Wen JiaBao and China

On his recent interview with Wen Jiabao, which also happened to be his first contribution to Time magazine after moving from Newsweek, Fareed Zakaria asked some questions that revealed a lot of chinese premier Wen Jaibao's thinking. The entire script can be found at CNN.com at this link.

One that really struck me as hilarious was his answer regarding Freedom of Speech. His reply was basically people can read and say anything they want EXCEPT anything we don't want them to read or say. I laughed on this one.

It is all too famous that if you search certain topics, such as Tiananmen Square, you run in to what has been lovingly named the "Great Firewall of China". Among those banned topics is the famouse jailed political activist Liu Xiaobo, who recently received the NOBEL F***ING PEACE PRIZE. And yet, any internet search of his name will only reveal a few very critical article regarding his activities, according to an article in a recent Newsweek issue. I also read, I think on CNN.com, that some chinese college student, when asked if he knew about Liu Xiaobo receiving the Nobel prize, replied something to the effect of "I don't know who it is, but it must be a great leader in the party, to be able to recieve such an honorable award!" Only people who have the skills to get past the firewall had access to this knowledge, and even then their posts on the web were deleted almost instantaneously.

Freedom of Speech? Nope. Freedom to be under the illusion that you have freedom of speech until you actually excersise it and then get arrested and jailed? Yes.

Just look at the fact that Liu Xiaobo's wife, who is A FREE INDIVIDUAL, was detained at home and was not allowed to meet anyone following her husband's receiving the Nobel peace prize. Reporters gathered in front of her home, some of them had been INVITED by her and yet the chinese police barred them from entering. Liu Xiaobo himself? Probably doesn't even know it. No one in the outside world has been able to talk to him pretty much since his arrest. We don't even know for sure that he is alive. We can only guess he is alive because of the trouble that would arise if it was discovered that he died/was killed.

To be honest, I have a lot of problems with China. Politicial, economical, historical, you name it. It's the people's, and the leader's mindset that infuriates me. It's almost as despicable as those of Republicans and Tea Partyers. It was awesome when some chinese girl in my class suddenly spoke up about the Dalai Lama and said he is a violent person who instigates violence in younger men for his own selfish political agenda. It's also great how they are clashing with Japan right now regarding the controversial islands. It's also great how they treat Korea (historical issues there, it's complicated). It's incredible how they invite foreign investors in with lures such as low labor cost and then screw them over once they are in.

It's not that the US was any greater. The US also engaged in racist propaganda, violated a LOT of human rights and did things that were unethical even by standards of back then. We massacared native americans, took their land, enslaved black people of hunderds of years, discriminiated against "minorities" until VERY recently (it still happens but at least by law it's not SUPPOSED to happen). We impose our will pretty much by force on many countries for our own benefit. We tried to ASSASSINATE leaders of other countries because we deemed them "dangerous". We screwed over Afghanistan, and we also screwed over Iraq, all because we were incompetent and couldn't get our shit together, and I can only hope we don't try the same crap on Iran. We broker unfair Trade deals with other countries such as Japan or Korea, press sanctions on countries that don't follow our will and pressure other countries to join in, and punish those who don't follow. Nope, we are not a group of angels. It's a wonder we are not MORE hated in the world.

It's just that.....in my eyes, China is twice as bad. At least.

Katsuhiro Kuroda - Bibimbap Gate

Okay, so maybe "gate" is not an appropriate word. But it was still enough to piss me off to the point where I actually thought about blogging about it and blow off some steam. So here it goes!

Apparently, this guy Kuroda Katsuhiro is the manager of the Korean branch of the Japanese Sankei Newspaper. He writes a column called "Yoboseyo from Seoul" or something like that, and talks about what he thinks about Korea. I really didn't bother doing much research, so forgive me if any of this detail is wrong. I'm just getting it off this article, and what little I do know about this guy.

