The last part of the 2007 review is a category that I call "WTF!" These are films that are so bad and have so many problems that they should have never been made in the first place. In this list I start from #1 and work my way down.

1. Daddy Day Camp

They decided to go ahead with with the sequel without Eddie Murphy. It should have gone straight to video.It went straight to #1 on my WTF! list.

2. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

I hated the first film and now I hate the second one. Why was this made, it was a joke and an insult to movie goers around the world.

3. Norbit

When Eddie Murphy is funny, its a great film. When Eddie is not funny, we are given this. It is on many critics worst film of the years list.

4. Who's Your Caddy?

As of the time of this writing this film is #3 on the bottom 100 at IMDB. It was trying to be a "Black Caddyshack" What we got was a really bad film.

5. Underdog

In what should have been a cartoon movie; Instead we are given a live action CGI joke of a superdog. A childhood cartoon favorite was destroyed by this joke of a film.

6. Good Luck Chuck

Well it sounded nice. Jessica Alba in a love story. Well the only love shown was when this film was over.

7. The Brave One

A female death wish? Well I have no idea what this film was. I know was it wasn't, a good film.

8. Hot Rod

Well Andy Samberg made me laugh on SNL, shame he couldn't do it in this movie.

9. The Invasion

This was not a good year for Nicole Kidman, The Golden Compass and then this. I still have no idea why this script and directors changed so much.

10. Kickin It Old Skool

When will the one-trick pony of Jamie Kennedy finally be over? This film will insult your intelligence and deserves to never be seen again.

11. Hatsuyuki no koi: Virgin snow (Korea-Japan)

I did like of the idea of Korea and Japan working together to make A film. If this is the result, PLEASE STOP NOW.

12. Surf's Up

A bad mockumentry that got nominated for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year. I still have no idea why this film was made, not to mention nominated.

13. Wristcutters: A Love Story

What a really bad film about suicide and its effects on the afterlife. What a wasted opportunity this film was.

14. Mi-nyeo-neun Goi-ro-wa 200 Pounds Beauty (Korean)

Listed because it did most of its business in 2007. So plastic surgery is the answer? I found it a very weird story and a crappy ending. Please no more plastic surgery films.

15. Kwon-soon-boon Yeo-ja Nab-chi-sa-geon Mission Possible: Kidnapping Granny K (Korean)

The fact that I actually paid to watch this film at CGV is what upset me about this film. Once again, the unoriginal Korean Drama/Comedy, with every move telegraphed and by the end, I just wanted to erase this film from my mind.

16. No Reservations

A remake of 2001 German Film, Bella Martha. It should have never been remade in the first place. A huge waste of space and once again I paid to see this.

17. Primeval

Go to jungle and kill a legendary 25-foot crocodile. Then make warlord mad and he wants to kill you. It started out bad and ended up worse.

18. The Comebacks

A really bad attempt of humor. It tries to spoof the humor on you. Sad to say but "No Spoof for you."

19. The Perfect Holiday

A perfect holiday, no. A perfect mess, yes. It was bad and what surprised me was that some people actually liked this film.

20. Next

I really thought the movie was a bad "24" show. It was just a bad movie.

21. The Nanny Diaries

I thought it was really bad that there are parents actually like this. Then the filmw as just as bad.

22. Delta Farce

I really like the humor of "Larry-The Cable Guy". Thats why this film was so hard to watch. It should have been funny. Sad to say, it wasn't.

23. Ira and Abby

The film just never worked for me. It should have been a nice film and a lot of critics seem to like this one.

24. 12 (Russia)

This film has been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year and I have no idea why. I loved the original 12 Angry Men and this just never worked for me. The subplots in this film were awful. I still can not believe that this film was nominated for Best Foreign and Persepolis and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days were not.

25. Resident Evil: Extinction

Will this film series ever end? It just keeps trucking on and slowly getting worse.


Thats all for 2007. I have no idea what film I will pick for #1 in any of the categories. Thanks for the time of reading it.

IT WAS THE GREATEST NASCAR RACE I EVER SAW ON TV. MY FAVORITE DRIVER FINALLY WON THE BIG ONE. THE DAYTONA 500. 3 YEARS LATER WHEN HE DIED AT THIS TRACK. I REALLY COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. FOR THE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT KNOW WHY I WEAR #3. THE STORY BELOW IS ONE OF MANY REASONS WHY.

10 years ago


"Y'all mind if I take spin through your grass here?"The voice that crackled over the radio and into NASCAR's race control box high atop Daytona International Speedway was unmistakably that of Dale Earnhardt. The same Dale Earnhardt who had just won the Daytona 500 … finally won the Daytona 500.

[+] Enlarge

RacingOne/Getty Images

It was a long wait for the Intimidator, but 1998 finally saw the seven-time Cup champion win NASCAR's signature event.

For two decades, racing's biggest star had failed miserably at winning NASCAR's biggest race. He'd lost by running out of gas, lost while leading in the final turn, and lost by pit strategy, by poor timing and by simply being outrun.The 19-race losing streak had started with a stunning eighth-place debut on Feb. 18, 1979. He'd arrived at the beach looking as though he'd slept beneath the grandstands, along with a ragged bunch of dirt-faced crewmen pieced together by West Coast car owner Rod Osterlund. His crew chief, Doug Richert, was still a teenager, and his No. 2 Buick was one of only nine of the 41 cars entered without a sponsor on the hood. While the famous finish and fight took place among the superstars of racing, the 28-year-old short tracker quietly started 10th and finished eighth."I never raced so damn hard in my life than I did that day," Earnhardt recalled nearly two decades later. "I wanted so badly for those guys to believe that I truly belonged to be out there with them."Later that season, he earned his place by netting his first win, then clinching Rookie of the Year. Earning his place at Daytona would prove to be a much steeper climb.He finished fourth in 1980, fifth in '81, but ended the next two 500s early with expired engines. In '84, he finished second to Cale Yarborough. In '86, his eighth try, he rolled snake eyes on fuel strategy and slid helplessly through the pits as eventual archenemy Geoff Bodine took the victory. From there on, the same maddening pattern began to repeat itself each and every February, like some sort of cruel racing version of "Groundhog Day." Earnhardt would win everything Speedweeks had to offer -- the Busch Clash all-star event, Busch Series race, Twin 125 qualifier, even the IROC race -- only to fall short on the big stage."The longer we went not winning it, the more the talk about a jinx got going," said Kirk Shelmerdine, Earnhardt's crew chief at Richard Childress Racing from '84 to '92. "We were the most successful bunch of jinxed guys there's ever been. We won everything they had to win down there for about 10 years. Well, almost everything."In all, Earnhardt's first 19 Speedweeks produced a mind-boggling 27 race wins, but he was still batting .000 in the Great American Race. In the 500, he'd piled up 14 top-10 finishes, 10 of which were top-5s. Most excruciating were the four second-place efforts, including three in four years from '93 to '96. The first of those runner-ups came to start-up team Joe Gibbs Racing and its little-heralded also-ran driver Dale Jarrett. In '95, Earnhardt wasn't able to chase down another suddenly unstoppable journeyman, Sterling Marlin. And one year later, he again finished second to Jarrett, who was behind the wheel of yet another brand-new team, the No. 88 of Robert Yates Racing.

