Obama and Clinton in Tokyo...Eric Clapton in North Korea?

Wow...now this is as tasteless as it gets!

Japanese comedians impersonated Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama yesterday at the Tokyo premiere of the political thriller Vantage Point.

Japan Probe


I think it's a pretty amazing thing that the New York Philharmonic just played in Pyongyang...hopefully a signof North Korea thawing to the West somewhat....BUT THIS....HOLY CRAP...totally out of left field!

Eric Clapton to Play Concert in North Korea?

North Korean officials have invited rock guitarist Eric Clapton to play a concert in Pyongyang -- the first such invitation to a Western rock star to the isolated Communist nation. And Mr Clapton, 62, whose hits include “Cocaine” and “Tears in Heaven”, had agreed ”in principle” to the idea, suggesting 2009 for the concert, Clapton’s agent did not return calls asking for comment.

North Korean authorities have long shunned rock and pop music, although Kim Jong Chol, the Swiss-educated son of national leader Kim Jong Il, is reportedly a huge Clapton fan.
Read More Here...


Found an interesting little story about a Canadian rock guitar player making his living in Soeul and talking about being a foreigner novelty in the Korean music biz...
Rocker chases his reflection in Korea


Here's a little of me in my latest Vlog...

Check out my YouTube channel...


The pretty boy has arrived in Hanguk...
David Beckham vs Seoul FC
David Beckham has proved that he is more than just a soccer player. A press conference for the Motorola Cup LA Galaxy Korea Tour at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Wednesday drew as many entertainment reporters as sports reporters eager to cover the English soccer star, who is so popular as to become a favorite target of the paparazzi in Hollywood.

Appearing in the team's training uniform amid a flood of camera flashes, Beckham impressed the reporters by pulling a chair out for FC Seoul coach Senol Gunes, whose leg is injured, before seating himself.
Read More...

Thousands of Naked Men!

What happens when thousands of naked men get together on a Winter afternoon? You get The Hadaka Matsuri aka The Japanese Naked Festival

Here one of Gimmeabreakman's vids on the festival...great vid!

Check out more Gimmeabreakman's vid's on his YouTube Channel...

A Thing or two about working an ESL gig....

Ok....about 5 months ago I made a YouTube vid with some general info about teachin ESL in Korea. It's been fairly popular, which I of course like. That vid has generated a lot of feedback and questions. Sooooo....I took some questions that have been sent to me many times and addressed them in new..."quasi-response" vid on my YouTube Channel...

Teaching ESL in Korea...viewer questions

There are a lot of old Busan vids and a lot more about what's happenin with me ...so again, check out my YouTube channel...

Later....

Man in school girl's uniform terrifies students

This is absolutely baked!! I love stories like this....

Man in girl's uniform terrifies students
NIIZA, Saitama Prefecture–A man wearing a girl’s school uniform, make-up and a wig was arrested after shocking students and then trying to blend in at a high school here, police said Thursday.

Tetsunori Nanpei, 39, of Musashino, Tokyo, was arrested on suspicion of entering the Saitama prefectural Niiza Senior High School without permission on Wednesday.

He told police he had bought the school’s uniform on an Internet auction site.

“I came near the school because I wanted to show off my appearance, which was wearing the uniform, to the students of the school,” police quoted him as saying. “But some students (outside the main gate) who saw me started to scream.

“So I entered the school grounds, thinking that I could disappear among the students.”

But Nanpei, who stands between 175 and 180 centimeters tall, just didn’t fit in.

Students inside the school’s grounds also screamed, prompting Nanpei to flee, police said.
Japan Probe



South Korean Garbage Gets More Media Coverage

The story about toxic South Korean trash turning up on Japanese beaches has received a bit more media attention. Photos and video now make it very clear that this isn’t a problem of people simply littering, but rather some sort of mass dumping of industrial-use plastic containers.

The above map shows the the prefectures in which some of the nearly 23,000 plastic containers were found.
See original...

Happy Daeboreum and Have a Poopy White Day!

I've never understood the "love affair" with poop and all things poop-like in Korean and Japan...hopefully I never will!

