Should of Known by That Wild in Your Eyes

That's...

me?

Look at the time :( poor me... 

His professor sent him an e-mail the following day:

Dear Michael,

Every year I attempt to boost my students’ final grades by giving them this relatively simple exam consisting of 100 True/False questions from only 3 chapters of material. For the past 20 years that I have taught Intro Communications 101 at this institution I have never once seen someone score below a 65 on this exam. Consequently, your score of a zero is the first in history and ultimately brought the entire class average down a whole 8 points.

There were two possible answer choices: A (True) and B (False). You chose C for all 100 questions in an obvious attempt to get lucky with a least a quarter of the answers. It’s as if you didn’t look at a single question. Unfortunately, this brings your final grade in this class to failing. See you next year!

May God have mercy on your soul.

Sincerely,
Professor William Turner

P.S. If all else fails, go with B from now on.
B is the new C

Booming System Floshin' Pure Rocks

Stuff KMLA students like


1. Food

 

Since KMLA is a boarding school with no snack bars, and the only available snack bar-Sosa Rest Place-is permitted only in weekends, also very far (1.7km away from the dormitory), the demand for snacks and food is very high. Students like most of the food: the typical snacks they store in their drawers are chocopie and mongshell. Recently, because the cake order became illegal in KMLA, kids use these chocopies and mongshells as a substitute of the cake. They are built in cake shapes, and when they are melted in the microwave it tastes wonderful! (Though it is very fatty...)

Not only chocopies but something more that comes once a month: chicken. 

That is making me hungry! :(

There's this Chicken Day every month: it usually comes at the last week but it can be changed. We do the survey every month also-of what will our suite choose to eat from the six different kinds of chickens, approximately one to two weeks before the Chicken Day. It's three chickens for one suite, and boys usually find them insufficient.

We cannot eat chicken otherwise than this day, because it is illegal to order foods from outside -chicken, pizza, jajangmyun, for example. That fact makes the students more excited on Chicken Days, and I think it is related to psychological matters. If there are limited production, consumers are more devoted to gain that product though in times they don't actually need them, because of the imperative idea that they would not have much more other chances.

KMLA students are prohibited to eat cup ramyun: the Korean spicy instant noodles in cup. However, students who have to skip their meals because of their schedule eats the cup ramyun secretly. Not only because of the schedule, but students have it also just because they want to eat it. It is really delicious, and it's one of my favorite foods too. However, they are very bad for our health, and it also has cancer-causing elements, according to some studies.

2. SNS

The sixteenth wave was famous for using facebook so frequently even from before school started. Not only the sixteenth wave however, but most of the students of KMLA love to use facebook. They make numerous groups on facebook and do works together or chat about their recent. I also made a lot of friends, which are mostly KMLA students and graduates: I think facebook is really helpful in building relationships. People upload their recent photos, videos, opinions and others look at them, make comments or press the like button. It's really fun and entertaining, to see other's posts and chat with others online. However, in the same time, it is very dangerous for students since it is addictive!

MSN messengers: quite similar with the facebook, and both of them are actually connected. So if I turn on the MSN I can see my facebook updates right beside the messenger box. The messenger is sometimes more useful than the facebook because the messanger allows much more various emoticons, more private-and-long talk, and faster document-sends. Also the MSN allows students webcam chatting. MSN is also connected with Twitter. The three typical SNS-facebook, msn, twitter-are all connected. How convenient! 

KMLA students like these SNS because they have a lot of events that are needed to be discussed. There are numerous team projects, and also various club activities. Those are not able to be done by alone, and sometimes it is hard to meet face to face, and then the students use the SNS. But as mentioned, the SNS is not used only for this purpose but also for building relationships and checking others about their recent, just out of curiousity. Cyworld have once done the similar job, but now the three SNS is much more popular, at least in KMLA. SNS is doing a huge job in KMLA students' lives: it is the super-fast-messenger delivering what is happening in our school in seconds.