"I still haven't won the Daytona 500!" He announced to the assembled media in '95, laughing to mask the pain. "And I ain't going to Disney World, neither!"When The Intimidator arrived at the "World Center of Racing" for the 20th time, it was the first time in years that he hadn't rolled into town as the prohibitive favorite to hoist the Harley J. Earl Trophy. One year earlier, he'd played chicken with Jeff Gordon rolling off Turn 3 and lost badly, ending up on his roof and spinning helplessly down the backstretch. Although his decision to ditch the ambulance and drive his wrecked car back to pit road had been one of his all-time Man in Black moments, the image of the smashed No. 3 Chevy also become the symbol of the longest winless drought of his Cup career. After winning two of the first four races of 1996, he hadn't won since, a streak of 0-for-59."Dale had been hurt, and we were going through some changes at RCR, some growth things," Childress recalled. "He actually came to me in the middle of it all and suggested that I start looking for another driver. He thought he was holding us back. I told him to stop talking like that. I told him that he was my driver and we'd work through this just like we always had when times were tough. He just looked me in the eye that winter and said, 'You know what, I'm going to win the Daytona 500, you watch.' "On Feb. 15, 1998, Childress was watching, as he always does, while pacing between the pits and the garage area. Earnhardt once again had won his 125 qualifier on Thursday -- his ninth in a row -- and started fourth. By the midpoint of the race, he was stinking up the show, surging into the lead and refusing to let anyone else have a peek. Again his biggest threat was Gordon, but the defending race champ was muzzled by pit problems and out of contention as the checkered flag grew closer.As the laps ticked away, Childress and still-new crew chief Larry McReynolds said nothing over the radio, settling for the dual role of nerve piles as Bobby Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield, and old nemeses Rusty Wallace and Kenny Schrader mounted challenge after challenge. As the spotter clicked in occasionally to say, "5 to go, Dale … 4 to go, Dale … 3 to go, buddy …" the track grew eerily quiet. The Daytona grandstand had always been openly pro-Intimidator, and now fans stood and waited for the worst to happen. Another crash.

Dale had been hurt, and we were going through some changes at RCR, some growth things. He actually came to me in the middle of it all and suggested that I start looking for another driver. He thought he was holding us back. I told him to stop talking like that. I told him that he was my driver and we'd work through this just like we always had when times were tough. He just looked me in the eye that winter and said, 'You know what, I'm going to win the Daytona 500, you watch.'

-- Richard Childress

Another cut tire. Heck, a meteorite blowing a giant hole into Turn 3. Anything. What happened was a spin on the backstretch with two laps remaining, well behind Earnhardt and Labonte. The caution lights came on, but in these days before yellow froze the field, there was a mad dash back to the start/finish line. Earnhardt took one glance in his rearview mirror, then looked directly ahead to the lapped car of Rick Mast."I saw them coming," Mast said now. "And I swear I tried to get out of the way. But to this day, people accuse me of setting a pick for Dale. Hell, I'm just happy to be in the photo of the finish."Earnhardt took the yellow and white simultaneously and kept the throttle open nearly all the way around to take the checkers."I wanted to get back around as quick as I could," he recalled with a smile one year later. "You know, in case something happened."That victory lap that followed was filled with waves from rivals, tear-choked congratulations from McReynolds and Childress over the radio, and a 42-team conga line of high fives from one end of pit road to the other. As he reached the end of the congratulators, the champ radioed up to the tower."Y'all mind if I take spin through your grass here?"Problem was the request could barely be heard over the shouts of joy from the officials in race control. Men who were supposed to be impartial, emotionally disconnected from what happened beneath them on the racetrack. But here, at the end of the first race of NASCAR's 50th anniversary season, it was OK to be happy. It was OK to exhale. And yes, it was OK to ruin the grass."Hell yes.""Thank you."

HERE ARE SOME VIDEOS OF THE WIN.

A Message To The Children English Teachers of Korea

Dear English-teaching westerners in Korea,

I was spending the afternoon with my Korean wife and our three year old nephew June-young and we happened into the play place on the 10th floor of the GS Square Department Store in Bucheon. After spending a substantial amount of time playing nearly alone, the after-school rush seemed to come in and the place started to fill up with kids, most of them between six and eight.

June-young wanted to play on one particular ride, a revolving palm tree with very low-hanging beanbag coconuts that the children try to hang from. One older boy was pulling one of the beanbags so that the whole thing was revolving very quickly, so I, who had been watching from afar, came over to help June-young. A little girl, who was riding at the time, said to me in English “He’s too young for this ride.” My first reaction was that she had spent substantial time abroad, as while she did have an accent, she spoke very well. I helped my nephew up and as I walked away the little girl said to me “You are an alien American.” with a cloying, twisted-mouthed accent, torturing out her R’s and straining her little chipmunk cheeks. I assume she was referring to my shaved head or something like that, and shot her a patronizing “Yeah, sure” sidelong Cheney smile as I continued to walk away. Then she continued in her grating faux-American accent “Do you have an alien card?” and I knew what was going on. She clearly hadn’t lived abroad, but rather learned English at an expensive English school (hagwon) right here in Korea.

June-young left that ride and went into a balloon room. The annoying little girl, whose one and only desire was clearly to bother a foreigner, followed him in, and was joined by her friend, who apparently also spoke English well. I wasn’t listening, but my wife heard them talking, and heard them conjecturing that June-young was my son. They took him aside and said something to him that upset him. He came out and seemed to be hiding behind my wife and me.

We asked him what they said. “They said my father . . . It’s a secret.” He didn’t want to repeat it. He was very aggravated. My wife asked him if they said his father was an alien, and he said yes. I saw red. I spent the rest of our time at the play place keeping the two little girls away from June-young. He and I played video games together, and when the first cloying little girl came over and tried to talk to me I brushed her away like dust without even throwing a glance her way.

I could see it all as if it were really there. This little girl, sitting in a classroom in an expensive immersive English hagwon here in Bucheon. In walks her teacher, Evan Teacher. ‘애벌레 (caterpillar) Teacher!’ the kids shout disrespectfully, but Evan teacher thinks it’s awesome that he got such a creative group of kids. Evan is twenty five, tall and a little doughy from too many nights of fried chicken and too many pitchers of cheap Korean beer, unshaven and wearing a wrinkled shirt and jeans. His boss, Wangjanim, is so cool that he lets the teachers wear jeans, although franchise policy is dress pants only. Evan’s got a useless liberal arts degree from a decent school and now he’s in Korea. Everything he knows about Korea he learned from the other foreigners at his school and a few cursory glances at Korean television on nights when CSI Miami isn’t on cable. He genuinely thinks he’s a great teacher, partly because the students he’s teaching are so good at English and partly because he’s never heard any of the complaints that have been lodged against him.

Evan teacher just got a copy of the book his kids will be studying this month from Stacey, his Korean coteacher. Gogo Loves English, level three. Gogo looks like a red charonosaurus head on E.T.’s body. Evan looks down to see that the kids already have the book. Good old Stacey Teacher, what would Evan do without her? She taught him how to get pizza delivered to his house, how to write “I love you” in Korean, and now she’s given out the books as well! Evans students have already read the title of the book.

“Wa, Gogo loves English! Gogo is a 외계인!” an alien.

“No speaky Korean!”

“Evan teacher, Gogo comes to the . . . Evan teacher, what is a 외계인 in English?”

Evan Teacher has no idea, but it isn’t that hard to guess. “Alien.” Just then Evan realizes that a brilliant teaching opportunity has arisen. “I am an alien too!”

The children are skeptical. “Evan Teacher no, you are American!” Evan pulls out his wallet and draws his alien ID card.

“See kids, this is my Alien Card, because I am an alien!”

“Wa, 애벌레 (caterpillar) Teacher is a 외계인 (alien)! 바보 멍청이 Teacher가 외계인이라구!!” (”I said stupid idiot teacher is an alien!”) And peals of laughter echo out into the halls.

Yep, I sure am a great teacher, Evan thinks to himself with a self-satisfied nod of approval.

See I was an English teacher for years and I still teach English when I have to, but I think just as important as teaching English to the kids here, we also owe it to them and ourselves to teach them to respect us as teachers and foreigners as human beings. You may think your kids love you because they give you ridiculous nicknames and climb all over you and are ‘cool’, but what they actually think is that you’re an ineffectual joke and that it’s fun to ridicule you.

Worst of all, your students, who have little choice but to think of you as little more than a dancing bear, leave the classroom and carry that attitude into the world. And it leaves a lasting impression on these kids.

So please, for your own sake and the sake of your kids and every other foreigner who ever sets foot in Korea, comport yourself with a modicum of self respect.