Looking for the perfect White Day gift for your lady??
A Brown White Day?

I found this on Japan Probe...
I found these tasty morsels on sale at the Jusco shopping center near us in Yono, Saitama. My favorite is the Unchi-kun cookie box. Just what every girl wants to get on White Day, I’m sure. I rather fancy the vibrating “Buru-Buru Unchi-kun” myself.


I just saw that it's Daeboreum again...the Korean moon festival. Here's a video I made last year at Haeundae Beach in Busan. You can see the Daeborum bonfire. It was a rainy rainy night, but very cool. This festival welcomes the first full moon of the Lunar year.

You can also see at the beginning of the vid (for those who haven't been to Korea) that sidewalks are usually not safe places to go as a pedestrian...since people use them as roads too!


Holy Unsportsman-like Behaviour Batman!

Many people are worried about anti-Japanese protests and maybe even more in Beijing this summer. From the looks of things in Japan's defeat of China in soccer yesterday, we can definately expect LOTS of booing, flag buring and kicks to the chest!!! Check out more about the match and unsportsman-like gameplay here...

Toxic Korean Garbage Littering Japanese Beaches

What the HELL...It's been almost a year since I left Korea...and Busan. The time is flyin and the memories are fond but, there are no plans to come back to Korea, I'm moving to Osaka, Japan in the Spring. I will be visiting Busan though in July...my fiancee and I are eagerly anticipating a trip to Busan....we'll stay in Haeundae...our old "hood"!

Check out my YOUTUBE channel...Busan Kevin....


Toxic Korean Garbage Littering Japanese Beaches

Is this the real Korean Wave???? (Hallyu????)

About 15,000 plastic containers have washed ashore on the Sea of Japan coast since January, with one third of them carrying Hangul characters, Environment Ministry officials said Tuesday.

The containers have washed ashore in 11 prefectures, and the ministry plans to ask the South Korean government to investigate the cause and to take preventive measures, the officials said.

The ministry started conducting hearings with local governments on Jan. 15, when it was confirmed that the plastic containers washed ashore at a number of places including Hirado in Nagasaki Prefecture.

By prefecture, 4,662 containers have washed ashore in Nagasaki, 3,738 in Shimane and 2,078 in Fukuoka, the officials said.

The plastic tanks have a capacity of about 20 liters. Some of them carry Hangul characters for “hazardous” or “oxidizing agent,” while others carry chemical formulas for hydrogen peroxide solution and nitric acid, the officials said.
See more....


WOW!!!!Talk about having your poop pushed in!

Illegal Tutors Face 1-Year Jail Term
Those providing private tutoring service without reporting this to the authorities will now face up to one year in prison.

The National Assembly's Education Committee Tuesday passed a revision bill of the Private Tutoring Law to crack down on unregistered private teachers.

According to the law, those offering private education should report their teaching activity to the regional educational office and tax authority. Those violating the rule will be subject to one year in prison or a 5 million won fine. Previously, the punishment was up to a 1 million won fine.

The law targets tutors who provide pricey lessons at students' homes without paying taxes on their earnings. However, college or graduate school students are exempted from the regulation. Private tutoring is one of the most popular part-time jobs for students.
More...


I think this applies to Korean-Amercan communities only....
Korea Exporting Education Frenzy Overseas

I remember writng about this CRAZy MFer last year...
Fisherman sentenced to death

Dictators can be a real hoot!

A regular man tries to be a faithful member of his totalitarian state but falls short of expectations and the leader who resembles a certain North Korean dictator gets a surprise...Check it out!



Here's a little something interesting about Japanese mobile technolgy...I always find this stuff cool!

Mobile barcodes:Huge success in Japan so far.
In Japan, mobile barcodes(QR Codes:local version of the 2D barcodes) has been widespread and acquired a stable position as one of the familiar media to provide a direct access to customers these days. They are mainly targeting mobile-savvy group of twenties to mid-thirties leading them to sales promotion sites for products such as snacks and beverages.
Read more on Asiajin...


