the prophecy

So... It was all foretold.... And according to this prophecy, the North will soon invade the South.

Prophecy given to Raymond Aguilera on 6 September 1994 at 3:08 PM. in Spanish.
...
Korea's eyes are going to radiate, the Korea of the Chinese. The country of Korea, it's going to radiate with all that there is of the devil. For the flame of the devil is strong in the north, and the north doesn't want to hear the things of God. For their mind is pointed. Their mind is pointed to all the things of the world, the filthy things, the things of power, the things that are of the devil. But it has arrived the day of North Korea.
It has arrived. For the flame that you believe is high now, it isn't. It hasn't even started. It's going to radiate, and it's going to become hotter. Then all that you believed of the wars is going to begin in North Korea. Yes! I have told you with My Lips, the Lips of the Father, the Lips of the Son, the Lips of the Holy Spirit.
The things of Korea are going to become hotter with the force of the devil, with the force of the bomb. Yes!, the bomb. Remember that I told you about the bomb of North Korea. For they are very wise, and they are very pointed to the things of the devil. Yes! It has arrived, the point of the bomb, of North Korea.
For they are going to move toward the south. Yes! They are going to move with hunger, with the hunger of the force that they have. For they have arrived at the point that they want to do something, with their power, with their soldiers, with all that is of the devil. Look at North Korea for many people are going to die in the south, and in the north. For the men that run the north want the power. They want all that is filthy, and they don't care how many die for all that they want is power.
Yes!, mark it on your calendar. Here comes North Korea. It coming to the south, and South Korea won't be able to stop the north.
...

What to say... ???
interesting.

Dwen jang chigae/된장찌개 (bean paste soup)

Doenjang-jjigae (Bean Paste Stew)
If Koreans were asked to nominate a national dish, they would probably name doenjang jjigae. It is eaten very frequently throughout the country. The key to the flavor lies in the quality of the bean paste. Bean paste is made early each Lunar year by soaking meju (bean paste blocks shaped like bricks) in brine for forty days and then draining off the soy sauce this produces. The residue is mashed into a yellow paste. Other ingredients of doenjang jjigae can be tofu, clam meat, pork or beef, but some recipes are meatless. Seasonal vegetables such as zucchini, spinach, green peppers, and onions can also be added. Seasonings include garlic, anchovies, red pepper powder, and salt. A more exotic recipe, known as kungjung doenjang jjigae (royal soybean paste soup) calls for beef, mushrooms, tofu, and gingko nuts. How to eat: Eaten with a bowl of rice. Most Koreans mix rice with spoonfuls of stew.

Bean Paste Stew with Beef and Vegetables
D is for Doen Jang Chigae: Korean Bean Paste Stew

The way I make it is very simple, as I am usually in a hurry to make it so that I can just eat and do something else (cooking for 1 kinda sucks). I put the pot of water on and add a bit of da-shi-da (a soup base powder similar to beef oxo) and a spoon full of dwenjang paste. I usually taste it at this point to see if I want more paste or such. Then I add a little bit of mashed garlic, sliced onion, sliced squash (summer squash? similar to zucchini) and mushrooms (most kinds of mushrooms should work... I usually use the long skinny white ones), and sliced tofu (medium-soft?). Sometimes I'll add potato and red pepper paste (gochu jang) as well. I never really think about how much I am putting in. It all depends on how much I decide how much I like onions that day, for example. I don't pre-cut anything... I just add them in that order as the water is boiling, and then let it boil a couple more minutes once everything is in. Potatoes, of course, would take a bit more time.
I usually have more than enough for two big bowls full so I put a bowl in the fridge for the next day's lunch/dinner/what ever.

Halloween parties.

Halloween parties are always fun.

The host: The King of Halloween

The Devil's Butt
(incase you couldn't figure that out)

Bobbing for apples

The Devil and the Angel
What a cute couple.

vampire

How do I look in pink?

a piece of meat????

It's a good thing that not all Muslims agree with opinions like this.

