Almost Half the Korean Kids Who Go to the Ivies DROP OUT

by Scribbings of the Metropolitician

What's been anecdotally fact amongst people in the business has now been backed up with some real research and statistics about what is one of the dirtiest little open secrets in the foreign language high school industry.

Parents, of course, still don't want to listen to anyone who might KNOW -- say, like the teachers who not only teach their students and have actually been IN the system they're about to send their kids to -- but now, maybe they'll finally listen now:

Forty-four percent of Korean students at top American universities give up their studies halfway through.

This data is contained in Samuel S. Kim's doctoral dissertation ``First and Second Generation Conflict in Education of the Asian American Community'' delivered at Columbia University Friday.

The drop out rate is much higher than 34 percent of American, 25 percent of Chinese and 21 percent of Indian students.

The results come from tracking 1,400 Korean students registered at 14 top American universities - Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, Amherst College, Duke, Georgetown, Brown, Dartmouth, Pennsylvania and Princeton - between 1985 and 2007.

After having worked at Daewon, Yongin, and now Ewha Foreign Language High Schools, I've repeated this warning until I was quite literally blue in the face. The problem is that Korean kids are quite good at the standardized testing that gets them IN to American colleges, but what the schools cranking them out don't do is prepare them to do all the work AFTER they get in the door. And that means no more multiple-choice, do your own research without plagiarizing, and the 8-10-page paper assigned today is due next week in class.

But it's not in the schools' interests to worry about kids after they get to the schools -- their bragging in the Korean newspapers is done and they're busy recruiting more kids. Parents are just worried about school names and getting in, too, and in their defense, don't know how poorly prepared their kids are. If they're LUCKY, they'll have a course that's not related to a test that will actually teach these kids how to properly think, reason, and open their mouths in class.

Now, those of us who are always on the defensive from parents and school staff have some ammunition on our side. And maybe this dissertation can help a few more Korean kids get a chance to sit in a class that actually does more than run through practice problems.

EVERY SEMESTER AT WOOSONG UNIVERSITY I ATTEMPT A CRITICAL THINKING EXERCISE AND EVERY TIME IT HAS FAILED MISERABLY. I HAVE TRIED TO TEACH MY STUDENTS WHO WILL BE WORKING IN THE USA HOW TO THINK, REASON AND TO OPEN THEIR MOUTHS IN CLASS, AS MIKE DID ABOVE, TO DISASTROUS RESULTS.

I TELL MY CLASSES, I CAN TEACH YOU EXACTLY WHAT WILL BE NEEDED TO PASS THE TEST, BUT YOU WILL PASS THE TEST BUT YOU WILL FAIL LIFE. I WILL REPORT WHAT HAPPENS WITH THIS YEARS LESSON WHEN I COMPLETE IT IN A FEW WEEKS.

My Stomach Hurts, Or Why Cho Jin-sil's Suicide is Business-As-Usual

From the Scribbings of the Metropolitician/(See my comments at the end)

[source]

Here's a response I wrote to Web 2.0 Asia's post about the death of Choi Jin-sil:

Well, one thing worth thinking about -- I think the nastiness is partially enabled by 1) lazy moderators on sites, and 2) the particularly extreme nastiness of the Korean internet.

Now, before people go off saying this is "racist" or whatnot, I'll say that I place this all squarely within a framework of causality -- not just "Koreans are essentially, genetically X."

There is an extreme amount of competition for scarce resources in this society, ranging from less space-per-person, how standardized tests rule everything, the extreme militarized hierarchy of society, and the general amount of mental trauma that has not at all been dealt with throughout the entire 20th century.

Take a country ravaged by invasion and colonization for 36 years, forced labor and military conscription through World War II, then "liberation" by a new set of neo-colonizers, then a devastating war that ravaged the nation and rent family ties asunder, which was then followed by dictatorship, torture, and the constant threat of force by the government on labor unions, activists, and anyone else who bothered to question authority, coupled with the crushing of organized labor and the democracy movement (within a nominal democracy, right? the irony) in Kwangju, and the constant "scare" and suspicion that one's neighbor was a "Commie" -- and then suddenly, the economy is great-n-the-80's, people are toting Prada bags and Beamers (or wanting to), and busy enjoying themselves -- or trying not to think about the massive collective trauma inflicted upon them.

It's like this: you female coworker who sits next to you in the office is kidnapped on Monday, invaded and abused on Tuesday, gangraped and beaten to within an inch off her life all day Wednesday, cruelly tortured and humiliated on Thursday, before being "liberated" in a violent commando raid with guns and explosions and tear gas bombs on Friday, taken home quivering and catatonic on Saturday, then given Sunday to rest and collect herself.

Then she returns to work on Monday, prim and proper, smile on her face, ready to work at her desk and take calls and send memos. And you're sitting there, staring at her in disbelief because you heard about all that happened to her on the news, thinking, "What the hell are you doing here? Are you OK??!?!?!"

And she answers, "Why, of course! Silly you! Why wouldn't I be?" and goes on cheerily typing a memo as if that entire previous week hadn't happened.

Would you not think her absolutely off her rocker? Sure, every nation has had trauma, but Korean society was so rocked and shocked and blocked and knocked again in soooo many fundamental ways throughout the 20th century -- and has the acute problem of still not being able to properly deal with its history, the huge and lingering social consequences of all that history that is apparent to anyone who looks objectively at Korea's uneven and rapid development.

Not only has that experience created the TRAUMA that filters down from the national to the individual level over the past century, it also is a source of the extreme distrust, negativity, and competitiveness that the system created by that trauma now engenders.

In short, to me, an American, envy takes place on a level here that truly perplexes me. The saying "when a cousin buys a piece of land, my stomach hurts" was a phrase that I found nearly mysterious, at least in terms of an emotional logic that I am used to. But once I came to understand it, once I saw that logic applied to people's lives here in case after case, it was one of those "cultural differences" that I just had to chalk up to not being able to surmount. One is, inevitably, the product of one's circumstances, education, and socialization.

Here, when someone has something you don't -- or even when a friend has something good happen to them, as in winning a prize, getting an opportunity, etc -- it is often very tricky to navigate. And from a management point-of-view, very real.

Illustrative Case 1:
In the 90's, our American director of a Korean-American joint office once implemented an "employee of the month" policy, where an employee was picked, and after 12 months, whomever got the most points or whatnot received a small bonus of something miniscule like $200 or something. After a couple months, the normally quite passive Korean workers signed a petition and demanded an end be put to the policy. They said it was eroding good relations and creating too much tension in the office. Even though the reward was minor, it loomed over everything.

Illustrative Case #2:
I knew someone who was hired as a personal assistant and translator for the director of a company. She had a desk near his and was expected to handle all the English correspondence, phone calls, and translate key documents. She was explicitly hired for that reason, and occupied a different job description than the many uniformed "office girls" who worked the front counters. From day 1, the girls hated her, and demanded that she be forced to wear the same blue uniform that they had to wear. The director explained that it was a different job, that she was an assistant, and that he wanted her to wear a normal suit. What really grated on them was the fact that she spoke English so well, and she could see them sneer and snicker at her every time she answered the phone. She quickly quit.

Illustrative Case #3:
Also in the 90's, I once was invited to play a cello solo with a girl from a local middle school for the Christmas/Winter school festival. Back then, foreigners in the countryside were rare, and playing a musical instrument was rare. The girl was shy and seemingly reluctant to do it, but many adults in the affair thought it would be good theater. What I found out was that it had made her, contrary to what I would have ever thought, a social pariah. The other girls in the middle school, it was reported to me through teachers, hated her for getting special time with "the foreigner" and thought her playing with me was "bragging." I responded that the girl seemed quite shy and quiet, quite far from any braggart -- the teachers replied that they agreed, but that's just the way things were. This was "Korean culture" at work, I was told.

