Korean Embassy Schools to Admit Foreign Students

South Korea is pushing for overseas Korean schools to admit non-Korean students as part of efforts to nurture talent well-versed in Korean culture and boost the competitiveness of the schools, the education ministry said Wednesday.

Under a revised bill submitted to the National Assembly, schools reserved for Korean nationals and compatriots in foreign countries can fill up to 30 percent of their total enrollment with non-Korean students.

Currently, 30 Korean schools in 15 countries including China, Japan and Egypt provide Korean students there with primary and secondary school courses, according to the ministry.

As hallyu, or the Asia-wide popularity of Korean TV dramas, films and pop music, has increased people’s interest in Korea and its language, there have been noticeable increases in the number of non-Koreans taking relevant courses or the official Korean language proficiency test, according to the culture ministry. Currently, some 840 colleges worldwide offer courses on Korean culture or language.

“The revision aims to further promote the Korean wave and to raise future leaders with a good understanding of Korea,” said Lim Jin-dae, an official of the Secretariat of the National Assembly.

“Competition among the Korean and foreign students is also expected to boost the competitiveness of the schools on the international arena,” he added.

Source

Pakistani Female Paratroupers

Arif Lohar - One of the Best

Arif Lohar is our family favourite especially my mother. She also remembered his father whenever Arif performed.

I think he has one of the most powerful voices in Pakistan. I was shocked in a positive way to see that he sang the following song. I always wanted to invite him to perform with his drummers in Seoul Drum Festival.

One of his interviews is here.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Title Song Lyrics | Arif Lohar

Movie: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy
Singer: Arif Lohar
Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi

Another song from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag with awesome lyrics. Prasoon Joshi as a lyricist has done a good job whereas the song is sung by Arif Lohar, who is a Punjabi folk singer from Pakistan, and the music is given by Shankar Ehsaan Loy. It is hoped that you will like the complete lyrics. There is one more version (Rock version) of the song which is sung by the son of Shankar Mahadevan, Siddharth Mahadevan.

Arey shanti maar raha sansaar
Ab tu aane de lalkaar
Teri to baahein patwaar
Kadam hain tere haahakaar

Teri nas-nas loha tar
Tu hai aag milkha
O bas tu bhaag milkha

Arey chhod de beete kal ki bori
Kaat de rassi sutli dori
Tujhse poochhegi ye matti
Karke saans saans ko bhatti

Ab tu jaag milkha
Bas tu bhaag milkha

Ho sariya, ho kashti
O sariya o sariya
O mod de aag ka dariya
O kashti o kashti
O doob jaane mein hi hai hasti

Ho jungle ho jungle
Aaj shehron se hai tera dangal
Ab tu bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag milkha
Ab tu bhaag milkha

Dhuaan dhuaan dhamkaaye dhool
Raha na rode bode shool

Taan le armaanon ke chaaku
Mushkil ho gayi saari daaku
Tu ban ja naag naag naag naag naag milkha
Ab tu bhaag milkha

Tera to bistar hai maidaan
Todna dharti teri shaan
Tere sirhaane hai chattan
Pehen le poora aasmaan

Tu pagdi baandh milkha
Ab tu bhaag milkha bhaag milkha bhaag milkha
Ab tu bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag milkha
Ab tu bhaag Milkha

Ho ghanvar bhanvar hai
Chakkar chakkar chakkar
Godi mein uthaaya man ne
Chakkar chakkar chakkar chakkar
Godi mein uthaaya man ne
Chakkar chakkar chakkar chakkar

Bhanvar bhanvar hai aaj khel tu
Bhanvar ko khel bana de
Aandhiyaan rel bana le
Patkhani de uljhan ko
Cheekh bana de sargam ko
O chakkar o chakkar
O chakkar chakkar chakkar

Utaar ke phenk de sab janjaal
Beete kal ka har kankal
Tere talve hain pairi naal
Tujhe to karna hai har haal
Ab tu jaag milkha jaag milkha jaag Milkha
Ab tu bhaag Milkha

Khol tu rakh ke pahiye khol
Bana ke chakkar Sudarshan bol
Jam ke feete kas ke baandh
Khuli hai aaj sher ki maang

Tu goli daag milkha daag Milkha daag Milkha
Ab tu bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag Milkha
Ab tu bhaag Milkha

Daant se kaat le bijli taar
Chaba le tambe ki chhankaar
Phoonk de khud ko jwala jwala
Bin khud jale hoye na ujala