Sheik Taj Aldin al Hilali denied he was condoning rape in a sermon last month when he compared women who don't wear a headscarf to "uncovered meat," suggesting they invite sexual attack. ...
Hilali was quoted in the Australian newspaper as saying in the sermon: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside ... without cover, and the cats come to eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat's?"
"The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred," he was quoted as saying, referring to the headdress worn by some Muslim women.

So basically... He's saying that men are like cats, animals without the ability to judge between right and wrong, and with no control over their basic urges??

nukes and condoms

South Koreans seem to be using sex as a way to deal with their worries.

Condom sales and bookings at several of South Korea's pay-by-the-hour "love motels" surged in the aftermath of North Korea's nuclear test, according to statistics released Thursday.

bodily function obsessions...

Apparently Koreans aren't the only ones with some sort of obsession with bodily functions. Meet Sweden's Pee & Poo:

About us
We are Pee&Poo. Escapeees from the bathroom, we are entering the world on a journey filled with new adventures. Maybe we can stay with you for a while?

Winter Vacation in Egypt

Well... Mohammed was going to come here in December to visit me... but due to recent events, that won't be happening. So now, I have decided that I will go to Egypt for my 11 day vacation. Yay!!!! Back to Egypt!!! I'll be missing out on the Christmas dinner that everyone here is planning... but that's okay. I'll be in Egypt!!!
Now I just have to get tickets. I've already been looking around trying to find the best prices. For some stupid reason, flights in the opposite direction (starting in Egypt) are about 2/3 of the price that I have to pay (I had originally been pricing out flights for M). Around $400 difference!!!! WHY????

at the kindy school...

There are 10 classes at the kindergarden.
1st floor:
Roe Deer (no-ru) class - 3/4 year olds
Deer (sa-seum) class - 4/5 year olds
Hippo (ha-ma) class - 3/4 year olds
Squirrel (da-ram-jui) class - 4/5 year olds
The main office is on the 1st floor, as well.
2nd floor:
Elephant (ko-ki-ri) class - 4/5 year olds
Giraffe (ki-rin) class - 5/6 year olds
Hibiscus (mu-gung-hwa) class - 5/6 year olds
The kitchen, the piano classroom, a little other classroom (Chinese? Math?) and the small English classroom are also on the 2nd floor. (The 2 Korean-English teachers each get half of each class at a time, one in the English room, one in the class's classroom. They switch every month.)
3rd floor
Dandelion (min-deul-lei) class - 5/6 year olds
Forsythia (gae-na-ri) class - 5/6 year olds
Azalea (jin-dal-lae) class - 5/6 year olds
There is a children's bathroom on each floor, but the 3 floor bathroom is outdoors, on the half that is roof. There are 2 teacher bathrooms, on the 1st and 2nd floor.
The basement has a large multi-purpose room (for ballet and taekwondo, etc), a small swimming pool (not deep, as it is for the kids' swimming lessons), and a shower room.
I teach each class for 15 minutes, and then move on to the next one. Unfortunately, the order is not according to the floor or level, which means I get to go up and down the stairs all day. Also, the clocks aren't in sync at all (some up to 5 minutes different from others), which means I have to carry my phone around and keep checking the time to make sure I'm keeping on time. The clocks in the halls aren't right either. And I am often late for classes because I am constantly being bombarded by little munchkins every time I walk down the hall. They seem to enjoy attaching themselves to my legs. Oh well.
Sometimes the classes also switch times, and don't tell us... so I'll show up at a room and they tell me I should be in another room... usually on another floor. Argh. I just have to deal with that.
November won't be fun. They are doing some sort of meet the teacher thing... Which means the parents will be there. Each day, one class will have the parents come in... and so while I am teaching, all of the parents will be around watching me. Ugh. I hate that. STRESS!!!!! The rest of the classes each day will be normal.... but still.
And I won't get my mornings off for those two weeks.

facial expressions

In the roe deer class (3/4 year olds).