  

3. No morning Exercise

First Graders in KMLA have to do either kendo or taekwondo. Because of the much bigger size of kendo place, majority of the students have to take the kendo class. Since the morning exercise starts at 6:30 in the morning and both kendo and taekwondo are very tough classes, students are thrilled when they don't go to morning exercises in holidays or exam days. Not only first graders are happy but also the second and the third graders because even though they don't take the tough kendo and taekwondo classes, they do have morning exercises and waking up early (6:30 for second graders, 6:45 for third graders) is a hard task by itself. The second graders do jogging, and the third graders do easy gymnastics. 

One day, it was around March or April; because of the snow, the road was really slippery and 6:30 was too dark for the students to look at the road they step on. Thus, there was this announcement made by Daegi Kim, the boy's dormitory parent, in 6:10 : No Morning Exercise! It was not a holiday, nor an exam day, but just a normal day. Everyone was so excited!

Like a Stop Sign

Essay about U.S. History

(Is the name 'Era of Good Feelings' a misnomer?)

Sol Kim 

     Though the War of 1812 was overall a poorly fought war, because of the fact that the US have fought solely by itself in the war, nationalism swept through the nation For a strong, unified, economically self-sufficient country Henry Clay established the American System: first, second Bank of US’ establishment, second, protective tariff and third, internal improvement through canals and turnpikes. However, there were some conflicts over this system. Anyway, unity was an important issue coming up. From 1816 to 1824, the period was labeled as the ‘Era of Good Feelings’, because President Monroe was from the Republicans after the Federalist Party collapsed from the Hartford Convention, and the Republicans were solely in power during that period. However, this name was a misnomer considering the destruction of unity, rising economic chaos and bringing the nation into an internationally dangerous situation.

     The destruction of unity happened in three main ways. The Tariff of 1816 was the first protective tariff the U.S. have had, but the Southerners thought the tariff only benefited the North and the expense of the South. It was because the North depended on manufacturing while South was dependent on agriculture. Moreover, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 also destroyed the unity of the U.S. The Missouri Compromise was issued when Missouri applied to be a slave state, which would break the balance in the Senate. The solution was the Compromise of Henry Clay: to make Maine a Free State and Missouri a slave state, thus maintaining the balance to the ratio of 12:12. Also, it established that no slavery would exist above the 36’30 in the remaining Louisiana Territory. Thomas Jefferson, about this compromise, claimed that it was a ‘reprieve’ to the death of the Union. He also said “it will burst on us like a tornado” which eventually came true later on. The development of turnpikes and canals (a part of the American System) also affected the destruction: because of the comparatively dense population in the North, most of the roads were connecting West (Old Northwest) to the East-the South was least effected. The National Road, which connected Maryland to Illinois, is an example.

     The economic chaos was called the Panic of 1819. It was caused by overinvestment on sales of lands in the West, and the Second Bank of the U.S. was most responsible for the situation. Unfortunately the West was hard hit, and as a result small private banks were shut down and numerous foreclosures were issued on farms. Many people were imprisoned for not paying their debt and the Bank of U.S. became a financial devil to those who were financially affected by the incident, including Andrew Jackson. The Panic of 1819 inspired the masses to alleviate their plight, eventually planted the seeds of Jacksonian Democracy, opposing the Bank of the U.S.

     The nation could have gone into an internationally dangerous situation because of the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine was first directed against Russian encroachment that came down from Alaska. Also, it was issued against the European monarchs’ talk about bringing the newly independent Latin American republics back under Spanish control. In response the US, as an expression of nationalism, demanded a nonintervention and noncolonization in Western Hemisphere (North and South America) by other European powers. This is the Monroe Doctrine. It was laughed at by European monarchs, but Britain unofficially enforced it in order to benefit solely from the trade between them and US. Thus the British navy prevented from other European power colonizing the Americas. However, if Britain did not enforce this doctrine, America could have gone into another war with the European monarchs. This is another reason of why the name ‘Era of Good Feelings’ was a misnomer-the situation could have gone into war, and it is too dangerous to be labeled ‘good’.

