DPR KOREAN SOCCER MADNESS

I am proud to be in possession of a World Cup 2010 brackets poster, you know, with a list of teams, and the initial matchups, etc. While perusing the list I noticed 'Korea, Republic of' in a group with Argentina, Nigeria and Greece, but then 'Korea DPR' in a group with Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire and Portugal. Two Koreas! You would be forgiven for being confused about which is which, but assuming that DPR stands for Democratic People's Republic, it is easiest to remember that countries with Democratic Republic or People's in the name generally aren't (see, DR Congo, German DR).

My deep interest in North Korea doesn't actually extend anywhere near to wishing for success to it's government, but I also do love an underdog, so overall I am somewhat ambivalent as to where NK goes on my cheeromeeter. If winning would provide for a "Sound of Music" moment, in which the entire team could defect and live out there lives in the lovely veld of Kwa-Zulu Natal, then I am all for it.

North Korean Economics

I was reading this and it made me think, "What do North Korean economists learn? If you give someone a cup of rice, and the next day you give them another cup of rice, what happens to the demand curve? If the evil Americans have a competitive advantage in producing microprocessors, how many statues of the Great Leader should we build so that our spirit stays strong? You get the point.

This is not what a healthy democracy looks like...

How not to inspire confidence in African Unity

What is it with undemocratic leaders and giant statues? First there was Turkmenistan, where you can find these stunners, and now Senegal. The story is complicated though. Abdoulaye Wade, the President of Senegal, has a Ph.D in law and one in economics, is possibly a murderer, and is building quite a statue in the capital city. This statue, called "African Renaissance Monument will be taller than the Statue of Liberty when complete, and will cost $28 millions dollars. The imams criticize it for its cost, and the nudity.

It would also be interesting to question how will the image of a muscled man pushing his child, and pulling his wife (?) forward represent the ideals of African Unity, and how well a seeming Soviet inspired piece of public art can reflect or inspire a member of a potential future pan-African nation.

In addition, President Wade claims that since the statue is his idea, he must receive 35% of the revenue collected from people who pay admission to see the statue (presumably from people who pay to see it, as you might be able to see it all the way from Mali).

To cap it all off, the statue was made in your favorite crazy dictatorship and mine, North Korea.

The only answer I can think of is that the opponents of African Unity might be paying President Wade to make them look bad. Really, a giant neo-Soviet statue? Really, made in North Korea.

Listen to your imams my friend.