Housing bubble smack-down
By Mike Whitney
Online Journal Contributing Writer
Nov 21, 2006, 00:18
Give me five minutes and I’ll convince you that you should sell your house immediately and invest your life-savings in gold or a Swiss bank account.
Okay?
For some time now we’ve been hearing about the so-called housing bubble and what effect it could have on your net worth and future. Well, the numbers are finally in and you can decide for yourself whether its time to sell now or try to ride out the storm.
In 2000, the total value of homes in the US was $11.4 trillion. Today, that number has shot up to $20.3 trillion; nearly double.
At the same time, mortgage debt in 2000 was a trifling $4.8 trillion (about half) while in 2006 it skyrocketed to a whopping $9.3 trillion.
So, how do we explain these enormous increases in value? After all, wasn’t the housing boom just the natural outcome of “supply and demand?”
No it wasn’t. That’s an unfortunate myth that should be interred with the withered remains of Milton “free-market” Friedman.
If we really want to know what’s going on, we need to look back at the machinations at the Federal Reserve in 2001, that’s when Greenspan lowered interest rates to 1.5 percent to soften the blow from the stock market meltdown. Rather than tighten interest rates and let the country go through a period of recession, Greenspan lowered rates and ramped up the printing presses to full throttle.
Voila; the housing bubble! Or what the conservative “Economist” magazine calls “the largest equity bubble” in history.
The housing bubble has nothing to do with supply and demand or with the fictional increase in workers' salaries, which have actually gone down since Bush took office. Rather, it is the predictable result of dramatically increasing the money supply while expanding personal debt via home-mortgages.
Remember, the central banks are not in the mortgage business; they are in the “money-pedaling” business. And the way you sell more money is by making it as cheap as possible. The Fed intentionally inflated the bubble with cheap money so they could keep the printing presses whirring along. They worked in concert with the banks to lower the requirements for mortgages so they could attract an endless swarm of unqualified customers who wanted to join the feeding-frenzy.
Isn’t that what happened?
And, didn't that make it possible for every Tom, Dick and Harry to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars on “no down payment,” “interest only,” ARMs or other equally risky mortgage-packages?
Of course it did.
There are some who will argue that the Federal Reserve just made an honest mistake and were merely trying to steer the country away from impending recession.
That may be true, but let’s consider the facts before we draw any hasty conclusions.
Did the Federal Reserve double the money supply in the last seven years?
Yes.
Did they know what they were doing?
Yes.
Did they know that printing more money creates inflationary pressures and reduces the value of money already in circulation?
Yes.
Did they realize that the money was going directly into the real estate market where it was creating an unsustainable equity bubble that would eventually crash and destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans whose greatest asset is their home?
Of course, because it's the Federal Reserve which produces all the relevant facts and figures, charts and graphs, about increases (and trends) in the housing market. How could they NOT know?
In other words, they doubled the money supply and then sat back and watched while $4.5 trillion went directly into the real estate market via mortgage loans to people who were under-qualified, knowing that these same people would eventually fail to meet their payments and adversely effect the entire market.
The Federal Reserve knew all of this. In fact, they knew where every dime was going, but decided to persist in their swindle to the bitter end.
Have the real effects of this monster-bubble been softened by the huge trade deficit?
Yes, because America currently borrows $800 billion a year from China, Japan, etc., which keeps the economy sputtering along while our manufacturing sector continues to be ransacked.
The $800 billion account deficit is like a sedative that lulls us to sleep while the country is looted right in front of our eyes. For example, in the last 12 years, foreign ownership of US assets has soared from $3 trillion to over $12 trillion (400 percent). At the same time, over 13,000 major US companies have been sold to foreign corporations since 1980. Nevertheless, Americans are only too happy to ignore these unpleasant facts, as long as they can totter off to Wal-Mart to buy little Johnny his new videogame. It’s only a matter of time before the scattered, bleached bones of American industry appear everywhere across the American heartland.
And, does the Fed realize that Americans borrowed another $825 billion from their home equity in the last 12 months (to spend on house repairs, shopping, boats, etc.) and that without that consumer spending the nation’s growth rate (GDP) will shrivel to nothing?
Yes, because they provide all that data, too.
So, what does this mean for the homeowner whose future depends on the steady increase in his home equity? What can he expect?
Well, first of all, you can ignore all the gibberish you hear on the business channel about “soft landings” and a “temporary downturn.”
There’ll be no soft landings. This is the Big One; Real Estate Armageddon followed by a plague of locusts.
JUST LOOK AT THE NUMBERS! There’s a $10 trillion difference between the aggregate in 2000 and 2006; $4.5 trillion of that is new mortgage-debt! That’s more than a little “froth” as Greenspan likes to say. In an economy that’s currently growing at a feeble 1.6 percent, a plummeting housing market could pave the way for another (dare I say it?) Great Depression.
Ten trillion dollars! Some things are worth repeating.
First of all, if we compare our situation to what happened in Japan during the 1990s, we can expect that prices will continue to fall for years to come, perhaps, a decade or more. Many of the slower markets are already showing a decline of 10 percent to 20 percent. This is a trend that is likely to speed up dramatically in 2007 when $1 trillion in ARMs reset. That’s when we’ll begin to see a truly new phenomenon in the US, that is, people who’ve always been solid members of the middle class sliding downwards into the ranks of the working poor.
By 2008, if the present trend-lines persist, housing prices will probably drop to 25 percent to 30 percent of their 2005 value; diminishing equity value by approximately 45 percent to 50 percent for most homeowners.
If you own your home outright; you can sweat it out, but if you got into the market late; you’re toast. You’ll be joining the throng of mortgage-slaves who are shackled to loans that are significantly higher than the current value of their houses.
Imagine paying off a loan for $400,000 when your house has been reassessed at $250,000 or $300,000; that’ll be the reality for an estimated 30 million Americans. Meanwhile, inventory will continue to grow (already at an 8-month backlog), the economy will continue to contract, and the dollar will continue to weaken. (Many of the major home builders; Centex, Beazer and Toll Bros, are reporting that profits are down by nearly 65 percent.)
At the same time the Fed just issued another $10 billion in Treasury Bonds last week, raising the national debt to a mind-boggling $8.6 trillion. This loosey-goosey approach to printing fiat money and creating debt explains the recent surge in the markets. As “The Daily Reckoning’s” Richard Daughty says, the “bull market is manufactured from rampant government deficit-spending and financed by the Federal Reserve creating the money.”
Amen. Its all fluff and there's nothing to it. It's just loose money finding a temporary perch before the approaching squall. Don’t trust the smoke and mirrors. Behind the merriment and gusto, Wall Street analysts are expecting a collapse . . . and soon.
How soon, you ask?
Well, Daughty also notes that “revolving credit like credit card loans grew by $2.85 billion, or at an annual rate of 4.00 percent, to $857 billion.”
So, credit card debt is going up, which is an indication that the people who were siphoning money from their home equity have switched over to plastic. That’s a sure sign the writhing consumer-beast is in its last throes. The end is near.
Why Should I Care About Net Long-term Capital Inflows?
In another bit of disheartening news, the net long-term capital inflows fell short of what the US needs to cover the current account deficit. The inflows were only $65 billion when we need $70 billion to make ends meet. This is another way of saying that foreigners are no longer mopping up our red ink. Interestingly, foreign central banks are buying considerably fewer Treasuries; $9 billion in US securities and a paltry $8 billion in Treasury bonds.
What does it mean? It means that no one is dimwitted enough to buy our debt anymore, because we’re no longer a good risk.
That’s a very bad sign. Under different stewardship the "full faith and credit" of the US Treasury meant something. That's no longer true.
Also, according to Marketwatch, “US residents purchased a net $22.9 billion in foreign securities, up from $2.7 billion in August. Foreign holdings of dollar-denominated short-term securities, including Treasury bills, fell by $10.8 billion.”
Foreign investments are up $20 billion in one month? Are you kidding me?
So, the smart money is getting out of Dodge pronto; leaving the rest of us behind in a leaky canoe.
Thanks, Greenspan
Some of you may have seen Alexander Cockburn’s shocking article, “Lame Duck,” on Counterpunch. Cockburn refers to a report published by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) “a body set up under the purview of the British Treasury to monitor financial markets and protect the public interest by raising the alarm about shady practices and any dangerous slides towards instability.”
The report “Private Equity: A Discussion of Risk and Regulatory Engagement” states clearly: “Excessive leverage: The amount of credit that lenders are willing to extend on private equity transactions has risen substantially. This lending may not, in some circumstances, be entirely prudent. Given current levels and recent developments in the economic/credit cycle, the default of a large private equity backed company or a cluster of smaller private equity backed companies seems inevitable. This has negative implications for lenders, purchasers of the debt, orderly markets and conceivably, in extreme circumstances, financial stability and elements of the UK economy.”
The problem is even greater in the US where unregulated fractional lending has allowed banks to lend unlimited amounts of money on measly reserves. Hence, “the default of a large private equity company is inevitable.” The whole deregulated banking scam has turned the system into a Vegas-style “crap shoot” with no guarantees that you’ll ever see your money again. The same is true with the new-fangled investment “instruments” like hedge funds, which contain few tangible assets and more and more “collateralized debt.” That means that they depend heavily on the “worker bees” at the bottom of the economic Totem Pole, who are expected to continue making their payments even while the economy begins to swoon.
