Kids' Speech Contest

I helped judge a kids' speech contest on the weekend. This was the third time that I have been involved. I've always enjoyed it. My daily life brings me into contact with children very rarely, and I find it fun and inspiring to see so many precocious little Korean kids standing in front of an audience speaking English. It almost makes me want to have kids of my own.

Sometimes the contest reminded of that old Bill Cosby show Kids Say The Darnedest Things. One little girl, in response to a question about how she felt when she had had difficulty doing something, replied that she was scared. It turned out that she was scared because her mother hit her. This, of course, had everyone in the audience looking around for the guilty mother. Another kid said that he respected his parents most because they never fought - even when his father drank so much that he couldn't get up. His mother just asked him not to drink so much. This, too, had everyone looking around the for the drunken bum and his understanding wife.

In general, though, the kids were just impressive. From pre-school to middle school, their English was quite amazing. They must have worked really hard.

A Beautiful Scent

This is a sign over the urinals in the gym that I go to. I've been looking at it for three years and I still don't understand the intent.

A better translation is below (thanks to a colleague):

"A person with a beautiful heart leaves a good fragrance even in places he only stays for a short time."

Since this sign is in the toilet, I'm thinking that perhaps they are suggesting that, if your heart is good, your crap doesn't smell. From personal experience, I'd have to say that it's not true. I've been known to leave a smell that has people running for the exits....

Hey, wait a minute. Say it ain't so?

Hmmm

I recently got this email from a student who is going to take my 5-week summer session class. I can't really understand what this student is thinking to make such a request.

I will participate in Special summer english class, i'd like to take the class with my friend. But, my friend is not belong to ******** Univ. Can i take the class with my friend?

I already have 30 students registered in the class. It's a class with an essay writing focus. Gee, let me think...do I want another student in my class? It has been my experience EVERY TIME with auditing students that they NEVER stay to the end of the class and they NEVER do all of the homework.

There are language school classes for students to take if they want to study English. I don't really feel like being someone's free private tutor. I figure I'm already going to have to work on this student's use of capital letters and question forms.

Singin' In The Rain

Actually, no. It was more like cursing in the mist.

It was a beautiful sunny day and I felt like walking a little, so I walked along the road between the Yongsan North Post and South Post this morning on my way to the USO to pick up a plane ticket. That road is lined with 10-15 meter tall trees. On my side of the road, there was a big yellow tanker truck stopped and a man with a hose and nozzle standing on the sidewalk. I had barely passed him when I was suddenly enveloped in a really heavy mist. I looked back and the guy with the hose was spraying the tops of the trees. The mist was coming down on anyone on the sidewalk and all of the cars driving by - many with their windows open. I got soaked.

Now I don't know for sure what he was spraying, but he was spraying the leaves at the top of the trees. If he had been watering the trees or putting fertilizer on them, he would have been putting it at the base of the trees on the roots. It had also rained yesterday, so the trees didn't really need water. I think he was spraying either pesticide or herbicide. If it was a pesticide, at the very least, it was mildly poisonous.

At any rate, I picked up my ticket at the USO and went into the office. Instead of staying and working in the office, I gathered up some essays to mark, came home, showered, and changed my clothes. If it was a pesticide, it was probably designed to be absorbed fairly quickly through contact, so the shower was probably too late, but I feel cleaner now.

I'm not totally against the use of herbicides and pesticides, but they could have closed the sidewalk and a couple of lanes of traffic while they sprayed, and they could have done it late at night when the traffic is light and there are few people out.

The end of a semester

The last day of classes was last Friday. I still have exams and grading to do next week, but the semester is effectively at an end.

I started teaching full-time in 1983. I have been teaching now for 24 years - that seems like forever. Recently, when I look at letters of reference that I have received over the years - like the one below - it brings tears to my eyes.

...Although the overall pedagogical goal, improving students’ abilities to communicate in spoken English was clear enough, the teachers were given a great deal of independence regarding methods and means. For some teachers, this was a frustration, but for Mark, it was clearly a challenge he welcomed. Not only did he develop a wide range of innovative, creative, and student-responsive teaching strategies; he also put a great deal of energy into preparing new teaching materials for his classes. Most impressive, though, was the willingness with which Mark shared those materials with other teachers. Because Mark was so consistently generous in sharing the fruits of his own creativity and labor his contribution to the program went far beyond what he was doing in his own classroom.