     Consequently, the label ‘Era of Good Feelings’ was not accurate at all. Tariff of 1816, American System, and the Missouri compromise had a fatal destruction on unity of the nation. Also the Panic of 1819 brought America into economic chaos. The Monroe Doctrine brought the country into a dangerous situation, bringing U.S. into an opposing figure of the European monarchs. War with Europe could have happened again, and both the unity of the nation and America’s economy was severely damaged. Therefore the label ‘Era of Good Feelings’ was a definite misnomer for years from 1816 to 1824.

But Still Keep In It Strong

Minjok Herald Related Work

Sleeping

Vitamin for your day, or pain in your neck

By Sol Kim

     Students in Korean Minjok Leadership Academy (KMLA) always have trouble with sleeping: their biggest enemy and, in the same time, their sweetest comrade. Students are always in thirst of sleep because they are all busy doing their work, finding the twenty four hours too short. However, sleeping is the key determinant of the day, because not enough sleep can cause a complete disaster the next day. It can also lead to health problems such as cardiac diseases and stroke, or in a high percentage, life-shortening. It is obvious that students need to sleep efficiently, and there are various ways of how to.

     Efficient time management: use remaining times efficiently. Remaining time here includes times before and after morning exercise, meals, and honjung. My roommate, 16^th waver Lee Jieun, always sleeps using her remaining time. According to her, it sure helps her not to doze off during classes. Napoleon was famous for this method: he even slept in the middle of a battle.

     Tools are important for good sleep, too. An annoying alarm clock is needed for a relieved sleep: one knows she will wake up because of the alarm. Also, sleep shades are effective. My two roommates, Lee Jieun and Min Jisun, both highly recommended the sleep shades. Since all three sleeps at different times, most of the time one need to sleep under the bright light, and sleep shade solves that problem.

     Regulated sleeping times are needed to be followed. It builds biorhythm, and thus helps one to have an organized day. The time is good to be early because at least six hours of sleep is required for healthy days. Twelve o’ clock is recommended because the sleep cycle repeats every one and a half hour, and KMLA students need to wake up at six.

     Last thing: no miscellaneous things before sleep! No internet surfing or chattering with one’s roommates because it will definitely delay her sleeping schedule. Those things are very easy to drive people out of plans.

     Sleep is something critical for one’s life, especially for someone in KMLA. It can work as a fatal poison for your days or, as a vitamin: always, keep your eyes on the troublemaker!

To Many Wanna be Tryin' be but No Excess

Minjok Herald Related Work

Minjok Eating Place

What is happening?

By Sol Kim

     October 28^th, 2011, was the first Minjok Festival for me. I walked around the campus passionately with expectations, and for the whole day what I did was just eating, because almost every booth was selling food. Two hours passed and I had done nothing but only eating. It made me feel meaningless, and for the rest of the festival I spent my time in the library, playing board games. The festival was not a Minjok festival, but rather a Minjok eating place: everyone kept on eating and eating. Ms. Park (Counselor Park Hyesun), who has stayed in Korean Minjok Leadership Academy (KMLA) for a long time, said in class that she was sad to see the change of the Festival. The original purpose of it was displaying the accomplishments the circles made for the year, but now the festival seems to be focused too much on eating.

     Why did the festival become the Minjok eating place? The reason is the lacking variety of the booths: first, as mentioned, selling food was the main booths and only a few circles participated in activities other than selling snacks. There were contests-eating and drinking contest-but they did not work out well. This lack of variety has led to a big problem: wasting time. Since every booth was busy preparing food, students were wandering around for the first hour, looking for somewhere opened. If there were more booths doing something other than selling food, the students could have participated in those booths. Also, almost all of the booths were closed much earlier than the closing hour because they ran out of food, and the students had to wander around again, wasting their time until the Singing Contest.