The present system is fraught with peril and likely to come crashing down in a heap. As Cockburn sagely notes, “The world’s credit system is a vast recycling bin of untraceable transactions of wildly inflated value.”
“Market transparency” has gone the way of the Dodo. The new “deregulated” markets are intentionally opaque so the medicine men and hucksters who designed them could fleece the public from the comfort of their Wall Street enclaves. No one should be too surprised that the whole rickety contraption is tilting towards the dumpster.
Happy Days in the Weimar Republic
So, what was the “Grand Plan” the Fed had in mind when they decided to anesthetize the American public with low interest rates and flood the planet with worthless green scrip?
Did they think that Bush would corner the oil market and, thus, force the rest of the world to take our anemic greenbacks? Or were they just planning to steal every last farthing from the American people before they loaded the boats and fled to more promising markets in Asia?
Or perhaps they were delusional enough to believe that really wonderful things would happen if they just kept tossing banknotes into the jet stream like New Year’s confetti?
Whatever the madcap rationale might have been, the country is now facing an agonizing wake-up call as the full effects of Greenspan’s tenure materialize and the stronghold of global consumerism deteriorates into Weimar USA.
In the long run, Greenspan’s treachery will loom larger then that of his “would-be” understudy, bin Laden. He put the country on the fast track to disaster.
Just watch as the “For Sale” signs go up on lawns across America in Dear Alan’s honor.
Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He can be reached at: fergiewhitney@msn.com.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Mike Whitney, Housing bubble smack-down
Lullabies
I don't know what my mother sings to put my niece to sleep, but it works. What would it be like to sing John Dowland songs as lullabies? Would the baby become melancholic? haha
Burst Forth My Teares
Burst forth my teares, assist my forward grief,
And show what pain imperious Love provokes.
Kind tender lambs, lament Love's scant relief,
And pine, since pensive Care my freedom yokes.
O pine, to see me pine, my tender flocks.
Sad pining Care, that never may have peace,
At Beauty's gate in hope of pity knocks;
But Mercy sleeps while deept Disdain increase,
And Beauty Hope in her fair bosom locks.
O grieve to hear my frief, my tender flocks.
Like to the winds my sighs have winged been;
Yet are my sighs and suits repaid with mocks;
I plead, yet she repineth at my teen.
O ruthless rigour harder than the rocks,
That both the shepherd kills, and his poor flocks
Come Away, Come Sweet Love
Come away , come sweet love
The golden morning breaks.
All the earth, all the air,
Of love and pleasure speaks:
Teach thine arms then to embrace,
And sweet
Rosy
Lips to kiss,
And mix our souls in mutual bliss.
Eyes were made for beauty's grace,
Viewing,
Rueing.
Love's long pain
Procur'd by beauty's rude disdain.
Come away , come sweet love,
The golden morning wastes,
While the sun from his spere,
His fiery arrows casts:
Making all the shadows fly,
Playing,
Staying
In the grove,
To entertain the stealth of love.
Thither sweet love let us hie,
Flying,
Dying
In desire,
Wing'd with sweet hopes and heav'nly fire.
Come away , come sweet love,
Do not in vain adorn
Beauty's grace , that should rise,
Like to the naked morn:
Lilies on the river's side,
And fair
Cyprian
Flow'rs new-blown.
Desire no beauties but their own.
Ornament is nurse of pride,
Pleasure
Measure
Love's delight:
Haste then sweet love our wished flight.
one library of traditional lullabies; another; third
Then again perhaps we are hardwired to find the voice of a female more soothing than that of a male...
Burst Forth My Teares
Burst forth my teares, assist my forward grief,
And show what pain imperious Love provokes.
Kind tender lambs, lament Love's scant relief,
And pine, since pensive Care my freedom yokes.
O pine, to see me pine, my tender flocks.
Sad pining Care, that never may have peace,
At Beauty's gate in hope of pity knocks;
But Mercy sleeps while deept Disdain increase,
And Beauty Hope in her fair bosom locks.
O grieve to hear my frief, my tender flocks.
Like to the winds my sighs have winged been;
Yet are my sighs and suits repaid with mocks;
I plead, yet she repineth at my teen.
O ruthless rigour harder than the rocks,
That both the shepherd kills, and his poor flocks
Come Away, Come Sweet Love
Come away , come sweet love
The golden morning breaks.
All the earth, all the air,
Of love and pleasure speaks:
Teach thine arms then to embrace,
And sweet
Rosy
Lips to kiss,
And mix our souls in mutual bliss.
Eyes were made for beauty's grace,
Viewing,
Rueing.
Love's long pain
Procur'd by beauty's rude disdain.
Come away , come sweet love,
The golden morning wastes,
While the sun from his spere,
His fiery arrows casts:
Making all the shadows fly,
Playing,
Staying
In the grove,
To entertain the stealth of love.
Thither sweet love let us hie,
Flying,
Dying
In desire,
Wing'd with sweet hopes and heav'nly fire.
Come away , come sweet love,
Do not in vain adorn
Beauty's grace , that should rise,
Like to the naked morn:
Lilies on the river's side,
And fair
Cyprian
Flow'rs new-blown.
Desire no beauties but their own.
Ornament is nurse of pride,
Pleasure
Measure
Love's delight:
Haste then sweet love our wished flight.
one library of traditional lullabies; another; third
Then again perhaps we are hardwired to find the voice of a female more soothing than that of a male...
Bruderhof Communities
Back from my Black Friday shopping
Ok I'm back from CompUSA--you can guess of what race the majority of people were this morning. Haha. It was like being in California. I heard that there were lines at Best Buy. Like I said, what other toys do men have besides consumer electronics? They may have hobbies, but I doubt there are lines at Home Depot or at an auto parts store. (I may be wrong.)
“ Vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes, vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas ”.
Guavajavalava invited me to sign up for Facebook... but I'm leaning towards declining because one cannot be anonymous on Facebook. All these other sites I maintain can be traced back to me, no doubt, but it will be a bit more difficult to find out who I am than looking me up on Facebook, and I am concerned that what I post on Facebook may be used against me by a future employer. Of course, I could just leave a rather empty page there, but then what's the point of opening an account? (Besides cyber-stalking.) I doubt Guava is reading this so I'll just have to send her an email.
Some thoughts from Marcus Aurelius, book 3 of the Meditations:
“ Vanitas vanitatum, dixit Ecclesiastes, vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas ”.
Guavajavalava invited me to sign up for Facebook... but I'm leaning towards declining because one cannot be anonymous on Facebook. All these other sites I maintain can be traced back to me, no doubt, but it will be a bit more difficult to find out who I am than looking me up on Facebook, and I am concerned that what I post on Facebook may be used against me by a future employer. Of course, I could just leave a rather empty page there, but then what's the point of opening an account? (Besides cyber-stalking.) I doubt Guava is reading this so I'll just have to send her an email.
Some thoughts from Marcus Aurelius, book 3 of the Meditations:
And a final piece of advice, for now:
If thou findest in human life anything better than justice, truth, temperance, fortitude, and, in a word, anything better than thy own mind's self-satisfaction in the things which it enables thee to do according to right reason, and in the condition that is assigned to thee without thy own choice; if, I say, thou seest anything better than this, turn to it with all thy soul, and enjoy that which thou hast found to be the best. But if nothing appears to be better than the deity which is planted in thee, which has subjected to itself all thy appetites, and carefully examines all the impressions, and, as Socrates said, has detached itself from the persuasions of sense, and has submitted itself to the gods, and cares for mankind; if thou findest everything else smaller and of less value than this, give place to nothing else, for if thou dost once diverge and incline to it, thou wilt no longer without distraction be able to give the preference to that good thing which is thy proper possession and thy own; for it is not right that anything of any other kind, such as praise from the many, or power, or enjoyment of pleasure, should come into competition with that which is rationally and politically or practically good. All these things, even though they may seem to adapt themselves to the better things in a small degree, obtain the superiority all at once, and carry us away. But do thou, I say, simply and freely choose the better, and hold to it.- But that which is useful is the better.- Well then, if it is useful to thee as a rational being, keep to it; but if it is only useful to thee as an animal, say so, and maintain thy judgement without arrogance: only take care that thou makest the inquiry by a sure method.
Never value anything as profitable to thyself which shall compel thee to break thy promise, to lose thy self-respect, to hate any man, to suspect, to curse, to act the hypocrite, to desire anything which needs walls and curtains: for he who has preferred to everything intelligence and daemon and the worship of its excellence, acts no tragic part, does not groan, will not need either solitude or much company; and, what is chief of all, he will live without either pursuing or flying from death; but whether for a longer or a shorter time he shall have the soul inclosed in the body, he cares not at all: for even if he must depart immediately, he will go as readily as if he were going to do anything else which can be done with decency and order; taking care of this only all through life, that his thoughts turn not away from anything which belongs to an intelligent animal and a member of a civil community.
In the mind of one who is chastened and purified thou wilt find no corrupt matter, nor impurity, nor any sore skinned over. Nor is his life incomplete when fate overtakes him, as one may say of an actor who leaves the stage before ending and finishing the play. Besides, there is in him nothing servile, nor affected, nor too closely bound to other things, nor yet detached from other things, nothing worthy of blame, nothing which seeks a hiding-place.
