Cyberdiarrhea

The Last Waltz

2009-07-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

The bachelor party: (actually 'after' the bachelor party as I was not taking pictures during) Kool Moe Dee Gorton's Fisherman showed up, Carmine Ragu's head looked like an island, we stole his fries, and then made like Hare Krishna's in front of the airport. I was ready to get hitched after all this.

Saving Private Brian

2009-06-07T23:22:00.001-07:00

Made by the "Saver" of the duo

Crank that Susan Boyle at Twilight while Touching my Body with Achmed the Dead Terroist

2009-05-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who doesn't "get" Susan Boyle? I mean she's got some pipes no doubt, but what's the big dealio? Cuz she's a smacked up looking bird? Well, people like her for some reason and she's just made it into the top 5 viral videos of all time with over 186 million views. This puts her in the illustrious company of Souljah Boy, the Twilight trailer, Mariah Carey, and Jeff Dunham with Achmed the Dead Terrorist (I veeel killll you!). Glad to see the Information Superhighway ushering in a global era of interconnectedness and world peace.

The thrill of competition

2009-04-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

A lifetime of training coming down to this moment...
Everything took on a sharp look...
Muscles tensed...
A mighty push-off...

If you can't beat em...

2009-04-25T19:38:00.000-07:00

throw a soccer ball at 'em during their team photo for the softball game.

I'm currently doing 13 million digit calculations

2009-04-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

... or at least my computer is. I signed up for the GIMPS project to look for new Mersenne Prime Numers. There are only 40 of these numbers that are known. The most recently discovered one is 13 million digits long. The GIMPS project runs calculations on computers that are registered for this project. If you discover a new Mersenne Prime Numbers you get the credit and the glory that comes with it.

Secret Agent Undercover Operative Spies

2009-04-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

Viper and Cash Reynolds

What's the best BBQ condiment?

2009-04-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Meat

Psychology in Korea

2009-03-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

This is an article I wrote for our school's magazine. (It's written for ESL students)

When people think of psychology they often picture a psychologist sitting in a large chair taking notes while a patient lies back on a couch talking about problems from childhood and how this vaguely connects to their current difficulties. The truth is that psychology is a diverse discipline focused on helping people achieve optimum health through scientifically proven methods.

Enabling companies to hire the creative but unproven applicant who goes on to achieve a breakthrough in the industry; helping soldiers to readjust back to lives with their families after experiencing war; performing tests on the brain of someone who has been in a car accident; giving a child who has moved to a new school skills to help them adjust to their new environment: These are just some of the many ways psychology can help impact society for the better.

Why then is there often a misunderstanding and suspicion about the goals of those working in psychology and their treatments? People often think those involved in psychology can “read their minds”. Others might harbor a notion that psychologists invent problems in people in order to turn a buck on their naivety.

Perhaps it is because the mind is such an important part of the conception of our “self” and because there are yet many things still to be understood about the mind that these misconceptions persist. People are naturally resistant to the idea of someone probing about their innermost thoughts and feelings and somehow controlling them. In addition, some people may feel that to seek help for mental issues might indicate a lack of their own control over their body and could indicate weakness.

These issues are some of the biggest obstacles for those thinking about seeking mental help and following through on treatment. As a result of these prejudices, many people go without the psychological services which could be very beneficial for them.

Psychology is often misunderstood around the world, but psychology in Korea presents its own unique set of problems to be dealt with. Psychology has a comparatively short history in Korea and there are cultural issues that prevent psychology from being fully utilized.

Although there is some indication of psychological thought from early Confucian scholars, psychology as a scientific discipline entered Korea during the Japanese occupation and then progressed with Korean practitioners developing organizations and university programs in Korea. (Choi & Han, Psychology in Korea) As in other countries, psychology spread with its use as a tool in military candidate assessment and most recently amongst children in Korea. Finally, some companies such as Samsung and Posco have recently established psychological services in their organizations.

One of the main focuses of psychological research in Korea has recently focused on the applicability of counseling theories and skills that originated in Western contexts. (Seo, Kim, Kim, Applied Psychology, Jan. 2007) As Korean psychology continues to grow, practitioners need to adapt the field to suit the needs of the people. However, clinical methods and theory need to be based in science and not in broad generalizations. In particular, claims that individual behavior in Korea is influenced by societal values that are unique to this culture should be examined to understand the true dynamics guiding individual decisions.

Korea does present definite unique areas of need psychologists should consider. The effect of urban density on people, mandatory military conscription, the effect of military conflict, integration of foreigners into a relatively closed society, high suicide and alchohol abuse rates, and pressure from high expectations of success are some of the main issues psychologists can help individuals with. Psychologists will need to distinguish themselves as being able to offer unique skills apart from other social service workers that tend to address the physical needs of clients.

With the continued realization of the part psychology can play in Korea, the services offered will continue to improve and will be increasingly utilized. Psychology will have its place here as a trusted component in helping people to live happy and full lives.

The South will rise again!

2009-03-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

How'd that get there?

2009-03-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

Must have taken a wrong turn.

Off to Xingtao

2009-03-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

...to find the real orange chicken.

Don't Be an Ape-Leader

2009-02-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

because according to the Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, a dictionary of scandalous terms published in 1811, that is an old maid whose "punishment after death, for neglecting increase and multiply, will be, it is said, leading apes in hell." I can see the logic behind the 'apple-dumpling shop' (a woman's breasts) wherein might be found an 'arbor vitae' (look it up). Stay away from brandy that's been 'baptized' (cut with water) and 'bats' (a low whore: so called from moving out like bats in the dusk of the evening).

It's like golf...

2009-02-19T23:01:00.000-08:00

but lazier.

Shackleton's Artic Expedition

2009-02-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

What TV show was based on the writings of Euripedes and Sophocles?

2009-02-07T19:29:00.000-08:00

Well, it ain't American Idol.
I finally just finished watching all 5 seasons and it was a heckuva show, more like one long show, but with each episode adding to the show and no cliffhangers. Written by people with experience in the fields they were writing about (reporters, teachers, politicians) the show and characters were realistic. Afterwords, I watched an interview with David Simon, the creator and writer of the show. He talks a lot about how the show isn't based in the Shakespearean tradition of character driven plot like most TV show, but instead is based on the classic Greek themes of the institution. In this style of story a character is secondary to the institutions that make up the society. Thus we can see a major character get whacked by a nobody, unfair things happen to good people, and people worn down by the system they have entered. Simon explains about how The Wire attempts to illustrate how modern institutions have failed to serve the people and have become an end to themselves. We see this in the show when the characters attempt to take on the system and are thwarted (although I disagree with Simon's claims that the institutions have become impermeable and even look to the show for examples of how some characters have maintained individual ideals while working in their roles). Another interesting thing Simon talks about is making the camera secondary in the filming. He rails against the 'shaky camera' style of "realism" that began with NYPD Blue (I wonder if he read this in cyberdiarrhea a couple of years back?) . He talks about in one episode how the camera panned ahead to a character who was about to make a joke and he realized that "the camera cannot know more than the show". Perhaps this is another theme of the institution (in this case the story) being bigger than the individual(in this case the camera or viewer). Anyway, he makes a lot of other interesting points, especially about newspapers and how the internet is no real substitute for real journalism. It's clear Simon takes TV seriously and The Wire reflects this.

Beer...Good!

2009-02-03T00:15:00.000-08:00

Why settle on one beer when you can have 10?

Of course if you are going to have only one beer, make it count.

Soundtrack of the year

2009-01-30T17:45:00.000-08:00

The ipod just hit 1 year worth of music. That's right, if I hit play on the ipod right now, on January 31, 2010 the final note, scratch, beep, or riff would be sounding off just as I collapsed from a year-long roller coaster of melodic, grooving, thumping, ass-kicking rock, rap, no rock-rap, blues, jazz, electronic down-tempo samba (yes). Then, start it all over. I'll throw ya'll a bone right now. Check out Wale's new album, The Mixtape About Nothing. It's a Seinfeld based rap album incorporating Seinfeld music (including that funky bass mouth opening credit jam), soundbytes, and plugs from the Seinfeld crew. Dude rhymes all kind of stuff including Seinfeld references, a song where each lyric begins, "What's the deal with...?" (something Jerry never actually said), a reflection on Michael Richard's angry n-bomb, and an Oksana Baiul (Russian figure skater from about 15? years ago) name-drop. All this over some good beats that the more "consciousfulistic rappers" seem to forget about. There you go, only 364 days 11 hours more to go.

World's 8th Largest Economy

2009-01-28T05:51:00.001-08:00

is about to start handing out IOU's. If California really wants to get their budget on track they should try handing out IOU's to the politicians. See how quick that budget would get fixed.

Redefining good taste

2009-01-03T18:47:00.001-08:00

Here's a sampling of some editorial cartoons published in the Korea Times recently.

Making Racism Funny Again

2008-12-21T01:05:00.000-08:00

I couldn't believe the shit that came out of Clint's mouth in his latest movie, "Gran Torino." Among some of my favorites: To a group of Hmong wanksters he pulls a gun on for fighting on his lawn, "We used to stack fucks like you 5 feet high in Korea and use you as sandbags." Or to a group of bro's messing with a chick, "What the hell you spooks up to?" And to a whigger, "Shut up pussy. You wanna be SuperSpade or something?" Ha! That's 3 ethnic groups just in the first 30 minutes of the movie. His best stuff since he told Spike Lee he should "shut his face." Though you can see the old guy eventually softening from the get-go, the film never sinks into sappiness and has an effective unexpected ending. And if all this wasn't enough, Eastwood co-wrote the score which was played by jazz pianist Jamie Cullum (good musician in his own right). It's a cool blend of east-west sounds, smooth and dark. In his last acting role, this suburban cowboy movie is appropriate for Clint to ride out in the sunset to while at 78 proving he is still the toughest hombre on the block.

We All Need Somebody to Lean On...even the Big Man

2008-12-16T15:33:00.000-08:00

Went to a William Blake exhibit at a local museum. Dude was on some far out type shit back in the day.

What Does the Future Hold?

2008-12-09T02:21:00.000-08:00

I consulted the oracle about the possibility of Lasik eye surgery. The cards said all good.

I stand up next to a mountain, I chop it down with the edge of my hand

2008-11-15T19:11:00.000-08:00

-I expected to find a man in a diaper who answered any of my questions at the summit. Instead we found these fellas who plied us with rice wine and meat. I prefer these guys.

-Pre-chop

-Mikey on his spiritual quest to become a "big boy" hiked the mountain all on his own with dad

Swords will fucking kill you

2008-11-02T02:48:00.000-08:00

Swords will fucking cut a baby in half.
Swords will even fucking kill Asians.

This ain't "Have it Your Way" Biatch

2008-10-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

Darryl demonstrates his order of a Big Mac set and a 6 piece chicken nugget. Those are some awful big nuggets.

Donkey Kong's Nuts

2008-10-22T22:25:00.000-07:00

Indiecade.com has got a list of some video games that won some awards at their convention. The games are clever, stylish, and fun. My favorite was Samorost.

Always making me proud

2008-10-19T03:13:00.000-07:00

Well it appears the Michigan State Spartans weren't the only thing sucking this past weekend...

Police arrest Mich. man for car wash vacuum sex

Sparty On!

2008-10-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

Don't look now, but the Fartin Spartans of Michigan State have slid into the top 20 in the rankings. After a tough opening game loss to Berkley they have won their next 6 thanks in large part to Javon Ringer (above) who leads the nation in touchdowns and yards. However, they've got some tough games ahead in Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Purdue, and Penn State. I think a win tomorrow against the Buckeyes sets them up to win the next 3 and a big showdown against Penn State for a trip to Pasadena next year. Don't party too hard Friday night boys.

Bring your own

2008-10-07T03:53:00.000-07:00

Bring a chair everywhere you go. Then you always have a seat. Subway. Movies. Museum. You name it.

Skeet-diddly-doo

2008-10-07T03:37:00.000-07:00

JazzFest 100,000 strong. 100,005 if you include us.
-You would think they would have had more than 1 beer line.

A world where this is illegal is not a world I want to live in

2008-10-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

Apparantly in this modern day sissified country of pinkos and queers, freedom-loving Americans no longer have license to perform the natural functions the good Lord equipped them to do. I ask you people, where will it stop? Will the government now go poking their head in my bathroom, telling me what I can and can't do, which numbers I can make, whether I can blame that pee on the seat on the guy before me? My fellow citizens, when the founders of our country felt the oppressive hand of King George riling up the bowels of discontent from within, were they forced to suffer in silence? Hell no, they came up with the First Ammendment, which guaranteed the right for an individual to express himself as he sees fit. My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, for thee I sing...

This man is a true freedom fighter.

esoterica.

Hi Jinx

2008-09-22T19:18:00.000-07:00

When a few co-workers didn't show for the office softball game this past Saturday it was decided a little chicanery needed to ensue. Desks and other furniture was switched amongst the four. Monday morning was a bit confusing for the lads as they wondered why they had new desks and where all their old stuff went.

Meta-blogging

2008-09-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

The last bastion of writer's block- writing about writing v.2.0- blogging about blogging.
1.How many are there? There are some wildly varying estimates- maybe 12 million U.S. blogs at 20% active. In fact, 60-80% are abandoned within one month.
Cyberdiarrhea found this insufficient so research was undertaken to obtain some more information. Using blogspots "Next Blog" search function I looked at 16 blogs (until I got bored). Some stats:
-6 were in English
-Average length of blog- 6 months
-Average posts per month- 13 (although this was heavily skewed by a Russian website with a crazy looking guy with many posts with scanned documents)
-Average posts per month with crazy Russian- 16
-Average posts per month without crazy Russian-8
-Average posts per month 3 months or less blog- 8
-Average posts per month 3 months or older- 8(There was a 10 month old-blog by an Italian lady with seemingly every meal she has made for the last month blogged for a 39/ month average pulling up the old-timers)
-Average posts per month 3 months or older minus Sophia- 4
The secret for longevity in the blogosphere? Slow and steady. Or insane fixation on one subject.

Don't Go Full Retard

2008-09-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

One of these guys is thinking about the time Keith Moon got all wasted on pills at a concert and carted off the stage and someone in the audience filled in for him with the Who. This guy is continuing to play without noticing the other guy has stopped.

The folk sound

2008-09-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

Been trying to dig through some Alan Lomax recordings lately. He was a musician and recorder of music throughout the 20th century in America and beyond, who contributed over 10,000(!) recordings and interviews to the Library of Congress. He often travelled to rural locales and through his recordings gave an audience to many performers of blues, folk, bluegrass, and other traditional music who otherwise most likely would not have been heard beyond their own local area. His knowledge of early music was so encyclopedic that he worked with Carl Sagan as a consultant for the record sent to space to represent earth's music to any aliens with a record player and some groove.

Where to start with some of his recordings? With so many, I haven't yet begun to scratch the surface. But I have so far liked his southern recordings and prison songs.

Rock the vote

2008-08-25T22:34:00.000-07:00

For us people living abroad voting can be hard. Fortunately the Overseas Vote Foundation makes it really easy. It is a non-profit dedicated to registering overseas Americans to vote and providing absentee ballots. There is a form to fill out on the website. Print it out and mail it in to your precinct. They will send you an absentee ballot. They make it so easy that if you don't vote, than go ahead and move to Russia.

I didn't even have to use my AK

2008-08-21T04:59:00.000-07:00

Great day at the beach. BBQ. Downpour. Umbrella. Badminton. And at the end of the day our hosts brought out a bucket of golf balls that we golfed into the lake.

Batman and Superman go shopping for curtains together

2008-08-15T23:14:00.000-07:00

Apparently in World's Finest Comic #289 Batman and Superman head over to the Fortress of Solitude to "see Superman's hot tub." I'm thinking something like Hero from Drawn Together ensues. Holy pole chomping!

Just want to break free

2008-08-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

While watching Olympic race walking on the tube, I realized these guys look like either a)someone hurrying to the bathroom or b)a kid trying to go fast on a pool deck without the lifeguard yelling at him again for running.
I also realized I want to try the pole vault.

The water's fast in Beijing

2008-08-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

Not that I really care about America winning Olympic medals, but the men's 4x100 freestyle relay in Beijing sounded awesome. This was supposed to be Michael Phelp's toughest leg in his quest for 8 golds and the French team were the team to beat. No one believed that more than the Frenchies who talked about "smashing" the Americans in this race. The French took an early lead. With America's anchor, Brock Lezak going into the final turn a full body length behind the French anchor, he stormed back and touched in at an insane 46.06- the fastest relay leg ever. I believe the word for this in French is le comeuppance.
UPDATE: I just saw the replay Lezak's last 20 m were amazing. The US team lowered the world record (that they set earlier in the qualifiers) by 4 seconds! That is unfathomable.

When MILF's attack

2008-08-09T23:16:00.000-07:00

Philippines Attacks Muslim Rebels In South

"The government had given some 800 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas a 24-hour deadline on Thursday to withdraw from villages in North Cotabato province but most defied the government order.
We are only taking actions against the breakaway MILF group that defied the orders of the ceasefire panels," said Major-General Raymundo Ferrer, a division commander in the area.
A spokesman for the MILF, which is supposed to be observing a ceasefire, said they did not start the fighting."- NY Times

Mayorin' ain't easy

2008-08-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

It used to be as a mayor, you hand out a few keys, shake some hands, and cut some ribbons. These days it's about going to jail and having your dogs blown away while you're in your boxers. Over in De-twat Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is looking at 11 felony counts and spent the night in jail for violating bond. He is Mayor, not former-Mayor (for now at least). Allegedly this dapper dandy was caught tricking around with some city employees and then lied about it. Too bad the man's got some text message records showing some very un-governmental messages. When are these fools gonna realize, "DON'T SEND TEXT MESSAGES"?
In Maryland, Mayor Cheye Chelvo got a rude awakening as the po-po stormed his house when he took in a big package of weed that was delivered. Apparently some guys had a scam of delivering bud to people's houses then scooping up the package left on the front step. I wonder if people would have believed him if he wasn't mayor, "I didn't know it was a big box of mary-jane sitting in the front hallway." Anyone know the address of the U.S. Drug Czar?

Lemmy or God?

2008-08-06T01:45:00.000-07:00

At the front gate these fellows asked me a question, "Who would win in a fight between Lemmy and God?"
Thinking both of them to be rather tough in a scrap, I nevertheless went with the Lemster.
"Fool," they shouted as the blade swung on its arc towards my neck, "Lemmy IS God."

Good Night Sweet Prince

2008-08-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Goosed

2008-07-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

1984 World Series... (taken from mlb.com)

The game and the series were coming apart in the eighth inning with the Padres trailing, 5-4, runners at second and third, two out and Gibson, who had already homered in the game, coming to the plate.

Williams wagged four fingers from the dugout toward catcher Terry Kennedy, signaling an intentional walk. Gossage balked.

"He doesn't want to do it," Kennedy barked to Williams, who immediately launched out of the dugout to the mound where a heated confrontation ensued.

"Dick, as you know, was a very tough guy," Gossage said. "And no nonsense. So Dick calls timeout, runs out to the mound and asks, 'What the heck is going on out here? You don't want to walk him? You want to go after him? Then go ahead and go after him.'"

"I saw Goose's reaction and I knew he didn't want to walk me," Gibson said. "I looked over at [manager] Sparky [Anderson] and I said, 'He ain't gonna walk me.' I motioned and said 10 bucks that I was gonna take him deep."

Williams had barely settled back in the dugout when two pitches later Gibson launched a three-run homer into the right-field upper deck in the old ballyard. Final score, 8-4.

Said Williams: "It wasn't a hard home run, it just broke three seats."

Gossage is one of only 5 relievers to make the Hall and did it putting up impressive numbers while oftentimes having to face a number of batters, something the 1 and 2 out specialists of today normally don't contend with. Next up for HOF... Alan Trammell.

Dok-Doh!

2008-07-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

In the latest issue of the unlinkable Korean Herald, Expat Living Section there is an interesting letter to the editor entitled, "Korea's Pile of Rocks," pointing out that Dokdo belongs to Korea and Korea should stop complaining (about everything).

Curly Shepherd

2008-07-25T01:18:00.000-07:00

This is the exact reaction I pictured if Dave Willy and myself had both been wearing our exact same flaming bright red shoes last weekend that we both happened to purchase independently of each other. I got days that end in "y" bro.

Taking the Skin Boat to Tuna Town

2008-07-24T03:22:00.000-07:00

The euphemism generator can have you sounding like Walter Mathau or Jack Lemmon in Grumpy Old Men in no time.

Yet, another great use of post-it notes

2008-07-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

Everyone has heard the story about how the guy who invented post-it notes is a quadrillionairre, but it's all about the art.

Mr. ED

2008-07-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

More sex means less chance of ED for older men (news headline)
-Isn't this like telling someone the cure for insomnia is to get some sleep?

Public Forum

2008-07-08T03:11:00.000-07:00

It is the great uniter, one of the few things everyone has in common along with sleeping, breathing, and eating (and one of the results of one of these three). It is the need to use the can, the throne, the commode, and drop the kids off at the wave pool, pinch a loaf, or lay some cable. And since there is really nothing to do during this process, why not have something to look at and read? Spurned by this need to entertain or be entertained during this basest of processes, bathroom grafitti both invites call and response. A primitive chat board, anonymity allows the writer to open up to let out what's really on their mind. Is it also influenced by the concordant release ritual that brings the writer to said circumstances, thereby encouraging a cathartic creative writing process? Debatable. However, it is appealing that this medium is accessible to all. It only takes a pen and a rumble from below. It is unmotivated by money. It reaches a broad spectrum of audiences. It looks better than a boring blank wall. It can be profound or a 1 word movie review. Sit on it.

Public Sentiment Affects Foreign Investment

2008-06-30T08:20:00.000-07:00

I responded to an editorial in the Korean Herald, entitled "Lone Star Verdict". The article claimed that a Korean court's recent acquittal of a U.S. investment group accused of devaluing a Korean bank, demonstrated Korea's commitment to foreign direct investment into Korea. I took issue with their last statement which stated that, "Public sentiment in a country should matter little as long as there is reliable law enforcement." If only "should" dictated economic policy.

June 30, 2008

Dear Editors,

This letter is in response to the editorial in the June 27, 2008 edition of this newspaper, entitled “Lone Star Verdict.” I disagree with the assertion made at the end of the editorial that, “Public sentiment in a country should matter little as long as there is reliable law enforcement.” This statement was made to contend that foreign investors will continue to invest in Korea as long as it is profitable. While it is certain that the bottom line reigns in matters of business, there are factors that influence investment in foreign markets, one of which is public sentiment.

While the acquittal of Lone Star by the courts is a step in the right direction, (although the sale of a multi-billion dollar losing credit card operation 3 years before accused as being undervalued never should have gone to court (and there remains another criminal case)) foreign investment groups continue to pull out or avoid investing in Korea. As reported in the Korea Times June 24, 2008 edition (Foreign Funds Leave Korea), Lone Star, the Carlyle Group, CVC Capital Partners, Affinity, Newbridge, and others are all avoiding investing billions of dollars in Korea. One of the reasons cited for these pull-outs is anti-foreign sentiment. In a 2007 Forbes article (Stuck in Limbo, 2007, 12, 24), 40% of London's Institute of Directors said they would not invest in Korea because of “anti-foreign sentiment.” Anti-foreign sentiment discourages foreign investment and negatively impacts the economy for several reasons- inability to recruit foreign talent, influence of regulatory policy, and negative reciprocity towards Korean outbound investment.

It is interesting that in the same issue the editors of the Korean Herald conclude that, “Public sentiment should matter little...”, on page 6, there is an article (Financial Sector Still Far From Globalized) which cites “many financial experts” as advocating for an increase in “human capital” through a “drastic change (of) the mindset of both policymakers and the public.” As reported in a recent article in Asian Perspective, “A survey undertaken on June 2006 by the National Assembly Budget Office shows that nearly 63 percent of 330 civil servants interviewed who were working for the three Free Economic Zone authorities felt that the government has failed so far in luring top-notch high-tech firms from abroad (Asian Perspective, Korea's FDI-Led Economic Liberalism: A critical view, Kim, Lee, Vol. 32 2008). In the same article, 85% of foreign Korean-based businessmen viewed “Korea's strong nationalism as the most challenging constraint to the success of Korea's globalization drive.” To compete with the superior salaries, benefits, and security of positions in business elsewhere a receptive climate should at the very least be considered a factor in recruitment and retention of talent.

As the editors in the Korean Herald's “Lone Star Verdict” point out, “The financial regulator's position is adding to speculation that it is deliberately stalling its decision on the KEB sale in consideration of the unfavorable public opinion against the foreign sale.” Consider that in 2006, when both Hyundai and Lone Star were being investigated for illegal business practices (embezzlement and falsifying documents respectively) and offered up apologies and social donations employees from Korea Exchange Bank were shouting, “Let's destroy foreign venture funds.” At that time the head of the Fair Trade Commission, Kwon Oh Seong, described the Lone Star donation as, “a slight to the South Korean people.” (NY Times, 2006, Feb, 20). This was from the head of the Fair Trade Commission before Lone Star even went to trial. In fact as recently as last month, Finance Vice-Minister Choi Joon-Kyung told the Korea Herald (2008, 5), “A friendly investor should walk hand in hand with the Korean economy for win-win results, but private equities are not such investors.” In the Korea Herald Feb. 15, 2006 the Minister of Finance and Economy described the media, general public, and national assembly as being too nationalistic when dealing with foreign capital.

For another recent example of how public sentiment has influenced government policy, look at the protests of American beef. Whatever one's stance on the issue, international trade treaties were broken two times in this instance when Seoul delayed the importation of the beef twice. Would a person put their money in a bank that did not honor their contractual obligations two times?

As Korea also looks to invest abroad, it should consider the impact of how their treatment of foreign direct investment is reciprocated in their investments abroad. The U.S.-Korea FTA agreement is expected to create 300,000 jobs in Korea and encourage foreign direct investment in the Korean economy through new business opportunities and protections for investors. In addition, the FTA is expected to raise Korean exports to the U.S. by 15% (remarks from American Ambassador Alexander Vershbow Feb. 2008). However, U.S. democrats are questioning the financial wisdom of free trade with a country with such disparate trade flow. In addition, as has been the case with the American beef blockages, even if free trade agreements are secured there is considerable doubt that the agreements will be fully implemented.

If common civility in itself is not reason enough to encourage foreign hospitality, there is now a clear economic incentive to do so. In assemblyman Sohn Hak Kyu's own words supporting the protests regarding American beef importation, “Public perception is no less important than rational judgment.” To say that, “Public sentiment in a country should matter little,” as the Korean Herald editors have is unrealistic and irrelevant. Foreign investment capital is reading Korea's public opinion and is choosing to invest elsewhere.

Sincerely,

cyberdiarrhea

Bupyeong, Incheon June 30, 2008

Chinese cowboy rapper

2008-06-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

Why's there a white streak on my wall?

2008-06-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Some crazy graffiti-animation.

Fight Face

2008-06-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

According to streetbonersandtvcarnage.com, 'fight face' is the smile you try to make after getting into a fight thinking you are all cool and nonchalant, but doesn't come out quite so natural.
"You think you’re smiling and being flippant but your face muscles are full of panic juice and you can’t actually get the cheeks to go up. The resulting grimace looks like someone is physically lifting up the corners of your mouth against your will."
Check out the website and scroll down to get the full article.

Got a job doing radio prom-ooo

2008-06-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

Spastic
Condi breaks the girth down.
Shot #2 check out Dubs wristband- white rapper show yo!

Lion Food

2008-06-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

Much like Grizzly Man, these two guys raised a lion and then let him go into Africa when he became too big. They decided to go to Africa and reunite with the lion. They were specifically told that the lion would NOT remember them. I guess they got what was coming. It is a lion after all.

Not on my shift

2008-06-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

The day began like any other. First the usual chores around the hut, tending the livestock, working the yucca crop, and repairing the hole in the thatch roof. I was looking forward to tribal conference that afternoon as I had an excellent rebuttal to Yonamono's accusations that I had cast the "stink-eye" at him. My wife was also almost finished with my new cod-piece and I would have to try it on for a fitting. Just as I was thinking about how long the last one she made had lasted, I heard a "whap-whap" sound in the distance.
It sounded the same as when the local large colony of bats took off into the jungle to begin their nightly bug scavenging. But it was morning and the bats were well asleep at this point. I looked in that direction and what looked to be a dragonfly was in the sky. However it seemed to be very large and far away. It was pointed towards the village's direction and seemed to be growing larger as it approached.
I called for my neighbor Yonamono who, while lacking common sense in matters of social courtesy, nonetheless was a decent hunter for the village. By the time he came to his door the object in the sky was rapidly approaching and looked to be bigger than even the largest condor in the jungle. I yelled at Yonamono to grab our hunting bows and arrows and make haste. I ran to the middle of our courtyard in the middle of the huts to get ready to meet the intruder. By the time Yonamono had come running to where I stood, breathless from the quick errand to fetch the hunting gear, he saw where I was looking and also saw the giant apparition continually approaching.
"What is it?" he asked while both of us continued staring straight at it. "It is not of this world," I answered. "And therefore not meant for us, possibly coming to take our yucca harvest. We must defend the village."
We both took our bows and an arrow each from the quiver and notched it in the bow string. Many years of hunting in the jungle had helped us to develop the ability to prepare the bow without looking at, thus enabling us to keep our prey locked in our sight.
At this point the great beast had stopped and was hovering in the sky above us. Perhaps it saw our weapons and hesitated in its approach. I could see the giant eyes that bulged from the front of its face. Its wings twirled with ferocious speed. It was a mighty beast indeed. But, I had singly killed the mighty puma of our near jungle and was prepared to take down any beast that might threaten the village.
"Ready Yanomono. Steady. At my command. Now!" I said forcefully, but evenly to keep my aim accurate. The arrows flew straight at the creature, but slowed down well before the target and reached an apex not even half-way the total distance before pointing back to earth and falling.
"Prepare another round." I commanded Yanomono. Two bows were quickly notched with two arrows and pulled back ready for the beast to come closer to firing range. The beast hovered in the air, slightly fluttering, and seemed to consider our display of might. Yonamono and I held our ground.
The beast apparently decided it had seen enough as it then turned around and headed back on the path it had approached from. We kept our bows ready, lest this be an attempt to get us to lower our defenses.
As it became clear that the threat was not going to return I turned to my fellow villager and proudly said, "That beast has seen the strength of our village and shall go back to its home and warn the others not to approach. We have defeated the intruder. Come, let us give thanks at the temple and tell the others of what we have seen."
As the "whap-whap" sound faded in the background I again considered the matter of village counsel and how to best argue for compensation over Yanomano's false accusations of 'stink-eye.'

Lord of the Flies

2008-05-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

You Blow

2008-05-26T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, I do.

Madonna's Ray of Light Tour

2008-05-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Can I Buy a Vowel?

2008-05-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

Husband and House Cat

2008-05-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

How are these two things alike?

Must be something in the water

2008-05-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Dr. Albert Hoffman, inventor of LSD, passed on to that next great trip recently at the ripe ol' age of 102. Have a great bike ride. Give soldiers supersoakers.

Thar she blows

2008-05-03T00:33:00.000-07:00

Drink, ye harpooneers! drink and swear, ye men that man the deathful whaleboat's bow -- Death to Moby Dick! God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby Dick to his death!

Hey Batter-batter-batter

2008-04-29T19:49:00.000-07:00

Incheon, South Korea
-Stymied A. Thlete- reporting for AP
In a thrilling company softball game held this past Sunday, the Room 211 Office was able to come back from an early deficit to overtake the Room 209 Office team in extra innings. It was an up-and-down game for the ages that saw solid performances from veterans and newcomers alike. Standouts of the game include a player tripping over the first baseman's leg and doing a complete end-over-head flip to land on his back, 3 strikeouts (not by way of fly-out), and a homerun by legendary hitter Big B that cleared the left fielder head and rolled all the way to those little players you can see in the background. The deciding factor seemed to be the Room 211 Office (also known as the Smoking Office) being better able to cope with the concordant alcohol consumption that increased as the game wore on. Back at work on Monday all players were listed on the Disabled List as questionable for teaching classes that day.
Now listening to: Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour Baseball Edition

Radio Da-Da

2008-04-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

In a nod to the surrealist game, The Exquisite Corpse, I propose a new game called The News Exquisite Corpse. This game is played by finding 3 headlines from a news source and linking them together to form a story. Today's offering (courtesy yahoo news):
Masturbation may prevent prostate cancer -I am the anti-cancer, then.
Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital -Maybe they want some extra cancer medicine.
Alien life may well exist in a primitive form somewhere in our corner of the galaxy, famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking said Monday. - I don't think they will have to look that far (Congo).

Washed up

2008-04-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful trip That started from this tropic port Aboard this tiny ship. The mate was a mighty sailing man, The skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day For a three hour tour, a three hour tour. The weather started getting rough, The tiny ship was tossed, If not for the courage of the fearless crew The minnow would be lost, the minnow would be lost. The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle With Gilligan The Skipper too, The millionaire and his wife, The movie star The professor and Mary Ann, Here on Gilligans Isle.

A Study in Motion...Sickness

2008-04-10T18:06:00.000-07:00

Double your virility

2008-04-05T05:33:00.001-07:00

This guy must have had a double.

Hero

2008-03-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

(click to watch)

"Then I kicked him in the teeth and I walked away."

"You didn't look back?"

"No, I didn't."

Good Cop/ Bad Cop

2008-03-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

Good Cop
I'm hooked on the show The First 48. It is a reality detective show. The cameras follow real homicide detectives as they try to solve homicides, from the first phone call to the confession. Not all of the cases end solved, and we see the investigative work (and sometimes lucky breaks) that are involved in getting the killer. I especially like watching the confessions, as the suspect goes from defiant to breaking down. The police that seem the most effective in getting the confessions seem to have the most congenial approach in dealing with the defendants, trying to ally themselves on their side, and minimizing the defendants intent to help assuage their guilt. If you like cop shows, you'll like the real deal here.
Bad Cop
As was recently reported in the Korean Herald, a Canadian man and his wife were assaulted by a group of Koreans at a karaoke room here in Korea. The man had his jaw broke and teeth knocked out and his wife was almost raped. The police caught one of the suspects, but as the victim said, "It became apparent the police and suspect knew each other," and so no charges were filed. I find this injustice horrible and have tried to do something about it. I am in the process of writing the police department here, newspapers, embassies, and tourist sites letting people know what happened. I hope this pressure will help the police to realize that they need to uphold the law for all. Maybe I should get The First 48 on the case.

New English Camp Brochures

2008-03-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

SPEAK ENGLISH!!

I've got a Hot Rod

2008-03-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

(click image to watch)

Over at the official Hot Rod movie website they have a game called Line Rider where you can design a course for a little Hot Rod figure to ride. My record is two separate front flips into a ride out. It ain't no Nintendo Motocross where you can design the whole track, but good for about 5 minutes. Check out the movie. Killer stunts.

Fallen Angel

2008-03-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Why do we (I?) get such a perverse pleasure in watching loudmouths implode? Maybe because it is these very people who profess to be the moral, legal, cultural authorities are not as right as they think. Maybe there is no "right" except let others live on their own as they see fit. These incidents remind us that people make mistakes. It would be tempting to lash out at them in the same way they did to so many others, however I think they've really already done it to themselves. Aww hell, remember no one's perfect, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA"!

At the Kimchi Museum

2008-03-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Facts:
-There are over 160 different types of kimchi
-Kimchi was first made over 4,000 years ago
-The average Korean eats over 20 kg of kimchi a year
-An extract from kimchi was found by scientists to cure avian birdflu in 10/12 sick chickens
-Kimchi is now being readied for consumption in space by Korea's first astronaut
-I like kimchi

High on Mount Sinai

2008-03-04T15:22:00.001-08:00

Moses was high on drugs: Israeli researcher
These two headlines of news stories contend Moses was high on drugs when he saw the burning bush and wrote down the 10 Commandments. I perpetuated this theory 10 years ago to my college religion teacher who told the class the Burning Bush was a result of the manna in the Burning Bush melting in the sun and giving the appearance of being on fire. Actually, the North African acacia bushes are known to be loaded with 5-meo-dmt a naturally occurring psychoactive that is reputed to 'get 'ya ripped'.

B Simpson

2008-03-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

atop the John Hancock (huh) Building.

Reason #86 Snowboarders suck

2008-02-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

Q: How many snowboarders does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: 5. 1 to change the lightbulb and 4 to sit around and say, "I can do that, man."

Guillotine

2008-02-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

"Nebraska Supreme Court says electrocution unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment"

Apparantly one prisoner was set on fire by the electric chair when an artificial sponge was used instead of a natural sea sponge. Lethal injection seems to also be up on the chopping block. Its combination of 3 injections is sometimes misadministered leaving the recipient paralyzed but feeling the supposedly excrutiating killing drug. Perhaps the state needs an outside consultant.

"Dr. Death" Jack Kevorkian was just released from prison for his assisted suicide "crimes". I think he probably isn't busy right now.

Let's Make a Deal!

2008-02-14T07:21:00.001-08:00

While reading the very sporadic and entertaining, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, a book written from the perspective of a boy with Asperger's Syndrome who is trying to solve a crime, I came across the Monty Hall problem. This problem was illustrated in the old game show Let's Make a Deal. The contestant is given 3 doors to choose from. Behind one door is a new car and behind the other two are goats. The contestant chooses one door. The host then shows the contestant a goat he knows to be behind one of the other doors. The contestant is then given the opportunity to switch his choice. What should the contestant do? Well, given that he is not a shepherd and wants the car the odds say that he has a 66% chance to win the car if he switches his choice. This doesn't seem to make sense as there are only two doors left, so the odds should be 50-50. However, as the problem was originally explained by Marylin vos Savant (the woman with supposedly the world's highest IQ) in a Parade magazine letter response which drew some 10,000 digressing responses from readers, some of whom were mathematicians and professors.
The explanation follows:

To analyze this problem we represent this senario as a random variable on a roulette wheel. The roulette wheel on the left simulates the Let's Make a Deal game. The inner wheel represents the number of the door that the car is behind, the middle wheel represents the door that is selected by the contestant, and the outer wheel represents the door Monty Hall can show. Spinning this roulette wheel once is equivalent to playing the game once. The outer wheel also tells you what your strategy should be to win. The red means that in order to win the contestant needs to switch doors, and the blue means that the contestant should not switch. Notice that there are twice as many red sections as blue. In other words, you are twice as likely to win if you switch than if you don't switch! What this wheel makes evident is that with probability 1/3 the contestant selects the correct door in which case it would be better not to switch. In the other 2/3 of the cases, Monty Hall is telling the contestant where the car is!

I still can't seem to wrap my head around this explanation, but the evidence confirms it. If you manually go through the game enough times and record the outcome of the choices you will find switching yields about a 66% success rate. Too bad the show is off the air.

The Play

2008-02-13T11:34:00.001-08:00

Over on espn.com you can vote for the greatest play of all time. My choice? The Cal-Stanford "The Band is on the Field" game when Cal returned the ball on a kick-off with 7 laterals to beat Stanford, topped off with the returner spiking the ball off the trombone players head. I know Eli looked like he was down, but these guys looked like they were down 4 times.

Neither rain nor cold nor snow

2008-02-11T15:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday mornings waking up at 5:00 a.m. Strapping on the boots and winter clothes. Fumbling around with the shoelaces. Everything quiet outside from the fresh fallen snow. Cold weather stabbing at the lungs. Bending down to untie the stack of newspapers. A cold breeze going up my scrunched up coat. 10 Sunday newspapers fitting into the bag at a time. Fitting them in between screen doors and quickly slamming the door shut before they have a chance to spill back out of the door. Walking back to the newspaper stack and down another street trying to remember who is on vacation this week. C0llecting the money once a month and heading down to the comic book store. Finding out some of the comics are now worth $1,250.

Snow business

2008-02-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

Back in the Dirty Mitten. It has basically been snowing nonstop since I've been back. It made my first bus late by 8 hours. Today we are supposed get 12 inches. What to do on snowy days? Take in a movie!

"Rambo" (2008)Total Body Count: 236Kill Count Per Minute: 2.59Torture Scenes: 3Time of First Death In Film: 3min 22secGood Guys Killed: 113Bad Guys Killed By Rambo: 83Bad Guys Killed By Supporting Characters: 40

Korea Sparkling (The New Slogan of Korea)

2008-01-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

This man above was "protesting" Korea's loss to Switzerland in the World Cup a couple years ago. Check out more Korean protests (or excuses to act crazy).

The envoys of countries nearby to Korea have been advocating the use of English speakers from non-native English speaking countries (and which happen to include citizens of their respective countries) to teach English in Korea. Says the Pakistani Ambassador to the Korean Justice Ministry in a gramatically challenged letter to published in the Korea Times, ``The condition of being a `native speaker' may please be removed so that a level playing field is offered to the competitors from Pakistan,'' he said in the letter. I somehow think my job is safe.

Australian for butt tattoo

2008-01-11T22:17:00.001-08:00

Those wacky Australians. When they're not busy "taking the piss out of each other" or "having a go" at a game of cricket they are working to evolve the language of Chaucer and Milton. What to call a tattoo above the crack? Arse antlers. An overweight person? A salad dodger. Are you one of those hairy bastards who has to whittle away at you mane of flowing back hair? You are manscaping.

A List I Aspire To Be On

2007-12-31T19:35:00.000-08:00

Stop saying what he did is a cultural thing, just one of those things black folks are known for, like jazz. He's not one of the Scottsboro boys, he electrocuted dogs.
Check out the rest of Bill Maher's Assholes of the Year over at Rolling Stone.

How sweet, fresh meat

2007-12-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

Yeah, my buddy rigged up a claw glove to go fishing (grabbing). Good job Freddy.

Little guys shoes are as big as his leg.

Giddyup.

Extreme walking.

Hey, hey, hey.

The moves that won him 2nd place in a local dance contest (out of how many?)

Head over to blueribbongleeclub.org to hear a truly jammin glee club version of Fugazi's "Waiting Room". On the reals.

Anyway...We delivered the bomb

2007-12-23T06:15:00.000-08:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=USnM-ee06pg
Had a bet with an Australian spear fishing shark lover (hippie) friend. I said the Cap'n Quint speech in Jaws was the real deal. He said no way and thought I was demonizing sharks. The facts are that when the USS Indianapolis sunk after being hit by a Japanese sub only 316 men came out alive. Survivor eyewitness accounts state that sharks came in and starting eating dead and alive sailors. The exact number is in question, ranging from a couple dozen to a few hundred. I think I have some money coming my way.

Mucho Gustatory

2007-12-20T18:35:00.000-08:00

3. WALTER LAGRAND, ARIZONA, 1999-- LaGrand asked for six fried eggs, 16 strips of bacon, one large serving of hash browns, a pint of pineapple sherbet, a breakfast steak, a cup of ice, 7-Up, Dr Pepper, Coke, hot sauce, coffee, two sugar packs. And, as a final item: four Rolaids.
This digestionally correct last meal request has to rank up there with, "why do they anesthetize the arm when giving lethal injections?"
You can check out more last meal requests on the website deadmaneating.com. Apparantly among top chefs most of their dream last meal requests would be suprisingly simple. Fried goods and other comfort food seem to be the most popular. As for me? How about a cake with a file?

What the Hell is wrong with you Canada?

2007-12-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

Canada, the land of the graphic cigarette warning package, once again shows us that subtlety is not one of their strong points. They have a new series of ads designed to stop everything from workplace accidents to domestic abuse by frightening people out of it. These ads are explicit as they are seemingly implausible. A man beats up a waitress in a restaurant. A man working on a skyscraper blows up and lands on a passing truck. I am now frightened to leave my house. All this from the country whose symbol is a tree leaf.

A Book, A CD, and A Movie

2007-12-10T06:39:00.000-08:00

... except that it's been awhile so I'm hooking you up with 2 of each; but they're pairs. First the CD's...

we're going to head over to the motherland to get two funky jazzy soul type joints coming from Ethiopia and the Congo. Mulu Astatke presents his entry in the Ethiopiques CD series. It sounds like a cantina band coming from under a purple tent in the middle of the desert. Kind of like the Star Wars cantina band but funkier.

Hugh Masekela represents the Congo to the fullest on the aptly titled, "Hugh Masekela presents". Afrobeaty, reggaey, souly, goody.

Keeping with the overseas vibe, our book selections come from two ladies- one from Canada the other from the England. I don't mean to get all Hemingway American man-only aggro, but let's just say I've been a bit soured from Maya Angelou type dames and their coterie of menstrating multi-colored weeping indian buffalo birds. But these chicks really knocked it out of the park. In the Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood brings together 3 different stories- science fiction, noir, and a Sophia from Golden Girls old lady. Seemingly without regard for plot cohesion, the story also starts from the end. It all comes together and the reader has the choice to be judgmental or unassuming of the choices the old bird makes. Either way we get some insightful observations from Atwood.

