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.

LA's new crack down on gangs

It seems that LA has become more firm-footed with gangs these days. A project called "Project T.O.U.G.H (Taking Out Urban Gang Headquarters)", which was started a couple years ago by City Attorney Rockard Delgadillo. Here are some links where you can read about it:

Here
Here
Here
Here
Here

I've got some mixed feelings about it though. Basically, it's a plan to sue gangsters and kick them out of their gangster gathering points, albeit with some forceful tactics. Sounds good for sure, but will it work? That's a different story.

We're not talking about a gang of 16 year olds in high school. These are gangs that are heavily involved in anything from shop-lifting, money laundering, or drug selling, to more heinous crimes such as human trafficking, prostitution rings, or murder. They probably don't care the least if they "aren't allowed" to be in a certain area. Deport them? They'll be back. Send them to jail? Like that would make a difference, regardless of how much that would cost ME. I do like the idea of relocating them and keeping them constantly on the move, making it impossible for them to really "claim" an area for themselves and gripping the residents in fear.

To be honest with you, though, I think LA, no, the whole country, should be doing what they do in some other countries: when dealing with gangsters...show no restraint! Aim to maim, shoot to kill. They are a menace to society and our, MY, safety, and they should know that they have no place here. Want to be a gangster? Fine. Want to come in to this country illegally and make a problem of your self? Fine. Want to put our lives in danger? Fine. Just make sure they know we are not willing to tolerate ANY of it, and that consequences are severe. That's how I wish it was, anyway.

Unfortunately, under current laws and regulations these people get off very easy compared to the harms and losses they cause to our society and economy. How about we do something about it?

Internships for SALE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I may be late in joining the controversy, but I learned yesterday that several websites were selling unpaid internship positions at major companies for prices up to $9000 and still climbing. Is it just me or is this a serious problem?

The whole point of an unpaid internship is for someone who is 1) dedicated to working in that field enough to work for experience and not pay and 2) is qualified to work in the position and is able to learn the most from the experience. It is also one of the few ways for students who don't have connections or family backgrounds to make their way in to the industry. From the hiring companies' point of view, an internship is a good way to find and train someone that could possibly be a valuable addition to their company, should things work out.

Selling such a position, whether to a set price or to the highest bidder, seems unreasonable to say the least. It would seem that any company looking for an intern would look for someone that fits their needs, who has the set of skills required to work in that specific field and is able to learn fast and efficiently. Not only does this auctioning of internship positions make it impossible for companies to choose who they want, it also exacerbates a social phenomena that is already highly exacerbated: The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. Since an internship is one of the few options available to students with less means that enables them to enter a industry and make connections or at least earn a chance, selling this opportunity to those with money is somewhat along the lines of "keeping the money in the family", or industry instead, if you will.

Since it is no secret that it is difficult to gain access to high level firms without inside connections, depriving the non-connected person of this already super-rare opportunity just seems very unfair, and against what America stands for. I will not name those who are involved in this controversy, but those parties really need to think twice about what they are doing and what the results of their actions can be, not only on the short term, but more on the long term. The disparity between "Upper class" and "Working class" is already extreme, with 1% of the country's population earning over 20% of total income, and the fantasized "middle class" has all but disappeared. Do we really need to rub salt in the wound?

Israel - Bending to International Pressure

Yesterday marked the first 30 minutes cease fire Israel agreed to, during which food for the palestinians were allowed to be transported in through the borders. With over 700 palestinians dead, over 1000 injured, and the Israelli invasion continuing, I honestly felt disgusted when I felt this.

At a glance, this seems like the humanitarian thing to do. After all, this conflict is making it difficult for citizens to obtain food and water. However, this seems to me no different from offering your already gasping opponent a sip of water before punching him in the face. All we see here is Israel bending to international pressure from many different countries who find what is aspiring just unbelievable.

Israel, it's not like I matter or anything, but seriously. You're losing a lot of points here. It's time to redeem your self.

The Idiots who fuel the Hamas-Israel Conflict: Terrorists.

Until now, I was aware that minority extremists were the ones who were fueling the conflict, but I wasn't as informed as to who it was. Today, through random searching, I found this post. Although not really a professional article or anything, it was still quite informing. It shed some light as to who were the leading culprits in causing unnecessary casualties, both military and civilian, Gazan and Israeli.


How about the US, UN, and NATO all come together and get rid of them once and for all? With all the snipers we can use, I bet civilian casualties will be close to Zero.

