Sexy Model From Korea

It almost feels as if one woke one day from a dream and saw a different country materializing magically in front of him. Of course, it is actually the result of the vision of Korean national leaders, the hard work of government planners in harmony with the private sector [most of the time] and the indomitable will of the people of Korea that brought the magnificent changes we see today.

I remember my own youth in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s - yes, a long time ago. Life seemed so much simpler then. The pace was slower - people weren't in such a hurry, the street cars seemed to move the population around the city quite nicely and efficiently - families were rooted in their communities and not given to moving every few years as is the case today - children were a blessing to be nurtured and loved rather than shuttled off to daycare centers so their parents could live the "American Dream." Our elected officials felt a greater responsibility and accountability to their constituencies, or so it seemed. Public schools were places of education where meeting standards dictated moving ahead from one year to the next rather than the social adjustment concerns that so occupy United States' school systems today. Entire careers were more likely spent in a single company rather than the constant changes that are experienced today because back then there existed a greater sense of loyalty from both employer and employee. In California we now run billion dollar deficits because of the excesses of government spending that seemingly has no controls whatsoever. Every special interest is met with a handout. Even those who reach the United States illegally are entitled to more than those who are diligently working to take care of their families and themselves.

A country's core is deeply affected when fundamental values are so easily altered to reflect the latest trend sweeping across a nation. That seems to be the case in the United States over the past several years. Our political leaders, in both parties, seem bent on change without substantive insight on how our society will be affected.

Kenya, where I lived several times in the 1980s, is a country that should easily be able to feed its citizens and provide job opportunities for its ever expanding population. It has not been able to do either in the 50 years since its independence. To the contrary, its leaders have squandered natural resources, failed in providing basic education to its citizens, allowed tribalism to separate peoples rather than seeking ways to draw people together and allowed a culture of corruption to permeate every facet of society as an acceptable alternative to responsible governance. Their leaders through the years have squandered treasuries to feed their never ending avarice and unquenchable thirst for money and power with little complaint and certainly no penalties beyond the diplomatic rhetoric from their development partners

Quite frankly it I remember my own youth in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s - yes, a long time ago. Life seemed so much simpler then. The pace was slower - people weren't in such a hurry, the street cars seemed to move the population around the city quite nicely and efficiently - families were rooted in their communities and not given to moving every few years as is the case today - children were a blessing to be nurtured and loved rather than shuttled off to daycare centers so their parents could live the "American Dream." Our elected officials felt a greater responsibility and accountability to their constituencies, or so it seemed. Public schools were places of education where meeting standards dictated moving ahead from one year to the next rather than the social adjustment concerns that so occupy United States' school systems today. Entire careers were more likely spent in a single company rather than the constant changes that are experienced today because back then there existed a greater sense of loyalty from both employer and employee. In California we now run billion dollar deficits because of the excesses of government spending that seemingly has no controls whatsoever. Every special interest is met with a handout. Even those who reach the United States illegally are entitled to more than those who are diligently working to take care of their families and themselves.is a very challenging undertaking to pen the proper words that best describe the transitions Korea has gone through these past thirty years. During my time in Korea between 1978 and 1981, I traveled extensively to every corner of the country. Quite likely I have seen more of Korea than most Koreans. But I cannot even begin to recognize Yonhi-dong where my family and I lived during that earlier time - the magnificent Korean Gate standing on the property of the school my children attended is the only part of the school that remains unchanged -the office where I worked in Kwanghwamun bears little resemblance to the cold dusty spaces we occupied thirty years ago - no longer is there a young boy going through the offices looking for shoes to shine for the few peck won needed for his daily meal - the yakultlady doesn't seem to make the same rounds as she did before - the tabang in the basement of our offices gave way empty space - the Korean War widowed ggot lady is no longer selling flowers at the corner in the cold of winter to earn money to care for her children and ensure their education and her prayer of hope for their better life [both children graduated from university because of her perseverance] -the over-packed buses, belching smoke, no longer rattle along the roads, both in need of repair; its customers now ride on computer controlled subways and clean buses unmindful of the earlier days - there is now a stream flowing through the center of Seoul that was previously used as a road with a second elevated highway running above when I lived in Seoul - the wonderful Kyongbokgung, for years hidden behind the Japanese-built government buildings that have now disappeared, opening up a spectacular display of breathtaking Korean architecture that I was never able to experience when I lived in Seoul thirty years ago. Quite frankly, it is difficult for these old eyes to adjust to the Korea that unfolds before me today.