Illustrative Case #4:
I made a UCC interviewing Korea's first astronaut before she had been chosen as the final candidate and uploaded them to YouTube. Before YouTube opened in Korea. Overwhelmingly, the response and comments from all over the world were positive. She was a woman, she was going to space, she was the first in her country, the selection process was truly different and democratic, etc. Great, right?

Then, when YouTube opened, Koreans came in. You couldn't believe the language and pure levels of rancor the comments held. It got to the point that whenever an email came that a new comment had been posted, if there was a Korean-sounding ID, I simply assumed I had to delete it, since there would almost always be a comment like "they shouldn't send that ugly fat bitch to space, it's a shame to our nation" and some such. I only include that kind of example to drive the point home:

Had there been an Internet at the time, would Americans had written that way about Sally Ride?

My point? I think there's something deeper and more complex going on in the Korean internet, as an extension of Korean societal norms and values. And when it comes to that peculiar sensation that Koreans describe in their "stomach hurting" when even a cousin gets something good, I think those subtle feelings of jealousy (that we all, as humans, can have) mix with the extreme frustration that a LOT of people are constantly forced to swallow in a culture of soul-breaking tests, long lines, too little space, cramped and overpriced housing, etc.

When my friend back home is the first one to get a 61" HDTV with surround sound and has a Super Bowl party, inviting all the friends over and enjoying it, there is just SOMETHING DIFFERENT about it than if it's the Korean case.

It's not academically "provable" or reliably quantifiable, but it's there.

I enjoy my friend's TV and may just think of some ways to come over and enjoy it more until I can get my own. I may envy him the OBJECT, but I don't experience negative feelings toward him. I don't get the feeling he is "bragging" toward me, and I don't return that with unspoken hostility that must be covered up and accounted for.

But we Koreans or those who've lived here a long time KNOW that this is different here. We all KNOW that you have to carefully navigate one's own good fortune or change in status against many eyes that can interpret things in negative ways. I still remember instance after instance of being accused -- only half-playfully -- of "bragging." Whether it was me using a white Mac notebook (yes, simply using an "expensive" and "luxury" Mac), or inviting Korean colleagues for a movie on the home theater (which even college kids back home buy in $300 mini-packages), or simple pronouncing English words properly when ASKED to (and greeted with a teasing "Oooooh! You sound so smart!") -- there are so many ways to incur envy, and to receive the benefits, as well as the negative consequences of it.

So imagine being a Korean "star." How much more must they deal with? How much more hated are they by the public, as much as adored? The fact that in the case of Yi Soyeon, several "anti-Yi Soyeon" cafes were created for doing nothing other than merely existing -- it's telling. The "anti" culture alone here is something to behold, and it goes far deeper, all the way to the core of that peculiar Korean envy.

It's my bit of armchair anthropology, but in a society so concerned with the fate of others vis-a-vis oneself, and where the net has allowed the most vicious of thoughts and sentiments to find expression without consequences -- for the frustrated to be able to vent with impunity -- it's no surprise that stars are killing themselves left and right.

I mean, the #1 cause of death for Koreans in their 20's and 30's is suicide -- so the fact that stars are killing themselves is statistically not at all unusual. They just garner more attention.

But the causes are apparent. It goes deeper than a real name system. Actually, that would tend to fix the problem, since the social consequences for venting the unventable would return; yet, this isn't best for freedom of expression and other issues. And yet, I think this is a peculiarly acute, Korean problem.

It's pretty much only in Korea that 1) it's so particularly nasty, and 2) where the recipients of abuse take it so seriously, for the same cultural reasons. So of course you're going to get consequences as these.

You either change the socio-emotional system, or you address it by changing the rules of the Korean Internet. Frankly, the latter is simply the easier choice, although not the more desirable. But realistically, what are people going to do?

Getting back to Choi Jin-sil and her profession, this is a country where it was scandalous for an ACTOR/ACTRESS to kiss onscreen only a decade ago, so let's not kid ourselves with being surprised by any of this.

Until the disparity between in-person and internet behavior is solved in Korea, this will continue to happen. That's as good as guaranteed.

And in terms of mental health, embarrassing deaths, and suicide, denial is the norm here.

When suicides happen in schools, the reaction is generally one of complete indifference. No time is taken away from classes, no memorial services or remembrances offered, no counseling services given -- nothing. One school a few years ago had two suicides nearly back-to-back, and the school forbade the students from even TALKING about it, let alone officially acknowledging it. The students were so angry, they actually staged a protest and refused to go to classes, conducting their own memorial service outside. You hear many stories like this from colleagues like mine working all across the countryside in public schools. I personally knew of about a suicide per year amongst the Fulbright ETA's for several years of their ongoing training -- it's quite sad to hear the stories, and the shock of the American teachers who have a student one day, then dead the next. And no memorials.

The way of dealing with shame, embarrassment, and envy is to bury it in Korean culture. Mental health services are nearly unheard of in this country, a place that perhaps needs it more desperately than many others. Even cases such as rape are not pressed by the parents of victims because the social repercussions are potentially far more embarrassing than those of pressing charges and demanding an investigation. Only here have I heard of the high-school age victims of a group of high school boys who committed repeated gang rapes against them receiving DEATH THREATS for daring to press charges. Or the recent case of the elementary school kids raped by other elementary school kids, whose parents stopped cooperating with the investigation because they just wanted to forget about it.

The cases are many. Most are anectdotal, so what to do? Guess they're not true. Subjective. Nothing to see here. Move along.

And that's the least prickly way to handle it all, right? Until you snap, or get the chance to snipe at someone you've never met but is the symbol of all you don't have, right? So "fuck that bitch for getting plastic surgery," right? "Fucking dirty cunt. She should die. She should be ashamed for daring show her face in public, because she's such a freakish monster. Instead of mutilating her face, maybe she should use the money for charity? Bitch." (But the celebrity YOU like is an angel, right? And HER plastic surgery was medically necessary because her eyelashes were hyper-angled, and national health insurance even paid for it...blah, blah, blah).

Sound harsh? Just be glad you don't speak Korean and cruise around the many places that don't take down comments JUST like that.

And in a far-flung, faceless society that still operates on the rules of a close-knit, face-to-face one that regulates social relations through in-person sanctions on violations of social rules and roles, one can see why this is an especially pernicious problem.

Is it any wonder the world's first true case of cyberstalking was right here, in the case of the infamous "dog poop girl?" Things have changed a lot since then, and as any old Korea hand knows, the society completely changes at the rate of every decade. It's hard to believe that just 12 years ago, most people didn't even know what the WEB or EMAIL were. Fast-forward a few years, and it's the country of cyberstalking.

Again, that ain't no mere coincidence, people.

And I continue to be, unfortunately for me and the hardened heart one must develop to live here, completely unsurprised by suicides such as these.

Because they happen every day, and will continue to. The only logical to wonder -- who's next? I just hope it's not someone I care about, and try to carry on with life. That's all an individual can do. Unfortunately, Choi was far from the first, and far from the last.

RIP, Choi Jin-sil.

Choi Jin-Sil's Death Sparks Cyber-Witch Hunt

In a tip from a reader, comes this story about a woman who seems to be the next victim of an online witch hunt in Korea, as she allegedly played a role in the spreading of rumors (along with a few other people) that led to Choi Jin-sil becoming distraught enough to take her own life.

The tip gave a link that showed several of her pictures, Cyworld home page, personal and work phone numbers, email addresses, chat ID's, etc. It's chilling. Guilty or not about spreading an apparently juicy rumor about a major star, no one deserves this kind of treatment. A trip over to the link shows that some Netizens DO get the point that this is just the kind of thing that led to Choi's death in the first place, and society doesn't benefit from cyber-witch hunts.

