.
Google Docs is a wonderful program that I hope to share with my friends. Despite its differences to traditional mechanisms and the unfamiliarity that follows it, I believe it is a small cost compared to the benefits.

Climate change; Korea's position

Korea’s current state as one of the vanguards of the developing countries makes its reaction to climate-change conventions a much debated issue for not only Korea but the whole world. This results from the fact that although Korea is not yet capable of following international standards suggested by developed nations, Korea has developed too much to be justified in receiving the benefits given to underdeveloped nations. To illustrate, despite the effort put into developing new methods that produce less greenhouse gas during the manufacturing processes, most of Korea’s major industries still require more time to come up with methods acceptable to standards suggested by developed nations. Yet, if Korea is given the favors granted to underdeveloped nations, Korea would be receiving unnecessary financial aid which can become the origin of diplomatic problems in future years. Hence, placing countries like Korea into the right category is a very sensitive issue in coming to an agreement at the climate-change conventions.
Therefore, Korea suggests the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action—in short the NAMA. This program, already suggested in the UN climate summit and the Bali-Roadmap for Copenhagen gives more liberty to individual countries them previous conventions did. According to the Korean Government, President Lee Myung-bak of Korea first proposed the NAMA during the round-table conference for the UN climate summit. If this proposal is accepted, each country would hold discussions of their own and make resolutions which would provide guidelines for their country’s mitigation of climate-change. This means that countries like Korea that are in better condition than other developing countries with booming industries but are still a few steps behind than the leading countries in climate-change conventions can come up with a mitigation plan that is acceptable to their situation and yet does not goes against the fundamental spirit of the global consensus. With this system, nations that do not fit into either groups—the all ready developed or the underdeveloped—can find its own solution to the climate change.
Furthermore, throughout the Bali-Roadmap conference, the concept of Measurement, Review, and Verification was established. This MRV concept is added in response to the opinion that the NAMA is too loose a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol. In order for a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, it needs to have the binding measures that force each nation to actually put effort into mitigating the climate change. If the NAMA alone is accepted as the answer to climate change, willing nations will always find holes in the system. However, the NAMA with the MRV concept as its binding force can work as the leading phenomenon in the post-2012 world.
With this 2011 conference, Korea would like to get a chance in finalizing the missing puzzles in the NAMA-with-MRV-system. The missing puzzle in the proposed system is the absence of motivation for nations to participate in the MRV procedure other than the obvious fact that the NAMA cannot be run without it. In the 2011 conference, discussion on incentive system for participants will be held. Also, specific guidelines for appropriate mitigation plans will be discussed. Thus, with the upcoming 2011 conference, Korea will make its final touch to the NAMA-with-MRV-system, especially on issues related to the working force behind the whole system.
Korea itself is trying to perform its best as a model for other nations. Through domestic discussions, Korea has reached the conclusion that it will reduce 30% of its greenhouse gas emission until 2020 considering the amount that would have been emitted without further mitigation plans. With the NAMA-with-MRV-system implemented, intergovernmental institutions will be given access to specific procedures of Korea’s mitigation project and through cooperation and feedback, adequate measures on climate change can be taken.
To conclude, Korea, as a respectful delegate of the climate-change conference and a concerned nation for international consensus on the matter in the post-2012 world, knows that its proposal of a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action backed by the MRV concept will make the best substitute of the Kyoto Protocol in the following years.

letting it go, or holding to it.

We should never forget what we have.
Every evening, as I sit down after supper, I think of all the things that pain me.
It would seem that if we let such things go, the pain will leave us.
Seldom do we ponder on why we have hold on them.

I am drawn to the charm of death.
Though I am drawn to the charm of life as often as I am drawn to it's opposite,
it is hard not to think about death.
At times, I think that death was one of the many arts that the divine being has gifted us with, the art of letting go of one's life.
This art seems so beautiful.
It glitter's like the White Witch of winter.
After yesterday night, when mother and I discussed on my life, the dreams troubled me and I think of the White Witch again.

But, even as I write this, I cannot play at being ignorant of a recent death.
This death was by someone I've never known.
Yet, his death, especially at the posts left at his wall, never to be answered again touched me.

I hope and hope again that I will not fall to the socery of the Witch as Edmund once did.

Stud city and what a normal day might have been for four normal guys in the 50s- Book review

I am writing this within 3 hours since I finished Stud City.