Lipat hai aag milkha aag milkha aag milkha
Ab tu bhaag Milkha
Ab tu jaag Milkha
Tu ban ja naag Milkha
Tu pagdi baandh Milkha
Tu goli daag Milkha
Oh tu hai aag Milkha
Oh tu bhaag Milkha
Ab tu bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag bhaag Milkha
Ab tu bhaag Milkha

Taiwan Offers Free Wi-Fi

Now tourists and locals alike could enjoy using free wifi across the country

Taiwan became one of the first countries in the world to offer free Wi-Fi on a mass scale to its citizens, and now it is extending that to any foreign tourist, also for free, in a move that will gain it a lot of goodwill.
The Taiwan government-backed free “iTaiwan” wireless network launched in 2011, and now has about 4,400 hotspots in major tourist spots, transportation hubs, cultural establishments and government offices all over the island country.
Citizens needed just their local phone number to register and then use the semi-fast 1 MBPS service.
Now, for foreign vistors, who generally have trouble getting a local SIM in the country (two forms of identity, etc), the process of tapping these wi-fi networks has been made a lot easier starting this month.
Visitors can open an iTaiwan account at a Taiwan Tourism Bureau counter/center, show their passport as ID and that’s it: they can login using their account, on their digital devices.
In addition, iTaiwan has established roaming agreements with four local governments so that tourists also have access in Taipei City, New Taipei, Taichung and Tainan.

Source: CNN

Malala Celebrated her Birthday with a Cake

Malala, before her speech, cut her birthday cake made in the shape of books , seen with Tina Brown, editor in cheif of The Daily Beast

Beyonce, also wished Malala on her birthday, that's nice!

Click here to see that Aishwereya Rai and John Legend also wished Malala on her birthday.

Angelina Jolie on Malala Fund , click here.

Bacha Khan

When I was young, history was taught more on the lines of government's likes and dislikes. We heard of Bacha Khan but at school and in our history books there was no mention of it. He was portrayed as someone who was "anti-Pakistan" and wanted a separate homeland for Pushtons. Over the years,I read about him and have grown to admire him for his contribution.

Malala mentioned aside from others in her speech Badshah Khan also known as Bacha Khan or Khan Ghaffar Khan and that caught my attention — Khan is not the most well-known of figures, but he’s one that I admire — and when I watched Malala’s speech, I found him in some pretty significant company:

I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there was a gun in my hand and he was standing in front of me, I would not shoot him. This is the compassion I have learned from Mohammed, the prophet of mercy, Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This the legacy of change I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. This is the philosophy of nonviolence that I have learned from Gandhi, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learned from my father and from my mother. This is what my soul is telling me: be peaceful and love everyone.

That’s really quite a paragraph. And if the lives and thoughts of Gandhi or Mother Theresa, Mandela or Martin Luther King, Buddha, Christ or Muhammad seem important to you, and you are unaware of Bacha or Badshah Khan, I can recommend to you Eknath Easwaran‘s Nonviolent Soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan: A Man to Match His Mountains.

In these times of religious conflict too, it is worth noting that this young Muslim woman speaks, on her sixteenth birthday and before the UN General Assembly, of the inspiration she has received not only from fellow Muslims — from the Prophet of her own faith, Muhammad, from the Father of her Nation, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and from Benazir Bhutto, whom she terms shaheed or martyr — but also from Buddha, Christ, and Gandhi, a Hindu.

Do watch -  Frontier Gandhi: A Forgotten Hero

Source

Malala's Speech to the UN

Watch here.
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girl shot by the Taliban for advocating education for girls, marked her 16th birthday with an impressive speech at the United Nations, where she said education could change the world.
Wearing a pink head scarf, Malala told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and nearly 1,000 students from around the world attending a Youth Assembly at UN headquarters in New York that education was the only way to improve lives.
"Let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution," she said.
"The terrorists thought that they would change my aims and stop my ambitions but nothing changed in my life, except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born."
The UN has declared her birthday, July 12, as "Malala Day".

Malala Yousafzai's address to the UN - full video

The Pakistani teenager, who first came to public attention at the age of 11 for speaking out against a ban on girls' education, was shot in the neck and head by Taliban gunmen last October on her way home from school in Pakistan.
She left a Birmingham hospital in February after she recovered from surgery during which doctors mended parts of her skull with a titanium plate and inserted a cochlear implant in her left ear to help restore hearing.
Malala used her speech at the UN to ask the UN secretary-general and any listening world leaders on the need to keep a promise to provide universal primary education by the end of 2015.
She also handed over a petition to Ban signed by about four million people calling on the 193 UN members to finance teachers, schools and books to meet the education.
"From the day that terrible shooting - assassination attempt - took place, Malala Yousafzai is a symbol for the rights of girls, and indeed the rights of all young people, to an education," said UN spokesman Martin Nesirky.
Taliban threats
UN Special Envoy for Global Education, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, said Friday's event was not just a celebration of Malala's birthday and her recovery, but of her vision.
"Her dream that nothing, no political indifference, no government inaction, no intimidation, no threats, no assassin's bullets should ever deny the right of every single child ... to be able to go to school," said Brown.

