Ummm . . .
Open Thread #143
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{ 120 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow! Open thread started approx 19 hours early. But, as usual, I don’t have much to say.
Has anybody ever heard of any stigma against gyeobsadon (겹사돈), or “double-in-laws” in Korea, where 2 siblings from one family marry 2 siblings from another? A guy whose father and uncle married his mother and aunt(!) was asking me, and the jury still appears to be out in the comments thread in my post about it on my own site:
http://thegrandnarrative.com/2010/03/23/korean-families-marriage/
Cheers. Also curious about the early Open Thread by the way?
the following is for those twits who, say, live in cholla and write about korean men and se asian women:
‘It is estimated that more than two million Amerasians have been born since the first American troops landed in Asia during Spanish-American War (1898). many servicemen fathers made promises to support the children, and simply left for the U.S., never to be seen again.
Although the term Amerasian is originally referred to children fathered by white Americans, it should not be interpreted as a fixed racial term relating to a specific mixture of races (such as Mestizo, Mulatto, Eurasian or Afro-Asian). The racial strain of the American parent of one Amerasian may be different from that of another Amerasian; it may be White, Black, Hispanic, Native American, or even Asian. In the latter case, it is conceivable that the Amerasian could be fathered by a person who shares the same racial background but not the same nationality.
During the Korean and Vietnam Wars, many of the unions between American fathers and Asian mothers happened through client-prostitute relationships. Mixed blood children, whatever the reality of the occupations of their parents, have inherited this social stigma. In poor countries where impoverished women have little choice but to consider prostitution as a means of survival, the resulting sense of disempowerment among men and women alike can bring seething resentment. Additional resentment may be fueled by the common knowledge that many servicemen fathers made promises to support the children, and simply left for the U.S., never to be seen again.
In April 1975, Operation Babylift was initiated in South Vietnam, to relocate Vietnamese children, many orphans and those of mixed American-Vietnamese parentage (mostly American serviceman father and Vietnamese mother), to the United States and adopting American families who would take them in.
It is estimated that more than two million Amerasians have been born since the first American troops landed in Asia during Spanish-American War (1898).[3]‘
Former Marine & Director of Studies at US Army War College Says Mossad Did 9/11:
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2010/03/19/22329/comment-page-1/
@3: I am wondering how many mixed Mongol/locals babies were born as a result of the western expansion of the Mongolian empire between the early 12th century and mid-14th century?
kyubsadon 겹사돈 does not have any stigma attached to it. I would say it’s more celebrated than not, especially if the families like each other. I think some are confused from dramas because remembering the story line of the drama such as 보고 또 보고, it’s a very common (corny) storyline of Korean dramas that the two sisters fall for the same man, or it turns out that the ex-girlfriend of the male lead is actually a (evil) sister (or a half-sister, or a step-sister) of his current cinderella love-interest. I hate these Shakespearian themes mis-used to death in these dramas, but oh well.
Anyway, another source of confusion would be the surname thing, with the same name (with the same 본) ban but that’s a completely separate issue.
I guess I’m curious about the early start to the thread but I’m more curious about the writer: Is Koehler so busy one of his lackies has to type “Open thread”? It doesn’t seem to tough or time consuming.
Um, nice picture, by the way.
Yuna, I don’t want to argue with a korean who currently lives in korea, but as far as I know families that are a bit more traditional — old money types with a reputation in their local society maybe? — would certainly balk somewhat at the thought of being involved in 겹사돈, because of all the confusion in 호칭 that the situation brings up. Anyway, if there isn’t much stigma attached to it now, certainly a generation or so ago there probably was, to a great extent.
Scratch that last sentence, I know nothing about the history of 겹사돈 in korea. I just assumed it would be a problem in a confucian society.
If there is a stigma involved in this, could it have something to do with the simple fact that in 겹사돈 the families’ support network (ie. access to money, useful connections, and conctere aid during hard times, etc.) is limited?
The wider the “family” is, the better chances it has to succeed in competition against other families/clans. Is this too simple way to think about this? Probably.
