The Marmot’s Hole

6 Comments

1. R. Elgin
   Posted January 20, 2007 at 2:04 am | Permalink

   Per the article:
   

   . . . Seoul residents’ satisfaction with their city ranked the lowest in eight categories ― including the city’s administration, cultural and educational facilities, welfare, environment and community life.

   All “quality-of-life” issues that does demonstrate that basic services matter, enforcement of law and order matter — all the little things really mean a lot after all.

2. slim
   Posted January 20, 2007 at 2:32 am | Permalink

   Too much han on the Han?

3. sewing
   Posted January 20, 2007 at 2:48 am | Permalink

   Wow, they’re even less happy than the famously melancholic Swedes? (Bergman films and all that….) Less happy than Beijing or Berlin residents, who somehow in my mind I just can’t picture as being very happy people? That’s sad. (So to speak.)

4. Paul H.
   Posted January 20, 2007 at 5:35 am | Permalink

   …Seoul residents scored the lowest “in a happiness index, the lowest among 10 cities, including New York, Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Tokyo, Beijing and Stockholm.”

   Not surprising; since the fall of the Berlin wall, Seoul is the only city on the list under a “24/7/365″ risk of massive artillery attack.

   The Americans have it in their power to put a stop to that! “Just leave, baby”, so reunification can finally take its inevitable and pre-ordained course.

5. R. Elgin
   Posted January 20, 2007 at 12:58 pm | Permalink

   A kind of “Vietnamation” on the Han, hummm, Paul H, replete with shiny, brand new monsters, filled with national unity and graft . . . from two definitions of “graft”:

   “Acquisition of money, position, etc., by dishonest or unjust means, as by actual theft or by taking advantage of a public office or any position of trust or employment to obtain fees, perquisites, profits on contracts, legislation, pay for work not done or service not performed, etc.”

   and

   “A small shoot or scion of a tree inserted in another tree, the stock of which is to support and nourish it. The two unite and become one tree, but the graft determines the kind of fruit.”

   by the prophecy of Cassandra, I should certainly hope not.

   This is more a matter of having good governance or the lack of it. Seoul City and the current failed administration could learn something useful from New York City and I don’t even like New York City . . .

6. babarian
   Posted January 20, 2007 at 3:39 pm | Permalink

   It probably has something to do with the fact that they have silly boys at the Blue House.