The cheerleaders are on hold

I giggled today when I read that, for reasons unknown, North Korea has postponed its first round of talks in 2008 with South Korea. They were supposed to be discussing repairing a cross-border railway as well as, wait for it, transporting a joint cheering squad to the Beijing Olympics. Perhaps it was all too jolly for the North Koreans to stomach. The phrase "cheering squad" has a totalitarian feel to it, rather like "firing squad". It's fascinating to read about what goes on in North Korea, whose government is supported by China, and whose leader visits China in a special train. I remember the previous leader, Kim Il Sung, once receiving the most extraordinary birthday present from the Chinese government: a full length cape made from the feathers of thousands of sparrows.