KUALA LUMPUR: US top diplomat Condoleezza Rice won rave reviews yesterday for her musical performance at Asian security talks, despite skipping the traditional rowdy skits in favour of a sombre piano recital.
With North Korea firing off missiles, carnage in Lebanon, rockets raining on Israel and killings convulsing Iraq, Rice was in no mood for the kind of frivolity staged in previous years.
In keeping with her serious mood the Secretary of State performed two pieces from the brooding repertoire of Johannes Brahms a solo Intermezzo number two, and Brahms Sonata for violin and piano, opus 108, with a Malaysian guest soloist.
She arrived at the Istana hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur for the annual gala dinner wearing a glamorous red dress and red jacket made of traditional Malaysian batik material.
Rices decision to take the stage alone was a relief to some of her entourage. Karen Hughes, former spin doctor for President George W Bush, now czar of US public diplomacy, admitted she had been let off the hook.
I cant even hum, she confessed on the eve of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) gala.
Last year, Rice rumpled Asean feathers by skipping the foreign ministers meeting and sending her then deputy Robert Zoellick.
#3
A video of the performance was leaked. From what I saw, Condi performed rather well. It would have been better if she wore her patented black boots.
As for the snide remark on Karen Hughes, I can't defend her. In the fifties, the CIA funded erudite culture warriors as the Congress on Cultural Freedom. Current US public diplomacy is an embarassment.
Carl Brashear, the US Navy diver whose life story inspired the blockbuster movie Men of Honor, has died aged 75. Born in 1931 to a sharecropper family in Kentucky, Brashear joined the American Navy aged 17, in 1948 and battled institutional racism to become the first African-American US Navy diver.
On 17 January, 1966, he suffered an accident while attempting to recover a lost hydrogen bomb off the coast of Spain after two US Air Force planes collided. A line used for towing broke lose, causing a pipe to strike Brashear's left leg below the knee, nearly shearing it off. Following persistent infections and necrosis, the determined Brashear convinced his doctors to amputate the lower portion of his leg.
The Navy was set to retire Brashear from active duty, following his accident, but he began a gruelling regime to beat his disability. After battling with his fitness and use of only one leg, he broke US Navy records again by becoming the first amputee to be restored to full active duty.
In 1970 Brashear was promoted to the highest-ranking Navy diver position of master diver after completing dives deeper than 300m while being evaluated for five weeks at the Experimental Diving Unit in Washington.
He eventually retired from the US Navy in 1979 as a master chief petty officer and master diver.
The 75-year-old died of respiratory and heart failure at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, US on July 25. No funeral arrangements have yet been made.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/28/2006 00:49 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
A true American hero.
Posted by: Captain America ||
07/28/2006 2:10 Comments ||
Top||
#5
That was one of the oddest military movies that's ever been made. It is like part one of a trilogy, but the other two parts are still classified.
I suppose it's an inherent problem to making a distinguished career into a movie--professionals may be in dramatic circumstances, but they retain their professionalism and avoid drama--they are too busy.
In the military, this ends up paradoxically with only small and unimportant things being used for drama; but when push comes to shove, everybody does their job with as little nonsense as possible. Which doesn't lend itself to moviemaking.
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria - Attackers who shut down an Agip oil pumping station in southern Nigeria on Tuesday night are still occupying the facility but talks are under way to persuade them to leave, a state official said on Thursday. Agip's parent company, Italy's Eni, earlier said the attack on the Ogbainbiri station in Bayelsa state had resulted in a significant decrease in output. Agip normally exports 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) through its Brass tanker terminal in Bayelsa.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/28/2006 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
FRANKFURT/CHICAGO Wal-Mart (WMT), the world's biggest retailer, is selling its underperforming German stores to the country's leading retail chain Metro, marking a major retreat that will cost it about $1 billion.
The U.S. retail giant has struggled to capture market share ever since entering the cut-throat German retail arena eight years ago, frustrated by razor-thin margins and tight labor and trade laws in a country still marked by tepid consumer spending.
The exit from Germany marks the second time in two months that Wal-Mart has pulled out of one country to focus on more promising opportunities elsewhere -- such as in China, South and Central America, or India.
