best vacation spots

Preaching to the choir?

2011-04-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite K-blogs to read have both posted their two cents about a topic that is near and dear to me: how teachers are treated. Both Roboseyo and Brian in Jeollanam-do have done their duties as excellent bloggers to bring the point to a head: the current Korean education system, in both public schools and hagwons, treat their native and foreign teachers with discrimination and a double standard. Read these both before moving on.

This of course, is obvious to almost any foreign teacher already in Korea and doing the best job they can.

To be fair, I am positive there are wonderful Korean teachers who almost never have to resort to a broom stick or a bamboo sword (read Brian's post for the links to some shocking YouTube videos), and that these cases are rare enough to get mention the few times they happen.

So what's the solution?

I'd start with an overall revamping of the disciplinary system. Ban corporal punishment, as a recent Korea Times article talked about, but simulteanously give teachers another source of punishment to be meted out as needed. Without any public school experience I can't say what might work at that level, but when working with kids in the past, the 'nose against the wall' worked fairly well. If they continued to misbehave they sat with the principal and had a...fun...time with her. I'd just as soon put them somewhere where they couldn't disturb the kids actually trying / wanting to learn. Detention, perhaps, as a solution - noting of course that American public schools don't exactly have the best system themselves. I wouldn't want to be an American public school teacher and fear even touching my students. There's a balance somewhere in the middle - the trick is finding it.

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Title: Preaching To The Choir - Steve Dawson

Music video for "Preaching To The Choir" from Steve Dawson's "I Will Miss The Trumpets and the Drums" album. Filmed on Western Ave, Chicago. www.stevedawsonmusic.com

Title: Preaching to the choir

A better way is possible

NARAYANA GURUKULAM WAYANAD

2011-04-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

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Title: An extreme idea from SNGCE drivers

Title: Thiruvathirakali in Royal Mechanical Style, A scene from SNGCE ARANGU 2010

A Thiruvathirakali in Royal Mechanical Style, A scene from SNGCE ARANGU 2010 , by the 8th Semester Mechanical Engineering Students.........................( 2006-2010)

JAIN.P.PADATH
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
SREE NARAYANA GURUKULAM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
COCHIN

Life in Korea: Of herbivore men and flower boys

2011-04-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

They're called 'herbivore men' in Japan; another breed of them are called 'flower boys' (???) in Korea; no idea if China has their own version or not, but it's a story that's partially been discussed on CNN - finally. From that article:

Author and pop culture columnist Maki Fukasawa coined the term in 2006 in a
series of articles on marketing to a younger generation of Japanese men. She
used it to describe some men who she said were changing the country's ideas
about just what is -- and isn't -- masculine.

"In Japan, sex is translated as 'relationship in flesh,'" she said, "so I named those boys 'herbivorous boys' since they are not interested in flesh."

Typically, "herbivore men" are in their 20s and 30s, and believe that friendship without sex can exist between men and women, Fukasawa said.

Midori Saida, a 24-year-old woman sporting oversized aviators and her dyed brown hair in long ringlets, said "herbivore men" were "flaky and weak."

"We like manly men," she said. "We are not interested in those boys -- at all."

Takahito Kaji, 21, said he has been told he is "totally herbivorous." "Herbivorous boys are fragile, do not have a stocky body -- skinny."

Fukasawa said Japanese men from the baby boomer generation were typically aggressive and proactive when it came to romance and sex. But as a result of growing up during Japan's troubled economy in the 1990s, their children's generation was not as assertive and goal-oriented. Their outlook came, in part, from seeing their fathers' model of masculinity falter even as Japanese women gained more lifestyle options.

I'll tip my hat to The Grand Narrative for having covered body image, feminism, sexuality, and many more interesting issues for much longer than myself. His 'flower boys' tagged posts alone should be required reading for those with time and curiosity on their hands. The term 'flower boys' comes partly from Japanese manga dating back to 1999, but has grown in part from a popular Korean TV show. As James explains in a Korea Times article:

One vivid example is the elaborate hairstyles, pastel colors in the clothes of many young males and children, their attention to skincare, their "couple-clothes,'' and so on. This can be in sharp contrast to the staid appearance of their fathers.

Later on in the article, he continues:

Moreover, when focusing on men, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that it is actually women's changing tastes in them that drive changes in their fashions and grooming habits, and accordingly it ultimately proves to be married Korean women in the late-1990s that are responsible for flower men's origins.

Why married women? Because it was that group that bore the brunt of layoffs
during the "IMF Crisis." [AKA the Asian financial crisis in 1997] The logic is that their husbands would provide for them thereafter.

But coming after decades of the subservience of feminist goals to wider ones of democratization, and only so recently being given the opportunity to achieve those ? not least of which was the right not to be fired upon marriage ? then they were greatly angered at the sudden loss of the long awaited opportunity....

One indirect possibility, however, was the outright rejection of those ideals of men as strong, provider types, and it is no coincidence that a sudden glut of movies appeared featuring romances between older women and younger men, and that this was when the first, identifiable, flower men began appearing in advertising too.

And then there was the World Cup of 2002. Korean women themselves were
surprised at how as a mass they appropriated such a previously masculine event
as their own. In just a few short weeks they forever changed standards of dress,
discourses of sexuality, and cemented these new ideals of Korean men.

Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your perspective), the 'flower boys' trend shows no signs of going away. I certainly am not complaining about guys taking better care of themselves or considering clothing choices that either A: match, or B: didn't fall off the back of the Goodwill / Salvation Army truck.

It's when things are taken to an almost über-sensitive level that makes anyone not with the program like someone behind the times, or worse, a brute. It's when the only way to buy a fashionable shirt involves buying a size one or two sizes larger than normal because the tiiiigght look is the 'in' thing. One almost can't find dress shirts or nicer-looking clothing without conforming to the styles and sizes of today.

I don't really care to be 'fashionable'. I simply want to wear clothes that look good, fit comfortably, won't tear / rip / break whenever I do something that my body can do without a second thought, and don't cost my entire salary. More than a couple Korean shirts I own give you that 'ripping at the buttons' look should I twist the wrong way or carry something, like a manbag (oh, the irony) or a backpack.

It's one thing to choose to be fashionable; it's completely another to have fashion forced upon you. I've known a few women who, for one reason or another, have taken to wearing men's jeans or shirts because they're more comfortable (they're roomier, they don't show off one's features, take your pick). If our shirts start looking more like your shirts, where do we turn?

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Title: In Seoul, South Koreans Find Peace Despite North's Constant Threats

Read the Transcript: http://to.pbs.org/ijodoI

South Korean officials have agreed to high-level military talks with North Korea, despite the brinksmanship following deadly attacks on a South Korean warship and an island. Margaret Warner reports from Seoul on how South Koreans cope with the constant threats from the North and gets views on what's ahead for the peninsula.

Title: Life in North Korea 1 of 2 - BBC Doc State of Mind

Taken from the BBC Documentary A State of Mind.

COMMON MYNA

2011-04-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

READ THIS BLOG POST.SEE THIS.REFFER THIS

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Title: Common Mynah in Doha, Qatar

TATA INDICA

2011-04-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

TATA INDICA CAR-A FAVOURITE IN KERALA

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Title: TATA INDIGO

TATA INDIGO DIZEL VE BENZİNLİ...BUNDANDA UCUZ

Title: tata indica xeta

Smokies Biologist Receives National Recognition

2011-04-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Supervisory Fisheries Biologist Steve Moore was recently recognized with two national awards for his leadership in native trout stream restoration at the Smokies and in national parks across the nation. Moore recently received the Aldo Starker Leopold Medal by the Wild Trout Symposium and the Trout Unlimited Trout Conservation Professional Award.

Both awards recognized Moores over 25 years of achievement in restoring populations of native brook trout to streams in the Smokies, and assisting with other projects including the restoration of bull trout to Crater Lake National Park (Ore.) and to North Cascade National Park (Wash.) and restoring Bonneville cutthroat trout to Great Basin National Park (Nev.). Throughout the country, a combination of habitat degradation and extensive stocking of non-native fish species, have taken a heavy toll on numerous species of native trout, which typically require cold, clear, pristine water for survival. In many cases streams that may have been degraded by siltation or pollution in past years have been cleaned up, but the native trout still need a helping hand to return.

According to Deputy Park Superintendent, Kevin FitzGerald, One of the core missions of national parks is to preserve natural biodiversity which sometimes means restoring native plant and animal species which have been displaced from their historic homes by earlier human impacts.

In our case, the brook trout was the only native species of trout in the Smokies, but they were crowded out of all but the most isolated high-elevation streams when with the best of intentions logging companies and early park managers released rainbow and later brown trout into Park streams in the early 20th Century.

In the Smokies the brookies that remain in the headwaters face a double threat. They are squeezed between heavy competition from rainbows and browns downstream, and airborne acid deposition upstream that has made the water too acidic to support trout. The key to preserving the Appalachian brook trout is to remove the non-native trout from selected segments of lower-elevation streams and then to assist the brookies in moving downstream into less acidic waters.

To be suitable for restoration, a stream segment must have a record of a pure brook trout population in the past and a waterfall or other barrier at the lower end that prevents non-native fish from returning back upstream. Restoration of each segment involves removal of the non-natives through either electro-shocking and/or chemicals. Over the last 24 years of the Parks Brook Trout Restoration Program Park biologists, assisted by a small army of state fishery managers and volunteers from Trout Unlimited, have restored a total of 24.1 miles of stream to brook trout habitat.

Restoring each segment involves close coordination of 20 or more biologists and volunteers who string nets, electro-shock and relocate the non-natives, add and monitor the chemicals used and add neutralizing agents at the lower end of the segment being restored.

Stream restoration is such a complex and labor-intensive process that the Park could never even attempt it without the financial support and/or hands-on assistance of all the neighboring entities such as Trout Unlimited, Tennessee Brookies, Friends of the Smokies, and the Tennessee and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commissions. FitzGerald said. Steve has become nationally-recognized master of planning these restoration projects and brokering together a huge number of partners to get them done. We welcome this opportunity to acknowledge this well deserved recognition of Steve and show our appreciation to all the partners that he has brought into the mix over the years.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Title: Great Smoky Mountains: Saving the Hemlocks Part III

© Great Smoky Mountains Association 2010.
The trees with delicate, tiny needles that you walk among on almost every trail in the Great Smoky Mountains, that you see on almost every hillside Hemlock trees!

But the quintessential Smokies tree is being killed by a non-native insect thats no bigger than the dot at the end of this sentence. Saving the trees is a complex problem, involves a lot of sweat and effort, and some interesting biology too.

Ive put together a 3-part film to explain what the problem is, and whats being done to save the trees.
Feel free to embed or link to our videos on your website or blog as long as you include this copyright notice: "© GSMA 2010. All rights reserved. " and a link to our website: www.smokiesinformation.org.

Title: Rich Mountain Bear Biology.mp4

Summer is mating season for bears. A male, also known as a boar, will seek out a sow without cubs. After mating, the two will separate and perhaps never interact again. Strangely, the newly formed embryo will not attach to the sow's uterus after conception. Instead, sows experience what is known as delayed implantation. The embryo becomes dormant until late fall. If the sow is able to find enough food to put on a healthy fat layer for the winter, then one, two, or up to 6 embryos will affix themselves to the placenta and begin to grow. The sow will give birth to her cubs during her winter sleep. The cubs are so small when born that the sow may not even wake up during birth.
At birth, in January or February, a cub may weigh but half a pound. It will find its way to the mother's nipple, and begin suckling. Bear milk is up to 30% fat. Compare that to a cow's milk that is only 3% fat. Feeding on this rich milk, the cub will gain 5 to 10 pounds in the next few months. In April or May, the sow will emerge from her den with her new cubs.
Bears prefer to den high in trees where large cavities are available. The average height of a den in the Smokies is 80 feet. The first experience a cub has in the outside world can be descending an 80 foot tree. Bears are great climbers. But bears can also den on the ground. These dens are often in thickets of briers, which offer some protection from other animals.
Mother and cubs will forage together for a year and a half. They are inseparable during this time. But eventually, the desire to mate again will come to the sow. She must get rid of her yearlings. The sow has taught her yearlings to climb trees whenever danger threatens. She will bark or huff at them and up the nearest tree they will go. She might run off to draw the danger away, so the yearlings have learned to wait in the tree until she returns. The sow uses this training to rid herself of her offspring. She will send them up a tree and then leave, never to return.
After hours or maybe even a day, the yearlings will realize they have been abandoned, climb down from the tree, and begin a life on their own. Most yearlings will not survive the next year. Those that do survive will mature at age 3 and could live into their teens or early twenties. The oldest known bear in the Smokies was a sow that lived 26 years.

There is no abstract art

2011-04-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.
Pablo Picasso

Hi my friends,

Thank you for all the comments. I wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Sunshine to you!

Susanne

I have a new website.

I'm still working on and uploading more photographs every day.

They are all available as a print, framed or even stretched on Canvas. Click and have a look and if you like something, buy it.

You will make my day. Thanks.

Beer Stories

2011-03-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

Want to go to the next tailgating party in style? How about a little team building with your co-workers?

Check out the PedalPub out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Yes, this is real!

The PedalPub carries up to 16 passengers, plus the driver. There are 5 pedaling seats on each side, plus one non-pedaling seat over the rear wheels. There's also a bench in the back of the PedalPub that seats three, plus one standee spot in the middle for the "bartender".

Although "cyclists" will be consuming lots of energy providing carbohydrates on this ride, there's no chance you'll be passing Lance Armstrong along the way. The maximum speed for the "bike" is only 5 MPH.

A change in Minnesota State Law in 2008 allows passengers aboard the PedalPub to consume alcohol while riding the bike.

Pedalpub also practices responsible driving. An employee of the company is the designated driver for all rentals.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The End of History:

The worlds most expensive beer? Perhaps. The highest alcohol content (55% ABV) for a beer in the world? Likely. Most unique, bizarre and controversial presentation of a beer? Definitely!

Brewdog Brewery out of Scotland has been selling an extreme beer known as The End of History. The name comes from the famous work of philosopher Francis Fukuyama who defined history as the evolution of the political system and traced this through the ages until we got the Western Democratic paradigm. For Fukuyama this was the end point of mans political evolution and consequently the end of history. Brewdog claims this beer is the last high ABV beer they're going to brew, the end point of their research into how far they can push the boundaries of extreme brewing; the end of beer.

As you can see in the photo on the right, the beer is sold with a bottle wrapped in the carcass of a small rodent.

Although they're currently sold out, the price tag for for U.S.-based buyers after currency conversion, tax and shipping, comes out to $800 to $1,100 per bottle!

