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Since Kjil is always looking at his country with eagle eyes, it seem that (maybe) the U.S. and China should cooperate to encourage North Korea to adopt economic reform. The most effective way to make North Korea more responsive would be to initiate a free trade agreement between South Korea and China. If so, such an FTA would represent a big shock and by extension a stimulant for North Korea. Obviously, China will never allow North Korea to become an American-led democracy, but will welcome KjIl if he reforms his country along lines acceptable to China. IF and WHEN that happens – let me know.
I do believe this — South Korea, the U.S., China and Japan had best create a cooperative unified strategy for the post-Kim Jong-Il era … cause it’s coming. Most of us who are reading the back-story on Kjil recognize that when he passes there are likley two competing survival scenarios: 1) adapt to a Chinese-style capitalist economy, and 2) remain mired in Kim-style socialism. I vote for door #3 > give the people some protein, the children of North Korea the clothing and medical attention they deserve along with free iPods for anyone under 30, and cell phones for everyone over 18. Oh … and give the entire country access to the Internet so they can play catchup with the rest of the world. Nuf said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il declared Friday that the country will maintain the goal of de-nuclearization and work to preserve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Kjil also said North Korea wants to “solve related problems through bilateral and multilateral dialogue.” China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported this as Kjil’s response to a letter he received from Chinese President Hu Jintao during a meeting with State Councilor Dai Bingguo, who is visiting North Korea as a special envoy for Hu.
Analysts interpreted Kim’s indication of his intent to return to the six-party talks as a method of simultaneously addressing pressure from both China and the U.S. The analysts believe that North Korea is giving priority consideration to China’s role as the chair nation for the six-party talks that has consistently called for North Korea’s return. At the same time, Kjil is expressing NK’s plan to resolve the issue of its return to the talks as a factor potentially limiting the breadth and depth of its upcoming bilateral dialogue with the U.S.
This feels complicated. The fact is, no-nukes is no-nukes. Kjil, you need to learn a new tact in life: chillaxing.
There is no in or out in North Korea. “Lost” would be a better word to describe the people under the crushing ruler, Kim Jong-il.
Interestingly, the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) isn’t interested in what the rest of the world thinks. Kim Jong-il doesn’t care about the people of his country. With his rounded belly (which is atypical of the starved children, women and men of DPRK), people are given little opportunity to make sufficient money to buy what little food rations are available. Naturally his people are allowed no fruits nor meat – they are given vegetables and rice.
Computers, cell phone, internet access, cable, etc. are Kapu (Hawaiian for the Jong-il word: forbidden!). With just three TV channels there is little entertainment. Cameras are not allowed and certainly digital cameras – which would make the process of smuggling images outside the country super easy. City streets are bare at night and the lights are turned off at 9PM. The people under Kim Jong-il’s Gucci-laced shoes are soulless and crushed.
The day will come very soon when the leader (real or imposter) is deposed and hopefully the “sun” coming behind him will give the people something they deserve: a free look at the outside world. In all of the turmoil, I pity China the most – because when DPRK eventually opens its borders China will be the first place to land.
When I see an image of Kjil, I see darkness. Nothing but darkness.
Testimony from survivors and former guards has surfaced. The news isn’t pretty either – as it details the lives of 200,000 political prisoners estimated to be in the camps. According to news reports, they eat a diet of mostly corn and salt, they lose their teeth, their gums turn black, their bones weaken and, as they age, they hunch over at the waist. Most work 12- to 15-hour days until they die of malnutrition-related illnesses, usually around the age of 50. Allowed just one set of clothes, they live and die in rags, without soap, socks, underclothes or sanitary napkins.
The camps have never been visited by outsiders, so these accounts cannot be independently verified. But high-resolution satellite photographs, now accessible to anyone with an Internet connection, reveal vast labor camps in the mountains of North Korea. The photographs corroborate survivors’ stories, showing entrances to mines where former prisoners said they worked as slaves, in-camp detention centers where former guards said uncooperative prisoners were tortured to death and parade grounds where former prisoners said they were forced to watch executions. Guard towers and electrified fences surround the camps, photographs show.
The camps have existed for half a century, 12 times as long as the Nazi concentration camps and twice as long as the Soviet Gulag. Although precise numbers are impossible to obtain, Western governments and human groups estimate that hundreds of thousands of people have died in the North Korean camps.
Kim Jong-il says the camps do not exist. Is because he’s not in one just yet?
Increasing numbers of women are being deployed in North Korea’s military, according to the stories of recent defectors arriving in South Korea. North Korean women soldiers are being deployed in frontline units. According to my research, women now represent more than 10 percent of the entire North Korean People’s Army. After digging into photo blogs about this topic, it became visually apparent that most of the artillery units are “manned” with women and there are independent women’s regiments and more women battalions. 
