No joke. I was reading some interesting articles today about China's preparations for the upcoming 20th anniversary of their suppression of democracy (i.e. the Tiananmen square massacre). China's caravan of censors has been hard at work, both with old-fashioned methods, as "foreign newspapers sold in Beijing in the last few days have had pages strategically ripped out" and with more high-tech methods, i.e. China’s Great Firewall Blocks Twitter
In The New York Times article, a blogger notes that Chinese twitter is cooler because Chinese characters say three times as much as the Latin alphabet. But the article is most notable for its ending:
In a post on the New Yorker’s Web site, Evan Osnos points out that one of the pleasures now being denied Chinese citizens is the latest updates from the official Twitter feed of the North Korean government.
That's right. You can follow the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Twitter; I just did.
And it's well worth it, given the great, hi-quality entertainment that the official Korean News Agency provides for internet expert Dear Leader and of course, the Internet-capable world.
Mind you, it only links to the news agency's official page (located on a Japanese server) in its Twitter updates, but those articles are pure gold.
Kim Jong Il Enjoys Art Performance Given by State Merited Chorus on Opening of Kalma Theatre
Through the performance the artistes enthusiastically sang of the immense honor and pride of the KPA holding Kim Jong Il in high esteem as supreme commander of the revolutionary armed forces and truthfully represented the fixed faith and will of the KPA to accomplish the revolutionary cause of Juche with arms under the uplifted great banner of Songun.
He was greatly satisfied with the splendid performance replete with the faith and will of Songun Korea and the revolutionary soldier spirit given by the above-said artistes and highly appreciated their successful presentation.
He expressed great expectation and conviction that all the artistes of the chorus would positively encourage the army and the people in new struggles and the efforts to perform feats through their dynamic revolutionary art activities in the future, too, and thus fully display the might of the buglers of the Songun revolution and the militant art unit.
Lee Myung Bak Group Accused of Dancing to Tune of U.S.
This is nothing but jargons made by the pitiful cat's paws dancing to the tune of the U.S., unaware of how the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula are protected.
But for the DPRK's powerful war deterrent for self-defence built up with Songun, a war would have broken out on the Korean Peninsula more than ten times.
It is disgusting, indeed, for the group of traitors to dare slander the DPRK defending the peace on the peninsula.
And they're not above reporting on some really dirty stuff (and this doesn't directly involve the Taepodong or the Longfatdick or Creamofsumyungguy.
He moved on to a women's company under the direct control of the unit. He took warm care of its soldiers' service and living as a real father would do, making the rounds of an educational room, a bedroom, a mess hall, a wash-cum-bath house, a daily provision store and other places.
Unless, that is, I'm greatly misinterpreting what a "wash-cum-bath" house is.
On the plus side, though, in some ways Jong Il/North Korea is unambiguously less batty than Iran/Ahmadinejad.
i.e. They at least recognize the Holocaust
A former member of the SS of fascist Germany was recently reported to stand trial for his role in massacring 29,000 Jews at a Nazi concentration camp in Poland during the Second World War.
However, there's a dark side to the Korean Central News Agency's presence on Twitter. They are following 2200 people on Twitter. I have to say, that's pretty scary, in an Orwellian sort of way.