Stud city was good; at least it gave some trouble in my gut. I believe a work meant to deliver a message should give us something to think about, something that’s not so light that you can let it off simply by gulping down water at the dinner table or pissing. For me such works that troubles me to the extent that I have just mentioned are justified from little blasphemies. Even if a work is R-rated and men and women come out naked in the movie and I’ve perchance watched it, I am still proud to say that I’ve watched it as long as it has certain purposes of delivering points of thought that matter in the real world. In the case of Stud city, its portrayal of Eddie(Chico)’s mind lead me to thoughts considering my friends back when I lived in a Canadian public housing with Serbian war-refugees who seemed to grow up so early. Billy’s ignorant actions, especially his cry for an end to the fight, brought back sad memories of my own family when I was only a boy.
But, the first couple of pages shouldn’t be ignored either. One ghost, two feebs, and a thief; not a group one can find very easily in today’s streets. Probably, they weren’t so common back then either. Yet, King’s made it look like as if these boys were just the typical gang one might pass over. Besides that, the story wasn’t too exciting because I didn’t understand several terms frequently used at that time. Still, as we’ve learned from studying the Hero’s Journey, the front part should not be too exotic; rather, it did a fine job of illustrating what a normal day for these four boys might have been like.

It seems like I failed to get out of my after-the fact style even until the end of the first paragraph, so I stayed more focused in the second papragraph

On 봄여름가을겨울: after watching spring

As I watched the film, I compared the boy to myself. Since I grew out of childhood and met peers who had been taught with different methods than me and people who think the background I came from affected me in negative ways, I continuously pondered on the issue of whether I was educated the right way, on what parts of my mother’s attitude toward me I should adopt and should not adopt. Because I was born to an over protective mother, I was not allowed many chances to make mistakes. In my memories, places where otherwise would have been filled with mistakes I made and the things I learned from it are filled with the millions and billions of warning advice she gave me on each and every danger she feared would come to me. But, the master in the film did not act as my mother lived. At times when my mother would have freaked out and scolded me for my misbehaviors or actions that might harm me, master simply observed and took actions later. At times when I was sure mother would have said “Oh! That’s too dangerous”, he didn’t say a word. Still, I could understand both my mother and the master, not only with my mind but also with my heart. I understand and is grateful for my mother’s love and care for me. I believe that children need more attention than people at other stages of life and that motherly love plays an important role in it (I do not intend to undermine the role of fatherly love). Yet, I also identify with the master’s concern for the boy’s learning and a need for children to make mistakes even if risks follow.

I am still not sure which kind of approach to raising a child is better but I am certain that if I am to reach an answer that satisfies me, I need to learn and understand both approaches to fostering children. Though there weren’t much graphic or sound in the film, it lead me to q query I did not yet answer and helped me figure out what it is like to foster children in the way the master did. As Mr. Garrioch said, I think director Kim Ki Deuk is a good director. I am grateful for his efforts to deliver such topics of thought to the audience.

Meta fiction

[Clouds and Me]

Doing a somersault, the sparrow wheeled around from the tree and flew up to the cloud. For a moment it seemed like the sparrow ate the cloud. Then, I remembered it.
Clouds…
Clouds are.. what makes the sky worth watching.
Clouds, they are what makes my life more bearable.
A single patch of white in the blue, that made me breathe again on that dreadful day.

SJK It has been seven years from the day she died. And it seems like she took her soul to this pearl blue sky without leaving a single piece of memory. This is why I hate her. She took my last hope with her. To hope. To die.SJH I went to the pharmacy and bought a dozen of sleeping pills. I came back home and that was when I found a letter on the ground. “If you want to die, come to the 1st floor”. I went there and found a guy in black suit. “Follow me” he said. I got into a car and this guy started to drive while he also began a conversation with his girlfriend. As I was listening, I started to remember good memories I had with her. It… it was like a spell, it happened ever so gradually, but... it happened. Then, suddenly this guy started to drive crazy and he was driving to the sea. I wanted to live! I opened the door and tried to jump, but this guy caught me and said “I thought you wanted to die!” Then, I was falling down to the sea. The currents wrapped around me as a wet cloth does. Then I started to lose consciousness and that when I opened my eyes to the red sky. I looked around, “What, what is happening… I was drowning in the black sea! But… why am I looking up at a red sky, without even one spot of white cloud?”. Then, a guy in the black doctors suit I saw just now came to me, saying “So, you woke up, your girlfriend died due to lung cancer, I am her father and I promised her to make you live.”.HJL I opened my eyes; everything was white. It just made me feel like a blinded person. I walked a few steps, but nothing around me changed. Then, far away from that side, I saw somebody walking over to this side; the figure grew larger and larger. I stopped my breath as

I saw the face.