Some people have too much money and not enough brains...
American to Pay Korean University 150,000$ to Clone Dead Dog

Ah poo....no more skating on the Rideau Canal for a little while...
Mild temperature shuts canal

Damn...it was slippery last night with all of that freezing rain here in Ottawa.
Plane slides off runway at Ottawa Airport

Winterlude and Bonsai Potatoes

Hopefully, as a sign that the end of Winter is approaching, Winterlude 2008 came to a close today. Ottawa's annual winter festival is known for its ice sculptures, skating on the Rideau Canal(apparently the world's biggest skating rink....7km long)and the infamous Beaver Tails...Ottawa's own high calorie winter-time snack.

With only a couple of days left in Canada, Mai and I took a trip to the canal yesterday. It was a gorgeous day. the sun was shining and hordes of folks stumbled along the canal. Many sober, some maybe not! We lived the "Ottawa Winterlude Cliche" and followed up some skating with Beaver Tales and coffee. It was nice, but again, I can't wait for this winter to be over. This was my first time in Canada in almost 6 years during the Winter and I have to admit...I wish I wasn't here for the Winter...to damn cold!

Throngs of people stumble about, making merry and eating deep-fried bread snacks (Beaver Tails). Many were skating, some walking and some simply rolled about on the ice with skates attached to their feet.


On our way to Starbucks on Elgin Street for a coffee and a chance to warm-up, we admired some definite "widow-maker" icicles!


It's Zen Without the Wait!!!!
"Are you the type of person who longs for patience and tranquility in your life? Of course you are, but in our modern society who has the time? Now it's possible. With the items contained in this kit you can quickly and efficiently reach an inner peace that can take monks an entire lifetime to achieve."

That's what it says when you take a look at the home of the Bonsai Potato.



Just when you think you life couldn't possibly get weirder....it does. I suppose this is a case of the Orient meets Idaho!


On a non-potato topic. I came across this weird pic today. I took it last year while walking to a restaurant in Busan. I think I had been hiking and consuming beer on Jangsan (a local mountain) and saw this giant dog-house-thingy.

Not sure what it was. Possibly a vet's office...maybe a pet shop...hopefully not a dog restaurant. Doubt the last one though...doggie restaurants in Korea are normally more discreet with their signage.

The Big Baby on Video...

Here's a little Ron Mueck action at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa....set to an amusing tune...

I was kickin it at Rideau Canl all afternoon with Mai...shufflin about the iceand eatin Beaver Tails...pictures to come tomorrow!

Big Baby Time...

Damn...that's a BIG BABY!!!

Alright. it's Valentine's Day here in Canada...and other places around the world as well. I spent the afternoon at the National Art Gallery here in Ottawa and I wasn't alone. My entire Teacher Education section from the University of Ottawa went to the Gallery this afternoon for our Arts class. Mai came along as well and we all had a good ole time. I've been to the Gallery at least 4 or 5 times since I moved to Ottawa last summer. The most exciting part of this trip for me was to see the BIG BABY...as I call it or as it's properly called, "A Girl" by the Australian artist Ron Mueck.


Here it is..."A Girl" by Ron Mueck....or as I call it....the big ole gross baby!!! This thing is huge. It seems that most people are either horrified by it or think it's great. Either way, everyone is transfixed by it!


"A Girl" was donated to the National Gallery last Fall. Here I am hammin it up. As you can see...it's damn big. The eeirest thing about it is the detail. You can see the amniotic fluid, the pores on the skin and the hair looks especially realistic...therefore...nasty.


Some classmates wanted to capture the moment in a complimentary pose! Shall I call this one "A Girl and A Boy"?

According to CBC news...."A Girl is a 4.5-metre-long sculpture of a newborn, her eyes half shut and hands clenched, and umbilical cord still attached.

Mueck uses modern acrylics and other sculptural techniques taken from the film industry to create the true colours and textures of human skin, but all of his sculptures are out of scale — either much larger or smaller than their inspiration."



