One of my favorite left-of-center political commentators, Claudia Rosett, weighs in on recent happenings up north related to the recent devaluation of NORK currency.  As usual, she is pretty much right on point.  Whether or not this opportunity is something that could be exploited is debateable, but it is certainly a positive indication that even the most severly oppressed have their limits.  We’ll see.

While climate delegates are quarreling in Copenhagen, and President Barack Obama is collecting his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, an important story is unfolding in relative obscurity, in North Korea. Furious over a confiscatory currency “reform,” citizens of the world’s most repressive state have begun publicly criticizing their government.

It is hard to overstate just how bold a move that is. North Korea’s military “is on alert for a possible civil uprising,” according to a major South Korean newspaper, the Chosun Ilbo. Reports have been filtering out of North Korea that the country’s markets have become arenas of protest, with traders–many of them women in their 40s and 50s–publicly cursing the North Korean authorities.

Please read the rest for some fascinating insights and historical perspectives.

On a related note, last week I attended a lecture by Mr. Hwang Jang-yop, the highest level defector from North Korea to date.  He was for the most part pessimistic about any change in attitude from the North as long as Kim, Jong-il remains in power.  As he noted, if China can’t influence North Korea, there is nothing to be gained from the appeasement efforts of South Korea and the USA.

During the Q&A Mr. Hwang was asked about the potential for political upheaval as result of the money devaluation.  He saw little liklihood of any lasting impact, explaining that the people most impacted were the black market profiteers.  As usual, the ruling elite had plenty of advance warning and exchanged their won for Euros weeks ago.  Still, he saw it as one step closer to the destabilazation that will one day lead to the collapse of the North.

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Now, now, don’t jump to conclusions.  I didn’t say anything about English teachers, let alone teachers in Korea.

Nope, this story comes from the Big Apple, and it is every school boy’s lesbian fantasy. (heh, that sentence should generate some interesting Google search hits).

Who’s hot for teacher? Looks like the other teacher.

Two female Romance language instructors were tossed out of their Brooklyn high school after being caught “undressed” in an empty classroom, sources told the Daily News Tuesday.

Students at James Madison High School in Midwood were watching a talent show in the auditorium while Alini Brito and Cindy Mauro were speaking the international language of love, sources said.

A janitor stumbled on French teacher Mauro, 33, and Brito, 29, a married Spanish instructor, and tattled to school officials on Nov. 20.

Both tenured teachers were removed from the classroom and sent to Education Department “rubber rooms” while they’re investigated for misconduct, sources said.

No idea what a “rubber room” is or why they call it that.  Does seem ironic to send lesbians there though.

I am reminded of an incident from my Postal Service days when a Postmaster was caught making whoopee in the vault with a clerk.  The event became known as the “safe sex” case.  I think the Postmaster wound up being charged with misuse of government property.  The safe, not the clerk.

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Through the mysterious powers of the internet I happened upon an article from a Scottish newspaper, aptly named The Scotsman.  But that’s not important right now.

The big news is this: Beer could be the new weapon against cancer.

MEN now have another excuse to go down the pub thanks to new research suggesting that a compound in beer may prevent prostate cancer. Tests showed that the ingredient, xanthohumol, blocked a biological pathway that allows prostate cancer to be fuelled by the male hormone testosterone.  The disease is commonly treated with drugs that act in a similar way.

08/December/2009

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