If thou workest at that which is before thee, following right reason seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to distract thee, but keeping thy divine part pure, as if thou shouldst be bound to give it back immediately; if thou holdest to this, expecting nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy present activity according to nature, and with heroic truth in every word and sound which thou utterest, thou wilt live happy. And there is no man who is able to prevent this.
Now that I've done a quick review
of some of the Catholic blogs I frequent...
The American Papist has a post on the condom report here. (Some of his links for the debate.)
Domenico Bettinelli notes that the Boston Globe has a feature on Sr. Olga Yaqob.
The American Papist has a post on the condom report here. (Some of his links for the debate.)
Domenico Bettinelli notes that the Boston Globe has a feature on Sr. Olga Yaqob.
Vatican 'health ministry' completes report on condoms for pope
I haven't seen much coverage of this in the Catholic blogosphere, but I haven't been passing through it much the past couple of days.
Vatican 'health ministry' completes report on condoms for pope
Tue Nov 21, 12:44 PM ET
VATICAN CITY (AFP) - The Vatican "health ministry" has completed a report on condoms requested by Pope Benedict XVI and handed it over to doctrinal authorities, a top cardinal said.
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan of Mexico, head of the Pontifical Council for Health, said the 100-page document gathers all of the Roman Catholic Church's positions on the subject, from the most liberal to the most conservative.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will study the document and convey its opinion to the pope to help him make a final decision on whether to maintain or modify the Church's absolute ban on using condoms.
The Vatican is opposed to all forms of contraception besides abstinence -- total or temporary -- and rejects condom use even to prevent the spread of diseases such as HIV-AIDS.
Some prelates argue that condom use could be condoned in certain specific cases such as for sex between a married couple in which one partner has been contaminated with the HIV virus through a blood transfusion.
Cardinal Barragan announced in April that Benedict had requested "a study on the specific problem of the use of the condom by people contaminated with AIDS and those suffering from an infectious disease."
At a news conference on Tuesday, Barragan presented the program of a three-day international conference on "pastoral aspects of treating infectious diseases" opening Thursday at the Vatican.
Black Friday
Most Americans know that the Friday after Thanksgiving is perhaps the biggest shopping day of the year, as Americans begin their shopping for Christmas. (What a way to get into the spirit of the season--of course, one of the other big shopping days is December 26.) Only tonight did I learn that the day has a special name, "Black Friday." What this name? Wikipedia gives two possible explanations, though I like the first because it is the first that came into my mind--retailers depend on sales from the (pre-)holiday shopping season to keep them in the black, and so on.
I don't do much shopping in stores much, relying on internet retailers (for good or for ill), but I will be going out today because of CompUSA. Their sale actually starts at 5 A.M., and I may try to stay up until then. I hope the streets of Brighton are safe at that time in the morning. Too bad there's no Fry's Electronics here.
KK has 5 stores to hit--Macys, Sears, JC Penny, Target, and... one more. It's a good thing WalMart didn't exist in Cupertino while we were growing up--I'd hate to be a WalMart kid, though I didn't mind being a KMart kid so much--not because of the clothes. With respect to its business practices, KMart may be no better than WalMart. KMart is noted for having the Jaclyn Smith collection. But as Miranda Priestly points out in The Devil Wears Prada, fashion trends make their way down from the trend-setters...
KK and the M.D. think of themselves as Target kids as well; I prefer being a Mervyns kid.
Having Asian feet, it is difficult for me to find shoes. Unfortunately, in general clothing retailers here in the U.S. don't really cater to Asian body types. KK recommended that I check out Rockport shoes... I may do that once I return to CA. DakarM likes Clarks. (UK) Now if I could only find shirts that would fit me well...
How many people will be up early trying to beat the crowds, only to find that there are crowds nonetheless? And how many people will be spending the day shopping? And how much money will be spent on useless things and junk? I was thinking the other day about furniture--and how much furniture and other usable items are thrown out when people move out. How we waste... There will be some money spent on clothing, of course, and clothing is useful, but they are products of the garment and fashion industries, which are not exactly well-ordered. Then there are the toys, not just toys for children, but toys for adults. Gaming consoles are gaining popularity with adults, and the stigma that used to be attached to them is disappearing (though I think it still exists with respect to computer games, though even that may be diminishing).
How we keep ourselves in an infantile state with the sort of diversions we choose. I don't want to say adolescent, because there is a healthy adolescence. It seems that children are drawn towards diversions that are aimed at the gratification of the senses and the passions and replace the use of the imagination with an electronically generated virtual reality, and even for them this is not healthy. Fr. Rutler came to OLP once and inveighed against computer games... while the computer game-makers have been able to attract some younger females to their games, it seems that they become less popular with women as they get older; I do not think there is a sizeable component of 20-something females among those who play console games--then again perhaps this is because console game-makers have not created products that would attract them. But it is more likely the case that electronic games do not have the same sort of pull that, say, a novel would have. How many women have lost boyfriends, husbands, shack-up partners to electronic gaming?
While it may be possible to turn gaming into a social activity by going into a 2-P mode--I remember those days at Christendom when the basement of St. Benedict's would go head-to-head against each other in Goldeneye--how does this compare to a pickup game of basketball or football? Certainly the latter is healthier for the body, despite those who would claim that gaming is good for eye-hand coordination and useful for training soldiers in a high-tech military. There may be some use to games that serve as battlefield simulators, but I wonder if these games are realistic enough and if they may not foster some bad habits as well. I don't see how such games can replace battle drills and flexible thinking in accordance with the principles of 3GW, and if they make for a very bad substitute, then the money spent on developing such games should be used instead on training.
(What about the weekly poker (or mah jong) game? I ponder whether I will find a poker circle in the future, or if I will pick up golfing. Probably not. Paintballing can be good exercise, but it's rather expensive. Has the New Scot started up his airsoft group? In previous centuries one would guess that the opportunity for recreation was rather limited for most people, though there were communal celebrations of feast days and such. But more on this in a separate post.)
It would be nice to save up a bundle of cash and head off to do some training with a friend at a place like Thunder Ranch.
I do purchase presents for Christmas--I try to buy items that are connected to our Lord, either explicitly or by promoting Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. However it may be difficult to do even the latter, since the gift needs to be proportioned to the recipient if that person is to enjoy it. (Unless one chooses strictly useful gifts.) These days though I wonder if there is any point to getting presents for people outside the family and the circle of close friends... especially if the virtue of gratitude seems to be missing. Does it give support to the secular holiday that has in the minds of many replaced the Feast Day of our Lord? What is the rationale in their mind for gift-giving, other than custom?
How do we Christians get our feast day back and communicate our reasons for joy to others other than giving presents? Celebrating with our families, especially with those members who are not Christian, is a priority.
(Almsgiving during Advent seems appropriate.)
What does our use of the word "happy" fail to capture in the Christian understanding of felix? I was thinking about it today, after the Lady Downstairs made a comment about Whom people were implicitly thanking in celebrating Thanksgiving--when feast days have been drained of any transcendental meaning, should Christians boycott them? What is the Christian response? What is the rational response, the logical response of Mr. Spock? Or is custom sufficient to demand that we celebrate as others celebrate? How do we say Merry Christmas to a non-believer without making a mockery of it, if we do not take the time to explain why this day is indeed a reason for us to be glad. It almost seems as if one should save Felix Nativitas(?) for our brothers and sisters in Christ and say "Happy Holidays" to everyone else...
Anti-Walmart sites
WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price
Wal-Mart Watch
Links to Anti-Wal-Mart Resources - HEL*MART™
Comprehensive anti-Wal-Mart info digest
Wake Up Wal-Mart
How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart - New York Times
Anti-WalMart and Pro-WalMart Groups and Websites
Uh, go Costco.
On CBS late night news...
Uh... there's a story on CBS news on older recruits--one is a 41yo woman with 3 grown children, another is a 42yo woman with 2 children--unbelievable. The army raised the maximum age for recruits to 42. This second woman has a son who is in the army and has been deployed to Iraq. Something is seriously messed up with the army and our civilian leadership. Being mentors for the teenage recruits? Life experience? What, the army is supposed to help provide that sort of guidance now? I'd rather see the army doing what it can to retain the older NCOs who know something about combat, instead of fooling around with social engineering.
I don't do much shopping in stores much, relying on internet retailers (for good or for ill), but I will be going out today because of CompUSA. Their sale actually starts at 5 A.M., and I may try to stay up until then. I hope the streets of Brighton are safe at that time in the morning. Too bad there's no Fry's Electronics here.
KK has 5 stores to hit--Macys, Sears, JC Penny, Target, and... one more. It's a good thing WalMart didn't exist in Cupertino while we were growing up--I'd hate to be a WalMart kid, though I didn't mind being a KMart kid so much--not because of the clothes. With respect to its business practices, KMart may be no better than WalMart. KMart is noted for having the Jaclyn Smith collection. But as Miranda Priestly points out in The Devil Wears Prada, fashion trends make their way down from the trend-setters...
KK and the M.D. think of themselves as Target kids as well; I prefer being a Mervyns kid.
Having Asian feet, it is difficult for me to find shoes. Unfortunately, in general clothing retailers here in the U.S. don't really cater to Asian body types. KK recommended that I check out Rockport shoes... I may do that once I return to CA. DakarM likes Clarks. (UK) Now if I could only find shirts that would fit me well...