======> Article from ww.daum.net <======(It's in Korean so don't bother if you can't read, but take a look at the picture anyway)

I doubt any korean reporter would have reason to lie about his sources (/sarcasm off) but this time I think the info is somewhat credible so I'll just go with it.

Anyway, it seems that he's an infamous korea-basher and has repeatedly offended the Korean public with dumbass remarks like "Japanese women, beware of Korean men!" In this case, he talked about a Korean food named "Bibimbap." I don't want to bother explaining, just click here.

As you can see, when it first comes out it looks all fancy, but the name itself means RICE THAT YOU MIX. You're supposed to mix it all up so you can have the rice, vegetables, meat, and sauce all at once (Flavor of Harmony, supposedly). And what does this Katsuhiro guy do but say that it looks all pretty in the beginning but looks all messed up (I exaggerated, but it's pretty much what he wanted to say) when you actually have to eat it. That itself, not so offensive depending on how it's said and the context in which the phrase is used. It's not like he's lying or anything. But what he did next was amazing: He compared it to an old chinese proverb that goes "Lamb Head Dog Meat." That means that while one advertises to sell Lamb meat he actually sells Dog meat. Translation? Says one thing, does something else behind their back.

Really? Mr. Kuroda, really? Your kind of people (Old conservative nationalistic politicians whose kind contributed to the Japanese invasion of Korea and China almost 100 years ago) are the ones who said "Oh we'll protect your country from those evil westerners!!!" while sucking all the natural, economical, and human resources from the Koreans, massacring them and taking their women as "comfort women" and assassinating the queen who was in your way. I am aware that many countries that were colonized by western countries were treated like crap as well but that doesn't excuse your behavior. And then you have the balls to say that Korea is two-faced?

No, I'm not over-reading in to it. He is a known bigot and he clearly means that phrase as a poke at Koreans in general. Now, I'm not going to say there's NO Koreans like that. Just like in any other country, unfortunately a large number of people happen to be idiots that prove Katsuhiro right. But it's a whole different thing to be lumping everyone together and making general statements like that. If he was in front of me, and I had like 500% more muscle mass and a guarantee that there would be no retaliation, I would beat the crap out of him for making that statement (Yes I'm a scardycat, mock me if you will).

And if he really just meant the food? I'd still tell him to fuck off, doesn't change the fact that he's an inconsiderate bigot who needs to be put in his place or just plain old fired.

Oh, but the story gets better. Some Radio DJ named Yi Oe Soo (I totally made that spelling up, it's 이외수 but I don't know how HE spells it in Engish) went ahead and commented on that, saying "Well if you put it that way, how barbaric is Sushi? It is still in its primitive form. It's the epitome of an uncivilized food culture! ^^" and it made me want to drag him by his pony tail all the way to the Han River Bridge so I could throw him off and make him swim out in that filthy toxic muck and gag. I don't know about you, but that's just a stupid thing to say. "Hey, some Japanese dude that everyone knows is a bigot made some bigot comment about our culture, let's make an offensive remark at an important part of Japanese culture!" Are you kidding me?

Sushi does not have anything to do with being primitive. Oh, then are all asians who eat plain white rice primitive? It's the exact same shit we've all been eating since whenever we discovered how to grow and make white rice!! (Wikipedia says 10,000 years in Asia) We don't do anything fancy to it, we just steam it and eat it! And what about fish? Sometimes all we do is salt it a bit and grill it! OMG so primitive!!! What are we, cavemen???

You friggin idiot, it's about SIMPLICITY and maximizing the natural flavor of the ingredients. You think it's easy to do that? Then you have no clue what sushi is, or even just simply what food is. Really. Don't friggin try sushi in Korea, go to Japan, go to Hawaii, ask the locals who know what they are talking about for a great place for sushi and go try it there. Go to Aomori, try their prize hon maguro. Go to Tsukiji. Then talk. Do you even know how much work and selection it takes to get you that one piece? Fuck you, go to hell.

