12 degrees Fahrenheit this morning, which means all the slush on the roads is now ice. No worries, my car remains buried in snow on base. I won’t be walking to retrieve it today because USFK leadership granted an excused absence to non-mission essential personnel.
How bad was this storm? According to AP, the worst to hit Seoul in 70 years.
I think we can all be thankful that global warming has prevented the ice age scientists were predicting in the 1970s…
Well what would a snowy day be without pictures?
The view this morning from my office…
We had our office picnic in that park just a few months ago, but my skeleton crew who made it in today stayed hunkered down inside.
The Korean War memorial is across the street from my building…
Easier walking down this hill that driving up it. Later in the morning a tanker got stuck half way up.
With road condition RED in effect, my staff car remained safely sleeping under a blanket of white…
Namsan Tower is still visible in this distance.
The White House (USFK HQ) was looking particularly white today.
Looks quiet now, but us 8th Army folks had a busy morning dealing with the snow emergency…
Mother Nature’s artistry…
So, I walked home this afternoon to avoid driving on the treacherous streets of Seoul. I was glad to see the highly trained and efficient snow removal team hard at work. It is my understanding that by using this method all streets will be clear of snow and ice by mid-April. At the latest.
Coming into Itaewon-dong as my trek home continues…
Ah, Pub Dolce Vita. I’ll be heading out there soon for my first dart league meeting as President.
The Hamilton Shopping Center…
…at the crossroads of Itaewon…
Tough day to be a delivery driver I suppose…
Home at last!
Looking out my back door…
Ok, wasn’t that fun? I’ll be reversing my journey tomorrow when I walk to work. Don’t expect it will be nearly as pleasant, but that’s what January is all about, right?
Well, here’s a first after 5 years in Korea:
5W Report on Early Dismissal of Non-mission essential military and civilian personnel
WHO: ALL non-mission essential military and civilian USFK personnel at Yongsan Garrison
WHAT: Early dismissal
WHERE: Yongsan Garrison
WHEN: 4 Jan 2010, 1200(I)
WHY: Current snow emergency and associated safety concerns
NARRATIVE: Per authority of the Deputy Chief of Staff, United States Forces Korea (USFK), due to the current snow emergency and associated safety concerns, all non-mission essential military and civilian USFK personnel located at the Yongsan garrison are authorized early dismissal at 1200 hours, Mon 4 Jan. Authority for release of personnel at other locations resides at garrison commanders at each respective location. To avoid unnecessary congestion at gates, supervisors should establish a time-phased dismissal plan for individuals driving POVs.
Employees subject to early dismissal will not be charged personal leave for this absence. Essential employees required to remain on duty are not entitled to additional compensation.
Employees who are on previously approved leave shall continue to be charged leave for the entire workday.
Questions regarding this policy should be directed to DHRM 724-3992.
Employees should be reminded to exercise extreme caution as they return to their homes.
All personnel are directed to monitor AFN radio and TV during 4 Jan and through the morning of 5 Jan for updated information on road conditions, closures, and any potential delays.
Ok, it is only half a snow day, but still. We’ve got a good 10 inches or so on the ground and it is still falling. I drove in this morning and barely made it up the hill to the main drag. I’ll be walking home this afternoon.
It’s pretty outside, but a royal pain in the rear.
Happy New Year! All I can say is this week’s yoja is a J. Crew model. Um, I guess where she was made speaks for itself…
I don’t know which is more bizarre, me posting an uncritical link to a Maureen Dowd column, or Dowd penning a column taking the One to task for his, incompetence lackluster performance as President. I mean, Dowd is even more left than fellow NYTimes columnist Bob Herbert, who incidentally ripped the Prez in his column (called him a liar more or less) on Obamacare.
Oh, and blue state governors are unhappy as well.
But at least the Obama team is keeping us safe. Just ask Janet Napolitano.
Hey, got to give credit where credit is due. Obama promised to unite the country and it looks like that has now been achieved–at least the left and right are coming together more and more these days. In opposition to Obamacare. But still…
But once again we see that the wonders of ObamaCare seem not so wonderful to liberals. They don’t like the idea of consumers being forced to buy health-insurance policies from big, bad insurance companies. They don’t like the idea of smacking middle-class employees who managed to obtain generous health-care plans from their employers. And you don’t hear too many of them cheering for the massive cuts in Medicare. (Liberals always told us our society was to be judged by how generously we treat the old and sick.) So why did all those Democrats vote for this thing? Ah, it was historic!
Only rare pieces of legislation attract opponents as diverse as does ObamaCare. But this is what comes from passing something, anything, in a mad holiday rush with the purpose of delivering a political “win” for the White House and avoiding a humiliating failure for the Democratic congressional leadership. But as the Left and Right discover what’s in that legislation, there may in fact be a broad consensus building over the need to just start over. There has got to be something that makes more sense than this.