"It has become increasingly clear that in Germany's business environment it would be difficult for us to obtain the scale and results we desire," said Wal-Mart's vice chairman Michael Duke.
Wal-Mart, which operates 85 hypermarkets across Germany, said on Friday it would incur a roughly $1 billion pretax loss on the deal in the second quarter of its fiscal 2007 year.
"Wal-Mart just couldn't make it any more," a source close to the deal told Reuters. "They had to get out."
Germany has proved tough for Wal-Mart since day one, and the Bentonville, Arkansas-based group has acknowledged that it misunderstood German regulations, shopping habits and tastes. It has already closed several of its stores in Germany, where it had 2 billion euros ($2.55 billion) in sales last year.
Metro Chief Executive Hans-Joachim Koerber, who has been eager to find ways to boost Metro's underperforming Real food store chain, said Wal-Mart had been "keen" to sell and did so at less than asset value.
Buying Wal-Mart's operation will give Metro a total of over 670 food stores and hypermarkets in Germany's roughly 130-billion euro food market, which is dominated by privately held Rewe, Aldi, Lidl, as well as Metro and others. Metro's Real food division garnered sales of 9.9 billion euros in 2005.
An industry source close to the deal said the U.S. chain had failed to realize that it could not compete on price alone, and anyway did not have the scale in Germany to do so effectively.
"Consumers here are used to having the best price. And price was Wal-Mart's only offer to customers," he said. "At the beginning, they had people who would greet customers, pack their shopping in the bags and the American customer service. The Germans did not buy that."
A REAL MOVE
Koerber said the positive impact on Metro's earnings from the deal was likely to be in the two-digit millions of euros, but declined to be more specific when pressed by reporters. He added that performance at Metro's Real unit was expected to improve over the medium term on the back of the Wal-Mart deal.
Metro's shares rose 2.5 percent to 44.91 euros at 1435 GMT, compared to a slightly weaker German blue-chip index. Wal-Mart shares were up 0.8 percent at $43.91.
"We believe that the acquisition could make sense from a strategic point of view," said Nils Lesser, analyst at Merck Finck, in a note.
Ironically, Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott, ruminating on the company's difficulties in Germany at a retail conference in 2004, had noted Metro found the going a lot easier.
"We have to take off our hats to Koerber and Metro, because they know how to make money in Germany," he said at the time.
Wal-Mart's exit from Germany comes about two months after it sold its stores in South Korea, where it also failed to gain traction in a notoriously tough market for foreign retailers.
Wal-Mart denied that it had any plans to bail out of Britain, where it acquired supermarket chain Asda with some 320 stores and 140,000 employees in 1999.
"Asda is right on track. We've made some significant changes in Asda over the past year, and we're seeing some positive changes there and positive results," a spokeswoman said.
Wal-Mart has invested heavily in other regions in the past year, buying a majority stake in Japan's Seiyu, completing its acquisition of Sonae in Brazil, and expanding into new markets including Costa Rica, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
The U.S. retailer has plans to open 220 to 230 international stores this year. Its international operations generated $62.7 billion in sales in the fiscal year to end-January, accounting for about 20 percent of the company's total annual sales.
Wal-Mart operates more than 6,600 retail outlets around the globe, with sales of $312 billion last year.
Analysts on average are expecting Wal-Mart to report fiscal second-quarter net earnings of about $2.95 billion, excluding the roughly $1 billion charge, up from $2.8 billion a year ago, according to Reuters Estimates.
The international business has become increasingly important as Wal-Mart faces slowing sales growth and mounting opposition to its expansion at home.
#2
I understand that German law prevents stores from being open late at night. It supposedly protects the Kultur. What's convenient for the shoppers doesn't come into play at all. Not the Wal-Mart way of operation.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
07/28/2006 17:42 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Eric, I doubt it's changed too much since I lived in (West) Germany in the 1970's. Regular stores had to close by 6 pm, IIRC, but could stay open until 9 just before Christmas (just the department stores did that in practice, at least in Frankfurt am Main). Closed all day Sunday, Saturday by (I think) 2. Bakeries could be open in the early morning only 7 days a week for obvious reasons; flower shops could be open midday Sundays for cemetary visitors to pick up something.
You also couldn't wash your car or hang up washing (outside) on Sundays - Sunday was an enforced day of no work a day of rest, but the Germans weren't/aren't religious.
