{Topics on 02.23} Please Make Sure to Touch Topics in Advance & Post a Comment

<Topic1> No future for those who forgot the past   On Jan. 21, 1968, 31 armed guerillas from the North Korean Reconnaissance Bureau penetrated into Seoul with an order to launch an attack on the Blue House. As they were passing the Jaha Gate, they were stopped and questioned by the police. They shot submachine guns at the police officers and threw a grenade at a bus. Thankfully, the military and police responded promptly, and civilians actively participated in reporting the crime, so the armed infiltrators could not successfully carry out their mission. However, eight innocent civilians were killed and 30 servicemen and police officers were killed in action, and 52 were injured. Koreans in the South were once again reminded of the hostility and brutality of North Korea, and the attack led to the founding of the Homeland Reserve Forces and the Student National Defense Corps. It served as an opportunity to prepare for an all-out war readiness of an integrated defense system of the civilian, government and military units and a self-reliant national defense readiness. Forty-five years have passed since the Jan. 21 infiltration, but hardly anyone remembers the pain and suffering felt on the day of the attack. The older generation has failed to convey the historical significance to their children. If we bury the painful history in the past, we cannot achieve anything down the road. We need to reflect on the meaning and lessons from the events in the past. Only then, history can become a guiding vision for the future. Year 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the cease-fire armistice. As the only remaining divided country in the world, the war is still not over on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea has made approximately 2,800 armed provocations since, and the provocation is likely to continue. Especially in order to maximize the strategic impact, there is a possibility of a high-intensity military provocation on the capital region. At this juncture, how is the security awareness of the Korean society? According to a survey, 57 percent of the young Koreans do not know when the Korean War occurred. The security awareness is feeble, and pro-Pyongyang groups are operating openly. There is no future for the people who have forgotten history. I hope the past of suffering to become an engine for the future and an insurance against repeating tragic events .   <Questions> 1. Have you overcome any failures in the past and eventually succeeded? Share the story!     2. Is it right for people to try to hide a painful or shameful past?     3. Do you believe lessons from history can be applied to nowadays?     <TOPIC2> Chocolate and Health In the last century, chocolate was considered a decadent treat. Popularly blamed for weight gain, tooth decay, and even acne, it was carefully avoided by the health-conscious. This attitude constituted a complete reversal from earlier eras. For three millennia, Native Americans had made food and drinks with cocoa powder―made from cocoa beans, the seeds of the fruit from cacao trees―with the belief that it had restorative powers. At first, Europeans agreed. In 1569, after being given a spicy chocolate brew by the Aztecs, the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes wrote to his king about this drink “that builds up resistance and fights fatigue.” Over the centuries, though, as milk and sugar were added to chocolate, it acquired a bad reputation. How could something so delicious be healthy, too? But now research is piling up that proves the Native Americans were right: chocolate is good for you. As Cortes observed, it does fight fatigue. Chocolate contains caffeine as well as theobromine and phenylethylamine, two other stimulants that increase alertness. It benefits the brain in other ways, too: by triggering the release of endorphins, the “feel-good” chemicals that elevate mood and reduce pain, and by lifting levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that fights depression. Perhaps the most promising finding about chocolate’s effects on the brain is that it has been shown to increase blood flow to and from the grey matter, raising hopes that it could play a role in preventing dementia.Researchers attribute chocolate’s effect on blood flow to the flavanols found in cocoa solids (the non-fatty component of cocoa beans). Not only do they have a proven ability to lower blood pressure, expand artery walls, and prevent blood clots, they also reduce inflammation and levels of LDL (so-called “bad” cholesterol). The link between chocolate and cardiovascular health is therefore a popular and intriguing research topic. In August, after reviewing seven studies with a total of over a hundred thousand participants, a Cambridge University team concluded that eating chocolate twice a week reduced the risk of heart disease by 37 percent and the risk of stroke by 27 percent. What about all the fat and sugar in chocolate? One study found that despite its sugar content, plain milk chocolate does not cause cavities because it contains decay-fighting minerals such as phosphate. And semi-sweet or dark chocolate actually increases insulin sensitivity, which means it may help prevent diabetes. (Dark chocolate is considered healthier in general, as it has the highest proportion of flavanol-rich cocoa solids.) Even the fat in chocolate is little cause for concern, as two-thirds of it consists of healthy fats that either have a neutral or beneficial impact on cholesterol. Of course, many commercial chocolates and chocolate-flavored products contain fillings with large amounts of added sugar, saturated fat, and other unhealthy ingredients, and the calories in chocolate certainly add up. As in most aspects of diet, the key is moderation. Consuming an ounce of dark chocolate―about one-half of a candy bar―twice a week is enough to enjoy its health benefits. <Question> 1.What are advantages and disadvantages of chocolate? 2. Do you enjoy chocolate? What aspects of chocolate are the most appealing to you? 3. Do you agree to the idea that chocolate is good for health? 4. Imagine that chocolate has turned out to be dangerous like smoking. What will you do to keep your family, friends and lovers to stay healthy?