DMV, SSN... OMG

Sometimes I feel like I'm not being fair. Like being angry at a retard. Today there was apparently some kind of problem with computers at the social security office which was why it was taking a very long time to process drivers licenses at the DMV.

Question: why does stuff FAIL so often around here? Why does it seem to be the rule and not the exception?


Oh shit... the screens turned blue. Must call tech support... uh...

DASH Bus Timetable

Bus schedules are highly misleading, but DASH bus that operates in Virginia totally takes the piss.
I mean, what the hell does "Reduced Weekday Service Days" mean?

Bullshit: Reduced Weekday Service Days
What it really means: Weekday service

Basically, if you didn't know what it meant, you would think that the bus ran every 30 minutes (which is pretty bad). But on the left side of the schedule there is this "R" on every other line. So you wonder what it means and you look down and in a font small enough to fit on a grain of rice it says that it's some kind of "Reduced Weekday Service Day."
So what the fuck?
Does that mean that on some weekdays the bus services are reduced?
So which of the five weekdays are they talking about?
Turns out, ALL OF THEM.
Yes, they couldn't just say "Weekday Service" and have a disclaimer saying "Bus operates only on times indicated by 'Weekday Service' on week days." Because why? That would make them seem like a bunch of cheap lazy asses. Which is exactly what they are. So no, they have to confuse the fuck out of us to make it sound like we're the fucking morons for not being able to figure it out the first time we try to take the bus.
Seriously, how bad has euphemism come?
If they get into an accident, I might rescue them, but first they'll have to figure out when my "reduced weekday motivated hours" are.


Reduced Weekdays. Fucking reduce your life.

Dirty Tackle

I don't know if any of you follow it but there's a Yahoo sports blog called Dirty Tackle that just might be the worst football blog I've ever seen with that level of exposure.

Bullshit: Dirty Tackle
The Truth: I guess it's all about who's dick you suck.

Now by no means am I saying that this blog rules, but the difference is I don't get paid for it. How such a no talented writer with seemingly little understanding of football managed to land that gig, I don't know.
Actually, I do know. It's not really about qualifications. It's about who you know and who you're chums with.
If I spent my day just digging up stuff about football and was told that I'd get paid to write something clever, I might just be able to pull it off. Not because I'm a great writer or anything, but because that blog is so incredibly average.

Superb article on how America is seen now

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/09/post-anti-americanism.html?from=rss

The only part I disagree with is that Europe and the world's loss of appetite for war was about Afghanistan. It was mostly about Iraq and it has spilled over to Afghanistan as well, but the fact that European countries continue to send troops to Afghanistan shows that it is a war that people do believe is right. Badly run perhaps, but right nonetheless.

No World Cup Posts

I realize that despite being a HUGE fan of football there has been no posts about the World Cup.
It's not that I didn't watch or didn't care.
I was out having too much fun and getting too drunk to be bothered with posting.
;)

Gyopos

Basically covering Korean-Americans, Korean-Canadians etc.
There is this wide misunderstanding in countries like the US and Canada who think that these folks are actually like Koreans in Korea. This is actually not true. Korean-Americans and Korean-Canadians are a unique culture group. For simplicity sake, I'll refer to them as either Gyopos or Korean-Americans.

Common Misunderstanding: Korean-Americans are closer to being Korean than American.
The truth: Actually for the most part they are not very Korean at all.

Here's a typical Korean-American:
- Can't speak Korean very well.
- Was born in the US and has only rarely gone to Korea if at all. And when over there, couldn't really communicate with his relatives.
- His English sucks and has a funny accent which makes White people mistake him for being more Korean than he really is.
- Usually fat.
- Can't do math.

Also their image of Korea is this sort of mystical place that is perfect and cannot be touched. They have a blind sense of duty and patriotism towards a country where they have rarely if ever been and have a command of Korean so bad they can't decipher Korean text messages sent to their Korean cell phone. The truth is, they find comfort in Korea because they feel rejected by American society. Furthermore, the truth is that if these folks were in Korea, they'd probably get rejected as well.
Now, not all of these ethnic Koreans in the United States I think are Korean-Americans. Those who speak perfect English, have no issues with getting along with other Americans etc., are for all intents and purposes, Americans.
It's just those who have lived their entire lives in the US, yet feel a need to cluster together with other Korean-Americans who are bad at speaking either language.
Seems like the only part of America they were able to soak up was getting fat.
In Apkujeong in Seoul, if you are ever lost or need directions and don't know who to ask, ask a fat guy. He probably won't know where to go but he'll at least speak English.


Ask this guy

And don't let the accent fool you.
In Korea they try to exaggerate their Koreanness to try to prove how Korean they are in order to fit in. That is.
- When I say "Hey let's go grab a burger," they think I just committed treason for not choosing Korean food. WTF. I just feel like having some junk food today that's all.
- Grovel to their superiors and abuse their subordinates more than most real Koreans ever would.

