Scribblings of the Metropolitician

The First Black President of the United States

Lest we forget – the first funny political commentary on "the first black president" was made by Eddie Murphy back in 1983. Check it at around 5:15 and why Jesse Jackson had to "get in shape" for office.

Funny, as long as that shit doesn't happen, right? Gobama! No more Billary!

Obama/Edwards 2008!

OK – I'm jumping the gun, but I just heard the news that Edwards has dropped out, and everything is moving along the line of the pet theory/hope I've had for awhile:

– Edwards has always seemed to favor Obama, and has been pretty much campaigning to be VP for awhile by staying in the game and in the spotlight as long as possible. But there was never a snowball's chance in heck he'd win.

– Edwards will endorse Obama very soon.

– Obama will go on to win the nomination, and decide on Edwards. It's a no-brainer. On this side of the fence, we all like Edwards; we're just not going to vote for him as president.

I just can't see Obama and Hillary on the same ticket. The way I see it, Obama just plain doesn't like her (duh!), and Hillary doesn't play second fiddle to nobody. That's just the way it is.

Obama the Bringer of Change, and Edwards the Nice Guy. That's the ticket, baby!

A Nice Piece of Buffoonery and My Thoughts On Korean Banks Being Caught In a Lie

I've discovered a blog truly worthy of its name – the "Seoul Buffoon." In response to an article that was pretty informative and an example of good journalism doing what it's supposed to do, which is to expose misdoings and inform the populace for the sake of the public good, the writer of the Seoul Buffoon, hereafter known as merely "the buffoon" writes:

All over the world, every bank is free to decide whom they give credit cards to based on their risk assessments. So naturally different banks will have different approaches to a request for a card from an expat. While one bank may feel an individual is a credit-risk, another may not. It happens everywhere. The reason why the bank officials would have mentioned some non-existing rule, is to get the expat off their backs.

Did he even read the article in question? The reason cited (and cited to me as well, when I myself tried to open a new account at KEB and they cited that non-existent law) was that the systems weren't able to track the transactions made on one's account in terms of the $10,000 limit per visit on withdrawals. My reaction? So hook up the system! Don't cheap out and simply deny me access to my hard-earned cash overseas, especially since withdrawing one's cash while overseas just MIGHT be more important who travel more often OVERSEAS.

It wasn't that foreigners were on anyone's "back", since the ability to withdraw money overseas from nearly any ATM was a strong point of the Korean banking system for YEARS, and it's perfectly reasonable to expect that if a major policy change is made (as in "you can't withdraw your money anymore) that you might get a notice beforehand.

KEB, for example, sends an email to each customer before any major holiday that involves curtailed online banking hours or access, as when I went to the US for a visit but wasn't able to access my money. After a call placed to KEB in Chicago, they informed me that there was system maintenance over the Korean national holiday, and upon a closer look at my email, I'd gotten a notice in the mail. Still, they apologized profusely, since any break in access to one's money overseas was taken seriously enough to warn every single one of their customers beforehand through email, and is a break in access that is very, very rare.

It's understood to be a given that one has access to one's funds overseas, and is a major reason you're given TWO types of cards when you open a bank account in Korea: one for domestic, one specifically designed for international use.

So suddenly having your international card not work, with no warning, and having utilized that service without any reason to expect an interruption for up to a decade, in my case, would be a serious inconvenience.

And I only found out about the law because I was opening a new account. Had I made an international trip at that time, it's very possible that I would have experienced the same shock that the interviewee in the story, who was suddenly cut off from her money while overseas had. Here's the response from "the buffoon":

Being a journalist she should have known better and inquired with the concerned bank before embarking an overseas trip. Different banks have different policies and one cannot say a country is “backward” based on this stupid experience. The lady may be backward for not doing enough due-diligence before subscribing to a card.

She should also have no issue with the $10,000 limit. She should have known better. Korea has the forex limit for reasons that are no secret. By the way, someone who wants to withdraw over $10,000 on an overseas trip should have taken the precaution and inquired first.

Yes, we all inquire before making basic transactions that one has been making for years, with no reason to expect that said access or services would be changed, right? I wonder if the "buffoon" calls all his banks and double-confirms everything before every trip overseas he makes. If he does, it might go something like this:

OPERATOR (cheerily): Visa customer service. How may I be of assistance today?

BUFFOON: Yes. I'd like to know if my Visa is still working overseas.

OPERATOR: Why, yes, sir. It most certainly should. The Visa card is recognized in major countries all across the world. It's everywhere you want to be, as we like to say. (chuckles cheerily)

BUFFOON: But can you specifically check if it will work in a major city such as Tokyo? I'm going there next week.

OPERATOR: It most certainly should, in any place that displays a "VISA" symbol, sir.

BUFFOON: But I want to make sure.

OPERATOR: Is there a specific point-of-sale location that you'd like me to check, sir?

