Helping Others Helps the Helper Also
By Park Nahm-sheik I have been a lifelong teacher of English helping people learn to use the English language. I started with private tutorials for any and every comer. This … Read More
Category: Community
Actions Speak Louder Than Words!
The title of this article is a maxim, which many of history’s great role models lived by. Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, and Captain Cook, for example, did just that.
Marco Polo (circa 1254–1324) spent nearly two decades traveling and exploring in a wide swathe of the Orient. Over much of this period, he lived in the Yuan court under the tutelage of Emperor Kublai Khan (1216–1294). He was afforded many privileges as the Khan’s favorite courtier, one of which was working as his imperial envoy to the neighboring kingdoms. Done with his long Oriental sojourn, he returned home to Venice and published a memoir of his encounter with the cultural diversity of the East. This tome served to help open Europe’s eyes to the cultural riches of the vast Asian continent.
Marco Polo was followed by another Italian explorer just as great: Christopher Columbus (1446–1508). Under the auspices of Ferdinand II and Isabella I of Spain, Columbus embarked on a transoceanic voyage to open a sea route to the East Indies or East Asia. The region was a mythic land of plenty in the popular Western imagination of the day. Columbus ended up by discovering a huge land mass on the far end of the Atlantic. This continent is known today as Latin America and comprises Central and South America. Serendipitous and wide of the mark as it was, this find proved to be more than enough of a payoff for Columbus and his sponsors.
Not in My Backyard: How I Learned to Start Worrying and Hate the Bombers
Those in the world of Korean education have likely encountered the national rule about not having military training in the air during special examination periods. The practice reflects a community spirit to national education, true, but it reflects other facts, too. Air force bases are a “thing” in South Korea, and few people enjoy being around military aircraft.
The siting of air force personnel and equipment as well as the staging of drills seemingly form the classic “NIMBY” (not in my backyard) problem. As a society, we need garbage dumps, crematoriums, prisons, and military bases, but no one wants to have such blights too close to them. Everyone wants the benefits of such facilities but simultaneously without the negatives.
All Is Fair for Love and Democracy – The 2023 Youth Gwangju Democratic Forum
Is it something in the Gwangju air? Or, more accurately, is it the city’s historical record that is so inviting toward the political sphere? In a literal sense, last May, thirty international youths residing in Korea from different civic society spectrums were invited to join the second edition of the Youth Gwangju Democratic Forum (Y-GDF). To learn from and with one another and share their existing knowledge and experiences, but most importantly, to lose the conditioned distaste or even fear of politics many of us were conditioned to develop in our home countries. We were invited to train ourselves to become active citizens.
What? Release the Fukushima Nuclear Wastewater?!
By the time this article is released, some of Fukushima’s radioactive wastewater may have already been released into the Pacific Ocean. It is quite depressing to learn that something so seriously wrong as this can be done so shamelessly. The Japanese government insists that the radioactive level of the to-be-released wastewater is not so harmful when diluted 100 times with water, and now they are ready for a test release. Can it really be safe? Should we not cry over spilled radioactive wastewater?
The Importance of Solar Energy in Human Life
Converting energy resources to a useful power source such as electricity is the biggest achievement made by humans. Human life is almost unimaginable without electricity. Electricity plays a fundamental role in our daily life due to its significant importance and widespread use. A plethora of natural energy resources are available on Earth such as solar, wind, geothermal, fossil fuels, ocean energy, etc. Among these energy resources, solar energy is a long-persisting energy source. Solar energy is a renewable resource, and the energy can be harnessed without depletion. There are various ways to convert solar energy to useful purposes such as solar heaters, solar panels, solar cookers, and more. Solar panels are one of best sustainable and renewable energy source to provide 24/7 electricity without emitting greenhouse gases or air pollutants, unlike fossil fuels. Solar power helps in reducing our carbon footprint, mitigating climate change, and improving air quality, leading to a cleaner and healthier environment for both present and future generations. Solar energy provides individuals and communities with the opportunity to generate their own electricity. By installing solar panels on rooftops or utilizing solar farms, people can reduce their reliance on centralized power grids and imported fossil fuels, thereby achieving energy independence, and enhancing energy security. Solar energy can easily reach areas that are not easily accessible by traditional power grids. Remote communities or regions with limited infrastructure can benefit from solar power systems, which can provide electricity for lighting, communication, education, healthcare, and other essential services. Due to continuous solar demand and growth, it also creates numerous jobs.
A 30-Year Love Affair: How a ticketing mistake brought me to the city of the living instead of the city of the dead
By Charles Vallerand “Why did we have to take a three-hour bus ride from Gyeongju to come to Gwangju?” asks my partner Riana. I answer: to see my friend Professor … Read More
For Whom the Bell Tolls
By Park Nahm-Sheik This is the title of one of Hemingway’s major works of fiction. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican … Read More