As Brewdog states on their homepage, they are a beacon of non-conformity in a increasingly monotone corporate desert. Amen to that!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now this next one almost put a lump in my throat.

I seldom pass along inspirational stuff, but this one really got to me. I do believe, that in these difficult and mean-spirited times in which we live, there needs to be a message of hope. We can all use a single image that speaks to us of love, harmony, peace, and joy.

An image that suggests the universality of us all. I have been sent that image, and I want to share it with You.

All I ask is that you take a moment to reflect upon it:

Cheers!

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

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Title: CraftBeer.com - Brew Stories - Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen

CraftBeer.com celebrates the best of American beer and the producers of these fine libations. There are over 1,500 small and independent craft brewers in the U.S. today. Will Kemper of Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen has helped build breweries all over the world, today he can brewer at his own brewpub from anywhere in the world.

Title: CraftBeer.com - Brew Stories - Pelican Pub & Brewery

CraftBeer.com celebrates the best of American beer and the producers of these fine libations. There are over 1,500 small and independent craft brewers in the U.S. today. Pelican Pub & Brewery in Pacific City, Oregon is known for its award winning craft beers, but what really makes founder Darron Welch proud is seeing former brewers at Pelican become successful with their own breweries.

QUEEN

2011-03-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

THE EAGLE

2011-03-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

WHITE BELLIED EAGLE AT KOZHIKODE BEACH.

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My Wordless Sunday in 2010 - #3

2011-03-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Destination: Olympic Park, part 2

2011-03-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

Even though I've gone to Olympic Park before, there's a lot more to see than one trip will allow. This time around I went around a different way - although there's plenty more forest and park to see...

Compared to the prime weekend of fall colors, it looks a little drab during the winter. April hasn't yet had enough warm days to see spring in full effect, but wait for it...

A little warmer - and a little color correction to accurately represent the scene.

A little water near one of the north gates into the park - not pictured are a couple of more professional looking Koreans snapping away with their near-foot-long lenses.

Up the hill and around the flowers...

...to an overlook with some art in the lake.

The cherry blossoms are alive and well - although they never last for long.

A Pit Hut site (closed by the time I got there)

Now I'm just having fun with the silhouettes...

An unusual sight around the velodrome (bike racing track) in Olympic Park - hundreds of Korean men, making their bets on bike racing. As far as I could understand, one could place bets on bike racing just as one does on horse racing - complete with odds for single racers as well predicting the top two or three finishers. Bets ranged from 1 ?? (100 won) to 10 ?? (100,000 won), though you'd have to read the Korean program to have a clue about what's going on. I didn't look too closely for a way to watch the race live, although most men seems satisfied with being outside of the stadium (and closer to the betting booths).

Once again, Olympic Park was worth the time and effort - and there's still far more to see. It's a huge place, although after two visits I'm pretty sure most of the art and touristy type places have been covered.

To get to Olympic Park, take line 5 of the Seoul subway system to the Olympic Park station. Take exit 3 to street level, and begin walking around. Pick up a map at one of the information booths and begin exploring =)

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Title: Beijing Smog Watch (Reuters)

Amazing footage of thick smog cloud that covers Beijing with only a little more than a month before the Olympic Games are set to commence there.

Title: NWA EP#5 Olympic National Park Pt.2

The Natural Wonders Of America Episode #5

The United States, a vast land of natural contrasts - arid deserts to frozen glaciers, steep canyons to soaring mountain ranges and lush waterfalls to endless coastlines - is the focus of this travel series celebrating nature's beauty across America.

Traveling to the most unique national parks and remarkable destinations the United States has to offer, THE NATURAL WONDERS OF AMERICA is a wonderful travel companion, source of reference and a timeless gift of the enduring grace of the natural world.

Keywords: bbtv broadbandtv powerdocs natural wonders Europe vacation history travel tourist adventure desert volcanic mountains rocks landscape caves underground lakes climbing rivers jungles forests sea ocean lake plains island fjords cruise culture sightseeing tour desolate destination events landmark nature log

Rock Castle Gorge Hikes

2011-03-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Every other Saturday from July 24 - September 18, Blue Ridge Parkway rangers host hikes that take visitors to Rock Castle Gorge, located roughly half-way between Roanoke and the North Carolina-Virginia line (roughly 50 miles from either direction).

For those interested, meet at the Rocky Knob Cabins off of Woodberry Road (Milepost 167) to join a ranger on a five mile hike and learn about the history of the community that existed in this area from the late 1700s until the 1930s.

Wear good hiking boots and bring water and lunch. There will be several stream crossings, so wear or bring waterproof shoes. The hike will end at the lower end of Rock Castle Gorge Trail at the CC Camp Road off of Route 8. Shuttle back to cars will be provided for drivers, or you may set up your own shuttle ahead of time, or hike back to the starting point.

There are 5 dates left for these hikes this year: 7/24, 8/7, 8/21, 9/4 and 9/18.

Call ahead (540-745-9662) to verify dates, or for directions or information about the shuttle.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more

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Title: The National - Little Faith Castle Rock Session Pitchfork.tv

In this Pitchfork.tv video, The National play the track at an abandoned castle on the Hudson River. The abandoned building in the middle of the woods is the perfect setting for the bands sound, and its nice on the eyes too. http://theyellowstereo.com

Title: Bad News Castle Donnington Monsters of Rock 1986

From the Rockumentary More Bad News

Steps to the Summit

2011-03-29T02:00:00.000-07:00

Throughout the spring and summer the Hanesbrand Everest Team has been posting a series of 30 videos on their Youtube Channel called Steps to the Summit.

The videos offer an insightful look at what it takes to climb the highest mountain in the world, as well as how to apply those lessons to your everyday life and in achieving your own goals.

The series is hosted by expedition team leader Jaime Clarke.

Below is a short introduction to the series:

No Sales Tax And Free Shipping Over $50 At Backcountry.com (Tax Included On Orders From Utah Residents).

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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Title: Summary of Next Steps EE Summit.wmv

Summary of Next Steps presented at the Ecology and Education Summit: Environmental Literacy for a Sustainable World, October 15, 2010.

Title: Episode 8 - Summit Results & Next Steps

Dean Nelson and Mark Thiele discuss the summit results, international chapters and the next steps around forming the technical advisory board, continuing track work and internal/external working groups.

MY NEIGHBOUR

2011-03-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks

2011-03-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ranger Confidential: Living, Working, and Dying in the National Parks is a new book written by Andrea Lankford in which she relates the real stories behind the beautiful scenery of our national parks.

Lankford is a former national park ranger and the author of three other books, and has been published in several national publications such as USA Today, Arizona Highways, and Backpacker Magazine.

For twelve years, Andrea lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon and has even won arguments with bears.

In this graphic and yet surprisingly funny account of her and others’ extraordinary careers, Lankford unveils a world in which park rangers struggle to maintain their idealism in the face of death, disillusionment, and the loss of a comrade killed while holding that thin green line between protecting the park from the people, the people from the park, and the people from each other. Ranger Confidential is the story behind the scenery of the nation’s crown jewels — Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Denali and the Great Smoky Mountains. In these iconic landscapes, where nature and humanity constantly collide, scenery can be as cruel as it is redemptive.

Please click here for more information on the book.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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The Christian Cross

2011-03-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Cross

captured somewhere on my travels in Wyoming

The Christian cross

is the main symbol of the Christian religion.

These crosses are usually found on Christian churches.

Jesus, who Christians believe is God the Son and their messiah, was crucified (nailed to a large wooden cross). This was a commonly used method for killing people in Roman times.

Christians believe that Jesus' death made the sins of all humans who trust in him, go away, and that they are forgiven. They also believe that Jesus was resurrected (came back to life) after three days. Because of this, the cross is a symbol for Jesus' sacrifice and suffering, but also a symbol of hope, forgiveness of sins, and victory over death.

There are several different Christian crosses that are symbols for different Christian groups or persons.

A cross with the body of Jesus on it is called a Crucifix.

The empty cross is usually favored by Protestants, and the symbol reminds them of the resurrection of Jesus, while the crucifix is favored by Catholic and Orthodox churches and is a reminder of Christ's sacrifice.

***

Hi my friends,

Tomorrow, the Christian world is celebrating Easter. I wish to you all who celebrate HAPPY EASTER.

Thank you also for all your wonderful comments and compliments to my post yesterday. I'm still thrilled about that honor of the recognition of my blog to get chosen to the list of the 47 BEST PHOTO BLOGS on the web,

together with other great fellow photo bloggers.

My congratulations to all the other 46 people!

Have a wonderful day!

Susanne

***

Visit my new websites, if you like something there, you can order it

printed, framed or stretched on canvas:

http://tinyurl.com/yatdh5x

my fans in Europe can place an order here:

http://susanne49.mygall.net

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Title: The Love Of Christ - Wes King

a video i made - The Love Of Christ - by Wes King

Title: Wonderful, Merciful Savior

My Favorite song video of them all

Destination: Funique / War Memorial of Korea / Rolling Ball Museum

2011-03-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

While the War Memorial of Korea is the largest war memorial in the world, my primary destination was actually a place called Funique (website only in Korean). Incongruously located inside the War Memorial in an area near the souvenir shop, Funique contains a number of fun and unique items made available mostly for the younger set (read: kids). That's not to say adults can't have a fun time as well - in fact I dare say this would be a great place to take a date.

I would be negligent in my blogging duties if I didn't at least mention the War Memorial - here is the outdoors portion in full living color:

A row of tanks used during the Korean war. The front-most is a GAZ-51 truck used by the Soviets - a 2 1/2 ton vehicle produced by the Soviets, according to the sign.

An LVT-P7 - a vehicle from the USA starting in 1974 (again, from a sign describing the exhibit)

Inside the cockpit of the tank - look at the forward seat and imagine actually sitting at the seat having little more than a viewfinder-sized view of the field ahead of you.

Described as the "Tower of Korean War", the tall structure at right describes symbolizes "the image of a bronze sword and a tree of life".

A grand view of the War Memorial sans memorials - the 60 you see in the center of the picture refers to the 60th anniversary of South Korea's first republic after World War II.

Just a selection of the planes shown - note the Seoul Tower in the background.

An F-86D Fighter, introduced in February 1960.

Part of the Memorial. Between each stone pillar stands a black marble pillar with the names of every soldier that died during the Korean war - every name amongst the hundreds of thousands of Korean, UN Forces, and all.

The panels of Americans that died during the Korean war stretched 200-300 meters. The quote reads thus: "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend they never knew and a people they never met." What's interesting is that quote is largest in English; the Korean meaning the same plays second fiddle.

The entrance to the War Memorial - I didn't enter only because my priorities were elsewhere.

The Funique House was promoted as a place to see some unique inventions and a hands-on experience with the exhibits.

An inverse mold that seemed to be staring at you no matter where you looked. Instead of protruding from the wall, this one sank into it,

A robotic hand playing the piano? Sure, why not?

An interesting instrument - no idea as the name, but it resembled a xylophone in that you used a striker / hammer to hit the metal plates. What made this instrument different was that each group of three metal plates rang a different chord - a C chord, a G chord, and others.

Another curious instruments - resembling a music box where the user turned a crank on the outside to move the cylinder to the left. The pegs looked like they could be repositioned whenever it was time for a new song.

Ever wanted to use the power of the sun to cook dinner? Apparently, this solar cooker was meant to do just that - yes, that's a crock pot in the middle.

A box of tissues - but take a closer look where the tissue comes out.

A pair of sandals with an interesting pattern on the bottom. Imagine walking along the sands of your favorite beach with the message you're sending with these sandals.

No, that's not me undergoing some form of torture - in fact, the yellow thing on my head is a scalp / head massager. Use the black handles to pull it up and down your head - it felt really good, actually...

An ingenious wine glass - not sure which glass to use? Just turn the wrong side upside down to serve as the base of the glass.

A huge kaleidoscope - want to see what's inside?

Nothing special to see except the scale - but still interesting.

A few 'warped' clocks - take a closer look at that clock on the left. All the clocks were accurate, for the record.

A Korean furiously rubs the side of a large metal bowl holding water trying to produce some sound from it.

You know those Newton's Cradles on your co-workers desk? This is the life-sized version.

The Funique museum is worth checking out - especially on a cold Saturday when visiting a park is too cold to do. What was more interesting, however, was the Rolling Ball Museum (a seperate admission ticket):

I wasn't quite sure what to expect - hopefully some interactive parts amidst some professionally designs.

Quite a few designs were fascinating - the two pictures above are of a very large wall clock showing the time based on where the balls were. Take a close look - it's pretty easy to figure out what time it is.

Some of many creations by Matthew Gauldren, a master of the art.

"A sound of the bell" by Stan Bennet - the marble sometimes hits the bell, creating a rather satisfying 'ding!' sound.

"Vertical Roller Coaster", by Matthew Gauldren - before you knew it the ball would shoot down the dive, almost out of sight without an especially good set of eyes.

"Sound Track" - the marble strikes several tones of a xylophone and a number of metal plates.

At this point, I transitioned into the 'try-it-yourself' part of the exhibit. This part was not behind protective glass and more put-the-ball-in-the-hole type of things.

This section started off big - easily 3 meters long, 2 1/2 meters tall, and 2 meters wide - with enough metal to ensure an entire steel plant stays employed.

Just a sampling of the 'try-it-yourself' side of things - literally dozens of wooden forms to just drop the ball and see what happens.

Within 'The Dream of Automata', a poster begins to explain how these things work (you'll see what things I'm talking about in a few pictures).

A close-up example of a gear in work - turn the crank for yourself.

A couple examples of the automata in question. They're behind some glass, so push a button to activate the small electric motor that makes them 'run'.

Some great artwork - the two wooden pieces run opposite each other, which naturally create some interesting shadows.

A number of exercises using pieces you can put together on the wall to watch the ball run down.

Watch as the kids poke the balls from the underside of the table - the only way to actually move the balls.

Move the tubes down to make the balls move around (the velcro is a lot of fun)

In the end, the day was a lot of fun - while Funique was interesting, the Rolling Ball Museum stole the show with the boundless amounts of creativity / fun, as well as the chance to really feel like a kid again.

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Title: Civic Arena Engineering & Innovated in Pittsburgh

Thanks to Rick Sebak and WQED

Civic Arena Adaptive Reuse

Goals:
Promote a sustainable reuse strategy for the historic Civic Arena
Demonstrate that sustainability and reuse of large structures can be an asset to planning, design and development. It will cost over $12 million just to demolish Civic Arena, without having built anything in its place. The term fix-it-first often applies to road and bridge infrastructure, but it also applies to buildings, especially those that can be anchors for new development.