All the while despite their so called "loyalty" etc., they don't ever seem to bother with immigrating back into South Korea and serving in the military. WTF.

Is it possible to be both Korean and American and not Korean-American? Yes. Very possible. I know several individuals who would in fact fall into this category.

So if some Korean-American tries to pull off some bullshit about "cultural difference," just remember that it is not a Korean to American cultural difference. It is a culture of a group of rejects who failed to adjust.

5,000 Views

This blog has been viewed 5,000 times.
I suspect because of some of the earlier posts.
Yay.

DC Metro

I have a feeling that the DC Metro's going to be featured here more often in the future...

Bullshit: DC Metro.
The Truth: It sucks.

There has been quite a few news articles regarding just how bad the DC Metro system is.
Here's one from FOX News, which surprisingly didn't attribute this to President Obama.
Here is a blog dedicated to updating you on how shit the DC Metro system is.
Here is a more recent one about the current air conditioning problems.
Etc.

Today on the red line trains going in both directions had to share the same platform. For anyone who had come in from the street or from a transfer, there was much confusion. Worst part was they didn't even bother to put up any signs. Instead they just broadcast announcements over the speaker system in bad English. The electronic boards weren't very informative either. For example, I have no idea what "-- - 4 minutes" is supposed to mean. Okay, something's coming in 4 minutes. But what?
This isn't the first time it's happened so you'd think that they would create some kind of sign about it but that would be giving DC Metro too much credit. That would be like expecting a brick to float.


Surprise, the train's not coming to that platform.

The prices for the tickets are expected to go up soon... damn I miss Seoul's subway system. Cheaper, better, hardly ever broken anywhere.
DC Metro is like a box of manure. You don't know what you're going to get until you open it but it'll always be some sort of shit.

Reading about old Wars

I went to a Barnes and Nobles (a book store) the other day to finally read up on some history. The way things went in Iraq and how things are going in Afghanistan, thought it would be good to read about something relevant that would help me understand. Sure, books on both conflicts are fine, but I think they generally represent small views of ongoing wars. It is only wars that have ended, reviewed and carefully researched about that produce literature that's truly comprehensive.
So I went to find a book on the Malaya Emergency since it was among the few cases of a Western army beating a local insurgency.
I learned something completely different altogether.

Bullshit: Fixation about World War II.
The Truth: World War II is a war that's well past. The US hasn't won a truly major war since 1945 and it's because the US cannot think beyond World War II.


Just shelve it

Now I am in no way against remembering those who have fought for our freedoms and that of others in the past, but the problem with these World War II books is that they simply fix the way you see conflict and war in a purely conventional way. You will always see conflict through the lens of conventional warfare where divisions, mass attacks, heavy firepower and Generals who like to piss everybody else off reign supreme.
If you are a historian or a budding historian or history is your thing, by all means (though I think World War II has been read to death) go ahead and read World War II stuff. But if you're serious and you're in the business, STOP READING WORLD WAR II BOOKS. Wars in general have not been fought that way since the Korean War and this ogling over impressive OOBs (or ORBAT or O/B depending on who you are) etc. is a waste of time. In this day and age, if you're stocked up with division after division of soldiers, heavy equipment etc., unless you are facing a purely conventional foe with a purely conventional mission (like Gulf War I), you are wasting your time.

So wait, did I come up with this by reading the book I eventually found? Not really. I realized it when I found out just how HARD it was to find a book on Malaya. It wasn't a purely dedicated book on Malaya either, rather a comparison between Malaya and Vietnam and their implications on current counterinsurgency operations (Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife by John Nagl, a superb read). And there was only one copy in the store. Meanwhile there were three book shelves full of World War II books and two book shelves full of Vietnam books.
Basically when Americans think "history" that doesn't include the birth of their country or the civil war, it's about basking in the glory of a time long gone (World War II) or dealing with national pain (Vietnam).
What's there to learn about current wars from World War II? Nothing.
What's there to learn about current wars from Vietnam? Nothing if you think that the Generals actually did a good job and the civilian leadership ruined it for everyone. Bullshit. These World War II Generals didn't know the war they were fighting and sent people to their deaths for nothing.
Funny thing, when I read the book, the author John Nagl actually said the same thing.

Bottom line: stop reading World War II books. Read Vietnam books with caution. Read about the Malayan Emergency. Perhaps also Operation Artemis but I'm not sure if good literature is out regarding that.

Wearing Sunglasses Indoors

It's been getting on my nerves and it's finally here....