1. Don’t say “Assa!” anymore, because you sound like an idiot when you do.
2. Don’t take a ddongchim (finger playfully thrust up your ass) lying down.
3. Don’t let your kids give you dumb nicknames.
4. Don’t let anybody call you crazy in Korea.
5. Don’t call kids crazy and try to stand on some lame principle that “They should know how English is really spoken.” It only makes you sound like a pompous idiot.
6. If you’re bald, don’t let your kids touch your head.
7. If you’re fat, don’t let your kids touch your belly.
8. If you’re hairy, don’t let your kids rub your forearms.
9. Don’t tell your kids stupid lies about your home country. Don’t tell them that you’re an alien, even though it may be hilarious to them.
10. Never, ever hand over the power to punish your students to a Korean, whether it be your co-teacher or the owner of the school. You will soon find yourself completely powerless.

You’re not their friend, you’re their teacher. To be anything less is to let them down.

Korean TOEFL scores: LMFAO.

I thought it was because I was a drunk and did drugs. (KBS said so.)

Korean TOEFL scores: LMFAO.

Old news, but that chart appeared in a Korea Times article yesterday. I'll try not to be too negative here, but that's definitely something to keep in mind when you're scapegoated in the media, or when you're again faced with the myth of the Korean grammar expert. After all, Korean English teachers do most of the heavy lifting in the schools, and obviously aren't getting results. Native speakers' classes are suppressed in the schools in order to better prepare for the TOEFL exam, and foreign teachers are often chastized for not adapting to the "teach for tests" method . . . and after all that, South Korea places 107th out of 143 nations. We always hear about the difficulties in adapting methods of communicative language teaching to Korea, and about how hard it is to develop communicative competence in Asian students. But man, there's a lot more wrong here than just poor spoken English and shitty teachers.

It's fun to make fun, and nice to let off a little steam and redirect some hostility. One of the most ridiculous aspects of all this madness is that it's entirely self-contained. I mean, you have students taking TOEFL exams not to study abroad but to get into high school, to get into a domestic university, or to get an ordinary local job. Just seems absurd that nobody has been able to shut the machine down. Sounds kind of . . . sinister, and commie, but one of the best ways for your nation to avoid such embarassingly low test scores is to stop using the test. No reason to keep doing something you're not good at. That's why my 142-pound ass has never attended the NFL Scouting Combine, and to this day nobody has made fun of me for being a sucky defensive end.

At least reserve the TOEFL for people who will require a high degree of English. I really have no idea why it needs to be a nationwide indicator of intelligence, especially when the general population clearly isn't ready for it. That's just the thing, though . . . the test is used almost exclusively within Korea's own borders, whether to get a job at a top company or to get into a prominent Korean university that doesn't even register as mediocre on the world stage. Yeah, yeah, I know it's a matter of national pride, but amidst the new administration's rethinking of the English question, perhaps they should . . . rethink the English question. For as long as I've been following the messageboards and websites on Korea, I've seen foreigners urging Koreans to ask themselves the basic questions: "Why do we want to learn English?" and "What do we want to use English for?" That's a question I still don't see answered, and one that confounds me as I try to plan the best and most appropriate classes for my students. If you want to know what foreigners think and what we think about, Mr. Lim, how about starting right there.

Interesting bit of trivia because it's late and I'm bored. The text on the chalkboard behind the white guy in the KT article I quoted is the first paragraph of this letter to the editor that ran the same day.

Giants Win and I sure was surprised

Props to BAD Radio for this post



Now that is what I call a “Super Bowl!” Well done, NFL. We hate to bid thee farewell, but the calendar tells us the next game of any substance will be just after Labor Day. That is several thousand pitching changes from now. Sigh.

I must tell you that many things went through the old sports head last night, including the awkward realization that yes, I was pulling for that goofy Eli Manning for almost the entire game. I’ll tell you what turned me. That story that broke on Friday about further charges against the Patriots that they were cheaters. Hearing they were filming the Rams run through before the Super Bowl in New Orleans that they only won by a Field Goal has me wondering if cheaters do, in fact, prosper.

Then, another development surfaced, about the trademark registration of 19-0 prior to the AFC Championship game by the Patriots Organization. This was perhaps a smart business move, but you see, football cannot be treated as a business in this department. We must consider the announcement of books, parades, and trade marking 19-0 as angering the football gods. Do that at your own peril, as now the Patriots understand.

Through it all, the Patriots were beat. Fair and square. They had their chances, but the Giants stopped them at every turn. The Giants combined the best of their win against Dallas and the best of their win against Green Bay to beat New England. Against Dallas, the relentless pass rush of the Giants wore down the Cowboys offense as the game developed. Against Green Bay, Eli Manning kept drives going by converting on every 3rd down it seemed. Well, against Patriots, the pass rush did their part, and Eli did his.

Amazing. Eli Manning has a lifetime exemption now. He has won a Super Bowl in which he had to make the big plays. His escape and long completion to David Tyree, where Tyree stupendously pinned the ball against his helmet with one hand, will go down as the classic play that shall live forever with infinite replays on NFL Films. That play showed Manning’s ability to make something out of nothing. As I have said all along, I had no idea where this new-found ability is from, but this run of 4 consecutive weeks of top notch QB play is another great example of why I don’t gamble on sports.

Anyway, I have all sorts of emails about people who are explaining or arguing with me about why Cowboys fans were rooting for the Giants. After further review, I did not properly weigh the historic implications of the Patriots quest, and how human nature was going to pull most if not all of us who were unattached to the Giants underdog status. Once the game developed like it did, I think it was involuntary to find yourself wanting the little guy to win. Even if they were a division rival, and even if they were from New York. So, I guess rooting rules had to take a rare day off, given the 19-0 backdrop to this all.

Beyond those initial thoughts, here are my Super Bowl notes for Super Bowl XLII, the most memorable Super Bowl in many years:

• How many people were involved in the coin toss, 100? Do we need to filter that down just a tad? It seems like the coin flip used to involve 1 captain from each team and 1 ref. 3 guys. I would love to see photographs that have shown the crowd grow for Super Bowl coin flips.

• Why didn’t the Patriots feel more compelled to get Randy Moss the ball? Reverses, WR screens, something? It was like they didn’t care that they had one of the most unstoppable forces in the sport.

• One of the great stats of the night had to be the 1st Quarter possessions last night (2) compared to the possessions last year in the Bears-Colts game (10). The Giants, just like in the NFC Championship Game, win the toss, and then slowly and methodically drive down the field and leave the high-powered offense of the opposition on the sideline for almost all of the 1st Quarter. Tone was set. And it was never fully recovered back by New England.

• Without knowing or caring what anyone else thought of the commercials, I think I would have to go with the Pigeon Carriers commercial as my favorite. Also, good to see Tony Romo make an appearance.

• Something else we learned during this Super Bowl run from the Giants: They have a number of young guys that the Cowboys are going to have to deal with for many years. Steve Smith is a player. Justin Tuck may be able to provide a great pass rush when Michael Strahan is ready to say good bye – which he should right now. Corey Webster is finally showing some potential through these playoffs, and Bradshaw looks like a fine 7th round pick at running back. The Giants look better off with their future after a run like this. This is no longer Tiki, Shockey, and chaos. They now are Eli’s squad. Crazy!

• Tom Petty was awesome. Just awesome. I am so happy they are simply going with someone who is already great – not the flavor of the week – and letting them play some hits that everyone knows. To hear the whole stadium sing a long with “Free Falling” was magical. Prince, last year, was fabulous, too. In retrospect, we must all thank Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson for bringing the non-sense of the Kiss-FM halftime shows to an end.

• Why did the Patriots go for it on 4th and 13 when they had a 48 yard Field Goal available? Points were precious last night, and for Belichick to act like he could go get 7 anytime he wanted was another example of the Patriots being a little big for their football britches.

• When Belichick reviewed the 12 men on the field for the punt and got the first down on that very same drive, who thought the Giants were going to win? Not me.

• In the first half, the Giants had 17 snaps in New England territory, but only had 3 points. They really had to be kicking themselves. It just shows again, say what you want about the Giants, but I don’t count any of their wins in this postseason as undeserved. They fluked into nothing. They beat the Buccaneers, Cowboys, Packers, and Patriots straight up.

• Wes Welker may make it in this league, after all. He is a great story, who might have had a nice Super Bowl MVP had the Patriots pulled that out.

