More Notes on Dokdo...

It appears that I - like the Korean government and media - am also of the opinion that "that horse is not dead yet." I mentioned the ever-exploding issue of the Dokdo Islands ("Takeshima" in Japan) a few days ago, but for your edification, here's a helpful geographic breakdown of the argument:

As I said, Korea already controls the islands - and have for sixty years - and probably has the legal rights to keep them, but the government is evidently worried that Japan is planning to take the issue to court in an effort to regain control of the islands, which sit in prime fishing waters and may or may not have natural gas deposits. Koreans are worried that Japan, as one of the more influential countries in the world, will play dirty to get the islands (use their connections, fake documents, etc.). Whatever happens, I can see why Korea wouldn't want to take this to the United Nations: Japan has nothing to lose, while Korea could potentially lose the islands.

In the meantime, Korea's not taking any chances:

Those jets - seen flying over one of the rocks - were scrambled along with Coast Guard ships because some right-wing Japanese group decided to try to land on the islands in a small dinghy. Seems like a bit of an overreaction to me. How much did it cost Korea to fly those jets around for a couple hours, just to make a show of force Why not just send the police, who are stationed on Dokdo, out to arrest the 'invaders?'

I encourage you to check out The Marmot's Hole for much better and more in depth coverage on this issue. For my part, I'm thinking of claiming Dokdo/Takeshima for myself, just to put an end to the constant arguing.

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Kid-Free Zone? Sign Me Up.

Interesting article in the International Herald-Tribune today, focusing on the lack of children in US urban areas and using Portland, Oregon as a prime example. You see, municipal governments like kids, not because they're endearingly innocent (because they're not), infectiously enthusiastic ("would you sit down and shut up, for the chrissakes!") or perpetually whiny (the truth at last), but because each kid means an average of $5,000 tax revenue for a city. But hey, if kids are what it takes to get parks and greenspace built, then I guess we all have to sacrifice and put up with 'em. It's a shame, though, that kids can't simply exist only on paper.

The author used Portland's Pearl District as an example of an area where city officials are trying their darndest to keep families. I never really wanted to live in the Pearl District when I was in Portland - who the hell wants to live in a damned warehouse that costs half a million dollars? - but after reading this piece, I've begun to reconsider. Think about it: no crying babies next door, no shooing away of girl scouts, no baseballs through the window, no stampedes (ah, that's a cattle-free zone; I still get the two mixed up sometimes).

As an aside, the article also noted that San Francisco has the lowest number of kids of any major US city. Hmph. Wonder why?

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The Great Doublecross

" You piece of scum! You are unfit to have a website!"

Well, there you have it: I went and disappeared again. Like I said, I'm nothing if not inconsistent and, to be honest, if I'd written anything in the past week it would've sounded a tad bitter anyway (which, I guess, wouldn't be terribly unusual). Why? Well, let's just say that my boss - who until recently had treated me quite well - sandbagged me on some contract issues and effectively torpedoed my previous summer plans. Now I'm looking at having to find my own housing for the first time in over three years - which isn't necessarily a bad thing - and hunting for a new job. I'm still planning on being in the States for a couple weeks this summer, but then it'll be back to Korea and back to the coal face. Stay tuned for updates. Or don't.

As for other Korean Doings...

This nonsense has been cluttering my newspaper for the past week or two.

There's a group of islands called Dokdo - they're rocks, really - in the ocean between Korean and Japan over which Korea presently has control and, most likely, the legal rights to keep. A few shitkicking, rural Japanese politicians, though, have tried to stake their own claim to the islets, too. This, of course, has put a briar in the butt of a good many Koreans, as anything Japanese is prone to do. The above photo shows a Korean man trying trying to burn himself alive in front of the Japanese embassy in order to protest something. I'm not sure what. These little outcrops are hardly cause for such overreaction, especially since Korea controls Dokdo now anyway. A few days ago, a woman and her (30 year-old) son cut off a couple of their own fingers in protest of the same thing. I can't imagine the Japanese government being too concerned. Afterall, they killed hundreds of thousands of Koreans during the colonial period - what do they care if a couple more set in for self-mutilation.

My problem with these actions (burning oneself, cutting off one's digits) is that when done over an issue like Dokdo, they really trivialize the acts. It runs the risk of losing its impact when someone does it for a more "serious" issue.

I'm sure everyone remembers the famous photo of the Buddhist monk in Saigon setting himself ablaze to protest the atrocities there. That, I understand. Hundreds of thousands were being killed in the name of politics.

And apparently a famous Korean folk-protest singer torched himself back in the eighties to protest the situation here in Korean Fair enough, Korea was trying to break out from under a repressive dicatorship at the time.

But Dokdo is not what I'd call a, um, burning issue (seriously, no pun intended). I know some Koreans perceive it as an extension of past Japanese atrocities, but in reality it's just a few country bumpkins stirring up the ol' hornet's nest. Korea has possession of Dokdo and Japan's not likely to start a war over it, so Koreans (the ones who are riled up about it anyway) need to take a breath and stop mutilating themselves over some rocks in the Sea of Japan (let's not get started on that).

Time to tell Japan, "Hey, we've got it. It's ours. End of debate." And refuse to discuss it. By arguing with Japan, protesting in the streets, etc., Koreans are just giving credence to Japan's side of the story. Demanding apologies from Japan (which I guess they've given) is like a little kid getting socked by a bigger kid on the playground and then demanding an apology which, of course, the bigger kid won't give. It just makes the little one look weaker.

Kind Korean People: Please, stop burning yourselves. Stop cutting off your fingers. And admit that alienating Japan over some islands isn't really worth it.

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This Site: Feast or Famine

The Blazers have this shooting guard named Derek Anderson who doesn't really play much anymore, but when he did he was quite the streaky shooter. He was either hot or cold, never really in between. He'd either go 11 of 14 from the field or 2 of 18, but he'd never give you a consistent 50%. Dave Kreig, that old QB for the Seahawks, was that way, too - either on or off. Not exactly the kind of players around whom you'd want to build an offense.

I have pretty much the same constitution when it comes to this writing business. I go off in bursts, sometimes posting six items in a day and then nothing for two weeks. By now you've probably all got me sussed and only check this page every fortnight or so, eh? Well, the usual apologies and the usual excuses for the inconsistencies.

One of those excuses revolves around my ever-evolving immune system, which failed me again this week and succumbed to - or spent its time fighting - one kinghell flu bug. When I was young we had a dog that, as a puppy, had a severely runny nose (I've got some grade-A footage of it on video should you ever care to see for yourselves). I've been thinking of that dog a lot this week as I go through one box of tissues after another. Thankfully, I'm getting better and feeling that I ought to be more disciplined with regards to this site.

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