SeoulPodcast #51: Open Mic with Justin and Joseph
Podcast April 20th, 2009
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The Seoul Metropolitan Subway System. Fast. Reliable. And usually vomit free before 6 p.m.
PANELISTS
Justin Davis (Flickr jjustind)
Joseph Steinberg (Left Flank)
MAIN TOPIC
Seoul: 10 Things to Do in 24 Hours Introduction – TIME
Employer Responsible for Hiring Qualified
Crass Generalization About English Teachers
Three Stooges: Malice in the Palace (go to around 4:00)
NEWS AND STUFF
KJI to Six Party Talks: “Screw you guys. I’m going home.”
Roh Faces Indictment Next Week
The Associated Press: 18-month sentence sought for SKorean blogger
Sweep of the Week
Crackdown on illegal parking to get started today – INSIDE JoongAng Daily
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO WHAA?
22 asbestos-tainted drugs to be sold until May 8 – INSIDE JoongAng Daily
YouTube says no to real-name system.
Korea’s real-name system and implications for Wikipedia?
I Suppose It’s Only a Matter of Time Before the Foreign Sites Get Banned
iPod touch meets Skype: Frisbee in Myeong-dong
Why Do Young Koreans Live With Their Parents? « The Grand Narrative
Campus Couples Open to Nuna Relationships
“I got you under my skin” is lewd, government that doesn’t understand English says.
Women-Only Parking Spots in Iksan
How Not to Enjoy the Motor Show
Chosun Ilbo: We Love Perving on Teenagers
Korean teacher arrested for raping students, had seven prior sexual assault convictions.
Report: Serious Loopholes in Background Checks for Korean Teachers
I Was Wondering Why You Guys Were So Good at Math…
Hugh Jackman to Promote Seoul?
“Gwangju has so much culture and history it can afford to tear most of it down.”
EXPAT COMMUNITY
Stephannie White tours Gyeongsan sauna where son was found dead.
Korean Cops and Traffic Laws for Expats: Some Advice
Two Netizens Debate Foreigner Crime
GI Crimes on Increase, USFK Official Warns
I woke up to find an e-mail in my in-box with the subject line “letter of concern,” which is an excellent description of its contents. The writer claims to be concerned about an “illegal immigrant” Filipina in Gimhae he accuses of teaching English lessons illegally, and has somehow obtained private photos of her and her boyfriend, and his license plate number. Although claiming to have no “personal intention” regarding them the writer hopes I will take “prompt action.”
So, I am. If you or a friend are in Gimhae, have the initials C.P., C.M., or E.S., and sometimes wear a white t-shirt that says, “Fasigko 1’st Anniversary,” you may be being stalked.
Pot: Not Just a Stupid Canadian Trick
TIME WASTERS OF THE WEEK
Views of the city ramparts – INSIDE JoongAng Daily
Photos come from here.
“This shit ain’t free” in Korean (not in English or Japanese)
Taken at the Fukuoka International Ferry Terminal (King Baeksu)
Your Weird Naver Dictionary Sentence of the Day
Somebody should really be compiling a list of these things. Today’s sentence is 연인은 성관계를 가졌다. My translation – “the couple had a sexual relationship.” Naver’s?
The couple saw a chunk off.
PLUGS
Buy Us a Beer
The Suppliers
(those who have given us swag)
John Kim
Aaron Shearin
Lives of the Party
(those who have donated at least $20)
Stephanie White
Aaron Shearin
Naomi Neckoway
Chae An
Kevin R.
Otto Silver
Drinking Buddies
(those who have bought us beers)
Mary Campbell
Mimi Snider
Elton Fry
Therese MacSeain
Toast to Absent Friends
GoToMyPC
Ex-Pat Living (The Korea Herald)
ESL Planet Recruiting
Twitter
Facebook
SEOUL Magazine
ZenKimchi.com
The Chosun Bimbo
KOTESOL
NEXT WEEK
Rebecca Minger (Big White Barbie Does Busan)
MUSIC
Main Theme — Ben McPherson – “2wksnyc”
News — satya – “Silk Route Album Mix”
Things That Make You Go Whaa? — cjacks – “Candyland”
ExPat Community — Deyo – “Retro90210fun”
Time Wasters of the Week — EV Boyz – “Kickin’ It in Geumchon”
Sevish
Jim Tetlow
Cyberwaste
Reklein
throcke
George Wood
Fumbata
Who the Funk
The Noizemakerz
The Outsyder
Polarity1
Stegosaurus Trap
Barrett Tagliarino
CGBinc
Chris Flood
Exit Clov
Gray Martin
Sunhaven
Jackal Wolf
The Red Plastic Buddha
Yuzima
Adam Schmitt
Anomie Enemy
WeakLazyLiar
April 20th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
[...] SeoulPodcast Listeners! April 20th, 2009 | Author: Bal(t)imoron Thanks for taking the link from SeoulPodcast to my humble blog. Actually, I’m not sure these days what this blog is, but you can read it and [...]