Bullshit: Wearing sunglasses indoors

It's fucking rude. It's like keeping your earphones in while talking to someone. The worst part is, I see that most dudes wearing sunglasses indoors EVEN WHILE EATING are fat dudes. WTF. Seriously.
Or when I'm talking to you. Lose the fucking shades. Obviously it's not too sunny for me or anyone else around me to be wearing them. What, are you fucking blind? Lose the fucking shades and look me in the fucking eye.
I guess the reason why they love having shades on is because of this errr... "intimidation" factor. The purpose is not without precedent. Chinese emperors actually wore sunglasses while meeting others because it would intimidate them. The cold-distant and impersonal feel of sunglasses... almost makes it look like you're not talking to a real person.


Douche bag

Especially if you're a fat dude. Wearing sunglasses indoors doesn't make you cool. It makes you fat AND extremely rude. Eat while you're at it and you're displaying very poor table manners at the same time.
We should start a movement. LAUGH at people who wear sunglasses indoors. Just make sure they're actually not blind.

Freedom of Speech is Dead

Guaranteed by law under the first ammendment, the Freedom of Speech is one of the most cherished values of the United States.
However, although it is protected legally, it is not honored individually.


Bullshit: Americans enjoy the freedom of speech more so than anyone else.
The truth: Actually, Americans don't enjoy the freedom of speech very much at all.

Before you think I'm nuts, think about the last meeting with friends you had (not in college). What did you talk about? The counter top? The wine? The food? The dog? The cat? The car? Anything but the world, news, politics etc. Anything but things that matter to us. So in many ways it's like you met them, said some stuff, but one thing stays the same: you leave without having learned anything.
But when with friends from other parts of the world, we'd talk about just about anything. We make fun of our own countries, talk about world events, about personal experiences and what they mean... so why is it that whenever I sit down with other Americans, this just simply halts and we're back to engaging in conversation that simply serves as a distractor?
Sometimes I'll start a topic like the ones I mentioned with a group of Americans to see what their reaction is and they immediately start getting very uncomfortable. They avoid it and try to switch the topic to something else. I'm sure if I pressed it further they'd try to avoid me altogether eventually.
So you see my friends, freedom of speech in America is actually also an illusion. Where millions of people sit at the lunch table or grab a smoke and talk about the world, disagree and still greet each other the next day with genuine smiles it seems to be an impossibility in the United States.

Why?

I guess there are many reasons.
One, I think at some point Americans have become too small inside and have developed very thin skin. Never at any point have they thought that if they can't explain their belief very well, that there is a possibility that they may be wrong.
Ultimately, I think the biggest culprit is the cable "news" services.


Selling Hate

They have rubbed our heads together like roosters in a... er... cock fight and we've gotten to the point where we are so angry at each other (since they make money off inciting hate) that we can't for a minute try to sit back and understand each other's views or even have the patience to see how the other party even see the world.
Free speech. Dead. Thanks to free speech of inciting hate and intolerance.

A whole list of what's Bullshit

It's been a while since I wrote anything and here's why. It's been a very, very long few months.


Oh, say can you see? They fucking crushed my pizza!


1) I actually moved. I called the moving company the night before to make sure they would be at my address. They said they'd be there, definitely. So the next morning I waited, waited and waited. Nothing. I called, no one answered. It was like the whole company got drunk and plastered on Friday night and no one gave a fuck about their Saturday schedule. I called another company which showed up (late, but shit at least they showed up) and managed to move. I did mention that this happened in the USA right? And not just the middle of nowhere either. This is the nation's capital. Oh and the guys who showed up did a fine job and both were foreigners.
Bullshit: Hard working Americans.

2) I called to have my internet connected and had to wait 9 days for the guy to show up. 9 days. Acceptable if you live in the middle of nowhere. In Washington, DC, unacceptable.
Bullshit: Efficient American businesses.

3) Around June 25th - now there was a dead deer on the south side of the Key Bridge (the one in DC) just ten, maybe twenty feet away from a sidewalk where thousands of pedestrians pass by each day. It's still kind of there. No one cleaned it up and I know at least one person called it in. You'd think that even a dead deer by a frequented trail in a national park would be cleaned up but apparently not even one in the middle of a city is worth cleaning up. The smell was just incredible and no doubt a health hazard. Wow... just wow. Knowing how Americans don't ignore these things, I'm sure that more than one person called it in. What probably happened was the various police and other agencies pushed the responsibility around so although the actual deer didn't move, the paperwork regarding it ran laps around Arlington County.
Bullshit: American sense of duty.

4) Ordered a pizza to commemorate the opening of my new place. Pizza arrived late, crushed to one side. Last time this happened to me, it was in Malaysia about fifteen years ago. I have ordered many pizzas in many different countries. Never had it arrived in such piss poor shape.
Bullshit: Tips. Fuck you, asshole.

Fucking sounds like I'm writing about a 3rd world country.
Korea took a smacking while I was there but America does prove that it will try really hard at being number 1! AT PISSING ME OFF.

Stereotypes

"No It's Not True" - a good sign that it may be.