The Civic Arena (now Mellon Arena) is a Pittsburgh landmark and an icon of our citys prowess in engineering and materials. It is a one-of-a-kind building in the world, and worthy of preservation and adaptive reuse.

Objective1: Develop a broader vision for the Lower Hill with the Arena as an anchor
Imagine if this innovative structure of the 20th century were adapted to meet the needs of the 21st century Hill District and, of course, the region. As a unique destination, it could attract worldwide interest and generate new business and the revenue to maintain the character-defining structural shell. The reuse of obsolete sports facilities has precedent and similar ideas are being explored in Detroit for the old Tigers Stadium. Growing from the ashes of failed urban renewal, the Civic Arena could be an anchor for a sustainable urban plan that integrates with the new Consol Arena and the rebirth of the Hill.

Objective 2: Integrate advocacy for the reuse into civic engagement processes of the city and Hill.
Identify and involve key stakeholders to explore the potential for this idea.
Identify potential uses for the structure that are responsive both to market forces and community needs.
Facilitate the integration of the concept for reuse into the URA and Hill process for a community wide master plan.

Objective 3: Advocate for and support a technical and economic/market feasibility study of the surrounding site to support a sustainable development concept.

Project Outcomes
A pragmatic yet visionary plan that has the support of the community.
The creation of a civic and cultural destination unique to Pittsburgh.
A sustainable economic plan that can support business and job creation.
An inspirational development that bridges the gap between downtown and Hill District development.

Time Frame
Identification of feasible reuse: 2008-10
Renovation and reuse: 2010-20

Title: UNIQUE DUBROVNIK

Awarded movie about one of the top European destination

A tale of two festivals - World IT festival and Entrepreneur festival

2011-03-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a tale of two festivals, both in the same huge hall that is the COEX area. In addition to being a huge underground mall, COEX also has a number of convention centers and the like, making it a great place to show off the latest technology or what brilliant ideas or product Korean entrepreneurs have come up with. I had originally meant to simply check out the Entrepreneur Festival, but after mistakenly getting into the wrong line, I got into the World IT Fair as well.

Next to Yongsan, the World IT Fair is probably the largest collection of electronics and computers in Korea. Upon walking in I received a huge 200 page book, clearly intended to assist me in buying something from the many companies represented.

While a lot of the technology is stuff I've heard about, seeing it in action was a lot more interesting - yet meh - than expected.

Go watch Minority Report one more time - yes, that movie with Tom Cruise controlling a computer with nothing more than a touch screen and lots of multi-finger gestures. That type of display is real today on a screen the size of a big screen TV. No idea how much it cost, but how cool.

OMG, a foreigner! I found it slightly odd for a non-Korean to be giving a presentation about the company's software, yet he did a nice professional job. Not pictured are the multiple cameras he's talking to - there's no actual audience.

Ignore the screen on the right; on the left, we have a Lego conducting game. Wear gloves designed to tell whether a finger is extended (like when you're counting) or not (as though part of a fist), and 'conduct' with the game. It looks like it was playing off of a Wii (very smooth), but I'm just guessing and nothing was announced regarding its future sale.

A wind turbine that displays a message as it rotates. The message displayed was just a test of letters - the school and team name - but still impressive.

You've seen robots duking it out before, but these bots were controlled themselves, prevented themselves from falling over the edge, and 'fought' to push each other off.

Rather difficult to take a picture of a 3D monitor, even when standing at the proper distance.

An interesting hybrid combining paper and digital - a digital pen that put physical ink to paper as well as a digital signal.

Thus ends the first floor - the third floor held the bigger / flashier displays, I was told. So far very few things were actually available for sale - most were demonstrations of a product that seemed quite close to practical application, not just prototypes looking for venture capitalist funding.

It's on the third floor where Korean culture seemed to become more evident, even at a 'World IT Show':

It's one thing to market a new cell phone, but it seems Koreans have taken it to a whole new level. (Disclaimer: I can't speak for Japan - they may be leaps and bounds crazier than Korea, for all I know). At one cell phone's huge booth (perhaps the size of a basketball court), the general public could have their cameras at the ready to act like the 'big-shot' photographer. Naturally, those 2-3 million won camera with 25cm long lenses came in real handy.

Hey, here we go - a chance to get our hands on the latest and greatest products. Again, not for sale, just display and showing off. I wonder how many people made a beeline for their favorite cell phone to buy the XYZ phone they fell in love with...

Not just any kind of bike - an electric bike complete with motor. I didn't see any information about them; perhaps they were just some window dressing to everything else around them.

You read that right, folks - a watch phone. No Dick Tracy happening here - but again, no information on price or how to buy. Stay tuned would seem to be the answer du jour...

I'm positive you could see the difference were you an aficionado of digital TV's... but I can't.

An example of some green technology - complete with solar-powered rechargers and the like. Bravo - and I look forward to seeing more practical and everyday tech like this.

Of course, the same company that makes the green phone also makes the large and (probably) unnecessarily consumptive screens. Seriously - did paper suddenly get more expensive, or does McDonalds change their prices that often?
This certainly looked like fun - and relaxing... I waited to try out the chair for awhile, but the guy seemed quite comfortable and in no hurry to leave.

Pictures of LCD screens rarely do the screen justice, just as in this case. These two screens appeared virtually identical. As someone still sporting an old-school CRT TV, I ask if the incremental differences are worth the extra umpteen million won every year...

Another rather silly-sounding proposal to me: let's use a magnifying glass to examine the pixels of the 'new and improved' version. Even looking through the glass it was difficult to tell the difference...

And then there are the girls. Korean TV offers several shopping-at-home channels, and a common product marketed on them is the newest / latest / greatest. The levels of silliness on those programs goes beyond this particular post, but suffice it to say that some level of it carried over to the show here. The typical setup is a Korean woman - usually rail thin, heavily made up, and wearing a shiny / bright dress - modeling the latest / greatest phone for whomever wants to get her picture. I found other angles to get pictures from, but I think this one better explained my point.

No idea what TeleMedicine is supposed to be (doctor's calls via the internet?), but the display was interesting.

If you've visted an Asian arcade, you may have picked up the sticks to a Japanese taiko drumming game that has you drumming to the beats. This is one effort to be Korea's version of the same game - bang on the real drum to the beat, watch the video of a real person doing it perfectly, and a web-cam-like version of yourself. I like the idea - and another rhythm-based-game, but somehow the idea of using webcams to broadcast a picture of yourself to the screen isn't a very interesting idea... Kids maybe (note the height of the drum compared to the adult), but probably not adults...

Now this is an adult's game... A new form of screen golf that always had a long line no matter how often I went back.

Another interesting game for adults. Running off of a Windows computer, the game used wireless guns (no wires connecting the guns to anything) to shoot at a screen. One game used a fairly standard target, though I loved the concept of shooting colorful insects in a Teletubbies-like world. Just don't let your kids watch you doing it.

Some adults answering questions about various phones and features to win a webcam.

Yes, those dance routines you might see on the shopping-at-home channel are also performed in real-life. I hesitate to call it 'dancing' - but 'moving in high heels and a short skirt to a overly energetic K-pop song' doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

It was about here when I began to switch gears and aim for the Entrepreneur Festival, on a different floor and side of the COEX behemoth. The shopping area of COEX alone can take days to fully see; get locked in the structure during a nuclear winter and you'll never get bored. Seriously - when it takes you almost 20 minutes walking the most efficient route, that tells you something about the place's size.

The Entrepreneur Festival had fewer of the bells and whistles you might expect from an over-the-top display of cell phone and bleeding-edge technology. That it represented a number of entrepreneurial endeavors from across the country was of more interest than the flashy display.

Introducing the Veloscoot - part bike, part scooter, propelled by pumping the handlebar down and up as you might remember mining / coal cars doing from the cartoon. I didn't see any prices, although I'm sure they would have been happy to sell you one.

An automatic... something making machine. Little pellets reminded me of communion wafers - hardly a Korean delicacy, but perhaps it's some sort of anju (side dish) served at bars?

The side view of some plastic / soft flooring, made from any number of recyclable products. Impressive, although it looked very similar to a number of products already installed on any number of walking trails and sidewalks across Korea.

An interesting demonstration of another rhythm-based game. Colored circles rotated around the turntable, and the goal was to click / scratch when the circle reached the needle / stylus.

It wasn't all overly serious - this 2x2 meter comic strip expressed some form of sentiment about the festival. It, like virtually everything else here, was entirely in Korean - at no point did I see any significant amount of information in English about any product while at the Entrepreneur Festival. While at the IT Festival, most handouts were in Korean - but people spoke English very well and could give you the basics of their invention pretty well.

An interesting game controller - use the gun to control both your movement and where you look on the screen. It didn't seem to help this gentlemen's skills at the game, however.

I'm not entirely sure we really need a revolution in toilets, but hey, this company seemed to think so.

As a whole, it was a wonderful afternoon spent seeing some interesting and cutting-edge technology. The IT Festival definitely had a more international appeal, and I'd bet the over-the-top show would appeal to almost anyone that walked through the door. It was relatively easy to tell that you're still in Korea - the crowdgoers were almost exclusively Korean men, going to check out Korean phones modeled by cute and overly made-up women, having their pictures taken by people who spent far too much money on their cameras... Both festivals end today (June 20th), and both had pre-registration as an option, but registration only took a few minutes on-site; the World IT Festival cost 5,000 won as a visitor, while the Entrepreneur Festival was free.

What did you think about the show? The pictures? Comment away!

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Title: "Festival Man" - Casia Interviews Radoslav Lorkovic

Radoslav Lorkovic, "Festival Man", a truly gifted grand piano master and accordian player extrordinaire. The intensity in his sun-glass hidden eyes tells the tale of a true musician dedicated to traveling the world, from festival to festival, to share his talent and his passion to all who will listen. It is obvious when I spoke with him that his music means the world to him and he has a thousand stories to tell of his adventures from the small taverns of the Upper Mississipi River to the grand castles of Italy, across the Canary Islands, to the Yupik villages of Alaska to the infamous Carnegie Hall.

With five critically acclaimed solo recordings and numerous appearances on the recordings of and performances with Odetta, Jimmy LaFave, Ribbon of Highway Woody Guthrie Tribute, Greg Brown, Richard Shindell, Ellis Paul, Dave Moore, Andy White and Bo Ramsey, where will Radoslav go next? Last I heard, he was hoping to get booked for some festivals in New Zealand.

Radoslav draws from a multitude of influences ranging from elegant classical and jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country and soul. He is an artist I will be watching for and hope to see at next years Ottawa Folk Festival where he can tell us some more exciting stories.

Radoslav's website: http://www.radoslavlorkovic.com/

Exit Broadcasting on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/EXITTODAY

Casia's website: http://www.indiemusicworks.com/artists/casia

Title: A Tale of two Festivals (Notting Hill Vs. Matthews Street)

Two large open-air music festivals with widely different social consequences. Both are intended to be happy occasions for all the family. Viewers are invited to look at both events, and decide for themselves which they would like to attend.

CNN: "Young Americans going abroad to teach" - or - what you REALLY need to teach in Korea

2011-03-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

File this article from CNN under interesting to some, but almost not newsworthy to those already abroad:

When David Green, 22, graduated from Western Washington University in December, he applied for dozens of jobs, from fast food to secretarial positions -- sending out more than 50 resumes and scoring only two interviews in the process.
"It was horrible. I couldn't find anything," said Green, a history and social studies major.
With few employment options in his hometown of Bellingham, Washington, Green applied to teach English in a South Korean middle school through Reach to Teach, an organization that assists college graduates with finding teaching positions in Asia. Green, who counts trips to Canada as his only experience abroad, will be leaving for Seoul on March 20 for one year....
"I am scared. I've only had one major breakdown so far, ... but I'm really excited about being on my own ... somewhere completely new where I know absolutely no one," he said.

Hmm, only "one major breakdown" thus far and you're not even here yet (the original article is dated March 20th)? The article is right about the difficulty in finding a job right out of college, though.

Like Green, many recent college graduates are searching for alternatives to jumping into the job market in the face of the recession. An increasing number of young Americans are searching out paid positions teaching English in countries like South Korea, Japan, China and Spain as a means to expand their horizons and weather the economic doldrums....
For many recent graduates, working abroad is becoming a more secure option than searching for a job in the United States. Most teaching programs in other countries will provide teachers with a salary and health insurance, and some programs in Asia will even provide free housing, said Jake Hanin, a teach abroad program coordinator for the Council on International Education Exchange, who also has noticed an increase in applications.

I'm not sure if I would call teaching jobs more stable... More available, perhaps, but stable in name only. A salary and health insurance are decent perks, coming from a country where even employed people are getting cutbacks in hours to work or the pay they make for that work.

For programs in Asia, fluency in English is usually the most important qualification for teaching jobs, and many do not require applicants to have previous teaching experience, Hanin said....
But for Lee and many other recent graduates, working abroad is primarily about having once-in-a-lifetime experiences in a completely different culture.
"You have plenty of time to get a career, start a family, and follow that path," Lee said. "Why not try another path first? What have you got to lose?"

Combine greater awareness of working abroad, better information about the process and lifestyle, an itch to leave their home country, and yes, a recession in most parts of the world - you'll get more people looking to teach English.

I should mention, of course, that just because one wants to become a teacher doesn't mean they should become a teacher. Simply having a Bachelor's degree and native English does not a teacher make. As I'm sure other English teachers could say, having LOTS of patience is essential... Keeping a smile on your face after repeating the same word or phrase you've been trying to get them to say for 10 minutes... Accepting that parts of the Korean culture that will annoy you (and I've yet to meet anyone who claims there's nothing in Korea that annoys them - whether you talk to native Koreans or expats)... Accepting that whole part about living in another country, not expecting things to be like they were in America / Canada / Australia / New Zealand / South Africa / your home country / wherever you've lived before... Don't come just for the salary and free airfare - if you come to Korea, you'll have a job to do.

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Title: CNN: Did your zodiac sign change?

AM's Jason Carroll explains theory behind the new astrological chart and whether you should take on an updated sign.

Title: CNN: Haiti one year after the earthquake

CNN's Moni Basu and Jim Spellman revisit pivotal sites in Haiti one year after the devastating earthquake.

Destination: Dongguneung - UNESCO World Heritage Site (Guri)

2011-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

East in Seoul in the nearby city of Guri, past royalty is buried. Six kings and nine queens (along with a posthumouly declared king and queen) are buried in a series of nine tombs, thus explaining the name ??? (? = dong, or east; ? = gu, which can mean nine or old; ?; royal tombs). While the earliest tomb dates back to 1408, at least one tomb was under construction or renovation during the trip. These particular tombs are part of UNESCO 'World Heritage Site' which was awarded earlier this year; other tomb clusters exist in Goyang (northwest of present-day Seoul), and Namyangju (east of present-day Seoul).

