Big exam tomorrow

Sucks to be me.

UPDATE #1:
Big exam today.

UPDATE #2
Big exam over. Did all right. Sucks a little less to be me now.

Still one huge final and a major paper.

Japan says it can handle the flu

CDC: You want H1N1?

JAPAN: I think I'm entitled to them.

CDC: You want antivirals?

JAPAN: I want the flu!

CDC: You can't handle the flu!

Not so, say Japanese experts.

My apologies to everyone, especially Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Rob Reiner, and anyone in Japan who gets infected with H1N1, the virus formerly known as swine flu.

The Kitten War

I got this from List of the Day. But I don't think this could ever really happen. When it comes down to it, an army of felines is just a bunch of pussies. 

Come to think of it, given the fervent feline phobia that many Koreans still have, an army of cats might be the best way for the Lee administration to take down the chinbo "progressive" agitators protestors.  

(And let's face it, those with such a paranoia about cows probably would have something similarly irrational about cats.)

Mad Chinbo Disease

The Korea Herald and Korea Times (and other Korean media) are reporting on the efforts by the chinbo "progressive" groups to disrupt the opening of the capital's "Hi Seoul" festival, which has always been marketed as a way for Seoul to show itself off and for foreign residents to join in as Seoulites. 

Well, apparently the remnants of last year's Mad Cow protestors thought it was the "Hi 소 Festival," because they came out in force:

The conflict further escalated as the demonstrators reached Seoul City Hall, where the opening ceremony of the Hi Seoul Festival was being held. Tourists from around the world were frightened by the violent demonstrations.

As participants occupied the festival stage, protesting the police blockade in the area, the police called off all the ceremonies and sent Korean home and tourists to their hotels.

These people have few supporters among the general public, and by doing this in front of what is supposed to be (a) a happy celebration and (b) in front of — gasp! — foreign visitors and guests, they have lost most of what little sympathy they'd had from the general public. Both (a) and (b) represent losses of face, while (b) is an egregious violation of the don't-air-dirty-laundry rule. 

Bad, bad, bad move, you pro-Pyongyang, anti-Seoul, anti-corporate, anti-US, anti-Japan chinbo groups.

Brian in Chŏllanamdo has an interesting post tying this event in with the Mad Cow protests from last year. 

Just reminding people we got 'em

A senior Obama administration official told an audience at the Brookings Institution that North Korea will probably detonate a really big pile of dynamite deep underground that will make a lot of noise and set off a bunch of sensors but nobody will actually see so we can pretend it's a nuclear device a nuclear device before it is forced to return to six-party talks or some other disarmament talks.

[left: North Korea (artist's rendition)]

Caption that photo! (Or: Okay, okay... I'll stop calling it "pigfluenza.")

John from Taejŏn sent this link to the photo below, which I've decided to turn into a caption of the week contest (disclaimer: Caption-of-the-week may not occur every week). I need a caption contest in order to boost hits — the coin of the realm, not to mention of AdSense — since I've decided to stop relying on my paraphrases of Brian in Chŏllanamdo's posts as my primary source of material. 

Okay, okay, so caption contests are totally ripping off Korea Beat, but it's either that or a Girl Thursday kinda thing, which is totally ripping off the Lost Nomad's lost blog, but the Korean in me is just so effin' derivative I can't help myself. 

Anyway, I'll start: 

1. "Formula goggles." 
   
2. "Pigs are being warned against coming into close contact with humans to reduce their chances of getting swine flu."
3. "Tastes like chicken."
4. "Dammit, boy! I said no tongue."

Not my best work, but I really should be studying anyway. Those induced demand models for medical care don't memorize themselves, y'know. 

Anyway, I think John from Taejŏn's point in providing the above link may have been that it's an utter misnomer (oh, if only this were about Mad Cow, that would have been a hilarious pun) to call it swine flu. While this strain may be related to one found endemic to pigs in 1930, it is a tad archaic to keep calling it that. 

And while I suspect that the general public might get H1N1 flu mixed up with the other alphabet soup flu designations, I think the CDC may have a point, despite my earlier mockery. PBS, in fact, sort of convinced me:

SHAW (CDC): This particular combination of genes in the virus has never been seen anywhere in any animal or in any people before this outbreak.

Q: Then how can it be called "swine flu"? 

