tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-112660662011-10-04T00:54:01.520+09:00<b>korea-related musings</b>... you can't spell <i>ignorant</i> without <i>n-o-r-a</i>. but that's never stopped nora park from mouthing off about issues affecting korea, east asia, asian americans, and the world, or from talking about herself in the third person. if you've got time to kill and would like to read the rants of a moderate log cabin republican from california now living in exile in korea thanks to neocons who have usurped the g.o.p., then give <b>nora knows nada?</b> a look-see.nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.comBlogger1681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1151549388804078942006-06-29T11:41:00.000+09:002006-06-29T11:49:48.883+09:00

This story infuriates me. It fills me with rage. And sadness. A profound sadness. Then rage again.This poor kid was kidnapped, the Norks treat it like it is nothing, like he belongs there...and the idiots in the Blue House just go along with it. Where is the effort to get him back? How about all the others like him? This is definitely a case where Japan has the right idea and Korea should follow

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1149075762082802472006-05-31T18:36:00.000+09:002006-05-31T20:44:20.203+09:00

Okay, we all knew that Robin was gay and Batman was some sort of chicken hawk. Not to mention the sexual tension between the make-up wearing Joker and that dandy the Penguin.Well, just to drive home the idea of alternative lifestyles at DC Comics, Batwoman is going to be reworked as a "lipstick lesbian," that mythical creature that so many straight men fantasize want to actually have sex with

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1149075369026720342006-05-31T18:31:00.000+09:002006-05-31T20:36:09.056+09:00

In the free-wheeling Netherlands, Dutch pedophiles are launching a political party to push for a cut in the legal age for sexual relations from 16 to 12 (and get rid of it altogether eventually), and the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals.One of the party's founders says the ban "just makes children curious," and said the party wants to make pedophilia the subject of

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1148896479718251462006-05-29T18:49:00.000+09:002006-05-29T21:35:13.893+09:00

On this Memorial Day, I want to give a heart-felt thank-you to all those who have risked their lives and especially those who have given their lives so that I have the freedom to live my life the way I see fit, vote for whom I think is fit for office, and to blog when, where, and what I want. God bless you and all your loved ones. What I and all Americans owe you is something that we can never

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1148557245762139202006-05-25T20:39:00.000+09:002006-05-25T20:40:45.763+09:00

... go out to Plunge and his family. I pray things turn for the positive.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1148556949970610772006-05-25T20:32:00.000+09:002006-05-25T20:36:35.593+09:00

The Economist reports that chimpanzees and humans may have interbred.Hmm...I thought the Mark Wahlberg and Helena Bonham Carter characters were getting a little too close in Planet of the Apes.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1144986160332031632006-04-14T12:22:00.000+09:002006-04-14T12:44:25.320+09:00

I'm tanned and rested, and back in Korea, ready to challenge the status quo with wit, wisdom, and the occasional bawdy comment. Plus maybe a few fart jokes.That means I should resume more frequent blogging, at least until life returns to normal and I end up under a pile of work again.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1144410649280689322006-04-07T20:45:00.000+09:002006-04-07T20:57:54.480+09:00

In a nutshell, this video snippet from Marmot's Hole represents all that is wrong with driving in Korea's cities: a general sense of me-first lawlessness because no one is there to punish them. Except God, who is fond of enforcing the laws of physics. (Discussion here)

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1144408987806669362006-04-07T20:21:00.000+09:002006-04-19T16:05:34.606+09:00

Don't you know you're not supposed to drink coffee when you're fake pregnant with not-Tom-Cruise's baby?!(And speaking of Mr. Risky Business, it's totally unfair that he's gay and gets to marry a woman, but when I'm gay I don't get to marry a woman at all! Stupid double standards for celebrities!)UPDATE:Katie reportedly had her baby. And it's not a TomKat, it's a TomKitty.The child, named Suri,

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1143947261788346582006-04-02T12:04:00.000+09:002006-04-02T12:10:21.470+09:00

In honor of the first Sunday after April Fool's Day, it's Jesus Dress Up!I promise more blogging later. Serious stuff been going down.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1140572964814993722006-02-22T10:45:00.000+09:002006-02-22T10:50:11.843+09:00

"Yes, Mr. President, I promise never to shoot anyone in the face again."

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1139894459985395322006-02-14T14:11:00.000+09:002006-02-14T17:02:21.973+09:00

Controversial Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig is denying that he submitted two entries to a contest by top-five Iranian newspaper Hamshahri calling for Holocaust-related cartoons. The Hamshahri contest is a tit-for-tat exercise in offensiveness denied to show the Danes and the Norwegians (who seem to get blamed for stuff they didn't do; it's that Viking legacy) what it's like to have your

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1139111369509854862006-02-05T11:47:00.000+09:002006-02-05T12:59:45.240+09:00

The world is a dangerous place. Countries ready to go to war over maritime outcroppings, people raring to kill over drawings of religious figures, embattled leaders seeking weapons of mass destruction. What's a leader of the free world to do to make our planet a better place? For George W. Bush, the answer is to reach out to one's enemies.Iran and Cuba, along with a few other countries, have been