After arriving and paying a 1,000 won admission fee (about $0.80 USD), pick up a brochure in Korean and English, then hit the trail. From the map you can see a vague loop of sorts, which helps in keeping track of where you've been - after the first few they all begin to run together.

Start by admiring the creek that runs in and throughout the area; at times you'll cross it while at times it runs parallel to the trail.

More than a few trees were supported or propped up in some way. This is definitely an older and varied forest - most trees had a label on them, both protecting them in some way and giving some informaiton about them.

Not a tomb, but the ?? (jaesil) or the tomb keeper's house. Used as the place where memorial ceremonies are held, temporary housing for the M.C., and office space for the caretakers, this isn't just a empty house with some ceremonial stuff on display.

Probably the first house on display that's actually shown a modern-day practical usage. Not pictured are a couple gentlemen at their desks eating some lunch.

Cross over the creek at one of it's widest parts to come to what you might call the trail head.

I've seen wrapped trees before - presumably to protect them from the elements they can't help but live in - but this looks so... unnatural... Isn't there a better way?

Finally making it to the first tomb's sign - a good example of how signs should be, in my humble opinion.

Unfortunately, the tomb itself was not to be seen, thanks to this roadblock. I could've probably crossed without anyone knowing... but there are 8 other tombs on display here... onward we go.

This is better. The tomb is named ?? (Hyereung), where Queen Sim (r. 1720-1724) is buried. The brochure gives some historical details about their lives, but those details are definitely sanitized for tourism purposes. The building you see is called a ??? (jeongjagak), where the ritual ceremonies were held. The path of rock has two levels; the high one, called a ?? , and a low one called a ??. The actual tomb itself is cordoned off and high on a hill, so the far off view is the best us non-press photographers can do.

An example of a building to the right of the ??? (jeongjagak), called a ?? (bigak). The ?? is a building containing a stone tablet for each person buried there. Note the modern fire extinguishers that would be seen everywhere (I did my best to avoid including them in the photography after this shot!)

A maxed-out-zoomed-in look at the tomb of ?? (Gyeongneung). This is the only tomb here to have three mounds - King Heonjong (who became King at 7 and married Queen Kim at 11), Queen Kim (who unfortunately died at the ripe old age of 16) and Queen Hong (the King's second wife whom he married at 18 years old - and you thought your teenage years were difficult). After ruling for 15 years, the King died at the also ripe age of 22, while Queen Hong went on to outlive him by 50 years. She was the last member of the royal family to be buried in Dongguneungafter dying in 1903.

A look at the ??? (jeongjagak) for Gyeongneung - and a look up at the ceiling. Instead of posting pictures of every building, I'm just posting a few of each for comparison purposes.

The creek, running along the main walking path. While typically made of dirt or stone, it was pretty easy walking. More than a few strollers and wheelchairs were out as well. Be sure to pack your insect repellant - the insects here were more than a little bothersome.

This one, however, was nice enough to cooperate with the camera.

The views of the tombs are getting better and better here - it has something to do with how high the tomb was built from what is now considered ground level. This tomb is called ?? (Wolleung - and don't get me started on the Romanization, I'm just copying from the signs), and is where King Yeongjo and Queen Kim. King Yeongjo came to power after his half-brother died, possibly after eating a salad poisoned by Yeongjo himself. His reign of 52 years was the longest during the Joseon Dynasty, but is supposedly remembered for accusing his own son of treason and killing him as a result.

The tomb of ?? (Hwireung) - impossible to see or even get close to since the ??? (jeongjagak) is being rebuilt. Queen Jo, the second wife to King Injo, is buried here, while the King and his first wife are buried elsewhere.

The tomb of ??? (Geonwolleung) - home to King Taejo, the first King of the Joseon Dynasty and the earliest tomb here. As a general in the previous Goryeo Dynasty, he overthrew their rule because of corruption of the government - kind of makes me wonder how he'd look at things today...

The tomb of ?? (Mongneung) - and the best picture of an actual tomb thus far. It helps that they're not as far away and not as high. Holding King Seonjo (r. 1582 - 1608) Queen Uiin and Queen Inmok in individual mound, the three tombs are spread out across a wide valley - even a panoramic picture couldn't get all three tombs in the same shot.

Queen Uiin's tomb (think 'Wii-in') - King Seonjo's first wife, who was unfortunately childless.

FINALLY - the best picture of a tomb to come from this camera without traipsing over any unpermitted boundaries. Still at the first tomb of ?? (Mongneung), which holds three bodies, three sets of statues and three mounds along the three axes of a Y.

The other tomb at ?? (Mongneung), which holds Queen Inmok's body. She became Queen after Uiin died, but her son was killed and she deposed as the next King (Gwanghaegun) came to power. After Gwanghaegun was overthrown by King Injo, she was restored as the Queen Mother.

As for King Seonjo's tomb? Compared to the other two, it was much harder to see and looked nowhere as large.

Flowers are such patient subjects.

After completing the loop and attempting to see every tomb, it was time for a break. 3.5 kilometers is the official length, and it felt every bit of that. The walking path is fairly easy, but seeing all the tombs will require at least a couple hours. It's still a unique site, and is very deserving of the UNESCO blessing. Since it's still very new, I'll withhold any comment about there not being a sign showing such recognition. Go for the nice walk, the quiet and removed feeling from the rest of the world, or to learn something of Korea's history - you'll be pleased any way.

Directions to Donguneung: The easiest way would be to take a bus from Cheongryangni station (line 1 of Seoul's subway system) that will stop at Dongguneung. Look for buses 1, 1-1, 1-5, 1-6, or 92 headed that way. A bus from Danggogae (line 4's northern terminus) also runs to Dongguneung.

The way I went was to travel to Guri using the Jungang line and getting off at the Guri subway station, then took a local bus at a bus stop just outside the subway station (local buses 2 or 6 will get you there). Admission fee is 1,000 won for adults and 500 for kids from 7-18. The trail is gravel and dirt, so stroller and wheelchair accessible, and one of the ??? (jeongjagak) has a wheelchair ramp; otherwise, you'll be navigating grass or uneven rocks.

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Shopping, part 2

2011-03-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Shopping is... an adventure. There's a lot to take in, and much like going into Walmart or any big-box, it can be a little overwhelming. In English, you subconsciously learn what information is worth processing and what information can be ignored. Here, I don't quite have the same ability. Once I learn how to read (and interpret!) Korean, it'll be a lot easier. Very little food has English writing on it, but they often have pictures, shapes, or recognizable brand names. I have a bag of corn chips like Bugles that doesn't have a word of English. The shape was familiar, and I was pretty sure they wouldn't burn my tongue or be too foreign. Something looking familiar is not a guarantee - the other day walking through the meat section, I picked up what I thought was sausage - turns out it was cow tongue. YECH...

Another thing I hadn't thought of until now is the relative price of goods. Milk is pretty cheap, but cheese apparently isn't made locally - meaning it has to be imported. 10 slices of cheddar cheese cost 3,200 won at a grocery store (about $3.50) - a far cry from even Kraft's price. Meat is (or just has recently become) available for the working-class, but it's still expensive. No $2.50 / pound ground beef here - typically meat at a grocery store is cut to your preference, and is very expensive compared to other things. Rice comes in 13,000 varieties and in all sizes - you want the 20kg (about 44 pounds) bag? You got it!

I received a question asking whether Korea has a lot of produce or farmer's markets. Well, the convenience stores that are on every block often have fresh veggies as well as packaged ones - my guess is that each store has an arrangement with various farmers or providers to get fresh stuff in every so often. I haven't run into any farmer's market as we know them - there might not be any room specifically for them. The closest thing (outside of the convenience stores) was at the subway station - on the steps and just inside the station were improvised tents or desks selling any number of fruits or vegetables. If you've ever been to a carnival and heard the guy trying to get you to play his game, you know the atmosphere that it creates. I'll note that there are no live animals being sold (unlike, perhaps, in the Middle East), and that prices are typically marked and comparable to a grocery store.

Overall, Korea has been good so far, and I expect it to get better. I'm sorry to say the culture shock you expected never quite hit - and neither did the jet lag (I cheated by sleeping like 10 hours in the plane and arriving in the evening, then having a full day on Sunday to get accustomed to the new time. I've intentionally made my apartment is actually a little bubble of American life - in the fridge there's Coke and Pepsi (E-mart had a sale on a 1.5 liter bottle of Pepsi for 750 won - about .75), the shelf has cereal and recognizable snacks (even if the name's aren't), the desk has my laptop and a set of speakers playing American music. I have all my bookmarks (in English) all saved. It's comfortable, but to find something new I just need to walk out the door.

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Title: Extreme Shopping Part 3

Please also check out Extreme Shopping 1 and 2. Thanks for watching! Check out Jack Vale's channel here: http://www.youtube.com/jackvalefilms

Title: bewitched-5x29-Samantha's shopping spree part 1

Click to add a description...

Destination: Boryeong Mud Festival

2011-03-24T02:00:00.000-07:00

I owe a big thanks to Woo Young for helping with the bus / train tickets. It makes a lot more sense now :)

This week's destination was the Boryeong Mud Festival at Daechon Beach. Wait, what? A mud festival?? Don't these Koreans have anything else to celebrate? Relax - it's not just any old mud. If you believe the marketing hype, this stuff is ISO 9002 certified, and Korean researchers have found higher levels of minerals good for the skin. Read this page if you're interested in learning more (Hover on 'Mud Festival Instruction', then click 'Origin').

Getting to Boryeong - 180 kilometers from Seoul - wasn't difficult, thanks to the excellent public transportion system in Korea (the subject of another post). Trying to make travel arrangements during the peak season was more challenging. I give all credit to making the arrangements to Woo Young - although after learning more about how the system works, I'll try ordering tickets next time :)

It's pretty obvious everyone gets in on the beach season - especially local convenience stores.

We arrived around 11am at a dusty bus station a few hundred meters from the beach. After walking towards the beach, we found the first indication of the mud festival - some paintbrushes and large bowls of mud underneath umbrellas. We picked up a map and brochure, then began walking along the beach to the actual festival. No signs were around, but a helpful volunteer (who spoke enough English) pointed us the way.

Daechon Beach itself is gorgeous - judging by the Korean crowd that came to the beach, it's certainly a nice place to come even when there isn't a mud festival going on. We walked for about 10 minutes amidst small restaurants, motels / homestays, and stores selling everything you would need, want, or forgot at home - usually comparable to convenience store pricing back home. After the 10 minute walk, we came around a bend and saw literally a sea of people:

This was just the crowd around the stage area - mostly clean at this point, although some muddies were walking through the crowd or waiting in line.

As you approach the festival, there are information tents and enough chances to buy souvenirs or mud products (moisterizers, soaps, and the like). Getting closer you begin to see the mud - sometimes completely covering people, sometimes making a shirt a little muddy, or simply brushing someone with mud on their body. There were public toilets along the beach (which make for bad changing rooms), but the mud festival had setup changing room and lockers for its guests. These facilities were on the far side of the festival - meaning you had to pass by muddy people / areas before you could get to the changing spot. Don't wear your nice clothes here!

Just a sampling of some of the muddy people. In the background was a chance to buy a RFID-equipped bracelet - deposit some money on it, and wirelessly pay for your souvenirs, etc. We found it easier to keep our cash in a little plastic baggie, as the RFID bracelet wasn't accepted everywhere.

By the way, foreigners were a majority of people - probably from all around the nation of Korea, as well as tourists in for this one event. This crowd easily had the most foriegners I've seen in one location - although there were plenty of Koreans to represent Korea. My Korean girlfriend felt outnumbered at times - in fact while eating lunch, we didn't see another Korean in the crowd (except for those working for the makeshift restaurant - more on that later). I simply smiled and said, "Now you know what it feels like". Were I in my own country, yet outnumbered by foreigners, I might begin to feel a little anxious as well :)

After changing out of traveling clothes and into our swimsuits, we soon discovered how large the festival was. Several blocks long, and a couple of blocks wide, the map below doesn't quite do is justice:

Before changing clothes and joining the race of the muddy, we walked along the blocks of shopping, souvenirs, and services. While most of the mud products (moisterizers, soaps, and the like) were expensive, one place offered a free bar of mud soap for signing the guestbook. I'll update when I give it a try =) Souvenirs were decently priced, and I spent 4,000 won (about $4) buying a t-shirt of the event. I later found out it was so cheap because it was last year's t-shirt... No worries - it's still fun looking, and I'll proudly wear it all the same.

The first mud we receive came somewhat apprenhensively from one of the 'Mud Self Massage' areas. Dozens of umbrellas had small tables under them holding large bowls of mud and paintbrushes. Brush it on yourself or ask a friend to do it for you. I'm not quite sure how to explain literally painting myself with mud in terms most people can understand... Thanks to the weather (Sunny, 85-90 degrees for a high with 80-90% humidity), the mud was lukewarm and felt good. A little weird, but good. The mud was slightly gritty, like a good exfoliant should be, and made a thin covering layer on your skin. After 10-20 minutes it dried and you hardly felt it on you. Before long you got used to feeling mud on your skin, brushing other people with mud, and kept walking since it didn't feel weird anymore.

We waited in line for the Mud Slide for almost an hour, all the while talking with a couple ladies from Canada.

A mud slide, kid-sized.

Play in a mud pool - waist-high water, although it was more meant for kids.

While most of the muddiest stuff was contained in a square-block area, don't go around looking clean! The Mud Prison would get you muddy enough to be 'presentable', I guess. While there was no 'warden', if your friends were looking to push you into getting muddy, this was the place they'd pick.

No one was immune from the mud. I suspect this photographer was too busy to notice that he had gotten some mud.

After getting muddy we made our way down to the beach and rinsed off in the sea. Salty water may not make for the best rinse, but it was certainly better than nothing. After getting clean, it was time to find another way of getting muddy:

There were two mud wrestling arenas (of the inflatable type) - one that seemed destined for one-on-one battles, and the other which was referred to as the Mud Mob. Jump in and pull down the other people into the mud - but don't be surprised if a perfect stranger grabs YOUR leg and pulls you down!

Drinking in public is legal here in Korea - and quite a few foreigners took full advantage of that. While most chose beer, soju and water could also be seen as well. For better or worse, people took their beers with while getting mud, into the sea, etc... For the most part people weren't any more obnoxious, but adding mud into the mix means you might be getting a muddy hug from a perfect stranger while trying to stay clean.

