Solution to Painful Engllish

C6 The solution to the painful quest to English language proficiency could be simple. Learning languages is easier the younger you start. English pre-schools and kindergartens are therefore growing in popularity, but are prohibitively expensive for a lot of families. So here's a solution: heavily subsidized government English kindergarten for every child in the country. Yes it's ambitious, it would be expensive, but one can fairly expect that the rewards would far outweigh the costs.

Korea's struggles with English language learning can be divided into three major areas: anxiety, time and expense. This approach would address all three areas.

The unease many Koreans approach learning English is both a source of anguish and an impediment to learning. English proficiency is a requirement for many forms of employment and is necessary to gain acceptance to prestigious overseas schools. It can go a long way to determining a person's standard of living. The nervousness of many is therefore understandable but not inevitable.

Early childhood education introduces the language in a stress-free setting. The kids don't worry about grammar; they play games, sing songs and learn. They're too young to understand the importance of what they're learning. They don't yet know the hiring practices of conglomerates or what TOEFL stands for. The innocence of childhood is a defense against these worries.

Learning a language necessarily involves a huge time investment. The earlier you start, the less time over the long run would need to be invested. Implanting young children with English would reduce the time they would need to study in later years, allowing students more time to work on other subjects. This would increase the country's skills in mathematics and technology, which would in turn.

The English classes offered in public schools aren't enough to build a strong base. The current model of private academies being able to charge whatever they want is a huge strain on family budgets in difficult economic times. A public option is the only viable alternative.

Families would still have to contribute to the costs by paying a flat rate roughly even with the current cost of Korean language institutions. If parents would rather their children study in their native language, they could do so at no extra cost.

If President Lee Myung-bak wishes for his rule to leave Korea with something valuable and visionary, this could be it. Inherent English capability in all children regardless of class or location could, within a generation or two, truly transform the country into the business hub its leaders are trying to create.

Like the current health care debate taking place in the United States, this is the kind of common sense solution that seems far more radical than it really is. Like that example, it would undoubtedly be protested by "small-government" simpletons who fatuously believe that the way to improve a society is by not investing in it.

Korea wants to be visionary, to lead its region and the world. Allowing the nation's youngest members to comfortable and affordably learn the global language would be a step toward that.

Discussion:

1.) What does the article all about?

2.) What are the three major reason why Korean find it difficult to study English? 

3.) How important is studying English in relation to the country's development?

4.) What do you think of the plan that the government will subsidize the learning of English to kindergarten student?

5.) Do you think if would be better if the government will try to review the educational curriculum of Korean school to give more emphasis on English?

6.) What is your view in the idea that in school students will strictly speak English during class hours.

7.) What is your experience of learning English?

8.) When did you start learning English?What are the things that you did to make you become good English speaker.

9.) In your own words, what do you think are the reasons why Koreans find it hard to study English?

10.) What are the reasons why some, if not all, Koreans chose to study English in the Philippines.

North Korea responds angrily to South's talk of strike

C5 North Korea has responded angrily to the South's suggestion that it could launch a pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang's nuclear facilities.

South Korea's defence minister had said this could occur if there were indications that the North was preparing a nuclear attack.

The North's official news agency said any attempt to do so would be treated as a declaration of war.

It added that it would be met with swift and decisive military action.

Tensions between the two nations rose after Pyongyang pulled out of six-party talks on its nuclear programme last April following widespread condemnation of a long-range missile launch.

International pressure grew following a nuclear test in May - which drew UN sanctions and further missile tests.

Conditions

The six-party talks, involving the two Koreas, plus the United States, China, Japan and Russia, began in 2003.

They seek to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear programme in return for aid and security guarantees.

Late last year, North Korea said it may be willing to return to the talks.

But earlier this month Pyongyang set down conditions, saying it would not return to the stalled talks until sanctions against it were lifted.

Discussion:

1.) What were the issues involving South Korea and North Korea?

