Ολοκληρωτικά
- Thread starter Costas
- Start date
Δες αν πιάνει και στην Ελλάδα το εξής: Αντιγράφεις τον τίτλο, τον γκουγκλίζεις και κάνεις κλικ στο σωστό αποτέλεσμα (αν ξεπεράσεις τα 10 την ημέρα μ' αυτόν τον τρόπο πρέπει να πας από λινκ σε άλλο σάιτ). Επίσης διαφορετικά προφίλ από τον ίδιο κομπιούτερ σου δίνουν ελεύθερη πρόσβαση εξ αρχής (το κάνω με το προφίλ του άντρα μου και μιας και έχω και λάπτοπ 4 φορές τα ελεύθερα άρθρα).
bernardina
Moderator
Παρακαλώ, Κώστα. :)
Δεν μου έχει τύχει περιορισμός, αλλά, αν το κοντέρ δεν βρίσκεται στον δικό τους σέρβερ αλλά σε κούκι του δικού σου υπολογιστή, αρκεί να σβήσεις το κούκι. Στον Firefox πας:
Tools > Options > Privacy > Remove individual cookies
Δακτυλογραφείς nytimes και μπορείς να διαγράψεις όλα τα κούκις της εφημερίδας ή ένα-ένα μέχρι να βρεις ποιο κάνει τη ζημιά και να το πεις και σ' εμάς.
Στο μεταξύ, βρήκα και κάποιον που λέει πιο πολλά:
http://www.labnol.org/internet/nyt-paywall/18992/
Tools > Options > Privacy > Remove individual cookies
Δακτυλογραφείς nytimes και μπορείς να διαγράψεις όλα τα κούκις της εφημερίδας ή ένα-ένα μέχρι να βρεις ποιο κάνει τη ζημιά και να το πεις και σ' εμάς.
Στο μεταξύ, βρήκα και κάποιον που λέει πιο πολλά:
http://www.labnol.org/internet/nyt-paywall/18992/
Costas
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Το κινεζικό πρακτορείο Sina αναμεταδίδει νοτιοκορεάτικο πρακτορείο:
All relatives of Kim Jong-un's uncle executed too: report
2014-01-26 03:39:44 GMT2014-01-26 11:39:44(Beijing Time) SINA.com
All relatives of the executed uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, including children and the country's ambassadors to Cuba and Malaysia, have also been put to death at the leader's instruction, Seoul's Yonhap news agency quoted multiple sources as saying Sunday.
Jang Song-thaek, the once-powerful uncle, was executed last month on charges of attempting to overthrow the regime, including contemplating a military-backed coup. All direct relatives of Jang have also been executed, the sources said.
"Extensive executions have been carried out for relatives of Jang Song-thaek," one source said on condition of anonymity. "All relatives of Jang have been put to death, including even children."
The executed relatives include Jang's sister Jang Kye-sun, her husband and Ambassador to Cuba Jon Yong-jin, and Ambassador to Malaysia Jang Yong-chol, who is a nephew of Jang, as well as his two sons, the sources said.
All of them were recalled to Pyongyang in early December and executed, they said. The sons, daughters and even grandchildren of Jang's two brothers were all executed, they said.
It was unclear exactly when they were killed, but they are believed to have been put to death after Jang's death on Dec. 12.
"Some relatives were shot to death by pistol in front of other people if they resisted while being dragged out of their apartment homes," another source said.
Some relatives by marriage, including the wife of the ambassador to Malaysia, have been spared from executions and sent to remote villages along with their maiden families, according to the sources.
"The executions of Jang's relatives mean that no traces of him should be left," a source said. "The purge of the Jang Song-thaek people is under way on an extensive scale from relatives and low-level officials."
(Agencies)
All relatives of Kim Jong-un's uncle executed too: report
2014-01-26 03:39:44 GMT2014-01-26 11:39:44(Beijing Time) SINA.com
All relatives of the executed uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, including children and the country's ambassadors to Cuba and Malaysia, have also been put to death at the leader's instruction, Seoul's Yonhap news agency quoted multiple sources as saying Sunday.
Jang Song-thaek, the once-powerful uncle, was executed last month on charges of attempting to overthrow the regime, including contemplating a military-backed coup. All direct relatives of Jang have also been executed, the sources said.
"Extensive executions have been carried out for relatives of Jang Song-thaek," one source said on condition of anonymity. "All relatives of Jang have been put to death, including even children."