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1138894887052413792006-02-03T12:36:00.000+09:002006-02-03T07:51:00.646+09:00

As my mother always told me growing up, if you're gonna have photos taken of yourself eating a cherry in a provocative way, don't be surprised when the pictures end up in the ad for a Chinese massage parlor. Words to live by. What I'm curious about is whether the people who decided to use this photo of Korean star Song Hyego knew she was a star and believed some prospective patrons might actually

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1138700046296966972006-01-31T18:27:00.000+09:002006-01-31T18:39:57.516+09:00

I am related to too many problem gamblers for this to not hit home with me. And the story in the beginning is just heart-breaking. But that's the problem with compulsive gamblers: they are so focused on the gambling that they don't recognize their family and work situations crumbling around them. Ironically, the L.A. Times ad that came with this story came when I read it was for Trump

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1134266760625906932005-12-11T12:55:00.000+09:002005-12-17T19:14:26.903+09:00

All people born on American soil have automatically been United States citizens since the inception of the nation. Now, out of fears of illegal immigrants of the wrong color, some on the far right want to take this away. I can understand tighter border security or other such measures, but stripping away a basic right that defines American citizenship is going too far. Fortunately, the Senate

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1131798768663137322005-11-24T13:34:00.000+09:002005-11-24T13:49:47.296+09:00

This link popped up in my Korean news search, and it had two headlines smashed together:When `Animals Predict Disaster;' Uncovering Korea's Ugly UnderbellyWith limited time on the 'Net, I glance over things too quickly, sometimes to my own detriment. When I saw this paragraph...Another striking documentary shows that the world's bravest filmmakers may be the dissidents in North Korea exporting

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1131321863254999182005-11-07T12:37:00.000+09:002005-11-24T13:26:04.240+09:00

Mark Twain said that. Many people have quoted him. I'm now one of them.Where I am now, there is no Internet connection. This is by design (by design that I'm in such a place; the lack of Internet itself is due to an utter lack of design and planning).For Internet connections, I must rely on randomly placed terminals in shopping malls that allow you to get into site's other than the terminal

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1126971394828108422005-09-18T00:29:00.000+09:002005-09-18T00:36:34.830+09:00

Bruce Lee fans are trying to get the HK government to pay for an 8-foot, 2-inch bronze statue to mark the martial arts legend's 65th birthday (he died in 1973 at age 32). The plan is to use a pose from his 1972 movie, "Fist of Fury."I'm not sure about the pose, but if they're trying to do this on the cheap, I hear there's a statue in Korea that may be available soon.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1126969928968300462005-09-18T00:10:00.000+09:002005-09-18T00:15:26.546+09:00

Bow down before the fruit gods!Fear their sweet, juicy wrath!(Happy Chusok, everyone, wherever you may be. Have a songpyon on me.)

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1126969634806520842005-09-18T00:05:00.000+09:002005-09-18T00:20:19.010+09:00

I know it's crazy, but pictures like this (from Newport Beach) really make me want to learn to surf. I could be a surfer chick! Really!

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1126967342989396002005-09-17T23:14:00.000+09:002005-09-17T23:29:07.053+09:00

The worst-kept secret in California is now official: the Gubernator has told a town hall meeting in San Diego that he's going for another four years. The theme is follow-through.His popularity is only at 36%, but now that his re-election campaign is official, he might be able to pick up support, not only for his own re-election next year but also for the three initiatives he's pushing in the

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1126265487796482682005-09-17T20:31:00.000+09:002005-09-17T23:13:17.426+09:00

I've been out of commission for a while, but this is something on my list...A 2001 memo by FEMA predicted three most likely catastrophes to hit the United States. One was a terror attack on New York City, second was a super-strength hurricane hitting New Orleans. The third was a major earthquake on the San Andreas fault.That doesn't seem promising for Southern California, which may not be ready.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1126265454473363302005-09-13T20:29:00.000+09:002005-09-17T23:46:18.066+09:00

A lot of Westerners in the Korea blogosphere frequently chide Koreans for their overly prudish ways, but similar stuff in the U.S. and other Western countries goes unnoticed.In Garden Grove, a major Orange County city, a lesbian high school student named Charlene is suing the Garden Grove School District because she was allegedly disciplined unfairly for hugging and kissing her girlfriend on

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1123071833036331862005-08-03T21:21:00.000+09:002005-08-03T21:23:53.036+09:00

I have been catching up on a lot of California-related news lately, but I promise, promise, promise to get back to the regularly scheduled Korea-related snarkiness soon.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1123071648620804442005-08-03T21:09:00.000+09:002005-08-03T21:20:48.626+09:00

Congress is on the side of hybrids, giving people one more selfish reason (besides greater overall fuel savings) to get a Prius (or a Civic or Accord): riding in the "diamond lanes"! Cars that get the highest gas mileage in their class and get at least 45 miles per gallon qualify.Motorists who drive solo in fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles will gain access to carpool lanes in across the country

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1123070916698536662005-08-03T21:00:00.000+09:002005-08-03T21:08:36.700+09:00

