Asia and the World

[Anonymous]

I saw this on PPN. What was interesting was their method of confrontation. People carried long sticks( about 6-7 feetlong)to keep the antiriot police away from them. They could hit the policemen without being touched. But then the police used gas which they could not confront. I admired their smart method. At the end, the police (the Americans)won. They showed the police installing barbed wire around the land(taken away from the farmers).This is part of spreading American democracy in other nations.

[Anonymous]

Its interesting how many Americans talk about the limited freedom of press in places like China and North Korea, and yet most Americans will never know about that large riot against an American military base in South Korea. We are still so provincial in our news coverage. Almost any other foreign language station does a better job at covering the important events happening in the world today. I guess our government doesn't need to manage the news so much since the commercial interests that own the stations do the managing for it. And we're supposed to be the model of democracy for other countries? With an uniformed electorate of whom less than 50% even bother to cast a ballot? Our founding fathers would be ashamed.

[Anonymous]

I suggest a good news outlet for getting info about Asia including Korea is the Washington Times. The website is washtimes.com. On violence in Korea, maybe you weren't aware but street protests with thousands involved is quite common in S. Korea as opposed to N. Korea. They are almost like sporting events and each side pretty much knows what to expect although they do get ugly sometimes. There are protests for all kinds of reasons and anything to do with anti-Americanism these days is pretty popular with the college age set. Most younger Koreans didn't experience the Korean war and have been propagandized by the North so they're somewhat confused about why the US military is there anyway. I've heard there is even some sentiment to remove MacArthur's statue from Inchon, and those same people would probably rather put up a statue of Kim Il Sung or his son instead. So much for a loss of historical perspective! All anyone has to do if they are in Korea is go to Ponmunjon (sp) on the 38th parallel to get a reality check about why the American military presence is more important to Korea than a few rice paddy's. I agree that it's hard to give up the family farm but sometimes a larger view of the situation is required. My thoughts

[Anonymous]

Who is talking about a few rice paddy's?
We are talking about human lives. Human dignity, and human rights!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

I did not read the original article which describes who is losing land to the new military base but it sounds like a case of eminent domain. As for human rights and human dignity, please do some research on the conditions of people in North Korea and about the history of American involvement in Korea after world war 2. I have an uncle who lost his life fighting for the lives, dignity and rights of Koreans and I hope people don't forget that N. Korea still hasn't signed a peace treaty.

[Anonymous]

I haven't actually taught 6th grade where they introduce India and one of the topics that I have seen being mentioned in the text books is the tradition of 'sati', or the process of burning the widow in the funeral pyres of the dead husband. The impression I get from the text books conveys the feeling that 'sati' is a wide spread tradition which it is not. In my continuous stay in India for over 35 years, I never witnessed an incident of 'sati' though news of such happenings do make it's appearance the news once in a blue moon.
The reason I bring up this topic is because I came across such a news today online and it is pasted below -
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Woman commits 'sati' in UP village
[ Friday, May 19, 2006 01:59:08 pmIANS ] Times of India

LUCKNOW: Vidyawati, a 35-year-old woman committed sati by jumping into the blazing funeral pyre of her husband in an Uttar Pradesh village.
The shocking incident took place on Thursday evening in Fatehpur district, about 170 km from the state capital.
According to information reaching the state headquarters here, the incident took place around 6 pm in Rari-Bujurg village under the Binkdi police circle of Fatehpur district.
Fatehpur district superintendent of police Veer Bahadur Singh said: "The incident followed the recovery of the body of Vidyawati's husband, Lakhan Singh, who had been missing since May 15."
The officer said, "Since Lakhan's body was in a highly decomposed state, it was taken straight after the post-mortem for cremation. Vidyawati came down to the cremation ground on the pretext of offering her last homage to her husband, but no sooner was the pyre in full flames than she jumped into it."
Eyewitnesses told the police that one of her relatives did make an attempt to pull Vidyawati out, but failed to do so. Vidyawati was soon reduced to ashes before the eyes of scores of villagers who had gathered to attend the funeral.
The practice of widows immolating themselves in the funeral pyre of their husbands was abolished nearly two centuries ago by Lord William Bentinck under British rule.
Independent India's constitution too has banned it as a social evil that is considered illegal, though many such cases have come to light over the years, especially in the states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
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[Anonymous]

