Global Pulse: United States Archives

Category: United States

U.S. Defense Icy Cold to Hillary

20 Oct 2007 @ 19:22 GMT | Permalink | Comments

U.S. defense and security officials are already seething at the possibility of another President Clinton. From the U.S. security apparatus, Hillary Clinton, if elected, could expect a Siberian winter so cold even the tigers wouldn't venture out. This jittery feeling, often found among Iran's paranoid mullahs, has started to spill over into the public.

John J. Hamre, deputy secretary of defense under President Clinton, was quietly appointed to lead the Defense Policy Board that advises the Pentagon chief. This event has ruffled a lot of feathers, reports Bill Gertz.

An anonymous defense official told Mr. Gertz:

In short, what exactly are his credentials for this job, other than the deluded notion that somehow giving a Clintonite a board seat might make Hillary, should she win, more amenable to the department?

Another unnamed official was asking whether the Bush administration has "begun the transition to the third Clinton administration." Yet another was questioning if Mr. Gates approved of Clinton-era defense policies.

Since they are unnamed, it is hard to gauge where they stood when the American Enterprise Institute, Richard Perle and neoconservative opinion leaders were pushing for revenge against Saddam Hussein. Mr. Perle, a deft politician who knows when to cut ties with the White House, at least came out and apologized, defecated on the White House and then blamed President Bush. Belated damage control at its best.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 19:22 | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGGED: Hillary Clinton | Iraq | Neoconservatives

Doughnut Thief May Get 30 Years to Life

St. Louis Post-Dispatch 08 Oct 2007 @ 08:21 GMT | Permalink | Comments

A 41-year-old man in Farmington, Missouri, has been charged with stealing a 52-cent doughnut and allegedly pushing a woman, which he denies, and could receive 30 years to life in prison. The man has been in and out of jail on minor charges and has never been convicted of any violent crime. The district attorney (prosecutor) is expected to ask for the toughest sentence possible though the media attention may change her mind.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 08:21 | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGGED: Crime | Punishment

Proud Defense Minister: What's in a Handshake?

06 Oct 2007 @ 13:08 GMT | Permalink | Comments

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-Soo engages in a silent battle of will and grip strength with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.

Wii has done something a lot more than show a pretty picture.

Not everyone played nicely at this week's summit of North and South Korea. South Korean Defense Minister Kim Jang-Soo has confessed to engaging in a silent battle of will and pride with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il.

The defense minister, who towers over "Dear Leader," not only refused to bow when shaking hands with Kim Jong-Il, but he also held an impromptu battle of grip strength during the first handshake.

"Shaking hands for the first time, I held his hand and saw that his grip strength was significantly strong," said the defense minister of his arch-enemy.

Balancing Liberal Market and Sinophobia

05 Oct 2007 @ 11:53 GMT | Permalink | Comments

Does Sinophobia in U.S. Congress stop Chinese military hackers or China's continued march to gain access to sensitive U.S. technologies? Probably not. The buyout of 3Com Corporation by Bain Capital Partners (83.5 percent) and Huawei Technologies (16.5 percent) will likely go through despite concerns that the People's Liberation Army will virtually invade the Pentagon.

Aside from congressional kneejerk reactions against China, TippingPoint, a 3Com division that makes network Intrusion Prevention Systems, could become a sticking point in the US$2.2 billion deal. But Bain, according to the Financial Times this morning, is expected to divest the division if the deal is approved.

China's attempts to hack into or attack the Pentagon network have been partially successful in recent years, raising questions about how good TippingPoint hardware really is. The Pentagon itself apparently is not concerned about the deal.

Huawei, however, does not have a good track record.

'Wag the Dog': A White House Holiday Priority

21 Dec 2006 @ 12:41 GMT | Permalink | Comments (2)

The White House spends time and money on producing a film featuring Barney the Scotty.

Barney Bush the Scotty is soft-spoken, well-behaved and cute. He is the star in a professional short film shot by the White House. President Bush also makes a cameo appearance. Is it worth the time and energy of the leader of the free world and the White House staffers?

