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[Doo ^^]

<TOPIC 01> Ten-year-old business owner

Cecilia Cassini is definitely not your average 10-year-old child. The fifth grader recently founded her own fashion line and is making a profit from selling her unique handmade clothing for kids and teens at Los Angeles boutiques. She's also been filling special orders that are coming in from around the world, according to her mother Michelle Cassini.

Cassini has been dubbed "America's youngest fashion designer," but that's only part of her story. She's a kid with a huge social conscience and a desire to give back. Many of her dresses, for example, are made from old repurposed clothing that she scores from the closets of her older sister, mom, and friends instead of buying new fabrics.

This not only saves her money on materials, but also is better for the planet. Her mother thinks that her dresses are popular in places like Germany, Italy, and France because they are made from recycled materials.

The young fashion maven regularly designs and donates dresses to raise money for charities such as Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, and Clothes Off Our Backs. She also gives her dresses to homeless girls. "I want to give back to the people who don't have what I have," she says. "Every little girl should have a dress so I wanted to donate dresses."

Cassini, who lives in Encino, California, travels to classrooms at other schools to inspire her peers to pursue their dreams and do what they are passionate about. Her message: You don't have to be an adult to do worthwhile things.

According to her mom, Cassini's passion has always been clothing. From the time Cassini could point, she was putting together her own outfits, and she regularly came home from preschool with designs painted or glued onto her clothing.

But it wasn't until Cassini secretly "redesigned" her older sister's brand-new dress at the ripe old age of five that her family fully understood just how interested she was in designing clothing.

She received a sewing machine for her sixth birthday from her grandmother and went immediately to work. "From the moment she got that machine, she has not stopped sewing," says her mom, who didn't expect Cassini's interest to last for so long or turn into a business.

 

In fact, Michelle Cassini was worried that no one was going to show up at her daughter's first trunk show at Tough Cookies Children's Boutique in Sherman Oaks, California, on November 14, 2009. It turns out her worries were unfounded.

People lined up outside the store before it opened, thanks to some good publicity, including a CBS segment and a front-page story in the Los Angeles Daily News. Her trunk show was sold out and she's been busy filling orders ever since.

Cassini seems to be taking her early success in stride and finds time to sew dozens of dresses a week, maintain good grades, play tennis, and hang out with her friends. How does she do it? She gets most of her homework done at recess so she can come home and sew.

Besides, she doesn't view it as work. The whole process is pure fun, according to Cassini, from the cutting up of old dresses to sewing them into fabulous new "masterpieces" to selling the finished products.

1. What do you think about Ten-year-old business owner?

2. Even though she is just a Ten-year, I felt we should learn her passion or a social conscience and a desire to give back.
How about you? Have you thought about like this commendable young girl?

3. What did you like doing when you were 10 years old?

4. What is your own desire? or What would you like to do in the future?

<TOPIC 02> Lee Hyo-ri admits plagiarizing songs

Amid an escalating plagiarism debate, pop star Lee Hyo-ri admitted herself that several tracks from her fourth album were indeed borrowed, Yonhap News reported Sunday.

Her agency Mnet Media plans to sue the songwriter who gave the songs to Lee if the songs in question are proven to breach copyright laws.

``There were problems regarding the pieces by (the newcomer songwriter) Bahnus Vacuum,'' said Lee in a message posted on her fan website. ``At first I was convinced that the demo tape of the songs suffered (premature) exposure. I didn't have any doubts since I received the songs through the company (Mnet Media). But after an investigation it turns out that they were not Bahnus' songs.''

Seven titles on her latest recording ``H-Logic''are credited to Bahnus Vacuum (real name Lee Jae-young). There has been much debate over the originality of the songs for some time now among netizens but Mnet Media previously issued a statement upholding Bahnus' claim that the demo tracks were prematurely exposed.

``It took some time to track down the original songs because they were all borrowed from foreign pieces. Two were proven to be based on other works. We contacted the original songwriter and we are discussing the matter. As much as I have caused harm, albeit unintended, I will take the responsibility,'' the 31-year-old singer said of the songs ``Feel the Same,'' ``How Did We Get,'' ``I'm Back,'' ``Memory,'' ``Geunae'' (Swing) and ``Highlight.''

In April netizens pointed out that Lee's ``Bring It Back'' resembles Canadian girl band Cookie Couture's ``Boy, Bring It Back,'' while ``Feel the Same'' was similar to Canadian singer Melanie Durrant's song of the same name. ``How Did We Get'' was compared to ``How Did We'' by U.S. singer Jason Derulo, while ``I'm Back'' was measured against Canadian singer Lil Precious' ``So Insane.'' ``Memory''was noted for its resemblance to ``The Alphabet Song'' by British band Second Person.

Mnet Media said that it contacted the foreign songwriters of the songs in question via email beginning in April, and received a reply from the agencies of Cooki Couture and Second Person. The issue is currently being discussed between lawyers representing the respective artists.

Meanwhile Bahnus Vacuum was not available for comment. Mnet Media said that when talks of plagiarism first spread he claimed innocence by providing documents which later turned out to have been forged.

1. Have you ever listened to Lee's songs? Do you like it or her?

2. Ms. Lee has already confessed copying songs. But, anyway, someone shoud be responsible for it. Do you think who should be responsible for this issue, singer, the songwriter, or her agency?

3. How do you think singers are singing songs which are imitated violating copyright laws? Compeared with past and now, Is it getting better or worse?

4. How about you? Are you downloading mp3 files from legal or illegal sites? Have you ever though about breaking the laws when downloading the files as a illegal way?

[Doo ^^]

이번 주는 제가 홍콩 출장 관계로 약간 토픽을 빨리 올렸습니다. 그리고 Article이 길죠.ㅋ 그 점은 죄송하게 생각하지만 읽어 보면 나름 잼나는 글이니 다들 열공하세용.^^

[Gina(진아)]

땡큐 두~

[액션가면]

쌩유 두경~~ 더운데 고생하겠다...잘 갔다와~

[kirk]

와우~~ 홍콩출장~~~ 완전 부러워~~

[titicaca]

항상 토픽 감솨해요~출장 잘 다녀와요~~^___^

[Gina(진아)]

참석~!

[Teddy~*]

와우~ 부지런쟁이~ ㅎㅎㅎ 출장 잘 다녀와~~ ^^

[마이]

아~~너무 오랫동안 결석했네요..ㅠ 열심히해야하는데..이번주는 꼭~참석해야지..! 좋은 토픽 감사해요^^

[미나^^]

토픽이 빨리 올라왔네요~^^ 저번주는 휴일에도 일해야해서..그만 ㅠ.ㅠ
이번주는 참석할께요~

[Vincent]

역시 두~~~ㅋㅋ 부지런쟁이^^주말에 봐여

[일구비]

토픽은 그렇다치고... 홍콩 나도 어떻게 쫌 ......!!