News Reviews and Opinions - Blog by Michael Novakhov

Friday, December 27, 2013

Venezuela's Homicide Rate Quadruples In Fifteen Years, NGO Reports

Venezuela's Homicide Rate Quadruples In Fifteen Years, NGO Reports

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A non-governmental group that tracks violent crime in Venezuela says the country's homicide rate has risen again in 2013 and has quadrupled over the past 15 years.

The Venezuelan Violence Observatory estimates that 24,763 killings occurred this year, pushing up the homicide rate to 79 per 100,000 inhabitants. It was 73 per 100,000 people in 2012. In 1998, the rate was 19.

Venezuela's government has gradually blocked access to murder statistics as violent crime has worsened the past decade. The report published Thursday was compiled by researchers based on press reports, victim surveys and comments by officials.

Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres said last week that the homicide rate has fallen this year from 50 to 39 per 100,000 inhabitants. But he declined to provide details.

World News - 12.25.13

More Hunger for the Poorest Americans - NYTimes.com
Pope Nods to Atheists in Christmas Message of Peace - NYTimes.com
Taliban Rockets Hit U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan - WSJ.com
Pentagon Probes Firm for Violation of Iran Rules - WSJ.com
Demand for food stamps soars as cuts sink in and shelves empty | World news | The Guardian
Robert Grady: Obama's Misguided Obsession With Inequality - WSJ.com
Alan Turing, Enigma Code-Breaker and Computer Pioneer, Wins Royal Pardon - NYTimes.com
Alan Turing pardoned posthumously, at last - The Washington Post
Queen pardons Alan Turing, code-breaker castrated for homosexuality - CNN.com
Lobotomy For World War II Veterans: Psychiatric Care by U.S. Government - WSJ.com

Recent Events - 2013

How John McCain Turned His Clichés Into Meaning - NYTimes.com
Surveillance Issues - December 2013 Michael B. Mukasey: The Air of Unreality in NSA Reform - WSJ.com Snowden says spying worse than Orwellian - The Washington Post 5 takeaways from Edward Snowden's Washington Post interview - CNN.com US Lawmaker Blasts Snowden's 'Mission Accomplished' Comment Snowden to Deliver 'Alternative Christmas Message' in UK Angela Merkel wiretapped by Russian intelligence services – Media – InSerbia News France Expands Internet, Phone Monitoring Powers ▶ President Obama Holds a News Conference - YouTube NSA surveillance issue is being taken ‘very seriously’, says Obama - video | World news | theguardian.com Surveillance - Cozy or Chilling? - NYTimes.com NSA Phone Spying 'Almost Certainly' Unconstitutional, Judge Says - WSJ.com Judge Questions Legality of N.S.A. Phone Records - NYTimes.com Panel Recommends Limits on NSA Spying Has Snowden Been Vindicated? - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com How Sotomayor undermined Obama's NSA | MSNBC U.S. reasserts need to keep domestic surveillance secret - The Washington Post Americans uneasy about surveillance but often use snooping tools, Post poll finds - The Washington Post
Security Issues - 2013 Intelligence Committee Officials: America’s Terror Threat Higher Than Two Years Ago Keating wants more Marathon bombing answers from FBI - Opinion - The Boston Globe House Judiciary Committee Called Upon to Address Any Abuses to Asylum System while Protecting Refugees | Human Rights First Schneier on Security: The FBI Might Do More Domestic Surveillance than the NSA NSA deputy director skeptical on sharing data with FBI and others | World news | theguardian.com A Disappearing Spy, and a Scandal at the C.I.A. - NYTimes.com Obama Pressured To Locate Missing CIA Contractor In Iran‏ Senate Asks C.I.A. to Share Its Report on Interrogations - NYTimes.com U.S. Convicts Viktor Bout Associate U.S.-Germany Intelligence Partnership Falters Over Spying - NYTimes.com The Cubanization of Venezuela: Drug Trafficking with Terrorist Organizations | Babalú Blog
Foreign Affairs Hagel: China Acted 'Irresponsibly' in Stand-Off With US Naval Vessel Iran Looks to Deepen Ties to Afghanistan Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration - Wikipedia Russia–United States relations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia European foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia European foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
U.S. Military - December 2013 Senate Sends Defense Bill to White House Obama orders one-year review of sexual assault problem in military | Reuters Obama tells military they have a year to curb sex assaults - UPI.com U.S. general in charge of missiles fired for drinking, carousing -investigation | Reuters News Reviews and Opinions: U.S. general in charge of missiles fired for drinking, carousing -investigation Friday December 20th, 2013 at 2:48 PM Reuters: U.S. WASHINGTON Fired Air Force General Engaged In 'Inappropriate' Drunken Behavior In Russia: Report Drinking General 'Unbecoming' On Russia Trip Contracting Overhaul Is Promised for Navy - NYTimes.com In Navy Billing Scandal, a Third Company Puts an Executive on Leave - NYTimes.com Navy Secretary Expands Review of Supply Contracts - NYTimes.com Judge Assails Military in Rejecting Count Against Ex-Marine - NYTimes.com Obama Changes Direction Of US Military Command, Fires 9th General In His Purge - Downtrend.com President Obama Transforms Military In His Image By Firing 197 Officers - Investors.com Top generals: Obama is ‘purging the military’ President Obama Asking Military Leaders if They Will Fire on U.S. Citizens- Unproven! Chuck Hagel: All states issuing ID cards for same-sex spouses | Politics Northwest | Seattle Times NATO starts own talks with Afghanistan on post-2014 mission pact | Reuters Navy Secretary Mabus expects bribery scandal to widen - The Washington Post
Gay marriage in America - 2014-13 Gay marriage in America | Reuters.com
Economy - 2014-13 Without morality, the market economy will destroy itself | Malcolm Brown | Comment is free | The Observer
NYC From crime to cigarettes, Bloomberg leaves his mark on New York | Reuters Bloomberg Reshaped the City - WSJ.com
Books By Gore Vidal - Decline of the Empire | The Nation
Judge's Timing For Immigrant Detention Data Request Is 'Not Feasible,' Prosecutors Say

