An announcement by the provincial Kyongki-do government in Korea to lay off roughly 1,000 foreign English teachers in public schools has expats on the peninsula reeling. Some seem to be surprised by the governments decision. But not me. And it's not because I'm not losing my job.
I think the main reason foreign English teachers are frustrated is because they just don't fully understand the system here. Modern Korean education philosophy is a testing culture, and it's not just a problem in Korea. Many of us (including myself) don't like it one bit, but it's also something that we are outside of being employed in Korea. We're not here to help them pass a test, we're here to help them speak English. And to Koreans stuck within the system, this unfortunately comes in second to test preparation for those parents looking to get their daughters and sons into good universities.
A sluggish world economy can also be partly to blame. And there's a lot more to it than this. When we can get inside the mind of a culture, and understand what Korea is to Koreans, we all can more accurately judge the situation, regardless of whether we agree with it or not. And last time I checked, hardly any of us do.
Keep the faith.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Living Forever
Still seems like such a fantasy to so many. Some refuse to believe it. We are only in the early stages of actually understanding the possibilities but...
Some scientists believe they have found a cure to aging, indefinitely. I told my mother this recently, and she absolutely refused to believe me. It's an exciting prospect to think that by the 2040s we'll all have the opportunity to have thousands of affordable nano chips floating around in our brains and blood stream monitoring discrepancies, correcting any errors, and in a sense reversing the aging process. Is that really so difficult to believe?
A modern-day hero of mine is Ray Kurzweil. He has been studying how the trend of technology develops exponentially, as opposed to linearly, which is the way humans have evolved. Since our minds also think and evolve linearly, this is a concept that is still most difficult for humans to grasp.
I was turned onto Ray while at a newsstand in Kuala Lumpur. I found this issue of Time magazine, and after reading, my life has never been the same. Kruzweil (as well as I) now believe that computers are slowly (and quickly) becoming intelligent, and computing power will one day surpass that of all humanity. Fascinating. And believable.
Is it really that difficult to comprehend? No. Difficult to accept? For many, the answer is still yes. But not for me.
I will cover this topic again down the road, because this is something that is not going away.
Keep the faith.
Some scientists believe they have found a cure to aging, indefinitely. I told my mother this recently, and she absolutely refused to believe me. It's an exciting prospect to think that by the 2040s we'll all have the opportunity to have thousands of affordable nano chips floating around in our brains and blood stream monitoring discrepancies, correcting any errors, and in a sense reversing the aging process. Is that really so difficult to believe?
A modern-day hero of mine is Ray Kurzweil. He has been studying how the trend of technology develops exponentially, as opposed to linearly, which is the way humans have evolved. Since our minds also think and evolve linearly, this is a concept that is still most difficult for humans to grasp.
I was turned onto Ray while at a newsstand in Kuala Lumpur. I found this issue of Time magazine, and after reading, my life has never been the same. Kruzweil (as well as I) now believe that computers are slowly (and quickly) becoming intelligent, and computing power will one day surpass that of all humanity. Fascinating. And believable.
Is it really that difficult to comprehend? No. Difficult to accept? For many, the answer is still yes. But not for me.
I will cover this topic again down the road, because this is something that is not going away.
Keep the faith.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Artic Ice Wars
This article had me flaming up as hot as Death Valley in August... until an alternative point of view occurred to me.
According to a 2008 study, some believe up to 90 billion with a 'B' barrels of recoverable oil may be trapped below the melting artic ice cap. So, who owns the rights to the resources is a question many who want the oil are asking, which is anyone who wants money really..
And not that anyone is reading this, but in case you are, there's actually 3 points of view I'd like to briefly touch on regarding the newly found, not yet drilled black gold:
1. From the point of view of someone who cares about out planet
2. From the point of view of someone who doesn't believe climate change/global warming is real and
3. From the point of view of someone in power who fares to financially benefit from drilling
It dawned on me today that anyone, I mean anyone with any real power and say-so at all in the world will never stop pursuing the drilling of crude up there at any cost, no matter how hard any conservation group puts up a fight. You know who I'm talking about: the big wigs, the trillionaires of the world, Exxon-Valdez and Russian oil oligarchs... or simply put: the families of the Rothschilds & the Rockefellers. These people want this place to melt. Period. And since they already run the world, they're gonna get their way. It doesn't matter what the billions of us want.
After giving it a bit of thought, and thinking how I'd love to have more money in my bank account, I almost wish I was on their side. But alas I am not, partly because of my bank account, but really because I care about this place.
This place being the world. Keep the faith.
According to a 2008 study, some believe up to 90 billion with a 'B' barrels of recoverable oil may be trapped below the melting artic ice cap. So, who owns the rights to the resources is a question many who want the oil are asking, which is anyone who wants money really..
