Denison beats Sherman in Battle of the Ax

HERALD DEMOCRAT

SHERMAN -- D. J. Jones rushed for 287 yards on 21 carries and scored three touchdowns as Denison defeated Sherman, 34-17, in District 9-4A action Friday night at Bearcat Stadium to claim the district championship in the 110th Battle of the Ax.

Jones, who went over 2,000 yards rushing for the season, had touchdown runs of 75 and 50 yards and returned the opening kickoff of the second half 79 yards for a touchdown for Denison (10-0, 7-0), which has won five of the last six meetings.

Madison Carter and Waymon James had touchdowns runs for Sherman (8-2, 6-1) and Abo Ahmed-Mahmood kicked a 38-yard field goal.

Class 4A

District 9-4A

Denison 34, Sherman 17

Denison 0 9 14 10 - 34

Sherman 0 10 0 7 - 17

SECOND QUARTER

S - Madison Carter 23 run (Abo Ahmed-Mahmood kick), 11:43

S - Ahmed-Mahmood 38 field goal, 5:07

D - D.J. Jones 75 run (Hudson Milford pass failed), 4:49

D - Jacob Powell 39 field goal, 0:09

THIRD QUARTER

D - Jones 79 kickoff return (Cody Reeves run failed), 11:48

D - Jones 50 run (Jordan Taylor run), 8:17

FOURTH QUARTER

S - Waymon James 6 run (Ahmed-Mahmood kick), 9:33

D - Taylor 11 run (Taylor run) 6:32

D - Powell 38 field goal, 1:08

Stats Sherman Denison

First downs 16 20

Rushes-yards 35-68 34-307

Passing yards 180 35

C-A-I 17-29-1 5-7-0

Punts-average 5-201 2-79

Penalties-yards 2-10 2-30

Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1

Individual statistics

Rushing -- Sherman: Waymon James 16-60, Madison Carter 17-8, Zac Whitfield 1-(-3), Kirk Thomas 1-3. Denison: D.J. Jones 21-287, Jordan Taylor 12-26, Hudson Milford 1-(-6).

Passing -- Sherman: Madison Carter 17-29-1 180. Denison: Jordan Taylor 5-7-0 35.

Receiving -- Sherman: Greg Jackson 5-39, Waymon James 4-26, Kirk Thomas 3-53, Geoff Hooker 2-29, John Welborn 2-23, Zac Whitfield 1-10. Denison: Devin Jackson 1-5, Jimmay Mundine 1-9, Hudson Milford 3-21.

Yellow Jackets defense.

BY Jason Della Rosa

They have been overlooked for most of the season, those 11 Yellow Jackets that aren't designed to touch the ball unless it's on interceptions and fumble recoveries.

It's not because they haven't been good at what they do -- holding seven opponents, including the last five, to 17 points less is a feat many defenses in this point-happy world would gladly take.

But Denison has rarely needed its defense to win. The Yellow Jacket offense became the highest-scoring unit in program history for the regular season following a 34-17 victory over Sherman in the 110th Battle of the Ax, a final point total that was the lowest output of the season.

In the midst all the extra bullet points -- the 10-0 record, the district championship, the fifth time in six years to take home the Ax-- it was an effort by the defense that made the difference.

"Everything about it is so overwhelming," said senior cornerback Aston Hughes, who closed out the game with an interception in the end zone. "We overcame the craziness, the loudness and played our hearts out."

The hype that surrounded the final game in District 9-4A -- the first time since 1997 that Sherman and Denison would decide who won the district title -- was supposed to be all about the offenses. Both defenses were afterthoughts.

"I think people didn't give them a lot of credit," Denison head coach Cody White said. "They've been outstanding except for the first half against McKinney and people have dwelled on that and dwelled on that."

Giving up 43 points in a half can be alarming, but the overall tone of the Denison defense has changed. Two years ago it gave up the most points ever. Last season that number decreased by several touchdowns. This year the point differential was down nearly 150 more.

It was still tough to get attention. Running back D.J. Jones has put together the greatest regular season by a Denison running back --2,200-plus yards and 34 touchdowns -- and the offense went into the Battle of the Ax averaging 49 points per game. The back-to-back shutouts, which happened for the first time in 11 seasons, came in games where the offense scored a combined 119 points.

"They kept saying it was going to be back and forth, back and forth," senior linebacker Brandon Jeffery said. "We wanted to put our stamp on it."

In order to do that they would tangle with a running back who has given them fits the previous two years. Waymon James has had two of the best games in his career against the Yellow Jackets, including a 285-yard, four-touchdown contest in the 2006 contest that remains his zenith -- the only time since 2002 Sherman has won.

"He's a hoss," White said. "It takes more than one to bring him down. You saw that."

Last season James had "only" 182 yards and three touchdowns but Denison slowed him down enough to pull off an improbable comeback. No one, however, expected what occurred Friday night to actually happen.

"Our kids executed what they had to. What can you say about them?

They played their hearts out," defensive coordinator Zack Smith said.

"Any time you play a great back like him you have to gang tackle him.

All 11 hats to the ball." James had the third-worst outing of his 29-game career, held to 60 yards on 16 carries. He hadn't finished with less than 100 yards all season and only last year against Rider -- 44 yards on 14 carries --and as a sophomore against Greenville -- 48 yards on 12 carries -- were lower totals.

"When you hit him one yard deep and he runs for six yards, that's what I see," Smith said. "I don't see us stoning him every time."

When asked what he thought James had finished with, Jeffery kept counting backward, not believing he had to keep going.

"One hundred fifty? 120? 98? Seventy-something?"

James' longest run of nine yards came on the third to last play of the game and half of his carries were for fewer than five yards. He had just 21 yards on eight first-half carries as Sherman went to the locker room with a 10-9 lead. It was a staggering contrast to Jones, who was racing all around the field finishing with 291 yards on 22 carries, including three total touchdowns.

At the start of the second half, when James didn't touch the ball except for a pair of catches on long-yardage situations during Sherman's first 11 plays, Bearcat fans began chanting, "Where is Waymon?" Denison had the answer -- he was usually under a pile of Yellow Jackets.

Watching their own back run wild gave Denison's defense no cause for celebration with the second half to be played.

"We knew at any time they could break out and score," Hughes said.

"Just wrap him up and don't let go. Tackling drills paid off."

The win may be costly for the Jackets, who lost two defensive starters due to injury.

Linebacker Stacy Golston hurt his knee when Madison Carter scored on the second play of the second quarter. Later cornerback Cody Reeves landed awkwardly on his right shoulder diving for an interception along the Sherman sideline.

A pair of juniors stepped in seamlessly -- Aaron Crawford for Golston and Christian Herd for Reeves.

"We preach that to our guys all the time," Smith said. "As a backup you're only one snap away."

Quarterback was a position where Denison had been missing its starter for more than a month. But Jordan Taylor returned from a broken collarbone and had both stands holding their breath -- Sherman due to the 19-point comeback he orchestrated last year and Denison because of the potential for another injury that could impact the playoffs.

The one most nervous was the one you would expect.

"Very," said his mother, Karen. "Every time he got hit I was hiding. I didn't feel better until he looked more comfortable."

The defense helped out its quarterback early on as Denison's gained just 52 yards on its first three drives, including a fumble by Taylor.

It was a rocky start even for the special teams as the Jackets were forced to call time-out or take a delay of game when Jacob Powell lined up the opening kickoff."He couldn't hear the whistle blow," White said. "We don't break the huddle until the whistle blows. He didn't hear it and the clock started."

The seconds started melting away and after a scoreless first quarter it became apparent that fireworks weren't in the cards. And while it took the offense more than a half to find its groove, the defense was on point from the start, helping earn the program's 25th district title and sixth undefeated regular season.

"I think as a staff we believe we're going to win every game," White said. I don't know if that's realistic or not. It is now."




ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY MISS ABOUT LIVING IN TEXAS IS THAT I CAN NOT FOLLOW MY HIGH SCHOOL, DENISON TEXAS YELLOW JACKETS, FOOTBALL. SHERMAN IS THE MAIN RIVAL OF DENISON AND EVERY YEAR THE PLAY FOR AN AXE TROPHY. THE GAME IS CALLED THE BATTLE OF THE AXE AND IT HAS BEN PLAYED 110 TIMES NOW. IT IS THE LONGEST HIGH SCHOOL STATE FOOTBALL RIVALRY IN TEXAS AND I HAVE SEEN A FEW OF THE GAMES LIVE AND EVEN GOT TO SIT ON THE SIDELINES FOR 1 GAME BACK IN 1983.

THEY ARE NOW 10-0 AND ARE GOING TO THE STATE PLAYOFFS. GO JACKETS AND WIN STATE BABY!!!!

What if one of your favorite movie characters, was on a vendetta. Would you want to go on the ride with him? If the answer is the movie Quantum of Solace, then its' yes.

The film follows exactly where Casino Royale , the last James Bond film, left off. (I would recommend that you re-watch the film before you go and see this one)

The plot of this film is basically, James Bond has shut down emotionally as a result of Vesper's death and is driven to investigate and, to a huge extent, a vendetta for her death.

The film need to be seen spoiler free so this is why i am not really going into much more of the plot that what I have already stated above.

What I liked about the film was that, I am really starting to like Daniel Craig , as Bond. You can see his prison and the fact that it is in his own mind, makes you fell compassion for 007. But, you also soon realize that death is coming for his foes and you feel no sorrow for the men of evil.

The films actions scenes may make some fell a bit sick, due to their jumping around and, at times it looks like Jason Bourne's jerky action shots. The film could be stated as long on action and short on plot, to those who did not see Casino Royale, beforehand.

If the film lost me anywhere is that i felt that it was about 30-40 minutes too short. I just kept wanting to see more plot development of Camile (The new Bond Girl) and Dominic Greene (the new villain). Instead i feel like its a greatest hits introduction to these 2 main players in the film and, to me, the film suffers for it. I also hated the theme song.

Overall, it's a worth addition to the Bond franchise. I eagerly await the next one. Please see the film in the Digital format for the best viewing possible for this film.

Grade B+

[from trailer]
Camille: Have you ever lost someone you loved?
James Bond: Yes.
Camille: Have you caught the one who took them from you?
James Bond: Not yet.
Camille: When you do, tell me how it feels...

Opened in South Korea. 5 November 2008

How I saw it. DLP Digital Cinema Primus.

(Shout out to the 10 other people who went with me as we saw the film together. It was great.)

Extra scene at the end. No

Defeat soaks in

Having had a day or so to contemplate the rebuke at the polls for conservatives in the 2008 US Election, what strikes me most is the maturity of conservative's response to their defeat.

While yes, you are going to find some hotheads right now on the right side of the political spectrum, I don't see a lot of Republicans threatening to move overseas, taking psychotropic medication, or heading off to see their shrinks. And furthermore, I am not seeing GOP operatives attacking the American people nonstop for being so stupid as to vote for the other guy. One could argue that the conservatives are entitled to such less-than-seemly actions--after all, these are all things that the left did in response to their loss in the 2004 US election.

I think this graciousness and maturity comes from the very top, from the man the Republican party put up for the election this year, and the man who was trounced so badly by the voters. Here's what I feel to be McCain's finest speech of his campaign. Too bad his best speech of the year ended up being his concession speech:

Never does McCain succumb to anxiety, pessimism or despair with his words. Instead, at what must be a tremendous low point, personally and professionally, for him and everyone around him, McCain speaks and exemplifies honor, respect, restraint, decorum, and sincere gratitude for having had the chance to serve. He doesn't throw a tantrum or hurtle accusations, and never does he utter an unkind word for his political opponent. Bravo, Senator McCain. I salute you.

All Americans should take deep pride that we have such leaders, that such sweeping changes in political power can occur democratically and peacefully. This is part what makes America great.


Posted by The Anti-Jihadist

On August 31, 2008, "the Creator" (Berkeley Breathed) spoke to Opus and hinted that the strip will end soon. The next week, Opus was visited by the ghost of Elvis who told Opus to find a place where he wants to be forever, because he will stay in that one spot after he "dies." e.g., Elvis is condemned to sit on the toilet forever because that's where he happened to be when he died.

Opus tried to fly to a tropical island on September 14, but when he was asked for his passport, he told the ticket clerk that he smuggled himself into the U.S. 30 years ago. He was promptly arrested by airport security whilst screaming, "God Bless George Bush!" Opus was taken to the Department of Homeland Security and waterboarded. The guards told him to, "start talking, Akbar!" Opus complained to "the Creator," saying he couldn't just let the strip end like this. "The Creator" then placed Opus in an animal shelter, and mockingly said, "Happy?" to which Opus replied "NO!!"

The next week, September 26th, 2008, saw Opus bemoaning having to spend his eternity in a county animal shelter. At the behest of a fellow inmate, a scruffy dog, Opus soon began sharing his memories of his past and recounts his life through the run of Breathed's strips. Many shots of him in well known stories from Bloom County are then shown, including Opus saying "bozo" to a politician on the TV in 1981, misunderstanding a money grubbing cultist in 1982, sharing a mass dandelion break with other characters in 1983, his role in the rock band Deathtöngue in 1984, dreaming romantically of Diane Sawyer in 1985 and a current joke about Sarah Palin set in 1986. The strip included a tag at the bottom indicating it would be continued the next week.

At this point, a trio of island-native girls arrive at the shelter; they only have room for one companion to live with them in their paradise. On October 6, 2008, Breathed announced that the strip would end after November 2 that year,^[5] and even decided to do a contest for people to guess what Opus's fate is on BerkeleyBreathed.com. The winner will have $10,000 donated to the animal shelter of their choosing.^[6]

On October 19, 2008, Steve Dallas was shown barging into the Bloom County Animal Shelter's lobby demanding to see Opus, claiming Opus owed him $20. The clerk stationed there informed Steve that Opus had chosen his final eternity and that Steve should do so likewise, and very quickly. The conversation ended with Steve finally realizing he was in a cartoon strip by breaking the fourth wall and asking the clerk who "all those scruffy-looking people [are]." as he looked at the readers, to which the clerk replied, "Probably Democrats at this point," since he did this after dropping his towel, standing naked (but with a black censoring block over his more intimate areas).

The next week, Steve found the tropical island girls and told them to give back Opus. It was then revealed that Opus had let his doggy companion in the shelter go with the girls, said "goodnight," and returned to the kennel. After seeing a vision of former "Bloom County" residents (Milo, Binkley, Oliver, Cutter John, Portnoy, and Bill the Cat) wave goodbye as they rode off into the distance atop Cutter John's wheelchair, Steve walked back to the animal shelter to find nothing but Opus' bow tie and an empty kennel. The final strip showed a glowing light coming from a box inside the kennel.

Steve reaches into the box, and smiles at what he sees. Following a link to the Humane Society (http://www.humanesociety.org/opus, which shows the last panel as part of the $10,000 contest), it shows Steve opening a copy of "Goodnight Moon" and seeing Opus tucked in bed, sleeping peacefully with a mother rabbit watching over him.



WELL Good bye my old cartoon friend I will surely miss my stories with Opus.

Me and this cartoon character grew up together during the 80's. When I was in the 9th grade, I remember reading this silly little cartoon about a Penguin named Opus. I have no idea why I loved this cartoon, it stands for almost everything that i am against but, never the less, I would read it daily and get a huge laugh out of it. I loved the Opus character and even mailed out my Christmas cards with Opus and even had a few Christmas ornaments and I even had a stuffed animal toy of Opus.

On my reward money for the students, some of the bills have Opus the Penguin on them. I know my students have no idea who he is but I like the look of it on my class money.

