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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

The Propaganda of Kimchi

Recently I went to the Kimchi museum at the Seoul World Trade Center. Being in Korea, I just had to see what they had to say about the one side dish that has become the center of a nation's pride. That's quite a title to be held for what is often described as "pickled cabbage."
However, even in this museum I have found evidence of a propaganda that permeates throughout the country. Actually, it's not so much evidence, but the lack of evidence.
There is simply no mention about the origins of Kimchi's two most important ingredients: chili pepper and garlic.

Bullshit: Kimchi is a purely and uniquely Korean product.
The Truth: Without the Columbian exchange, Kimchi would not be anything like it is today.

Why this is significant:
There is this belief that anything purely Korean is good and anything foreign is suspect or at the very least, unpatriotic. Imagine back in the 1600s when garlic and chili pepper first entered Korea. There probably wasn't anything more alien than those two strange plant products. One grew in the ground and had a strong taste and smell (more so than jinseng), the other was a long "fruit" of sorts which was not sweet but burned your mouth.
It was as ALIEN as you could ever get.
Yet now it is a part of a uniquely Korean side dish.
But credit for as to where garlic and chili comes from seems to be some sort of secret, as if they're embarrassed that their national dish's most important ingredients are not indigenous to the land they dish belongs to.
The truth, that it was introduced to Korea as a result of the Columbian Exchange, dares Korea to open up and accept foreign influences. There are many groups in Korea who can never accept such a thing.


All this decoration and display and not even a one liner about where garlic and chili came from

In A Folk Tale:
The lie has even affected Korean folk tales. There is a story about the founder of Korea Tan Keun, who offered a bear and a tiger a deal. They would have to stay in a cave for 100 days eating nothing but herbs and garlic. The tiger didn't make it past 30 days, but the bear stayed the full 100 days and became a human woman and married the son of God and became the mother of all Koreans.
What's wrong with the picture here?
It's almost like the first guys who told the story or added garlic into the story, never realized that garlic was never native to Korea and the lie continued. Not only that, the so called fairy tale that is supposedly extremely ancient either isn't, or underwent some serious revision somewhere along the way.


Different kinds of Kimchi

It makes me question even more things: is the cabbage native to Korea?
And more importantly, why is it so important that something be "purely" Korean?
They claim that Kimchi contains more Lactic Acid Bacteria (which attacks the Helicobacter pylori) than Yoghurt, but no one has ever answered: how much Lactic Acid Bacteria is too much?

Koreans will tell you that their food and cuisine go back thousands of years, but considering how important gartlic and chili pepper is in their food and how recent their introduction was, you can pretty much discount most of that talk.

All this propaganda makes everything about the food unbelievable and in fact, suspect.

Honduras - It's not a coup d'etat

There's been a lot of stuff flying around in the news about a coup d'etat in Honduras. It's not a coup d'etat, at least not in the capacity that we know of it. The Western press have largely called it a huge blow to democracy, but was it really? Let's find out.

Bullshit: The military in Honduras staged a coup d'etat.
The truth: The military in Honduras was ordered by the National Congress and the Court to remove President Zelaya from office for attempting to break the law and end democracy.

Modern day Mussolini, except more incompetent and less charismatic

What Happened:
Zelaya attempted to change the constitution making the maximum number of terms for a President unlimited. Sound familiar? The National Congress voted against it.
Then failing that he attempted to conduct a poll among the people to see if he could use that to pass his new "ammendment." Doesn't seem very illegal, but somehow also seems not so legal since you're circumventing the proper channels (i.e. the National Congress). However, what most Western publications fail to emphasize is that Zelaya wanted the military to conduct "logistical support" for this poll. This of course sent alarm bells ringing throughout the National Congress and the military itself (who wanted no part in this).
When President Zelaya ordered General Vasquez to conduct this poll, the General consulted with legal authorities about the matter and then refused to carry it out. President Zelaya fired the General for not carrying out the order.
Zelaya then attempted to go ahead with the poll anyway despite warnings and so the National Congress decided to act. The military was ordered to remove Zelaya from office and Roberto Micheletti was instated as temporary President until the end of the term which is in November of 2009 (this year).
(Compiled by both me and a Spanish speaking friend)

Important things to consider:
Zelaya was obviously trying to be the next Chavez and was pretty much determined to end the democracy in Honduras, turning it into another Venezuela style dictatorship.

Why was General Vasquez's firing highly controversial to the point where the National Congress did not recognize the General's firing and the Chiefs of Staff of every branch of the military turned in their resignations? It is because you cannot be fired or legallly punished for refusing to follow in illegal order. That is what Zelaya's orders for the military to conduct the poll was: illegal.


General Vasquez refused to follow an illegal order

No General currently is heading the government, officially or unofficially.

Zelaya is lucky that Honduras has come a long way. Years ago he would have either succeeded or he and his family would have been shepherded to the basement of his palace where they would have been riddled with bullets.

Roberto Micheletti belongs to the same political party as Zelaya, the Liberal Party.

The Conclusion:
Depending on how the elections go in November 2009, that is, that they prove to be fair, this would be in fact not a defeat for democracy but a major victory for it. There is nothing wrong with having a system (and people with the courage) in place to challenge actions taken by a President who wishes to end democracy and bring in dictatorship in its place (especially when the democracy is working just fine).

