Kim Il-Sung is still dead (thank heavens)

Yesterday was Kim Il-Sung's 95th birthday. The Dear Leader himself wasn't around to celebrate, as he's been dead since 1994, however a casual visitor to North Korea would have no idea that Kim Il-Sung is no longer among the living.

On every April 15th, North Korea hosts the enormous, and monumentally bizarre, Arirang Festival, where one of the world's largest stadiums is packed to the gills for what can only be described as an orgy of Kim Il-Sung worship. While foreigners are invited, only a few attend. I imagine that this is due in no small part to the perception of Kim Il-Sung as a loathsome megalomaniacal dictator outside the cozy confines of the prison camp of a country created in his image. Nevertheless, outsiders have made the trip to celebrate the Supreme Comrade's birthday festival, one such visit (well worth viewing) is documented right here.

If you're like me, one thought comes to mind watching this garbage: where the hell does a country that's constantly experiencing famine and economic catastrophe come up with the money for this crap?