It was my girlfriend. I called her; “Lena!” but she just passed me, not offering a moment of glance to the petrified statue that was me. Not a single glance-.HUK I managed to move my feet, I ran. I ran so that I could catch up with her, tell her how much my heart ached for her, how my eyelids cracked like the earth suffering a drought, a drought after the monsoon of tears I shed. But, she was too far. I ran and ran, howling, yet she didn’t flinch the slightest bit. She was just so far away…. “Open your eyes” a sudden call from nowhere! “What do you mean Lena? My eyes, don’t you see? It’s wide open for you! To see my hands cup your lovely face to see your chin flush at my touch!”.
“No, don’t look at what’s left of me only in your memories, not something artificial- look at me, the true me, who you loved and love even now.”


That was when I realized the fuzz in my head. Oh! It ached like nothing. I felt like exploding to bits. I wanted to follow Lena into the after world!. But, I was wrong. It did ache like nothing, nothing except for the ache my heart endured!

And I opened my eyes to witness the radiant sight. Two clouds intertwined to form a face, a face shining with rosy cheeks in the sunset sky. She was there! Not anywhere but here, right in front of me. So close yet so distant. Then, after what seemed like a lifetime, the clouds shattered away. Just like a mirror being shattered at its fall. But this was far slower than a mirror. The wind took parts of the two clouds in different directions, making her face smile for the first time that day; and I knew she was with me, as long as I didn’t forget the clouds, as long as I didn’t leave the clouds where she remained watching me.

Mini Reading Journal: comaprison between the Movie and Novella(Rita Hayworth and the SHawshank Redemption)

Although I saw the movie before I read the original novel, watching the movie didn’t make the novel boring and reading the novel didn’t make me regret watching the movie. Both works had distinct values of their own. The novel concentrates on lengthy and detailed description of the characters and their personalities. It was impressive in the sense that it was long enough to make me feel the difference of class between Shawshank and other novels of it’s like. Meanwhile, the movie was also one of its kind. It was fair on all categories of casting, surrounding, and directing. It helped me enjoy the story more comfortably while at the same time not deviating too much from the novel.

Mini Reading Journal: Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

Rita Hayworth. I found it peculiar that the name of a pin-up girl would be used as the title of a movie about prison. When I visited a poster museum in Paju, I got to know about Hayworth as one of the most successful pin-up girl during war time. But, Shawshank Redemption was about prison, not battlefronts. Then, I got to know that prison life was not so different from war-life and that prisoners needed the pin-ups as much as the soldiers for similar reasons.
Then, there was this moment when I arrived at the page where Andy started his business with money washing. That was one of the few moments when I felt that this novel wasn’t going to be a stalemate. I was really thrilled by the concept and it took me less than an hour to finish the book after it. Still, there was another chapter when it came to suspense. It was the part where Andy just escaped and the warden freaked out. Because I instinctively felt the reason of existence for the posters by now, I was really scared for Andy. But, all went well and the suspense only intensified the joy when Red received news about Andy and started his journey to Mexico.

Chain Writing-the raw version

Clouds are.. what makes the sky worth watching.
Clouds, they are what makes my life more bearable.
A single patch of white in the blue, that made me breathe again on that dreadful day.
It has been seven years from the day she died. And it seems like she took her soul to this pearl blue sky without leaving a single piece of memory. This is why I hate her. She took my last hope with her. To hope. To die. I went to the pharmacy and bought a dozen of sleeping pills. I came back home and that was when I found a letter on the ground. “If you want to die, come to the 1st floor”. I went there and found a guy in black suit. “Follow me” he said. I got into a car and this guy started to drive while he also began a conversation with his girlfriend. As I was listening, I started to remember good memories I had with her. It… it was like a spell, it happened ever so gradually, but... it happened. Then, suddenly this guy started to drive crazy and he was driving to the sea. I wanted to live! I opened the door and tried to jump, but this guy caught me and said “I thought you wanted to die!” Then, I was falling down to the sea. The currents wrapped around me as a wet cloth does. Then I started to lose consciousness and that when I opened my eyes to the red sky. I looked around, “What, what is happening… I was drowning in the black sea! But… why am I looking up at a red sky, without even one spot of white cloud?” . Then, a guy in the black doctors suit I saw just now came to me, saying “So, you woke up, your girlfriend died due to lung cancer, I am her father and I promised her to make you live.”. I opened my eyes; everything was white. It just made me feel like a blinded person. I walked a few steps, but nothing around me changed. Then, far away from that side, I saw somebody walking over to this side; the figure grew larger and larger. I stopped my breath as I saw the face. It was my girlfriend. I called her; “Lena!” but she just passed me, not offering a moment of glance to the petrified statue that was me. Not a single glance-.


