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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

lunarchick - 08:27am Nov 6, 2002 EST (# 5500 of 5512)

5/6ths* of the USA-pop didn't affirm the current government

Only a third bothered to vote ...
a sixth for Repu-z and
a sixth for Demo-z

weak-Kneed-me-tooism gets few votes

Seems the Islamic Countries aren't impressed with USA stand-over pesimistic policy ... it's creating a 'buddy-buddy' ME system.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hear that obsene amounts of money have been spilled on poliitcal advertising ...

Wouldn't it be better if there was a 'limit' put on such spending?

If there's money .. then those who take the time to vote should get a 'tax-credit' for turning out.

Or voting should be compulsory - then the 'will' of the people is registered ... and the Dollars from fines from the no-shows can help pay booth expenses.

* approx

lunarchick - 09:21am Nov 6, 2002 EST (# 5501 of 5512)

'Leverage Tool' NKorea

Heritage foundation spokesperson's description of the Nuclear Arsnal of North Korea is 'Leverage Tool'.

bbc.com/eastasiatoday

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2408787.stm

lunarchick - 09:26am Nov 6, 2002 EST (# 5502 of 5512)

NK

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/asiapacific/eastasiatoday/index.shtml

mazza9 - 10:14am Nov 6, 2002 EST (# 5503 of 5512)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

It was reported that an US Army Laser shot down an artillery round.

lunarchick - 10:18am Nov 6, 2002 EST (# 5504 of 5512)

brain - Misshaped 'spines' http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?11@@.ee7726f http://www.newscientist.com/

manjumicha - 10:33am Nov 6, 2002 EST (# 5505 of 5512)

Robert

I heard about a similar application a while back using a microwave signals....is that what you referred to? If so, it is not a news but one of those holy grails that those scientists and engineers in communication industry have been pursuing for years.....I remember hearing about each atomic elements emitting its own signature signals and the challenge being to come up with a detector to pick up those signals.....and that those signals are microwave types....my apologies if my memroy is not serving me correctly....feel free to correct.

On unrelated issue, are you familair with optical switchers that utilize laser beams? This was all the rage a couple of years ago but they had engineering difficulties with vibrating laser beams....

commondata - 10:43am Nov 6, 2002 EST (# 5506 of 5512)

Kofi Annan on IT

Information technology is not a magic formula that is going to solve all our problems. But it is a powerful force that can and must be harnessed to our global mission of peace and development ... I urge everyone in a position to make a difference to add his or her energies to this effort.

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Zapping Short-range Threats with MTHELs

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