"The world must be made safe for democracy."
- Woodrow Wilson
- Woodrow Wilson
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Daily Outfits 101
So I decided to keep a daily record of the different outfits I wear after having purchased my new Logitech Webcam (which makes the whole process of picture documenting a lot simpler).
And that brings us to our first Daily Outfit post.
* Black sports jacket by Christian Dior, white turtleneck by Versace, and black skinny jeans by Helmut Lang.
Due to the white stripped ruffling of the fabric on the turtleneck, I would never wear the turtleneck by itself. White sweaters are notorious for making a big frame look even bigger, and to add to that, the ruffled fabric stripes add even more volume to the frame. Thus I took the turtleneck and matched it with a very modern and slim Christian Dior sports jacket. The Dior jacket keeps the overall silhouette slim and modern while the vintage Versace turtleneck adds softness and age to the outfit.
Keeping with the modern silhouette to offset the eye catching Versace turtleneck, I wore a pair of black skinny Helmut Lang jeans to finish off the ensemble. Although not pictured, I wore black, flat toe leather dress shoes to complete the attire.
P.S.
The story behind the white Versace turtleneck is quite interesting. About a year ago I was feeling bored and a bit adventurous and decided to travel off the beaten path. By passing Saks which is a Yoon classic, I ventured over into Buffalo Exchange which is a local thrift store that sells and buys used clothes. After hunting around a little bit I found the white vintage Versace turtleneck in the designer trades section. If I recall correctly, I ended up purchasing it for 19 dollars which is quite a steal.
And that brings us to our first Daily Outfit post.
* Black sports jacket by Christian Dior, white turtleneck by Versace, and black skinny jeans by Helmut Lang.
Due to the white stripped ruffling of the fabric on the turtleneck, I would never wear the turtleneck by itself. White sweaters are notorious for making a big frame look even bigger, and to add to that, the ruffled fabric stripes add even more volume to the frame. Thus I took the turtleneck and matched it with a very modern and slim Christian Dior sports jacket. The Dior jacket keeps the overall silhouette slim and modern while the vintage Versace turtleneck adds softness and age to the outfit.
Keeping with the modern silhouette to offset the eye catching Versace turtleneck, I wore a pair of black skinny Helmut Lang jeans to finish off the ensemble. Although not pictured, I wore black, flat toe leather dress shoes to complete the attire.
P.S.
The story behind the white Versace turtleneck is quite interesting. About a year ago I was feeling bored and a bit adventurous and decided to travel off the beaten path. By passing Saks which is a Yoon classic, I ventured over into Buffalo Exchange which is a local thrift store that sells and buys used clothes. After hunting around a little bit I found the white vintage Versace turtleneck in the designer trades section. If I recall correctly, I ended up purchasing it for 19 dollars which is quite a steal.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Impact of America's Veterans
My speech at the “Voices of War,” forum held by the UNLV Student Veterans Organization.
First and foremost, I’d like to begin by thanking the UNLV Student Veterans Organization for putting together such an important forum for students and for the members of our local community. As it has been stated repeatedly throughout the discourse of the evening, the actions of American veterans and the actions of our current men and women in uniform have had a long and lasting impact on the geopolitical history of America and the rest of the world.
Thus, given the subject matter at hand, I can only imagine how your curiosity could be perked by the fact that I am sitting on this panel addressing you this evening. Frankly speaking, while my path in life has never directly crossed with service to our country by means of dedicated military service, my life has been intrinsically impacted by the brave veterans of our country. It is for this matter that I sit here today in an attempt to try to demonstrate how the actions of our brave men and woman in uniform could have drastically influenced your life and the lives of the peers that sit amongst you on this night.
Born in Taejun, South Korea but raised and naturalized in the United States, I am a product of two nations that have been entwined together in history for over the past 65 years. I am a proud Korean-American.
And as a proud Korean-American, I bring you this deeply personal story due to the fact that without the intervention of American soldiers who gave their lives in the defense of a country they’d otherwise probably would have never stepped foot in, it would be nearly impossible for me to be sitting here speaking to this group on this October evening.
