Sunday was intresting, I went to the movies and while I was their, they had the South Korea vs Japan game at the theather, It was weird, they were all watching the game and they were very excited about it. I was thinking, the more we are different the more we are the same. Its march and NCAA Basketball is playing and I have seen a few of the games, via a sports bar here in Korea, sad to say Korea lost I would have liked to have seen them play Cuba for the title.

It was nice to see it, Koreans all cheering for their team. Baseball brought them all together.

Millions rally in South Korea - around baseballThe chance to beat rival Japan drew crowds into the street to watch the World Baseball Classic this weekend.

By Donald Kirk Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

SEOUL - Not since Korea and Japan co-hosted the World Cup 2002 soccer tournament had Koreans been so mesmerized by an athletic event.

In stadiums around the country, at large squares in major cities, and in coffee shops, restaurants, bars, and homes everywhere, millions gathered around TV sets to watch the nation's baseball team play the Japanese in the semi-finals of the World Baseball Classic in San Diego.
"Daehan Minguk," crowds shouted between innings, literally, "Republic of Korea."

The timing was perfect - the game began at 7 pm Saturday in the US, noon Sunday here, and a festive air of optimism imbued the crowds as they cheered in unison. For many Koreans, the game carried extra significance as a chance to beat rival Japan and, through sport, offer a little payback for 35 years of Japanese colonialism.

"For historical reasons, we always like to defeat Japan. It is a matter of vengeance," said Kim Sang Sun, a college student, during the final inning. He was gazing upward on a huge TV screen high beside an office building. Down the street, some 40,000 had massed before another screen on a stage beneath the words, "Fighting! Korea!" in the plaza in front of Seoul City Hall.

But despite the rallying of a nation, the victory wasn't to be. By the time the Japanese had finished thrashing three Korean pitchers in a disastrous seventh inning, the score was 6-0 in favor of a team that Korea had defeated by one-run margins twice in the series. The game ended 6-0, putting Korea out of the series despite a record of six wins, including a 7-3 thumping of the US team, against the single loss.
All weekend, though, the prospect of a climactic encounter with the Japanese team seemed to unite Koreans as nothing else could have done. Television stations repeatedly replayed heroic moments from previous games - run-scoring slides, balls soaring into the seats, diving catches, the stuff of dreams. And for several hours before the game, pop stars cavorted in stadiums, warming up crowds invited to watch free of charge on huge screens above the outfield.

"We have lost, but cheer up," said a performer after it was all over as spectators reluctantly trickled away from the grass and concrete of the city hall plaza. "We played well."

The crowds had disappeared, replaced by Sunday afternoon strollers and shoppers, when several thousand exuberant young people set off on a very different kind of demonstration - a mile-long march from Seoul Station past City Hall and the same screens where tens of thousands had been watching the baseball game.

Few people seemed to notice as demonstrators chanted slogans denouncing the war in Iraq and President Bush - and calling for Korea to pull out the 3,000 troops it has sent there.

"We have many demonstrations," said one Sunday stroller, preferring to ignore this one. "They are not the same as a game against Japan."

A blog that I link to had this article tonight and I thought that It needed to be put unto my blog also.

http://jetiranger.tripod.com/BLOG/

Thursday, 16 March 2006
Sexual Assualts in KoreaTopic: An issue that has gained recent attention is the issue of sexual assaults in Korea.

There has been plenty of recent attention in Korea on sexual assaults against minors and other Korean women. Many of the recent high profile assaults against these women have been by repeat rapists who had received lenient jail time measured in months after their first sexual assault. These cases has caught the attention of the Korean media and hopefully this attention will lead to positive change in Korean society against sexual predators by not immediately condemning women who have been raped as prostitutes for example or giving these monsters who rape women light sentences which is right now an all to common practice in Korea. Despite the media coverage of the sexual assault problems in Korea, something that has continued to be ignored by the Korean media is sexual assaults against foreign women in Korea.

I have highlighted a number of assaults against female foreigners in Korea. Here are a few examples of past assaults on foreign women in Korea. A 19 year old female soldier newly arrived to Korea from Incheon airport was raped by a cab driver bringing her to Seoul. Then there is also the Jamie Penich murder in Itaewon that should be familiar to many expats out there. Then most recently the rape of an Army officer in Taegu that was almost totally buried by the Korean media.

If you don't believe me that these stories are buried go ask the nearest Korean if they have heard about the rape of the US Army officer. They will probably tell you they never heard about it. Now ask them if they heard about the drunk idiot GI in Uijongbu who hit a beer bottle over a Korean guy's head, they will probably tell you that they have heard of that, however.

I just find it sad that a ville incident such the beer bottle case would draw more publicity then a rape in Taegu, especially since the rapist wasn't caught and could be still out there in Korean society raping more people. It just seems to me a rape case should draw as much media attention as possible in order to identify the rapist to ensure they are caught and cannot rape more women. These cases are on top of the multiple cases of rape that have occurred on US military installations with soldier on soldier crime that I have consistently highlighted.

Despite a low crime rate in Korea, being a female here can be dangerous if you are not careful. Even those who are careful can still have bad things happen to them anyway, so it is important to understand what actions to take if something bad does in fact happen to you. In an effort to educate people more about sexual assaults in Korea, I was contacted by a young lady who was sexually assaulted and beaten while teaching English at a hagwon in Seoul.

For those familiar with prior assaults on foreign women in Korea you will see many similarities in this case with those prior cases in as far as how incompetent the Korean police are. The important thing is to learn from her story things that you can do to help yourself if you find yourself in a similar situation or maybe you are helping someone that unfortunately was assaulted because the Korean police are not there to help you. With that in mind here is a story of a sexual assault in Korea that no one has probably heard of, but should of:

I came across this blog in doing my own research about the incidents of foreign females in Korea being assaulted and saw the story from back in July when a female military officer was assaulted by a cab driver. I am so lucky that I have found this blog and can spread the word about the dangers of being a foreign female in Korea and how biased the Korean media, police, hospitals, etc. might be to you if something horrible were to happen.

I, too, was a victim and want anyone who wants to hear my story to listen up and spread the word. I came to Seoul in February of last year to teach English. This was not my first time in Korea, having visited Korea in high school with my Korean friend and having also studied Korean language at Yonsei University in 2000-2001.

I was living in Seoul in what is considered to be one of the safest (aka richest) areas: Chungdam. I am sure you know the 24 hour McDonalds, Hard Rock Cafe, etc---I lived across the street from those places. On July 31, 2005, I arrived to my one room when around 11:20pm, my window slides open and a man is in the window. In the second that I sat frozen in my computer chair in shock/surprise/disbelief, he hopped down from the window and lunged at me and began to hit me with his fist repeatedly, while choking me with his other hand.

After hitting me for a few minutes to where I was going unconscious, he ran over to my bag, grabbed my wallet, and in Korean, said the first word “Don, don, don”, which translated means “Money, money, money”. Being a Sunday night, I had just spent the last cash I had and I told him that in Korean. At this point, he began hitting me again. After only a few hits, however, he decided to begin choking me. He gave up choking me and began hitting me more until I again was drifting in and out of consciousness.

He then decided to rape me. He first tried covering my bloodied face with a shirt but I quickly bled through it so he told me in Korean, “Wash your face”. He went into my kitchen to get a knife and I knew it was my chance to get away. In that instant I found my cell phone and locked myself in the bathroom. Once locked inside, I called the police.

According to their police report was at 11::40pm. They did not arrive to my apartment until well after 12am despite a police station being only 5 minutes by walk from my house. I didn’t trust that the police believed me and understood to come so I also called my friends, but they too, were all far away. When the 2 policemen showed up, the man was gone. I told the police what happened and that I need to go to a hospital right away but their first words to me was to say “Where are your panties and give me your Alien Registration ID card”.

I managed to find my ID card and I gave it to him and then ran out my door to try to get someone else to get me an ambulance. The police came out and told me to sit in the back of their police car, which I did. Soon after, the ambulance came and they did not help into the ambulance on a stretcher.

They opened up their sliding side door and told me to walk in. I did and lay down on the stretcher, unattended by anyone The first place I was taken was called Samsung Medical Center. When we arrived there, again I was not taken in on a stretcher, but instead the two ambulance workers opened the door and told me to get out. As we were walking in, they did not assist me in walking and wouldn’t even open the hospital doors for me until I pulled up the back of my running pants which had slipped down to reveal the top of my panties.

I was laid on a stretcher and someone came to clean my face and photograph my injuries. Within a short amount of time a number of my friends and coworkers began arriving and immediately we worked together to recall what I could of the attack while the hospital workers were deciding where to send me.

I explained to them first of all what happened and asked them to please test my fingernails for his DNA because I probably scratched him. My friends (no police were to be found now) then got a pen and paper and were asking for his description and also began listing the places I could remember he touched: My window, my wallet, my bag, my refrigerator, my door lock, my sink faucet---all places that could be tested for fingerprints.

This first hospital also took pictures of my injuries which now are LOST. The hospital has told the US Embassy that they do not have a camera to even take pictures; while they told my friend who inquired about them that they just don’t have record of my name for that date. After I would guess about 40 minutes-1 hour, I was moved to a 2nd hospital---Hye-Min hospital in the northwest part of Seoul. I was put into the ambulance on a stretcher but again, was not tended to by any professionals.

My two friends rode with me and when I began feeling nauseous and throwing up from the bumpy ride and my head injury, my friends were helping me not any professional workers. I do not remember the emergency room of Hye-Min Hospital and what I will tell you comes from my friends who were dealing with admitting me.

This comes from 2 Korean friends, 1 American friend, and 1 Canadian friend. My friends were speaking with the man admitting me, he said that the hospital would not help me unless I paid him $1000.00 in cash because I was a ‘Russian prostitute who probably deserved what I got’. Finally after convincing him I was neither Russian, nor a prostitute and having my boss show up, they decided to admit me into Intensive Care. Despite my major injuries being associated with my head and eye, there was no eye doctor even available at this hospital. However, the first hospital claimed that the bigger hospitals’ ICUs were all full and they could not take me.