I am sorry that the cartoon has ended. Charlie Brown said it best, "I need more Hello's in my life"

Japanese General Writes Japan Not “Aggressor Nation” During World War II

» by GI Korea

This General is just repeating a belief that I have personally had Japanese people express to me:

JAPAN was not the aggressor in World War II, according to the country’s air force chief.

The essay was authored by General Toshio Tamogami, chief of staff of Japan’s Air Self-Defence Force, and won the top award in an inaugural contest aimed at describing “true views of modern history”.

“Even now, there are many people who think that our country’s ‘aggression’ caused unbearable suffering to the countries of Asia during the Greater East Asia War,” said the English-language version of the essay.

“But we need to realise that many Asian countries take a positive view of the Greater East Asia War.

“In Thailand, Burma, India, Singapore, and Indonesia, the Japan that fought the Greater East Asia War is held in high esteem.

“It is certainly a false accusation to say that our country was an aggressor nation.”

The Greater East Asia War was a term used by Japan to describe the conflict in the Asia-Pacific theatre, emphasising that it involv ed Asian nations seeking independence from the Western powers.

The essay, entitled “Was Japan an Aggressor Nation?”, was posted on the website of a Japanese hotel chain which organised the contest. [News.com]

Having been to and knowing people in some of the countries this General mentions, particularly Indonesia and Singapore, I don’t know anyone that looks favorably upon the Imperial Japanese of World War II. Does anyone else? For visitors to Japan the best place to see the Japanese perspective on World War II is by going to the highly controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.

The World War II exhibit is quite provocative. According to the museum, World War II is known as the Asia Co-prosperity War where the Japanese single handedly liberated one Asian country after another from foreign colonial occupation and the Asian people were all happy to be liberated. No mention of the atrocities committed by the invading Japanese troops. Additionally the museum blames the US for the attack at Pearl Harbor. Since the US implemented a trade embargo on the Japanese, the militarists felt that an attack by the Americans against Japan would only naturally come next. The museum even alleges that the United States even had a plan to attack Japan in the works and would have been executed if Japan had not pre-empted the American attack by conducting the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The American President Franklin Roosevelt was committed to an attack on Japan as a way for the US to escape the Great Depression. One theme I have picked up on at the museum is that every attack the Japanese conducted was only executed because of foreign colonizers threatening Japan and its neighbors. Japan never wanted to colonize any country, they just wanted to liberate Asians from foreigners.

This is of course nonsense. I posted before on this, but the Japanese felt modernization of Japan and the colonization of nearby countries were the best way to expand Japanese power and to compete against western rivals. The Japanese had no altruistic reasons of freeing oppressed Asians from European colonizers; it was simply about building Japanese power and influence and the attack on Pearl Harbor was where they over reached in spreading their power and influence.

Wisely the Japanese Defense Ministry appears ready to sack the general for his ridiculous comments. With today’s economic issues what politicians wouldn’t want to start a spat with Japan in order to deflect attention away from problems at home? By sacking him I doubt this will grow into any larger diplomatic issue. Nevertheless this persistent historical revisionism of Japanese World War II history is something that should be condemned and Korea and China have every right to do so you just don’t need to bring out knife in the gut man, flag eater man, finger chopping ajumma, the Dokdo Riders, and my favorite of all bee man to do so.

Decade Brings South Korea to the Brink and Back

After 1997 Crisis, Nation Sharpened Oversight and Exports Tripled; Now, Debt Collection Is Becoming a Liability

SEOUL -- South Korea in recent weeks has been perceived as the Asian country most vulnerable to the unfolding global financial crisis. It got that way not by doing things wrong -- the way it did in the Asian financial crisis a decade ago -- but because of unexpected effects from things that were going right.

Reuters

South Korea is playing down talk of a currency crisis similar to one that nearly broke the economy 10 years ago. Above, a foreign-exchange center.

Some big contributors to South Korea's recent economic vibrancy -- such as a bull run in the country's stocks and rocket-like growth of its shipbuilding industry -- turned out also to influence a jump in bank borrowings and a rise in the country's foreign debt.

After the mid-September collapse of Lehman Brothers raised risk aversion to new levels, many investors and analysts felt South Korea's debts no longer looked reasonable, particularly since they were larger than those of most Asian countries.

Government officials have stressed that the debts pose little challenge, noting that the country's central bank sits on the world's sixth-largest pile of foreign currency -- $240 billion. But the global liquidity crunch has roiled South Korea anyway. And the likely onset of recession in the U.S. and Europe, which together consume more than one-fourth of South Korea's exports, is quickly putting the brakes on the country's growth. That double whammy has fueled a selloff of South Korean stocks and devaluation of its currency, the won.

It is a surprising turn for a country that made many changes after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis brought it to the brink of insolvency. South Korea's turnaround saw exports triple and China become its biggest customer. Regulators and lawmakers, whose inaction contributed to the last crisis, sharpened rules and oversight, and officials and executives sought not to rack up big debts in any part of the economy.

In particular, South Korean banks built up strong capital-solvency ratios and fended off bad assets. Loan-to-value ratios on property loans are extremely low at 47%, and the delinquency ratio of business loans is 1.5%.

But in 2006 and 2007, South Korean consumers began withdrawing savings to invest in brokerage accounts tied to the country's booming stock market -- some for the first time. Banks also aggressively expanded lending to small businesses last year, which boosted profits. At Shinhan Bank, the nation's third-largest, loans to small and midsize businesses grew 47% from the start of last year through the middle of this year, compared with 36% growth in the bank's loan portfolio.

The moves raised banks' loan-to-deposit ratio, a figure watched closely as an indicator of bank safety. After Lehman's collapse, some investors became nervous. Now, banks are reining in loan growth, which is squeezing their profits. That, in turn, is sending South Korean bank shares down even more sharply than the broader Korean market.

The tighter lending is starting to be felt around the country. Kim Young-ho, president of a Seoul company that sells machinery components to factories in south Asia, said he has been unable to increase the firm's bank credit line to take advantage of sales opportunities that grew as the won fell. "I mortgaged nearly everything I could, including my brother's house, so I tried to raise the limit on personal credit, but the bank rejected it," Mr. Kim said. "I think banks would have expanded the limit if there were no crisis."

Meanwhile, South Korea's $420 billion in foreign debt as of June, which also alarmed global investors, was built up in large part by the success of the country's shipbuilders.

Because shipbuilders take orders for ships that will be built in three or four years, they hedge most of their orders to guarantee that they get present value for them. About 36% of the country's debt is backed up by export payments to be received when ships are delivered. An additional 19% is owned by foreign banks in Korea, and analysts debate whether this should be considered part of the country's liability.

Before the global financial crisis spread, analysts expected South Korea's economy to grow about 4.5% for the year. Now, the consensus of estimates is just below 4% -- and for next year, forecasts range from 2.5% to 3.5%.

On Monday, the Bank of Korea lowered its main interest rate by three-quarters of a point to 4.25% in hopes of easing borrowing costs to the nation's businesses. BOK leaders said more cuts are on the way.

On Thursday, the National Assembly is to vote on a bill to guarantee the foreign-currency borrowings of the nation's banks, aiming to shore up liquidity of dollars and euros. And the Financial Services Commission on Wednesday eased liquidity requirements on the won, relieving pressure on banks to issue bonds.

US & Korea Discuss North Korean Regime Collapse Planning

» by GI Korea

It appears USFK is taking what RAND Corp. scholar Dr. Bruce Bennett had to say seriously considering the current announcement that USFK wants to develop joint contingency plans with South Korea in case of a North Korean regime collapse:

The United States has proposed setting up a detailed action plan in case of the collapse of the North Korean regime under Kim Jong-il, a move Seoul once rejected out of fear that it would provoke Pyongyang.

Yonhap News reported that the proposal came at a recent meeting between the heads of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea and the United States, known as the Military Committee Meeting (MCM), quoting anonymous sources.

The two allies tried to come up with a similar plan several years ago, but only ended up agreeing on a conceptual plan, known as Contingency Plan 5029, as Seoul expressed concern that U.S. involvement in such an event could infringe upon its sovereignty.

