■"Where Kim's Portrait Hung in Pyongyang, a Baffling Blankness," by James Brooke, New York Times, 17 November 2004, p. A3.

It's weird, but Kim Jong Il's official portraits seem to be disappearing around Pyongyang. Not in the countryside, just in the capital, mind you, but it's weird.

And then Lil' Kim hasn't been seen for a while. Hmmmmm.

Of course, North Korean diplomats counter sagely with incredulity at the suggestion that the Dear Leader might be removed from power by others around him: "Can the sun be removed from the sky? It is not possible."

Hmm. Let's think on that one a while. Are we sure it's not possible?