“Lee should come out of the Hannara and set up his own political party.”
The problem is that if that happens, they split the GNP leaning voters and let the Uri Party (or whatever name they change to) come up the middle and steal the election, not unlike what happened in ‘87 when KDJ and KYS let Roh Tae-woo take the election. I hope they aren’t stubborn/stupid/egotistical enough to screw themselves, but I’d be a fool to discount it as a possibility.
I’m not much of a GNP fan myself - they reek to high heaven IMHO - but after ten years of the other guys - the last few years of high school student council-level rule in particular - I’d vote for them if I could. (Anybody but that car/suit salesman Chung DY!) I don’t care for Lee that much, but I guess he might make a decent president, likely more so than Park.
Is there any mention of Live Earth day over in Korea today? (It’s along the lines of Live Aid and Live 8, only to save the planet’s wildlife and the environment.)
Concerts are taking place in Sydney, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Hamburg,
London, Washington, New Jersey, and Rio de Janeiro, seemingly to get the whole world’s attention and raise awareness, as well as money, of course. But is it getting any coverage (apart from the Reuters pics in tomorrow’s “photo news”) in Korea?
When Live 8 was on simultaneously around the globe a couple of years ago, none of my Korean friends knew about it. There was a Diana memorial concert last week apparently broadcast live to over a hundred countries with a potential audience of over 500million. Was Korea included in that?
I’m a planet lover who regards this Live Earth Concert as a waste of energy. Anybody with a middle school education or higher has heard of global warming, and events like this concert are preaching to the converted, or more like partying for the converted. I imagine many of the performers leave large carbon footprints.
Is there any mention of Live Earth day over in Korea today? (It’s along the lines of Live Aid and Live 8, only to save the planet’s wildlife and the environment.)
Funny you should ask “Cymro” because — take note people — a business associate of mine was contacted by someone that wanted to know if they were interested in helping to arrange a rock concert to help developfinish destroying the Saemangum flats. There are almost no real conservationists in Korea and certainly not in government. Many Koreans are still living in Park Chung Hee’s world and it is getting smaller every day. I am really concerned that Korea will end up as bad off as China.
At least my associate told these people they were not interested in helping them.
Cheers to Marmot for being brave enough to open a free posting entry on his blog. You never know what some people will say. All I want to say is I enjoy reading your blog. Keep up the good work sir!
That’s an impressive piece. I’ve listened to only a few songs of Frank Zappa to see how Steve Vai played in Zappa’s team. For me, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin are two guitar gods.
the music in 16 reminded me of the excellent and (imo) very accessubke album that guitarist keiji hiano did with drummer raishid ali, by the group name “Purple Trap.”
i couldn’t find any purple trap but here’s a funky fresh, amusing clip i’ve found with keiji hiano playing with john zorn:
After a few viewings I admit I like it actually. There’s something deeply sumptuous about the visual of Keiji Haino with his bangs bang it out frenentically on his guitar. Not to mention the JZ factor. Though I’m not much into noise.
For some K guitar, a little on wayside of mainstream, I recommend 우리는 속옷도 생겼고 여자도 늘었다네 (속옷밴드, for short):
July 4, 2007 — Police were hunting yesterday for a pack of racial-epithet-spewing thugs who hopped out of a car and beat up a group of men on a busy Chinatown street for no apparent reason.
The episode unfolded at 6:40 p.m. Monday when at least two white men and two women started screaming anti-Chinese remarks from their car at a man on Canal Street, witnesses and police said.
When the man cursed back, the white men hopped out of their white 2007 Nissan and began beating him, police said.
They then began indiscriminately beating anyone who got in their way and screaming racial epithets and taunting them, “This is for the Korean War!”
“They just started hitting Chinese people. They were kicking and beating one guy and they were screaming ‘F- - -ing Chinese. Stupid Chinese,’ ” said vendor Zong Zheng. When someone phoned police, several witnesses said one of the attackers flashed what appeared to be gun. The gang then drove off just before police arrived.
you sure the nypost didn’t make an error on the report?
We had a thread about a week ago on the visa waiver program and alot of you felt it would cause some kind of huge hooker problem. I understand the human rights problems with all this but still I am hoping this thing will go through.
My Dad has been declared mentally incompetant and My family wants me to go back to the states and run his restaurant. I’m trying to get my wife a visa but, for the love of god they put up alot of barriers.
They say they want police reports on every country she’s ever been in. She’s Mongolian, but through a previous marriage she’s now a Korean citizen. It will be extremely difficult to get police reports from all of the countries, some of which were under communist rule at the time. Then, apparently, she will have to go through the same process each time she travels back here because the visa is only good for one entrance into the US. We will have to come back here to tie up some loose ends.
I wouldn’t mind so much if the initial inquiries had a greater impact on an individuals ability to travel later. Why the redundancy? “What was she doing in Czechoslavakia? Ask that guy over there. We just went through this two months ago.”
I don’t think my wife needs a visa to transit through the US, but last time we flew through the US they confiscated her passport and returned it to her only after we gotten off the plane in Toronto. I was insulted that they would force her to relinquish her passport like that.