SHAW: That is mainly for historic reasons. Because if you look at its genes, you can trace it back to a 1930 isolant that came from a pig. When you start calling something "swine flu" in 1930, it's sort of hard to break the habit by now, which is what we're trying to do. But the fact is, this virus has only been seen in people so far.

More than that, it's keeping people from buying pork products, not just in Korea, but also in the United States, where most people do not read Brian's blog or the Korea Times, so they have no idea how baseless that is. 

The detrimental economic effects of such associations should not be taken lightly. Instituto de Turismo de España estimates that the number of visitors to the ski resorts in the Sistema Ibérico drops 0.2% every time the deadly "Spanish flu" outbreak of 1918 is mentioned in the 24-hour news cycle. And even the Canthardin Manufacturers Association complains that Spanish flu is only one vowel away from Spanish fly. (The Spanish flu probably had its origins in Kansas, possibly from pigs, so I don't feel so terrible for badmouthing the dirty swine — I mean the pigs, not the Kansans.)

And did you know that the deadly hantavirus is named for the Hantan River, a tributary of the Imjin River in the northern part of the Republic of Korea? Among this category of deadly viruses — most having no special association with Korea — is the Hantaan virus, the etiologic agent of an ailment once known as Korean hemorrhagic fever (perhaps Tokyo's revenge for Japanese encephalitis). These viruses were first isolated during the Korean War in the early 1950s and, let's face it, Korea didn't do so well economically for almost a decade and a half after that. 

I'd like to point out that, to the best of my knowledge, the entire preceding paragraph is true (except for the Japanese encephalitis part). Yeah, it sounds like something I'd make up to see if people are paying attention, but it's true. Oh, and "silk" comes from 실, shil, the Korean word for thread. It's in the unabridged Oxford Dictionary. Go look it up. I'll wait. 

링크드씨, 가지마세요!

Linkd, one of my all-time favorite Marmot's Hole regulars, summed up that esteemed and most famous of Korea blogs about as succinctly as one can in a single comment, and for good measure took an adept stab at what's up and what's what with Korea. 

He also said that he "will be gone from Korea and from this blog in a couple of months." If that is true, I just wish to ask him to please, please, please drop in to Marmot's Hole from time to time and dispense some of your informed, balanced, and thoughtful opinions on the goings-on of the day. 

And good luck with whatever it is you're planning to do, Linkd. Godspeed. 

Hyundai and Kia drop the least in April

In a follow-up to this story in which Hyundai and Kia are doing quite well among Orange County car buyers, it looks like the two Korean makes are doing well around the country — or at least not as badly.

According to Bloomberg, Hyundai and Kia had the two best showings among the Asian automakers in the US car market. Hyundai dropped by only 14% from a year ago while Kia dropped by only 15%.

Other Japanese makes did not fare as well, and the overall market is doing quite badly:

Sales slid 25 percent for Honda and 14 percent for Hyundai, as the industry total tumbled 34 percent from a year earlier. Even as deliveries dropped 42 percent for Toyota and 38 percent for Nissan, the Asia-based companies raised their combined U.S. share 0.8 percentage point to 45.5 percent, Autodata Corp. said.

Once derided as a cheap car at a cheap price, Hyundai's image is becoming one of good value:

“Among Asian brands, Hyundai and Honda are in the best position,” Jesse Toprak, director of industry analysis for auto-research firm Edmunds.com in Santa Monica, California, said in an interview. “Hyundai’s value-brand image is helping them in these times when consumers are worried about money and jobs. Honda has the right product mix to be ready for any kind of change in consumer demand.”

Maybe I will go and take a look at that Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

Right rants on the Mexican Flub

Before the swine flu H1N1 outbreak was barely a blip, I had suggested that — completely independently of this possible pandemic — that it was penny-wise and pound-foolish to eliminate non-emergency health services for illegal immigrants (or undocumented workers, if you prefer), as many California counties are doing to "save money" (or, rather, kick the burden down the road).

With the potential for H1N1 to spread rapidly, I think we're witnessing an object lesson as to why it should be cheap or free for sick people to get the care they need — even if they are in the country illegally. Because, you see, the bugs they carry don't care about visas much. They don't check passports, and an undocumented worker and a gringo from Glendale both make good mules.