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Technology Fuels New Police Cruiser - WSJ.com

Technology Fuels New Police Cruiser - WSJ.com

A Mental-Health Overhaul - WSJ.com

A Mental-Health Overhaul - WSJ.com

Merry Christmas from the Obamas - The Washington Post | Obama thanks troops in Christmas message 26/12/13 01:23 from Uploads by AFP

Merry Christmas from the Obamas - The Washington Post

» Obama thanks troops in Christmas message
26/12/13 01:23 from Uploads by AFP
Obama thanks troops in Christmas message US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle give a special thanks to US troops in their annual Christmas message. Duration: 00:35. From: AFP news agency Views: 0 0 ratings Time: 00:35 More in ...

» Spy Agency Struggles to Make Sense of Data Flood
26/12/13 00:51 from WSJ.com: World News
The NSA is drowning in useless data, which harms its ability to conduct legitimate surveillance, claims a former employee who created some of the computer code used to snoop on Internet traffic.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

M.N.: RT is unduly and somewhat strangely (is this just hypocrisy, pointed propaganda or something deeper?) concerned about NSA integrity and questions if the heads should roll

M.N.: RT is unduly and somewhat strangely (is this just hypocrisy, pointed propaganda or something deeper?) concerned about NSA integrity and questions if the heads should roll:

Why are there no charges against the NSA crew: Clapper, Alexander and Obama? — RT Op-Edge

By Joan Vennochi

| GLOBE COLUMNIST

DECEMBER 22, 2013

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WE MAY never know exactly why young men like Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev might decide to plant two bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line.

But we should be able to find out exactly what law enforcement authorities did well before and after the attack — and what they could have done better. That’s what Representative William R. Keating has been trying to find out.

A recent Globe investigation painted a picture of the two bombing suspects as the product of a dysfunctional immigrant family. But Keating cares less about the dysfunctional Tsarnaev family and more about the possibility of a dysfunctional system of government information sharing. Government dysfunction, he still fears, might have allowed the brothers to slip through the cracks and execute a deadly plan. And it might allow another tragedy to occur if it is not properly addressed.