Here's an intersting blurb about Canadian English Teachers...in Canada. I read this in the Korea Times. The great Korean "Unqualified vs. Qualified" ESL teacher debate continues...and will for the next 10,000 years I think!
Canada’s English Programs


More crappy news for some of Nova's former language instructors in Japan...
Neo-Nova "Fires" Instructors

Some more sad news about the tragic fire that destroyed Seoul's Namdaemun Gate...
Collapsed Landmark Draws Mourners


TABERNACK!!!! As they say here in Canada. Damn...what do you do when you need to take a train somewhere, but the ticket guy is sleeping in????? Well...some folks in Japan suffered this "inconvenient" fate...
Train passengers unable to use ticket machines after employee sleeps in

Vinegar-Chocolate for Valentine's!

Parents Want More Native English Teachers
Parents in Seoul are demanding more native English-speaking teachers for their children at schools. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE), more and more ward offices in Seoul have allotted money to recruit foreign teachers because of the growing demand from parents in each district.

Last year, some 5.24 billion won was collected from four ward offices and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to employ native English teachers at schools in the capital.

The education authority expects the amount of money will double this year to 10 billion won.

``Many ward office chiefs vowed to increase the number of native-speaking teachers in their election campaigns. To that extent, they are increasing the necessary funds,’’ said Choi Chun-ok, a supervisor in charge of recruiting foreign English teachers at the office.

As the ward offices do not have staff to select qualified foreign teachers, except Gangnam-gu, they are leaving recruitment to the SMOE, she added.

More than five ward offices plan to make an agreement with SMOE on Thursday and Friday this week for the employment of foreign teachers in their districts.

Jongno-Gu Office has reserved 750 million won for the project; Nowon-Gu, 520 million won; Dobong-Gu, 400 billion won; Jungnang-Gu, 300 million won; and Gwanak-Gu 200 million won.

Under the agreement, 31 elementary and 15 secondary schools will have foreign English teachers from the spring semester.

SMOE has recruited native English-speaking teachers for schools since September 2005 to teach at 572 elementary and 665 secondary schools.
Korea Times


This is just nasty. there are many wonderful things about Japanese cuisine, but there are also some MAJOR mistakes!!! Anyone remember Cucumber Pepsi??? Ackkk...
Vinegar-flavored chocolate hits shelves for Valentine's Day
OKAYAMA -- Consumers here will be able to pick up vinegar-flavored chocolate for Valentine's Day following its development by Okayama Prefectural University scientists and prestigious Japanese confectionary maker Minamoto Kitchoan.

The research team that developed the chocolates did so because of the purported health benefits of acetic acid, large quantities of which are normally found in vinegar.


Two types of vinegar-flavored chocolates will go on sale, one with a vinegar sauce and the other a chocolate containing raisins that have been soaked in vinegar.

Sales started Monday and will be limited to 100 sets sold only in two Okayama stores.

Vinegar-flavored chocolates will be sold in 3-piece sets, each of which costs a hefty 1,050 yen, ensuring the sweet and sour flavor extends beyond the taste buds.
Mainichi Daily News


My financee is from Osaka so I thought this would be a fitting Valentine's treat. I just wish I could get one here in Ottawa!

Chocolate In Disguise: “Okonomiyaki Chocolate Cake.”

The next Valentine treat looks like a normal Okonomiyaki, a kind of mixed pancake that is a mainstay of Japanese cuisine, but actually this is genuinely made of the delicious brown stuff, together with rich flavours of rum and Belgian chocolate. Incidentally, its Hiroshima-based confectioner, Toraya, has a repertoire of 380 products with a whole range of sweets that look like real savoury dishes, including sushi-shaped roll cakes and custard pudding resembling Chawanmushi.
See original...

A Treasure Destroyed

I was away from my computer all weekend so I just caught this news tonight. Tragedy. I just saw this on CBC news.

Namdaemun Gate Destroyed by fire
Treasure destroyed
South Korea's national treasure the Namdaemun (Great Southern Gate) collapses as firefighters fight to extinguish a fire in Seoul on Monday. About 80 firefighters fought to bring the blaze under control. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Namdaemun, was the southern gate of the original walls surrounding Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty. The construction of this gate began in 1395.


Here's a vid from MikeinKorea, showing Namdaemun Gate yesterday after the fire.