In the Jin-dal-lae (azalea) class (5/6 year olds).
The one in blue, Richard (aka Ricky) is also one of my students at LCC... one of my favorites.

tonight's dinner

I went to one of the local kimbap restaurants for dinner. They have very quick and cheap meals. I had dwenjang chiggae (bean paste soup), which is one of my favorite Korean foods. I mentioned this soup before, in the post about the soup that I often make for myself (my version of this soup). The main difference is that I usually don't make it spicy, when it is usually a spicy soup (with hot peppers in it and red pepper paste/powder). I also tend to put a lot more mushrooms in it. I love mushrooms!!!In almost any restaurant here (I have never experienced it otherwise), if you order soup, you get rice. They always have a a few side dishes that come with any meal you have. Today I got radish kimchi (in the round dish behind the rice), mushrooms and green peppers, peanuts (in some sort of sticky sweet soy sauce/sesame oil marinade), and, of course, kimchi. It is very filling and cost me 3000 won (about CA$3.50 or US$3.10).

just info

Nuclear Weapons and the United States
The same critics point out the fact that not only is the United States sitting on the largest nuclear weapons stockpile in the world, but it is also violating its own non-proliferation treaties in the pursuit of so-called "nuclear bunker busters".
...
The United States is one of the five recognized nuclear powers under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It maintains a current arsenal of around 9,960 intact warheads, of which 5,735 are considered active or operational, and of these only a certain number are deployed at any given time. These break down into 5,021 "strategic" warheads, 1,050 of which are deployed on land-based missile systems (all on Minuteman ICBMs), 1,955 on bombers (B-52 and B-2), and 2,016 on submarines (Ohio class), according to a 2006 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
[Wikipedia]

U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2006
During the past few years, the navy has significantly changed the homeporting of SSBNs to meet new planning requirements. It transferred two SSBNs from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in 2002 and another in 2003. On August 17, 2005, the Louisiana left Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, on patrol. Rather than roaming the Atlantic during its 58-day patrol, the sub sailed around Cape Horn and ended up at its new homeport, Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Washington. On September 27, 2005, the Maine left Kings Bay on a similar journey, bringing to nine the number of SSBNs in the Pacific. Five subs remain in the Atlantic.
The primary goal of the shift is to increase coverage of targets in China, according to navy officials. (Pacific-based SSBNs also target Russia and North Korea.) The buildup of the more capable Trident II D5s in the Pacific additionally "enhances system accuracy, payload, and hard-target capability, thus improving [U.S.] available responses to existing and emerging Pacific theater threats," Rear Adm. Charles B. Young, director of the navy's Strategic Systems Program, said in an August 2002 speech at the Strategic Weapons Facility Pacific.
[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]

anyway...

seriously...

It is said that North Korea only possesses enough materials for something like 10 nuclear warheads. Regardless, even with the working technology, I don't think they are stupid enough to start firing them at the US. If they did, after the first shot, it is pretty likely that they would be flattened!!!

