Whoa really famous American "D.M.C." speaks on Mad Cow, provides comfort, validation to millions.

Looks like NoCutNews was pretty liberal with their translation of rapper DMC's comments on Mad Cow Disease. According to the Metropolitician, posting on The Marmot's Hole, the band members were badgered with questions on American beef, and DMC replied with "Well, I guess no one wants mad cow” and “Gotta protect the people, safety first.” NoCutNews ran with that and put up a story under the headline translated by the Metropolitician as "DMC says ‘In the importation of American beef…the safety of the people is most important" (디엠씨 "미국산 쇠고기 수입 … 자국민 안전이 가장 중요). Not as grievous a manipulation of an ultra-sensitive issue as when a Japanese man's run was labelled a "Repentance Marathon" a few years back. I think that's my favorite one.

In other news, I can't say I agree with the Korea Times' headline "Obama Has Bad Impression of Korea." Something along the lines of "you have a bad impression" is one of those phrases usually thrown in a sentence that borders "you must understand our situation," and is a bit too dismissive and subjective for my taste. To my ears, or eyes rather, "bad impression" seems pretty condescending and implies that his views, somehow, must be corrected, or that will be corrected if he only quote-unquote learned about Korea, as if he as a American doesn't understand what is best for his country politically and economically, and isn't imbibed with authority to speak on certain issues.

Continuing today's theme of "shoddy journalism," the Chosun Ilbo reported yesterday that according to the Center for Disease Control Aretha Vinson did not die of vCJD, as reported on "PD Diary." Ooops. So was "PD Diary" actually right on anything? That paper also says advertisers there and in other conservative papers have become targets of "telephone terror" that is causing severe damage to their businesses. An excerpt:

Travel agencies are not the only victims. Health food, clothing and teaching materials companies that market their products mostly through newspaper ads also suffer. One footwear maker who used to get about 400 orders a day by advertising in newspapers is now only getting malicious calls.

A health food company staffer said, "Our company will go out of business if we fail to put ads on newspapers with large circulation, because we depend largely on orders for sale. If this situation continues, we'll have to close down." A 29-year-old female staffer in the public relations office of a mid-level construction company said, "They put even the telephone numbers of our company's planning office, general affairs department, personnel department and other departments on the Internet to paralyze the operation of the entire company."

Despite a number of huge setbacks I'm still chugging forward with my own little situation, and I hope to get some resolution soon. Unfortunately, as was told to me today, the authorities have their hands full with cases of cyber crime and they might not have to get to mine. *cough* Yeah, that answer didn't really fly with me either, so we'll see what tomorrow brings.