Ear Wax Reveals Ancient History of Japan

Ear Wax Reveals Ancient History of Japan
Asianoffbeat

Though it's not really a common topic of dinner conversation in most of the states, according to a team of Japanese high school students, humble ear wax played a role in human history.

Most people aren't aware of this fact, but ear wax comes in two types wet and dry.

Now hold on, don't run off... this obscure factoid has repercussions beyond just grossing you out. For that we can thank the perceptive students of Japan's Nagasaki Nishi High School, one of 101 government-designated "super science high schools" that specialize in math & science.

According to a newly published report in the Daily Yomiuri Online , the kids at NNHS spearheaded a project that included students from 42 other super science high schools and gave us a map that charts the prevalence of wet and dry earwax types by province!
Read more about this EARWAX SCIENCE.....

Foreigner Rescues Kids From Abusive Daycare in Itaewon

Foreigner Rescues Kids From Abusive Daycare in Itaewon

Koreabeat reported a daycare center in Itaewon used some highly questionable punishments — locking its kids (a little girl) outside in the cold, naked. a foreign teacher passing by saw the abuse and took photos. This is currently one of the most-viewed stories on Naver.

There is shock over the punishment a daycare center in Seoul doled out to one child — she was forced to take off his clothes and be locked outside. As a result of photos sent to Oh My News and the resulting investigation, it has been confirmed that the “Yongsan-gu daycare center" in Itaewon made the child, who appears to be about five years old, remove her clothes before putting him outside and shutting the door, leaving her there.


It is particularly shocking that the daycare center in question, run for low-income families by the local Yongsan-gu government, left the child alone outside on the second floor fire escape where there was a danger of him falling.

Oh My News separately received two photos, which show a small girl standing on the second floor fire escape almost naked, huddling in the extreme cold.

According to data from weather reports, on the 25th, the day of the naked punishments, the temperature in Seoul ranged from -1.8℃ to -9.6℃.

In an interview with Oh My News on the 28th, K, a foreigner who witnessed the punishments and took the photos, testified that from December 29th to January 25th she saw the punishment carried out twice.

She said, “at about 10 in the morning on December 28th someone opened the door and put a completely naked little boy onto the veranda. The boy did not cry but he kept screaming and screaming, as if terribly frightened.”

“Then on the 25th the same thing happened to a little girl. Her pants were around her ankles.”

According to her testimony, the children were left outside for about 10 to 15 minutes. She said, “I heard the child’s cries and took the pictures.”

Oh My News went directly to the daycare to confirm these facts, finding that K’s photographs are, in fact, of the daycare’s second floor fire escape. In the three-story building there is a retirement home on the first floor, with the daycare occupying the top two floors.

But the daycare center fully denies the allegations. The Yongsan-gu Office, which manages the center, announced, “the daycare center has operated since 1995. It was established to serve low-income families.” The center is currently serving 44 children from low-income families.

Mr. Park, the owner, angrily said, “the 25th was our sports day, so nothing like that happened. This is an untrue rumor which should not have been spoken. Who says we used naked punishments? Somebody is speaking nonsense.”

Another employee at the daycare denied the allegations. “How could such a punishment have been used on such a terribly cold day? This isn’t the 19th century, I would feel sick just to hear of such a thing.”

“I could sue you for slander,” the employee said. After reproaching the reporter, the employee raged, “old people have no work to do, don’t you know we’re running a day care? Doesn’t Oh My News have anything better to do?”

A source at the Yongsan-gu Office said, “there have been no complaints about that center since its appointment by the government. Action can be taken after an investigation but there must be proof of the allegations.”

“For criminal punishment there must be either a complaint from parents or a third-party accusation. The ward office will typically issue a warning but if there are arrests then it can be shut down. In our jurisdiction there have been times when a child was hit and the teacher fired, but there has never been a case of an establishment being closed due to child abuse.”

This is OMN’s update. It sounds to me as though the owner has bullied the most junior staff member into taking the responsibility. If so I hope she is getting paid well for torpedoing her career to cover her boss’ ass.