At this hospital, I basically laid for 1 day on an IV ---no medications were given and very little monitoring was done. My blood pressure was checked maybe 2 times per day and I was given no heart/oxygen or any other standard monitors. Besides being in pain from my head injuries, I was unable to sleep or lay without pain due to severe neck and back strains from being choked. The bed was flat in a very uncomfortable position and I was told if I needed to be moved I would have to pound on the side of my bed to get a nurses attention because they didn’t have call buttons.

Of course, when I did this, nurses would ignore me for 10-15 minutes or more. I was finally moved into the ICU of Yongdong Severance Hospital where I was given good treatment and finally tests were taken. I was given an immediate CT scan, along with X-rays and an eye doctor looked at my eyes. It was decided that I had a brain hemorrhage, fractured skull and other facial bones, ocular hemorrhaging.

On day 3 of my ordeal, I was visited by a deputy of the US embassy and a Korean detective, who through my best Korean friend, interpreted what happened and the suspect description. No sketch was taken, however. While in the hospital I was thinking about who this guy might be so I gathered a list of the places I walk a lot. Based on his skin tone and build, I figured he must work outside and suggested to the police to check 3 nearby construction sites near my house that I regularly walk by, 2 car shops or local taxis. Based on the glove marks around my neck, I figured he could be a taxi driver and a taxi driver lives in my building, yet the police never interviewed anyone in my building or the surrounding buildings.

My friends interviewed my neighbors on their own who said they did in fact hear screams, but were too afraid to help and saw nothing. The police interviewed no one, took no suspect sketch, no DNA, and despite claiming that they took fingerprints, there was no evidence of the traditional black soot fingerprinting would leave at my apartment.

There were no police reports sent out to the media and despite me and my friends calling every Korean and English news and television media outlet, no one would cover my story or even just release information regarding the suspect’s appearance. I also remembered that because I lived in the nicest area of Seoul, for “security” they have CCTV cameras up around the neighborhoods.

My Korean friend called the police with this information and all of my other suggestions about where to find the suspect and their response to us was “We do things our way, we are handling it, leave us alone”. I was never contacted by the police again. During my final day in the hospital, I finally got enough courage to look at the shirt I was wearing during the attack. The police did not collect it for evidence or DNA. Upon my examination, I found a short black hair to which I applied a piece of tape and called the police asking them to please come and pick it up----it could be the suspect’s hair! Again, they responded, “We do things our way; we don’t have time for that”.

Finally, after returning to America and complaining to the Embassy, the police agreed to look at the hair and we fed-exd the shirt to the police. It was returned “tested” with the hair still in tact. Nice, right?

I do not even want to get into my school. Of course we know how hagwons are. All I will say, is that they deemed me to be too problematic to the school because they feared I would reveal where I worked and make them to have a bad reputation. When I was released from the hospital, I had made flyers to distribute throughout my neighborhood with a suspect description and I was told by my school and the police that I could not do so because it would make all Koreans look crazy. So, despite being promised I would have a job when I was completely, recovered, I never got the offer back.

After returning back to the USA, I am not aware of anything going on in the investigation. About 3 weeks after my attack, a Korean girl was found naked and murdered, dying from the same injuries I sustained and she only lived about 5 minutes from my house by walk. So after 1 month, the police requested I get a sketch of the suspect and started sending me pictures of sex offenders about 2 months after my attack. But of course, the mind is a great thing and tries to forget something like that, so making a sketch now is difficult.

Due to the recent string of serial rapes in Korea, I have taken it on myself to try to find out anyone who is arrested in case I may recognize the guy. After seeing a picture the Taejon serial rapist who was captured in Seoul in February, he seemed familiar to me and so I contacted the Embassy. They said the police determined it was not the same man who attacked me based on a DNA mismatch.

Oh, now they do have my perpetrator’s DNA? Up until this point, I was told they didn’t have anything. Suspicious is the fact that they will not give the embassy pictures of the man for me to identify. That is my story.

My goal is not to shock, not to expound hate on Korea or Korean people. My goal is to make us foreigners living in a seemingly “safe” country aware that even though these things do not appear in the papers, they can and do happen. More importantly, I am looking for ways I can help to get started programs for foreigners to provide safety education and resources. If you would be attacked, do you know enough Korean to call the police, or do you even know the police number?

If you do suffer an attack, there are no rape crisis lines or centers for foreigners. Finding a psychologist who speaks English is also difficult. We need to get together and make a positive change. Acknowledging that there is a problem is the first step. Now, let’s make a difference.

I know this post is long but I think the information provided in it is very important because I know I learned plenty from the writer's tragic experience and hopefully others did as well.

Well this is a personal Update, I havent done one in a while.

The school is ok. We have added another Korean Teacher and he is a male. I am so glad to have another guy there besides me.

We had a welcome to Work party for him on thursday. The boss lady kept buying beer and I kept drinking it. we had dinner at a place called the "BERKLEY." I actually like it. The food is aways good and its very close to where I live so it was all good. Then we went dancing and oh man did I dance like a fool. I was so glad that I do not have to go to work until 1430 the next day. Then I had Nicholes Birthday party on Saturday. I was a hurting pup.

We have wend 3-15 off, so I am going to go to Seoul and see if I can get a ticket for the IMAX film "V for Vendeta." they are also soon going to be playing the NASCAR 3-D film. I so want to se it again and see it in Korea. I wonder is they have any idea about NASCAR.

Next month I start Job hunting for June 2006. I will keep everybody up to date.

My washington Redskins have signed a few players so far in free agency. We have added, Adam Archuleta, Brandon Lloyd, Antwaan Randle El and Christian Fauria. I hope for a nice draft but with no #1 nor a #3. Looks like on draft day I do nada.

Still no g.f, I know whats new. Tommorrow is white day here in Korea. Its a day when the boys give the girls candy, so I have alot of candy to give to all of my students tommorrow. Just no luck with the ladies. Sad but it happens.

I have thought about doing another blog to go with my socius film reviews. Nothing yet, I am just kicking an idea in my head.

So far this year I have been watching, "The Shield" "24" "Lost" Everybody Hates Chris" "How I Met Your Mother" and starting tommorrow, "Sopranios"

I must sat 24 and the shield have been outstanding this season. Sad to say I cheer for the bad guy in the shield and the good guy in 24.

Spring training is on and the World baseball classic has the us vs Korea tommorrow, should be an intresting day.

Well this is an update on me so far. will tell more later.

Enjoy yourself its a celebration!














Well saturday we had a little party, The red soxs fan link on this website had her birthday. Her big idea was a Konglish shirt night. now for those who have no idea what that is just look above and you will read a shirt that in basic english makes no scense what so ever. Greer, the one on the left, is engaged to a nam named dan so when I saw the shirt I just dies laughing. Then A friend of Nicholes comes in and wears a blue version of the same shirt, I asked Dan, Is it hard out here for a pimp? We laughed about it. I always joke with Dan, will he ever play the lottery. He always states nope that he won the biggest lottery in his life when Greer fell in love with him.

You will see me wearing an ESPN logo shirt and Dans states bananas actual sizes from all over the world. It was given to him from Troy and Arwyn when they went to Siam. The shirt was a huge hit.

The first photo, is me, Nichole and her friend Mario. She has told me that I am Marios twin, we both love the Yankees and we are both GOP and we both hate the red soxs and both think that Nichole is awesome. So me and him hit it off very good. It was nice to meet a fellow Yankees and GOP person.

We had a nice party, we all got along and we had a great time.

Biracial couple goes prime time in South Korea GI, Korean wife hope TV segments combat negative stereotypes

By Franklin Fisher, Stars and StripesPacific edition, Monday, March 6, 2006


PYEONGTAEK, South Korea

One fall day a few years ago, Army Sgt. Christopher Largent discovered an art gallery on the eighth floor of a department store where he was shopping in Daegu, South Korea.

Having studied fine arts before enlisting in the Army, he went in for a look at a ceramics exhibit.

He soon found himself talking to two young women who also were looking things over. One spoke some English, the other almost none.
The conversation started because of a genuine interest in ceramics, said Largent, 28, a personnel clerk at Camp Carroll with the 307th Integrated Theater Signal Battalion.

It took about 30 seconds for a voice inside his head to tell him that the woman who spoke some English was very attractive, and after about 20 minutes Largent sensed the interest might be mutual.

Honestly, though, I would be too chicken to even approach her for a date had her friend not suggested it, he said.

Her name was Yu-sung, and she shared his interest in art, having majored in ceramics at Daegu Catholic University. The next day she drove from Daegu to Waegwan, and they had lunch in a local restaurant.

Eight or so months later, in June 2003, they were married.

Not an uncommon tale of love and marriage but theirs will be one a lot of people will soon become intimate with. From Monday through Thursday, South Korean TV station KBS2 will chronicle their married life in its regularly scheduled program In Gan Geuk Jang, starting at 8:50 p.m.

It began with a January phone call to Yu-sung from a woman at KBS2 in Seoul, who said a neighbor the Largents never have learned who had suggested the couple as a possible TV subject.

The woman asked Yu-sung to e-mail her the same day with her and her husbands photos and a summary of how they met. A day later, a Daegu-based video crew on contract to KBS2 all but moved in with the Largents and filmed their mealtimes and housework, their shopping trips, visits to her parents, time at work. They spent about 18 days, 16 of them in actual filming.

The crew was friendly and the couple got along well with them. But the project had its pressures.

I was so uncomfortable, said Yu-sung, 26, who said she was self-conscious throughout.

I couldn't do anything in front of camera, even just kiss my husband, and just like normal thing like wash the dishes or cleaning home because I was so nervous, she said. Three strange guys following everywhere.

Her discomfort eventually wore off. But by then, the crew was pretty much wrapped up.

They told the Largents a payment of 1 million South Korean won (about $1,000) was in their future.

They hope the broadcasts will help erode negative stereotypes of marriages between South Koreans and U.S. servicemembers.
The Largents have their own stories to tell about that, too.

Like the occasional cab driver who's told Yu-sung she's attractive enough to have drawn any number of Korean suitors, so why did she marry Largent?

Or the incident around Christmas 2002 when the couple tried to enter a Daegu restaurant. An employee stopped them at the entrance and pointed to a blue and white sign that read in English: Foreigners not allowed. (So when I see this and when I hear a fool named A.... tell us that this never happens, its just funny)


I think the biggest thing that everyone will take away from this, regardless of their cultural background, is that people are people no matter where you're from, said Largent, and if you're coming to someone's country, you have to have a certain degree of openness.
I'm sure, he said, "Everyone will take away the fact that there are good and bad people regardless of the culture that you come from."