Moreover, his cooperative, team-spirited attitude extended beyond his relations with his fellow English teachers to include the Korean staff, both administrative and academic, with whom he worked. In my long career in Korean universities, I’ve noticed all too many problems between native-speaking English teachers and their Korean co-workers, problems stemming from misunderstanding, cultural insensitivity, and at times even arrogance. Mark maintained consistently excellent relations with his Korean co-workers. He put real thought and energy into those relationships, and approached them with patience, tact, and cultural openness.

Indeed, it is in the attentiveness and sensitivity of his interpersonal relationships that Mark really excelled, and this was the key to his success in the classroom. Because we often organized communications activities that combined both of our classes, I had many opportunities to observe Mark’s classroom style and the way he related to his students. By far the most outstanding qualities were patience and respect. Even with students whose English communicative skills were at the lowest level, he never appeared frustrated or short-tempered. He managed to maintain a supportive, encouraging manner in situations where most teachers lose patience. Mark conveyed to his students that he respected them both as learners and as human beings, that despite differences in culture and limitations in communicative power, he was interested in what they had to say and valued their individuality. Indeed, regarding differences of culture, Mark’s attitude clearly went beyond just respect: he had a genuine curiosity about the things that make Koreans distinct, encouraging his students to articulate varied aspects of their Koreanness. Walking into one of Mark’s classes, I could immediately sense the atmosphere of mutual respect and trust. His students obviously acknowledged and respected his authority, but felt relaxed and confident, knowing that they could rely on his patience and encouragement.

You may ask why it bring tears to my eyes. Well, I have trudged through this past four months grudgingly and with no joy. This has been to the detriment of my students.

I think that teachers really can make a difference. Teachers can be trained to do their jobs better, but, in the end, the teacher needs to provide a pleasant happy and supportive atmosphere, and that is a personality thing. It does make a difference. I fear that I have been crabby and short-tempered this semester. My classroom energy level has been low.

I think that a big part of my problem is that I have no one to talk about my daily life with and I can be my own worst enemy at times. It would do me good to complain out loud because it would make me realize what an ass I'm being. Most of the things I complain about are pretty trivial.

The semester started badly because the university changed the class schedules. For the past two and a half years, I had three 50-minute classes with most of my students (Mon, Wed, Fri) and two 75-minute classes with a few other classes (Tues, Thurs). I never liked the longer classes on Tues and Thurs because you really need to do at least two activities. In the middle of the class, you have to bring one activity to an end, review what was done, and deal with any problems; then you needed to introduce a new activity, run it, and debrief it. As well, if there is a holiday in there, you often see the students only once a week. Because developing language skill requires a lot of regular practice, I haven't felt that this schedule was good for the students. So, what happened? The university changed all of the classes to twice-weekly 75-minute classes - the classes length that I didn't like. Why did the university change to this schedule - one that most of my students don't like? I suspect that the push came from the tenured professors who teach 9 hours per week. With the new schedule, many of the professors only need to teach 2 days a week.

At any rate, I should have been able to deal with this better. I let it bother me a lot more than it should have.

As a result of the new schedule, we were told that all of the English language teachers, who teach 15 hours per week, would teach only 4 days per week. Then, because of scheduling difficulties, I was asked to teach 5 days a week. This was not a real problem since I probably would have gone in to the office 5 days a week anyway. But, I was told that all of my classes would be morning classes (which I prefer). Then I was asked to change my schedule and take some afternoon classes. My schedule stretched out for two days a week. Again, I said that this was okay, but the reality was that it bothered me that my Korean colleagues, who have had really nice scheduled since long before I started working there, continued to have 4-day schedules with the hours they wanted. So, I was a bit put out. It just felt as though I was being asked to make more sacrifices than anyone else. Now the reality is that I only teach 15 hours per week. Three days a week, I am finished teaching by noon. I still get long paid vacations in the summer and winter (5 months if I want it).

I really need a slap on the head sometimes. I have a pretty easy job.

For some reason (although I suspect that it was my fault), I've had worse attendance and lateness problems than I've ever had. I suspect that the students just haven't wanted to come to class. I have been so far behind in my grading all semester that the students haven't really gotten the feedback that they needed to help them improve.

With my colleagues, I've become less willing to compromise. I'm kind of whiny. I say things in meetings that are far less diplomatic than they should be.

So, when I look at what I was like and see that I'm not like that now, I feel a great sadness at how far I seem to have fallen. I used to love teaching. I used to love learning. I used to love working with my colleagues. Now, I just feel tired.