Needless to say, we don’t fly through the US anymore on our way home. It’s more expensive, but I refuse to have any of our money go to an American airport until they treat my wife with the respect that she deserves as the citizen of an ally of the US.
Paul Potts or Pava-Potty, an insecure cellphone salesman wearing 35 pound suit at the first round of the contest with the debt of 30,000 pounds, will sing in front of the Queen as the winner of the first season of the Britain’s Got Talent show. He made a 1M pound contract for his debut album, which will be released in 15 countries in July. There is a rumo(u)r that Her Highness was fond of 6 year old Connie Talbot at the contest, BTW. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/0807_potts.shtml
It’s worse than that. It’s not just citizens of allied countries that U.S. authorities treat disrespectfully. It’s U.S. citizens as well. It all begins with a “police state” announcement over the intercom as the aircraft nears the U.S., and it gets worse after the plane lands.
The good news is that the punishment is built into the crime. Treat innocent people like shit for no reason, and they’ll simply stop coming to your country. Lots of good people are choosing to avoid the United States. Many of them are going to Canada instead. Canada’s universities and businesses are benefiting greatly. (Check out Vancouver B.C.’s new Microsoft software center.)
A visa requirement for merely transiting through a US airport is due to the fact that many foreigners were taking advantage of US transit stops to get off and then stay here illegally.
I agree that for countries such as Mongolia and South Korea there should be an expedited process for visa approval, but I suspect any hint of “favoritism” towards some countries (while bearing down on others) leads to a “PC” outcry from various interest groups to Congress and then endless lawsuits tying up the government in court.
I further suspect you understand this quite well but the opportunity to do a little US bashing is just too irresistable (”police state” announcements, “punishment is built into the crime”). It’s important to “keep your sneer on” and take advantage of we weak Americans’ natural instinct to want people to like us.
Why not go to Canada permanently where you can breathe deeply of the pure air of freedom? I’m sure they’ll see instantly that you have a pure heart and just wave you on by at the border.
I think there may be a degree of nationality confusion here. I’m American. careb is probably Canadian. My views are my own, and not careb’s. I merely agreed with him that people should avoid travel to countries that treat travellers disrespectfully. (That’s what the U.S.A. currently does.)
Where do you suggest that I go, now that my country (the former U.S.A.) has been taken from me by fearmongers?
It is not U.S. bashing that I do. It is a movement against everything America stands for that I rail against. This version of the U.S. is like nothing that I signed up for. Going back through history, there are many brave Americans who would join me in crying “foul” against the current state of affairs.
When you speak of “we weak Americans,” to me that is exactly what you are. You have traded liberty for “pretend” security. You have given up freedom because you think it will help keep you safe from the boogeyman. It won’t. And it’s truly pathetic that an old guy has to stand against the madness, while the young people salute and snap to attention.
A friend and I were speaking on the phone earlier today, wondering what it was like for those German citizens who dared protest as the Nazi Party consolidated power. (Yes, I know about phone conversations. This one probably got us put on yet another government watch list…)
For the record, I respect nothing about the Mickey Mouse rules and chickenshit regulations that you believe contribute to your beloved personal safety. When there’s jackshit left of the American economy, you might realize that much of the rest of the world feels the same way I do.
Finally, thanks for the tip. Your idea of going to Canada permanently is not bad. I must confess that when I’m browsing the personal ads, women get extra points for being citizens of Canada residing in Canada. Nevertheless, I am a stubborn, gnarled old bastard, and for now, I choose to remain right here.
I misspelled Malmsteen’s first name, as many people do, and it should be “Yngwie.” I have misspelled his first name for 23 years. That’s ok because he is an ego maniac and a legendary asshole. That’s why people make fun of him like below (they are identical, but the top one is a joke):
Well, the argument against preventing favoritism is pretty weak because not everybody needs a visa to enter the US… nor does everyone want to live in the US.
It was a cash grab. Costs start with 150$ a non-refundable processing fee, and then it goes up from there. Just look at the lines of people at the embassy in Seoul and you’ll see why they kept it so long.
The South Korean government should have been more forceful about getting the US to respect the principals of diplomatic reciprocity by allowing Koreans to enter the US without a visa just it allows Americans to do.
But, it seems to have been happy not to. It made Koreans think twice about going to the US and it allowed South Korea to offer a form of monetary support, indirectly of course, to the US while it’s fighting the war in Iraq.
Thank you for letting me know Stage6. Great performance of Steve Vai and Frank Zappa. I had not known about Stage6, but watched G3 live (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen) on Stage6 a few hours ago. The quality of Stage6 is great, but I wasn’t sure many people had Divx component installed on their computers.
Yngwie Malmsteen’s acoustic guitar playing is always horrible, although Al Di Meola is one of the major influences on him. I found another clip of the acoustic performance of Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia on Stage 6: http://stage6.divx.com/user/33.....lucia-1996
Look up in the tags for ‘documentary’, they have tons of stuff on music (click on ‘lenght’ to order from the longest to the shortest, makes finding stuff worth watchining easier).
