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Sunday, April 7, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
North Korea asks embassies to consider moving diplomats out
By Guy Faulconbridge and Ronald Popeski
LONDON/SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea warned on Friday it could not guarantee the safety of diplomats after next Wednesday and asked embassies to consider moving staff out of the country, European diplomats said, amid high tension on the Korean peninsula.
The requests came on the heels of declarations by the government of the secretive communist state that real conflict was inevitable, because of what it termed "hostile" U.S. troop exercises with South Korea and U.N. sanctions imposed over North Korea's nuclear weapons testing.
"The current question was not whether, but when a war would break out on the peninsula," because of the "increasing threat from the United States", China's state news agency, Xinhua, quoted the North's Foreign Ministry as saying.
It added that diplomatic missions should consider evacuation. North Korea would provide safe locations for diplomats in accordance with international conventions, Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying in a notification to embassies.
Britain said its embassy in Pyongyang had been told by the North Korean government it "would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organizations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10th".
"We believe they have taken this step as part of their continuing rhetoric that the U.S. poses a threat to them," Britain's Foreign Office said.
It said it had "no immediate plans" to evacuate its embassy and accused the North Korean government of raising tensions "through a series of public statements and other provocations."
This still from a CNN broadcast shows North Korea's Unha-3 rocket, as the country officials prepared for an attempted satellite launch in April 2012.
A Polish spokesman said Warsaw saw the latest statements by Pyongyang as "an inappropriate element of building up the pressure and we obviously think that there is no risk from outside on North Korea." He added that the Polish Embassy saw no need to move staff out."This question has been directed to all embassies that are on the ground in Pyongyang," a Swedish Foreign Office official said.
The United States, which does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea and is served by Sweden as a "protecting power" in Pyongyang, echoed the British and the Poles.
"This is just an escalating series of rhetorical statements, and the question is, to what end?" said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.
Asked if the United States had received any instructions from the Swedes on the small number of U.S. aid workers or tourists who could be in North Korea, she said there was no indication Sweden would heed Pyongyang's warning.
'DEEPLY CONCERNED'
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "remains deeply concerned about escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula," but U.N. humanitarian workers remain active across North Korea for the time being, a spokesman said on Friday.
"U.N. staff in the DPRK (North Korea) remain engaged in their humanitarian and developmental work throughout the country," said U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky. The United Nations has 36 international staff and 21 locally recruited personnel working in North Korea, the world body said.
Under the Vienna Convention that governs diplomatic missions, host governments are required to help get embassy staff out of the country in the event of conflict.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said North Korea had "proposed that the Russian side consider the evacuation of employees in the increasingly tense situation", according to a spokesman for its embassy in Pyongyang.
Moscow said it was "seriously studying" the request. A statement from its Foreign Ministry said Russia hoped all parties would show restraint and considered "whipping up military hysteria to be categorically unacceptable."
In a fusillade of statements over the past month, North Korea has threatened to stage a nuclear strike on the United States, something it lacks the capacity to do, according to most experts, and has declared war on South Korea.
Military analysts say North Korea might be able to hit some part of the United States, but not the mainland and not with a nuclear weapon.
The threats against the United States by North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong-un, are "probably all bluster", said Gary Samore, until recently the top nuclear proliferation expert on President Barack Obama's national security staff.
The North Koreans "are not suicidal. They know that any kind of direct attack (on the United States) would be end of their country," he added.
On Friday, South Korean media reported that North Korea had placed two of its intermediate-range missiles on mobile launchers and hidden them on the east coast of the country in a move that could threaten Japan or U.S. Pacific bases.
The report could not be confirmed, but White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that based on past behavior, "we would not be surprised" to see North Korea conduct another missile test.
Speculation centered on two kinds of missiles, neither of which is known to have been tested.
One is the so-called Musudan missile, which South Korea's Defense Ministry estimates has a range of up to 3,000 km (1,865 miles). The other is the KN-08, believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile.
North Korea has always aggressively condemned the regular military exercises held by U.S. forces and their South Korean allies, but its reaction to this year's has reached a blistering pitch.
"The rhetoric is off the charts," said Victor Cha, former director for Asian affairs at the White House National Security Council.
CASTRO WARNS AGAINST WAR
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in an essay in Cuban state media, warned ally North Korea against war, describing the situation on the Korean Peninsula as "incredible and absurd" and "one of the gravest risks of nuclear war since the Crisis of October (Cuban Missile Crisis), 50 years ago.
The verbal assaults from Pyongyang have set financial markets in South Korea, Asia's fourth largest economy, on edge.
South Korean shares slid on Friday, with foreign investors selling their biggest daily volume in nearly 20 months, hurt after aggressive easing from the Bank of Japan sent the yen reeling, as well as by the tension over North Korea.
"In the past, (markets) recovered quickly from the impact from any North Korea-related event, but recent threats from North Korea are stronger and the impact may therefore not disappear quickly," Vice Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said.
Kim Jong-un, 30, is the third member of his dynasty to rule North Korea. He took over in December 2011 after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, who staged confrontations with South Korea and the United States throughout his 17-year rule.
Some fear the young leader of the isolated communist state may view the risk of conflict as one worth taking.
"We don't understand this new guy at all. And if the North Koreans move to provoke the South, the South is going to retaliate in a way we haven't seen before," Cha said.
(Additional reporting by Lim Seung-gyu, Hyunjoo Jin, Somang Yang, Peter Apps, Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations, Paul Eckert and Roberta Rampton in Washington, and Jeff Franks in Havana; Editing by Andrew Roche and Peter Cooney)
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Friday, April 5, 2013
Cloud Connect Is Too Polite, And That's The Problem With Vendor Conferences
I sat through the Cloud Connect morning keynotes this morning, and then I left early out of frustration. The morning started with a discussion?I was really looking forward to: Ann Winblad of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners was moderating a panel with vendors from Citrix, Red Hat and CloudOps. But it had one big issue: It was too polite. That’s the problem with these vendor-oriented conferences. They suck the passion out of what is a super-fascinating space. Here we are at a time when there is more disruption in the enterprise than in the past 20 years. But today, I saw the coolest group of executives talking in hushed tones….on message. And the Winblad panel was just the start. During keynote after keynote all morning — there were five — the pitches didn’t stop. I left at the start of the fourth keynote when the Rackspace executive started with some FUD for the IT crowd in the house. During the second keynote, the chief scientist from SoftLayer presented a case study. There was no question-and-answer session — this was a vendor pitch. An HP executive came onstage and told everyone to stand and yell the name of the latest release of the OpenStack operating system. Awful. The HP keynote was better than the others in that the speaker advocated for IT to shut people down if they are using apps/services that do not have the IT seal of approval. HP is one of the biggest IT vendors in the world. But still, she at least stirred the pot a bit. And in the fourth, the Rackspace executive told the crowd that the company’s budget was going elsewhere and shadow IT is a reality. Then she talked about Rackspace. Here’s what one attendee tweeted: The only way that talk would have ended better was if Rackers walked through the aisles signing people up for RackSpace Cloud #ccevent ? Michael Ducy (@mfdii) April 4, 2013 Now, following the keynotes, lunch was served in the back of the exhibit hall. To get there, the attendees had to weave through the vendor displays for a cold, box lunch. Nice touch to a morning filled with marketing talks. It wasn’t all bad. Apparently the fifth keynote by Joe Weinman, senior vice president of cloud services and strategy at Telx saved the morning to some extent. #ccevent glad we have @joeweinman?to add some interesting keynote content ?Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fdFxjys7LdU/
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Monkey business ends: Trump drops Maher suit
Ethan Miller / Getty Images files; Reuters file
Donald Trump, an orangutan and Bill Maher.
By Bruna Nessif, E! Online
Finally, enough of this monkey business! E! News has confirmed that Donald Trump has dropped his $5 million lawsuit against Bill Maher over an orangutan joke (no really, we can't make this up).
But it may pop up again in the future.
