Marmot’s Open Thread #29

Four days left to election day. Oh boy!

60 Comments

  1. Posted December 15, 2007 at 12:55 pm | Permalink

    First! :)

    That is all.

  2. Wedge your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 1:11 pm | Permalink

    Korea’s fine lawmakers in action:

    http://www.dailymotion.com/vid.....korea_news

  3. seouldout your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 1:41 pm | Permalink

    Good stuff, but not enough punching, kicking and elbowing. Do like the ajummas jumping into the fray. A big 아싸! for the podium diving.

  4. Posted December 15, 2007 at 1:43 pm | Permalink

    Shameful. It was shameful in 2004 and it is shameful now.

    More on the brawl: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/ww.....15572.html

  5. Posted December 15, 2007 at 2:20 pm | Permalink

    Hi baseball haters…
    Please read my account of meeting a Korean who will go to SE Asia to look for a wife.
    Have a good Saturday.
    http://eastwindupchronicle.com/?p=805

  6. Posted December 15, 2007 at 2:57 pm | Permalink

    Another video (a bit clearer):

    http://edition.cnn.com/video/#.....cuffles.ap

  7. Posted December 15, 2007 at 3:21 pm | Permalink

    Time out for an important anouncement…

    App State rules!!!!

    Three time! Three time! Three time national champions!
    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/.....=273482026

  8. Posted December 15, 2007 at 3:39 pm | Permalink

    A recent find, offered for the general edification of the Hole.
    http://www.ted.com

  9. Posted December 15, 2007 at 3:50 pm | Permalink

    in addition to being a complete dumbass al gore is a hypocrite

  10. a-letheia your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 3:51 pm | Permalink

    All that fake fighting and fake falling and fake getting hurt tells me one thing: Koreans can’t act.

  11. Posted December 15, 2007 at 4:16 pm | Permalink

    KOTRA is currently drawing up plans to widely export Korea’s “unique” legislative process to Southeast Asian countries interested in learning about a civil, mature, advanced system.

    They do expect heavy competition from Taiwan though.

  12. jnesepa your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 5:13 pm | Permalink

    Never lose your cat!

    http://www.cnn.com/video/?/vid.....g.cats.ytn

  13. Posted December 15, 2007 at 6:45 pm | Permalink

    Anyone know of any polar bear swims this winter? I think the Hyundae Beach swim, organized by the Chosun Westin (or Westin Chosun) no longer operates.

    I am eager but unwilling to swim alone. If any is around Gangneung, Yangyang or Sokcho on Jan 1 and wants to take a dip, I’ll join them.

  14. arthjourneyman your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 8:54 pm | Permalink

    Just been checking out some blogs, and came across a link to Peter Pan’s.
    http://higashiajia.wordpress.com/

    Are iheartblueballs and wjk commentators there? ’cause I find it odd that wjk would be able to write in Japanese, but he is an odd one at times…

  15. Sonagi your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 9:44 pm | Permalink

    The linked blog posts as entries Japanese translations of K-blog and C-blog entries and comments. The wjk and blueballs entries are translations of comments they made at the Hole.

  16. hardyandtiny your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 9:45 pm | Permalink

    pickles on pizza

  17. littlebrownasian your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 10:20 pm | Permalink

    Is it spring yet? Brrrrr……..

  18. gbevers your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 10:26 pm | Permalink

    I miss WJK.

  19. Sonagi your flag
    Posted December 15, 2007 at 10:53 pm | Permalink

    Hush your mouf, bevers! I mean that.

  20. dokdoforever your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 1:01 am | Permalink

    Has anyone here lived in Hong Kong before? If so, how did you like it?
    Thanks

  21. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 1:04 am | Permalink

    #18,

    No Christmas gifts for you. You’re officially on Santa’s naughty kids list.

  22. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 1:05 am | Permalink

    #20,

    Planning on not renewing your contract because of the E-2 visa regulations of that came into effect on December 15th?

  23. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 1:06 am | Permalink

    Correction: …regulations that came into effect…

  24. dokdoforever your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 1:46 am | Permalink

    Actually Someguy I’m not on an E class visa - I’m looking into a move for other reasons. I’ve never even been to HK, but I gathered many readers of the blog might have spent time there.

  25. sesame seed your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 3:48 am | Permalink

    1301 local time is 0001 in Boston.

    Why should you care?

    Boston Tea Party baby, beginning of the Revolution!