#53, They even have a documentary on a Mongolian ‘blind blues singer’.
i think it’s apparent to all that bush’s war against iraq has been an absolute failure that cannot be fixed short of dropping nuclear bombs on baghdad. there now is increasing talk of a pullout which i fully support. there’s problem though. something bothers me about this. what are we going to do about the mess we created? is it right for us to obliterate a country in their name and then leave after we’ve given them a terminal illness? i’m bothered by that.
however, in the end, i want the soldiers home. i don’t want to see any more casualties. that’s more important to me than leaving iraq in shambles. we’ll have to let the iraqis work it out and whatever country that should arise from the ashes should be the recipient of massive amounts of us aid and an apology from president bush and all those who supported his policies.
lastly, some may say us liberals got the last laugh, but i’m not laughing. almost four thousand soldiers dead, and over a million iraqis extinguished. i’m not laughing.
“…The South Korean government should have been more forceful about getting the US to respect the princip[les] of diplomatic reciprocity by allowing Koreans to enter the US without a visa just as it [South Korea] allows Americans to do…”
I see South Korea is excluded from the list of 27 countries (as of 2006) allowed 90 day temp visas under the US visa waiver program:
“…South Korea’s chances [for inclusion in the VWP] are further being scrutinized due to a thriving and very sizable sex-trade industry in that nation. With no controls or laws to regulate human trafficking and prostitution, the country will have to strengthen its position on this moral issue before it can be granted membership in the program. [12]”
[12] goes to an inoperative link, looks like it is/was Korean language:
Not an official US govt statement, presumably, so I took a look at VWP official links at State and Homeland Security and saw nothing official, will have to look further.
Or maybe the Marmot covered any official US govt statements on the subject earlier; I think I recall US immigration/visa subject posts by him.
If that’s in fact the official US position, I can see where a proud Korean, or a Canadian or American of Korean origin, might find this intensely humiliating.
And retaliate with phantasmagorical analogies about the dark night of fascism descending on the USA.
Or with accusations of “…a cash grab…start[ing] with $150 [per] non-refundable processing fee, and then…go[ing] up from there…[which] allowed South Korea to offer a form of monetary support, indirectly of course, to the US while it’s fighting the war in Iraq.”
At approx $2 billion a week for the war in Iraq, you’d think we’d be issuing visas to ROK citizens as fast as they can be stamped out in order to make a real dent in our war expense.
But I reckon the checks or money orders get made out to “US Treasury”, which means they go into the big pot; since money is fungible it’s impossible for me to tell to what specific US account the money may be credited.
My personal hope though is that this money is being used by DHS/State to offset the expenses of deporting Koreans found in the US illegally. The US govt ought to tally up the expenses for this enterprise vs the amount of visa fees collected, see whether it’s in the black or the red, and then provide an official statement on the subject to the ROK embassy. And also to any ROK newspaper that’s interested in the subject, as a demonstration that the US is taking steps to overcome our “weakness”.
This might help the ROK administration too, by giving them an incentive to retaliate against Americans with similar visa rules. This might be the only way to make the “weak” Americans back down on the VWP, someguy.
On KBS at the moment, the anchor in Seoul talking live with a Washington correspondent, pictured in front of the White House, discussing K.J. Choi’s golf tournament victory in Maryland in detail.
As usual, the simple delight one feels in seeing a Korean winning an international event is somewhat sullied by the silliness of the Korean media coverage.
Well! When it comes to the ROK and the US Visa Waiver program, it’s just a matter of straining my fascist brain enough to type in a correct search term.
The official US Dept of State response (Sept 2006) to a question about ROK inclusion in the VWP was most discreet. ROK hadn’t yet been admitted because they hadn’t met “….the specific, legislative requirements in Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
But — just in the last 10 days, there’s been a report of light at the end of the tunnel:
“Yonhap News, Posted: Jul 01, 2007
SEOUL — U.S. President George Bush is expected to announce a planned expansion of the country’s Visa Waiver Program to include South Korea, reports Jung Sung-ki for Korean-language daily The Korea Times….South Korea would be the first country added to the program since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”
But never fear — there will still be plenty of opportunity for tooth-grinding clenched fist fury over the VWP:
“…To meet the program’s criteria, South Korea must put in place an electronic passport system and increase cooperation between law enforcement agencies to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants and human trafficking.”
‘Pawi: in the event of a war between North and South Korea, how many American lives do you think we should be willing to expend to protect the South?’
hard to say, paul, since i don’t think your scenario will come to pass. however, if YOU are included in the lives to be expended on behalf of n/s korea, then, at this point, i’d say at least one.
‘@56: nice post, pawi. could not have expressed it better.’ dogbert
No it won’t be me pawi. But if and when another American servicman does die for the ROK in the line of duty, I promise to be here to remind you of your most fondly expressed wish.
A new article over at the Asia Times written by some cat named James Card that critiques Pyeongchang’s Olympic bid with devastating humor. Well, well worth the read.
And after you read it, let me know: am I the only one who wondered if James Card’s nom de guerre is “Partypooper” ? - very similiar sense of humor and writing style, hmmm….