How many people will be up early trying to beat the crowds, only to find that there are crowds nonetheless? And how many people will be spending the day shopping? And how much money will be spent on useless things and junk? I was thinking the other day about furniture--and how much furniture and other usable items are thrown out when people move out. How we waste... There will be some money spent on clothing, of course, and clothing is useful, but they are products of the garment and fashion industries, which are not exactly well-ordered. Then there are the toys, not just toys for children, but toys for adults. Gaming consoles are gaining popularity with adults, and the stigma that used to be attached to them is disappearing (though I think it still exists with respect to computer games, though even that may be diminishing).
How we keep ourselves in an infantile state with the sort of diversions we choose. I don't want to say adolescent, because there is a healthy adolescence. It seems that children are drawn towards diversions that are aimed at the gratification of the senses and the passions and replace the use of the imagination with an electronically generated virtual reality, and even for them this is not healthy. Fr. Rutler came to OLP once and inveighed against computer games... while the computer game-makers have been able to attract some younger females to their games, it seems that they become less popular with women as they get older; I do not think there is a sizeable component of 20-something females among those who play console games--then again perhaps this is because console game-makers have not created products that would attract them. But it is more likely the case that electronic games do not have the same sort of pull that, say, a novel would have. How many women have lost boyfriends, husbands, shack-up partners to electronic gaming?
While it may be possible to turn gaming into a social activity by going into a 2-P mode--I remember those days at Christendom when the basement of St. Benedict's would go head-to-head against each other in Goldeneye--how does this compare to a pickup game of basketball or football? Certainly the latter is healthier for the body, despite those who would claim that gaming is good for eye-hand coordination and useful for training soldiers in a high-tech military. There may be some use to games that serve as battlefield simulators, but I wonder if these games are realistic enough and if they may not foster some bad habits as well. I don't see how such games can replace battle drills and flexible thinking in accordance with the principles of 3GW, and if they make for a very bad substitute, then the money spent on developing such games should be used instead on training.
(What about the weekly poker (or mah jong) game? I ponder whether I will find a poker circle in the future, or if I will pick up golfing. Probably not. Paintballing can be good exercise, but it's rather expensive. Has the New Scot started up his airsoft group? In previous centuries one would guess that the opportunity for recreation was rather limited for most people, though there were communal celebrations of feast days and such. But more on this in a separate post.)
It would be nice to save up a bundle of cash and head off to do some training with a friend at a place like Thunder Ranch.
I do purchase presents for Christmas--I try to buy items that are connected to our Lord, either explicitly or by promoting Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. However it may be difficult to do even the latter, since the gift needs to be proportioned to the recipient if that person is to enjoy it. (Unless one chooses strictly useful gifts.) These days though I wonder if there is any point to getting presents for people outside the family and the circle of close friends... especially if the virtue of gratitude seems to be missing. Does it give support to the secular holiday that has in the minds of many replaced the Feast Day of our Lord? What is the rationale in their mind for gift-giving, other than custom?
How do we Christians get our feast day back and communicate our reasons for joy to others other than giving presents? Celebrating with our families, especially with those members who are not Christian, is a priority.
(Almsgiving during Advent seems appropriate.)
What does our use of the word "happy" fail to capture in the Christian understanding of felix? I was thinking about it today, after the Lady Downstairs made a comment about Whom people were implicitly thanking in celebrating Thanksgiving--when feast days have been drained of any transcendental meaning, should Christians boycott them? What is the Christian response? What is the rational response, the logical response of Mr. Spock? Or is custom sufficient to demand that we celebrate as others celebrate? How do we say Merry Christmas to a non-believer without making a mockery of it, if we do not take the time to explain why this day is indeed a reason for us to be glad. It almost seems as if one should save Felix Nativitas(?) for our brothers and sisters in Christ and say "Happy Holidays" to everyone else...
Anti-Walmart sites
WAL-MART: The High Cost of Low Price
Wal-Mart Watch
Links to Anti-Wal-Mart Resources - HEL*MART™
Comprehensive anti-Wal-Mart info digest
Wake Up Wal-Mart
How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart - New York Times
Anti-WalMart and Pro-WalMart Groups and Websites
Uh, go Costco.
On CBS late night news...
Uh... there's a story on CBS news on older recruits--one is a 41yo woman with 3 grown children, another is a 42yo woman with 2 children--unbelievable. The army raised the maximum age for recruits to 42. This second woman has a son who is in the army and has been deployed to Iraq. Something is seriously messed up with the army and our civilian leadership. Being mentors for the teenage recruits? Life experience? What, the army is supposed to help provide that sort of guidance now? I'd rather see the army doing what it can to retain the older NCOs who know something about combat, instead of fooling around with social engineering.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Anglican's Address to Benedict XVI
Anglican's Address to Benedict XVI
"Path to Unity Is Not an Easy One"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 23, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address of the primate of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, to Benedict XVI during the archbishop's visit today to the Holy See.
* * *
Your Holiness,
It gives me great pleasure to be able to greet you in this city, which was sanctified in the very early days of the Christian era by the ministry of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and from which so many of your predecessors have borne noble witness to the transforming Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Early in my ministry as Archbishop of Canterbury, I was able to visit your much loved and venerated predecessor, Pope John Paul II, and to bring to him the greetings of the worldwide Anglican family of churches of some eighty million Christians. Pope John Paul had inspired many throughout the world by his dedication to Christ, and, as you know, had won a special place in the hearts of many beyond the Roman Catholic Church by the compassion and steadfastness revealed in his ministry to all.
As we meet on this occasion, we are also recalling and celebrating the visit forty years ago of my predecessor Archbishop Michael Ramsey to Pope Paul VI, when this encounter between the leaders of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches initiated a process of reconciliation and friendship which has continued to this day. The ring that I wear today is the episcopal ring which Pope Paul gave to Archbishop Michael, this cross the gift from Pope John Paul II, symbolic of our shared commitment to work together for the full visible unity of the Christian family.
It is in that same fraternal spirit that I make this visit now, since the journey of friendship that they began is one that I believe that we should continue together. I have been heartened by the way in which from the very beginning of your ministry as Bishop of Rome, you have stressed the importance of ecumenism in your own ministry. If the Good News of Jesus Christ is to be fully proclaimed to a needy world, then the reconciliation of all Christians in the truth and love of God is a vital element for our witness.
I say this, conscious that the path to unity is not an easy one, and that disputes about how we apply the Gospel to the challenges thrown up by modem society can often obscure or even threaten the achievements of dialogue, common witness and service. In the modem world, no part of the Christian family acts without profound impact on our ecumenical partners; only a firm foundation of friendship in Christ will enable us to be honest in speaking to one another about those difficulties, and discerning a way forward which seeks to be wholly faithful to the charge laid upon us as disciples of Christ. I come here today, therefore, to celebrate the ongoing partnership between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, but also ready to hear and to understand the concerns which you will wish to share with me.
However, there is a task which is laid upon us both as pastors of the Christian family: to be advocates of reconciliation, justice and compassion in this world -- to be ambassadors for Christ -- and I am confident that an honest exchange of our concerns will not be allowed to eclipse what we can affirm and proclaim together -- the hope of salvation and healing found in the Grace and Love of God revealed in Christ.
[Original text: English]
Papal Address to Archbishop of Canterbury
Papal Address to Archbishop of Canterbury
"Hope That the Anglican Communion Will Remain Grounded in the Gospels"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 23, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI delivered today during his audience to the primate of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, England.
* * *
Your Grace,
Dear friends,
Grace and peace to you in the Lord Jesus Christ! Your visit here today brings to mind the important custom established by our predecessors in recent decades. It also reminds us of the much longer history of relations between the See of Rome and the See of Canterbury which began when Pope Gregory the Great sent Saint Augustine to the land of the Anglo-Saxons over 1400 years ago. I am happy today to welcome you and the distinguished delegation accompanying you. This is not our first meeting. Indeed, I was grateful for your presence, and that of other representatives of the Anglican Communion, at the funeral of Pope John Paul II, and again at the inauguration of my pontificate a year and a half ago.
Your visit to the Holy See coincides with the fortieth anniversary of the visit of the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Michael Ramsey, to Pope Paul VI. It was a visit filled with great promise, as the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church took steps towards initiating a dialogue about the questions to be addressed in the search for full visible unity.
There is much in our relations over the past forty years for which we must give thanks. The work of the theological dialogue commission has been a source of encouragement as matters of doctrine which have separated us in the past have been addressed. The friendship and good relations which exist in many places between Anglicans and Catholics have helped to create a new context in which our shared witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been nourished and advanced. The visits of Archbishops of Canterbury to the Holy See have served to strengthen those relations and have played an important role in addressing the obstacles which keep us apart. This tradition helped give rise to a constructive meeting of Anglican and Catholic bishops in Mississauga, Canada, in May 2000, when it was agreed to form a joint commission of bishops to discern appropriate ways to express in ecclesial life the progress which has already been made. For all of this, we give thanks to God.
