Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun... Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans," Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Daily Kor for March 31, 2010

The search goes on. And it is not an easy one. Those are murky waters with a swift current beneath, and there is always the possibility that there could be more of what brought down Chonan still out there. Godspeed, gentlemen.

Divers tries to enter Diver involved in rescue and recovery of sunken Chonan dies (links here)

Pentagon remains cautious on sinking (Yonhap)
US to send helicopters to help in rescue (Korea Times)

Russia formerly implements UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea (AP via WaPo)
North Korea's Air Koryo receives partial exemption from European Union's airline blacklist (AP via USA Today)
Seoul lodges protest with Tokyo after Japanese Education Ministry approves elementary textbooks describing Tokto as Japanese territory, with one saying South Korea "illegally occupies" the islets (Fox, Yonhap, Korea Times, Korea Herald, Joongang Daily)
Six killed, including driver, when bus traveling from Ulchin in North Kyŏngsang Province to Samch'ŏk in Kangwon Province goes off embankment (Joongang Daily)
Human Rights Commission says police should not set up CCTV cameras in neighborhoods without residents' permission (Yonhap)
South Korean consortium signs contract to build Jordan's first nuclear research reactor by 2015 (Yonhap)
President Lee names his top advisor Home Minister (Yonhap, Korea Times, Joongang Daily)
In parade marking Greek Independence Day, Greek soldiers remind everyone of their country's gay warrior origins (UPI)

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Ask Kushibo.

My Google/Blogspot data shows that a lot of the 2 million people who have landed on my site (yes, that's the real number) are looking for cultural information on Korea (e.g., “When did Syngman Rhee die?” “What did the Indians bring to the first Chusŏk?’ etc., etc.), as well as practical or historical stuff.

That got me thinking that, hey, I have a master’s degree in Korean studies and a minor in Japanese studies, I’ve lived in Seoul far longer than most foreans my age (whether they're kyopo or non-kyopo), I teach introductory courses on Korea and its cultural trappings and history, so why not offer a free service where I attempt to answer people’s questions, point them in the direction of where they can get them answered, and/or offer my regulars (that’s you!) a chance to take a stab at some of this stuff, too.

So if there’s something you’d like to know from a “contrarian scourge,” click on ASK KUSHIBO and just ask a succinct question in the comments section below.

Oh, and play nice. Please don’t make me regret this.

九十五大怪獣란? 쿠시보의 몬스터 아일랜드란?

Pearls of witticism from 'Bo the Blogger: Kushibo's Korea blog... Kushibo-e Kibun...
Now with Less kimchi, more nunchi. Random thoughts and commentary (and indiscernibly opaque humor) about selected social, political, economic, and health-related issues of the day affecting "foreans" ("foreigners" in Korea be they kyopo or non-kyopo), Koreans, Korea and East Asia, along with the US, especially Hawaii, Orange County, and the rest of California, plus anything else that is deemed worthy of discussion. Forza Corea!

* Monster Island (actually a peninsula)

The name of this blog comes from a line in "Lisa on Ice," a beloved episode of The Simpsons, perhaps my all-time favorite television show (even though for several seasons there, it really did suck). Lisa is imagining being sworn in as president, but at the last minute, it is discovered that she failed P.E. (physical education) and she is thus "sentenced to a lifetime of horror" on Monster Island. "Don't worry," the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court confides in her, "It's just a name."

Fast forward to Lisa and other prisoners running in panic through a tropical jungle, chased by Godzilla-like creatures, including a monster turtle and a monster firefly.

"He said it was just a name!" Lisa screams to the man next to her. While he, too, runs for his life, the unidentified man calmly says, "What he meant is that Monster Island is actually a peninsula."

Anyway, I thought in some ways that punchline summed up modern-day Korea in a nutshell. For many people—foreigners and Koreans—the ups and downs and everyday travails of the Republic of Korea make it as precarious as a Monster Island would be (and with the DMZ being the only land border, it really is like an island). But it actually is a peninsula. Okay, it made sense in my head.

So as you can see, despite the hits I get from people looking for Japanese tentacle porn, it has nothing to do with anything salacious as that.

Monster Island (actually a peninsula)*

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Daily Kor for March 31, 2010

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