Public school destroys your kids.
— Declaration of Memes (@LibertyCappy) April 21, 2025
Look how much better Japan does it. 👇 pic.twitter.com/FpmvBZXaiP
So maybe instead of cynically suggesting that we need to expose our kids to the harshness of the world, we could try making them into better people who live in a better world.
In late July, four months before the October expiration date, I'll go and renew my F4 visa again, this time for the requisite three years. That'll be the last of the major housekeeping items: passport, driver's license, PNC Bank card, and F4 visa. After that, I've got more minor stuff to do: replace my ceiling lights, and replace my front door's motion-sensor light. The ceiling lights burned out just before I'd left for the States, and the motion-sensor light started going wonky last year, not long after my buddy Mike had left. When the electricians come to replace the ceiling light, I'll ask them what I need to do about the front-door light. From what I'd experienced last time, when I'd needed my kitchenette light replaced, it's up to me to buy the LED light(s), and they do the replacement work. Coupang, here I come.
Since the boss's attempt at getting the Suwon properties fell through, I'm in my current studio for the duration. I've been here since 2018; I've been in Daecheong Tower since 2015, but I spent three years on the sixth floor in a shitty apartment. This apartment, where I am now, had been renovated and was much nicer. Hard to believe I've been in this old building for a decade, but there we are. Livin' the life of an oil tycoon, I'm tellin' ya!
BREAKING:
— World Affairs (@World_Affairs11) April 21, 2025
India says it will increase imports from the U.S rather than China. pic.twitter.com/XwpPzETLZE
As if confirming what I'd recently written...
The Late Pope Francis Made the Roman Catholic Church Take a Massive Left Turn
The Bishop of Rome and earthly head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has passed away. He was 88 and has died after a lengthy, lingering illness.
He was the first Jesuit pope and the first pope to have been born in South America (he was born into an Italian family in Argentina). As the Jesuit order and the Roman Catholic Church in South America both tend to lean to the left, so also did the twelve years of his papacy.
Pope Francis’ papacy often sparked controversy, much of which he himself sparked. He received much criticism over one particular comment, which the Vatican later explained was his own personal opinion and not the Church's position. The Catholic Herald reported in September 2024 that Pope Francis had declared that “all religions are a path to God.” He explained: “They are like different languages in order to arrive at God, but God is God for all. Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God. If you start to fight, ‘my religion is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn’t’, where will that lead us? There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are [Sikh], Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God].”
Francis was apparently contradicting both Jesus’ statement: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6), as well the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council, which emphasized that it was “the burden of the Church's preaching to proclaim the cross of Christ as the sign of God's all-embracing love and as the fountain from which every grace flows.” (Nostra Aetate 2, 4) The Catholic Herald noted that in making these remarks, the pope had set aside his prepared remarks and was speaking extemporaneously.
Even his official papal statements, however, also included a great deal of material that led people to wonder if the age-old question that was supposed to imply that the answer was obvious—“Is the Pope Catholic?”—actually now admitted of a negative response.
Argentine President Javier Milei derided him as a “Communist” and even as “the representative of the evil one on earth.” In 2023, Pope Francis responded to a series of dubia (“doubts”) that Cardinals Walter Brandmüller and Raymond Leo Burke, along with the support of three other Cardinals, Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, Robert Sarah, and Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, had sent him the previous year, asking him to clarify his position on five issues where he had appeared to depart from the actual teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Vatican News identified these as “the interpretation of Divine Revelation, the blessing of same-sex unions, synodality as a constitutive dimension of the Church, the priestly ordination of women, and repentance as a necessary condition for sacramental absolution.”
The most striking aspect of this incident was neither the questions nor the pope’s answers, but the fact that it had happened at all, and that it had been necessary to question the guardian and anchor of the Roman Catholic faith over his own adherence to that faith. There was no parallel to this in modern times, and it exemplified how much Francis was a very different kind of pope from the great majority of his predecessors.
Francis also followed a leftist line on most of the burning political issues of our day. In 2016, he declared that someone who built a border wall was “not a Christian.” In February 2025, he sent a letter to the U.S. bishops, excoriating Trump for securing America’s southern border. He repeatedly insisted that welcoming any and all migrants was a Christian duty, and rejected "any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality."
The pope worked hard also to build bridges with the international Islamic community, downplaying Islamic jihad terrorism, ignoring the rampant Muslim persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa, and even obliquely justifying the 2015 murders of cartoonists of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo who had lampooned the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Francis said that “it is true that you must not react violently, but although we are good friends, if [an aide] says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch, it’s normal. You can’t make a toy out of the religions of others. These people provoke and then (something can happen). In freedom of expression, there are limits.” This was, in essence, a submission to Islam’s blasphemy laws, which would, if followed, mean the end of free societies.
And it goes on. Read the rest.