Possible Ending: night sky at the beach with a cloud faintly glowing with the lover's soul

hero's journey of

Group Members: SungJae Hwang& HaeUk Ko
Our Story: Transformers #1(The movie)
Why We Chose it: Because we thaught it could provide a clear hero's journey

ACT I

1. Ordinary World: He is a whiny boy.

2. Call to Adventure: He meets Bumblebee in car shop.

3. Refusal of the Call: When Sam sees Bumblebee sending signal to the other autobots, he refuses realizing it.

4. Meeting the Mentor: Optimus comes and explains the situation to Sam.

5. Crossing the Threshold: When Sam goes to his house to look for his glasses.


ACT II

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies: Bumblebee gets caught by Sector 7, Autobots and Humans get allied, Decepticons come.

7. Approach to the Innermost Cave: Sam arrives to Sector 7 with other characters.

8. Ordeal: Megatron gets free from the ice and fight begins.

9. Reward: Saves Bumblebee and Cube safely.


ACT III

10. The Road Back: Have street combats to move cube to the safe place.

11. Resurrection: Sam puts cube into Megatron's heart and destroys both of them.

12. Return With the Elixir: Goes back to normal life with his girlfriend.

A poet: William Butler Yates

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

[He wishes for the clothes of Heaven]-by W.B.Y

Sir Ken Robinson

Here are the two videos~

2nd draft of my critical response to Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk (2nd version)

[The yes and no to an idea, an idea we need]

         Ken Robinson describes a part of our brain’s intelligence that was often overlooked by educationists. His theories on creativity and how public education kills it is valid and very true to both the current and future society. But, I also disagree with Ken Robinson on specific parts of his solution to the crisis.

             I support Ken Robinson’s view on the creativity of children and agree that public education shape them into non-characteristic beings. Especially on how the today’s society forces special students whose talents shine too bright to be reshaped into the same tuna cans everywhere. I believe this to be an oppression of the minority by the majority. In this case, standardized tests and diplomas are used as the main tools in forcing people with different talents than the majority to forfeit such a talent and adopt the ‘right’ skills. Through this procedure, the society limits itself from using minorities of the society who possess unique gifts that would have otherwise enriched the society and thereby make such students ‘losers’ of the society. Hence, I share Ken Robinson’s concern on the absence of critical discussion on this issue and call for changes that recognize differently talented students as well.

             Another problem Ken Robinson does a good job in illustrating is the problem of inflation of diplomas. As he said himself, ‘When I was young, if you had a degree, you had a job’. And that might be true even now for some countries, countries where selection of the talented happens once they are in the education system. But, countries where entrance equals a diploma, the inflation is perhaps worse than the economic crisis in Europe these days. The problem here is that because there are too many people with the same quality of degree, it is difficult for employers to distinguish who is the better candidate for a job. Therefore, more competitive and ambitious people would go on the graduate school. Then, the same happens to graduate school and so on until there is no place to move on. In the near future, we might randomly choose ten people out of a crowded train station and nine would declare himself or herself to be doctorate educated. In such a society, a degree is no longer guarantees a job as Ken Robinson said.

             Yet, I also have problems with Ken Robinson. His lecture is concentrated too much on students who are gifted in areas of dance, drama, and other such arts. Yes, there certainly is a problem with the status quo. But, the area he touches is all ready touched by others who had similar ideas with him and therefore is thrown spotlight all ready. Also, even in the traditional system of education where students are ‘mined for purposes’, the fields he focus on have institutions around the globe with the purpose of studying and exploring the fields.

Rather, I feel that a call for bridged study is more important. The self created term ‘bridged study’ is applying the concept of consilience to teenage students. At first, this might seem unnecessary and impractical since teenage students are supposed to be building their academic background on all fields of study while consilience is needed due to isolation of individual fields. Nonetheless, when we pay attention to Ken Robinson’s words ‘mined for purpose’ we realize that actually, teenage students are not educated as broad as they are supposed to. In reality, students are trained from an early stage of development to acquire skills that are deemed ‘useful’ in their career. To illustrate, students learn Chinese and not Tibetan since Chinese skills are expected to come in handy when dealing with tasks related to world economy and politics whereas Tibetan is not expected to be needed in almost all parts of life. This is in the same lines with Ken Robinson’s claim that subjects that were more valuable in the industrial society were given more emphasis than less useful subjects. Therefore, by applying consilience to junior highs and high schools, we can solve the problem of certain fields of study being undervalued and also prevent students gifted in those fields from becoming ‘losers’.

