Dammit, Cynthia!

Sometimes, I check my Spam folder. And sometimes, I just have to wonder: Who would actually go through with sending this e-mail? That is, who would sit down with the intention of marketing a project, write this, and then send it to the general public? Today's installment:



Why, Cynthia, why?! Who thinks of that?!?! Of course, I opened the e-mail.


No words. Just...no words.

Of Christmas jackets and holiday cheer

I GOT MY JACKET!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And so ends the saga. Thanks, Hogan! I'll post happy reunion pictures when I get access to a camera with which to take them. Congratulations to all of you who correctly guessed that I would receive my jacket before the end of the year!

this. is. RIDICULOUS.

Okay, so John found this website that shows a series of images created by a decorated (so-to-speak) Chinese artist living in Germany. The images are little pictograms comparing Eastern and Western cultures, which I happened to find brilliantly insightful and just simply perfect. We e-mailed them to all our friends working here in Korea with us to give them a giggle.

You can check it out here.

Anyway, then I sat down and started reading some of the comments on the images. It was nuts. Some people said they were blatantly racist against Asians. Others said they thought the images made more fun of Westerners. But most people thought the same as John and I did (including one of the Koreans I work with). Those differences are so flippin true(mostly) and are the source of a lot of both our joys and frustrations living here. BUT THEEEEN there's this one guy who made an argument so outdated that he engaged every single person commenting on the site in an argument: that it is wrong to point out cultural differences and all stereotypes only lead to bad things. When people disagreed with him he flipped out and started swearing at them and used a whole lot of straw man arguments and non-sensical grammar. It was amazing. It was like watching a wet cat being backed into a corner by a bunch of hungry dobermans. But the point is the images - I think they make fun of both cultures equally and you guys might get some idea of what we're experiencing on a daily basis. So you should check them out.

...in which the internet implies that Danny is dumb

So I'm innocently looking up a summary of the made for TV movie, Riddle of the Sphinx, which is currently airing on the SciFi channel, and...

Miscellany

I just had a class canceled on me so I've got a minute to drop a line here.....


(I also just had one of the little instant coffee cups you can get here, which is half sugar, half caffeine, and half coffee flavoring...so if I seem a little wired it's because I've had 150% of a cup of fake coffee, amazingly.)

Anyway, I've got a solid week and a half here to do Christmas activities with my students, and am now accepting suggestions for what to do with the little buggers in a post-final exam environment. Please keep in mind that the little punks are either sick or blazing with energy at this point, and most likely will not stay seated or quiet unless they've got a really good reason to.

Also, I don't know where you guys get your news, but if you get it from the BBC you may have learned that South Korean courts just fined the parents of a teenage rapist for neglecting their parental duties. Check it out:

"The teenager is serving a 10-year sentence for the rape, but a court in Seoul ruled that his parents were also liable for his crime.

A court statement said: 'The parents could have prevented the crime with appropriate education but failed to show enough attention to their child.

'They neglected their duty to raise their child so that he can properly adjust to society.'"

Here's the rest of the article, if you're interested: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7782245.stm

I mean, what do you guys think of this? This could be huge.....what if other countries start following suit? (Although honestly I think if other countries started doing the same that it wouldn't get past Asia.) But I'm a little flabbergasted. I wonder how in depth the investigation went, and what Korean standards for parental neglect are, and how they could prove it and all that stuff. Just imagine if a similar ruling had occurred in the States.

....That's all.

I am astounded.

I honestly don't think I need to introduce this.

I am at the library because...

Hello everyone,

I have been quiet for a little while here, running around and finishing projects.

As far as that goes, I'm almost done!! My presentation is ready and all and I was even on the news in Rhinelander for about 5 seconds after surviving a 3 hour fun filled drive through a blizzard at 6 in the morning to get to these meetings.

http://titancast.titantv.com/p/wjfw/v/Utilizing-the-Waterfront/1ACA0TEG.aspx

The meetings were actually worthwhile, and i don't look too strung out!

In other news, I probably wont be posting anytime soon because my computer got JACKED while it was minding its own business sitting on my desk in my room! If any of you frequent pawn shops in the madison area, keep your eyes peeled?

luckily for me these douchebags took the time to remove my thumb drive and fling it on the floor, which has pretty much saved my life as my entire capstone project was on that, with the only back up being on my laptop.

I guess the upside of this is that we have a nice, new, and clean living room window.

Oh and by the way Danny, you wont have to wait much longer... christmas/channukah/holidays are right around the corner!

Until next time,
H

Oh, to be a Greek

Today, I love Greece. No matter how many times I've made fun of their ridiculous language, I applaud them for their rioting. Even though most of the rioters are anti-capitalist, I appreciate their intolerance of the government killing any of the people.

I miss a good riot. I feel as though I was cheated out of some good rioting years here in Madison by the Halloween changes. So, today I live vicariously through communistic Greeks. I shall have myself a Gyro to commemorate this moment.

Oh my God.

This woman in my office has literally been on the phone for half an hour talking to a customer service representative of some company. This is what seems to have happened:

It appears that the woman was previously signed up to receive some product or service from this company. She allegedly cancelled her subscription, and they assured her that they would not charge her again. But then they did.

So now she's trying to get her money refunded, and an assurance that she's not going to be charged again. But she's been on the phone for HALF AN HOUR! Saying the SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

"But I called you before, and you told me you wouldn't charge me. And now you're doing it again! I want you to stop it! And I want that money refunded right now!" (again and again and again....)

AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Pearl Harbor Day!!!

Quick, have a Kamikaze!

(Sarah, I'm sorry to hear you're sick... If you have a Kamikaze, you should probably make sure your Korean friends know that you're doing so out of opposition to the Japanese, rather than in deference :-D)

I really needed this.

...the best part is it's the second edition.