After several hours in the sun, it was time for some food. While plenty of Korean restaurants had plenty to offer, most foreigners went to a makeshift restaurant / picnic area setup specifically for the mud festival. Large menus written entirely in English offered pretty standard American fare: hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, etc. Good stuff - and made by Korean culinary college students. I wonder if making American food was challenging for them... In any case, I appreciated the efforts to make it easier to enjoy the experience.

Another highlight was the music - loud, but not overwhelmingly so. A mixture of live rock (Koreans can play American rock pretty well), karaoke, and a DJ playing top-40 / techno kept the energy up. Not sure if the Canadians or Austrailans among us enjoyed it as much, but it was a nice touch. The muddy guy above was trying to sing an American rock song while squinting at the karaoke screen.

On the whole, the Boryeong Mud Festival has been my favorite experience while here in Korea. Here is a completely free experience (pay for your own travel, of course), pack a bag, and make a trip for a day, a few days, or even the entire festival of 9 days. If you can't find a hotel / motel / homestay, there's land available to pitch a tent for 5,000 won ($5). Between food, some beer, and souvenirs, I spent less than 30,000 won. Even factoring in travel, things still came out to under 60,000 won ($60). Try spending that at Six Flags without feeling like you're scrimping :)

Mud was the perfect equalizer - a face covered in mud could be White, Black, Asian, Indian, male or female, and you'll all in there together. More than a few people could've easily passed for statues - the mud changed colors from a dark grey while wet to a lighter gray once dry. The festival runs through the 20th of July - perhaps I'll be back.

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Title :Boryeong Mud festival South Korea

Boryeong Mud festival South Korea.

Several arrests made involving car break-ins & thefts in Smokies

2011-03-23T16:00:00.000-07:00

A slew of arrests involving car break-ins and car thefts have been reported on the NPS Digest over the last several days.

In the first incident reported last Thursday, two men and a women were arrested for breaking into the car of two college students who had parked their car at the Sugarlands Visitor Center for an overnight backpacking trip in September. The thieves were eventually tracked down after using the victims credit cards.

On Friday, NPS Digest reported that a man was arrested for stealing a van at the Mt. Sterling Gap parking area while a group was out on a hike. Detectives from a neighboring county who were serving an arrest warrant on unrelated charges at the residence of the thief the next day, found the van parked in front of the house. Numerous stolen vehicles in varying states of disassembly were found on the property. Investigators determined that he was operating a chop shop for stolen vehicles on his property.

Finally, today, NPS Digest reported that two people were arrested for breaking into the car of a Great Smokies employee while she was out hiking. The two thieves took personal property and credit cards that were subsequently used on numerous occasions at local establishments. One of the stolen items was a camera, which the bandits pawned at an area pawn shop. This would be their foil.

The takeaway: always lock your doors, and never leave any valuables in your car while out hiking. If you must leave valuables behind, at least lock them in the trunk. This isn't advice for just the Great Smoky Mountains, but for any hiking location.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Title: Several Arrested After Deputies Fired Upon

Five teenagers were taken into custody in Sacramento County early Wednesday after two off-duty sheriff's deputies were fired upon.

Title: Several Arrests Made In SWAT Raids

Several people were arrested in SWAT raids across Manchester on Wednesday in response to a variety of complaints.

Come to Florida All Together

2011-03-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Florida is one of the best places to consider when you plan a vacation this year. There are many reasons to choose it: mild climate, sandy beaches and infinite entertainment possibilities for every age make so that every member of your family or group of friends can find something special and unforgettable coming here. Events studied to satisfy curiosity, desire for relax or, contrary, for adventure allow visitors to experiment every day of their stay here new sides of this incredibly multifaceted region in any season. Whether you wish romantic retirement or happy days with your grandchildren, you will find right solution here. Those who like golf, fishing and different outdoor activities find the best conditions to develop their passions. They can benefit from the advises and help of the champions of this or that pastime or sport having their courses in the dedicated clubs. Special praise excite nightlife possibilities that are fabulous fun and give you great services.

Florida vacation rentals homes and condos offer to the guests all the necessary to their comfortable stay amenities. There are properties meeting every request and desire. Sales and low season's prices make affordable even luxury packages you have dreamed all your life. You even have not to leave your pets home because there are pet friendly solutions here.

Don't hesitate to book and your vacation in Florida. Enjoy this adventure!

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GSMA hike to the Sugarlands Stone House

2011-03-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Join avid and knowledgeable hikers, Roger and Mae Snyder, for the Great Smoky Mountain Association's first Spring hike to the Sugarlands Stone House.

Believed to have been built by the CCC as a lodge, the building's walls are constructed almost entirely of stone and are 18 feet in height, not a small task considering it was built somewhere between 1933 and 1942.

Though the building has been considerably damaged by fallen trees and plunder, and the roof and loft have been removed, it still remains an archeological remnant of the park's history.

While the round-trip distance is about 6 miles, participants should be aware the last mile or so is off-trail and requires some rock-hopping over a stream and some steep climbing prior to arriving at the house.

Plan on wearing appropriate clothing and hiking boots, and pack a lunch and water.

The hike will take place on Saturday, May 1. It's limited to 20 people. Reservations, along with a $10 fee, are required. To avoid disappointment please call early: 865-436-7318, extension 222 or 254.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

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Joke from Expacked - using big words

2011-03-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Definitely the funniest joke I've read since... the last joke in Expacked:

A group of new entrants were trying very hard to become accustomed to primary
school. The biggest hurdle they faced was that the teacher insisted on NO baby
talk!
You need to use Big People words, she was always reminding them.
She asked John what he had done over the weekend?
I went to visit my Nana.
No, you went to visit your GRANDMOTHER. Use Big People words!
She then asked Mitchell what he had done.
I took a ride on a choo-choo. She said.
No, you took a ride on a TRAIN. You must remember to use Big People words. She then asked little Alex what he had done?
I read a book, he replied.
Thats WONDERFUL! the teacher said.
What book did you read?
(ya gotta admire this ..)
Alex thought real hard about it, then puffed out his chest with great pride, and said,
Winnie the SH*T

Expacked is a weekly news digest in online format. Check it out.

© Chris Backe - 2009

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Title: Inappropriate Joke about Iraqi Insurgents - From a real Vet (Original Animated) Joke # 7

Do you like inappropriate jokes? I was in the Army for six years, and fought in Iraq for twelve months. Here is an, inappropriate, animated, and original joke, about Iraqi insurgents.

I tried my hand at Stand up Comedy, and I decided to put my routine into animated jokes.

go to: http://www.MassCasualties.com

Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin's daughter. Jesse Ventura and his conspiracy theory TV show, 2012, 2011. People running for republican president in 2012: Obama, Ron Paul, Sarah Palin, Jesse Ventura, Mitt Romney, Huckabee, Clinton, etc. Senator John McCain's daughter Meghan McCain and her blog. Massachusetts senator and teaparty elected senator Scott Brown, who was in the Army National Guard, but never served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Piers Morgan the new anchor on CNN and Larry King's replacement. Top reporter on MSNBC is Rachel Maddow and Keith Olberman, however the top one on comedy central is Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Top reporters at fox news: Glenn Beck, Bill O'reilly, Sean Hannity

Title: Monty Python - The Funniest Joke In The World

from Monty Python's Flying Circus
Season 1 - Episode 01 - Whither Canada?
Recorded 07-06-69, Aired 05-10-69,

I'm slowly uploading the entire Flying Circus series... Got any requests?

Is this the way to Amarillo?

2011-03-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

This is how it was looking the next morning in Albuquerque: SNOW!

On the road again to Texas and in between was Tucumcari...

...and also a ghost town...

If you know where Tucumcari is, you will know too that we were on the legendary "Historical Route 66" again - as you can see in this picture

...or this one: a Mexican Restaurant...

.... or this pretty "Blue Swallow Motel"...

But I think this business is "out of order" since long time already

Tucumcari is known for all the beautiful painted murals from the high time of Route 66

Riding cowboy mural on Route 66

I like this one very much!

Front and site walls of this Motel are murals

Back in Texas again!

And the landscape went FLAT - flat as flat can be...

but, with beautiful warm colors

and pretty clouds at the Bridwell West Ranch

Texas cows

The only way to the horizon

....if eaten in one hour!!!... can you do that...? :))

The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. Tomorrow I'll show you more photos from this funky place

Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, U.S. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm, and it consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of early Cadillacs; the tail fin) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The piece is a statement about the paradoxical simultaneous American fascinations with both a "sense of place" — and roadside attractions, such as The Ranch itself — and the mobility and freedom of the automobile.

Hi my friends,

I hope you've enjoyed my photos from our trip to Amarillo and we are still sitting here.
I have photographed today also a wonderful sunset on the prairie - that will be online also tomorrow.

Thanks for the comments!!
Susanne

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When Fortune calls...

2011-03-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

When fortune calls, offer her a chair

more proverbs are here

Hi my friends,

I'm so happy about all your kind comments to my "Colorful Animal Kingdom" post from yesterday.

I'm glad you liked all my birds and other animals from the Zoo in Melbourne FL.

Today, I'm back again to my proverbs and sayings and quotes.

I love to combine my photographs with the matching proverbs, like this one today.

I wish you all a wonderful day, see ya' tomorrow!

Susanne

Buy my photography printed, framed or stretched on Canvas here

http://tinyurl.com/y8guwqz

http://tinyurl.com/yatdh5x

http://susanne49.mygall.net

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Title: Shimamiya Eiko - Wheel of Fortune [Higurashi Live Action]

Theme to Higurashi's Live Action. Sung by Shimamiya Eiko, who did the Openings to both seasons of the show.

Title: EVIL FORTUNE COOKIE!

BLOOPERS + ALTERNATE SCENES: http://bit.ly/CookieExtras

OUR FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/smosh
OUR FREE FACEBOOK APP: http://apps.facebook.com/smoshyt
-----------------------------------
Ian and Anthony receive fortunes from cookies that become reality. What will become of this prophecy?
-----------------------------------
Hey it's our very own website: http://smosh.com
Oh and our Facebook page: http://facebook.com/smosh
Want to know when we're filming and/or pooping? Now you can: http://twitter.com/smosh

KERALA MODEL

2011-03-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

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Title: Other Books, Kerala... other models in publishing books from India

Other Books is based in Kozhikode/Calicut in Kerala, South India (P.O. Box 620, Calicut, Kerala - 673 002, Ph:0495-2306808 E-mail : otherbooks@post.com) They have an interesting model of getting 'sponsors' to support their books and invest in them. For a list of their titles published, see http://www.milligazette.com/Advertisers/2006/general_and_islamic_books_kerala_calicut.htm Shameer KS is one of the editors at this initiative and can be contacted at otherbooks at post dot com

Title: KERALA MODEL TAKBEER FROM DUBAI

Eidul Fitar Kerala model Takbeer from Dubai Deira Dalmouk Masjid on 10/09/2010 friday by Muhammad Kunhi Saqafi Kannapuram and Hassan Saqafi Muzhapalam 1

Question: prescription drugs?

2011-03-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

A reader recently wrote in to ask a question:

Just a quick question... Wondering how much prescriptions cost in Korea... is the healthcare like Mexico or Europe in which you just go in and they give you the drugs really cheap?

Hi reader,
I have not had the need to find out what the deal is with prescriptions here... but fear not - one of the most informative sites about Korea for expats (appropriately named www.korea4expats.com) has this to say at http://korea4expats.com/article-medications-prescriptions.html:

Getting a prescription for the medication you currently take is quite easy. You have a number of options. You can (i) take a copy of your prescription to any doctor, (ii) bring a sample bottle/tube of your medication or (iii) give the doctor the name of your medication. He/she will charge you a fee (anywhere from W5,000 to W25,000 expect higher fees in the international clinics) and write you a prescription. You can get as much as you can safely store on the one prescription in most cases. However, there are no repeat prescriptions here. Each time you want a refill on the medication, you will have to return to the doctor for a new prescription. For certain types of drugs, the doctor has to conduct a physical examination and/or conduct tests on the patient, but for most it is not necessary.

Using your Korean medical insurance card (if you have one) will reduce the cost of most medications. If you are taking a prescription drug, it is very easy to keep up your supply here. If you bring a copy of your prescription, or the actual bottle/tube or even just the name of the medication to a doctor, he/she will write you up a prescription for about W25,000 (varies up and own but that's the average). The name may be different but the content will be the same.

On a personal note, I have had no problems the two times I've stopped by a pharmacy in my time here. Pharmacists can usually get the idea through a pantomime, or if there's a brand name involved. Remember that the brand name doesn't always sound the same in hangeul as it does in English - say it slowly and with the Korean pronunciation if you can. In most pharmacies, virtually everything is behind the counter - there's a reason 'over the counter' drugs are called 'over the counter' :)

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Title: Skin Rash -- A Chinese Herbal Prescription (4)

SKIN RASH - - A Chinese herbal prescription.
Skin rash (accompanied by itch) is only a symptom. Some are only temporary but many will last for years. You'll never get to the roots if you use ointments or other skin applications. You must understand the characteristics of this problem: (a) The rash can spread or move from one location to another. (b) It flares up from time to time or when the season changes. (d) What you eat or do can make it better or worse.

Skin rash is deeper than the skin. It's the blood that causes this as evidenced by the characteristics described above. The Chinese view points to the existence of "excess heat" in the blood, which means many things including: too much peppery/deep-fried/greasy food, too much shellfish consumed like crabs/clams/oysters, excessive toxins in the blood through eating or exposure, not enough rest, hot weather getting into you, and stress too, etc.

An effective prescription should aim to do four things:
1) Reduce excess heat in body or blood
Xuan Shen 玄參
Lu Gen 盧根
Gou Teng 勾藤
2) Cleanse toxins in blood
Sheng Di Huang 生地黃
Bai Hua She Cao 白花蛇草
Huang Qin 黃芩
Zhi Mu 知母
3) Nourish and moisten the skin
Mai Men Dong 麥門冬
Yu Zhu 玉竹
Ze Xie 澤瀉
4) Calm the liver which may be overactive
Bai Shao 白勺
Jin Yin Hua 金銀花
A combination of 12 herbs are recommended.

Drink one to two cups (8 oz each) of herb tea a day.
Your skin rash won't disappear overnight. Progress will show in many ways such as less frequent eruptions, less intensity when it erupts, rash areas becoming dry and new skin beginning to replace the old one. Skin rash usually takes months to cure, if not years.

You will never get better if you don't pay attention to the following:
Eat less greasy, peppery, deep-fried or barbecued food
Eat less shellfish such as crabs, clams, oysters, mussels, shrimps, etc.
Drink more water or fruit juice
Eat more vegetables and fruits
Rest enough and avoid burning the midnight oil.

