Bus blows up in Seoul

Holy crap. (Full news story here.)

Dokdo is Canadian

From an article in the Chosun Ilbo today:

Japan's Education and Science Ministry on Tuesday approved five elementary school textbooks that represent Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo as Japanese territory. Three of them already made the attribution, but the other two added it only recently. That means all elementary schoolchildren will now be taught that Dokdo belongs to Japan.

The two new textbooks do not go into details but contain maps where they are labeled "Takeshima," the Japanese name. The new texts also show a boundary line between Dokdo and Ulleung Island, making it look as though Dokdo is part of Japan.

Seriously, both countries are being idiots. There is evidence of empty Timbits boxes and broken hockey sticks found on the islands estimated to be over 200 years old. In addition, it has been proven that Dokdo's rock consists of an 8% concentration of not magma or limestone, but hockey puck rubber.

The answer is clear.

Dokdo isn't Korean. Dokdo isn't Japanese.

It's part of Canada.

Kim Jong Il's worldwide personality cult

Last night, it was reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has pancreatic cancer. While there are no official sources confirming this (and, as always, the news sources are citing "unidentified" officials from South Korea and the People's Republic of China), it wouldn't surprise me one bit considering the state of his appearances and health as of late. As well, this would obviously set off an interesting situation for the country's leadership, as it is expected that Kim's son, Kim Jong Un, will take over in the future.

There. One paragraph. That is pretty much all there is to say about this. So that's why it's interesting to me that some news reports not only go on longer than that, but continue to describe in detail Kim's history, actions, personality cult, and so forth -- there's even a bit of tabloid-like speculation mixed in there that may or may not be true.

People keep talking about the Kim personality cult in that country, about how they have gigantic statues of Kim Il Sung (Kim Jong Il's father and original leader) and like to have portraits of either/both of the Kim leaders everywhere. People are aware that there is a worship-like thing going on surrounding the Kims and that every aspects of the North Koreans' lives are supposedly centered around Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

However, sometimes I think that the cult personality covers most of the outside world as well.

Now, I'm not saying that people all over the world do things according to the wishes of Kim Jong Il or that people see the Kims as saviors. Hell, most people don't even like Kim Jong Il. But despite his rather strange way of doing things, he has somehow achieved near-celebrity status in the parts of the world that he does not control. Obviously this is in part because of his never-ending threats to destroy the US and take over the world (despite the fact that he can't even take over the Korean peninsula at this point). But the bigger reason for this is how the world just eats up everything he does and reports on it like he's some sort of celebrity.

Out of all the people to get celebrity-like coverage, he might have the smallest fan base out of everyone; his fan base's size makes George W. Bush's fan base look gigantic in comparison. Besides a handful of visits (mostly summits with Japan and South Korea, and some meetings with the People's Republic of China), Kim Jong Il hasn't really ventured outside his own little nuclear-laden hermit kingdom.

Yet, everything he does or declares gets reported, no matter how idiotic it may be. Hell, he could release a statement declaring that he has nuclear missiles aimed at Springfield and will wipe out Evergreen Terrace next week, and it'd be reported and posted all over the major news networks.

Sure, he's making himself an easy target for the butt of jokes, but sometimes with all the media obsession over whatever he does makes me wonder if his personality cult covers most of the world rather than only in North Korea. Yes, it's handy to know what the hell goes on in his country and what the hell he's up to, but the extent of coverage that he gets is just incredible compared to some of the people who are just as bad, like Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden. We seem to know a hell of a lot more about Kim Jong Il than either of those two guys; hence, the cult of personality seems to cover us too.

Planes like crashing near my house

It is past 2:00am and I am sitting here at my computer, drinking some hot cocoa. Sometimes you feel so jittery that you try to drink something that usually makes you even more jittery (like hot cocoa) in an attempt to make yourself less jittery. I don't know how the hell that works, but it's worth a try.

Why am I so jittery? Well, the thought of two planes crashing within two years within biking distance from my house seems like a good reason to be nervous, does it not?

Around 10:06pm tonight (I guess it'd be last night on July 9, since we're past 12:00am now), a small plane bound for Vancouver International Airport crashed here in Richmond, resulting in a huge fireball and at least one large explosion. (News story: [Vancouver Province].)

The crash site is about 15-20 minutes from my house, and less than 300 meters from the Summer Night Market, a large weekend attraction that would've been open to thousands of people had it been Friday or a weekend rather than a Thursday (as it's closed from Mondays to Thursdays).



By the looks of it, what happened was that the pilot of the small plane that crashed was following too closely behind a large Airbus plane, thus getting caught in the wake turbulence behind it. That caused the pilot to lose control of the plane, and the aircraft eventually hit the ground nose-first in an industrial zone in northern Richmond.

Above: the plane's last approximate position before disappearing from the flight tracking map; it likely hit the wake turbulence of the large Airbus on the left. (Courtesy: WebTrak for Vancouver International Airport.)

While that area is well known for being one of Vancouver International Airport's flight paths and while the cause of the crash appears to be an error by the pilot, this is certainly unnerving. Just two years ago, in the fall of 2007, Richmond was also hit by a plane crash. Unlike the one tonight, which hit an unoccupied industrial zone in the middle of the night, the one in 2007 hit a residential complex in downtown Richmond (just 10 minutes from my house) during rush hour, narrowly missing the popular Richmond Public Market. (News story: [CTV].)