At least some people seem to have some sense.


I WAS AT THE PIFF SQUARE THE DAY AFTER HER SUCIDE. WHEN I ASKED THE KOREANS ABOUT IT, NO ONE WAS SHOWING THE SAME HERO WORSHIPING THAT I HEARD WAS GOING ON AT THE MAIN OUTDOOR PIFF THEATER AREA. THE 8PM NEWS OPENED UP WITH 1 2 MINUTES DEDICATED TO HER AND I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT.

I LOST A GIRLFRIEND TO SUICIDE BACK IN 1986. ITS BEEN MORE THAN 22 YEARS AND I STILL ASK MYSELF COULD HAVE I DONE ANYTHING TO PREVENT THIS.

I still do not have an answer and I never will.

One author called the rash of suicides, "Suicide Porn" because we see the weeping and the fashion and the stars come out to morn for a person who took their own life. It's sad but its just part of living here in Korea.

What if you knew you were innocent of murder but you are believed to be guilty and worse yet, you're pregnant and you will have to have your baby in jail. This was the plot of my last film at the PIFF, Lion`s Den

I was told that the film was a joint Argentina, Korea production and if this was the result, then please make more films together because the audience loved it. After the film, I went to see if the director, Pablo Trapero, had made anymore films recently because I want to watch a few more of his films.

The plot is really simple, a girl, Julia, is accused of murder and even though the evidence does not look to her as the killer, the Argentinean court finds her guilty and sentences her to a few years in prison. The only thing bad is that Julia and her son are in prison together until Julia's son is 4 and then the child will be taken away from the mother and given to his grandmother to watch until her time in jail is up.

What I liked about the film was that you are given Julia's story. The film does not judge, it just lets you roll with her story from the day of the crime until the end of the film.

The first half of the film deals with the crime and the birth of her son in jail and how she deals with her and her baby in a jail. The second half of the film deals with her mother trying to raiser her grandson away from the jail and when the grandmother succeeds in taking the child away from the mother, you see her rage as she rectifies the story and ends the film.

Pablo Trapero does a great job with the film and never makes Julia into a hero nor a villain. he just tells a real story and lets her roll of the punches.

Please see the film when you get a chance.

Grade A.

What if you fell in love with the perfect person but years later you find out that he was, actually, ordered to marry you because he was a "secret policeman" under the communist Polish Government? If this sounds interesting then welcome to the film Scratch

Once again, I went into the film without any real idea what the film would be about. The crowd seemed eager to see the film and the plot sounded somewhat interesting.

Well it worked for the first 20 minutes, then I noted that the couple next to me went to sleep, the people down from me also went to sleep and I looked around and I noticed that about a half of the audience either had their eyes closed or they were really sound asleep.

I keep watching this movie about the wronged woman, and I was, sad to say, feeling sorry for the husband for having to be married to her. For a wronged woman story to work, one must actually feel sorry for this girl, but when the daughter tells how much of a bad mother she really was, a few more people lost interest in this film. By the end of the film, it was clear that this film had failed here at the PIFF so horribly, that the person next to me stated he will never watch another film from Poland again, due to this junk.

I did a quick survey of the audience and with the 25 people that I asked only 1 person, she was from Poland, actually liked the film. The rest told me that they either fell asleep,or really hated the film.

Michal Rosa directed a really bad film and seriously hurt any future films that the majority of the PIFF crowd will ever give him the benefit of the doubt.

Please pass on this film at all cost.

Grade. F

Movie Review: The Desert Within

What if you committed a sin that killed your wife and your son? What if you tried to build a church for the Lord but instead, your good intentions were the path to hell for yourself and for your family. Then you will be at The desert within.

I had never heard of the director, Rodrigo Plá, before. I had no real idea of the film except for the small plot that was in my PIFF book. It stated that the film was about a man perceived sin and how he tries to build a church to appease God, so God will forgive him for this sin. Is sounded interesting and I went in to see the film.

Before the film started the PIFF staff stated that their would be a beer special served after this film. I had no idea how to interpret that, was the film that bad that we, the audience, would need a beer to clear or minds or was this just a tie-in sponsorship?

The film is told from the point of view from the youngest of the 8 children, Aureliano, as he watches his family build a church designed to save them from sin. You are then shown 2-D animation about God that is intertwined through the movie and every time that the animation was on the screen the audience appeared to react very favorably to it.

You are shown that Aureliano has an allergy to the dust and can not go outside and play with his brothers and sisters. You start to feel sorry for this young man as his only job in to paint pictures for the church that tell of God's love for the world and his family.

It was after the first 30 minutes of the film that I noticed that the audience was not really into the film. It just seemed to repeat the same point over and over again about a false sin and how it was slowly killing all of the children. This part I though the film could have used a tighter edit. It started to drag and the audience was never really back into the film after this. A few of the audience members started to lose total interest and went to sleep.

The film went at this slow pace for about 70 minutes until the end of the film. At the end of this film, the director attempted to show what had happened and because of the righteous path the father and his children committed sins and in the end could not save most of the family nor could the director save this film.

After the film had ended, I did a quick poll of the audience, most loved the animation but would not recommend the film to their friends. One man stated that the beer was needed so he could erase this film from his mind.

I left the film with a neutral attitude. I liked the fact that the film showed what can happen between a brother and a sister but the film needed a much tighter edit that we were given. Desierto Adentro or The Desert Within is worth a DVD rental.

Grade: C-

What if you wanted to go back home but you can't because your home has been taken away by the Israeli government. You have an American Passport but you want a passport from Palestine. But by an agreement with the Israeli government, you can't be given one. You have the plot behind the film Salt of this Sea

This film was very had to judge by the audience reaction. The crowd members who were pro-Palestine, loved the film. Those in the crowd who were pro-Israeli, hated the film.

I fall in the Pro-Israeli camp and really thought that the film portrayed the Israeli's as monsters and the Palestine's as saints. I put this first in the review because, the reader, needs to know about any luggage that the critic brings to the film that he is going to review.

We are introduced to Soraya, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, makes a decision to return to her ancestral home in Palestine while trying to recover her exiled family’s money from the British Palestine Bank. When she tells the truth to the Israeli security she is only given a two week visa.

Once she enters Palestine, she tries to ind out where home is but where her grandfather grew up, is now in Israel's control and she can not get their from where she is. Soraya tells everyone that she wants to live in Palestine and no one can figure out why. The people that she meets want to leave their homeland and never return.

The film then deals with how she gets her exiled money back and she gets to visit her grandfathers home. The film then deals with her anger that her family had to lose this house and how life in unfair to the Palestinians and how her new lover can not leave his city legally.

The film takes the side of the Palestinians and here is where the film lost me. It showed only one side of the conflict and makes it look very slanted towards the Israel's control of certain lands.

The film ends with Soraya telling the security forces that her American passport is actually a Palestine one. The do not believe it and because she has out stayed her 2 week visa and we see her being deported at the end of the film.

For this film to work, one has to actually feel sorry for Soraya and I never could justify any feelings towards her. She acted like a spoiled American and the film never could recover from it. No matter how hard she tried she never looked like or acted like a local that she was so much trying to achieve in this film.

After the film was over the polled crowed was split into the 2 earlier camps that I had earlier talked about.

You will either love this film or you will hate it due to the main topic of the film. The polled crowed gave me no middle ground in this film and I feel that that the final review of this film.

If you believe in the Palestine struggle, then you will love this film. If you side with the nation of Israel, then this film was fail for you on so many levels and you need to pass on Salt of This Sea when it comes to a cinema near you.

