It appears that the discussion about the Hot Cash for Kim, and the niceties of U.S. counterfeiting and money-laundering laws, to say nothing of the Patriot Act and the liability of New York Fed board members has been overtaken by the rush of events. The whooshing sound issuing from Macau’s Banco Delta Asia yesterday was created by the thorough vacuuming out of the hot cash for Kim. It seems that Russian banks and the New York Fed are involved in facilitating the fulfillment of Kim’s demand for the green. After this stunt, the U.S. will have to stifle any further complaints about UNDP forking over cash to Kim. Next to the U.S. government, the UNDP are pikers!

There have been a couple of recent articles in the British press about Kim’s failing health, and the possibility that he underwent heart bypass surgery last month. Kim has certainly pushed the envelope for relentless high living for years. He has often been said to suffer from diabetes, liver problems, and a heart condition, so the current reports of cardiac bypass surgery are not outlandish, though an article in today’s Asia Times reads the tea leaves differently. For sure, Kim will not be starring in any health and fitness videos any time soon, and should he make an abrupt departure from this plane of existence, the chaos generated by the ensuing struggle for power in the DPRK could push an already dangerous situation into war. No wonder Chris HIll is showing signs of having gone over the boarder into the state of high anxiety.