In the film (Windows Media,
Real Player, Quicktime), the White House is a warm, fuzzy, inviting holiday fantasy and not the cold ice castle of ruthless realpolitik that has led to wars and deaths. The film, a P.R. product, speaks nothing of war, poverty, unemployment or climate change.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his black lab Koni.

No other executive branch in the world spends as much time using the First Pets as public relations tools. Russia's Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is often seen with his black lab Koni, but his public affairs office does not cast her in holiday films. But unlike the choreographed appearances of Barney, Koni appears to roam free around Kremlin, eating treats from the press corps.

Chile: How to Bury a Dictator

13 Dec 2006 @ 09:43 GMT | Permalink | Comments

Victims of his junta did not get the satisfaction of justice and revenge they sought from an ailing dictator. General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte's body was burned at an undisclosed location after full military honors in an all-day ceremony and his ashes transferred by Super Puma helicopters in secret.

Among the first to issue an honest statement was Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre who put it bluntly: "It's too bad Pinochet was never held responsible for what he stood for."

But the general helped us make the world less safe for despots.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 09:43 | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGGED: Chile | Dictator | Human Rights

'Greenback' Derives Its Strength From Looks?

09 Dec 2006 @ 13:54 GMT | Permalink | Comments

U.S. government lawyers claim the value of the U.S. dollar is partially derived from its appearance.

How much is U.S. currency worth? Its value is derived from appearance, at least partially, say smart U.S. government attorneys. Any changes to its appearance 'could undermine international recognition and acceptance of U.S. currency 'as a common medium of exchange throughout the world."'

U.S. District Judge James Robertson rightly called the claim "absurd" in his ruling that ordered the Treasury to make U.S. notes user friendly for everyone, including the blind and partially sighted.

Judge Robertson continued:

If the government has any evidence that U.S. currency is accepted throughout the world because it is a “greenback,” rather than because of the strength of the American economy, it has not placed that evidence in the record.

C.I.A. Attended Robert Kennedy Assassination

22 Nov 2006 @ 10:13 GMT | Permalink | Comments (1)

New photographic and video evidence show three high-level C.I.A. agents trying to blend in with the unruly crowd at the Ambassador Hotel the night Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, BBC Newsnight reported.

David Morales, Gordon Campbell and George Joannides were positively identified by freelance operative David Rabern, retired agent Bradley Ayers, researcher Ed Lopez, Tom Clines and career diplomat Wayne Smith -- all of them on record except Clines.

The possible involvement of the C.I.A. had long been speculated, but it was unclear whether there had ever been video footage and photos showing them at the hotel that night.

The producer of the segment calls Sirhan Sirhan a "Manchurian Candidate" who was most likely a decoy. The apparent proof of their presence at the hotel raises fresh questions, and Paul Schrade is calling for a new investigation.

BBC Newsnight (Real Player,
Windows Media) aired the segment on November 20

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 10:13 | Permalink | Comments (1)
TAGGED: Assassination | Cover-Up | U.S.

PlayStation3 Economics

21 Nov 2006 @ 16:30 GMT | Permalink | Comments

PlayStation3 deserves its own category in economics where supply and demand involves robbery, assault and opportunists.

The launch of PlayStation3 was exciting, sad and appalling all at the same time. The craze has generated an incredible demand beyond the needs of an ordinary gamer.

The shortage is not entirely due to Sony's marketing machine. It is partially the fault of the difficulty in mass-manufacturing the next generation blue laser used in the console.

But is it worth the money, time and life? Here is a quick look at the ruthless supply-and-demand economics behind PlayStation3.

$245,000 (PDF) is the starting bid for this PlayStation3 system and delivery anywhere in the world in person. This auctioneer has also offered to play a game or two with the buyer. If anyone buys, flying around the world wouldn't be a problem. The 60 gigabyte premium version is being auctioned on eBay for over US$1,000.

£3,299 (US$6,254) (PDF) is the price for a PS3 being offered on Craig's List to buyers in Europe, where the console does not go on sale until March 2007.

US$499.99 & US$599.99: Retail prices for Playstation3 20 GB and 60GB editions, respectively.

US$240 & US$307: the amount of money Sony is losing with the premium and regular versions, respectively.

CDN$549.99 & CDN$659.99 are signs that while the Canadian dollar has been gaining against its U.S. counterpart, the price of a PS3 is still cheaper in Canada by about US$19.

€599.00 (US$769) is the retail price in Germany for the 60 GB version.

400,000 PS3 units had been scheduled to ship to the U.S. for the November 17 launch. But far fewer actually made it. Analysts believe Sony will miss the goal of shipping a million consoles by the year's end due to a shortage of laser used in the Blu-ray DVD unit.

US$12,500 in Taco Bell Bucks will go to the first person to "donate" a PS3, which Taco Bell Foundation will give to a teen center. To Taco Bell Corp. $12,500 equals lifetime supply of food at the restaurant.

¥200 billion (US$1.7 billion) is the amount Sony's gaming division will lose this year from selling PS3 consoles. The sale does not immediately offset the high research cost.

Petaflops: Molecular researchers at Stanford University plan to conduct more than 1,015 trillion floating point operations per second -- far more than a super computer -- by using individual PS3's across the world. Processing power donated by individual users in the Cure@PS3 project will help find cures to protein-folding diseases.

1: the number of PlayStation3 that was purchased for the specific purpose of smashing it with a hammer in Toronto, Canada. The event probably generated more revenue for his Web sites than the price of a PS3.

Migrant workers and homeless people, most of them Chinese, were paid to stand in line for the Japanese launch of PS3. They turned over the PS3 to a boss who probably sold them online.

US$6.50 is the subscription fee for receiving an e-mail when a PS3 becomes available at an online retailer in Canada and the United States.

Wal-Mart to former Senator John Edwards: It's payback time for undermining us. We will deride you and shame you publicly for trying to use your position to obtain a PS3 when "the rest of America's working families are waiting patiently in line."

Robberies: Shoppers have been assaulted and robbed of their PS3's across the United States.

Demand Exceeds Supply: While Nebraska is not known for much demand for anything, most consumers did not get to buy a PS3 even after waiting in line for it for days.

Eight is the number of PS3's received by Wal-Mart in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 16:30 | Permalink | Comments (0)
TAGGED: Game | Money | Shortage

Rumsfeld The War Criminal?

11 Nov 2006 @ 13:18 GMT | Permalink | Comments (1)

In Germany next week, the outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will face investigations into and charges of war crimes and human rights violations related to torture, Time magazine reports.

The customary, but not mandatory, immunity accorded to high-ranking government officials will disappear when he leaves office.

Yet such prosecutions have rarely resulted in convictions and even less commonly meaningful punishments, such as prison time.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 13:18 | Permalink | Comments (1)
TAGGED: Al-Qa'ida | Pentagon | U.S. Politics

Who Is Robert M. Gates?

10 Nov 2006 @ 17:49 GMT | Permalink | Comments (2)

Robert M. Gates Becomes U.S. Defense Secretary

Former Director of Central Intelligence Robert M. Gates becomes the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Bob Gates brings his shady past into the new office.

The new U.S. Defense Secretary is someone the public will never get to know. Deft at dodging political and legal bullets, Mr. Gates is a skilled intelligence man, a long-time ally of the Bush family and a great liar. He is the new chief of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Here are some words, phrases and comments associated with Mr. Gates.

Banca Nazionale del Lavoro: the Atlanta branch of the Rome-based banking giant that funneled US$5 billion in taxpayer-guaranteed loans to Iraq so Saddam could buy weapons and dual-use technology in the 1980s. Multiple departments in the elder Bush administration were complicit in the affair. Britain and Italy had full knowledge of the loan diversion. The F.B.I. and Mr. Gates, then D.C.I., covered it up and lied to Congress.

Iran-Contra Scandal: the clandestine funding of Nicaraguan Contras with profits from arms sale to Iran in the 1980s. Mr. Gates lied about his knowledge of the operations in sworn testimonies.

