{Topics on 3.27} Please Make Sure to Study Hard in Advance & Post a Comment＜정참,지참,불참＞

[Doo ^^]

[Topic 1] Political Parties Spring Up Ahead of Elections

One of the most noticeable and recurring events ahead of elections in Korea is the launch of new political parties. And the

upcoming local elections slated for June 2 appear to be no exception.

As of Tuesday, a total of 18 parties, including the People's Participation Party founded in January, have qualified to

participate.

The number is expected to jump to 26, considering that eight more groups have recently registered to launch their own parties

with the National Election Commission.

The question is how many of the newcomers will continue to exist until the next election.

A total of 142 political parties have emerged since 1963, when the Political Party Law was revised.

Figures show that less than 13 percent of them have survived and their average life span is only three years.

The total number of parties exceeds 300 if you count all political parties that have been registered with the commission

since the inauguration of the Republic of Korea in 1948.

Only one party, namely the governing Grand National Party (GNP), has existed for more than 10 years.

The GNP, the oldest party in Korea, was founded in November 1997, while the second oldest party, the Democratic Labor Party

(DLP), was established in May 2000. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) was launched in February 2008.

Another reason for such a short life span of political parties is the recurring mergers and renaming of parties right before

elections.

For instance, the New Korea Party was renamed the GNP in 1996, ahead of the 1997 presidential election.

The DP has had several names since 1987, such as the Uri Party, the Unification Democratic Party and the United Democratic

Party.

Observers here say strong distrust of politicians among Koreans can partly be attributed to opportunistic political parties

emerging or regrouping ahead of major political events without clear policy goals.

Questions:
1. How many political parties does Korea have? Which one do you support?

2. Have you been aware of the fact there have been over 300 parties since the Republic of Korea was established in 1948?
Do you know why a number of parties have been emergied and disappeared especially in Korea?

3. When it comes to polical parties, what can you come up with? such as, undesirable arguments, black money, or

authoritarianism?

4. Regionalism is one of the deep-seated problem in Korea. Do you have any good ideas to figure out a solution to the

problem?

[Topic 2] 10 Ways to Save Money in 2010

Making a commitment to save money in 2010 is the rare New Year's resolution that is easy to keep.
After a turbulent economic year, it's a popular one, too. A December survey from financial service firm Edward Jones found

saving more money next year is the top resolution for that a third of consumers.
Try these 10 strategies for significant savings:
 
1) Pick a friendlier credit card
"Being on the wrong card can cost people thousands more a year in interest rates and fees," says Schwark Satyavolu, a co-

founder of comparison tool BillShrink.com. "Even if you pay off the balance in full each month, you could be leaving hundreds

of dollars on the table in rewards."
 
2) Track your cash
Shoppers can't account for an average $21 spent each week, according to a September survey by Visa (V). Tallied up, that's

$1,092 per year in mystery purchases. Sign up for a free financial management site like Mint.com or Wesabe.com, which sync

with your bank accounts to automatically sort and track purchases. You can also set budgets for individual categories, and

receive email or text alerts when your spending nears that pre-set limit. There are plenty of sites out there, so use our

guide to find the right one for you.
 
3) Join loyalty clubs
Retailers offer benefits in loyalty programs, knowing that most customers are apt to forget their cards or otherwise miss out

on perks, says Larry Chiagouris, a marketing professor at Pace University in New York City. Don't make that mistake: Keep

cards in your wallet or on a key-ring, or add the account numbers to your smartphone. Loyalty programs can cover varied

purchases, including books, movie theater excursions, restaurant meals and even flu shots.
 
4) Hunt for coupon codes
The marketing strategy of offering coupon codes to cement customer loyalty is increasingly popular with retailers.
 
5) Shop the grocery sales circular
Though many products on circulars only come up on sale once every 10 to 12 weeks, by shopping smart, you can still cut your

bill by more than 50% with a combination of coupons, weekly grocery store sales and store rebates.
 