The daycare center at the center of allegations of “naked punishments in cold winter” has belatedly confessed.

Until now the center had denied the allegations, calling them “nonsense”, but on the 29th they called Oh My News and said, “it happened in the course of corporal punishment. But it was wrong, there is nothing we can say.”

A childcare worker at the school who applied the punishment also said, “I did it rashly and quickly. It is my fault and I feel very responsible for it.”

L, the teacher, has been working at the daycare center for the past year. In a telephone interview with Oh My News L said, “it was something I did because I thought that the children must be brought up quickly and I am clearly at fault. I did something that a teacher in a daycare center should never do.”

“The child turns six this year but hit and hurt a friend, and I didn’t consider that ok. The child made me angry and in an instant I just got so angry and shut him outside on the fire escape.”

“Normally she is a very good child, but she made me so frustrated and I just did it so quickly. I am so sorry.”

“I didn’t make her take his clothes off, he did that himself. How could I have put a little girl out into the cold in just her underpants? I didn’t do it for very long.”

L added, “the responsibility is mine and I will put in my resignation. Though I cannot work with kids again I hope that the school will not be closed.”

Furthermore the owner of the school, a Mr. Park, and two others visited Oh My News’ office and admitted that the naked punishments had ocurred.

They said, “even though it’s difficult to look after kids it was unacceptable, and it seems the emotions of the teacher in charge erupted out of control. I have a large responsibility since I did not properly manage the teacher. Because of this clear mistake, I have accepted the offer of resignation.”

A city official in charge of childhood education saw Oh My News’ report and called, saying, “we will investigate and hand down a severe punishment.” The Yongsan-gu Office announced, “when the investigation finishes every potential action will be enforced.”

As the scandal over the Itaewon daycare which gave its kids the “naked punishment” plays out, Korean citizens are extremely angry, making their views known on the Yongsan-gu daycare center that used naked punishments during this cold winter.

One Korean woman claiming to be the mother of a 6-year old girl wrote to Chosun Ilbo, “I was shocked to see these pictures and became furious, frustrated, and I cried. This happened in a daycare allowed to use corporal punishment and from now on there needs to be a system in place to make sure that this kind of thing does not happen to other kids.”

One user named “peony” (함박꽃) wrote, “they had no understanding of human rights. They all have responsibility, not only the teacher but the owner and the government too.”

Experts in child welfare and development do not feel differently.

This report goes over the response of the teacher accused of putting the child outside and what the government plans to do about it:

Following allegations that a daycare center in Seoul left a child outside, naked, police have opened an investigation.

On the 29th the Yongsan Police Department opened an investigation following suspicions raised on the internet news site “Oh My News” that a female child in the the ㅂ daycare center in Itaewon was given a naked punishment.

Ms. K, a foreigner living in the same neighborhood where this ocurred, saw it take place and recorded it on camera. She then published it on the internet and informed a reporter at Oh My News.

In an interview with the media one member of the police said, “an investigation is ongoing into the allegations that the law on child welfare was violated by nudity punishments. The Yongsan-gu Office, which is responsible for the management of the daycare, has also opened an investigation.

According to reports, on the 25th of January 25-year old teacher at the daycare center Ms. Lee placed the child, 5-year old A, outside on the fire escape, shutting the door, as punishment for not listening well.

Ms. Lee said, “she was pulling other childrens’ hair and tormenting them, and though I wasn’t worried of any danger, she continued to act badly and do those kinds of things. I opened the door and sent her out, and told her to go to the daycare for bad kids.” The child was given the corporal punishment of being left outside on the narrow fire fire escape.

She said, “I didn’t force her to take her clothes off. She did it because she was upset. The door closed by itself. I had gotten so angry so quickly that I left her outside for a minute or two but then I opened the door and apologized to her. That was the first time I sent a child outside without clothing.”

“I like her a lot so I want her to do well, I saw it as giving her discipline. I am really sorry to her and to my fellow teachers. If it is possible I want to take sole responsibility.”

Ever since the report came out thousands of netizens have written in fury. Most of them say things like, “they should be harshly punished,” and “how could somebody do that to a child?”

