Category Archives: Other News

World Security Headlines

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ANALYSIS: Space: The Next Realm of Warfare?
A recent change of course in the U.S. military’s space strategy, along with last year’s anti-satellite test by China threaten to signal a new space arms race, explains CDI Director Theresa Hitchens in “Space Wars – Coming to a Sky Near You?” published in the March 2008 issue of Scientific American.

ANALYSIS: The Small Arms Trade in Latin America
Small arms and gun violence present the most dramatic threat to public safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. After decades of uncontrolled proliferation, at least 45 million to 80 million small arms and light weapons are circulating throughout the region. In the article “The Small Arms Trade in Latin America,” published by the NACLA Report on the Americas, CDI Senior Analyst Rachel Stohl and Research Assistant Doug Tuttle explore the scope of Latin America’s small arms trade and its negative consequences for the region.

To find the stories go to [www.worldsecurityinstitute.org ], these headlines for your convenience only.

OPINION: Missile Defense and Arms Control: 25 Years Later
In the 25 years since President Reagan’s speech calling for renewed efforts on a shield that would theoretically protect the United States against a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile attack (ICBM), missile defense has failed to improve national security. In this opinion piece, CDI Senior Advisor Philip Coyle and Research Analyst Victoria Samson examine the current status of U.S. missile defense policy.

PULITZER CENTER ON CRISIS REPORTING

The Pulitzer Center’s mission is to promote in-depth coverage of international affairs, focusing on topics that have been under-reported, misreported — or not reported at all.

Travel for the following stories was made possible through a grant from the Pulitzer Center.

“A warming world, overuse drain giant lake in a single generation”
Pulitzer Center-sponsored journalist Sarah Stuteville reports on the effects of climate change and overuse of lakes as water sources in Ethiopia.

“Lebanese struggle with broken economy”
Pulitzer Center grant recipient Don Duncan reports on the economic hardships in Lebanon, where 28 percent of the population currently lives below the poverty line.

“India’s debt-ridden farmers committing suicide”
Farmers in India are committing suicide to escape hard times and debts, reports Pulitzer Center sponsored journalist Jason Motlagh.

“A treacherous trek to the crater’s edge”
Pulitzer Center-funded journalist Sarah Stuteville reports on the hardships faced by Ethiopians to fetch water for themselves and their crops.

“Quenching the thirst: Seattle brings the most precious liquid abroad”
Pulitzer Center-funded journalist Sarah Stuteville reports on the visit to Ethiopia by Seattleites, who are bringing safe, clean drinking water to the country.

“Northern Peru: Jungle Rivers Where the Sweet Water No Longer Flows”
Pulitzer Center-funded journalist Sarah Stuteville reports on the pollution of Peru’s rivers by Occidental Petroleum, a Los Angeles-based oil company.

WSI BRUSSELS BLOG

WSI Brussels Blog aims to continue and expand the efforts of the World Security Institute, Brussels to inform, stimulate, and shape the debate around the security and defense dilemmas facing Europe and the world, with a view to formulating effective and lasting solutions.

THIS WEEK ON WSI BRUSSELS BLOG:
• WSI Brussels News Roundup: March 18-20, 2008 • Defending the Republic: France’s Future Security Orientations

AZIMUTH MEDIA PROJECTS:

This Week on Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal

“Foreign Exchange” is a half-hour, weekly, global affairs series on PBS that picks up where the mainstream media leaves off. Produced by Azimuth Media for public television and hosted by Daljit Dhaliwal.

Episode 412: March 25, 2008

• Mohammed Abu-Nimer updates us on violence in Gaza and the region’s best hope for a peace deal

• “Water Wars,” a short film about water scarcity that has fueled tribal conflict in Eastern Africa

• A look at the soaring food prices that have left the poor vulnerable to starvation and caused global economic strain with Joachim von Braun

RECENT PROJECTS AND PUBLICATIONS

China Security Winter 2008: Taiwan Redux
Featuring scholars and experts from China, Taiwan and the United States, the Winter 2008 issue of China Security turns its undivided attention to Taiwan. The island has drawn much scrutiny recently due to a number of key events, and this issue seeks to explore both the domestic and international dynamics of the situation in the Straits.