2.) Do you think keeping a nuclear facility is beneficial to a country?

3.) What do you think is the best solution to take in order to end this problem?

4.) Can a win-win solution be meted out by both parties (North Korea and South Korea)?

5.) Do you think the help of the U.S. and the UN is needed to ease up the tension?

6.) Does nuclear testing has bad effects to the environment?

7.) Do you think this conflict between North and South Korea can be aggravated if they can't find solution to the problem?

8.) As a citizen of your country how can you help solve the problem?

9.) Does declaring war become the best possible solution to the problem?

10.) In your opinion what will be the possible effect of this conflict to the people of both North Korea and South Korea?

Quake sets Haiti back years, experts say

C3 Already hamstrung by generations of poverty, environmental catastrophe and strongman rule, Haiti will need years to recover from the devastation inflicted by last week's earthquake, according to U.S. and Canadian analysts.

Haiti's struggling democracy has survived on international aid and the muscle of a U.N. peacekeeping mission since a 2004 revolt that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The magnitude-7.0 earthquake that struck outside Port-au-Prince has set back efforts to get the country back on its feet "by many, many years," said Stephen Randall, a senior fellow at the Canadian International Council, a Toronto-based think tank.

"I don't think all of it is lost, but it's a very serious setback," Randall told CNN.

President Rene Preval's government regrouped at a police compound near the Port-au-Prince airport after nearly all of government ministries suffered heavy damage in the January 12quake. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive put the confirmed death toll at 72,000 on Tuesday, but estimates of the total number of fatalities run more than twice that high.

Mark Schneider, who led the Caribbean division of the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Clinton administration, said much has been done to build a non-corrupt police force and judiciary over the past six years.

"Of the administration and sort of on the institutional side, I think a lot can be salvaged," said Schneider, now senior vice president at the International Crisis Group. But he said efforts to redevelop Haiti's long-ravaged economy may have been set back by "decades."

Haiti's public infrastructure -- roads, power and sanitation systems, hospitals and schools -- was already in poor condition before the earthquake. The flimsy homes built across Port-au-Prince collapsed wholesale during the quake, and hospitals quickly ran out of medicine. Clogged roads, damaged communications and airport congestion slowed the delivery of the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of international aid pledged in the week after the disaster, leading to widespread frustration and sporadic looting around the capital.

Once the challenges of feeding, housing and treating hundreds of thousands of ill, homeless and hungry people are behind them, Schneider said, Haitians from all walks of society need to reach a new "social compact" aimed at actions of the economic elite that deny taxes to the government so they can't provide education to the population; the failure to establish government agencies that can provide services -- all those things are not the consequences of natural disasters, but they make the country more vulnerable when disasters hit," he said.

Though its economy has grown in recent years, Haiti is still the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with four-fifths of its 10 million people living in poverty. Its gross domestic product of $12 billion in 2008 is a tiny fraction compared to the $14 trillion generated by the United States, its largest trading partner.

In addition, years of deforestation has left a mountainous country in the middle of the Caribbean's hurricane belt vulnerable to flooding and mudslides, like the ones that killed thousands in 2004. And poor construction left unknown thousands of people trapped in buildings that pancaked when the earth moved last week, said John Mutter, a professor of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University in New York.

Stricter building codes and honest enforcement are necessary, but "people will never be able to build strong, expensive structures if they don't have a strong economy," Mutter told CNN's "American Morning."

"The economy of Haiti cannot put Port-au-Prince back in place," he said. "It's a perfect storm. It absolutely needs external intervention from the international community. We have to think of what we're doing."

Haiti's governmental budget of about $1 billion per year is derived largely from customs fees and is wholly inadequate for the physical improvements needed, Randall said. Emigres send back more money than that every year, but that money goes to individual families, not to public projects.

