This is part one of a 14 part series on North Korea that you can view on VBS.tv. I’m watching part one now, but the buffering is killing me. The first episode takes the VBS crew from Seoul in South Korea to the DMZ that borders the two countries.

UPDATE: After watching up to episode 12, I’m a bit disappointed. It’s definitely worth watching to get a rare glimpse inside North Korea, but Shane Smith seems rather presumptuous in a lot of his reporting. In episode 12 when the visits a state school for the best and brightest, Smith mentions over and over again that the students are basically being forced to learn for the state. While this may very well be the case, there’s nothing in the video that illustrates that, other than the children being very young for their high level of talent. My favorite episode so far is no. 6 with the tea girl, because it paints a really personal picture that gives more insight into the situation for average folks in the DPRK. The rest of the series seems to focus heavily on the propaganda aspect of the government, which seems to be par for the course in everything I’ve heard about visits to the country. I am looking forward to the final two episodes that cover the MASS Games, however.

The cat has just become the new ultimate party accessory thanks to good ol’ North Korea. Scientists there have successfully cloned cats genetically modified to glow under ultra-violet light. This first successful attempt at cloning a genetically modified feline has fostered hope that one day endangered species of cats can be cloned as well. But what’s really important is that now you can have black-light parties with all your favorite local cat ladies. I mean, these cats frickin’ glow. Who wouldn’t want one?

North Korea gets a lot of shit in the press, but the capital of Pyongyang seems as nice a city as any to visit, at least from the antiseptic, cosmic eye of Google Earth. US citizens will be allowed to travel to North Korea during the upcoming Mass Games, which sound like a pretty fucking good time. According to the Koryo Tours Web site, DPRK’s official tourism board, the Mass Games will feature “100,000 synchronised gymnasts inside the world's largest stadium.” While there, you can check out a marvel of architecture, the mammoth Ryugyong Hotel, which would have been the largest hotel in the world if not for problems with funding, electricity and famine.