Angela Tung Oversharing on the internet since 2005.

First, this.

While the article pinpoints a few possible causes of the rise of suicide rates in South Korea, like “the stresses of rapid modernization and the degradation of rural life,” the increasing pressures to succeed in work and school, and high divorce rates, it also essentially blames the Internet, the venue for online suicide pacts and where at least one actress who offed herself posted her death-loving thoughts:

For no reason at all, I am going crazy with anger. Then, as if lightening had struck, all becomes quiet. . . .Then the Lord comes to me. The Lord says I will be O.K. YES, I WILL BE O.K.

Get that girl some Paxil.

So how do they propose fixing this problem? Counseling? Therapy? Rethinking priorities that focus on how you look and how much money you make? Nope.

Number one solution: censorship. According to the article, “Web portals, acting under pressure from civic groups, have banned words like suicide and death from the names of blogs.” But, a good thing, “If a user keys in ‘suicide,’ search engines display links to counseling centers at the top of their search results.”

How else? “Since nearly 40 percent of South Koreans who kill themselves do so by drinking pesticides or jumping, the government is considering making pesticides less toxic and is installing more barriers on rooftops and bridges.”

Also, the “Seoul subway system began erecting glass walls on platforms after 95 people. . .threw themselves in front of subway trains in 2003.”

Aren’t these sort of after the fact solutions? Not that they’re not needed, but what about the WHY these poor people want to kill themselves? I know it’d be difficult to transform an entire society that doesn’t like to show and talk about its feelings, but it’s like the same idea of building more prisons in order to stop crime.

If someone wants to kill him or herself, they will find a way.

~ ~ ~

Second, this. Although I’ve made fun of Ghost Hunters, I watched it last night – and it was scary! Mostly it was the guys in the dark, going, “What was that?” and “Did you hear that?” which was still creepy. (If you didn’t think Blair Witch was scary, then you won’t find Ghost Hunters frightening either.)

For the most part, they came away from the situations with nothing except the heebie jeebies, except for one house. Even just the way the woman described her sightings gave me the willies, like that once in her bedroom, she saw this black figure that was about waist high. It hovered for a moment before – whoosh! – disappearing quickly under the bed.

I thought there weren’t supposed to be monsters under the bed. What the hell?

That night, with the family out of the house, the guys set up surveillance. Two of the guys were in the master bedroom, trying to coax out the spirit, asking what its name was. While the guys were being filmed, nothing seemed to happen. But when they played back the audio, there was definitely a little kid’s voice on the tape.

After one of the guys spoke, the voice said, “Who’s Jason?” Jason was one the hunters, lying in the bed of the little girl the ghost usually manifested itself to. Then after the other guy asked its name, it just hummed a little tune.

YIKES!

This is assuming it was all real, but I think it was. It was so fucking scary, I was a little creeped out when I went to bed.

Nothing happened with any of the other investigations, which made that one piece of evidence seem ever scarier and more real.

I think I found a new show to be addicted to.

I’ll watch pretty much anything on TV. For instance, over the weekend I watched two hours of Planet Carnivore on the National Geographic channel, and then I watched two different shows on the origins of dogs. But there are a handful at the end of which I find myself saying, “That’s a damned good show.”

I’m not talking about the reality shows I love like America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway, or Top Chef. While those are all quality TV, it’s not editing or the unbelievable things people say that impress me but fine acting, a complex plot that actually makes sense (oh, X-Files, how you disappointed me), and the cojones to show the dark side of humanity.

House
Yes, the mysterious medical condition always seems to be 1) a rare genetic disorder, 2) a fungus, 3) an ordinary infection gone awry, or 4) all three, and yes, House always has that aha moment when someone says something that seems unrelated, for instance:

Cuddy: “I had beans for dinner.”
House: “Ask me if I care.” Wide eyed stare. Brain thinking: Beans.
Next scene, House bursting in on Foreman, Cameron, and Chase: “The bleedout was from an ulceration in the large intestine from noxious gases from the mold under the house.” They stare. “Cuddy had beans for dinner.”

I get sucked in every time.

Also, while Hugh Laurie gets all the accolades, though well-deserved, the unsung hero is Robert Sean Leonard. Felix to House’s Oscar, Wilson is the ultimate straight man, the voice of morality to House’s demons, who also incidentally can’t keep his dick in his pants.

Drive
Canceled after 4 episodes! Is this the curse of Nathan Fillion? First Firefly, now this. The show had such potential with a great ensemble cast. I was especially loving the cute thug with his chai latte, as well as the father/daughter pair. Nice to see that it’s not all about young ‘uns. Then again, maybe it is.

The Office
Dwight, Dwight, and Dwight. Did I mention Dwight?

The Gilmore Girls
Some have argued that since the departure of the husband and wife team of Amy and Daniel Palladino, the show has gone downhill, and while I agree that the first few episodes of this season weren’t up to snuff, last week’s episode made up for all that.

Luke and Lorelai bantering again! A Paris meltdown! Strife back (finally) in Rory’s life. The only thing missing was a withering stare from Emily Gilmore and Kirk getting naked.

Heroes
Nerd Hiro meets Ninja Hiro. ‘Nuff said.

But I’ll say more. Heroes is a comic book come to life, on the show and in, um, real life. You can tell the complicated plot has already been mapped out, a la Buffy at its best, and that the writers aren’t just winging it. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had different colored strings of people and timelines up in their offices.

The only thing missing is a dash of humor and irony, which was what made Buffy the Vampire Slayer one of the best shows on TV. Ever.

Now excuse me while I plan my TV-watching schedule for the rest of the week. Dates, schmates, not while a new House is on.