Why the Wall Street became the Wall Street?

Do you know why we call the Wall Street "Wall Street"? One of our members brings out one interesting article that explains you how the name "the Wall Street" showed up. Let us know how you think about it through comments! Any comments are welcome.

Why the Wall Street became the Wall Street? 

Soeun Kim

Pusan National University

Polymer Science and Engineering 

What can you imagine if you hear the "Wall Street"? Some might think of positive images like the center of the economy or the place that represents the capitalism. On the other hand, for the others, greed and corruption would come first in mind. The Wall Street, which is located in Manhattan, New York, is the street with concrete jungle formed by financial headquarters, stock markets, etc. Both economy booming and the great depression came from this Street. The Wall Street leads not only New York, but also the whole world. Then, how the Wall Street got the name "Wall Street"? 

About 400 years ago, Europe was in Imperialism. Strong countries like U.K, France, and Spain were trying to find new lands for their colonies. At that time, Holland, one of the rising countries in the trade business, also sought for new lands. Therefore, the Dutch found a small land in America, and established a new land named New Amsterdam that included Manhattan and Wall Street.As the trades expanded rapidly, New Amsterdam became a popular metropolis. At the same time, as the city became bigger, the government found out that organizing and keeping security were needed. Therefore, the government sent the soldier, "Peter Stuyvesant", who could govern the city and protect from other big countries’ invasion. He tried to make the city prosper and safe. So, he made regulations for public order and constructed the wall made of logs to protect the city from UK as it was adjacent. However, the UK invaded the New Amsterdam to expand their territory in the end. The New Amsterdam was captured, and as a result, the Duke York who was a brother of the King of UK became the ruler of the city. 

After that, the New Amsterdam changed the name to New York which was named after the DukeYork. However, the wall was preserved. So people named the street along the wall the Wall Street.The Wall Street now reaching for the outside of the world was once the wall to protect the inside from the outside.

The Secret of ‘Empire’ on the FOX Success

Recently, 'Empire' ,the TV show on the FOX channel, hit the U.S.A. Given that regional network systems are well-developed in the states, it is hard for TV show in the states to get a high ratings. However, this show 'Empire' was sensational online and it got better ratings as the shows went on. What do you think its secret? If you want to know, read this interesting article. One of DSKUSSS members analyzed the successful factors of this show. Let us know your thinking through the comments!

The Secret of ‘Empire’ on the FOX Success

Yunzee Kim

Graduated from Dongseo University

Broadcasting and Media Studies

[1]

Recently, the channel FOX got huge success on the TV drama show. This success was possible due to the show called ‘Empire’. This show is unique since it deals with the hip-hop music industry and the betrayal and ambition in it. This show tells about the family life who work in the hip-hop industry field and there has been some tensions among family members because all members are interested in taking this ‘Empire’ as theirs.

The rating on this show was rapidly increased and viewers give about 8.2 points out of 10 on this show[2]. Also, on the iTunes, the songs that were used in the show are hit on the chart. How does this situation so-called ‘booming of the hit show’ happen? As far as I can tell, there are mainly three reasons this show gets more popular.

[3]The first factor is the perfect casting. Especially, the main characters are played by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson who are most talented African-American actor and actress each. They are full of acting experiences. Other actors or actresses are also kind of rookie compared to Terrence and Taraji. However, their charisma and passion on the show is delivered during on-air. Most importantly, all people are perfectly describing their own characters in the way the characters are well understood. Plus, there are some famous cameos like Jennifer Hudson and Naomi Campbell make this show glamorous.

The second factor is amazing songs. ‘No Apologies’, ‘What Is Love’, ‘Drip Drop’ and ‘You’re So Beautiful’ etc. have been bringing hot reaction from the viewers. The songs sound fun or sad and the beat of hip-hop music makes people excited. Various types of songs and perfectly fitted songs to the story are one of the keys of Empire’ success.

The third factor is twisted story-line itself. There is no typical characters in this show. All characters are changing their position as the show goes and there are bunch of betrayal between the family members. Since this story is not ridiculous and unrealistic, more people get into it.