"The international community has been pressing the Haitian government to put more stock in taxation, but in fact, the real taxation that's taking place are the remittances," Randall said. "It's a form of taxation, family to family, friend to friend."

But Schneider said the influx of reconstruction aid could be an opportunity for Haitians to rebuild its infrastructure with more concern for its environment -- and to create jobs for Haitians in its construction.

"That's the way you employ a lot of Haitians," he said. Reconstruction contracts should require "both jobs and job training."

The United States has been heavily involved in Haiti commercially, politically and militarily for most of the last century, including occupying the country for nearly 20 years in the early 1900s.

The Clinton administration restored Aristide to power in 1994 after a 1991 coup, and a U.S. jet hustled him out of the country again in 2004 following a rapidly spreading uprising against his government. Aristide has called his removal a U.S.-backed coup, an allegation Washington denied.

Now the United States is the largest contributor to the Haitian government, while Canada -- which also has a police contingent in Haiti as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSTAH -- is the second-largest.

Discussion:

• What does the article speak about?
• Does natural calamities like earthquake also happened in your country?
• Why do you think natural calamities like this happen?
• What kinds of natural calamities come to your country?
• In your own words how can you describe the Haitian society?
• Do you think poverty affects the people's response to situation like what happened to Haiti?
• What should rich country do in order to help the poorer country like Haiti?
• Do you think Haiti can recover from the devastation that happened to their country?
• What should the Haitian do to help their country?
• Does your country experienced this kind of calamity?

Winter Affects Citrus Production

A2: Frigid temperatures threatened Florida citrus crops as much of the Southeast into plunged into the teens Monday morning.

State capital Tallahassee had plunged to 16 degrees by 5:25 a.m. ET, while temperatures in the 30s or below could be found well south of Orlando.

The cold made Florida cities like Winter Haven anything but.

The National Weather Service issued a hard freeze warning that extended as far south as Lake Okeechobee.

Normally immune to the cold of winter, temperatures in Miami barely got

But the biggest news about the big chill is coming from the northern part of Florida, where a hard freeze watch is in effect, CNN's meteorologist Bonnie Schneider said. That could be bad news for citrus trees that rarely survive when temperatures remain in the mid-20s or below for four hours or longer, according to Kristen Gunter, a spokeswoman for the association of companies that pick and process the oranges.

Some groves in the northern part of the growing area sustained substantial damage Saturday night and Sunday morning, when temperatures dipped to 28 degrees or lower for at least six hours, said Andrew Meadows, spokesman for Florida Citrus Mutual, a group representing about 8,000 citrus growers in the state. It will take about five weeks to quantify the losses, he said.

Florida citrus is a $9.3 billion industry. The state produces three-quarters of the United States' orange crop and 40 percent of the world's orange juice supply.

"[Sunday night] will be the night to watch, because if things don't go well, the entire economy will be affected, jobs could be lost if fruit on the ground cannot be harvested, workers will go elsewhere in the U.S., and Florida will lose," Gunter said.

The citrus harvest is at its peak right now, she said, and workers are already grinding away seven days a week as it is. "I'm not sure we can work any faster," Gunter said.

Discussion:

* What does the article speaks about?

* Does winter affect also the food production in your place?

* What preparation are you doing when winter is about to come?

* Are there any damages that winter brings in terms of livelihood and commerce?

* What kind of weather you usually prefer?

* What is your unforgettable memories in a winter season?

* What is your most embarrassing experience in a winter season?