And not that anyone is reading this, but in case you are, there's actually 3 points of view I'd like to briefly touch on regarding the newly found, not yet drilled black gold:
1. From the point of view of someone who cares about out planet
2. From the point of view of someone who doesn't believe climate change/global warming is real and
3. From the point of view of someone in power who fares to financially benefit from drilling
It dawned on me today that anyone, I mean anyone with any real power and say-so at all in the world will never stop pursuing the drilling of crude up there at any cost, no matter how hard any conservation group puts up a fight. You know who I'm talking about: the big wigs, the trillionaires of the world, Exxon-Valdez and Russian oil oligarchs... or simply put: the families of the Rothschilds & the Rockefellers. These people want this place to melt. Period. And since they already run the world, they're gonna get their way. It doesn't matter what the billions of us want.
After giving it a bit of thought, and thinking how I'd love to have more money in my bank account, I almost wish I was on their side. But alas I am not, partly because of my bank account, but really because I care about this place.
This place being the world. Keep the faith.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Summer Vacation
Europe is in sight. We leave soon.
Heading mostly to here in Spain and here in Italy.
For anyone looking to break into our house in Korea and steal our plants, don't bother. We are leaving them outside since its been raining so much.
I've been looking into filming opportunities since arranging this holiday, and a few nice ones have popped up. An artist in Italy has agreed to let me do a piece on her which is totally cool. I may also be filming some surfing and an interview with this guy. That is of I can get ahold of him beforehand, and he's around when I'm in Zarautz. I would love that.
I also going to be filming in Rome, interviewing the parents of Marco Ienna, a Italian Taekwondo expert from Italy who I've been shooting for almost a year now in Korea. How fortunate is that?
Keep the faith.
Heading mostly to here in Spain and here in Italy.
For anyone looking to break into our house in Korea and steal our plants, don't bother. We are leaving them outside since its been raining so much.
I've been looking into filming opportunities since arranging this holiday, and a few nice ones have popped up. An artist in Italy has agreed to let me do a piece on her which is totally cool. I may also be filming some surfing and an interview with this guy. That is of I can get ahold of him beforehand, and he's around when I'm in Zarautz. I would love that.
I also going to be filming in Rome, interviewing the parents of Marco Ienna, a Italian Taekwondo expert from Italy who I've been shooting for almost a year now in Korea. How fortunate is that?
Keep the faith.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
China's New Rich
Saw this set of photos on CNN.com's international edition recently, and multiple things struck me at the same time.
First, man is the pollution in China striking. Just look at photos 1 & 5 in the link above. Unbelievable. I sure hope the international community is keeping a close eye on this.
I think it's interesting how CNN tried to portray what some in China's upper class might want. CNN may even be right. However, as a non-Asian, and as a resident in one of China's neighboring countries, a few of their photos tell me a different story.
I love this one for example:
There's a cute Chinese girl in this photo stomping divots like traditional polo requires, but my expat eyes are immediately drawn to something else: the two white dudes behind her to the left. I think it's obvious that they do not represent the upper class in China. Again, I might be wrong. Maybe they're loaded, and like to dress frumpy like that on purpose to make people like me look like a fool. CNN tried earnestly to portray what's happening in China, and it looks to me like they hit the nail on the head without even trying to.
Regarding the pollution problem, I can attest by personal experience that it isn't as bad in Korea as that which appears in these photos from CNN. But maybe we should be concerned anyways. I mean if pollution from China can make it all the way to California in decent amounts, not only does that mean it's floating above Korea to get there, but maybe it's also affecting the entire world. But what do I know?
Keep the faith.
First, man is the pollution in China striking. Just look at photos 1 & 5 in the link above. Unbelievable. I sure hope the international community is keeping a close eye on this.
I think it's interesting how CNN tried to portray what some in China's upper class might want. CNN may even be right. However, as a non-Asian, and as a resident in one of China's neighboring countries, a few of their photos tell me a different story.
I love this one for example:
There's a cute Chinese girl in this photo stomping divots like traditional polo requires, but my expat eyes are immediately drawn to something else: the two white dudes behind her to the left. I think it's obvious that they do not represent the upper class in China. Again, I might be wrong. Maybe they're loaded, and like to dress frumpy like that on purpose to make people like me look like a fool. CNN tried earnestly to portray what's happening in China, and it looks to me like they hit the nail on the head without even trying to.
Regarding the pollution problem, I can attest by personal experience that it isn't as bad in Korea as that which appears in these photos from CNN. But maybe we should be concerned anyways. I mean if pollution from China can make it all the way to California in decent amounts, not only does that mean it's floating above Korea to get there, but maybe it's also affecting the entire world. But what do I know?
Keep the faith.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Filming at the Korean Folk Village
I thought it would be a good idea to take one of my students who accepted my offer to do a piece on here to the '민속촌', or Korean Folk Village.