In the present context, however, and especially in the secularized Western world, there are many negative influences and pressures which affect Christians and Christian communities. Over the last three years you have spoken openly about the strains and difficulties besetting the Anglican Communion and consequently about the uncertainty of the future of the Communion itself. Recent developments, especially concerning the ordained ministry and certain moral teachings, have affected not only internal relations within the Anglican Communion but also relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. We believe that these matters, which are presently under discussion within the Anglican Communion, are of vital importance to the preaching of the Gospel in its integrity, and that your current discussions will shape the future of our relations. It is to be hoped that the work of the theological dialogue, which had registered no small degree of agreement on these and other important theological matters, will continue [to] be taken seriously in your discernment. In these deliberations we accompany you with heartfelt prayer. It is our fervent hope that the Anglican Communion will remain grounded in the Gospels and the Apostolic Tradition which form our common patrimony and are the basis of our common aspiration to work for full visible unity.
The world needs our witness and the strength which comes from an undivided proclamation of the Gospel. The immense sufferings of the human family and the forms of injustice that adversely affect the lives of so many people constitute an urgent call for our shared witness and service. Precisely for this reason, and even amidst present difficulties, it is important that we continue our theological dialogue. I hope that your visit will assist in finding constructive ways forward in the current circumstances.
May the Lord continue to bless you and your family, and may he strengthen you in your ministry to the Anglican Communion!
[Original text: English]
© Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Joint Declaration of Benedict XVI and Rowan Williams
Joint Declaration of Benedict XVI and Rowan Williams
"Many Areas of Witness and Service in Which We Can Stand Together"
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 23, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is the Joint Declaration of the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and Benedict XVI, which they signed today in the Vatican.
* * *
COMMON DECLARATION
of Pope Benedict XVI and the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams
Forty years ago, our predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey, met together in this city sanctified by the ministry and the blood of the Apostles Peter and Paul. They began a new journey of reconciliation based on the Gospels and the ancient common traditions. Centuries of estrangement between Anglicans and Catholics were replaced by a new desire for partnership and co-operation, as the real but incomplete communion we share was rediscovered and affirmed. Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Ramsey undertook at that time to establish a dialogue in which matters which had been divisive in the past might be addressed from a fresh perspective with truth and love.
Since that meeting, the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion have entered into a process of fruitful dialogue, which has been marked by the discovery of significant elements of shared faith and a desire to give expression, through joint prayer, witness and service, to that which we hold in common. Over thirty-five years, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) has produced a number of important documents which seek to articulate the faith we share. In the ten years since the most recent Common Declaration was signed by the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the second phase of ARCIC has completed its mandate, with the publication of the documents "The Gift of Authority" (1999) and "Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ" (2005). We are grateful to the theologians who have prayed and worked together in the preparation of these texts, which await further study and reflection.
True ecumenism goes beyond theological dialogue; it touches our spiritual lives and our common witness. As our dialogue has developed, many Catholics and Anglicans have found in each other a love for Christ which invites us into practical co-operation and service. This fellowship in the service of Christ, experienced by many of our communities around the world, adds a further impetus to our relationship. The International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) has been engaged in an exploration of the appropriate ways in which our shared mission to proclaim new life in Christ to the world can be advanced and nurtured. Their report, which sets out both a summary of the central conclusions of ARCIC and makes proposals for growing together in mission and witness, has recently been completed and submitted for review to the Anglican Communion Office and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and we express our gratitude for their work.
In this fraternal visit, we celebrate the good which has come from these four decades of dialogue. We are grateful to God for the gifts of grace which have accompanied them. At the same time, our long journey together makes it necessary to acknowledge publicly the challenge represented by new developments which, besides being divisive for Anglicans, present serious obstacles to our ecumenical progress. It is a matter of urgency, therefore, that in renewing our commitment to pursue the path towards full visible communion in the truth and love of Christ, we also commit ourselves in our continuing dialogue to address the important issues involved in the emerging ecclesiological and ethical factors making that journey more difficult and arduous.
As Christian leaders facing the challenges of the new millennium, we affirm again our public commitment to the revelation of divine life uniquely set forth by God in the divinity and humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that it is through Christ and the means of salvation found in him that healing and reconciliation are offered to us and to the world.
There are many areas of witness and service in which we can stand together, and which indeed call for closer co-operation between us: the pursuit of peace in the Holy Land and in other parts of the world marred by conflict and the threat of terrorism; promoting respect for life from conception until natural death; protecting the sanctity of marriage and the well-being of children in the context of healthy family life; outreach to the poor, oppressed and the most vulnerable, especially those who are persecuted for their faith; addressing the negative effects of materialism; and care for creation and for our environment. We also commit ourselves to inter-religious dialogue through which we can jointly reach out to our non-Christian brothers and sisters.
Mindful of our forty years of dialogue, and of the witness of the holy men and women common to our traditions, including Mary the Theotókos, Saints Peter and Paul, Benedict, Gregory the Great, and Augustine of Canterbury, we pledge ourselves to more fervent prayer and a more dedicated endeavor to welcome and live by that truth into which the Spirit of the Lord wishes to lead his disciples (cf. Jn 16:13). Confident of the apostolic hope "that he who has begun this good work in you will bring it to completion" (cf. Phil 1:6), we believe that if we can together be God's instruments in calling all Christians to a deeper obedience to our Lord, we will also draw closer to each other, finding in his will the fullness of unity and common life to which he invites us.
From the Vatican, 23 November 2006
[Original text: English]
© Copyright 2006 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Mark Whittaker, Head for the hills - the new survivalists
Head for the hills - the new survivalists
by Mark Whittaker
Yes, so what do you do?
by Mark Whittaker
So what do you do when you're pretty sure that the end of the world as we know it is coming soon, but your girlfriend doesn't believe you? Sure, she might nod her head when you confront her with some of the gloomier facts, but then she shrugs and goes back to her pursuit of modern pleasures. She doesn't like it when you talk about it to other people, either. No one likes being told their hopes and dreams are about to turn to dust.
Yes, so what do you do?
Youtube
apparently deletes videos... not sure if it is after a certain time period, or if it is based on the number of viewings a video gets... alas it is very difficult (impossible?) to download videos from youtube...
Just remembered, people register accounts to upload material; I suppose they could be the ones who are deleting or are requesting deletes in order to make space in their accounts. If I wanted to know for sure I'd get an account, but I have no videos to upload.
The random thoughts one has at 4 in the morning...
Just remembered, people register accounts to upload material; I suppose they could be the ones who are deleting or are requesting deletes in order to make space in their accounts. If I wanted to know for sure I'd get an account, but I have no videos to upload.
The random thoughts one has at 4 in the morning...
Tokyo Love Story
Vid with complete song, snippets of ending
If I had time I would watch the series, since I have not seen it all the way through--I may have caught the last episode. But iirc, I did read a synopsis somewhere online, and I was left with the impression that there was fornication between the characters, in the name of "relationship."
If I had time I would watch the series, since I have not seen it all the way through--I may have caught the last episode. But iirc, I did read a synopsis somewhere online, and I was left with the impression that there was fornication between the characters, in the name of "relationship."
Yukie Nakama vids
search results
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AU CM
Pocky CM
Alegretto
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WONDA CM
Aoitori
Tooi Hi No Merody
Makenai Ai Ga Kitto Aru
Another Shiseido
Nissin
search results for Shiseido
Kakutei Sinkoku CM
AU CM
Pocky CM
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Another Shiseido
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search results for Shiseido
Varia, 23 November 2006
Culture - Nov. 22, 2006
Employees of Korea Yakult make kimchi for the poor as the kimjang or kimchi-making season gets underway, in front of Busan City Hall on Tuesday.
Remains of war dead: Members of a military honor guard carry the newly recovered remains of South Korean war dead to entomb at the National Cemetery in Tongjak-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. The military retrieved the remains of 175 people in the second half of this year, but honored only 28, excluding 83 believed to be North Koreans. The remains of the remaining 64 have not been identified. /Korea Times 11-21-2006 20:48
Posingak Bell: Citizens ring Posingak Bell together in central Seoul on Tuesday in a ceremony that took place for the first time in 110 years since it was abolished in 1895. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will carry out the bell ringing ceremony every noon from today. / The Korea Times 11-21-2006 20:47
National - Nov. 21, 2006
The renovation and move of the Gwanghwamun or main gate to the Gyeongbok Palace is in full swing on Monday. It will be dismantled by March next year and then reconstructed 14.5 m to the south, its original location, by December 2009. The gate was first built in 1395, torched during the Japanese invasion of 1592, then rebuilt by Regent Heungseon, the father of King Gojong in 1864, and moved under orders from the Japanese governor-general in 1927. It was burned down again during the Korean War, and rebuilt with reinforced concrete in 1969./Yonhap
Cambodian dancers hold a cultural performance at the opening ceremony for the Kyongju-Angkor World Culture Expo 2006 in Siem Reap in Cambodia on Tuesday. The exhibition will feature two pavilions showing off the best of Cambodian and South Korean culture. / Yonhap 11-21-2006 18:32
Business - Nov. 21, 2006
Models dressed in flight attendant uniforms stand holding the newspaper saying “Do you believe, 17 miles?” in Seosomun-ro, Seoul on Monday as part of a teaser ad for a communications company. The point of the ad becomes clear on Tuesday.