Have you never went to a buddist temple (Jeol) in like the super countryside and tried their sanchae(mountain vegetables) meals? Is it all fancy and spiced and shit? No, dumbass, it's really simple with barely any thing at all added except MAYBE salt, sesame oil, and soy sauce. And yet it taste GREAT. Why? Cuz it's made with all natural vegetables they fucking grow themselves with loving care, you dipshit. You gonna call that primitive too? You're a bigot. You're just the same as that Katsuhiro Kuroda guy.

Kuroda and Yi, I don't give a shit what other people may say or think about you. You guys are both bigots that can't contribute anything positive to your respective societies, much less anyone else's. People like you are why Korea and Japan still can't really get along. More than 60 years have passed since the invasion was ended, and yet the healing hasn't even really started yet. The witnesses are just dying left and right with no closure. I can't even imagine how that feels. And all that's happening is their left over baggage is just being passed on to the next generations that will soon start taking charge of the country and ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING TOWARDS PEACE but can't because of nimrods like you. And now that the internet is in wide use, oh how neo-nationalism, egocentrism, and bigotry flourish. The Anti-Japanese, Anti-American, Anti-anyothercountrythateversaysanythingnegtiaveaboutkoreaordoesanythingtonegativelyaffectkorea sentiment is at an all time high in Korea since decades ago. Why? Because young people who don't fully have the cognitive capacity to filter out crap and think with their own minds look at crap like Kuroda and Yi and just accept it as their own thoughts and views, and it stays with them when they become older.

No matter how much some people try to understand what happened, make ammends, and move on, assholes like you are the ones that keep both countries embedded in the past. The political power that be right now in Japan are clearly the conservative powers that received their reigns from imperialists who were active in the early to mid 1900's. Their politics are based on the "We are superior" mentality Japanese politicians used to have back then, and it really doesn't work in the current global society. We live in a different world now, and the way the politicians think must change as well. Not just in Japan, but Korea as well. They are so hung up on what happened over half a century ago that there's just no real progress going on between the two countries, just very superficial progress here and there that aren't even stable.

Dear Japanese Politicians: Dokdo? You idiots, you were supposed to give it back whether it was specifically named or not in the treaty. Don't argue, don't be jackasses, just give it back, it was NEVER yours at any point in time.

Dear Korean Politicians:Reparations? You retards, President Park already got the reparations from the Japanese government during his dictatorship. Where do you think the money came from to help run all the projects and developments? I admit it wasn't nearly enough, but the point is Korea asked, Japan payed. End of story. You can't go now and say oh it wasn't enough, we want more! I know you want to impress your voters but really?? Go find something better to work on like DOMESTIC DEVLOPMENT, how about using money on WELFARE instead of wasting it on REPAVING AND REDOING ROADS AND SIDEWALKS EVERY YEAR just so that you won't get budget cuts the next financial year? Oh and stop wasting money equivalent to MILLIONS OF DOLLARS on your PRIVATE TRIPS AND VACATIONS. The people pay taxes so you can get payed to WORK FOR THEM.

Apology? Do it, Japan, and Korea, accept it, and for gods sake get past it. Do you not feel threatened at all by the EU? If the Korean and Japanese governments had half a brain they'd already be in a similar relationship, working to make profits off that relationship and becoming stronger, richer countries in a symbiotic relationship. I don't include China because they would never participate in anything like that. I love Korea, it's a second home for me, and I love Japan less but still love it, it's home #3. I just want to see them get along.

This is getting way off topic so I'll stop here. But seriously, listen, bigots everywhere: Go jump off a cliff. A really high one. Dig a real deep trench where you will fall so we can just cover your bodies up with dirt when you're all gone and be done with it. I don't want you ruining what chances I have at a better future, nor my children's. I would love nothing more than to put a 9mm in your head if it was legal to shoot bigots, I really would. Kuroda, Yi, that goes for you too. The world is moving in a new direction. What we want is to get along. Peace. Prosperity. Not just for me, or you, but for everyone. Not some communist socialist bullshit, dumbass, but all humans have the right to a minimum amount of dignity and humane living conditions, the right to not feel outcast in their own society, the right to not be treated like dirt just because some others just happen to have more money and more opportunities. So you know what? Lead, follow, or get the fuck out of the way, because we don't need you. We don't WANT you.