The Emperor's New Suit

C2: Many, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to be always well dressed. He did not care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him; the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was to drive out and show a new suit of clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the day; and as one would say of a king "He is in his cabinet," so one could say of him, "The emperor is in his dressing-room."
     The great city where he resided was very gay; every day many strangers from all parts of the globe arrived. One day two swindlers came to this city; they made people believe that they were weavers, and declared they could manufacture the finest cloth to be imagined. Their colours and patterns, they said, were not only exceptionally beautiful, but the clothes made of their material possessed the wonderful quality of being invisible to any man who was unfit for his office or unpardonably stupid.
     "That must be wonderful cloth," thought the emperor. "If I were to be dressed in a suit made of this cloth I should be able to find out which men in my empire were unfit for their places, and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid. I must have this cloth woven for me without delay." And he gave a large sum of money to the swindlers, in advance, that they should set to work without any loss of time. They set up two looms, and pretended to be very hard at work, but they did nothing whatever on the looms. They asked for the finest silk and the most precious gold-cloth; all they got they did away with, and worked at the empty looms till late at night.
     "I should very much like to know how they are getting on with the cloth," thought the emperor. But he felt rather uneasy when he remembered that he who was not fit for his office could not see it. Personally, he was of opinion that he had nothing to fear, yet he thought it advisable to send somebody else first to see how matters stood. Everybody in the town knew what a remarkable quality the stuff possessed, and all were anxious to see how bad or stupid their neighbours were.

< 2 >

     "I shall send my honest old minister to the weavers," thought the emperor. "He can judge best how the stuff looks, for he is intelligent, and nobody understands his office better than he."
     The good old minister went into the room where the swindlers sat before the empty looms. "Heaven preserve us!" he thought, and opened his eyes wide, "I cannot see anything at all," but he did not say so. Both swindlers requested him to come near, and asked him if he did not admire the exquisite pattern and the beautiful colours, pointing to the empty looms. The poor old minister tried his very best, but he could see nothing, for there was nothing to be seen. "Oh dear," he thought, "can I be so stupid? I should never have thought so, and nobody must know it! Is it possible that I am not fit for my office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see the cloth."
     "Now, have you got nothing to say?" said one of the swindlers, while he pretended to be busily weaving.
     "Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly beautiful," replied the old minister looking through his glasses. "What a beautiful pattern, what brilliant colours! I shall tell the emperor that I like the cloth very much."
     "We are pleased to hear that," said the two weavers, and described to him the colours and explained the curious pattern. The old minister listened attentively, that he might relate to the emperor what they said; and so he did.
     Now the swindlers asked for more money, silk and gold-cloth, which they required for weaving. They kept everything for themselves, and not a thread came near the loom, but they continued, as hitherto, to work at the empty looms.
     Soon afterwards the emperor sent another honest courtier to the weavers to see how they were getting on, and if the cloth was nearly finished. Like the old minister, he looked and looked but could see nothing, as there was nothing to be seen.
     "Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?" asked the two swindlers, showing and explaining the magnificent pattern, which, however, did not exist.
     "I am not stupid," said the man. "It is therefore my good appointment for which I am not fit. It is very strange, but I must not let any one know it;" and he praised the cloth, which he did not see, and expressed his joy at the beautiful colours and the fine pattern. "It is very excellent," he said to the emperor.

< 3 >

     Everybody in the whole town talked about the precious cloth. At last the emperor wished to see it himself, while it was still on the loom. With a number of courtiers, including the two who had already been there, he went to the two clever swindlers, who now worked as hard as they could, but without using any thread.
     "Is it not magnificent?" said the two old statesmen who had been there before. "Your Majesty must admire the colours and the pattern." And then they pointed to the empty looms, for they imagined the others could see the cloth.
     "What is this?" thought the emperor, "I do not see anything at all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be emperor? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing that could happen to me."
     "Really," he said, turning to the weavers, "your cloth has our most gracious approval;" and nodding contentedly he looked at the empty loom, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing. All his attendants, who were with him, looked and looked, and although they could not see anything more than the others, they said, like the emperor, "It is very beautiful." And all advised him to wear the new magnificent clothes at a great procession which was soon to take place. "It is magnificent, beautiful, excellent," one heard them say; everybody seemed to be delighted, and the emperor appointed the two swindlers "Imperial Court weavers."
     The whole night previous to the day on which the procession was to take place, the swindlers pretended to work, and burned more than sixteen candles. People should see that they were busy to finish the emperor's new suit. They pretended to take the cloth from the loom, and worked about in the air with big scissors, and sewed with needles without thread, and said at last: "The emperor's new suit is ready now."
     The emperor and all his barons then came to the hall; the swindlers held their arms up as if they held something in their hands and said: "These are the trousers!" "This is the coat!" and "Here is the cloak!" and so on. "They are all as light as a cobweb, and one must feel as if one had nothing at all upon the body; but that is just the beauty of them."