The Defense Monitor, Vol. XXXVII, No. 1 – January/February 2008
Special Issue: The World At War. Retired U.S. Army Col. Daniel Smith, a senior fellow for the Friends Committee on National Legislation and former CDI director of research, conducts his annual overview of armed conflicts across the globe.

Arab Insight, Winter 2008: Emerging Social & Religious Trends
The new Winter 2008 issue of Arab Insight offers in-depth analysis of a number of trends emerging in the Arab world today and sheds light on new transformations taking place, from the widening use of the Internet and new technology in Islamist activity, to women’s reform movements in the Gulf and arms proliferation in Yemen.

New Book on Military Reform Released
Released by Greenwood Press is a new book, “Military Reform: A Reference Handbook,” co-authored by Winslow T. Wheeler, director of CDI’s Straus Military Reform Project, and Lawrence J. Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a senior adviser to the Center for Defense Information. Together, Wheeler and Korb have over 65 years of experience in Congress, the Pentagon and the private sector. If anyone has seen the flaws in America’s national security apparatus – up close and personal – it is these two. Some will think, even assert, that America’s Armed Forces are the best in the world, even in history. This is empty political rhetoric of the most specious and foolish kind. We present excerpts from the book for those entertaining such delusions, as well as a link to the publisher and information about purchasing.

Center for Defense Information’s 2007 Military Almanac
Prepared by CDI’s Straus Military Reform Project, the 2007 Military Almanac is an up-to-date, fact-filled, comprehensive guide to U.S. military, defense and policy issues. Order it now ($45) by calling the World Security Institute at 202.332.0900.

Policy Brief: Iran, Iraq and Turkey
One year since the release of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group report, WSI Senior Fellow John Newhouse revisits the Study Group’s recommendations in his latest policy brief, “Iraq, Iran and Turkey: A Regional Approach.”

World Security Institute’s 2006 Annual Report
The World Security Institute’s 2006 annual report is now available online. The report includes information and a yearly review on all WSI divisions, including Center for Defense Information, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Azimuth Media, International Programs, and the International Media Division.

Caucusus Context, Vol. 5, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2008
Caucasus Context is a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary journal focused on regional integration and cooperation among the three South Caucasus republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. This issue focuses on a variety of issues, including possibilities for cooperation in the region and ethnic minorities.

The World Security Institute
The World Security Institute (WSI) is a non-profit organization committed to independent research and journalism on global affairs. Given the extraordinary growth of global interdependence, WSI provides an innovative approach to communication, education, and cooperation on the social, economic, environmental, political and military components of international security.

World Security Institute
1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington , DC 20036
tel: 202-332-0900
www.worldsecurityinstitute.org

Originally posted 2008-03-26 12:41:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Bee Stings and Penny’s

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Bee Stings and Penny’s

Editors note: This was sent to us by a friend, we are passing it along.

It might be wise to carry a penny in your pocket while working in the yard . . . . . . BEE STINGS !

A couple of weeks ago I was unfortunate enough to get stung by both a bee and hornet while working in the garden. My arm swelled up so off to the doctor I went. The clinic gave me cream and an antihistamine. The next day the swelling was getting progressively worse so off to my regular doctor I went. Infected arm needed an antibiotic. What was interesting is what the Dr. told me. The next time you get stung put a penny on the bite for 15 minutes. I thought, WOW .. next time (if there ever is one) I’ll try it.

Well, that night Shelley’s niece got stung by two bees. When she came over to swim I looked at the bite and it had already started to swell. So off I went to get my money. Taped a penny to her arm for 15 minutes. The next morning, there was no sign of a bite. Wow, were we surprised. Her niece we decided, just wasn’t allergic to the sting.

Well, guess what happened again on Saturday night. I was helping Shelley deadhead her flowers and guess what? You are right …. I got stung again two times by a hornet on my left hand. Was I ticked. I thought, here I go again having to go to the doctor for yet another antibiotic.