“The U.S. side proposed the countries develop CONPLAN 5029 into an operational plan at the MCM,” the source was quoted as saying. The annual meeting of military chiefs was held in Washington on Oct. 16.

The U.S. proposal was then reported to the countries’ top defense officials, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, during their annual ministerial talks, known as the Security Consultative Meeting, in Washington the following day, according to the source. [Korea Times via Robert Koehler]

CONPLAN 5029 last came up back in 2006 and the then South Korean Roh Moo-hyun government did not want to do any real planning for fear of angering North Korea. The South Korean reluctance to plan for the internal collapse of North Korea, something that is more likely to happen then a second Korean War, should be looked at as ideology compromising the national security of the nation. A collapse of North Korea with no contingency plan between South Korea and the US would make the occupation planning before Operation Iraqi Freedom look like the second coming of the Marshall Plan. So both sides compromised and came up with a plan that really didn’t plan for much of anything other then securing weapons of mass destruction and the handling of refugees if the regime collapsed.

Who will provide basic services for the people of North Korea?

Stopping nuclear weapons dissemination and the exodus of refugees is extremely important, but as the U.S. military’s experience in Iraq has taught us, providing for security, the rule of law, and government services immediately after a conflict is also essential. Who will stop the inevitable looting that will begin after a regime collapse? Who will prevent North Koreans from taking revenge against regime security forces and others who had oppressed them? The Koreans rely on government food rations. If the regime collapses, who will provide food for the country’s 23 million citizens? Several infectious diseases—scarlet fever, measles, typhoid, paratyphoid, and typhus—are reportedly spreading inside North Korea now. Who will enforce quarantines and treat the sick? Who will establish law and order in a country filled with small arms and explosives? Who will stand up a government that the citizens of North Korea will accept after a collapse?

These are just a few of the questions that need answers with any operational plan being constructed to deal with a North Korean regime collapse.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

Now with a new South Korean president in place US Defense Secretary Gates is pushing again for better contingency planning if the North Korean regime should collapse:

Gates reportedly said that the U.S. is ready to supply fighting power necessary for South Korea to implement such an operational plan.

It was the first time since the Lee Myung-bak administration took office that the top U.S. military leader has stressed the need to make the plan practicable and pledged support.

Seoul apparently agrees but feels it should tread carefully for fear of upsetting North Korean and some parts of South Korean society. [Chosun Ilbo]

Considering North Korea just threatened to turn Seoul into “debris”, I don’t think you can anger them anymore then that. Also I don’t think that creating an Operational Plan in case of a North Korean collapse will cause massive street protests like the mad cow issue, but you can be sure the usual suspects will be out protesting, which is nothing new. So I think this planning will get some traction in the coming months.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates

However, something that concerns me is Secretary Gates statement saying the US will, “supply fighting power” for South Korea to implement such a plan. Does that mean Secretary Gates advocates for US troops moving into North Korea if the regime collapses?

I have long maintained that no US troops should move into North Korea if the regime collapsed, which has put my views at odds with people I respect such as John Bolton and Nicholas Eberstadt.

I have said this repeatedly, but I will say it yet again, if US forces moved into North Korea if the regime collapsed, that would be an excuse for the Chinese to move in. The Chinese want to keep the North Korean buffer state along their border and will not willingly go along and give it up if they can help it. That is why I have always believed that if the ROK Army was prepared to execute an immediate occupation of North Korea if the regime collapsed, China would then have a harder time legitimizing any invasion of North Korea with their own forces if the ROK Army is already moving in to stabilize the situation.

Chinese People’s Liberation Army stands ready to intervene in North Korea

US forces moving into North Korea would only legitimize any Chinese action into North Korea plus cause a host of other issues such as causing the North Korean population to question the legitimacy of the South Korean government. North Koreans have been brought up since the day they were born on anti-US propaganda saying the South Koreans are just puppets of the Americans and any US occupation force into North Korea would only confirm this in the minds of North Koreans. It will be imperative after any regime collapse to establish the legitimacy of the South Korean government with the people of North Korea and any US or Chinese intervention force will greatly compromise this.

Any occupation of North Korea will not be easy even with detailed planning. The 60 years of indoctrination has brainwashed the population against the outside world and left the country with a shattered economy. However, detailed planning in the event of a North Korean regime collapse will at least contain an extremely dangerous situation from turning into an international crisis and a possible stand off between the United States and China.

MY SASSY GIRL MOVIE REVIEW (2008)

When I first heard that Hollywood was going to remake “Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo” (My Sassy Girl), the only thing going through my mind was, “What a complete waste of an idea. It will not translate well into English” After seeing the film, It did not translate well at all and it went straight to video in the USA, where it deserves never to be seen ever again. Welcome to the failure of Yann Samuell’s, “My Sassy Girl”

If I have to state one reason why this film ultimately fails is that the Korean culture and the USA culture are so different that when you try and literally put the Korean into the American, the audience can not and will not respond to it as the Korean will. I have had 2 Canadian friends of mine both tell me that, “Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo” is one of their all-time favorite Korean films; mainly because it had the spark and that they believed the story. When they both saw the remake they both explained that Hollywood had failed to understand and grasp what make it work for them the first time.

For those of you who never saw “Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo” the plot’s simple enough. The film is based on a series of true stories posted on the internet by Ho-sik Kim describing his relationship with his girlfriend. His posting were later made into a book and then a movie about his girlfriend. It describes the meeting of Kyun-woo (Cha) and an unnamed girl. He’s shamed into assisting the girl because the other passengers mistakenly think she is his girlfriend. Once he helps her, he develops a deep sense of responsibility and honor and love towards her which enables him to somehow tolerate the girls’ abuses towards him.

Now in Korea, it’s so unusual for a girl to talk back and to actually strike a man, which the audience was in shock but they soon liked what they called, “The Sassy Girl”. The film occupied the top spot at the Korean box office for six weeks back in 2001, selling 4.8 million tickets and has been shown on VCD and DVD around the world. When Hollywood was looking at new ideas back in 2002, the remake rights were sold to DreamWorks for $750,000 plus 4 percent of the worldwide gross. I hope that the production company, Shin Cine, was not counting on a huge US box office because it ain’t happening. After testing horribly for the audiences, the film was released straight-to-DVD, For a film budgeted at around $30 Million (US) This will prove to be a huge money loser.

With the American remake, I didn’t feel any sympathy for neither Charlie nor Jordan, the main characters in the film. The only people I really felt sorry for was the audience that had to waste good money of this. As I stated earlier, it tried to make Korea into the USA and it just did not work. For a love story gone wrong, the audience has to feel sorry for someone not the one watching this.

I usually joke in some of my reviews that, “I see the crap so you do not have to.” Well I have seen this crap and please, for the love of any money that you would like to save, please pass on this film at all cost.

Grade F-

Today I had a talk with a fellow teacher about, "Critical Thinking" and how our students have no real concept of the idea at all. If you a usual reader of my blog, you know that once a semester, I try and do a critical thinking exercise. It has been a total failure each time that I have tried to do it. I will try and do something a little different this year with it and see if it works or Will I have the same results as prior.

I saw this from seoulsearcher's blog and it struck me that he was correct and that we are teaching wrong. We are teaching the students book English and we should be teaching them basic survival English.

I have always tried to teach my students normal words that we would use in the USA, so if, or when, they get their, they will have at least a basic chance of understanding the words that are being spoken to them. Please read the article below and feel free to leave any comment.



On Learning A Foreign Language

For a brief period in the late 1990s, I had a chance to work at Yonhap News Agency, South Korea’s government-controlled newsgathering and disseminating organ. Like most other companies, Yonhap hired a group of new employees, just out of university, in the spring every year.

Since big news organizations, including television networks and mass-circulation dailies, had become the most popular employers among young Koreans, the newly hired reporters were selected from literally tens of thousands of applicants.