As many folks know, evildoer Korea is immediately north of Good Korea and south of China, limits with Russia to the northeast, on the top half of a peninsula that is west of Japan. It has water on both sides, and is probably a convenient place for throwing things into China, or to Vladivostok. It may also have some good surf beaches and shit, but we can’t say for sure because they haven’t been letting whitey — or much of anything, for that matter — into the country. That includes food, information, or even decent TV programming, which leads for a pretty anti-lulzy lifestyle. Millions of folks live in evildoer Korea, but none of them make Samsungs or Kias. The government is too busy being evildoers, and the citizens are too busy starving to death or being shot in the head by government officials to be doing much of anything.
Floating out in the Pacific evildoer Korea’s ship, Kang Nam has turned around and is heading back toward the south coast of China. It is currently in the vicinity of the Parcel Islands 100 miles off Vietnam, and there is no specified reason as of now for why it has changed course. Some ; ) speculate that the Minuteman 3 we lobbed “over there, over there” may have influenced the ‘tudes of evildoer Korea. Whatev.
Remember that within the borders of the US we enjoy a state of grace named Texas. As they say: don’t mess with Texas – and in this case the USA – because we shoot to kill and ask questions later.
It’s not the first time that Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin” is being staged in North Korea, but it’s the first time “eternal leader” Kim Jong-il has made a valued contribution to the premiere-in-the-making. Value contribution? Did he stuff a missile up someone’s ass? According to North’s Korea’s news agency KCNA, Kim Jong-il assisted with the rehearsal of the opera at Pyongyang’s Kim Won Gyun Conservatory, and provided guidance to the director and performers. I suspect he’s working with the performers to improve his own acting skills – since the “dud” pictured here is not the real “dude.”
Internet person Nicholas Guariglia, in a creative column titled “The U.S. Should Overthrow Kim Jong-il,” knows most things about the world so pay attention – he suggests that we first tell Kim Jong-il that if anyone in the world sets off a nuclear bomb in America, for whatever reason, as part of whatever cause, in association with any organization, America will blame Kim Jong-il. Good thinking Nick.
Why? Because Kjil is the only rug-rat holding nuclear shiznet at arms length suggesting he will target the US.
Message of the day Kjil: if you think America would investigate to see whether or not you were involved …. prior to nuking your entire freaking country …. well sorry, welcome to America. Don’t mess with the US, Texas or Hawai’i. The later of which plan to succeed from our “union” and collectively can stomp your freakin ashes – for good measure. Nuf said.
Is Kim Jong-il for real? I’ve been asking that question since yesterday and now we learn more of the truth. But – my friends, it begins with a question. The question – is KJil (we’ll shorten his gay name for now) alive? This question has baffled foreign intelligence agencies for years but now a veteran Japanese expert on North Korea says the “dear leader” is actually dead – and his role is played by a double.
No wonder we’re having issues with North Korea – it’s not with the real-dead Kim, it’s with his action figure who plays one on Marxist TV!
The expert says Kim died of diabetes in 2003 and world leaders including Vladimir Putin of Russia and Hu Jintao of China have been negotiating with an impostor. Oopps!
He believes that Kim, fearing assassination, had groomed up to four lookalikes to act as substitutes at public events. One underwent plastic surgery to make his appearance more convincing. Now, the expert claims, the actors are brought on stage whenever required to persuade the masses that Kim is alive.
The author has been derided by rival analysts of the hermetic communist state. Yet so few facts are known about North Korea’s ruling dynasty that some of the strange things reported in Professor Toshimitsu Shigemura’s bestselling book cannot be readily explained.
The book, The True Character of Kim Jong-il, cites sources from inside North Korea and from the intelligence services of Japan and South Korea. One of its principal claims is that a voice print analysis of Kim’s speech at a 2004 meeting with Junichiro Koizumi, then the Japanese prime minister, did not match an authenticated earlier recording.
His book traces Kim’s supposed demise to autumn 2003 when he vanished for about 42 days. Most analysts put this down to mourning for one of his wives, a power struggle inside the Kim dynasty or fear of an American strike. Kim’s poor health has been the subject of speculation for decades. The professor’s contribution is to cite Russian and Chinese sources saying he had diabetes and illnesses of the heart, liver and lungs, with depression thrown in for laughs.
There have been persistent reports that a stand-in appears for Kim at military parades and he is notoriously reclusive. He did not appear in public to receive the Olympic torch in Pyongyang when it arrived (afraid his hair my torch up). To further the “proof,” the professor argues that no substantive policy decisions have been taken since North Korea joined nuclear disarmament talks in 2003.