April 20th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Does the government realize if it forces wiki to ban Korean users from updating wiki, this means the “lincourt rocks” entry will start to tilt in favor of the dread Japanese?
April 21st, 2009 at 12:02 am
I made Joseph a tinyurl he could give out in future instead of:
http://www.radicalcontrapositions.com/left_flank/
Better:
http://tinyurl.com/leftflank
April 21st, 2009 at 7:26 am
Thanks, Karl!
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
What?!
I’m a Korean high school freshman and our school forces us to stay at school till 10p.m. And some kids even stay till 12p.m. even though we have to take the school bus at 6:30ish..
근데 별로 안힘들어요..
April 23rd, 2009 at 5:26 am
About the signage:
There’s another Korean-only sign that says “Please pay first.”
As for license issues. There are several bilateral and multilateral treaties that cover driver’s license for foreigners. Generally speaking, if you have a license in the home country, and are not a resident (someone who intend to reside permanently), you have equal right to drive on your home license. Ideally, you would obtain a international driver’s permit which is a translation of your home license into several languages and which by itself does not confer any driving privileges. There are some international driving license that are offered by some shady and even apparently legit places, but that’s useless.
Since I’m not licensed in Korea, I can only speak about in the US: if you’re a Korean national with Korean license, and do not intend to reside in the US, you can drive in the US. Like I said, international permit is highly recommended. However since this privilege arises out of treaty obligation, I would expect the same to hold true in Korea.
So if you’re stopped, and the police seems determined to give you a ticket, then explain you’re not a resident and you’ve been there 2 weeks.
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Jeikei– I assume you’re kidding about being in high school and that schedule not being 힘들어요. That kind of schedule is ludicrous and flies in the face of generally accepted beneficial educational practices, and I’m not sure our show is appropriate for teens. In fact, I’d have to say 99% sure it’s NOT.
April 24th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
To Good Jen
Okay, I know it’s hard to believe that a Korean high schooler listens to this podcast (or any podcasts), but I am a real Koran high schooler…(wish I had a way to prove it)
What I was trying to say was that we are not that tired from schools. And many of the kids do think that studying at school is much more time efficient than going home and trying to study there because they can concentrate better at school. And we are also getting at least 4~5 hours of sleep each day, so we are not like sleep deproved zombies….(yeah..)
April 24th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
I mean… sleep deprived… typo..
April 24th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
You do realize that research shows that the average adult needs at least 7-8 hours of sleep a day. Even more when you’re younger. Teens need nine hours a day. It’s different for each person, but that’s the average. Sleep deprivation leads to diabetes, memory problems, depression, and weakening of the immune system.
April 25th, 2009 at 1:23 am
People adapt and compensate, and often rise to meet the challenging circumstances, especially if such thing is expected. I never gone through high school experience in Korea but have not some heavy duty studying both in Korea and in the US and you certainly do get used to it. There may be a point where you will crash and pay for all the deprivations you have accumulated, but I find that people are pretty resilient. Think medical residency in certain choice fields in the US. They can commiserate, I’m sure.
I have seen some of my neighbors and relatives prepare for college and the “gold standard” they talk about is using up a ball point pen a day, from writing and copying and writing some more (rote memorization being such a big part of studying in Korea).
And all this studying does bring some real tangible rewards and remain the best (and some would say only) way to ensure future success.
And I understand that once kids get into college, they drastically expand their social horizon. And the new things they experience and see may be the reason why all these college kids like to tear up the pavement and participate in “demo” (as in violent, anti-government demonstrations) common in past decades.
As for Jen and Joe, it may be hard for you guys to grasp because the you guys have never seen such a brute force approach to studying. I’m sure you guys all studied smarter not just harder. But I’ve seen it, and I’ve done it, mostly when I was trying to learn English and carry the courseload in the first year here. I remember studying 3 hours for a short social studies exam I ended up acing. I remember the teacher asking me how long I studied and when I told him, he gave like a 20 minute speech that I hardly understood 10%.
April 25th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Well, I agree, Chae. I’ve done the same thing. I went to one of the top boarding schools in the U.S., and they got their reputation from drilling students hard. The difference in study styles between my school and what I’ve seen in Korea is that my school’s workload, which was substantial, consisted mostly of researching and writing. There was a bit of the “suck and puke” memorization, but that was in the first year. But my memory of my academic life there was paper after paper after paper, usually at least five going on at once. We had required afternoon activities and nightly study halls. Occasionally, we’d do some studying on Saturday mornings.
Some of my friends really overdid it, and it cost them. One friend was one of only fourteen in the world who got a perfect score on the SAT that year. His first year of college, he had a breakdown and dropped out.
If you choose to have this type of schedule, like if you’re in a medical residency, that’s up to you. But expecting every single child to be wired the same way and to believe that the suck-and-puke method is education–all my instincts say that it’s madness.