If you look for this factors when you watch the TV show, ‘Empire’ is not going to let you down. Rather, this show would let you enthusiastic on it. If you are wondering about this show, just watch it and feel it! You are not going to regret it!

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[1] Retrieved from http://www.projectcasting.com/casting-calls-acting-auditions/empire-season-2-casting-call/

[2] Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3228904/

[3] Retrieved from http://variety.com/2015/tv/features/timbaland-gives-lee-daniels-empire-hip-hop-cred-1201393126/

Prom Culture in the United States!

Did you ever feel jealous of American teenagers? If you did, you probably are interested in the prom culture. Since Korea does not have the prom culture, Koreans have a fantasy for the American prom culture. One of our members explains the step of preparing the prom. You can share your opinions through the comments and let us know what kind of fantasy on the U.S. prom culture you have. Have fun reading!

Prom Culture in the United States!

Jungwon Lee

Pusan National University

Department of Global Studies

Whenever we watch high-teen American dramas or movies, one thing that frequently appears is ‘high school prom’. Prom, a word which is short for ‘promenade’, is a semi-formal dance or gathering of high school students. This event is typically held near the end of the senior year, like the last year of high school. Yes, watching those, I sometimes imagined what would be like attending a prom, wearing beautiful dress, and dancing with my prince charming! J To high-teen American schoolgirls especially, prom is one of the things that they had been waiting for since they were very young!! Now, I’m going to tell you how American students prepare proms, and what events happen in proms!

 When the date of prom is announced, high school seniors become busy and the first thing they do is finding dates for them. The question would be simple. You just ask someone you had in mind, like ‘Will you be my prom date?’ If you get a positive answer, then that person is your date and you get a chance to dance with him or her on the prom day! Then, adequate attires are needed. Boys usually dress in black or white formal wear, regardless of the time of the event, sometimes paired with brightly colored ties with vests. Girls wear dresses or evening gowns and they also wear corsage, given to them by their dates.

 On the prom day, couples gather at a park, garden for single and group photos. Prom attendees may rent limousines to transport groups of friends from their homes to the prom venues(maybe a banquet hall or school gymnasium). At prom night, a band or DJ play music, and they make the air filled with enthusiasm. After the dance, prom king and prom queen may be selected by a vote and they wear a crown.

 Of course, there are some critiques who argue that too much money is wasted in just one party for young students. There is some truth in that argument, but on the other hand, prom can make American high teens’ school life more exciting and memorable. I kind of wish Korean high schools could also manage several events that are similar to proms. Most high school students in Korea are so busy studying that they easily worn out. Prom can be one of the high school cultures that present youth and vitality, and adopting prom culture wouldn't be a bad idea! 

Failing Law Schools, Only Dedicated Law Students Survive

The law school system has been held in Korea since several years ago. One of our members go to the law school and he wanted to share his opinion on the law school system. Especially, if you would like to survive at the heated competition, you should read this! Share your ideas through the comments, please!

Failing Law Schools, Only Dedicated Law Students Survive 

Jeong, Sul-ki

Jeju National University Law School 

Department of Law 

         Now the term ‘law school’ sounds quite familiar to Korean people, because the law school system replaced the previous judicial examination. The previous system will be abolished in 2017, and those who want to be a lawyer have to spend 3 years and law school tuition. The law school in Korea is controversial due to its high cost. In Korea, when the debates go about law school, U.S. case often appears because U.S. has long history in terms of law school. 

        Lawyer’s social position in U.S. is relatively high which is not so much different from Korea. Many American used to believe that they will make a lot of money once they become a lawyer. Their belief is at variance with the truth, and grounds for the argument are well presented in the book Failing Law Schools, written by Brian Z. Tamanaha. It warns the fact that you will have to pay two hundred thousand dollars for graduation from law school. Although you pay the money, become a lawyer, it does not guarantee you to get high income jobs. In short, there are more lawyers than the jobs they can seek for. He argues that entering law school is not cost-effective at all. Further, recent article from Bloomberg clearly shows the falling popularity of law school in U.S. According to the article, some law schools decided not to require Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score which is one of the most essential criteria for the admission¹.