I consider myself a theological liberal, not a political liberal, and I would completely understand the more conservative elements in Christianity were they to call me un-Christian for my beliefs. What the pope said above re: other religions doesn't strike me as anathema, but I also know the Church's official stance is clearly not pluralistic. Of course, the above stance, as articulated by Pope Francis, isn't really pluralistic, either: it's inclusivistic. A quick explanation of the three major stances—something I haven't done in a while:
exclusivism: my way or the highway. "No man cometh before the Father but by me." Only one tradition is correct; everyone else is bound for hell. If you're a Protestant exclusivist, then you think Catholics (with their Marian "idolatry") are going to hell.
inclusivism: other religious practices and traditions are legitimate only insofar as they are inferior expressions of my own religious paradigm. Hinduism is a legitimate way to the extent that it articulates christic virtues. Catholic theologian Karl Rahner gave us the concept of the "anonymous Christian"—an adherent of a different tradition who nevertheless lives a life expressing virtues recognized as virtues in Christianity, e.g., compassion, self-sacrifice, etc.
pluralism: (convergent pluralism) All paths go up the same mountain and converge at the top (whether the top represents God, ultimate reality, or salvation). All paths are equally legitimate, but it's possible that some paths meander more or go up more difficult parts of the mountain. This doesn't detract from their legitimacy. (divergent pluralism) We are in a valley, and there are multiple mountains, each mountaintop representing its own Ultimate (God, salvation, fulfillment, etc.). The Tao is not the Christian God; the Christian God is not the Jewish or Muslim God; none of these is the same as Buddhist emptiness (sunyata), etc. Trying to fit all religions into a single paradigm simply steamrollers their diversity by squashing all of the details when, in fact, those very details are constitutive of those religions.
I gather that Francis would have affirmed other religions' equal legitimacy, putting him somewhere on the spectrum between inclusivist and convergent pluralist. Divergent pluralists, though, see convergent pluralism as merely another form of inclusivism since it subjugates other religious traditions to its own paradigm (what John Hick would have called the turn away from the self and to the Real). This was divergent pluralist S. Mark Heim's criticism of traditional, convergent pluralism. His response was based on philosopher Nicholas Rescher's notion of orientational pluralism, the idea that "one and only one position is rationally appropriate from a given perspective." While I'm sympathetic with Heim's view, there's an aspect of it that bothers me: if we in our different traditions are really on parallel tracks—me moving toward God/heaven while you move toward Krsna/Ram/moksha—how is it that we inhabit the same, singular universe? Or do you contend that we, in fact, live each of us in our own subjective universe? If that's your contention, then how is cross-communication even possible? As I once put it: how many universes does a basketball pass through on its way from a Muslim player to a Christian player? The parallelist model, as much as it appeals to me, is vulnerable to accusations of ontological over-complication.
Anyway, back to Francis. It's hard to deny that he, like many who are political, found it impossible to separate his religious liberalism from his political leftism. I hope the Church, in choosing its new pope, does a radical course correction but doesn't go too far in a Ratzinger/Benedict direction. A moderate would be nice, whatever that might mean politically and theologically—with the understanding that what counts as moderate for doctrinal Catholics might look extreme to non-Catholics (e.g., regarding abortion).
A New Mexico judge resigns after it was discovered that he had been harboring a Tren de Aragua gang member. I mean, what the fuck?
I made it only as far as Paldang Bridge (about 27 km) before I realized I was just too pooped to continue, and the morning was, despite my windbreaker, very cold. So at Paldang Bridge, I schlepped up the ramp, but instead of crossing the bridge and continuing, I walked another three or so kilometers back into Hanam, to the 9303 bus stop. It was so cold that, like last winter, I could barely move my fingers. I'd been in short sleeves for most of the walk, and it hadn't been that cold, but at the very end, I decided to take out my windbreaker, put it on, and rest a spell before climbing back up into town (i.e., Hanam City). With my painful, frozen shoulder and my barely moving hands, taking off my backpack, rummaging through it for the jacket, painfully pulling the jacket out, and wrestling it onto myself—well, it was kind of a project. From another person's perspective, I probably looked like the reverse of a pupa coming out of its cocoon as I fought my slow way into my jacket. I didn't warm up again until I was moving.
Anyway, I did take some scattered pics and one video during the walk, and I guess I managed about 30K in all, but I think I'm going to have to practice a bit more instead of trying to walk 60K after over a week of resting. Luckily, my taped-up feet seem okay in terms of irritations and blisters, but the feet are both achy and sparking with diabetic neuropathy in a way that reminds me of my plane trip to America (the trip back was okay, pain-wise). The walk started late, around 9:45 p.m. on the 23rd; I took three rest breaks, all totaling about 30-35 minutes. I got to Paldang Bridge at around 5:25 a.m. That's 27 km in seven hours and forty minutes. Subtract 30 minutes for rest breaks, and that 7:10:00. That's about 3.77 kph, which sounds about like my normal, sluggish pace these days. I may have started closer to 5 kph at the beginning, but my pace went way down by the end. I'm glad to be back in my apartment where, despite my not using the ondol, the room is comparatively warm, and I can relax.
Enjoy the photos and short video. I might try this walk again in the fall.