Thsi show will be on KBS2. I Still have no idea if I will watch this. He is stationed in Camp Carroll, its where I was stationed at from May 1990-Aug 1991 in the US Army. But all of this for $1,000. Hope that it was worth it.

Well, in an earlier post, I talked about Tuesday nights here in Korea. There is a club called the "Beer Hunter" A few of the local foreigners hang out. The beer is half price. There are 2 options, "A girl Beer" which is the small container for 1000 won and "Man Beer" which is a huge container and this cost is 2000 won.

We gather, we talk, we laugh about what we have seen here in Korea.

From left to right... back row. Damien (Canada) Me. (USA) Dan and Greer (New Zeland) Nichole (USA)

Front Row..Left to right... Troy and Alwyn (Australia) Ben (USA) Kendra and James (Canada)

I must be honest, this gathering has helped me in my stay here in Korea. We are all here for different reasons and I am glad to be sharing the same time line with these insane fools from all over the world.

Railway strike disrupts transport
-->
Police and railway authorities threatened stern responses against striking transport workers yesterday as their walkout entered a second day, leaving millions of commuters and cargos stranded across the nation.

About half of the 25,510 member Korean Railway Workers' Union has joined in the action since Wednesday.

Disruption is expected to worsen as the nationwide truckers' union yesterday threatened to step up action from next Monday after negotiations over fees with cargo companies failed.

Adding to the tension, the nation's second largest umbrella labor organization continued its general strike against new labor reform bills.

Thousands of rail workers ended a joint rally in eastern Seoul yesterday morning after police threatened to break up their sit in by force, but continued with sporadic struggles in small groups.

The state run Korea Railroad Corp. even issued an ultimatum ordering workers to return to work by 3:00 p.m. or face punishment including dismissal. State prosecutors, who had earlier declared the walkout as illegal, issued an order to arrest 11 union leaders involved in the strike.
Cargos are left alone at a Busan train depot yesterday as a railway strike disrupted transportation. [The Korea Herald]

The government has invoked its authority for an emergency arbitration, under which any collective action is banned for a 15 day cooling off period.

Despite labor's firm stance, KORAIL said some 2,325 workers or 17 percent of demonstrators returned to work as of 3 p.m. and more are expected to follow suit.

However, most of the key workers such as drivers and engineers have still not returned to work, casting clouds on any hope for an early return to normalcy.

Subway service in Seoul dropped to 52 percent of normal operations, KORAIL said, as the walkout affected lines No. 1, 2 and 4, which are run in cooperation with KORAIL.
The running of KTX, the high speed train, and normal trains also fell to 34 percent and 16 percent, respectively, KORAIL said.

The railway strike also crippled cargo train services in cities across the nation, threatening to damage the export driven economy.

In Busan, the nation's second largest city, only 20 of 56 freight trains were in operation to carry out shipments yesterday.

Talks between the union and management failed again yesterday morning. The labor is demanding the reinstatement of dismissed laborers and an increase of personnel. KORAIL fired a combined 67 union workers who were involved in illegal strikes in the past. Management has said that the labor is demanding too much.

"We were not able to narrow the differences. Some issues were agreed on but the labor wants a package settlement," Yoo Jae young, a KORAIL official in charge of labor affairs, told reporters.
Despite the government's tough stance, labor leaders confirmed that they will continue to strike.
"The strike will likely extend for a longer period. We are aware that we will have to take responsibility for this illegal strike. Nevertheless, we are on a strike because the problems of KORAIL are too serious," KRWU's spokesperson, Jo Sang soo, told reporters.

The strike coincided with a general strike called by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the nation's second largest umbrella labor organization, against new labor reform bills.

The Ministry of Labor estimated that about 60,000 or 70,000 employees including those from Hyundai Motor and Kia Motor participated in the strike.

The general strike was triggered by a parliamentary committee's approval of bills on Monday which would allow companies to use temporary workers for up to two years after which they must be hired as permanent staff.
(hjjin@heraldm.com)
By Jin Hyun joo

Yesterday 2 March, I had the day off and I was going to take care of a minor problem is Seoul, sad to say I did not even need to go. I tried to take the train, no luck, so I took the BUS. It was an express bus from Daejeon to Seoul cost 12$, no thrills but it was a nice ride.

No service to Sontang nor Pyongtek, so think I wont be their for awhile. I will be in Seoul tommorrow so it looks like Bus once again. I ll leave early for a trtain bit if no such luck then the bus station is only 1 bus or taxi ride away.

This could get very intresting for the next few weeks.

Subject: Daddy Longlegs
A father watched his daughter playing in the garden.

He smiled as he reflected on how sweet and innocent his little
girl was.

Suddenly she just stopped and stared at the ground.

He went over to her and noticed she was looking at two spiders
mating.

"Daddy, what are those two spiders doing?" she asked.

"They're mating," her father replied.

"What do you call the spider on top, Daddy?" she asked.

"That's a Daddy Longlegs." Her father answered.

"So, the other one is Mommy Longlegs?" the little girl asked.

"No," her father replied. "Both of them are Daddy Longlegs."

The little girl thought for a moment, then took her foot and
stomped them
flat.

"Well, that might be ok in California and Oregon, but we're not
having
any of that CRAP in Texas.

This Crash has been a day that I wish had never had happened.

For those who do not know anything about one of my favorite spotrs NASCAR, I was a huge fan of "The Man in Black" Dale Earnhardt. My #3 hat and Shirts are worn in his honor. It still looks like a very simple crash but sad to say. This was his final ride.

Five years since ...By Jerry Bonkowski.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Coping with the death of someone who meant a great deal to you is never easy, but we eventually get past our grieving and tears and go on with our lives.
But if you're like me, the anniversary of that death is an event you don't look forward to. We can go along for 364 days every year with a forward, positive approach to life, but it's that 365th day that once again turns us somber and reflective.

That one 24-hour period each year virtually transports us to that fateful day when someone special was taken from us. Granted, it's simply the passage of time, but it's a sad passage nonetheless. Particularly hard are milestone years, be it one year later, five, 10, 20 or more. That's why this Saturday is a notable and sad milestone in the NASCAR and sports world.
For it will be five years since a simple man from Kannapolis, N.C., was tragically killed at Daytona.

Of course, this was not just any simple man. This was Dale Earnhardt.

And what happened on Feb. 18, 2001, was not just any simple crash. No, this was a 190-mph wreck on the final lap of the race that meant so much to him and yet also baffled him for nearly 20 years before he finally got the upper hand.

The biggest race in NASCAR. The Daytona 500.

The year before, three other drivers were killed in racing-related crashes: Kenny Irwin, Adam Petty and Tony Roper. While each of their tragic wrecks made headlines, life went on.
Earnhardt's death, on the other hand, shook the sport – and beyond – to its core, making front-page news from Charlotte to China. The death of the man they called The Intimidator was the NASCAR equivalent to Elvis Presley's death in 1977 or the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy in 1963.

His fatal crash was so monumental, particularly when NASCAR president Mike Helton announced to the world, "We've lost Dale Earnhardt," that it prompted the same type of question that has historically followed Presley and Kennedy's deaths: "Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when they died?"

His fatal wreck was so shocking, much like Kennedy's assassination more than 42 years ago, that it will always seem like it was just yesterday. Earnhardt's was the biggest and greatest name in NASCAR history. He was a man who meant so much to the sport and his fans, carving out a legacy much like Johnny Cash did in country music: they were both men in black, loved my millions yet cloaked in mystery for the intensely private lives they tried to lead outside of the spotlight.

They were the best in their respective businesses, icons that inspired and launched the careers of so many young and aspiring musicians and race car drivers. They were role models who set a standard for others to follow. When it came to racing, Earnhardt didn't just raise the bar, he put it out of reach. It's doubtful we'll ever see another driver even equal, let alone break, the seemingly insurmountable mark that Earnhardt and Richard Petty set in their careers: winning seven Cup championships.

Jeff Gordon is the closest challenger to that mark today, but he says if he's fortunate enough to win two more titles in his Cup career, he'll quit at six and leave the legacies of The King and The Intimidator in place. Even after winning his second Cup title last season, defending champ Tony Stewart doubts that he or anyone else will ever be able to come close to the Petty/Earnhardt milestone.

There's that word again: "milestone."

The five-year anniversary of Earnhardt's death is a milestone that hopefully will prompt us to reflect on his life, what he meant to NASCAR, how he changed the sport while alive and also how his death continued that change, particularly in the area of driver safety.

Sure, Earnhardt was a grizzled old cuss. He could tick you off with his gruff manner. And all too often, it was his way or no way, and NASCAR usually let him get away with it.
The reason was simple: because he could do it. He was the most powerful man in the sport and he cockily knew it. Bill France Jr. may have written the checks, but it was Earnhardt who laughed all the way to the bank.

Love him or hate him, fan or not, virtually everyone gave Earnhardt something that few people can command so universally: respect – and lots of it. He was the face of NASCAR, the man upon whose back the sport began its ride to unparalleled heights. It was Earnhardt who gave us so many memories, from the fabled "pass in the grass" to the tears that seeped from the corners of his eyes when he finally held the winner's trophy at Daytona in 1998.

It was on that day we learned that even as tough as he was on the race track, he could still be just as emotional. If Dale Earnhardt could shed a tear or two and not be embarrassed, we could, too. I often wonder what would have happened if Earnhardt had survived, or if the wreck never happened. Where would he be today?

Granted, he was in the twilight of his racing career at the time of his death, just a few months shy of his 50th birthday. It had been six years since his last Cup championship.
But as he was slowly edging toward retirement from driving, he was not retiring from racing. He was constructing an empire befitting of the name Earnhardt, building a future for his namesake, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

I'm convinced that had he lived, the senior Earnhardt would have gone on to be one of the most successful owners in Cup competition. On a more personal note, perhaps the biggest loss wasn't the death of the racer, but the death of the man – the family man, that is. As he grew older, he had so many regrets over his youthful mistakes, including two failed marriages and not being involved in the raising of oldest son Kerry – yet he truly tried to right as many wrongs as he could.