National - Nov. 20, 2006
Some 3,000 Asian fans wait in line before a concert celebrating the actor Song Seung-hun's discharge from military service at a stadium in Seoul on Sunday./Yonhap
Hallyu star fresh out of Army: Actor Song Seung-heon, left, salutes his fans after being discharged from military service on Wednesday morning in Hwachon, Kangwon Province. Groups of Song’s foreign fans from other Asian countries, including Hong Kong, top right, and Japan, gathered in the remote village to see Song mustered out and celebrate. /Yonhap 11-15-2006 20:49
Business - Nov. 20, 2006
Dongfeng Yueda Kia, Kia Motors' partnership in China, unveils the Pride (named Rio there) at the 2006 Beijing Motor Show on Saturday./Newsis
photo
Fancy corkscrews: Lotte managers look at the display of colorful wine openers designed by world-renowned Italian architect Alessandro Mendini at the Lotte department store in Sogong-dong, downtown Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap 11-20-2006 20:01
Culture - Nov. 20, 2006
Super-mini handbags are on display at Lotte Department Store in Jamsil, Seoul, during an event promoting leading brands to celebrate its 18th anniversary on Sunday./Newsis
Kimchi for the elderly: Sebastian Arcuri, third from right, HSBC senior vice president, and other employees dressed in Santa Claus costumes prepare kimchi for the elderly at nursing homes during a charity event held in front of the bank’s headquarters in central Seoul, Sunday. /Courtesy of HSBC 11-19-2006 22:08
APEC leaders wrapping up summit: Leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific economies pose for a photograph wearing traditional Vietnamese “ao dai” clothes at the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sunday (Nov. 19). South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, left in the back row, and other leaders called for the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear program. 11-19-2006 19:41
National - Nov. 17, 2006
High school students bow to their seniors to wish them luck before the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) at Chuncheon High School in Gangwon Province.
Change of command: Adm. Song Young-moo, center, new chief of Naval Operations, and outgoing Navy Chief Nam Hae-il, right, inspect a guard of honor at the change-of-command ceremony at the Kyeryongdae military compound in South Chungchong Province, Friday. / Korea Times 11-17-2006 17:53
Business - Nov. 17, 2006
Samsung Electronics launches the phone Drift (SPH-A503) with mobile virtual network operator Helio, an affiliate of SK Telecom, in the U.S. on Thursday./Newsis
Culture - Nov. 17, 2006
A team makes a dish in a fusion kimchi cooking contest as part of the 2006 Gwangju Kimchi Festival that kicked off Thursday at the Yeomju Sports Complex in Gwangju.
Front - Nov. 17, 2006
Models show off wearable IT devices during the Next Generation Computing Conference 2006 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday./Newsis
National - Nov. 16, 2006
photo
Skiers in Yongpyeong Ski Resort in Gangwon Province enjoy the winter landscape from their lift on Wednesday, when a heavy snowfall warning was in force in some parts of the province.
Culture - Nov. 15, 2006
Asiana Airlines crew sort through donations for UNICEF. Asiana started the collections on flights back in 1994, and has taken in W3 billion (US$1=W937) so far.
Students check examination venues for the College Scholastic Ability Test at Yoido Girl’s High School in Seoul, Wednesday. The college entrance exam will take place nationwide today. / Korea Times 11-15-2006 21:04
Best Korean beef: Consumers taste the best of North Cholla Province’s Korean beef approved by the Korea Animal Improvement Association at the Agro-Trade Exhibition Center in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, Wednesday./ Yonhap 11-15-2006 20:59
Front - Nov. 15, 2006
photo
Two women take a picture of Seoul under the autumn sky at Mt. Namsan on Tuesday.
Front - Nov. 14, 2006
Shoppers try on winter hats at a stall in Myeongdong, Seoul on Tuesday amid news of an impending cold snap.
Smart phone: A model demonstrates a slim smart phone of Samsung Electronics, with the moniker of Samsung Black- Jack, Tuesday. Samsung plans to market the model empowered by the high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) network in the United States this week through Cingular Wireless. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics 11-14-2006 20:26
BMW-LG alliance: A model demonstrates LG Electronics’ Shine Phone, a premium mobile phone, and BMW’s 7-series sedan simultaneously, in a joint marketing project by the two companies. /Yonhap 11-14-2006 20:35
Kim Yu-na Claims First Figure-Skating Senior Title
Michelle Wie Gets Another Shot at Tourney Against Men
The Secrets of A Movie Star's Hair
Singer's Sexy Getup Shocks Again
Skating Star Comes Home
photos: 1, 2, 3
Turning Heads Make Skirts Rise
Sweater Dresses, Leggings for This Winter
21 Choson Paintings Return to Korea
Employees of Korea Yakult make kimchi for the poor as the kimjang or kimchi-making season gets underway, in front of Busan City Hall on Tuesday.
Remains of war dead: Members of a military honor guard carry the newly recovered remains of South Korean war dead to entomb at the National Cemetery in Tongjak-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. The military retrieved the remains of 175 people in the second half of this year, but honored only 28, excluding 83 believed to be North Koreans. The remains of the remaining 64 have not been identified. /Korea Times 11-21-2006 20:48
Posingak Bell: Citizens ring Posingak Bell together in central Seoul on Tuesday in a ceremony that took place for the first time in 110 years since it was abolished in 1895. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will carry out the bell ringing ceremony every noon from today. / The Korea Times 11-21-2006 20:47
National - Nov. 21, 2006
The renovation and move of the Gwanghwamun or main gate to the Gyeongbok Palace is in full swing on Monday. It will be dismantled by March next year and then reconstructed 14.5 m to the south, its original location, by December 2009. The gate was first built in 1395, torched during the Japanese invasion of 1592, then rebuilt by Regent Heungseon, the father of King Gojong in 1864, and moved under orders from the Japanese governor-general in 1927. It was burned down again during the Korean War, and rebuilt with reinforced concrete in 1969./Yonhap
Cambodian dancers hold a cultural performance at the opening ceremony for the Kyongju-Angkor World Culture Expo 2006 in Siem Reap in Cambodia on Tuesday. The exhibition will feature two pavilions showing off the best of Cambodian and South Korean culture. / Yonhap 11-21-2006 18:32
Business - Nov. 21, 2006
Models dressed in flight attendant uniforms stand holding the newspaper saying “Do you believe, 17 miles?” in Seosomun-ro, Seoul on Monday as part of a teaser ad for a communications company. The point of the ad becomes clear on Tuesday.
National - Nov. 20, 2006
Some 3,000 Asian fans wait in line before a concert celebrating the actor Song Seung-hun's discharge from military service at a stadium in Seoul on Sunday./Yonhap
Hallyu star fresh out of Army: Actor Song Seung-heon, left, salutes his fans after being discharged from military service on Wednesday morning in Hwachon, Kangwon Province. Groups of Song’s foreign fans from other Asian countries, including Hong Kong, top right, and Japan, gathered in the remote village to see Song mustered out and celebrate. /Yonhap 11-15-2006 20:49
Business - Nov. 20, 2006
Dongfeng Yueda Kia, Kia Motors' partnership in China, unveils the Pride (named Rio there) at the 2006 Beijing Motor Show on Saturday./Newsis
photo
Fancy corkscrews: Lotte managers look at the display of colorful wine openers designed by world-renowned Italian architect Alessandro Mendini at the Lotte department store in Sogong-dong, downtown Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap 11-20-2006 20:01
Culture - Nov. 20, 2006
Super-mini handbags are on display at Lotte Department Store in Jamsil, Seoul, during an event promoting leading brands to celebrate its 18th anniversary on Sunday./Newsis
Kimchi for the elderly: Sebastian Arcuri, third from right, HSBC senior vice president, and other employees dressed in Santa Claus costumes prepare kimchi for the elderly at nursing homes during a charity event held in front of the bank’s headquarters in central Seoul, Sunday. /Courtesy of HSBC 11-19-2006 22:08
APEC leaders wrapping up summit: Leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific economies pose for a photograph wearing traditional Vietnamese “ao dai” clothes at the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sunday (Nov. 19). South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, left in the back row, and other leaders called for the dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear program. 11-19-2006 19:41
National - Nov. 17, 2006
High school students bow to their seniors to wish them luck before the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) at Chuncheon High School in Gangwon Province.
Change of command: Adm. Song Young-moo, center, new chief of Naval Operations, and outgoing Navy Chief Nam Hae-il, right, inspect a guard of honor at the change-of-command ceremony at the Kyeryongdae military compound in South Chungchong Province, Friday. / Korea Times 11-17-2006 17:53
Business - Nov. 17, 2006
Samsung Electronics launches the phone Drift (SPH-A503) with mobile virtual network operator Helio, an affiliate of SK Telecom, in the U.S. on Thursday./Newsis
Culture - Nov. 17, 2006
A team makes a dish in a fusion kimchi cooking contest as part of the 2006 Gwangju Kimchi Festival that kicked off Thursday at the Yeomju Sports Complex in Gwangju.
Front - Nov. 17, 2006
Models show off wearable IT devices during the Next Generation Computing Conference 2006 at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province on Thursday./Newsis
National - Nov. 16, 2006
photo
Skiers in Yongpyeong Ski Resort in Gangwon Province enjoy the winter landscape from their lift on Wednesday, when a heavy snowfall warning was in force in some parts of the province.
Culture - Nov. 15, 2006
Asiana Airlines crew sort through donations for UNICEF. Asiana started the collections on flights back in 1994, and has taken in W3 billion (US$1=W937) so far.