• 18-1 has never felt more hollow. I thought it demonstrated how tough it is to match the 1972 Dolphins accomplishment. Prepare for many more years of Mercury Morris rapping.

• Why wasn’t Jeremy Shockey on the sideline? Why was he up in a box nursing a beer? Seems like the sideline is a place for a teammate to be, even if he is on crutches? Just curious.

• Patriots without Gisele Bundchen in the crowd, 18-0. With her there, 0-1. I actually don’t know if that stat is right, but I am going with it.

• If I didn’t know that Tom Brady was perfect and performs miracles in his spare time, I would say that he was pretty poor last night for most of the game. He missed several open receivers, and picked up most of his yardage on dumps to Faulk and Welker. I have never seen him look so ordinary, which most likely demonstrates what a pass rush can do to even the best Quarterbacks.

• Do you think Ellis Hobbs bit on the Plaxico route for the game winning Touchdown? That looked as easy as it gets for the Giants with :35 left in the game. Eli and Plaxico appear to have developed chemistry that wasn’t apparent on December 1st.

• What did we learn about the Cowboys from all of this? I suppose it shows you that you just never know. It shows that no matter how you start, it is far more about being on a roll in the playoffs. We would also discuss health being key, but the Giants have been hurt during this run. There is no way to look at this and decipher a 2008 game plan. You just want to be playing solid football on both sides of the ball and hope for the best. 31 teams end their season in disappointment, and 1 team smiles and holds the trophy. Somehow, that 1 team turned out to be the New York Giants. I would have never believed it, if I didn’t just see it. Amazing.

NOW I WAS ABLE TO SEE THE GAME 2X TIMES YESTERDAY. ONCE AT SANTA'S AND ONCE AT BRICKHOUSE.

SANTA'S HAS THE SKY SPORTS FEED, SO WATCHING THE UK COMMERCIALS, ONCE AGAIN, WAS VERY INTERESTING. THE "VISIT CALIFORNIA" TOURISM AD WITH GOV. ARNOLD WAS THE BEST OF THAT LOT. I WATCHED THE GAME WITH VAN, KEITH AND OTHERS AND I REALLY COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT 4TH QT CATCH BY TRYEE. THAT ONE WILL BE SHOWN FOR YEARS TO COME.

THEN AT BRICKHOUSE, WE WATCHED THE FOX FEED OF THE GAME, WITHOUT COMMERCIALS, I WILL WATCH THE COMMERCIALS LATER, IT WAS STILL A GOOD GAME 2X TIME AROUND.

AS A REDSKIN FAN, I SURE WAS NOT GOING TO CHEER FOR THE GIANTS AND NO WAY IN HECK DO I EVER CHEER FOR BOSTON. SO THIS GAME I WAS VERY NEUTRAL. I SAW PERHAPS ONE OF THE BEST FOOTBALL GAMES THAT I HAD EVER SEEN IN MY LIKE. GIANTS FANS CONGRATS.

Local Movie Market Suffering Oversupply

By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter

Studios are churning out too many films in the local market and this oversupply can lead to a prolonged depression in the movie industry, a report said Tuesday.

According to the Korean Film Council, only 13 out of 112 Korean films released last year made profits. Their average production cost was 4.2 billion won, whereas their average ticket sales remained at only 2.4 billion won.

``Around 70 Korean films were released each year before 2006, when the number suddenly jumped to 102. This, together with the lethargic growth of the Korean cinema market, has lowered revenue for each film,'' said Ko Jeong-min, a senior researcher of the Samsung Economic Research Institute.

``The number of movies required to break even (for Korean film studios) is estimated to be 72 films for the foreseeable future,'' he said.

Korean filmmakers rely on local cinemas for almost 80 percent of their revenue. On the contrary, in the United States, ticket sales at theaters make up only around 15 percent of the revenue while the rest comes from DVD, TV broadcasting right sales and exports.

The local movie industry had enjoyed a brief boom since 1999 with the release of ``Shiri,'' the first Hollywood-style big-budget action movie. Over the next six years, a string of blockbusters such as "Silmido," and "Taegukgi,'' and dramas like ``King and the Clown'' followed, each drawing more than 10 million people to cinemas.

In 2006, the Korean film industry began to falter as moviemakers chose the quantity-over-quality strategy. Only 20 of 102 movies screened that year managed to offset the production cost with ticket sales. The bad mood continued through 2007.

``The increased number of productions is due to a large number of new production companies flocking to the market and venture capital firms looking for one-time investment opportunities in the entertainment industry,'' Ko said. ``The corporate participants included some from unrelated fields, such as the telecommunications industry.''

Telecom firms such as SK Telecom and KT joined the movie scene in 2005 in an effort to diversify their portfolio into entertainment, broadcasting and contents. The two rivaling companies have competitively spent tens of billions of won on producing a number of films, many of them drawing little attention. The two firms even started distributing films by themselves, with the release of movies ``Miss Shin'' from KT last month and ``Once Upon A Time'' from SK Telecom this month.

To overcome its slump, the Korean film industry needs to learn to control the number of movies made and the production budget, Ko said. He also urged studios to be more creative and stop making cheap comedies and gangster movies with similar themes and inane plots.

According to Businessweek, the United States produced 739 films in 2001 with an average production cost of $47.7 million, about 10 times the budget of Korean movies. But it was not the most prolific movie-making nation in the world. India's so-called Bollywood industry made 1,013 films that year at $1.5 million on average for each of them.

indizio@koreatimes.co.kr

YES, FROM THE WTF DEPARTMENT. KOREA'S SECONDARY MARKET KEEPS SHOOTING THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT. THEY TURN ANTI-JAPAN AND THE FILM QUALITY DROPS AND JAPAN QUITS BUYING KOREAN FILMS. THE DVD MANUFACTURES MAKE THE DVD PLAYERS PRICES SO HIGH THAT A NORMAL FAMILY CAN NOT AFFORD A SIMPLE DVD PLAYER AND KOREA IS STILL STUCK IN THE VHS MODE.

I HAVE SEEN ALL OF THESE HDTV'S AND THEY ARE PLAYING VHS, WTF? IT LOOKS LIKE THE AMERICAN FILMS ARE KEEPING CERTAIN ENTERTAINMENT COMPANIES GOING. I REALLY EXPECT MORE QUOTA RETURNS CALLS SOON AND HIGHER TICKET PRIES TO COMPENSATE FOR THIS MARKET CONSTANTLY SHOOTING ITSELF IN THE FOOT.

Green, Monk elected to Hall of Fame

It was a Hall of Fame day for the Washington Redskins, with Art Monk and Darrell Green elected to the shrine Saturday.

In his eighth year of eligibility, Monk finally was chosen. He concluded his career after the 1995 season with Philadelphia, but spent 13 years with the Redskins as one of the NFL's premier receivers. Monk held records for most consecutive games with a reception (164) and career catches (820). Both have been surpassed, but Monk didn't play in as wide-open an era on offense as many other receivers. He was one of the most consistent possession and third-down receivers in the league throughout his 14 pro seasons.

Green, one of the NFL's speediest and most skilled cornerbacks for two decades, spent his entire career (1983-2002) with the Redskins. He holds the record for consecutive seasons with an interception (19), and had 54 picks for 621 yards and six TDs. A member of the 1990s All-Decade team, Green made seven Pro Bowls.

"This is incredible. This is so special," Green said when informed of the vote. "This is out of this world. This literally transcends football, everything I have gone through to do what I was able to do. It was more than the ability to run and cover. It just goes so far beyond that."

Inductions will be at the Pro Football Hall of Game in Canton, Ohio on Aug. 2.

"I looked forward to the day we are going to Canton," Green said, breaking up with emotion. "Hopefully, there are several hundred thousand hotels there, and several hundred thousand tickets."

Have you ever seen a film, that you had a very bad feeling about? But, you made a promise to someone that you watch the movie and ,in my case, write a movie review about it. Well that was the back story for the Korean movie Radio Days

The film talks about Korea during the occupation by Japan (What I have done here is added a link from Wikipedia, that gives very basic information of what happened during Japan's occupation of Korea.)The film talks about the first radio station in Seoul, and how it was set up to broadcast radio messages for Japanese Propaganda. Well their was a very popular radio program that captured the city of Seoul attention.

