The Seoul of Las Vegas

Yesterday at the 2008 Interactive Media and Trade Show, Louisiana State University took home the coveted EPpy for Best College Newspaper Website.

The Daily Reveille themed in shades of purple offers not only offers the latest news, but also additional links setup with college students in mind. With simple tabs that cover a broad spectrum of interests including music, jobs, top national college news, money and books, its simple to see why the Daily Reveille was awarded its 2008 EPpy.

Before the first presenting, judges Jonathan Dube, Director of Digital Media for CBC News, and Mike Blinder, President of the Blinder Group, applauded the effort and dedication put into each award by the 50 judges. Not an easy task, it was brought to light that each judge spends some 20 to 40 hours judging the talent, creativity and overall genius of each category.

The Seoul of Las Vegas wants to congratulate all the 2008 EPpy award winners on a job well done!

In honor of the category of Best College Newspaper Website at the EPpy’s, the Seoul of Las Vegas contacted IDSnews.com for a behind the scenes look at one of the finalists in the esteemed, aforementioned category.

Web Adviser for IU Student Media, Malinda Aston, provided us with a lot of useful information about the team of highly skilled students that work around the clock to keep the average 100,000 monthly viewers informed with the latest information involving Indiana University. Excited to be included in the EPpy’s of 2008, Aston describes the mission statement of IU Student Media.

Part of the mission of IU Student Media is to provide opportunities for students to get media work experience. Creating and maintaining their own products, both print and online, offers students with a variety of skills and interests the option to practice their art.

Launched in February 2007, the first year of IDSnews.com’s redesign has clearly paid off. Attracting more than 500,000 viewers alone last month, the staff of IDSnews.com, majority of which are comprised of students at Indiana University, include programmers, designers, editors, marketers, advertisers and of course writers.

Interested in exactly what type of information is available at IDSnews.com, Aston said, “Most of the site’s content is updated each time a print edition is published. However, there is breaking news and online-only content from most desks.” Taking print journalism to a whole new level, Indiana University functions as a leader today for news reporting tomorrow.

A special thanks to Malinda Aston and the many staff members for their quick response emails and contributions to the information provided in this post.

For the 13th year, Editor & Publisher and Mediaweek are honoring the best media-affiliated internet services with the Academy Awards of the media industry, the EPpy’s.

Thru May 14th and 15th, the Rio will be hosting this years Interactive Media Conference and Trade Show in Las Vegas.

In honor of everything the Journalism 310 class at UNLV learned and explored this semester, we will be covering the major events of this year’s EPpy’s through wordpress and twitter.

Interestingly enough, there is a special category for college websites. The finalists for 2008 are Arizona State University’s Web Devil, Indiana University’s IDS news, and Louisiana State University’s Daily Reveille.

Although, it has nothing to do with our beat, here at The Seoul of Las Vegas, we will be focusing on the specific category of Best College Newspaper Website at the EPpy’s. For the list of all other finalists for the 2008 EPpy awards just click here. Check back here for more information!

Only beautiful people succeed.

In a world without prejudices and factions of society, the aforementioned statement would be completely false. The color of your skin, the texture of your hair, the structure of your nose and the frame of your body would be completely irrelevant to the way you are treated and to the successes in your life.

Unfortunately, the world we live in is full of materialism, superficiality and the idea that being blond, blue-eyed, tall and slender will get you everywhere in life. Not only are these ideas portrayed daily to our youth through fashion magazines, pop culture icons and Hollywood, but they are spilling over into other countries. They are affecting the way people around the globe perceive ethnic identity.

Benjamin Kim, General Manager of a Korean restaurant in Las Vegas, gave the following view points on the overwhelming impact that the media are having on today’s world culture.

“When you’re born, you’re like a blank cd. Whatever environment you grew up in affects who you are. Everything you see nowadays on tv is all about how skinny you are and how pretty you are, so everybody is trying to fit in.”

There are all types of drastic measures people in different countries are taking to uphold that signature look of beauty. In Korea the endemic notion of ssang-ku-pool has led to an increasing surge in blepharoplasty or more commonly known as eyelid surgery.

Ssang-ku-pool is the Korean term for the crease above the eyelid, more commonly known as double-eyelid. Ssang-ku-pool is considered a Caucasian trait and results in a more rounder eye shape. Only 25% of full Koreans are born with ssang-ku-pool. However, blepharoplasty is completely aesthetic. It serves no other purpose then shamelessly beating Asian beauty and identity to the ground.

Growing up in the Asian culture of Las Vegas, Kim is able to successfully take a step back and analyze the soaring numbers of women and men in South Korea who are paying ridiculous amounts of money to shamelessly go under the knife and come out with a more Caucasian look.

“It’s all about first impressions. Korean people think first impressions are very important. So, if they’re not pretty enough, they’re not even going to have a chance to show what they’re capable of…The main reason why they’re having plastic surgery is because you’re more accepted by society. They’re so concerned with how society perceives them.”

Good fortune is considered much more than a main goal and aspiration in Asian cultures. Prosperity is viewed and described as the path to true happiness. Koreans and many other Asian cultures view wealth as a form of good blessing. So much of Asian culture is based around wealth that most beliefs passed down from generation to generation have connotations of money.

Although they may sound odd and far-fetched to some, examples of superstitions that involve future wealth include dreams about brown excrements, pigs and bloody teeth. Whereas, dreams of black excrements, teeth falling out and missing shoes can mean bad fortune in terms of relationships, health and wealth.