The city has requested the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to revoke the teaching license of Mr. Park, the owner of the daycare center, as well as the contract for the center’s management. It is expected that Ms. Lee will be indicted after the joint investigation of the Yongsan-gu Office and the Mapo Children’s Protection Center (마포아동전문보호소).

In addition the Yongsan Police Department has opened an investigation into violations of the child welfare law and has asked Ms. Lee to appear before them.

There are currently 44 children from low-income families being served by the center.

This report is nearly identical to the preceding one but for the final three paragraphs:

However some neighbors say that A was outside for at least 10 minutes and that they witnessed a similar action at the end of last year.

“I like her a lot so I want her to do well, I saw it as giving her discipline. I am really sorry to her and to my fellow teachers. If it is possible I want to take sole responsibility.”

A’s parents said, “we don’t want the teacher to be punished. We just want to love one another, forget about this incident and move on.”
Original Story....Koreabeat

This is a link to an SBS news story about the incident...

I also caught this on Asianoffbeat...

Foreign Teachers as Civil Servant?? Plus...some fevers and snowstorms

So...as I write this and for many hours before that...Ottawa has been and is getting pummeled by a fierce winter storm, a.k.a. a blizzard. Looks like this could be the worst one of the season.

Them "meteorologist types" say that we should have about 25cm of snow in good ole' Ottawa by midnight, probably the biggest storm we can expect this season. Of course I had class all afternoon, but I think, shy of an dirty bomb being found on campus, the University of Ottawa would never cancel a class.
I was sick for most of the week. I love sitting through 8 hours of lectures with a fever, but that's the kind of fun Teacher's College provides! Mai is down for the count now with the flu. Our trip to the "exotic" Cornwall put on the backburner til next weekend...damn...I was sooo stoked about having some "Northend Pizza." I thik it's probably some of the finest pizza on Eart. It burned down last spring, just before I came back to Canada from Korea. I was craving it for so long and then....denied, BUT it reopend just a few weeks ago and is apparently as great as ever! Our chance to check out Winterlude tomorrow will have to be put off until Sunday when we are both feeling mobile and "un-flulike."

Oh yeah...the entire Rideau Canal is now open for iceskating as of today. The skating surface is 7km long and the world's longest.(that was my Winterlude/Rideau Canal plug!)

So...for the rest of the evening I will continue to plug away at some of the numerous assignments staring me in the face. This week coming up is a big one for the B.Ed folks with several big projects due. I'm in the midst of editing a group newspaper at the moment. Our theme was "The Changing Face of Education." I know, I really broad topic, but it gave us a lot of flexibility to write the different stories we wanted. My article focused on teachers intigrating WEB 2.0 tools into their classrooms. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee...load of fun!!! Well,if anything, the editing portion of the assignment has helped me get a firm grasp of Microsoft Publisher.

Here's a look at my little work area where my Teacher's College work is usually done...as well as some goofing off of course! To think...what a difference. When I first started teaching, I was babysitting rich Korean ankle-biters and just a few months ago I was teaching at an inner-city school in Canada...talk about night and day! Teaching here was certainly MUCH more difficult and MUCH more gratifying!



Now, back to a little ESL-style news...
New E-2 Regs Lead to Teacher Shortage, Unhappy Hagwon
Speaking of English teachers, the Kyunghyang Shinmun’s Newsmaker magazine ran a piece on how the new E-2 visa regulations are driving up the price of foreign English teachers in Korea.

That, of course, is making hagwon owners very unhappy.

“The number of foreign teacher applicants has dropped considerable. I understand there are also protests. In cases like the United States, it appears their position is, ‘Are we some sort of criminals?’ Also, the consular interviews are becoming a problem. Some places do them, others don’t. Do all consulates have to do them? Consuls don’t just give E-2 visa interviews, after all.”

So said Choe Chang-jin, the general director of the foreign language education council of the Korea Association of Hakwon, conveying the complaints of Korea’s hagwon. Some 1,200 hagwon are part of the foreign language committee council in Seoul alone, and 6,500 nationwide.

