lazy link roundup

Four Days in North Korea: Life kind of sucks in North Korea. We know this. But just how much does it suck? One journalist recounts the sad, dull sights and sounds of totalitarian oppression during a four-day trip to Pyongyang.

U. of U. settles lawsuit brought by Chinese scholars' families for $500,000: The University of Utah has settled a lawsuit brought by the families of seven Chinese scholars killed in a 2003 van rollover, cutting short a two-week trial in a Salt Lake City.

The New Trophy Wives: Asian Women: Marie Claire has this barf-tastic article on the trend of "the West's most powerful men" (aka old white dudes) hooking up with younger Asian women. I'd rather point you Joz's critical response to the piece over at 8Asians.

Shift: A recently launched new/culture website "for the urban, multicultural college graduate," powered by the Medill School of Jounalism and News 21. They've recently posted stories on Muslim activists, the state of the health care system and the celebration of gay veterans.

North Korea's Dollar Store: This is a crazy Vanity Fair story on Office 39, the secret North Korean agency suspected to responsible for a billion-dollar criminal syndicate creating "supernote" forgeries of U.S. currency.

Seattle's Ragin' Asians: This is a rather silly and pointless article in the Seattle Weekly on the city's Asian party scene. Yay, Asians are going out and partying and getting drunk... just like everyone else. What's the big deal?

Human Trafficking Revealed In 'The Snakehead': A new book, The Snakehead: an Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream, tells the story of the Golden Venture, which went aground off the shore of Queens in 1993, bringing 300 terrified, half-starved immigrants from Fujien, China.

Anita Lo Keeps Her Mind Off Restaurant Fires With Gnudi and Noodle Soups: Here's a recent fun profile on chef Anita Lo, who you've seen kicking ass in the kitchen on Top Chef Masters (though not on last week's show, where her dishes fell a bit short).

Basketball passion follows Heat's Erik Spoelstra to Philippines: Here's a cool story on Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who holds the distinction of being the NBA's first Asian American head coach, and recently visited his mother's homeland -- the Philippines.