The direct relationship between wealth and beauty in traditional Asian cultures is strong. This is obvious in today’s cultures. The prevalence of famous actors and musicians in South Korea and other Asian countries who have undergone blepharoplasty is astonishing. Even more unbelievable is the notion that surgeries like blepharoplasty that clearly push Caucasian standards of beauty on other races are not looked down upon in anyway. They are very publicized by many notable Asian actors and media figures, and these surgeries are constantly being pushed by the parents of today’s generation of kids.

When asked of words of wisdom for tomorrow’s youth in light of this widespread twisted notion of beauty, Jacob Jameson, a notable Bar Manager in Las Vegas spoke strongly of his feelings against following the pact.

“Don’t be a sheep and follow. Be a leader. Do what you think is right, not what other people are doing to make themselves look better.”

The issue of ethnic identity and good fortune was researched to fulfill the final major paper for UNLV’s course of Journalism 310.

Benjamin Kim, Sally Kim and Jacob Jameson were interviewed on the topic.

Other interesting facts and data were taken from Beauty: The Korean Way by Julia Yoo and Asian-Americans Criticize Eyelid Surgery Craze by Sandy Kobrin.

No.

Although, places like Costco and Sam’s Club have raised their prices on rice and put limits on the amount per customer, there is no rice shortage to be found.

However, there are many droughts and an increasing world population demanding rice, so a cautious moderation is being recommended for the many fans of this Asian staple food.

Like many of the problems the United States is facing nowadays these high prices and pain in the neck problems can be attributed to one thing, oil. The increased cost of fuel and fertilizer are the main reasons why rice farmers were given no other choice but to up their prices on rice.

The only solution we[at this blog] see is not a summer holiday from inflating gas prices, but an end to the war, an end to America’s dependence on oil, and an end to these past eight years of moving backwards.

South Korean pop star, Rain, is set to have his first debut in the upcoming 2008 Hollywood blockbuster, Speed Racer.

Rain is an established musician, dancer, model and actor in Korea. After recently completing a World tour, he is now starring as Taejo Togokhan in the Wachowski Brothers’ remake of the 1960’s Japanese anime, Mach GoGoGo.

photo credit | www.bi-rain.org/?cat=2

My mom always says, “You are what you eat.”  That being said, don’t you think it’s time we start treating our outer selves as well as we treat our inner selves?

Many Asian traditions like those of Korea, China and Japan are exploding in American pop culture because of their worldly characteristics. Items such as Green Tea, rice, ginseng and soybeans have made remarkable breakthroughs in todays food markets. However, have you ever once considered those products as more than just digestible?

They are multi-talented products.

Used in beauty products throughout Southeast Asia rice, cucumber and safflower are just some of the key ingredients behind flawless skin and natural age-defying concoctions.

For example, rice contains vitamin B, vitamin E and γ-oryzanol which has a whitening effect. It effectively softens skin but is more widely known as a staple for many Asian cultures.

Amore Pacific is one of Korea’s most successful beauty product brands. Their mission statement is as follows,

a faith in the healing effects of green tea; A dedication to reviving Korea’s rich green history, a passion to discover complete care through ground-breaking research and 40 years of harvesting, nurturing and perfecting.

From skin care treatments that include Macadamia Nut Oil and Olive Oil to hand creams that use the most potent polyphenol found in Green Tea, EGCG, Amore Pacific has unlocked the secret to health and beauty.

From May 12-17, 2008, 10-ball takes over the Las Vegas Riviera Hotel & Casino. The 8th Annual Predator International 10-Ball Championship sponsored by the BCA Pool Leagues will host 96 players including top 20 professional players from Asia.

Ten-ball is a contemporary pool game played with ten balls instead of nine. Having ten balls as opposed to nine serves as a key obstacle in the game. It is preferred by more professionals because it’s more difficult to pocket any balls on the break. Also, a win cannot be achieved by pocketing the 10-ball early on.

Out of said 96 entrants, only six are female competitors. Some of the top female competitors include Allison Fisher from the US and Yu Ram Cha from Korea.

For further information please visit these sites;

The AnitoKid on Billiards
Allison and Company to Compete

Tickets go on sale next week at www.playbca.com.

Clearly Hollywood has found a niche in the market when it comes to urban street dancing and adolescent drama. Below are just a few of the dance movies available on DVD.

Honey
You Got Served
Step Up
Step Up 2: The Streets
Take The Lead
Stomp The Yard
Save The Last Dance
Center Stage

photo credit | Planet B-Boy

However, while many of the movies out on the shelves boast the latest music, fashion styles and choreography, Planet B-Boy is the only documentary film that can take you from Las Vegas to Seoul while also bringing back the seventies phenomenon of breakdancing.

Planet B-Boy is a documentary about one of the key elements brought to life by African Americans and Puerto Ricans in the South Bronx of New York City that helped distinguish the original hip-hop culture in the seventies. Breakdancing.

Breakdancing is a form of dance that features impressive footwork, freezing and power moves. Planet B-Boy proves to the world that this epic form of dance is back in full force.

Benson Lee delves into the lives of five youths from all around the globe who have one thing in common, a burning passion for breakdancing. Each character is affiliated with some of the best b-boy crews around the world.

Above is the trailer for Planet B-Boy.

Confused?

These are the first steps of the dance craze that took over the Internet in Korea last year in the form of Korea’s Wonder Girls. Sun Mi, Yoo Bin, Sun Ye, Ye Eun and So Hee are now known as “South Korea’s hottest pop princesses” as quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The dance goes shoulder, shoulder, hip, hip, shoulder, shoulder, hip, hip, elbow, knee kick, step and point. The moves correlate to their song, “Tell Me.” The key to their success is the simplicity of the dance.

They have taken over in terms of Korean pop culture, K-pop. Now, they are looking to expand into a broader spectrum where they can reach various cultures and people.