Summer session begins on the 25th. I really want to do better.

Everything in my life is, of course, related. And, my life outside of school affects my work. I'm not really able to compartmentalize. I haven't been blogging much lately. You might ask why. I've kind of withdrawn from everything. My "sidewalk rage" has grown to the point that I often don't go out. I spend my time at work, at the gym, and at home. Since I don't seem to be doing anything interesting, I don't have much to blog about, and I don't always want to be picking on the negative stuff in Korea.

Korea has a lot of good stuff. I still like the food. The pottery is amazing. I drink a lot of green tea, which I think it the best in the world. Outside of the city, it is peaceful and relaxing. However, the constant self-aggrandizement that is so much a part of life in Korea is so irritating that I don't enjoy what I should. The other day, I was watching a Korean saxophone player on television, and I found myself thinking - his playing and style are just a rip-off of some western saxophonist. Then I realized that he was actually pretty darn good. My first reaction always seems to be to negative.

Then, just when it didn't seem that it could get any worse, I went to the hospital to get my cholesterol checked. I've been on a statin for years to keep my cholesterol down. It was nice to hear that my cholesterol levels were good. However, I don't like to hear the doctor say, "However..." I was told that I didn't really need to worry but I was pre-diabetic. What!!! How can they say the words "diabetes" in the same sentence as my name and then say I don't need to worry too much. My blood sugar level is 116 mg/dL. A range or 100-125 is considered pre-diabetes. Now I'm supposed to lose weight and exercise more - based on a BMI calculation. I have always been considered overweight using the BMI. When I was working out a lot, my BMI had me in the obese range although, at 185 cm and 95 kg, I'm only overweight now. I already go to the gym 4 or 5 times a week.

If you have the stomach for it, you can look at this picture that I took this morning. While I would like to get my weight down from 95 kg to 90 kg. That may not be realistic. If I go to the gym more, I get stronger and start lifting heavier weights, so I lose fat but gain muscle. At 53 years old, I think I'm fairly fit. I don't really think that I'm overweight. If you look really closely, you can see the hint of a six-pack. I probably could have been a body double for some of the actors in the film "300".

At any rate, I'll try to watch my diet a bit more, although I haven't cooked meat at home in years. I've cut way back on the alcohol. I've even stopped going to the 3 Alley Pub once a week for a cheese burger and a tall glass of Eirdinger.

Sometimes I think ignorance may be bliss. Although I acknowledge that knowing about the pre-diabetes now gives me a chance to control it without drugs, I'm now more worried than I was. Just once I would like to go to the doctor and be told that everything is fine.

Two Thumbs Down

If you're going to taunt people, especially the police, you really should be good at hiding.

Drama critic sent to prison for bomb threat

“You [KBS] won’t catch me as I am very good at camouflage,” he said during the threatening call. “Catch me if you can.”

Six months in prison should give him time to come up with a better plan. People like this should be sent to a prison for the very stupid. Perhaps part of his punishment should involve prison guards regularly taunting him through the bars, "Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah - you can't escape!"

And, by the way, if you don't like the show, Mr. Kim, just change the channel.

Children

In the days when I was more "philosophical", the writings of Kahlil Gribran moved me deeply. His book, The Prophet, is one that I have read a hundred times. I've had half a dozen copies over the years because I lend them to others or lose them, but always replace them. I was reminded of this section on children by an article in the Korea Times: 70% of Child Athletes Suffer Violence.

Children

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, "Speak to us of Children."
And he said:

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

I get so angry at parents who abuse their children under the guise of ensuring that they have a better future. The individual stats in this article are shocking, but the attitude of coaches and parents is the what really disgusts me.

"Coaches, parents and even students are obsessed with getting good results. They think a beating enhances a student's fighting spirit and thus brings about a good result,'' an official of the commission said.

He said they do not recognize children's human rights. "When students desert the training camp after being beaten, parents send them back, as they believe the children will have great success when they become famous athletes in the future,'' the official said.

Maybe we need to look at our society and ask why children should have to compete so aggressively. Perhaps it would be better if didn't allow anyone under the age of adulthood (19-21 years) to play competetive sports.

There have been stories of abusive tennis parents in the news for years. In Canada, hockey parents are sometimes banned from arenas because they are so bad.

