by Grace Hyeonju LeePedestrians in Seoul, South Korea, in front of a banner supporting unity between the North and South at a summit scheduled for April 27, by Chung Sung-Jun
A peace treaty between two countries is a legal document that requires one sovereign state to recognize the other sovereign state’s right to exist. Yet North Korea cannot commit to any such thing with South Korea, not least because the objective of its ruling family, the Kims, has been to wipe the state of South Korea off the face of the earth. The Workers’ Party of Korea, the ruling party, identified its “present task” as the “national liberation and people’s democracy in the entire area of the country” — meaning, the entire Korean Peninsula. North Korea’s constitution declares “reunification of the country” to be “the supreme national task” and instructs the government to “carry the revolutionary cause of juche through to completion.” Juche (주체) is the doctrine pursuing the objective of the entire Korean people gathering together self-determinedly under an “independent socialist state” run by Pyongyang. Seoul and Pyongyang have a long history of this. In 1992, there were the Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression and Exchanges and Cooperation between the South and the North and the Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. At the historic 2000 summit, there was the South-North Joint Declaration, after which President Kim Dae-jung of South Korea famously declared: “There is no longer going to be any war. The North will no longer attempt unification by force, and at the same time we will not do any harm to the North.” In October 2007, there was a so-called “peace declaration” in the eight-point agreement signed by Kim Jong-il and President Roh Moo-hyun. “The South and the North both recognize the need to end the current armistice regime and build a permanent peace regime,” it read. All of these deals were then canned. North Korean promises were worthless, deceitful. These agreements only seemed to hold force, until, well, they no longer did, when Pyongyang unilaterally decided to ignore, repudiate them. As some readers may know from reading my previous article, the battles in the Korean War ended in 1953 with just an armistice. South Korean officials are now calling for a “permanent peace.” Not only is it unrealistic to hope that Kim Jong-un, the leader of the North, will offer the South real and lasting peace, it is delusional. I expected that the North would offer the South unfeasible deals. If the South accepts such a fake peace maneuver, it will expose itself to more manipulation by the government in Pyongyang — not only in its domestic politics, but obviously also in its alliance with the United States, the enemy of North Korea. So the North, rather than committing to a legally binding, and potentially destabilizing peace treaty, is likely to do again what it has gotten away with in previous meetings with the South: dangle aspirational goals in jointly signed, but totally unenforceable official statements. The South Korean government now seems eager to swallow another kind of bait. Both South and North Korea left human rights off the table, not to mention the drowned 46 sailors on Korea’s naval ship, attacked by North Korea. by Yonhap News, South Korea Why, given the precedents? Because the Sunshine Policy is something of a secular religion in South Korea — at least among its adherents, who include main players in the current government. Sunshiners also seem to be convinced that only they can coax the North onto the path of common sense. South Korean officials say that any permanent peace deal will be conditioned on the North’s denuclearization and that the North has agreed to that term. However, the two governments do not agree on what “denuclearization” means. The problem is that North Korea can walk away from its peace promises at any time. And when it eventually does, it will be able to blame whomever it wishes for this tragic result. South Koreans grow weary of the prospect of endless conflict with an implacable enemy and want to believe in solutions even if it seems too good to be true. Cheongwadae (the Korean Presidential House) allowed mainstream media to cover the summit, except for some closed-door talks between the two leaders. There were some scenes the camera captured Kim smiling and laughing. The younger people especially, became blindfolded and some even described Kim, “likeable and adorable.” People forgot that he is the murderer, a criminal who killed thousands of innocent people. It later was also found that the group of hackers from North Korea named “Hidden Cobra” attacked certain South Korean websites on the day that both leaders of each nation made the announcement of peace at Panmunjeom(판문점). It may too early to say that the peace will truly come to this Peninsula. Let’s see how it will go after the meeting of President Trump and Kim Jong Un on June 12th.
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by Joanne PoonSaving money is very much like a dream. You cannot reach the sky in a single bound. But if you aren’t careful you will have no money left. You may wish to try the following money-saving methods to save yourself a pot of gold in an easy and stress-free way!