According to hagwon owners, since the measures were implemented, it’s become exceedingly difficult to find foreign teachers. Provincial hagwon are having the worst of it, with schools closing down. And the competition between hagwon for foreign teachers is growing fierce, something that has not gone unnoticed by recruiting agencies, which schools claim are busy stealing teachers by offering them better and better conditions to work elsewhere.

So what do the foreigners think about all this?

Well, Newsmaker says, according to one website dealing with employment in Korea, the opinion that was getting the most support was that Korean hagwon need only pay a reasonable wage, guarantee legal benefits like pensions and health insurance, give more vacation time and maybe boost pay. Another foreigner thought the new visa regulations would come to nothing, citing how measures to make child seats in cars mandatory were scrapped right away following protests. Read the rest at the Marmot's Hole...

Interesting how a country and government unites to regulate English teachers, but people run out into the streets in protest over the idea of making child car seats mandatory...btw, in more than 5 years living in Korea, I never saw one car seat!


I just read this in the Korea Times.
Will Foreign Teachers Become Civil Servants?
Korea Times
President-elect Lee Myung-bak’s transition team has announced a bold plan to bolster the pool of new teachers specialized for English-speaking classes. But a big question is left unanswered ― whether foreign nationals are entitled to the jobs or not?

The transition team announced Wednesday it will introduce the Teaching English in English (TEE) certificate and recruit 23,000 teachers with the TEE licenses by 2013.

Eligible applicants for the program are those who have completed English education courses including the Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificates, obtained master’s or higher degrees in English-speaking countries, or have teaching licenses. Fluent English-speaking professionals will also be considered. The transition team also said that the TEE teachers will be entitled as public (education) servants under the 3-5 year renewable contract.

However, the team has failed to mention whether the foreigners are welcome or not for the program. Asked of the possibility of employment of foreigners, Lee Ju-ho in charge of education policy in the team was uncertain.

``We have not decided yet whether to recruit foreigners for TEE programs or not. It is the role of the incoming government to decide on the matter,’’ Lee told The Korea Times over the telephone.

Under the current education law, foreigners are not allowed a regular teacher position at Korean elementary and secondary schools. They are only allowed regular teaching positions at higher education institutes. For example, a foreign professor at a state-run university is entitled to be classed as a civil servant.

However, President-elect Lee hinted that he will open more civil servants positions to foreigners in a meeting with senior officials of the Democratic Party, last month.

Recruiting Qualified Teachers

According to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, nearly 4,000 native English-speaking teachers are working at elementary and secondary schools as assistant teachers. If foreigners are allowed to be TEE teachers, they can receive benefits set for civil servants.

The ministry official in charge of teacher recruitment said ``If the incoming government decides to open the teaching position to foreigners, we have to revise the education law. I doubt public opinion will be positive on it.’’

``Even though the job scope for TEE teachers is not yet decided, the position might require more than what foreign assistant teachers are doing,’’ she added.

Regarding the matter, foreign teachers groups in Korea expect the incoming government will be more flexible with the intensive English program.

``It would be good for Korea to open regular positions to foreign teachers as well. Different schools have different needs. Some schools need only native speaking teachers, some schools need English-speaking Korean teachers and some schools need co-teaching of the foreign and Korean teachers,’’ said Phil Owen, President of the Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages(KOTESOL).

Mark Howard, Director English Language Service, British Council Korea, also supported employment of foreigners in the program. ``I guess one challenge is how they are going to get the number of qualified teachers,’’ he said.

Although, the status of teachers varies according to each country, many English speaking countries hire qualified foreigners as regular teachers.

Meanwhile, Korean teachers' groups oppose giving civil servant status to TEE teachers. ``All English teachers go through regular 4-year courses and pass employment examination. We cannot accept TEE teachers in regular positions just because they can speak English well,’’ said Kim Dong-seok, spokesperson of The Korean Federation of Teachers' Association.

``I doubt how we can cooperate with TEE teachers who are not from regular teacher courses. If the government will push the programs, it would be worse to work with native-speaking teachers,’’ said Yoo Gye-hyoung, an English teacher in Gyeonggi Province.