This is just one formula with countless variations depending on:
* Severity and nature of the rash based on observation and discussion of the problem with the herbalist.
* Your lifestyle regarding eating and resting.
* What kind of environment you are exposed to.

www.herbsandtea.com Click the Askjohn button to pose a question.
We try to understand your problems.
Herbal capsules or concentrates can be tailor-made for you.

Title: Beauty & Skin Care -- A Chinese Herbal Prescription (13)

BEAUTY & SKIN CARE - - A Chinese herbal prescription.
Skin care should not be tied to beauty only. It should be viewed as a health practice. The skin is a very important tissue that envelops and protects your body. If not attended to, irritating conditions may arise such as dryness, peeling, itch, pimples, mouth sores, and small eruptions, etc., which may develop into bigger problems like rashes lasting for months or even years. If the skin is well taken care of, the hair and the nails will be as well for they are real extensions of the skin.

The Chinese approach connects skin problems to "excess heat" in the blood, which means several things including:
Too much spicy, barbecued, deep fried, or greasy food.
Too much shellfish such as crabs, clams, mussels, oysters, etc.
Not enough sleep, or going to bed too late.
Not enough rest causing an overactive liver.
Toxins in blood due to unhealthy eating or environment.
Not enough fluid consumed everyday.
Not eating the right kind of food such as vegetables and fruits to nourish or moisturize the skin.

If you come from a different culture, some of the causes mentioned above do not seem to have obvious reasons. I'll try to explain more in another video. Nevertheless, those reasons are validated everyday by observing the habits of those suffering from dry skin and associated problems.

Nature of skin problems:
Skin problems may not be limited to just one location. They can move to other parts of the body since they are related to blood.
Minor problems are easier to treat with diet or habit change.
When a major skin problem has developed, it will remain a long-term irritation with periodic flare-ups triggered by the above-listed causes.
You cannot expect fast cure from a major skin problem. You can only look for steady improvements in the form of intensity, duration, and frequency of flare-ups.
If the problem does not spread to a new location, and the old location is being replaced by newer skin, it will definitely be a good improvement.

External treatment:
Skin care is a multi-billion dollar business with countless products and services for external treatment.
Surgery and other advanced treatments are becoming popular too.
You have to find the right kind of product or service suitable for your skin.

Internal treatment:
The Chinese approach, basically, is to nourish and detoxify the blood, calm the liver, moisturize and nourish the skin:
1) Nourish blood
Dan Shen 丹參
He Shou Wu 何首烏
2) Detoxify blood
Xian He Cao 仙鶴草
Bai Hua She Cao 白花蛇草
3) Calm liver
Bai Shao 白芍
Jin Yin Hua 金銀花
Huang Qin 黃芩
4) Moisturize skin
Mai Men Dong 麥門冬
Xuan Shen 玄參
5) Nourish skin
Yu Zhu 玉竹
Sha Shen 沙參
A combination of 11 herbs is recommended.

Drink one cup (8 oz) or two of herb tea a day, morning and night.

This is just one formula with countless variations depending on:
* How bad is the skin problem and where.
* Do you make an effort for diet or habit change.
* How sensitive is your body to herb package.

www.herbsandtea.com Click the Askjohn button to pose a question.
Herbal capsules or concentrates can be tailor-made for your conditions.

Impermanence As The Travel Destination

2011-03-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

Everybody of us is afraid of changes in the life. The old, usual world goes away and something unknown comes on it's place. We can't know, if it is good or bad, we don't know, if it will take benefits or sufferings. We think, sufferings are more frequent in this life, and we don't like them.

Well, you are not right, I don't want to open courses of philosophy here. I want to suggest you a new way to choose the aim of your next trip. Impermanence. What I mean with it? Now I'll explain the idea to you with the photos.

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On the photo over here is Messina/Sicilia and the strait between it and the Italian peninsula. This is the classic view that remains so for years and centuries. But it will not be so forever. The Italian government wants to build a bridge here, connecting the island with the mainland. This way, they say, the cars will arrive the ports and the life on the island will be not so expensive.

The problem is that just in this strait, between these parts of earth there is a place where 2 big parts of the earth crost meet and move. What will happen with the bridge over them?

In any case if you visit Messina today, before they begin to build that bridge, you can see it so as the Earthfather created it. If you will come some years later, you will probably find i new bridge -or the rests of it. (the bridge in Istanbul on the photo)

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The Audubon Christmas Bird Count

2011-03-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Since 1900, the National Audubon Society has led the charge in counting birds during the annual "Christmas Bird Census" across the U.S., Canada and many countries in the Western Hemisphere.

From December 14 through January 5, tens of thousands of volunteers take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission - often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations - and to help guide conservation action. This year's count will help help scientists understand the impact of the Gulf oil spill on vulnerable species.

If you would like to participate this year, please click here.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Title: 12/22/10 "RHM" Audubon Christmas Bird Count Prep

View youtube "RHM" Soos Cr Cooper

Title: Tom Troy presents... Audubon Christmas Bird Count

Tom Troy enthusiastically teaches a class in Carlsbad California about mallards at the Oceanside California christmas bird count at Duck Landing on Buena Vista Lagoon

PERUVANNAMOOZHI

2011-03-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

KIZHUNNA BEACH

2011-03-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

KIZHUNNA BEACH-KANNUR

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Title: Kizhunna beach 2

Random pictures, part 24

2011-03-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few more random pictures around Seoul that didn't make it into another post:

A poster for a gym, often taped onto the side of anyplace tape will stick. Other posters in the past have shown the exceptionally toned / muscled people - but I like this one better!

Oooh, pretty...

Because pictures of bras is a great way to start off yet another random pictures post. Seen around Namdaemun on one of the street carts.

A fountain in the Namdaemun area - because men wearing shirts and women being topless is somehow fair, right?

They start 'em out young here, folks. Just before the picture was taken this girl no more than 4 years old was talking on a cell phone as well.

While meandering around town - just because you haven't seen a self-picture in awhile. Usually I shave once in a while...

For all your Chinese, Japanese, and Korean manga / comic books - Seoul Station (line 1 or 4, exit 11) is the place to go.

Some quasi-public art here in Gangnam. Yes, the top half of his face is missing - no idea why, but it's certainly interesting.

Underneath the batting cage near where I live - a great place to see some drunk people try to hit a baseball traveling at 80 mph.

Some Korean rap heard in the Hongdae area. While it sounded pretty good, I was the only foreigner that stuck around for more than a song or two.

Also in Hongdae - a rather ironic scene full of lingerie and hearts crossed out.

Hongdae once again - two guys sitting out in front of a club, presumably trying to get people to enter said club. I just want to know what kind of bet they lost.

Hehehe... I almost bought this shirt... then thought about how many clubs I actually step foot into.

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Title: Dry Kill logic-Rot....RANDOM PICTURES

ALSTONIA SHOLARIS

2011-03-16T14:00:00.000-07:00

ALSONIA PLANTS ARE USED IN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE.THE BARK OF ALSTONIA SHOLARIS IS A SOURCE OF REMEDY AGAINST MALARIA.

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Numerous Rescues conducted in Shenandoah

2011-03-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

This morning's NPS Digest is reporting that Shenandoah National Park conducted four major rescues during this past fall color season:

* A 66-year-old man fell from the summit of Little Stony Man, sustaining head injuries. Park Police assisted in the operation, using their hoist helicopter for the rescue and transporting the man to the hospital.

* A 24-year-old woman broke her ankle on Old Rag Mountain. Winds were too erratic to utilize the USPP hoist, so a technical ground rescue was undertaken. Fortunately, the winds stabilized and USPP was able to extricate the woman just before sunset, eliminating the need for a lengthy and hazardous night rescue.

* A 46-year-old woman broke her ankle on the Cedar Run trail, requiring a lengthy night rescue operation.

* A 40-year-old woman sustained a knee injury on Old Rag Mountain. Winds did not permit the USPP helicopter to assist in the operation, so a lengthy, 12-hour technical rescue and carryout was conducted utilizing 30 responders.

The NPS also states that all major rescue operations in Shenandoah are conducted utilizing personnel from all divisions as well as several cooperating organizations. The USPP aviation program has been a great asset for the parks rescue operations by reducing the need for hazardous technical ground evacuations as well as improving patient care through much more timely transportation to hospital care.

***********
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Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Title: EAST ORANGE 3RD ALARM WILLIAM ST 8 25 09

FIRE IN A 3 STORY BRICK OMD. NUMEROUS GROUND LADDER RESCUES ON SIDE B AND SIDE C DURING INITIAL OPERATIONS. FIRE EXTENSION TO UPPER FLOOR AND COCKLOFT.

Title: NEWARK 2 WEST KINNEY STREET FIRE 5 3 09

FIRE 5TH FL APT. 6 STORY OMD. FIRE EXTENDED TO 6TH FL AND COCKLOFT. NUMEROUS RESCUES MADE ON ARRIVAL. INTERIOR ATTACK UNTIL FIRE GOT HOLD OF THE COCKLOFT. MASTER STREAMS PUT TO WORK.

Destination: Seoul National Science Museum / American Museum of Natural History

2011-03-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Near Changgyeonggung (palace) and somewhat hidden from view is the Seoul National Science Museum. Opened in 1990 after the National Science Museum moved to Daejeon, the museum is showing its age a bit but still has some life left in it. Outside are a couple larger exhibits, including an old school trolley that predated the subway by decades.

A narrow-gauge locomotive, or just call it an old-school train.

After paying 1,000 won to get in, climb the stairs and up the hill, then around the corner. Once at the museum's first floor, start out with some interactive exhibits dealing with science:

Meant more for kids than adults, this Nuclear Energy Science Hall had quite a few hands-on activities related to energy and the history of energy.

A display on the light spectrum - sort of interesting, but again meant for kids. The first floor is almost entirely in Korean, so tourists would have a tough time here.

Push the white panel with the green button and watch the optical illusion of spinning disks.

A marble track similar to the ones displayed at Funique (inside the War Memorial).

Robot drummers? Suuuuure, why not? Push the button and listen to a little intro about the robot before he plays briefly.

Looking more like an arcade game than something educational; the 'ENERGY' on the side of the car was the only tip-off.

A many-faceted room made up of more mirrors than I could count, reflecting off each other and making for an interesting candid shot.

After the various hands-on activites, it's time to move on to the second floor for animals!

Recreated ocean scenes - with no ocean or water of any kind. What the heck?

Some different kinds of coral.

Underwater scenes and animals - without the underwater part. Although they're not real fish, they look real enough if it weren't for the unusual scenery - and lack of water.

A nice variety of butterflies.

A journey to the center of the earth, and some rocks you might see along the way - again, almost entirely in Korean, but still somewhat interesting if you already know the scientific stuff.

The writing on the globe didn't surprise me one bit - even including the 'Dokdo is Ours!' on a globe where you can't even see the tiny rocks!

Moving up to the third floor - and the highlight of this museum:

K'NEX! You either had them as a kid or knew someone who did. These things probably took hours or days to put together - and yes, they had the ball machine that my siblings and I put together when we were kids:

Seriously cool - I wonder if that set is still available today?

An old dino's skull - can't tell a lot more than that since there was nothing more to go on.

Some wonderful ly detailed miniature models of how printing was done hundreds of years ago. To give you a sense of scale, the green bowls might fit on your pinky like a thimble, while the sitting people were perhaps 15 centimeters (6 inches) tall.

One page of type - and its result.

Just next to the printing press miniatures - literally ten feet away - is a fairly nice display of a baby in utero. WTF? What happened to organization - putting like things together?

Smoking kills - or so the message seemed to be.

Some interesting displays of earlier man; a couple others showed different species of man from earlier times.

Turn around from the primordial humans and you'll find birds. Organization on the third floor is a little sketchy at best - but the exhibits are still interesting.

Up to the fourth floor - the space floor:

Plenty of displays and models, but very little about Korea's space program.

A replica of a satellite.

While the Science Museum has its quirks, it's certainly worth the trip if you're a science person or want to encourage it in your kid(s). Not much is available in English, so sights and sounds will be your guiding forces.

What made the area more worthwhile was the newer, flashier exhibit on climate change. The building next door and closer to the street held this exhibit, which runs through August 30th.

Pay 10,000 won to get in (geez) and begin your trip in the same place you got your Science Museum ticket.

Again - virtually everything's in Korean, but I can guess the red line tracking north to be a reverse timeline (old to the right, new to the left) of environmental threats.

It was shortly after I snapped this picture that I was kindly asked not to take any more. No idea if they want to avoid publicity or damaging their exhibits with a flash unit that's not being used, but whatever. In a fairly impressive visual display, one could see a spinning globe, created by multiple projectors onto a sphere. It showed the progression of the ice caps (I think) while continuing to rotate.

After moving out of one of the main rooms showing the threats, the next room showed a possible reality:

(At this point, another shutterbug was snapping away and the staff person didn't seem to care)
The City Hall subway station, perhaps a few decades from now, having been flooded or not kept up. No idea what the subway authorities would say about the exhibit, but it's certainly a fairly dark picture.

On the other side of the diorama is a girl escaping the flood water. I'm not sure how susceptible Korea is to rising water from climate change, but something tells me this is fairly close to a worst-case-scenario.

The threats of doom and destruction ended as soon as the first floor did. Upon reaching the second floor, the room brightened, flowers bloomed, and kids laughed in the background... No contrast here, of course:

One example of a human-powered machine - turn the crank and watch the propeller turn above. It was meant more for kids than adults based on the crank's height - hopefully they'll expend more of their energy and be zonked out by the time they hit the souvenir shop.

Green label clothing, anyone? The descriptions were in Korean, so I can't tell you what's different about these fibers compared with others...

A colorful description, pointing out how different activites release different amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. Each of the black bags weighed the amounts below them - I'm guessing the kids could lift them and feel the impact of, say, leaving your computer on all night.

Corporate sponsorship or capitalist interest, I'm not sure, but the United Colors of Benneton had a display as well.

Not pictured was a tricycle course on fake grass that took up most of the floor. Kids would pedal around while the parents tried to ensure they didn't break anything. Um, cute I guess...

The Climate Change exhibit might have been worth the 10,000 won if there were more English to explain the exhibit's perspectives. That so many lights and one-time-use displays were used in the exhibit made for some well-needed irony - when else will one need the 'flooded subway' scene? As for the Science Museum, it's quirky and showing its age, but may still be worth a visit.

