Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Friday, 3 July 2009
Frank!
I'm finding Benjamin Franklin's autobiography a really entertaining read.
'So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for every thing one has a mind to do.'
Describing his change from a vegetarian to a meat eater after he smells a lovely bit a fish, and justifys eating it by noting that this fish eats smaller fish; Ergo the fish has no moral objection to him eating it!
Update more later
'So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for every thing one has a mind to do.'
Describing his change from a vegetarian to a meat eater after he smells a lovely bit a fish, and justifys eating it by noting that this fish eats smaller fish; Ergo the fish has no moral objection to him eating it!
Update more later
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Moonngtigi
Was out for Phil and Alex's birthday last night. I wish I had a photo but we had some lovely meat called Moonngtigi.
It tasted like a good pork chop and was excellent. Plenty of beer and 2 new drinking games. The first one is called 'the chopstick game', where, after 3 seconds, you shout a number and point to someone you continue the line around the chopsticks for that number and the last person has to drink. Quick and exploitable.
The other one is called reputations where you make a questions like. 'who has snogged the most rotters?' and point at someone after 3 seconds. Whoever has the most votes has to drinks.
Randomly I won the 'most posh' but failed to win 'nicest eyes' so I am extremely sceptical of its validity.
It tasted like a good pork chop and was excellent. Plenty of beer and 2 new drinking games. The first one is called 'the chopstick game', where, after 3 seconds, you shout a number and point to someone you continue the line around the chopsticks for that number and the last person has to drink. Quick and exploitable.
The other one is called reputations where you make a questions like. 'who has snogged the most rotters?' and point at someone after 3 seconds. Whoever has the most votes has to drinks.
Randomly I won the 'most posh' but failed to win 'nicest eyes' so I am extremely sceptical of its validity.
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
The Back End of Racism
The Korean Beat is a blog which translates Korean news articles into English. Although one or two major English newspapers have an English edition, they are often not exactly the same as the original. Most newspapers in Korea, understandably, can be separated into tabloid and broadsheet journalism.
I have experienced very little racism in Korea but I have seen its existence and heard from reputable sources about unseemly events. Some is not undeserved however. Many new teachers are fresh out of uni and try to continue the lifestyle of late night drinking, mid week parties, and a relaxed attitude to social proprieties. They fail to see that not only are they in a more reputable position in society but also this society is a lot more conservative than the one they previously dragged in to degeneration.
I will state that a vast majority of the teachers I know like their job (maybe not the hours), care about their kids, and want to see them improve. They may enjoy the occasional Wednesday night out but so do most Korean men. This article, in my opinion, co relates to all The Sun and Daily Express publishings that seek to sell more stories by picking an easy, less protected target, and degrade them all with one bush on baseless or singular examples. While at the same time ignoring all the positive things they bring to society and in this case the duty of the employers to higher and treat staff responsibly. I know most Korean people, like the Brits, enjoy the benefits of multi culturalism, but there's nothing like a xenophobic article to make you feel like your on the back end of racism.
Please read the article here.
NB. When I say conservative I don't mean you can't drink a lot and party. Korea has plenty of opportunities and ample enough young population to do that. They just see jumping around the street at 4am, shouting profanities at passers by, showing of your chest hair and being sick on the street as thoroughly off putting and undesirable.
I have experienced very little racism in Korea but I have seen its existence and heard from reputable sources about unseemly events. Some is not undeserved however. Many new teachers are fresh out of uni and try to continue the lifestyle of late night drinking, mid week parties, and a relaxed attitude to social proprieties. They fail to see that not only are they in a more reputable position in society but also this society is a lot more conservative than the one they previously dragged in to degeneration.
I will state that a vast majority of the teachers I know like their job (maybe not the hours), care about their kids, and want to see them improve. They may enjoy the occasional Wednesday night out but so do most Korean men. This article, in my opinion, co relates to all The Sun and Daily Express publishings that seek to sell more stories by picking an easy, less protected target, and degrade them all with one bush on baseless or singular examples. While at the same time ignoring all the positive things they bring to society and in this case the duty of the employers to higher and treat staff responsibly. I know most Korean people, like the Brits, enjoy the benefits of multi culturalism, but there's nothing like a xenophobic article to make you feel like your on the back end of racism.
Please read the article here.
NB. When I say conservative I don't mean you can't drink a lot and party. Korea has plenty of opportunities and ample enough young population to do that. They just see jumping around the street at 4am, shouting profanities at passers by, showing of your chest hair and being sick on the street as thoroughly off putting and undesirable.
My Late Monday Class
I really feel sorry for Korean kids. They are pushed much harder than any kids back home. Granted there is nothing wrong with ambition and making your child study hard. However my last class on Monday between 9.00pm and 10.30pm is with a 11 year old kid.
Her English is really good and I actually think she is a really nice, bright girl, but her and many other Korean kids spend all their childhood studying. These kids go to school at the regular time of 9am until 3pm; but after they head home for dinner they are usually back out in private academies until 10 or 11 at night. In addition they have to fit in their homework somewhere and they will usually be at school and academies on Saturday too. It's a tough life and It is meant to be (from our point of view) the least stressful days of your life.
I understand for most Koreans employment relies on a degree, much more heavily than in the UK, and that is a major reason for the pressure on kids. I have been thinking a lot about the Korean system and how different it is from the UK. I think I will write about it in a separate article later.
Her English is really good and I actually think she is a really nice, bright girl, but her and many other Korean kids spend all their childhood studying. These kids go to school at the regular time of 9am until 3pm; but after they head home for dinner they are usually back out in private academies until 10 or 11 at night. In addition they have to fit in their homework somewhere and they will usually be at school and academies on Saturday too. It's a tough life and It is meant to be (from our point of view) the least stressful days of your life.
I understand for most Koreans employment relies on a degree, much more heavily than in the UK, and that is a major reason for the pressure on kids. I have been thinking a lot about the Korean system and how different it is from the UK. I think I will write about it in a separate article later.
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