I’ve driven through Pyongchang and his description is spot-on:
“So you drive back into the actual town of PyeongChang, a few miles away from the ski area. It is a nondescript country burg; a crossroad intersection forms the downtown. What is most stunning is the lack of any cosmopolitan feel, or even a sense of style or identity and except for the “Yes! PyeongChang,” signs, one could be transported to any other small Korean town and not know the difference. There is a complete absence of any rustic mountain town charm.”
His article reminds me how funny it is that the generally xenophobic Koreans try so hard to draw international events to the country without a clue as to what “international” means.
“His article reminds me how funny it is that the generally xenophobic Koreans try so hard to draw international events to the country without a clue as to what “international” means.”
Hosting international events can be a way to learn what “international” means. Should they live as it is without knowing what diversity is? Korea is a homogenous country, and a racially homogenous place generally has “xenophobic” people. As my user name indicates, I spent plenty of time in the South in states as well as in the Midwest, and, honestly, non-whites have to deal with a lot of racism and insult there. Even in Manhattan, there are guys calling me “Pizza pie” or spitting on my car, apparently because it is a fancy one, although I’m bigger and taller than they are, even when I’m with my American friends. This is a part of the damn expat life.
Yes Robert, indeed she is. I hear that your wife shares that heritage. Small world.
In fact, on the twenty-eighth we are heading to that sparsely populated world for about nine days. It’ll be my first time. I’m looking forward to coming back walking like John Wayne. The land around Maya’s mother’s home is apparently dazzlingly beautiful. I’m about a week from getting pumped up.
Sorry French Quarter, I don’t get your anecdote. Did you even read Card’s article? He is saying Korea is utterly unprepared to host the Winter Games, in large part because Pyongchang doesn’t have the facilities or conditions, but also because, to be blunt there’s nothing attractive about the area to an international audience as far as food, lodgings, night life, etc.
Also I respectfully disagree, hosting international events is not a way to learn what “international” means–that should be learned long before staging the events.
Ethnic Bias Seen in South Korea Teacher Hiring
by Jason Strother
Day to Day, July 9, 2007 · As South Korea’s economy grows, many students there are learning English. But Americans of every race who apply to teach in that country are discovering a troubling reality. Schools in South Korea often only hire white Americans.
76 Comments
Somebody has to be first. Apparently, through a quirk of international time zones, it’s me.
Have a great weekend, me hearties!!!
The political fight between Lee MyengBak and Park Gunhey is getting ridiculous. Both candidates are digging their graves.
I think the Hannara party may split, which may not be a bad thing. Hannara as the bribe taker and the Rich folks party has a big stigma to overcome.
Park may win the nomination in Hannara party despite the fact that most Koreans like Lee.
Lee should come out of the Hannara and set up his own political party.
“Lee should come out of the Hannara and set up his own political party.”
The problem is that if that happens, they split the GNP leaning voters and let the Uri Party (or whatever name they change to) come up the middle and steal the election, not unlike what happened in ‘87 when KDJ and KYS let Roh Tae-woo take the election. I hope they aren’t stubborn/stupid/egotistical enough to screw themselves, but I’d be a fool to discount it as a possibility.
I’m not much of a GNP fan myself - they reek to high heaven IMHO - but after ten years of the other guys - the last few years of high school student council-level rule in particular - I’d vote for them if I could. (Anybody but that car/suit salesman Chung DY!) I don’t care for Lee that much, but I guess he might make a decent president, likely more so than Park.
Marmot, that Asian Sirens link made my afternoon. A lot classier than a lot of the stuff out there.
Is there any mention of Live Earth day over in Korea today? (It’s along the lines of Live Aid and Live 8, only to save the planet’s wildlife and the environment.)
Concerts are taking place in Sydney, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Shanghai, Hamburg,
London, Washington, New Jersey, and Rio de Janeiro, seemingly to get the whole world’s attention and raise awareness, as well as money, of course. But is it getting any coverage (apart from the Reuters pics in tomorrow’s “photo news”) in Korea?
When Live 8 was on simultaneously around the globe a couple of years ago, none of my Korean friends knew about it. There was a Diana memorial concert last week apparently broadcast live to over a hundred countries with a potential audience of over 500million. Was Korea included in that?
WTF is Old Glory doing next to my name?! Not impressed.
“WTF is Old Glory doing next to my name?! Not impressed.”
Don’t poop your pants. All Caucasians are “Americans” in Korea, heh, heh…
I’m a planet lover who regards this Live Earth Concert as a waste of energy. Anybody with a middle school education or higher has heard of global warming, and events like this concert are preaching to the converted, or more like partying for the converted. I imagine many of the performers leave large carbon footprints.
Yeah, most performers and people in the audience won’t be walking to the concert, that’s for sure. With each performer comes a truckload of gear, too.
Hey, stop calling me ‘miguk ssarram’, I’m not American.
Al Gore’s son’s crack pipe IS carbon neutral, I heard.
I wonder how those damn Rethuglicans managed to pull off global warming on Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto.