Directions to Seoul National Science Museum / American Museum of Natural History: Take line 3 of the Seoul subway system to the Anguk station. Take exit 4 to street level and pass by both Changdeokgung and Cheonggyeonggung (yes - two palaces!). Turn left at the light and keep walking along the outer wall of Cheonggyeonggung and you will see the Museum just past a small parking lot. This is approximately a 2 km walk - if interested in taking a bus, take exit 5 to street level and get on almost any bus at the first bus stop you come to.

Alternatively, take a bus that stops at Changgyeonggung - buses 101, 102, 104, 406, 107, 108, 140, 143, 149, 160, 162, 171, 172, 272, 301, or 710 all stop across the street from the Museum, coming from many different points of the city.

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Title: Delta Air Lines Seoul Trip Tips

Check out more employee travel videos at http://www.delta.com/siteseer

Zen personified. From the Guksadang shrine to the Zen Rock, the bustling city of Seoul, South Korea shows its gentler side. Hike with Delta employee Tracy up Mt. Inwangsan, over to an ancient palace, then finish the day with a palm reading.

Delta Airport Destination Seoul, South Korea ICN

Title: ☆[Fan Cam] 30 May 10 SS501 Kim HyunJoong "Destination" fan signing Event ＠Seoul☆

Credit=Daum

TripleS seems to have done a meeting on the fifth anniversary memory of SS501 and a birthday of HyunJoong.*^^*

How beautiful HyunJoong is!

YoungSaeng is CUTE!

The birthday party of YoungSaeng was done in the Fan signing Event of last year's "Rebirth". ^^

Making the call - the phone call, that is

2011-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Before doing some research, I assumed that a 'world phone' would work in Korea. After all, a quad-band phone will work in 190 countries - it'll work almost anywhere, right? Wrong - according to the AT&T website, South Korea and Japan run on a 2100 MHz frequency. Quad-band phones use the 850/900/1800/1900 Mhz frequencies. The AT&T website mentions that three phones - the Blackjack II, Treo 750, the AT&T 8525 - can work on this 2100 MHz frequency.

So what's an American to do?

Option 1: Rent a phone - http://www.cellhire.com/ is one option to rent an English-language phone. It'll cost by the day (or month), as well as a per-minute fee. You can also choose to forward your American phone number to your international phone. You can arrange a rent-a-phone ahead of time and get it shipped to you before you leave.

Option 2: Get a phone like the locals do. While you can't arrange for it ahead of time, you'll find the best prices for them.

Option 3: Buy a phone from America that'll work on their cell phone network and be prepared to pay the roaming - often $2 / minute.

Option 4: Use Skype (phone calls from your computer) to make a phone call home. Since Skype uses your computer connection to make a call, it costs nothing to make a call from one computer to another. Skype can also make a call from your computer to someone else's phone for what can be pennies a minute - not a bad deal if you have an internet connection.

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Title: ASDA Customer Services - Idiot With Pizza

NOTE - THIS IS NOT ME MAKING THE CALL.

This is a REAL call from asda customer services, not a prank call, but an actual call, the people in the video are not the actual people either, they are people from the television show Fonejacker.

Enjoy!

Title: Call Me When You're Sober Making Of the Video

Il Video Del "Making Of" di Call Me When You're Sober, Con Spiegazione Di Amy dell'Uomo-Lupo e Dei Coreografi

Making Of The Video CMWYS

Winter forecasts for the Smokies

2011-03-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Two long range forecasts for this winter for the United States have been published in the last couple of days: one from AccuWeather.com, the other from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Overall, both reports are very similar, but differ a little with respects to the Great Smoky Mountains region. They both expect a weather phenomenon known as La Nina to be the main player governing weather patterns this winter. La Nina occurs when sea surface temperatures across the equatorial central and eastern Pacific are below normal. This weather phenomenon can have a significant impact on weather patterns across North America for several months. This year appears to be no exception.

Both forecasts expect warmer temperatures for the southeast, including the Smoky Mountains region:

However, the two forecasters differ a little on how much precipitation the Smokies could receive this winter. While NOAA is predicting normal precipitation amounts:

Joe Bastardi at AccuWeather.com is predicting that precipitation levels will be below normal this winter season:

Bastardi also goes on to state that the overall dry weather pattern expected across the southern tier of the nation could lead the region into a "perilous period" similar to the 1950s and 1960s, which was drier than normal. Drought conditions and water shortages could become major problems from Southern California into the Deep South.

The Deep South is already in the midst of a severe drought, and a lack of precipitation this winter will only make matters worse. According to the Climate Prediction Center, it's likely that drought conditions could develop in the Smokies over the next three months - but not anywhere near the levels seen in the surrounding region:

Interestingly, and consequently, the highest incidents of forest fires in the Smokies occur during the months of February, March and April. Hopefully an unexpected wet weather pattern will develop at some point to give the southeast some much needed relief.

To read the full AccuWeather report, please click here.

To read the full NOAA report, please click here.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Title: Old Farmers' Almanac Winter Forecast 2010-2011

It's summer...

2011-03-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.

A few of those days and you can become drunk
with the belief that all's right with the world."

~ Ada Louise Huxtable ~

Hi my friends,

thanks, thanks, thanks.... for all your nice comments to my posts from yesterday, the day before - and for all the future comments, coming up....LOL... Your loyal friendship means a lot to me :)

Today is also a special day for us to celebrate: it is on the day exactly 6 month ago, when we started with our travels - and we are still on the road and still not tired of it at all, even it's sounds maybe sometimes that way....LOL...

Looking back to this wonderful 6 months on the road I have to say: We don't regret at all and we are happy we made this decision to give a new challenge to our lifes and to go on these roads and to see this wonderful country. "What a country", indeed!!! :)

We have seen a lot of beautiful, amazing places, we met many friendly people, made a lot of new friends, we had great experiences and wonderful moments we will never forget anymore!

And, we have still not found THAT little, pretty place for us to settle down again, there are to many great choices available :) this country is so big and it makes it very hard to make the right desicion, where to be for the rest of our life. I guess, the time is not here just now for something like that - so then, we will travel more - until the day comes and we will say: yes, that it is, here we will stay! Interesting, right....? :)

See you on our next destination, tomorrow or then the other day....stay with me!
Susanne and David

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Florida Colors

2011-03-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

In photography there are no shadows that cannot be illuminated.
August Sander

Hi my friends,

today I have finally time again to post something for you - I hope you'll like it.

Thank you for all the wonderful comments on my posts in the last days.

Wish you a nice weekend - and tomorrow is my "Wordless Sunday" again.

Don't miss it! :))

~Susanne

It's CALENDAR 2011 time again!!

In the right column on my blog you can click on any of them - and buy one right there!

Make someone happy and you'll make me too :))

Thank you!

Medical exam time

2011-03-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

While at work today, I was told I would need to go to a local hospital for a routine physical. I knew it was coming (as told to me by the immigration paperwork) - it was just a matter of time. One of the other Korean teachers took me there and helped me navigate the large hospital. In case you hear the word 'physical' and shudder from the days of grade-school doctor's visits, don't - this was actually the easiest physical I've ever had. A brief eye test with my glasses on, a height check (178.5 cm, or about 5'10" - I think it shorted me an inch or two!), a weight check (86 kg, or about 189 pounds - I've put on a few pounds in the last few months!), and a blood pressure check (118 over 56 - optimal, according to the US National Institute of Health). From there, a couple other things were a little... different... A chest x-ray where you stand hugging a metal plate with the x-ray machine behind you. My best guess is that it's used to catch some type of chest infections... After that, a fairly standard urine and blood sample, and we're done. They'll know the results to their satisfaction whenever it's processed, but it's all over as far as I'm concerned... I'm guessing eating the Korean food and walking a lot more will bring my weight down over time... We'll see :)

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Title: complete physical exam B2 1994

complete physical exam

Certified Good Hiker

2011-03-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

Catherine Dold, a former trail host volunteer for the U.S. Forest Service in the Indian Peaks Wilderness in Colorado, and former editor for Audubon Magazine, has recently developed a Certified Good Hiker Kit for children.

The kit teaches kids to be Good Hikers. It includes a fun fill-in-the-blanks class that introduces kids to the basic guidelines of hiking and trail manners: what to bring on a hike, why its important to stay with your group (and what to do if they get separated), and why you shouldnt try to feed those cute animals.

The kit also helps children on how to prepare before venturing outdoors, how to stay safe, and how to treat the environment.

As part of the download is a certificate that declares each kid to be a Certified Good Hiker. The 8-page PDF download ($4.95) also includes a guide for adults who are leading the activity.

Click here to check it out.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Dog Training Video - Expert dog trainer Eric Letendre gives a full and detailed explanation of the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen test. Learn what steps your dog needs to pass to become a certified Canine Good Citizen.

Title: RASHEEDA-MY BUBBLE GUM

Rasheeda "My bubble gum" on Itunes now

17 Free Entrance Days Announced for National Parks

2011-03-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

The National Park Service announced yesterday that it will waive admission fees on 17 dates during the upcoming year.

The 2011 fee-free dates will be:

The weekend of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 15-17)

National Park Week (April 16-24)

The first day of summer (June 21)

National Public Lands Day (September 24)

Veterans Day weekend (November 11-13)

Many national park concessions will also offer discounts on fee-free days, saving visitors money on food, lodging, tours, and souvenirs.

For more information, please click here.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Title: Robert Mapplethorpe - Perfection in Form

Robert Mapplethorpe - Perfection in Form
May 26 September 27 2009
Full rate 10.00 (including museum entrance)
Tuesdays Sundays, from 8.15a.m.to 6.50p.m. - Closed on Mondays
From 28th May to10th September 2009 free entrance to the exhibition on Thursdays from 7.00p.m.to 9.00p.m.
From 7th July to 29th September 2009 opening of the museum and of the exhibition on Tuesdays from 7.00p.m. to 9.00p.m. at the regular price.

Title: (CLOSED) Win a FREE TRIP to Evolution 5 and New York City!!!

http://www.bboyworld.com/forum/breaking-discussion/138097-win-free-trip-evolution-5-spons-bbw-street-scientists-strife-tv.html

What's up!

Bboyworld / Street Scientists / Strife.tv are sponsoring a fun online contest to win a FREE trip* to New York City's Evolution 5 event from October 15, 16, 17.

*due to costs, North America entries only, sorry

2 WINNERS* WILL BE ANNOUNCED!!!
--free airfare to New York City
--free entrance into Evolution 5
--guest host for a Strife.tv segment at Evolution 5
--housing provided by Strife.tv
--cupcake from Magnolia's Bakery

*one ticket for each winning video

WHAT DO I DO?
The contest is to be a guest host for Strife.tv at Evolution 5. To enter, you must submit a 30 second to 1 minute video of yourself doing...practically anything. However, your video must contain these three words (or themes):
--BBOYWORLD
--SCIENTIST
--CUPCAKE

examples are shown in the video above, courtesy of bgirl Maresco
Mmm....cupcakeee....

We will pick the two most creative video winners!
CONTEST RUNS FROM NOW - SEPTEMBER 20

multiple entries are welcomed

HOW TO SUBMIT VIDEOS:
--post a video response on Youtube to the video above
--post a video response on our Strife.tv Facebook Fan Page
--email your video to strife (at) gmail.com
--post your video to the Bboyworld thread posted above

choose one of the above methods

remember, videos must be 30 seconds to 1 minute in length!
most creative wins.

The videos will be judged by Daniel, Loan, MisLee, and Erwin.

And please don't re-use our current Strife.tv ideas.
I don't want to sit through a thousand What Grinds My Gears videos.

Good luck!

--Daniel --Loan --MisLee
STRIFE.TV

Question: hagwon vs. international school?

2011-03-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Below is a very nice question I recently received from one of my readers:

Hi Chris,
Well I've gotten all my documents and I have two job offers! Yay! It's going to be a tough decision since both the schools are very different. Do you mind if I tell you about them to see what you think? The first one is a well established hagwon, [removed for privacy]. From what I've been told, the job is quite easy. Foreign teachers only have to practice conversation with the kids. There is no grading or quizzes, exams, or homework. The Korean teachers do that. The teacher just plays games with the kids and gets them to practice their English. Foreign teachers can work as little as only 20 hours a week! This job would be cake.

The other job is at an international school. It actually used to be a hagwon but the owner turned it into an international school. I'm pretty sure this is the only school he has. He says he keeps class size small, 2-6 kids. But that seems extremely small. It makes me wonder if he's having a hard time getting kids to enroll. The other teachers say good things about the job, but they say they work a lot of overtime because the school is short on teachers. There would be more lesson prep and grading. On the positive side, I would get to teach subjects other than English - math, social sciences, history, etc. Which would be great experience and probably great for my resume if I want to go into teaching.

The wages are around the name. 2.3 for [the hagwon] and 2.1 for the international school. But at the international school I would be able to work overtime and make more money if I want. Which is a nice option. The international school also has 22 days of vacation, while [the hagwon] you get two one week vacations. They are both outside of the city. [The hagwon] is at Beomgye Station (line 4) and the international school is at Jeongja (Bundang line). [The hagwon]would be evening hours and the international school would be during the day. So, I don't know how to choose. They both have their advantages. I would like an easy job, but also it woud be nice to teach something other than English. I don't want to to be too stressful. It would be nice to have the extra money, but I also want to explore Korea. What do you think? I can't decide.

Thanks, [a wonderful reader]

Hi 'Wonderful Reader',
I should start by mentioning it's not my place (or any random stranger you met over the internet) to make your decisions for you =)

As you've mentioned, both schools have pros and cons. The hagwon pays a little more for what sounds like a little less work - but as anyone that has worked at a hagwon knows, there's usually a bit more to it. "20 hours a week" probably refers to 20 teaching hours a week - meaning prep time and little things like lunch, greetings, and obligatory staff meetings outside of normal work hours may make your day just a little bit longer. The international school would be a good place to get experience for a teaching career, if you think you're on your way to being a teacher beyond your first year. Hagwon experience is also welcomed, although I suspect the international school may look a little more prestigious elsewhere in Korea.

Without knowing anything about the international school, I'd agree that teaching other subjects would be nice. In one of my classes we use a 'English through Science' book, which is a nice break. This same class has used a Math book in the past, so another nice break. As for overtime being "available", you may come to find that "available" overtime means "mandatory" overtime. Although you may technically be given a choice, you may find it hard to turn down for the money and the desire to help out. My friends that work in the evening hours generally report having a shorter work day, but there's less time for them to socialize with other teachers / expats, the majority of which work during the day. Also, being aways out from the city proper means you'll have to be aware of what time the subways / buses begin to slow and / or stop, else you'll be somewhere else for the night. For the record, line 4 connects you to the heart of Seoul without having to transfer, while the Bundang Line is a bit further out and needs a transfer or two to get elsewhere in the city. If you do a search for a Seoul subway map, you'll find Beomgye in southern Seoul, and Jeongja in the southeast corner.

