"YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AS DAZZLING AS YOUR SUBJECTS"

Friday, October 5, 2012

TRAIN TO NOWHERE? OR TO THE FUTURE? MT. DORA IN THE DMZ

TRAIN STATION 
READY TO ROLL 


FROM PYONGYANG 
TO SEOUL? 

Dorasan (Mt. Dora) Station 
DMZ, South Korea 


from: The sign above the men's heads 


"To visit this station, you can take a train from Imjingang station. 

"Because Dorasan station is located in the Civilian Control Area, you must apply for the admission at the ticket office in the Imjingang station square. 

"You can also there apply for tour package linking to the DMZ.  You must bring your ID." 


Stars and Stripes ran an interesting piece about the Mt. Dora Station by Matthew M. Burke (January 11, 2012); a few quotes
Under the watchful eye of a handful of workers and stern South Korean soldiers, travelers wandered about the train station admiring the artwork and advertisements that adorned the walls of the $40 million facility. 
...
But there were no trains scheduled to pass through this day, or any other day for that matter. 
Dorasan Station sits just over the South Korean side of the border in one of the most dangerous and militarized regions on the planet — the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. 

More KOREA here 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

SAILING BLUE ON THE RIVER HAN

NIGHTLIGHTS 
NIGHT LIFE 
ON THE 
HAN RIVER 



SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 

Another river view here 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

NIGHTFALL AT SEOUL STATION II

SEOUL STATION 
AT DUSK 


SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 

Nightfall at Seoul Station I is here 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

NIGHTFALL AT SEOUL STATION I

CONCOS 
THE GALLERIA 


SEOUL STATION 
Seoul, South Korea 

Nightfall at Seoul Station II is here  

Sunday, September 30, 2012

A BIT OF SERENITY FOR SUNDAY: IN THE "SECRET GARDEN" OF CHANGDUK PALACE

IN THE 
"SECRET GARDEN" 


CHANGDUK PALACE 
(CHANGDEOK PALACE) 

Seoul, South Korea 

The Garden is formally called the Huwon (Rear Garden) 

The Palace is a World Heritage Site 

Another view here  

Friday, September 28, 2012

THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY SETS THE DATE...FOR THE 18TH NATIONAL CONGRESS

THE 18th PARTY CONGRESS 
IS ON (November 8, 2012) 
BO XILAI IS OUT 

THE 17th CONGRESS OF THE CCP 
(Chinese Communist Party), October 2007 
BO XILAI sits in the last row  
second from left 
He can be seen more clearly here 
(includes something of the backstory) 

Thursday, September 27, 2012

BRIDGE ON THE RIVER HAN ... THE NIGHT VIEW I

NIGHTTIME 
ON THE HAN RIVER 


LOOKING UP 
FROM DOWN 
Seoul, South Korea 

Sailing on the river 
at night here 

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

A CRUISE SHIP DOCKS IN VLADIVOSTOK

CRUISE SHIP 
DOCKED IN 
VLADIVOSTOK 


A LATE SUMMER'S DAY 
VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA 

Vladivostok: 
  Russia's "Window on the East"? here 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

SMILES OF A SUMMER'S ALMOST-TWILIGHT...ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE DMZ

TWO SHOPKEEPERS 
BEFRIEND 
A WEARY TRAVELER  


ON THE WAY BACK 
FROM THE KOREAN 
DEMILITARIZED ZONE 

Monday, September 24, 2012

JOE KENNEDY IS SIXTY

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY, II 
b. September 24, 1952 


JOE KENNEDY 
Not Quite Twenty 

Published on p. 1 of the 
July 11, 1972, issue of 
Women's Wear Daily 

Rep. Joseph Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1987-1999 (biography here).  He is the founder of Citizens Energy Corporation and currently its Chairman and President (information and contemporary photographs here and here).