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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 - 02:09am Nov 17, 2002 EST (# 5850 of 5863)

Saddam Hussein's inner circle speaks out.
http://abcasiapacific.com/focus/

Interesting program above -- revealed how Saddam's taste in literature stretch from Hitler to Stalin related authorships.

Showed that many intellectuals and professional leaders have fled Iraq over the years and are now in positions of rank - elsewhere - with mentoring abilities that might be used to nurture a new Iraq through renewal process.

Told of his culling friends who supported him from sixty down to just a remaining three. Told of how he ruled by whim and fear. Modelled himself on Egypt's Nasser. Looked to re-establishing Arab reign through a connected global tract.

A British Diplomat spoke of his dealings with the man who rules via 'terror'.

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http://abcasiapacific.com/ http://abcasiapacific.com/news/stories/asiapacific_stories_728666.htm

North Korea blasts US for obstructing inter-Korean railway 17/11/2002 16:27:20

North Korea has warned that a planned railway linking the two Koreas could be delayed because of the nuclear standoff with the United States.

The warning came after the United States and its allies decided to suspend fuel oil shipments to punish North Korea for refusing to scrap its nuclear weapons program.

South and North Korea began removing mines on September 18 to open rail links as part of the inter-Korean rapprochement pushed by South Korea's Nobel Peace Prize winning president, Kim Dae-Jung.

But the de-mining came to a halt last week in the middle of the four-kilometer wide demilitarized zone.

lunarchick - 02:10am Nov 17, 2002 EST (# 5851 of 5863)

Exactly so bad boy buck !

lunarchick - 02:20am Nov 17, 2002 EST (# 5852 of 5863)

Homo sapiens to Homo urbanus

3 Billion people, 50% of the world’s population live in cities and it’s growing at a rate of 180,000 per day. But in cities like Colombo in Sri Lanka half the population have no access to basic services like water and sanitation. Upgrading urban slums is a challenge for our century – to ignore it would be social dynamite.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/earth/stories/s726535.htm

Would Maslow have said

"divert cash from Nukes to slums?"

lunarchick - 02:25am Nov 17, 2002 EST (# 5853 of 5863)

Inside the Saudi Royal Cocoon
_{OPINION | November 15, 2002
By} Philip TAUBMAN _{(NYT) Editorial}
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/15/opinion/15FRI3.html

lunarchick - 05:29am Nov 17, 2002 EST (# 5854 of 5863)

Ah the Saudi Royal Family .. first out - last back!

lunarchick - 06:33am Nov 17, 2002 EST (# 5855 of 5863)

Communication in the Houses of Saud and Saddam are TOP-down not BOTTOM-up.

The concept of empowerment of the 'everyman' hasn't been conceived or is regarded as a threat.

In the docco on Saddam (ABC-au above) he was described as being isolated and out of touch - the same goes for the Saudi King.

The balance of power and value systems within such nations is skewed. The attention has the purse stings and is to be obeyed. To disobey is certain death.

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Pipeline nations have IN-in-comes begging the question, how should money be divided, given to whom, when, and for what reason?

Such nations have to talk,
to communicate longways, shortways, crossways
and determine national futures.

What impedements to straight talking are there - if any?

If the society is based on a structure of lies and deceptions, then it is necessary to have to admit that mistakes have been made and look for truth -- to get everyone reading the same page and collectively 'jumping from it' to welcome new futures.

Checking and looking for truths are essential and have to be 'morally forcing' and carried out for the national good. Without reaching this stage a country can be stagnant, paralysed and locked into a redundant yesterday.

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