Since I sit amongst a group of Americans who undoubtedly love their country, let me take some time to brag about the country of my heritage. In this age, South Korea stands as a member of the developed G-20 nations, currently ranking 15 in the world in terms of GDP. As a full functioning democracy, South Korea has risen to become a global power and a staunch ally of the United States. With a developed free market and a capitalistic society, South Korea has become integrated with the world wide community through means of commerce. It probably wouldn’t be a surprise if many of you in this room had LG or Samsung cell phones, televisions, home appliances or drove cars made by Hyundai and Kia.
But the reflection of South Korea as it stands today would not have entered even the most vivid of imaginations of the many American soldiers who stepped foot in my ancestral homeland at the start of the Korean War in June 25, 1950.
As a product of the Cold War, the Korean peninsula had been divided between the Soviet Union and the United States at the end of World War II, much like Germany and the rest of Europe had been divided between the spheres of Communism and Capitalism.
And while I am not naïve enough to believe that the United States and the United Nations intervened purely out of good will and in their love of the Korean people, it was nevertheless, the fruit born from the bloodshed that occurred over years of fighting back and forth across the peninsula. South Korea today stands as a prime example to the world of what can happen when America leads the free nations of this earth to uphold freedom in the face of tyranny.
Never in the history of the world has any other soldier given so much and asked for so little in return. The American soldier has marched in the defense of freedom to the most remote sectors of the world and I pray that Americans will continue to see her men and women in uniform as liberators and not as occupiers.
To conclude my speech, I’d like to finish by stating that it is my hope that in perhaps thirty years time, my children will also be able to attend an institution of higher learning where they can sit in an open forum and hear a similar story from an Iraqi gentleman or an Afghani lady on how their countries have flourished with democracy and liberty due to the valiant heroism of our American veterans.
First and foremost, I’d like to begin by thanking the UNLV Student Veterans Organization for putting together such an important forum for students and for the members of our local community. As it has been stated repeatedly throughout the discourse of the evening, the actions of American veterans and the actions of our current men and women in uniform have had a long and lasting impact on the geopolitical history of America and the rest of the world.
Thus, given the subject matter at hand, I can only imagine how your curiosity could be perked by the fact that I am sitting on this panel addressing you this evening. Frankly speaking, while my path in life has never directly crossed with service to our country by means of dedicated military service, my life has been intrinsically impacted by the brave veterans of our country. It is for this matter that I sit here today in an attempt to try to demonstrate how the actions of our brave men and woman in uniform could have drastically influenced your life and the lives of the peers that sit amongst you on this night.
Born in Taejun, South Korea but raised and naturalized in the United States, I am a product of two nations that have been entwined together in history for over the past 65 years. I am a proud Korean-American.
And as a proud Korean-American, I bring you this deeply personal story due to the fact that without the intervention of American soldiers who gave their lives in the defense of a country they’d otherwise probably would have never stepped foot in, it would be nearly impossible for me to be sitting here speaking to this group on this October evening.
Since I sit amongst a group of Americans who undoubtedly love their country, let me take some time to brag about the country of my heritage. In this age, South Korea stands as a member of the developed G-20 nations, currently ranking 15 in the world in terms of GDP. As a full functioning democracy, South Korea has risen to become a global power and a staunch ally of the United States. With a developed free market and a capitalistic society, South Korea has become integrated with the world wide community through means of commerce. It probably wouldn’t be a surprise if many of you in this room had LG or Samsung cell phones, televisions, home appliances or drove cars made by Hyundai and Kia.
But the reflection of South Korea as it stands today would not have entered even the most vivid of imaginations of the many American soldiers who stepped foot in my ancestral homeland at the start of the Korean War in June 25, 1950.
As a product of the Cold War, the Korean peninsula had been divided between the Soviet Union and the United States at the end of World War II, much like Germany and the rest of Europe had been divided between the spheres of Communism and Capitalism.