And that's what makes the marking of the fifth anniversary of his death even sadder, as Earnhardt was robbed of so many opportunities, like growing old with wife Teresa, or eventually enjoying grandchildren.

As we all stop to pause and reflect back on the man's life, the way it was abruptly ended and what might have been if he lived on, at least we can be comforted by one thought.
Right or wrong, Earnhardt lived life his way. And he went out the way he probably would have wanted to, and the way we'll all remember him best: behind the wheel of his race car.

Now for the nam I cheer for now, the son Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Junior's growth By Jerry Bonkowski, Yahoo! Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As a 26-year-old, Dale Earnhardt Jr. should have spent 2001 discussing future plans with his father.

You can just imagine them sitting on the back porch, sharing a couple cold bottles of Bud, talking about the elder Earnhardt's vision for the company he founded (Dale Earnhardt Inc.) and would likely someday turn over to his son.

They could have talked about the path the younger Earnhardt should take to become a dominant Cup driver just like his old man. Heck, they could even have talked about Junior one day settling down.

But alas, five years ago next week, the only words Junior ultimately would say to his father were a tearful and twangy "goodbye, Daddy" at the senior Earnhardt's funeral.

NASCAR has dramatically changed since Earnhardt's death. So has Dale Jr. himself.
Now, as he slides toward his 32nd birthday later this year, Junior is approaching a crossroads in both his racing career and his life.

People in their thirties are expected to leave behind their wild side and make a final transition from rowdy to respectable. They are expected to finally act their age and do the "adult" thing.
That transformation began early for Junior.

Before his father's death, Junior had been described as a hip-hop kid, known almost as much for his partying as for what he did on the race track. He loved his beer and made no attempt to cover it up. As long as it was Budweiser, he and his primary sponsor were happy. It seemed that almost every day was a party and Junior was the guy buying.

He also loved his rock and country music, to the point where he hung out with some of the biggest stars in the business, from Fred Durst to Kenny Chesney to Sheryl Crow (pre-Lance, that is). He'd even sneak cigarettes behind his hauler (away from his fans) like a naughty little boy puffing away behind the barn, not wanting his family to catch him – especially his father, lest he get his bottom paddled.

He had a rep of devil-may-care, to the point where he almost seemed bulletproof.
All of those activities or habits have been greatly diminished – if not eliminated – as Junior has grown older and continued to attain new heights of maturity since his father's passing.
He's even talked fondly and frequently in the last couple of years about how much he's looking forward to getting married some day and having kids.

"I've just got to find the right girl," he says with his well-known mischievous smile.
You know this maturing thing is getting serious if NASCAR's most eligible bachelor – sorry, Kasey or Tony – starts talking like that.

But that's all part of Earnhardt's steady progression to becoming his own man.
Sure, Junior still loves to race go-karts with friends on the track he had specially made behind his house, and he's known to compete in Internet racing leagues. But those activities are innocent enough that you can't help but cut him a little slack.

While there's no questioning his talent, Earnhardt also has picked up his father's business acumen, yet another indicator that his youth has been filed away in a closet like his old baseball cards, never to be seen again.

Junior has spent the last few years building yet another Earnhardt dynasty, laying the groundwork with a team that has won the last two Busch Series championships. He's also taken a greater role in planning DEI's future. There's even talk about forming his own Cup team one day, much like his father did while still driving for Richard Childress Racing.

But perhaps the most significant sign of Earnhardt's elevated maturity in 2006 will be a new dedication to his craft. He knows he's coming off a miserable season in 2005, one in which everything that could go wrong pretty much did.

The most popular driver in the sport also is cognizant of the fact that he still has yet to win his first Cup championship. His father earned the first of seven Cup championships in 1980 at age 29.
On the flip side, Junior has more Cup wins (16) at the age of 31 than his father did at that same age (seven wins). Also, his father didn't earn his second Cup title until he was 35. Junior still has nearly four years to reach that level.

But it's obviously not just about numbers.

The road Junior has traveled to become a mature, responsible adult since 2001 has been admirable, as he has evolved into someone his father would be very proud of. It's not only a testament to Junior's bloodlines but also to the way he was raised.

Sure, Junior would have loved to have had a lot more talks about racing and life with his father over the last five years, but it's pretty evident he learned some very valuable lessons from the many talks the two did have before that fateful February afternoon five years ago.

Here We Go Again.

Another Korean-American and once again the Korean Media is in love.

Toby Dawson’s face after the Olympic freestyle skiing preliminaries was as grim as the sky over the Northern Alps yesterday. The 28-year-old Korean-born American freestyle skier competing in men’s mogul events at the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics, had just taken sixth place in the preliminary score rankings with 24.20 points, which was not enough to win him any medals.

But two hours and a perfect performance in the finals later, Dawson crossed the finish line with both arms raised in joy. He had scored high enough to win the bronze. Only then did his face break out into a smile.

Dawson began a new life on March 31, 1982. Dawson, a three-year-old orphan and scared out of his wits, arrived at Denver Airport in Colorado to meet his new foster parents.

His mother Deborah Dawson recounted their first meeting. “I fell in love with him immediately. It was like a dream come true,” Mike and Deborah were both ski instructors. So it was natural for Toby to take up skiing. Soon after his arrival, his parents took him to a ski resort, and Toby Dawson lived on the snow for the following 24 years.

“I made a mistake in the preliminary because I was too nervous trying not to disappoint my family and friends. But my nerves settled in the final, so I was able to show my stuff,” said Dawson. He executed a blade-grab two turns in his first jump, and an off-axis double turn in the second. He finished off his performance with a perfect landing.

The Korean media began following Dawson when his search for his birth parents began to make news. “I’ve received a few calls from people who claimed to be my birth parents, but they all decline to be DNA tested. I will take my time looking for them,” said Dawson.

Being born Korean was a source of embarrassment for the shy Dawson growing up. His foster parents kept Toby’s birth-name, Soo-chul, as his middle initials: SC. Dawson used to tell people they stood for “So Cool” when asked what his initials meant. But as he grew older, his attitude changed, and he volunteered as a counselor at a camp for Korean-born adoptees.
We might see him with a bigger smile when he finally gets to meet his birth parents.

http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2006021762818

his personal information

Personal “Awesome” Dawson...Wears lucky boxers in competition...Enjoys dirtbiking, fishing, golfing and surfing. During his downtime, Dawson donates his time to the Korean Heritage Camp for Adoptive Families which teaches an appreciation of the Korean culture. His gravity-defying exploits caught the eye of filmmaker Warren Miller, who asked Dawson to be in four of his famous ski movies: “Ride,” “Cold Fusion,” “Storm” and most recently, “Journey.” In Summer 2005, Dawson shot a commercial for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes cereal... His favorite food is Korean BBQ and he listens to rap and hip hop.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/torino2006/usa/Toby+Dawson/606722

Abandoned on a Seoul, South Korea, street as a baby, Toby was living in an orphanage when he was addopted by Deborah Dawson and her husband, Mike Dawson.

Should make for an intresting story if his birth parents show up and they are confirmed by DNA.

US to Begin Accepting North Korean Defectors



It looks like the United States will further break from South Korea and begin accepting North Korean refugees for the first time: Participants said it was important that the U.S. takes on some of the refugees who ended up in a country other than South Korea.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also implied a policy shift by saying, “We are reviewing our policies on refugees, reviewing them with DHS (Department of Homeland Security), reviewing them with the FBI, to see if we can find a way to participate in the refugee activities as well.” If it does admit them, it is likely to exacerbate tensions with North Korea in an already chilly climate because of Washington’s sanctions and the North’s nuclear ambitions.

The North Korean Human Rights Act, which went into effect in October of 2004, stipulates that North Korean refugees can seek asylum or residence in the U.S. despite the fact that they are automatically entitled to South Korean citizenship. This is further evidence that Washington is speeding up efforts to pressure the Pyongyang regime. First the US government implemented economic sanctions due to North Korea's money laundering and counterfeiting operations, then the Japanese began to raid companies aiding North Korean weapons programs and now the accepting of North Korean refugees in America. Neither Pyongyang or Seoul will be to happy about this. This is a big loss of face for Pyongyang when it's citizens are defecting to it's sworn enemy the United States plus asylum in the US is only going to encourage more defections which is what Washington is probably hoping to create.

From GI Korea..

Seoul isn't going to like this because it will anger North Korea and negatively effect their Sunshine Policy exchanges. Plus Seoul has to be worried about how well North Korean refugees integrate in American society compared to South Korean society. If North Korean refugees begin to integrate better in the United States than South Korea where they are discriminated against; this will cause a loss of face for the South Korean government.

Now why is the US government encouraging defections? The main reason I think is because a loss of man power and skilled labor from North Korea will negatively effect the Kim Jong Il regime. Factories can't operate without laborers. South Korea and China having been trying with some success on clamping down on North Korean defectors but the recent policy change from the United States is sure to encourage North Korean citizens to defect from the horror of the Kim Jong Il's regime and hope to obtain the American dream.


Well USA-Korea relations are sure going to take a huge hit this year with a proposed NK-SK summit, Screen Quota and now this. Should make for a fun year here in Korea.

Busting the myth (Lies) of the Screen quota.

By Haisan
FNY Guest Blogger

There are so many misconceptions and half-baked ideas about the screen quota and what it means for Korea, I find it really depressing. After reading a lot of myths and conjecture and silliness, I thought I would add my 20 won.

Some points:

1) The “real” screen quota was 106 days, not 146. You could get the quota lowered by showing Korean films at high periods. Which, since Korean films make more money than Hollywood films, happens anyway. Under the new quota, however, those loopholes will be closed, so now 73 days really is 73 days, and the reduction is much less drastic than what looks at first glance.

2) Hollywood cannot out-leverage Korean films. Korean film companies control the movie theaters, so it would be suicide to kick out their own films for Hollywood. Korean blockbusters make more money than Hollywood blockbusters. The average Korean film makes more money than the average Hollywood film. A theater owner would have to be an idiot to kick out Korean movies for Hollywood films.

