kim jong il dead

[SlowwHand]

He'll be missed. He did so much for his country.

The death of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, serves as a reminder that the hard-line communist country has long been in the dark — literally. A white border highlights the dark spot known as North Korea in this visualization of our planet's city lights.

This iconic "Earth at Night" picture is based on data gathered by military satellites in 1994-1995, just after Kim inherited power from his late father, Kim Il Sung. The darkness shows how much North Korea has lagged behind its neighbors — South Korea, China, Russia and Japan — in electrification and industrial development. Updates of the data sets show that there's been no change in North Korea's city-light situation between 1992 and 2009. Check out NASA's "Science on a Sphere" webpage for more about the "Earth at Night" satellite data project.

[DaShi]

He was an environmentalist.

[Al B. Sure!]

[Egbert]

If I were in Pyongyang right now I too would say that the death of the "dear leader" was the greatest disaster in all human history. I wouldn't want to be shot or sent to the gulag for an insufficient expression of grief.

[Egbert]

He was an environmentalist.

Indeed. Keeping all the lights off must have saved enormous quantities of fossil fuels. Imagine the reduction in pollution if you could turn off all the power plants and get all the cars off the road. Better still, imagine if the power and plants and roads weren't even built in the first place.

[Al B. Sure!]

If I were in Pyongyang right now I too would say that the death of the "dear leader" was the greatest disaster in all human history. I wouldn't want to be shot or sent to the gulag for an insufficient expression of grief.

How many do you think are faking it for the camera, though? I think most have been brain-washed over their lives and it's very genuine.

[Egbert]

Quite a lot looked like they were faking it. Anyway it looked that way to me. I am a touch cynical as I have no clue why anyone would revere him when, according to reports from diverse sources, people can be seen literally starving to death in public places.

Some may be genuinely getting into the group emotion. Perhaps some really did see him as "dear leader". Some may be brainwashed.

[Provost Harrison]

You'd grieve really well if the threat of having your cabbage rations removed was waved in front of you...

[rah]

Also, the medals and ribbons on those guys... you'd think North Korea has been fighting 4 wars over the past two decades or something the way they are decorated.

Well considering they never really made peace with SK, technically they've been at war for over 50 years.

[kentonio]

I'm quite aware that it isn't for his military knowledge that he got that rank I also think that those high ranking generals that you are talking about is happy to have a figurehead with a good reputation in NK.

I think that holds up to a point, but it depends how pliable he is. I don't see Jang Song-thaek allowing himself to be purged again if the kid starts trying to solidify his power base.

[DaShi]

Indeed. Keeping all the lights off must have saved enormous quantities of fossil fuels. Imagine the reduction in pollution if you could turn off all the power plants and get all the cars off the road. Better still, imagine if the power and plants and roads weren't even built in the first place.

He was also a proponent of clean nuclear power.

[Dinner]

All that crying and not an actual tear to be seen.

[BlackCat]

All that crying and not an actual tear to be seen.

Well, I'll bet that there would be a similar amount of crying if an american president died and a similar amount of crocodile tears

[Hauldren Collider]

Actually, Americans tend to respond angrily to assassination attempts, regardless of political affiliation.

[Hauldren Collider]

How many do you think are faking it for the camera, though? I think most have been brain-washed over their lives and it's very genuine.

I think it's probably pretty fake. You can't be as brutal as they are to people and have them believe it. Maybe I'm an optimist, but I think that for every North Korean Serb there's a guy who realizes the **** sandwich his country is.