What the hell is wrong with us when we push kids to do what we couldn't? This is a problem everywhere; however, the hypercompetitive nature of Korean society and the acceptance of casually administered violence as a way to make people do what you want can make children's lives hell.

TIME had this article, and, again, it is young people who are being abused.
Breaking the Ice

Intelligent training in sports is not just a matter of doing something harder or more. Muscles strain and bruise; ligaments tear. And, sometimes, there just isn't anymore fuel in the tank. When someone is running on empty, beating them won't make any difference.

I know that a career in modern professional sports can be incredibly lucrative, but, if the only reason people play sports is to go to professional leagues, it takes a lot of the fun out of "playing" sports. Why can't we all just lighten up?

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Although this past winter has not been bitterly cold, it has seemed to drag on forever. With the exception of a couple of nice days at the beginning of March, it has been cold for what seems like forever - until last Thursday. We have now had four really nice warm days - days with temperatures around 20C.

I feel a lot better now. I wonder if I have just had a bad case of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

The Well-dressed Man

Once again, I find myself lagging behind when it comes to fashion.

I mean, really, I didn't know that "The future will be a Y-shaped dystopia". I didn't even know what a dystopia was, although I kind of guessed it was a dysfunctional utopia. Dictionary.com says it is, "a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding". Umm, okay. Now that I know, I'm not sure I want to know.

Those whom I work with will undoubtedly agree with that my fashion sense lies somewhere between conservative and sloppy (perhaps a sloppy, conservative). I'm going to change. I'm still trying to decide which style would best suit a university professor.




















The Conservative Look (although I think it would make my legs look really skinny and my ass big).

















I kind of like the meter long tie and the cape. The arm warmers and leather gloves are perhaps a bit much, but I could pull it off - I think.




















There are times when I think, "What the hell! I'm just gonna do it!" I've never had a scarf with buttons before. I might have to pass on the eye shadow, but, overall, I could live with that style.

But, seriously, who wears these fashions.

Koreans Aren't to Blame

Koreans Aren't to Blame

This article by Adrian Hong in the Washington Post is thoughtful and interesting in light of the self-flaggelation that many Koreans seem to be enjoying. Why are they all apologizing? Just feeling really sorry that the event occurred is enough, I think.

Korean car culture

I was talking to my students today about cars, air pollution, traffic conjestion, and social responsibility, and I was surprised (although I really don't know why) at how much of their behavior is controlled by concern for their social standing.

The general concensus in the class was that there were too many cars on the road and that the engines were far larger than needed for Seoul or Korea driving; however, one student said that his father was the head of a company and he had no choice but to buy a large fully-loaded Hyundai Grandeur (with black windows and leather seats of course), spending far more money than he wanted to for a car he didn't really need or want. The reason - his employees would want to buy nicer cars than their neighbors (thus showing how much better their jobs were), but none of the employees would have dared to buy a nicer car than the boss. So, he cleared the way for them to buy expensive cars by buying a really expensive car himself. The rest of the class acknowledged that this was pretty standard.

As a Canadian guy, I admit that, if I were living anywhere but Seoul, I would want the coolest car I could get and that it would probably be far bigger than I needed, but my biggest concern would have been whether I could afford it, not whether my car was nicer than the boss's or my neighbors'.

I'm sometimes surprised at the power of the junior/senior relationship here.

Conflict of Interest

This is the entrance to the Rock n Roll bar. Look closely at the notice taped under the 'Rock n Roll' sign. It's for a shop in the same building as the bar.

On second thought, perhaps it's just smart marketing.

Makes me want to cry

I was looking for websites that would help my students with their essays; however, this is not what I had in mind.





"THE ART OF RELIEVING STUDENTS' PAIN" - What about causing teachers pain?

Order writing of fully referenced original custom paper on any topic, any type of assignment, in a required discipline and within 8 hour deadline.

All papers are WRITTEN FROM SCRATCH by the graduate writers according to your instructions and there is NO DANGER OF PLAGIARISM. We have a large staff of writers, which means we can group them by different disciplines and subject specializations. The papers written are never reused, nor sold as pre-written essays, as we are not affiliated with any pre-written essay database site, unlike some of the competitors in the market.

"[T]here is no danger of plagiarism" - How about the danger of becoming an unscrupulous, lying asshole?

They even have "operating principles" - isn't that a tad bizarre for a website that helps people cheat?

And, if you are worried that your essay might be too good. Not to fear - they even have people who can make the same types of mistakes as you.