A few days ago my Chinese teacher was telling our class about what life in China is like. Her descriptions of walking outside at night, where the streets are brightly lit with signs and streetlights reminded me of Korea. She also went on to say that the Chinese are among the most friendly and warm hearted people she has ever known. I said to the class that it reminded me of Korea, except that in Korea the people are nastier.
People got pissed and not one was Korean.
So here's the thing... are stereotypes wrong?

Bullshit: Stereotypes are wrong.
The Truth: Sometimes they are remarkably accurate.

I recall this one time years ago when me and some Asian guys were in a room reading a list of "Asian stereotypes" that were apparently funny. Everyone had a good laugh and I'd say about seventy percent of the time, a stereotype was accurate, that is, when one was read, it applied to almost everyone in the room... Granted, six people is not a huge sample size, but if a pattern emerges, it's hard to ignore. And the word came out, "Man, these things are pretty accurate." Everyone had a laugh and nodded.
But.
Suddenly if the stereotype is not so "funny" it's wrong?
Where is the logic in that?
The stereotype was perfectly valid and reasonably accurate when it was funny, but when replaced with one that is somewhat offensive (if you're sensitive) suddenly it's all wrong and inaccurate and incorrect? What kind of logical brain fart of a bullshit is that?
Utter bullshit, that's what.


Yes, Asian people from China, Korea and Japan kind of look like this (above). Am I allowed to say that or do I have to say that there is no way to tell because there is the absolute miniscule and utterly improbable (but I suppose not impossible) chance that one may pop out looking like this?

Right. You can see how this is bullshit already. Clear as fucking day.
Oh, but how they kind of look isn't a stereotype you say? Well what about when someone makes a mention about the shape of the eyes of most Chinese people? Now it's a stereotype and it's not acceptable anymore. Now here's my question, what's wrong with the shape of the eyes of a typical Chinese person? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. You'd be a fucking asshole to make fun of it, but you'd be a fucking moron to deny it as well.

Which is why it is important that we question the things we are NOT ALLOWED to question. Because when we are NOT ALLOWED to question something, that something is probably caked in bullshit and wouldn't last five minutes in a real debate.

It is wrong to judge an individual by the stereotype of their group right off the bat, but to dismiss a stereotype as being totally inaccurate when it does in fact have truth to it is wrong. If we are to go down that path, we might as well not even go to school. We might as well forfeit the right to think.

Race is Not a Factor

I was talking to a friend generally about this and that and an interesting subtopic came up while we during our little debate. He claimed race is not a real factor. Being a successful guy and a Chinese-American, one could say that he has a point, but it was fairly easy to prove that it was bullshit.

Bullshit: Race is never really a factor.
The Truth: It is.

Working for the US government as a minority in a white collar job, he is probably the most protected human being ON THE PLANET. Just because race no longer affects him doesn't mean that it is the reality that the rest of the world lives with.

Case 1:
You are an average Indonesian in Indonesia. You try hard and you find work. About 90% of the time, if it is a business that has any real power and wealth (that is, it is not some corner music store that sells hand made guitars) your boss is Chinese-Indonesian. Chinese-Indonesians basically never promote regular Indonesians to upper management. So you work your ass off for years and years at the company only for the upper management to hardly realize that you have been there for almost twenty years. For twenty years you have basically been doing the same damned thing and in terms of the rank structure, you are the same as some punk ass kid who just walked in last week.
Try telling this guy that race is not a factor in life.


Candidate for Promotion? Sorry, wrong color.

Case 2:
You are an African American male who wants to see the world but don't have the money. Being a strict pacifist, you decide that you do not want to join the military. You hear about English teaching opportunities in East Asia and get excited. You have a bachelor's degree in English and you immediately contact head hunters and Hagwons about openings. They want your resume and a photo attached. They see you are black and they reject you. This goes on for a whole year or so. Meanwhile some other guys you met with the same goals are getting hired, even without a bachelor's degree. They're getting hired because they're White.
You feel so disgusted that you just decide that the rest of the world can go fuck itself.
Tell this guy that race is not a real factor in life.


A guy like him would have trouble landing a job in Korea because of his race. It is WRONG and it is REALITY.

Just because it is not your problem does not mean it is not a real problem.

"Security" Questions

Every time I visit the US I get stopped by security (either Customs and Border Protection or the Transport Security Authority) and get asked a series of questions.  They are stupid questions but few people have any idea of just how silly they are.  Questions like "did you pack the bags yourself" seem very sensible compared to the questions I'm asked.  But if I just told you the questions they ask me, you may not be able to realize how stupid they are, so I'll just flip it around so it all makes sense.

Bullshit:  The "additional" questions that CBP and TSA ask at airports to foreigners are vital to national security.

The Truth:  The "additional" questions that CBP and TSA ask at airports to foreigners only makes an ass out of America.