And while I am not naïve enough to believe that the United States and the United Nations intervened purely out of good will and in their love of the Korean people, it was nevertheless, the fruit born from the bloodshed that occurred over years of fighting back and forth across the peninsula. South Korea today stands as a prime example to the world of what can happen when America leads the free nations of this earth to uphold freedom in the face of tyranny.
Never in the history of the world has any other soldier given so much and asked for so little in return. The American soldier has marched in the defense of freedom to the most remote sectors of the world and I pray that Americans will continue to see her men and women in uniform as liberators and not as occupiers.
To conclude my speech, I’d like to finish by stating that it is my hope that in perhaps thirty years time, my children will also be able to attend an institution of higher learning where they can sit in an open forum and hear a similar story from an Iraqi gentleman or an Afghani lady on how their countries have flourished with democracy and liberty due to the valiant heroism of our American veterans.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Conservative's Government
My opening address at the debate between the UNLV College Republicans and UNLV Young Democrats.
When we as Americans look at the two opposing schools of political thought in Conservatism and Liberalism, we see that the major divergence in ideology happen in describing what the proper Role of government ought to be. And ironically, it is in this broad and far ranging question that we see the intrinsic and unique qualities of the American democracy in comparison to the rest of the world. It is in this very question in which we find the answer to why so many people from every corner of the world flocks to the land that guarantees the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
To analyze what exactly is so intrinsic about American democracy and its role of government is, it is important to start at the very beginning. At our foundation, our forefathers were able to learn from the examples of what happens when power is consolidated and the sovereignty of the state is able to hold its people accountable to its whim. And so when our government was crafted, our forefathers built us a government in which the separation of powers were evident, and gave us a union where the right of the individual was given greater gravitas than ordinary.
And herein lies the difference. The conservative school of thought believes that the smaller the role of government is, the more free and prosperous our citizenry can be. The opposite can be said of the liberal movement. Their strangely skewed trust in government, which they present as the best solution, leads them to place the government and not the people, first. The conservative movement believes that decisions should be made as closely as possible to the people that are affected by it, and that the ones who make the decisions should be elected as directly as possible by the people affected. The liberal movement in stark contrast to such basic principals, attempts to create an umbrella in which generic standards are set and the people are ordered to fall in line.
As conservatives, we believe in a system in which standards are driven up by choice and competition opposed to a society that is supposed to simply be grateful for what is handed to it.
As Thomas Jefferson once said, “the government that can give you everything is a government that can take everything.” Our movement centers on the ideals of individual responsibility where every citizen is given the opportunity to strive for a better life.
When we as Americans look at the two opposing schools of political thought in Conservatism and Liberalism, we see that the major divergence in ideology happen in describing what the proper Role of government ought to be. And ironically, it is in this broad and far ranging question that we see the intrinsic and unique qualities of the American democracy in comparison to the rest of the world. It is in this very question in which we find the answer to why so many people from every corner of the world flocks to the land that guarantees the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
To analyze what exactly is so intrinsic about American democracy and its role of government is, it is important to start at the very beginning. At our foundation, our forefathers were able to learn from the examples of what happens when power is consolidated and the sovereignty of the state is able to hold its people accountable to its whim. And so when our government was crafted, our forefathers built us a government in which the separation of powers were evident, and gave us a union where the right of the individual was given greater gravitas than ordinary.
And herein lies the difference. The conservative school of thought believes that the smaller the role of government is, the more free and prosperous our citizenry can be. The opposite can be said of the liberal movement. Their strangely skewed trust in government, which they present as the best solution, leads them to place the government and not the people, first. The conservative movement believes that decisions should be made as closely as possible to the people that are affected by it, and that the ones who make the decisions should be elected as directly as possible by the people affected. The liberal movement in stark contrast to such basic principals, attempts to create an umbrella in which generic standards are set and the people are ordered to fall in line.
As conservatives, we believe in a system in which standards are driven up by choice and competition opposed to a society that is supposed to simply be grateful for what is handed to it.
