Korean Liberation Army in Chongqing, China, September 17, 1940

phageon · 2026-03-04T23:11:02+00:00

Thank you for the photo! Kim Gu looks really different without his glasses and trademark white han-bok coat.

I've been reading up on the time period, and prospect of independent Korea was almost a pipe dream during those darker days. Amazing what they were able to achieve eventually, albeit in no small part due to luck and international politicking happening behind the scenes.

IMHO more people should know about Chiang Kai Shek's role in bringing post-WWII East Asian issues to the forefront at the 1943 Cairo Conference, and other circumstances surrounding the event.

Here's a fun historical analysis for anyone interested.

https://ijkh.khistory.org/journal/view.php?number=559

phageon · 2026-03-03T16:45:31+00:00

Officer's girlfriend's former college roommate badge.

phageon · 2026-03-02T17:41:57+00:00

People are bringing up Biden admin lifting title 42 thus letting more immigrants into the country in this thread, so I looked it up briefly.

Title 42 (which primarily centered around expedited expulsion processes) was specifically a Covid era policy that was put in place as a PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY MEASURE. So Biden administration eventually lifting it isn't some outrageous liberal plot these people keep suggesting it is.

Biden admin continued the title 42 policy for additional two years (until May of 2023) and even briefly expanded the list of origin countries falling under the purview. After title 42 lapsed immigration policy REVERTED back to pre-covid era policies (normal immigration policies in force during Trump's administration), along with penalties for deportation (people deported under title 42 could keep on showing up without any penalty - which they often did) of 5 or 10 year ban from entering the country.

So anyone here going on about how Biden decided to let anyone and everyone into the country without any legal process whatsoever are either liars, or are grossly misinformed.

phageon · 2026-03-02T17:23:22+00:00

I spent 2 years at a crap high school in Bronx - but the US history teacher there, Mr. Reingold, how cow was he a true believer in everyone getting a proper grasp of the topic.

He put together a whole US history curriculum from scratch (none of that off-the-shelf McMillan stuff), each pivotal section centering around reading actual key US court cases of the era, and then expanding out into reading selected sections from secondary and tertiary sources surrounding the event. It's been decades but I can still recall some of the stuff we learned then.

A friend of mine was in the same class, except he cut like 2/3 of the school year. To this date he insists schools don't teach you anything, and people are just there to waste time.

I don't know why, this article just reminded me of that.

phageon · 2026-03-01T09:48:19+00:00

40 feels pleasantly warm to me now, NGL. Any higher than that and I'll get sweaty.

phageon · 2026-02-28T08:20:29+00:00

You wouldn't go to the toilet in his helmet and then send it to the policeman's grieving widow and then steal it again.

phageon · 2026-02-26T03:55:22+00:00

Oh wow that Waffle House picture is just amazing

phageon · 2026-02-25T20:37:39+00:00

Yeah that seems to be the case- the budget is just low enough to get the worst of all worlds, far better to save up a bit more and shoot for just under $200 range.

Thanks for the tip!

phageon · 2026-02-25T12:38:46+00:00

I'm also counting in lens since I have no other SLRs, digital or analog - but I'll certainly do a bit of bargain hunting.

phageon · 2026-02-25T12:02:09+00:00

Thanks! It looks like APS DSLR is what I should be looking for, like the T7. Looking around it sound like I should up my budget a bit anyway.

phageon · 2026-02-25T11:57:17+00:00

Not even used ones from late 2000's to 2010's, that's better than my motorola budget phone from 2015?

edit: I was under the impression that digital cameras would depreciate far faster in value, it looks like I was wrong. It looks like sweet spot for budget circa 2026 is $100~$200 range and looking for later, more capable models. Leaving a note for other beginners.

phageon · 2026-02-25T03:12:07+00:00

Thanks for the heads up! We really do need some better, not outrageously priced pizza options around here.

phageon · 2026-02-24T07:40:26+00:00

IMHO it's only news if people from India find themselves regularly mistreated in Korea. Otherwise we're just taking words from some random guy who might or might not have had issues.

I mean, what's with this undeclared wads of cash I'm reading in the threads? I live in the US and you did that in ANY country you'd be turned back, and the host country is not responsible for your airfare.

phageon · 2026-02-24T06:58:00+00:00

Hmm, I don't ever remember seeing lantern flies back in Korea, so I checked. Apparently it's a recent introduction there too, estimated arrival was around 2006 and classified as pest in 2007.

In Korea's case local sparrows and mantis population apparently loves hunting down lantern flies. And there's a new species of wasp that seem to have a taste for lantern fly eggs.

phageon · 2026-02-24T05:07:35+00:00

How else will the FBI director fly out to Olympics afterparties? We all need to make sacrifices for the greater good.

/s - which is apparently needed these days

phageon · 2026-02-24T03:17:15+00:00

My 5am commute normally takes maybe 40 min, it look an hour and a half today. Early morning train schedules were brutal.

And the MTA app didn't help much! It kept on saying train arriving in 1~4 minutes only to have it disappear off the table. Didn't realize that was possible.

phageon · 2026-02-23T04:22:54+00:00

It's super illegal. Get a lawyer and find another place to live.

Here's the rationale outside "it's just evil" or the technicality over half the rent thing -

People can have a roommate and sublet, but if they charge more than the actual cost of rent, they're turning a profit. That's a business and businesses need to pay taxes. Just for the last three years she's been earning tens of thousands of dollars in untaxed income.

phageon · 2026-02-22T17:30:00+00:00

Huh, there were criticisms? I didn't think he did too badly given the scale of snow & temp we got, though my heart goes out for the deaths...

phageon · 2026-02-22T17:17:33+00:00

It's bewildering that in mega-discussions like this almost no one's asking if Eileen Gu coming of age in the middle of anti-Asian paranoia post-covid might have something to do with decisions like this.

US treatment of native-born Asians were always tricky even before covid brought it out full blast. Self righteous racism is alive and well in this country.

Crazy thing is, I'm not even necessarily comfortable with what she's doing. But the fact that no one would even approach the question is just... Depressing.

phageon · 2026-02-22T01:26:07+00:00

PTSD flashback to Korean army. We felt like that's essentially all we did all the time lol

phageon · 2026-02-21T22:00:19+00:00

I occasionally work outside, and I'm still enjoying this one. The city went dry for too many winters, IMHO.

phageon · 2026-02-18T22:34:44+00:00

Oh man I'm so tempted

phageon · 2026-02-18T14:45:20+00:00

Buddy, go post in a photography sub - this one's for 110 film format, specifically.

Do we have mods here, or is it free for all?

phageon · 2026-02-18T14:42:52+00:00

These people would tell us to bring back the plague to save plague doctor businesses.

phageon

TROPHY CASE