from Security Council imposes vicious sanctions on North Korea [Workers World]
The United Nations Security Council has voted 15-0 to impose draconian sanctions upon the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in retaliation for its nuclear test of Oct. 9. The sanctions resolution was piloted through the Security Council by the U.S. government, which has 10,000 nuclear warheads and is the only power ever to use nuclear weapons in warfare.
The sanctions violate the United Nations Charter, which recognizes the right of nations to self-defense against aggression or intended aggression. Washington has been threatening the DPRK with nuclear attack since its 1950-53 war in Korea. The testing and development of a nuclear bomb by the DPRK has taken place strictly within the framework of unrelenting threats by Washington.
Most recently the Bush administration referred to the DPRK as part of an “axis of evil,” threatened the government of North Korea with “regime change,” and authorized the Pentagon in 2002 to develop “flexible plans” to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states, including the DPRK, as well as authorizing first-strike nuclear use. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld threatened the DPRK with nuclear attack in 2003. And the Pentagon also began developing a new generation of “bunker-buster” nuclear warheads aimed at underground facilities in the DPRK and Iran.
...
The Clinton administration twice threatened the DPRK with nuclear war—once in 1993 when the government in Pyongyang said it might leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in response to demands that it permit intrusive inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Clinton administration was only prevented from launching an attack on North Korean nuclear installations by last-minute negotiations between former President Jimmy Carter and then North Korean leader Kim Il Sung. Clinton carried out mock nuclear exercises against the DPRK in 1998.
Right now the Pentagon has nuclear-armed submarines and guided missile destroyers in the sea off the Korean peninsula and nuclear-capable bombers on the island of Guam. The U.S. carries out military exercises on a regular basis that are open practice for war against the DPRK.
The big business media has called the government of North Korea “paranoid” and “irrational.” Paranoid means seeing threats that are not there. Irrational means doing things that don’t make sense. The threat of nuclear attack from the U.S. government is clearly there and has been for years. Thus it makes sense to try to develop a deterrent against a known threat.
...
The latest hysteria being drummed up by the Bush administration and the capitalist media is the so-called “threat” by the DPRK to conduct a second nuclear test. They are all acting as if the DPRK were threatening the people of the U.S.
Unlike the Bush administration, the DPRK has pledged not to be the first to use a nuclear weapon. In other words, the nuclear weapons program of the DPRK is strictly a retaliatory deterrent directed against a potential nuclear attack by Washington, and nothing else. It is also military logic that the DPRK is not going to initiate a nuclear war with the imperialist power that has enough nuclear weapons to wipe out a good part of the world.

May he rest in peace.

A loving husband and father of four wonderful young men.
A kind and generous man that welcomed me, a stranger, into his home.
A humorous man who, jokingly (and a bit honestly, I suppose), kept trying to convince me that I should live in Egypt, and when told that I worked in Korea, then kept suggesting I live in Egypt 6 months of the year, and Korea the other 6 months of the year.
He will live on in the hearts of all that knew him.

Habibi... malish.

on love...

someone once told me love isn't everything.
my reply:

love isn't everything...
but
without love, everything else is nothing.

Horrible!!!

North Korea practices eugenics.

from Nation under a nuclear cloud [Times Online]
THE North Korean regime’s obsession with racial purity has led to the killing of disabled infants and forced abortions for women suspected of conceiving their babies by Chinese fathers, according to a growing body of testimony from defectors.
...
“There are no people with physical defects in North Korea,” Ri said. Such babies were put to death by medical staff and buried quickly, he claimed.
...
But his account added to the evidence that the Kim family dictatorship is founded on mystical notions of Korean racial superiority rather than Marxism — a reality that explains its deepening estrangement from China.
...

troops having problems with pot

Kind of amusing, actually.

Troops battle 10-foot marijuana plants
Canadian troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan have stumbled across an unexpected and potent enemy -- almost impenetrable forests of 10-feet-high marijuana plants. ...
"The challenge is that marijuana plants absorb energy, heat very readily. It's very difficult to penetrate with thermal devices ... and as a result you really have to be careful that the Taliban don't dodge in and out of those marijuana forests," he said in a speech in Ottawa.
"We tried burning them with white phosphorous -- it didn't work. We tried burning them with diesel -- it didn't work. The plants are so full of water right now ... that we simply couldn't burn them," he said.
Even successful incineration had its drawbacks.
"A couple of brown plants on the edges of some of those (forests) did catch on fire. But a section of soldiers that was downwind from that had some ill effects and decided that was probably not the right course of action," Hillier said dryly. ...

Were they surprised at the affects it had on those downwind????

confusion...

My dad sent me a package through DHL over a month ago. I didn't get it. Due to a misplaced receipt, we haven't been able to track it up until now. There was a bit of confusion, though. First I looked at the Canada DHL site and after reading what it said, would have given up, but I was going to phone DHL in Korea to complain, and found that their site said something very different.