        Regardless of law school in U.S. or Korea, its tuition is considerably expensive, and job-seeking is very hard. The amount of competition in law school, however, still remains the same. Perhaps it will be even harsher than before. So guess what? In failing law schools, only dedicated law students survive. 


¹ 1 Kitroeff, Natalie. (2015, Feb 25). The First Two Law Schools to Drop the LSAT Could Be Just the Beginning. Bloomberg. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-24/thefirst-two-law-schools-to-drop-the-lsat-could-be-just-the-beginning

What ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ and ‘Black-ish’ Tell You

If you love watching sitcoms. Let one of our members recommend ones to watch. They contain the life of African-American and Taiwanese-American each. If you are interested in sitcoms and how so-called immigrants have been through in the states, how about watching the two fun sitcoms "Black-ish" and "Fresh Off The Boat"?

What ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ and ‘Black-ish’ Tell You

Yunzee Kim

Graduated from Dongseo University

Broadcasting and Media Studies

             Recently, I have been crazy into two interesting sitcoms which are aired on the ABC channel. They called ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ and ‘Black-ish’ each. Two stories are very different. One story focuses on the life Taiwanese Americans who move to the town, full of white Americans in 1990’s. The other story tells about the current life of African Americans who live in the village, mainly filled with white Americans. As you know, it is not easy to live as a minority. In this type of society, where like or not, the discrimination or misunderstanding are natural. These two sitcoms describe these things in a fun way.

             ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ is based on the real story of Eddie Huang. He is a famous chef now and he has been through a lot of things since his parents are immigrant to the U.S. He wrote his autobiography and the staff of the ABC channel decided to make his story as a sitcom. It shows the traditions of Taiwanese, the fashion of 1990’s, and how they adjust to the different life. Also, Randall Park, stared as the role of ‘Jung-Eun Kim’ in the movie ‘the interview’ plays the father character in this show. Based on these things, ‘Fresh Off The Boat’ is fun to watch.

             ‘Black-ish’ is not based on the real story. Main characters, the Johnson family members, are rich African-American who live in the neighbor where there are bunch of white people. In this family, there are three generations, which are grand-parents, parents and children. It shows the current trend that as time goes by, African American’s spirit gets faded. So, grand-parents and parents are trying to do their best to give the children that spirit. However, children do not understand why they have to have that spirit and how that spirit is related to their lives. So, in this circumstances, there are some conflicts between parents and children. This sitcom describes them in a pleasure way.

              Therefore, these two sitcoms are worth watching. Also, these sitcoms show that more and more people who have different races live in the states. That is why the main characters are not only white Americans. Hopefully, more TV shows reflect racial diversity in the states.

Work Culture in USA - from the TV series ‘The Office’

Do you know the sitcom "the office"? It shows you the American work culture. As a Korean, I thought that it is quite different the work culture in Korea form the one in the states. One of our members want to share the differences through the situation comedy TV show. If you have any thoughts or comments, let us know!

Work Culture in USA

- from the TV series ‘The Office’

Hyun Jin LEE

Graduated from KyungPook National University

Dept. of French Language and Literature

As globalization advances, many people go abroad to work and corporate with foreign companies. Due to the cultural backgrounds, work culture in each country has its unique style. If you are willing to work for foreign or international companies, it is necessary to know about the work culture that can lead you to adapt quickly into a new environment. American famous TV series ‘The Office’, which is set in a paper products company called Dunder Mufflin, shows us the common daily life of office workers. As it is a situation comedy (sitcom), personalities of characters and the stories are somewhat exaggerated, but it is enough to know about American work culture in general.

