Kim Jong Il Dead.

Another Dictator gone ... http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wo ... ader-dead/

Our Dear Leader has met his Waterloo at the ripe old age of 69. The one point in his favour, and this might be the only one, is that he was an early-days Elvis fan, and not the drug-addled, bloated Elvis. Or was it the other way around? I suppose you can also say that he was an advocate of train travel, which might be more environmentally friendly than air travel. This guy was not a visionary, but it is possible that there is little room for manoeuvre at the top of the greasy pole in Pyongyang.

Oh, and he always had interesting hair, which set him apart from his authoritarian counterparts.

The year would be even greater if the economy improved dramatically.

Now to see what China does.

Cuba has decrees 3 days of mourning for Kim Jong Il. Maybe some of the Che groupies will dress in black.

IMO it might be the best news of the year. Expect Obama to claim all the credit. And Sec. of State Mrs. Bill Clinton will find ways to get more photo ops. out of this.

"Expect Obama to claim all the credit. And Sec. of State Mrs. Bill Clinton will find ways to get more photo ops. out of this."

Did I miss that take on Fox News?

The slams against Fox News seem to be running out of creativity. So for all you socialists out there, here's a handy "Random Insult Generator" created by some guy who has scoured the Korean Central News Agency for sayings of The Great Leader and his propaganda machine which you can use to diss Fox News. Could also be used for the Republican Party, Tea Party, etc.

http://www.nk-news.net/extras/insult_generator.php

Also, as a further public service, here is the website of the KCNS. It makes for hilarious reading, almost as funny as reading the Huffington Post.

http://www.kcna.kp/goHome.do?lang=eng

"The slams against Fox News seem to be running out of creativity."

Yeah, I'm guilty. I just can't imagine where else the Obama-credit, Clinton (Not "Hillary Clinton, mind you, but Mrs. Bill Clinton") comment could have come from.

If you're so inclined to watch the video that the most excellent folks at http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/ (thank you, Australians!) posted today, ponder for a moment all the propaganda you've ever seen out of the North Koreans.
Then, consider the possibility, however remote, that the new leader, Kim Jong-un, might have a new take on things. He was schooled in Switzerland in his early years. He looks like a typical guy in his late 20's.....lots of body fat probably from a healthy diet of junk food. Maybe he's a video game freak or like surfing the internet for porn or maybe even shopping on ebay for Kobe Bryant related items.
I have no idea who created the youtube video posted by Andrew Walker at newmandela, but let's just hope that Kim Jong-un had a hand in it.
Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zprL0Km ... r_embedded

North Korea will most likely stay the course as any radical political change (that means any reforms) might upset the generals. Division among the leadership/armed forces could lead to civil war. This is why most of the neighbours of the North such as South Korea, Russia, China and Japan would prefer the devil they know rather than a sudden change that could de-stabilise much of north-east Asia and create economic havoc throughout the world.

What do you think would happen if someone sent in a Hit Team and took out the Heirs, leaving the Generals in a Power Vacuum ?? Would the People make a stand for change then ??

The only country that could send in a hit team and get away with it would be China, and they have no reason to do so.

The latest gossip is that the 'Great Successor' will rule in conjunction with his aunt, uncle and some important military officers. This would be collective leadership similar to China rather than the absolute dictatorships of the former rulers of North Korea.

As you might have guessed, Khun Aardvark, they are all sociopaths anyway, whatever that is.