What's Happening in Raleigh?

I try to keep up with my local news while I'm so far away, and I do that mainly through wral.com. This was one of their top stories today:

"Pink limo causes stir in Cary

Posted: Today at 5:49 p.m. Updated: Today at 8:34 p.m.

Raleigh, N.C. — A bright pink limo parked at the Cary Towne Center has caused some complaints in the city that is known for its neutral color palette.

The limo is used by the Sweet and Sassy Spa for girls, which opened at the mall in May. Owner Brenda Sizemore said many refer to the business as “girl heaven.” The limo transports girls to and from the spa. The vehicle’s bright color was selected because “that’s what little girls are all about – pink,” Sizemore said.

While customers may like the color, a handful of people complained to town officials and asked if the limo was violating any town code. Town of Cary Senior Planner Dan Matthys said the vehicle is “in compliance” with the city’s ordinance. "

The fun never stops in the Triangle, does it? Boy those folks live a mile a minute, I tells ya.

Perverted Heaven

I am of course still in Wuxi, but as you may or may not know I'm working on changing that, and returning to South Korea. I've been applying to jobs via recruiters and listings on daveseslcafe.com, which is linked to the right and which is the most popular site for teachers in Korea.

There's also a really popular message board there, and in skimming over it today I came across this, an incredibly lengthy blog post compiling the history of the Korean media's scare-mongering about foreign teachers. It's way too long for anyone without a personal interest to, well, be interested in, but about 2/3's of the way down the author quotes this:

"A source at the foreign affairs division of the Seoul Police Department said, “American and Canadian English teachers think Korea is a ‘land of opportunity.’ [...T]he majority of them find it easy to seduce Korean women and do drugs with them.” Foreign English teachers see Korea not only as a ‘land of opportunity’ but also as a ‘perverted heaven’."

I just love that last phrase there. "Perverted heaven." Yeah, that's about right.

The New South and Obama

This is an interesting article about the Obama campaign in my home state of North Carolina. It focuses on the changes going on in the once reliably Republican state, whose most famous representative in Washington was (and probably still is) Senator No, or Senator Jesse Helms.

Anecdotally speaking I know this to be true, many of my friends and peers back home are much bluer than red, and even my nearly octogenarian grandfather, who no doubt voted for the late Mr. Helms more than a few times, has made it clear to the rest of the family (much to their chagrin, I must unfortunately add) that he's an Obama man. It would be quite an understatement to say this was unexpected.

If Obama can carry North Carolina, and it looks just like he might, then this will be a very big year for the Democrats. Here's hopin'.

Dear Britney Spears: We Still Hate You

I was looking at the front page of yahoo today in search of some "real" news, and instead I found this article about Ms. Spears latest comeback.

I realize we're supposed to respect people with the "disease" of drug abuse/alcoholism, and that she's "been through so much" with her divorce and kids and whatever.

But Britney: I still hate you. To borrow from an indictment of another of your peers: you're a stupid spoiled whore whose presence on this Earth would no longer be required if not for the fact that your inevitable suicide will only make you more sympathetic to the teeming throngs of braces wearing pre-teens and aging overweight queens that make up your fanbase.

When it comes, I will celebrate your death, and I will not be the only one.

"Maybe Britney's smarter than we think," wonders the article. No, she isn't.

English Teachers Bring Drugs

This is an interesting article about English teaching in South Korea, where I once lived/taught (and may so again?). The story is more or less comprehensive but for purposes of attention-grabbing the headline focused on one particular aspect of life there, the bad reputation foreigners have for drug-use.

Of course, during my two years there I never once was offered or indulged in anything. No way no how. Yep, there are no drugs in Korea. Nope. Not at all. No way.

The Won is Crap

Looks like I got out of Korea just in time. The Korean Won, which during the 2 years I lived there fluctuated between 1100 and 900 to the dollar, has nosedived lately because of all the financial mess and as of the last time I checked xe.com (today) is worth about 1450 to $1.

That more or less means were I still working there, my salary would be worth about 50 % less than it once was, at least back home in the states. Thank you China!, for your relatively strong currency and interventionist policies that prevent free-floating disasters like what's happening in South Korea.

Somebody's Watching Me

China ain't free. I don't speak the language, and I've only lived here a month so far, so I don't pretend to be an expert.

But...you don't really notice that walking down the street, going to work, interacting with the locals, or doing any other sort of mundane day-to-day thing.

The one place where you do notice that is when you want to use the internet. Use of the internet is strictly monitored, especially if, like me, you don't have a PC in your home and you're forced to go to the local PC room.

If you're a foreigner, they scan your passport and your local ID before giving you a chair. The natives just have their ID card scanned. But it doesn't stop there. According to this article, there are thousands of Chinese net police monitoring what Chinese citizens (and guests) write, look at, and read online.

That wasn't really news to me, I knew it before I came here, and hell post 9/11 the US government has been doing the same thing. But there's something about watching your passport scanned everytime you want to check your email that really drives home the point.

But, since I've always enjoyed lackadaisically giving the finger to authority, and since being expelled from this country honestly wouldn't upset me that much (I'm not planning on staying too much longer), I figure why not post some keywords the Chinese net-police really hate to see crop up?

Falun Gong!

Taiwan Independance!

Earthquake Mishandling!

Poor Communist Fashion Sense!

Who Drinks Milk Powder in the First Place?!

Forks Are Better!