The GOP seems to be splintering when it comes to the issue of stem-cell research. President Bush's most prominent Senate ally, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, announced that he would break with the White House and support legislation allowing the federal government to finance research using a broader range of embryonic stem cells, which the White House said it would veto.The Los

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1123070211009565992005-08-03T20:49:00.000+09:002005-08-03T20:56:51.010+09:00

This is old news, but the Chosun Ilbo says that emigrants from Korea took a whopping $1 billion (1 trillion KRW) in assets with them. This was a 48.7 percent increase over the same period last year.Part of the reason is an increase in emigrants (like rats on a sinking ship -- hee hee), and part of it is the strong won versus the dollar, which would make any Korean won value 10% higher compared to

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1123069584712812172005-08-03T20:38:00.000+09:002005-08-03T20:46:24.713+09:00

According to the Washington Post, President Bush has said that schoolchildren in America should be taught about "intelligent design," a view of creation which the WaPo describes as challenging established scientific thinking and promotes the idea that an unseen force is behind the development of humanity.Expect this to fuel the debate over separation of church and state, with evolution opponents

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1123069026136621372005-08-03T20:17:00.000+09:002005-08-03T20:37:06.143+09:00

A long time ago, someone in the automobile industry supposedly said that environmentalists were wack because cows caused more pollution than cars did (Reagan also allegedly said something like trees are the greatest polluters).Well it turns out that they may be right, at least in my great state's San Joaquin Valley, where ruminating dairy cows are exploding--in number. One of every five cows in

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1122647110931920422005-07-29T23:15:00.000+09:002005-07-30T11:37:30.910+09:00

The BBC reports that Japanese scientists have unveiled the most human-looking robot yet devised, a "female" android called Repliee Q1. Repliee Q1She has flexible silicone skin, not hard plastic.The interesting thing, according to BBC, is that she has a number of sensors and motors to allow her to turn and react in a human-like manner. She can flutter her eyelids and move her hands like a human.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1122482222719065502005-07-28T01:33:00.000+09:002005-07-28T01:39:56.473+09:00

It's always the conservatives and the hard-liners who turn out to be fruitier than a can of Hawaiian Punch. (Hat tip to migukin.com)

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1121178185105601222005-07-12T23:18:00.000+09:002005-07-12T23:23:05.110+09:00

Seoul has said that if Pyongyang promises to give up its nuclear weapons, it will send lots of electrons its way: South Korea said it had offered to lay power lines into North Korea and provide the Stalinist state with electricity if it agreed to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.South Korea would transmit its surplus electric power to the North through cross-border power lines which have yet

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1120906303976316112005-07-09T19:36:00.000+09:002005-07-09T19:51:43.986+09:00

NOTE: This is a slightly edited repost of something I wrote on AsiaPages before Jodi switched from Blogspot to Typepad and eradicated her entire old blog. I find out while doing an ego search. It was in response to a post about a Korean CEO wanting to hire Caucasians, I think, which had morphed into the topic of Koreans getting plastic surgery to look Western. This was one of my earlier ventures

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1120451111294068512005-07-04T13:25:00.000+09:002005-07-04T13:44:08.890+09:00

That's right. The intolerant, hate-filled, supposed "Christians" that are the theocons do not have a monopoly on religious faith in America.The United Church of Christ (UCC) has become the largest denomination to endorse gay marriage. And in Atlanta, no less! The decision was nearly unanimous. The committee also voted against adopting a resolution declaring marriage to be between one man and one

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1120351039255524272005-07-03T09:15:00.000+09:002005-07-03T09:37:19.276+09:00

I will write more thoughts ons this later, but for now, here is the news: law enforcement agencies in California have broken up a human trafficking ring that moved sex workers, mostly or all from South Korea, in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Fifty arrests were made and 150 women are being questioned According to the BBC, the women were working in brothels disguised as acupuncture

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1120286629438885592005-07-02T15:23:00.000+09:002005-07-07T00:45:24.436+09:00

Up front, let me just say that the Rohster has probably learned why he needs to talk nicely about U.S. and South Korean relations for a while, probably until the end of his single term. When all is said and done, Roh doesn't trust China and he knows that South Korea is far better off in the American camp. But just in case I'm wrong and things lurch too far the other way, here's what Nora the

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1119838427606482782005-06-27T10:29:00.000+09:002005-06-30T02:36:32.003+09:00

Some day people are going to look back at this blog (assuming the memory storage facility is not flooded thanks to rising oceans or zapped thanks to a depleted ozone) and say, "Gee, that Nora really knows her $#!+."Either that or I will be dismissed as another whacko who didn't know what the hell was going on.So on that note, Nora the Prognosticator goes out on yet another limb: Within the next

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1119493501877733762005-06-23T10:41:00.000+09:002005-06-24T18:11:27.333+09:00

Last weekend's massacre of eight ROK army personnel in a unit stationed near the DMZ was a shocking tragedy.At first there were speculations that it was an accident, then that it was a spur-of-the-moment attack out of anger. Then came news that it was premeditated and planned.The Korea Times is going with the story that Private Kim Dong-min attacked his superior and his fellow soldiers out of

