Presidential Politics

I get most of my news from the internet these days which has the virtue of being unmitigated by large corporations with a mind-controlling agenda. Just in case anyone who reads this blog didn't see this exemplary answer to a question from Katie Couric about the government bailout from hockey mom Sarah Palin, here it is:

Wha wha whaaaaaaat?!?!? Folks, this is scary. I don't know whether to go into a laughing fit, or cry. Just for fun, let's compare that with Ms. South Carolina:

Seth's Travelogue, Back By Popular Demand

Last I checked commuting does not qualify as traveling, but when doing so by bicycle on Korean roads it at least qualifies as adventurous. Seriously, Koreans can't drive. Does that sentence make me racist? Ah, F*ck it. As pointed out by my dear readers, it's been ages since the last post. Where to begin? Well basically I've been working in the Korean public school system and getting a crash course in teaching youngsters the esteemed international language known as English. As the only foreigner there, as well as the only foreigner ever to have been there in the school's 100+ year history, I get plenty of attention. Most of the attention I never find out about. It takes the form of hushed rumors spread around the halls like Californian wildfire. It's actually a little bit like being a presidential candidate, with a heavy dose of mistranslation mixed in.
Which brings me to today's Link of the Day for Other People Getting Paid to Surf the Internet
Dokdo is ours
is a satirical website about Korea which might not be funny to people unfamiliar with Korean culture, but absolutely hysterical if you have lived here. Please check it out and if I'm wrong about that assumption, let me know. I'm curious. For those who don't know, Dokdo is the Korean name for a couple disputed islets (read=worthless rocks) in the sea of Japan, I'm sorry, East Sea. Here's a picture of that sea, taken last weekend.

And that's that. What's up with you?

Show and Tell

garfield minus garfield

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.

Shake Girl, The Graphic Novel

Shake Girl represents a massive collaborative effort from 17 people dedicated to completing a graphic novel in just a few weeks. It was finished in early 2008 and is now available online for free.

The creation of Shake Girl was based on a series of true events that have happened to real women.

FreeRice

FreeRice has two goals:

1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

Jeonju International Film Festival 2008

Seats are in short supply at this festival for those who can't plan ahead (me). I was able to catch the all-night horror movie extravaganza on Saturday night. Cleaner and far more sober than the annual All Freakin' Night at the Olympia Film Festival, the tickets to this included snack breaks of bananas and milk between movies, and no one got hit in the head by empty beer bottles thrown from the balcony.

Next stop was the Jjimjilbang (public bath), open 24 hours. With 3 floors, the upper is the men's bath, the lower the women's, and the middle a free-for-all sleeping area. A few hours of slumber put some gas in my tank.

Mountains of Seoul

Springtime in Seoul means mountain climbing season. Locals flood to the bases of Seoul's many 'mini' mountains for day hikes. Last Saturday, I was invited to ascend Gwanaksan near Seoul National University in the southern reaches of the city.
When a city of 10 million people heads for the hills, you can imagine the congestion.
Getting away from it all

Towards the top, the beauty of spring:

And views of Seoul: