Kim is the third leader in a hereditary dynasty that has sustained six decades of autocratic rule in North Korea but is unable to feed its own people.

"Kalachakra?is a promise of Buddha that he will stick with us so that we can attain Nirvana," said Tenzing Norbu, a Tibetan immigrant who attended Wednesday's celebration.

"We are looking for effective solutions that punish criminals, not law-abiding citizens," said association spokeswoman Elizabeth Funderburk.

Remember that people are people. Detroiters are not meant to be ogled like exhibits in a museum. They're not to be talked down to, pitied, shamed or treated with kid gloves. The so-called "grit," "never-say-die spirit" and "determination" is not unique to Detroiters, either. It's in all of us, everywhere. Say hello. Smile. Shake hands. Be courteous. Be polite. Be normal. Welcome to Detroit.

"A single petition volume of 20 pages was inadvertently destroyed" last Friday, Board spokeswoman Valerie Vazquez said in a statement responding to a Daily News inquiry about the destroyed docs.