Well, I promptly went into the house, again got my money out, and taped two pennies to my bites and then sat and sulked for 15 minutes. The penny took the string out of the bite immediately. I still wasn’t sure what was going to happen.

In the meantime, the hornets were attacking Shelley and she got stung on the thumb. Again the penny. The next morning I could only see the spot where he had stung me … no redness, no swelling. Went over to see Shelley and hers was the same. Couldn’t even tell where she got stung. Then Shelley got stung again on Monday night on her back — cutting the grass. This penny thing is going to make us money at school. Again it worked.

Just wanted to share the marvelous information in case any of you are experiencing the same problem at home. We need to have a stock of pennies on hand at school and at home.

The Dr. said somehow the copper in the penny counteracts the bite. I would never have believed it. But it definitely does work.

So remember this little bit of wisdom and pass it on to your friends, children, grandchildren, etc.

Originally posted 2008-05-01 09:35:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

World Security Headlines

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ANALYSIS: Space: The Next Realm of Warfare?
A recent change of course in the U.S. military’s space strategy, along with last year’s anti-satellite test by China threaten to signal a new space arms race, explains CDI Director Theresa Hitchens in “Space Wars – Coming to a Sky Near You?” published in the March 2008 issue of Scientific American.

ANALYSIS: The Small Arms Trade in Latin America
Small arms and gun violence present the most dramatic threat to public safety in Latin America and the Caribbean. After decades of uncontrolled proliferation, at least 45 million to 80 million small arms and light weapons are circulating throughout the region. In the article “The Small Arms Trade in Latin America,” published by the NACLA Report on the Americas, CDI Senior Analyst Rachel Stohl and Research Assistant Doug Tuttle explore the scope of Latin America’s small arms trade and its negative consequences for the region.

OPINION: Missile Defense and Arms Control: 25 Years Later
In the 25 years since President Reagan’s speech calling for renewed efforts on a shield that would theoretically protect the United States against a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile attack (ICBM), missile defense has failed to improve national security. In this opinion piece, CDI Senior Advisor Philip Coyle and Research Analyst Victoria Samson examine the current status of U.S. missile defense policy.

PULITZER CENTER ON CRISIS REPORTING

The Pulitzer Center’s mission is to promote in-depth coverage of international affairs, focusing on topics that have been under-reported, misreported — or not reported at all.

Travel for the following stories was made possible through a grant from the Pulitzer Center.

“A warming world, overuse drain giant lake in a single generation”
Pulitzer Center-sponsored journalist Sarah Stuteville reports on the effects of climate change and overuse of lakes as water sources in Ethiopia.

“Lebanese struggle with broken economy”
Pulitzer Center grant recipient Don Duncan reports on the economic hardships in Lebanon, where 28 percent of the population currently lives below the poverty line.

“India’s debt-ridden farmers committing suicide”
Farmers in India are committing suicide to escape hard times and debts, reports Pulitzer Center sponsored journalist Jason Motlagh.

“A treacherous trek to the crater’s edge”
Pulitzer Center-funded journalist Sarah Stuteville reports on the hardships faced by Ethiopians to fetch water for themselves and their crops.

“Quenching the thirst: Seattle brings the most precious liquid abroad”
Pulitzer Center-funded journalist Sarah Stuteville reports on the visit to Ethiopia by Seattleites, who are bringing safe, clean drinking water to the country.

“Northern Peru: Jungle Rivers Where the Sweet Water No Longer Flows”
Pulitzer Center-funded journalist Sarah Stuteville reports on the pollution of Peru’s rivers by Occidental Petroleum, a Los Angeles-based oil company.

WSI BRUSSELS BLOG

WSI Brussels Blog aims to continue and expand the efforts of the World Security Institute, Brussels to inform, stimulate, and shape the debate around the security and defense dilemmas facing Europe and the world, with a view to formulating effective and lasting solutions.

THIS WEEK ON WSI BRUSSELS BLOG:
• WSI Brussels News Roundup: March 18-20, 2008 • Defending the Republic: France’s Future Security Orientations

AZIMUTH MEDIA PROJECTS:

This Week on Foreign Exchange with Daljit Dhaliwal

“Foreign Exchange” is a half-hour, weekly, global affairs series on PBS that picks up where the mainstream media leaves off. Produced by Azimuth Media for public television and hosted by Daljit Dhaliwal.