Korean:
Taegukgi – 11.7 million attendance Silmido – 11.1 million The King and the Clown - 10.0 million (and counting) Friend – 8.2 million Welcome to Dongmakgol - 8.0 million Shiri – 6.2 million JSA – 5.8 million My Wife is a Gangster – 5.7 million Marrying the Mafia – 5.1 million

Foreign:
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – 6 million attendance (biggest foreign film ever) Two Towers – 5.2 million Titanic – 4.5 million Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – 4.3 million King Kong – 4.2 million Troy – 3.8 million

In fact, increasingly Hollywood film companies don’t even bother trying to release their films here (especially the comedies) because Korean usually don’t go see them. For the past 2-3 years, Korean films have been taking in about 60% of the box office, and in the countryside, the preference for Korean movies is even stronger.

3) The screen quota did not stop the Korean film industry from sucking (economically) in the 1990s. So I don’t see why it gets credit for the resurgence since 1999. There is no correlation between quota enforcement and industry success.

Korean films have gotten successful specifically by learning the business of Hollywood — less “art”, more entertainment. While that may make the highbrow crowd sad, that’s how the market works. Unless you have consumers that demand interesting works and go see them, companies are not going to make them.

That said, I find Korean tastes quite interesting. OASIS did quite well at the movie theaters a few summers ago. All the big blockbusters this Christmas tanked,(BLUE SWALLOW AND TYPHOON) while some average comedies kicked butt. Michael Bay’s THE ISLAND made more money in Korea than it did in the United States (thanks Hwang Woo-suk, I guess).

The screen quota is, and has always been, fool’s gold, imho. I have had plenty of people in the industry tell me that they don’t care about the quota anymore, and that they think the quota makes no difference (always off the record, of course… don’t want to get your butt demonstrated by saying the wrong thing).

One of the more amusing things to me is reading old articles from the last time the Korean government tried to abolish the screen quota, around 1998. Many people said words to the effect of “Korean films are doing so poorly (around 20% at the time), there’s no way they would survive at all without the quota. If they were getting around 40% of the market, then we could talk.” Cut to a few years later when the Korean films are doing better than anyone could have imagined a few years ago, and the exact same people are still saying the same thing (minus the 40% idea).

The big problem is not the screen quota, but what it represents to many people. Several people at the Coalition for Diversity in Moving Images (the civic group most responsible for ensuring the quota is followed) are die-hard union guys, with barely an interest in the film industry. For them, this is basically a hot-button issue to rally the masses, and is part of their general goal against trade liberalization — not saying that is good or bad, just that the quota is part of a large agenda for many.

Same holds true for many opposed to the quota… They know that the quota is doing nothing to hurt the US film industry, but it is symbolic of larger goals.

The funny thing is, one of the Korean government’s tools to appease the film community is a 5% tax on tickets to create a film fund to support independent films. So basically the US film industry has lobbied to reduce an ineffectual, symbolic bit of protectionism, and replaced it with a real drain on their revenues. Nice going.


He is so right (Lotte and CJ(CGV) have there own cinemas and Im sure others do as well here in Korea.)Look at Lotte and CGV history of being competetors to see that they do not play nice together. I have seen US comedies here and I am usually the only one laughing. The american and Korean humor is different and this is true.

The Hines Ward Lovefeast is on here in Korea.

for those who do not know anyhting about it. Hines Ward is 1/2 Korean and the media here, only SBS Sports shows any American football games here and MBC ESPN, only shows the Super Bowl, have been falling all over themselves to show what a great Korean he is. Now he has not lived here since he was one years old but that does not matter, nor the fact that he is mixed and if he stayed here, a few of the coments have said that he could not even get a job being a janitor. I do just love the logic here.

These are some of the many articles, please read the part about his mom hating on Koreans, very intresting. No word on his father.




Korea-Born Player Named Super Bowl Hero



After his team dealt a decisive defeat to the Seattle Seahawks with 21-10 at the fortieth Super Bowl in Detroit on Sunday, MVP Hines Ward from the Pittsburgh Steelers kisses the Vince Lombardi Trophy.


The U.S. National Football League has named the half-Korean wide-receiver Hines Ward Super Bowl XL MVP.

In the 40th year of the U.S. most-loved sporting event, Ward was good for five catches and 123 yards including the final TD leading his team to a 21-10 victory -- a feat that made him well deserving of the MVP designation. Ward put on a strong rushing performance too, pushing back the Seahawks by 18 yards in his sole attempt. Riding the athlete’s wave of activity on the field, the Steelers were able to muster enough hustle to once again rise to the zenith of the sport, after 26 years of naught. This Super Bowl win puts the Steelers in a class of titans as their name is added to the sparse list of five-ring teams like the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.

Fighting against a stonewall of defense dished up by the Seahawks, it wasn't until the second quarter, when Ward pulled an 18-yard run on an end-around, that the real onslaught began. At the second attempt at a third down, the real tide-turner, Ward hustled to realize a reception from Ben Roethlisberger which played no small part in the quarterback’s later dive left for a reaching touchdown which put the Steelers ahead at 7-3.

With the Steelers clinging to a 7-3 lead at the half, Willie Parker took home a 75-yard rushing touchdown (the longest run from scrimmage and the longest rushing touchdown in Super Bowl history) which enabled Ward five minutes and 56 seconds into the fourth to deliver the death blow to the Seahawks with one last end-zone visit. As soon as the offense rushed, Ward, who dashed forward to the center, suddenly headed right and picked up a high pass from Antwaan Randle El and rushed into the end zone, widening the score difference to 21-10. The 43-yard touchdown was the longest pass catch among two team’s wide receivers of game. Having been deprived of the ball at the decisive moment, the Seattle Seahawks failed to turn their dreams of bringing home rings for the franchise into reality.

Hines Ward was born in 1976 to his Korean mother Kim Young-hee and his African-American father Hines Ward Sr., who was in Korea with U.S. forces. The following year, he went to the U.S. and has been living with his mother since age seven. Ward left quite an impression during his early days at Forest Park High School and later at the University of Georgia, where he was a stand-out athlete in all offense positions, quarterback, running back and wide receiver.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Hines Ward wishes to set up scholarship in his mother's name

ATLANTA, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- Korean-American Super Bowl hero Hines Ward said Friday that he hopes to create a scholarship named after his mother, Kim Young-hee, to help ethnic Korean students in the United States.

Ward said it is a blessing for him to be half Korean, and he wishes to meet with Korean government officials and youth during his upcoming trip to South Korea in April.


Hines Ward
"I will be setting up a scholarship in my mother's name because she deserves it," Ward told Yonhap News Agency in an interview in front of his home in Atlanta, Georgia, Friday morning.

Ward, born to a Korean mother and African-American father, was
voted Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XL after his team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, beat the Seattle Seahawks 20-10.

Ward plans to found a scholarship to "give back to the Korean community." He said he harbors "no hard feelings" about the way Koreans treated his mother for marrying outside her ethnicity, he said. Yet, considering what she had gone through, he said, it feels great to see the community cheer around her.

Ward said he owes his success to the work ethics he learned from his industrious mother, who still insists on working at a high school cafeteria. He recalls his mother never missed a day's work no matter how sick she was.

Calling his mother a "tough person," he said, "When she gets knocked down, she gets right up. Despite all the adversities she faced, she persevered and just kept fighting hard."
Inheriting his mother's unyielding spirit, Ward never gave up, even when he was told he was "too small to play in the NFL" because his mother told him, "If you want something, you just work hard until you get it." NFL stands for the National Football League.

As a child, it hurt Ward to see his mother frustrated and crying because she was not able to help him with schoolwork. Instead, she worked three jobs to support him. Seeing his mother sacrifice herself for him, he thought, "The only way for me to pay her back and to honor her is to study hard."
It's not just work ethics that he learned from his mother. Ward was taught to always be humble and treat people the way he wanted to be treated.

Even today, his mother tells America's Super Bowl MVP, "I don't care how much money you have. Never treat people like you're better than others."
Now, Ward wishes to pass down the values he learned from his mother to his son. "I hope my son will grow up honoring his heritage," he said. "I want him to be proud to be partly Korean," he added.

His son was dressed in Korean traditional clothes on his first birthday, and following Korean tradition, picked a ring from an array of items such as money and a pencil, which is said to determine a child's future career.

Ward, who has a few Korean language books himself, regrets that he did not have a chance to learn the language when he was younger and living apart from his mother.

"I wish I could turn back time and learn Korean so that I can converse with my mother better," he said. Ward pledges to teach the Korean language to his son.

Lastly, Super Bowl MVP Ward had advice for Korean students: "If you put your heart, mind and soul into it, you can achieve anything."








Hines Ward Brings Mixed-Race Koreans Into Limelight

Koreans of mixed ethnicity are hoping that the newfound celebrity status of the half-Korean football star Hines Ward will help dispel the prejudice they frequently encounter here.

Johnnie Westover is one of them. Active in a group of mixed-race Koreans, he told a meeting Friday he has never seen a half-Korean become a general in the army, or for that matter reach any position of authority in Korea, and asked if anyone else had. “In an era of globalization, where everything is becoming mixed together, Koreans know how to change the color of their hair to red, green or yellow, but it seems they still don’t know how to change the thoughts inside their heads,” he said.

After three years of effort, Kim (Westover's Korean name) was able to find the serial number of his father Benjamin Westover and was reunited with him in the U.S. Five years on, he still celebrates the Fourth of July with his father and four younger half-sisters.

He implies there is a willful blindness at work. “Although discrimination against Koreans raised in Japan is now being discussed, the treatment of half-Koreans in Korea is not even being considered,” he says. He suggests following the U.S. example and making it illegal to discriminate against people on the grounds of race. Like Hines Ward, he credits his mother with making sacrifices that enabled him to get on in life.

Westover says that sacrifice was the soil from which a champion like Hines could grow. Among the Korean virtues that Westerners lack, he points to the quality called "jeong”, a hard-to-translate word meaning something like caring, which functions as a sort of social glue.

Another member of the group said since mixed Koreans are often of stronger build, Korea could have secured some outstanding athletes if it had been more hospitable to them.



url: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200602/200602100016.html
Hines Ward’s Mother Recalls Hard Road to Success

When Hines Ward was given one of the highest accolades in American football, the trials his Korean mother faced over the years and the bitterness she felt seemed to melt away in an instant. But when Ward was named Most Valuable Player in the Super Bowl after his team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, laid waste to the Seattle Seahawks, Kim Young-hee (59) was calm and collected. "Supporting a child so he can do what he wants to do and encouraging him the whole way seems like the secret to success,” Kim told the Chosun Ilbo from her home in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia.