From the DHL Canada tracking site:

2006-09-15 17:13 - Depart Facility - EDMONTON, CA
...
2006-09-19 15:24 - Arrived at DHL facility - SEOUL, KR
2006-09-19 15:32 - With Courier - SEOUL, KR
2006-09-19 16:46 - Bad Address - SEOUL, KR
2006-09-19 18:08 - Arrived at DHL Facility - SEOUL, KR
2006-09-20 17:38 - On Hold - SEOUL, KR
...
2006-09-25 16:57 - On Hold - SEOUL, KR
2006-09-26 10:16 - Arrived at DHL Facility - SEOUL, KR
2006-09-26 12:42 - Destroyed/Disposal - SEOUL, KR

From the DHL Korea tracking site:

September 15, 2006 - 17:13 - Edmonton - Canada - Departed from DHL facility in Edmonton - Canada
...
September 19, 2006 - 15:24 - Seoul - Korea - Arrived at DHL Facility
September 19, 2006 - 15:32 - Seoul - Korea - With delivery courier
September 19, 2006 - 16:46 - Seoul - Korea - Address Information needed; contact DHL
September 20, 2006 - 17:38 - Seoul - Korea - Shipment on hold
...
September 25, 2006 - 16:57 - Seoul Korea - Shipment on hold
September 26, 2006 - 12:42 - Seoul - Korea - Shipper contacted

(my dad was not contacted, but at least it doesn't say the shipment was destroyed!!!)

I phoned DHL in Korea, and my pkg is still being held. They will deliver it on Monday. FINALLY!!!

everyone's favorite

This is one of the boys in from the Hippo class. He seems to be every teacher's favorite, even those that aren't his teachers. He is SUCH a troublemaker, but he is completely adorable. He is so tiny and light, you could toss him up in the air without any effort at all.

a couple of cuties..

Here are 2 cuties from the Hippo class (3/4 year olds). I suppose you could say they are 2 of my favorites. I try not to have favorites, but it is really difficult not to. I try not to let it show, though. Really, they are all sooooooooooooo cute; all 30 of them (somewhere around 30... not sure exactly how many).

persimmon trees

Here are 3 of the persimmon trees that I see every day (2 on the island and one to the right, against the apartment building). For some reason, the two on the island are some of the only trees in the area whose leaves have already changed/mostly fallen off. Maybe because they aren't as protected?? Most trees' leaves are still green.

Threats???

So now North Korea is threatening the U.S. with the possibility of war. As if it is only the U.S. that is pressuring them to give up the fight. Being so close to North Korea, I am keeping up to date on what is going on, but I suppose I'm not really all that worried. Or at least, not enough to change what I am doing or where I am. I suppose it might be a good idea to register with the Canadian Embassy, though, just incase.

persimmons

The woman that lives upstairs owns the building I live in. She came by today to collect the money for the electric and water bills. Then she came back with 4 very ripe persimmons. I had only tried dried persimmons before. These ones are VERY soft. I had one (it was a bit more red than these 3). Not bad, really. A very different taste and texture from anything else I've had. There are persimmon trees all over Korea. There are several planted around the apartment complex where my school is.

North Korea

NOT good news. It seems as though they have conducted their first nuclear test.

anyone care to try it???

So that's how you get rid of annoying hiccups.
Here is one of the Winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize

MEDICINE: Francis M. Fesmire of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, for his medical case report "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage"; and Majed Odeh, Harry Bassan, and Arie Oliven of Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, for their subsequent medical case report also titled "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage."

the bus stop

Waiting at my bus stop. There is one bus that goes around where I live. It sort of does a circle. If I want to go towards Jamsil, I catch it on one street (between my home and my work). If I want to go to Cheonho Station (E-Mart, Hyundae Department Store) I catch it here. This road is parallel to the river. The businesses along the right side are mostly to do with recycling and such, I think. Behind the businesses, there is only the Olympic Expressway, and then the river. The trees on the right of the sidewalk, lining the street are all Gingko Biloba trees. I love Gingko trees. On the left there is a hedge that surrounds an apartment complex. There are also some other trees in there, that hang over the sidewalk. I love them.