BUFFOON: Umm, no. I just want to make sure it works in Japan.

OPERATOR (a bit confused): Umm...yes, sir. I'll check to make sure your card works...in all of Japan.

Rinse and repeat...3-5 times, for each card in most of our wallets. I guess the "Seoul Buffoon" has a lot of time on his hands than the rest of us, since I don't have time to go double-checking every service I've regularly used for years: I wonder if my phone will continue to work next month? Or my domestic ATM service? Or my electricity? Will I still be able to use my driver's license? And man, I sure hope my discount card at TGI Friday's is still valid.

Some people must have a lot of time on their hands.

The JoongAng article was good, and it gave me and others an important piece of information – the reason cited by the bank (this non-existent "new law") is not the reason for the change in policy. Basically, the banks are just too lazy to hook up their ATM transactions system to the tracking system for overseas transactions for foreigners. Which is something I suspected from the git-go, that someone was just being lazy somewhere. But I never thought that the "new law" line itself was a crock of shit.

And it's always a good sign when an organization wants to sue a newspaper for simply reporting the naked truth, and exposing that they were lying. Means somebody's doing their job.

If the "Seoul Buffoon" – one of the most apropos titles for a blog I've read in a loooong time, by the way – had actually read the article he criticizes, and understood the Korean banking system from direct experience, he'd understand just what kind of good article this was, instead of displaying just how poor his basic reading comprehension skills seem to be.

Oh, and by the way, "Buffoon," enjoy the brief burst in traffic you'll get from this; I'll let the poetry of your own prose speak for how much of a "Buffoon" you may or may not be. Here's another piece of link love to make sure.

I Got YouTubed!

Well, YouTube got rolled out today, I got the welcome video done, and got to meet Funtwo, the Pachabel Canon guitar master of the universe, along with the Free Hugs Korea guy, both of whom were very cool.

[source]

I'm still reeling from the fact that they invited me out in the first place – but the guy who picked me out of the bunch did say that he thought this kind of media should be made, something that represents Korea and/or the foreign community in the particular way he thinks is positive, I surmised from our conversation. Surely it wasn't because of my hit counts: Funtwo the guitar master is on 35,000,000, while I was happy to see a SeoulGlow episode go over 10,000.

[source]

And if the authenticity of his guitar playing is even still in question, I saw him play in person and he hit the same notes with ease live, just like in the video. Kid's good.

But back to SeoulGlow – despite my feelings of hit count inadequacy, I was flattered and impressed that someone's paying attention to the work I've been doing, and got some real motivation to get back on the video production track and hook up all these strands of new media I've been experimenting in. Just hard to do alone, you know?

Overall, the YouTube people ran a tight press conference, as did their PR firm, Incomm-Brodeur. There are presently two SeoulGlow episodes on the front page of YouTube Korea, and I hope this will bring the show more to the attention of the Korean market.

SeoulGlow #9 - Welcome, YouTube Korea!

Well, I just attended and participated in the YouTube Korea press conference – so you've probably read in the news that YouTube Korea has officially opened its doors in Korea and the site gone live.

YT Korea asked me (SeoulGlow) to make a welcome video, which you see above. I had little time to do it, but went with something that felt right, like a real greeting. Perhaps not too creative, but given my time schedule, surprising that I even pulled this much off.

With the attention that getting featured on YT Korea's front page will bring, it's time to get back to getting SeoulGlow back online. Next up is the final part of the Korean astronaut series, as well as new episodes. I've already gotten as many views on the Superkids episode TODAY as watched it since months ago. So we're going to have more viewers.

Anyone out there who'd like to help with subtitling, editing, or producing episodes, please get in touch at my email address at the top right of the page.

Let's get SeoulGlow going again! To do that, I need help. Care to join the team?

Street Styles: Gittin' Funky

Did a little shooting at Hongdae recently and found some funky stuff. I loved this mural we found in a store over by the main subway stop. Was very Hongdae, very street, very cool.

Hongdae is known for its funky style, as the neighborhood around Hongik University, which is a well-known art school in Korea and home to alternative culture and style.

More at FeetManSeoul.com!

The Macbook Air – So Retro!

OK. I was a little underwhelmed about the new release from Apple, although it is certainly cool in terms of some of the other things that have come out with it. If I ever get the extra cash together, it might be a buy for me, since I carry a laptop with me everywhere and that gets HEAVY. But in terms of being truly revolutionary – my hopeful predictions were just plain wrong. As they say in Korean: ㅠㅠ. (Those are supposed to be two sad eyelashes.)

Some people have been poking a lot of fun at the Macbook Air, the funniest of which I've seen I've listed below.

[source]

A bit exaggerated, but funny. Hehe. For your information, my peeps in Yongsan say you can buy one in Korea in about 3 weeks, and the lower model goes for almost an even 2 million won.

