North Korean strategy: increasing interaction

I've written at length on this page on how I think direct interactions between North Korean people and people from the rest of the world increase communication and understanding between the two groups. I mentioned in my post on the ethics on visiting North Korea that I expect increasing tourism will open the country. I think such interactions could change North Korea, mainly by bringing new information to the population. The North Korean people comply with their government's systems, effectively supporting it. The government creates that support with propaganda. The histories of North Korea, its leaders, South Korea, and the United States that the North Korean government tells its population differ from those the rest of the world understands. I don't know which stories are…

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Upcoming events!

Three awesome events coming up. Sunday 7pm I'm speaking on North Korea at the wonderful FRED talks 5 Crosby Street, #5H in Soho. Saturday, December 10, 8-10pm, see my art at District 36. Stay if you like to hear Sharam, of the Grammy-winning Duo Deep Dish. The pieces will be ones that I showed at my show at Crossing Art Gallery in June and July, so if you missed that show, now's your chance to see these amazing pieces. Tuesday, December 13, 6:30-9pm, see Srikumar Rao on leadership and happiness at work, "Achieve a Quantum Improvement in Managerial and Leadership Ability". He is my former Professor at Columbia Business School. The event description begins "Dr. Rao became famous for his ground breaking course in personal…

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Communications skills exercises, part IX: statements instead of questions

[This post is part of a series on Communication Skills Exercises for Business and Life. If you don't see a Table of Contents to the left, click here to view the series, where you'll get more value than reading just this post.] The principles People like people who improve their lives and make conversations interesting. When you first meet someone you tell each other about yourselves in how and about what you talk. Sometimes when you take an interest in someone's life or activities, you improve their lives. If people compliment you on your conversation skills, you probably do improve their lives by asking questions. Or if they are prompting you to ask questions, like talking about their kids or some other passion. In my…

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The heart of freedom, part 2

Yesterday I wrote about what I called the heart of freedom, stating that being able to choose your beliefs was more important than being able to change your environment. I quoted Viktor Frankl stating that being able to choose your beliefs was a freedom that could never be taken away. What does that freedom get you? "Just" feelings? Or does it get you more than that? He followed up yesterday's quote with When we are no longer able to change a situation – just think of an incurable disease such as inoperable cancer – we are challenged to change ourselves. By no means would I suggest his environment had anything desirable, but observe where this ability took him. In the midst of one of the…

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