The executed relatives include Jang's sister Jang Kye-sun, her husband and Ambassador to Cuba Jon Yong-jin, and Ambassador to Malaysia Jang Yong-chol, who is a nephew of Jang, as well as his two sons, the sources said.
All of them were recalled to Pyongyang in early December and executed, they said. The sons, daughters and even grandchildren of Jang's two brothers were all executed, they said.
It was unclear exactly when they were killed, but they are believed to have been put to death after Jang's death on Dec. 12.
"Some relatives were shot to death by pistol in front of other people if they resisted while being dragged out of their apartment homes," another source said.
Some relatives by marriage, including the wife of the ambassador to Malaysia, have been spared from executions and sent to remote villages along with their maiden families, according to the sources.
"The executions of Jang's relatives mean that no traces of him should be left," a source said. "The purge of the Jang Song-thaek people is under way on an extensive scale from relatives and low-level officials."
(Agencies)
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Cuba's Reward for the Dutiful: Gated Housing
By DAMIEN CAVE (ΝΥΤ)
A new housing development in Havana will have apartments for military and government families, a reward for loyalty and a sign of the island's hybrid economy.
By DAMIEN CAVE (ΝΥΤ)
A new housing development in Havana will have apartments for military and government families, a reward for loyalty and a sign of the island's hybrid economy.
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Το κείμενο της προφορικής ενημέρωσης της τριμελούς εξεταστικής επιτροπής για τα δικαιώματα του ανθρώπου του ΟΗΕ για την 24η σύνοδο του Συμβουλίου Δικαιωμάτων του Ανθρώπου του ίδιου οργανισμού. (6 σελίδες PDF)
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Νά και η σελίδα του ΟΗΕ με την Έκθεση της Διερευνητικής Επιτροπής για τα Δικαιώματα του Ανθρώπου στην ΛΔ Κορέας.
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Πρότυπο οικολογικής αποανάπτυξης η Βόρεια Κορέα: δεν φαίνεται στις νυχτερινές φωτογραφίες της γης από ψηλά. Φαντάζομαι θα έχει τους πιο όμορφους έναστρους ουρανούς. (in.gr)
bernardina
Moderator
Β. Κορέα: «Θρίαμβος» για τον Κιμ Γιονγκ Ουν που έπαιξε μόνος του και εξελέγη με 100%!
Αυτά είναι ποσοστά, ρε σεις! Όχι όπως εδώ, που το έχουμε κάνει αμέρρρικαν μπαρρ.
Ορίστε, το λέει καθαρά:
Ο Κιμ ήταν ο μοναδικός υποψήφιος στην περιφέρειά του, ενώ στις υπόλοιπες περιφέρειες υπήρχε πάλι μόνο ένα όνομα, της δικής του επιλογής.
Αν και τα αποτελέσματα για τους υπόλοιπους υποψηφίους δεν ανακοινώθηκαν, τα ΜΜΕ της χώρας έσπευσαν να κάνουν γνωστό πως ο Κιμ Γιονγκ Ουν επικράτησε στην περιφέρειά του, χωρίς να χάσει ούτε μία ψήφο.
Αρχοντιές...
Αυτά είναι ποσοστά, ρε σεις! Όχι όπως εδώ, που το έχουμε κάνει αμέρρρικαν μπαρρ.
Ορίστε, το λέει καθαρά:
Ο Κιμ ήταν ο μοναδικός υποψήφιος στην περιφέρειά του, ενώ στις υπόλοιπες περιφέρειες υπήρχε πάλι μόνο ένα όνομα, της δικής του επιλογής.
Αν και τα αποτελέσματα για τους υπόλοιπους υποψηφίους δεν ανακοινώθηκαν, τα ΜΜΕ της χώρας έσπευσαν να κάνουν γνωστό πως ο Κιμ Γιονγκ Ουν επικράτησε στην περιφέρειά του, χωρίς να χάσει ούτε μία ψήφο.
Αρχοντιές...
...που τους δίνει και δυνατότητα να σφάξουν και κανέναν αντιφρονούντα...
