Article 4

A New Voice Grips South Korea With Plain Talk About Inequality and Justice

By- Choe Sang- Hun

Published: November 19, 2011 Accessed: November 22, 2011

Ahn Cheol-soo, an university dean who had earlier been seen as a contender for mayor of Seoul himself spoke for election. He said, “When we participate in an election, we citizens can become our own masters, principle can defeat irregularity and privilege, and common sense can drive out absurdity.” With this nearly 30% of the Park Won-soon, an independent candidate, supporter backed out. He pointed out that in a country like Korea where social and economical inequality is rising the citizens should stand up for their rights. This quote of his is actually influencing  the young middle- class, one big example being prompting Occupy Wall Street movement, which did not happen before in South Korea. Kim Hyung-joon, a political scientist at Myongji University also said, “Professor Ahn represents the people’s aspirations for change.”

In  English class Shalaka gave her presentation about Occupy Wall Street and how we have to stand up for our right. Ahn Cheol-soo, gave the same message to young middle- class. I think this is important in different scale, in one one learns that they he/ she needs to stand up for a change that they want. The change that you want will not be given to them. Also living in a 21st century where globalization is taking place, Occupy Wall Street is another big issue. The unemployment rate all over the world is raising, it is an important event. This also warns us, students, how difficult our lives are going to be. The fact that we might be the next victim of rapid growth of unemployment rate. Still as Mr. Ahn said: “You can’t find out how fast the river is flowing by sitting on the banks and watching. You have to take off your shoes and socks and jump in.”

vocab

phenomenon-

           noun- a fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable:

           origin- 1595–1605;  < Late Latin phaenomenon  < Greek phainómenon appearance, noun use of neuter of phainómenos,  presentparticiple of phaínesthai  to appear, passive of phaínein  to show (dic) 

          sen.- Since Woodstock, is a pretty small school there is at least one phenomenon of everyone that all student knows about. 

grievance-

          noun- a wrong considered as grounds for complaint, or something believed to cause distress: Inequitable taxation is the chiefgrievance.

             origin- 1250–1300; Middle English greva ( u ) nce  < Old French grevance.See grieve, -ance (dic) 

          sen- According to some students there is no grievance in Woodstock. 

disillusion- 

verb- a freeing or a being freed from illusion  or conviction;disenchantment.

origin- "to free or be freed from illusion," 1851, from dis- + illusion (q.v.).Related: Disillusioned; disillusionment.(dic) 

sen. Disillusion in English class is very common. 

100+ College Essay Topics 4

Spanish poet Antonio Machado wrote, “Between living and dreaming there is a third thing. Guess it.” Give us your guess. (U of Chicago)
Some romantics say love, but since I am not one of them I had to think hard. I thought about things that I really like such as, chocolate, chatting, listening to music, and sleeping. I thought about it for a long time and I came to a conclusion  between living and dreaming there is sleeping. Though my father say, " why sleep so much? When you are dead you will sleep for century and you will regret the times that you slept." Sorry dad, I am a teenage after all, who like to sleep more than to jog at 5am in the morning. 
While one is neither fully living as one is not really doing anything nor are you doing dreaming for one only dream about 7 min in sleep. Well, that is the excuse that I am going to give my father about this essay. I hope this works as a logo to persuade my dad. 
Nevertheless this is the real reason; I love sleeping. In weekend when there is nothing everyone sleep as much as one wants to, and I am no exception. Thanks to my dad who is against sleeping for so long, usually I get up at 8am. There is no better feeling than to wrap myself in a blanket, knowing that you have nothing to worry about anymore. After the busy day that I had studying, sleep is the factor that refreshes me for the next day. While sleeping I do not have to work, think and worry anymore, which is what I have to do while I am living. Yet, it is not dreaming, for I know when I alarm rings at 6am during weekdays to get up or get up early during weekend to write blog, just like today. 

Article #3

Japan bans Fukushima rice shipment due to contamination

by BBC

published: 18 November 2011 accessed: 19 November 2011

After high level of radioactive cesium detected on the Fukushima rice, Japan has banned shipping of rice near Fukushima. The rice had 630 becquerel per kilogram of radioactive cesium, when the safety limit is 500 becquerel  per kilogram. The rice that contained high level of radioactive cesium came from 60km away from the nuclear plant. This nuclear plant was damaged during March due to earthquake and tsunami; resulting in radiation leaks. Thankful, the pre-shipment rice had not been sold to any consumer. The government is taking the rice back and restricted the shipment of rich harvested this year. Though there were series of other agriculture product banned such as, mushroom and beef, this is the first time that government banned shipment of rice in this area.