Er, could we have edit button here? Typos, typos, typos. *sigh*
Abu Rashta, is that the black flag of Islamic Jihad? Be that as it may, hereis all that need be said about 9/11 conspiracy theories.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
Great, a thread that opens with a very marginally relevant and unoriginal pawi cut-and-paste tu quoque effort and then a jihadi wannabe trafficking 9/11 truther links. Can we sink any lower? vanishingson? tinyflowers? cinemagauche? McNut?
Mazef: I don’t know about Mongol influence on the West, but they promoted intermarriage in certain parts of their empire – like Korea for instance, where each Koryu Dynasty crown prince was required to marry a Mongol woman. The policy basically turned the royal family Mongol after many generations. In China, on the other hand, Mongols prohibited intermarriage with Chinese to preserve their bloodline. I wonder if they ever tried to intermarry with Russian or Persian royal families the way they did in Korea. It’s an interesting question.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq_-nLfT428
k-pop goin visual kei, song is catchy though
Hate to say it, but gotta give the jihadis a bit of a break, like you give one to a retard. The problem of the Arabs, and in the particular the Gulf Arabs, is that they’re incredibly inbred. It’s rare, if not impossible, to find someone who hasn’t married and procreated with his/her 1st cousin. Keep in mind that many males have more than one wife, all of whom are the first cousins. Since this has been going on for centuries the genetic diversity has contracted, so each succeeding generation is even thicker than its predecessor. It’s the downward spiral of stupidity. And they breed like screws.
If you want a revealing conversation talk to a Filipina who waxes Arab women. They can barely begin the job without demands for a fist f*cking. There’s a reason for their men keeping ‘em under cover.
Gotta allow me a someguy moment. Shrews, not screws.
seouldout has been on a roll this month!
I think kushibo’s prolific blog http://kushibo.blogspot.com/ deserves far more traffic and comments. I’m not a huge fan of his puns and self-styled “witticisms”, but he’s a lively writer who thinks outside the box.
As I type this, a South Korean navy ship is sinking in the Yellow Sea “possibly due to a torpedo attack, reports say….[Yonhap] also said the South Korean ship had fired shots toward an unidentified ship from the North.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8589507.stm
Wish I hadn’t checked Twitter before going to bed…
Scary stuff about the navy boat. hopefully it was an accident in the Yellow Sea, but the NK folks are fucking lunatics so who knows what’s going on, the details all seem a little sketchy at the moment from what I’ve seen and read.
It better not be one of Korea’s new KDX ships! If it is, I wanna see heads roll…
That ship better not have sonar… or some other logical excuse…
Though Yonhap is taciturn, other sources mention a “possible” NK attack and SK ships fired upon a likely target. It was not a KDX since the sinking ship is 1,200 tons and the KDX is 5,000.
I think the norks pulled the lever . . .
1,500 tons? That’s a Corvette… a glorified fast attack boat.
So it’s probably one of these:
Patrol (corvettes and patrol vessels)
- Pohang class (PCC: Patrol Combat Corvette; 23 in service)
- Donghae class (PCC; 3 in service)
Most likley a Pohang… but it should have modern sonar!
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rok/pohang.htm
Dong-A Ilbo is saying the boat is actually 1,200 tons, Pohang class.
Current 58 out of 104 seamen are rescued, and the ship is almost entirely submerged.
Then again…. Russian diesel electric subs are notoriously quiet when they want to be… dammit.
WangKon, per that globalsecurity.org article, if the Cheonan was one of the ASuW variants of the Pohang class, it wouldn’t have had any sonar.
Apparently the someone in the DPRK doesn’t want the Yanks to leave just yet… That’s not really sarcasm btw. Some may recall that I’d love US troops to leave Korea but am wary right now considering all of new instability. However I do still wonder if Robert isn’t right and US troops shouldn’t retire to Japan. If read from an internal perspective, the torpedo attack, *if that’s what it is,* can be seen as a possible attempt to use the threat of external enemies in order to reassert control an psychological domination over the people, including within the state and party, in addition any other reasons for the attack. By raising the threat of war the DPRK state can attempt to re-justify itself. Basically, “blame it on the foreigners/imperialists.”