Funny you should ask “Cymro” because — take note people — a business associate of mine was contacted by someone that wanted to know if they were interested in helping to arrange a rock concert to help develop
finish destroyingthe Saemangum flats. There are almost no real conservationists in Korea and certainly not in government. Many Koreans are still living in Park Chung Hee’s world and it is getting smaller every day. I am really concerned that Korea will end up as bad off as China.At least my associate told these people they were not interested in helping them.
Yingwie Malmsteen guitar lesson:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=p_tuLEmWccM
Cheers to Marmot for being brave enough to open a free posting entry on his blog. You never know what some people will say. All I want to say is I enjoy reading your blog. Keep up the good work sir!
#14,
I didn’t know Yingwie was related to Arnold.
Since we’re on the topic of guitar gods…
Here’s Frank Zappa playing a bunch of chords I don’t know (watch the little smirk when he hits that sweet note at 3:40).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeyH4Ngn95c
PS. Don’t mind the weird French dude.
Wales is not a real country.
#16
That’s an impressive piece. I’ve listened to only a few songs of Frank Zappa to see how Steve Vai played in Zappa’s team. For me, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin are two guitar gods.
Al Di Meola:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgaRjKe2Hkg
Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cadbYIzhqQ
#17, kk, cracked me up.
High definition streaming videos:
http://stage6.divx.com/
the music in 16 reminded me of the excellent and (imo) very accessubke album that guitarist keiji hiano did with drummer raishid ali, by the group name “Purple Trap.”
i couldn’t find any purple trap but here’s a funky fresh, amusing clip i’ve found with keiji hiano playing with john zorn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9HY7mSIVTg
spelling corrections: “accessubke” -> accessible; “hiano” -> “haino”
#21.
Oh, my dear lord!
What was that? A Korean boy band trying to play their own instruments?
After a few viewings I admit I like it actually. There’s something deeply sumptuous about the visual of Keiji Haino with his bangs bang it out frenentically on his guitar. Not to mention the JZ factor. Though I’m not much into noise.
For some K guitar, a little on wayside of mainstream, I recommend 우리는 속옷도 생겼고 여자도 늘었다네 (속옷밴드, for short):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....c&
#21…
1,000 monkeys with instruments… would be better.
RACE-HATE BEATING IN CHINATOWN, July 4th
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07.....rtinez.htm
“This is for the Korean War!”
If you haven’t heard of Connie Tabot or Paul Potts in “Britain’s Got Talent”:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=En0A8KGMgq8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA
you sure the nypost didn’t make an error on the report?
It says 2 white men and 2 white women.
Hmm.
#24
Just go to Google Video and search of “Korean Rock”, “Korean Metal”, and “Korean Punk”.
There are tons of good bands in Korea right now, they just don’t get much airplay.
#26
Inbred neo-Nazis, I bet. (I know, it a redundancy: all neo-Nazis are inbreds).
We had a thread about a week ago on the visa waiver program and alot of you felt it would cause some kind of huge hooker problem. I understand the human rights problems with all this but still I am hoping this thing will go through.
My Dad has been declared mentally incompetant and My family wants me to go back to the states and run his restaurant. I’m trying to get my wife a visa but, for the love of god they put up alot of barriers.
They say they want police reports on every country she’s ever been in. She’s Mongolian, but through a previous marriage she’s now a Korean citizen. It will be extremely difficult to get police reports from all of the countries, some of which were under communist rule at the time. Then, apparently, she will have to go through the same process each time she travels back here because the visa is only good for one entrance into the US. We will have to come back here to tie up some loose ends.
I wouldn’t mind so much if the initial inquiries had a greater impact on an individuals ability to travel later. Why the redundancy? “What was she doing in Czechoslavakia? Ask that guy over there. We just went through this two months ago.”
#27,
That Paul guy’s got a beautiful voice.
Since we’re on the topic of Simon Cowell’s TV shows…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....mp;search=
Actually, when he sings in French, and doesn’t cheese it up to compensate for his terrible accent, he actually has a nice voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZCzMUspIvY
#30.
You’ve got my sympathy.
I don’t think my wife needs a visa to transit through the US, but last time we flew through the US they confiscated her passport and returned it to her only after we gotten off the plane in Toronto. I was insulted that they would force her to relinquish her passport like that.
Needless to say, we don’t fly through the US anymore on our way home. It’s more expensive, but I refuse to have any of our money go to an American airport until they treat my wife with the respect that she deserves as the citizen of an ally of the US.
got any news on this dude?
http://www.youtube.com/user/fitzcarl
actually, to be really honest, this is a thought that runs thru my mind time to time, but that’s the furthest it gets and here.
#31
Paul Potts or Pava-Potty, an insecure cellphone salesman wearing 35 pound suit at the first round of the contest with the debt of 30,000 pounds, will sing in front of the Queen as the winner of the first season of the Britain’s Got Talent show. He made a 1M pound contract for his debut album, which will be released in 15 countries in July. There is a rumo(u)r that Her Highness was fond of 6 year old Connie Talbot at the contest, BTW.
http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/0807_potts.shtml
Good for him.
my deepest apologies to French Quarter for claiming that i wasn’t quoting him (or her) in another thread
Re SomeguyinKorea’s #32,
It’s worse than that. It’s not just citizens of allied countries that U.S. authorities treat disrespectfully. It’s U.S. citizens as well. It all begins with a “police state” announcement over the intercom as the aircraft nears the U.S., and it gets worse after the plane lands.