The decision is yours to make - and I suspect you'd be happy at either one. I might try to get a little more information about your prospective schedule (more than just 'day' or 'night'), and learning how long the teachers have been there. Retaining their teachers is usually a good sign that the school treats it's teachers well. I'd lean slightly towards the international school, but mention you've received an offer for 2.3 and ask if they can do any better. Whichever choice you make will be a stepping stone towards another teaching job and a career in another country (or more than one country!).

What advice would you give this reader? Comments welcomed =)

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Title: Speaking Test Questions

Each month the students have review tests. As part of their speaking tests, I told them they had to ask a unique question to two other students (who are living in Palestine).

Title: My E106 class

This is my second youngest class. They do pretty well mostly, I got them to answer a few quick questions and say hi to my mom. They where also confused when I spoke some Korean to them cause they'd never heard me speak it before.

Destination: Expo Park (Samcheok, Gangwon-do)

2011-03-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

We continued our Samcheok experience by checking out Expo Park. Within walking distance from Samcheok bus terminal, it's one of the few tourist enterprises in the area worth coming all the way out here for. We had visited the other one (Haesindang Park - warning: NSFW) the day before, but this area looked interesting as well.

My girlfriend and I (who shall remain nameless and faceless - sorry, but she likes her low profile) had already visited Haesindang Park on Saturday, and made our way here the next day. We skipped waiting on the bus after realizing that the area was within walking distance (thanks to Lonely Planet putting in that device most Korean maps forget - a scale!).

About 1 1/2 kilometers later, we found our way to the first portion of the park: Jukseoro Pavilion.

The building, called a nugak, is a house whose floor in supported by a set of pillars that would in turn support the entire house. It was built during the Goryeo dynasty (sometime before the 12th century, as it was written about in a poem during the late 12th century) as a facility that belonged to the local government, but was destroyed by the regime change between the Goryeo dynasty and the Joseon dynasty. It was restored in 1403 during the reign of King Taejong, who used to be the governor of Samcheok.

Various signs inscribed in Chinese - many poems, along with a list of people's names and the amounts of donations they've made. At least two of the poems are about the beauty of the place, which I have to agree. Two poem was translated into English inside the brochure; one written by Lee Seung-hyu (1224-1300) was written during the late Goryeo dynasty:

While the color and the height of the sky are increasing / the piece of cloud hiding the sunlight is dancing on the yongmaru and around the pillar / I see the crane flying askew over the blue rock / and count the number of fish in the water while holding the red corridor / The mountain makes a border around the field / whose village became very famous because of this high nugak / I suddenly want to leave my job and retire in piece [sic] / but I also wish to help the king become wiser with my little effort.

The front sign for Jukseoru - the author is unknown.

Yongmun Rock - a nice little arch and area to climb around to enjoy the beauty. The sign nearby explains the legend: "King Munmu became a dragon to protect the country in the East Sea after his death. One day, the dragon jumped into a river called Osipcheon [50,000?!] and made a beautiful cliff under Jukseoru. When the dragon jumped into Osipcheon, the dragon penetrated a rock beside Jukseoru. That is Yongmun Rock." Um, sure, ok... but it's still nice.

Not pictured at the top of the rock were 10 small holes, called Seong-hyeol. During the Chosun era, women that wanted to get pregnant or pray for sons would spill some grains of rice into the holes, then bring them back, hidden 'under their skirt'.... Hmm...

On a more recent note, this park was one of many places where scenes for 'April Snow' were shot. A couple of maps and signs out front attested to the fact, although our opinion was 'um, sure, OK', and we moved on to enjoy the beauty.

The infinite wisdom of Korea's tourism department had to put more 'touristy' in the area - a statue commemorating "Jeong Cheol's legacy in the lyric literature tradition of Korea."

A look from the back fence (a rope strung between trees to protect the hapless tourist from rolling down the cliff).

Quite a few people were fishing in the lake.

Moving on - around the corner of the Pavilion's park and across a bridge, we see the following odd site:

If you guessed a radioactive overflowing wedding cake, you win a gold star - that was my initial assessment. As it turns out, it was the Cave Mystery Hall (also translated as 'Hall of Mysterious Caves') where you could tour a cave museum and watch an IMAX film. Sure, sounds like fun. 3,000 won to get into the museum a person - and you're welcome to stick around for the show if you like.
Beyond the usual signs and pictures (almost entirely in Korean and English), we came across some interesting sights:

It's almost like being in a cave without risking the claustrophobia, high humidity, or that odd dripping sound.

You have to work the humans in there somewhere.

A close-up of some of the animals on display - albeit in glass domes.

A rather psychadelic looking entrance - when you walked through, a montage of mostly Western movies showing people in caves...

A brief portrayal of how some Koreans would break off pieces of the cave as souvenirs.

From here, we made our way into the IMAX theater - your fairly standard dome with reclining seats you could fall asleep in.

One of the opening scenes - the 15-minute film was a bit old, but still quite watchable.

We made our way out, and passed by another interesting sight:

The Cave Exploration Hall - we didn't have time to go inside, but, hey, look, a flower!

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Title: Official Dubai & UAE Tourism Commercial [UAE Pavillion Expo 2010]

This is the UAE Tourism commercial for the 2010 Expo in Shanghai. It has to be the MOST BEAUTIFUL commercial for the UAE to date. What do you think of it and the United Arab Emirates?

If you want to visit the UAE pavilion at the expo (virtually, that is), visit http://www.expo2010uae.com

NOTE: I didn't edit it... I'm just sharing it to the world :)
*No copyright infringement intended.

Title: World Expo 2020 English version

Thailand World Expo 2020

Energy Saving EXPO Theme
An early suggestion for a Thailand 2020 theme came from Akapol Sorasuchart, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau President. He suggested an Energy Saving theme.

Pattaya and Phuket as EXPO Destinations
Whilst a bid based in Bangkok or a nearby city has been mentioned, the Interior Ministry is seeking expressions of interest from all Thailand. Proposals are expected to cover feasibility, budget, location and event theme. Phuket and Pattaya have eagerly put themselves forward.

Pattaya
Pattaya's Mayor, Itthiphol Kunplome, bases the City's case from its established position as a tourism destination. Particularly, Pattaya is well connected with the media to market the event.

Transport, especially international transport, is well-covered. The City has good transport connections with Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Greater Bangkok and has its own U-Tapao International Airport.

Laem Chabang deep water port in the Chaophraya delta is nearby. The port offers a container terminal for simple transport of relevant goods. The port also has a major cruise ship terminal, from where easy transfers could be made to the EXPO site for shore excursions.

The Laem Chabang port area also has an available landstock that could actually accommodate the EXPO site. Other suggestions are the Mabprachan Lake area, the Chaknok Reservoir area and Yao beach in Sattahip.

Perhaps the overwhelming case that Pattaya can make is on the basis of bedstock, currently at 70,000 rooms, projected to rise to 100,000 by 2020. Pattaya also has large air-conditioned rooms to host meetings, conventions and exhibitions of over 100,000 square meters in total.

Phuket
Phuket is very eager to bid for EXPO 2020. The island easily fulfils most of the criteria for a successful bid.

Specifically, Phuket has a huge bedstock of high quality accommodation, notably at four and five star levels. It also has a major international airport in the process of expansion to handle 12 million arrivals and departures per year.

Phuket, though, does have difficulties around available land. The availability on Phuket is insufficient. The thought is to combine use of land on Phuket with land on Phang Nga on the mainland, hopefully upgrading the link currently provided by the Sarasin Bridge.

Another difficulty is internal transport on this island bedevilled by traffic jams and problems. Unhelpful is that the proposal for a monorail system of three light railway lines has recently been abandoned, in favour of enhancing the bus transport system. The future of the Patong Road Tunnel project, is unclear.

EXPO 2020's Wealth of Potential Bidders
Thailand's bid for EXPO 2020 has little guarantee of success, given political uncertainty and the extensive list of locations across the world that have expressed an interest,That includes other destinations in South East Asia.

Manila and Cebu in the Philippines have expressed interest. In Europe Lille in France and Copenhagen in Denmark have expressed interest.

Two Brazilian cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have expressed interest. Dubai in the Gulf and Izmir in Turkey have expressed their interest.

Brisbane in Australia is likely to make a particularly strong bid, having successfully hosted the 1982 Commonwealth Games, the World EXPO 1988 and the 2001 Goodwill Games. 2020 will also be Australia's 250th anniversary.

There is massive interest from North America, including Montreal in Canada. From the USA, interest has been expressed by New York City, Houston, Los Angeles and San Franciso. A Californian event could also celebrate the 170th anniversary of that State. Additionally, a Los Angeles success would celebrate the City's 240th anniversary.

we love thailand...

Hiker with severe injury evacuated from Alum Cave Trail

2011-03-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

The NPS Digest has this report on their website this morning regarding a rescue on the Alum Cave Trail:

Ranger Brad Griest was heading up the Alum Cave Trail on the afternoon of October 10th to checkout a report of an ill hiker when another hiker told him that a man had fallen on the trail about three miles further on and that hed sustained a head injury and was complaining of back and neck pain.

Griest reached him about 45 minutes later. The man reported that he had no feeling below his neck, and Griest found an obvious spinal deformity in the upper back and confirmed that the man had no motor or sensory functions below the deformity. He put a cervical collar on him, administered oxygen, managed for spinal trauma, and monitored the mans vitals until a litter crew comprised of 13 park personnel arrived on scene.

The man was secured to a rigid backboard and placed on a litter. The evacuation was complicated by steep and rocky terrain, deep creek crossings, a short section of technical rope belay, and darkness. The carryout was completed just before 10 p.m.

The man was taken by Gatlinburg FD ambulance to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and flown via Lifestar helicopter to the Level 1 trauma center at University of Tennessee Hospital.

Unfortunately there's no word on what exactly happened, or any follow-up on the victim's condition at this point.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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Title: Surviving The Wilderness With Hiker Lou Winter Survival Video 1

Winter wilderness survival tips on building a small fire without wasting a lot time and energy. This is a great way of starting a small fire when time is a factor. A great way to heat up a cup of tea to warm your body up. From this small fire It's a great way to as a base for building a larger fire if choose to. There are times when you may want to drink something warm before you get started in making your camp.

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Destination: Eulwangni Beach (Incheon)

2011-03-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Somewhat close, yet rather distant from the bustle of Seoul is Eulwangni Beach (??????) It can also be spelled Eurwangni, Ulwangni, or Eulwangri - the wonders of romanizing Korean into English. Although the beach is on Yeongjong Island, the same island as Incheon International Airport, the sounds of airplanes taking off or flying overhead isn't heard anywhere in the area.

It should be noted that the word island doesn't necessarily mean a far-off distant shore disconnected from the rest of the world. Korea has been working to reclaim land off the western shore; for better or worse, the environmentally-destructive practice is bringing more land within the borders of Korea:

Seen along the way; in the foreground is an example of the reclaimed land. While Yeongdong Island is still seperated from the mainland, it is connected via train and car. Some islands are connected by ferries that run from other islands, though I've yet to see a central station to get to all ferries. Perhaps the area at Wolmi-do is considered a hub for ferries to the nearby islands - more exploring is definitely necessary.

For an area that's so close to Seoul, it still takes some time to get there. From Seoul, begin by getting to Gimpo International Airport and taking the AREX (Airport Railroad Express) train to the other terminal station of Incheon International Airport. A local bus goes around the island on a coastal road to the beach, so it's fairly simple in terms of using public transportation.

Still aways from the beach, but the signs of activity are picking up.

A pretty cool looking playground - unusually abandoned. Most of the kids had already taken to the water:

Thanks to the hot and unusually blinding day, the people tend to appear as silhouettes.

Presenting the beach - bring your own tent (quite popular, even if only done for the day as shelter or a place for your stuff), or rent an umbrella and mat for 15,000 won (about $12 USD). Inner tubes were also available, and enough convenience stores were around for you to buy anything you forgot.

At low tide, the thicker sand / mud flats make for a transition from dry sand to murky water. The crescent-shaped beach is filled with shells in sand, and the water doesn't get deeper than chest-depth unless you go way out (beyond-the-buoys way out).

The crowd in the water was a pretty typical mix of Koreans - having seen only a handful of foreigners here surprised me a bit. Nice day, fairly easy to get to, free beach - where are they?

More of the aforementioned umbrellas; beyond them are the tourist hotels and restaurants you would expect at a beach.

Speaking of restaurants - raw seafood or fish in noodles made for a good warm dish; some ??? (hoedeopbap; not pictured) served as a salad-like side dish with some raw fish in there as well.

Probably one of the nicest sunsets I've seen in awhile. (HT to the Sanity Inspector for noting it's not a sunrise as originally written)

At this point the crowd had already migrated from the beach to the restaurants; no places looked like bars, and only one place I saw offered the carnival games you might expect to see at a beach (shooting game - for a bottle of liquor! - or basketball).

Seafood, seafood, and more seafood - a few places offered something a little more cooked, but bring your Korean book with you since there's very little English around.

The row of restaurants along the crescent-shaped beach - and the water far prettier now than in the day.

A girl looking out at the water's reflections.

Walking back to the bus stop along the beach. Some fireworks (and dumb people shooting off fireworks) made for some interesting views; don't presume they know how to shoot them off! One guy hung onto a Roman Candle for just a little too long and looked like he nearly burned himself in the process...

Directions to Eulwangni Beach: If you prefer sticking to land, take line 5 or 9 to the Gimpo International Airport, then transfer to the AREX (Airport Railroad Express) train to the other terminal station of Incheon International Airport. Don't bother with the 'express' train, which only leaves once an hour, saves only 5 minutes and costs twice as much. Once at Incheon International Airport, leave the AREX terminal and cross the street to the actual airport. Go up to the third floor (where buses leave from - they only arrive on the first level), then walk down to stop #2. Any of the four buses listed - 301, 302, 311, or 316 will make it's longest stop at Eulwangni Beach. Expect the bus ride to be about 15-20 minutes long, and somewhat bumpy. The good news is that your T-money card will pay for your entire trip - just have enough money on it.

If you prefer trying out a ferry, take line 1 of the Seoul subway system to the Incheon station. Once there, take city bus No. 2, 15, 23, or 45 and get off at Wolmido Island Dock. At the dock, take a ferry to Yeongjongdo Island. Once in front of Yeongjongdo dock, take a city bus bound for Eurwangni and get off at Eurwangni Beach. They only come about once an hour and will be transporting you to the other side of the island, so it'll be a longer ride.

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