This is not to say there’s no other international dimension, or that the attack might not have been a mistake or a more purely maritime type of issue with moving vessels, a border, false positives, etc.
A key thing will be to see how the DPRK communicates, both internally and to the imperialists dogs… Will this be followed up by some domestic anti-imperialist hate & fear mongering? Kind of like Ahmadinejad practically begging to be attacked…
Robin,
South Korea can either take care of itself or not. Now, you can be in favor of withdrawal, or you can be against it. But you can’t be in favor for it until the North acts up, and then suddenly be against it. That gives Pyongyang a veto over U.S. security policy, and that CAN’T POSSIBLY be the metric for determining U.S. policymaking.
I suspect that Seoul will handle this latest dust-up just fine. SK is not the helpless third-world country it once was, as you and I no doubt agree. North Korea, however, is.
DLB
Robin,
I think you hit the nail on the head.
Ut videam,
, 6 torpedos, 12 depth charges but no SSM.
So… four of the ships don’t have sonar and 20 ships should have PHS-32 sonar.
Oh… and short KOSPI stocks… just FYI ya all.
Korea Discount will be in overdrive right now.
WangKon, if this Wikipedia article is to be believed, then the Cheonan, PCC-772, would indeed have had the PHS-32 sonar.
DLBarch I’ll try clarify — I don’t want the DPRK to have veto power over US withdrawal, but I’m saying that to some practical degree it may have that power. When ships are being torpedoed it’s hard to say sayonara. Also, the instability I was referring to when I said that US troops might want to stick around a bit is the whole post Nov 30 economy, brainwash status of NK people and successor issue, not this attack but broader conditions in NK. But I’m always reconsidering that opinion of mine because I find the question very difficult.
WangKon rather than or in addition to shorting if you’re fast enough, you may want to buy the dip (carefully and as safely as possible). So wait for SK assets to fall and then buy.
All of that class have depth charge racks on the back… improperly stored/maintained depth charges can be dangerous…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_charge
If one somehow became armed and the after gun mount fired, it certainly could have produced pressure large enough to set off nearby charges and sink the ship.
Here, I agree with Robin. I think it’s too late to short anything. Unless, of course, your a Jewish international financier, in which case not only did you know about this attack before it happened, but it was all probably perpetrated with the help of Mossad agents, no doubt using fake SK passports.
Farfetched? After the 1997 IMF crisis, nothing about the Korean imagination surprises me anymore.
DLB
Robin,
Best case scenario… do both. Short AND buy assets at the trough.
The market in this kind of occasion:
- New speculative sellers enter, because they anticipate that…
- Would-be buyers wait to see what happens, while
- Would-be sellers have little incentive to wait and see until prices fall enough to deter them
So selling outweighs buying for a while. If this is not a very serious event, then ceterus paribus buying demand will reassert itself and make up for lost time.
Selling premium on options can be possible but beware!!
That said I’m not trading right now so nothing specific to say…
DLBarch, LOL (sadly). It was the Mossad that sank the ROK vessel! A SCUBA-JEW!
Ut videam,
In # 25 you said that it may not have sonar and in # 31 you say that it does. Well, if it’s the Cheonan PCC-772 then it should be the ASW Pohang class since that variant is between 761-785. So… if it’s really the Cheonan… then it should have sonar.
The Mossad sank the ROK vessel? I knew that. Didn’t everybody know that?…
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/26/south.korea.ship.sinking/index.html?hpt=T2
Yep… it’s the Cheonan. Sounds like the ROK navy got pwn’d…
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/pwnd.jpg
Too Much Han..Nicely done Phoshop (뽀샵처리), R. Elgin!
And, Hope as many as possible crews are rescued from the incident.