I apologize if anyone was offended by the constant use of "You", it was aimed at the bigots spoken of above. So if you are not a bigot, please rest assured I don't mean to target you. If you ARE a bigot, I hope you are very offended, dismayed at all the hatred, and go do exactly what I asked you to do.

White Supremacy

Today, I saw a documentary on NGC or NatGeoTV(National Geographic Channel) about White supremacists in the US. I must say, it was quite revolting. I was certainly aware of their existence, and their so-called ideologies to some extent, but actually seeing them speak whole heartedly about their movement was a fresh shocker.

But of all their racist and quite dangerous ideologies and thoughts, the one that nagged me the most was the following phrase: "We are doing this for America. We are American first, NSM(National Socialist Movement) second." For some reason, these people have the idea that White people are the only people allowed in America, and immigrants should only be allowed to be white as well. In fact, one of the funny statements someone made during an interview was "If we had 20 million Swedish illegal immigrants coming in, I wouldn't care at all." As if Swedish people would choose to live here instead of a country where there is significantly less crime, poverty, an excellent public health system, one of the cleanest governments in the world, etc.

Why does this nag me? Well, because America isn't really a country for White people. It was originally inhabited by the Native Americans(I know this is a really generic label, but let's stick with it for now), who crossed over from Asia in prehistoric times. White people just happened to come over and "discover" America, then virtually wipe out the native population before taking their land. To me, that doesn't represent White supremacy, just White barbarism.

That Barbarism spills over to this very day, in the form of current white supremacy activities. These racist bigots use lame excuses to justify hatred and prejudice, and violent actions against their so called "enemies". Even as I type this, the newscaster speaks of a shooting by an 88 year old white supremacist who shot up the Holocaust Museum in D.C.

Solution? I think it's time for the "National Anti-Bigot Movement", or NAM/NABM. Our sole purpose will be to hunt down and "forcibly remove" any remaining racists, nazis, skinheads, and any other hate groups. What do you think of that?

I'm just glad these racist bigots are only a VERY small fraction of the entire American Population, and are usually greatly outnumbered by opponents whenever they hold public rallies or demonstrations.

Please drive with at least one hand on the wheel!

My girlfriend and I were on our way to the mall the other day, when we saw something unbelievable: The dude behind us was driving with NO hands! He was busy stuffing his face with a burger that he probably shouldn't be eating in the first place. When my girlfriend first pointed him out, the first thing that came to my mind was "Oh my god, I need to get away from this dude as fast as I can". And THEN I thought, "Oh wait, I should just let him rear end me and screw him over". While the latter is an obviously stupid (and illegal) move, one cannot deny that this idiot deserves just as much and more.

Of course, in truth, we all see people like this everyday. People eat, put on make up, text, read, and even watch movies and play video games while driving. And this is on the HIGHWAYS. So why am I so worked up about some jerk having a burger on a 25 mph road? You see, it's the principle that counts. Regardless of the degree of danger these reckless behaviors put themselves and other in, the bottom line is that they shouldn't be engaging in such behavior. We all know that such behaviors contribute to higher accident rates.

I see it as the same as smoking. Go ahead, do it as much as you want. Just don't bring me in to it. You wanna pack yourself with all kinds of toxins? Sure, why not? I poison myself with alchohol, and I have no problem with it either. Just make sure that puff you take doesn't get in my face. You wanna eat and drink and whatever in your car? Wanna slam head first in to a telephone pole? Sure, go ahead. Just make sure I'm not on the road when you're doing it. Now, when I say "I" in this case it means EVERY HUMAN BEING OTHER THAN YOURSELF. If you run a red light and slam in to the side of my car at 45 mph because you couldn't break in time since you were busy watching Desperate Housewives, and I hit my head on the window and die, what will you do? Say you're sorry?