What if, for a class assignment, a high school student puts himself into the news story about a man who plants a bomb in his pregnant girlfriend’s luggage. Also, imagine that the high school students inserts his dead parents with those in the real story, his attempt to deal with his parents death leads to falsehoods and misplaced ideas and beliefs. If this idea interest you then you have the idea of what Adoration is all about.

To be honest I had no real idea about this film, It was playing at the same cinema that I had lined up for my PIFF and the plot sounded somewhat interesting. I soon realized that I might have a good film on my hands when the Canadians that I met there could not believe that I had a ticket for this film. I had never heard of the director Atom Egoyan before, so this review of the film is my first film of this director.

The film opens up so nicely with a boy talking to his dying grandfather. You see him recording the conversation and you can see love their. You are then shown the same boy at school, slowly going mad about an article that he has to translate in French Class. He starts over and is late in translating the story.

He tells his teacher that the lady in the story was his mother and that his father was the one that sent his mother on that airplane and that he was in his mothers womb. She tells him that he should tell the class. The students then tells the class his entire story and how angry he is with his father for trying to kill him and his mother. He then states this is why he is living with his uncle.

All of this was within the first few minutes of the film and the crowd around me was gasping and could not believe what they were seeing at the PIFF. At this time, I was not sure what I was watching but it sure had my attention.

For the next few scenes you see that the above story was a lie and you are not sure why the story is being told. Please watch for the scene with a Muslim neighbor and the uncle, you can see the hatred in his eyes and maybe, just maybe, this above lie was now the truth.

What I liked was the chat rooms and the realness of these rooms. You saw pro and con for the story and then the story starts to spread outside the little community and into the real world.

We are then shown the teacher getting fired for telling the student to run with the lie and when her car is illegally parked, it is the uncle that shows up to tow her car. You then see a 5 minute tow with the teacher asking that the car be towed father away and the pay rate goes up so the uncle is all for it.

She then talks the uncle into lunch and then she tells him that she is the teacher that convinced his nephew to spread the lie. She later invites the uncle into her apartment and the twist of the film becomes very clear on why she asked the student to tell the lie and why it will effect the rest of the film.

Another thing that I liked about the film was that one never knows what is coming next. The fans of Atom were really enjoying the film and they told me later that they never saw coming what happened in the film.

When the film was over the audience clapped for a few moments and the crowd that I was able to ask questions to about what we had just saw, loved the film and they gave it very high praise.

Please see the film Adoration when you get the chance.

Grade; A

Movie Review: The Tour (PIFF)

What if you went to preform for the soldiers of your country and you had never sen war before? Would you know what to do and would you even believe it when you saw it? If not, then welcome to the movie The Tour

Once again I had no real idea what I would be watching. The brief synopsis about the film stated that it was set during the 1990's Civil War in Serbia and that the film was a joint Serbian/Bosnia And Herzegovinan film. This alone was the deciding factor of me wanting to see this film and I am glad that I did. I saw a very different film that the one that I was expecting.

What surprised me the most about the film was the great acting of the actress Mira Furlan for those who only remember her for her work on Babylon 5 or Lost need to see this film and remember that she was once described as Yugoslavia's answer to Meryl Streep. Every scene that she was in made it better and you see her try to save a life in the film the insanity of the war is clearly shown upon her face.

The Director of this film Goran Markovic once again does a great job with what he is given to make this film. He tried to show all 3 sides on the Serbian War with style and grace. He showed that all of the sides in the war were human and just wanted the insanity to stop.

The film starts with actors complaining about their play in Belgrade and that their director is an idiot. They are much more concerned with the card game that is going on that anything else. Then they are given a chance to make some real money and to be paid in German Marks, if they agree to go to the war front and preform for the troops.

So the actors decide to go and see the front for themselves but what they see shakes them to their believes and then they all start to ask the question why?

What I liked about this part of the film was that their was a doctor that was from the same city as the actors, Belgrade, and that once the actors trusted him, the war took him away and they could not believe it. Also, watch for the commander's reaction to the actors when he finds out that they are from Belgrade and this commander blames the entire war on anyone from the capital of Yugoslavia, Belgrade.

We next see the actors trying to leave the war by foot but are soon captured by the Croatian forces and then forced to walk through a minefield. The Serbian Army then captures the Croats and the Army leaders ask the Croats why did they make his favorite childhood actors walk and try and clear a minefield. He then grabs one of the Croats and makes him walk and try and clear the field. This is where Mira Furlan really shines as an actress when her character tries to save a life and can only helplessly watch as another man dies in this war.

The actors are finally on the road back to home when they soon are captured by the Bosnian Muslim Army. Their commander immediately recognizes the 3 famous actors and even tells one of them that you were my hero growing up as a child and that if he had even asked for his sister, he would have gladly given her to him, without any questions asked. In the end, he lets the return home to Belgrade.

After the trip is over, the actors have changed and they are not sure what else to do.

The audience reactions were well received at the PIFF for the screening of this film. Many told me that they could not believe that this was a good film and that one of the actress looked very familiar.

Please see Turneja or "The Tour" when you get the chance.

Grade. A

MOVIE REVIEW: 12 LOTUS


What if your favorite song from your childhood would be the exact story of your life? Would you even recognize it as you were singing it? Would you even want to admit it? Welcome to 12 Lotus.

HEAVY SPOILER ALERT REVIEW.

I really had no idea what I was going to watch when I sat down to see this film. The only 2 bits of information were the Pusan International Film Festival short description and a very bad review on IMDB. (The IMDB review stated that half of the screening audience in Japan, walked out of the film) I can honestly say that no one walked out on the 12 Lotus showing at the PIFF.

We are introduced to a little girl by the name of Lian Hua. Her main goal in life is to one day become a Getai singer and to sing her favorite song "12 Lotus" before the Getai crowd in Singapore. Her father, who is a widower, has told her over and over again that, The can be no love without pain and that their can be no pain without love. This message sets up the rest of the film.

One is never sure what you are seeing when you see this film. Are you watching a musical with all of the musical numbers that were in this film? Are you watching a bad tale of love=pain as her father had told her? Or are you watching a sad music video with her life going exactly as the song has foretold? The PIFF crowd seemed to believe that it was all 3 and they enjoyed the film for it.

When you see the real lie of the film and how our lotus never recovers from it. It just makes you that much sadder when the final note is shown upon her life and the movie. i kept looking for "Welcome to my Nightmare" by Alice Cooper to play in this film because one the lie happens you slowly see the slide into insanity and the lotus is never the same.

END SPOILER ALERT.

The film is shot to make her life into a long musical video and also a look into madness. Please go see the film for a true look at both.

Grade A.

Why Do GI’s Complain About Korea?

» by GI Korea in: USFK

Introduction

Recently there were cooperative cross postings on Roboseyo’s blog as well as Ask A Korean on Why Expats Complain About Korea? The cross postings drew a lot of debate around the Korean blogosphere on why expats complain so much about living in the Land of the Morning Calm. Well in the same spirit The Korean and I thought it would make for interesting reading if I posted on why GI’s Complain About Korea while he posted on Why Koreans Complain About GI’s. Hopefully everyone will find these two postings to be interesting and at least thought provoking reading on why each side complains about the other.

Below is a list of reasons why GI’s complain about Korea in no particular order. I’m sure I probably missed a few so readers feel free to add to the reasons Why GI’s Complain About Korea in the comments section below.

Unaccompanied Tours – There are probably fewer things that upset people stationed in Korea then having to go to Korea without their families. This complaint is getting worse because of the number of people serving a year or more in a conflict zone and then coming back to the US to just receive orders to go to Korea for another year away from their families. I had an E-6 who deployed to Afghanistan with the 101^st Airborne and then came back to the US for a few months to just be deployed again with the 101^st for operation in Iraq when Operation Iraqi Freedom began. He spent a year in Iraq and then came back to the US to come down on orders to Korea. Needless to say he wanted out of the Army because his wife with three kids was about to divorce him. He ended up eating his way out of the Army and I can’t say I blame him.

