Daily Lessons from Life 28 December 2011 - Snow and tears mark funeral for N. Korean leader

"Snow and tears mark funeral for N. Korean leader - AFP Wednesday, Dec 28, 2011

SEOUL - North Korea's military staged a huge funeral procession in the snowy streets of the capital, Pyongyang, on Wednesday for its deceased "dear leader,"Kim Jong-il, readying a transition to his son, Kim Jong-un.

A hearse carrying the coffin was led by a weeping Kim Jong-un, accompanied by Jang Song-thaek, his uncle and a key power-broker in the transition, and Ri Yong-ho, the army chief of staff.

One of the myths surrounding Kim Jong-il was that he could control the weather and state media has reported unusually cold and wild weather accompanying his death.

The video of weeping civilians, who swayed with grief and shouted "father, father", appeared to be out of synch with the audio on the broadcast. It was not clear whether it was live or recorded as black Lincoln and Mercedes limousines as well as army trucks streamed past the crowds.

"Kim Jong-un is clearly the head of the new leadership but, in terms of hierarchy and influence, Jang appears to have secured considerable position," he said.

It would seem, however, that little is set to change for the 25 million citizens of a country that has staged what many analysts have dubbed a "Great March Backwards" over the past 20 years."

A lie to the last! That the man can CONTROL the weather. That the PEOPLE are heart broken at his death. That the nation is NOT 'Great March Backwards'!!

Lessons for me are:

1. whenever will be will be. The lies will not last. Truth will prevail eventually. This especially so in such an advance information world;

2. the age-old internal grab for power will most likely take place, hopefully contained internally and not spill into the open and dragging the rest of the world into it as a collateral damages! Young untested anointed 'ruler' with matured minders who may have different ideas about serving the son vs. the father!;

3. will the young outmanuveour the matured minders? Never say never though unlikely. Whatever it is the nucleard nation must be handled with care and watch intensely. It will be uneasy time for the next couple of months.

While this death of a dictator unfolds the labour unrest in China is growing and happening more frequently then anytime in the past decades. Is it really that bad a deal that the workers are getting from the employers? Is the 'market rate' for labour so out of tune with reality? Is it true that labour is no longer cheap whether of a high quality or not in China?

As we wobble towards the close of 2011, does 2012 hold a better prospect? I hope so ...