    For those of you who want to be part of history and contribute to a candidate that doesn’t change their public stance when it is unpopular, then go to http://www.ronpaul2008.com .

    Last time we supported Ron, we made on-line history. Now we’re shooting for most campaign donations collected in 24 hours.

    You know you love him.

  26. user-81 your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 4:00 am | Permalink

    “You know you love him.”

    When I repeatedly hear Ron Paul supporters say things like this, it reminds me of a cult.

    If I really love him so much, why do you need to convince me of that?

  27. Sonagi your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 4:44 am | Permalink

    Robert,

    At a teachers’ conference last week, I learned about a website with free online children’s books in a number of languages, including Mongolian. If you and the missus ever start a family, you might appreciate this free educational resource:

    http://www.childrenslibrary.org/books/index.shtml

    I was disappointed not to find any Korean or Chinese books, but I’m guessing that the reason has to do with copyright. I noticed that the Mongolian books were provided courtesy of the Ministry of Education. I looked at a few, and illustrations are beautiful.

  28. pawikirogi your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 5:08 am | Permalink

    ‘Pawi, you must admit that the fact that the Korean national identity was shaped by the Japanese colonial rule (a fact that has been…..’

    I’d like to address this topic since we see this from time to time. Though whites aren’t mentioned, this line of thinking hails from the western world and suggests that the people of N.E. Asia had no idea who there were prior to westerners telling them who they were.

    The comment above is not only racist, it’s ridiculous, on par with bevers. Koreans had no idea who they were until the Japanese told them who they were? Really? The people of Korea seemed to know who was who when the Japanese invaded the first time. That was some 400 years ago.

    I must admit? Uh, no, I do not.

  29. sesame seed your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 6:34 am | Permalink

    #26

    All that good stuff and the last line is what you focus on? Fine, if it suits you, then strike the last line.

    I’m enthusiastic, but no more or less zealous than supporters of other candidates. I suppose they belong to a cult as well?

    Alright…convert me. Take me out of the cult. I’ll keep an open mind and I just have one criteria– consistency, name me one candidate that hasn’t flip-flopped on a single issue during their political careers.

  30. Zonath your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 7:32 am | Permalink

    Holy crap! A candidate who holds the same views today that he did in the 70’s? I’m gonna run out and vote for him right away! ;)

  31. colontos your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 8:32 am | Permalink

    #29

    I may not be able to convert you, but here’s my shot:

    RON PAUL WILL NEVER BE PRESIDENT.

    Do you honestly think he could beat any Democrat, ever? And I hate Democrats, but even I recognize that.

    Ron Paul could maybe have beaten Carter in 1980, but that’s about it. Every other Democrat ever would trounce him.

  32. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 8:58 am | Permalink

    “I’d like to address this topic since we see this from time to time. Though whites aren’t mentioned, this line of thinking hails from the western world and suggests that the people of N.E. Asia had no idea who there were prior to westerners telling them who they were.

    The comment above is not only racist, it’s ridiculous, on par with bevers. Koreans had no idea who they were until the Japanese told them who they were? Really? The people of Korea seemed to know who was who when the Japanese invaded the first time. That was some 400 years ago. ”

    There you go again, understanding everything wrong. That is most certainly not the point I was making.

    So you’re telling me that current Korean national identities (both Northern and Southern) and Korean ethnic nationalism were not influenced by the Japanese invasion and the subsequent policies aimed at assimilating Koreans? Right, and you’re going to tell me that it also has nothing to do with the Korean independence movement, either?

    Yes, the point I was making is that Korean national identity was shaped by Japan’s attempts to destroy it (an historical and sociological fact that has been exploited by South and North Korean politicians for years).

  33. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 9:00 am | Permalink

    …not to say that there wasn’t a national identity prior to the invasion. I’m obviously referring to the current state of affairs, to modern Korean national identities.

  34. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 9:00 am | Permalink

    #25,

    Would you love him less if he was ‘pro-choice’?

  35. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 9:12 am | Permalink

    Correction: …him any less…

  36. seouldout your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 2:53 pm | Permalink

    Singapore shows ya how to promote a hub strategy - in this case the Media Development Authority’s media hub.

    Dead presidents in da hub. Fo’ shizzle.

  37. Posted December 16, 2007 at 3:37 pm | Permalink

    So you’re telling me that current Korean national identities (both Northern and Southern) and Korean ethnic nationalism were not influenced by the Japanese invasion and the subsequent policies aimed at assimilating Koreans? Right, and you’re going to tell me that it also has nothing to do with the Korean independence movement, either?

