From S. Korea with love: Warm socks sent to North by balloon

Each pair could be traded for a month's supply of food, activists say

 msnbc.com staff and news service reports

updated 1/28/2012 2:24:37 AM ET

1. Slideshow (7) Daily life in North Korea
2.      
   Above: Slideshow (53) Journey into North Korea

South Korean activists sent warm socks and messages attached to balloons toward North Korea Saturday, according to the AFP news agency.

About 1,000 pairs were attached to the five large gas-filled balloons, which were launched in the northern South Korean city of Paju, the AFP reported.
The Seoul-based group North Korea Peace said the messages sent with each pair of socks were "politically innocuous."
"We're not interested in sending political messages or sparking any troubles there. All we want is that people in the North wear warm socks over their frozen feet," Sunny Kim, a spokeswoman for the activists, told AFP.
Slideshow: Daily life in North Korea (on this page) "Warm socks are so rare and they can easily be traded for cash in the North. One pair of socks fetches about 22 pounds  of corn, which is enough to sustain a person for a month," Kim added.

Balloon food, propaganda
Earlier this month, defectors from the North sent packages of food by balloon to their former country ahead of the Lunar New Year.
In December, following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong il, defectors from the North and southern activists sent giant balloons containing tens of thousands of propaganda leaflets across the border.
Video: Defectors send food by balloon to North Korea (on this page) The leaflets contained messages opposing another hereditary power transfer in North Korea, as well as portraits of Kim Jong Il and heir Kim Jong Un.
Slideshow: Journey into North Korea (on this page) North Korea has warned in the past that it would fire at South Korea in response to such actions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Packages containing food were sent from South Korea to North Korea ahead of the Lunar New Year. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.

Fiscal Year 2013 Defense Budget

updated Monday January 30, 2012

Jan 26, 2012

Department of Defense

Secretary Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey outlined the military's fiscal 2013 budget request. The $525 billion package, with an additional request for $88.4 billion for overseas operations, mostly in Afghanistan was significantly lower than the previous year. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dempsey said the cuts were difficult but the budget reflected fiscal responsibility

Panetta: Military cuts to hit 'all 50 states'

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The Pentagon announced a new plan that will streamline U.S. forces, look at possible base closures and expand cyber warfare capability in order to meet tough budget constraints. NBC's Chris Clackum reports.

By NBC News and news services

The Pentagon proposed budget cuts on Thursday that would slash the size of the U.S. military by eliminating thousands of jobs, mothballing ships and trimming air squadrons in an effort to shift strategic direction and reduce spending by $487 billion over a decade.

The funding request, which includes painful cuts for many states, sets the stage for a new struggle between President Barack Obama's administration and Congress over how much the Pentagon should spend on national security as the country tries to curb trillion-dollar budget deficits.
US Army chief 'comfortable' with smaller force as Pentagon prepares cuts
"Make no mistake, the savings we are proposing will impact all 50 states and many districts across America," Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a news conference at the Pentagon. "This will be a test of whether reducing the deficit is about talk or action." Obama will also ask Congress to approve a new round of domestic base closures, although the timing of this was left vague and there is little chance that lawmakers would agree to this in a presidential election year.
Panetta, previewing plans that will be formally announced next month, said he would ask for a $525 billion base budget for the 2013 fiscal year, the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, that the Pentagon has asked for less than the previous year.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, left, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, outlines the main areas of proposed spending cuts during a news conference at the Pentagon on Thursday.

Panetta said he would seek $88.4 billion to support combat operations in Afghanistan, down from $115 billion in 2012 largely due to the end of the war in Iraq and the withdrawal of U.S. forces there at the end of last year.
Congress requires that the Pentagon cut $487 billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years -- $259 billion will be cut in the first five years (2013 to 2018).
No, Obama isn't actually proposing to cut defense spending
"We believe this is a balanced and complete package," Panetta said, with Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at his side.
Some lawmakers were quick to dispute him.
"Taking us back to a pre-9/11 military force structure places our country in grave danger," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee that will hold hearings on the Pentagon budget plan.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said the Panetta plan "ignores the lessons of history." He said it provides for a military that is "too small to respond effectively to events that may unfold over the next few years."
Dempsey, however, said the military is united in its support for the new approach.
"This budget is a first step — it's a down payment — as we transition from an emphasis on today's wars to preparing for future challenges," he said, adding, "This budget does not lead to a military in decline."
While the timelines for each of these cuts vary, NBC News reports where the biggest cuts are coming from for now:
Benefits
Members of the military will receive full pay raises in 2013 and 2014, but their raises will be "limited" beginning in 2015. Health care fees for retirees will increase, including co-pays and deductibles.

ArmyActive duty force will decrease by about 75,000 soldiers to 490,000. (For perspective, there are about 565,000 soldiers on active duty today and there were about 480,000 soldiers on active duty on 9/11/01.)

Marine CorpsActive duty force will decrease by about 20,000 Marines to 182,000 total. (For perspective, there are about 202,000 Marines on active duty today, and there were about 173,000 on 9/11/01.)