The good news is that the punishment is built into the crime. Treat innocent people like shit for no reason, and they’ll simply stop coming to your country. Lots of good people are choosing to avoid the United States. Many of them are going to Canada instead. Canada’s universities and businesses are benefiting greatly. (Check out Vancouver B.C.’s new Microsoft software center.)
#37
Thank you, Careb.
A visa requirement for merely transiting through a US airport is due to the fact that many foreigners were taking advantage of US transit stops to get off and then stay here illegally.
I agree that for countries such as Mongolia and South Korea there should be an expedited process for visa approval, but I suspect any hint of “favoritism” towards some countries (while bearing down on others) leads to a “PC” outcry from various interest groups to Congress and then endless lawsuits tying up the government in court.
I further suspect you understand this quite well but the opportunity to do a little US bashing is just too irresistable (”police state” announcements, “punishment is built into the crime”). It’s important to “keep your sneer on” and take advantage of we weak Americans’ natural instinct to want people to like us.
Why not go to Canada permanently where you can breathe deeply of the pure air of freedom? I’m sure they’ll see instantly that you have a pure heart and just wave you on by at the border.
I think there may be a degree of nationality confusion here. I’m American. careb is probably Canadian. My views are my own, and not careb’s. I merely agreed with him that people should avoid travel to countries that treat travellers disrespectfully. (That’s what the U.S.A. currently does.)
Where do you suggest that I go, now that my country (the former U.S.A.) has been taken from me by fearmongers?
It is not U.S. bashing that I do. It is a movement against everything America stands for that I rail against. This version of the U.S. is like nothing that I signed up for. Going back through history, there are many brave Americans who would join me in crying “foul” against the current state of affairs.
When you speak of “we weak Americans,” to me that is exactly what you are. You have traded liberty for “pretend” security. You have given up freedom because you think it will help keep you safe from the boogeyman. It won’t. And it’s truly pathetic that an old guy has to stand against the madness, while the young people salute and snap to attention.
A friend and I were speaking on the phone earlier today, wondering what it was like for those German citizens who dared protest as the Nazi Party consolidated power. (Yes, I know about phone conversations. This one probably got us put on yet another government watch list…)
For the record, I respect nothing about the Mickey Mouse rules and chickenshit regulations that you believe contribute to your beloved personal safety. When there’s jackshit left of the American economy, you might realize that much of the rest of the world feels the same way I do.
Finally, thanks for the tip. Your idea of going to Canada permanently is not bad. I must confess that when I’m browsing the personal ads, women get extra points for being citizens of Canada residing in Canada. Nevertheless, I am a stubborn, gnarled old bastard, and for now, I choose to remain right here.
And I’ve got some cross-thread confusion going on too. In my #41, replace the reference to careb with someguyinkorea.
“Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once.”
But if you do stay, since you are stubborn and gnarled try to not whine about it.
#14
I misspelled Malmsteen’s first name, as many people do, and it should be “Yngwie.” I have misspelled his first name for 23 years. That’s ok because he is an ego maniac and a legendary asshole. That’s why people make fun of him like below (they are identical, but the top one is a joke):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XnSo0Qa_cA0
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aS_IYe5JTZ4
Dude:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxvLZ__a_aM
#40
Well, the argument against preventing favoritism is pretty weak because not everybody needs a visa to enter the US… nor does everyone want to live in the US.
It was a cash grab. Costs start with 150$ a non-refundable processing fee, and then it goes up from there. Just look at the lines of people at the embassy in Seoul and you’ll see why they kept it so long.
The South Korean government should have been more forceful about getting the US to respect the principals of diplomatic reciprocity by allowing Koreans to enter the US without a visa just it allows Americans to do.
But, it seems to have been happy not to. It made Koreans think twice about going to the US and it allowed South Korea to offer a form of monetary support, indirectly of course, to the US while it’s fighting the war in Iraq.
#44.
50 inch penis. LOL. He could string his guitar with that.
#45
I haven’t heard of his name, Herman Li, and he seems to be a well known underground guitarist. I liked this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....mp;search=
Can anyone explain why this clip is funny? Million of people found it funny and loved it, but I have no idea why.
Damon Scott at Britain’s Got Talent:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqRd_4wY8hs
#49
Million -> Millions
Speaking of guitarists…Stevie and Frank. Probably the two best at what they do/did (play flawlessly and improvise).
Compare the sound quality, while you’re at it. Same video.
http://stage6.divx.com/user/Tc.....ing-Solos-(live-1982)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=z5ORGWfJiTI
Here’s a different cut. Same song. Far better video quality than anything on Youtube.
http://stage6.divx.com/jerrys-.....s-spanking
Oh, and French Quarter…just for you:
http://stage6.divx.com/user/vo.....uitar-Solo
(He actually makes quite a few mistakes, not that he doesn’t play better than I do).