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1119332406185153592005-06-21T13:53:00.000+09:002005-06-23T10:37:32.780+09:00

Foods you should shake before consuming:bottled mochaorange juiceTe Java Royal Milk Tea (shaking optional)suspicious milksuspicious soy milkFoods you should not shake before consuming:any kind of carbonated sodahot, open beveragespiepizzacereal (shake suspicious milk before pouring)

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1118717726412983742005-06-14T11:48:00.000+09:002005-06-14T11:55:26.416+09:00

Disgraced Daewoo leader and erstwhile fugitive Kim Woo-Choong has returned. He was promptly arrested at Inchon Airport, on charges that include embezzlement of billions (at least $20 billion, at a time when they were worth something), fraud, making crappy cars, and using too many o's in his name.Despite an apology by Kim, protesters outside the airport demanded that Kim face the justice system,

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1118713541950944352005-06-14T10:32:00.000+09:002005-06-14T10:45:41.966+09:00

I just realized there are not that many Michael Jackson song titles that fit into a headline about Jacko being acquitted. Does his acquittal surprise me? Not at all.Do I think it's only because he's a rich celebrity? No, not really. I didn't watch the case that carefully, but it does seem as if the defense shot quite a few holes in the prosecution's case: they had a parade of young men who

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1118680968019570902005-06-14T01:28:00.000+09:002005-06-14T01:46:24.966+09:00

Maybe Roh really got the message that Bush wants more cooperation from South Korea, because Roh isn't even over jetlag yet and the Defense Minister is talking about renewing South Korea's commitment to the effort in Iraq. Despite Korea having the third largest force in Iraq (after the US and the UK and way ahead of #4), strained relations between the US and the ROK persist because of other things

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1118678318502502622005-06-14T00:45:00.000+09:002005-06-14T00:58:38.506+09:00

When profantiy comes up as an option in writing, I think there are two types of people: 1. those who don't want to use profanity, but just have to.2. those who don't have to use profanity, but just want to.Marmot's and Oranckay are down, out of bandwidth (will that ever happn to me?), so I checked out some other blogs. There's some guy who fancies himself a clever person, but he uses the word "

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1118644029380859152005-06-13T14:43:00.000+09:002005-06-13T15:27:09.386+09:00

South Koreans are scared $#!+less that George W. Bush is going to go after North Korea next on his Axis of Evil "to do" list. Kim Jong-il hasn't blown up any airplanes lately, but Dubya has invaded and occupied two large countries in the last few years. This is why so many South Koreans in that now infamous poll have said they are more afraid of Bush than of Kim Jong-il.With all the noise about

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1118551235334186972005-06-12T12:49:00.000+09:002005-06-12T13:40:35.343+09:00

Yeah, this Paul Harvey act of mine could be a regular feature, just like at Marmot's:PAGE 1Did the CIA squelch information in 2000 that could have led to the capture of some of the 9/11 terrorists, thus uncovering their plans?A chilling new detail of U.S. intelligence failures emerged Thursday, when the Justice Department disclosed that about 20 months before the Sept. 11 attacks, a CIA official

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1118547250068796092005-06-12T12:13:00.000+09:002005-06-12T12:35:13.156+09:00

Not all Republicans are applauding George Bush's new ability to get his conservative judicial nominess through. Log Cabin Republicans and Republican Majority for Choice, two self-described "mainstream Republican" groups, have let it be known that they are opposed to the judicial nomination of Judge William Pryor.The money quote from LCR president Patrick Guerriero:We support the confirmation of

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1118134885135501092005-06-07T17:56:00.000+09:002005-06-07T18:01:25.140+09:00

Excuse the salacious title, but it appears that Washington is trying to get three-way talks going with North Korea and China. Could this be where the stalled six-way talks are headed? The report says Washington wants Tokyo and Seoul to come along, but North Korea seems satisfied with just big brother Beijing beside them. So, Roh, who's the East Asia balancer now? It isn't you. So you might as

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1117692424969575422005-06-02T15:06:00.000+09:002005-06-02T15:07:04.973+09:00

From Orange County, a reminder that mudslides and flooding are more likely to kill Americans than North Koreans are.A California comedian once remarked that mudslides and brush fires are God's way of telling rich people not to live in the hillsides of Southern California.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1117691451729250502005-06-02T14:35:00.000+09:002005-06-02T14:50:51.736+09:00

The Gubernator has made me feel good about being in the GOP again, reminding me that moderate Republicans hold the key to a bright future in America.Moderate Republicans have never been happy with the neocons and theocons who try to deny environmental destruction in the name of big business. If the Kyoto Protocol is flawed, then it is the responsibility of its critics to come up with a better

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1117690543181938422005-06-02T14:08:00.000+09:002005-06-02T14:35:43.186+09:00

Amidst talk that the North Koreans are the new Nazis (cap tip to the Marmot), the Bushies seem to be downplaying the possibility of an imminent nuclear test. After Washington and Tokyo warned us again and again that Pyongyang might nuke a test tunnel, the Japanese seem also to have become afflicted with a belated case of Downplay Syndrome.Interestingly, the once-skeptical Chinese give a nuclear

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1117529383902703522005-05-31T17:22:00.000+09:002005-05-31T17:52:41.593+09:00

I've been a busy little camper. I'm back in Seoul, angry as hell at some stuff (sorry, can't share), and trying to catch up with busy work and the news I've missed while I've been away (did I mention I was going away? Sorry, well, didn't even tell me 엄마, who left about a dozen frantic messages on my answering machine. She was worried I'd been hit by a bus without having paid my credit cards off).