< 4 >

     "Indeed!" said all the courtiers; but they could not see anything, for there was nothing to be seen.
     "Does it please your Majesty now to graciously undress," said the swindlers, "that we may assist your Majesty in putting on the new suit before the large looking-glass?"
     The emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to put the new suit upon him, one piece after another; and the emperor looked at himself in the glass from every side.
     "How well they look! How well they fit!" said all. "What a beautiful pattern! What fine colours! That is a magnificent suit of clothes!"
     The master of the ceremonies announced that the bearers of the canopy, which was to be carried in the procession, were ready.
     "I am ready," said the emperor. "Does not my suit fit me marvellously?" Then he turned once more to the looking-glass, that people should think he admired his garments.
     The chamberlains, who were to carry the train, stretched their hands to the ground as if they lifted up a train, and pretended to hold something in their hands; they did not like people to know that they could not see anything.
     The emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful canopy, and all who saw him in the street and out of the windows exclaimed: "Indeed, the emperor's new suit is incomparable! What a long train he has! How well it fits him!" Nobody wished to let others know he saw nothing, for then he would have been unfit for his office or too stupid. Never emperor's clothes were more admired.
     "But he has nothing on at all," said a little child at last. "Good heavens! listen to the voice of an innocent child," said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said. "But he has nothing on at all," cried at last the whole people. That made a deep impression upon the emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right; but he thought to himself, "Now I must bear up to the end." And the chamberlains walked with still greater dignity, as if they carried the train which did not exist.
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The Ant and the Grasshooper

C1:

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.
"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"
"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."
"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "We have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil.
When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger - while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew: It is best to prepare for days of need.

Discussion:
*What is the story all about?
* Who were the characters in the stories?
* What did the ant do all day?
* What did the grasshopper do the whole day?
* What is the lesson of story?
*If you are to choose, who do you want to be? The ant or the grasshopper?
*What do you think happened to the grasshopper?

*

A1 Is your country safe for tourist?

A1: A weekend killing in Australia has prompted the Indian government to issue an advisory for its college students studying in that country.

"While the majority of Indian students studying in Australia, especially those enrolled in universities and reputable institutions, have a positive experience of living and studying in Australia, the number of such incidents of assault as well as of robbery has been on the rise in recent months, which has affected not only Indian students but also members of the larger Indian community in Australia," said a statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs.

Nitin Garg, 21, was stabbed to death Saturday night in Melbourne as he walked to work from a train station through a public park.

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard dismissed the notion that Australia is a unsafe for international students.

"Australia is a very safe country. By world standards, we have a very low homicide rate," Gillard said Wednesday. "In big cities around the world, we do see acts of violence from time to time; that happens in Melbourne, it happens in Mumbai, it happens in New York, it happens in London."

Despite the assurances from the Australian government, India has issued a list of basic precautions its students should take while studying on the continent:

• Do not travel alone late;

• When traveling alone, make sure that you have checked out your route carefully and that you keep to well-lighted, populated areas;

• Make sure that someone knows where you are going and when you are expected to return;

• Don't carry too much cash. Do not make it obvious that you're carrying expensive items, such as iPods or laptops.

Australia has seemed increasingly less safe for Indian students over the past year. During a one-month period over the summer, at least 10 Indian students were attacked. The most severe case left an Indian student in a coma; another student was stabbed in the stomach. More than a dozen arrests were made.