The scenario: Mr. Alan Johnson is from New York state.  He is 27 years old, White, upper middle class and protestant.  He was born and raised in New York city but attended high school in Mexico because his parents started a successful business there.  He returned to the US to attend college and lives there.  He is a US citizen and so are his parents.  All his documentation reflects this.  One day he decides to visit a foreign country.  He thinks everything will be routine but upon arrival he's pulled assigned for additional questioning.

Immigration Officer: Mr. Alan Johnson?

AJ: Yes?

IO: Are you in any way affiliated with the KKK?

AJ: Excuse me?

IO: Are you a member of the KKK?

AJ: No.

IO: Are you a member of the Black Panthers?

AJ: NO.

IO: Are any of your family members or relatives members of the KKK or Black Panthers?

AJ: No.

IO: Are you associated with any Militia?

AJ: No.

IO: Are any of your relatives a member of any Militia?

AJ: (Slight hesitation) No.

IO: You hesitated.  Why?

AJ: Alright... I have this one distant relative.  We don't really talk...

IO: Hmmm... (takes notes).  Are you a citizen of Mexico?

AJ: No.

IO: Are your parents Mexican citizens?

AJ: No.

IO: So you are not Mexican?

AJ: No.

IO: Are you sure?

AJ: YES.

IO: What do your parents do in Mexico?

AJ: They own a business.

IO: What kind of business?

AJ: Logistics.

IO: Are they involved in illegal narcotics production or transport?

AJ: No.

IO: They are not Mexican?

AJ: No.

IO: Were you born in Mexico?

AJ: No, I was born in New York.

IO: Okay... wait a minute please.

(Comes back ten minutes later)

IO: Okay, I have signed a series of waivers.  Here, here, here, here and here.  Make sure you sign out with us when you leave the country.  The Pope is coming in two days.  You must be excited.

AJ: Uhhh yeah...

YES.  That's what it's like.  It's fucking ridiculous!

Hitler Isn't the Only Mega Asshole

This topic actually arose out of some debate about Communists and whatnot but this particular subtopic came to light when for some reason, Communists were being given some sort of "free pass" by folks engaged in the debate while Hitler was being crucified like it was going out of fashion. Now I'm not being a Nazi apologist or anything because it is true that Hitler was evil, the Nazis were also evil and they did some absolutely deplorable things. However...

Bullshit: The Nazis were historically unique in terms of evil because of the fact that they organized the mass murder of specific kinds of people in large numbers to execute mass murder in the most efficient way.
The Truth: Quite a few groups of people have murdered people in mass in the most efficient way they could find.

When the Nazis were faced with the task of having to murder Jews, homosexuals, gypsies and other folks (after they stopped killing the crippled and retarded), they faced the dillemma of having to kill off millions of people. The use of ammunition would be too expensive and ammunition was needed badly by their soldiers fighting the war. So what resulted was the construction of death camps where gassing to death was the order of the day.


Dachau Concentration Camp.

But was this so unique? I say no.
So the Germans felt that their most efficient way to kill millions of people was to use the gas chamber. Others had a different approaches...

The Mongols
The Mongols had a unique problem when they first started empire building in that their entire population did not number a million while their conquered lands had populations exceeding tens of millions in total. Their dire problem was the possibility of simply drowning in the massive population that they conquered. What if they rose up? The Mongols would never have enough men to police them all. So the solution was to kill as many people as they could.
Their first major massacre worthy of note was the massacre of the Tartars where every male that was taller than the axle of a wagon was put to death.
Cities in northern China which did not surrender quickly enough for Genghis Khan's liking were also flattened and every last soul put the the sword.
It is believed that the Mongols under Genghis Khan may have killed up to forty million (40,000,000!!!!!!) people and perhaps as much as a hundred million by the time his grandson, Kublai Khan, had died.
It was even claimed (though it is impossible) that Genghis Khan killed about 1.7 million people in one hour! An impossible feat, but the story refers to the massacre of Nishapur, a Persian city that the Mongols had conquered. In the process, one of his favorite son in laws was killed. His wife (therefore Genghis Khan's daughter) asked that every last woman and child in Nishapur be killed.
Genghis Khan did so and more, by even having every animal in the city killed. 1.7 million was the estimated population of Nishapur before the massacre.
The way the folks were killed were probably a lot worse than getting gassed.


If you shat your pants before you waved the white flag, you're already too late.