Those chosen were the cream of the crop, as they say. And understandably, 10 out of the dozen young men and women who were hired by Yonhap in that particular year were graduates of the nation’s top institute of higher learning—Seoul National University.

During their apprenticeship, they went around by turn from one department to another for one week to be introduced and learn, as it were, the tricks of the trade.

When they came to the foreign news department, I asked them what they had studied in the university. And to my surprise, quite a few of them replied that they had majored in English. I further learned that they had mainly read such works as Chaucer and Milton at school. “Wow,” I exclaimed in spite of myself, “that’s difficult stuff.”

Then, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one who was impressed by their academic background; one of my colleagues, a British-born editor, overhearing our conversation, asked them some simple questions in English like what kind of journalists they eventually wanted to become.

However, none of them provide him with a reply longer than “yes” or “no.” Were they so shy or diffident by nature that they couldn’t respond to his questions in detail? Or were they actually unable to say anything in passable English?

“It’s amazing,” the British friend said afterwards. “They are supposed to be the smartest kids in this country, and they must have studied English at least ten years and yet none of them could converse with me in English.”

“Something is wrong with the foreign language education in this country,” he said, shaking his head.

I could readily see his point, but I must admit I couldn’t quite agree with him, because I was in their shoes myself when I was their age several decades earlier.

In 1957, when I decided to go to America to work my way through university at the relatively ripe old age of 25, I thought I had a rudimentary command of English. After all, I had taken language tests at the Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Embassy and passed them without difficulty.

Prior to the tests, I studied the language for one year as an English major at a university. What’s more, I had had some opportunities to “converse” with American GIs off-and-on during the Korean War as our regiment had often been deployed on the frontline side by side with American units.

With some $30 in my pocket, I arrived in New York in June 1957 to work during the summer to earn some money before leaving for Lincoln, Nebraska, to attend the state university there. Fortunately, I had a friend who preceded me to the United States by two years, and thanks to his help, I got a job at a sheet metal company as an odd-jobs man at the factory.

But to my chagrin, I found myself utterly unable to communicate with my fellow workers. I could not understand what they were saying, and I could not make them understand what I was trying to say. For all practical purposes, I was almost deaf and dumb; I was barely able to understand the work orders the foreman gave me through gestures mixed with—believe it or not—some Japanese words (he had been stationed in Japan for several years after the Second World War).

Despite the language difficulty, my fellow workers and I soon became great friends. During the lunch break, for instance, we went out of the factory, sat against the factory wall on 48^th Street and 11^th Avenue in Manhattan and ate our sandwiches, while exchanging jokes and jeering at passing girls in mini-skirts.

At first, I couldn’t make out what they were saying among themselves and laughing at, but in time, I began to grab some of their meanings here and there. I also realized that the language they were using was quite different from what I had learned in my textbooks; they were speaking the real, “living” language steeped in the life and culture of ordinary Americans.

Another difficulty with the language—though of a somewhat different kind, but nonetheless serious and requiring an urgent resolution—was awaiting me at the university as well.

Before the first semester began, I was asked to write an essay (I wrote about my first job at the New York factory that summer). And it so happened that what I wrote somehow impressed the members of the board of admission and as a result, I was granted an unexpected scholarship. For me, they also waved the requirement for all foreign freshmen to take a special English language course.

These developments restored a bit of my confidence as far as language was concerned. But that was shattered once again in the first class I attended.

I was not only unable to understand the joke the professor cracked at the beginning of the lecture (most American professors do, don’t they?), but also to keep up with the professor’s lecture and jot down notes.

Feeling the attentive eyes of the students sitting next to me, and ashamed of my inability to write down what the professor was saying, I kept turning the pages of my notebook after writing a few words or sentences. Pretty soon, I was almost half way through my brand new notebook when the professor was only 10 minutes into his lecture.

Finally I gave up and decided to borrow the notebook from an American student. And this practice, I’m ashamed to admit, lasted a long time before I started managing to make legible notes of my own in most classes.

More embarrassing situations arouse when I watched television with American friends. The popular programs were usually late night talks shows, like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

Whenever Carson said something funny during his famous monologue or told hilarious jokes, my friends roared with laughter while I remained stone-faced, not knowing what they were laughing about. Or I just smiled sheepishly in embarrassment. I was often infuriated at myself for not being able to understand what were apparently simple jokes.

Anyway, it took a long time before I realized that understanding and speaking a foreign language involved much more than anything that books and teachers in classrooms can teach you. A language is rooted deep in the culture of a people. And at the same time, language changes constantly as the life of the people who uses it changes all the time. Old words and expressions die while new ones are coined and come into vogue. That’s why you cannot really claim you can speak a foreign language unless you understand the culture and ways of thinking.

You cannot burst into laughter at their jokes unless you know what’s happening in their society or country. And this is the reason why it takes time and more than a superfluous knowledge of a people and their society in order to understand their language and speak it fluently like a native.

In that respect, I was fortunate to have been able to mingle with the workers at the sheet metal company in the first few months of my life in America. I was also fortunate to work in restaurants every summer during my university years, waiting tables, and talking with people while I was serving them. Indeed, it was in these places where I dare say I learned the “living,” or colloquial, English, if you will, more than in classrooms or from books.

Another fake letter in the Korea Times?

FROM http://briandeutsch.blogspot.com/

Now, I don't know for sure if the name attributed of the latest "Dokdo for pussy" piece in the Korea Times is fake, but I wouldn't put it past anyone over there. It's written by an Aziga Johnson; titled "Unite in the Spirit of Dokdo," here it is:

Recently it has come to my attention that Japan has claimed the Dokdo islets for herself. Dokdo is part of South Korea and this is indisputable, as it has been known to Koreans since 512.

Everyone knows that this bellicose and irresponsible claim made by Japan is nonsense. Plainly speaking it's too extraordinary and improbable to believe.

It is an outrage that Japan would make such an unbelievable, unfounded, inexplicable claim that is totally without merit, evidence or facts. It is beyond question or dispute who is the rightful and true owner of the ``lonely rocks.''

Hearing this extremely disturbing news caused me intense displeasure, disgust, and resentment toward Japan.

I call on one and all to unite in the spirit of Dokdo, and educate 10 friends on the true owner of Dokdo. Teach your friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers about Dokdo; its beauty and history. Together we can do it. Together we can accomplish real change!

Dokdo is closer to Korea than Japan, this itself should end all debate and discussion of such an absurd and irresponsible claim.

That's pretty awful, and I was going to comment on it, but I decided to check on the author first. Interestingly, if you switch his name around to Johnson Aziga, you'll learn that he is a Ugandan-born Canadian

notable as the first person to be charged with first-degree murder in Canada for spreading HIV, after two women whom he had infected without their knowledge died.

Certainly quite an unfortunate concidence if this author is legit. However, the KT has used fake letters slip through before. Most recently a piece by a "Hunter Davis," and last year a letter about English education from an "Atticus Finch," the main character in To Kill A Mockingbird. Moreover, there have been a number of truly awful Dokdo pieces in that paper since the latest diplomatic row, and just last week was practically the same letter on Korea's claim to the rocks written by a foreigner in Daejeon. Given the topic of this letter, that it is rather sparse and one-sided, and that it is purportedly written by someone overseas (hence giving legitimacy to the Korean side), I wouldn't be surprised if it were fake.

Film The Express stretches the truth

By DAVID BARRON Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

Having played on film the likes of singer Jerry Lee Lewis, astronaut Gordon Cooper and gunslinger Doc Holliday, Dennis Quaid knows that the practice of melding reel life and real life is fraught with compromise.

"Sometimes if you get all the facts right," Quaid said, "you miss the truth."

Truth, however, is more than an artistic commodity. Quaid's latest film, The Express, which opens today, unfortunately settles for selective veracity amid an occasionally well-intentioned cartoon depiction of its subject, the late Syracuse running back and Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis.