PBS - Second Opinion: PBS delivers again!

PBS currently has a show called "Second Opinion," which airs 6:30pm every Sunday. I just finished watching for the first time, and I must say that the show was incredibly informing, and I will never miss another episode!


The show format is of one Host, Dr.Peter Salgo, who invites several experts on the topic of the day and a patient who has or had the condition. He then leads the discussion from the beginning basics, through to the symtoms, diagnostics, and prognosis of the condition. He makes the discussion simple and easy so that anyone not familiar with medical terms can follow and understand the conversations. In the end, he leaves with a summary of the main points from the discussion.

PBS, I congratulate you on yet another fantastic show that probably not enough people watch. Thank you, and keep it up!

For more information, check out the PBS website.

Israel invades Gaza: ...Lost for words.

Today, along with continued bombings, Israel officially deployed infantry INSIDE Gaza for the first time since the conflict began several days ago.

Now, I say officially because Israel most likely has operatives active inside Gaza, just as Hamas most likely has active operatives inside Israel. But that's besides the point. The real problem here is that Israel is acting just like somebody we all know that earned scorn and criticism from countries all around the world; us, the US of A.

I have to say, I can't blame Israel 100%. The Hamas government brought it on themselves when they refused to cease the firing of rockets in to Israel territory, causing innocent civillian casualties everyday. If I ran Israel, I may just have carpet bombed the damn place and just gotten it over with. Except for one problem: Just why is Israel getting attacked, anyway?

If you haven't read the previous post, or are not very informed about this topic, let me explain to you in a few short lines how it came about.

1. Palestine used to own the area.
2. Jews, after WWII, wanted their own country.
3. With the help of allies, they took Palestinian land and (re?)established the country of Israel.
4. Since then, Palestine hasn't really stably existed as a country
5. Israel still controlls the sea and air space around it, as well as most of the land borders except for the Egyptian border.
6. Palestinians want their land, their COUNTRY, back.
7. Israel doesn't want to. (Obviously!)

It's a bit more complicated than this, of course, and there are complex religious, racial, and political issues that are intertwined with each other that make this an impossible case. However, I believe that this doesn't change the fact that Israel started things, and so they should be doing everything they can to resolve the conflict before bombing them. Right now, this is the picture I'm getting in my head.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A: Hey, that's mine!
B: Well, too bad. It's mine now.
A: Give it back!
B: Nope.
A: Can I pleeeease have it back?
B: No, but maybe I'll let you use it.
A: Really?
B: Maybe not.
A: *Frustrated*
A: *Punches B*
B:Ohhhh, you getting it now!
B: *Ground and Pound A with obvious advantage in size and weight.
B: *Doesn't allow A to recieve help from anyone.*
B: *No one able to help A because of A's friends, who are all even bigger than B and helped him get it in the first place*
B: *Some friends brave enough to say "Hey, come on, don't do that, that's too much!"*
B: *Nobody actually does anything to help, though.*
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Familiar picture? Yep, that's right. A BULLY. I don't mean to belittle the casualties that Israel has suffered because of Hamas's rather idiotic actions, but it's so little compare to what the Palestinian people inside the Gaza strip have suffered that this situation is becoming rather ridiculous as far as I am concerned. All Israel is doing is taking something, refusing to return it, and that's not even in a nice way. Not once have they said to the Palestinian people, "Hey, I'm really sorry about taking your land forcefully and relocating 1.5 million people, confining them to infinite poverty and instability, but here's what we're going to do to make it right."

Aid? Yes, 50 trucks of first aid and food is really going to help almost 2 million people deprived of even the basic commodities, including freedom of movement, trade, FOOD....and then they have the hypocrosy to TREAT the victims of bombings in their own hospitals? Hmm. Not to say that's not humanitarian, it's actually very nice of them, but it's still hypocrosy at its best nonetheless.

Dear Israeli government: If you want to end this situation....clean up the mess you started. Pay the Palestinians what they are due, whether it's through monetary, economical, medical, political, or any other methods. Reimburse them for what they've lost, and what they've suffered because you wanted to be a country. I know you can't give back the land; not only is that not a viable option (innocent Israelli civilians...), it's too late for that, and it wouldn't be any where near enough compensation. No. Help them establish a country, a healthy government, a healthy economy, give them back their sea/air space, help them establish a sufficient military, support them in anything they need to become a stable country. THAT is the right way to solve this. In my opinion, of course.

Will that ever happen? Well.....maybe when pigs fly.