Rwanda
Hutu Power members killed about a million people in a period of five months in 1994. Timed perfectly with the assasination of Habyarimana, the President of Rwanda since 1973, the killing spree was well organized and vicious. It was rumored that machetes were actually imported in large quantities to ensure there was enough to go around. These may have been a part of the four major weapon caches known to the UN to be a part of a larger plan for a genocide. A key part of their strategy were the radio stations which constantly played Hutu Power propaganda, encouraging people to go out and kill the Tutsis. Radio Rwanda was one of the main broadcasters of such messages and the tactic was a resounding success for the Hutu Power movement.
Led by Gregoire Kayibanda, the Hutu Power movement was surely violent enough to be considered equivilent to Hitler's genocide as well. Consider that one million would have been 20% of the population during this time.
Between getting gassed to death and getting hacked to pieces by a machete, I elect getting gassed. Many of the Hutus who perished would have agreed. When it was clear that the Belgian Peacekeepers would have to abandon a large group of Hutu refugees who were being protected at Murambi Technical School, they asked the Belgians to shoot them so they would not have to face the machetes. The Belgians obviously declined. Outside the Hutus waited, drinking beer and singing hate songs. As the Belgians left, the Hutus entered.


I guess Kayibanda is less evil than Hitler since he only killed black people.

Cambodia
The Killing Fields really needs no introduction. Led by Pol Pot in his quest to create a true Communist Utopia, it quickly became the process of the creation of death camps where death could come for any reason. Past occupation, softness of your hands, eye glasses. The result was the death of perhaps two million people. Two hundred thousand were executed formally by the Khmer Rouge and the rest died from starvation, disease, undocumented execution and other ways one usually dies when working in a death labor camp. And this is a country that had seven million people at the time.
Facing the same problem as the Nazis of needing to use too many bullets to execute that many people, they resorted to using sharpened bamboo sticks (a very bad way to go), hammers, axe handles etc., often after being forced to dig their own graves.
Torture victims were recorded and documented in German precision.
Yet even this is not unique. The creation of death labor camps and mass executions is pretty consistent among many Communist countries. Why mass murder by Communist regimes aren't taken very seriously is beyond me.
Cambodia under Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge... just as bad, if not worse than Nazi Germany in terms of mass murder.


Just as evil as Hitler but somehow manages to get off the hook. I guess you're not completely evil if you don't slaughter White people.

And of course by no means are these it. Actually you'll find a lot of Communist countries fit the bill as well and why Communism is allowed to go while Nazism is scrutinized to beyond death and beyond afterlife is a mystery.
One thing is for certain. Human history has had its share of world class assholes and Hitler was not alone at the top.

Buddhist at the Supermarket

I realize it's been forever since I wrote anything but trust me, I have been insanely busy.

Today I was at the supermarket minding my own business until I saw a devout Buddhist follower, a female, gray tunic and shaven head and all, getting her food at the local supermarket.

Bullshit: Buddhist shopping at the supermarket.
The way it's supposed to be done: Buddhist foraging for food in the mountains, in harmony with nature, asking permission if it is okay to take a piece of life for one's own sustenance.

It doesn't just stop there. The whole purpose of having your clothes gray, hair shaven and all is to renounce your attachment to any luxuries and to live a very frugal and humble life. Luxuries must be abandoned in search of the truth... and the last time I checked, supermarkets were a luxury.
Truth is, it doesn't just end with supermarkets. You see them with their gray tunics and shaven heads in the subway, taking the aeroplane and in buses as well.
I don't have a problem with folks who just mildly believe in Buddhism purchase luxury goods and all, after all, very few people of any faith follow their religion down to the word. But fanatics are the ones that get me. If you're going so far as to make your female ass ugly by shaving off all your hair and wearing some drab tunic, your ass better be going all the way.


No luxury my ass. Half these assholes took the subway to get here. A quarter took a bus and some schmuck had the insolence to ride a fucking cab.

Dear bald Buddhist lady, just grow out your hair, go to the supermarket and go about your daily life. Or shave your head and be all Buddhist and please do not come down to the town where the evil demon spirited people live.

Dokdo - a very politicized piece of worth of real estate

According to this blog by Brian Deutsch, the Korea Herald is reporting that Japan will lay fresh claims on Dokdo, known as Takeshima by the Japanese and called the Liancourt Rocks when parties wish to refer to it without pissing anyone off.
So what is this Dokdo?
Here is a Wikipedia entry for those who wish to find out a little more about the islet itself.
Since this is a Korea based blog, I will be focusing mostly on Korea's sentiment towards these rocks.

Bullshit: The Japanese encroachment or claims on Dokdo are a national security threat to not just South Korea, but to all of Korea.
The Truth: Japan's politicians use it as a way to get people's focus away from real problems such as their troubled economy by means of nationalism and South Korea's reaction to it is largely led by extremists who use nationalism to get the masses to follow them blindly down some very destructive paths.