Episode 412: March 25, 2008

• Mohammed Abu-Nimer updates us on violence in Gaza and the region’s best hope for a peace deal

• “Water Wars,” a short film about water scarcity that has fueled tribal conflict in Eastern Africa

• A look at the soaring food prices that have left the poor vulnerable to starvation and caused global economic strain with Joachim von Braun

RECENT PROJECTS AND PUBLICATIONS

China Security Winter 2008: Taiwan Redux
Featuring scholars and experts from China, Taiwan and the United States, the Winter 2008 issue of China Security turns its undivided attention to Taiwan. The island has drawn much scrutiny recently due to a number of key events, and this issue seeks to explore both the domestic and international dynamics of the situation in the Straits.

The Defense Monitor, Vol. XXXVII, No. 1 – January/February 2008
Special Issue: The World At War. Retired U.S. Army Col. Daniel Smith, a senior fellow for the Friends Committee on National Legislation and former CDI director of research, conducts his annual overview of armed conflicts across the globe.

Arab Insight, Winter 2008: Emerging Social & Religious Trends
The new Winter 2008 issue of Arab Insight offers in-depth analysis of a number of trends emerging in the Arab world today and sheds light on new transformations taking place, from the widening use of the Internet and new technology in Islamist activity, to women’s reform movements in the Gulf and arms proliferation in Yemen.

New Book on Military Reform Released
Released by Greenwood Press is a new book, “Military Reform: A Reference Handbook,” co-authored by Winslow T. Wheeler, director of CDI’s Straus Military Reform Project, and Lawrence J. Korb, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a senior adviser to the Center for Defense Information. Together, Wheeler and Korb have over 65 years of experience in Congress, the Pentagon and the private sector. If anyone has seen the flaws in America’s national security apparatus – up close and personal – it is these two. Some will think, even assert, that America’s Armed Forces are the best in the world, even in history. This is empty political rhetoric of the most specious and foolish kind. We present excerpts from the book for those entertaining such delusions, as well as a link to the publisher and information about purchasing.

Center for Defense Information’s 2007 Military Almanac
Prepared by CDI’s Straus Military Reform Project, the 2007 Military Almanac is an up-to-date, fact-filled, comprehensive guide to U.S. military, defense and policy issues. Order it now ($45) by calling the World Security Institute at 202.332.0900.

Policy Brief: Iran, Iraq and Turkey
One year since the release of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group report, WSI Senior Fellow John Newhouse revisits the Study Group’s recommendations in his latest policy brief, “Iraq, Iran and Turkey: A Regional Approach.”

World Security Institute’s 2006 Annual Report
The World Security Institute’s 2006 annual report is now available online. The report includes information and a yearly review on all WSI divisions, including Center for Defense Information, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Azimuth Media, International Programs, and the International Media Division.

Caucusus Context, Vol. 5, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2008
Caucasus Context is a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary journal focused on regional integration and cooperation among the three South Caucasus republics: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. This issue focuses on a variety of issues, including possibilities for cooperation in the region and ethnic minorities.

The World Security Institute
The World Security Institute (WSI) is a non-profit organization committed to independent research and journalism on global affairs. Given the extraordinary growth of global interdependence, WSI provides an innovative approach to communication, education, and cooperation on the social, economic, environmental, political and military components of international security.

World Security Institute
1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington , DC 20036
tel: 202-332-0900
www.worldsecurityinstitute.org

Originally posted 2008-03-26 12:51:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Body Scanners Installed In Airports

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Body Scanners Being Installed At 10 of Nations Busiest Airports
June 6, 2008

Body-scanning machines that show images of people underneath their clothing are being installed in 10 of the nation’s busiest airports in one of the biggest public uses of security devices that reveal intimate body parts.

The Transportation Security Administration recently started using body scans on randomly chosen airline passengers in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Denver, Albuquerque and New York’s Kennedy airport.