I have been a Kimchi lover for some years and was delighted with an article in the LA Times discussing its many benefits. I fell in love with the simplicity of it and white rice, many moons ago. Oh, sooooo tasty. You can find Kimchi at any local market, usually set along with refrigerated goods. Anyway, grab on to your seats for this. At the Kimchi Research Institute, (can you believe!) they have discovered that hairless mice fed kimchi developed fewer wrinkles. WOW! Also, the Korea Atomic Energy Reseach Institute unveiled a kimchi especially for astronauts to prevent them from becoming constupated. Bet Tia Carmela will be happy about that! Third, a researcher at Ewha Woman's Universtiy in Seoul reported that kimchi lowered stress levels on caged mice by 30%. Crazy, huh? There are bad news. If you are an extremely heavy eater of Kimchi you have a 50% risk of getting stomach cancer. Like anything, kimchi in excess is bad, bad, bad. On the other hand, U.S. mangazine heath listed kimchi in its March issua as one of the world's five most healthful foods. Its lactic acid bacteria helps with digestion and according to some researchers boosts immunity. It is also an excellent source of vitamin C and andtioxidens. So, next time your at the store, don't forget your kimchi.

[Anonymous]

I read the article too and was amazed to find out that there are numerous organizations devoted to the study of Kimchi in Korea. I don't think there is any other country in the world that can be so closely defined by one particular food the way that Korea is with kimchi. When you get off the plane in Korea you suddenly notice a pervasive odor in the air and everywhere you go as well. That's right, kimchi. There are hundreds of varieties but the most common is the Chinese cabbage version saturated in a spicey sauce. Maybe this article is a sign of the future popularity of Korean cuisine. Although most everybody is familiar with a few Japanese and Chinese dishes, Korean cuisine is yet to be a popular discovery although I believe it is far superior to the latter two. Not to mention the health content in much of what is served in the typical Korean meal. I think an interesting way to introduce a unit on Korea to any classroom would be to provide a sampling of some rice and kimchi for those willing to take the challenge. After that, revealing the ingredients would get a round of ruckus laughter as well. By the way, I just finished a fresh bowl of Kimchi-Chigae (kimchi casserole) but it hasn't done a thing for my wrinkles. If you would like some suggestions for a good Korean restraunt close to the UTLA bldg. let me know.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I'm always in for some good food. Outside of Tofu House which I thought was awsome I am at a loss. Please suggest away.

[Anonymous]

There are many good Korean restraunts near the UTLA bldg. but 2 that are standouts are ChoSun Kalbi which is on Olympic right near Western. It has great Kalbi (marinated ribs) and an ultral modern atmosphere. The other is Hodori which is open 24 hours and has all kinds of dishes (pictured on the wall) at reasonable pricing and is located on Vermont and Olympic. Have fun!

[Anonymous]

I compiled this write-up since the tradition of 'dowry' generally permeates every family in India-
>>>>>>>>>>>.
DOWRY Tradition of India