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(China Digital Times)
2014 03 25
Minitrue: Meat Soup in North Korea
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
State Council Information Office: All websites are asked to immediately delete the article “North Korean Defector Says Average Person Can Have Meat Soup Once a Month.” (March 19, 2014)
国信办：请各网站立即删除《脱北者透露朝鮮普通人1個月已能吃上1次肉湯》一文。
The article, which appeared this morning on the People’s Daily overseas Chinese-language website Haiwai Wang (海外網), opens with North Korean defector Park Ju-hui describing improvements to middle class life in his hometown of Hyesan since the famine of the 1990s. “Seven out of ten households have a color TV. The average person can have meat soup once a month… The quality of life has really improved” (10戶里有7戶裝了彩電，普通人一個月能吃上一次肉湯……生活質量有了很大提高).
The report is still available on Tencent [zh] as of this posting, but has already been removed from Haiwai Wang and NetEase.
Read the original article on CDT Chinese [zh].
Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to these instructions as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.”
2014 03 25
Minitrue: Meat Soup in North Korea
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
State Council Information Office: All websites are asked to immediately delete the article “North Korean Defector Says Average Person Can Have Meat Soup Once a Month.” (March 19, 2014)
国信办：请各网站立即删除《脱北者透露朝鮮普通人1個月已能吃上1次肉湯》一文。
The article, which appeared this morning on the People’s Daily overseas Chinese-language website Haiwai Wang (海外網), opens with North Korean defector Park Ju-hui describing improvements to middle class life in his hometown of Hyesan since the famine of the 1990s. “Seven out of ten households have a color TV. The average person can have meat soup once a month… The quality of life has really improved” (10戶里有7戶裝了彩電，普通人一個月能吃上一次肉湯……生活質量有了很大提高).
The report is still available on Tencent [zh] as of this posting, but has already been removed from Haiwai Wang and NetEase.
Read the original article on CDT Chinese [zh].
Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to these instructions as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.”
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Οργή των Βορειοκορεατών για λονδρέζικο κομμωτήριο που χλευάζει την «κουπ» του Κιμ Γιονγκ Ουν
(Τα Νέα)
«Bad Hair Day? 15% off all gent cuts through the month of April»
(...)
«Τους είδα απ' εξω. Μπήκαν στο κομμωτήριο και με ρώτησαν γιατί το πόστερ είναι στη βιτρίνα και απαίτησαν να το κατεβάσω» διηγήθηκε ο νεαρός κομμωτής.
(...)
«Τους απάντησα πως συχνά βάζω φωτογραφίες διασημοτήτων στη βιτρίνα, αλλά μου ανταπάντησαν: "Δεν είναι διασημότητα, είναι ο λατρεμένος μας ηγέτης". Απαίτησαν να μάθουν το όνομά μου και αρνήθηκα. "Εδώ δεν είναι Βόρεια Κορέα, εδώ είναι Αγγλία, βγείτε έξω!" τους απάντησα».
(Τα Νέα)
«Bad Hair Day? 15% off all gent cuts through the month of April»
(...)
«Τους είδα απ' εξω. Μπήκαν στο κομμωτήριο και με ρώτησαν γιατί το πόστερ είναι στη βιτρίνα και απαίτησαν να το κατεβάσω» διηγήθηκε ο νεαρός κομμωτής.
(...)
«Τους απάντησα πως συχνά βάζω φωτογραφίες διασημοτήτων στη βιτρίνα, αλλά μου ανταπάντησαν: "Δεν είναι διασημότητα, είναι ο λατρεμένος μας ηγέτης". Απαίτησαν να μάθουν το όνομά μου και αρνήθηκα. "Εδώ δεν είναι Βόρεια Κορέα, εδώ είναι Αγγλία, βγείτε έξω!" τους απάντησα».
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Η Γκάρντιαν δημοσίεψε την καθημερινότητα στην Πιονγκγιάνγκ, από το βιβλίο North Korea. State of Paranoia, του Paul French.
6am The day starts early in Pyongyang, the city described by the North Korean government as the "capital of revolution". Breakfast is usually corn or maize porridge, possibly a boiled egg and sour yoghurt, with perhaps powdered milk for children.
Then it is time to get ready for work. North Korea has a large working population: approximately 59% of the total in 2010. A growing number of women work in white-collar office jobs; they make up around 90% of workers in light industry and 80% of the rural workforce. Many women are now the major wage-earner in the family – though still housewife, mother and cook as well as a worker, or perhaps a soldier.
Makeup is increasingly common in Pyongyang, though it is rarely worn until after college graduation. Chinese-made skin lotions, foundation, eyeliner and lipstick are available and permissible in the office. Many women suffer from blotchy skin caused by the deteriorating national diet, so are wearing more makeup. Long hair is common, but untied hair is frowned upon.
