The Koreas
- A report on the impacts of delisting North Korea from the state sponsored terrorism list has been released. (Must Read)
- The New York Philharmonic trip to North Korea is still on. A little extra cash and propaganda for Kim Jong-il.Â
-Â Who hasn’t had a scene like this happen outside their apartment in Korea before?
-Â It must be exam time in Korea.
-Â I have a feeling this law will be enforced as strongly as the country’s prostitution laws.
-Â At least Huh Kyung-young has one fan out there. 
-Â I’m willing to bet this will get more people to fly on commerical airlines.
-Â This is one taxi cab related incident I have never experienced before.
-Â This is one of the better looking girls the Feetman has found.
-Â Wondergirls fans launch Cyworld terrorism attack.
Japan
-Â You can’t help but be amused by American Branding in Japan.
-Â Beware of knock off geishas.
-Â I can’t believe this many Japanese men sit down to pee.
-Â If you like old pictures here are some good pics from 1945 occuppied Japan.
China
-Â Explaining the myth of the Beijing Bible ban.
-Â A pregnant Chinese woman dies because her husband refuses to sign consent form.
-Â China’s hip hop granny.
-Â Interesting controversy surrounding western newsman Edwin Maher in China.Â
Milblogs
-Â The global warming religion has been forced on the military now as well.
-Â More proof Nancy Pelosi is becoming increasingly unhinged.Â
-Â The re-education of prisoners in Iraq is all to familar to re-education of prisoners on Geoje Island during the Korean War.
-Â As Al Qaida violence drops in Iraq, Iranian sponsored agents have been caught and linked to simulating Al Qaida style attacks.Â
-Â Knowing how Iraqis treat their women, I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner.
-Â The story from Haditha you will not hear any time soon.
Forward Deployed
-Â Pommies in Action in Afghanistan
-Â US Military Preparing "Soft Power" for Long War
-Â Introducing the USS Al Gore
-Â Riding Shotgun
-Â Army Looking to Shorten Combat Tours
Popularity: 4%
9:38 am on December 16th, 2007 1
I used to watch Edwin Maher and other anchors on CCTV-9. He seems like a pleasant enough man, yet I couldn’t help but wonder as I watched him if he had come to China after being put out to pasture in Australia. CCTV-9 pays very poorly and is frustrating to work for, according to insiders, owing to blatant censorship. It’s easy enough to bash the Chinese media, but I do think there are dedicated and professional journalists who carefully tread the boundaries to bring important stories to the public. I recall a CCTV-9 piece on the presidential elections in Indonesia. Short man-on-the-street interviews with Indonesian citizens were shown. Every single Indonesian expressed pleasure at this first opportunity to vote directly for their leader. One said, “The next president might be a bad leader, too, but at least we get to vote for him.” I perceived a subtle message in the story: the desire to choose your own rulers is natural and universal. Chinese know their media is censored and are able to read between the lines, unlike Americans who seem to take news reporting at face value.
As for the rumors about banning Bibles, the local branch of the national Xinhua bookstore chain sold “Learn English Through the Bible” audiotapes. If you bring in your own personal Bible, the authorities aren’t going to care. If you bring in a dozen, they might take notice. Religious proselytizing is illegal.
10:46 am on December 16th, 2007 2
You are probably already familiar with the case of Aaron Walsh since it appears he was stationed in Korea:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/15/military.gambling/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
This is a welcome change. Biochemical changes in the brain in response to gambling are well documented. Not everyone who pulls a slot machine gets addicted, but genetically susceptible people are drawn by the repetitive actions with intermittent rewards. Nobody ever lost their savings and shot themselves after watching too many DVDs or playing one too many rounds of basketball. Recreational activities should promote physical and mental health.
12:58 pm on December 16th, 2007 3
Sonagi thanks for the link to the gambling story. I will get something posted on it when I have time. There have been plenty of soldiers in USFK that have had their careers ruined by gambling. However, this number is totally dwarfed by the number of people who have had their careers ruined by juicy girls which is a much larger problem.
7:26 am on December 17th, 2007 4
True, GI, but juicy girls don’t work on base under DOD sponsorship. Getting rid of slot machines is a no-brainer.
10:14 am on December 17th, 2007 5
Yep… a minuscule percentage of the population has a severe problem with gambling… so let’s ban it for everybody.
The equality of communism and the loving care of the nanny state are going to be brought to us by controlling do-gooders under the guise of “just looking out for our best interests”.
“Biochemical changes in the brain in response to gambling” as they do when smelling food, looking at bright sunlight and opening a dirty magazine. Ho-hum.
I’m not a big fan of gambling… but it is a tax on stupid people (and Korean ajumas) so that GI Joe can take a subsidized trip or watch a concert. Fair trade.
GI is right on the money when he says that the number of gamblers with problems is “is totally dwarfed by the number of people who have had their careers ruined by juicy girls”. It may not be “on base under DOD sponsorship” but it is certainly allowed, and even encouraged, by leadership who can stop it with a single off-limits order.
Of course, this bill is never going to pass. I’d like to think it’s because they are concerned about GI Joe… but I imagine the conversation is more like, “Well, sir, if that bill passes, we are going to have to cancel some pork projects in you district to fund next year’s MWR budget.”
9:05 pm on December 17th, 2007 6
GI,
Thanks for the plug. My blog gets so few visitors (deservedly, as I post so seldom - we won’t discuss post quality) that I can tell when you mention my blog. Visitors per day jumped from an average of thirty-ish to over a hundred.
8:28 am on December 18th, 2007 7
Two to four percent of adults and three to six percent of teenagers is not “miniscule.” “Nanny state” regulations exist because no one is an island. Our personal choices can affect others negatively. The “stupid” man left behind a mother and two children who depended on him as a breadwinner. They may be on welfare or receiving food stamps paid for by taxpayers. Gambling is already regulated in all fifty states, restricted to certain areas or banned altogether, giving a monpolopy to local tribes.
9:28 am on December 18th, 2007 8
““Nanny state†regulations exist because no one is an island.”
You are correct, Sonagi… it takes a village to raise an idiot.
10:41 pm on January 20th, 2008 9
3:34 am on March 7th, 2008 10