A View Inside North Korea
Shops in the DPRK represent a picture of desolation. Photo by Kernbeisser
North Korea, being a hermit kingdom, is about as well photographed as inside a turtle’s shell. Or not. I recently Metafiltered upon a collection of photos from the real North Korea, not the pastiche of monuments and monumental bullshit that state minders take the very few tourists to. These are a lot of photos from cars, but very interesting. There are propaganda murals, with people fixing their ancient bikes in the foreground. There are women carting rocks to make roads. There are a lot of carts, actually. In hindsight, though there were roads, I saw zero cars. One thing that’s striking is the cold desolation of the place. The hills are bare, the walls are bare, the roads are empty. Quite eerie photography.
Factory, Chonnae County. Photo by Kernbeisser
I have no idea how they got these photos out, but these chaps Kernbeisser and also quixotic54. The latter has actual portraits, of soldiers even, no idea how he got.
For a more somehow ordinary ‘tourist’ view of North Korea, this Vice travel guide is also interesting.
Today on the 
Janith has updated 
This is highly dubious. Miss Travel is a travel/social networking site that connects ‘Generous’ and ‘Attractive’ travelers. To, like, travel together, I guess. It all seems a bit like arranged prostitution and trafficking. This is part of a broader online trend to connect rich men to younger, attractive women. Sites like 
Sri Lankan domestics never say anything, they just stop coming. My maid just stopped coming and when I finally pressed her she said I needed to get a washing machine. I was hoping to ride this one out, but I’ve run out of underwear and I have no choice. I finally caved and bought a washing machine, from 
Went through all those pics shot with a Leica. Epic stuff. :O
You know, maybe that kind of desolation is what makes men want to be heroes, even though they are 3 inches shorter than their neighbours.
Maybe it doesn’t seem desolate to them. Home is always a beautiful place. Maybe they are happy in their own way, not knowing what they’re missing and not missing what they don’t know about. You can easily be deeply dissatisfied amidst abundance, maybe more so.
shammi, they are starving.
That must be the reason the roads are clean, there’s nothing to throw away.
They look healthy enough, and are bundled up well against the cold. Didn’t notice many smiles though, and where are the children?
There are some great photo’s in those albums.
One thing i have noticed is that the roads are ridiculously clean
A human life,
“should be well rooted in some spot of a native land, where it may get the love of tender kinship for the face of the earth… a spot where the definiteness of early memories may be inwrought with affection, a kindly acquaintance with all neighbours, even to the dogs and donkeys may spread, not by sentimental effort and reflection, but as a sweet habit of the blood.
From George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda.
So do you think the pics show that they have “tender kinship for the face of the earth as a sweet habit of the blood”, and do you think that’s enough?
Eliot’s Silas Marner and Mill on the Floss were set texts for us in school in grade 6 and 7. I found both rather bitter sweet and pretty stressful at that age.
@shammi
No. I just like the dogs and donkeys part.
Fruitcake!
@shammi
Don’t call me a fruitcake for thinking that I love you. I might be delusional but I too have feelings.
Let’s get married and fly to North Korea. We won’t starve to death.
When we’re hungry, love will keep us alive.
Hey, a proposal is the greatest compliment, even coming from a virtual avatar, thanks. Eagles fan?
Oopz. Mistake mistake
*for thinking that you love me.
But I do love you Lefroy, the same way I love my 7 year old nephew, and I like fruitcake too.
@shammi
Not an Eagles fan. But I wrote that song and invented all kinds of guitars.
7 year old nephew? I told you I have feelings.
Btw,
George Eliot vs. Charles Dickens. Who’s the better novelist?
I think it’s Dickens, for he, like Shakespeare, is universally known and admired, even though I believe non of his novels were serious works of art.
My literature teacher hated me for that.
Never took literature in school, so you’re asking the wrong person. I’ve only read Dickens’ Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and A Tale of Two cities a long time ago. I’d say they were more dramatic than the two books of George Eliot I’ve read. His books do create a picture of London in the old days but there are too many coincidences in the plot, I think. George Eliot is more believable. I didn’t find anything fascinating about either author. I liked the musical of Oliver Twist better than the book, which is rarely the case with books made in to films.
What I used to read was crime (Agatha Christie) Courtroom drama (Earle Stanley Gardner) thrillers (Alistair Mc Lean, Ian Fleming, Wilbur Smith – I used to know all about Smith & Wessons, Beretttas and Mausers etc) and P G Wodehouse, stuff like that.
but, but, starvation is beautiful
It is considered beautiful, on the catwalks of the fashion capitals. Lucrative as well, to all those supermodels.
@Project Pat
Indeed
@shammi
Not at school. My grandmother was an English teacher who wanted me to learn “Proper English”, which I never did.
I haven’t read any of them except Agatha Christie.
[...] like saying ‘ding-dong’, but he’s still a man. He leaves behind a legacy of an impoverished and oppressed people, some polished propaganda, a young and portly heir, and a puppet cameo in Team America. In the [...]