Men's hairstyles could not be described as radical. In the 1980s, when Kim Jong-il first came to public prominence, his trademark crewcut, known as a "speed battle cut", became popular, while the more bouffant style favoured by Kim Il-sung, and then Kim Jong-il, in their later years, is also popular. Kim Jong-un's trademark short-back-and-sides does not appear to have inspired much imitation so far. Hairdressers and barbers are run by the local Convenience Services Management Committee; at many, customers can wash their hair themselves.
Fashion is not really an applicable term in North Korea, as the Apparel Research Centre under the Clothing Industry Department of the National Light Industry Committee designs most clothing. However, things have loosened up somewhat, with bright colours now permitted as being in accordance with a "socialist lifestyle". Pyongyang offers some access to foreign styles. A Japanese watch denotes someone in an influential position; a foreign luxury watch indicates a very senior position. The increasing appearance of Adidas, Disney and other brands (usually fake) indicates that access to goods smuggled from China is growing. Jeans have at times been fashionable, though risky – occasionally they have been banned as "decadent", along with long hair on men, which can lead to arrest and a forced haircut.
One daily ritual of all North Koreans is making sure they have their Kim Il-sung badge attached to their lapel. The badges have been in circulation since the late 1960s, when the Mansudae Art Studio started producing them for party cadres. Desirable ones can change hands on the black market for several hundred NKW. In a city where people rarely carry cash, jewellery or credit cards, Kim badges are one of the most prized targets of Pyongyang's pickpockets.
Most streets are boulevards of utilitarian high-rise blocks. Those who live on higher floors may have to set out for work or school a little earlier than those lower down. Due to chronic power cuts, many elevators work only intermittently, if at all. Many buildings are between 20 and 40 storeys tall – there are stories of old people who have never been able to leave. Even in the better blocks elevators can be sporadic and so people just don't take the chance. Families make great efforts to relocate older relatives on lower floors, but this is difficult and a bribe is sometimes required. With food shortages now constant, many older people share their meagre rations with their grandchildren, weakening themselves further and making the prospect of climbing stairs even more daunting.
Some people do drive to work, but congestion is not a major problem. Despite the relative lack of cars, police enforce traffic regulations strictly and issue tickets. Fines can be equivalent to two weeks' salary. Most cars belong to state organisations, but are often used as if they were privately owned. All vehicles entering Pyongyang must be clean; owners of dirty cars may be fined. Those travelling out of Pyongyang require a travel certificate. There are few driving regulations; however, on hills ascending vehicles have the right of way, and trucks cannot pass passenger cars under any circumstances. Drunk-driving is punished with hard labour. Smoking while driving is banned on the grounds that a smoking driver cannot smell a problem with the car.
Those who have a bicycle usually own a Sea Gull, unless they are privileged and own an imported second-hand Japanese bicycle. But even a Sea Gull costs several months' wages and requires saving.
7.30am For many North Koreans the day starts with a 30-minute reading session and exercises before work begins. The reading includes receiving instructions and studying the daily editorial in the party papers. This is followed by directives on daily tasks and official announcements.
For children, the school day starts with exercises to a medley of populist songs before a session of marching on the spot and saluting the image of the leader. The curriculum is based Kim Il-sung's 1977 Thesis on Socialist Education, emphasising the political role of education in developing revolutionary spirit. All children study Kim Il-sung's life closely. Learning to read means learning to read about Kim Il-sung; music class involves singing patriotic songs. Rote learning and memorising political tracts is integral and can bring good marks, which help in getting into university – although social rank is a more reliable determinant of college admission. After graduation, the state decides where graduates will work.
8am Work begins. Pyongyang is the centre of the country's white-collar workforce, though a Pyongyang office would appear remarkably sparse to most outsiders. Banks, industrial enterprises and businesses operate almost wholly without computers, photocopiers and modern office technology. Payrolls and accounting are done by hand.
12pm Factories, offices and workplaces break for lunch for an hour. Many workers bring a packed lunch, or, if they live close by, go home to eat. Larger workplaces have a canteen serving cheap lunches, such as corn soup, corn cake and porridge. The policy of eating in work canteens, combined with the lack of food shops and restaurants, means that Pyongyang remains strangely empty during the working day with no busy lunchtime period, as seen in other cities around the world.