There are likely dozens dead. Corvette’s pack a lot of firepower in a comparatively small amount of space… so there are a lot of munitions that can go off. One torpedo is gonna have a 1,000 lb warhead and that’s going to do ALOT of damage to a ship the size of a corvette. It ain’t gonna be like the USS Stark. The missile that hit the Stark only had a 400 lb warhead.
Right. The ship carries 104 seamen, and the number of the rescued has not increased from 58 at this moment. According to Korean navy, there are definitely casualties. Apparently there is little possibility of survival past three hours in the water at 8~10 degrees Celcius.
WangKon: In case I wasn’t clear, here I was speculating that it may not have had sonar, while here I was agreeing with you that it did.
Alright… my bad for any misunderstanding.
Now all the news reports are talking about an “explosion” on the bottom of the ship. Could it be a mine perhaps?
Well, the No Gun Ri movie wasn’t received well at its first screening:
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2010/03/22/201003220039.asp
Calm dow everyone please! The South Korean govt. has already put out a statement denying that it was caused by the Norks and speculating that it was caused by a flock of seagulls that hit the frigate at high speed…..kinda like bringiing down a jetliner I guess. Or maybe it was the Japanese trying to lay their claim to Dokdo? But not the Norks….Nah!
Nah… I still think the Mossad did it.
Ha! That will get a dossier opened up on you somewhere, for sure!
Enjoy another sunny, yellow-dust-free California weekend. I’m off to Squaw while there’s still snow on the ground! Tschuss!
DLB
North Korea will soon be spewing some pretty colorful language in response to this incident and how it was initially reported and interpreted.
DLB,
I’ll have to start wearing my tin foil hat for sure…
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2010/03/22/201003220039.asp
Ah, a meaningless title. Yes, that is a sure sign of a true artist’s work. A film for the ages, no doubt.
Looks still too early to tell. ROK & US Navies say they don’t know the cause but aren’t ruling out NK. It would be quite an escalation.
@WK — recent article that mentions possibility of a mine:
http://news.joins.com/article/820/4081820.html?ctg=1000
I feel for the sailors.
What can destroy a sizable Navy ship and sink it? Not from air but from sea.
Sea mine? Wouldn’t the ship have some anti-mine detection?
Missile? What kind? Would it be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exocet? I think it is very likely. The Chinese may have the technology and shared with NKs.
Unless I hear more, my vote goes to Exocet-like missile fired from a small submarine maned by 2-5 people. This type of submarine was the Archilles’ heel for Korean Navy.
Despite what some Koreans have been saying, economic gap and whatnot, I still think when the US pulls out SK may not be able to handle NK.
NKs will fight for death, while SKs run. VietNam all over again.
And, NKs will come with the Chinese backing. SK has to fight not only NK but also China.
Something that SKs do not understand or refuse to acknowledge, till it happens.
I guess this is a year old but I hadn’t seen it.
Hilarious: Kim Jong Il Announces Plan To Bring Moon To North Korea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZIgda01k6o
#50
As soon as you mentioned “tin foil hat”, baduk shows up as if on cue….frothing at the mouth as usual, of course
B.R. Myers, always a good read, has a timely piece on North Korea in today’s WSJ:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704100604575145672974954144.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_3#articleTabs%3Darticle%26video%3D89B9CBCF-DE93-4799-B0E7-8C28FE4B1D1D
I think there is a cover-up going on.
1) The attacked ship fired on a target presumed to be the NK ship, which later identified as a “flock of birds”?
2)It is reported that the ship took 3 hrs to sink. In other words, a slow sinking. Then, how come the sailors just jumped into the sea? These two things do not make sense.
3)Internal torpedo explosion cannot be ruled out. But, the hole is in the back, next to the screw. This rules out internal torpedo explosion.
Up to now, several things point to NK attack to be most likely. Maybe not an Exocet but a very small torpedo, the kind shot from a micro-submarine.
http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/politics/2010/03/26/0521000000AKR20100326229400043.HTML
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/03/27/2010032700149.html?Dep1=news&Dep2=headline1&Dep3=h1_01_rel01
This article says “RPG-7″.
http://news.joins.com/article/806/4081806.html?ctg=1000
NKs used it in the prior attack.