Also I couldn't take a shower in my apartment building (or anyone else's, AFAIK) after 10 pm or before 6 am. (Of course, that wasn't really a problem, since the hot water was cut off then anyway.)
We followed their laws, since it was their country, and didn't bitch to them about it, but we always thought they were a little nuts in that regard.
As Wal-Mart must have been to think they would do well with their business model in that economic venue.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/28/2006 19:20 Comments ||
Top||
#4
A retailer can compete on price, quality, or service. In the US, Wal-mart competes solely on price. Apparently that doesn't work in Germany.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/28/2006 20:49 Comments ||
Top||
#8
#6
I live in Virginia, so I know the Maryland situation. A judge overturned the Wal-Mart law, by the way.
I just saw a story on Davids Medienkritik that quoted the New York Times. According to the NYT, Wal-Mart displeased its German customers because its cashiers offered to bad groceries and because they smiled too much.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
07/28/2006 22:06 Comments ||
Top||
#9
The Euros tag any US company with the "globalization" smear. They don't know what it means, but they hate it.
I recall being tossed out of a Swiss restaurant because staff were about to take their one-hour meal break. Flexibility doesn't translate well.
After being plugged relentlessly by the New York Times and other "objective" media outlets, the ratings for Air America continue to drop. Brian Maloney has the details:
Like an ice cream cone left in the hot July sun, Air America Radio's ratings are melting in some key (read: liberal) regions of the country.
Based on fresh ratings data released Thursday evening, the "progressive" radio network has lost strength in three cities where it had previously found the most listener support: Portland, Seattle and Denver.
Representing the spring 2006 Arbitron reporting period, these results provide one of the two most important report cards for the entire year.
#1
In AA's case, I think it's imperative to define "popular."
I don't think it means what "popular" usually means.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
07/28/2006 19:07 Comments ||
Top||
#2
When I hear Air America, I think of the play, The Producers. Dim-witted but rich liberals, send us a check! Send big money help NOW to fight the evil George Bush!! They hire people with zero talent and then they gather tons and tons of money to "keep them on the air". It goes off the air, but not before lots of its organizers pad their bank accounts with money from Barbara S. and Sean Penn and any other liberal fool with money but no sense.
#3
This is working out really well. It's sucking up lefty cash and energy, while reaching zero audience. Having their own radio presence has become a status thing. So they don't care that it's counterproductive and a waste of resources. What's not to like?
#5
AirUnamerican is testing thier strength in the markeplace of ideas...opps, they have certain hurdles to overcome thier record , Pol potty, mao , lenin, castro, hitler, saddam, lil kim and a burgeoning group of new but nothing different folks like hubobo and achtungminijad.
access to easy money is the essence of the cliche, more money than brains to them that sponsors this group of functioning miscreants.
By MAE GENTRY , ERNIE SUGGS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/28/06
The day a poll showed her trailing in a 4th Congressional District runoff race, U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney rallied Atlanta ministers, including former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, to her cause.
Young's endorsement Thursday could help in McKinney's uphill battle to keep her office. A close aide to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and an ordained minister, Young also endorsed Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor earlier this year, helping him win the Democratic nomination for governor by appealing to black voters.
Campaign manager John Evans (in white T-shirt) escorts U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney after her news conference Thursday at Elegance restaurant in Decatur.
U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney, flanked by members of the local clergy, speaks at a news conference she held Thursday to announce former Atlanta Mayor Andrew YoungÕs endorsement of her. Her opponent, former DeKalb Commissioner Hank Johnson, dismissed the endorsement.
"Congress needs controversy," Young said in his endorsement, a recording of which was played at the news conference. "The last thing we need in a democracy is people who don't think for themselves. ... I don't always agree with Cynthia McKinney, but I always agree with her right to express her opinions because that creates a dialogue that makes democracy work."
On Thursday, McKinney was surrounded by pastors from DeKalb County churches at a news conference, her first since the July 18 primary election, in which she garnered 47 percent of the vote, compared with former DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson's 44 percent. Because neither got a majority, the two will face each other in an Aug. 8 runoff.
