And he's off - N. Korea's Kim Jong Eun

Young dictator Kim Jong Eun has quite the history. From the Washington Post:

For Kim Jong Eun, a choreographed rise
Kim Jong Eun, according to propaganda described in a recent Chinese magazine article, learned to drive at age 3. By 8, he could safely maneuver dirt roads at 75 mph. As a teenager, he mastered four foreign languages. He is now learning three more.

The emerging biography of North Korea�s new leader, considered fictitious in nearly every country but his own, portrays him as the ultimate quick study, a poet and a marksman, an economics whiz and a military strategist.

The mythmaking is particularly important because Kim Jong Eun, handed power in one of the world�s most secretive nations three weeks ago, has yet to publicly prove his acumen. His life has been turned into a hyper-choreographed showcase for his credibility, and Korea-watchers are scrutinizing his every move: He wears a black double-breasted coat much like his grandfather did. He tours military sites that were his father�s favorites. Even his birthday, on Sunday, will be closely watched.

Analysts aren�t certain which birthday it is � maybe his 28th or 29th; perhaps his 30th � but they think the date could provide new clues about the pace of the succession and the extent to which North Korea is willing to toast its young heir while mourning his father, leader Kim Jong Il, who died Dec. 17. North Korea celebrates the birthdays of Kim Jong Il and founder Kim Il Sung as national holidays. But Jan. 8 hasn�t yet been declared as such.

And his citizens are eating grass to survive. NORK is going to collapse -- information is flowing too freely despite the onerous censorship. It will be a horrible paroxysm but the end result will be good if they embrace capitalism. How could any leader treat their subjects like this...