I visited one once, and it's mostly a simple place. A few huts, a few shops, and a nice look back into what Korea once was. Because of it's simplicity, I figured it wouldn't cost more than a few bucks to enter the place. I was wrong. If you haven't been to a Korean Folk Village recently, allow me to enlighten you: prepare to shell out about $14 American per person. So $28 to film a good piece on education (because I'm a gentleman), and it was raining the entire time.
Anyway, the point is not to complain about the price. The young lady was brave to tell her story. She's someone with a secret that most everyone who shares a similar secret would never want the general public to know. I couldn't believe her courage, because she opened her heart and let me film the entire thing. She hasn't had the most success educationally in her life, mostly because of a educational system that caters mostly to auditory learners and test-takers. Furthermore, her mother has done mostly nothing but put pressure on her for most of her life.
Long story short, it was a good idea to go there. They are going to have to lower that price though if they ever want me to return. And, when her story is ready I'll be posting it right away, because it'll be a good I reckon.
In the meantime, here's another good one for ya.
Keep the faith.
I visited one once, and it's mostly a simple place. A few huts, a few shops, and a nice look back into what Korea once was. Because of it's simplicity, I figured it wouldn't cost more than a few bucks to enter the place. I was wrong. If you haven't been to a Korean Folk Village recently, allow me to enlighten you: prepare to shell out about $14 American per person. So $28 to film a good piece on education (because I'm a gentleman), and it was raining the entire time.
Anyway, the point is not to complain about the price. The young lady was brave to tell her story. She's someone with a secret that most everyone who shares a similar secret would never want the general public to know. I couldn't believe her courage, because she opened her heart and let me film the entire thing. She hasn't had the most success educationally in her life, mostly because of a educational system that caters mostly to auditory learners and test-takers. Furthermore, her mother has done mostly nothing but put pressure on her for most of her life.
Long story short, it was a good idea to go there. They are going to have to lower that price though if they ever want me to return. And, when her story is ready I'll be posting it right away, because it'll be a good I reckon.
In the meantime, here's another good one for ya.
Keep the faith.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Climate Change
I'm sorry, but anyone who doesn't believe in 'Climate Change' hasn't spent the past month in Korea. Personally, I couldn't care less what anyone believes anymore, but if you watch Fox News then you are definitely not on my side, and guarantee you're not reading this.
Like Bill Maher has recently proclaimed: we have to stop calling it 'Global Warming', and start calling it what it really is: 'Climate Change'. He couldn't be more correct.
It doesn't really matter what I believe, or what any of us believe for that matter. When the world blows up because too many of us were too stupid to do anything about it, it won't matter what anyone thinks.
The most ridiculous rain I've ever seen in my life is happening right now in Korea. This is a place known for its monsoons about this time of year, but what's happening now is hardly what normally 'happens' during the monsoon season. For the record (my record anyway), it's rained everyday since about June 15th, everyday. At some stretches it has rained 3-4 days straight without letting up. I haven't seen blue sky in over a month, unless online videos and photos count.
The weather in Korea is just one tiny weather example to pile on top of overwhelming evidence.
I don't care what anyone thinks. But if you're reading this and you still think 'Climate Change' isn't real, then maybe you ought to reassess what you read, or what news you watch. After all, Fox News really isn't fair and balanced like they claim to be.
Keep the faith.
PS- Of course, if you do watch Fox News, think it's fair and balanced, and are reading this, shoot me a quick email at the address above, or drop a comment below. I want to personally thank you myself for taking the briefest of moments to read some common sense.
Like Bill Maher has recently proclaimed: we have to stop calling it 'Global Warming', and start calling it what it really is: 'Climate Change'. He couldn't be more correct.
It doesn't really matter what I believe, or what any of us believe for that matter. When the world blows up because too many of us were too stupid to do anything about it, it won't matter what anyone thinks.
The most ridiculous rain I've ever seen in my life is happening right now in Korea. This is a place known for its monsoons about this time of year, but what's happening now is hardly what normally 'happens' during the monsoon season. For the record (my record anyway), it's rained everyday since about June 15th, everyday. At some stretches it has rained 3-4 days straight without letting up. I haven't seen blue sky in over a month, unless online videos and photos count.
The weather in Korea is just one tiny weather example to pile on top of overwhelming evidence.
I don't care what anyone thinks. But if you're reading this and you still think 'Climate Change' isn't real, then maybe you ought to reassess what you read, or what news you watch. After all, Fox News really isn't fair and balanced like they claim to be.
Keep the faith.
PS- Of course, if you do watch Fox News, think it's fair and balanced, and are reading this, shoot me a quick email at the address above, or drop a comment below. I want to personally thank you myself for taking the briefest of moments to read some common sense.
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