“북한군은 2002년 제2차 연평해전 때도 해군 고속정 참수리-357의 흘수 아래에 RPG-7을 사격해 침몰을 가속화했다. 흘수는 물이 닿은 부분을 말한다.”
SK Navy may be too embarrassed to say that their ship was sunk by a micro-submarine armed with inferior weapons. However, as the US Navy knows, a sudden attack can produce a large damage.
1) The submarine could have been released from a NK ship.
2) The sub approaches the SK ship under water. These micro-subs are so quiet that they do not show up in radar.
3) When the sub is positioned right behind the SK ship. The NK ship approaches.
4) While the SK ship’s attention is taken by NK ship, the sub surfaces and shoots RPG-7 to the SK ship’s screw.
There is no way to protect against this scenario.
From whitey’s link @60
“Kim Jong Il came to power in 1994 as the hero whose show of nuclear resolve had brought Jimmy Carter on a surrender mission to Pyongyang.”
Nice OP picture… I can relate to it tonight because I’ve got a lot of Han tonight, too much Han. It’s a kind of after-sex, existential Han. Or, rather, it’s a deeply inverted Han… because I don’t feel anything. I’ve become an emotional brick.
Does anyone have an idea why 안중근 has suddenly been all over tv and the internet here in S. Korea for the past few days? I know that it is the 100 year
anniversary of his death, but this is really quite silly. He is everywhere!
Wasn’t it his assassination of Ito Hirobumi in 1909 which opened the doors to Japan’s full-on annexation of Korea and the following hard-line “Budan Seiji”
military rule of its new colony? (One must wonder if the guy did Korea more harm than good n this respect.) I know that An is considered a national hero in the post-colonial nationalist histories of S. Korea for this murder, but anyone have any idea why this guy has been elevated even more as national hero
in the past few days? Sort of strange–and sort of frightening too.
My wifey’s Dad loves Mokkoli (sp?). I find most of it to be pretty blah, but I’m looking for a good gift for him. Is there a high-roller Mokkoli available? Sort of the Absolute or Johnny Walker of the Mokkoli world?
You’re kidding, right?
Fuck no I’m not kidding!! I want the diamond-crusted bottle that comes in a purple fuckin’ sack! I want the kind of Mokkoli that Jay-Z himself would pour on Beyonce’s set of fine titties as she’s pourin’ sugar up on his dick and gettin’ ready to snort it off!
The only good thing about living in Kunsan was the mom-and-pop makkoli place around the corner from my place. Homemade makkoli; strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, pear, and (ugh!) ginseng… can’t usually stand makkoli, but that stuff was the nectar of gods. Maybe you can talk to the owner and he can sell you a barrel.
# 69 (the diamond-crusted bottle that comes in a purple f***in’ sack!)
I don’t think it would come in a bottle or sack. Wouldn’t it come in a ceramic bowl in a dong-dong-joo shop?
I thought dong-dong-joo was the best mokoli ?
p.s. – How do I get an avatar?
http://izismile.com/2010/03/09/north_korea_i_the_craziest_country_in_the_world.html
He doesn’t defecate or urinate like other people?
$700,000 worth of Henessay per year?
5’3inch – (160cm) hahaha LOSER!
Man, you are killing me! That is too funny.
You can find a good one in a department store but for many it is a matter of taste and also most commercial makkoli have additives to promote a longer shelf-life. One good makkoli is made by Baedari (www.baedari.co.kr) and you can find that in a department store only.
The absolutely best makkoli you could not buy because you have to know someone that makes it. I know a guy in Pyongtaek that makes his own (no additives) and he sells the regular sized bottle for 10,000 won. If I want his, I have to go get it and then it comes in a plain plastic bottle or large container with no label. This guy is the only fellow who could legally sell his through the internet too (he is technically a farmer, thus allowed) due to BAD, restrictive Korean law that keeps most entrepreneurs from making and selling wines, beer and whatnot. That is one big reason why you could not find the champagne of makkolis for sale.
