Opened to coincide with Kim-Il-sung’s 70th birthday in 1982, the Grand People’s Study House was constructed as a sanctuary of learning and and as a force to intellectualize the nation. Our minder explained that, specifically, this meant using the center to further one’s socialist training and to develop an even greater respect and love for … Continue reading
Formally known as the Tower of Juche Idea, the Juche Tower was built along with the Grand People’s Study House as part of the celebration surrounding Kim-Il-sung’s 70th birthday bash. Juche is the difficult to explain North Korean ideology developed by Kim-Il-sung that promotes a mixture of nationalism and self-reliance. A view of the Juche … Continue reading
North Korea’s largest square, named for the country’s “Great Leader” and founder, is a central focus of Pyongyang, much as Red Square is in Moscow or Tiananmen Square is in China. Accordingly, Kim-Il-sung Square is featured in many North Korean media releases and is the site of frequent military parades, demonstrations and events such as … Continue reading
Communism and raw, smokestack industrialism seem to go hand in hand like apple pie with ice cream in the popular imagination… So, it seemed more than appropriate when we paid a visit to the belching smokestacks and roaring furnaces of North Korea’s Chollima Steel Complex. Named for a mythical winged horse, the Chollima Steel Complex … Continue reading
The unique form of collective living represented by Israel’s kibbutz movement has always been intriguing to me even before I was really sure what life on a kibbutz was all about (I just projected my ideals onto what I thought it could/should be). I liked the feeling of shared purpose and community – something I … Continue reading
Actually, no one knows exactly where the ancient and infamous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were. However, the rough location of the cities has always been suspected to have been in this area and the hills here are even named Mount Sodom: Mount Sodom overlooks the Dead Sea and a dirt road leading to it … Continue reading
A dear reader recently commented to me on the bleak nature of Israel’s Negev region after viewing this post. Certainly Israel’s Negev is a harsh landscape and doesn’t harbor the greenery found in a region such as Banias or Galilee. However, The Velvet Rocket staff are attracted to stark landscapes and the Negev desert’s Makhtesh … Continue reading
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