When people think of American companies’ working style, they usually make focus on the casual atmosphere and ‘from nine to five’ working hours. It is half correct and half not. The atmosphere in U.S companies is usually casual, but sometimes it’s vertical. For example, in ‘The Office’, every worker is free to express their own ideas to others and even to their boss. The appellation among workers isn’t divided into great detail like the things in Korea. They just call others by their name or add simply ‘sir’ to their boss which is in contrast with Korean companies where workers call each other depending on their varied positions. However, from the scenes where workers force a laugh at their boss’s lame pranks and jokes to curry favor and even do constrainedly some unreasonable tasks ordered from boss, it is possible to assume that the atmosphere isn’t fully unconstrained like common thought. Moreover, as the companies put more emphasis on individual achievements and ability, most workers try to work efficiently during their working hours. Therefore, it is unusual to work overtime at night in U.S. contrary to the habituated overtime work in Korea.

Work culture is different owing to its country’s unique cultural background. It’s not important to say which one is better as all different work cultures have advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, it is important to have a correct understanding of your workplace’s culture to build and continue your career, regardless of where you are from.

North American International Auto Show

Do you ever hear of "Detroit  Motor Show"? It is one of the most famous motor shows in the world. The 2015 Show was held already and one of our members want to share interesting points on the show. If you love automobiles, you are going to love this article! Are you ready to read? Let's begin!

North American International Auto Show

Chang Hwan Hwang

Electrical Engineering

Pusan National University

North American International Auto show is one of the well-known motor shows in the world. We are more familiar with the name of ‘Detroit Motor Show’ because it operates in Detroit where is the heart of American automobile industry.  It has 108-year history, since 1907, and is only one official motor show which is certified by Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles (OCIA)¹.  Since it begins in every January, Detroit Motor Show evaluated as the preview of the automobile trend of the year. North American International Auto show began on 12 Jan 2015, and it will be ended on 25 Jan 2015.  In this year, around 60 car makers exhibit 500 automobiles.  The key words of Detroit Motor Show 2015 are the clean energy and the performance car.

It is absolutely interesting that the clean energy and the performance car could be compatible in this show.  Normally, the clean energy has led the trend of motor show because of the matter of the depletion of petroleum.  Of course, many car makers introduce the eco-friendly vehicles in this year.  The GM introduces the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle ‘the Volt’.  Also, Toyota and Hyundai which are leading companies in FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) field, premier ‘the Mirai’ and ‘the Tucson ix’.  In this year, many car makers show the era of hybrid and clean energy vehicle is very close.  For example, the GM has announced that it will produce and sell the Volt from 2016.

However, in this year, the performance cars and the super cars show up in Detroit Motor Show.  For instance, GM premiered the new Cadillac CTS-V, and, Ferrari and Maserati come back to Detroit Motor show.  Driving with these cars is quite far from eco-drive.  They pursue more speed and driving pleasure to satisfy human’s desire.  It means their fuel efficiency and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission rate are definitely terrible.  Why does this type of vehicle grab attention again in this year, even though the depletion of natural resources is accelerating?

Many experts pointed out the main reason of this weird coexistence, the clean energy and the performance car, is current low oil price.  We still don’t know the clear reasons² for low oil price these days, but this phenomenon makes drivers to feel free from the pressure of oil price.  Then, people started to have interests in high-performance car field to enjoy more speed and better driving pleasure.  It is interesting because the era of low oil price for only two months let people to attract the performance car again.  It may be interesting research topic for social science.

Even though you don’t have much interest in automobiles, Detroit Motor Show has many interesting points except these keywords.  Each motor show reveals the characteristic of the country.  For example, ‘pick-up truck’ is introduced only in the U.S. motor show.  Therefore, we can see the characteristic of the U.S. through North American International Auto Show.  Since the U.S. is the country of the automobile, we may have better understanding about the U.S. through this motor show.

1.       The Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles, commonly abbreviatedOICA (English: International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers^[1]), is a federationof automobile manufacturers, based in Paris, founded in 1919.^[1] It coordinates communication among manufacturers, as well as a number of international auto shows. - Wikipedia

2.       The conflict and conspiracy between the U.S. oil industry and OPEC are used to be regarded as the promising reason of low-oil price phenomenon.