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| Footbridge out of my neighborhood. I snapped this right before the lights went out. Lucky. |
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| down the ramp to the Tan Creek path from my neighborhood |
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| This graffito had been buried under bags of construction material. It breathes free now. |
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| river crab 1, at the Tan Creek/Han River confluence |
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| river crab 2, same location; there were dozens |
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| Sorry about my intrusive shadow. |
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| The Chinese police/spy station is gone, so what's this? |
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| Jamshil Bridge (7.5 km) |
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The convenience store at the 10K mark has been shut down, and there's a temporary-looking 7-Eleven in its place. I got two Coke Zeros and rested for about 20 minutes. Where I am is close to the 11K point. |
Short video: frogs at night.
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| How had I never noticed this structure before? |
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| It's got some features of a drainage gate (배수문/baesumun). |
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| I poked the camera through the fence for this shot. I keep expecting an alien to rise out of the water. |
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| looking back at the structure (what is it?) |
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| the top of the only real(-ish) hill between Seoul and Hanam |
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| about the 15K point from my place |
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| a cute, well-lit straightaway (1) |
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| a cute, well-lit straightaway (2) |
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| a cute, well-lit straightaway (3) |
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| a traditional resting spot for me, so I rested there |
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| Misa Bridge, which means 5K left on the gravel path (soon to be traveled) |
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| "4 Rivers Gukto Jongju to South Han River Bike Path, Paldang Bridge 6.9 km" |
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| I'd initially thought the moon was a banana-like sculpture sitting atop the mountain. |
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| the crunchy, packed-earth path atop the berm on the way to Hanam City, final 5K |
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| Turning right leads up a ramp to Starfield. Turning left leads on, eventually to Yangpyeong. |
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| the moon (right) and Venus (left) |
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| There are seats up ahead where I flopped down and realized how tired I was. |
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| Paldang Bridge, uncrossed this time... note the sunrise. |
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| probably Venus |
I didn't make it this time, but I'll try again later this year when it's once again cooler. Meanwhile, I might do the 35K stretch from Hanam to Yangpyeong later this week.
One bit of excitement: to get up to the top of the berm for the final 5K of the walk to Hanam along that gravel path, I had to climb a set of about 15-20 stairs. There were no lights where I was, and no banister to hold on to. I'd also neglected to bring along my trekking pole, which would have helped immensely. With my balance shot ever since my stroke, I'm normally okay if I have a wall to lean on or a banister to grip whenever I climb stairs. I had neither this time, and as I said, no trekking pole. So I was a bit freaked out about trying to climb the steps in the dark. I belatedly realized I had a flashlight app on my cell phone, so I turned that on, and it helped me get to within about five steps before the top, at which point I began to waver and teeter. I ended up doing the final steps bent over, touching my hands to the steps and reaching the top, but at that point, I wasn't sure how to right myself without flinging myself back down those 15-20 steps. No balance, no coordination. So I slowly sat down and thought the situation through, then gathered my feet under me and somehow managed to right myself on the gravel/packed-earth path. Still a bit freaked out, I started walking the final few kilometers, and it was at about this point that I realized how the experience on the stairs had tired me out, which made me further realize that I was just tired in general. With my energy draining away as I inched my way forward to Paldang Bridge, I made the command decision not to continue the walk. I mentally cycled through several possible ways to get home, including climbing to street level, grabbing a cab, and riding to Hanam City Hall Station. In the end, I saw where the bus terminal was for all of the buses heading into Seoul, and it was close enough to just walk there. The 9303 bus came rather quickly for once, and I did my best not to fall asleep so as not to miss the Jamshil Station stop. I got off the bus, hailed a cab, and made it back to my studio, where I am typing up my experience just for you, Dear Reader.
This is what social contagion looks like.
— John LeFevre (@JohnLeFevre) April 20, 2025
When I was a kid, we had eating disorders, goths, Wiccans, and parents who forced kids to play a sport to vicariously fulfill some unmet dream of theirs.
Now, we have this: pic.twitter.com/lN2HpRnptb
Surprise, surprise! I agree with almost all of the claims made in this video, and since I'm feeling magnanimous, the one claim I have a slight and only possible disagreement with is one I'm inclined not to fight about. Watch the video, then let's have a discussion.
In sum, the faux "rules" listed in the video are:
1. Don't split the infinitive.2. Don't use double negatives.3. "None" is always singular.4. Don't end a sentence with a preposition.5. Don't confuse "less" and "fewer." (my one quibble)6. "Hopefully" has only one meaning.
There's a bit of a meta-issue throwing things off, though: it's when canny experts—like the presenter above—weigh in with their You think the rules are X, but you're wrong, then spend the rest of their time following the rule that's supposedly wrong. Imagine the above speaker, for example, using double negatives like didn't do nothin'. Can you? Me, neither. Or listen for when he uses less instead of fewer. I bet he doesn't. Steven Pinker once tried to make the bizarre case that between you and I is perfectly grammatical. His pretzel logic was something to behold, and I addressed it on my old tutoring blog years ago. Imagine Pinker himself ever saying or writing between you and I. I sometimes think that these finger-waggers, in their virtue-signaling attempts to appear descriptive and not prescriptive, often come off as not a little hypocritical.