Now, more girls are attending schools in the Swat Valley. But the UN estimates that 57 million children of primary school age do not get an education - half of them in countries at conflict, such as Syria.
Pakistan has 5 million children out of school, a number only surpassed by Nigeria, which has more than 10 million children out of school, according to UN cultural agency UNESCO. Most of those are girls.
James Bays, Al Jazeera's Diplomatic Editor, reporting from the United Nations, said that campaigners for global education are hoping that this speech will make a change in trying to encourage countries around the world, to support the plan to try and get all children in school by 2015.
According to Ban's annual report on children and conflict, 115 schools were attacked last year in Mali, 321 in the occupied Palestinian territories, 167 in Afghanistan, and 165 in Yemen.
Malala and her family briefly left Swat during a government offensive on the Taliban-controlled territory.
On their return, they were threatened by armed groups before the attack on October 9 last year.
The family now lives in Birmingham, where Malala has undergone surgery and rehabilitation. In March, Malala joined pupils at Edgbaston High School for Girls in the neighbourhood.
She is one of the favourites to become the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate this year.
She has already been named as one of Time magazine's most influential people in 2013 and has reportedly secured a $3m contract for a book on her life story.

Malala's Forgotten Sisters: read here.

Malala Leaving for New York

Ban, Ki-moon calls her "Daughter of the UN"

Ban, Ki-moon talking to Malala on Skype and he said that he is looking forward to meeting her!
For the video and her chit chat with Ban, click here.

Picking Blueberries in Korea

Jang Mi-ran's Special lecture!

Retired Olympic weightlifting champion Jang Mi-ran is greeted by students at Il Shin Girls’ High School in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Thursday while heading to the platform for a special lecture. (Yonhap News)

Retired Olympic weightlifting champion Jang Mi-ran gave a special lecture at a provincial girls’ high school Thursday.

She emphasized following one’s dreams and taking on challenges to the students of Il Shin Girls’ High School in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.

“Keep in mind three things: opportunities, choice and challenge. Like I realized my dream through weightlifting, I hope that you can find and accomplish what you can do,” she said. “Do your utmost in the one thing that you believe you can do the best in the world. You will get good results if you try to the end with confidence.”

She also spoke about how she became a weightlifter and how hard she tried to be a world champion.

Her lecture at the school was made at its students’ invitation. They sent Jang about 80 hand-written letters from April that moved her to give a lecture.

The school has arranged for such a special lecture once or twice a year for about a decade.

So far, former North Chungcheong Province Gov. Lee Won-jong, former Justice Minister Kang Kum-sil, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Kathleen Stephens and South Chungcheong Province Gov. Ahn Hee-jung have lectured at the school.

In July last year, then-presidential candidate Park also had a dialogue with students of the school.

Established in March 1968, Il Shin Girls’ High School has thus far produced about 25,000 graduates.

Read details at Source

Ramadan in Sweden

Swedish Muslims north of the Arctic circle have long waited for and feared this summer. When the sun never sets, they have pondered how to observe Ramadan, when devout Muslims fast from sun up to sun down for a month.

"Kiruna is as high up as you get in Sweden, the sun never sets during this month," Ali Melhem, 45, who has lived in Kiruna for 24 years told The Local. As the fasting month is set by the moon, Ramadan usually moves about 10 days forward in the calender each year, which means this is the first summer it has proved a 24-hour dilemma for Melhem.

"When I first moved here, Ramadan was in the spring."

In attendance for the day when Ramadan would run smack bang into the near three-month stretch of never-ending sun, Shia Muslim Melhem has not remained idle in doing his research.

"My wife and I couldn't make that choice, so we've consulted mullahs from Iraq to Iran. They say we can wait to fast until the autumn," he said, adding that some Sunni Muslims in Kiruna have chosen to break their fast when the sun sets over Mecca as a solution to their dilemma. Ramadan this years started on July 9th and should last until August 7th.

"I did check if I could follow the sun times in a nearby Swedish town like Luleå or Umeå, but even fasting for 23 hours a day is a bit difficult," father-of-three Melhem said.

