USA – Page 4 – Slugger O'Toole

GOP Primaries – the plot thickens with a clean sweep for Santorum.

Dewi on February 8, 2012, 5:47 am

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Romney isn’t closing this out. Yesterday saw a primary in Missouri (well a non binding beauty contest really) and two caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota. From RealClearPolitics: Santorum has taken Minnesota and Missouri comfortably. Romney was banking on Colorado. Here Nate compares his 2008 and 2012 performances. Broadly he’s at 60% of his 2008 level and things are looking close there. Fox News is reporting Colorado in real time. At 5.30am our time, with 46% of precincts reporting Santorum and Romney …

Bill Clinton to host “Invest in Ireland” event in New York

Pete Baker on February 7, 2012, 9:03 pm

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As the BBC reports Former US president Bill Clinton is to host an “Invest in Ireland” discussion in New York on Thursday. Well, he’ll “attend for the beginning of the event where he will make some opening remarks”. You get the point. *sniff* He used to have such big [economic] ideas for here… The Merrion Street press release adds Following on from a commitment given by him at the Global Irish Economic Forum, President Bill Clinton will host an “Invest in …

$cientology loses appeal against fraud ruling

Pete Baker on February 3, 2012, 3:49 pm

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The Irish Times reports from France, where the inheritors of L Ron Hubbard’s greedy and manipulative anti-science cult of scientology have lost their appeal against a 2009 ruling that “two French branches of the US-based organisation were guilty of “organised fraud” and gave four of its leaders suspended jail sentences of up to two years.” A Huffington Post report notes During the appeals process, the prosecution had asked for the church to be fined at least euro1 million ($1.3 million) and …

Odyssey Marine to recover Victory, but lose ‘Black Swan’ treasure

Pete Baker on February 2, 2012, 5:08 pm

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Last seen somewhere off the Irish coast, US company Odyssey Marine Exploration have announced that they have “executed an agreement with the Maritime Heritage Foundation for the financing, archaeological survey and excavation, conservation and exhibit of HMS Victory (1744) and artifacts from the shipwreck site.” That’s Admiral Balchin’s HMS Victory – a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line lost in 1744 in the English Channel. It confirms an earlier report in the Sunday Times. There may be four tonnes of gold …

Florida – All Over?

Dewi on February 1, 2012, 12:23 am

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It looks that way. From Fox News – looks like a landslide for Romney. But can Romney beat Obama? Piles of stuff to read on RealClearPolitics…make up your own mind. DewiWelsh Nationalist. Rugby Fan. Know a bit about History and Railways…

Irish DPP to consider Garland case

Pete Baker on January 27, 2012, 4:53 pm

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Having dismissed, in December last year, the US application for the extradition of former Irish Workers’ Party president, Seán Garland, in the long-running saga of the counterfeit ‘super-dollars’, Dublin High Court has now referred the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions to examine whether he should be charged in Ireland. From the BBC report Giving his reasons on Friday, Mr Justice John Edwards decided that the offence for which Mr Garland was wanted in America is regarded as having been committed in …

Boston College: A glimpse of the archive…

Pete Baker on January 24, 2012, 4:55 pm

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Let’s keep the dialogue ‘hinged’ this time. With Ed Moloney and Anthony McIntyre aiming to try to head the US Government off at the pass, the legal battle over each ruling along the way continues in the PSNI/HET’s attempt to access some of the material in the Boston College Belfast Project archive. In the meantime, however, Boston-based lawyer, Ted Folkman has been following the legal arguments. And he’ll be live-blogging today’s hearing [7pm GMT – Added link]. He’s already noted …

“A drum major for justice”: Martin Luther King Jr Day

Patrick Corrigan on January 16, 2012, 1:27 pm

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Today the USA celebrates Martin Luther King Jr Day, a federal holiday to honour the man who helped change America (although not by as much as he would have liked). The civil rights campaigner would have turned 83 yesterday, had he not been assassinated in April 1968. The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington opened to the public some months ago and it has recently been announced that a controversial (mis)quote on one side of the monument is be …

Happy travels! Guantánamo Bay: a decade of failure

Patrick Corrigan on January 11, 2012, 10:42 am

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Ten years ago today, the first detainees were transferred to the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Since then 779 people have been held, yet only one has been given a trial in an ordinary US federal court. Yesterday I met with the impressive acting US Consul General, Kevin Roland, at the Consulate in Belfast to record our demand that the Guantánamo Bay detention camp be closed down, and our call that the 171 remaining prisoners be charged with …

New Hampshire – a cakewalk for Romney?

Dewi on January 10, 2012, 6:16 am

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Famous last words I suppose but things are looking comfortable for Mitt Romney in today’s New Hampshire GOP primary – the most boring NH primary ever? (from the New Republic.) Here’s the Washington Post on Romney’s achievments: It is commonly argued that Mitt Romney has benefited from a weak Republican field, which is true. And that the attacks of his opponents have been late and diffuse. True, and true.But the political accomplishment of Willard Mitt Romney should not be underestimated. …

Hello Iowa..