Students check examination venues for the College Scholastic Ability Test at Yoido Girl’s High School in Seoul, Wednesday. The college entrance exam will take place nationwide today. / Korea Times 11-15-2006 21:04
Best Korean beef: Consumers taste the best of North Cholla Province’s Korean beef approved by the Korea Animal Improvement Association at the Agro-Trade Exhibition Center in Yangjae-dong, Seoul, Wednesday./ Yonhap 11-15-2006 20:59
Front - Nov. 15, 2006
photo
Two women take a picture of Seoul under the autumn sky at Mt. Namsan on Tuesday.
Front - Nov. 14, 2006
Shoppers try on winter hats at a stall in Myeongdong, Seoul on Tuesday amid news of an impending cold snap.
Smart phone: A model demonstrates a slim smart phone of Samsung Electronics, with the moniker of Samsung Black- Jack, Tuesday. Samsung plans to market the model empowered by the high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) network in the United States this week through Cingular Wireless. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics 11-14-2006 20:26
BMW-LG alliance: A model demonstrates LG Electronics’ Shine Phone, a premium mobile phone, and BMW’s 7-series sedan simultaneously, in a joint marketing project by the two companies. /Yonhap 11-14-2006 20:35
Kim Yu-na Claims First Figure-Skating Senior Title
Michelle Wie Gets Another Shot at Tourney Against Men
The Secrets of A Movie Star's Hair
Singer's Sexy Getup Shocks Again
The second performance is fueling criticism. One irate Internet user posted opinion on the MBC’s audience notice board saying, “How can she come out on stage with those embarrassing, indecent clothes. Did she really have to come dressed in clothes that women might have worn in the 70s or 80s in cheap bars, and on a public channel, when families were watching?” Another Netizen admitted to feeling “very embarrassed” watching the display with his parents. “This is Korea. Why doesn’t she go and live in America?” he added. Related articles on major portal sites like Naver were flooded with replies condemning her getup.Sigh. They might think they're liberated, but women who feel they have to prove that they can still be "sexy" even when they are older are simply making it worse for all women, not better. Uhm Jung Hwa isn't new to scandal, but she should really grow up and learn what it means to be a lady. Alas, many still admire her for her brashness and personality.
Skating Star Comes Home
photos: 1, 2, 3
Turning Heads Make Skirts Rise
Sweater Dresses, Leggings for This Winter
21 Choson Paintings Return to Korea
Pope St. Clement I, November 23
source
CE
Women for Faith and Family
ST CLEMENT, POPE, MARTYR (A.D. 100)Source
Feast: November 23
[See Tillemont, t. ii. p. 162; Ceillier, Wake, Pagi ad an. 100, n. 2. Schelstrate, Ant. Illustr. Diss. 3, c. 2, p. 340. Adnotatores in Anast. Bibl. t. ii. p. 55, ed. an. 1723. Orsi, t. i. lib. ii.]
St Clement, the son of Faustinus, a Roman by birth, was of Jewish extraction; for he tells us himself that he was of the race of Jacob. He was converted to the faith by St. Peter or St. Paul, and was so constant in his attendance on these apostles, and so active in assisting them in their ministry, that St. Jerome and other fathers call him an apostolic man; St. Clement of Alexandria styles him an apostle; and Rufinus, almost an apostle. Some authors attribute his conversion to St. Peter, whom he met at Cesarea with St. Barnabas; but he attended St. Paul at Philippi in 62, and shared in his sufferings there. We are assured by St. Chrysostom that he was a companion of the latter, with SS. Luke and Timothy, in many of his apostolic journeys, labours, and dangers. St. Paul (Phil. iv, 3) calls him his fellow-labourer, and ranks him among those whose names are written in the book of life; a privilege and matter of joy far beyond the power of commanding devils. (Luke x. 17) St. Clement followed St. Paul to Rome, where he also heard St. Peter preach, and was instructed in his school, as St. Irenaeus and Pope Zosimus testify. Tertullian tells us that St. Peter ordained him bishop, by which some understand that he made him a bishop of nations, to preach the gospel in many countries; others, with Epiphanius, that he made him his vicar at Rome, with an episcopal character to govern that church during his absence in his frequent missions. Others suppose he might at first be made bishop of the Jewish church in that city. After the martyrdom of SS. Peter and Paul, St. Linus was appointed Bishop of Rome, and after eleven years, succeeded by St. Cletus. Upon his demise in 89, or rather in 91, St. Clement was placed in the apostolic chair. According to the Liberian Calendar he sat nine years, eleven months, and twenty days.
At Corinth, an impious and detestable division, as our saint called it, happened amongst the faithful, like that which St. Paul had appeased in the same church; and a party rebelled against holy and irreproachable priests and presumed to depose them. It seems to have been soon after the death of Domitian in 96, that St. Clement, in the name of the church of Rome, wrote to them his excellent epistle, a piece highly extolled and esteemed in the primitive church as an admirable work, as Eusebius calls it. It was placed in rank next to the canonical books of the holy scriptures, and with them read in the churches. Whence it was found in the very ancient Alexandrian manuscript copy of the Bible, which Cyril Lucaris sent to our King James I, from which Patrick Young, the learned keeper of that king's library, published it at Oxford in 1633. St. Clement begins his letter by conciliating the benevolence of those who were at variance, tenderly putting them in mind how edifying their behaviour was when they were all humble-minded, not boasting of anything, desiring rather to be subject than to govern, to give than to receive, content with the portion God had dispensed to them, listening diligently to his word, having an insatiable desire of doing good, and a plentiful effusion of the Holy Ghost upon all of them. At that time they were sincere, without offence, not mindful of injuries, and all sedition and schism was an abomination to them. The saint laments that they had then forsaken the fear of the Lord, and were fallen into pride, envy, strife, and sedition; and pathetically exhorts them to lay aside all pride and anger, for Christ is theirs who are humble and not theirs who exalt themselves. The sceptre of the majesty of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, came not in the show of pride, though he could have done so; but with humility. He bids them look up to the Creator of the world, and think how gentle and patient he is towards his whole creation; also with what peace it all obeys his will, and the heavens, earth, impassable ocean, and worlds beyond it, are governed by the commends of this great master. Considering how near God is to us, and that none of our thoughts are hid from him, how ought we never to do anything contrary to his will, and honour them who are set over us! showing with a sincere affection of meekness, and manifesting the government of our tongues by a love of silence. "Let your children," says the saint, "be bred up in the instruction of the Lord, and learn how great a power humility has with God, how much a pure and holy charity avails with him, and how excellent and great his fear is."
It appears by what follows, that some at Corinth boggled at the belief of a resurrection of the flesh, which the saint beautifully shows to be easy to the Almighty power, and illustrates by the vine which sheds its leaves, then buds, spreads its leaves, flowers, and afterwards produces first sour grapes, then ripe fruit; by the morning rising from night; and corn brought forth from seed. The saint adds a strong exhortation to shake off all sluggishness and laziness, for it is only the good workman who receives the bread of his labour. "We must hasten," says he, "with all earnestness and readiness of mind, to perfect every good work, labouring with cheerfulness; for even the Creator and Lord of all things rejoices in his own works." The latter part of this epistle is a pathetic recommendation of humility, peace, and charity. "Let every one," says the saint, "be subject to another, according to the order in which he is placed by the gift of God. Let not the strong man neglect the care of the weak; let the weak see that he reverence the strong. Let the rich man distribute to the necessity of the poor, and let the poor bless God who give :h him one to supply his want. Let the wise man show forth his wisdom, not in words, but in good works. Let him that is humble, never speak of himself, or make show of his actions. Let him that is pure in the flesh, not grow proud of it, knowing that it was another who gave him the gift of continence. They who are great cannot yet subsist without those that are little; nor the little without the great. In our body, the head without the feet is nothing; neither the feet without the head. And the smallest members of our body are yet both necessary and useful to the whole." Thus the saint teaches that the lowest in the church may be the greatest before God, if they are most faithful in the discharge of their respective duties. St. Clement puts pastors and superiors in mind that, with trembling and humility, they should have nothing but the fear of God in view, and take no pleasure in their own power and authority. "Let us," says he, "pray for all such as fall into any trouble or distress; that being endued with humility and moderation, they may submit, not to us, but to the will of God." Fortunatus, who is mentioned by St. Paul, was come from the church of Corinth to Rome, to inform that holy see of their unhappy schism. St. Clement says, he had dispatched four messengers to Corinth with him, and adds, "Send them back to us again with all speed in peace and joy, that they may the sooner acquaint us with your peace and concord, so much prayed for and desired by us; and that we may rejoice in your good order."