There is still no consensus, however, on how Muslims living in Scandinavia should observe Ramadan without jeopardizing their health, according to Omar Mustafa, president of the Islamic League in Sweden.

"Several imams and organisations have different opinions. It is up to each individual to decide, but it is not meant that you should fast around the clock. Islam provides many options," Mustafa told the media.

Ramadan is an annual observance by Muslims who are obliged to fast from dawn to sunset for a month often in summer. Many abstain from sexual relations as well as food, drink and smoking. Islam does allow some exceptions from participating in the annual fast such as pregnant women, diabetics and the elderly.

In nearby Finland it is also a problem with up to 21 hours of daylight during the summer. A compromise has been suggested by Imam Abdul Mannan, president of the Islan Society of Northern Finland.

"The Egyptian scholars say that if the fasting days are long - more than 18 hours - then you can follow the Mecca time or Medina time, or the nearest Muslim country time," he said.

"The other point of view from the Saudi scholars says whatever the day is - long or short - you have to follow the local time."

Malala Day Tomorrow - July 12th.

Go Sign the Petition: Takes 30 Seconds

It is Malala's Birthday tomorrow, she will turn 16. As a gift, sign the petition and that might help a few hundred if not millions of kids to get access to education. This post is cross-posted from DWR (Dead Wild Roses).

The most remarkable ability that could be attributed to me at the age of fifteen was having not crushed my skull or lost a significant amount of my digits doing stupid shit.  Ms.Yousafzai has considerably less going for her, but is doing considerably more.  She is fighting for right for children to be educated.
This is what she wrote:

On 15 June fourteen girls were murdered in Pakistan simply because they wanted an education. Many people know my story but there are stories every day of children fighting for an education. The basic right to education is under attack around the world.
We need change now and I need your help to achieve it.
You can help me and girls and boys across the world. We are asking the United Nations General Assembly to fund new teachers, schools, books and recommit to getting every girl and boy in school by December 2015.
This July 12th is my 16th birthday and I am personally delivering this petition to the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.
I became a victim of terrorism after I spoke out in favour of education of girls. These innocent girls killed in Pakistan have nothing to do with politics and only wanted to empower themselves through education.
If we want to bring change, if we want progress, if we want development, if we want the education of girls, we should be united. We should not wait. We should do it now.

Go sign the petition.   I did.  Take the 30 seconds and get it done.



   READ MORE ON THIS HERE.

Ramadan Begins on Wednesday, July 10th in Saudi

Ramadan moon has not been sighted in  Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE,
Palestine and Jordan and Wednesday, July 10, is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

The UAE's moon sighting committee has announced that tomorrow, Tuesday 9 July 2013, will be the 30th day of the month of Sha'aban and accordingly, Wednesday 10 July 2013 will be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

Since South Korea follows Saudia Arabia, hence, Ramadan will start from Wednesday.

For Ramadan Prayer Times , click here.

Suger cane Juice in Myeongdong!

I couldn't believe my eyes but that's a fact.
Price - well quite cheap:2500won!
Back home, it's for 500won only!

2013 SICAF (Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival)

As one of the big international cartoon and animation festivals in Korea, SICAF is presenting a special event visitors at any age can enjoy. The Seoul Animation Center will feature exhibitions of artworks of SICAF award-winning authors and other fun activities children can participate, including ‘Yocheol the Master Inventor’ and ‘Nostalgia Animation Show Screening’. Namsan Arts Center and the Literature House will hold diverse exhibitions as well such as the in celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In Myeongdong, aspiring authors’ individual exhibitions will be held at coffee shops and restaurants so that they can interact with audience.

• When: July 23 – 28, 2013
• Where: Mt. Namsan and the Myeongdong area
• Reservation: tickets available at the gate, or book online (click here)
• More info: (02)3455-8403, plan.sicaf@gmail.com, http://new.sicaf.org/xe/sicafmain_eng

Seoul Taekwondo Demonstration Program Every Day (Don't Miss) Until Nov.3rd. 2013

Come Enjoy Korean Martial Arts Demonstrations!
No visit to Seoul would be complete without experiencing martial arts demonstrations! The popular Seoul Taekwondo Demonstration Program has returned this year and it will now include Taekkyeon, an ancient Korean bare-hand martial art. Demonstrations and performances will be held at frequently visited tourist destinations from May 16 (Thu) to November 3 (Sun).

Namsangol Hanok VillageLive demonstrations blending Taekwondo, traditional Korean music and dance will be held daily (excluding Tuesdays). In addition to the taekwondo demonstrations, visitors will be able to try taekwondo and various other related activities in the Taekwondo Experience Program for Foreigners. Participants will get the opportunity to wear a dobok (taekwondo uniform), learn about taekwondo theories and mediations and basic taekwondo techniques such as kicking, board-smashing and the art of self-defense.