Chemical Composition: C9H9N (100% Pure Bullshit)

How Dokdo Works For Both Sides
Japan:
Dokdo works for both sides in that, as stated above, the Japanese politicians use it as a way to divert attention away from their real problems and try to get their population behind them through nationalism. Where the politicians and the industries fail, they appeal to nationalism to try to hide their problems. It is a tactic used time and time again, very much like how General Leopoldo Galtieri, who became head of the Argentinian Government in December 1981, invaded the Falklands mostly because Argentina was going through a severe economic crisis.
The difference would be that Argentina actually invaded, whereas Japan, with the eyes of world opinion upon them are highly unlikely to do so militarily, but rather, diplomatically through the use of world opinion.
Korea:
South Korea on the other hand should know this but extremists (usually ultra nationalists who are oddly enough, the left wing in Korea) have a different agenda in which gaining followers is their primary goal. They use the Japanese actions regarding Dokdo to pent up nationalistic fervor and get people behind them in their cause. Of course it never really is about Dokdo itself. It always becomes another anti-foreign (especially anti-American), isolationalist movement in no time and because people are so overcome with emotion, they don't stop to think what it's really about.


The power of high school grade theater

The Effects
I can't say for sure how things turn out in Japan, simply becuase I'm not there to check it out myself though I do know that any Asian person who actually manages to hear about it somehow would disapprove of Japan's actions due to Japan's history in the region during the first half of the 20th century.
As regards to Korea, it does nothing but get Korea further and further away from legitimacy over Dokdo and weakens Korea's standing in the intenational stage.
The constant protests, the spreading of xenophobic, anti-foreign, isolationist propaganda simply turns the rest of the world away from Korea both in terms of the every day person's view of Korea and the diplomatic and economic view of Korea.

The Average Joe:
The average Joe usually doesn't care about South Korea but sometimes he might get a look at yet another protest in South Korea and that is all he will see. A bunch of people who are always angry at just about everything. He doesn't care about the history of the rocks etc etc.
"DO YOU KNOW? DOKDO BELONGS TO KOREA."
"I don't care."
And why should they? It's a pathetically small islet which serves no function and has no real population.
For people not really emotionally attached to Korea who know about it, it's just another disputed territory piss fight, one of hundreds that can be found just about anywhere in the world.
All it does is make Koreans hate foreigners and foreigners hate Korea in response. No one likes being around unpleasant people who are hateful of them. Koreans included. All the rules that apply to everyone else also applies to Korea. But try telling that to a Korean.


Screw the T-shirt. Actually...


Diplomatic
As xenophobic, isolationist leaders gain power and influence in South Korea (like Noh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung) they make decisions that further alienate Korea from the rest of the world. Lots of countries joined in on the War on Terror. Whereas many did not participate in hostilities in Iraq (or soon pulled out when it was established that no WMDs were present), many did join the hostilities in Afghanistan where the threat IS real. The Netherlands, Denmark, Poland and Canada (among many others) provided definitive combat operations in the theater, but due to Korean anti-Americanism, South Korea did not.
Japan provided what it could under its strict laws restricting the use of their Self Defense Force.
South Korea could have easily sent troops into combat legally but refused to do so.
Although South Korea is a signatory of the Mutual Defense Pact with the United States it did not participate fully in Afghanistan. One can argue that it is not a violation since it is not a declared war against a sovreign state, but one can see how it is a violation in the spirit of the agreement.
What this does is raise Japan's image in the view of the world and it lowers South Korea's. The next time the two have a diplomatic conflict over Dokdo and the eyes of the world opinion matter, the world very well could back Japan overwhelmingly.


Chung Sye Kyun, the leader of the Uri Party (the one that really hates America)

Economic
Who the hell wants to invest in a country that is always having strikes, protests etc., the labor prices are high and the environment is hostile towards foreigners?
I'm surprised anyone even bothers doing business with South Korea.

Dokdo is simply a political tool used by leaders who are in trouble or by aspiring leaders who have nothing to offer and need to rely on hate, emotion and extreme nationalism to get anything done.

Simplified Through Cola
Another fine comparison would be to this kind of Korean Cola that was around. It was called 815 COLA and was supposed to be the National Cola of Korea (though it is in no way endorsed by the government). August 15th is Korea's day of independence after 35 odd years of official colonization under the Empire of Japan. 815 COLA appealed to nationalism to sell its product because the product itself was horrible.
Eventually people were fed up with buying lousy Cola and just went straight for the foreign brands.


There's no national smear crime like putting your flag on a very bad product

Same deal with policies. Bad policies set by nationaistic fervor and pent up emotion will lead to disaster very much the same way, except instead of a Company arrogant enough to try to use nationalism to sell their product going bankrupt, the country's national power would suffer badly.

Can Music Save the World? - No.

This is a response to a welcoming speech made by Karl Paulnack, Director of Music at the Connecticut Conservatory which is one of the top music colleges in the world, rated higher than even Juliard.

You can find a copy of the speech here.

It is simply too long for me to post here so let me just cut it down sweet and simple and include the one key part that needs to be challenged. Although I did find myself agreeing with most of what he had said, it was the end which got me saying "that is such bullshit."