Shopping is an as-and-when activity. If a shop has stock, then returning later is not an option as it will be sold out. According to defectors, North Koreans want "five chests and seven appliances". The chests are a quilt chest, wardrobe, bookshelf, cupboard and shoe closet, while the appliances comprise a TV, refrigerator, washing machine, electric fan, sewing machine, tape recorder and camera. Most ordinary people only have a couple of appliances, usually a television and a sewing machine.
Food shopping is equally problematic. Staples such as soy sauce, soybean paste, salt and oil, as well as toothpaste, soap, underwear and shoes, sell out fast. The range of food items available is highly restricted. White cabbage, cucumber and tomato are the most common; meat is rare, and eggs increasingly so. Fruit is largely confined to apples and pears. The main staple of the North Korean diet is rice, though bread is sometimes available, accompanied by a form of butter that is often rancid. Corn, maize and mushrooms also appear sometimes.
5pm Work ends, but most people are required to remain in the office or factory for the daily Community Session and Learning Session. At the Community Sessions there is a discussion of the day's work, an evaluation of progress and an anticipation of the next day. The Learning Session is more overtly political and can include a Political Ideology Learning Session to disseminate party policy. Self-criticism is still popular, as are so-called "colleague criticising sessions". Criticisms can range from being late for work to wasting national resources. All criticism is based on the Ten Principles for Firmly Establishing the Party's Unique Thought System.. Solidarity, Learning and Community Sessions are held by the Agricultural Working People's Union, the Women's Union and the Children's League. In December longer meetings are held to take stock of the year. Spontaneous demonstrations or marches often require attendance.
8pm Most people are already home. In winter they take off their street clothes and don layers of underwear and shirts to retain body heat. Apartments are draughty, forcing residents to cover the windows with plastic sheeting. Apartment buildings are largely heated by hot water, houses by charcoal briquettes. If the electricity supply is suspended, however, no heat is available. Most residents stay in their winter clothes all day, even sleeping in them. People who manage to obtain chicken or duck feathers use them to make quilts.
Every day people liaise with their neighbours about the electricity situation. A large proportion of Pyongyang operates an "alternative suspension of electricity supply" system, meaning that when buildings on one side of the street are blacked out, the other side of the street gets power. When the alternation time arrives there is a mad rush of children as they head for their friends' apartments across the road.
Social communication is problematic. Most telephone calls are made through operators. This is a prime occupation for women (all of them are women), and a way to gain access to rumour and information before other, ordinary, workers. Phones are only installed for high-ranking officials, and are thus technically official rather than private.
Smoking is a cheap pleasure. As shortages have grown, many people roll their own. It can also be an act of resistance, as the best rolling paper is considered to be the Workers' Party daily paper. Formal entertainment options are limited in Pyongyang. The city has around eight cinemas, although many shut early due to lack of power. The Yongdae Funfair remains closed, as do many theatres. Normal fare at the cinema is heavily propagandist, such as Sea of Blood, The Fate of a Self-Defence Corps Man, Flames Spreading Over the Land or the recent hit Beyond Joy and Sorrow, which included the first on-screen kiss seen in North Korea. The usual plots describe South Korean or US perfidy and end with a victory for the KPA.
Holidays are rare, despite a long list of anniversaries and commemorative occasions. Four or five days' annual holiday appears to be the norm around Kim Jong-il's birthday, the anniversary of the DPRK's founding and Kim Il-sung's birthday, when children are given biscuits and confectionery by their parents. Sunday is "walking day", with public transport schedules curtailed. Live music is often performed by Art Propaganda Troupes singing popular ballads (pansori) espousing revolutionary sentiments. Home entertainment consists largely of television.
Citizens must report purchases of radios and TVs. The authorities have been known to make inspections to ensure sets are tuned to official programming. Possession of foreign books, magazines and newspapers is forbidden. However, some news of the outside world filters through via illegal short-wave radios.
10pm Most people are in bed. The scarcity of cars, the early nights, the absence of entertainment venues, and the electricity shortages, mean that by midnight Pyongyang is effectively a ghost city, and remains so until 6am the next day.
6am The day starts early in Pyongyang, the city described by the North Korean government as the "capital of revolution". Breakfast is usually corn or maize porridge, possibly a boiled egg and sour yoghurt, with perhaps powdered milk for children.
Then it is time to get ready for work. North Korea has a large working population: approximately 59% of the total in 2010. A growing number of women work in white-collar office jobs; they make up around 90% of workers in light industry and 80% of the rural workforce. Many women are now the major wage-earner in the family – though still housewife, mother and cook as well as a worker, or perhaps a soldier.