The basic facts survive generally unscathed. Davis, in life and on film, was a great running back for the Syracuse Orangemen, the first African-American winner of the Heisman and, by all accounts, an even greater young man, a continuing inspiration to those who knew him and played with him.

Davis endured hardship off the field, dying at 23 from leukemia as he prepared for his first season with the Cleveland Browns. He also was the subject of abuse and prejudice on the field; one of the more unfortunate examples occurred in Dallas, where Syracuse played the Texas Longhorns in a fight-marred Cotton Bowl game after winning college football's national championship in 1959.

In search of an allegedly greater truth, unfortunately, the facts are rearranged to a degree that disturbs John Brown, Davis' teammate, roommate and close friend at Syracuse and with the Browns.

Asked whether the film is a truthful portrayal of his friend, Brown, the model for the character J.B. in The Express, offered a less-than-glowing endorsement.

"It is a good Hollywood movie," Brown said. "And I'm happy that through the years of people trying to write something (about Davis) that something was produced. And, in short, no."

In attempting to make points that summarize the nature of Davis' life, character, accomplishments and example, director Gary Fleder and screenwriter Charles Leavitt succumbed to a common malady affecting sports films: They exaggerated sometimes in subtle ways, sometimes with hilarious overkill. And, on occasion, they flat-out lied.

Perhaps the most outrageous example is the ugly scene in which the Orangemen, with three African-American players, roll into West Virginia to play the Mountaineers and are greeted with boos, bottles, curses and racial epithets. The hatred and hostility will no doubt shock and outrage viewers; Variety has cited it, in fact, as portraying a "level of racist vitriol pouring out of the stands that is a topical reminder of America's racial heart of darkness."

One problem: The 1959 game between West Virginia and Syracuse was played in Syracuse, N.Y.

"I apologize to the people of West Virginia because that did not happen," Dick Easterly, 69, the quarterback of the 1959 Syracuse team, told the Charleston Daily Mail. "I don't blame people in West Virginia for being disturbed. The scene is completely fictitious."

There are elements of truth in the Cotton Bowl segment, which accounted for three pages in The Elmira Express, Robert C. Gallagher's biography of Davis that is the alleged basis for the film but accounts for probably 15 to 20 minutes of the two-hour movie.

The score is correct — Syracuse beat the Longhorns, 23-14, with Davis winning the most-valuable-player award, and there was a bench-clearing brawl at the end of the first half. Much of the rest, however, is fantasy.

"I know it's a movie," Brown said, "and when you see something that's about your life, it's hard to be objective. I had to keep telling myself, 'This is not a documentary, this is not a documentary.' "

Some of the inventions are comical. Brown chuckled at the scene in which the Syracuse Orangemen, all 80 or so of them, made the 1,300-mile trip from upstate New York to Dallas in a single bus rather than the airplane that actually took them to Texas.

The film also shows Syracuse checking into its Dallas hotel and Davis, Brown and teammate Art Baker assigned an unkempt room with three rumpled cots.

"That was fiction," Brown said. "(The filmmakers) had us living in a pigsty. We actually stayed in a suite that was located behind the kitchen that had a separate entrance. They did tell us to stay off the elevator, though."

Filmmakers took liberties with the game as well. To heighten the tension, they show Texas cutting the score to 15-14 before Syracuse scores a final touchdown. In fact, the Orangemen, who were two-touchdown favorites, led 23-6 before Texas' final fourth-quarter score in a 23-14 victory.

The official account of the game does not include anything matching the description of a play in the film in which a Texas player takes a running head start and slams into Davis from behind after the ball has been blown dead.

Another scene depicts Davis being visited in the Syracuse locker room by Jim Brown, his predecessor as Syracuse's top running back, and encouraged to return despite an injured leg. Davis, of course, returns and promptly reels off a long touchdown run.

Play sheets from the game, however, indicate that Davis remained in the game throughout the second half. While he did have an 87-yard touchdown play, it occurred on the second play of the game, not in the second half.

There was, however, a fight during the game that apparently had racial overtones. According to accounts compiled by the late Austin sportswriter Lou Maysel, author of Here Come the Texas Longhorns, the brawl erupted after Texas lineman Larry Stephens directed a racial slur at Brown. Stephens died in 1998, and Brown declines to discuss the incident in deference to Stephens' memory.

After the game, the on-screen Orangemen refuse to attend the postgame awards banquet because their African-American teammates will not be allowed to attend. They are shown accepting their trophies at a Dallas barbecue joint.

Once again, Brown said, there's an element of truth — but not much.

"We all attended the banquet," he said. "Texas was on one side, and we were on the other side. They had the speeches, and we ate And they handed out the trophies, and then me, Art and Ernie were asked to leave. We were taken by a representative of the NAACP to another party in Dallas."

One of the Orangemen, Ger Schwedes, suggested that the entire team leave in support of their African-American teammates, Brown said. School officials, however, vetoed the suggestion.

Davis, unfortunately, was not unaffected by his treatment in Dallas. According to a relative interviewed for an ESPN SportsCentury documentary that aired in 2000, he resorted to his childhood habit of stuttering when he described the incident.

Brown, however, prefers to remember his return to Dallas in 2001, when he accompanied Davis' family for a ceremony enshrining Davis in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.

"I ran into Darrell Royal (who in 1959 was in his third season as the Longhorns' coach), and he apologized to me," Brown said. "I will never forget that. He's Darrell Royal. Who am I?

"But he took the time to come up to me and apologize and say that he was trying to win a game and was not aware of what was going on to that extent on the field. He didn't have to come up to me, but he did, and I will always appreciate that."

There are other departures from fact in The Express. One scene depicts the ceremony in which Davis is announced from among three finalists as the winner of the Heisman Trophy. However, it was not until 1977 that the Heisman winner was announced in that fashion; prior to that, the winner was announced via a news release and then invited to an awards banquet in New York.

Another scene shows Davis, wearing his Cleveland Browns uniform, preparing to be introduced to the crowd at a Browns game. The introduction took place, but Davis was dressed in street clothes, unable to don his uniform because of a decree by Browns coach Paul Brown.

Brown, however, is most offended by a scene in which Davis was shown shouting at his coach, Ben Schwartzwalder, who is played by Quaid.

"Ernie didn't like to hurt people, and they had him being confrontational," Brown said. "He was too respectful of Ben to get into an argument with him in front of the team. That never would have happened."

He also disapproves of the manner in which Schwartzwalder is portrayed.

"Ben had been an Army trooper. He was gruff," Brown said. "He may have been a bigot. He was from West Virginia, and at that time people assimilated whatever their constituencies were. But he was never mean, in my opinion, and in the movie I think they made him too mean."

Despite his qualms about the film, Brown is grateful that moviegoers will have a chance to learn about his friend.

"Some fans today probably think that the Heisman was always won by a black guy. But that's not true," Brown said. "And so I'm glad that people can see this film to learn that there really was an Ernie Davis and that he was a really, really exceptional person."

He wishes, however, that the film had been closer to the Ernie Davis he knew.

"He was a gentleman and a gentle man. He really was," Brown said.

Korean Series Preview

October 26th, 2008 By Shinsano

Well, it’s been a very exciting year in Korean baseball, hasn’t it? After all, I ranked the team at #1 everytime I compiled KBO rankings this season. I said that if Kim Kwang-hyun pitched at a level anywhere close to his potential that the Wyvrens would repeat. That the team had no stars, and was without any major weaknesses. At times, SK’s story has gotten a little boring to write about.

And it’s not like I’m some genius Korean baseball analyst. Anyone who follows the league might have told you the same thing. They might have expected Kia, with its four players with MLB experience, to give SK a small run. Or they might have suggested that Samsung or Hanwha, with small ballparks and enough power to hit the ball out of them, might have flirted with the top spot.