Still Here, But Blocked by KT

Some of you have been complaining about not being able to access this site, and the problem seemed to only get worse from last week.

I was on the phone with KT yesterday, since the problem has gotten worse, specifically since last Friday. To their credit, they seemed concerned with the problem.

Korea.blogs.com (I ain't linking it!) seems to be the site that's the issue. The guy on the phone with me specifically checked the list of places banned by the MIC and blogs.com and SixApart (same company) is on it. And korea.blogs.com is specifically at issue (although it doesn't seem to be really active). Last Friday, they made another aggressive update to the block, apparently, which is why things have gotten worse. I myself was giving a lecture for a week at Kyeong Hee University in Suwon, and at the beginning of the week, I had accessed my site in class, while by Friday, it was no dice.

It was explained to me that since KT is also government-affiliated, they're more zealous about complying with MIC requests than private companies are. Which explains a lot of things. It is possible that KT was simply overzealous in blocking the offending site. It's blocked on the private sites as well, so they must have gotten the memo. Maybe it's KT's fault that they used a shotgun to swat a fly.

In any case, they're still checking, as there are possibly other issues exacerbating things. He's supposed to call me back.

But for now - yes, blogs.com and SixApart sites are on the ban list, but KT seems to be on the case about the problem of perhaps having blocked hundreds of thousands of sites because of a couple bad apples. I just think they didn't know.

We'll see how this pans out. And all this explains why my traffic has really started to take a dive lately. Especially from last week. Grrr. More news as I get it!

Some Good Speechifying

Obama's been talking about how great a mover of ideas Reagan was. Although I don't agree with much of what Reagan stood for, Obama's right as rain: Reagan came at a time when the country needed and wanted someone like him, and he offered a vision to America, not just bullet points.

If you look at a map of how Reagan swept across America in 1980 and 1984, you'll see this visually: essentially, there were no blue states.

Viewed in the context of the times, and without the advantage of historical hindsight, this speech is rousing. It just is.

And damn, they had some hair back then, huh? "Get the Vitalis, get the Vitalis!"

That Huckabee Crazy!

Yeah, say it with me: That Huckabee REALLY crazy!"

“I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living god. And that’s what we need to do — is to amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than try to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.”

Hucka-whaaaat?

Umm. No. The Constitution is a consciously secular document, and the writers of that fine product of the European Enlightenment, for whatever their and its flaws, made an active choice to NOT invoke God in any specific way – even against some specific demands to do so even at the time by people in the vast minority, such as Mike Huckabee.

The difference between that minority in the past and that sucka mutha-Hucka is that the Constitution is a finished document that was ratified and put into effect, and has been the founding document of the United States ever since. The debate's over. The document inked. Constitution signed. Done.

Inserting a defense of a singular religion or its values goes against the Constitution, the spirit (and conditions for creating in the first place) of its original ten amendments, as well as some of the purposes in making the document itself.

"God" is not invoked a single time in that document. That's because it's not supposed to be there. Hellllllllo, Huck-fly? The President of the United States has to take an oath to "uphold and defend" the Constitution of the United States of America.

NOT CHANGE IT!!!

Umm, when does a presidential candidate get to be called a crackpot? I mean, they do it for Ron Paul, most of whose views I agree with, even down to the assertion that the Supreme Court may have overstepped its bounds with Roe v. Wade, since his argument is that the power to legislate in relation to abortion should lie with the States, not with the specious logic of the Supreme Court's decision in this case.

Does this mean I'm not pro-choice? Noooo. But that doesn't change the fact that the basis for the "right to choose" may very well rest on faulty Constitutional grounds.

But at least Ron Paul is arguing in terms of the Constitution, and NOT outright saying that it should be changed in line with "God's standards." And on that note:

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matthew 22:31 with help from Wikipedia)

Jesus Christ. No – I mean that. Jesus!

But back to the Constitution again – that document was laid down with one of two major logical bases for separating Church and State – either the 17th-century Roger Williams-style argument that linking the two actually corrupts organized religion, or the late 18th-century idea that yes, the state should actively safeguard the people's right to worship as they choose – pick one. They both inform the writing of the Constitution, and both come to the same conclusion: the Consitution is a consciously secular document.

Indeed, Huckabee's sentiments about the relationship between religion and the state resemble the Taliban's more than the average American's. And I'm not just throwing a rhetorical bomb here – I'm being dead serious. Think about what he's saying. He certainly isn't – at least if he is actually serious about becoming President.

So wait – who's the crackpot, again? And does that little speech snippet really sound like some little soundbite taken out of context?

That Huckabee crazy! At least too much to be President of the United States, even if he may be a great human being, good Christian, or whatever. But anyone who votes for someone who just out-and-out said he wants to do the OPPOSITE of what everyone knows he must swear to do as President – they Huck-crazy, too!