From 2007's crash:



While both of these are completely different types of crashes (except for the fact that they both occurred here in Richmond and they both involved small planes), this still feels scary. Richmond is home to the airport, and most of the residents live on the west end of Richmond; surprise, surprise, the airport is also located on the west end of the city. It makes me wonder if we're all a bunch of dumbasses for setting up our city like this.

But then again, at least we're not Hong Kong yet (despite our huge Chinese population):



Let's just hope that in the future, flights landing and departing Vancouver International Airport get less exciting. "No news is good news," as they say.

Bleeding children to reduce car accidents

In New Zealand, a billboard campaign has started with the goal of preventing deadly accidents on roadways.

The campaign entails of a face of a child which bleeds when it rains. Yes, bleeds.



This is probably one of the creepiest ideas I've heard of, but you can't really deny the fact that it's effective. Sure, you might not get the message right away or even get the message at all, but it's sure scary enough to make you slow down and wonder what the hell you just saw back there (and, if you're M. Night Shyamalan, whether you just came across a brilliant idea for the next big horror film).

North Korea airs first beer commercial

In an article published by the Los Angeles Times today, apparently North Korea has aired its first beer commercial.

True to the North Korean government mentality that everything must be bigger than everyone else's version of the same thing (ie. how their arch of triumph in Pyongyang has to be slightly taller than the one in Paris), this beer commercial has to be longer than normal -- the ad lasts for about 3 minutes (comapared to the normal 30 seconds for North American commercials).



According to the ad, "beer relieves stress and improves health and longevity." Don't tell that to people with liver poisoning.

Also in the article, a South Korean Unification Ministry official, "who has been monitoring the North's television for more than two decades, told The Associated Press that it was the first time he had seen any sort of advertisement for food, much less beer." Maybe they're just hoping their people can drink their hunger away.

There is also a mention of Kim Jong Il's love for beer.

I guess if it makes sense for him to test fire missiles wildly if he's drunk. Hopefully he'll remember what happened in the morning.

Giant sewer blobs -- apparently, they exist

Those of us who grew up in the late 1990s may remember the Goosebumps book series by R.L. Stine. There was one title in the series in particular that seemed both amusing and disturbing at the same time -- The Blob That Ate Everyone. It seems laughable that a blob would be scary enough to do such a thing.

Well, here's something that will make you stop laughing.

In a place called Cameron in North Carolina, a camera was going through the sewers (probably to check for blockage or something like that) and discovered a huge blob that isn't only incredibly gross, but also seems to be pulsing and very much alive.

If you're eating spaghetti or noodles, be warned -- this may make you lose your appetite.



What the hell is it, you ask? Well, officially it's an "unknown" organism. All everyone knows for sure is that this organism is a huge blob found in a sewer and is alive.

One possible explanation comes from Dr. Timothy S. Wood from the International Bryozoology Association. He explains:

They are clumps of annelid worms, almost certainly tubificids (Naididae, probably genus Tubifex). Normally these occur in soil and sediment, especially at the bottom and edges of polluted streams. In the photo they have apparently entered a pipeline somehow, and in the absence of soil they are coiling around each other. The contractions you see are the result of a single worm contracting and then stimulating all the others to do the same almost simultaneously, so it looks like a single big muscle contracting.

In other words, they are the sewer version of these worms:



Nevertheless, this is really spine-tingling to look at. Apparently these things can enter households through drains and toilets as well. Here's some food for thought the next time you're taking a crap or a shower. Maybe that's the next big horror blockbuster movie. Who knows.

TOEIC cheaters caught in Korea

An article was published in The Korea Times today about the discovery of a "cash for answers" cheating business for the TOEIC (an English proficiency test) in Seoul.

It doesn't surprise me that some people would pay for something like this, despite the risk of getting caught. Hell, I have a feeling that many schemes like these exist here in the Vancouver area.

What does surprise me, however, is how the exam supervisors do not notice people receiving answers through electronic devices. I mean, unless the device is very well hidden, you would need to be able to see the screen and transmit the data received on to the test paper without anyone noticing.

Being a recent university graduate who has taken plenty of exams, I can say with certainty that such a task isn't easy at all, and any attempts to do so would be quite obvious.

I mean, there are reasons why inventive cheating tips exist on YouTube -- tips that are much less obvious but much more successful than doing it electronically. I'm not recommending any students out there try to cheat on an exam, of course, but if you're doing to do it, at least don't be stupid about it.

(Despite any potential cheating, South Korea still struggles mightily on English proficiency exams. That's going to be a tough challenge once I get over there.)

Is seeing through someone's clothes worth that much?

Article from The Korea Times:

Man Nabbed for Selling Fake 'X-Ray' Glasses

A 39-year-old man was arrested for selling fake "X-ray'' glasses through several Web sites, police said Monday.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it arrested the man, identified as Chung, on suspicions of selling fake made-in-China see-through glasses to 13 people and reaping nearly 6 million won ($4,700) in illegal gains. He was taken into custody, it said. He sold the glasses for 550,000 won apiece.

It also said he had 14 previous offenses on his criminal record.

Among the 15 Web sites promoting the glasses, six were under his control, police said.

Recently, spam mail and online ads touting X-ray glasses that see through clothes have drawn public attention. But police and scientists were skeptical of their efficacy.

The glasses are also being sold in China, according to Chinese media.

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I can get over the fact that some people are stupid or gullible enough to be taken in on this scam. But for that much money?

6 million won / 13 people = 461,538 won per person = $415 Canadian per person

Who the holy hell would pay $415 Canadian for a pair of see-through glasses? Is it worth THAT much? Geez.