There are plenty of more people in Korea in the same situation. In response more and more soldiers are bringing their families to Korea in a non-command sponsored status which means they have to pay to fly their families to Korea and house them here on their own. Think about it if the average servicemember has a wife and two kids that means he would have to buy three airplanes tickets to Korea and then three more to fly them back. That is probably at least about $6,000 in airplane tickets the servicemember is paying for. Then think the servicemember would then have to pay for some furniture and other items for whatever apartment he is living in since he couldn’t ship any of his household goods to Korea. That is even more money out of his pocket. Then he would have to pay to send his kids to a private foreign high school since they are not authorized to use any of the USFK schools. These non-command sponsored servicemembers are taking a huge financial hit by bringing their families to Korea. To make matters worse many of these soldiers live in cheap apartments in the ville which exposes their families to all the unpleasantness of the ville culture.

There are plenty of other issues non-command sponsored family members face with medical and dental for example and all these issues pile up to cause a major reason why servicemembers complain about being stationed in Korea.

Living Conditions – This is actually something that is improving every year but just a couple of years ago there were still USFK soldiers living in quonset huts. I don’t know of any soldiers living in quonset huts now (if anyone knows any then feel free to comment) which is a big accomplishment but nevertheless there are still units that have soldiers living in conditions that are less then what they would expect if stationed in a stateside unit.

Likewise as mentioned before families that are non-command sponsored find themselves in cheap off post apartments in the ville that are sub-standard to what they would expect to live in back in the states. Even families that are command sponsored find themselves in Yongsan for example living in the Hanam Apartments which I have often heard referred to as “The Ghetto”. This is a decreasing reason why soldiers complain about being stationed in Korea, but nevertheless still a reason.

Shady Landlords – Finding an apartment in Korea for those both command and non-command sponsored often means dealing with shady land landlords and corrupt rental agencies. Landlords in Korea are infamous for ripping off GI’s of their deposit money because they delay giving the money back to the servicemembers because they know the servicemember has a Permanent Change of Station date of when they must fly out of Korea and thus prevents them from taking any legal action against the landlord.

These shady landlords are also known to run secret power lines from the servicemember’s apartment to their apartment in order to make the servicemember pay for that person’s electric bill among a host of other shady practices. GI’s living off post being ripped off by these people is just another reason why GI’s complain about Korea.

Taxi Drivers – There are few things more annoying then dealing with the off post taxi cab drivers that are out to rip GI’s off. Commonly the cab drivers do not run the meter and then charge soldiers three to four times the amount the meter would read. The prices even go up higher the closer to curfew the soldiers trying to find a cab find themselves.

These cab drivers even try other shady tactics in order to fleece money out of soldiers. I was in a cab late at night heading back to my camp after pulling Courtesy Patrol at Stanleyville when the cab driver stopped in the middle of nowhere and then demanded I pay more money or get out of the cab. I told him no way and wrote down his contact information from the taxi’s panel. He was a bit surprised and was trying to push me out of the cab but I still got his details. I called my wife and she picked me up and the next day she called the taxi company and complained and the cab driver was forced to give me an apology over the phone later on.

There are plenty of other ways cab drivers try to rip off GI’s but I should also state that this complaint does not represent all cab drivers in Korea. This complaint refers to cab drivers around the GI villes especially Uijongbu and Dongducheon. I have taken taxis plenty of times in Seoul and other areas and never had these issues. However the constant harassment and shadiness from the cab drivers in the soldier ville areas is definitely something that causes soldiers to complain about Korea.

The Ville – The Ville is mixed bag because there are plenty of soldiers that love the Ville because of its sleaziness while just as many others can’t stand it for the same reasons. I fail to see the fun in paying $20 for a drink for a scantily clad juicy girl to talk to you for 10 minutes if that. However, plenty of younger guys enjoy wasting their money on this but there are plenty of other who do not and wish there were better entertainment options in the villes.

Also for us servicemembers who have served in Korea for a long time we know the shady things the people in the ville pull off. For example I would never by a non-bottled drink in the ville because of the fact that many of the club owners recycle ice and left over drinks to give to other customers. Even with bottled beer the club owners buy through the blackmarket beer that has reached its expiration date to sell to GI’s in the ville.

I could go on and on about the shady things that goes on in the ville but I think everyone gets the point. The shady villes with their shady taxi drivers is the one place in Korea where the majority of soldiers spend the most of their time so it is no wonder why soldiers would have negative perception of Korea if the ville is what they mostly see. Even for many of the guys that initially like the ville life, by the end of their tours even they usually tire of it. I know the ville is not real Korea but to many soldiers it is and is another reason why GI’s complain about Korea.

The Curfew – There are probably fewer topics discussed more then the USFK curfew policy. Everyone has an opinion on this to include the new USFK commander who issued his own change to the curfew policy. You can see what I think the curfew policy should be by reading here.

The prior curfew policy was initially established after 9/11 supposedly for force protection reasons. Everyone knew this wasn’t the case and the real reason was to keep soldiers away from Koreans to reduce incidents. As much as I like the former USFK commander General Bell, he even went further then the force protection reasons to say that the curfew was to make sure that soldiers got enough sleep at night so they are ready to fight the North Koreans the next day. This is all rubbish and insult to the intelligence of most servicemembers.

Since General Sharpe took command of USFK and changed the curfew policy he admitted the curfew was a punishment on all the soldiers for the actions of a few which confirmed the curfew wasn’t in place for any force protection reasons or to make sure soldiers got a good nights rest in preparation to fight the North Korean invasion the next day. Currently the curfew on weekends is from 3AM to 5AM with the 12PM curfew in place on work days. With only a two hour curfew you might as well as just do away with the curfew all together.

When incidents start happening again because they will; it’s a statistical certainty, the curfew will probably be changed again and only feed a whole new round of complaining about being stationed in Korea.

Cannot Drive – Being able to legally drive a civilian vehicle is something the vast majority of USFK servicemembers are not allowed to do. With most people in the rank and file this is not a big complaint since they all mostly live on post without their families. However for married soldiers that live off post this is an issue. I know plenty of soldiers who moved their non-command sponsored families to Korea on their own dime and live a good distance from where they work and have to walk or ride a bicycle every morning. This is made worse when you have to walk the long distance in the rain to get to work. I also know of command sponsored families who are lower ranking and cannot drive who face the same problem. Keep in mind it is not just the soldiers that have to walk but their families as well if their spouse needs to go to the PX or commissary.

The new USFK commander General Sharpe recently made a change to the driving policy like he did with the curfew policy in order to address these issues. Now soldiers can put in an application to get a driver’s license and own a car that needs to be signed by the first O-5 in their chain of command. This is a good change for the people who have to walk a good distance from where they live to get on post. The new policy also allows anyone to get a license or own a car or rent a car if approved by their first O-5. However, how many O-5’s are going to allow Private Tentpeg or Sergeant Windbag to own their own personal car? Probably none.

There will probably be a few commanders who allow soldiers to rent a car over a four day weekend for example but after a few soldiers get hit with DUI’s which will eventually happen because they are already happening now, how many of these O-5’s do you think will ever sign off on a private or lower ranking sergeant ever renting a car again? Not many, which will give GI’s just another reason to complain about being stationed in Korea.

Crazy Drivers – I think this goes without saying because anyone that has driven a vehicle in Korea or just observed driving practices from sitting on a bus for example should know full well how crazy Korean drivers can be. This is for a variety of reasons and mainly because of the incompetence of the police force which is unwilling to ticket people for breaking driving laws.

