Saturday, October 27, 2012

Ballet: Swan Lake

Ballets are majestic. Ballerinos and ballerinas have undergone such rigorous training to have fluid and graceful body movement that I sit in awe when I go to a ballet. I'm certainly not an authority on dance or ballet but I have seen ballet transitions in Korea since coming in 1991. Back in the early 1990s I went to a ballet - yes, just a single one, but I was surprised that the movements in the ballet were rather choppy and abrupt. For example, the dancers would make quick arm or leg movements away from the body, pause faintly, and then jerk the appendage back. Several of my colleagues and I were rather surprised that the movements weren't fluid and flowing.
 
From what I saw years ago and what I'm seeing now in the theater, there are big differences in fluidity and grace. Now, the dancing is gentle, gliding and ethereal.
 
Another difference I'm noting is that Korean ballet performances employ more dancers than the performances in the the US. I haven't been to many ballets in the states, so am not sure whether this is true or not, but Korea does seem to fill the stage in big performances with a lot of background dancers. This might be because the dance culture in Korea is so popular, even pop stars have large groups of backup dancers dancing, which is kind of culturally accepted for music performances here, so why shouldn't a ballet be profoundly glorious with many graceful background dancers too?
 
Tonight's performance was Swan Lake. And the swan glided around the lake "singing" her final song. Note the final picture below or the large number of ballerinas, and just imagine them floating around the lake in simultaneous choreographed graceful dance!
 
 

 


Friday, October 12, 2012

Breast Cancer Quadruples in 15 Years

Friday, October 12, 2012, the article "Breast Cancer Quadruples in 15 Years" in the Korean Herald really shocked my co-workers and was talked about in the hallways and probably just as noisily off campus. People I came into contact with were rocked by the astonishing escalation of breast cancer and the conversations extended to other types of cancers becoming some commonly diagnosed nowadays. I'm not a person who posts newspaper articles, but this one must be documented for the wider reading public. It not only documents an underlying problem that needs identification within Korea, but mirrors a major problem that is epidemic in developing and developed countries.


The Article by Cho Chung-un

Number of patients in their 50s and 60s has sharply increasedThe number of Korean women diagnosed with breast cancer quadrupled over the last 15 years due to a more westernized lifestyle and lower birth and breastfeeding rates, health experts said.

According to a report by the Korea Breast Cancer Society, the number of patients with the disease surged to 16,398 in 2010 from 3,801 in 1996. The number of breast cancer patients in the population per 100,000 people also jumped to 67.2 in 2010 from 16.7 in 1996, it added.
The association said the number of breast cancer cases in Korea would pass the 20,000-mark soon ― possibly within this year or the next.

The research also found that the disease is increasing at a more rapid rate among women in their 50s and 60s, particularly after they reach menopause, a pattern often detected in western countries. Meanwhile, the rate of patients in their 40s dropped to 37 percent from 40 percent. Previously, the growth rate of breast cancer in Korea was relatively high among women in that age group.

“There are still many cases of breast cancer found in patients in their 40s but we need to focus on the growth rate of the disease in women over their 50s, which clearly reflects the patterns of Western countries,” said Park Chan-heun, chairman of the cancer society in Korea.

About 49 percent of cases occurred in post-menopausal women in 2010, a more than 10 percentage point increase from 39.1 percent in 1996. The median age of Korean breast cancer patients also increased from 46 to 49 in the same period.

“More breast cancer cases have been recently found among middle-aged women or baby boomers because they were active in joining the workforce, leading to the low birth and breastfeeding rates,” he said.
The good news is that the proportion of cancers detected early ― diagnosed in stages 0 and 1 ― is also on rise, thanks to an increase in breast cancer screening rates. Patients diagnosed with breast cancer stages 2-4 made up 47.5 percent of those diagnosed in 2010, down from 76.2 percent in 1996.

The proportion of patients with asymptomatic cancers also surged from 6.4 percent in 1996 to 32.7 percent in the same period. An increasing number of women opted for breast-conserving therapies rather than radical mastectomy, or removing the breast.

The increase in early detection has contributed to lowering the death rate of the disease. The death rate for breast cancer in Korea remains one of the lowest among OECD-member countries. About 5.3 in a population of 100,000 die, the report said.

Watching for breast cancer is necessary for every woman over 30.

“Women in their 30s need to start self-examinations for breast cancer every month while those in their 40s need to do a breast screening once every year,” Park said.

Three or five days after menstruation is the right time for a self-examination because the texture of breasts becomes soft at that time, experts said. Those who have had breast removal or who have reached menopause need to set regular dates three times a month for a self-examination.

To lower the risk of breast cancer, doctors suggest having the first child in the early 20s, breastfeeding and maintaining a healthy weight.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Sculptures around Kyungpo Lake

On the southern side of Kyungpo Lake are a long line of culturally crafted sculptures depicting traditional scenes of Joseon culture. Most are a humorous rendition of an age that's passed and remembered in textbooks but not in the nostalgic memory of living Koreans today. I find the sculptures clever and enjoy reconstructing the meaning of each, which are not shared because it would take just too much time.