How do you feel about the MVP title?

"I admire him and I'm proud of him. Since his junior year at Forest Park High School, he got a lot of press and picked up more than just a few accolades. I watched the game on TV, but then I dozed off until I got a call from my son at about 1 in the morning. 'Mom, we won the Super Bowl!' he said, so of course I said, 'Congratulations.' I was a little groggy from some cold medicine that I had taken, so we just talked briefly and left it at that. I really hate crowded places, so I don't usually go to the stadium; instead I watch the games on TV.”

Ward has credited you with his success…

"Well, maybe that's what he thinks. From the time Hines was in elementary school I had to leave the house at 4 in the morning to go to work. I washed dishes and cleaned up in companies that produced airline food, at restaurants, and at hotels, I also worked as a cashier at the grocery store. I made about US$4 an hour. It was always a 'two jobs' life, one full-time and one part-time. Sometimes I would add in one more part-time job, working up to three jobs per day. For me there was no Saturday, no Sunday, and no days off. But since Hines turned pro in '98, I've cut down to just one job."

Eight months after he was picked up by a pro team, Ward bought a large house for his mother in the city of Smyrna, but she said it was too big for one person alone, so she moved to a smaller house in Henry County where she has been living ever since. Although her son is now making millions a year, she still works in the cafeteria of a local high school.

What does Hines think about the Korean blood that runs though his veins?

"Since he was young, he always got along well with the other Korean and Vietnamese kids. It seems like he does have some pride in his Korean blood. But we've also been hurt as Koreans. When Hines was in high school, there was an inter-school friendship match for the Korean students. Since he was good at baseball, a school invited him to play. But after the game, when the kids went out to eat, the person who put together the event only took the Korean kids, leaving Hines behind (Ward is of mixed parentage, his father an African-American). After that I told Hines to never hang out with Korean kids. Yet when we went to Korea in '98, even Korean people who looked educated spat when we walked by. Koreans judge others based on their appearance and their age. Those kinds of Koreans think that they are so special…"

Any plans for a Korea visit?

"My son asked me to go this April, so I said yes, but I’m not sure whether I'll really go with him or not. I have been back to Korea a few times, but my mother died in 1998, and I have no brothers and sisters there. But sometimes I do feel like I'd like to go back to Korea to live. Korea is very crowed, but that really makes it feel alive. Although I have been living in America for almost 30 years, it's not really that exciting here."



url: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200602/200602080017.html



Korean envoy invites mother of Super Bowl MVP

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean Embassy on Thursday invited the mother of Super Bowl superstar Hines Ward to Washington.

Amb. Lee Tae-sik sent a letter to Kim Young-hee congratulating her and her son and asking to meet with her personally.

Heartwarming or cautionary, Ward's story resonates here

February 11, 2006 ㅡ

▶ Hines Ward in Atlanta after an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Wednesday. By Nam Jeong-ho
Hines Ward, 29, a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Super Bowl XL most valuable player, has become more than just a hero here in Korea. His rags-to-riches story, and that of his ethnic Korean mother, has taken on a life of its own in this country thousands of mile away, and one which he has not yet seen.
It's hard to tell yet whether the adulation will be just a flash in the pan or a more enduring national love affair. Observers watching the media frenzy here have had mixed reactions, some saying that it reflects Koreans' desire to identify themselves with an internationally known figure ― of which Korea has few ― and that interest will die down soon. Others, however, say that Mr. Ward's story is one that strikes a chord deep in the Korean psyche and is simply too compelling to be just a passing fancy.
Immediately after Mr. Ward's gridiron achievement, you would have had to look hard to find a media outlet in Korea that did not run the story prominently. The nation's largest broadcasters have run special documentaries on Mr. Ward, and lots of trees have been felled to print the newspaper accounts of his life story. Seoul Broadcasting System is even airing selected games in Mr. Ward's career, in a country where "football" means soccer.
But it's not only a media-driven phenomenon. South Korean companies hoping to capitalize on Mr. Ward's sudden iconic status have begun to make their bids as well. The nation's air carriers, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, are competing to woo Mr. Ward and his mother into one of their first-class cabins to bring them to Korea for a visit early this year, as Mr. Ward said he wanted to do. The Korean Cultural Service Office at the consulate-general in New York has asked Seoul to recognize his achievement in some way. The office argues that knowingly or unknowingly, Mr. Ward has contributed greatly to promoting the country's image.
Mr. Ward's story has been retold here countless times in the past week. The son of a Korean mother, Kim Young-hee, and a black American G.I. stationed here at the time, his parents were divorced soon after returning to the United States. His mother, speaking almost no English and without job skills, stayed on there after a U.S. court awarded custody of the boy to his father. Mr. Ward ran away from home as a second-grader to return to his mother, who worked double- and triple-shifts in menial jobs to care for and educate him. Mr. Ward reciprocates that devotion, which shines through his demeanor in his press appearances when he speaks of her. A mother's devotion, coupled with Mr. Ward's own Cinderella story, are the main press themes here.
"This is a human story. People are just enjoying this as it is. It tells us about things in life that are valuable," said Ju Cheol-hwan, a professor of media at Ewha Womans University.
Some observers suggested that Koreans have an economy that is 11th in the world but few internationally known figures to identify with. That longing may have triggered the upwelling of national pride and interest. "This is a sort of collectivism," said Chun Byeong-jun of Chung-Ang University. "If the country had many internationally acknowledged people, the interest would be divided. As it is, the attention gets focused," He cited the example of Park Ji-sung, one of only two Koreans who play the other kind of football in the English Premier League. "That is why people watch Park's games here late at night. Foreigners will probably not think that he represents Korea, although people here do. For outsiders, he's just an Asian player."
The rest of the handful of Korean sports stars playing professionally abroad get a taste of the same treatment. Ethnic Koreans, whether second-generation or emigres, also get a share of attention. Michelle Wie, a pro golfer from Hawaii, is a good example, although it must be said that her youthful beauty appeals to a wider audience than Koreans, whether or not they know a five-iron from a pitching wedge.
Mr. Chun also noted the timing of the new love affair, coming soon after one of Korea's superstars, the geneticist and cloning researcher Hwang Woo-suk, was shamed by revelations that his most prominent accomplishments were fraudulent. "Koreans identified with his success," Mr. Chun said, before his fall.
Koreans have a phrase for it: nembi geonseong, a hot pot that cools off quickly. Whether that applies in this case is not yet clear.
Professor Ju Chang-yun of Seoul Women's University was a bit skeptical about the warm embrace here. He thinks the media here may have had a selective focus, tailoring and magnifying their accounts to produce something they know the public wants. "He's an American citizen," Mr. Ju said. "There are other mothers who have brought up African-American professional athletes who had a difficult youth. But this has all the elements of a success story, so a hero is born. The question is whether we are doing more than just accepting the facts."
Don't tell Mr. or Mrs. Kim that. The mania here is already in motion, and this society that prides itself on being homogenous and tightly knit may be learning something valuable, or interesting, or shocking from Mr. Ward's story. This is still a country where not very long ago television spots urged Koreans to be indifferent to South Koreans of mixed blood.
Lee Jee-young works at the Pearl S. Buck International office here. The organization champions children who are discriminated against because of their race. She is quick to say that despite Mr. Ward's success, life for mixed-blood Koreans will continue to be difficult. "I have experienced this sort of thing several times, although this is the most extensive," she said. Referring to the avalanche of interviews that she had given in the past week to Korean media about the country's treatment of biracial children, she added, "The fact is placing mixed children for adoption here is almost impossible, and it won't get better."
Hundreds of Koreans have signed up at Internet fan sites, and millions read the media accounts. But Ms. Lee is not the only person to wonder if the country that is now embracing him has the moral authority to do so.
"Korean society needs to reflect on itself," said one Internet user who called himself Kim Min-gyo, posting in a discussion board on the Daum portal site devoted to Mr. Ward, cafe.daum.net/hinesward. "If Mr. Ward had grown up here, how would he have grown up? What sort of job would he have ended up with?"
But the media will probably continue to give Koreans what they want for as long as they want it. Sometimes, though, the attempts at identification are as amusing as they are overreaching. On Thursday, the tabloid Sports Seoul carried an article about the Lingerie Bowl, a pre-Super Bowl tie-in that features a football game between teams of scantily-clad female models. The focus ― no surprise ― was on the player whose mother is Korean and father American. Move over, Michelle Wie, you've got some competition.


by Brian Lee

This is my year-end review that I did for http://socius.or.kr/

I do the movie reviews and this 5 part was the final look at last years films.


2005 was a very interesting year for movies, we said good-bye to Star Wars, said hello to Narnia and observed a boy wizard begin to grow into a man.

This list will have 5 main things, the best film, the worst films, the surprises of 2005, the major disappointments and the final list that I call WTF, What were they thinking when they made this film... The plot outlines are from IMDB.

10. Crash

Plot Outline: Several characters of different racial backgrounds collide in one incident, the different stereotypes society has created for those backgrounds affect their judgment, beliefs and actions, and this in turn causes problems for each of them. The film has been nominated for Best Picture of 2005 by the Academy Awards.

The film takes a look at one incident and how a lot of different people looked at it.
The film has an all star cast with Matt Dillon receiving a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film is first rate and is out on DVD. Please watch for the end of the film that is real snow falling in LA. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679

9. Elizabethtown

Plot Outline. After causing the Oregon Shoe Company he works for to lose hundreds of millions of dollars, Drew Baylor is fired for his mistake, and promptly also dumped by his girlfriend, Ellen. On the verge of suicide, Drew is oddly given a new purpose in life when he is brought back to his family's small Kentucky hometown of Elizabethtown following the death of his father, Mitch, as it falls to him to make sure that his dying wishes are fulfilled. On the way home, Drew meets a flight attendant, Claire Colburn (Dunst), with whom he falls in love, in a romance that helps his life get back on track.

