Listen, forget about all of those grim, depressing pictures one sees coming out of North Korea for a minute… It’s not always like that. No place is grim and depressing all of the time. Keep reading this post if you need to be convinced… Having been under the close supervision of our North Korean minders … Continue reading
We were fortunate in that our visit to Kiev happened to coincide with a series of military parades. Unfortunately, our Ukrainian language skills are non-existent and so I am unable to share details about the event, but it was photogenic and, with the recent advances of the Ukrainian military in the eastern regions of Ukraine, … Continue reading
The below is a particularly interesting gem that comes courtesy of our friend on the ground in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Emir… It is an order signed by Igor Strelkov aka Igor Girkin authorizing looting by his forces inside the Donetsk People’s Republic. Emir has provided us with a side-by-side translation of the Russian and … Continue reading
Bottles waiting to be filled and sealed at the Kangso Mineral Water Factory: The location of this factory in North Korea is not random. Hundreds of feet beneath the factory are large aquifers of pure water that have been naturally carbonated by carbon dioxide (CO2) trapped deep underground. The carbon dioxide is freed from carbonate … Continue reading
Another gem from Emir – this sign below is now being posted up around the Donetsk area… Click on the image to bring it up to a readable size (Emir’s translation for us is on the right): With the battlefield momentum on the side of the Ukrainian military at the moment, it seems the … Continue reading
I’ve had concern expressed to me over the fact that our prior visit to Ukraine did not include the present zone of excitement nor are we there now… I’m afraid our prior visit was well before any of the recent turmoil started and we can’t be everywhere at once, but, fear not, faithful readers as … Continue reading
A North Korean propaganda poster promoting goats: I measure the success of a society based on the progress and ambitions of its space program and on the prominence of goats in that society. On at least one count, North Korea is earning high marks: Operating on the assumption that goats could feed on grass and … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 