            It is unfortunate that Japan is going though a hard time. There economy is going through a downfall at least regarding agriculture. Japanese living near the nuclear plants not only have to face psychological problem, fear, but also economic difficulty, especially ones in agriculture. This is also the opportunity cost, when Japan decided that they are going to build nuclear plant, many countries opposed for events like this might occur. The opportunity cost of Japan having surplus of electricity was the tragic events like this might occur. This also effects Japan as a whole, with Fukushima’s rice banned there will be shortage of rice indicating that there will be more imports needed. This will result in loss in terms of import and export in Japan. I sincerely hope this issue will resolve as fast as it can.

Becquerel- 
            The SI derived unit used to measure the rate of radioactive decay. 

            Origin- 20th century, Thomson had been made Lord Kelvin in appreciation of his many scientific accomplishments

            Thankfully, in Woodstock School there is low becquerel ker kilo detected.

Contamination-

            the act of contaminating.

Origin- 1600, from L. contaminationem, noun of action fromcontaminare (see contaminate). Fig. sense is from c.1620;specifically of radioactivity from 1913.

Megan drinks shower water and is still not contaminated yet.

Caesium/ Cesium-

            a rare, highly reactive, soft, metallic element of the alkali metalgroup.

Origin- 1930–35  neuter ofcaesius  bluish-grey;

Hopefully there is no cesium in our science lab.  

“100+ College Essay Topics” 3

#117: Hiking to Understanding

In our school, Woodstock, what most people's so called 'hiking' is just up to the school from dorms. Though it is a short one that only takes maximum 30 minutes of one's day it is day a pretty difficult hike for everyday, especially when one is about to be late for school. It is not the physically difficultly that the students face, but more of emotional one. 

While walking up to school I tend to think about my schedule of the day. If I have any minor subjects that day or if it going to be filled with majors. I think about what the classes are going to be like; getting an in-class assignments or just bunch of homework and project handed to us like that is the only subject we take.  I try my best to understand teacher's side, while hiking, but always fail to understand why they fail to understand our side of the story.

I walk up to school pondering about what I am going to do after school. Since, every after school I have something different activities I wonder why I took so many extracurricular activities, when the teachers told me to choose five at the maximum. I hike trying to understand myself and why I try so hard when I do not have to. Some say hike and you will see the true characteristic of  a person, but I hike everyday and yet, I fail to understand the true character of myself. 

In my life I hike 20 minutes everyday, trying to understand the things that I actually want the answer to. But rather, realize that I failed to understand everything that I wanted to understand.

“100+ College Essay Topics” 2

12. Tell us about the neighborhood that you grew up in and how it helped shape you into the kind of person you are today. (Yale and the University of Chicago)

Though there are still debates about the effect of nature and nurture, I do believe that nurture does affect human to some degree. I grew up in the capital of South Korea, Seoul; a very packed cities. In Seoul moat of the housing are apartments to meet the demand of houses. Our family was no exception and lived in one of the million apartments in Seoul. In an apartment there are many rules and since I was young I found out that I had to live with the rules. I learned to follow the rules the hard ways as a result I remember it more vividly.

As a kid I was scolded by the neighbors for not following the rules, but thanks to those moments I got a closer relationship between my neighbor and me. After the scolding I would have a chance to talk to them. I learned how to be friendly with others and accept different opinions. I also learned to me have a friendly competition at the same time. In the apartment there were many students going to the same school. Due to this unavoidable comparison among ourselves, we always tried our best.

Though I loved my neighborhood I had to move. When I was in 4^th grade I moved to a boarding school, which expected me to keep to rule. Due to my pass experiences I had no hard time following the rules. I also got along with my friends better that I could have. I believe my neighborhood affected me a lot, and I learned a lot living in one of million apartments in Seoul.  

Article 2

Italy borrowing costs hit record 7% (no author given)

Published: Nov. 9, 2011; accessed: Nov. 9, 2011

             A day after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he would resign once budget reforms are passed, Italy’s borrowing cost rose up to be 7%. Italy’s debt is currently more than 360 billion euro by 2012. Italy has never reached 7% since 1999, when euro was adopted. Debt cost of 7% is an unsustainable level. This point is the point where Portugal, Greece and Irish Republic had to ask others for help. Some economists says that Italy maybe the next victim of the debt crisis. According to BBC’s business editor, no one would want to lend country money at this rate. It is also expected that by next year its debt will be more than 8%. This is situation is very worrisome, not only for the country but also for the whole euro zone; as it already has its crisis regarding Greece. Italy’s parliament could hopefully make a budget reform by the end up this month.