Keating, a former prosecutor who sits on the Homeland Security Committee, has been asking such questions since the bombs went off. Last July 31, he sent a letter to newly appointed FBI director James Comey, seeking specific information about what the agency knew about the alleged bombers before the attack and what was shared with local police. In no apparent rush to respond, the FBI got back to the Democratic Bay State congressman on Nov. 22.

The FBI’s letter basically reiterated the agency’s past contention — that local police had access to everything they needed to know through a computer system called “Guardian.” The letter also mentioned the need to protect “civil liberties and privacy” while investigating crime, terrorism, and threats to national security — a curious consideration, given recent headlines about the extensive government-sanctioned data collection program that routinely violates the civil liberties and privacy of millions of American citizens who have no connection to crime, terrorism, or threats to national security.

The FBI’s response left Keating still questioning the quality of information-sharing between law enforcement authorities. Searching the Guardian database, he said, is like looking for “a needle in a haystack.” He predicts the Homeland Security Committee’s upcoming report on the Marathon bombings — expected in early 2014 — will address those concerns and recommend procedural changes.

Keating is also looking forward to an upcoming report from a Florida prosecutor about the FBI’s shooting of Ibragim Todashev, who was being questioned about a triple slaying in Waltham, which might be somehow tied to Tamerlan Tsarnaev. The circumstances of Todashev’s death are mysterious and raise questions about the actions of the FBI, as well as about Massachusetts state troopers who participated in the Todashev investigation.

“I just wonder this out loud,” said Keating. “I’ll be curious to see what this investigation entailed. How much of it is original? How much of it was given by the FBI? Will it really be an independent review by Florida?”

It helps to understand the “why” behind the actions the Tsarnaev brothers are believed to have taken. It’s not about sympathizing with killers; it’s about sensitizing us to people who are so desperate and unhappy they turn to violence. What we learn about the Tsarnaev brothers could help us see danger signs in others and stop them before they act.

But it helps even more to understand any breakdowns in law enforcement’s ability to identify threats and act on them. It’s not about blame; it’s about prevention. Keating finds the bureaucratic obstacles frustrating, and they should be to the rest of us, too.

There has already been a lot of turnover at agencies involved in the Marathon investigation.

Robert S. Mueller departed as FBI director in June. So did Richard DesLauriers, the head of the Boston FBI office. Janet Napolitano, the Homeland Security secretary, resigned in July. In September, Edward Davis announced his resignation as Boston police commissioner.

In his testimony before Congress, Davis said the FBI should share more information about potential terror threats with local police. Those concerns shouldn’t disappear with the leaders who left their posts.

Accountability should be more than one city’s concern, but Boston has a special interest in learning the whole story. If “Boston strong” means resilience, “Boston smart” should mean asking tough questions and demanding complete answers — no ducking allowed. We owe that much to the victims.

Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @Joan_Vennochi.

Keating wants more Marathon bombing answers from FBI - Opinion - The Boston Globe

Crime and the number of shootings have both decreased 31% since Mr. Bloomberg took office and appointed Raymond Kelly to head the New York Police Department. The reduction came about even as the NYPD lost thousands officers over Mr. Bloomberg's years in office and as the department confronted the heightened threat of terror.

Bloomberg Reshaped the City - WSJ.com

CRIME

City Streets More Secure As Stop-and-Frisk Rankles

As befits a mayor captivated by measurable data, statistics—some widely lauded and others the subject of fierce debate—define the Bloomberg era when it comes to fighting crime.

Enlarge Image

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as seen in July, is days away from leaving office after 12 years. Keith Bedford for the Wall Street Journal

New York's New Police Chief Faces Fewer Crimes, More Counterterrorism

With homicides this year standing at 329 through Monday, the city is on a pace to record the fewest killings since the 1950s. Crime and the number of shootings have both decreased 31% since Mr. Bloomberg took office and appointed Raymond Kelly to head the New York Police Department. The reduction came about even as the NYPD lost thousands officers over Mr. Bloomberg's years in office and as the department confronted the heightened threat of terror.

"It's a remarkably strong legacy," said Richard Aborn, president of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City. "They have driven crime to rates no one thought was possible. Every time it went lower people said it can't go down any further but it has, particularly murders."