Meanwhile, Ken Robinson’s solution to the inflation of diplomas also contains logical contradictions. Ken Robinson suggests that the current education system is still based on the enlightenment period. It is true in certain aspects, for instance with the mining of children, best described by Ken Robinson’s words—‘and then we focus on their head, and slightly to one side’. Nonetheless, drastic changes happened to the education paradigm throughout the scores of years in between. A core change was the transition from elite education to the orthodox-egalitarian education. This transition is what enabled all willing students to achieve a degree and therefore provoked the inflation today. Even though there is a clear problem with the current situation as both Ken Robinson and I pointed out, there were also problems with ‘raising the standard of education’; Ken Robinson’s voting for it. Ergo, simply a return to the elite education is not the solution. Instead, a mixture of the egalitarian paradigm on the primary level and a modified elite learning system at the higher level seems more credible.  

             Lastly, I want to comment on Ken Robinson’s ignorance of the environmental setting in general as an important factor for students’ education. By including the influence of the environment in which students learn, Ken Robinson’s claims can become more persuasive. I would recommend him to research the relevance between students’ creativity and the nature.

* word count:578~> 919

A memo on bringing irrelevant information to the reader's focus

     Oftentimes, I find authors who like to reveal unknown information about other people by mentioning it as an example of an invalid argument. Most of the time, they are not expected, and when one reads them one usually feels a subtle surprise.

     I too felt this just this evening while reading a book on Constantinople and its fall. While reading the book there came a part where the author had to present the reason why a steward had the authority to repel his majesty's words freely. While I expected it to be related to the former emperor's deep trust in the steward or other such reasons related to his political life, the author delayed giving his answer by stating that the authority did not come from the steward's family line. The unexpected mention regarding the steward's family was lengthy and I felt confused at its sudden appearance.

     I believe this technique is somewhat similar to what the advertisement companies use today. Maybe all art of delivering has an underlying theme in them, for I just remembered using a very similar skill to my friend whose a art maniac, but abhors art history.

Critical Response to Ken Robinson's ideas

In response to Ken Robinson

10B2 HaeUk.Ko

Ken Robinson describes a part of our brain’s intelligence that was often overlooked by educationists. I believe his theories on creativity and how public education kills it is true. But, I also disagree with Ken Robinson on certain aspects of his theory and specific parts of his solution to the crisis.

I support Ken Robinson’s view on the creativity of children and agree that public education shape them into non-characteristic beings. Especially on how the today’s society forces special students whose talents shine too bright to be reshaped into the same tuna cans everywhere. I believe this to be an oppression of the minority by the majority. In this case, standardized tests and diplomas are used as the main tools in forcing people with different talents than the majority to forfeit such a talent and adopt the ‘right’ skills. Through this procedure, the society limits itself from using minorities of the society who possess unique gifts that would have otherwise enriched the society and thereby make such students ‘losers’ of the society. Hence, I share Ken Robinson’s concern on the absence of critical discussion on this issue and call for changes that recognize differently talented students as well.

Yet, I also have problems with Ken Robinson. His lecture is concentrated too much on students who are gifted in areas of dance, drama, and other such arts. Yes, there certainly is a problem with the status quo. But, the area he touches is all ready touched by others who had similar ideas with him and therefore is thrown spotlight all ready. Also, even in the traditional system of education where students are ‘mined for purposes’, the fields he focus on have institutions around the globe with the purpose of studying and exploring the fields. Rather, I feel that a call for bridged study is more important. The self created term ‘bridged study’ is applying the concept of consilience to teenage students. At first, this might seem unnecessary and impractical since teenage students are supposed to be building their academic background on all fields of study while consilience is needed due to isolation of individual fields. Nonetheless, when we pay attention to Ken Robinson’s words ‘mined for purpose’ we realize that actually, teenage students are not educated as broad as they are supposed to. In reality, students are trained from an early stage of development to acquire skills that are deemed ‘useful’ in their career. To illustrate, students learn Chinese and not Tibetan since Chinese skills are expected to come in handy when dealing with tasks related to world economy and politics whereas Tibetan is not expected to be needed in almost all parts of life. This is in the same lines with Ken Robinson’s claim that subjects that were more valuable in the industrial society were given more emphasis than less useful subjects. Therefore, by applying consilience to junior highs and high schools, we can solve the problem of certain fields of study being undervalued and also prevent students gifted in those fields from becoming ‘losers’. Furthermore, I believe this option to be a more valid one than Ken Robinson’s on the basis of practicality.