Oddly enough, before all this makkoli craze broke out, I made the acquaintance of an actor and his friend who is a KBS accordionist and those guys are some serious makkoli fiends. They would travel to towns just to try the local brews and I’m beginning to think that this could be made into a really good tour package for Japanese and Chinese.
I thinking of getting the new Samsung NX-10 camera.
This is one of those latest designs where the camera is a hybrid between an DSLR and a compact. It is equipped with a larger sensor of an DSLR within a smaller body, made possible by eliminating the mirror/prism found in a DSLR.
I think it’s a good camera for someone wishing to graduate to a more substantial camera than a simple point-and-shoot.
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/samsungnx10/
What do y’all think?
Jim Cramer of “Mad Money” is a loud financial infotainment media clown.
This post on the Washington Post’s blog hits on a little of what the thread last week got on:
I found it offensive that some of the people who marched on Washington Sunday for immigration reform were waving the flags of Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador while demanding rights and privileges from this country.
I don’t understand the claim by some that those here illegally are somehow victims. Did they not choose to come to this country, and did they not know that they either entered illegally or illegally overstayed visas? Of course they did. Do they not appreciate that one of the things that makes this country great is the rule of law — unlike, sadly, some of the countries they left behind? If so, undocumented immigrants must take responsibility for their plight.
. . .
It is a travesty that more would-be immigrants aren’t given such opportunities. I understand that our immigration system is haplessly dysfunctional and that major reforms are needed. I understand the desire for a path to citizenship, to live without fear of arrest, to do an honest day’s work and to see your children thrive. But next time, show a little respect and leave the foreign flags at home.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/03/the_mexican_flag_has_no_place.html
2 Korean Americans battling:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdTVJh-tYOE
Please nobody say Tantrum won. Dumbfounded’s lines managed to not only sound carefree and impromptu, doing the job of degrading Tantrum thoroughly, but they were funny as hell.
Sound advice. If the point of the gift is “face”, get a couple bottles of the dept store stuff; I recently received as a gift a couple of bottles of baedari specially bottled for hyundai that was quite good. If real tatse and connoissseurship is the object, you’ve got to search out the local, individual producer of fresh makkolli and plan to drink it up right away.
Ditto for dong dong ju.
Globalization anyone? I’m now sipping the local hootch sitting in a French hotel, managed by an American company, that is perched in the mountains overlooking the junction of the Mekong and Ruak rivers and the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos. The staff comprises peeople from 5 different hill tribes and some down river Thais. The menu has dishes from Thailand, Southwestern China, France, Italy and Japan, all expertly prepared by local sous-chefs under the supervision of a French owner of three Michelin stars. Entertainment during lunch was provided by a three piece band – guitar, bass and banjo – played by Thais in check shirts, jeans, straw cowboy hats and shitkickers, who expertly played a mixture of American hillbilly country music that would have made Gypsy Scholar nostalgic for Arkansas and adaptations of local music – interestingly the banjo is the perfect western analogue of the gamelan. 40 years ago, you might imagine something like this if you didn;t have your mind fixated on something else – after ingesting a significant quantity of the local opium, assuming you lived long enough to score some. I’m going swimming now.
R. Elgin and Sperwer, thanks or the Mokkoli tips!
Sperwer, I wish I could show up and hear that hillbilly music . . . but somebody’s always gotta pay the fiddler. I’m up to my ears in student homework, proposals, essays, and bibliographies.
And to think, I spent all those years working on Coptic, Greek, and Hebrew when I could have just been getting a TESOL degree and working for the same salary!
I guess I’m still paying the fiddler for all those years of following my own interests . . .
But all the same, you have a good time.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
#79
Could you give the name of the Hotel? I would love to come and stay for a week.
Interesting movie?
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/03/27/2010032700363.html
Best line in the interview:
“How can you not feel shy when you’re shooting a film completely naked? But I tried really hard so that people will know that Korean actresses are very professional.“
Sperwer you lucky bastard!