The Least Painful Ways People always say we should distinguish between the things we ‘want’ and we ‘need’, it seems very easy and useful. But how do we do this? 1. Unfollow Online Shops For those people who ‘need’ all the things they ‘want’, it is extremely arduous for them to save money, especially because online shopping is so convenient. Online shops will notify you about the latest items and discounts, to remind you that it is time to spend money. When you want to buy something, all you need to do is put items into a shopping cart and pay the bill. This convenience will increase your purchasing desire. In order not to be exposed to attractive advertisements, why not just unfollow online shops and refuse to like their pages? 2. Clear Cookies Regularly Cookies here doesn’t mean the snack we have at tea time, but a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on your computer while you are browsing. It is designed for websites to remember information or record the browsing activity of their users. It means the web knows what pages we click on and what kinds of things we put in our shopping cart. Since our browsing history is kept by Cookies, our shopping habits will be analyzed and show advertisements that we may be interested in. For example, Kitty always watches a makeup video on Youtube and flips through information on different cosmetics. Then Google will assign more endorsements about beauty products in order to persuade her to consume. Therefore, clearing your Cookies regularly can help you to decrease your passion for buying. A Little Bit More Painful Ways If you spend most of your salary on unnecessary things, you may also try the following steps: 1. Bring a Fixed Amount of Money Every Day It is difficult to control ourselves not to spend too much when there is a considerable amount of cash in our wallet. If we can spend 1000 NT every day, most of us will not think that we are suffering. We can purchase the things we want without a long period of consideration. For example, if we are thirsty, we can buy a bottle of fruit juice in Starbucks, then we still have enough money to eat. But at the end of the day, we find that we have spent everything. But what if we only put 300 NT into our wallet every day? Bring your own water bottle and refill it. After the whole day, we will have spent only 300 dollars. Therefore, if you want to spend less, try to calculate your daily expenditure and bring an appropriate amount of money. It will help you to reduce the amount of money used. 2. Use Banknotes Only If you want to save money, we must first change our habit of paying. Why not save all your change? For example, if you have a thousand dollar bill in your wallet and two ten-dollar coins, and you buy a newspaper for 15 dollars. How do you pay? You will definitely take out two 10-dollar coins and get a 5-dollar coin back. Then you will have a thousand dollar banknote and a 5-dollar coin. But what if you gave the one thousand dollar bill to the clerk? Then he will give you nine hundred dollars in notes and 85 dollars in change. Take the 85 dollars and put it into your piggy bank, and you have saved 85 dollars instead of 5! Our deposits have already increased. The Most Painful Ways 1. Saving Money Gradually for 52 Weeks If you have a clear goal that you want to save money, maybe you can try this method. It is clear and simple. All you need is willpower. Divide the year into 52 weeks, and each week save 10 dollars more than the previous one. For example, put 10 dollars into your piggy bank in week one, then 20 dollars in week two, 30 dollars in week 3, and so on until week 52. In the end, there will be $13,780! 2. The 365-Day Saving Method This method is much more difficult because you have to do save every day. But the outcome will be fabulous. You can save $66,795. All you need is to save 1 dollar more than the previous day. For example, you save 1 dollar on day one, 2 dollars on day two, 3 dollars on day three until day 365. Conclusion Most people are neither born with a silver spoon in their mouth nor born a professional investor. But we can still do more than the average person: manage our hard-earned money every month. Even if we cannot receive millions every year, we can still be able to reward ourselves. by Belinda ChenNow that we’ve broken up, what’s next? This is a question that plenty of us happen to face at some point in our lives, and how we face this question varies among every individual and circumstances. To target this question from a new and light-hearted perspective, I’ve formulated a chatty sort of guideline for post-breakups. Hopefully, you can find some solace with this guideline.
Preface Before the breakup, he/she was probably the first person you message or call everyday, the first candidate for visiting a new restaurant or watch a new film with, the person you yearn to see and embrace at the end of the day. The moment you both have decided to end the relationship, he/she no longer can be the person you seek for emotional solace, restrictions on physical interactions are drawn immediately, and it is no longer each other’s duty to fulfill his/her expectations. As you have probably realized, there isn’t an emotional switch we can turn on and off for our convenience; it simply isn’t possible to switch your mentality from lovers to friends the moment the relationship has terminated. What now? Take a deep breath, if you’re feeling helpless, follow this guide to get back on track (hopefully). How did this happen? Breakups occur due to countless reasons, the following are some common reasons behind a breakup. Let’s begin with the reason behind the break-up to figure out which step to take next: A. That b*tch/ man whore cheated on me!Originally posted by gossipgirllxoxo Obviously, this person has poor taste and doesn’t understand how to appreciate your fineness. Well, if you’re the one that cheated… why are you even reading this, seriously? Solution: Wipe your tears, toss everything away, delete every ounce of him/her from your life. Chin up, make yourself even more fabulous and you’ll find someone mind blowing! Don’t even think about giving him/ her a second chance, or create delusional reasons to excuse his/ her action; because you don’t need to swallow your pride for someone that didn’t know how to appreciate you in the first place. Besides, how can you be sure that he/ she won’t repeat the same mistake again? Not ready for another relationship? That’s totally understandable! Spend more time on loving yourself, on your friends, family, and etc. However, it’s important to not mourn at home with a bottle of vodka and Häagen Dazs on your lap; forgetting and moving on is your only solution. Think about the things you would like to pursue and accomplish. Being solo means more freedom and time flexibility, enjoy that while you can! B. The spark simply has