[모임공지] [JUNE.8.WED]Topic + 출첵 및 미드 단어 :)

[Claire *]

 오늘의 미드단어 (저번에 못했던 거에용!ㅎㅎ)

146) majority	다수(의) majority rule: 다수결의 원칙	Let’s make a decision based on the majority.
147) hold	(회의, 파티, 행사 등을)열다	The conference was held at the Lotte Hotel.
148) papers	서류	Oops, I left my papers on the subway train! *’종이’란 뜻일 땐 papers라고 하지 않음  (종이 두장:two pieces of paper)
149) work on	~에 매진하다	I’m working on a proposal. (proposal : 제안서)
150) hand in	~ 을 제출하다 (=turn in, submit )	Did you hand in the report?
151) go over	~을 검토하다	Could you go over this report?
152) get/feel stressed	스트레스를 받다	I always eat when I’m feeling stressed. *get one’s stress out : 스트레스를 풀다
153) post	~을 올리다, 게시하다	I posted my travel photos on my blog.
154) Internet café =cyber café	PC방 (PC room :X)	Do you want to go to an Internet café?
155) uncivilized comment	몰상식한 댓글	I’ll delete any uncivilized comments.

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Topic1) Observations from Seoul

 

It was autumn, some say the best season to be in the Republic of Korea. The trees lining the wide streets of Seoul had already painted the canvas of the city with a gloriously vivid spectrum of oranges, reds and browns. It was a perfect day for being outdoors.

I went to see Kyongbok Palace in downtown Seoul. As I was strolling in the crisp October air, admiring the six hundred-year-old temple complex; suddenly, I became distracted. A huge LCD television screen mounted atop a commercial building outside the perimeter of the palace grounds was streaming a relentless series of advertisements. My first emotion was repulsion, and I wondered, 'how can they build such an abomination next to such a beautiful palace?' But then I began to question this phenomenon more deeply. Is it that Korean customs and traditions are being slowly eaten away by spiralling westernisation, or is a harmonious cultural symbiosis of the old and the new at the very heart of South Korean prosperity? I decided to find out more.

I went north of the Han River to Insadong; an ancient cobbled street lined with art galleries, antique shops, and teahouses. Only a few minutes away, in contrast to the tranquillity of Insadong, is the modern centre of Chongno Street, an urban metropolis, which bustles with business and activity among a constant stream of pedestrians. I wondered if this geographical marriage of tradition and modernity would carry over on to a more individual level.

As I was walking along the promenade in Insadong, I noticed a Buddhist monk standing alone in an alleyway. There was nothing immediately remarkable about this sighting, as it is quite common to see Buddhist monks walking along the bazaars in Insadong due to the close proximity of Chogesa temple. But the monk I saw was talking on a mobile phone and I immediately thought back to the LCD screen towering behind Kyongbok Palace. Here was yet more evidence of a comfortable amalgamation between the old and the new. A Buddhist monk on a cellular telephone; I almost laughed out aloud!

There are various tearooms in Insadong that serve a variety of traditional teas and local snacks. I sat in one of these tearooms for a while, drinking some pomegranate tea and eating rice cake, watching the gentle activity of people in the street below. I started a conversation with a Korean woman who had been living in Seoul for over five years. She explained that; 'it is common in Korea for the higher-ranking monks to use devices such as mobile phones and computers, as it is essential for the management of temples and religious events.' In hindsight, it is not much of a surprise to learn of this information in such a technological and business oriented society.

I returned to thoughts of the geography of Seoul and began considering how natural and urban landscapes interact in the city, and whether a culture 'clash' factor is similarly evident. I went to the Han River Park and hired a bicycle to peruse the surrounding area. The park is quite a wide open space, covered with fields, gardens and sporting areas, all running along the side of the Han River. Although one does feel among nature once inside the park, one can never really escape from the looming skyscrapers and apartment complexes of the city. As I sat in a garden looking at the concrete city blocks beyond, I did begin to see some beauty in what I had previously considered to be an eyesore.

Thinking back to my conversation in the Insadong teahouse, the Korean resident told me that the Seoul City planners had purposefully moulded the landscape of the city to create this balance between the old and the new. What you see here then are not the random effects of progress, but that of years of careful planning. This is utilitarianism at its most extreme, and the approach does seem to make the best of an increasingly multifaceted culture.

Having got some answers to my earlier questions, I returned my rented bicycle and was about to go home when I heard the beating of drums and the voice of native song. I went to investigate and found a party of Korean people dressed in traditional clothes, dancing and singing along to the beat of the drums. The event was in the middle of a field next to the Han River and the concrete blocks loomed, ever present, behind us. But for once, I did not try to avert my eyes. This time, the nature, the cityscape, the traditional dancing and the neon lights, all began to merge together into something far more comfortable and familiar.

