MS ECHO CLASS in March, 15, 2008

[Toast Master : Kim, In-U]   [Planned Speech 1 : Choi, Gyung-Bo]M.V.P   Bangladesh is the most high-population country in the world. Its population is about 140 millions. And this country is famous for the poorest country in the world. One thing interesting is she has a mobile phone now. Does she look rich or noble? I don't think so. Actually she is a farmer. Then it seems ironical. An old woman from the poorest country and doesn't look rich at all is using a mobile phone? But it's happening now in Bangladesh. So, what made this scenery? What made it possible? This is my topic. Do you remember who was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2007? Mr. Al Gore. The ex president of the united states. Then who was awarded the same prize in the previous year, 2006. it's the him who made this scenery possible. His name is Muhammad Yunus, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. I'll tell you his story. In 1976 Yunus was teaching economics at Chittagong University when the county was suffering extremely a horrible famine. Thousandsand thousands people died everyday because of the starvation. Old people looked like children, children looked like old people. Poor and hungry people were everywhere. Oneday Yunus was walking on a street and met a shoeshine boy. The boy seems have not small of money. So Yunus asked him "you must be a good businessman. Where do you spend that much money?" The boy said "the half goes to the master, the rest I spend for my family. I buy rice." Yunus asked again "what master? Are you a slave?" the boy said "no I'm not a slave. The master of this shoe box. I borrow it from him and I have to pay him back the half of income everyday." Yunus felt a pity at the moment. So he suggested him "I lend you $30 right now but you have to pay me back 100 cent everyday for a year. Cay you promise?". The boy was thinking for a while and said "fine. I promise.". because in his thought, It's quite cheaper than the master. But Yunus expected the boy didn't make it. Because they didn't make any contract. But the boy paid him back 100 cent everyday for a year exactly without any omission. It was so meaningful experience for Yunus. So he visited a village and observed the people of the village. The people also are poor. The people are making bamboo chairs and selling them for their life. Each person earns just 50 페이샤(50원) a day. Most of their incomes goes to loan sharks. Because the people have to buy materials and tools. But they don't have enough money. So they go to loan sharks and borrow some money. Because they are so poor so they cannot use bank services. The more people work hard, the more rich the loan sharks become. So Yunus decided to help them. He lent 47 people $27 on the condition that they pay him back when they made enough money. But this time, also that 47 people paid him back his money completely. After that Yunus decided to serve as a guarantor for poor people when they received loans from commercial banks. He was able to help 500 people until 1979. but as time goes by, the commercial banks didn't accept his quarantee for poor people. At the moment Yunus felt heartbreak and fell in deep sadness. He remind that moment " nothing I can do in the economics theories Itaught reflected the real life around me. How could I go on telling my students make believe stories in the name of economic? Then, eventually he decided to leave the Uiniversity in 1983 and established his own bank, named Grameen. This bank was very small but quite revolutionary. Grammen bank offers poor people loans without any guarantee or collaterals. It offers tiny loans at low interests and expects borrowers to start their own business like the shoeshine boy. By making that loans borrowers could buy seed, shovels, needle, cloth. They could make self employment by that tiny loans. This is so called MicroCredit. It's to give a chance to poor people to be self-supporting. Anyway Yunus's idea is quite successful. His bank has provide $ 4.7million to 4.4 million families in Bangladesh. Now it has 1,417 branches and 12,000 employees. Its financing structure is also the most stable in Bangladesh and it has been profitable in the black since establishment except only 3 years. According to 1998's report, the rate of poor people who were supported by Grameen went down 70% for 4.2 years and the rate of the infant mortality has decreased 34%. not only Bangladesh but also today more than 250 instiutions from almost 100 countries are doing microcredit programs based on Grameen Bank including Korea. Korea also has a that sort of a program, named 사회연대은행 and 신나는조합(Grameen bank's branch) other big commercial banks from westhern are researching Granmeen Bank's success. The bottom line of Grameen bank's success is based on each borrower's credits. Grammen Bank just unconditionally trusts each borrower. Even though a borrower doesn't pay it back, Grammen bank doesn't take or seize borrower's assets or their income. And even doesn't ask regal responsibility at all. How to get loans is first borrowers have specificplans to improve their business or strengthen their skills or speciality. And secondly they have to be involved in a team. They haveto make a team with 5 people. One of the team member needs loan, then that person should get concents from all team member. And if he pay it back completely then he can get bigger money than before. And lastly I've heard one interesting news about Grameen Bank. Grameen bank took place its business in NewYork where all of the financing organizaiotns are gathered. All of the biggest and strongest banks and stock trading companies are there. A bank from the poorest country in the world turned out to help people in the richest country. According to Fnancial Times, with its first start, the bank made $50,000 loan for 35 women. Those women are almost immigrants from Dominica, Haiti, Colombia and so on. They cannot use general bank services. Yunus said, this is a timely manner. Because the world is facing a crisis stemmed from subprime mortgate. Other commercial bank will enfore its loan regulations. But in the united states, there are so many poor people especially, illegalimmigrants. They are suffering from credit problem. They are over than 70 milions people even though this country has the most advanced financing systems. Yunus said "my nobel peace prize should create more awareness of microcredit and accelate to the movement to provide poor people access to loans from banks. And he added that poverty is not from individual's inability or laziness. It's from social structure which doesn't give a chance to make self-improvement. As a human being, credit is a basic human's right. No matter how you are poor, no matter what kind of job you have, every person can have it.       [Morning News : Jung, Yang-Gun] Today's Headlines ① President Lee Myung-bak is scheduled to visit the United States and Japan mid-April in his first trip abroad for a summit talk ___ ________ _________ with traditional _______.   ② South Korea punched a ticket to Beijing by ________ ______ its fifth straight win in the Olympic baseball qualifiers with a 12-1 drubbing of Germany at the Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan.   ③ Turkey's government is planning investments ________ ___ ________ ___ $12 billion in the country's largely Kurdish  southeast to create jobs and ______ young men ______ ______ militancy.   ④ New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is expected to ______ ________ , succumbing to threats of impeachment and mounting media pressure over _____ _____________ _____ a prostitution scandal.   Today's article New York governor in hot water over scandal New York governor Eliot Spitzer has stepped down ___ _____ _______ ____ a scandal that surfaced on Monday regarding his use of a prostitution ring. The case started when banks filed suspicious activity reports after several accounts traced to Spitzer were used for multiple money transfers. Public sentiment has not been sympathetic for Spitzer, who ______ ____ ___________ around _______ _____ corruption and being a champion of ethics. He was known for using aggressive and __________________ ___________ against corporate corruption. Norman Adler, a well-known public affairs expert in New York, said, “I don’t know how he could possibly stay on. The funny thing is, if you _________ ____ ____ ________ , you ____ ____ _____ _________ .”   [Planned Speech 2 : Kim, Tae-Hyun]   [Expression‎ & Writing : Kim, Jun-Hwan]   [Debate : Jang, Jae-Hun]   [New Face] - Yi, Sung-Sang - Pak, Jin-Yong