Bullshit: (this is the final part of his speech)
"Frankly, ladies and gentlemen, I expect you not only to master music;
I expect you to save the planet. If there is a future wave of wellness
on this planet, of harmony, of peace, of an end to war, of mutual
understanding, of equality, of fairness, I don't expect it will come
from a government, a military force or a corporation. I no longer even
expect it to come from the religions of the world, which together seem
to have brought us as much war as they have peace. If there is a future
of peace for humankind, if there is to be an understanding of how these
invisible, internal things should fit together, I expect it will come
from the artists, because that's what we do. As in the concentration
camp and the evening of 9/11, the artists are the ones who might be
able to help us with our internal, invisible lives." - Karl Paulnack.
The Truth: Although music is great and plays a big role in our lives, in our cultures and civilization as a whole, it's not going to save the world and is subject to limitations and problems that other things have.

Music Divides
Music can divide as much as it can unite.
If only the person saying this ever listened to the hateful songs that permeate throughout the world. The hateful Jihadist music, hateful anti-establishment music the world over, the "ibne hakem" chants (sort of like music) that can be heard in Turkish football stadiums... music can unite, but it can also divide and it can be a very powerful tool in division.
So in a way, it's not very good at uniting and building peace any more than many other things in the world such as economics, violence and information.


There was a lot of singing in this rally too. Hint: it wasn't "Give Peace a Chance"

Music Makes All The Difference?
Let's compare two TV shows. One is based on a true story and it's called Generation Kill. It was a mini-series based on a book written by an embedded journalist who was with some Force Recon Marines during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It had no musical score until the very end of the series and that scene, in my opinion was one of the weaker scenes in the entire series. The show had no introduction theme and had no credits theme. Only the trailer/"previously on" had a slight musical sequence but no one paid any attention to it.
Another TV show that was somewhat similar, though fiction, was Over There, which followed a fireteam from the US Army's 3rd Infantry Division. It didn't even survive the first season despite the fact that it had a very good musical score.
Both were similar in terms of setting and both were obviously expensively made.
Yet the show without the musical score actually gained great reception, while Over There, with its great opening and closing music never got far.
Music didn't make enough of a difference.
But if we are to believe the speech, the TV show without music should have never have stood a chance.


Generation Kill - may have killed the composer.


Over There - in the discount section.

Overstating The Importance of One's Own World
People often overstate the importance of their own world.
A psychologist will tell you that the human mind and what's in it is just about everything.
An economist will tell you that money is everything.
The infantryman will tell you that the infantry is the most important.
The artilleryman will tell you that artillery is the king of the battlefield.
The sailor will tell you that control of the seas IS national power.
A teacher will tell you that without good teachers and good education, there is no future.
Consider that this speech was given at a welcoming speech. The guy is not going to say "dear parents, you're going to be spending about $60,000 a year on your kid learning something irrelevent." You're going to tell them "your kids are going to learn the most important thing in the whole world." Only THAT would justify such a hefty price tag that comes with college education.
He is simply one of many people who overstates the importance of his own line of work.


Screw world peace, he needs to make your parents feel good about parting with their money

All in all, it was a nice little speech, but like many nice speeches, it uses elements of truth to sell a great big lie. Music is not going to save the world. Music causes division as well as unity. It's just hard to ask parents to fork out tens of thousands of dollars each year so their kid can either sing or play a violin at a higher level.

Corruption In Miss Korea Contest?

They tell us that Miss Korea (or Miss Whatever) contests are not a beauty contest in its entirity, but that beauty is a factor. Just then WHY, I ask you is that we end up with these sort of fails?


Left: Miss Korea 2008, Right: Miss Korea 2009

Bullshit: It's because it's not a complete beauty contest.
The Truth: Because the competition is rigged.

Call me Mr. Conspiracy Theorist, but seriously, I think we need a closer view of the contestants to really get the full picture.


Miss Korea 2008

Seriously.... and it gets worse.


Miss Korea 2009

Or if that's not good enough for you,


Can you believe it? I can't.

No, I'm not one of those losers on the internet who see an obviously HOT chick and say "bleh, she's average," or "WTF OMFG She's UGLY" when in reality the only action they ever get is limited to left hand, right hand and canteloupe.
But this is serious.
South Korea, is one of those countries that seem to have an unlimited supply of hot women, and highly educated women, so how on earth did these two win the competition? Notice the swimsuit picture and you'll see that the one behind her is even worse.
There are more attractive women (some of which I assume have some level of college or graduate school education) who walk the streets of Seoul every day. I see them every time I go outside, pretty much without fail, not because I go looking for them, but simply because there are so many of them.

There really is only one explanation: Corruption. The competition is obviously rigged and what beauty or qualification the women have, has little to do with the final outcome. It's actually fairly common in Korea to have rigged contests. Art contests are probably best known for being rigged because an 'expert' has to show up and endorse a certain art piece. In Korea, name and reputation is simply everything. You buy the 'expert' and you have your award.
I guess the same goes for the Miss Korea competition as well.