Iran: a country Mr. Gates wants to befriend maybe like in the olden days of Iran-Contra.

B.C.C.I.: The Pakistan-based Bank of Credit and Commerce International was set up in the 1970s with the purpose of laundering money, financing terrorists and skimming creditors. The C.I.A. is widely believed to have worked with, used, and worked against the bank in the 1970s and 1980s.

Crack Cocaine: something the C.I.A.-linked associates did not sell to Americans during the Iran-Contra affair. Mr. Gates conducted a three-day internal "investigation" and closed the door.

Intelligence Czar: a figurehead post passed up by Mr. Gates in 2005. Instead the U.S. ended up with John Negroponte.

National Intelligence Estimates: an analysis Mr. Gates had a habit of skewing to suit the political needs of the Reagan administration.

'Direct Contradiction': what The Wall Street Journal said about the appointment of Mr. Gates.

'Cooking the Books': what The New York Times said about his habit of skewing the intelligence in an October 18, 1991, editorial "The Once and Future C.I.A."

'Formidable Memory': something that lapses only when it's time to lie to Congress about his knowledge of the Iran-Contra scandal. (In the same editorial as above.)

Iraq: a country with which Mr. Gates illegally shared intelligence and to which he illegally transferred arms and then lied about it to Congress. (New York Times Editorial "Mr. Gates's Past, the C.I.A.'s Future"; 4 November 1991)

Rumsfeld's Folly

08 Sep 2006 @ 15:10 GMT | Permalink | Comments

Donald Rumsfeld meets Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in 1983.

Donald Rumsfeld meets Saddam Hussein in Baghdad in this 1983 Iraqi television footage.

In this Iraqi television footage from 1983, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld shakes hands with Saddam Hussein who was a useful ally against Iran. Back then, the U.S. turned a blind eye to Mr. Hussein's chemical warfare.

Today, 23 years later, Mr. Rumsfeld claims to stand on a moral high ground, speaking endlessly about the dangers of appeasement. Perhaps he forgot about his own appeasement of Mr. Hussein, or the guilt-ridden C.E.O. wants to atone for his past.

But once, Mr. Rumsfeld endeared himself to Mr. Hussein and then Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, documents uncovered by the National Security Archive show.

How the Global Kava Market Crashed

24 Aug 2006 @ 10:39 GMT | Permalink | Comments

Root of a kava plant (Piper methysticum). (Photo: Courtesy University of Hawaii)

Corporate greed and consumer demands for miracle cures (in a pill) have led to unnecessary deaths and the collapse of the kava market in Asia, Europe and North America. South Pacific nations and researchers in the West are presenting a united front to reintroduce the Pacific Elixir to the world.

A 2001 German study on liver toxicity associated with kava (Piper methysticum G. Forster) prompted Germany to ban all kava products in 2002. Several countries followed suit. The study missed a critical aspect of the herbal supplement industry. They would do almost anything to meet demands.

New studies since then have shown that kava root and the drink made from it are safe, just as they have been for at least 2,000 years. But the U.K. is holding out and last month upheld its ban on all kava products.

Bare It All: Flying Gets Ugly

16 Aug 2006 @ 16:12 GMT | Permalink | Comments

Airlines ban liquid and gel substance from carry-on including gel bras.

Many padded bras contain silicon gel which is banned from the cabin.

Women are being asked by the U.S. government to leave their gel bras at home although it is unclear whether airport security will feel them up to distinguish gel bras from silicon and their natural counterparts. After all, women make great terrorists, as did the "black widows."

Soon we may be flying naked and undergo mandatory cavity search.

But the benefits of the new restrictions may make flying more comfortable. You won't have to fight for a spot in the overhead storage bins. No one will spill Starbucks on your lap. Ubiquitous roll-on bags will not stub your feet. Travelers may try to wash their feet more.

There are downsides. The ban on toiletries and cosmetics could make travelers ugly and smelly -- especially on long-haul flights. Worse, the terrorists are winning.

Extreme Weather: Snow in South Africa

04 Aug 2006 @ 07:33 GMT | Permalink | Comments

A heat wave grips much of the eastern U.S. seaboard, while snow-covered homeless struggle in South Africa.

South Africans are facing extreme conditions as the weather service is warning of more heavy snowfalls, flash floods and gale-force winds across much of the country.

Who decided to hold the 2010 World Cup during a South African winter?

Tens of millions across the world are suffering from weird weather phenomena. A deadly heat wave has turned much of the eastern U.S. seaboard into a sweltering jungle, while southern China is bracing for a typhoon to make landfall.

Here are more extreme weather conditions around the world.

Anti-Gay Policy Costs U.S. $364 Million

30 Jul 2006 @ 20:18 GMT | Permalink | Comments

Hundreds of high-tech, medical and language experts have been dismissed by the U.S. military under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. And it is costing the Pentagon a fortune to replace them.

The Pentagon has spent an estimated US$364 million to replace 9,359 homosexual service members discharged between fiscal 1994 and 2003, a university study shows.

One thing The Washington Post did not mention was that among those fired for being gay were pilots, physicians, counterintelligence officers, communications intelligence officers and other intelligence officers.

Sperm: Britain Needs You!

30 Jul 2006 @ 15:38 GMT | Permalink | Comments

'Donate Sperm -- For Your Country!' is the message being circulated in Britain. A sperm drought is impacting not only infertile couples, but also the birth rate. It is still not as bad as Russia, where the country could become unsustainable soon.

In Oxfordshire, everyone's wondering about the only man who is donating sperm for the entire county, while Oxford students are being asked for semen. All of Scotland also has a single donor.

Only 10 donors are being recruited across Britain per month to serve between 1,000 and 2,000 women. As a result sperm production is being outsourced to the United States.

Water: Australia Running Dry

28 Jul 2006 @ 09:16 GMT | Permalink | Comments (2)

Photo of Cracked Earth in Algeria (UNESCO)

An Australian city will be completely out of water in four months. Another is looking into recycled sewage water. Politicians have largely ignored the issue and admit in private that they are scared to lose their jobs for supporting recycled sewage water.

Only 0.01 percent of 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water on the planet is easily accessible. And even that is dwindling.

When resources are scarce, ignorant people fight over it. Opportunists profit from the shortage. And both are happening right now.

Why U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts Are Misguided

20 Jul 2006 @ 09:18 GMT | Permalink | Comments

Tennessee believes Osama bin Laden will attack the Mule Day Parade. Indiana thinks its popcorn factory is a target.

To fight the "war on terrorism," the U.S. Air Force has given away US$450,000 to a group of scientists to study blogs. Early conclusions are startling:

Blog entries have a different structure. They are typically short and are about something external to the blog posting itself, such as a news event. It’s not uncommon for a blogger to simply state, ‘I can’t believe this happened,’ and then link to a news story.

I can't believe this happened!.

There is more. The Homeland Security Department counts a petting zoo, a poker club, a popcorn factory and car dealerships as potential terrorist targets. See the complete list below.

Hugo Chávez Helps Needy Americans

19 Jun 2006 @ 09:26 GMT | Permalink | Comments (3)

Hugo Chávez offers poor Americans free eye care, bus passes and discounted heating oil. (Photo: UNDPI)

Hugo Chávez, the irascible president of Venezuela, is sticking it to the Bush administration in a big way by offering free eye surgery, bus passes and heating oil discounts to needy Americans.

Mr. Chávez is exporting his "Bolivarian revolution" to Chicago and Milwaukee, as the White House grapples with how to tackle his increasing appetite for military hardware and his love for Fidel Castro.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 09:26 | Permalink | Comments (3)

Party at Saddam's! B.Y.O.Bikinis! Tuesdays!