vanishedOriginally posted by myxandme Yea…this reason is hard to grasp, but it happens. Please, do not feel that it’s your fault the spark has disappeared. Life is constantly fluctuating (wow, so cliche), people change with time; it’s not something we can control. Solution: If either one of you are unwilling to reignite the relationship, then don’t force it. He/she has already decided that the passion has dissipated, forcing him/her to think otherwise will not improve the relationship. Lose your grip, focus on other things. Perhaps with some distance between you two, messages like “how’ve you been lately?”, “wanna grab coffee?”, “I miss you”, will start appearing. Personally, I’m not against getting back together in situations like this, but I would strongly recommend you to ponder carefully on the potential of the relationship and make sure of what the other person has in mind before rushing back into his/her arms; I mean…what if he/she was just drunk, lonely, or just desperate? That would be no fun for you. C. You’re just not that important to meOriginally posted by fairyinpink “I’m sorry babe, I just ain’t got no time”. Let me rephrase “I ain’t got no time” for you— “you’re not that important to me”. Sure, there are periods of time when excessive workloads drown us and 24 hours a day just don’t suffice. You’re not the only Mr./Ms. Busy out there; with proper communication, trust, time management, and most importantly, love for your other half, there are countless ways you can balance work and relationship without having to call it quits. However, if he/she prioritizes work over you in a way that makes you uncomfortable, he/she probably doesn’t appreciate you enough. No one enjoys to feel neglected, especially by your loved ones; and if he/she can’t manage to squeeze in time for you, I personally don’t see much future in the relationship, unless you’re super busy as well (then why bother to be in a relationship?). Solution: Everyone has a different mindset and different priorities. If your ex’s list of priorities doesn’t match yours, the relationship can become troublesome. Think optimistically. Now you’re free of distress; you no longer have to wait for him/her to get off work (supposedly) to accompany you, you don’t have to fret around wondering when is the next time you’ll get to see him again and worry whether you’re being too needy or not… The wait and distress is over and now you can do whatever whenever you want; no one is in control of your emotion and time.What were the things you enjoyed doing before you were in a relationship? With much more spare time on your hands, what would you want to do the most? Embrace the freedom and make the best of it. “Honey, I’m sorry for making you feel neglected, I promise to make time for you no matter what”— should you give it another shot? It’s up to you, maybe he/she truly will change, but maybe the change will only last for one week; do what’s best for you. Even with thorough communication and compromises, a relationship in which both people have different priorities isn’t ideal. Find yourself someone that prioritizes things in a way that’s suits your mindset and values. D. Endless fightsOriginally posted by bunnierz Somehow, everything he/she said seemed to irritate you. His/her action made it seem as if he/she doesn’t love you enough, and doubts about the future of this relationship began to pile up, engulfing you. Solution: When a relationship encounters problems which neither person bothers to resolve, it’s only natural that the relationship falls apart. I mean, it’s exhausting to argue constantly, isn’t your mind much more at peace now? Perhaps this was bound to happen anyway, why struggle further? In the future, find someone that is patient and willing to make compromises, someone that isn’t afraid of saying sorry; someone that is willing to take a step down and swallow their ego because they can’t bear to see those tears on your face. E. Long distanceOriginally posted by 50shadesofdistance Did either of you become worn out by the missed Skype dates and time differences? Did not knowing his/her whereabouts and not being able to meet up make you anxious? Or maybe being in completely different environments drifted you two apart, made you both realize there’s so much more out there that you would like to prioritize beforehand and pursue after. Solution: In this case, perhaps it would be slightly easier to adapt to the post breakup trauma since you probably haven’t seen him/her in person for a while already, or have drifted apart due to the growing distance between one another. Continue to focus on what you were doing during the long distance relationship; simply roll on with your life. Get yourself out there and mingle; have your friends introduce you to a broader range of people and open yourself up to new opportunities. F. Family issuesOriginally posted by find-a-reaction-gif You may think, it’s my relationship, why should I let my family’s opinion influence my thoughts? Yea, that would be the case if you live in Lalaland. When the family strongly dislikes the girl/boyfriend, it’s highly likely that they will create obstacles to interfere with the relationship. When family opposition gets intense, it’s rather difficult to not get influenced by their constant grumbling. Solution: If the only reason behind the breakup is due to family opposition, think of Romeo & Juliet and you might find some consolation. Just kidding. Assess the relationship thoroughly; is the love between you two strong enough to withstand the family storm? Is he/she willing to earn for their approval? If so, I suggest to clearly state your decision to the family and attempt to have them understand your decision. However, if you don’t want to bother, then I suggest you to carefully select the candidates for your future boy/girlfriend to prevent any future family chaos. Conclusion Generally speaking, the solution to all different situations follow a similar concept; do not blame yourself, stay optimistic, move forward with your life, shift your focus elsewhere, and open yourself up to new opportunities. If under appropriate circumstances, you have decided with your ex to get back together after a thorough and rational discussion, then go for it. If the breakup is the ultimate decision, stay firm to your decision, move on and detach any strings that may link yourself back to your ex. People come and go during our lives, relationships end for new ones to blossom in the future; look forward to the next prince charming/cinderella in your life! by Chris Lynd 林持一Imagine a world without smell: no scent from delicious food, a car’s leather seats, or your girlfriend’s shampoo. It would be a major loss to one’s material and spiritual life. Olfaction is not as dominant as vision when it comes to reception and analysis of information. But we cannot live without it.