Lastly, I want to comment on Ken Robinson’s ignorance of the environmental setting in general as an important factor for students’ education. By including the influence of the environment in which students learn, Ken Robinson’s claims can become more persuasive. I would recommend him on researching the relevance between students’ creativity and the nature.

At the start of my 2nd semester at KMLA

Writing is a task and that is directly related to my survival and success as a professor in future years. However, I’m not sure whether I’ll survive well enough due to my unfamiliarity with writing. I was always a late starter when it came to writing. When kids in the same class already experienced writing lengthy paragraphs, I was still writing chopped sentences. But, I believe that my lack of experience can also work to my benefit if I practice enough from now on.

As explained above, my hands are not used to writing a lot, which in turn means that I did not write enough to have acquired a specific style of writing. I believe this can work as an advantage to me since a blank paper is fit to write something new than a used paper. Yet, during the few years that I have written in English, I have been commented on the length of my sentences. People find my sentences to be lengthy and to be containing multiple ideas in a limited number of sentences. Oftentimes, this leads to confusion and frustration to the readers as this applies not just to certain sentences but my paragraphs and essays in general. Still, this also represents a positive aspect of my style. The long, complex sentences I write directly reflect the way I think, and therefore is the right bowl to hold my ideas. In order to preserve the benefits and to improve the weaknesses of my style, recently, I try to incorporate my original lengthy sentences with short, impactful sentences.

My tendency to use examples from various fields of interest is something that is both my strong and weak point. Since I like reading books from all fields of study, I am familiar with various cases and concepts which can be used to strengthen my reasoning. I am especially familiar with connecting events in the past with ideas that are relevant to the case at hand. For instance, I remember being complimented on my usage of stirrups as a case where nomads’ open attitude toward foreign culture and its mix with original culture led to an advantage over agrarian societies. On the other hand, I sometimes try to connect two seemingly unrelated fields and fail to persuade the reader that my choice of evidence was fit for my argument.

My writings are not straightforward and dense. One example is that I do not use many adverbs. I rather fill my sentences with nouns, verbs, and prepositions. This is an advantage from the view that readers are not dazzled by pours of unnecessary words and therefore makes my writing more to the point. However, the problem is that my writings can be too stiff and rigid to read. I believe this is can bore the readers from time to time and eventually lead to the readers becoming distracted from what I have to say. This is apparent from the fact that I used only one dialogue in a fable that was almost a page long. As a means to improve this problem I attempted to describe in more lengthy ways, but found out that my unfamiliarity makes me describe too much.

Other than the points mentioned above, I anticipate that I showed several traits in my writing that I have not yet noticed. But, I also have certain problems that have apparently been solved but reoccur when I am ignorant. Such is grammar and spelling. All ready indicated from the fact that I did not write much, I am not innocent when it comes to grammar mistakes and misspelled words. I have put effort to solving it but feel that it is not as complete as I want and that there still is a need to hone my skills.

My ultimate goal as a writer is to help readers view an issue from my perspective and find out an aspect of the matter that I found out. I hope that readers might come to understand certain issues as I did and feel the emotions that I wanted to share with others. A writer that influenced me in setting such a goal was Khaled Hosseini. Reading his book Kite Runner was a blessing to me.

However, what I will present to you is not a piece of literature. Rather it is a research paper I wrote the previous semester in Mr. Ganse’s European history course. I selected this paper because this paper deals with a field of sturdy that is very intimately related with my future career as a humanities researcher. Moreover, this paper is not a raw draft, something this class requires. Also, I spent several days researching and writing on the topic, which will give you specific hints of how much of a depth my writing contains.

Above all, I look towards the practice of editing in this class. Even though we might have written essays before in competitions and exams, we rarely had a chance to revise our work seriously. I wish to establish my own way of editing my work during this semester, which can be done most efficiently under a professional writing teacher guiding a writing course. Ergo, I hope we that we won’t be writing completely new essays all the time but editing them from time to time.

What ever the decision might be, I want to enjoy your class this semester^^.

* word count :897words^^