The subtitle is The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un and the author is Anna Fifield (2019).
For me, this book was about trying to understand the situation in North Korea. It is a brutal dictatorship that has become a family business. And that familial lineage is likely the reason that the country will never open up in the way that other communist countries (like China and Vietnam) have -- to loosen the system and allow freer flow of information would implicitly weaken the Kim family's grip on power. As far as nukes, they will never give them up. They view them as the only defense against US aggression, and also saw during the Korean War how the threat of a nuclear strike by the US immediately ended that conflict. The goal is to never be forced to entrust any other country with its national security. This book is not a dense, heavy historical narrative, but it's a reasonable primer on this topic.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Monday, July 1, 2019
Post Mortem
When I told my son last night that KD and Kyrie were heading to Brooklyn, he said "I hate the Nets" and stormed out of the room. I get the frustration. To be a Knicks fan is an exercise in heartache and perceived inequities.
But, if he were a little older, he would know that this organization has been a dumpster fire for a long time. Jim Dolan is a disaster. The culture with the team starts with him, and there are simply too many bad stories about this franchise during his tenure to ignore. There are too many over-promises and miscalculations. Too frequently they peddle hope, in the form of cap space, and then never even get the meetings with the top guys. New York is still a draw, MSG should be a draw...but clearly you get most of that, plus a better-run organization, by going to Brooklyn right now.
I don't think the Nets will steal Knicks fans in droves. There is a longevity to Knick fandom that has passed through generations, from parent to child, that is stronger than Dolan's ineptitude. But, the team itself will continue to suffer as long as he is the face. I don't think the perpetual failures will cease until he is no longer the guy in charge.
In the mean time...
But, if he were a little older, he would know that this organization has been a dumpster fire for a long time. Jim Dolan is a disaster. The culture with the team starts with him, and there are simply too many bad stories about this franchise during his tenure to ignore. There are too many over-promises and miscalculations. Too frequently they peddle hope, in the form of cap space, and then never even get the meetings with the top guys. New York is still a draw, MSG should be a draw...but clearly you get most of that, plus a better-run organization, by going to Brooklyn right now.
I don't think the Nets will steal Knicks fans in droves. There is a longevity to Knick fandom that has passed through generations, from parent to child, that is stronger than Dolan's ineptitude. But, the team itself will continue to suffer as long as he is the face. I don't think the perpetual failures will cease until he is no longer the guy in charge.
In the mean time...
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