Australian authorities said at the time that they didn't think the attacks and robberies were racially motivated but were instead crimes of opportunity against soft targets: students who typically travel alone at night on public transportation.

But hundreds of Indian students saw it differently. During the summer, they reacted with protests in at least three Australian cities. Police said at one point that Indian students had decided to take the law in their own hands and retaliate, which was condemned in India and Australia.

Australia has a lot riding on its reputation as a destination for international students. It has an estimated $12.6 billion-a-year education export industry. More than 90,000 students from India study in Australia.

Discussion:

• How about in your place? Is it safe to go around your place during evening?
• Do you have a high crime rate in your place?
• What are the usual crime happening in your place?
• Do you think what happened to the Indian student in Australia is an issue of racial discrimination?
• What is your government doing to solve this problem?
• Are those responsible for these crimes put behind bars? And justice was serve to the victims?
• Have you been to another country to study?
• How is it like in the country where you've been compare to your country?
• Did you experience any racial discrimination?

Sophies World

"If I tell you that I would be disobeying the god and on that account it is impossible for me to keep quiet, you won’t be persuaded by me, taking it that I am ionizing. And if I tell you that it is the greatest good for a human being to have discussions every day about virtue and the other things you hear me talking about, examining myself and others, and that the unexamined life is not livable for a human being, you will be even less persuaded." The Great Socrates

Ode to Life

I am a piece of a broken mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know, but despite of what I have and who I am I can shed light in the darkest portion of man’s heart and of the world; perhaps others will and follow what I do. -Robert Fulgham

Ode to Love

When love beckons to you follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God’s sacred feast.
All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life’s heart.
But if in your fear you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.
When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, I am in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
Love has no other desire but to fulfil itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips. - The Prophet

Pain of a Shadow

Though you thought
their was really a sign
It would never be enough
to say it’Z fine
Coz nothing matters
than a sacrifice
Keeping the silence
than to tell such Lies
There are ruLes to abide
and stay upright
Walk in journey
with a strikE of Light
For a Paint
of a Shadow may fade
Transfiguration
of memOries made..
For a paint of a shadow though may fade..
It left its foot print and it s lasting mark..
As a shadow it will stay wherever you go..
That shadow who pass by and stayed for just a while..
In its respite I feel it so real..it leave a lasting memory..
Though it will transfigured into another reality…
It is still the same paint of a shadow..
It just turn into something new..
A new strength a new inspiration…
The paint of a shadow never really left..
Coz the one that bears it is afraid of the light..
Its not the light but its thy self
Thy shadow that keeps on slipping away…
Just Like a Paint of a Shadow
It is empty & will never grow
It may point you the direction
But you’ll be fooled by its action
Just Like a Paint of a Shadow

Lovers of Wisdom

Here are some thought about Philosophy. Philosophy came from the Greek word "philo" which means love and "sophia" which means wisdom. Literally speaking Philosophy is the love of wisdom thus Philosophers people who studied philosophy can be called "lovers of wisdom." Philosophy is being taught in some very few universities right now. For the reason that it is not applicable in the contemporary times. Since unlike other sciences which can be applied it is not a practical science.

I think this idea falls short of what Philosophy is all about. Philosophy is a "scientia rationalis per rerum supremus causas." A rational science of the supreme causes of things. It aims to answer the why and delve into the essentials in human life. No wonder why people now today became so impatient when confronted with problems. They became narrow minded to think deeply and search for the solution if not meaning of their daily existence.

Philosophy, is a science as old as the civilization it self. It existed before the birth of Christ and it guided the lives of so many people through out the century across countries and races. That is why i beg to disagree with those who claim that it is a useless science. Philosophy is a very practical as well as cognitive science. That goes to say that even up to this time it is still useful. It is because Philosophy more than a science is a way of life that guides human actions and decisions.