As Thomas Jefferson once said, “the government that can give you everything is a government that can take everything.” Our movement centers on the ideals of individual responsibility where every citizen is given the opportunity to strive for a better life.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Art of Eating Meat in Front of a Vegetarian
Recently, as I was reading my University’s student run paper, the Rebel Yell, I found a rather amusing article titled: “From the other side: Veggie delights change social views.” How could anyone avoid reading such a grandiosely titled article? Hopeful to gain an insight as to how vegetables managed to change the perspective of human society and its views, I was left standing aghast by the end of the article. Basically, the author Shane Collins simple trapezes about the article gloriously announcing the delectable tastes of various vegetables and how he was proud that he and his vegetarian brethren are showing compassion and are “reducing [the] suffering,” of animals to quote his words.
Wait, wait, wait a minute. Reduce suffering of animals by becoming vegetarian? This smells like fishy PETA business to me.
I fully understand the concept of vegetarianism for those who follow a faith that calls upon it. I even begrudgingly understand those who are vegetarian for its supposed health benefits. But those who are vegetarian to respect animal rights and end animal suffering? That’s a laughable idea in my book.
Remember that one of the basic lessons in biology taught to us is that we as a human species are supposedly classified as mammals. We are also designed as omnivores. If you look at everything from our digestive organs to the way our teeth are designed, we are clearly built to devour both meat and vegetables.
With this in mind and using this ideology, don’t we as human beings have every right to eat meat from cattle as an endangered cheetah is entitled to hunt antelope? In comparison, the way we slaughter swine for consumption is similar in many respects to wild felines or dogs hunting its prey in the wild.
If the natural cycle that we learned in the movie, the Lion King holds true, why are vegetarians out there propagating this idea that eating meat is a guilty pleasure and that they are above such cruelty to animals. Ask any semi-coherent vegetarian (a possible contradiction), if a lion is able to sustain on a vegetarian diet. That vegetarian should answer you by saying no. You should ask them why not. Its because lions are designed to be carnivores, a beast that only eats other animals.
Then why should humans, a supposed natural creature of this world, be suppressed from living as it’s built to live: as an omnivore? The next time your sitting with a vegetarian friend who’s lecturing you about the barbaric nature of eating meat, remind that person you’re simply doing your part in helping reduce global warming by stopping cattle from releasing methane gas in their flatulence.
Wait, wait, wait a minute. Reduce suffering of animals by becoming vegetarian? This smells like fishy PETA business to me.
I fully understand the concept of vegetarianism for those who follow a faith that calls upon it. I even begrudgingly understand those who are vegetarian for its supposed health benefits. But those who are vegetarian to respect animal rights and end animal suffering? That’s a laughable idea in my book.
Remember that one of the basic lessons in biology taught to us is that we as a human species are supposedly classified as mammals. We are also designed as omnivores. If you look at everything from our digestive organs to the way our teeth are designed, we are clearly built to devour both meat and vegetables.
With this in mind and using this ideology, don’t we as human beings have every right to eat meat from cattle as an endangered cheetah is entitled to hunt antelope? In comparison, the way we slaughter swine for consumption is similar in many respects to wild felines or dogs hunting its prey in the wild.
If the natural cycle that we learned in the movie, the Lion King holds true, why are vegetarians out there propagating this idea that eating meat is a guilty pleasure and that they are above such cruelty to animals. Ask any semi-coherent vegetarian (a possible contradiction), if a lion is able to sustain on a vegetarian diet. That vegetarian should answer you by saying no. You should ask them why not. Its because lions are designed to be carnivores, a beast that only eats other animals.
Then why should humans, a supposed natural creature of this world, be suppressed from living as it’s built to live: as an omnivore? The next time your sitting with a vegetarian friend who’s lecturing you about the barbaric nature of eating meat, remind that person you’re simply doing your part in helping reduce global warming by stopping cattle from releasing methane gas in their flatulence.
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