If you check the definition of ‘dowry’ in The New Lexicon Webster’s Dictionary’ (1987), it reads: “the money, land or other possessions which a woman brings to her husband under a marriage contract”.
The concept of ‘dowry’ in India is of ancient Hindu origin; however, in Hinduism, marriage is not a ‘contract’.
At the present time, the concept of ‘dowry’ has generally taken up the nature of being a social evil because cases of the bridegroom’s family asking hefty amount of wealth, from the family of the bride, in cash or property abound. Sad to say that at times, a newly-wed bride can be a target of many jibes and taunts in her husband’s house for ‘not bring enough dowry’. At times, this has fatal consequences leading to the bride being killed or committing suicide.
Though this tradition has taken a shape of a social evil, its origin was wholly noble. In ages past, the reason a dowry was given to the bride by her family was because it represented her share of the property. This served two purposes – one, since travel was not easy and the major asset comprised of land or house, it was not feasible for the daughter of the house to keep an eye on her share of the property once she was married, usually away from her village. Second, since society was highly agrarian (which it still is despite the advancement in technology), it prevented the land being divided and sub-divided into smaller holdings and prevented ancestral property from going to the other (bridegroom’s) family.
As time went by, this ‘noble’ tradition became a victim of decadence. The bridegroom’s family started demanding wealth from the bride’s family, mostly, as a ‘refund’ for all the money that the former had ‘invested’ in educating and getting a job for their son. The bride’s family, mostly, takes hefty loans to pay this dowry and might not get out of this debt for a generation or more. It is for this reason, at times, that couples are not happy when a girl is born because they start being anxious about how to get their daughter married off (marriage is mostly arranged) to a good suitor. Innumerable families go through this trauma caused by a social norm.
In recent times, there has been an increase in the acceptance of youth ‘having an affair’
(traditionally scorned at) and deciding to get married on their own without the elders in the family intruding. More and more cases are occurring where educated couple decide not to get involved in the give-and-take of dowry. Additionally, with the increase in higher education, women increasingly are confident about being able to support themselves on their own. However, since old habits (“traditions”) die hard, it might be a few generations before the end of this institution will become a norm.

[Anonymous]

I thought you might find it interesting that "dowry" is ALSO the money. land, or material that a man gives or promisses to give to the bride at any time after marriage. So it seems like it is used both ways.
If you do not beleive me try Marriam-Webster. Ofcourse it is worded differently from mine.

Here is another interesting word that I found while I was following up on your little reasearch."TROUSSEAU"(I wish I knew how to pronounce it"), it means:

the personal possessions of a bride usually including clothes, accessories, and household linens and wares.

I don't think the groom can claim any of the stuff.

I wish we could hear more about this give and take concept from different cultures!!!

[clay dube]

Many have been impressed by Chinese acrobatic performances. Once one could only see these in China, but now there are countless traveling groups performing throughout the US. Teachers and students may be interested in the training such performers go through. New York Times reporter Howard French and photographer Chang W. Lee visited a training center and produced an online slide show. Please take a look and comment on it.

NY Times slide show

[Anonymous]

Hi Reza,

The word trousseau is one I'm familiar with - and it is pronounced "true-sew". At the time of my marriage, my mother in law gave me a gift of money in order to help pay for my "trousseau". She was partly joking, I think, but I do believe that this practice has not disappeared entirely in the US. I certainly appreciated starting my married life with a nice wardrobe, as I think most men would as well.

In terms of dowries, while I can see the point of view put forth in Saturday's session that it is in some ways power for the woman to bring a large dowry, at heart I can't help but feel it shows the inequalities between the woman and her husband. It was presented as a channel for women to take their inheritance early, however I would not think that most women in East Asia in the periods we have been studying would have had control of their own dowry. It really is quite different from an inheritance, isn't it? The woman really was not allowed to own anything substantial herself, right? So what we could say accurately is that it was a way for the woman's family to gift her husband's family with what would have been an eventual inheritance. The woman is still out of the power loop.

Is it just me or did anyone else see the presentation of dowries, infanticide and foot binding as sources of power for women as a bit too much of a lemonade from lemons interpretation? I do believe we should examine all elements of these events and try and understand them as being situated in a different time and place, however why do we need to take such pains to avoid stating the obvious and perhaps most important fact - women suffered in tangible ways from a lower status and the resulting inequalities. Or am I just a crazy old feminist?

Enjoyed the information Saturday and saw much truth, but got found the perspective odd. I can't help but wonder if we would use these same positive lenses to filter historical information when evaluating other power imbalances. What do you think?

[Anonymous]

Hi Ricki,

NO Ricki,you are not a crazy old feminist!. I agree with you 200%.
It just breaks my heart to read all the cruelty that history has had towards women.
Unfortunately I am not in your class to enjoy your discussions. I only benefit long-distance.

Can you post a picture of your wedding ceremony? That would be so nice!

Reza

[Author]

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