This… is the reason why I defended Brian during the U.S. beef madness in 2008:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10087/1045974-109.stm
The above is the reason why Korean netizens should think twice before they go on their little expat witch hunts.
I’m really frustrated that some moron English teacher unhappy with the outcome of his case (apparently he did not disclose all the facts, including the fact he’d executed a release of claims with the employer) with another firm is harassing me for a refund of his $500 fee because I dumped him off on the other firm. Goodness gracious, this is why no professional wants anything to do with English-teacher disputes.
I’m sure that not all of you are toxic and immature, but enough are that it’s not worthwhile to have to try to sift the wheat from the chaff. Do. Not. Want.
I think you should go roll around in your swimming pool of money Brendon. That will cheer you up.
Did you pro bono it?
What swimming pool of money? He’s got a Korean wife.
KrZ — Strangely, the scorn of a convicted drug dealer carries less weight with me than you seem to think it does.
WangKon — With the preferable kind of Korean wife, nobody gets to spend any money until one of us is dead. With the less-preferable kind, only she gets to spend it. At any rate, with W50 million of the after-tax bucks going to international school, it has to be one of those inflatable kiddie pools of money anyway.
English Teachers — Grow up, turkeys.
I don’t have any scorn for you Brendon. Hell, accusing you of having a pool full of money was more of a joking compliment than an attempt at insult
I wish people would accuse me of having a pool of money to swim in!
Brendon,
You know what some Korean ladies say….
“What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine so it’s all mine!”
Or…
“Nuh goh neh goh, neh goh neh goh. Da neh goh!”
(don’t have hangeul on this computer).
There’s a version of that going on at my home, when my wife (who does not work and never will) suggests I should use “my money” from some nonexistent pocket to pay for some purchase, such as a pizza. It’s all “my money”! Let me have ten bucks back!
Looks like Choi Jin Shil’s younger brother just committed suicide… What a sad set of events that family has gone through over the past several years.
God bless the Choi’s. That is the saddest news I have heard all day.
It is very important that we all give hope to those around us, even if we do not know them that well because it could mean the difference between life and death.
Bad idea, IMHO. Why buy a glorified compact from a company with no camera optics pedigree for a fair wad of cash, when you could step out and buy a canon 1000d for not much more — or a canon 7d with 1080 HD video for not much more?
Even a sony cybershot will probably deliver better image results for a fraction of the price.
If you really want to buy Korean, wait a few years til they catch up with the competition – which I think they will. In the meantime, stick to nikon/canon.
Interesting post from Kushibo, who exchanged emails with the Lings:
http://kushibo.blogspot.com/2010/03/i-respond-to-lisa-ling.html
@Hoju_Saram above: agree 100%. You can get a better value from a Nikon (or Canon).
#96
Yeah, I’m having second thoughts about the NX10, esp the fact that it can only use Samsung lenses and not interchangeable with other makes.
I’m thinking of getting the Nikon D3000. There’s a good chance I will be visiting Korea in April and I want to be able to take photos like Koehler, which means I’m gonna be looking at cathedrals, Korean War sites, train stations, and things like that.
People, keep your eye on APWR. I’ve got a substantial chunk of my IRA and non-IRA accounts invested in this stock. 2009 Q4 revenue and earnings will be announced on Wed. This baby’s gonna explode!
ROK to develop their own nuclear power plant safety software:
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/News_View.asp?nseq=101580&code=Ne2&category=2
Given Korea’s track record in software development?
Shudder…
NetKim,
Nikon’s a safe bet. Nikkor lenses are the best in the world. You can always buy Nikkor lens on the cheap on ebay.
Too bad Samsung didn’t make their NX10 compatible with Pentax lenses like they did in the past. It would have given the NX10 at least a fighting chance.
… or cheaper… real Nikkor lenses are never cheap. But there are decent third party lenses out their made by Tamron, Sigma, and even Vivitar lenses are decent (for general purpose use).
I’m gonna break my own rule about trying not to post non-Korea-related comments on MH, but I gotta say, damn this has been one awesome NCAA tournament!