NEWS: Trump sues Maher over monkey joke!
Michael Cohen, special counsel to Trump, tells E! News, "The lawsuit was withdrawn to be amended and refiled at a later date."
This all started when Maher and Trump reportedly put in writing that if the "Celebrity Apprentice" star can present a valid birth certificate to prove that he's not the product of his mother having sex with an orangutan, then Maher would write a check for $5 million to the charity of Trump's choice.
And, well, since Trump doesn't joke around and there's money involved, he did provide valid paperwork to show that he's all human (sigh), but Maher never forked over the $5 million.
Yes, that really happened.
PHOTOS: Check out the top 10 feuds of 2012
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Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Southern Calif. man stages April Fool's plane joke
YUCAIPA, Calif. (AP) ? It's the plane crash that wasn't in Southern California.
The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports (http://bit.ly/YQ8fyA ) a Yucaipa businessman staged an elaborate April Fool's joke on Monday.
Billy Cheesman Jr. used a forklift to arrange a small aircraft on the fence that runs in front of his equipment rental business, as if it had nosedived there.
He also strung yellow caution tape around to make it resemble a crash scene.
Cheesman says someone gave him the two-seat experimental plane and he's been trying to figure out what to do with it.
He notified the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department before he set up the prank at Redlands Yucaipa Rentals.
___
Information from: The Press-Enterprise, http://www.pe.com
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/southern-calif-man-stages-april-fools-plane-joke-154813217.html
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Hagel warns of deep, new spending cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel put the Pentagon and Congress on notice Wednesday that he is considering fundamental changes to the size of the military's management and command structures, requiring sweeping and dramatic spending cuts that are likely to hit programs favored by lawmakers.
Hagel said in a speech to the National Defense University at Fort McNair that escalating spending to maintain benefits, existing military structures and replacements for aging weapons programs are devouring funding needed for critical operations, training and equipment.
The Pentagon, he said, must reevaluate the size of its management and military command structures, which continue to grow even as the overall force numbers decline.
"I am concerned that despite pruning many major procurement programs over the past four years, the military's modernization strategy still depends on systems that are vastly more expensive and technologically risky than what were promised or budgeted for," Hagel said.
Hagel also echoed other administration officials in calling North Korea's recent rhetoric a real, clear danger and threat to the U.S. and its Asia-Pacific allies and says America is doing all it can to defuse the situation.
The U.S. has dispatched bombers, stealth fighters and ships to the region, in a show of force to deter any action by Pyongyang. And on Wednesday the Pentagon announced it will deploy a high altitude ballistic missile defense system to Guam in the coming weeks to strengthen the region's protections against the North Korean threat.
The land-based system includes a truck-mounted launcher, tracking radar, interceptor missiles, and an integrated fire control system.
But Hagel said he believes there is a path to peace on the troubled Korean peninsula, although it doesn't include making nuclear threats or taking provocative actions.
While his speech focused on the need for the Pentagon to do much more to slash its spending, Hagel also made it clear that any budget cuts should not erode America's ability to be a force for global leadership.
The Pentagon is already grappling with a $487 billion, 10-year reduction in projected spending as part of the budget law that Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to in August 2011. In addition to that, the military is now facing $41 billion in across-the-board cuts for this fiscal year that went into effect on March 1.
The changes, he said, will involve "not just tweaking or chipping away at existing structures and practices but, where necessary, fashioning entirely new ones that are better suited to 21st century realities and challenges."
In his first major address as Pentagon chief, Hagel embraced what is likely to be his major challenge in his term: shrinking the U.S. military despite persistent congressional mandates that slash funding but forbid the elimination of favored bases and programs that must be cut in order to achieve the required savings.
Lawmakers have resisted Pentagon pleas for another round of base closures and to trim unwanted aircraft, or proposals to adjust military health care benefits as too politically risky. Closing bases and ending contracts can cost jobs in members' districts.
"Much more hard work, difficult decisions and strategic prioritizing remains to be done," Hagel said, noting that "deep political and institutional obstacles to necessary reforms will need to be engaged and overcome."
While both his predecessors launched reviews to identify hundreds of millions of dollars in savings, Hagel is taking over just as the automatic, across-the-board budget cuts are taking effect. In light of those reductions, he has already ordered a re-evaluation of the defense strategy that President Barack Obama announced early last year.
That strategy called for a greater emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, a continued focus on the Middle East and an increase in cybersecurity, missile defense and special operations forces.
Asked specifically about the unpaid furlough days that civilians will be forced to take, Hagel acknowledged that the cuts will be painful but unavoidable. As many as 700,000 of the department's civilian workers will have to take 14 unpaid days off in the coming months to save about $2.5 billion.
But he said officials are also looking at cutting layers of upper and middle management, including in the military commands, and are weighing whether the department has the right mix of military and civilians, and the correct balance of officers and enlisted troops.
He also said he will ask Congress to look at ways to increase various fees, including those for health care and retirement programs.
"We need to be steely-eyed and clear-headed in our analysis, and explore the full range of options for implementing our national security strategy," he said.
But, despite the budget cuts, Hagel said the U.S. does not have the luxury of choosing to withdraw from the world.
"If we refuse to lead, something, someone will fill the vacuum. The next great power may not use its power as responsibly or judiciously as America has," he said. "America has helped make a better world for all people with its power. A world where America does not lead is not the world I wish my children to inherit."
___
Lolita C. Baldor can be followed on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lbaldor
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hagel-warns-deep-spending-cuts-164634723--politics.html
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Agriculture the Key to Real Portfolio Growth?
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013
By Mitchell Clark, B.Comm. for Profit Confidential
Agriculture, as an investment theme, is consistently on my mind, but it is a stock market sector that is limited. The marketplace is dominated by only a handful of companies. There aren?t a lot of publicly traded agriculture stocks that would be considered mid-cap; the same goes for small-cap companies.
On the stock market, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (NYSE/DD), or DuPont, hasn?t been great, though its dividends have. Looking at the company?s agriculture-specific business, which represents approximately one-fifth of total revenues, business conditions are the strongest of all divisions. (See ?Why Dividend Increases and Stock Buybacks Will Continue.?)
According to the company, 2012 fourth-quarter agriculture revenues grew to $1.5 billion, for a solid gain of 18%, of which, 11% was due to volume and seven percent was due to higher prices.
For the year, total agriculture revenues were $10.4 billion, representing growth of 14% on an eight-percent gain in volume and a six-percent gain in prices. (Who says there?s no inflation?) The company reported that its ?Pioneer? seeds are benefiting strongly from pricing gains in corn and soybeans. Crop protection sales are also growing on ?strong demand? for insecticides and herbicides in all regions. (Source: ?DuPont & Co. 4Q and 2012 Earnings,? E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company web site, last accessed March 28, 2013.) The company?s stock chart is featured below:
Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com
DuPont has seen virtually no growth in its performance chemicals and electronics and communications businesses. Currency translation also is affecting its numbers.
It would be absolutely ideal if DuPont were to spin off its agriculture division into a separate company that traded on the stock market. I think this would be a very attractive asset.
Like many multinational corporations, DuPont is having trouble in Europe.
There are some speculative companies trading on the stock market related to agriculture, specifically seed development, but very few are considering the universe of equities.
Agriculture is a sector that is dominated by a handful of large-cap companies and a significant amount of private interests. I think any long-term stock market portfolio would benefit from having an agriculture-related holding.
Buying farmland is also an ideal investment strategy for the long term. It?s a great way to counter all the investment risks in the world. But this is not a realistic opportunity for most investors.
One large-cap agriculture company that has been doing very well on the stock market is Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (OTCBB/BAYRY). The maker of ?Aspirin,? Bayer has a significant portion of its business in agriculture and crop science. The company?s 2012 earnings results revealed that its agriculture division was the standout in terms of growth.
This is an investment theme with excellent potential.
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Source: http://www.profitconfidential.com/stock-market/agriculture-the-key-to-real-portfolio-growth/
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