Makeup is increasingly common in Pyongyang, though it is rarely worn until after college graduation. Chinese-made skin lotions, foundation, eyeliner and lipstick are available and permissible in the office. Many women suffer from blotchy skin caused by the deteriorating national diet, so are wearing more makeup. Long hair is common, but untied hair is frowned upon.
Men's hairstyles could not be described as radical. In the 1980s, when Kim Jong-il first came to public prominence, his trademark crewcut, known as a "speed battle cut", became popular, while the more bouffant style favoured by Kim Il-sung, and then Kim Jong-il, in their later years, is also popular. Kim Jong-un's trademark short-back-and-sides does not appear to have inspired much imitation so far. Hairdressers and barbers are run by the local Convenience Services Management Committee; at many, customers can wash their hair themselves.
Fashion is not really an applicable term in North Korea, as the Apparel Research Centre under the Clothing Industry Department of the National Light Industry Committee designs most clothing. However, things have loosened up somewhat, with bright colours now permitted as being in accordance with a "socialist lifestyle". Pyongyang offers some access to foreign styles. A Japanese watch denotes someone in an influential position; a foreign luxury watch indicates a very senior position. The increasing appearance of Adidas, Disney and other brands (usually fake) indicates that access to goods smuggled from China is growing. Jeans have at times been fashionable, though risky – occasionally they have been banned as "decadent", along with long hair on men, which can lead to arrest and a forced haircut.
One daily ritual of all North Koreans is making sure they have their Kim Il-sung badge attached to their lapel. The badges have been in circulation since the late 1960s, when the Mansudae Art Studio started producing them for party cadres. Desirable ones can change hands on the black market for several hundred NKW. In a city where people rarely carry cash, jewellery or credit cards, Kim badges are one of the most prized targets of Pyongyang's pickpockets.
Most streets are boulevards of utilitarian high-rise blocks. Those who live on higher floors may have to set out for work or school a little earlier than those lower down. Due to chronic power cuts, many elevators work only intermittently, if at all. Many buildings are between 20 and 40 storeys tall – there are stories of old people who have never been able to leave. Even in the better blocks elevators can be sporadic and so people just don't take the chance. Families make great efforts to relocate older relatives on lower floors, but this is difficult and a bribe is sometimes required. With food shortages now constant, many older people share their meagre rations with their grandchildren, weakening themselves further and making the prospect of climbing stairs even more daunting.
Some people do drive to work, but congestion is not a major problem. Despite the relative lack of cars, police enforce traffic regulations strictly and issue tickets. Fines can be equivalent to two weeks' salary. Most cars belong to state organisations, but are often used as if they were privately owned. All vehicles entering Pyongyang must be clean; owners of dirty cars may be fined. Those travelling out of Pyongyang require a travel certificate. There are few driving regulations; however, on hills ascending vehicles have the right of way, and trucks cannot pass passenger cars under any circumstances. Drunk-driving is punished with hard labour. Smoking while driving is banned on the grounds that a smoking driver cannot smell a problem with the car.
Those who have a bicycle usually own a Sea Gull, unless they are privileged and own an imported second-hand Japanese bicycle. But even a Sea Gull costs several months' wages and requires saving.
7.30am For many North Koreans the day starts with a 30-minute reading session and exercises before work begins. The reading includes receiving instructions and studying the daily editorial in the party papers. This is followed by directives on daily tasks and official announcements.
For children, the school day starts with exercises to a medley of populist songs before a session of marching on the spot and saluting the image of the leader. The curriculum is based Kim Il-sung's 1977 Thesis on Socialist Education, emphasising the political role of education in developing revolutionary spirit. All children study Kim Il-sung's life closely. Learning to read means learning to read about Kim Il-sung; music class involves singing patriotic songs. Rote learning and memorising political tracts is integral and can bring good marks, which help in getting into university – although social rank is a more reliable determinant of college admission. After graduation, the state decides where graduates will work.
8am Work begins. Pyongyang is the centre of the country's white-collar workforce, though a Pyongyang office would appear remarkably sparse to most outsiders. Banks, industrial enterprises and businesses operate almost wholly without computers, photocopiers and modern office technology. Payrolls and accounting are done by hand.
12pm Factories, offices and workplaces break for lunch for an hour. Many workers bring a packed lunch, or, if they live close by, go home to eat. Larger workplaces have a canteen serving cheap lunches, such as corn soup, corn cake and porridge. The policy of eating in work canteens, combined with the lack of food shops and restaurants, means that Pyongyang remains strangely empty during the working day with no busy lunchtime period, as seen in other cities around the world.
Shopping is an as-and-when activity. If a shop has stock, then returning later is not an option as it will be sold out. According to defectors, North Koreans want "five chests and seven appliances". The chests are a quilt chest, wardrobe, bookshelf, cupboard and shoe closet, while the appliances comprise a TV, refrigerator, washing machine, electric fan, sewing machine, tape recorder and camera. Most ordinary people only have a couple of appliances, usually a television and a sewing machine.
Food shopping is equally problematic. Staples such as soy sauce, soybean paste, salt and oil, as well as toothpaste, soap, underwear and shoes, sell out fast. The range of food items available is highly restricted. White cabbage, cucumber and tomato are the most common; meat is rare, and eggs increasingly so. Fruit is largely confined to apples and pears. The main staple of the North Korean diet is rice, though bread is sometimes available, accompanied by a form of butter that is often rancid. Corn, maize and mushrooms also appear sometimes.
5pm Work ends, but most people are required to remain in the office or factory for the daily Community Session and Learning Session. At the Community Sessions there is a discussion of the day's work, an evaluation of progress and an anticipation of the next day. The Learning Session is more overtly political and can include a Political Ideology Learning Session to disseminate party policy. Self-criticism is still popular, as are so-called "colleague criticising sessions". Criticisms can range from being late for work to wasting national resources. All criticism is based on the Ten Principles for Firmly Establishing the Party's Unique Thought System.. Solidarity, Learning and Community Sessions are held by the Agricultural Working People's Union, the Women's Union and the Children's League. In December longer meetings are held to take stock of the year. Spontaneous demonstrations or marches often require attendance.
8pm Most people are already home. In winter they take off their street clothes and don layers of underwear and shirts to retain body heat. Apartments are draughty, forcing residents to cover the windows with plastic sheeting. Apartment buildings are largely heated by hot water, houses by charcoal briquettes. If the electricity supply is suspended, however, no heat is available. Most residents stay in their winter clothes all day, even sleeping in them. People who manage to obtain chicken or duck feathers use them to make quilts.
Every day people liaise with their neighbours about the electricity situation. A large proportion of Pyongyang operates an "alternative suspension of electricity supply" system, meaning that when buildings on one side of the street are blacked out, the other side of the street gets power. When the alternation time arrives there is a mad rush of children as they head for their friends' apartments across the road.
Social communication is problematic. Most telephone calls are made through operators. This is a prime occupation for women (all of them are women), and a way to gain access to rumour and information before other, ordinary, workers. Phones are only installed for high-ranking officials, and are thus technically official rather than private.
Smoking is a cheap pleasure. As shortages have grown, many people roll their own. It can also be an act of resistance, as the best rolling paper is considered to be the Workers' Party daily paper. Formal entertainment options are limited in Pyongyang. The city has around eight cinemas, although many shut early due to lack of power. The Yongdae Funfair remains closed, as do many theatres. Normal fare at the cinema is heavily propagandist, such as Sea of Blood, The Fate of a Self-Defence Corps Man, Flames Spreading Over the Land or the recent hit Beyond Joy and Sorrow, which included the first on-screen kiss seen in North Korea. The usual plots describe South Korean or US perfidy and end with a victory for the KPA.
Holidays are rare, despite a long list of anniversaries and commemorative occasions. Four or five days' annual holiday appears to be the norm around Kim Jong-il's birthday, the anniversary of the DPRK's founding and Kim Il-sung's birthday, when children are given biscuits and confectionery by their parents. Sunday is "walking day", with public transport schedules curtailed. Live music is often performed by Art Propaganda Troupes singing popular ballads (pansori) espousing revolutionary sentiments. Home entertainment consists largely of television.
Citizens must report purchases of radios and TVs. The authorities have been known to make inspections to ensure sets are tuned to official programming. Possession of foreign books, magazines and newspapers is forbidden. However, some news of the outside world filters through via illegal short-wave radios.
10pm Most people are in bed. The scarcity of cars, the early nights, the absence of entertainment venues, and the electricity shortages, mean that by midnight Pyongyang is effectively a ghost city, and remains so until 6am the next day.