But as predictable as SK is, the team is something to behold – if you like baseball played well, it’s fun to watch. They do everything at least pretty well. If I had to pick one outstanding strength I guess I’d say starting pitching, but that’s almost solely because of wunderkind Kim Kwang-hyun (16-4, 2.39 ERA). After him there’s Che Byung-ryong (10-2, 2.70 ERA), who would probably be a No. 1 starter on one or two KBO teams. Then there’s foreigner Kenny Rayborn, who is decent, but not by any means dominating (5-3, 3.30). After Rayborn things get a little patchwork.

Mostly, what makes SK arguably the best professional baseball team in Asia – even though the league itself is still weaker than the NPB – is that the management has somehow installed a winning consciousness top to bottom. Everyone, with the exception of Kim Kwang-hyun, who I think could win 15 games in the majors, ends up playing at a higher level than they might on another team. The Wyvrens don’t outspend the other teams, and while Koreans seem quick to give manager Kim Sung-keun a lot of the credit because he’s an elder statesman of the game, I don’t think that’s necessarily it either.

It’s got to be the organization itself. How boring is that?

There is a team opposing SK in the Korean Series, and the Doosan Bears supposedly have a chance to win as well. Doosan played SK pretty well (8-10) during the season, and swept SK in a series back in May. The Bears match up pretty well with SK in the sense that Seoul’s finest have a number of spray hitters, play pretty good defense and have a strong bullpen. In last year’s Korean Series Doosan had the magic arm of Daniel Rios (as it turns out, too magic), and rode him to a quick 1-0 series lead. As it would turn out, it was SK’s ability to topple Rios in Game 4 that would completely change the tone of the series, enable SK to tie the series, and then go on to win the next two games for the crown. Guess who started Game 4 for SK?

But in 2008 Doosan has no stopper. Kim Sun-woo started Game 1 versus Samsung, and was turned to again in Game 5, but pitched more like he did earlier in the season when he was demoted to the minors. Matt Randel will get the ball in Game 1 and is capable of putting together a good Game 1, but his numbers were down after three very good seasons in Korea that saw him win more than 10 games. This year Randel was 9-9 with a 4.46 ERA. His previous worst was 3.25. His peripherals, to the extent that such stats exist in Korea, aren’t bad, which makes me think he was somewhat unlucky this year. He was very good against SK this season, going 2-1 with a 1.27 ERA in 35 1/3 innings. There might be something to that, but Randel was pitched his worst baseball in August and September with a 7.36 (in 1 start) and then a 5.40 ERA.

SK has three batters who finished 2008 with OBPs over .400. Gee, that’s a bonus. If there’s a “best offensive player” on SK it’s Park Jae-hong, who is a minor MVP candidate, and put up a .318/.420/.538 slash line with 20 HRs and 72 RBIs. Choi Jung is also a good hitter from the right side and posted a .328/.410/.480, leading the team in runs scored with 77. Fourteen-year veteran Kim Jae-hyun, who had a poor 2007, but ended up winning the MVP of last year’s Korean Series, had a solid 2008 in 297 ABs (.310/.426/.488).

SK had two other players top 100 hits (there were four on the team and four others over 85), Jung Gun-woo, and Lee Jin-yeong. To put it simply, SK gets on base a lot and can score runs. A new wrinkle to the offense this season has been the running game, which, as I detailed in my Doosan/Samsung series preview, is the Bears strength. This season SK has made a conscious effort to run more and the team boosted its team total SBs to 170, up from 121 last season, and even comparable with Doosan’s league leading 189.

SK’s bullpen is led by sidearmer Cheong Dae-hyun, who was more or less used as the closer for the Olympic team. Following the Olympics he wasn’t his usual self and was given the better part of a month off. He led the team in saves with 20, but he was one of nine SK relievers to get a save. No. 2 on that list is Estaban Yan, who was sent home after a series of poor outings late in the year. Instead, Kenny Ray will be the second foreign player for SK. Ray was ineffective through five appearances with SK, so I’m not sure what his role will be if any. But SK’s bullpen is loaded: Jeong Woo-lam, Yoon Kil-hyeon, Joh Woo-cheong, and even 17-year vet Ka Deok-yeom, who was bad early in the season, but didn’t allow a run in August or September.

Again, to refer to my Doosan/Samsung preview, the Bears bullpen is also a strength, but it got a ton of action during the Samsung series, and middle reliever/spot starter Lee Hae-cheon has become a focal point of the rotation, having started two games (in addition to appearing as a reliever in two others). I admire Lee’s rubber arm, but he’d have a hard time even cracking SK’s playoff roster.

Prediction:There’s no reason to think Doosan will win this series. Not one. That said, the Bears have played SK well during the regular season in both 2007 and 2008. The teams also had two bench clearing huff-and-puffs during the 2007 Korean Series, and I think Doosan will be up for this series. The fact that SK’s most dominant player is a pitcher who will likely throw in just one or two games, makes it hard for me to just say SK will sweep. If Matt Randel can continue his success against SK and somehow lead the Bears to a Game 1 win it will change the complexion of the series.

But I think in the end, the long layoff will help SK. There’s some logic in sports that suggests that sometimes teams that have long layoffs don’t come back sharp, but SK was the first team to start spring training this season (in January) and ended last season with the Asia Series Cup in Japan in mid November. In other words, the Wyvrens have never stopped playing, and I don’t suspect they’ll stop for several years to come. They’re a machine and something to behold. They’ll be ready for Doosan and will take care of business, winning their second straight KBO championship in five games.

Obama leading--heavy turbulence ahead

by The Anti-Jihadist

The latest polls show the Messiah pulling away from McCain. Which means we are only ten days away from the dawn of the reign of the new age of change, hope, love, peace, kindness, benevolence, transformation, optimism, serenity, wonderfulness, ocean rise slowing, the USSPR (The United States Socialist People's Republic), the Age Of Aquarius, the planet healing, "When you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody", & other fine stuff. I can't wait!

Unfortunately for leftists, Democrats and other Obama voters, it's extremely likely (to say the least) that the enemies of the United States will still hate the US even after B. Hussein wins. It's also very likely that the thugs of the world are going to test the wherewithal of the Most Merciful Obama with some sort of international crisis soon after he enters the Oval Office.

But don't just take my word on it. Listen to Obama's VP pick, Joe Biden and his words from earlier this week:

It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking…Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate…


It doesn't require any kind of political genius to understand that ruthless bad actors out there who will want to test Barack Obama and will see his (probable) election win as an opportunity to take advantage of. Even Joe Biden has admitted as much.

Reality is a good teacher, although some never learn.

US Beef Accounts for Nearly Half of Beef Imports

FROM THE MARMOT'S HOLE..........................................................

Just three months after the restart of imports, US beef now accounts for almost half of total beef imports into Korea, reports Yonhap.

In terms of dollar amount, US beef accounted for 43% of total beef imports last month. In terms of tonnage, it accounted for 35%. And the numbers are rising quickly.

The primary victim — Aussie beef. Beef from Hojuland still accounted for 48% and 52% of total imported beef by dollar amount and tonnage, respectively, but this is way down from 77% and 72% in May.

Kiwi beef is also getting killed — it now places a distant third, at 8% and 11%.

In particular, the US beef’s impressive share by dollar is due to exporters focus on exporting high-value cuts like ribs

I have been saying this same thing for the past few years now. I've always wondered what will happen when the NK leader dies. I hope its peaceful.

RAND Scholar Warns South Korea of Chinese Military Threat

» by GI Korea in: China, North Korea

It appears more and more people are beginning to believe what I said over two years ago, if South Korea is not ready to occupy a collapsed North Korean state, the Chinese will:

A leading U.S. scholar warns South Korea should prepare for Chinese military intervention and occupation of North Korea or possible attacks against the South’s military in the event of a regime collapse in the North. Dr. Bruce Bennett of the defense-oriented RAND Corporation delivered an address at a seminar in Seoul on Tuesday hosted by the South Korean Army at the War Memorial of Korea, where he forecast Chinese occupation of a portion of North Korea or a threat of invasion to South.