Johnson dismissed Young's endorsement, saying, "Nothing that Andy Young does surprises me anymore. The ultimate endorsement will come from the voters on Aug. 8."
A little more than an hour after McKinney's news conference, Johnson held one of his own and responded to the assertion that low voter turnout was the reason McKinney found herself in a runoff. "That is always an excuse from someone who took the voters for granted," Johnson said.
Johnson's hastily called press conference was starkly different from McKinney's. Only his wife, Mereda, stood beside him; campaign workers and his fund-raising team hovered in the background. Johnson said he was working to get some endorsements of his own.
At her news conference, McKinney talked about what she had done for the district, which covers DeKalb and parts of Rockdale and Gwinnett counties, and her positions on voter disenfranchisement, unemployment among African-Americans and the war in Iraq.
"Our tax dollars are being spent to prosecute a war abroad," she said. "Our tax dollars are being spent to deceive the American people at home. "
She cast herself as the "true Democrat" in the race and said Republicans are trying to influence the outcome by crossing over and voting for Johnson.
"That is ludicrous and preposterous. It is only meant to polarize and divide," Johnson said. "But it is in keeping with Cynthia McKinney's conduct as a congresswoman. That is why she needs to come home and be replaced."
A new poll by InsiderAdvantage shows Johnson leading McKinney 46 percent to 21 percent, with one-third of voters undecided. The survey recorded the responses of 480 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
An analysis of primary election results showed McKinney's support eroding slightly in predominantly black south DeKalb County, her traditional base. Johnson won more votes than McKinney in predominantly white north DeKalb, Rockdale and Gwinnett, according to the analysis.
InsiderAdvantage CEO Matt Towery said his poll detected some interest among Republicans in the race, which would also work against McKinney. In last week's primary, many Republicans stuck to their own races, headlined by the confrontation between Christian Coalition leader-turned-lobbyist Ralph Reed and state Sen. Casey Cagle in the GOP race for lieutenant governor. A poll released by InsiderAdvantage four days before that race showed Reed and Cagle in a dead heat, but Cagle got 56 percent of the vote.
McKinney's campaign spokesman, John Evans, dismissed Thursday's poll results.
"I'm sure that one is skewed," Evans said, adding that Towery is a Republican. "You don't know who they polled, and so what can you do?"
Johnson also discounted the poll results. "I can't put too much credence on that poll," he said. "I am hearing on the streets that we are neck and neck. She is spending a lot of money with radio ads, and she picked up a key endorsement today [Young], so this is certainly a whole lot closer than that poll would indicate."
At Thursday's news conference, McKinney told reporters her altercation with a Capitol police officer in March had no effect on the primary election results and said the fallout was created by people who had a political agenda. "One of the things that the press was a party to was the ... spiraling of an incident," she said.
McKinney likened her response she allegedly struck an officer after he grabbed her from behind to that of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who threw up her fists when President Bush unexpectedly massaged her neck at the recent G8 Summit.
"This woman, who was touched from behind, had a reaction," McKinney said.
A grand jury declined to indict McKinney in the incident. Still, the national Fraternal Order of Police's political action committee wrote her opponent a check for $1,000 last week.
Young, who does not live in the 4th District and was not at the news conference, later said in a telephone interview that that was another reason he endorsed McKinney. "I thought it was scandalous that the police would send a check down here against her," the former mayor said. "Their job is to protect her."
Staff writers Jim Galloway and Sonji Jacobs contributed to this article.
#4
Greetings Earthlings, this Martian was also touched from behind to the extent my #5 palp shimmered with the green happiness. I propose a trade - Beagle for the Babe.
Posted by: Octo ||
07/28/2006 14:35 Comments ||
Top||
#5
"I thought it was scandalous that the police would send a check down here against her," the former mayor said. "Their job is to protect her."
What a farkin' scandalous thing to say. So the coppers are there to protect you elites, but when the going gets tough (and some elite punches you), you have no right to endorse an opponent? Free speech for me, but not for thee! No wonder he was so in love with the UN. I half think we need to send all these nincompoops to the middle of Africa (Congo) or heck, let's shoot for Somalia or Sudan WITHOUT body guards and watch 'em defend themselves.
Posted by: BA ||
07/28/2006 15:14 Comments ||
Top||
#6
black voters deserve so much better. It's time they demand something other than this lunatic crook to represent them.
