http://www.jsharrison.com/korea Ruminations on Life, Korea, the Universe and Everything. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 05:58:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Summer riding in Korea can be quite tricky. There are several factors that can potentially complicate any planned ride. The main ever-present variables are potential rainstorms that can develop within the space of a few hours, typhoons, and the intense heat combined with humidity. This particular ride was ... http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2008/07/20/12-13-july-2008-ride-from-pusan-to-daejeon/ I have no motivation for blogging about Korea any more.  After 20 years of experience with Korea, I have seen the birth of a democracy and the development of a vibrant economy. However, as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Everyday, it is the ... http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2008/07/14/shifting-directions/ Eat me? Are you a crazy (cow) too? From an awesome headline: "South Korean internet geeks trigger panic over US 'tainted beef' imports" To a great opening paragraph: Tens of thousands of young internet-obsessed South Koreans, whipped into a frenzy by alarmist television programmes, a complex scientific paper on genetics and a hyperactive ... http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2008/05/09/south-korean-internet-geeks-trigger-panic-over-us-tainted-beef-imports/ http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2008/04/15/a-picture-worth-1000-words/ The name Gary Gygax means nothing to you unless you are a true, old school, uber dork like me. Gary Gygax is dead at age 69. Who is this man? MILWAUKEE - Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning ... http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2008/03/05/gygax-is-dead/ I got a chuckle out of this news story from CNN: (CNN) -- Two masked and machete-wielding men who barged into a club in Sydney, Australia, couldn't have picked a worse night for their robbery -- a monthly meeting of bikers. The robbers chose the wrong night to burst into the club ... http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2008/02/29/dont-try-to-rob-a-biker-bar/ My fascination with and love for motorcycles began when I was twelve or thirteen years old. No. That's not entirely accurate. Although I had never actually been near a motorcycle, let alone sat on one or ridden on one, my fascination with bikes began much ... http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2007/12/03/evel-knievel-coolest-guy-ever-rip/ On the train down from Seoul yesterday: Conversation 1 "You are in my seat." "This is my assigned seat." "No. I have a ticket. This is my seat." "I have a ticket for this seat. Here. Car 16 seat 15C. See?" "Oh? [raising voice and drawing attention from other passengers] I don't know where you ... http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2007/11/12/contrasting-conversations/ Korea confirmed Today (July 31) a second Korean hostage has been killed in Afghanistan, denouncing Taliban militants for committing the "barbarity." "One of our citizens kidnapped in Afghanistan, Shim Sung-min, was confirmed on July 31 to have been killed," Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Hee-yong said in a press briefing. The official confirmation ... http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2007/07/31/a-second-korean-hostage-is-killed/ Earlier today, Kevin over at Big Hominid stated: I don't understand how Lindsay Lohan's recent arrest ... is more newsworthy than the terrifying drama unfolding in Central Asia. What exactly am I missing? A cynic might say this is a reality check for Koreans... I think it is more of ... http://www.jsharrison.com/korea/2007/07/25/korean-hostages-a-low-priorityfor-koreans/