Looking up.

around my neighborhood

The area I live in is all older style Korean homes, rather than big apartment buildings. Most of the homes have only one entrance, through a little gate and then up stairs or through the door. There are no yards or anything like that (usually). Each floor is one home, sometimes more. Most of the buildings are 2 or 3 floors, with, I think, 3 or 4 homes. Very few are single home buildings.

a street in Korea

Walking home from Cheonho Station. This street is parallel to the Han river, and goes past the Olympic park (in the direction of the photo). The trees are Gingko Biloba. Yes, the cars park on the sidewalk. The street wasn't very busy yesterday, due to Chusok. All of the businesses were closed.
Once it passes the Olympic Park, it curves to the right and goes on to Jamsil, and then to the Sports Complex. The trees on the left are, again, Gingko Biloba. The trees on the right, I'm not sure what they are, but they have GIGANTIC leaves. I keep thinking I'd love to take a leaf home to press, but I have nothing big enough to press it in. Maybe put it under the glass on my dresser?

a river river or palace palace???

For some reason, I keep seeing things like this in Korea. When written in English, they use the full Korean name of something and then add what it is afterwards, even though it is already part of the name. For example, 'gang' is river. The Hangang is the main river going through Seoul. For some reason, it is often called the Hangang River. Why??? It isn't the Han River River. Then there are the many palaces around the country. 'Gung' is palace. Why do they always say Changdeokgung Palace, Gyeongbokgung Palace, etc??? Silly.

in the Changdeokgung complex

A peek at what's behind the Nakseonjae pavilion.

Details at Changdeokgung

Part of the building complex around Injeongjeon Hall. Side View

The roof of Huijeongdang Hall (king's quarters).Side ViewLooking Up

Changdeokgung

Gotta love holidays. A 1 day work week was soooooooooooooooo nice; finish a weekend, go to work for a day, and then have another, VERY LONG weekend. But, I only have 2 days left of my break. This break is going by so quickly. I can't believe it is already Friday. I didn't do very much these past few days; mostly just sitting around playing on the net, reading, watching movies, sleeping. I did get out a few times to do some shopping... for food and a few other things that I needed.
Today I decided I had to actually do something, so I went to Changdeokgung, or Changdeok Palace (gung is palace in Korean), one of several palaces in Seoul. I went there once before, almost 5 years ago. It is a little bit different from when I went before, in that the leaves were still green this time. Before, all of the maples were bright red. The only thing that I don't like is that you cannot just wander around on your own. You can only see it all with one of the tours. There are, I think, 3 English tours every day. I managed to get there just as one was starting. As a result, it is difficult to get a good picture as there are so many people around to get in your way. Changdeokgung is supposedly the best preserved of the palaces. The royal family still lived in part of it until 1989.

[Injeongjeon Hall - the main hall, where coronations and such were held.]

[Infront of Injeongjeon Hall. The markers indicate where which people stood during the ceremonies. You cannot always rely on other people taking pictures for you... yes that is me. I wanted the whole building in the photo, but as you can see, it didn't end up that way.]

[Details on the front of Huijeongdang Hall - the King's quarters.]

[The front of Daejojeon Hall - the Queen's quarters. What it says is something to do with the place where important things are made. The Queen's quarters was also the King's and Queen's shared sleeping quarters. So basically, the baby making place.]

[In the secret garden. The Buyongji Pong and the Juhamnu Pavilion, built in 1776 (the palace library).]

[Nakswonjae Pavilion - built in 1847 as a residence for the king's concubines. This is where the last queen lived until 1966, and the last princess until 1989.]

Arr Matey...

My pirate name is:

Mad Mary Bonney

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

part of the fidius.org network

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.

The new U.N. Leader to be South Korean

South Korea's Ban close to being new U.N. leader

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon said on Tuesday he bore "a heavy sense of responsibility" after an informal ballot that virtually assured he would become the next United Nations secretary-general. ...
In Monday's Security Council straw poll, Ban got 14 positive votes, including from all the council's five members with veto rights-- the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia. ...
"He is the hardest-working person at the ministry," said one South Korean diplomat. "If you don't count his personal aide who has to be at his residence at 5:30 in the morning."
The diplomats say he is very popular within his ministry which also handles the trade affairs of South Korea, a country that has depended heavily on exports to lift it from the ruins of war in the early 1950s to rank as Asia's third biggest economy. ...

