Korean wins transvestite pageant in Thailand (Reading Class)

Korean wins transvestite pageant in Thailand

AP photo

Miss International Queen 2010 winner Mini of South Korea

A Korean known as Mini has won the Miss International Queen contest, a pageant for transvestites that organisers said Saturday was for those "interested in beauty and equality".

Mini, who works as a designer, fought off competitors from 15 countries to take the crown as well as 10,000 dollars in prize money at the event held in Thailand's Pattaya beach resort.

The 27-year-old is the first Korean to win the title, organisers said, and she also picked up the best national costume prize.

Judges, who scrutinised faces, skin and posture as well as attitude and intelligence were impressed by Mini's "perfect beauty", a statement from Miss International Queen 2010 said.

Runners up were Ami Takeuchi from Japan, whose occupation was not listed, and Stasha Sanchez, an entertainer from the United States.

Of the 23 contestants, 12 were from Asia, four were European and seven were from the Americas.

 

 

 

N.Korea Fires Artillery Shells into S. Korean Island (Reading Class)

N.Korea Fires Artillery Shells into S. Korean Island

North Korea started firing dozens of artillery towards South Korean waters at the West Sea, located on the Western coast of the Korean peninsula. The incidence happened near the Yeonpyeong Islands at 2:34 PM, Tuesday, November 23rd. Few of the shells fell on residential areas of Yeonpyeong.

South Korea responded by firing back rounds of K-9s towards North Korean waters.

“The attack came during the South Korean army’s annual military exercises involving offshore firing into the southern direction of the West Sea. North Korea started to fire several rounds of artillery towards the South during the exercise, and few have landed on Yeonpyeong island,” said an official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “This is said to have caused a mountain fire in Yeonpyeong Island.”
“The South Korean army fired back with several rounds of K-9 towards the North in response. We also aired a broadcast warning that additional provocations would bring stronger countermeasures,” the official continued.

The fire exchanges went on throughout the afternoon, and the South Korean military issued a heightened alert status for the West Sea region.

Special Thanks to:
Source:

http://kr.news.yahoo.com/service/news/shellview.htm?articleid=2010112316205715198&linkid=4&newssetid=1352

Sunshine (Reading Class)

Sunshine

Lack of sunlight during winter can cause depression.

Depression caused by lack of sunlight is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. For most people afflicted with SAD, symptoms begin in the fall when it becomes dark earlier in the day, and they continue throughout the winter, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Symptoms

1. Symptoms of SAD include decreased energy (particularly in the afternoon), cravings for carbohydrates, depression, increased appetite, loss of interest in daily activities, social withdrawal and increased need for sleep.

Causes

2. SAD may be caused by an overproduction of melatonin, a hormone made during hours of darkness that can disrupt the body's sleep cycles, according to Dr. Gabrielle J. Melin of the Mayo Clinic.

Treatment

3. Patients who suffer from depression due to a lack of sunshine can be treated with light therapy. This involves sitting near a special box that exposes a patient to bright light that mimics the sun. Patients also may be prescribed antidepressant medication.

Risk Factors

4. Women are more likely than men to experience SAD, and those who live further from the equator, either in the extreme north or south, are at a higher risk, the Mayo Clinic reports.

Prognosis

5. Although the disorder may continue throughout the patient's life, the outlook is good with proper treatment. In some cases, however, SAD may progress to major depression that continues throughout the year.

Special Thanks to:
Source:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5622002_depression-due-lack-sunshine.html

Korean junk-food (Tornado Potato)

 Korean junk-food

Tornado Potatoes -- new street-food from South Korea. It's a spiral-cut potato, deep fried and dusted with tangy cheezy powder. Yes, it's unhealthy, but the Koreans have a long way to go if they're going to bridge the US-Korean junk-food gap -- hello, deep-fried Coca-Cola! Get that potato some whipped mayo and maybe some rat-poison (or plutonium) and we'll be in business. 

You can cut these potatoes into any length spiral. The standard spiral chips we sell in South Africa are with the 20cm bamboo skewers, any length skewer will work, as long as it is 5mm thick. For a hungry client, with money to spend, the chipdog option is becoming the favourite.

These commercial potato cutters cut the tornadoes on the skewers, so there is no need to transfer the potatoes after cutting a tornado potato into a twister shaped chip/money maker.