     The lack of variety appeared during the opening of the Festival, too. Three circles, Daechuita, KMLA Orchestra and Samuchim, and teachers dressed in animal looks were all who performed during the opening. It was same for the past ten years approximately, and it needs more variety, just like what Mr. Hwang have said at the morning assembly. The opening was too simple, to say it short, and now it needs change.

     There is something other than the previous problem, and something that the KMLA students need to be embarrassed of. It is the cleaning up problem: 16^th wave Jo Namdo have said in class, that he heard the cleaning woman complaining about KMLA students not taking care of their own trash. The place she was cleaning was disastrous, with noodles all over and the plastic bowls left on the table. Not only there, but also there were numerous eaten-up instant cup noodles on the tables where the game contest had taken place. As a proud KMLA student, one should be responsible for what they do.

     There are some suggestions, however, to solve this problem: taking turns. The Legislative Council can decide (basically gathering ideas from class meetings) certain booths other than eating that seems to be necessary, and for every year circles can take turn doing those booths. Opening performances, also, could be like this: circles taking their turns to perform.

     Festival does not mean food party, but rather something that every students of KMLA can enjoy. I hope to experience a real festival next year!

You Know We Got the Top Spot

Mr. Moon's

Is there any value for people to belong only to a group or groups with which they have something in common?

     The word ‘global village’ was first used by Herbert Marshall Mcluhan in his book ‘(the) global village: transformations in world life and media in the 21^st century’ written in 1988. The word means that because of the technological development the world had become so close, it is like a village. From this idea, there are people who insist on living really as a whole, and stop belonging to certain groups that share similarities. However, even in one village, people belong to different groups, because belonging to certain groups with which they share something in common is surely valuable. It is valuable in the point of clear identity establishment, an effective way for development, and comfortable life.

     People from different countries look different. Their culture, language, history is different, and those are what creates people’s identities. Identity means the information of a certain person, by showing where he is from, what political ideas he has, what does he like, and so on. Belonging to groups help them to build those identities: for example, Koreans have their identity as ‘Koreans’ because they belong to the particular group ‘Korea’. With clearly established identity, people can have stable life, which eventually leads to more happiness. The group helps people to know who they are in the society.

     Some may say that belonging to groups with similarities can provincialize people, thus preventing them from developing. On the other side, however, this is not true: belonging to groups is actually a very effective way to bring developments. People bonded in groups are much more powerful than when they are scattered, and by that they strongly insist on what they are for. They compete against each other, trying to do the best they can for their own sake. From that the society develops-develops to the way that are the most helpful for both sides. For example, the Democrats and the Republicans in American politics are complementary to each other: they are on the extreme other sides but each of them helps the other one to be so extreme. Thus, America develops much more with the two-party system than just having a single party. This logic can be also found in economics: people act for their own revenue, and the pie gets bigger.

     Last but not least, belonging to groups also bring comfort to people. Groups like countries provide protection, but not only countries but almost every group provides protection for their own people. Also, being together with who share similarities allows people to be comfortable in the group because they are familiar with themselves. That is the reason why people try to belong to groups naturally in any place including school and workplace. It is so natural and instinctive to be in groups.

     Belonging to groups is surely a natural process, and it does have values. It helps clear identity establishment, develop the society much better than not having groups, and allows people to be comfortable. It is always relieving to know that there is someone on my side.

You See My Tears Drop Down to the Floor

Essay about U.S. History 
(Did slavery issues about the new Western territories contributed to the occurrence of the Civil War? (Time: 1840s~1861)