#51
Thank you for letting me know Stage6. Great performance of Steve Vai and Frank Zappa. I had not known about Stage6, but watched G3 live (Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen) on Stage6 a few hours ago. The quality of Stage6 is great, but I wasn’t sure many people had Divx component installed on their computers.
Yngwie Malmsteen’s acoustic guitar playing is always horrible, although Al Di Meola is one of the major influences on him. I found another clip of the acoustic performance of Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia on Stage 6:
http://stage6.divx.com/user/33.....lucia-1996
Among those heavy-metal style guitarists, I like Tony Macalpine:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xlE.....mp;search=
…, and, on Stage6, I’ve just discovered a live of Jeff Beck, Santana, and Steve Lukather; I gotta watch this:
http://stage6.divx.com/user/La.....-Lukather-(Live)
Maddlew — Your wife’s Mongolian?
#52.
Look up in the tags for ‘documentary’, they have tons of stuff on music (click on ‘lenght’ to order from the longest to the shortest, makes finding stuff worth watchining easier).
#53, They even have a documentary on a Mongolian ‘blind blues singer’.
Oh, and put that stuff on ‘full screen’. It’s like watching a DVD.
i think it’s apparent to all that bush’s war against iraq has been an absolute failure that cannot be fixed short of dropping nuclear bombs on baghdad. there now is increasing talk of a pullout which i fully support. there’s problem though. something bothers me about this. what are we going to do about the mess we created? is it right for us to obliterate a country in their name and then leave after we’ve given them a terminal illness? i’m bothered by that.
however, in the end, i want the soldiers home. i don’t want to see any more casualties. that’s more important to me than leaving iraq in shambles. we’ll have to let the iraqis work it out and whatever country that should arise from the ashes should be the recipient of massive amounts of us aid and an apology from president bush and all those who supported his policies.
lastly, some may say us liberals got the last laugh, but i’m not laughing. almost four thousand soldiers dead, and over a million iraqis extinguished. i’m not laughing.
Ref: #46 by someguy, quote:
“…The South Korean government should have been more forceful about getting the US to respect the princip[les] of diplomatic reciprocity by allowing Koreans to enter the US without a visa just as it [South Korea] allows Americans to do…”
I see South Korea is excluded from the list of 27 countries (as of 2006) allowed 90 day temp visas under the US visa waiver program:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V....._countries
“…South Korea’s chances [for inclusion in the VWP] are further being scrutinized due to a thriving and very sizable sex-trade industry in that nation. With no controls or laws to regulate human trafficking and prostitution, the country will have to strengthen its position on this moral issue before it can be granted membership in the program. [12]”
[12] goes to an inoperative link, looks like it is/was Korean language:
http://times.hankooki.com/lpag.....768040.htm
Not an official US govt statement, presumably, so I took a look at VWP official links at State and Homeland Security and saw nothing official, will have to look further.
Or maybe the Marmot covered any official US govt statements on the subject earlier; I think I recall US immigration/visa subject posts by him.
If that’s in fact the official US position, I can see where a proud Korean, or a Canadian or American of Korean origin, might find this intensely humiliating.
And retaliate with phantasmagorical analogies about the dark night of fascism descending on the USA.
Or with accusations of “…a cash grab…start[ing] with $150 [per] non-refundable processing fee, and then…go[ing] up from there…[which] allowed South Korea to offer a form of monetary support, indirectly of course, to the US while it’s fighting the war in Iraq.”
At approx $2 billion a week for the war in Iraq, you’d think we’d be issuing visas to ROK citizens as fast as they can be stamped out in order to make a real dent in our war expense.
But I reckon the checks or money orders get made out to “US Treasury”, which means they go into the big pot; since money is fungible it’s impossible for me to tell to what specific US account the money may be credited.
My personal hope though is that this money is being used by DHS/State to offset the expenses of deporting Koreans found in the US illegally. The US govt ought to tally up the expenses for this enterprise vs the amount of visa fees collected, see whether it’s in the black or the red, and then provide an official statement on the subject to the ROK embassy. And also to any ROK newspaper that’s interested in the subject, as a demonstration that the US is taking steps to overcome our “weakness”.
This might help the ROK administration too, by giving them an incentive to retaliate against Americans with similar visa rules. This might be the only way to make the “weak” Americans back down on the VWP, someguy.
“Measure for measure!”
(Matthew 7:2. Here’s a link to the Korean Bible version:
http://www.biblegateway.com/pa.....version=20)
Pawi: in the event of a war between North and South Korea, how many American lives do you think we should be willing to expend to protect the South?
I’d be opposed to an American suffering a mere papercut in defense of this place.
On KBS at the moment, the anchor in Seoul talking live with a Washington correspondent, pictured in front of the White House, discussing K.J. Choi’s golf tournament victory in Maryland in detail.
As usual, the simple delight one feels in seeing a Korean winning an international event is somewhat sullied by the silliness of the Korean media coverage.
Well! When it comes to the ROK and the US Visa Waiver program, it’s just a matter of straining my fascist brain enough to type in a correct search term.