Taekwondo DemonstrationsDates: May 16 - November 3, 2013 (excluding July or August)
Time: 4 - 5 pm, everyday except on Tuesdays
Venue: Namsangol Hanok Village Chunwoogak Stage
※ The Namsangol Hanok Village is closed on Tuesdays.

* Special opening event on Thursday May 16, 4 pm which will include Taekwondo, Taekkyeon, and hands-on experiences.

Hands-on Taekwondo Experience Program for ForeignersDates: May 16 - November 3, 2013 (excluding July or August)
Times: 11am, 2pm, 5pm, everyday except on Tuesdays
Venue: Namsangol Hanok Village Pigeumjeong Square
※ The Namsangol Hanok Village is closed on Tuesdays.
If you wish to participate in the Taekwon Experience Program, please reserve at least a day ahead at www.taekwonseoul.org or call 02-6939-7748. Demonstrations will not be held during the months of June or July due to heat.


Gwanghwamun SquareInterpretive Taekwondo Performance
An artistic and creative Taekwondo performance using Hangul, the Korean national alphabet.
Dates: May 16 - November 3, 2013 (excluding July or August)
Time: 4 - 5 pm, everyday except on Mondays
Venue: Gwanghwamun Square


Taekkyeon DemonstrationsLive Taekkyeon demonstrations and battles that anyone can enjoy.
Dates: May 16 - November 3, 2013 (excluding July or August)
Time: 4 - 5 pm, Fridays and Saturdays
Venue: Fridays at Insadong Naminsa Performance Hall, Saturdays at Sejong-ro Park (next to Sejong Center for Performing Arts)

• 
  Taekwondo Demonstration
• 
  Taekwondo Demonstration
• 
  Taekwondo Demonstration
• 
  Taekwondo Experience Program
• 
  Taekkyeon Demonstration
• 
  Taekkyeon Demonstration

FREE PERFORMANCES EVERY THURSDAY AT DEOKSUGUNG PALACE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 26TH.2013

Every Thursday evening until September 26 at Deoksugung (Palace), enjoy traditional Korean performances (pansori, geomungo sanjo, taepyungmu...) hosted by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Performances begin at 7:30 pm at the Jeonggwanheon pavilion inside the palace and are free of charge. It costs 1,000 won to enter the palace grounds.

Gangnam Tourist Information Center

Gangnam Tourist Information Center has recently opened so if you have any questions about visiting Gangnam - sites and sounds or Medical Tourism - conttact them!

Marronnier Summer Festival ) near Daehang-no

Enjoy camping, festivities and culture all at the Marronnier Summer Festival from July 16 to July 27 at the Hanguk Performing Arts Center in Daehangno. The Marronnier Summer Festival will feature block parties, camping, music concerts, talk shows, workshops and other activies to advocate summer vacationing in the city.

Musical, Tap Dance, Concert, Modern Dance and other performances
A total of 7 performances will be shown at the Marronnier Summer Festival. Along with Hanguk Performing Arts Center's most popular dance performance by "Modern Table", musical, tap dance, story telling concert, fusion Korean classical music performances are going to be shown during the festival. A 3 show package tickets can be purchased for 22,000 won, or a package ticket for all 7 shows can be purchased for just 33,000 won.


Experience Camping in the City,
Dozens of tents will be set up at the parking lot of the Arko Arts Theater throughout the festival. Campers will be able to enjoy mini acoustic band concerts, delcious midnight snacks, late night movies and more. Reservations can be made for parties of 4, at 10,000 per person.


Other ActivitiesOther activities include late Night Booktalks and used books sales at the bookstore located on the 1st floor of the Danhangno Performing Arts Center, food workshop using garden vegetables, Indian Teepee building, live broadcasting and more.

Contact:

Address

Jongno-gu Iwha-dong, Seoul

Date(s)

2013-07-16 ~ 2013-07-27

Website

www.hanpac.or.kr/

Han Hye-jin of Jumong Fame got Married!

Footballer Ki Sung-yueng and actress Han Hye-jin have tied the knot at the Intercontinental Hotel in southern Seoul, Monday.

Both the groom and the bride said with one voice, “It’s the happiest day of my life,” at the press conference before the wedding ceremony.

After the wedding, the Swansea City midfielder will head to the United Kingdom for a team training while the actress, 32, will stay in Korea until the end of July to finish her agenda.

The newlyweds will set up homes in Korea and the U.K.