Last year I met a bloke at a Concours d'Elegance in Surrey telling me that he bought a 1970’s British police car for £15,000 just for its smell. He had never considered smell an important part of life until the age of 35. From then on, he couldn’t live without the smell of his car collection. This might be a very special example, but it brings us to a question: Why are smells so important? Smells affect taste, for example. When kids are forced to eat some nasty food by their parents, they often hold or pinch their nose while eating. According to research, over half of what we experience as “taste” is actually smell. If we can’t smell, the sensation from the taste of food may be totally different or disappear altogether. Additionally, the olfactory receptors in our nasal cavity are linked to the nerves of our hippocampus. This explains why some familiar smells may remind us of some particular memories. Much like what other animals do with smells, we humans utilise smells as a tool to remember things and to express ourselves. The use of fragrance is the perfect example. Fragrance After doing a little research and some statistics, I found that about 60 per cent of my friends apply fragrances everyday. And most of my female friends start to wear perfumes at the age of 19. Some people apply fragrance to impress others, and some may wear them as accessories. But what they all have in common is that they want their scents to be noticed. Generally, people wear fragrances to show their taste, let others identify them, and, further, remember them. Smell is a factor which forms others’ impression of us, and first impression matters. Imagine you’re the interviewer of a job interview. Chances are that the interviewees will not say anything as they walk in. You see them, and at a certain distance you immediately sense the smell of them. Even if you don’t intend to smell them, you still have to breathe. That’s why elders always tell youngsters to pick the right fragrance (or not applying one at all) while attending a job interview. If the interviewer likes your taste, you might therefore get the job. What do smells mean to us? I firmly believe that at some point of our lives, smell may become rather crucial, if not an absolute necessity. Like the man who found himself obsessed with the smell of cars at the age of 35, people may suddenly fall in love with smells. Thanks to our clever brains, smells are not just simple signals, they bear meanings and carry messages. Once again, with fragrance as an example, scents with a strong note of musk have a sensual quality of male confidence; however, notes of oriental teas show mystery and gentleness. Human beings are not the only animals to utilise smells, but there is no other animal capable of processing smells, memories, and emotions like humans. We taste different smells everyday. Shouldn’t we enjoy it? Take the journey for the senses by enriching your life with scents and odours, you will find a world full of surprises. by Kevin Huang On February 14, 2018, citizens across the United States were horrified and devastated by the news of a shooting that happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This incident tallied up a death toll of 17 people, and 20 school shootings have occurred since the start of 2018. This number amounts to an average of one school shooting per week as of the date of this article. These statistics alone should strike fear into the hearts of people everywhere but it’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the horror of gun violence. So far in 2018, the number of incidents in the United States involving firearms is 18,576, according to the Gun Violence Archive. While not all of these incidents resulted in injuries and deaths, it still gives us a glimpse at the prevalence of gun violence in the United States. With this ongoing problem, one has to wonder about the cause of it all. There have been many debates over why this is happening, giving various reasons ranging from bullying to outdated gun control laws, but one common variable is present in most of them: that the guns involved were misused. Whether they were misused by one who has been bullied or mentally unstable, or misused in a crime or a fight, these guns strayed far from their intended purpose, which was for saving lives rather than ending them. So why not remove guns from the equation?