South Korean analysts who attended two summits with Kim (before and after his supposed death) reported that he had indeed changed appearance. But that was because he had lost weight, quit smoking, given up cognac in favor of red wine and coaxed the rest of the politburo onto a health kick. Can I get a “huh?” Health kick? Do you mean he’s made a life-stage change? OMG, I might add that his hair has been missing too.
Remember: mess with the US
and you will lay dead with the rest!
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday (as in June 18th) that the US military has set up additional defenses around Hawaii, consisting of a ground-based mobile missile system and a radar system nearby. Together they could shoot an incoming missile in mid air.
“Without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say … we are in a good position, should it become necessary, to protect Americans and American territory,” Gates told reporters in Washington. Gates’ comments come after Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper reported that North Korea might test fire a Taepodong-2 missile with a range of up to 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers), sometime around the U.S. holiday of Independence Day on July 4.Yomiuri said the missile, which could be launched from North Korea’s Tongchang-ri site, would fly over Japan but would not be able to reach Hawaii, which is about 4,500 miles (7,200 kilometers) from the Korean peninsula.
What do Americans think about the situation? The results of a “little” poll taken online this past week validates America’s thoughts about the situation. 
“Nothing can stop a
man with the right
mental attitude from
achieving his goal.
Nothing on earth can
help the man with the
wrong attitude.”
According to my Oxford American online dictionary, jealousy is described as “resentment, bitterness, spite, distrust, mistrust, insecurity, anxiety, possessiveness and so on.” The bottom line for me on this: a jealous person is somehow resentful of another’s success, achievements, advantages, etc.
Jealousy’s close cousin is envy, and while closely related, there is a difference. Using my trusty online dictionary here’s what I learned: “envy denotes a longing to possess something awarded to or achieved by another person while jealousy denotes a feeling of resentment that another has gained something that one more rightfully deserves.”
Jealousy can be categorized as unhealthy or healthy, depending on a person’s motives. Unhealthy jealousy is grounded in fear, insecurity, deception, or covetousness. When feeling jealousy, it’s best to examine the reasons for those feelings. First, is there a real threat truly or is it perceptual?
Jealousy can be good – and it needs to be developed in family-unit relationships. This type of jealousy is closely aligned with our innate nature to protectively fight for and then maintain relationships. Simply stated, the average person would not sit on the sidelines while another attempts to seduce his/her spouse, verbally attack with wrongful words, or deceive your child. The average person would fight for them – doing everything possible to declare the truth. I’ve not seen much of the fighting for me – ever – so it bugs me when a significant other sits on the sideline either laughing like a hussy or acting as if they can’t respond. Either way – it sucks.
The adventure with the Oxford American online dictionary helped me clarify and affirm my own feelings about jealousy. After reading the definition, I’m convinced that I’ve exhibited both varieties – healthy and unhealthy as everyone does/has from time-to-time. I suggest it’s better to appreciate one another and stand up for people whom we supposdly love.
Otherwise, when we profess words of love, the words are just that – words. And words aren’t enough.
Surprisingly, it takes little time and effort to make a difference. During the day, in someone’s life, on the job, in the car, at the store, in the waiting room, at home, in your office, or even while you sleep. We all (as in everyone) have the ability. The real difference is how we use it.
Everyday take a moment to do one thing that helps another person. Do it without the expectation of a return “thanks,” a wave, acknowledgement or even a smile. According to Nike, just do it. We all have the ability to change our world and our lives. When faced with the opportunity, use it. You’ll be glad you did.
Have you noticed how some people don’t really hear what you’re saying? Ever had a conversation with someone (over and and over again) only to have it misinterpreted at some later date? Ever been frustrated with the lack of listening? Well, you’re not in the minority. The fact is, most people “hear” what they want to hear. Why? Because listening is “active” and hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound by the ear. Thus, it’s the laziest form of interplay between people. If you are not hearing-impaired, hearing simply happens.
Listening, however, is something you consciously choose to do. Listening requires concentration so that your brain processes meaning from words and sentences. Listening leads to learning. Most people tend to be “hard of listening” rather than “hard of hearing.”
Sometimes you have to let go to see
if there was anything worth holding onto.
The most successful people are those
who are good at plan B.
Listening refers to the act of hearing attentively. You can learn a lot by just listening. Some say, “they make good music–you should give them a hearing.”
Sound is vibration, as perceived by the sense of hearing, which as a phenomenon is called listening. Listening defines the domain of language proficiency that encompasses how humans process, understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken language in a variety of situations.
Hence, listening is an activity which we perform so as to decide what would be our next course of action.
I suggest listening.