The RAND Corporation is a research and development institution created in 1948 by civilian scientists and researchers who had been commissioned by the U.S. Air Force. Bennett is the North Korea expert there.

He said if China decides to intervene after a collapse, its armies will arrive in Pyongyang before South Korean troops get there, and if a battle breaks out, then Chinese forces would have two to three times the quality advantage. Technical assistance from the United States, based on a continued Korea-U.S. alliance would be crucial, he added. [Chosun Ilbo]

Dr. Bennett’s comments relate back to an article he wrote earlier this year that goes into greater detail of his views on North Korean regime collapse:

If Kim Jong-il suddenly found himself in very desperate, regime-threatening circumstances, might he decide to embrace conflict as a means for gaining the support of rebellious groups in the North? Or if Kim died, could the regime fail and lead to internal chaos into which South Korea and perhaps China would eventually be forced to intervene for humanitarian and security purposes? (…)

South Korea’s inability to carry out offensive operations could allow Kim Jong-il to survive failed attacks on South Korea and then repeat them, at very high cost to South Korea. Or South Korea might be forced to allow anarchy to rule North Korea on its border. In contrast, China is unlikely to accept such anarchy on its border and may feel compelled to intervene; a South with inadequate offensive capabilities might have to accept Chinese control of large parts of North Korea for some time. [Dr. Bruce Bennett - Rand Corp]

Something I didn’t see specified in Dr. Bennett’s article is what he envisions for the US’s role in a collapsed North Korean state. I have long maintained that no US troops should move into North Korea if the regime collapsed, which has put my views at odds with people I respect such as John Bolton and Nicholas Eberstadt.

If US forces moved into North Korea if the regime collapsed, that would be an excuse for the Chinese to move in. The Chinese want to keep the North Korean buffer state along their border and will not willingly go along and give it up if they can help it. That is why I have always believed that if the ROK Army was prepared to execute an immediate occupation of North Korea if the regime collapsed, China would then have a harder time legitimizing any invasion of North Korea with their own forces if the ROK Army is already moving in to stabilize the situation.

US forces moving into North Korea would only legitimize any Chinese action into North Korea plus cause a host of other issues.

Dr. Bennett’s article is more then just about regime collapse and Chinese intervention. Here is a good statement from Dr. Bennett’s article that greatly counters anyone’s argument that North Korea is serious about denuclearizing:

Many experts on North Korea are skeptical that North Korea will ever dismantle its entire nuclear weapon arsenal, because these capabilities have been so critical to North Korea. Consider this: How is it that a nearly bankrupt country of only about 20 million people can stand up to three members of the U.N. Security Council and Japan, four of the wealthiest countries in the world? And in doing so, North Korea often comes out the victor. Would North Korea have such leverage without nuclear weapons? Would the North Korean regime be able to survive without such appearances of empowerment?

I have long maintained that North Korea is not going to denuclearize and I recommend everyone read the Strategic Disengagement Theory to find out why.

Also here is what Dr. Bennett thinks about the current state of the US-ROK alliance:

Today, the United States provides most defense and deterrence capabilities that South Korea cannot. The United States spends about 100 trillion won each year to man, equip, and prepare forces committed to assisting South Korea in a time of war. The United States has been willing to make such a large contribution to South Korean security for decades, effectively subsidizing the South Korean economy. But many in the United States feel that it is now time to let South Korea be more self-reliant. Every effort should be made to achieve this mutual interest in South Korean self-reliance.

In moving toward military self-reliance, South Korea wants to move from a junior partner to a full partner in the alliance relationship. To do so, it should be prepared to accept the responsibilities of full partnership. The United States has appreciated South Korean contributions in East Timor, Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere. Still, South Koreas efforts have not reached those of a full partner like the United Kingdom, which has an active duty military force one-third the size of South Koreas. South Korea needs to examine this issue more closely as it plans its role in the future of the alliance.

As seen recently with all the delay games that are preventing the USFK transformation plan, the current Korean government has no intention of stopping the current subsidizing of the South Korean economy with the US military presence in South Korea.

Make sure to read Dr. Bennett’s entire article because it is a pretty good run down on the current state of affairs on the Korean peninsula. Hopefully Dr. Bennett’s views will further motivate policy makers to continue to take the issue of Chinese intervention in a collapsed North Korean state seriously, which there has been some recent indications policy makers finally are.

A GREAT JOKE FOR THE DAY


Are you pissed? Don't take it out on someone you know, take it out on
someone you don't know!


I was sitting at my desk when I remembered a phone call I'd forgotten
to make. I found the number and dialed it. A man answered, saying

"Hello."


I politely said, "This is Chris. Could I please speak with Robyn
Carter?"

Suddenly a manic voice yelled out in my ear "Get the right f***ing
number!" and the phone was slammed down on me. I couldn't believe
that anyone could be so rude. When I tracked down Robyn's correct
number to call her, I found that I had accidentally transposed the last two digits.

After hanging up with her, I decided to call the 'wrong' number again. When the same guy answered the phone, I yelled "You're an ass hole!" and hung up. I wrote his number down with the word 'ass hole' next to it, and put it in my desk drawer. Every couple of weeks, when I was paying bills or had a really bad day, I'd call him up and yell, "You're an ass hole!" It always cheered me up.

When Caller, ID was introduced, I thought my therapeutic 'ass hole'
calling would have to stop. So, I called his number and said, "Hi, this is John Smith from the telephone company. I'm calling to see if you're familiar with our Caller, ID Program?"

He yelled "NO!" and slammed down the phone. I quickly called him
back and said, "That's because you're an ass hole!" and hung up.

One day I was at the store, getting ready to pull into a parking spot. Some guy in a black BMW cut me off and pulled into the spot I had patiently waited for. I hit the horn and yelled that I'd been waiting for that spot, but the idiot ignored me. I noticed a "For Sale " sign in his back window, so I wrote down his number.

A couple of days later, right after calling the first ass hole (I had his number on speed dial), I thought that I'd better call the BMW ass hole, too. I said, "Is this the man with the black BMW for sale?"

He said, "Yes, it is."

I asked, "Can you tell me where I can see it?"

He said, "Yes, I live at 34 Oak tree Blvd., in Fairfax . It's a yellow rambler, and the car's parked right out in front."

I asked, "What's your name?"

He said, "My name is Don Hansen,"

I asked, "When's a good time to catch you, Don?"

He said, "I'm home every evening after five."

I said, "Listen, Don, can I tell you something?"

He said, "Yes?"

I said, "Don, you're an ass hole!" and I hung up, and added his number to my speed dial, too. Now, when I had a problem, I had two ass holes to call.

Then I came up with an idea. I called ass hole #1. He said, "Hello."

I said, "You're an ass hole!" (But I didn't hang up.)
"Are you still there?" he said.

I said, "Yeah,"

He screamed, "Stop calling me,"

I said, "Make me,"

He asked, "Who are you?"

I said, "My name is Don Hansen."

He said, "Yeah? Where do you live?"

I said, "Ass hole, I live at 34 Oak tree Blvd, in Fairfax . I have yellow Rambler and a black Beamer parked in front."

He said, "I'm coming over right now, Don. And you had better start
saying your prayers."

I said, "Yeah, like I'm really scared, ass hole," and hung up.

Then I called Ass hole #2.

He said, "Hello?"

I said, "Hello, ass hole,"

He yelled, "If I ever find out who you are..."

I said, "You'll what?"

He exclaimed, "I'll kick your ass,"

I answered, "Well, ass hole, here's your chance. I'm coming over right now."

Then I hung up and immediately called the police, saying that I lived at 34 Oak tree Blvd, in Fairfax , and that I was on my way over there to kill my gay lover.

Then I called Channel 9 News about the gang war going down in Oak
tree Blvd. in Fairfax .

I quickly got into my car and headed over to Fairfax . I got there just in time to watch two ass holes beating the crap out of each other in front of six cop cars, an overhead news helicopter and surrounded by a news crew.

NOW I feel much better. Anger management really does work.