We have a large fragment of a second epistle of St. Clement to the Corinthians, found in the same Alexandrian manuscript of the Bible; from which circumstance it appears to have been also read like the former in many churches, which St. Dionysius of Corinth expressly testifies of that church, though it was not so celebrated among the ancients as the other. In it our saint exhorts the faithful to despise this world and its false enjoyments, and to have those which are promised us always before our eyes; to pursue virtue with all our strength, and its peace will follow us with the inexpressible delights of the promise of what is to come. The necessity of perfectly subduing both the irascible and concupiscible passions of our souls, he lays down as the foundation of a Christian life, in words which St. Clement of Alexandria enforces and illustrates. Besides these letters of St. Clement to the Corinthians, two others have been lately discovered, which are addressed to spiritual eunuchs or virgins. Of these St. Jerome speaks, when he says of certain epistles of St. Clement, "In the epistles which Clement, the successor of the Apostle Peter, wrote to them, that is, to such eunuchs, almost his whole discourse turns upon the excellence of virginity." These two letters were found in a manuscript copy of a Syriac New Testament, by John James Westein, in 1752, and printed by him with a Latin translation at Amsterdam in 1752, and again in 1757. A French translation of them has been published, with short critical notes. These letters are not unworthy this great disciple of St. Peter; and in them the counsels of St. Paul concerning celibacy and virginity are explained, that state is pathetically recommended, without prejudice to the honour due to the holy state of marriage; and the necessity of shunning all familiarity with persons of a different sex, and the like occasions of incontinence is set in a true light.
St. Clement with patience and prudence got through the persecution of Domitian. Nerva's peaceable reign being very short, the tempest increased under Trajan, who, even from the beginning of his reign, never allowed the Christian assemblies. It was in the year 100 that the third general persecution was raised by him, which was the more afflicting, as this reign was in other respects generally famed for justice and moderation. Rufin, Pope Zosimus, and the council of Bazas in 452, expressly styles St. Clement a martyr. In the ancient canon of the Roman mass, he is ranked among the martyrs. Eusebius tells us, that St. Clement departed this life in the third year of Trajan, of Christ 100. From this expression some will have it that he died a natural death; but St. Clement says of St. Paul, who certainly died a martyr, that "he departed out of the world."[1] It is also objected, that St. Irenaeus gives the title of martyr only to St. Telesphorus among the popes before St. Eleutherius. But it is certain that some others were martyrs, whatever was the cause of his omission. St. Irenaeus mentions the epistle of St. Clement yet omits those of St. Ignatius, though in some places he quotes him. Shall we hence argue, that St. Ignatius wrote none? When the Emperor Lewis Debonnair founded the great abbey of Cava, in Abruzzo, four miles from Slaerno, in 872, he enriched it with the relics of St. Clement, pope and martyr, which Pope Adrian sent him, as is related at length in the chronicle of that abbey, with a history of many miracles. These relics remain there to this day. The ancient Church of St. Clement in Rome, in which St. Gregory the Great preached several of his homilies, still retains part of his relics. It was repaired by Clement XI, but still shows entire the old structure of Christian churches, divided into three parts: the narthex, the ambo, and the sanctuary.
St. Clement inculcates,[2] that the spirit of Christianity is a spirit of perfect disengagement from the things of this world. "We must," says he, "look upon all the things of this world, as none of ours, and not desire them. This world and that to come are two enemies. We cannot, therefore, be friends to both; but we must resolve which we would forsake, and which we would enjoy. And we think, that it is better to hate the present things, as little, short-lived, and corruptible; and to love those which are to come, which are truly good and incorruptible. Let us contend with all earnestness, knowing that we are now called to the combat. Let us run in the straight road, the race that is incorruptible. This is what Christ saith: keep your bodies pure and your souls without spot, that ye may receive eternal life."
Endnotes
1 Ep. ad Cor. c. v.
2 Ep. 2, ad Cor. n. 5,6.
(Taken from Vol. III of "The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints" by the Rev. Alban Butler.)
His First Epistle
Basilica San Clemente
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Muscle-Building Exercise Gains Popularity among Women
Muscle-Building Exercise Gains Popularity among Women
The word “bodybuilding” invokes images of the rippling, bulging abs and pecs of he-men like Kwon Sang-woo. But in reality, the trend towards muscle building is spreading most virulently among women in their 20s or 30s, statistics suggest. Analysis of the sales of sports equipment used to build muscle -- dumbbells, chest press machines and benches -- by online marketplace Auction over the last two years found a 75-percent increase in women customers compared to 58 percent among men. In particular, purchases by women in their 30s saw a 153 percent increase from two years ago, the highest among both genders. Women in their 20s also showed much interest in muscles.
Products like dietary supplements also saw a higher sales increase rates among women (133 percent) than men (85 percent) during the last two years. Auction says the hunger for slim bodies and growing awareness that doing both aerobic exercise and muscle exercise is most effective for being in good shape means women who just used to run on the treadmills have started to move on to muscle exercise.
Among dumbbells, which women use the most, the trend is toward heavier ones. “Woman account for more than 70 percent of customers who purchase dumbbells,” says Son Jae-gyeong (37), who sells sports equipment in the Power Sports section on the Auction site. “A couple of years ago, women usually bought 1-2 kg dumbbells, but recently models weighing more than 3 kg are selling well.” Internet shopping sites have come up with various ideas to pique women’s interest in sports equipment. For example, when they open clothes sales, they try to flog sports equipment as well. One ad reads, “If you want to be slim, you have to work out.” The increasing purchasing power of women is reflected in the speed with which companies grasp women’s purchasing inclinations and reflect it in their marketing.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
Another SK trend echoing what has been happening here in the U.S.?
While it is good to have muscles and be in shape, when it is done for the sake of vanity and not for any practical usefulness... what are we to say of this?
Doing all of this exercise just to look good for others or to have a "healthy" sense of self-worth, when normally one is rather slothful and incapable of doing anything substantial for one's self... what would the ancients make of this mix of excessive devotion to exercise with softness in character?
When Children Abuse Their Mothers
When Children Abuse Their Mothers
Forget child abuse: more and more Korean children abuse their own mothers, swearing at, hitting and kicking them. Most are boys, from preschoolers to those in fifth and sixth grades in elementary school and junior high school students. Anything can set them off, from being ordered to stop playing computer games to being told to eat. The language they use is foul, including threats to kill their mother, and some spit and even beat their mothers black and blue. Throwing books or CDs is commonplace. Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital finds that one-third of its 1,060 patients in child and adolescent psychiatry over the last two months were admitted for violence against their mother. Even two or three years ago, this was unheard of.
Samsung Medical Center’s child psychology unit in Seoul saw 585 of 1,010 patients over the last two months for behavioral disorders and emotional disturbance. The major reason for admission was extreme defiance of their mothers and behavioral problems. Lee, who has a son in junior high school, came here after she was beaten by her son to the point where she got bruises on her face. Introvert and rarely expressing his feelings verbally, the son vented his suppressed anger at his mother whenever he was bullied by friends at school, who often took things away from him. It has been almost a year since her son started behaving that way, but the last straw came when he hit his mother in the face for refusing to buy him a CD player. The boy was hospitalized for a month and the mother, whose self-esteem was completely crushed, also had to get treatment.
At a children's counseling center in Gangnam, Seoul, Min-su (not his real name) a second-grader, is being treated. He talks to himself: "What's this?", "Shut your mouth!" and hits a doll hard. He throws things at his mother and kicks and bites her when she does not take care of him when he wakes up in the morning. His violent behavior started causing problems at school as well.
Why do these children turn on their mothers? Experts say the phenomenon is uniquely Korean. Shin Yee-jin, a psychiatrist at Yonsei University, said, "Abroad, teenagers engage in violence and problematic behavior mostly outside their home, but here in Korea, they do so at home and particularly against their mother. We are considering whether to classify such behavior as separate from ordinary teenage delinquency and violence.” Ahn Dong-hyun, a professor of psychiatry at Hanyang University, says mothers believe they are doing their best to take care of and support their children, but children respond “Am I your doll?” or “You do this just because you want to; I never asked you.” “It is because they suffer a defiance disorder and need to be treated appropriately,” he adds.
Mothers are the victims but also the cause. What is common to children who use violence against their mothers is excessive intervention by the mother in the life of their children. "Children who beat their mother in most cases come from families where the relationship between mother and father is closed,” psychiatrist Park Jin-saeng said. "When the father is the sole breadwinner and the mother is completely in charge of taking care of and educating the child, the mother often tends to control her child's everyday affairs, starting from study to friends and even the color of socks he or she wears.”
Korean society is not ready to address the problem. Mothers are ashamed to make their suffering public. Often they don't even tell their husband about it. Jo Hye-jung, a professor of sociology at Yonsei University, said, "There are children who use violence against their own mother in a normal middle class families, but such cases are not made public to save face and avoid problems with their child's education.” There are no statistics to show how often such cases occur. Thirteen counseling centers under the Seoul City educational authority have received 66,516 cases between the beginning of this year and October, and 24,573 of those were about family, violence and personality problems. A considerable number of them concerned violence against family members.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
Valid instances of the mother suffocating the personality and development of the child?
Photos: Grace Park
Watcher and KK both think she's hot (their words, not mine), and DakarM as well... my sister even suggested (in jest) that I find someone like her. Miss Park plays Sharon Valerii, "Boomer" on the new Battlestar Galactica, and happens to be one of the cylon "androids"... (not sure if that is the correct term). Eh, not going to bother to find out if it's right, perhaps someone else can correct me.
BSG official website; BSG wiki; wiki entry for BSG
Interviews:
galactica2003.net
scifiworld.net
ign (another)
graceparknews.com
Grace Park sites
more wp
xenite.org
gracepark.tk
Not to be confused with the golfer Grace Park.
Interview with Miss Park, the golfer. Her official website.
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