One ground to air and one ground to ship.
North Korea is “trying to test whether they can intimidate the international community” with its nuclear and missile activity, said Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, AP reports.
This is what the Stalinists say: “out army and people are fully ready for battle… against any reckless US attempt for a pre-emptive attack.” I ask this: How are you going to defend your regime? With what?
North Korea’s economy is almost unreal, there are just a few signs that remind of the presence of an economy. In consequence the population is poor and how can they be when they have to pay the Communist taxes? As I said before, the commies hope for a space program. I doubt that they have the resources for that but they might impose other taxes on its citizens.
Anyway, North Korea is a joke of a country where a handful of mindless Stalinists are more equal than others. There, however, is one serious problem.
If there would be a US led invasion, the consequences would be catastrophic for the civilian population. The people of North Korea have repeatedly digested tons of propaganda material. Most of them strongly believe that the Communist system is the answer for everything. Dissidents are rapidly annihilated.
If there would actually be an invasion it would spark a massive wave of suicides among the civilian population. Perhaps even resistance would be fierce.
A high ranking Russian official told Tass press agency that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test.
US President Barack Obama condemned the test and said North Korea is ‘a threat to international peace and security’. Obama said: ‘North Korea’s attempts to develop nuclear weapons, as well as its ballistic missile program, constitute a threat to international peace and security.
North Korea’s population is one step away from total poverty but they are working on nuclear weapons and the Communist government even hopes for a space program.
This is what Nobel Prize candidate Greg Mortenson believes. In addition he argues that until girls receive proper education, society won’t change. I have to agree, educated Muslim women will less likely send their sons to join the Taliban.
Kim Jong-il promoted his third and youngest son to a key military post. Apparently, this might mean that he is the successor of the North Korean communist dynasty. What was wrong with the other two sons?
Well, it seems Kim Jong-il failed to create them in his own image. The oldest of the brothers, Kim Jong-nam confessed he visited Disneyland and the other one, the middle son, was caught on video attending an Eric Clapton concert in Germany.
“We announce today, with inexpressible sadness and heavy hearts that our incomparable leader and supreme commander … attained martyrdom fighting the military oppression,” Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the LTTE’s head of international relations, said in a statement on Sunday.
Since the Sri Lankan government offensive began in August 2006 to capture lost territories, the Tamil Tigers have scored just minor victories. The final advance of the government troops may safely be considered the apparent end of the rebels.
Pathmanathan’s statement continues with encouraging the Tamils to keep fighting as this was the Leader’s final request. “His final request was for the struggle to continue until we achieved freedom for his people.” Read more
Obama’s top military adviser, Adm. Mike Mullen, said that Iran’s primary objective is to obtain nuclear weapons. Mullen urges the United States and its allies to ‘engage Iran’s leaders.’
There is much talk, words and poorly constructed phrases, on weather Iran is actually capable of building a nuke. Yes, I go back to the same old question: can Iran build a nuclear bomb? The question remains unanswered as tens of reports simply contradict each other.
It is absolutely incredible, one day you see a report from the IAEA, or a random think thank, saying Iran cannot under any circumstances build a nuke and the other day another report warns the world that the country can forge a nuclear bomb in months. Unfortunately for their credibility, time passes and we patiently wait for those months to pass and nothing happens, besides another report saying Iran is incapable of building nukes.
Anyway, personally I stopped asking this question and I moved forward by asking another: if Iranians somehow manage to make a nuke, will they use it? Now this is a question upon which we have to cogitate for a moment. Read more
Battlefield archaeology is not a new discipline in any way. It probably started out the very same day archaeology began to investigate the material reminiscence of the past. However, the term ‘battlefield archaeology’ can be misleading and easily misinterpreted. That is because if we use the term ‘battlefield archaeology’ we distance ourselves from the main priority of the battle, that being the studying of the place (i.e. field) where the battle took place, and reach the edges of history by focusing on the event (in the paper below, the authors comment on the terminology). With a mind on this it is preferred the use of the term ‘archaeology of battle’. You can find additional information in the introduction and the first chapter of the paper below.
‘Battlefield Archaeology - A Guide to the Archaeology of Conflict’ means an introduction in the subject and presents the steps taken by archaeologists in studying a battlefield.
The paper offers a decent amount of examples with images attached to the text for a more comprehensive guiding to the archaeology of conflict. However, if you prefer other examples as well, I suggest you take a look at the discoveries and digging methods used in the Teutobugn Forest. There the researchers try to puzzle together the disaster of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD, where the Roman Empire lost three veteran legions and their commander. In fact, just a handful of soldiers survived to bring the news to Rome. The victory of the Germans meant the halt of Roman expansion beyond the Rhine.
Another great example worth pursuing is the famous ‘Custer’s last stand‘. For years archaeologists have dug in near region of the Little Bighorn river and with great success. Also, I believe Discovery Channel had a few documentaries about this and also you might be interested in viewing the Battlefield Detectives investigation into this matter.
Of course, through time humanity fought countless battles, thus we are not short of places to investigate. Anyway, those two examples mentioned above may represent also a guide to battlefield archaeology. The sites of the battles are relatively well known and research has proven to be fructuous.
‘Battlefield Archaeology - A Guide to Archaeology of Conflict” can be downloaded here (PDF).
The Action of Citizens for the total Dismantling of Nukes have released a 33-page report convicting Israel of using depleted uranium in the Gaza offensive conducted at the beginning of this year.
The report says that 75 tons of depleted uranium is present in Gaza soil, blaming the Israeli “Operation Cast Lead” for it.
During the offensive, a Norwegian doctor performing humanitarian service in the hospital at Shifa has found presences of radioactive matter, very likely to be depleted uranium, in the bodies of his patients.