Well, it turns out that I have it all backwards. Instead of coddling the undocumented to keep them from becoming incubators and transmitters of modern-day pestilence, as I propose, we should keep them at arm's length and shun them, for it is the illegals who are bringing to America this bioterrorism (more here at Media Matters).

[above: ... and we didn't pay attention in grammar class or geography.]

Japan Times on North Korean power struggle

The Japan Times is reporting on the power struggle raging in North Korea, citing information from a Korean professor at Kansai University, namely that Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law Jang Songtaek (장성택) may not have things as in the bag as some may think:

As succession speculation abounds amid reports of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's deteriorating health, a recently obtained confidential report has shed new light on a power struggle taking place in the reclusive state.

The report, obtained by Kansai University economics professor Lee Young Hwa, cites Chinese analysts as questioning the loyalty of two veteran generals of the Korean People's Army who are considered to be rivals of Jang Song Taek — Kim's brother-in-law, who was recently named to the powerful National Defense Commission and is widely considered to be the North's second in command.

Gens. Hyon Chol Hae, 75, and Ri Myong Su, 72, have been closely accompanying Kim during his military inspections, and are known to exercise much clout by conveying Kim's orders to the military command. They are also said to be actively promoting Kim's second and third sons, Kim Jong Chol and Kim Jong Un, as heirs to Kim, possibly as a means of self-protection, the report says.

"It was generally believed that Jang Song Taek was steering the nation ever since Kim fell ill, and there was speculation that there also existed a rival faction that worked against him," Lee said. "But now for the first time we can identify who these people are."

Pyongyang has more drama than 90210. But without the pretty girls and the salacious subtext.

"Coach" Ben Case on Survivor

If you've been watching this season of Survivor, then the faux samurai philosophy spouting, self-aggrandizing, platitude spewing, and all-around annoying "Coach" may remind you of a certain member of the K-blog commentariat who sounds as if he swallowed a logic book once. Once. Could it be we've uncovered his true identity?

UPDATE:
Apparently Coach's school fired him for not showing up to work. Or at least they didn't renew his contract (a Gerry-style "firing," not that Coach was fired for trying to buck national sentiment on a sensitive political issue, though I'm not entirely certain that's why Gerry was fired either). Apparently when Coach went off to be on Survivor, he told Southwest Baptist University that he was going to be gone for a week and he was gone for two months. Probably didn't call or nothing. Oh, well, with a work ethic like that, I'm sure there's work for him at a Korean hagwon. [Kushibo ducks for cover.]

UPDATE #2:
Coach has been voted off Survivor 18 Toncatins. Woo hoo!

Wild, Wild Western Avenue

While looking for that Donahue segment with Angela Oh, I ran across some 1992 news footage on Korean business owners during the L.A. riots.

The first one shows two things. First, why the actions of the looters — mostly local people — were so fucking galling. Second, why some people — notably these probably South Korean immigrants — and the 2nd Amendment don't mix.



Randomly shooting into the public... asshole. Yeah, I know these business owners were totally blindsided and not prepared, but this is gross misuse of deadly force.



This one above shows probably a more appopriate response: get armed and show you're armed. That's the idea of the Second Amendment: use firearms as a deterrent.

Below is truck driver Reginald Denny getting attacked and nearly killed. This is considered ground zero of the L.A. riots, the first racial retaliation following the shocking acquittal of the police officers who were videotaped beating Rodney King.



Mr Denny was saved by a fellow truck driver who had seen this on TV and went to rescue him. In what I would consider a truly magnanimous act of forgiveness, Mr Denny later said he forgives the men who attacked him by pulling him out of his truck and throwing bricks and a fire extinguisher at his head. Some might wonder just how hard they'd hit him.

Below is another vicious attack.



There's loads more, of course. Seventeen years later, this still disgusts me.

Book suggestions?

Borders is offering me (and loads of other people, I imagine) 40% off the next book I buy. My budget has been tight lately, what with most of my income coming from Korean sources and the KRW being as in the toilet as it is, so I haven't been thinking about what books I might purchase the way I've been, say, fantasizing about what car I'd like to buy next.

So, if I were to take a break from studying health econ and head over to the Ward Center this weekend, I'd like to hear some suggestions about what might be a good book to buy. Something I might not have heard of, something that's of particular interest to someone living in Korea (or Hawaii), something from Korean Studies, something from health, etc.