Global Community

(156) SEASONINGS (I)

(155) FACTS (II)

Latin Quartet Wins Battle of the Bands

By JR Breen Contributing Writer The Willman Band scraped out a close victory at this year's Stompers Battle of the Bands, an annual music contest held at Ole Stompers bar in Itaewon, Seoul. The Willman Band, a four-member group specializing in Latin music, beat off competition from four rivals. ``They're all superb musicians. They were so together, so tight. They deserved to win,'' said Alan Green, co-owner of the venue. In the final, The Willman Band ― which consists of a bassist, lead guitar and vocalist, a drummer and keyboard player ― narrowly defeated the punk trio Seoul City Suicides with the former getting the support of two out of three judges. The Battle of the Bands, now in its second year, was the brainchild of Green, Summer Walker and Cain Barriskill. They came up with the idea since Ole Stompers, a music venue, was devoid of any major events. ``Stompers is such a known music venue in Itaewon that we decided we should do a battle of the bands,'' Green said. The event consists of three knockout rounds leading up to the final. The bands were ass

Marche de Noel ― Christmas Market

To stock up on your holiday supply of ‘foie gras’ and many more festive tastes of France, Seoul’s Marche de Noel is the place to go. The Marche de Noel, or Christmas market, is an annual event that takes place on the first Saturday of December, which this year falls on this coming weekend, Dec. 5. On offer will be a whole array of Christmas delicacies including wine, cheese and smoked salmon. The market will be situated in Gingko Park, next to Seoul Palace Hotel, Seorae Maeul, in southern Seoul. Starting at 10:00am the market will run until 4:00pm. All proceeds will go to charity. community@koreatimes.co.kr

Charity Night for AIDS in Seoul

A night out in Hongdae, the popular student area in Seoul, partying with friends, and all in the name of charity. Two charities have organized the charity night for AIDS, humorously called Rubber Seoul, for this Saturday. The Little Travellers HIV/AIDS Initiative is a global project to help people with AIDS that began at the University of Manitoba. Medipeace is a global healthcare NGO created in Korea that aims to join aid efforts and establish primary health care systems in disaster zones. Ticket-holders will have access to three of Hongdae's most vibrant night clubs, Jane’s Groove, FF and DGBD. Last year’s event attracted over 1000 people. The event marks World Aids Day and organizers aim to raise funds for the people suffering from the disease, with proceeds going to help improve the lives of African women, as well as to increase overall awareness. Rubber Seoul will cost 10,000 won. For more information visit www.rubberseoul2009.wordpress.com

Korea’s Top English Blogger Assesses Future of Blogosphere

By JR Breen Contributing Writer In the near future, popular blogs may combine to form ``conglomerate blogs,'' a new type of media. Or they may become so commonplace that they lose their appeal altogether. In either scenario, professional news gathering, as undertaken by mainstream media, will remain central to whatever way society receives and analyzes its information. This is the prediction of Robert Koehler, the most popular English language blogger and one of the most influential expatriate commentators on Korea. ``There is a lot of white noise out there which gets people annoyed,'' he said. ``There is so much information out there, you don't know what's crap and what's not. Over time, I see a gradual getting away from this to blogging conglomerates.'' ``But of course the opposite might happen as well,'' he added. ``We might get to the point where literally everyone has a blog.'' Whatever happens, though, news gathering remains the fuel sustaining the blogosphere. ``Without mainstream media most commentary blogs would cease to exist overnight.'' Koehle

(154) FACTS (I)

(153) RICE COOKER

(152) ALTERATIONS (II)

(151) ALTERATIONS (I)