     American nationalism had soon led to the idea of Manifest Destiny around the 1840s: that America was destined-by God and by history-to expand its boundaries over a vast area. Enthusiasm for territorial expansion aroused in the States, and movements were on their way: Texas was annexed, then Oregon, California, Mexican Cession, and Kansas. These new areas aroused controversies over slavery on these territories-North for antislavery and South for pro-slavery-, and those controversies were the main contributing factors of Civil War’s outbreak. Their effect can be analyzed into three parts: first, discord between North and South deepened through disharmonious conventions and compromises; second, political system was damaged and replaced by sectional two parties; third, the South was alarmed with North’s defiance against federal decisions beneficial for South.
     Primarily: conflicts severed as events like Wilmot Proviso, Compromise of 1850, and Kansas-Nebraska Act happened. Wilmot Proviso in 1846 was the apparent start: it was a bill prohibiting slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico. It aroused sectional debates between the North and the South, and the debates went on for several months. This event formally initiated the nation into the hot controversies over slavery.
     Compromise of 1850 was provided to solve mainly slavery-related problems. California, Mexican Cession, and District of Columbia (DC) were the disputed areas; the compromise made California a free state, popular sovereignty in Mexican Cession, no slave trade in District of Columbia, and reinforcing the fugitive slave law. The compromise seemed to be South’s victory and the debate was to be over. However, the convention was not harmonious: William Seward, a northern Whig, said there is a “higher law than the Constitution,” which is the moral of humans, and therefore North should not ‘compromise’ with the South of pro-slavery.
     Kansas-Nebraska Act also severed the discord between the North and the South. Stephen A. Douglas, a senator from Illinois and who wanted the transcontinental railroad for his own section, introduced the bill about organizing a territory called Nebraska. The act repeals the Missouri Compromise, allows popular sovereignty in Kansas-Nebraska, and divides the area into two territories-Nebraska and Kansas. The Act seemed to be the South’s victory. Until it was declared law, there were strenuous debates between parties and even in the party itself. Conflicts and sectional debates were severe, and the nation was getting divided.
     Furthermore, slavery problem over the new western territories also intensified the sectionalism politically. Wilmot Proviso and Kansas-Nebraska Act show how the political system was changed before Civil War. At the presidential campaign in 1848-right after the Wilmot Proviso, both the Whig and the Democrats avoided the slavery problem. That could not satisfy some people, and so a new party was created-the Free-Soil Party. This new party had impressive votes-ten percent of the total-and had ten members elected to the Congress, which meant there were at least ten percent of America who thought the slavery problem was needed to be issued. This emergence of a new, notable party signaled that the primary system with parties which have mixed opinions about slavery would not be able to handle the hot problem; and thus the nation will need a new political system with new parties which share the idea of slavery, eventually leading to sectioned parties system.
     The Kansas-Nebraska Act also leads to that new system, after destructing the former system critically. The Act aroused conflicts in Democrats and Whigs, and the Anti-Nebraska Democrats and Anti-Nebraska Whigs went out of the party and created the Republican Party in 1854. Free-soilers and Know-nothings also gathered. Under so much conflict the Whig Party was destroyed, Northern Democrats were divided and many of them left the party. Moreover, the two new major parties were explicitly sectional in composition and creed: the political system was getting fatally destructed and replaced with such divided version.
     Lastly: south, before Civil War, was alarmed with North’s resistance and seeing how North ignored the federal decision; the South began to feel like they have to secede because events just like the opposed fugitive act and the “Bleeding Kansas” have shown, what they considered victory seemed to become meaningless in the face of North’s defiance. To illustrate: Compromise of 1850 included the provision of reinforcing the fugitive slave law, which was a favorable part for the South. However, in some northern cities mobs were formed to prevent the reinforcement of the new law, and several northern states passed their own laws blocking the fugitive slaves from leaving the state. This was a defiance of the North, and the federal decision was being ignored. The “Bleeding Kansas” also showed Northern resistance: Free-Staters in Kansas building a new government on their own and John Brown killing the pro-slavery settlers. It was like a mini civil war. Right after the “Bleeding Kansas”, in the United States Senate-in 1856-, Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was caned and substantially wounded by Preston Brooks from South Carolina-a member of the House of Representatives, because of Sumner’s vicious speech toward South Carolinian about slavery. North was resisting: and South became to worry about not being able to do what they want to.