    To posit that Korean national identity was not shaped by contact with the Japanese and the experience of being colonized is to suggest that Koreans are incapable of learning or of drawing lessons from their past. A strange suggestion from a knee-jerk race champion, to be sure…

    It would be similar (note: not identical, as the histories are different) to saying America’s national identity has nothing to do with our experiences with Britain or France, or Canada’s or Mexico’s with the United States. Ridiculous. But pawikirogi’s a moron, so there you go.

  38. dda your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 4:39 pm | Permalink

    #20

    Has anyone here lived in Hong Kong before? If so, how did you like it?
    Thanks

    Been living in HK for the past 10 months, love it very mucho. It’s 23°C today, too :-)

    Immigration is at the same time better and worse than in Korea. Better in the sense that the staff at Immigration are no-nonsense, no-bullshit, no-variable-attitude people. The bad news is that regulations are kinda tough, and enforced. I don’t have a visa yet, because of this, but OTOH, I am in and out of HK every week, getting multiple stamps on my passports every week, so all is fine.

    Except that without a resident card you’re kinda limited in what you can do. No regular, subscription plan mobile phone, for instance — lots of prepaid SIM cards to be had though. The pendant to this is that with a resident card — and with a permanent ID card after seven years of residence — you are treated like a local. At least as far as formalities, rights and benefits are concerned. Locals might never really accept you as such, but that’s nothing new to someone who’s spent time in .kr…

    HK is very, very business oriented. It’s something you’ve probably heard before, but you’ll realize how true it is once you get there. Business, and its little brother, money, is king. Anything that hinders business is considered as evil. Income taxes are limited, red tape is minimal, and service is NOT free. Service <> 써비스. You pay for everything, but most of the time you get what you pay for, and more — including the right to rant and yell if something doesn’t work as advertised; this is China after all…

    Food is diverse, tasty, and cheap — mostly. They say that in HK you can dine for 1US$ to 1,000… Western-style restaurants and bars are usually more expensive, not only because of import taxes but also because they cater to either expats or local high-lifers with a sizable wallet. Housing is fucking expensive, especially if you have to pay for it — as opposed to the company picking up the bill. 1000 sq. ft. will set you back anywhere from 1,200U to 4,000 US$, depending where you want to live. Again, since you pay for it, you get [mostly] better facilities and service than in .kr, but YMMV. I live near the airport — since I travel a lot — on Lantau island, in a development run by the MTR company, and we have great facilities, a less polluted environment despite the airport, and nice beaches nearby. And a metro that takes me downtown in 30 minutes.

    Lots of things to do there, beyond shopping — which for a reason seems to be the focus of HK’s government when it comes to promote HK, gawd knows fuck why — and more cities nearby. Macao, although I find it quite boring; Shenzhen, for cheap food, booze and saunas; Canton, more of the same, in a slightly less rustic atmosphere; Zhuhai, just above Macao, for a more relaxed, resort-style, weekend. Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hanoi, Vientiane are close too [1-hour flight], should you get bored. And within 3 hours you get a big chunk of Asia to visit, too…

    English is limited at times, I have seen cab drivers who don’t even understand the words “Queen’s Road” — probably the most famous rod in HK — and I have met people who’re completely bilingual [although these tend to be half my age or younger]. You’ll meet people who can speak four Chinese dialects, but can’t spell “Hello!”. It’s mystifying at times… HK also inherited since the handover half a million mainlanders or more, not counting the tourists and the pregnant ladies who come here to give birth, and it shows. If you think HKers can be manner-less, loud fucktards at times, wait until you bump into a group of mainlanders — for some reason I have never met a single mainlander on his own in HK. They must be scared or something. Or gregarious. The first few weeks get some getting used to. The noise level is nothing like I’ve seen in my 12+ years in Korea. Caveat emptor.

    Hope this helps…

  39. pawikirogi your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 5:22 pm | Permalink

    you and others like you tell us all the time that koreans didn’t know who they were before westerners told them who they were. responding that korean identity became stronger as a result of japan’s occupation is an answer to a question that wasn’t asked. you need to read my post again.

    ‘But pawikirogi’s a moron, so there you go’

    i have to be polite to you because marmot won’t let me speak to you in the same manner you speak to me. having said that, i get a bit of a kick out of you; on one hand, you say you couldn’t give a shit less about my thoughts and then on the other, you’re constanly bringing me up.

    what i write ain’t shit to you? that’s a lie. don’t think i don’t know it.

