Apparently, Kim Jong Il and Marvin Gaye have a little something in common:
Motel Bookings, Condom Sales Surge Post Nuke Test
As tends to be the case in disasters and crises, sales of condoms and reservations at motels surged in the wake of North Korea’s nuclear test on Oct. 9. One online hotel reservations site reports that everything is completely booked up through the end of the month in what it calls an “exceptional” flood of guests. If there is apathy about security among Koreans, there is also a silent terror seeking release in sex.
The English version of the story ran with a rather abstract pair of images, a human hand holding a condom and a finger with a string tied in a bow. (Don’t forget your tryst at the love motel!)
Oh, but the Korean version … that contained the glorious image to your right, which AP called “a full-color graphic of a condom-shrouded missile bearing a North Korean flag.”
Edward Tufte would probably consider this a prime example of chartjunk, but I imagine even ET could summon a resevoir tip’s worth of forgiveness for this tacky masterpiece.
Wow.