In the words of another famous liberal (Joni Mitchell) “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone…”
Well, I don’t know about the water, but the ice is thick on the streets this morning. We got maybe a half inch of snow yesterday which wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, with the temps being in the single digits Fahrenheit, any snow melted with chemicals or tire friction is now good ol’ fashioned ice.
Ain’t no way I’m driving on that slippery slope outside my apartment. No way, no how.
So I’m *ahem* reluctantly taking the day off work.
Anyone have a guess as to what this is?
Give up?
Ok, it is a satellite image of the Lena River Delta in Siberia.
59 more really cool images of Mother Earth from the eyes in the sky can be found here. Check ’em out!
To Matt and Margaret, who became engaged to be married on Christmas morning.
Way to go guys!
Who can forget that great holiday classic with Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey? Well, courtesy of Iowa Hawk, we get this year’s remake “It’s A Wonderful Bill”. Enjoy it here.
Oh, and if you are wondering why you don’t see much of the original “It’s a Wonderful Life” on television, well you can thank our friends in Congress for that too.
Man, I would have preferred a lump of coal to that Obamacare bill, but I guess with greenhouse emissions and all that wouldn’t have been political correct.
Ah well.
Actress Ha Ji-won playing Santa for us this Christmas…
Hmm, maybe she says Ha! Ha! Ha! instead of Ho! Ho! Ho!
Or maybe not.
Season’s greetings from Korea, to my family and “fringe” readers. Wishing everyone, including Catholics, people under the age of 30, Democrats, blacks, muslims and a significant portion of the other minorities including the asian women that do or do not think and act like Michele Malkin) and most especially all you angry scared middle age white men, best wishes for a happy holiday. And if I left anyone out, Merry Christmas to you too!
I had a house full of Koreans over for a Christmas dinner last night. Ribeye steaks have become my traditional feast staple in Korea it seems. I cooked them to near perfection (comparatively speaking, meaning not blackened) and my guests appeared to enjoy them. I was also pleased that my famous Aunt Pat’s recipe fruit salad was a big hit as well.
This evening I will spend some time with my Dolce Vita family and enjoy a turkey dinner and probably some darts as well. Hey, I’m easy to please.
I do especially miss being with my children and grandkids on this special day but distance and time never lessen the love I hold for them in my heart. Thinking of you all!
Well, given the promise for Hopeless Change, I guess changing the Great Seal to match the times makes sense.
A Condom allows for:
Inflation
Halts production
Destroys the next generation
Protects a bunch of dicks
And gives you a sense of security while you’re actually being screwed.
No, I’m not talking about Obama now. I’m talking about the greatest review of a Star Wars film ever. It’s making the rounds on the ‘net, but if you haven’t taken the time to check it, you can start here.
Trust me on this.
Well, it is. How cold? This cold:
A waterfall outside the Seocho District Office in Seoul was frozen yesterday. It was the coldest day yet in seasonal lows, reaching minus 9 degrees Celsius (15.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
Via ROKDrop.
Channeling Colonel Jessup, Tigerhawk reminds why Obamacare is a killer…
Senator, we live in a world that has patients, and those patients have to be treated with technology. Who’s gonna invent, develop it, and build it? You, Senator Sanders? You, Senator Reid? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for high health care costs, and you curse new medical technology. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That new medical technology, while expensive, saves lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about in front of cameras or in committee hearings, you want me on that production line, you need me on that production line. We use words like innovation, quality, and safety. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent helping injured people. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and walks by virtue of the very medical technology that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a biomedical engineering degree, and get to work inventing better medical devices. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.
Dismissed!
This week our yoja is Han Ga In, a model/actress said to have the “perfect Korean nose”.
More of Ga In and other Korean beauties here.
Well, the One has sent a missive to the One in North Korea. No word on the contents as yet, but the assumption is Obama is begging Kim to return to the six nation talks to denuclearize the DPRK. Good luck with that.
I’m guessing the Prez did his usual grovel about America’s past sins and promised an enhanced goody bag in return for promises the NORKs won’t keep. In other words, business as usual.
Man, I would love to see these guys get into a classic “mine is bigger than yours” contest. Those egos are both so massive it would be a tough call on who would be prevail.
Read ’em weep. Looks like AGW is to science as Scientology is to religion.
Well, this rather unique and creative Christmas decorating idea has been making the rounds on the ‘net, facebook, and email. I guess that makes it pretty much inevitable that it would wind up here on LTG as well. Just remember, you saw it here LAST!
A guy that works for Federal Air Marshalls in the states had an unusual Christmas decoration.
He said the bad news was that he had to take it down after 2 days. He had more people come screaming up to his house than ever. Two things made him take it down: First, the police advised him that it would cause traffic accidents – they told him they almost wrecked when they drove by. Second, a 55 year-old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed herself putting it against his house and didn’t realize it was fake until she climbed to the top. She was one of many people who attempted to do that. His yard couldn’t take it either. He has more than a few tire tracks where people drove up into his yard.”