However, having to drive large military vehicles through this traffic is extremely stressful especially when you know if an accident happens it will be blamed on you no matter who is at fault, which just adds another reason why GI’s complain about Korea.

Koreans are Rude – This is something that has already been talked to death here on the ROK Drop but it is still something you can hear servicemembers complain about all the time. It only takes a new servicemember one trip to the shopping center and being elbowed by dozens of ajummas to get people complaining about how rude Koreans are.

If an Incident Happens It is Always the GI’s Fault – This is just pretty much a fact of life in Korea that if an incident happens between a Korean and a GI the assumption from the start is that the servicemember is at fault. A GI in Korea is truly guilty until he can prove themselves innocent. GI’s can be assaulted, kidnapped, and forced to make coerced statements on national television by Koreans and who gets charged with a crime? The GI’s of course.

Another soldier was convicted of attempted rape and the judge told him to appeal because the decision to convict him was so dubious. Incredibly on appeal the soldier’s sentence was thrown out after he had already served months in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.

One of my personal favorite incidents was when my battalion commander was driving to Camp Red Cloud and his driver cut in front of a tow truck to get in the proper turning lane. The tow truck driver was pissed that he got cut off and later on down the road he passed my battalion commander’s vehicle and then got in front of him. At the next stop light the tow truck driver put the vehicle in reverse and slammed the front of my battalion commander’s vehicle with the tow truck causing extensive damage. The tow truck driver then called the police to say he was rear ended. Despite the protests from my battalion commander, his driver was found liable for causing the accident. You can only imagine what my battalion commander thought of Koreans after that incident.

He is not alone and these incidents pile up to give GI’s even more reasons to complain about Korea

Lack of English in Korea – Not all things GI’s complain about are fair criticisms and this is one of them. Many servicemembers have been stationed in Europe before where English is widely spoken where in Korea it isn’t and makes every day interaction with Koreans very difficult. However, I don’t expect Koreans to speak English and I speak enough Korean to get by just fine. However, soldiers given orders to Korea for a year that are bitter to be here in the first place are not going to take the time to learn Korean.

This lack of being able to communicate thus keeps them in the ville area, which only further skews their views of Korea and Koreans in general.

Korea is Boring – This is something I hear all the time and it mainly comes from people who do nothing but go to the ville on weekends. This all goes back to my prior point about not being to communicate thus causing servicemembers to stay in the ville and do nothing else.

When servicemembers tell me this I quickly respond with a list of things for them do usually starting with the USO or MWR programs which have lots of tours going on. The first time I came to Korea eight years ago and knew nothing about the place I would go on just about every USO tour they had. Through those tours I learned enough about Korea to go out and do things on my own, which there is plenty to go see and do. However, this is not the case for many soldiers thus giving them something else to complain about.

Korea Smells – Here is something else I hear a lot guys complain about is how bad Korea smells and lot of this has to do with USFK facilities being located near rural areas with rice paddies that smell of manure. This is a dumb complaint but yet something you hear over and over again.

I have also heard many servicemembers complain about how Koreans smell like kimchi. Once again this one is dumb. However, I once overheard a soldier complain to a KATUSA before about how all the KATUSA stink when they come back from lunch of kimchi and it is hard to work because of the smell. The KATUSA calmly replied that it is hard for the KATUSA’s to work coming back from lunch because all the soldiers’ breath smells like hamburgers and how hard it was for them work because of the smell. It is all a matter of perspective, but still something people complain about.

Korea is Dirty – This is another one that I hear a lot and I think it is once again linked to the scummy villes that soldiers spend most of their time in. However some things such as people littering on the sidewalks as well leaving huge amounts of garbage in the country side after having a picnic is something that does not help this stereotype go away.

Policies that Treat GI’s Like Children – Servicemembers hate being treated like children, especially servicemembers of older ages. In USFK polices tend to be created to address issues with the 18-22 year old age group that causes the majority of issues yet the policies that are created for this age group are expanded to include everyone in the ranks. Believe me this causes a whole lot of complaining.

The Anti-US Protesters – These people are the subject of much scorn when the various anti-US issues flare up especially when these people are out protesting in front of the camps or assaulting servicemembers during training exercises. These idiots, though a small portion of the population, often cause servicemembers to complain how ungrateful Koreans are for everything the United States has done for them.

Conclusion – As you can see the reasons for why GI’s complain about Korea are various with some of the complaints being legitimate, others being more directed towards USFK policies rather then Koreans, some complaints are unwarranted, while others are just plain dumb.

A lot of these complaints I think will quickly go away if tours in Korea are normalized and servicemembers are allowed to bring their families to the peninsula combined with doing away with the over regulation of servicemembers’ lives in USFK. That is why I am a strong advocate of the USFK transformation plan which the Korean government and the anti-US groups are doing everything possible to delay and stop from happening. These actions only further give reason for servicemembers to complain about Korea.

However even if this transformation ever happens it won’t stop all the complaints. I’m sure there will be plenty of servicemembers who still complain because soldiers just like anyone else love to complain, but let’s hope it is only about stupid stuff and not over some of the legitimate complaints listed above.

Korea doesn't want to share its citizens' criminal backgrounds with the U.S.?

GREAT POST FROM BRIAN IN JEOLLANAM.

Korea doesn't want to share its citizens' criminal backgrounds with the U.S.?

So, let me get this straight, foreigners in Korea are forced to produce a criminal background check in order to get an E-2 visa, but South Korea is having qualms about complying with the United States' same request as part of a potential visa waiver program?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Monday that consultations on South Korea joining the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) with the United States were on schedule with the goal of concluding them by the year-end.

Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young denied a newspaper report that the VWP for South Koreans would likely be delayed due to differences between the two countries over ways of sharing the criminal records of tourists.

. . .

Some South Korean lawyers claim that sharing the criminal records of citizens is in violation of basic human rights, while Washington insists it is one of the basic standards to be met by those countries wanting to join the VWP to help protect American nationals and interests from terrorists or criminals who have committed felonies.

HT to ROK Drop on this one. To use South Korea's Ministry of Justice's words:

I just don’t understand why they cannot make some exceptions to accommodate the needs of their own nationals. In Korea, criminal records can be easily obtained online. But they don’t have a centralized system.

Actually, that was arrogantly said in relation to foreign embassies' hesitation to provide criminal histories to comply with new E-2 visa regulations. South Korea implemented those new rules in 2007 without checking first with whether other countries would be willing or able to follow them. South Korea was quite keen on this idea, and immigration put out a release saying in part:

The Korean Government will prevent illegal activities by verifying requirements of native English teacher and tighten their non-immigrant status [...] [and will] eradicate illegal activities of native English teachers who are causing social problems such as ineligible lectures, taking drugs and sex crimes. English teachers, who disturb social order during their staying in Korea such as illegal teaching, taking drugs and sex crimes, will be banned from entering South Korea.[...] [They will] prevent illegal English teaching activities and the taking of drugs and sexual harassment of English teachers, [...] teachers who disrupt the social order by taking drugs, committing sexual harassment and alcohol intoxication.

Perhaps the U.S. should do the same in kind. After all there are roughly 230,000 Koreans staying in the U.S. illegally, and I'll bet they're not raising unicorns and kissing babies.

And for the record I'm not opposed to teachers having to submit criminal background checks, as a country has the right to allow or bar whomever it pleases, and set its visa regulations any way it sees fit. Thus, it's not unreasonable in the least for the United States to ask for passengers' criminal histories. If I understand it correctly, a criminal offense doesn't bar one from entering the country, but it does exclude one from entering visa-free under the VWP. My gut reaction is to say no to a VWP with South Korea, because wasn't it contingent on the KORUS FTA, an agreement squashed with apparent impunity? But, that's not what developed nations do, how grown-ups behave, and my temper is one reason among many why I'm not a diplomat. Hey, maybe the VWP will mean I can stay in South Korea visa-free for longer than 30 days

Happy 12th Birthday my Daughter. Claudia McStay

Once again we are separated and once again I have no # to call and to wish you a happy birthday nor an address to mail you a birthday gift.

