Fighting!

Not entirely sure what’s going on here, but best wishes to Presidents Obama and Lee.

Trainwreck

Thomas Frank on Sarah Palin:

“But Ms. Palin’s life is meant to be an inspiration. Maybe I should follow her example. The opinion-page equivalent of the Palinesque style is easy enough to imagine: I would use this space to recite the indignities the world forced on me over the course of the week—an effete-looking young person ignored me the other day—plus glimpses of heartland authenticity—I sure do like pot roast—before concluding, darkly, that the reason I suffer is because I am such a sterling American.”

I hate to admit that I can’t look away from the spectacle of her perpetual beclownment.  And what with Andrew Sullivan going all cyber-ninja, who knows what tomorrow will bring with regards to Alaska’s sweetheart.

Ounce of Prevention

One of my parents has come to the realization that if one surgical mask helps prevent H1N1, two will provide double the efficacy.

They’re “Hello Kitty” masks though, so it’s pretty cute.

Annyeong Haseyo, President Obama

President Obama to visit Seoul for 24 hours on his Asian tour, in South Korea for two days.

The linked article is an interesting slice of how Koreans view their standing in the world.  On the one hand, the author states plainly that while Obama spent more time in Japan and China he really doesn’t need to spend the extra time here because the US-Korean relationship is so strong.  It’s those suckers to the east and west who really need to get their act together.

Then of course, he slips and goes on at length about how the president of Peru was so captivated by Korea on a recent visit that he stayed an extra day.

I’m probably too sensitive to these swings of national self-regard, but it’s not a bad place to start in trying to suss out that peculiar mix of extreme pride and embarrassing self-consciousness that informs the modern South Korean psyche.

“I breathed in an autumn bouquet that combined everything small-town America with rugged splashes of the Last Frontier.”

The best thing about Michiko Kakutani reviewing Sarah Palin’s memoir isn’t the review itself (although it’s definitely worth a few laughs) but just the image of her sitting there trudging through the thing in her office or home library surrounded by volumes of Pynchon, Borges, and Kafka.

The Greatness of America and its Pastimes

Via Metafilter, an amzing piece of animation regarding Dock Ellis’ legendary no-hitter in 1970.

Everybody knows he did it, in his own words, while “high as a Georgia pine” on LSD.  Didn’t realize he was tweeked out as well.

My Shocked Face

Glenn Greenwald on “very serious thinker” Peter Galbraith and his attempted oil money grab in Iraq.  It’s truly staggering, even in an age of corruption fatigue.  I threw together a Metafilter post about it.

Pure Athleticism

I flipped on the TV tonight to see that we’re in the midst of the 2009 World Cyber Games live and direct from Chengdu, China.

So I’ll reitirate the eternal question: Why do they play games that are so old?

But I’m kind of impressed with how many countries are represented.  And if you couldn’t guess, watching people play video games is extremely boring.  Still better than golf though.

Journal of the Plague Year

Our boss told us today that we might have to shut down for a week due to parental concerns over H1N1 (swine flu).  And that’s understandable, but it’s frustrating to think that somehow the school with foreign teachers who make their kids wash their hands about every ten minutes is more risky than the foreigner-less shopping malls, grocery stores, and restaurants where hygiene isn’t nearly as well enforced.

Although it is kind of interesting to teach English to a roomful of kids wearing surgical masks.

Pity the Wingnuts

Is the right-wing Washington Times, owned by Korean cult-leader Sun Myung Moon, in deep trouble?  Apparently.