The film is a Korean film, so you will see the Koreans displayed as heroes and the Japanese portrayed as idiots and fools. (If this bothers you then please do not see the film.)

The Korean audience seemed to like the film, To me it was the same, tired, regular boring Korean film. Nothing new and every shot was telegraphed. i even made a joke about how the film would end and guess what 10 minutes later, the film ends exactly like I thought it would.

I was hoping for a decent film and in the end, all I received was a cheep wasted effort about one of the worst times in Korean history.

Grade D-

Opened in Korea 30 JAN 2008

How I saw it. CGV.

Plot. Kyoungseong station, the first radio station of Korea established in the 1930s, is given the mission of producing a live serial radio play, “Flames of Love.” Those in charge make an unlikely team: Lloyd, a good-for-nothing producer; Man-cheol, an announcer and Lloyd’s only friend; NOH Bong-al, a writer who never manages to write an ending; K, an independent activist and sound effect technician; Myeong-wol, a former gisaeng; Mari, a jazz singer Mari; and station errand boy Sun-deok. Even amid the ensuing chaos, the play becomes increasingly popular with each passing day. But how will it end up?

"ITS A DOG EAT DOG WORLD AND TODAY I AM WEARING MILK-BONE UNDERWEAR."

Norm-Cheers

Now I know what a few of you are thinking, why did Mike come up with that quote today?
Well, its because of what happened last night at the 2nd anniversary Brick House Party.

Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of "The Brick House" and they had drink and food specials all night long. They also gave out awards to the customers. Well guess who won "The Norm" award? They said he orders the same food, likes his favorite seat and likes one beer. Well then they said my name and I was like, great, "I am norm" It was a nice little joke.

Bad news for Phil and Victoria, looks like the post office lost both of their passports and now they can not get married on the 14th in GOA. I had no idea what to say, sorry, just did not seem worthy enough. I hope that they can sue the Post Office. I have never mailed my passport to anywhere here in Korea. I personally hand carried it to Busan when I booked the trip to New Zealand. after seeing what happened to those 2, I will never mail it to book a flight!!

I am now off until March, when a new semester starts.

Have you ever walked into a film thinking one thing and coming out of the film thinking an entire different thing? If you have then you will understand the problem that I had with this film.

I kept watching the previews and with each preview, one thought kept coming into my mind over and over again. I kept thinking "Blair Witch Godzilla" and if this was the case, why should I even waste my time with this?

For my long time readers, If you remember an earlier review i did of the The Host I stated my love of the "Monster Film Genera" I really can not explain it but I just like a decent film that tells about a Monster destroying Tokyo or, as in this case, New York City.

So for my love of the monster movie, I decided to see if the film was worth the hype. I must now state that yes the film is worth the hype.

NOW THE REST OF THE REVIEW WILL BE A HUGE SPOILER ALERT, SO IF YOU DO NOT THE FILM RUINED THEN PLEASE STOP AND SEE THE FILM, WHILE IT PLAYS IN KOREA.

While I was watching the film, It felt like I was at ground-zero of this event. The shakiness of the camera, the power on and off the actual over tapping that occurred from a previous session. It seemed to make it into a real-time look at the end of New York City.

I purposely did not read or search any of the websites that were set up to tell the movie viewer, the entire story of how the monster can into being and why it attacked.
If you want a real good look at this film then please check out the FAQ from IMDB. It will answer a lot of the questions that the filmed brought up.

Now what was nice was that at the beginning of the film it showed that this tape was the property of the US Government and was recovered from US-477, The site formally known as Central Park in NYC. It made it look so official. (Now a warning here, the film was shot to look like it was being filmed with a hand held camera, so their is a lot of shaking and movement to the camera and the huge screen definitely shows it. Some viewers of the movie have shown signs of becoming very sick, due to this.

The plot of the story is very simple, you see a boy (Rob) and a girl (Beth), on the morning after. Then you see the film break to a party in which, Rob, the hero of this film, is having a good-bye party. He has a new job and he is leaving for Japan the next day. You are then introduced to the other players in the film (His brother, Jason, Lilly, Jason's girlfriend, HUD, Rob's best friend and Marlena, a girl that HUD really likes)

The party starts to go bad after Beth and Rob have a huge argument. The you see the friends try and help him, then you next hear a loud noise, it feels like an earthquake has hit NYC. You see people go to the top of the roof and then you see explosions and fire and people screaming that war has been declared.

Then you are slowly shown the monster and the monster is destroying the US Army and NYC. After that, its the typical monster move. The monster destroyers the city, kills people and to make matters worse, other smaller monsters are living on the big one and then they start to attack the city also.

The film revolves around Rob, receiving a call from Beth and she is trapped in her house and Rob goes through hell to try and save her. Now please check out the FAQ to see how the film ends and what happens near the end of the credits.

What I really liked about the film was how, when you did a little research with the websites, the film works and you no longer believe that you are watching the film but you are trying to get the heck out of Ground-Zero NYC.

To be honest, there could be a part 2 to this movie, that why the end of the credits trick worked for me. I also loved the last 20 seconds of the film, where you see that something has fallen into the ocean. It does make you wonder, "What did I just see?". I was laughing at the ending credits music. It sure sounded a lot like the Godzilla theme.

I saw the film at a digital screen and it was so much better that film could have ever have done for it. The digital theater showed the flaws of shooting with a hand held camera more and the sounds were made louder and more scarier than the film could have ever shown. You do get a good look at the monster. I will leave it up to you, the viewer, if you believe what you see or not.

In conclusion, we have our first big hit of 2008 and its name is "Cloverfield" Please see it when you can.


Opens in Korea. 24 January 2008

How I saw it. CGV Digital Theater.

Opening Weekend in USA $46,146,546 Jan 18 - 21 2008 weekend.

IMDB LINK. Cloverfield

This weekend was a very nice one. I saw 2 friends get married in a Korean Wedding.




Danny and Min A. (Mina)

This was my first Korean Wedding ceremony and it sure was a very interesting one.

Me and Sef get their at about 1125. The Wedding starts at noon. So we see Danny, and I tell him, "I suited up for this wedding you are not running away from this at all"

We talk some more and them we meet his family. His Mom and Dad, their significant others. His Grandmother and Grandfather were their also. So I am sitting around and seeing more people that I know show up.

Now what was weird, at first, was that there was another wedding going on before their wedding and it was in the same hall that they were going to get married at. I had no idea what was going on at all, but I was in Korea, so just go with it.

After 12 P.M. we were told to get our seats and, of course, not enough chairs. I was able to sit down and I got a few nice shots of the wedding.

Both Moms in their Traditional Korean Outfits.
Danny
After the wedding.
The Bride, Mina.

Now the first picture are the mothers, the walked down the aisle in the traditional Korean Dress and they both lit a candle. It was so nice.

The next photo is of Danny, he looked awesome in his outfit.

#3 Is when they were walking back from the aisle as Man and Wife.

#4 is her at the end with her friends. I love that photo. It does her no justice, Mina was a very beautiful bride.

Then it started to get a little crazy. The preacher was Korean and he was trying to speak English also, he said Daniels wives. I started laughing, I Could not believe that Danny could have more than one wife. The preacher made a mistake but it sure was funny.

I had no idea when to pray or say Amen. All i know is that the preacher said that they are man and wife, the crowd cheered and clapped. Danny and Mina then walked over to her parents side and Daniel did the bow on the ground to her parents. I lated asked him did he have to bang his head on the floor, When you would great the Emperor of China you would have to bow and bang your head very hard on the floor many times, to show respect. Mina did a polite bow to Danny's parents. It was nice.

Then the next few minutes are what I called the "Wheels Off" part of the service.

After the bowing, they cut a cake together, later on I found out that the 2 bottom layers of the cake were fake and that they actually did not get to keep nor did they actually eat any of the cake. It was a photo op only.

After that they then walked down up the aisle, thats when a disco ball came out, with crazy music, and them streamers popped out and the crowd cheered. I had no idea what the heck was going on. i took the photo of them with the streamers.