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1117096760778172432005-05-26T17:11:00.000+09:002005-05-26T17:39:20.783+09:00

We used to have China watchers, analyzing each and every bit of info coming out of Beijing in order to get a clue about what was happening behind the walls of the People's Compound.Now we have Washington watchers, trying to piece together every little tidbit to see whether the hardliners or the pragmatists in the White House are winning. The latest tidbit is the letting go of Charles Kartman, the

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1116945664540888532005-05-24T23:29:00.000+09:002005-05-24T23:41:42.813+09:00

The U.S. has nukes. North Korea wants nukes. The U.S. has a pre-emptive strike policy. North Korea announces its own pre-emptive strike policy. Sort of.This may be typical ratcheted-up rhetoric like the North sometimes does before it heads for the bargaining table, but it is a disturbing thought. After claiming that Washington's "hostile policies" led it to develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent,

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1116824718382860732005-05-23T13:36:00.000+09:002005-05-24T14:21:55.903+09:00

I'm still busy with deadlines, but I'm taking a breather, and this is just screaming for attention. Pandering to his base of "theocons" (which means religious conservatives who will not be content until the whole nation and the rest of the world fall in line with their narrow and self-serving interpretation of God's Will), President George W. Bush has lashed out at South Korean scientist Dr.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1116473926180030612005-05-19T12:36:00.000+09:002005-05-19T12:38:46.193+09:00

I'm like the little five-year-old in the movie "Poltergeist" who gets sucked into the television: I can somehow manage my posts -- and even post new articles -- but if you try to find my blog, you get a white screen.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1116343340934518472005-05-18T00:21:00.000+09:002005-05-18T00:22:20.940+09:00

The Kuwaiti parliament, in a surprise move, granted full political rights to women.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1116341737812334482005-05-17T23:41:00.000+09:002005-05-17T23:55:37.816+09:00

"By now the DPRK also has nuclear warheads and carrier missiles, which are targeted on the big cities of South Korea and Japan, such as Seoul, Tokyo and Nagasaki, as well as on the local military bases, such as Okinawa."Sound like something we might hear about North Korea today? Well, its' from a memorandum from the Hungarian Foreign Ministry dated February 16, 1976, quoting O Song-gwon, a third

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1116292577629719392005-05-17T10:04:00.000+09:002005-05-17T10:16:17.643+09:00

At first it was just Pravda and the Chinese press, but now Western sources like AP have started using the N-word in connection with North-South relations: normalization.That's right, the AP says the high-level talks are "aimed at normalizing relations." Where I went to school, that meant diplomatic ties. We all know that Pyongyang and Seoul are back at the table in Kaesong, but we don't know what

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1116148427819983272005-05-15T17:27:00.000+09:002005-05-15T18:16:21.543+09:00

We get report after report, and even some on-line performance art, drilling into our heads what a horrible disaster it would be for South Korea and even Japan if the U.S. were to attack North Korea over its nuclear weapons program. We even get assurance from pundits that such an act would only be done as a last resort, if at all.But the Washington Post reports today that the weapons of last

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1116119818872214772005-05-15T10:03:00.000+09:002005-05-15T13:15:08.166+09:00

Or, at least, the other way around.It turns out, according to UK's The Telegraph, that Kim Jong-il is going to allow the Gumball Rally, a long-distance trek often described as 'a wacky race for the super rich,' to go through North Korea! Maybe not much of a surprise, considering that Kim Jong-il is wacky, super rich, and is trying to create a super race.The Gumball Rally is a 5000-km high-speed

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1116051177544592812005-05-14T15:10:00.000+09:002005-05-14T15:47:29.166+09:00

The Los Angeles Times reports that Pope Benedict XVI has put the late Pope John Paul II on the fast track to sainthood.Usually the Catholic Church waits five years until someone has passed away before starting that person on the road to canonization, but an exception is being made for Pope John Paul II, like there was for Mother Teresa.In other Vatican news, the Times tells us, the new Pope named

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1115998359936381972005-05-14T00:29:00.000+09:002005-05-14T00:34:47.236+09:00

Sports Illustrated has chimed in on this issue, saying that FIFA's decision to make North Korea play its match against Japan in a third country "could arguably do lasting damage to the North's development as an Asian soccer force." Could this be another reason for them to go ballistic (hopefully not literally)...?Here's the money quote:More seriously, it could have political implications at a

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1115996034989384782005-05-13T23:53:00.000+09:002005-05-14T00:14:36.900+09:00