The Western media condemns the actions by the military, but what if, back in the 1930's the German Army decided that Hitler (who was democratically elected) was a threat to German society and democracy, overthrew him and reinstated democracy? Would we be accusing the German Army of committing a serious crime?

Although I am generally in support of President Barack Obama, the condemnation by him and others on the Honduras issue is one I am very much against. Depending on what happens on November 2009, I think a lot of heads of government will owe Honduras' military and National Congress an apology.
Maybe leftist pussies the world over can't seem to recognize courageous and righteous action when they see one.

Iran IS a democracy

There's been a lot of talk about how Iran's not really a democracy but really it is a democracy. A troubled democracy since the latest results were almost certainly fabricated, but until that happened, their democracy was quite legitimate.

Bullshit: Iran is a dictatorship since the ultimate authority belongs to the Ayatollah.
The Truth: Iran is a democracy, the Ayatollah acts as a part of their version of the checks and balances.

Some comparisons have been drawn between the Iranian political system of electing officials and that of Kuwait. The difference is that in Iran, the President actually does the governing while the Ayatollah rarely intervenes and does so only if he believes the actions are unIslamic and is at odds with the spirit of their revolution. In Kuwait, although authorities may be elected and do have some function, the Emir does the majority of the governing, a vast difference to that of Iran.
Kuwait's system could be roughly compared to that of Singapore under Lee Kwan Yew where there would be a President and a Prime Minister but Lee Kwan Yew did the actual governing as Senior Minister.


I'm not a fan either but he was legitimate the first time around.

The current results in Iran's polls have actually reflected that Iran was a democracy and now that it is under threat, the people are extremely upset. It's not quite the picture that our leaders try to paint to us and sort of reminds me of what I asked a few years ago: we could democratize a country, but what if they vote in the terrorists? I was called a lot of bad things at the time, but knowing what happened in the Gaza strip, I wasn't wrong at all and although Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not a terrorist per se, Iran does support various terrorist groups operating in Iraq and against Israel.
But that's besides the point, they are/were a democracy.

Picking Candidates
Yes, Iran's Ayatollah has to approve who can run for election but that isn't too alien if you remember that in the United States, the very rich elite decides who can run for election as well. Without their money, you can't even pretend to be running for President. Maybe it's why regardless of who is elected, the outcome seems just about the same.

What lies in the future for Iranian democracy is to be seen. Will this be a once off, will the Ayatollah be forced to call for another election or is it a dangerous precedence for the future?

Video of Protests May 29th 2009

I've talked about it, and here's the video of it. All original. I went to take photos and videos of the demonstrations. It's a pretty long video so I had to cut the quality to make it an acceptable size.



A lot of the chanting has to do with stuff like:
"Down with Lee Myung-bak."
"Down with dictatorship."
etc etc. All of it bullshit.

Metrosexual

I've heard this word before but never knew what it meant. I dropped by this excellent page which everyone should read. It's an old site but I kinda had a thought for it and went back for the first time in a very long time. There, I found it again:


Metrosexual: A gay guy still in the closet. This word is so contemptible that even the man who coined it has since apologized for being such a douche. I cringe every time I hear this word.
(from that awesome website)


Bullshit: It's a new term that accurately describes people who have not made a decision as to what their sexuality is.
The Truth: It's a fucking conspiracy to make everyone think that people living in the city (therefore civilized) are naturally kinda gay and have to decide which way to go.

Also on that site was the word "Retrosexual" which is supposed to mean "straight." Hell I didn't even know this one existed but here in lies another conspiracy: makes straight people sound like something obsolete. Something to refer back to, for the fond memories (of plowing women) in contrast with the current generation which has a choice between which type of ass to tap.


If you're straight, you're a Nazi!!!
That guy is probably gay though.

The key behind "metrosexual" is the word metro. I know it's not what it really means but the way it sounds does the trick. "Metro." "Metropolis." "Either you're a small town red neck or you're a flaming faggot unsure of whether or not to come out of the closet or not."
We used to have a word for this. "Pervert."

MIcroshaft Fucks the Wii Wii

Microsoft has done it again: ripped off a product invented by someone else.
You'd think with the sort of numbers that Microsoft employs, they'd have a little more creativity, but no, after they figured that ripping off Mac OS in every possible way wasn't good enough, they've gone after the Wii.

Bullshit: Microsoft is serious about intellectual property. When you pirate our stuff, you're stealing from our children! (Actually that's what Bungie wrote somewhere in the packaging for the game Marathon)
The Truth: Microsoft steals from the children of many creative folks anyway.


Nintendo Wii? More like Microshaft ass fuck

Seriously, can you look at that picture above and tell me that is NOT a Wii rip off?

Check this video out.

It's basically sound from a Windows Vista presentation but the video is from Mac OS X.
Wow, how are these Microsoft guys not in jail?
So what's more illegal? Getting something for free and not making a penny off of it or getting something for free and then packaging it as your own and then making billions off the stuff?

But that's not all. If the NXE (New XBox Experience) wasn't enough, they've come up with something else: Project Natal.



Even the opening sequence of that video is like some kind of Sims 2 rip off.
Some things on that look original (especially the no controller thing that I'm sure is bound to have many glitches and provide hours of frustration) but I've got to hold my judgement on that. It's possible that they were leaked by Microshaft employees working as spies in other companies.

Intellectual property laws: so only the rich with lots of lawyers can rip people's ideas off.