Why Are Guns So Common? There are many countries in the world that allow gun ownership, with certain restrictions, but why is gun violence a more severe problem in the United States than elsewhere? For one thing, the United States is one of three countries that have the constitutional right to own a firearm, and it is currently the only country with a right to keep firearms with no constitutional restrictions. The problem itself lies in the Constitution of the United States. The second amendment states that it is “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” This amendment was originally written to let people protect themselves, but so many problems have occurred as a result. Gun control laws are outdated and cannot stop the current problems. In a country where you have to be 21 to drink alcohol, you are able to buy a gun at the early age of 18. These firearms have somehow wormed their way into people’s lives and many believe they are here to stay. As of today, the United States stands at the top for the number of civilian-owned guns per capita: for every 100 residents there are currently 101 guns. The second highest is Serbia, currently at 58.21. Guns are so common in the United States that it would be amazing if no problems arose. Guns Kill People There’s a popular saying in the US that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” This statement suggests that gun violence is not caused by guns themselves but rather by the people who use them. It has been used to shut down arguments regarding the removal of guns, and some people who are for gun ownership have stated that criminals will just find other means of causing devastation. A man who shot down people in a school can very well pick up a knife and harm others with it instead. But would the devastation be on the same level? Will a madmen with a knife deal the same amount of damage as one with a gun? Giving these people tools that can cause such problems is something that should be considered more intensively. While it is true that the one in control of the tool holds a great responsibility to use it safely, the tool itself should never have been so dangerous in the first place. An analogy can be made to a kid hitting another kid with a stick. Do you take away the stick or take away the kid? Guns are the reason why so many people are dying and it will continue to be that way as long as guns are present. People kill people but guns help them kill a lot of people. Guns in Other Countries The United States is one of the most developed countries in the world, ranking in the top 10 along with others such as Denmark and Germany. But how does the United States compare to these countries where guns are not in such abundance? Denmark is currently ranked 12th for the amount of gun crimes while the United States sits at number one. The laws and regulations in Denmark are much more strict and the result is that fewer people are in possession of guns. This is reflected by statistics: Denmark has less than 2 deaths per 100,000 citizens while the United States hovers above 10. Another comparison will bring this close to my own home, Taiwan. Taiwanese gun laws require a series of background checks along with training before one can own a gun. This along with the fact that people in Taiwan do not seek to own guns has reduced gun ownership to a minimum. Taiwan is ranked 102nd in terms of gun-related violence. There is definitely a relation between the number of guns owned and the amount of gun violence, but something so simple seems to elude many people. In countries where owning a gun requires many different checks and training, there is also a decrease in gun violence and gun ownership. In the United States, where owning a gun is as easy as going to the store and buying one, ease of access to guns is only paving a way for chaos. Decreasing the amount of guns in circulation or even removing them has statistically proven to be effective in other countries, something the United States should consider. What Does the Future Hold? Gun problems will remain a problem for as long as the laws remain unchanged. Whether it’s to change the gun control laws or to impose one that removes guns completely, it is apparent that something has to be done. It’s time for a change. I believe that gun ownership as well as gun control have become the most pressing issues in the United States. In a nation where violence has become so common, there has to be ways where we can achieve a safer environment for generations to come. Firearms are tools to be used very carefully and only by a limited group of individuals who have gone through the necessary tests and regulations. Guns should not be something that people can get their hands on easily. Otherwise, gun crimes will not stop. The future of the United States is quite grim in terms of gun crimes and we have to look at the root of the trouble: the fact that so many Americans own guns. by Andree HoolihanSomewhere buried in my mother’s house are pictures of me at age seven or eight, wide-eyed and chubby-cheeked, with Madagascar Hissing cockroaches crawling in my hair.
I’ve always loved bugs. My mother remembers me in Disney Land at age three, letting a carpenter ant crawl up my arm. Some well-meaning passerby brushed it off and stomped it, which made me turn to her and start sobbing: ‘he was my friend!’. When I was seven, my grandparents gave me Madagascar cockroaches. They were slow-moving, dumb, hissed when disturbed, and I loved them with the ardent affection a child with their first pet. Each one seemed to have their own personality—the largest was calm and tolerated my handling, while the smaller one would hiss at the slightest provocation. I chopped vegetables for them, watched as they nibbled daintily on bits of cucumber and melon, played with them constantly, and cried bitterly when they died. These days I’m a little more nervous; fast-moving flying cockroaches upset me, and massive skittering huntsman spiders are terrifying. I still love most bugs; I’m enchanted by the cautious, antenna-waving walk of a katydid and the careful consideration of a jumping spider. I’m the one people turn to when they need a spider or house centipede taken outside, and I’ve somehow convinced my mother to raise bees in our yard. The bees are the latest target of my affection; at the peak of summer there are sixty-thousand of them (give or take), all of them clever and slightly fuzzy and driven by instinct as much as by intellect. When I am home I spend hours crouching in front of the hive watching them come and go, marveling at the intricacies of their alien world. Every bee that enters the hive is checked by the guards stationed at the entrance, but bee guards can be bribed as much as humans can be. A savvy thief comes with nectar in its belly, which it feeds to the guard, who stands aside, allowing the robber to make off with honey. The entrance of a hive is a busy place: the guards check returning foragers, cleaners remove the corpses of their dead sisters, and there is often some small battle being waged between a group of workers and an invading ant or wasp. If you spend long enough by the entrance of a hive the guards will come to check on you, circle around your face buzzing suspiciously, but given time they will realize that you are not a threat and will return to their posts, leaving you to watch them work. If bees recognize their keepers is a topic of endless debate in the beekeeping world. On the one hand, they certainly have the visual acuity