Air ForceEliminate six of the 60 Air Force tactical air squadrons, as well as one training squadron.
The Pentagon will eliminate:  27 aging C-5As (leaving behind 52 C-5Ms and 222 C-17s); 65 oldest C-130s (leaving behind 318 C-130s) and they will divest 38 C-27s.

NavyRetire seven cruisers that have not been updated with ballistic missile defense capabilities or that are in need of significant maintenance. Some fleet support ships will also be retired, and the building of several ships (1 large deck, 1 sub, 2 littoral combat ships, and 8 joint high speed vessels) will all delayed by one year or more.

The defense spending plan is scheduled to be submitted to Congress as part of the administration's full 2013 budget on Feb. 13.
Prominent in the Obama plan is a renewed focus on Asia, where China's rapid military modernization has raised worry in Washington and rattled U.S. allies.
NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube as well as Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced his plan for cutting $487 billion from the defense budget over the next 10 years. NBC's Brian Williams reports. 

Hello Cool World

New e'Zine & Vlog Hot Off The Presses

By Sandy Haksi On January 20, 2012

We've (finally!) released another issue of our News of the Cool e'Zine. The release is timed to coincide with today's Occupy the Courts national day of protest, and includes articles on Joel Bakan's new book — Childhood Under Siege — with a review by Occupy Parenting's Eric Curren, as well as pieces on tackling corporate giants and social branding. We also did a short Occupy-themed vlog that ties it all together. Check it out below and please share it!

Occupy The Courts Vlog from Hello Cool World on Vimeo.

In the vlog, Joel Bakan talks about corporate personhood and how the Occupy movement is really a call to be a citizen, with all the rights and duties that entails. Hello Cool World founder Katherine Dodds discusses how branding can be used for social good and not just to maximize profits, and Move to Amend's Steve Justino gives us some background on Occupy The Courts. 

Occupy Your Future

Watch & Share our Occupy-themed Video Blog (Vlog)! It's like a mini-edition of this e'Zine

As the grassroots organizers behind the hit film, The Corporation, we are embarking on an exciting new phase to reign in the corporate "psychopath." We're in the midst of launching an "Occupy Your Future" campaign to build on — and pay tribute to — the Occupy movement that has energized and activated people on the ground, the world over.
Since the explosion of #Occupy this past fall, we've seen renewed interest in the film, and it's been cited as essential viewing for those want to understand how we got to this point. Now more than ever, weaknesses in the corporate globalization model have been exposed, and momentum is building to keep corporations accountable and reduce the harm they cause. Talk about a teachable moment! And it's great timing because we're about to release a new educational version.

Our hope for this new 3-part version for high schools is that, not only will it be a valuable educational tool, but it will also be an engagement platform for students and teachers alike, spawning Corporation clubs in schools across North America. Imagine teenagers and adults huddled together in classrooms strategizing solutions to corporate misrule! As Joel Bakan, author of the bestselling book behind the film (and has a new one hot off the presses — Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children) says, "schools are probably the most important site of social struggle that we have."
This new high school version will be packaged with some exciting extras such as the Story of Stuff videos, our own short film, The Corporation in the Grade 8 Classroom, and an interview with Hello Cool World's founder, Katherine Dodds discussing how branding can be 'occupied' for good. It was a conclusion she came to during her early days at Adbusters magazine, the training ground for a few of our Hello Cool Worlders, which is itself enjoying a boost in notoriety for being the original brains behind #OccupyWallStreet.
Hello Cool World will be acting as the Canadian Educational distributors for the film, and we are trying to create a new kind of model that builds on the notion of "fairer trade." We offer a higher return to filmmakers and use our profits to fund the campaign. It will allow us to produce more e'Zines and connect our network with current initiatives to take on the corporate giants, such as Move To Amend's Occupy The Courts day of protest in the USA. Actions like these seem intimidating to us as individuals but, if Occupy has shown us anything, it's that working together we can challenge the 1% and make our voices heard.
—Hello Cool World  & The Corporation



January 09, 2012

Happy 2012 from Hello Cool World!

By Michelle Reid Happy New Year!
We are starting off 2012 with a bang and moving in a dozen directions at once on our many, many projects. If work is a buffet, then everyone at Hello Cool World is carrying two full plates and stuffing extra projects wrapped in napkins in their purses for later. Check out the photo of our crazy vision board! Here's a little preview of what we're working on now...
We're getting close to announcing the OWN premiere date for 65_RedRoses, which will be sometime in Spring 2012! We also just launched a beautiful new site design for 65_RedRoses- check it out!
We're also busy working with ImmunizeBC on the I Have Immunity campaign to promote immunizations through storytelling. We heard some amazing stories from health care providers and administrators in December, and we're looking forward to a year filled with collecting and sharing stories. If you have a story to share, talk to us on the Facebook Page, or tweet at @IHaveImmunity!
For sexual health advocates who've been looking for action since Pap Awareness Week wrapped up, get involved in Dating Confidential! A research study from UBC by STI nurse Cindy Masaro, Dating Confidential is looking for women over 25 who are dating or in new relationships, in order to improve sexual health education and services. Visit the website to take the survey, send it to friends, and chat about sexual health with us over on the Dating Confidential Facebook Page.