A state of mind [updated]

I listen to a lot of NPR. I also read a lot of blogs. I'm sure that this skews my view on current events quite a bit, especially when I'm overseas and don't have access to your average American TV and radio soundbites. From listening to NPR, it would seem that in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shooting, there has been a lot of discussion back home about mental illness. Is this true? Or is it just NPR? See, my family has a history of mental illness, going back several generations, and I - as the bearer of these high quality genetics - have dealt with this as well. It's a topic that, while certainly discussed in the US more commonly than in the past, is still shunned by the mainstream populace when at all possible. Two of the NPR podcasts that I'd like to recommend on this topic are: Predicting Violence and Forced Treatment. Additionally, if you're coming to this blog looking for information on Korea, let me refer you to a recent post at the Marmot's Hole entitled Coping With Depression and Mental Illness, which addresses that utter lack of mental health care in South Korea.

UPDATE: I'd also like to add Identifying and Treating Severe Mental Illness from the Diane Rehm show to my list of recommended discussions on this topic.

Waycross/Ware Co. fires make national news

(Photo from AP News)

Wind-Whipped Blaze Rages in Southern Georgia
Large Southeast Georgia Wildfire Continues to Burn
Georgia Wildfire Continues to Burn
Winds Push Georgia Fire Closer to Wildlife Refuge
Wind Could Help Firefighters in Georgia
Smoke Prompts Voluntary Evacuation of 5000

Keep up-to-date on the fire here.

Carlos Nelson has posted nearly 600 photos
of the people and places affected by the fire,
which can be viewed here.

For information on how the fire is affecting the
four-legged population of Ware County please visit SEGAPAWS.

To see clips of the fire on YouTube, click here and here.

Oh, the absurdity.

What do you see when you dream?

JPG Magazine has announced the second theme for Issue 11: Dreamscapes, surreal, dreamlike photos. I've selected a picture of fall foliage which I shot on Palgong Mountain last fall. I spun the camera while depressing the shutter, which got me this crazy image. Please click on the image (or click here) to vote! Remember, you have to register for your vote to count, but it's free and easy.

No photoshop here! Only camera cleverness.

Fire in Ware County, GA

There is currently a huge fire burning just to the south-east of Waycross, GA (where I live when I'm in the US). The fire was apparently started by a tree falling onto a powerline. The Satilla Regional Medical Center has posted an excellent site, containing up-to-date information on the location of the fire, medical concerns, volunteer needs, photographs, maps, etc. To keep informed on the fire, please visit their site here. The map and photographs below were taken from the Satilla Regional Medical Center's fire-update website.

(The building in this photo is Ruskin Elementary School)

Reactions to the Virginia Tech shooting

One of the best blogs about Korea, The Marmot's Hole, has an excellent post on the subject, which continues to be updated as new information becomes available. Click here to read. (He summarizes a lot of Korean news sites, which is great for those of us - like me - whose Korean skills are embarrassingly limited.) One of the things he has mentioned is that the Korean President and Foreign Minister have offered their condolences to the American people. Definitely read the post; it's quite informative. There is an incredibly long post on this topic up at another great blog about Korea, Scribblings of the Metropolitician, entitled The Politics of Pride and Shame, which I recommend, assuming that you can force yourself to wade through the entire piece.

Tragedy tied to Korea

The man who went on a rampage on the bucolic Virginia Tech campus was a 23-year-old student from South Korea, officials confirmed this morning. But they still provided no motive. Cho Seung-Hui, 23, a senior studying English, was found among the 31 dead found in an engineering hall. [complete article here]

K = Korean; Socks = Socks

I splurged on a whole bunch of K-Socks yesterday:


(Note Mia's feet at the top of the picture. She's already moving
in on them, and they're not even dirty yet!)

This one is definitely my favorite.

Old houses: Waycross and Daegu

My mom has purchased another house in Waycross, GA. No, she is not moving. No, I am not movin' on up out of the ghetto. But this house was absurdly inexpensive ($14,000 - and yes, you're reading that correctly), and while it certainly needs work, she feels that she can fix it up and sell it at a profit. I'll probable be helping with this housing project when I get home, although she and her friend Bruce have already started.

It's really cute, isn't it? To see interior shots, click here.

Meanwhile, here in Korea... We didn't make it back to Gyeong Ju for the Soju and Rice Cake festival. Samson had to go to a meeting yesterday, meaning that Gwen (or god forbid, I) would have to drive in one of Korea's worst annual traffic jams. After spending so much time in Gyeong Ju traffic jams last (non-festival) weekend, we wimped out.

Because the day was so nice, I figured that if I wasn't going to any festivals, I should at least spend some time outdoors (glad I did; today is rather overcast). I wandered around some of the back alleys of Banyawol (my area of East Daegu) and found a couple of abandoned and decaying traditional old Korean houses to photograph.

Alleyway


Abandoned house - initial view


Abandoned house; modern highrises in the background.


Interior. I love this shot. (See it large here)

To view the complete set of decaying Banyawol photos, click here

When bunny rabbits attack!

I played with Toto the Bunny (he belongs to my landlord) and took some cute pictures and a very bizarre video. It seems that somebunny decided to take the let's pretend we're bunny rabbits thing a little too literally.

Toto looking cute and innocent


Toto licks my fingers


Toto nibbles my backpack


Toto, um... humps my arm. Creepy little bunny. Cute, but creepy.
(If you can't get the video to play, click here)