Calls to punish North Korea are nothing new, but one U.S. senator is calling for sanctions against a different communist country in Northeast Asia: the People's Republic of China.Kansas Republican Sam Brownback is threatening to seek sanctions against China if it does not stop turning back refugees from North Korea, who face persecution and possible execution at home.Brownback is the sponsor of

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1115995227798098862005-05-13T23:40:00.000+09:002005-05-13T23:40:27.806+09:00

Those of you who frequent Marmot's Hole (which has become less hole-like lately), remember the long discussion about New Songdo City (was there ever an old Songdo City?).Well, it looks like this is for real. A Boston firm will begin work next January on New Songdo City's first-rate aquarium, which is expected to run $150 million (less if the dollar keeps falling through the toilet). The "largest

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1115994318644693742005-05-13T23:15:00.000+09:002005-05-13T23:25:18.660+09:00

Okay, back to politics.There's been a lot of criticism lately that South Koreans have been looking the other way when it comes to North Korea's abusive nature, but it is important to remember that President Roh's Uri Party leftists are not the only people in the country. The Hannara Party (Grand National Party), looking like a conservative opposition party should, are working hard to draw

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1115821842172184242005-05-11T22:49:00.000+09:002005-05-12T08:42:24.736+09:00

PARENTAL ADVISORY:For those of you who use "nora knows nada?" to help their children learn English and/or gain a wider view of current events, be warned that the following post contains profanity and/or sexual references. Utilization of this post may constitute parental neglect and/or emotional abuse in some states and the authorities may be called (but probably not until next week, since I'm

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1115303217096945102005-05-05T23:16:00.000+09:002005-05-05T23:29:40.893+09:00

No more boring political posts. Let's talk about life in Korea.I no longer have expensive cable where I live (I'm never home to watch it, so why pay for it?), but right now I'm somewhere that has it. It's just past 11 p.m. when one of the movie channels I mentioned before turns into a soft-core porn channel (like Playboy).I realize the risk I'm taking by talking about something like this, but

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114878774981618652005-05-01T01:24:00.000+09:002005-05-14T00:29:34.166+09:00

This is essentially what FIFA has said when it decided that North Koreans can't be expected to behave during an upcoming World Cup qualifier against Japan to be held in Pyongyang, so the game is to be held in a "neutral venue": the equivalent of turning the car around on the way to Disneyland when Bobby and Sue couldn't stop hitting each other in the back seat.Japan is suggesting Malaysia. They

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114877523103374462005-05-01T01:04:00.000+09:002005-05-01T01:39:08.476+09:00

Hordes of married Japanese woman flocking to Korea to see where Winter Sonata was filmed (me, personally, I never thought Sonatas in winter were particularly romantic, especially when they're kicking up slush at me) can add one more thing to their itinerary: a visit to Tokto.What's that, Nora? The Korean government is going to allow Japanese tourists to visit? Well, I don't really know, but the

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114786442558500922005-04-29T23:52:00.000+09:002005-05-15T13:40:50.980+09:00

Living in one of these would be so cool (please note hot tub on top).The loftcube interior.The loftcube exterior, situated on a rooftop.

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114653543196445092005-04-28T10:51:00.000+09:002005-04-28T10:59:03.196+09:00

President Roh is all over the map. First he delcares diplomatic war on Japan, and now he is saying that the two neighbors share a common destiny. Mutually compatible ideas? Maybe, maybe not, depending on one's view. It could be argued that Roh is trying to prod Japan -- and Koizumi in particular -- to stick to the spirit of ties forged by Koizumi's predecessors because he feels that the two

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114653078153958742005-04-28T10:33:00.000+09:002005-04-28T10:51:18.156+09:00

The Japan Times published an article which gives a fairly balanced overview of the situation from the Japanese side, although it does seem to lean slightly toward criticism of Koizumi for putting his Yasukuni Shrine visits ahead of national diplomacy. According to the article, the Foreign Ministry acknowledges that diplomatic relations with South Korea will be strained if Koizumi does not stop

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114651793748079152005-04-28T10:16:00.000+09:002005-04-28T10:32:53.806+09:00

The Japan Times last week reported on a Japanese-born woman of Japanese descent who decided to return to North Korea after having been "rescued" from that country two years ago. Fudeko Hirashima, whose Korean name is An P'ilhwa, was reportedly born in 1938 in Japan, moved to the North in 1959 with her North Korean husband, and was smuggled out in 2003 to join her sister in Japan. She now says of

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114382969340447982005-04-25T07:34:00.000+09:002005-04-25T07:49:29.340+09:00

And perhaps they should.About 6000 people have rallied in Tokyo demanding sanctions against North Korea over its abduction of Japanese people more than twenty years ago.After years of denial, Pyongyang finally admitted kidnapping thirteen Japanese men and women during the 1970s and 1980s, supposedly to train its spies in Japanese language and customs. Five of the abductees were allowed to return

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114342098163666492005-04-24T20:13:00.000+09:002005-04-24T20:29:40.390+09:00

The good old left-wing Washington Post doesn't seem so left-wing today. In fact, they seem downright anti-China with this editorial assailing the Middle Kingdom's supposed "peaceful rise."The first paragraph is the money quote:China's promise of a "peaceful rise" to great power status sounded reassuring when it was first articulated by President Hu Jintao. As it has taken on substance over the