Their have been 2 school of reviews for this film, you love it or you have hated it, I loved the film, as you can see in my earlier review of the film. The film bombed at the box office but to me it told of a mans path to redemption. See it on DVD when you can.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368709/

8. King Kong

Plot Outline: Set in the 1930s, this is the story of a young and beautiful actress Ann Darrow from the world of vaudeville who finds herself lost in depression-era New York and her luck changes when she meets an over-ambitious filmmaker Carl Denham who brings her on an exploratory expedition to a remote island where she finds compassion and the true meaning of humanity with an ape Kong. The beauty and the beast finally meet their fate back in the city of New York where the filmmaker takes and displays the ape in quest of his fame by commercial exploitation which ultimately leads to catastrophe for everyone including a playwright Jack Driscoll who falls in love with Ann and plays an unlikely hero by trying to save her from Kong and her destiny.

When you remake a film you will either have a huge hit or a huge mess on your hands. With Kong you had a hit. World wide it has done great business with South Korea helping to add 22 million to the total. It will recover its cost but will this be a one shot wonder or do we get, "The Son of Kong" in a few years.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360717/

7. A History of Violence.

Plot Outline. Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence is the tale of Tom Stall. Tom is a loving family man and well-respected citizen of a small Indiana town. But when two savage criminals show up at his diner, Tom is forced to take action and thwart the robbery attempt. Suddenly heralded as a hero who took the courage to stand up to crime, people look up to Tom as a man of high moral regard. But all that media attention has the likes of mobsters showing up at his doorstep, charging that Tom is someone else they've been looking for. Is it a case of mistaken identity or does Tom have a history that no one knows about? Either way, someone's about to find out if there's a history of violence.

Wow, what a film and it was so wierd when you see that his wife is attracted to the beast more than the husband that she has loved for the past 10+ years. A very hard film to watch but one that wil be enjoyed when you go see it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399146/




6. Munich

Plot Outline. During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.

The film starts in Korea on February 9th. Please see my review of the film of the site. The film is worth a look and has been nominated for Best Picture. Please see review of film on the site.



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408306/

5. Sympathy For Lady Vengeance

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451094/

Plot Outline: Lee Geum-Ja, at the age of 19, goes to prison for the murder and abduction of a child on behalf of her accomplice Mr. Baek, only to find out that she is betrayed. While in prison, she carefully prepares for her revenge by winning the hearts of her fellow inmates with her kindness, thus earning herself the nickname 'kind Ms. Geum-Ja'. Upon her release from prison after 13 years, she finally sets out to seek revenge on Baek, with the help of her former prison mates.

The general thought of this film has been either you loved it or you have hated it. I loved it! As I said in my earlier review of the film, “It was like watching a chess match with all of the pawns being set in their place and at the perfect time, Hell was unleashed.”

It will have a release date in the USA in March 2006 and is on region 3 DVD for rent or purchase.

4. Capote

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379725/

Plot Outline: In 1959, Truman Capote, a popular writer for The New Yorker, learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Halcomb, Kansas. Inspired by the story material, Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, travel to the town to research for an article. However, as Capote digs deeper into the story, he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest work, In Cold Blood. To that end, he arranges extensive interviews with the prisoners, especially with Perry Smith, a quiet and articulate man with a troubled history. As he works on his book, Capote feels some compassion for Perry which in part prompts him to help the prisoners to some degree. However, that feeling deeply conflicts with his need for closure for his book which only an execution can provide. That conflict and the mixed motives for both interviewer and subject make for a troubling experience that would produce an literary account that would redefine modern non-fiction.

The film has been nominated for Best Picture, Achievement in Directing , Best Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Best Supporting Actress (Catherine Keener), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

This film will be hard to watch because you start to see inside of why they did the crime that they will die for. Please see it when it comes to Korea or please get a copy of it where you can here in Korea, This is not a film that needs to be missed.

3. Walk the Line.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0358273/

Plot Outline. A chronicle of country music legend Johnny Cash's life, from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis, where he recorded alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. You also see where he meets the love of his life, June Carter Cash.

The biggest surprise was when Oscar announced the Best Film prize, this was not on the list and I could not believe it. Nominated for Oscars were For Best Actor, (Joaquin Phoenix) and For Best Actress (Reese Witherspoon). My only complaint about the film was that it ended in 1968, when there is so much more to tell of his story. I do hope that soon they film Part 2.

2. Sin City.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/

Plot Outline: Sin City is a violent city where the police department is as corrupt as the streets are deadly. In this movie, we follow three stories, the central of which is Marv, a tough-as-nails and nearly impossible to kill street fighter who goes on a rampage of vengeance when a beautiful woman, Goldie (King), he sleeps with for only one night is killed while lying in bed with him. Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything.

Certain films need to be seen on the big screen so that you can really see what a film has to offer and this one did not disappoint. With Mickey Rourke’s showing of what Marv could do when he goes to war. With Bruce Willis acting as a man who needs to save one more soul from hell and with Clive Owen showing us as, Dwight, that a man can find true love once again.

Please watch the Directors cut of this movie, it adds about 15 minutes and fills in a few blanks from the film. Sin City 2 hopefully will be out in 2006.

And the Number 1# Film of the Year…

1. Joyeux Noel.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424205/


Plot Outline: On Christmas Eve, 1914 during World War I, the Germans, French, and Scottish are trying to make peace, so they bury their dead and play football.

For those who know me you have hear me very loudly tell of my hatred for the French. So you can imagine my surprise when I saw this film and it shook me like no other film did in the year 2005. Please see my rather long review on the site. I will add this, after 90+ years of this event happening, the French Generals refused to give permission to film on the site where this cry for peace happened, they told the director that the men were traitors and did not deserve on the field of honor. Please see this film when you get the chance.

Now in the next list, the worst films of the year 2005.

Now For the Worst film of 2005.

11. Tie “Aeon Flux” and “Venom”

Both films were inspired by cartoons and video games, and should be avoided at all cost, the plots are silly and there stories are just as bad with no plot and no real reason.

10. Doom

Once again a film based on a popular video game, and a plot that was so bad that I could not believe that anybody actually wrote this and worse would want to watch this, I have heard that there is an Unrated version of this on DVD but I will pass on ever watching it, a real bomb that should have never been released.

9. Stealth

When an US Military films ends up on this list, you know it must have been bad. This film showed no real plot, no real story, and every cliché in the book (the black man dies first, the troubled girl, the confused young lovers) I just wanted to run away after I saw this film and try to erase it from my memory. Please do not see this film, no one can afford to lose the I.Q. points this action will cost by viewing this.

8. Kingdom of Heaven.

On the “Ain’t it Cool” web site one of the writers blast Fox’s cuts in the film and ask why this film was destroyed. He has stated that he hopes for a directors cut of this film. I can only hope so. As a history major, I view these types of films to see how many errors and can I enjoy it. This film was just so sad and I did not believe anything in this film. The real leper prince died before any of this timeline actually happened. The story, the plot, Orlando Bloom’s bad acting in this. I hope the D.C. fixes the errors that Fox made.

7. The Island

Once again, bad story, no real believable plot, the chemistry between the main stars was not there, I did not believe anything that I saw and it was a huge waste of time and a huge flop for DreamWorks in the USA. I still have no idea why they made this film.

6. King’s Ransom

The idea was so-so at best and when you see the very bad acting and the plot just get worse and worse and side stories that just do not click. You get the mess of this film. It was sad to watch all of the young stars in this film just totally being wasted. Please miss this film at all cost.



5. The Fog.

To this day I still have no idea why the film was given the green light to be made. The film is currently #95 on the bottom 100 from IMDB. This film was a remake of the 1980 John Carpenter film and should have never been retold. From bad plot, to terrible miss- casting, this film was a bad idea from the start and only seeing it made the bad idea become a lot worse.

4. Blood Rayne

Once again a movie based off a very popular video game and what a mess this film was. As of today’s writing this film is #21 on the bottom 100 from IMDB. I kept thinking that sooner or later this film has to get better, sad to say it never did. It looked liked Underworld and you see vampires and nudity and tight leather in the film. It should have never been made and hopefully no one else will see it.

3. Tie

“The Honeymooner’s” and “The Son of the Mask”

To remake films lately has shown to be insane to try and remake a classic TV show as, “The Honeymooner’s” was just a bad idea that was an insult to the original cast and crew. As of today’s writing this film is #9 on the bottom 100 from IMDB. A huge disaster of a film and also a very sad film to watch. If you loved the original, this will make you very angry.

“The Son of the Mask”

To create a #2 film and not have the original star of , “The Mask”, Jim Carrey, was a huge train wreck just waiting to happen and what a mess this film was, no real plot, no real story and the special effects, that were needed to make this film work, fail at every step. As of today’s writing this film is #13 on the bottom 100 from IMDB. If you remake a Jim Carrey film and he hi not in it please do not remake or have a sequel.

2. Into the Mix

Maybe they thought, Usher, could just show up, look cute and maybe cover up what a huge mess this film was, well it failed very badly. As of today’s writing this film is #4 on the bottom 100 from IMDB, and that is saying a lot right there. The film was tying to make itself into an urban Soprano’s but ends up as a story that I just could not believe, please real simple idea, cute boy, good story, low budget, you will make money on the film. If not, you get this mess that should be never viewed by any civilized nation.


And the #1 prize for worst film of the year goes to……..

1. War of the Worlds.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407304/

To this day I have no idea why Steven Spielberg shot this film in the way that he did. I saw no real story except Tom Cruise was running away. The sub plots involving Tim Robbins, were a huge mistake and the films ending was just so bad that it rightfully deserves its place as the 1 worst film of the year.

the next part deals with films that were total surprises and I was so glad to have seen them.

The Surprises in the movies from 2005.

These films are great surprises and seem to come from nowhere, you will get a look at massive hits and a few films that flew under the radar. Please see these films when you get the chance and if you can buy these on VCD or DVD here in Korea, and then please do.

11. Turtles Can Fly

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424227/

Plot Outline. Set in Ghobadi's native Kurdistan, close to the Turkey-Iran border. Soran is a 13-year-old boy who orders other children around as he installs an antenna for villagers keen to hear of Saddam's fall. Eventually, he falls for Agrin but is disturbed by her brother Henkov, who was left armless after he stepped on a landmine and who can now seemingly predict the future.

Selected as Iran's submission in the Best Foreign Film category for the 2004 Oscars.

I was honored to see this film in Korea in 2005 and what a joy it was to watch, a real sad story and a very interesting look at war through the eyes of children. It got a very small release in Korea and in the USA. It is available on region 1 DVD. The end of the film will haunt you for awhile.