#7
Just a reminder: immediately after the Khomeini Coup in Iran, Young said that the Ayatollah was a "saint." A few months later, the "saint" backed terrorists who seized US diplomatic hostages. And Young's boss, Dhimmi Carter, did nothing when Soviets invaded Afghanistan, and Cubans intervened in Namibia. It took 2 Reagan terms to clean up the Carter mess.
#9
Okay, you win. Beagle, 2 metamorphic rocks, 1 ounce limestone for the babe.
Posted by: Octo ||
07/28/2006 20:06 Comments ||
Top||
#10
The face of the Democrat party. They cannot deny it; this is who they run. The only time they abandoned her was immediately after her ass-kissing a Jew-hating Saudi in the wake of 9/11. Now that the heat's died down, they're back to her.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/28/2006 21:14 Comments ||
Top||
You're going to love this one.
The United States should increase its efforts to ensure that the rights of poor people and blacks are respected in relief and reconstruction efforts, a UN rights body said Friday, noting its concern that both were "disadvantaged" after Hurricane Katrina.
"In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it should increase its efforts to ensure that the rights of poor people, and in particular African-Americans, are fully taken into consideration in the reconstruction plans with regard to access to housing, education and health care," the UN Human Rights Committee said. Now about those 8 poor blacks the UN shot dead in Haiti a couple of days ago. OK, I understand poor blacks murdered by the UN is just fine. Do what the UN says, not what we do.
#2
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it should increase its efforts to ensure that the rights of poor people, and in particular African-Americans, are fully taken into consideration in the reconstruction plans with regard to access to housing, education and health care, 40 acres, mule.
UN please send in troops! It's totally out of control here in New Orleans, whahahahaha.
#4
The Specter of Poverty in America
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
By Robert Rector
Last month, the Census Bureau released annual poverty figures showing that the percentage of Americans who are poor rose from 12.1 percent in 2002 to 12.5 percent in 2003.
It's important to recognize that these figures are a year old. They cover 2003, not the current year. Given current economic conditions, it is extremely likely that poverty fell during 2004, although the official figures won't be available until the fall of next year.
Poverty is a lagging economic indicator. Formal recessions (when the whole economy is shrinking) usually last less than a year. But the poverty rate almost always continues to rise for several years after the recession ends. The last recession officially ended in November 2001, but the poverty rate continued to rise in 2002 and 2003. This is a normal economic pattern that has occurred in most prior recessions.
Compared to prior recessions, the recent recession was mild and had a limited impact on poverty. Overall, the increase in poverty resulting from the recent downturn has been half the increase that occurred in the two last recessions that hit the economy in the early 1980s and early 1990s.
Still, the Census Bureau reports that 35.9 million persons "lived in poverty" in 2003, a number that should cause concern to all. But to really understand poverty in America, it's important to look behind these numbers to the actual living conditions of the individuals the government deems poor.
For most Americans, the word "poverty" suggests destitution: an inability to provide a family with nutritious food, clothing and reasonable shelter. But only a small number of the million persons classified as "poor" by the Census Bureau fit that description. Real material hardship certainly does occur, but it's limited in scope and severity. Most of America's "poor" live in material conditions that would be judged as comfortable or well-off just a few generations ago.
The following are facts about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau, taken from various government reports:
Forty-six percent of all poor households own their own homes. The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and porch or patio.
Seventy-six percent of poor households have air conditioning. By contrast, 30 years ago, only 36 percent of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.
Only 6 percent of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.
The average poor American has more living space than the average individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens and other European cities. (These comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
Nearly three-quarters of poor households own a car; 30 percent own two or more cars.
Ninety-seven percent of poor households have a color television. Over half own two or more color televisions.
Seventy-eight percent have a VCR or DVD player; 62 percent have cable or satellite TV reception.
Seventy-three percent own a microwave oven, more than half have a stereo, and a third have an automatic dishwasher.
Overall, the typical American defined as poor by the government has a car, air conditioning, a refrigerator, a stove, a clothes washer and dryer, and a microwave. He has two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player, and a stereo. He is able to obtain medical care. His home is in good repair and is not overcrowded. By his own report, his family isn't hungry, and he had sufficient funds in the past year to meet his family's essential needs. While this individual's life is not opulent, it is equally far from the popular images of dire poverty conveyed by the press, activists and politicians.
