No iPods for Dictators
The Bush administration has come up with a novel policy on international commerce: trade sanctions that are designed purely to irritate a country's leader -- in this case, North Korea's Kim Jong Il. The administration is pushing an effort through the United Nations to deny the North Korean dictator access to many of the popular consumer products -- many of them high-end luxury items -- that he favors. The list, AP says, includes the following: iPods, plasma televisions, Segway electric scooters, cognac, Rolex watches, cigarettes, artwork, expensive cars, Harley Davidson motorcycles, personal watercraft, music and sports equipment.