    :-)

  40. user-81 your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 5:25 pm | Permalink

    “All that good stuff and the last line is what you focus on? Fine, if it suits you, then strike the last line.”

    The last line is where you blink sideways.

    “I’m enthusiastic, but no more or less zealous than supporters of other candidates. I suppose they belong to a cult as well?”

    No one but Paulistas has told me (unless I solicited information from their site) to “be part of history” by donating record amounts of money to ‘Fred’, ‘John’, ‘Hillary’ or ‘Barack’.

    No one else but Paulistas has tried to convince me that I know I love someone just because they love him.

    “Alright…convert me. Take me out of the cult. I’ll keep an open mind and I just have one criteria– consistency, name me one candidate that hasn’t flip-flopped on a single issue during their political careers.”

    Hasn’t Ron Paul flip-flopped on blacks being scary?

  41. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 5:50 pm | Permalink

    “you and others like you tell us all the time that Koreans didn’t know who they were before westerners told them who they were. Responding that Korean identity became stronger as a result of Japan’s occupation is an answer to a question that wasn’t asked. You need to read my post again.”

    Did I ever say that? And, no, it’s not an answer to a question that wasn’t asked. It’s expanding on suggestion I had made to you after you wrote only mentioned sympathy as the reason Koreans react the way they do at the mention of Japanese war crimes in China (something you brought up again in order to misconstrue what I had written). I was suggesting that it for many people, empathy would be more accurate description of their feelings, and then I provided some historical and sociological reasons to back my point. Will you at least admit that because of the Japanese occupation of Korea, Koreans see a bit of themselves in the victims of the Nanking Massacre?

    All right, now show me how you’ll misinterpret this reply, show me how you’ll twist it around and sideways, front and back.

  42. judge judy your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 6:02 pm | Permalink

    #20, DDA left out one important difference between seoul and HK, and that’s air pollution. HK gets horrible air from the mainland, far worse than anything Seoul can dish out.

    From my experience in both, HK is far more mature from a business perspective down to a true globalized culture (minus 95% of the mainlanders). If you’re at all involved in finance it’s THE place to be.

  43. tbonetylr your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 6:58 pm | Permalink

    ‘Edwin Valero’ Have you heard the name? Now you have, he’s the next Tyson! He has the record for 1st round knockouts. De La Hoya said “He doesn’t need five or six shots to take you out, all he needs is one. He’s got scary kind of power.”

    He’s from Venezuela, hasn’t fought in the U.S. since 2003 and may never do so again because he’s under medical suspension in New York. Last night in Cancun, Mexico he fought won his third successful defense of his WBA Super Featherweight Title(3rd round TKO).

    Read here for info. on his next fight…
    http://www.eastsideboxing.com/.....amp;more=1

    To see him in action…
    http://www.youtube.com/results.....rch=Search

    Valero’s suspension stems from injuries suffered in a Feb. 5, 2001, motorcycle accident in which he wasn’t wearing a helmet and suffered a fractured skull. About a year later, he was cleared by doctors in Venezuela to fight.

  44. dokdoforever your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 7:25 pm | Permalink

    Thanks DDA and Judge Judy! Very much appreciated. Sounds like a pretty dynamic, and maybe more cosmopolitan place, compared to Seoul. Hopefully my future employer will help out with housing, since prices seem way out there.

  45. seouldout your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 8:37 pm | Permalink

    If you can’t afford Central and aren’t into late night partying I’d recommend checking out Lamma island. It’s much more centrally located than the New Territories, which many folks w/o housing covered turn to.

    With 3-flat apartments the middle floor apartment is always the cheapest; the top floor is the best because you get the roof too.

  46. dda your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 8:40 pm | Permalink

    #20, DDA left out one important difference between Seoul and HK, and that’s air pollution.

    I mentioned that I live near the airport — since I travel a lot — on Lantau island, in a development run by the MTR company, and we have great facilities, a less polluted environment despite the airport, and nice beaches nearby. and by less polluted environment I meant than the rest of HK. But truth to be told, the air is bad in the northern district, close to China, and in the busy districts of Kowloon and Central/Causeway Bay. In other parts, with lots of room for the constant winds to chase the pollution away, the air is actually better than many places I’ve lived — including the 7 or 8 different 동네 in Seoul I blessed with my presence :-).