Even better news is that remaining poverty can readily be reduced, especially among children. Child poverty in the U.S. is caused largely by low levels of parental work and by the absence of fathers from the home. While work and two-parent families are the surest ladders out of poverty, the welfare system continues to reward idleness while failing to provide support to keep families in tact.
To further reduce poverty, welfare should be overhauled: All able-bodied welfare recipients should be required to work or prepare for work in exchange for the aid they receive. Also, new parents in low-income communities who express interest in marriage (and research tells us there are many) should be equipped with the skills they need to create a healthy marriage, rather than be penalized when they do get married.
Robert Rector is a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
#8
Our rights are equal opportunity, and no preferential treatment for the poor, rich, black, green, or purple should be shown. It's what you do with what you've been given. Our tights are only guaranteed by the Constitution and not the UN, but Kofi is "disadvantaged" in the brains department. Good stats.
#11
The UN will get right on it as soon as the Oil for Food Scandle is fully investigated and charges brought. Make me laugh. UNready, UNwilling, and UNable.
#13
Ah, yes. The UN Human Rights Committee. One of the "reforms", right?
Looks like it's working out just great. The credibility just washes over you like a tidal wave...
#2
I have decidedly mixed feelings about old Uncle Walt. He's a moonbat now, and he's always been an ideological opponent of much I hold dear, and less than honest about his biases . . . but some of my fondest childhood memories are of watching the early space program on live TV, and Uncle Walt was the narrator.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/28/2006 10:39 Comments ||
Top||
#3
I think you might want to ask about 2 million Vietmanese (killed or placed in 'reeducation camps' after the war) and 10 million [mostly dead] Cambodians about that.
Uncle Walt was very much involved in undermining American public opinion of the Vietnam War. Including showcasing the Tet offensive as an 'american disaster' when it was anything but. After that the North Vietmanese were on the verge of talking a peace treaty -- until they saw 'Uncle Walt' calling the offensive a 'disaster' for the south and americans.
Back then there were no blogs or internet to call Walt a liar or question his 'news' like they did with Rather's National Guard story.
Uncle Walt has a lot of blood on his hands.
I too had good feeling about him when I was growing up - and the MSM had a monopoly on news. But after learning the truth about what 'really' happened back then I changed my mind.
#4
The interesting thing about Walt and Tet was that Walt had covered WWII in Europe and witnessed the Battle of the Bulge unfold. In both cases the American command had been singing the song that everything was well in hand and in both cases they were surprised. The casualty figures in comparison with Tet were far greater. An entire American division was basically destroyed in the German offense and several were rendered spent. Not the case in Tet. The Germans like the NVA/VC ended up with no more than they started with. Walt classified the Bulge as a victory [watch on old '20th Century' documentary he voiced over]. As for the million plus Cambodians [iirc the entire population wasnt more than 4 or 5 million], being a lefty means you never have to say you are sorry.
#5
Walt's real problem, like many others today, is that he extrapolated the entire state of the war from a VERY limited set of observations. He saw one or two villages all shot up, some VC caused destruction in the city, and talked to a few very tired troops and decided then and there that TET was the breaking point of the American effort.
As a "newsman" he knew better. Nothing so sad as a fact read wrong. He didn't see the mass graves of the Hue citizenry (brought to you courtesy of the NVA thank you very much) and couldn't have known, and probably didn't care, about the complete destruction of a significant number of NVA/VC outfits. During TET Giap committed everything he had, men, material, intelligence everything - he completely shot his wad. And failed miserably.
But no, Walty decided that since he was there, he had a far clearer vision than that our command.
Pompass fool - shoulda stuck to the space program.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria - Attackers who shut down an Agip oil pumping station in southern Nigeria on Tuesday night are still occupying the facility but talks are under way to persuade them to leave, a state official said on Thursday. Agip's parent company, Italy's Eni, earlier said the attack on the Ogbainbiri station in Bayelsa state had resulted in a significant decrease in output. Agip normally exports 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) through its Brass tanker terminal in Bayelsa.
Reuters
'Congress needs controversy,' former mayor says 