아버지 홍판서와부인 유씨
길동을 아끼는 이복형 홍인형
길동일 어릴 적동네 친구들
   
긴동의 친어머니 춘섬
홍판서의칩기생 초란
부자간을 이간하는 관상녀
길동의 방을 침입하는 자객
도적 텁석부리와 졸개들
재물을 나뉘주는의적 활빈당원들
활빈당에게 곤장 맞는 탐과사또
재물을 나눠받고 좋아하는 백성들
백성을 괴롭히는 홍청앙청 포졸을
푸대 속애 갇힌 포도대장
고민하는 조선국 임금
망탄산의 요괴 우농들
길동의 부인이 부인이 되는 백룡의 딸
평화로운 율도국 백성
울도국 충신 김현충 장군
나라를 내 준 율도국의 임금
총명하고 힘찬 청년 홍길동

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Kangneung Vicinity Hiking Trails

I've been visiting Kangneung for its beauty and a quick place to escape with water, sunshine and nature for the past several years. By express bus it takes about 3 hours from Seoul, add an hour for subway transportation in Seoul and an hour of local bus to get to the lake/beach and the 5-hour trip is doable, even for a day-trip if arriving early and leaving on one of the late buses.
 
Anyway, in the past year or two there has been a lot of development around Kangneung area. The path circling the lake has been broadened and exercise equipment set up in a couple of spots, scenic benches and tiny pavilions are scattered around the lake, but even better is the growing number of extensive hiking trails connecting the lake, different parts of Kangneung and wandering out to various beaches and through rice fields. So far, 14 color-coded trails have been built, varying from 9.4 kilometers to 18.5 kilometers. At present, there are 74.4 kilometers of trail for people to wander along. When a person gets to the express bus terminal in Kangneung, a tour map of the trails can be picked up at the tourist information booth in front of the terminal. The pictures below are snippets from the tour map. And would I just love love love to hike all of these trails as the setting can be quite picturesque here still. 
 
 
This map is the extensive 74.4 kilometer network of hiking trails that have been built so far in the Kangneung area. (I think construction is mostly complete although I did see evidence of landscaping in some spots and wonder why when nature in its raw beauty is so much more beautiful - and easy to 'care for' - than human landscaped scenes.)

 
These particular trails that weave through or go near the relatively newly built wind-power generators are some trails that I would like to go on to see the great (but very destructive) generators. So far, these generators have not been productive, and since they are no longer one or two years old, tours don't seem to be offered anymore. I spent hours trying to figure out how to get a tour of the compound but it seems they've been curtailed. I am very much against these generators for several reasons, the first being that they are built in air-streams which birds use for flight, which means that birds fly into these things all the time and dead birds pile up under them. I wanted to see if people were allowed near enough to see this kind of destruction of wildlife and wanted to ask questions about the bird population before and since. However, I don't think people would be allowed near the generators as I've read that these cause great buzzing in the head and are harmful for humans biorhythms. I have so many questions about these things!


Trail #5 goes around Kyungpo Lake, connects with the yellow marked trail or goes kind of along the east sea beach down to a neighboring village. Trail #5 is the one I plan to walk first, and then spend the night in 슨바람다리 and then the next day take Trail #6 inland. Trail #6 goes along a relatively unpopulated stretch so the clean air, the leisurely or brisk walk and just the pleasure of being away from stifling Seoul would such a pleasure to enjoy!

 
OK, I've taken many pictures and shared them from Kyungpo Lake, but here are some more. The beauty of the lake is so spectacular in the fall. Some of these pictures were taken in a light autumnal rain. The birds didn't mind so I didn't either.






Saturday, October 6, 2012

Birds at Kyungpo Lake, Gangneung - part I

In a pavillion beside Kyungpo Lake in Kangneung on the east coast is a collection of the bird pictures and data on migrating birds that populate the lake at various times of year. Designed for educational purposes, the pavillion along with pay-as-you-use binoculars for spotting the birds and zooming in on their colorful markings help to raise awareness of the fast disappearing wildlife around Kyungpo Lake. The pavillion was built for educational purposes, especially since most Koreans are urban-dwellers and the younger generations are clueless about wildlife. So in the pavillion at least 40 birds populating the lake are identified with pictures, names, height & weight, breeding times, migration times when passing through or residing at Kyungpo Lake. Following are the 40 identified birds along with their names in English and Korean.

Great Cormorant 민물가마우리
Great Scaup 검은ㄱ머리횐죽지
Great Egret 중대백로
Common Greenshank 청다리도요
Grey Heron 왜가리
Cattle Egret 황로
Little Egret 쇄백로
Oriental Great Reed Warbler 개개비
Bull-headed Shrike 때까리
Sanderling 새가락도요
Common Kingfisher 물총새
Black-headed Gull 붉운부리갈매기
Mandarin Duck 춴앙
Black-winged Stilt 장다리물떼새
Common Kestrel 황조공이