World View: North Korea Threatens 'Final Destruction' of South Korea

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• North Korea threatens ‘final destruction’ of South Korea
• Russia warns of ‘mutual destruction’ in Syria
• The Post Office goes into the clothing business
• British women convert to Islam in droves

North Korea threatens ‘final destruction’ of South Korea

S. Korean activists demonstrate behind an effigy of Kim Jong-un in Seoul on Feb 13

North Korea has frequently threatened war with South Korea in thepast, but now that a young, immature new leader, Kim Jong-un, is inplace, the threats are becoming more intense. Apparently the recentsuccessful test of nuclear weapons has made Kim even more belligerent.

At a U.N. Conference on Disarmament meeting held in Geneva on Tuesday,North Korea’s diplomat Jon Yong-ryong said:

“As the saying goes, a new-born puppy knows no fear ofa tiger. South Korea’s erratic behavior would only herald itsfinal destruction.”

I guess this statement was politically correct at a “disarmament”conference.

Apparently this threat was so extreme, even by United Nationsstandards, that other diplomats expressed shock. Spanish AmbassadorJavier Gil Catalina said the comment left him stupefied and appearedto be a breach of international law.

“In the 30 years of my career I’ve never heardanything like it and it seems to me that we are not speaking aboutsomething that is even admissible, we are speaking about a threatof the use of force that is prohibited by Article 2.4 of theUnited Nations charter.”

According to one analyst, “They would not use the term ‘finaldestruction’ if it wasn’t for nuclear arms.” Reuters and Yonhap (Seoul)

Russia warns of ‘mutual destruction’ in Syria

Russia has reversed itself, and is now willing to meeting with leadersof the forces in opposition to the regime of Syria’s president Basharal-Assad. Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, said on Wednesdaythat Moscow was working to encourage dialogue between the rebels andthe regime of president Bashar al-Assad:

“Neither side can allow itself to bet on a militarysettlement as this is a path to nowhere, a path to mutualdestruction.

There are signs of positive tendencies, signs of tendencies fordialogue both from the side of the government and the opposition.

It is important that they do not come out with any conditions foreach other, and say that I am going to talk to this person but notthat one. …

[The diplomacy was aimed at] creating the conditions for the startof direct dialogue” between the regime andopposition.”

Since the conflict began in March 2011, 70,000 people have beenkilled, and close to a million people have been displaced from theirhomes. Al-Jazeera

The Post Office goes into the clothing business

The United States Postal Service announced that it’s going into theclothing business, and plans to launch a new product line of appareland accessories until the brand name, “Rain Heat & Snow,” based on theUSPS creed, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night staysthese couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”According to the USPS,

“This agreement will put the Postal Service on thecutting edge of functional fashion. The main focus will be toproduce Rain Heat & Snow apparel and accessories using technologyto create ‘smart apparel’ — also known as wearableelectronics.”

The goal is to sell this product in premier department and specialtystores, starting in 2014. U.S. Postal Service

British women convert to Islam in droves

The Muslim population in England and Wales has increased by 80 percentsince 2001 according to a British government census. With 2.7 millionknown adherents, Islam has become Britain’s second-largest religion,after Christianity. Immigration accounts for most of the increase, butthere are over 100,00 converts from other religions as well. Reasonswhy young British women convert to Islam include the desire to pleaseMuslim fiancés and husbands, but others see Islam as a safe havenwithin a society that denigrates the female form in newspapers andmagazines and celebrates a pub/club culture where regular nights outwith “mates” getting “sloshed.” Tony Blair’s sister-in-law LaurenBooth converted to Islam, and says that she finally felt “what Muslimsfeel when they are in true prayer: A bolt of sweet harmony, a shudderof joy in which I was grateful for everything I have (my children) andsecure in the certainty that I need nothing more (along with prayer)to be utterly content.” Arab News

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