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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 4-Apr-2013
4-Apr-13 World View -- U.S. moves defense missiles to Guam for North Korean threats

Web Log - April, 2013

4-Apr-13 World View -- U.S. moves defense missiles to Guam for North Korean threats

Hugo Chavez returns to Venezuela reincarnated as a singing bird

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

Hugo Chavez returns to Venezuela reincarnated as a singing bird
U.S. moves defense missiles to Guam for North Korean threats
North Korea closes border to factory workers from South
IMF begins loan talks with Egypt in midst of political turmoil

Hugo Chavez returns to Venezuela reincarnated as a singing bird

Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday, kicking off campaign for presidency (AP)

Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday, kicking off campaign for presidency (AP)

A month after the March 5 death of Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez of cancer, Acting President Nicolas Maduro kicked off his campaign for the presidency with a speech about how he had a singing duet with a bird who was the reincarnation of Chavez:

"A bird was looking at me and it started singing. It sang and I responded with a song. The bird took flight, circled around once then flew away.
I felt the spirit and the blessings of Hugo Chavez for this battle that begins today -- towards victory on April 14!"

There have been no reports of help from the beyond for opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. Euro news

U.S. moves defense missiles to Guam for North Korean threats

In response to the North Korean threats of a missile attack on United States' possessions, the Pentagon has announced that it's moving an advanced missile defense system to Guam to protect that U.S. bases on that island. The system is the ballistic Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (Thaad), which includes a truck-mounted launcher, interceptor missiles, and AN/TPY-2 tracking radar, together with an integrated fire control system.

In response, the official North Korean news agency issued a statement:

"We formally inform the White House and Pentagon that the ever-escalating US hostile policy towards the DPRK [North Korea] and its reckless nuclear threat will be smashed by the strong will of all the united service personnel and people and cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means of the DPRK and that the merciless operation of its revolutionary armed forces in this regard has been finally examined and ratified."

BBC

North Korea closes border to factory workers from South

For several days, pundits have been saying that the war threats from North Korea don't really mean anything because the Kaesong industrial park was still operating. The Kaesong industrial park is in North Korea, just across the border from South Korea. It was created in 2004 as a point of cooperation between the two Koreas. It provides jobs for more than 50,000 North Koreans, and over 1,000 South Koreans, many of whom cross the border each day to work there. The employers are South Korean manufacturing firms, mostly textiles. The salaries of the North Koreans get paid to the North Korean government, which then pays a tiny fraction of the amount to the actual person who did all the work. So it's a highly lucrative situation for the North Korean government.

On Wednesday, North Korea barred South Korean workers from entering Kaesong industrial park. South Korean workers will be allowed to return South, but many are staying in Kaesong out of fear that they won't be able to return. South Korean firms with workers at Kaesong are expressing concern that they won't be able to send food to their workers.

South Koreans are quite indifferent to the North Korean threats, according to reports, and are just going about their normal business with no concerns. This is contrast to the alarms being expressed in the Western media.

So you can take your pick on what to believe. You can believe that North Korean child dictator Kim Jong-un is just throwing a childish temper tantrum, and that eventually he'll tire of it, and just settle down and take a nap.

Or, you can take the view that Kim Jong-un has gone so far over the line in making hysterical threats, that backing down would completely destroy his credibility, at home and abroad, and that therefore he MUST conduct some sort of military strike. We report, you decide. Globe and Mail (Canada) and Hankyoreh Media (Seoul)

IMF begins loan talks with Egypt in midst of political turmoil

Protesters marched through Cairo on Wednesday to express their rejection of the austerity requirements of any IMF loan to Egypt. The protests come as IMF visitors arrived in Cairo for a brutal ten days of negotiations with Egyptian leaders for a $4.8 billion, at a time when Egypt's foreign currency reserves are desperately low and the pound currency is falling in value. It is now almost impossible for Egypt to buy wheat, of which it is the world's biggest importer, and fuel. The IMF and Egypt have reached loan agreements twice in the past, but Egypt walked away from them because of political protests against the IMF's austerity rules. But Egypt's economic situation has become so desperate that president Mohamed Morsi may have to risk further unpopularity by signing the deal with the IMF. Al-Ahram (Cairo) and Reuters

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 4-Apr-13 World View -- U.S. moves defense missiles to Guam for North Korean threats thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (4-Apr-2013) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 4-Apr-2013 4-Apr-13 World View -- U.S. moves defense missiles to Guam for North Korean threats

Hugo Chavez returns to Venezuela reincarnated as a singing bird

U.S. moves defense missiles to Guam for North Korean threats

North Korea closes border to factory workers from South

IMF begins loan talks with Egypt in midst of political turmoil

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 4-Apr-2013
4-Apr-13 World View -- U.S. moves defense missiles to Guam for North Korean threats