Believe it or not, an automobile is a dangerous tool, and is classfied as a Deadly Weapon when used with intent. And since you are engaging in reckless behavior by taking your attention off the road, I'm pretty sure that equals reckless endangerment, which satisfies the requirement for intent. Conclusion? Everytime you take your hands off the wheel, everytime you put on foundation while driving at 50 mph, you are comitting something pretty close to attempted murder, because you are endagering the lives of EVERYBODY around you on the road at that point in time. So if you are one of those people who engage in these practices, I beg of you only one thing: Don't do it. If I see you do something like that, I might really just force you off the side of the road and put you under citizens arrest.



P.S. In reality, while citizens have the right to place perpetrators under citizens arrest, they don't actually have the same rights to the use of force as do police officers when apprehending criminals. So I can't actually force you off the side of the road with my car, because then I'll REALLY be charged with attempted murder or assault with a deadly weapon. It's just a figure of speech. Just wanted you to know how serious I was.

Training Gansters: Our tax money hard at work.

Here's something that not too many of us think about: Gangsters in the military.
Most of us probably don't even link the two together, thinking "How is a gangbanger going to handle the discipline and honor involved in serving our country?" Well, think again.

In a government report issued 2007, they reported that gang activity was so bad that even the FBI stated gang activity was becoming a major threat to national security. Apparently, we're training gangsters to fight like soldiers so that they can go back to their gangs and kill police officers in the most efficient and effective way. Isn't it great? I don't understand why the government allows these types of people to join the military in the first place. If you can't execute all gangsters and make our world a safer place, then at least screen them from entering the military!

The MedQuest Hoax: This is where your tax money is going.

In the US, there is a government provided insurance plan for the people who can't afford it otherwise called "MedQuest". It has relatively excellent coverage, including Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Drugs. I am not familiar with the details, but I hear it is a lot better than what some people PAY for.

It turns out that there are many people who abuse the system and recieve this plan even though they aren't qualified for it. There are a few ways to do it, but the most common ways seem to be either falsely reporting income, reporting income under someone else's name, or paying off somebody inside to do the dirty work. In fact, not too long ago, a man who shall not be named who worked for MedQuest was caught doing just that. For $2000 per person, he would arrange it so that on file they looked like they were elligible to recieve benefits, when in fact their income could range anywhere between $25,000 a year to $2,500,000,000,000...you get the picture. It seems that so far, the majority of people who are involved in this are of Korean, Japanese, or Chinese ethnicity, although it appears to be spreading beyond East Asians recently.

The best part is, MedQuest does not have the resources nor manpower to go investigate every single case to make sure it is not under false pretenses, so this is virtually unstoppable. Isn't it great? The rich taking advantage of what is meant for the lowest income citizens. Of course, this means an increase in costs, meaning a hike in taxes or relocation of funds from somewhere else, which in turn will mean problems in another area, etc...until it comes full circle and makes it even harder for the low income citizens to recieve medical care, or puts the heaviest burden on the working class and middle class citizens who pays the majority of the taxes. This in turn makes the disparity between upper and non-upper class even more wider...and you get the idea.

I don't hate rich people, I just despise those who take advantage of others in a less fortunate situation. Are you one? I hope not.

You are where you live! .....?

Check this out.

A recent research by a korean government agency found out the following correlation:

1.Yearly income is positively correlated to level of college graduated.

2.Level of college graduated is positively correlated to one's score on the national academic ability test (kind of like the SAT, but not really).

3.Score is positively related to level of High School graduated.

4.In Korea, where you go to school is decided by where you live.

5.Therefore, Income is positively correlated to the relative prosperity of WHERE YOU LIVE!!!

This may sound obvious to you, but in a tiny country like Korea where you can drive from one side of the country to the other in 5 hours, this IS a big deal.

Isn't this kind of sad?

If you are interested, AND can read Korean, you can go here for more information.