Then the crowd was leaving and gathering in the back. I took the one close one of the bride, photo #4. It was a nice photo.

Me and Van

So when I went back to the back after the wedding i saw my friend Van, also suited up, I asked Heather to take a photo of me and Van because, you do not see either one of us in A suit that ofter, so the photo was a great shot of us together.

Then after that we started to take pictures of the family as they were getting together for the wedding photos. I talked to Danny's family and it was nice to get to know a little about them.

East Meets West
East meets West 2

The all of the couple friends gathered for a photo. I made the comment that it looked like a fracking Mafia photo. If I can ever get a copy of the photo I will be sure to post it.

Then we went to have lunch at the after-wedding buffet. I had never been to this also, but the food was good and the table I was with was nice and I had a good time for awhile.

I asked where were Danny and Mina, and the family, Someone said that they were eating by themselves and I knew that something was wrong with me so after my plate I excused my self and said goodbye and that i would see them tonight at 9.PM at the Cool Bar, for the reception party.

Right as I was leaving I see Danny's family finally coming down to eat. It looks like they were taking pictures the entire time. I said that I would see them later. Then I saw Danny, and he was wearing a Korean King outfit, I later learned, and I shook his hand and said congrats and said I will see you later. Then I saw Mina and talked to her, then something really funny happed while I was talking to her.

A Korea lady was talking to her in Korean and it was because Mina was not holding on to her dress the proper way and I was laughing while she was talking. Afterwards Mina hit he with a light tap, it was just too funny, then Danny came back and met Mina, She was asking were me and Paul going to the reception. They then went in together to the Buffet area. I was walking to the escalator when I saw her parents, they could not find anyone from the family, so I am frantically waving my arms and pointing them straight to the Buffet area, and said, They are all in the Food area." They both walk very fast towards the Buffet.

I knew that something was wrong with me and I knew that I needed to take a long walk and I did for awhile. I did some thinking and came up with a few things that I had not realized.

With wedding sometimes I am good or sometimes I am bad at them. I was noticing that I was feeling sorry for myself, because I am single and just not in a good mood and the wedding did not need that, I went for a walk. I was talking out loud to myself and trying to figure a few things out. I had been noticing over the last few weeks that I am becoming a mean drunk and this is not good. I then realized that I was lonely and that all of the love at the wedding was messing me up a little. I was feeling sorry for myself and it was not dong me any good, So I walked for while longer and said, "DAMN IT, NO MORE FRACKING FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF. Have some fun today"

So I went back to my apartment, played some nice music and took a nap. When I woke Up, I sure was feeling better.

So at 8PM, I took the Bus to McDONALDS and had a late dinner. As i was finishing up my food, I see Danny entire family waking down the street. I finish my food and I meet up with them.

Danny them tells me that he is wearing a Korean King outfit, so I bow and say "Your MAJESTY" His family starts to laugh. I tell them a few things about Korea and they asked a few questions, I told them about Hello Kitty and I have no idea about why Hello Kitty is so darn popular.

We then all walk towards the Cool Bar and the party starts.

I soon met Mina's father and I shake his hand and bow. We start to talk and then I found out that Curtis Porter, a former Woosong teacher, has finally proposed to his long time girlfriend (WAY OVER DUE CURT) For the rest of the night I kept telling all of the guys with girlfriends that this would be the perfect time to propose to your lady. Some of the looks I got was funny. I did hear from one person, that him and his girlfriend were already engaged, so congrats to them.

Then the fun started to happen. Danny's mom and grandmother needed to go to MCD'S so I took them their, I knew exactly where it was at. I took them their and after we left , I asked him mom to tell him that I took them both to a dirty singing room, that it would be a great joke and they both agree. So when the ladies get back, his mom tells him that i took them both to a dirty singing room, the look on their faces was priceless, I was Laughing and then his mom said, Mike asked me to tell you that. I KNOW IT WAS WRONG BUT IT SURE WAS FUNNY.

Then someone had the idea to make a wedding rule, whenever someone paid 5$ or 5,000 Won, the bell would ring and the couple would have to kiss. So the $ started to flow and I got some great shots of the couple Kissing. i even paid 10$ for them to kiss 2x,, I said that only 1 darn it, I paid for 2 so kiss her again! The bell ring all night and even while Danny was playing the drums.

Teachers play a great song

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So the band starts to play at the cool bar and they play some great songs, I am talking to Danny family and other people the entire time of the first set. After the second set it more bell ringing and more kissing.

While the band was on a break, van came over to where the family and I were sitting at, Grandpa asked Van to play a country song that night, so we were talking about one song and grandma said that she liked Charlie Pride. Well.. that stated all of us singing. "You never even called me by my name" SEE WORDS BELOW...............

Well it was all that I could do to keep from cryin'
Sometimes it seemed so useless to remain
But you don't have to call me darlin' darlin'
You never even call me by my name
You don't have to call me Waylon Jennings
And you don't have to call me Charley Pride
And you don't have to call me Merle Haggard anymore
Even though you're on my fightin' side
And I'll hang around as long as you will let me and I never minded standing in the rain
But you don't have to call me darlin' darlin' you never even call me by my name

Well I've heard my name a few times in your phonebook (hello hello)
And I've seen it on signs where I've played
But the only time I know I'll hear David Allan Coe
Is when Jesus has his final judgment day
So I'll hang around as long as you will let me and I never minded standing in the rain
But you don't have to call me darlin' darlin' you never even call me by my name

(Well a friend of mine named Steve Goodman wrote that song
And he told me it was the perfect country and western song
I wrote him back a letter and told him
It was not the perfect country and western song
Because he hadn't said anything at all about mama
Or trains or trucks or prison or gettin' drunk
Well he sat down and wrote another verse to the song and he sent it to me
And after reading it I realized
That my friend had written the perfect country and western song
And I felt obliged to include it on this album the last verse goes like this here)

Well I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison
And I went to pick her up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in a pickup truck
She got run'd over by a damned old train
And I'll hang around as long as you will let me and I never minded standing in the rain
But you don't have to call me darlin' darlin' you never even call me by my name.

SO HERE WE ARE IN DAEJEON KOREA, AT THE COOL BAR, SINGING THIS SONG. WHAT SURPRISED ME WAS THAT VAN KNEW IT ALSO. Grandpa asked Van to play a country song later in the evening.

After we stopped singing the song, I told Van that I had taught some of the foreign students that I went to school with back at UNT, that one night they wanted to learn some AMERICAN BEER drinking songs, so I took them to a bar and I played this song and the whole bar sang along to this song. If I had not actually heard us singing that song I would have not believed it at all.

THE FIRST OF MANY KISSES TOGETHER
My $ paid for this Kiss. I was so Happy.
Dan and His Brother Chris.
Me and Chris

Mina and Grandmother
Chris and His Wife
Grandma and Chris
Mina and Friend
Helen and Mom
Mina and Danny's Dad dancing together.

Danny Posing Korean
Helen, Grandma and Grandpa
Mother and Son
Grandma and Grandson
Grandma, Grandpa and Grandson.


Best Man Speech

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Now the above speech was earlier in the party it was time for his brother to give a real heart felt speech. Lets just say, its the same one I would give my brother James. I am told that Chris gave a real heart felt speech earlier but alas, no video. THE LOUD COMMENTS ARE MINE SO BLAME ME FOR THOSE!!!!


ITS HAMMERTIME!!!!

Later on the brothers both start to sing Ice ice baby. From what I was told, it looks like their mother introduced them to music very early and the boys sang IIB a lot when they were kids, Chris later admitted to having a pair of the HammerPants.




Now the above photo is what was going on while the photo was being taken. The bell had rung and they were kissing again and I got the shot. I was next to Danny's mom when I took the shot. I looked over at her and she was smiling and looked very happy. I leaned over and said to her, you are as light up as a Christmas tree. She was so happy for Danny and I knew that she loved both of them. I thought I was going to cry.

