Monday, 27 June 2011

Footage shot inside North Korea and obtained by the ABC has revealed the extent of chronic food shortages and malnutrition inside the secretive state.

The video is some of the most revealing footage ever smuggled out of the impoverished North Korean state.
Shot over several months by an undercover North Korean journalist, the harrowing footage shows images of filthy, homeless and orphaned children begging for food and soldiers demanding bribes.
The footage also shows North Koreans labouring on a private railway track for the dictator's son and heir near the capital Pyongyang.
Strolling up to the site supervisor, the man with the hidden camera asks what is going on.
"This rail line is a present from Kim Jong-il to comrade Kim Jong-un," he is told.
The well-fed Kim Jong-un could soon be ruling over a nation of starving, impoverished serfs.
The video shows young children caked in filth begging in markets, pleading for scraps from compatriots who have nothing to give.
"I am eight," says one boy. "My father died and my mother left me. I sleep outdoors."
Many of the children are orphans; their parents victims of starvation or the gulag.
But markets do exist - private markets that stock bags of rice, pork, and corn. The state no longer has any rations to hand out.
But the state wants its share of this embryonic capitalism.
In the footage, a party official is demanding a stallholder make a donation of rice to the army.
"My business is not good," complains the stallholder.
"Shut up," replies the official. "Don't offer excuses."
It is clear that the all-powerful army - once quarantined from food shortages and famine - is starting to go hungry.
"Everybody is weak," says one young North Korean soldier. "Within my troop of 100 comrades, half of them are malnourished," he said.
Jiro Ishimaru is the man who trained the undercover reporter to use the hidden camera.
"This footage is important because it shows that Kim Jong-il's regime is growing weak," he said.
"It used to put the military first, but now it can't even supply food to its soldiers. Rice is being sold in markets but they are starving. This is the most significant thing in this video."
Kim Jong-il's grip on power depends on the military and if some of its soldiers have growling, empty bellies, it is bad news for the dictator and his hopes for a smooth transition to his son.
"The priority for Kim Jong-il is the succession," said Mr Ishimaru.
"But Kim Jong-un is still very young, just 27 or 28. He doesn't have any experience and hasn't achieved anything. So opposition to a third generation of the Kim family taking over is growing."
But this dynasty of dictators has proven that it is more than capable of keeping its wretched population in line through gulags, hunger and a total control over every aspect of life.
But as this footage shows, occasionally, a crack of light emerges from this dark, dark place.
Mark Willacy @'ABC'

Self-propelled gut camera swims in your colon

If you have to get your insides examined, there are few alternatives to the unpleasant experience of having a tube shoved into your throat or backside.
But a team of researchers in Japan recently successfully tested a remote-controlled, self-propelled capsule camera that can examine the human stomach and colon.
Developed by researchers at Ryukoku University, Osaka Medical College, and a private-sector firm, the fish-shaped Mermaid is a 1.7-inch-long, electromagnet-powered capsule with a fin-like tail.
That's longer than a conventional endoscopy capsule, which isn't maneuverable and takes a brute-force approach to capturing images, snapping as many as possible as it descends.
The Mermaid can be precisely maneuvered following oral or rectal insertion, and can take two images per second.
German researchers previously managed to remotely control an endoscope capsule in the stomachs of healthy volunteers. The Japanese team, however, claims to be the first to have moved a remote-controlled capsule inside the colon and captured images there.
The team believes the device could be used to image the entire digestive tract, including the small intestine.
Naotake Otsuka, professor emeritus at Ryukoku University's Faculty of Science and Technology, said he tested the Mermaid himself and had no problems swallowing it.
Now open wide and say "ahhh."
(Via Mainichi Daily News)
Tim Hornyak @'cnet'

To Construct 'Museum of Tolerance', Israel Bulldozes Muslim Historic Cemetery In Jerusalem

Cymbal Struck At 1000 Frames Per Second

Via

Don't Go The F*ck To Jail: An Illustrated Guide To Your Drug-Related Rights

Illustrator Ricardo Cortés (who you may recall from projects like this) is back with a new, very different project about an issue near and dear to him: America's war on drugs. Inspired by a Time article by the creators of The Wire, Cortes has released Jury Independence Illustrated, a booklet explaining (in an easy to understand fashion) how jurors can use their power of nullification to fight the problems of "skyrocketing" nonviolent drug convictions. The best part? It's totally free, and you can even get a copy from Cortés himself. We spoke to the Brooklyn-based artist about this latest project and the time he verbally smacked down Mayor Bloomberg.
"I've always been interested in drug policy," Cortés explains. "I did a stint on jury duty about two years ago and was actually really impressed with my fellow jurors and their critical thinking about the case. Then I saw that Time article saying 'we will not participate in the machinery of drug war,' and I thought it was amazing. I wanted to keep the ball rolling and talk about this issue more. Particularly in New York, where Bloomberg has had a record number of marijuana arrests, despite his own admittance that he's used and enjoyed the drug..."
Cortés then recounts this tale, which is found in an "author's note" footnote in the pamphlet:

I confronted Bloomberg once at a Gracie Mansion BBQ, where I asked him to reconcile his administration of record marijuana arrests with his own admission of personal use and enjoyment. He hemmed and hawed. I asked why he wouldn’t arrest himself for the past use, and he said “That’s not how the law works.” I said, “So, really you’re just saying ‘I got away with it.’” At that point he said, “You and I have nothing in common,” and walked away from me. True story.

Earlier this week, Cortés handed out copies to jurors outside of the Brooklyn Supreme Court, which he plans to do periodically over the next few weeks. The book is available as a free download on Cortés's site, and he'll also be distributing copies of it at this event next month.
Jamie Feldmar @'gothamist'