Zadie Smith, in I believe her debut novel, describes 3 families from different countries at different times and how they all came to be friends. It's actually refreshing how self-absorbed the characters are that they don't pick up on the racial discrimination they get thrown at them. A great ending that abruptly stops in the right place.

...and the movies which on first glance don't seem to have anything to do with each other: a western and Broadway musical, and really don't have anything to do with each other, but are good movies I saw two days in a row: The Producers and 3:10 to Yuma.

3:10 to Yuma builds tension the whole movie. Good character development, the characters are multi-faceted. The ending was a little too unrealistic with morality being flipped around quickly. Maybe it and No Country for Old Men, a stylish Western, but with an ending maybe too realistic (no actual story) should have split the difference.

The Producers is a big-time show movie. Made by Mel Brooks who's going to be really big someday, I tell 'ya. It's got all his signature I just read a book on how-to make a comedy predictable jokes delivered through clenched teeth. He even works in some only-for the Jews jokes with actors looking slightly off camera as if to see who in the film crew got the joke. Big time show business. I think my grandma would like this movie.

Paaaarrrrtttyyyy!!!!

2007-12-02T16:17:00.000-08:00

Dude, yesterday at work was so awesome. Tomiaki and me started the party with a long lunch at Hooters. We got a pitcher of Hooters beer and did Fuzzy Nipple (huh-huh) shots. Tomiaki asked the waitress if that was "all there was on the menu". Before the day ended at around 4:30 I snuck over to Tomiaki's cubicle and we did some shots of Hot Damn! under his desk. That shit's totally cool because it just smells like some good mouthwash. Smooth for the ladies. We totally cut out of work at like 4:55 instead of 5:00. Suckers! It was Friday so you know we were headed out to TGIF's. Wooo! We did some shots of Sex on the Beach there to go with our wings and potato skins. Let's just say our waitress there, if we were ever on a beach together, might be up for a little, you know. Tomiaki you smooth mother. After that the Reagle Beagle for some more beers. We played this drinking game where everyone has a role and you have to count numbers and say "Bullshit" if the President says 1 and it really should be 2. After that we hit the karaoke bar for some sake. Tomi dedicated his song to all the hot bitches out there and totally sung it sloppy and all passionate. It was time to call it a night. I walked with Tomi to the subway and got him on it. Let's do it again manana, bro!

Model and card-carrying member of the world toilet association

2007-11-26T06:52:00.000-08:00

pimpin' ain't easy

The Humanity

2007-11-18T16:54:00.000-08:00

Theiving Monkeys 'Out of Control' in northeast India

Apparantly the monkey revolution has began in northeast India as wild monkeys have been stealing phones, cola, and keys from houses. Monkeys actually made the mayor of the city fall last month. The people still feel that the monkey is spiritual. The monkeys still feel that the humans are dumb.

Signs, signs everywhere signs

2007-11-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

I should have never played with matches. Now it is too late. My last wish is only that this can serve as a warning to others.

Hey, that's not nice. Pigs have feelings, too!

Top 10 Psychology Things of Note

2007-10-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

In honor of my upcoming Psychology GRE being all-consuming and me not really having anything else to talk about, cyberdiarrhea would like to present its Top Ten Psychology Things of Note:
10-9: Stanford Prison Experiment and Milgram's Shock Experiment: Two classics in obedience, these experiments wouldn't fly today which means they are really interesting. Many people have heard about these experiments, but if you get the chance watch the videos (Discovering Psychology video series) . It shows some students really adapting the expressions of real guards ("I see we're going to have to do a little something about your attitude. Drop and give me 20") and prisoners. No one told them they had to act like prisoners. The video of the shock experiments where a subject is ordered to give another person increasing levels of shocks up to 450 volts shows the confederate subject yelling at 300 volts and finally not making any noise for the last 50 volts (passed out, dead?)
8-Poor people think a quarter looks bigger
7-Two identical twins separated at birth were tracked down. They had the same dog's name and same wife's name and had similar jobs.
6-Little Albert-Many people heard about the baby that was made to freak out at the sight of a white rat (a loud noise was banged nearby), however whatever became of this kid? Is he lurking around paralyzed by the sight of amulances going by? Scared away from wedding gown stores? No one knows.
5- Let's say you have four cards represented by the following characters: R B 7 8. The cards have a color R=red B=blue on the front and a number, odd or even, on the back. How many cards would you have to turn over to confirm whether or not all even cards are red?
Anwer: 2- turn over the 8 to make sure it's red and the part few people get: turn over the Black to make sure it's not even.
4-Large mirrors make people especially self-aware because we are only used to seeing ourselves in small mirrors usually
3- The stress level of first time parachuters increases continuously up to the jump. The stress level of experienced parachuters increases up to until the morning of the jump and then increases again right before landing.
2- Experiment volunteers were told a person- Amy Chin from Harvard, scored certain scores on her GRE test- math and verbal. Later the subjects were asked to email this person and try to remember her scores. The subjects differed on the email addresses they were given. Some subjects got student@harvard.edu. These subjects remembered the scores most accurately. Some subjects were given the email amyc@harvard.edu, which emphasized that she was a girl. These subjects reported the verbal scores as being higher- because girls are traditionally better verbally. Some students got the email chin@harvard.edu, which emphasized that it was an Asian name. These subjects reported the math scores as being higher because Asians are better at math. The subjects all were shown the same scores and full student information initially, however their ability to recall the scores correctly was influenced by what recall cues they were shown.
1.The human eye can see a candle flame on a clear night from 30 miles away.
Ladies and gentleman that's all. Good night!

Halloween Costume Awards

2007-10-28T01:48:00.000-07:00

Kudos to: from left- Light Saber wielder, The Operation Game Patient, Hot Chick, CassMan, Crocodile Dundee (with, in truly tasteless form, a Stingray gouging his heart), random dude

Swami Sez

2007-10-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

In the past two weeks I have been and impressive 23-5 in my pigskin prognostications, good for 2 first place finishes in our weekly pool*. While I must qualify this accomplishment by noting that we pick the outright winners, there were some close games in there also. Not the Patriots however. They are scary good. I'm looking forward to that Patriots-Colts showdown in a couple weeks. Who's the best quarterback? Whoever the Lions are playing, of course.**
*played for pride alone

**no disrespect to the Lions who are 4-2 this season and added a couple of points to my win total the past 2 weeks***

***but they suck