I want you to know that I love you very much and miss you and your brother Sean each day.

HAVE A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

LOVE DAD.

Good bye, my old friend.

If I were to ever have a mistress, then it would be baseball and the home would be Yankees Stadium. From when I first became a fan of the team back in 1974, I have watched with tears of joy as they have won World Series and been sad when they have lost them. I have watched many games on tv with this beautiful stadium in the background. I never got to go to see a live game here and I will always regret it.

All of these photos were just awesome to me and I uploaded a lot of them here today. Enjoy the photos and Go Yankees in 2009.

Jeter’s address capped Yankee Stadium sendoff

By Gordon Edes, Yahoo! Sports

NEW YORK – And so, before they turned out the lights a final time on Yankee Stadium , they asked Derek Jeter to be equal to the big stage one more time. Not with his glove or his bat, but with a hand-held microphone.

“I was scared to death,” Jeter said of standing in front of the mound, surrounded by his teammates, and addressing the throng of 54,610 that had come to bid farewell to Yankee Stadium. “When I was younger, I used to get really, really nervous when you have to do an oral report in front of 25 people.

“I guess I’ve come a long way.”

t was unscripted – Jeter did not write down a word beforehand, he said. He wasn’t even sure he would speak until club officials, who had approached him with the idea a couple of days earlier, came to him just before the game and said they were proceeding with their plan.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I really didn’t know what I was going to say. I had an idea. Specifics, I didn’t know.”

Last week, Jeter had distinguished himself by surpassing Lou Gehrig for most hits in Yankee Stadium. Sunday night, when so many Yankees past and present took a final pinstriped curtain call – Yogi and Whitey, Reggie and the Goose, A-Rod and Mo (but oddly, barely a mention of George Steinbrenner or Joe Torre) – there were distant echoes of a dying Gehrig, standing in front of another Yankee Stadium crowd, and declaring himself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

"For all of us here,” Jeter said in the aftermath of a 7-3 Yankee win over the Baltimore Orioles in the last of 6,580 games played here, “it’s a huge honor for us to put this uniform on and come out here and play every day.

“There’s a lot of tradition, a lot of history, and a lot of memories. The great thing about those memories, you’re able to pass them along from generation to generation. And while a lot of things are going to change – we’re moving across the street – there are a few things that aren’t going to change. That’s pride, tradition, and most of all, we know we have the greatest fans in the world.

“We want to have you take the memories of this field, add them to the new memories that will come at the new Yankee Stadium and continue to pass them on from generation to generation. We just want to take this moment to salute you, the greatest fans in the world.”

And then, to the accompaniment of Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” Jeter led his teammates – Andy Pettitte, who started and won the last game here, Johnny Damon, who hit a three-run home run to erase an early 2-0 deficit, light-hitting catcher Jose Molina, who will go down as the last Yankee to homer here – in a long, slow lap around the field.

On deck, the wrecking ball.

The sign that can be seen from the Major Deegan Expressway, the one that announces when and whom the Yankees play next, bore a different message Sunday.

“Thanks for the memories,” it said.

Across 161st Street, atop the shiny billion-dollar palace still under construction, a new sign had been set in place a couple of days earlier. “Yankee Stadium,” it proclaimed in 10-foot letters.

Sunday night, the old hardball cathedral, proclaimed at birth 85 years ago as The House That Ruth Built, was given last rites. Julia Ruth Stevens, Babe’s 92-year-old adopted daughter and self-proclaimed Red Sox fan (a conversion caused by years of living in New Hampshire), helped pronounce benediction with the ceremonial first pitch.

“I said the other day that playing in Yankee Stadium is sort of like performing on Broadway.,” said Jeter, who was presented a Waterford crystal bat by Steinbrenner”s son, Hal, for his record-setting hit.

“I’ve never performed on Broadway,” Jeter said. “But it seems like every time you play at Yankee Stadium the lights are a little bit stronger here, just like you’re performing on stage. I always dreamt of doing it, but it’s been above and beyond anything I’ve ever dreamt of. You just don’t realize how special this place is.”

Unlike so many other autumns for a team that has won 26 World Series, 39 American League pennants, and made 47 postseason appearances, much of the drama had to be manufactured in the final game. The Yankees were trying to avoid the embarrassment of elimination from playoff contention on the same night they were closing the Stadium. The Red Sox had won earlier in the day; a loss and the Yankees officially would be out of the wild-card race.

(Not that Yankee fans had lost any of their native insouciance. The garment of choice for one spectator Sunday night was a sweatshirt that read, “Hey Red Sox fans, there never was a curse, your team just sucked.”)

So the Yankees trotted out stars, past and present, decked out in the uniforms they wore when they played, or at least that was the idea. “They said this was an authentic uniform,” said 83-year-old Yogi Berra, who has played on more World Series winners (14) than anybody. “I don’t know. We had woolen uniforms, but nothing like this.”

Bob Sheppard, the public address announcer who for over 50 years made it sound like God speaking when he moved his lips, was unable to attend because of the bronchial illness that had sidelined him all season. But he sent pretaped messages, including one in which he recited the Yankees starting lineup. “They’ve offered me a car service,” Sheppard told the New York Daily News. “They would probably send an ambulance or maybe a hearse, if that’s what was required. I just don’t think it would be prudent.”

The M and M boys, Mantle and Maris, both deceased, were represented by their sons, David Mantle and Randy Maris, both of whom bear startling resemblances to their dads.

Billy Martin Jr. was there for his father, as was Michael Munson for his. Cheryl Howard, the daughter of Yankees catcher Elston Howard, stood at home plate with Berra and Joe Girardi, the former Yankees catcher and current manager. Kate Murcer, hand in hand with her children Todd and Tori, strolled out to center field as the crowd watched highlights of Bobby Murcer, the Yankees outfielder and broadcaster who died in July of brain cancer. Helen Hunter, widow of Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter, was embraced by Ford and Larsen and Hunter’s old teammate, Ron Guidry, while Rivera escorted Phil Rizzuto’s widow, Cora, to shortstop.

Willie Randolph, fired by the Mets as manager in June, returned here, where he had served as captain and coach, to a roar of approval, which grew louder when he slid into second base, nearly upending a TV cameraman.

Berra, asked what he’d like to keep as a memento, didn’t hesitate. “Home plate,” he said.

Pettitte said he hoped to buy the pitching rubber. Jason Giambi said he planned to take his locker, first base, and hopefully a few seats from the upper deck. “I hit a few balls up there,” he said. Don Larsen, who threw a perfect game in the 1956 World Series, a singular accomplishment, scooped dirt from the pitching mound into a plastic cup with the help of the Chairman of the Board, Whitey Ford. Mariano Rivera, who fittingly closed out the Orioles, Brian Roberts rolling out to first baseman Cody Ransom for the final out, said, when asked if he planned to claim any dirt for himself, said: “I’m going to get a bucket.”

Damon, who called the day “kind of nerve-wracking” because of the pressure not to lose the finale, had grander designs for a souvenir. “I’m still hoping the foul poles end up in my yard,” he said. “Unfortunately, that may be a couple of years, but I don’t think too many people would know what to do with them. But I’ve got a perfect spot for them.”

Bids for the demolition of the stadium reportedly are not scheduled to be accepted until after the first of the year; the city doesn’t expect to finish tearing it down until spring, after the new stadium opens. The city and the team plan to sell mementoes – fans were warned they’d be prosecuted if they tried to take anything, though officials overlooked the fans chipping yellow paint off the foul poles.