But other numbers also will shape Mr. Bloomberg's legacy: the more than 5 million stop-and-frisk reports filled out by police, more than 80% of them involving black and Hispanic men, of whom about 90% weren't charged.

Critics see it as a black mark on the Bloomberg years. "One of the areas in which the administration crashed and burned particularly in the last half of his third term is on the issue of stop and frisk," said Vince Warren, executive director for the Center for Constitutional Rights. "What will be remembered about his administration is that it fought tooth and nail to continue a failed police policy with respect to crime reduction that hurt far more New Yorkers than it helped."

In August, a federal judge ruled the policy, as carried out by the NYPD, was racially biased and unconstitutional. The judge also ordered an outside monitor to be installed at the NYPD. The city is appealing, but Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has vowed to drop the appeal once in office.

Under Mr. Bloomberg, the city has also made a record number of misdemeanor arrests—an annual average of 220,000 between 2002 and 2012—including for possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Critics, such as John Jay College of Criminal Justice sociology professor Andrew Karmen, say these relatively minor charges, many of which were the result of stop and frisk, can have lifelong effects on education and job opportunities for the primarily black and Hispanic men arrested.

Nonetheless, Mr. Aborn said, he suspected that "in the long view of history the reduction of crime will be dominate."

—Sean Gardiner

-

From crime to cigarettes, Bloomberg leaves his mark on New York | Reuters

FBI Director James B. Comey told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that “the risk of that spectacular attack in the homeland is significantly lower than it was before 9/11.” Yet Mr. Comey warned that “‘what’s popped up in its place’ is the risk of smaller attacks by so-called lone wolves.”

The threat of terrorist attacks on United States soil continues to grow, top officials from the House and Senate intelligence committees found. Most worrisome is the shifting trend from large-scale attacks to smaller, harder-to-detect events such as the Boston Marathon bombing.

When asked whether America is generally safer than it was two years ago on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein stated that “terror is up worldwide.” She mentioned the advancing technology of terrorism, such as explosive devices that can evade detection from magnetometers, which are used to detect metal objects or magnetic fields, is making it increasingly difficult to keep bombs out of the U.S.

On the program, Republican representative Mike Rogers said he would “absolutely agree” with Ms. Feinstein’s assessment and responded that “the pressure on our intelligence services to get it right to prevent an attack are enormous. And it’s getting more difficult because we see the al Qaeda as we knew it before is metastasizing to something different, more affiliates than we’ve ever had before, meaning more groups that operated independently of al Qaeda have now joined al Qaeda around the world, all of them have at least some aspiration to commit an act of violence in the United States or against western targets all around the world.”

He continued by saying that terror groups have moved away from events on the scale of 9/11 to smaller attacks, which are “exponentially harder for our intelligence services to stop…”

Earlier in the year, Los Angeles Times reported that FBI Director James B. Comey told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that “the risk of that spectacular attack in the homeland is significantly lower than it was before 9/11.” Yet Mr. Comey warned that “‘what’s popped up in its place’ is the risk of smaller attacks by so-called lone wolves.”

In 2012, the number of terrorist incidents and deaths worldwide reached a record high of more than 8,500 attacks with almost 15,500 people killed—a 69-percent and 89-percent jump, respectively, over 2011, according to report by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (CNN).

U.S. officials worry that terrorism’s increase worldwide will translate to higher risks at home.

On a separate episode of “State of the Union,” chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee Rep. Mike McCaul stated: “I personally see it spreading like a spiderweb, like a wildfire, through Northern Africa and the Middle East.”

“As that threat increases overseas, so too does it increase to the homeland…”

Intelligence Committee Officials: America’s Terror Threat Higher Than Two Years Ago

News Reviews and Opinions - Blog by Michael Novakhov

Friday, December 27, 2013

Venezuela's Homicide Rate Quadruples In Fifteen Years, NGO Reports

Recent News - December 2013

World News - 12.25.13

Recent Events - 2013

Surveillance Issues - December 2013

Security Issues - 2013

Foreign Affairs

Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration - Wikipedia

U.S. Military - December 2013

Gay marriage in America - 2014-13

Economy - 2014-13

NYC

Books