Dewi on January 3, 2012, 12:13 am

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So today is the Republican Iowa caucus. The master of US Psephology is Nate Silver (from Wiki) of the wonderful FiveThirtyEight.com. He think’s it’s tight between Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, with Rick Santorum slightly behind but with a bit of momentum. It’s worth a look at the caucus process. From the IOWA GOP site we get: First, the Presidential Poll is taken. At the beginning of your precinct caucus meeting, the Caucus Chairman will call for the Presidential Preference Poll. …

Dublin High Court dismisses Garland US extradition application

Pete Baker on December 21, 2011, 2:10 pm

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As Garibaldy notes, Dublin High Court has dismissed the US application for the extradition of former Irish Workers’ Party president, Sean Garland, in the long-running saga of the counterfeit ‘super-dollars’. From the Irish Times report Authorities in America had sought the extradition of Mr Garland (76), of Beldonstown, Brownstown, Navan, Co Meath, to face charges relating to the production of high-quality counterfeit US dollars. The operation was allegedly carried out with the collusion of the government of North Korea. In a …

“Boston College declined Judge Young’s offer to seek a stay and appeal his decision”

Pete Baker on December 20, 2011, 12:10 pm

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In the Irish Times, Kevin Cullen adds a significant detail to the Boston College archive ruling. From the Irish Times report Boston College declined Judge Young’s offer to seek a stay and appeal his decision, saying it would turn the records over to him by tomorrow. Pete Baker

Boston College Ruling: “These are serious allegations, and they weigh strongly in favor of disclosing the confidential information.”

Pete Baker on December 17, 2011, 11:56 am

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Via Newshound. The Boston Globe reports the long awaited US court ruling on the release of the Boston College archive material. And it’s something of a half-way house. For now. From the Boston Globe report A federal judge rejected yesterday a motion by the trustees of Boston College to quash subpoenas that order them to turn over recordings of former members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and other items to British officials investigating crimes including murder and kidnapping. But Judge …

“Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics…” – Redux

Pete Baker on November 16, 2011, 3:35 pm

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US President Barack Obama is on a 9 day trip to the Pacific region, beginning in Australia where, as the Guardian reports The president is expected to announce the US is expanding its military presence in Australia – putting more equipment in place, increasing its access to bases and conducting more joint exercises and training. This is in response to an increasingly aggressive China, which claims dominion over vast areas of the Pacific that the US considers international waters, and …

‘Good’ UDA visits US

Pete Baker on October 6, 2011, 2:32 pm

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With the reported assistance of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, Jackie McDonald and three other representatives of the ‘good’ UDA secured the necessary visas and are now in the US. Travelling on their British passports, natch. Now-Senator Martin McAleese continues to assist as they meet some familar names. The Irish Times’ Lara Marlowe reports The trip is not a fundraising mission. Because of their paramilitary pasts, the state department had to provide waivers for them to receive US visas. Mr McDonald, who …

Odyssey Marine confirm site of shipwreck containing 200 tonnes of silver 300 miles off Irish coast

Pete Baker on September 26, 2011, 10:11 pm

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As the BBC report, the US company Odyssey Marine Exploration have confirmed “the identity and location of the shipwreck site of the SS Gairsoppa nearly 4,700 meters below the surface of the North Atlantic, approximately 300 miles off the coast of Ireland in international waters.” And if the historical records and research are correct, the wreck contains 7 million total ounces [200 tonnes] of silver. Worth £600,000 when the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat and sank in 1941, the silver hoard is …

Hurricane Irene: “one scary big storm…”

Pete Baker on August 26, 2011, 8:44 pm

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As Hurricane Irene heads for the North Carolina coast, US President Barack Obama cuts short his family holiday in Martha’s Vineyard, by a day, warning the public that “All indications point to this being a historic hurricane”. The Guardian report adds that “Obama’s wife and daughters will travel back as planned on Saturday”. [Image credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project] The GOES-13 satellite saw Hurricane Irene moving through the Bahamas on August 25, 2011 at 1402 UTC (10:02 a.m. EDT) and far …

Euro crisis: Just when you thought you were out…

Pete Baker on July 29, 2011, 3:41 pm

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Signs, perhaps, that the markets remain less than convinced about last week’s eurozone leaders’ agreement on debt. Yesterday Italy was forced to pay more to borrow than just one month ago. Credit agency Moody’s has warned it may downgrade Spain’s rating. All three credit agencies have a negative outlook on the country’s rating as the Spanish prime minister Jose Zapatero calls an early general election. And, in Cyprus, where the credit rating was downgraded by 2 points on Wednesday by Moody’s, …

Garland extradition hearing finally begins

Pete Baker on July 18, 2011, 9:52 pm

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Just a quick post to note that former Irish Worker’s Party president Sean Garland’s extradition hearing began today. It’s listed for the next 4 days. Garland is accused by the US authorities of being the ringleader of a massive forgery racket that distributed high quality counterfeit 100 dollar bills – “superdollars”. After being named in a BBC Panorama programme in 2004, Garland was initially arrested in Belfast in 2005, but jumped bail. He was re-arrested in January 2009 in Dublin and has been on strict bail …