It is also very effective in solving many complex problems man faces. This is because wisdom never gets old it is always in its youthfulness. For instance, telling the truth in whatever circumstances is laudable than telling a lie. Concept like beauty, goodness and love is part of everyday dealings in any human relationships. I think the problem is not Philosophy per se. It is how we use and put it into action. Hitler's idea of a super human race was taken from the idea of Nietzsche one of the brilliant Philosopher of his time. But Nietzsche does not mean to kill all the Jews so that there will remain a super human race. His idea is that man can go beyond himself from being just humans to a super human not only guided by emotions and blind passions or concupiscence but by reason. From being an underachiever into an achiever and eventually into success and total human development.

Cancer Counseling

I. INTRODUCTION:
Cancer is a very dreaded disease that most of us shun away. The fact that the person is terminally ill is something that connotes distress, frustrations and fear. Life is beautiful that if the person is diagnosed with cancer all its meaning and beauty seem lost. The question other people ask is WHY ME? A questions that aside from seeking an answer, all the more, a statement of grief, anxiety and distress.
These questions are often left unanswered. Left to themselves alone a victim of cancer will find difficulties to understand their situation. They need other people to point out to them that somewhere in that dark moment of their lives there is a ray of hope. People who will give them comfort and to lead them back to a quality life despite of pains and the fear of impending death.
But, who will be this people? Their families can give them support but they are as much in pain as the victim. The emotional pain that the family member experienced surpasses the physical pain of the victim. Thus, they themselves is incapable of giving advice. This paper will try to point out the importance of a Center for Counseling Cancer Victims. This will try to understand the necessity of putting up a team who could empathize, understand and give counsel as objective, clear and logical as possible.

II. COUNSELING THE CANCER PATIENTS:
Cancer is defined as “a malignant tumor that tends to spread in the body; a malignant evil that corrodes slowly and fatally.”(Meriam-Webster Dictionary). When a person is terminally ill there is no medicine that he or she can still revive from her healthy conditions. Medicine was not yet able to invent or discover a medicine that can cure cancer a 100 %. All that it discovers is how to ease the pain and stop the cancer from growing. If there are cases of a patient was cured of cancer usually the case is a the wrong diagnoses of the doctor.
Thus a very clear manifestation that people who was afflicted with such diseases needs a lot of support. This support could mean emotional, psychological and the power of spiritual healing. The question is there such group of people or experts in counseling available in our society. The obvious answer in the Philippine situation is- No. Cancer patients often left at the care of their relatives in our country. But the family sometimes can be emotional in dealing with situation. It needs a counselor to also guide them in handling the situation. “ To help them to be sympathetic without being sentimental, practical without being hard-hearted, to impart hope when all seems black, to be willing to listen, to know when to keep silent and when to seek help.”

A. Understanding the Patient as a Person.
“It is important to know the person who has an illness than to know about the illness the person has.” Understanding the person is basic if we need our help to be more effective. To know the mechanics of the persons’ personality and his likes and dislikes is helpful for an effective counseling. It is also important that we clarify and name emotions, for the person we are counseling is undergoing an emotional turmoil. Being aware of the losses most specifically the loss of a healthy condition and eventually the loss of life.
We need to let the patients “recognize and accept the fact that he is terminally ill rather than ignored…” in this case it would be difficult for a member of a family for they themselves sometimes deny the facts. It is important to determine the stages of grief of the person. An effective counselor must lead the patient from the stage of denial to acceptance. This process doesn’t only involve the patient itself but also of the family who is facing a possible monetary bankruptcy plus emotional struggle.
“Sharing our anxiety about situations at home and asking for their advice can help those who are ill to feel that they still have a contribution to make and a role to play. But in the stage of the illness when the patient is still coming to terms with the diagnosis and coping with initial treatment, that kind of sharing needs to be done wisely and with care.”
In this point “it is particularly helpful to have our own group supporters- the reserve team, who will listen to us and give us practical and emotional help. Being one step removed from the situation and less emotionally involve, it is easier for them to see things more clearly and to be sympathetic, practical and positive.” In this point a counseling center which would train people who will counsel them is very important. Thus, the need for a counseling center for cancer victims.