06 Jun 2006 @ 16:14 GMT | Permalink | Comments

Female U.S. embassy staffers in bikinis were partying it up by the pool, karaoke singers were rocking and Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root was serving up roast beef, pasta and crab dishes all at the Iraq Republican Palace, Soma reports from Baghdad. Saddam Hussein probably wouldn't mind the scantily clad women running through his palace, although he might cringe at hearing American rock music. Soma, a newly minted newspaper out of Suleimanieh, had a few more insights to share, including the identity of the embassy guards.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 16:14 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Leftist Leaders Drop Dead in Philippines

16 May 2006 @ 09:00 GMT | Permalink | Comments

The Philippine military is using psychological warfare to stoke paranoia inside the New People's Army [NPA] by claiming that army agents have infiltrated the communist rebel group. Whether true or not today, the U.S., led by the late Colonel James Nicholas Rowe, did infiltrate the N.P.A. in the 1980s. The military blames N.P.A. purges for most of the 123 deaths of leftist leaders and sympathizers. But a National Police task force is taking a more diplomatic approach by saying that the military and paramilitary groups as well as the communist rebels themselves may have had a part in the killings.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 09:00 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Local Police Spying on Americans

01 May 2006 @ 11:16 GMT | Permalink | Comments

Unmonitored, these untrained local police intelligence units could turn into the infamous Red Squads that suppressed dissent and protests before the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act limited the power of local police.

Local and state police are forming intelligence units and spying on ordinary Americans with little understanding of or concern for privacy laws. Their mixed results, U.S. News & World Report says, include targeting "save the whale" groups, labor leaders and anti-war protestors. Untrained, overzealous local police "intelligence" agents have harassed library patrons surfing the Web and infiltrated anti-war groups and animal rights groups. At the same time, the Justice Department and states are setting up "fusion centers" to pool databases of multiple jurisdictions apparently with few privacy safeguards.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 11:16 | Permalink | Comments (0)

U.S. Amb. Recalled Amid Prostitution Ring Probe

25 Apr 2006 @ 10:00 GMT | Permalink | Comments

There are few coincidences at Foggy Bottom. The sudden departure of Reno L. Harnish III, U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, from Baku today is no different. Local and regional media are rife with speculations over the human smuggling ring that trafficked young Azeri women to be sex slaves in Florida. The F.B.I. suspects an inside job. Replacing the tarnished Mr. Harnish is Anne Elizabeth Derse, a career foreign service officer who has held the rank of minister-counselor. And neither President Bush nor the State Department mentioned the dirty business, for which there is a high demand in the Sunshine State.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 10:00 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Most Wanted: Bird Flu Suspects

16 Mar 2006 @ 16:16 GMT | Permalink | Comments

The U.S. government has launched massive surveillance efforts using not just spy satellites but also state and federal scientists to begin culling and testing key suspects for the potentially deadly avian flu virus.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 16:16 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Who in Europe Knew About the C.I.A. Flights?

13 Dec 2005 @ 14:55 GMT | Permalink | Comments

The illustration by Le Monde using various sources show possible airports and "black sites" used by the C.I.A.

Preliminary inquiries into the C.I.A. rendition flights and secret detention facilities, known as "black sites," have added credibility to the allegations, said Dick Marty, a Swiss Senator heading the Council of Europe [COE] investigation into the charges. All C.I.A. detainees were shipped out of Europe a month ago to an unnamed North African country, according to Mr. Marty. These rendition flights and detention centers appear to have had the blessings of European intelligence services. Yet Europe is crying foul.

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 14:55 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everyone Should Have a MAV

14 Nov 2005 @ 14:44 GMT | Permalink | Comments

You're stuck in traffic and can't see ahead of you. You need a closer look at your boyfriend and the mystery woman at a restaurant and use thermal imaging at an apartment complex after dinner. Or you're engaged in urban combat and need an eye in the sky to spot Zarqawi's men with infrared sensors. Then, you need a MAV, a Micro Air Vehicle that flies at 58 miles per hour, stores and relays video, and can "hover and stare" from a safe distance. Wouldn't you want one for Christmas?

Posted by Dayhawk Kim at 14:44 | Permalink | Comments (0)

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