Amidst the affluence of the South, I often forget that Korea is a nation divided. A trip to the demilitarised zone, which runs along the 38th parallel just north of Seoul, provides a stark reminder of this fact. But while the North tries to cope with economic crisis, South Korea is prospering. This prosperity, I am learning, is fuelled by a society that embraces technology and fosters a strong work ethic, and is simultaneously stabilised by a consideration and the preservation of heritage and traditions.

South Korea is in so many ways a changing nation and its capital city is the archetypal model. On my way home that evening, I drove next to the Han River with a new found admiration for the balance of the urban landscape of Seoul. It is something of a cultural chimera; but somehow, after a while, it does work.

Jason Gaskell currently lives in Seoul and earns a living as a teacher and freelance writer.  

Questions 

1. Do you agree with the writer’s opinion, and why?

 2. What is your favorite street and the worst one, and why?

 3. What are your thoughts about billboards and flamboyant neon signs on the street? Are they annoying to you?

 4. Are you satisfied with cultural aspects of the Kangnam street? If you were a mayor of Seoul, what things would you change in the Kangnam Street?

 5. Share your opinion as to causal relationship among street, culture, history, politics.

Topic2) Should Sale Of Organ Be Legalized?

In US two doctors suggested the sale of organs to be legalized. This is due to the rising demand for organs such as kidney.
The number of donors is dwindling whereas the black market in organ sales was booming. Hence they suggested legalization as it would reduce the taboo around this issue.

But UK objected to this as it would be a move towards exploiting the poorest sections of society. In UK every year around 400 people die due to the non availability of a donor but the irony is that about 13 million people have signed up the register.
UK Transplant is a part of the National Health Service (NHS) which is responsible for the register.
It said that in many cases organs were prevented from being donated because the families were unaware of the donor's intentions.

Hence now people are encouraged to join the register and openly talk about it with their families. But it refused to legalize the selling of organs.

Eli Friedman, a kidney specialist, at the State University of New York, and Amy Friedman, a transplant specialist, of Yale University, said that if the selling of the organ was legalized then each one would be able to control their own body parts. This would result in complete exploitation of one’s body parts.

As of now selling body parts is illegal and is accepted as unethical by the medical field but statistics show that the voluntary sale of purchased donor kidneys now accounts for thousands of black market transplants.
The price for a kidney is about £23,000 and the doctors asked that an agency be set up to regulate the market.
Dr Michael Wilks, chairman of the British Medical Association's ethics committee was against the idea of making the whole issue legal.
He said that it would exploit the third world countries resulting in an uncontrollable global market for selling of organs.
Inspite of this the other alternative suggested was an increased investment in transplantation services, intensive care and presumed consent then it would be possible to save millions of lives.

Questions 

1. In korea, it is illegal to sell or buy organs. Do you think that government have the right or responsibility to make laws controlling the sale of organs ? 

2. In Belgium, when a person dies, his or her organs are automatically donated unless that person had formally requested not to donate before he or she died. Do you think this is a good program?

3. Would you want to donate your organs after your death? why or why not ? 

4. If an individual wants to sell an organ in order to make money, does a surgeon have the right and or/ the responsibility to refuse to perform the operation?

[Claire *]

1/Claire/ 신윤주/ 0 1 0 . 3 0 3 5 .5 8 6 7 /
It's been a long time since I met you guys~ see you very soon and have fun !

[Kimmy]

2/Kimmy/김한수/010 8976 5685/the weather is gloomy today, which makes me gloomy too..hahahahahahahahaha

[Claire *]

Oh,are you?Keep your chin up! :)

[LIM =)]

3/ LIM/ 임성훈/ 010 3029 1457/ the kimmy is gloomy today, which makes me gloomy too..damn it.

[Claire *]

How are you, Lim~ :)
Why? Cuz you guys are meant to be together? hahaha

[Kimmy]

I knew you were gloomy.....I could feel it haaaaaaaaaaha

[★andy★]

-토픽준비완료 -

[Claire *]

Thank you :)

[Ana :)]

4/ Ana / 장순자/ coming ^^^^^^^^^^^^^*********

[Claire *]

Long time no see, ssoon^ㅇ^꺄우~
See you very very soon and have a sweet dream!

[Ana :)]

Im really sorry i won't be there this week

[Claire *]

왜에?? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[ThomaS;]

5 / Thomas / 원동환 / coming !! ^^

[Claire *]

Hey, Thomas~Did u have a great day?Sleep tight and see u:)

[Minn]

6 / Min / 이민우 / will be there

[Claire *]

지각비 최대 주주 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