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114341138620959702005-04-24T20:03:00.000+09:002005-04-24T20:37:46.123+09:00

I don't always have time to put together a separate post for each bit of news I find worthy of this blog, so I'll string a bunch of them together.Straight out of Marmot's Hole, some links to Inchon's Songdo City development. This has gotten a little heated, but a lot of the discussion relates to stuff we've discussed in Sydney on the Han.Meanwhile, over in Japan, furious opposition lawmakers have

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114340061050903972005-04-24T19:49:00.000+09:002005-04-24T19:54:21.053+09:00

Maybe they will and maybe they won't, but South Korean officials travelled to the North Korean city of Kaesong near the border for talks on helping North Korea combat a bird flu outbreak, according to the Unification Ministry. The talks are significant because they are the first contact between the authorities of the South and North since July last year.North Korea accepted the South's offer for

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114339735427536902005-04-24T19:45:00.000+09:002005-04-24T19:48:55.430+09:00

Word is that Japanese and North Korean researchers are going to search for remains of ancient people in Korea, don't ya know?Quoting a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO, Kyodo says that Japanese experts and North Korean officials have agreed to carry out joint research into ancient tombs on the outskirts of Pyongyang.Ikuo Hirayama, who is also a renowned Japanese artist, told reporters after a

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114309956049339202005-04-24T11:22:00.000+09:002005-04-24T20:01:31.470+09:00

This is not at all news-related. For entertainment purposes (I am entertained by stories of sorry-assed people, which explains my fascination with "Judge Judy"), someone sent me a link to a post on a website where men who think they are studs share information what is where and how much in the sex industry around the world.Amongst thousands of posts about Asia, there is this one sole entry about

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114181381932804582005-04-22T23:11:00.000+09:002005-04-22T23:56:13.966+09:00

Japanese government officials do a few obnoxious things that piss off South Korea and China.Koreans protest in large numbers. A few people cut off appendages or set themselves on fire.Chinese protest in much larger numbers. They attack Japanese businesses and make a serious mess of the Japanese embassy. They scream that Japan does not deserve a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.Japanese

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114177967888715382005-04-22T22:51:00.000+09:002005-04-24T19:44:15.583+09:00

Bolton is going down, it appears, and it may be due to a speech he made right here in Seoul. (Yay! Korea getting press for all the wrong reasons!).Former U.S. ambassador to South Korea Thomas Hubbard said Thursday that John R. Bolton, President Bush's choice for U.N. ambassador, might have misled the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about a provocative and controversial 2003 speech on North

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114175835363699932005-04-22T22:15:00.000+09:002005-04-24T19:34:29.976+09:00

Wouldn't this be an interesting turn of events: Japan demanding an apology from North Korea (and Russia) for the death of thousands of Japanese who died in North Korea at the end of World War II.It has been revealed by the Russian State Military Archive that several thousand Japanese who were detained in Siberia during World War II died of illness in North Korea after being transported to the

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114062932145392922005-04-21T14:24:00.000+09:002005-04-21T14:55:32.146+09:00

Sometimes when you watch soap operas (not that I do very often), an actress/actor will be out sick or on location doing something else and thus be played by a different actor/actress. Right before the "stories" begin, the announcer will come on and say, in a soft voice, something like "the part of Darren will be played by Tad Lee today."I know that's a lame set-up, but it's inevitably what came

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114037421405119632005-04-21T07:37:00.000+09:002005-04-21T10:18:51.500+09:00

Strolling down a randomly chosen lane in Seoul, there are a number of things you might expect to find beneath the ripening cherry blossoms, some good and some not so good.Among the hazards are scooters on the sidewalk driven by a Chinese food deliveryman (I know that's not p.c., but they almost always are men), the potential for walking into spittle that is still in its mid-flight trajectory,

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1114036622305241992005-04-21T07:21:00.000+09:002005-04-21T10:57:38.746+09:00

I have just discovered the secret to success if I ever engage in some form of money-making corruption: make sure whatever it is I do is so complicated that it will just be too hard for most people reading their paper to grasp over their morning coffee and bagel.That seems to be what 75-year-old Canadian diplomat and businessman Maurice Strong did. The envoy to North Korea for U.N. Sec-Gen Kofi

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113928980838822872005-04-20T01:35:00.000+09:002005-04-21T10:54:49.110+09:00

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:In other words, "We have a pope!" Yeah, like I speak Latin (when I am I ever going to get to Latin America?).The white smoke coming from the Vatican means the papal conclave has elected a new pope on the second day.They won't tell us who it is, though. It's a sure bet that it's not an American or a woman, and probably not a homosexual.Anyway, it's time for me to go to bed. Maybe

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113787915318100212005-04-18T10:20:00.000+09:002005-04-18T10:31:55.320+09:00

Half the reason I post the stuff I do is that I don't know what to make of it and I want to know other people's thoughts.We hear so much about the Roh's citizen-government trashing the ROK-U.S. alliance, but there are also signs that the conservatives and the military are desperately trying to undo the damage citizen-president Roh is causing. So what to make of this news that the ROK military