Islam

I sometimes post things to do with Islam and Muslims and such. I am Christian. I am not Muslim, but I hate what is going on in the world, and I hate the points of view that many people have. I think that people need to be more tolerant, and more willing to understand their differences and similarities. You cannot blame all problems on a certain religion or race. All religions have had their problems; all races have had their problems; but generalizing doesn't work. It only makes things worse. Most of the Muslims that I know are some of the nicest people I have ever met. Everyone I met in Egypt couldn't care less that I was not Muslim. They only cared that I was a decent person. When I ask them about things I have read in the Quran, and things I have read on the net, they say that it is wrong, that it is not Islam. It all depends on who is interpreting the writings, and what their interpretation is. I have heard that many things in the book are very open for interpretation. Those that want violence, find a way to justify it by interpreting the book in that way.
Anyway...
from West, some Muslims share radicalism blame: writers

Indonesian poet Acep Zamzam Noor said the Islam taught in the country's Muslim schools or pesantrans was a moderate form which used different ways such as poetry to teach children about god.
He said if there was a clash it was between the moderate and extreme way of teaching Islam.
Others said one reason for the yawning gap was the fact that a certain section of Muslims was trying to impose its idea of the truth on the rest of the world.
They said violence, especially suicide bombings, was against basic Muslim principles because Islam forbids despair and Allah is always merciful and forgiving.
"We've acquired a particular notion of truth which serves us in a particular way. Trouble is that some Muslims think they own the truth. The idea of owning the truth is the crux of the problem," said Sardar.
"If you believe you have the perfect truth and you believe you have the right to impose it on others, then there's a problem. This notion negates the very essence of Islam."

Deok (Korean Rice Cake)

Rice is everywhere here. Rice cake is everywhere. It varies from thick noodle like cakes in some main dishes, to fancy desert cakes. I don't like all rice cakes, but some are great. I really like the little white/pink/green cakes that have a liquid sugar in them (eunhaeng juak?). Songpyun, generally stuffed with bean, chestnut, sesame seeds and sugar, is also quite nice. Just plain white rice cake is another that I like.
Interesting!!!

Deok and Related Customs
1) Expelling Evil Spirits: Traditional Korean toilets had two large footstools with a big and deep hole in between. It was shaped such that children sometimes fell into the hole and injured themselves. People believed that the toilet ghost was hungry and wanted a child to eat. When such an incident happened, people brought in an exorcist who performed an exorcism. They also made a special rice cake called dung deok (excrement rice cake) that they shared with neighbours for the purpose of expelling bad luck for the child.

More information on rice cake.

Anmyeondo beach party

They only served one kind of beer at the party... for 5000 won a bottle!!! It was Moosehead Lager, a Canadian beer. There must have been some Canadians involved in organizing the event. They also had cocktails for the same price. The food available was hotdogs, kebabs (4000 won) or pitas (5000 won). They did have bottled water for 1000 won a bottle, but they ran out fairly early in the evening. Not a smart thing to run out of water. Those in charge seemed to be a bit confused about many things throughout the entire party. They weren't very organized, I think. It was great fun, but not quite what was advertized. It was on a bit of a deserted beach (no little stores or anything around to buy your own drinks or food or water). Even the bus driver had no idea how to get there and was driving around for a bit trying to find it.
The little stage was set up just above the beach. Everyone set up their tents along the edge of the beach (safe from the tides). You couldn't get very far from where the music was as the area was quite small. There was plenty of room infront of the stage for dancing, of course.
Not far from the dance area, they also had a little sheesha/hooka tent set up. What's a beach party without one?!! :P
I think D and I finally went to sleep around 5 or 6 AM. The music was still pounding away, of course.
They started packing up everything at around 10:30 or so. It was supposed to be 24 hours of music... 12pm to 12pm. Didn't quite work out that way. They had expected a lot more people to show up, as well, I think. Not sure how they would have dealt with more people, as they ran out of things with the numbers that were there.