Naksansa

Naksan temple (낙산사, 사 = temple, sa = temple) is a well-known place in Korea:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naksansa

http://www.lifeinkorea.com/travel2/kangwon/351

It is near Yang Yang, on the east coast.

I will go there next week, with one day off from teaching, to attend a Buddhist ceremony for my friend who recently died.  We will then go out on a boat and scatter his ashes into the ocean.

Short Animation

I might have called this short film "Perserverance":

https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2015/04/14/ascension/

Article: One problem with American Foods

Read on:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/04/14/399591292/why-the-fda-is-clueless-about-some-of-the-additives-in-our-food

News: South Korean Education

Read this article:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/04/15/393939759/the-all-work-no-play-culture-of-south-korean-education

Another Article about Healthy Eating

I'm interested in reading this author's book:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2015/04/11/398325030/eating-to-break-100-longevity-diet-tips-from-the-blue-zones

Short Films Review

Here are a few more:

"Alma":

 https://vimeo.com/4749536


"Pigeon Impossible":

https://vimeo.com/8527864


"The 10 Steps":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpURRW80LnM


"Gopher Broke":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PdkZxFq97A

Article: South Korea's Elderly and Poverty

A short article about poverty in South Korea's elderly population:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/04/10/398498496/a-forgotten-generation-half-of-s-koreas-elderly-live-in-poverty

Convenience Stores

I read an article in The Korea Times newspaper today that talked about the rise of convenience stores in South Korea.  According to the article, the U.S. has about 150,000 such stores, while Korea has about 26,000.  However, if you compare the relative sizes of the two countries, it's clear that Koreans really love their convenience stores.  From my residence, I could walk to 7 different stores within 5 minutes. (Japan has about 50,000 convenience stores.)

Spring Flowering

Some nice spring city views:

Short Films Review

There haven't been many good short films lately, so it is time to review some of the great ones.

Let's start with these four:

'9':
https://vimeo.com/37209185

'Room 8':
https://vimeo.com/64878402

'Bottle'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mVEapKnS1c

'Johnny Express'
https://vimeo.com/94502406

Article: Korean Family TV Shows

Have a read:

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20150403000976

Vietnamese Lunch

Make-your-own rice paper rolls, along with shabu-shabu:

Very good! (And mostly healthy!)

The Benefits of Eating Fish (Article)

An informative article:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/this-is-your-brain-on-fish/375638/