My brackets still pretty much suck, but talk about a wild ride.
DLB
There we go — Korean shares right back to pre-incident levels…
DLB,
It just looks awesome because less talented players (i.e. White) look better when all those guys go to the NBA at age 19…
Ever see “The Onion the Movie”?
Can’t find the video clip. It’s hilarious.
Well, those guys will all have a place at the Whites-Only Basketball League…
Here is a Daily Show interview.
Oh, dear, has everyone already forgotten Kim Jinsoo? And TK, what the hell, bro, you went to Cal, no? Have you already forgotten Jason Kidd?
Argh!!!
As for the always enjoyable WK — two words, bro: Jon Scheyer.
Anyway, good college ball is still good college ball.
DLB
And TK, what the hell, bro, you went to Cal, no? Have you already forgotten Jason Kidd?
Come on Mr. Barch, everyone knows that Jason Kidd gets his ballin skillz from his black father.
Jason Kidd is half black!
Jon Scheyer? Okay…
“Chicago shooting guard, Jon Scheyer had a dream of being in the NBA. Unfortunately, Jon was born with a disability…”
From Draft Express:
Emphasis mine…
But hey… here’s hoping you guys get a Jewish Larry Bird or something… There could soon be a Chinese American guy in the NBA…
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Jeremy-Lin-5802/playerblog/
But he’s a little bit in the same boat as Jon.
Wow, someone just went through and gave a whole bunch of us thumbs down. Damn! Must be a fan of chick basketball!
DLB
Must I remind you that there are already at least two Jewish players in the NBA? (Jordan Farmar and Omri Casspi)
Those are some harsh words.
I’m sure it was Sonagi. It’s the end of the day in Virginia, right?
DLB
That’s right. Jordan is Jewish isn’t he.
If you’re happy
and you know it
and you really want to show it
If you’re happy
and you know it
clap your hair.
Wasn’t me. I’m rooting for the Spartans to claim the trophy this time. Must have been that other female regular. Female, ethnic Korean, Londoner at heart – she’s the most likely suspect.
Not used to flirting with women but will try if you want me to.
#99
ROK to develop their own nuclear power plant safety software:
http://www.arirang.co.kr/News/…..category=2
Given Korea’s track record in software development?
Shudder…
I used to be an engineer in the Navy working on a DOD mandated project to swap out 30 year analog consoles for modern software/network based control systems for the ship’s plant such as gas turbine engines. I imagine the technology is not radically different from what would be used to manage nuclear reactors.
Basically you have sensors that measure variables such as pressure or temperature that inputs into a software system and outputs on-off decision logic which controls things like valves and switches, with lots of built-in fail-safe features, backup, and redundancy. The software itself is based on industry standard platforms which may also be used to develop control systems for processes within a manufacturing facility. It’s not some incredibly
complex work of software engineering; it’s not like developing search algorithms for Google. It’s relatively simple programming that merely implements existing nuclear reactor protocol into software logic; just because it has the word “nuclear” in it doesn’t mean anything.
South Korea making major moves to become major player in smart-grid technologies.
http://tdworld.com/smart_grid_automation/korean-global-smart-grid-0310/
This means that companies like American Superconductor will stand to benefit. My holdings of AMSC has risen 12% so far and currently is the top performer in my IRA.
Latest commentary, “why Mexicans don’t like gringos”, by Fred Reed on American expats in Mexico and why they don’t belong.
http://fredoneverything.net/MexicansDontLikeGringos.shtml
Since it stands to reason that since expats in Mexico are not much different from expats in Korea, I think it may be relevant.
Sample excerpt:
When you are in somebody else’s house, you mind your manners. Enough expats, usually women, don’t understand this. It doesn’t take many. For example: On the intercity bus from Chapala to Guadalajara, an inattentive gringa missed her stop just outside of town and freaked out at the thought of going to Guad, the next stop and an hour away. She began yelling, and I mean yelling, at the driver to stop. He didn’t understand her, this being Mexico where the language, surprisingly, is Spanish.
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