the korean war is finally over!

kim jong-il and the president of south korea signed a peace treaty.

it seems like only yesterday that the war began....

Nice. I guess North Korea is badly in need. Now Russia has to do the same with Japan to end WW2.

You mean with some of the islands up north?

Not really a big deal since they are always signing treaties...not the first, definately won't be the last.

Never trust Kim Jung Il.

If you only knew the story of "dear leader..."

Also, if you only knew the message of Kim Il Sung to his son Jung before he "rested" (not died, according to North Korean myth). His message? Finish the Korean war!

Indeed*!*

which one is communist again?

waiting for the doc to not understand my sarcasm and call me a dirty seppo

Great, now I don't have to hear Hawkeye whining about "this goddam war" inbetween unfunny sex jokes

(btw, hello again )

what about East & West Korea? are they are on speaking terms? Its all gone very quiet

Sub-Cultured*!* wrote: Never trust Kim Jung Il.

If you only knew the story of "dear leader..."

Also, if you only knew the message of Kim Il Sung to his son Jung before he "rested" (not died, according to North Korean myth). His message? Finish the Korean war!

Indeed*!*

He's so ronery....He's got F.A.G. on his side.

Bastard, beat me to it!

I loved the way they did his voice with more than a hint of E. Cartman in it, there's always something "spoiled brat" about dictators.

I know it may sound crazy, but what about China taking over North Korea over secretly. I.e. only the highest ranks of the Communist Party of China and Communist Party of North Korea would know that N.K. is part of China. In exchange, North Korea would get all the money from China, food, military support, everything, - coz it's going to be part of Great Secret China. Without stupid United Nations or Russia and USA.

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: I know it may sound crazy, but what about China taking over North Korea over secretly. I.e. only the highest ranks of the Communist Party of China and Communist Party of North Korea would know that N.K. is part of China. In exchange, North Korea would get all the money from China, food, military support, everything, - coz it's going to be part of Great Secret China. Without stupid United Nations or Russia and USA.

Change your drink Ian.

I don't think even South Korea would want to let alone could afford to take over the North in its present state. China has more than enough problems looking after its own rural areas than to take on a basket case.

Remember the billions East Germany soaked up and still does from the West and that was a reasonably well developed country.

NOOLigan wrote: I don't think even South Korea would want to let alone could afford to take over the North in its present state. China has more than enough problems looking after its own rural areas than to take on a basket case.

Remember the billions East Germany soaked up and still does from the West and that was a reasonably well developed country.

That is exactly what I thought when I read this thread for the first time. There is not enough cashflow in corrupted South Korea to take care of the North, corrupted also, but very differently... Two visions of the world.

Considering Germany. The Iron Curtain fell in Berlin, a very crowded place (if you take account of all the soldiers and spies mixed to the population) and the historical capital city of united Germany. That was a part of the West within the East. That also was a place where the Iron curtain was just a piece of concrete (but how deadly) in one of the biggest European town. No town are made the same in Korea. No divided Berlin or whatsoever in North Korea. Just an iron curtain in the contryside and no Hungarian custom officers to let people go freely on both sides...

Well, all that makes me think that the idea of a reunited Korea is not to be seen in a short future...

About the Berlin Wall. What makes me vexed is that many Americans refer to the post-Soviet Russia as "after the fall of the Wall". Every other mentions the Wall if they talk about having travelled to Russia in the 90s. When? Ehh it was after the wall.... C'mon, the wall was broken through in 1989 and the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991 and had nothing to do with the fall of the Berlin wall. I know it's because I'm from that country I feel that way. I just don't understand why the wall is always brought up. In Russia few people think of the Berlin wall when they are reminded of the fall of the Soviet Union. I know it can't be changed untill the generation that remembers the Berlin wall vanishes.

North Korea is really irritating. Okay, it's a totalitarian state, let it be, but it's a failed one. They can't make it work without begging for aid, without petite international blackmailing. They should take lessons from Stalinist Albania and USSR.

Anyway, in the age of the Internet such countries are a sheer curiosity. :)

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: About the Berlin Wall. What makes me vexed is that many Americans refer to the post-Soviet Russia as "after the fall of the Wall". Every other mentions the Wall if they talk about having travelled to Russia in the 90s. When? Ehh it was after the wall.... C'mon, the wall was broken through in 1989 and the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991 and had nothing to do with the fall of the Berlin wall. I know it's because I'm from that country I feel that way. I just don't understand why the wall is always brought up. In Russia few people think of the Berlin wall when they are reminded of the fall of the Soviet Union. I know it can't be changed untill the generation that remembers the Berlin wall vanishes.