Some customers require that the writer possessed a particular type of the language. Each customer may choose, if possible, out of:

• Native speaking American English writer
• Native speaking British English writer
• Non-native speaking writer (to resemble the language of a non-native speaking customer).

• 
  

The number of grammar mistakes that I see on this website makes me think that most of their work is done by non-native speakers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Update:
Clearly there were tears in my eyes when I first looked at this site. On scrolling down later, I found this:

There are strong reasons WHY your cooperation with CustomWritings cannot be labeled as cheating:

you DON'T STEAL anything from us you pay a FAIR PRICE for our services our writers get both financial and spiritual REWARD for their work you simply DELEGATE your tasks and focus only on those things that REALLY MATTER IN YOUR LIFE It is absolutely LEGAL in the US and Europe, as there are no laws prohibiting this

At CustomWritings.com we believe IT'S ETHICAL to get an outside help and delegate your writing assignments to professional writers same as if you would get your watches fixed or car repaired by third party experts.

Gee, "...we believe IT'S ETHICAL to get an outside help [sic]...", I guess it must be okay then. "...[T]he same as you would get your watches fixed or car repaired by third party experts." For crying out loud, you don't get a grade for the work that your mechanic did. Nobody thinks you fixed your own car. It's not the same thing. This, of course, brings to thought that wonderful quotation in Joseph Conrad's The Heart of Darkness, "The horror! The horror!" Let me say this about that: It's cheating. You can't just make up your own definition. It's cheating. And, if you use this service, you're a cheater.

Defensive walking in Seoul

Everyone seems to have this one on their blog, so I thought I should put up just in case you missed it. It is, sadly, very true.

Korea Sparkling

When dynamic just isn't enough.

Someone obviously thought that "Dynamic Korea" was getting a little stale (and, in reality, who didn't).

Korea's new tourism theme is - "Korea Sparkling". They expect it to bring in 10,000,000 visitors. Say it a couple of times. Still don't get it. Try the Official Korea Tourism website. Don't be afraid to click on the banner. Wait for it, "Korea Sparkling". It sounds even better when a young Korean stud says it.

You know, I still don't get it. If you were sitting in the comfort of your home in Toronto, thinking of where to go on vacation, which would draw you in "Korea Sparkling" or "amazing Thailand" or "Supernatural British Columbia"?

I think that someone, after they had printed all of the promotional material, realized they had a problem. Now this might actually make me think twice.

Honestly, selling English language advertising in Korea must be like taking candy from a baby. World-renowned brand expert Simon Anholt: "Oh, yes, Mr. Kim. This will have people stampeding to get into Korea. Really."

I think I could come up with something better (Well, maybe not the girls). Even the little logo is a little puzzling.

The symbol of two overlapping windows means traditional and modern elements' coexist in harmony, while the white empty square in the middle represents a window that visitors can fill from their own experiences.

Sure.

I guess it will fit right there beside Huby.

Starbucks and rice cakes

Two Starbucks outlets in Seoul will start selling Korean rice cakes soon. Since one of those two outlets is at the front gate of my university, I'll check it out and see how good they are. To be honest and fair, I've never been a real fan of rice cakes, so I may have to survey a few patrons as well.










My favorite place in Seoul is O'Sulloc, and Starbucks, in my humble opinion, has a long way to go before they catch up. O'Sulloc is a green tea version of Starbucks. In addition to green tea, O'Sulloc sells green tea latte and cappuccino. Their cakes and pastries are to die for. Everything they sell has at least a sprinkle of green tea on it. And, if you want something a little sweeter.

In looking at the O'Sulloc website, I just discovered that they have a Jongno outlet - across from the YMCA. I think I'll check it out today.












The only problem with O'Sulloc, and a small problem it is, is that the clientele are mostly young women. Usually, the only men in O'Sulloc have been dragged there by their well-being-minded girlfriends. I guess green tea still isn't seen as a manly drink yet.

Lifetime employment for me

President seeks better English skills for pupils

President Roh Moo-hyun said yesterday that he wants Koreans to have a better command of English, so that they won’t be “depressed” because of difficulties speaking the language.

I had never thought of myself as a "psychologist" but perhaps I'm helping people avoid depression by teaching them English. Do shrinks get paid more than teachers?

“Our students are the best in many fields, but one weak point is English,” Roh said, noting that Koreans spent 4.4 trillion won ($4.7 billion) abroad and 10 trillion at home to study English.

