Lesson for today: Let's learn a little bit about secretive North Korea ....

LINK corrected


while always keeping in mind that today's enemies can be tomorrow's friends and today's bosom pals can be tomorrow's sworn enemies .... depending on the whims and fancies of our insane politicians.

Below are bits and pieces from  a fascinating article on a "question session" from photographer David Guttenfelder.  This is a "must read" and I recommend you click on link and read the entire thing.

David Guttenfelder, a Photojournalist, Answers Readers’ Questions on North Korea

.....Q. Danielle Coleno: As a foreigner, I’ve always had the sense that the North Koreans must feel repressed, but perhaps that is only my subjective viewpoint from an outsider. How did visiting North Korea change your views about the people and the country?

A. The first time I went to North Korea, I wasn’t allowed to see much (or photograph much) in the year 2000. Consequently, I thought that there was little life there. Like it was all a facade. Over the years, while working as a photographer, I’ve expanded my view, and I’ve come to see that there are some universals in the world. While the geopolitics and saber-rattling goes on, there are real people, living lives, trying to get by within that system. If I can, I try to take people on that same journey with my photography....

Q. Scott Krenz: Did you get a sense, either directly or indirectly, about what the people of North Korea wanted to tell you about their country and what they wanted the rest of the world to know about them?

A. North Koreans do want to show their best side, of course. They want to be seen as strong, self-reliant, and modern. I think they are also reacting to preconceptions outsiders have of them. As an outside photographer, I often explain that what I’m looking for are the most real, normal, even mundane aspects of life rather than the extremes. I also explain that my instinct is to be critical and have a point of view. This ongoing conversation has been the most interesting and gratifying part of my time there.....

.....Q. Mathias Dalgaard: How do the locals feel about getting photographed? Assuming most of them aren’t used to cameras.

A. Surprisingly, many North Koreans (and not only in the capital) have and use cameras, very often on their mobile phones......

.....Q. Pete Lee: In your view, what is a typical North Korean child’s aspiration? What would constitute a “North Korean Dream” for the majority of the people who live there?

A. Some are likely the same as American children’s aspirations — safety, love, etc. I think American children are mostly taught to strive to be independent, unique and ambitious. I think North Korean children are taught to be unselfish, work hard, and contribute strongly to the greater good within the context of the regime and community.....

.....Q. Katleen Van Hoorenbeeck: Is Facebook open to the North Korean people?

A. No, with very few exceptions, North Koreans do not have access to the global Internet or communications outside. They have developed their own domestic intranet that people use for communications within the country......

....Q. Juniour Ondieki Atemba: What’s the opinion of people there about the outside world?

A. Much of the North Korean people’s identity comes from the Korean War, the division of the Korean Peninsula, and the hostile relationship between it and some of its neighbors and the United States. For example, schoolchildren are taught that the United States started the Korean War, and that Americans and the Japanese are enemies. That said, people have always treated me with kindness and are curious about life outside their country.....