The official US Dept of State response (Sept 2006) to a question about ROK inclusion in the VWP was most discreet. ROK hadn’t yet been admitted because they hadn’t met “….the specific, legislative requirements in Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/71974.htm
But — just in the last 10 days, there’s been a report of light at the end of the tunnel:
“Yonhap News, Posted: Jul 01, 2007
SEOUL — U.S. President George Bush is expected to announce a planned expansion of the country’s Visa Waiver Program to include South Korea, reports Jung Sung-ki for Korean-language daily The Korea Times….South Korea would be the first country added to the program since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.”
But never fear — there will still be plenty of opportunity for tooth-grinding clenched fist fury over the VWP:
“…To meet the program’s criteria, South Korea must put in place an electronic passport system and increase cooperation between law enforcement agencies to prevent the flow of illegal immigrants and human trafficking.”
http://news.newamericamedia.or.....f84a46c741
@56: nice post, pawi. could not have expressed it better.
‘Pawi: in the event of a war between North and South Korea, how many American lives do you think we should be willing to expend to protect the South?’
hard to say, paul, since i don’t think your scenario will come to pass. however, if YOU are included in the lives to be expended on behalf of n/s korea, then, at this point, i’d say at least one.
‘@56: nice post, pawi. could not have expressed it better.’ dogbert
thanks, dogbert.
No it won’t be me pawi. But if and when another American servicman does die for the ROK in the line of duty, I promise to be here to remind you of your most fondly expressed wish.
In the event of a war with the fascist nork dictatorship I will…eh, nevermind.
Korean gal eats goldfish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gqhd_sn4S8
A new article over at the Asia Times written by some cat named James Card that critiques Pyeongchang’s Olympic bid with devastating humor. Well, well worth the read.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/IG10Dg01.html
And after you read it, let me know: am I the only one who wondered if James Card’s nom de guerre is “Partypooper” ? - very similiar sense of humor and writing style, hmmm….
Hugh,
Here’s Card’s site: http://www.jamescard.net/
I’ve driven through Pyongchang and his description is spot-on:
“So you drive back into the actual town of PyeongChang, a few miles away from the ski area. It is a nondescript country burg; a crossroad intersection forms the downtown. What is most stunning is the lack of any cosmopolitan feel, or even a sense of style or identity and except for the “Yes! PyeongChang,” signs, one could be transported to any other small Korean town and not know the difference. There is a complete absence of any rustic mountain town charm.”
His article reminds me how funny it is that the generally xenophobic Koreans try so hard to draw international events to the country without a clue as to what “international” means.
#67
“His article reminds me how funny it is that the generally xenophobic Koreans try so hard to draw international events to the country without a clue as to what “international” means.”
Hosting international events can be a way to learn what “international” means. Should they live as it is without knowing what diversity is? Korea is a homogenous country, and a racially homogenous place generally has “xenophobic” people. As my user name indicates, I spent plenty of time in the South in states as well as in the Midwest, and, honestly, non-whites have to deal with a lot of racism and insult there. Even in Manhattan, there are guys calling me “Pizza pie” or spitting on my car, apparently because it is a fancy one, although I’m bigger and taller than they are, even when I’m with my American friends. This is a part of the damn expat life.
Yes Robert, indeed she is. I hear that your wife shares that heritage. Small world.
In fact, on the twenty-eighth we are heading to that sparsely populated world for about nine days. It’ll be my first time. I’m looking forward to coming back walking like John Wayne. The land around Maya’s mother’s home is apparently dazzlingly beautiful. I’m about a week from getting pumped up.
Sorry French Quarter, I don’t get your anecdote. Did you even read Card’s article? He is saying Korea is utterly unprepared to host the Winter Games, in large part because Pyongchang doesn’t have the facilities or conditions, but also because, to be blunt there’s nothing attractive about the area to an international audience as far as food, lodgings, night life, etc.
Also I respectfully disagree, hosting international events is not a way to learn what “international” means–that should be learned long before staging the events.
#70
I wasn’t commenting on his article. He might be right about it.
paul, i forgot to ask you, how many young men and women are you willing to see die in iraq? care to answer?
I just happened to watch this -
Michael Moore with Wolf Blitzer of CNN regarding his documentary “Sicko”
Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s comment on “Sicko” (poor quality):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2ZxkMtqJZkU
Michael Moore’s response (better quality):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iDg7lGZh-dQ
Following #73 -
Debate of Michael Moore & Dr. Sanjay Gupta at Larry King Live regarding the health care system of the U.S. and Moore’s documentary film “Sicko”
Part I:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ifV.....mp;search=
Part II:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mpf.....mp;search=
Part III:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IBD.....mp;search=
Ethnic Bias Seen in South Korea Teacher Hiring
by Jason Strother
Day to Day, July 9, 2007 · As South Korea’s economy grows, many students there are learning English. But Americans of every race who apply to teach in that country are discovering a troubling reality. Schools in South Korea often only hire white Americans.
http://www.npr.org/templates/s.....d=11826937
Thanks for the link, Michael. Looks like Michael Hurt has joined Robert as an expert expat informant on Korea.
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