Well at about 1235 an announcement was made, we had killed all of the kegs of beer at the party. (we are not alcoholics, we do not go to meetings) The next day I talked to Charles and he said that he had ordered 6 kegs of beer, usually parties have 2-3. I looked at him and I said, with the crowd that we had their 9 might have worked. They were small kegs of beer, If it would have had been in the USA i WOULD HAVE ORDERED 3 big Coors Light ones.

I told Van that I had told some of the younger men, that this night, you would remember, you would remember it as a good day and that their was love.

Grandpa and Grandma Kiss
Grandpa speech of love for the couple
Danny's dad speech of love for the couple
Couple saying thank you to the party
Dad and Son saying I love you.

Grandparents hug their grandchild.
mom and Mina say goodnight.
As the couple leaves.
Mom listening to speeches
Goodnight everybody.

Now the band was playing some great music, I was even dancing Russian with Sasha and I just picked it up by following her led, I then added a Texas twist to it and we were dancing. It was some great music.

As the band was winding down, I reminded Van about Grandma and Grandpa wanting to hear a country song. So Van tels Danny, who is the drummer in the band also, that Grandma and Grandpa want a country song. They play "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash and then the Grandparents dance and the crowd went wild.

Later on it was time for the couple to leave, or as I said, make grand babies time. Paul gave a nice speech then Grandpa gave a great Speech and then Danny father gave a great speech. When they were hugging and saying goodbye to family I was taking as many shots as I could. I got some great photos.

It was a night with love and it was awesome.

I, earlier in the evening, had told Danny Mom that I would get her a copy of all 200+ photos that I had taken, I did that today and they were very happy, so if you were there can you please give me a cd of all of the photos and I can put all of them together so they can pass them out to his family.

IT WAS A NIGHT OF CELEBRATION OF LOVE BETWEEN 2 PEOPLE. MAY YOU BOTH LIVE LONG AND PROSPER.

Well I had no idea how to follow Sundays post about Andrew Olmsted "GKAR". I stayed up Sunday night and kept reading it and every time I did I kept crying more. How in the heck did he come up with those words to say good bye and when he said good bye to his wife, I lost it.

This is where the "vet" in me came out big time. I recall having to say good bye to friends that had died while in service of their country. I cried then and I cry now for soldiers that i do not know.

The video above tells a simple story. A soldier comes home from Iraq and he goes to his sons school, to surprise him. His sons sees him, runs to him and just breaks down and cry. I was crying like a little girl, when I saw the video, It looks like a lot of people did also.

If I ever had my way, I would ban all war and never, ever resort to this. Unfortunately, I live in a world where evil men would see this as weakness and want more power and more glory. This is why I have always said and will always say, "When you fight a war, you fight like hell and you destroy the enemy, in such a way, that he looses his will ever to fight again." Look at Germany and Japan. Japan has not invaded its Asian neighbors since 1945 and Germany has not started a war.

Welcome home soldier and spend time with your son. To Gkar's family, you lost a loved one and we morn for a man of honors loss. The world is a bit smaller because he is no longer part of it. I posted his letter, without edit. I added an "Amazing Grace/Taps video" and put an 1980-84 music video, because he requested, "Drink a coke and play an 80's song"

NO WORDS TO ADD TO THIS, PLEASE READ IT ALL.............................

Andy Olmsted

Andy Olmsted

by hilzoy

Andrew Olmsted, who also posted here as G'Kar, was killed yesterday in Iraq. Andy gave me a post to publish in the event of his death; the last revisions to it were made in July.

Andy was a wonderful person: decent, honorable, generous, principled, courageous, sweet, and very funny. The world has a horrible hole in it that nothing can fill. I'm glad Andy -- generous as always -- wrote something for me to publish now, since I have no words at all. Beyond: Andy, I will miss you.

My thoughts are with his wife, his parents, and his brother and sister.

What follows is Andy's post: a bit here; the rest below the fold. [UPDATE: I'm adding links to Andy's last post at his Rocky Mountain News blogs, from about a week ago, where friends and family are expressing support in comments; to an article from yesterday that I believe is about his death; and to a post he wrote on his reasons for going to Iraq last June.]

[FURTHER UPDATE: Somehow, I thought that given Andy's wish that his death not be politicized, people would refrain from political rants. Most of you have, for which I thank you. Anyone who does not respect his wishes, in this thread, will have his or her comment deleted. I am disemvowelling the one that has already appeared. END FURTHER UPDATE.]

***

"I am leaving this message for you because it appears I must leave sooner than I intended. I would have preferred to say this in person, but since I cannot, let me say it here."
G'Kar, Babylon 5

"Only the dead have seen the end of war."
Plato*

This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we can control in life, and apparently I have passed one of those limits. And so, like G'Kar, I must say here what I would much prefer to say in person. I want to thank hilzoy for putting it up for me. It's not easy asking anyone to do something for you in the event of your death, and it is a testament to her quality that she didn't hesitate to accept the charge. As with many bloggers, I have a disgustingly large ego, and so I just couldn't bear the thought of not being able to have the last word if the need arose. Perhaps I take that further than most, I don't know. I hope so. It's frightening to think there are many people as neurotic as I am in the world. In any case, since I won't get another chance to say what I think, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Such as it is.

"When some people die, it's time to be sad. But when other people die, like really evil people, or the Irish, it's time to celebrate."
Jimmy Bender, "Greg the Bunny"

"And maybe now it's your turn
To die kicking some ass."
Freedom Isn't Free, Team America

What I don't want this to be is a chance for me, or anyone else, to be maudlin. I'm dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends. But all the tears in the world aren't going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.) I had a pretty good life, as I noted above. Sure, all things being equal I would have preferred to have more time, but I have no business complaining with all the good fortune I've enjoyed in my life. So if you're up for that, put on a little 80s music (preferably vintage 1980-1984), grab a Coke and have a drink with me. If you have it, throw 'Freedom Isn't Free' from the Team America soundtrack in; if you can't laugh at that song, I think you need to lighten up a little. I'm dead, but if you're reading this, you're not, so take a moment to enjoy that happy fact.

[continued below the fold]

"Our thoughts form the universe. They always matter."
Citizen G'Kar, Babylon 5

Believe it or not, one of the things I will miss most is not being able to blog any longer. The ability to put my thoughts on (virtual) paper and put them where people can read and respond to them has been marvelous, even if most people who have read my writings haven't agreed with them. If there is any hope for the long term success of democracy, it will be if people agree to listen to and try to understand their political opponents rather than simply seeking to crush them. While the blogosphere has its share of partisans, there are some awfully smart people making excellent arguments out there as well, and I know I have learned quite a bit since I began blogging. I flatter myself I may have made a good argument or two as well; if I didn't, please don't tell me. It has been a great five-plus years. I got to meet a lot of people who are way smarter than me, including such luminaries as Virginia Postrel and her husband Stephen (speaking strictly from a 'improving the species' perspective, it's tragic those two don't have kids, because they're both scary smart.), the estimable hilzoy and Sebastian of Obsidian Wings, Jeff Goldstein and Stephen Green, the men who consistently frustrated me with their mix of wit and wisdom I could never match, and I've no doubt left out a number of people to whom I apologize. Bottom line: if I got the chance to meet you through blogging, I enjoyed it. I'm only sorry I couldn't meet more of you. In particular I'd like to thank Jim Henley, who while we've never met has been a true comrade, whose words have taught me and whose support has been of great personal value to me. I would very much have enjoyed meeting Jim.

Blogging put me in touch with an inordinate number of smart people, an exhilarating if humbling experience. When I was young, I was smart, but the older I got, the more I realized just how dumb I was in comparison to truly smart people. But, to my credit, I think, I was at least smart enough to pay attention to the people with real brains and even occasionally learn something from them. It has been joy and a pleasure having the opportunity to do this.

"It's not fair."
"No. It's not. Death never is."
Captain John Sheridan and Dr. Stephen Franklin, Babylon 5

"They didn't even dig him a decent grave."
"Well, it's not how you're buried. It's how you're remembered."
Cimarron and Wil Andersen, The Cowboys

I suppose I should speak to the circumstances of my death. It would be nice to believe that I died leading men in battle, preferably saving their lives at the cost of my own. More likely I was caught by a marksman or an IED. But if there is an afterlife, I'm telling anyone who asks that I went down surrounded by hundreds of insurgents defending a village composed solely of innocent women and children. It'll be our little secret, ok?