The demand for keepsakes was far less pronounced in 1973, when Yankee Stadium underwent an extensive two-year renovation . One man, author-historian Bert Randolph Sugar, reportedly hauled away 17 U-Hauls worth of stuff, including Ruth’s old bat bag, underwear still inside.

“I think it was more the people, not the stadium,” said Bernie Williams, who returned from a self-imposed two-year exile to take part in the pregame ceremonies and received one of the night’s biggest ovations. “You can talk a lot about the magic, the aura but what really made the stadium was the fans.

“Concrete doesn’t talk back to you. Chairs don’t talk back to you. It’s the people who were there that root for you, day in, day out, that makes this place magic.”

Hideki Matsui put off knee surgery so he could play.

“Today, I was just trying to imprint everything on my heart,” said Matsui, adding that George Steinbrenner’s absence had registered with him in a significant way.

“It’s very sad,” he said. “This is his team, and in a way, this is his stadium. It was kind of sad he wasn’t able to make it.”

Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson said he did his crying a night earlier.

“I was sitting alone in the black, in the center-field bleachers,” said Jackson of his visit to the place where he’d hit the last of his epic three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series. “I went over there with security. That’s where I had my tears.

“I had my ‘feeling sorry about things,’ if you will. They weren’t sad tears, they weren’t happy tears. They were tears of joyous emotion of having had the opportunity to have played here, to have been in the Stadium, done things in the Stadium, that I was able to do because I played for the Yankees, and because George Steinbrenner brought me here.

“I looked at the ballpark, I looked at the field. I appreciated it. I respected it.”

Williams, a skilled guitarist, was asked what music he would have chosen for the occasion.

“I would probably say, ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’ ” he said. “A very sad rendition of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame.’ ”

Europe, thy name is Cowardice


Not everyone beyond the borders of America hates America. Read this powerful piece from Mathias Dapfner, Chief Executive of the huge German publisher Axel Springer AG. He has written a blistering attack in DIE WELT, Germany's largest daily paper, against the timid reaction of Europe in the face of the Islamic threat.


A few days ago Henry Broder wrote in Welt am Sonntag, "Europe - your family name is appeasement." It's a phrase you can't get out of your head because it's so terribly true.

Appeasement cost millions of Jews and non-Jews their lives, as England and France, allies at the time, negotiated and hesitated too long before they noticed that Hitler had to be fought, not bound to toothless agreements.

Appeasement legitimized and stabilized Communism in the Soviet Union, then East Germany, then all the rest of Eastern Europe, where for decades, inhuman suppressive, murderous governments were glorified as the ideologically correct alternative to all other possibilities.

Appeasement crippled Europe when genocide ran rampant in Kosovo, and even though we had absolute proof of ongoing mass-murder, we Europeans debated and debated and debated, and were still debating when finally the Americans had to come from halfway around the world, into Europe yet again, and do our work for us.

Rather than protecting democracy in the Middle East, European Appeasement, camouflaged behind the fuzzy word "equidistance," now countenances suicide bombings in Israel by fundamentalist Palestinians.

Appeasement generates a mentality that allows Europe to ignore nearly 500,000 victims of Saddam's torture and murder machinery and, motivated by the self-righteousness of the peace movement, has the gall to issue bad grades to George Bush... Even as it is uncovered that the loudest critics of the American action in Iraq made illicit billions, no, TENS of billions, in the corrupt U.N. Oil-for-Food program.

And now we are faced with a particularly grotesque form of appeasement. How is Germany reacting to the escalating violence by Islamic Fundamentalists in Holland and elsewhere? By suggesting that we really should have a "Muslim Holiday" in Germany?

I wish I were joking, but I am not. A substantial fraction of our (German) Government, and if the polls are to be believed, the German people, actually believe that creating an Official State "Muslim Holiday" will somehow spare us from the wrath of the fanatical Islamists. One cannot help but recall Britain's Neville Chamberlain waving the laughable treaty signed by Adolph Hitler and declaring a European "Peace in our time".

What else has to happen before the European public and its political leadership get it? There is a sort of crusade underway, an especially perfidious crusade consisting of systematic attacks by fanatic Muslims, focused on civilians, directed against our free, open Western societies, and intent upon Western Civilization's utter destruction.

It is a conflict that will most likely last longer than any of the great military conflicts of the last century - a conflict conducted by an enemy that cannot be tamed by "tolerance" and "accommodation" but is actually spurred on by such gestures, which have proven to be, and will always be taken by the Islamists for signs of weakness.

Only two recent American Presidents had the courage needed for Anti-appeasement: Reagan and Bush. His American critics may quibble over the details, but we Europeans know the truth. We saw it first hand: Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War, freeing half of the German people from nearly 50 years of terror and virtual slavery. And Bush, supported only by the Social Democrat Blair, acting on moral conviction, recognized the danger in the Islamic War against Democracy. His place in history will have to be evaluated after a number of years have passed.

In the meantime, Europe sits back with charismatic self-confidence in the multicultural corner, instead of defending liberal society's values and being an attractive center of power on the same playing field as the true great powers, America and China.

On the contrary - we Europeans present ourselves, in contrast to those "arrogant Americans", as the World Champions of "tolerance", which even (Germany's Interior Minister) Otto Schily justifiably criticizes. Why? Because we're so moral? I fear it's more because we're so materialistic, so devoid of a moral compass.

For his policies, Bush risks the fall of the dollar, huge amounts of additional national debt, and a massive and persistent burden on the American economy - because unlike almost all of Europe, Bush realizes what is at stake - literally everything.

While we criticize the "capitalistic robber barons" of America because they seem too sure of their priorities, we timidly defend our Social Welfare systems. Stay out of it! It could get expensive! We'd rather discuss reducing our 35-hour workweek or our dental coverage, or our 4 weeks of paid vacation... Or listen to TV pastors preach about the need to "reach out to terrorists. To understand and forgive".

These days, Europe reminds me of an old woman who, with shaking hands, frantically hides her last pieces of jewelry when she notices a robber breaking into a neighbor's house.

Appeasement? Europe, thy name is Cowardice - God Bless America!

Well it was an interesting Chuseok. I stayed home but still I liked what I did.

on Friday and Saturday 12-13th. I just stayed home and stayed low. I knew that the traffic would be bad and I just stayed at home and took a few naps.

Now on Sunday, I did a few things.

1. I went out with Kevin, Julie and Kim to see the movie Mamma Mia.

(Now lets explain a little before we go on. This semester I am mentoring a couple Julie and Kevin. They are so cute together..I just want to puke (Joke.) Kevin has his masters from the UN. Julie Wants to start her's soon. Kim is a young lady from Canada with a masters and this is her first time living overseas.

We had a nice time at the movie and we all liked the film.

2. I later went to the Site E party and once again the police were called. Man we must be getting one heck of a rep here. We have a party and the cops get called.

Monday I took it easy in the morning and then went to Phil's and took of the drunken chicken.



Now also congrats to Phil and Victoria. they are now preggers and I with them both the best.

Phil said that they used to cook chicken like the above photo in Canada, I have no idea but it was delicious and It was nice.

Now for a nice surprise that I had during Chuseok.






When I went to Dan and Greer's wedding in NZ, I discovered this beer named SPEIGHTS and I really enjoyed it. So you can imagine my surprise when Ben told me that his friend forgot to bring back a 12 pack from NZ. Well I had a 12 pack and I really enjoyed it during the Korean holiday Chuseok. I shared a few bottles and I really enjoyed having the beer once again. So sPEIGHT'S Please start to ship this lovely beer to Korea.

So I had a nice holiday season.