  47. dda your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 8:54 pm | Permalink

    Seouldout, the problem with 南丫島 Laam-A, aka Lamma and other islands like Ping Zau [坪州, mis-transcribed as Peng Chau], is that you have to rely on the ferry. It is expensive and dog slow, and stops early. After midnight you have to get down to Aberdeen and negotiate for a sampan, and they don’t come cheap. I have considered this when looking for a place, after all in Laama you can get a house for 700US$… — and discarded these places along with DB [only buses are allowed inside DB, no cabs, and the only other way in and out is the ferry, blech] and Mui Wo, both on Lantau, holdouts of an era before the new airport, where expats could “enjoy the good life away from the bustling city”. Now they’re just inconvenient… :-)

  48. dokdoforever your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 10:28 pm | Permalink

    Would any from the Hong Kong contingent have heard about ex-pat kids in Hong Kong public schools? Do they teach in English or Cantonese? Thanks!

  49. John from Daejeon your flag
    Posted December 16, 2007 at 11:21 pm | Permalink

    My friend Gdog has a great blog and some info. for watching U.S. network TV shows while outside the U.S. It worked like a charm for me.

    http://thedailykimchi.blogspot.....nline.html

  50. dda your flag
    Posted December 17, 2007 at 12:57 am | Permalink

    Public schools teach in Cantonese, mostly, esp since the handover.

  51. dokdoforever your flag
    Posted December 17, 2007 at 4:42 am | Permalink

    That’s a good tip John, that’s pretty cool, tv over the internet works with that software.

  52. John from Daejeon your flag
    Posted December 17, 2007 at 6:04 am | Permalink

    You’re welcome. The information is nice, but I have both a slingbox (slingmedia.com) and a hava (myhava.com) connected to different satellite dvr boxes back in the U.S. I do pay my relatives a little to cover part of both their satellite and broadband services. I know others who may not have the set up I have may be interested though. I just wished the networks would stream live football games as I sometimes get very early Monday morning visitors when a game of interest to an ex-pat is airing. If it is only for me, I just record it and watch when I get up later.

    Technology has really come a long way in the last few years. Just make sure you buy a good laptop/notebook and set everything up before you come overseas. I still don’t understand why South Korean laptops are still over a year behind technology-wise compared to those that can be bought in the U.S. and then more expensive at that.

  53. pawikirogi your flag
    Posted December 18, 2007 at 3:16 pm | Permalink

    oh, dogbert…where are youuuuuuuuu?

    http://query.nytimes.com/gst/f.....%20Support

    no outcry from white america occured. you get my point now, don’t you? those white folk who make light of the consequences of inter-racial adoption don’t make light when it’s white.

  54. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 18, 2007 at 11:29 pm | Permalink

    Pawi,

    Dug pretty deep to find that one, haven’t you? Were you even born in 1984?

  55. slim your flag
    Posted December 19, 2007 at 12:37 am | Permalink

    One (I must say, egregious) case nearly 25 years ago would not support a gross generalization for most of us, but for pawi this is better intellectual hygiene than usual. I guess it marks progress of sorts.

  56. JK your flag
    Posted December 19, 2007 at 2:27 am | Permalink

    Well said, pawi, in #28 and 39!

  57. SomeguyinKorea your flag
    Posted December 19, 2007 at 12:21 pm | Permalink

    #56,

    Whatever. Read #32 and #40. Right, well said…Only problem is that he’s making it up.

  58. sumo294 your flag
    Posted December 19, 2007 at 2:36 pm | Permalink

    youre living in Lantau? there is nothing to eat out there! I hope you work in Central and eat and then take a ferry home. Carry bags from City Super to Lantau, phft, no way.

  59. dda your flag
    Posted December 20, 2007 at 12:15 am | Permalink

    Sumo294, you must update your knowledge of HK! :-) Lots to eat in Tung Chung — where the high speed MTR line takes you from Central in 30 minutes… Google Citygate Tungchung. We have a Taste™ supermarket, cinemas, restaurants, etc. Never been on a Lantau-bound ferry so far :-)

  60. sumo294 your flag
    Posted December 22, 2007 at 2:56 pm | Permalink

    30 min in HK? Most HK lites will not even cross the water. Eat in Tungchung, you mean the standard duck and rice fare with green stalks? Yeah, the place is gonna change in 2 years but its still Kowloon side and yeah, HK Islanders will not eat there.

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