I do ask (not that I'm in a position to enforce this) that no one try to use my death to further their political purposes. I went to Iraq and did what I did for my reasons, not yours. My life isn't a chit to be used to bludgeon people to silence on either side. If you think the U.S. should stay in Iraq, don't drag me into it by claiming that somehow my death demands us staying in Iraq. If you think the U.S. ought to get out tomorrow, don't cite my name as an example of someone's life who was wasted by our mission in Iraq. I have my own opinions about what we should do about Iraq, but since I'm not around to expound on them I'd prefer others not try and use me as some kind of moral capital to support a position I probably didn't support. Further, this is tough enough on my family without their having to see my picture being used in some rally or my name being cited for some political purpose. You can fight political battles without hurting my family, and I'd prefer that you did so.

On a similar note, while you're free to think whatever you like about my life and death, if you think I wasted my life, I'll tell you you're wrong. We're all going to die of something. I died doing a job I loved. When your time comes, I hope you are as fortunate as I was.

"What an idiot! What a loser!"
Chaz Reingold, Wedding Crashers

"Oh and I don't want to die for you, but if dying's asked of me;
I'll bear that cross with honor, 'cause freedom don't come free."
American Soldier, Toby Keith

Those who know me through my writings on the Internet over the past five-plus years probably have wondered at times about my chosen profession. While I am not a Libertarian, I certainly hold strongly individualistic beliefs. Yet I have spent my life in a profession that is not generally known for rugged individualism. Worse, I volunteered to return to active duty knowing that the choice would almost certainly lead me to Iraq. The simple explanation might be that I was simply stupid, and certainly I make no bones about having done some dumb things in my life, but I don't think this can be chalked up to stupidity. Maybe I was inconsistent in my beliefs; there are few people who adhere religiously to the doctrines of their chosen philosophy, whatever that may be. But I don't think that was the case in this instance either.

As passionate as I am about personal freedom, I don't buy the claims of anarchists that humanity would be just fine without any government at all. There are too many people in the world who believe that they know best how people should live their lives, and many of them are more than willing to use force to impose those beliefs on others. A world without government simply wouldn't last very long; as soon as it was established, strongmen would immediately spring up to establish their fiefdoms. So there is a need for government to protect the people's rights. And one of the fundamental tools to do that is an army that can prevent outside agencies from imposing their rules on a society. A lot of people will protest that argument by noting that the people we are fighting in Iraq are unlikely to threaten the rights of the average American. That's certainly true; while our enemies would certainly like to wreak great levels of havoc on our society, the fact is they're not likely to succeed. But that doesn't mean there isn't still a need for an army (setting aside debates regarding whether ours is the right size at the moment). Americans are fortunate that we don't have to worry too much about people coming to try and overthrow us, but part of the reason we don't have to worry about that is because we have an army that is stopping anyone who would try.

Soldiers cannot have the option of opting out of missions because they don't agree with them: that violates the social contract. The duly-elected American government decided to go to war in Iraq. (Even if you maintain President Bush was not properly elected, Congress voted for war as well.) As a soldier, I have a duty to obey the orders of the President of the United States as long as they are Constitutional. I can no more opt out of missions I disagree with than I can ignore laws I think are improper. I do not consider it a violation of my individual rights to have gone to Iraq on orders because I raised my right hand and volunteered to join the army. Whether or not this mission was a good one, my participation in it was an affirmation of something I consider quite necessary to society. So if nothing else, I gave my life for a pretty important principle; I can (if you'll pardon the pun) live with that.

"It's all so brief, isn't it? A typical human lifespan is almost a hundred years. But it's barely a second compared to what's out there. It wouldn't be so bad if life didn't take so long to figure out. Seems you just start to get it right, and then...it's over."
Dr. Stephen Franklin, Babylon 5

I wish I could say I'd at least started to get it right. Although, in my defense, I think I batted a solid .250 or so. Not a superstar, but at least able to play in the big leagues. I'm afraid I can't really offer any deep secrets or wisdom. I lived my life better than some, worse than others, and I like to think that the world was a little better off for my having been here. Not very much, but then, few of us are destined to make more than a tiny dent in history's Green Monster. I would be lying if I didn't admit I would have liked to have done more, but it's a bit too late for that now, eh? The bottom line, for me, is that I think I can look back at my life and at least see a few areas where I may have made a tiny difference, and massive ego aside, that's probably not too bad.

"The flame also reminds us that life is precious. As each flame is unique; when it goes out, it's gone forever. There will never be another quite like it."
Ambassador Delenn, Babylon 5

I write this in part, admittedly, because I would like to think that there's at least a little something out there to remember me by. Granted, this site will eventually vanish, being ephemeral in a very real sense of the word, but at least for a time it can serve as a tiny record of my contributions to the world. But on a larger scale, for those who knew me well enough to be saddened by my death, especially for those who haven't known anyone else lost to this war, perhaps my death can serve as a small reminder of the costs of war. Regardless of the merits of this war, or of any war, I think that many of us in America have forgotten that war means death and suffering in wholesale lots. A decision that for most of us in America was academic, whether or not to go to war in Iraq, had very real consequences for hundreds of thousands of people. Yet I was as guilty as anyone of minimizing those very real consequences in lieu of a cold discussion of theoretical merits of war and peace. Now I'm facing some very real consequences of that decision; who says life doesn't have a sense of humor?

But for those who knew me and feel this pain, I think it's a good thing to realize that this pain has been felt by thousands and thousands (probably millions, actually) of other people all over the world. That is part of the cost of war, any war, no matter how justified. If everyone who feels this pain keeps that in mind the next time we have to decide whether or not war is a good idea, perhaps it will help us to make a more informed decision. Because it is pretty clear that the average American would not have supported the Iraq War had they known the costs going in. I am far too cynical to believe that any future debate over war will be any less vitriolic or emotional, but perhaps a few more people will realize just what those costs can be the next time.

This may be a contradiction of my above call to keep politics out of my death, but I hope not. Sometimes going to war is the right idea. I think we've drawn that line too far in the direction of war rather than peace, but I'm a soldier and I know that sometimes you have to fight if you're to hold onto what you hold dear. But in making that decision, I believe we understate the costs of war; when we make the decision to fight, we make the decision to kill, and that means lives and families destroyed. Mine now falls into that category; the next time the question of war or peace comes up, if you knew me at least you can understand a bit more just what it is you're deciding to do, and whether or not those costs are worth it.

"This is true love. You think this happens every day?"
Westley, The Princess Bride

"Good night, my love, the brightest star in my sky."
John Sheridan, Babylon 5

This is the hardest part. While I certainly have no desire to die, at this point I no longer have any worries. That is not true of the woman who made my life something to enjoy rather than something merely to survive. She put up with all of my faults, and they are myriad, she endured separations again and again...I cannot imagine being more fortunate in love than I have been with Amanda. Now she has to go on without me, and while a cynic might observe she's better off, I know that this is a terrible burden I have placed on her, and I would give almost anything if she would not have to bear it. It seems that is not an option. I cannot imagine anything more painful than that, and if there is an afterlife, this is a pain I'll bear forever.

I wasn't the greatest husband. I could have done so much more, a realization that, as it so often does, comes too late to matter. But I cherished every day I was married to Amanda. When everything else in my life seemed dark, she was always there to light the darkness. It is difficult to imagine my life being worth living without her having been in it. I hope and pray that she goes on without me and enjoys her life as much as she deserves. I can think of no one more deserving of happiness than her.

"I will see you again, in the place where no shadows fall."
Ambassador Delenn, Babylon 5

I don't know if there is an afterlife; I tend to doubt it, to be perfectly honest. But if there is any way possible, Amanda, then I will live up to Delenn's words, somehow, some way. I love you.

Posted by hilzoy at 01:16 PM in Nothing Else Fit | Permalink

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TO HONOR THIS MAN, I NOW PRESENT THIS.




AND DRINK A COKE AND PLAY AN 80'S SONG (1980-84)