             Today, in microeconomic class we learned about when a producer goes through its loss. Though the country is a much larger scale with factors, it is not say that the country does acts like a producer to some extend. A producer can go through loss, if the price of a good is lower that the average marginal cost. In math class we also learned about using logarithms to find the how banks uses different method to increase their profit. It can be by making interest very high, but this is too visible thus, banks use another methods. One method that we learned in the class was changing the k the time spend where interest is added up. Although changing k with small number made little different in a large scale, a country, this method will make a huge difference. I believed there is nothing wrong with the bank, as they are trying their best to keep the profit, but I also hope Italy gets out of this situation.

Worrisome

             (adj)- worrying annoying or disturbing

             Origin- (1835- 45)

                  worry-to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts;fret.

                  some- a suffix to form adjective. (dic.)

             Some students can be very worrisome to the teachers.

Consultations

             (n)- the act of consulting

Origin-early 15c., from M.Fr. consultation, from L. consultationem, fromconsultare "consult," frequentative of consulere "to deliberate,consider," originally probably "to call together," as in consuleresenatum "to gather the senate" (to ask for advice), from com-"with" + *selere "take, gather (the Senate) (dic.)

I believe that some consultations in Woodstock is useless, no useful decisions are made.

Bail (n)-

property or money given as surety that a person releasedfrom custody will return at an appointed time.

origin- "bond money," late 15c., a sense that developed from that of"temporary release from jail" (mid-15c.), and that from earliermeaning "captivity, custody" (mid-13c.). From O.Fr. baillier "tocontrol, to guard, deliver" (12c.), from L. bajulare "to bear aburden," from bajulus "porter," of unknown origin.(dic.)

I have never given bail to other, as I never got in to a big trouble, and I hope to keep it that way. 

Article 1

Euphoria Turns to Discontent as Egypt’s Revolution Stalls

by NEIL MacFARQUHAR

Date Published: Nov. 1, 2011 Date Accessed: Nov 2, 2011 

            Economy of Egypt had rapidly become unstable after the rebellion. Though many part of its economy was hit, it hit tourism the hardest. The number of tourist reduced by 42% causing more than $3 billion lost. Although Egypt’s most important sources of income, gas and oil sales, remains steady many Egyptians are suffering from lack tourist. In Egypt, around 15 million people depend on tourism as their income. Thus, this is a huge loss in their economy. People also suffer economically due to increase in unemployment by at least 9% after the rebellion. There is also protest going on, surprisingly it is not money that Egyptians are complaining about, but freedom. Military is largely involved in it by killing and arresting the protesters. Due to the conflict, between protesters and the government, that is still around the tourist are finding Egypt tour to be more unsafe than it was.

Response- In microeconomic class we learnt that economy is everywhere and this article was no exception. In my opinion rapid decrease of tourist is due to the opportunity cost. In this situation the opportunity cost of seeing the Great Pyramid can cost your life. On the other side the opportunity cost of toppling President Hosni Mubarak was the having stable economy in Egypt. This incident, rebellion, regarding the article has no clear gain or lost, for some see a new leader as a gain compare to the stable economy or the other way round. Although If one looks at it only using number Egypt is going through increasing cost and negative return, as their economy tumbled a bit, at least till now. As off now, I think the opportunity cost of the time that Egyptians at this moment, is working together as one to bring the country together again.

lackluster-

            (n): lack of brilliance or vitality

            Origin: .1600, first attested in "As You Like It," from lack + luster.Combinations with lack- were frequent in 16c., e.g. lackland(1590s), of a landless man; lack-Latin (1530s), of an ignorantpriest. (dictionary.com)

            Sentence: In my English teacher’s eye almost everyone is a lackluster.

Malaise-

            (n): a condition of general bodily weakness or discomfort, often marking the onset of a disease.

            Origin: 1768, from Fr. malaise, lit. "ill-ease," from mal "bad" + aise "ease"   (dictionary.com)
             Sentence: Health Center is filled with malaise.
Robust

            (adj): strong and healthy; hardy; vigorous

            Origin: 1549, from L. robustus "strong and hardy," originally "oaken," from robur, robus "hard timber, strength," also "a special kind of oak," named for its reddish heartwood, from L. ruber "red" (cf. robigo "rust"). Robustious (1548) was a common form in 17c. (cf. "Hamlet" iii.2); it fell from use by mid-18c.(dictionary.com)

            Sentence: In my opinion Woodstock School has a robust community.