A prospering country doesn't let go of real estate so easily. Its the mark of the downfall...the point when the first notable collapse of communism happened. That the main state collapsed 2 years later atests to this. This won't be forgotten merely by this generations demise, because even Rome's demise is historically noted years before Rome ever fell to the Barbarians.

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: I know it may sound crazy, but what about China taking over North Korea over secretly. I.e. only the highest ranks of the Communist Party of China and Communist Party of North Korea would know that N.K. is part of China. In exchange, North Korea would get all the money from China, food, military support, everything, - coz it's going to be part of Great Secret China. Without stupid United Nations or Russia and USA.

they have food in north korea?

Jeffari-al-Texani wrote:

Buffy wrote:

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: I know it may sound crazy, but what about China taking over North Korea over secretly. I.e. only the highest ranks of the Communist Party of China and Communist Party of North Korea would know that N.K. is part of China. In exchange, North Korea would get all the money from China, food, military support, everything, - coz it's going to be part of Great Secret China. Without stupid United Nations or Russia and USA.

they have food in north korea?

have they already eaten all the stray dogs??

jeez where have you been, there was a problem a few years back with neighbors misconstruing thier friendliness:

I think it was called the "I'll Wok yer Dog" scandal.

I learned years ago from a source I no longer remember that the US and China have a secret pack about North Korea and Taiwan. That is China won't attack Taiwan and the US won't attack North Korea.

Indeed*!*

EdelBrock wrote:

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: About the Berlin Wall. What makes me vexed is that many Americans refer to the post-Soviet Russia as "after the fall of the Wall". Every other mentions the Wall if they talk about having travelled to Russia in the 90s. When? Ehh it was after the wall.... C'mon, the wall was broken through in 1989 and the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991 and had nothing to do with the fall of the Berlin wall. I know it's because I'm from that country I feel that way. I just don't understand why the wall is always brought up. In Russia few people think of the Berlin wall when they are reminded of the fall of the Soviet Union. I know it can't be changed untill the generation that remembers the Berlin wall vanishes.

A prospering country doesn't let go of real estate so easily. Its the mark of the downfall...the point when the first notable collapse of communism happened. That the main state collapsed 2 years later atests to this. This won't be forgotten merely by this generations demise, because even Rome's demise is historically noted years before Rome ever fell to the Barbarians.

You've got a valid point. So the Berlin Wall was more poetic and grandiose and itself the epitomy of communism that impressed people? Stupid wall against years of ideology, sacrifice and terror. So be it. The Soviets had to explode and demolish the Kremlin, but they didn't.

the kremlin predates communism, so i'm sure the russians wouldn't want to 'demolish' it. plus, isn't kremlin a rough translation of city hall? meaning most cities in russia have a kremlin?

Buffy wrote: the kremlin predates communism, so i'm sure the russians wouldn't want to 'demolish' it. plus, isn't kremlin a rough translation of city hall? meaning most cities in russia have a kremlin?

The Moscow Kremlin has been long been associated with the communist power, at least for the last 90 years, because before 1918 it was 200 years of Petersburg Imperial rule. And before that, yes, the Moscow Kremlin was a pure tsarist and patriarch residence.

I would "translate" kremlin as burg, a castle, a city within fortress (I don't know the true meaning of "kreml"). And true, some ancient Russians cities do have kremlins (in Kazan, Novgorod, etc.). Sometimes I cannot tell whether it's a monastery or kremlin.

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote: I would "translate" kremlin as burg, a castle, a city within fortress (I don't know the true meaning of "kreml"). And true, some ancient Russians cities do have kremlins (in Kazan, Novgorod, etc.). Sometimes I cannot tell whether it's a monastery or kremlin.

I would translate it by cathedral. By the time, a lot of cathedrals/churches were surrounded by walls. To take an example, the remaining of the cathedral of Maguelone near Montpellier is a mix of a castle and of a cathedral. The christians needed to defend themselves against the invading muslims. That is point 1. Point 2 is more close to linguistics. I think that Kremlin is Кремль in Russian. In Czech, a cathedral is chrám. Notice that if you go to Prague or Budapest, a cathedral is part of the Castle that overhangs both cities. Then : Кремль : К Р е М ль / K P e M ľ (in our alphabet) Chrám : CH R á M

One can think that the Russian K is here a CH in Czech (spelled half-way like CH in German with a pinch a K – more or less equivalent to X in Russian) R the same in both languages. Vowels do not count. They are the sounds that change the most between languages. If you want to compare the roots of the words, you have to work with consonants only. M that we find in both languages.

Concerning the –ль, consider that as something Russian.

So, in my opinion, Kremlin is named after the cathedral within the inner city walls.

This is good news!

That means we can look forward to a stablilzed Iraq by spring 2057, with American casualties only ranging in the low millions.