B. The Need for a Center for Counseling.
“To be saddled with the torture of cancer is enough; to have no one there to help is almost beyond human endurance. We need counseling – real counseling from people in the helping profession.” Indeed to be left alone and no body to talk to, to share our feelings, fears, anxiety, frustration etc. is as painful as cancer or even more.
We are not just dealing here with a simple disease but a dangerous illness that will cause our life. This implies that we need expert in clinical and psychological counseling. “We need counselors who understand that the threat of death affects every aspect of the victims’ lives and the lives of those around them. We need counselors who are willing to give the greatest effort and understanding possible.”
We need to put the effort of this experts and professionals in the fields to help us battle cancer especially the gamut of human emotions in reaction to facing cancer and the possibility of death. Fear is so powerful that it can immobilize a patient. Moreover, continuous exposure to emotional stress can help deteriorate the patients’ condition. Wellness is the key to total restoration of health. A healthy emotional and psychological well being is an important factor to healing or if not prolonging of life, this need to be clarified and given to the patient by the expert.
A center according to Wayne Hilburn should include a lawyer, an oncologist, a psychiatrist, a psychologist and someone from the religious sector. These people will help together and share their resources to counsel a victim of cancer.
In as much as possible the government should also include in its budget the putting up of counseling centers for it also under the basic needs of people with sickness which the state should protect.
The center should focus more on the counseling of the members of the family. The family should be the first to be counseled since they are the ones’ who are living with the patient and interaction for this matter is on the daily basis. The family of the cancer patient must need to know how to deal with the victims, understand its temperaments and also to know the sickness.
Counseling should be done not only after the diagnosis but also if the person with cancer died. Counseling should be done after. For Filipinos with a very close family ties the death of a member of a family is a very big loss. It is recommended that counselor would try to point out the stages of grief. The main task of the counselor is to prepare the family for the eventual dying of the patient so that if that time comes the emotional impact would have lesser gravity.
For Filipinos who have a high regard to religion, it is easier for them to accept the death of a love one as the will of God. Besides having close relatives and friends to journey with them they can slowly overcome the situation.

III. CONCLUSION:
The need for a center for counseling patients with cancer is very important. I would like to put so much emphasis on counseling the family. The family is the one the feel the emotional burden of seeing a member of a family suffering and dying of cancer. The work of the counselor is to help the family by way of giving them tips in hoe to deal with cancer patients from time to time a visit to cancer patient is also necessary.
Putting the divine aspect is very important. Spiritual healing is much needed during this time. Thus, a minister is needed to help the patient prepare in facing God. It needs to be instilling to the minds of the members of the family and the cancer patient that death should not be fear of. It seems to me that the patient and the family are more afraid of death than cancer. This must be given emphasis. But the very great help that the center can give is to empathize with the family.
In the Philipines where people have a close knit family bond the center will perform an advisory or consultative work. The family will be the one to work for the counseling. Unlike in America where the culture is very selfish and people put their oldies and sick member of the family in nursing care, the center have to have a one on one session with the patients.

VI REFERENCES:

“LIVE THE PAIN, LEARN THE HOPE” A Beginner’s Guide to Cancer counseling; Hilburn, Wayne May 2, 2000

“FACE TO FACE WITH CANCER” Comfort and practical advice for sufferers and carers; Stroud, Marion, OFM Literature Inc. Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila Philippines 2006.

http://www.actionartz.com/counselingservices.htm “Contemporary Counseling Center”

“Patient and Family Counseling” The Patricia Trost Friedler http://www.som.tulane.edu/cancer/friedler.html#counseling
Cancer Counseling Center