necessary to distinguish a human form from a nonhuman one, and studies show that they can correctly identify human faces. On the other, worker bees only live for six weeks during the summer, have a brain the size of a sesame seed, and will absolutely sting you, even if you are the one who treats them for parasites and mixes sugar syrup for them to drink when there are no flowers. Personally, I believe that they do recognize us; we aren’t exactly friends to them, but we have been together thousands of years, humans and bees. They know us. Until the early twentieth century, Europeans and Americans certainly believed that bees recognized their people, so much so that it was considered obligatory to inform bees of major life events, lest they feel abandoned by their keepers. For funerals, hives were wrapped in black and turned to face the funeral procession, while weddings called for festive garlands and a slice of cake left outside the hive. I tell the bees whenever I return home from Taiwan, a gentle knock on the side of the box, a whispered “I’m back” to the guards who come to check me. Telling them may be meaningless, but the traditions of beekeeping are some of the oldest in the world. The Aegeans considered their bees sacred messengers to the underworld, Greeks called the priestess to female gods “bees”; women toiling endlessly for a beloved mother. Millenniums worth of people have opened hives and stared at the majesty of these little insects. People often ask me if I’m afraid of the bees, and to be honest they have never really frightened me. I was stung six times last summer- the result of my own stupidity, they never sting unprovoked- and though it hurt, I felt sad more than anything else. A sting is fatal for a bee; it is a last resort used only when she believes the hive is in great danger, and six of them gave their lives because I was careless. Bees pose no danger provided that you are calm, gentle, and respectful, and working with them is an exercise in meditative slowness. by Arielle EstebanPicking a college course is one of the most important decisions in your entire college career. It affects your entire life and sets the crucial tone on how your entire semester is going to be. From your sleep schedule, your time to socialize, and even your laundry cycle, a college course is either going to make or break you. An easy course with a brilliant and attentive professor is going to make the semester smooth sailing and allows room for you to love what you’re studying; however, a hard course with a professor who does not seem to care for his students is going to make you hate the entire collegiate system—whether or not you already despise it.
A college course is so crucial for your wellbeing and sanity as you go through college that should you have the misfortune of taking a terrible course and are past the withdrawal deadline, this article looks through the feelings you go through. Taking a bad college course can be best summarized through 5 stages similar to the 5 Stages of Grief. 1. Denial It’s the first day of class and already you’re exchanging looks with your seat mate when the professor hands out the syllabus and speaks to the class in a condescending manner that screams “I could not care less about teaching.” However, you suck it up and think, maybe this professor is just going through a rough day or maybe they’re just trying to weed out the students who aren’t as interested in taking this course. Despite the number of students who promptly leave the classroom, you wave off the small feeling of doubt and don’t withdraw, thinking, “Maybe this won’t be so bad.” And so it goes. 2. Anger It’s been three weeks and you realize how the class is too far gone into the curriculum to even think about withdrawing. But it still doesn’t help and you’re just mad at yourself for not following the kids who left and not being able to understand any of the material being taught but more so at the professor. Do you not care that some of us want to actually learn? No? Okay. Nothing has prepared you for the feelings of frustration and anger that you have towards the class and the professor’s mandatory attendance policy that’s keeping you from taking a break at least once. Worst of all, your brief background in high school on economics does nothing to help you out on the piles of homework you have sitting on top of your desk. And now you just want to throw all the papers into the shredder down the hall—but that’d mean failing. Ugh. 3. Bargaining At this point you don’t really see a reason to hate anyone and you’re just hoping/praying/begging that your professor would just let you pass the class. It’s not even about getting an A or becoming good friends with your professor or TA; you just don’t want to ever have to retake this class. You tell yourself to go to office hours everyday for the class, take all the extra credit opportunities, and even laugh at all your professor’s cringe-worthy jokes just so you can avoid retaking the class and by the end, getting at least a C. 4. Depression At this point you’ve gone into a state of despair and looking at your homework always makes you want to cry. Your coping mechanism has been to use caffeine and sugar to replenish the energy you’ve spent wallowing in self-pity. You’ve even resorted to stress eating—be it binging Ben & Jerry’s ice cream or going on Netflix marathons in hopes that you can distract yourself from this black hole you’ve been sucked into. But not all hope is lost because if you hold on a little longer, you’re almost through with the semester! 5. Acceptance When it comes to the final stage in the process of grief, it does not always mean that you’ll be alright and as if nothing happened. It’s the opposite, really, but you just learn to cope with the loss as a permanent part of your life and it won’t always feel good. It’s the same when it comes to reluctantly accepting that you may not do as well in this course or enjoy the course as you’d expected. By this stage you’ve accepted that there is nothing you can do to save your grades, (try as you might) like the professor, or cooperate with your group mates. So you might as well just try to make it through the two hours of the course lecture and hope that you can pass the course. No matter how bad a college course may be, there’s always a learning point in the end. You should not let your entire college experience be defined by a bad course because everyone—and I do mean everyone, will go through at least two or three classes like this—be it a course that’s required for your major or an elective. It’s also worthwhile to think that despite the letdown of taking that particular course, you walk away knowing yourself better and fully convinced that you are not suited to be in that field of study. So give yourself a pat on the back for surviving and take a deep breath because at least it’s finally over. by Nathalie Jennifer Repenning“We are all about connecting people” could be a summary of what modern social media companies try to achieve. Whether you pick Facebook, Whatsapp, Line, or Instagram, social media services are designed to connect people. Updating your status on Facebook, uploading a new picture on Instagram, liking a quote on Tumblr, or sharing a video on Youtube is equivalent to sending a message to the community to see. And the community will answer you by liking, sharing, commenting, and re-tweeting. The basic idea is to share your life and inquiries with other people, find allies and friends and be connected.