10. Kung Fu Hustle

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/

Plot Outline: In Shanghai, China in the 1940s, a wannabe gangster aspires to join the notorious "Axe Gang" while residents of a housing complex exhibit extraordinary powers in defending their turf.

The film was nominated for a Golden Globe for the Best Foreign Language Film in 2006.

This film was funny and Stephen Chow does a great job of acting and directing in it. The film took a look at gangster movies and added a Kung Fu twist and made audiences around the world laugh. They are talking about a sequel to begin filming soon. I can only hope that it will be a funny as this film was.

9. The President’s Last Bang.

http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_The_President__s_Last_Bang.php

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445396/


Plot Outline. A look at the life of President Park Chun-Hee and the events leading up to his assassination.
President's Park Chun-Hee's son took the film-makers to court to block the release as he claimed it tarnished the image of his father. Four minutes of documentary footage in the movie was censored by the courts which claimed that it would confuse viewers who may believe this film is non-fiction. The film-makers opted to leave four minutes of black screen where the scenes were cut.
The Film only received a 3 screen total viewing in the USA and will be released on DVD in USA on April 4 2006.
I recall when this film came out with the 4 minutes of black screen. The film is a fictional account of how former President Park was killed in 1979. A very good story and plot and a very interesting look at the late President.

8. Constantine
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0360486/

Plot Outline: Based on the DC/Vertigo comic book Hell blazer and written by Kevin Brodbin, Mark Bomback and Frank Capello, Constantine tells the story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), who has literally been to hell and back. When Constantine teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister (also played by Weisz), their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of other worldly events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost.
I have earlier stated what happens when a comic book or video game adaptation goes wrong. This film is what happens when it goes right. Not being a huge fan of the comic I decided that this was worth watching and I am so glad that I did. This film was great due to the basic fact, I had no clue of what was coming next and I loved the ride. Hopefully in a few years we will see a #2 for this film.

7. The King and the Clown.
http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_The_King_and_the_Clown.php

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492835/


http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/004978.html

Talk about a surprise as of today’s writing this in now the #3 all time film in Korean Box Office history with over 10 Million Tickets sold. The film needs to be seen to believe. A great plot a great story. Plot Outline: Two clowns living in the Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution, but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh. Keep an eye out for the one who the King loves, it will blow your mind. My translation was very bad so I will give this another chance when it comes out on DVD. The Korean audience was in love with the film.

6. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0312004/


Plot Outline: It's 'vege-mania' in Wallace and Gromit's neighborhood, and our two enterprising chums are cashing in with their humane pest-control outfit, "Anti-Pesto." With only days to go before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, business is booming, but Wallace & Gromit are finding out that running a "humane" pest control outfit has its drawbacks as their West Wallaby Street home fills to the brim with captive rabbits. Suddenly, a huge, mysterious, veg-ravaging "beast" begins attacking the town's sacred vegetable plots at night, and the competition hostess, Lady Tottington, commissions Anti-Pesto to catch it and save the day. Lying in wait, however, is Lady Tottington's snobby suitor, Victor Quartermaine, who'd rather shoot the beast and secure the position of local hero-not to mention Lady Tottingon's hand in marriage. With the fate of the competition in the balance, Lady Tottington is eventually forced to allow Victor to hunt down the vegetable chomping marauder. Little does she know that Victor's real intent could have dire consequences for her ...and our two heroes?

I knew that this would work in a short 4 minute carton but was quite surprised when it worked as a movie. The film did so-so in the USA and to be honest I have no idea why, I was laughing from the start of the film to the very end when they said that no rabbits were hurt during the production of the film. If you missed it please see it when you need a great laugh.

5. Batman Begins.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372784/

Plot Outline: A new restart of the "Batman" franchise under the helm of "Memento" Director Chris Nolan and more in tone with the early "Batman: Year One" style comics. As a boy a young Bruce Wayne watched in horror as his millionaire parents were slain in front of his eyes, a trauma which led him to become obsessed with revenge but his chance is cruelly taken away from him by fate. After disappearing to the East where he seeks counsel with the dangerous but honorable ninja cult leader known as Ra's Al-Ghul, he returns to his now decaying Gotham City overrun by organized crime and dangerous individuals manipulating the system whilst the company he inherited is slowly being pulled out from under him. The discovery of a cave under his mansion, and a prototype armored suit leads him to take on a new persona, one which will strike fear into the hearts of men who do wrong - he becomes, Batman. In the new guise, and with the help of rising cop Jim Gordon, Batman sets out to take down the various nefarious schemes in motion by individuals such as mafia don Falcone, the twisted doctor/drug dealer Jonathan 'The Scarecrow' Crane, and a mysterious third party that is quite familiar with Wayne and waiting to strike when the time is right.

When Batman is done wrong we get the horrible George Clooney Version, when it is done right we get this and much more. With the casting as Michael Caine as Alfred and the addition of Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), you get a great film. I loved the in house joke about the “Office Space” line… Did you get the memo? Keep it up; I am looking forward to the next chapter.

4. Hustle and Flow
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0410097/

Plot Outline: Rapper DJay (Howard) works the angles to get his first record made, with help from assorted people in his Memphis 'hood. And when he hears that rap superstar Skinny Black (Ludacris) is heading to his area, he throws together a supreme hustle to grab Skinny's attention. A rap star from the Dirty South who is trying to make it in the hip hop world, he has to deal with many different types of people who try to bring him down, including strippers, baby's mama, and all the things that try to keep a player down. This is probably his last chance to make it, he is approaching his 40's, and his life is looking downhill.

Terrence Howard has been nominated for Best Actor from OSCAR for his role as DJay.

The only reason I even saw this film was that I was waiting for an order to come in and the crowd around me kept talking about this film and that it had to be seen to be believed. I had nothing planned for that day so I decided to take a chance on this film. I am so glad that I did. You see man realize that he has one shot to make his Rap dream come true and you get to go along for the ride. Howard with this film and his small role in the “Crash” and in the “Four Brothers” looks like he is ready to take the next step into becoming a major Hollywood actor.


3. March of the Penguins

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0428803/

Plot Summary. Each winter, alone in the pitiless ice deserts of Antarctica, deep in the most inhospitable terrain on Earth, a truly remarkable journey takes place as it has done for millennia. Emperor penguins in their thousands abandon the deep blue security of their ocean home and clamber onto the frozen ice to begin their long journey into a region so bleak, so extreme; it supports no other wildlife at this time of year. In single file, the penguins march blinded by blizzards, buffeted by gale force winds. Guided by instinct, by the otherworldly radiance of the Southern Cross, they head unerringly for their traditional breeding ground where--after a ritual courtship of intricate dances and delicate maneuvering, accompanied by a cacophony of ecstatic song--they will pair off into monogamous couples and mate. The females remain long enough only to lay a single egg. Once this is accomplished, exhausted by weeks without nourishment, they begin their return journey across the ice-field to the fish-filled seas. The male emperors are left behind to guard and hatch the precious eggs, which they cradle at all times on top of their feet. After two long months during which the males eat nothing, the eggs begin to hatch. Once they have emerged into their ghostly white new world, the chicks can not survive for long on their fathers' limited food reserves. If their mothers are late returning from the ocean with food, the newly-hatched young will die. Once the families are reunited, the roles reverse, the mothers remaining with their new young while their mates head, exhausted and starved, for the sea, and food. While the adults fish, the chicks face the ever-present threat of attack by prowling giant petrels. As the weather grows warmer and the ice floes finally begin to crack and melt, the adults will repeat their arduous journey countless times, marching many hundreds of miles over some of the most treacherous territory on Earth, until the chicks are ready to take their first faltering dive into the deep blue waters of the Antarctic.

When French Cinema goes wrong, I rejoice with glee, when they get it right, I usually love it. (Please see “The Brotherhood of the Wolves” for a great example when the French get it right) The fact that I have praised 2 French Films, this one and “Joyeux Noel” has surprised some of my friends. If you can see it please see it with the English Narration completed by Morgan Freeman. It has received a nomination from OSCAR for the Best Documentary, Features Award.
2. The Wedding Crashers.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396269/

Plot Outline: Guided by a set of "wedding crashing rules," Washington, D.C. divorce mediators John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) can charm their way into any wedding...and into the hearts of every bridesmaid...for one night. But at the biggest social event of the year, John breaks the rules and falls for Claire Cleary, the daughter of the United States Secretary of Treasury, William Cleary (Christopher Walken), and Jeremy is left at the mercy of her "stage-five-clinger" sex-crazed sister Gloria (Isla Fisher). Being there for his buddy, Jeremy follows John to the family's huge estate for a weekend that may even be too wild for these professional party animals.

With a modest budget for US films ($40,000,000) this film has grossed over (209,000,000) and became a huge hit in the USA. Please see all 114 rules of the wedding crashers on IMDB site, trivia section. Rachel McAdams star also shines in this film as being the love interest for John Beckwith. Please see the unrated version with about 10 extra minutes added to the film.

And the number 1 surprise film of 2005 was

The 40 Year Old Virgin.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405422/

Plot Outline. 40-year-old Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) has done quite a few things in his life. He's got a cushy job stamping invoices at an electronics superstore, a nice apartment with a proud collection of action figures and comic books, good friends, a nice attitude. But there's just one little thing he hasn't quite gotten around to doing yet--something most people have done by his age. Done a lot. Andy's never, ever, ever had sex--not even by accident. So is that such a big deal? Well, for Andy's buds at the store, it sure is. Although they think he's a bit of an oddball, there's certainly a planet full of stranger (and homelier) guys who've at least had one go at having a go. They consider it their duty to help Andy out of his dire situation and go to great lengths to help him. But nothing proves effective enough to lure their friend out of lifelong chastity until he meets Trish (Catherine Keener), a 40-year-old mother of three. Andy's friends are psyched by the possibility that "it" may finally happen...until they hear that Andy and Trish have begun their relationship based on a mutual no-sex policy.

This film has been Carell’s Breakout role and with Keener being nominated for an Oscar for her work in “Capote” this film could be the start of bigger things for both of the stars in the film. Please watch the unrated version of this movie with an extra 17 minutes added to the film, I was laughing all day with memories after I saw this for the first time.
Now with films that were pleasant surprises the next section deals with films that had the potential to be good or better that what showed up on the movie screen. The next sections are the films that have been the Disappointments of 2005.