I always find it odd that Koreans are so critical of their English ability. I've taught students from many countries and I've always been impressed by Koreans' ability. As for English helping them economically, which is one of their big beliefs, I've always thought that Koreans speak much better English than the Japanese, and that hasn't hurt the Japanese too much.

In addition, the government is working to build English villages on Jeju Island for less privileged children to learn English...“I am especially worried that a few students who have better living conditions may improve their English faster than those who are disadvantaged,” Roh said.

People with better living conditions seem to do everything better. I wonder why that is. Could it be that better food and more comfortable surroundings make people happier and happier people learn better? At any rate, although the president often seems weak, confused, and misguided, I think that anything that can be done to help the less-privileged is a good thing.

During the event yesterday, Roh was asked by a student how he had learned English. The president answered, “I did my best, but what I did was only reading and studying grammar without the chance to speak the language.”

I hope that no one notices this. Our university seems to think that our students can speak well but they can't read and write well. We are going to focus on teaching writing. Can it be that we are out of step with President Noh's educational theories?

I've always thought that it is more natural for all four skills to be taught together. I think that, if you read about something, hear it, talk about it, and write about it, you reinforce the vocabulary and grammar, see everything in similar but different contexts, and then really understand it. But that's just me.

iPod Nano

After two and a half years of pretty heavy use, my iRiver died. The buttons have always been a little off, and, recently, it could take 20 or 30 presses on the power button to get it to turn on. I usually had to take the battery out to turn it off. I originally bought it because I wanted to be able to replace the batteries easily, but it became a bit of a pain to always have an extra battery in my pocket.

I replaced it with a 4Gb iPod Nano. It's lighter, feels better made, and has nice controls.

At 4 Gb, it holds almost all of my CDs.

The Donkey Show

A colleague showed me this picture of some posters that he saw in his Seoul neighborhood. Neither of us knew anything about a donkey show, so we did what any normal person would do - Googled it and checked it out on Wikipedia.

A donkey show is a form of live entertainment in which a person (usually a woman) performs sexual acts with a donkey.

The picture is pretty erotic - a beautiful, scantily clad women in front of a stage prop that looks like a woman's body part.

Although there are some pretty raunchy shows to be found in Seoul (so I've been told), this is a pretty conservative place. I just can't imagine that they would really be allowed to hold and advertise a real donkey show. At the very least, the SPCA would probably complain.

The poster says that The Donkey Show is a Broadway production, but Googling that didn't turn up anything. I did find that it was an off-Broadway show:

THE DONKEY SHOW - now in its 4th SMASH year - is a party, a show and a disco all wrapped up into one. It's the Off-Broadway Hit You Can Dance To...An Now Sing To! Decadence, disco and divas - behind the velvet ropes into a Studio 54 wonderland - THE DONKEY SHOW is NYC's # disco destination. Through all your favorite disco hits like CAR WASH, LAST DANCE and WE ARE FAMILY - the story of Shakespeare's MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM unfolds all around you at Club El Flamingo in NYC!
Here's your chance to sing along to all your favorite disco hits from THE DONKEY SHOW and create your own 70's party wherever you are. For tickets and more information about the show in NYC and other cities - check out www.thedonkeyshow.com

This seems more likely. I'm sure the William Shakespeare is turning over in his grave. I can just see them doing that disco great, The Car Wash, at The Rose. I may have to check it out just to see if it's on the up and up.

Yellow Sand

I was going to go for a long Cheonggyecheon walk this morning, but I found this link to the U.S. Military 18th Medical Command on the Lost Nomad's blog and changed my mind. The last time I went for a full day walk on a bad yellow sand day, I felt like crap for a couple of days. I've a link to this website on my sidebar so that I can easily keep track of it.

I now have masks tucked away in all of my bags.

The only good thing about this is that I learned something new. I didn't know what 'ug/m3' meant. It is 'micrograms per cubic metre'. At 1064 ug/m3 near my home, the advisory is to "cancel prolonged and heavy exertion outdoor activities; limit other outdoor activities to bare essentials." Actually that's not really true. At 1000 ug/m3, the advisory is to "Remain indoors and keep activities low." So, we've just crept over the 'very unhealthy' to 'hazardous' barrier.

I guess I shouldn't do any housework either. In fact, keeping my activity level low may just mean lying in front of the TV watching the latest James Bond movie: Casino Royale.