As social beings humans are dependent on interaction with others, having someone to talk to, and considering ourselves as a group. As stated on its website, Facebook desires to “Bring the world closer together.” Looking at pure numbers reaching this goal seems just to be a matter of little time. There are, for example, about 100 million daily users on Instagram. Facebook accounts for 2.07 billion users. This means that one third of the world’s population is on Facebook and 5 times the number of Taipei’s residents share Instagram stories daily. For more numbers on social media usage you might check out the websites of oursocialtimes.com, statista.com, or pewinternet.org. According to these statistics each person uses social media about 2 hours per day, and 70% of this is on mobile devices. Indeed, with smartphones and wifi, staying connected with your crowd while being on the street has become convenient. In contrast to its beginnings when social media users were the nerds who stayed home, it has become a convenient way to message, talk, and share not only thoughts but also daily life. Connected… Social media transfers personal interaction to another level, making it possible to reach beyond geographical borders and time zones. It doesn’t matter if you are currently in Taiwan and your friend spends a month abroad in Europe while your family might be in the U.S. – as long as you all have internet access you can communicate and share thoughts and advice. If you travel alone, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or Tumblr can provide you the opportunity to share your experiences, making you feel less lonely. If you are alone, just put on your headphones and watch a video on Youtube that your friends have recommended to you. You stand in the middle of strangers, how about you check for new messages on Whatsapp and Line then? While having dinner by yourself in a restaurant just scroll the latest news of your Facebook friends and have their company. So indeed you are never alone anymore but connected with your friends all the time. You can go online and interact whenever you want, you can turn off notifications of people you don’t like, and focus on positivity. Isn’t this an amazing scenario? But disconnected… Before you start the flow of social media, hold on a second and take a look around you. Looking at all the people wearing headphones, talking or scrolling on their phones, you will find that all of them are by themselves. I bet you all have witnessed the strange scene where two people are sitting in a café at the same table but instead of talking to each other they are on their phones. Yes, they are connected with their friends but disconnected from their surroundings. Little wonders of daily life like a singing bird or a wild animal crossing the street pass them by because they are too busy with Instagram. They do not ask strangers for directions but rather refer to their Facebook friends. They do not talk and smile to people around them, as they are hypnotized by their phone screen to watch the latest YouTube uploads. Putting it this way, social media actually separates and disconnects people from one another and makes them lose contact with the real world. A dilemma? The whole view of social media and its ability to connect people is shaped by these two perspectives. On the one hand Facebook, Whatsapp, and Line benefit people’s connectivity. You can talk to others wherever you are and whenever you want. Additionally, campaigns carried out via social media have shed light on current issues like gender discrimination and human rights. On the other hand, having the opportunity to focus on your friends can make you blind to your surroundings. Also, by having the function to delete notifications you are in danger of getting trapped in your own echo chamber, just listening to and watching what you want and nothing else. Connected without disconnection Do social media platforms like Facebook bring the world closer together, as the companies claim? Well, it depends. They can indeed provide a space to communicate and interact regardless of your current position and geographical distance. Yet if used excessively, you can be on the brink of losing connection to the present moment and preventing you from making new friends. So what should you do in the end? Well, first of all don’t let social media dominate your life physically and mentally. This means not paying too much attention to social media but taking it only as an extra tool for communicating. by Aria HsiaFifteen years ago, if you wanted to watch the latest movie at home, you would most likely have to walk to the nearest blockbuster and pay a few dollars to rent it. Today, we can enjoy the luxury of watching videos from the comfort of our own homes, thanks to video streaming websites like YouTube and Netflix, to name a few. It’s hard to imagine a time when YouTube didn’t exist. The massive empire built on video sharing has exploded in the recent decade, and what originally started as a creative video sharing platform has since developed into a major business. So how did this all happen?