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113743855303421552005-04-17T22:03:00.000+09:002005-04-17T22:21:56.016+09:00

I guess we can all agree it's not something in the Blue House's water supply. In Germany, President Roh Moohyun continues to put his foot in his mouth. This time his complaint was about (quoting the phrasing in the Korea Times) "Korean people who speak in support of the U.S. more proactively than U.S. citizens."Put another way, the Korea Times says that the president is complaining that "he has

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113653924688867512005-04-16T21:16:00.000+09:002005-04-17T19:47:31.603+09:00

As part of the crackdown since January on obscene materials, the prosecutor's office in Seoul is setting its sights on making a dent in the maaaaaaaaaaaaaaassive on-line porn industry here.Good luck with that.Maybe this will take some of the heat off of illegally working English teachers. Since January, about a hundred people have been charged with spreading obscene material under the country's

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113635869046764042005-04-16T16:03:00.000+09:002005-04-16T16:24:03.536+09:00

Obviously this Day of the Sun business referred to in the KCNA story is Great Leader Kim Il-sung's birthday. He's dead, but they still treat him like he's alive. One thing that I found amusing in the article linked above was the following sentence: Kim died suddenly in 1994 at the age of 82, one month after meeting former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who had gone to Pyongyang to help broker a

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113632446917458362005-04-16T15:08:00.000+09:002005-04-16T19:29:36.416+09:00

Here's an editorial from the Donga Ilbo's English-language edition criticizing (yet again) the Roh administration's amateurish diplomatic and military policies which are undermining South Korea's alliances and security.The money quotes:Being a U.S. ally, however, the Korean government could have narrowed the difference between the two countries through consultation with the U.S. Does NSC believe

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113627826022768502005-04-16T13:50:00.000+09:002005-04-16T14:03:46.023+09:00

One thing I've always found hard to stomach about the GOP platform is the zeal of some fellow Republicans for capital punishment. It's encouraging to see Republicans who realize the problems inherent in keeping the death penalty, but there's still a long way to go.This link (presented by Gerry Bevers?) underscores for me the inherent cruelty of this form of punishment. The Chinese woman shown

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113626957646429022005-04-16T13:26:00.000+09:002005-04-16T13:49:52.990+09:00

In my quotidian trolls of news about Korea and Asia, I occasionally come across the odd (as in unexpected) piece of news from North Korea's KCNA (Korea Central News Agency). So it was when I came across this news description:A dancing party of young vanguard of the Ministry of People's Security took place on April 14 on the threshold of the Day of the Sun. The servicepersons with the great pride

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113362395022545472005-04-13T12:18:00.000+09:002005-04-13T23:22:36.820+09:00

Remember when there was a heated discussion about whether or not early English education in Korean schools would cause Korean kids to lose their sense of culture or not? Pragmatic educators beat out nationalistic chicken littles and thus little tykes started learning, "I'm fine. And you?" from third grade.Well, according to this Japanese report, it turns out that Korean kids beat the pants off of

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113361796193974502005-04-13T12:08:00.000+09:002005-04-13T23:24:22.456+09:00

Something on Marmot's Hole sent me to a link of Mutant Frog, where they were discussing deniers of the Nanjing Massacre. Some of the links were quite interesting.In one instance, to demonstrate that the alleged photos of the Nanjing massacre were fake, the right-wing revisionist responsible for this site claims that this simply cannot be true, because there are so many happy photos of the Nanjing

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113355023923667702005-04-13T09:04:00.000+09:002005-04-13T23:20:10.830+09:00

Okay, so I've had a lot of non-blog stuff to do lately. Deadlines and things like that can shake you out of the blogdom matrix and back into reality.But the world does not stop just because I'm too busy to pay attention.ISSUE 1: Money talks and bullpucky walks.My theory about why Roh thinks he can get away with talking out both sides of his mouth on US-ROK military cooperation, Korea-Japanese

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1113012424764086142005-04-09T10:49:00.000+09:002005-04-09T16:33:43.720+09:00

Well, not exactly talking back. Just talking. Trying to make amends, even (depending on your point of view).Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki has said, "It's necessary for the stability of the Asian economic region as a whole that Japan and South Korea have a close relationship." These words come ahead of Tanigaki's meeting with Han Ducksoo, his ROK counterpart, on the sidelines of the

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1112967492059282982005-04-08T22:27:00.000+09:002005-04-09T16:34:33.470+09:00

UPDATE:Yonhap News reports that the gun-wielding robots will be deployed as early as 2007. Let's just hope that Roh "Chamberlain" Moohyun is not the one programming them.ORIGINAL STORY:There are several reports, including this one from the BBC, that South Korea is considering deploying gun-wielding robots along the DMZ.The robots are designed to strengthen surveillance along the DMZ, already one

nora sumi parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16340619167548727318noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11266066.post-1112889883603520502005-04-08T01:04:00.000+09:002005-04-29T09:44:23.360+09:00

World War II-era poster from the U.S.

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