6) Pay cash
Buy-now-pay-later of credit cards sound friendly, but are designed to entice you to spend more. A 2008 study by researchers

at the University of Toronto and the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City found that the opportunity to earn rewards led more

consumers to pay by credit, even if they were already carrying a balance. Instead, flash bills. It will keep you in check and

might also lead to discounts on everything from health care to jewelry to gasoline.
 
7) Reassess your phone plan
Carriers constantly offer new plans and promotions -- which may mean a better deal than your current selection. Infrequent

talkers (fewer than 200 minutes a month) may save more in the long run by paying an early-termination fee and switching to

prepaid service.
 
8) Cut spending on pets
The fuzziest members of your family need to adhere to the household budget, too. In 2008, pet owners spent an average $670

per dog and $447 per cat on vet care, food, grooming, treats and toys, according to the American Pet Products Association.

Pay less by shopping around. Petco offers its signature plush dog toy for $5.97, while Wal-Mart has a three-pack of a similar

toy for $7 -- roughly $2.33 apiece.
 
9) Haggle
"When times get tough, consumers have to get aggressive," says Scott Testa, an assistant professor of business administration

at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa. "On a high-priced item, you're crazy if you don't haggle." It doesn't take a hard-line

negotiation in most cases, either – you just have to ask if there's any chance for a better price, he says. For example, 68%

of landlords said they would lower rents or give a month or more free to retain tenants, according to a recent Rent.com

survey.
 
10) Seal up your home
Don't let the air you're paying to warm in the winter and cool in the summer escape through cracks around windows, doors,

electrical outlets and other places. Enough sealing products like caulk and weather-stripping to block drafts would set you

back just $25 to $50. In return, you'll see your home's energy efficiency improve by up to 20%, according to the

Environmental Protection Agency. For the average household, that could amount to more than $400 annually.

Questions:

1. Do you think saving money is necessary? If yes, why?

2. Which one among the strategies mentioned in the article above seem effective?

3. In other points of view, economists say only saving money makes a national economy get worse and worse. Do you

agree with this opinion?

4. Are you interested in financial technology(재테크)? If yes, what are you doing for saving money?

[액션가면]

길~~~~~~~~~~다

[Stylish(진화)]

어떤 장르도 티디리언이라면 파스블~^ㅇ^~~~세이 예~에~^ㅋ^~~

[Stylish(진화)]

이번주는 '정당'에 대한 글이군요~ 다소 어렵게 느껴질수있지만 '정치'에 대해 좀더 알아볼수 있는 좋은 기회일꺼 같아요~ 굿잡 듀~~ 정참합니다 ^-^~~~

[Daniel(현환)]

저두 이번엔 스터디 참석예정~! ㅋ

[Stylish(진화)]

핸씀데니엘과 함께라면 행복해용^ㅇ^~~~~~~~

[Teddy~*]

와우~ 두번째 토픽 완전 흥미롭네요~~ ^=^ 저금왕 테디가 될테야~! ♪~♪

[Stylish(진화)]

wow~~ 훌륭하십니당^ㅇ^~~~~~~~

[Dexter(한동욱)]

불참합니다.. 언제나 좋은 토픽 감솨!

[Stylish(진화)]

불참하시더라도 멋진 주말 보내셔야돼욧 ^ㅇ^~~

[Doo ^^]

토픽이 좀 길죠.V^^ 공부한다 생각하시고 느긋하게 읽고 오세요.^^ No pain, no gain.ㅋㅋ

[Stylish(진화)]

어려우일수록 실력도 upgrade~멋져부러 ^ㅇ^~~~~~~~~~~

[마이]

음....전 처음인데..공부하고 참석해보려고 해요..

[Stylish(진화)]

참석하시면 정말 잼나실꺼에요~! ^ㅇ^~

[Gina(진아)]

참석~!!!ㅎ

[Stylish(진화)]

카페지기님 유어 매재스띠~!!! ^-^~~

[제인]

참석합니다^^ ~~

[Stylish(진화)]

좋아요~ 잼나게 보내보아요^-^

[Mona(이성미)]

참석할게요

[Stylish(진화)]

모나님 즐정모 준비되셨는가요? ^-^