a-back

So...the heavies ejected an 82 year old man from the Labour Party Conference because he heckled the speaker. The speaker - the Foreign Secretary. And what did this old boy shout? 'NONSENSE'

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not only did this old boy get lifted out of the 'debating chamber' but he wasn't allowed back in as the heavies were invoking the 'Terrorism Act' against him.

What sort of people have we elected.

The sort of people who don't have an opinion. The sort of people who are happy to be clones. The sort of people who scare us into thinking that there is a 'threat' but then don't tell who the threat is, where the threat or when the threat will take place. The sort of people who want to give us ID Card's. The sort of people who don't want people to think. The sort of people who supress debate.

Apparantly, 'dearest' Tony has apologised profusely for this treament of this old boy who has been in Labour for 50 years and escaped from Nazi Germany. His 'crime' was to disagree with Jack Straw, who suggested that Britain went into Iraq with the express aim of giving it's citizens freedom. This old boy is only saying what the majority of the country are saying. Isn't strange that there was no debate at the Conference relating to Iraq. I wonder why? Because 'Dearest' Tony may will have had egg on his face after the debate.

Furthermore, how come this old boy was subject to the 'Terrorism Act'? That is perhaps more worrying...Is some old boy really a threat to 'national security'?

The whole thing is a nonsense.

Melon

I was 'speaking' to 2 random Korean blokes last night. I had just been to the bog when these 2 characters decended upon me. Korean men are a strange breed as many people will testify. They honestly think that they are at the centre of the Earth and that the sun actually revolves around them. Clearly, a big generalisation BUT...
Anyway, they stop me and ask me where I'm from etc. All the usual questions. I do my best to answer them in Korean /eh, that should read 'broken Korean'/ whilst they try there best to impress me with their English ability didn't amount to much. In the end I found out that they were actually Firemen...once that had been established, they then proceeded to show me all their 'scars' that they had got from the job. Not a very pretty sight, let me tell you. They seemed to be fairly proud of the fact that they had these scars. I guess it might be seen as some form of 'trophy' or something but I couldn't help but thinkning that this pair were, based on there scars, pretty crap at their jobs.

If they had been more careful or safety conscious they perhaps they wouldn't have the scars they had. I tell you, I fear the day that there is a fire in my apartment or somewhere similiar especially if I have these kind of blokes coming round to deal with it. I'd be better off dealing with the fire myself.
I wonder though if that is merely a culture thing. In the U.K. Health and Safety issues are paramount, yet here, I definitely get the impression that such issues are not that high on the list of priorities.

The moral of the story. Don't try to cook your dinner in Korea. Get some else to do it for you.

Apt

In a blatant attempt to integrate myself into Korean popular culture, I found myself setting up a cyworld page. They are all the rage...if ur board, have a look but remember to un-block pop-ups otherwise you won't get to the page.

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.click above.

Moog

I was reading the other that the Tears had played in Seoul last month...not a major band but an important one given they are comprised of the 2 blokes from Suede. However, the thing that was most bizarre was that they were actually playing in Seoul.
Seoul, it seems /or Korea for that matter/ is not really the place that bands come to. Japan and even China, is where 'it' all happens. There isn't even a festival like the Fuji festival for instance. It's depressing.
What makes it all the more depressing is that when a 'big' name does announce that they are playing in Korea, it's usually a pile of poo...Sting, Elton John, Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin to name but 4. Would I pay good money to see any of them. Would I bawes...

Admittly Marilyn Manson and Linkin Park have played and I seem to remember the Chili Peppers playing but that's about it. All American bands. It's depressing.

q-tip

Summer is definitely over. I can tell. Not just by the drop in temperature but by the amount of people going around sneezing or coughing near me. GET OUT OF IT ! i HAVE NO DESIRE FOR YOUR GERMS. iT was bad enough teaching kids - they just did it and didn't think too much about it. aDULTS THOUGH...come on. Behave. The countdown to the flu continues. It's not a case of whether I'll get it but when.

And congrats to Hearts beating the Huns for the 1st time in however-many-years. I wonder if we'll start believing the hype. Also, it's amazing how many Hearts fans have suddenly crawled out from under the floorboards now that they have a winning team. Strange that. A couple of defeats and we'll see how they get on...

Matador

Word of the week: 'Formations'

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a 4-4-2 or it's a 4-5-1 or it's a 4-3-3. So what. It's football. Stick the ball in the back of the net more times than your opponent and you win. Simple.

Phrase of the week: 'Next week?'

'Eh, no' is the simple answer. My students typically get 2 homework assignments per semester. Nothing overly complex or difficult. All I request is that they print it out and attach their name to it. I also ask that they hand it in at the end of next class. They way the semester has panned out, some classes got an extra week to 'do' it because of Chuseok etc. But, still I get the excuses. The sorrowful eyes and the 'sorry' and even the above question. It used to wash with me but not now. If it's not done, then thats it, it's your own fault. Some of my 'best' students who have years of living in America behind them didn't hand it in. They could easily get an A+ for the semester but now that they haven't got a chance. The best they can hope for is a B+. Just stupid.

Sight of the week: 'Day off'

The sight of Chuseok and then the Univeristy festival on the horizon. Oh my, that's almost 2 weeks of not teaching. What a stress. What can I do with the free time?

Song of the week: 'Another Late Night' mixed by Groove Armada

Clearly, not a song but a whole album. Ooh. It's rather tasty and has been onrepeat for alittle while. Amix of soul, hiphop, electronica and even has Patrick Moore. Lie back and enjoy.

Pontif

A wise man here in Cheonan recently wrote on his blog, that he hates liars. (n). a person who tells lies.

I'm in the same boat. What purpose does it serve. To make one feel better?To cover ones tracks?TO deflect attention?Inflate ones ego?Make something sound different? What's the point?
It only gets you into trouble if your found out. If you're either extremely clever or extremely lucky then you won't be but chances are you'll be busted. Inconsistencies always arise eventually, no matter how well planned the execution or even how innocent the original 'lie'.

And one person has been busted. Once too many times. A female and a Korean female at that. Busted.
'X' claim was made many years ago. No reason not to believe. It seemed fair enough and completely water-tight however questions have since arose so much so that 'X' claim could actually not be all it was made out to be.
The un-named female was confronted about this. The question put was simple. All it needed was a 'true' or 'false'answer.
Neither was forthcoming. Does that sound like a response of a innocent person. If she was innocent, then the question would have been answered right away. It wasn't, hence the accusation of her being a liar...if your not, post here and tell us. The truth. Put it in the public domain.
If i'm wrong and you are not a liar, then I will post an apology, a sincere and humble one. I suspect though, that will not be necessary. Come on out from behind your 'memory loss' and your drunken haze. Set the record straight.Dareu,