Fifteen years ago, if you wanted to watch the latest movie at home, you would most likely have to walk to the nearest blockbuster and pay a few dollars to rent it. Today, we can enjoy the luxury of watching videos from the comfort of our own homes, thanks to video streaming websites like YouTube and Netflix, to name a few. It’s hard to imagine a time when YouTube didn’t exist. The massive empire built on video sharing has exploded in the recent decade, and what originally started as a creative video sharing platform has since developed into a major business. So how did this all happen? In 2005, three former PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim developed the idea for YouTube after experiencing difficulty sharing videos. The site grew rapidly, and in 2006, Google acquired YouTube for 1.65 billion. The booming business of YouTube has not just created a new form of entertainment— it has also redefined what it means to be a “celebrity”, through the ever increasing impact of YouTubers. However, what does this mean for society and the entertainment world? It is hard to imagine that the most popular YouTube channel is in fact a gaming channel. Insert Swedish YouTube personality Pewdiepie. Born Felix Kjellberg, the 28 year old has come a long way since his humble beginnings as a mere video game commentary and reaction channel, and is a “celebrity” in his own right. As of 2018, he has rightfully claimed the title of most subscribed YouTube channel, with over 60 million subscribers and over 17 billion views. Aside from creating video game walkthrough videos, Pewdiepie also posts vlogs and comedy shorts, adding “actor” into his ever-expanding portfolio. His large social media following allowed him to focus on YouTube as a career — his average earnings per video is around $21,00 dollars, making his annual income an estimated $11.28 million dollars. His success is the perfect testament to the impact of YouTube. On average, a typical YouTuber earns about $2 per 1,000 views, depending on the popularity of the channel. However, views are not the only source of income for most successful YouTubers. YouTube Partner Program allows creators to monetize their videos through ads in the sidebars and in the videos themselves, and shares the revenues that YouTube gains from their channel. The program also gives YouTubers in the partnership access to endscreens that link to associated websites and merchandise sites. However, ad revenue can be shaky, which is why sponsorships and product placements are crucial for YouTubers. A company will pay a YouTuber to promote their products in a video, and include links or discount codes to their websites. It is without doubt that this is a test of integrity, as their personal opinions may not always reflect what they are paid to say. The influence of YouTube is undebatable. Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube everyday. Easy accessibility is the key to YouTube’s influence — anyone can create a channel and anyone can see it. This leads us to the discussion of the pros and cons of YouTube’s — it’s been praised as a platform for raising awareness and sparking creativity, yet criticized for starting spur-of-the-moment internet trends. YouTube personality Logan Paul found himself in the midst of a heated controversy surrounding his video content earlier this year, after uploading a video of him stumbling across a dead body at the base of Mount Fuji, a place known as Japan’s “suicide forest”. He was harshly criticized for his insensitivity and lack of judgment, as his audience is largely composed of kids and teenagers. YouTube did not escape unscathed either — they received backlash over their slow response, and for only temporarily suspending Paul’s ad revenue (which was quickly restored in less than three weeks). However, the harsh lesson YouTube took from this was to place stricter regulations on the content that was being released to the public — by raising the standards of which creators are eligible to join the Partner Program, YouTube hopes to prevent monetization of inappropriate videos. As YouTube is gradually transforming into an industry that relies on shock value and drama for views and attention, perhaps we should pause and reconsider the original purpose of this platform. What was once a place for people to express their creativity is no longer safe from the claws of commercialism, as YouTube struggles to maintain the balance between creative freedom while upholding its authority as a company. On a brighter note, thanks to YouTube, I discovered a new passion for filming and video editing. I am proud to say that I am part of a three-person YouTube channel known as Sweet Potato Island, that focuses on sharing college experiences as international students at NTU, as well as sharing our love for Taiwan. Although it’s not even been a year since we started out and we only just surpassed a humble milestone of 100 subscribers, we all hold this channel very close to our hearts. Maintaining a YouTube channel has proven to be a huge commitment that requires a lot of time and effort, and I have nothing but respect for my fellow YouTubers. In conclusion, despite its tendency of breeding controversy, YouTube is innately a platform intended for sharing and promoting creativity, and my only wish is for it to remain a positive source of inspiration. |
Authors
The Taida Student Journal has been active since 1995 with an ever-changing roster of student journalists at NTU. Click the above link to read about the authors Archives
May 2024
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