Airports in Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas and Miami will be added this month. Reagan National Airport near Washington starts using a body scanner today. A total of 38 machines will be in use within weeks.

“It’s the wave of the future,” said James Schear, the TSA security director at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, where two body scanners are in use at one checkpoint.

Schear said the scanners could eventually replace metal detectors at the nation’s 2,000 airport checkpoints and the pat-downs done on passengers who need extra screening. “We’re just scratching the surface of what we can do with whole-body imaging,” Schear said.

In Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where scanners have been tested since last year as an alternative to pat-downs, 90 percent of passengers choose to be scanned, the TSA says.

“Most passengers don’t think it’s any big deal,” Schear said. “They think it’s a piece of security they’re willing to do.”

The TSA effort could encourage scanners’ use in rail stations, arenas and office buildings, the American Civil Liberties Union said. “This may well set a precedent that others will follow,” said Barry Steinhardt, head of the ACLU technology project.

Scanners are used in a few courthouses, jails and U.S. embassies, as well as overseas border crossings, military checkpoints and some foreign airports such as Amsterdam’s Schiphol.

‘The ultimate answer’

The scanners bounce harmless “millimeter waves” off passengers who are selected to stand inside a portal with arms raised after clearing the metal detector. A TSA screener in a nearby room views the black-and-white image and looks for objects on a screen that are shaded differently from the body. Finding a suspicious object, a screener radios a colleague at the checkpoint to search the passenger.

The TSA says it protects privacy by blurring passengers’ faces and deleting images right after viewing. Yet the images are detailed, clearly showing a person’s gender. “You can actually see the sweat on someone’s back,” Schear said.

The scanners aim to strengthen airport security by spotting plastic and ceramic weapons and explosives that evade metal detectors and are the biggest threat to aviation. Government audits have found that screeners miss a large number of weapons, bombs and bomb parts such as wires and timers that agents sneak through checkpoints.

source: [nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/06/06/body-scanners-being-installed-at-10-of-nations-busiest-airports/]

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Originally posted 2008-06-06 13:31:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMPLETE FRUSTRATION

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THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMPLETE FRUSTRATION
by Barry Chamish

guns n slaves

In Annapolis, non-entities Olmert and Abbas, agreed to solve all their
problems within a year. The “problems” of course, are Israel’s. Israel
will agree to divide its capital, remove its heartland and its residents
from the map, take in the enemy “refugees,” and crush all opposition
violently. If not, and even so, it’ll take an all out war to put an end
to Hamas and Hizbullah. A war which Maj. Gen. Yaacov Amidror warns,
Israel may lose because its armed forces, even in rear bases, will be
bombarded with thousands of missiles. Even its air force won’t get off
the ground if its runways are pockmarked with craters.

In Dec. 1993, I interviewed Oslo author Ron Pundak, with my then partner
Joel Bainerman. He told us something that I’ve been repeating ever
since. He said, “My boss (Yossi Belin) doesn’t believe in borders.
Borders cause wars. When Oslo is completed, Israel won’t have borders.”
Instead Israel will blend into a new Middle East trade bloc.

Continue reading →

Originally posted 2007-11-28 08:35:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

UK Women Humanity’s Sole Representatives-JBS

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Scientists in the United Kingdom believe that women may be evolving as humanity’s sole representatives.

babylon science

There is a bill in the British parliament that may become law next summer saying fathers of artificially conceived children need not be recognized by the state. It’s called The Human Tissue and Embryos Bill and is barely raising an eyebrow in the UK. But it has caught the attention of some of those who would stand to gain from present scientific advances, social changes, and subsequently the legal changes that would result.

As if to lend credence to the dire predictions made in the bizarre 1969 hit song, In the Year 2525 [2], scientists drawing on the premise that male fertility is on the decline due to damaged genes on the Y chromosome are predicting that heterosexual reproduction may only last another 125,000 years or so. They draw this conclusion after noting that 7 percent of men are now infertile. They ignore, of course, that 93 percent of men are not infertile and probably very capable of reproduction. Despite this, “The core sex is female,” says Bryan Sykes, professor of human genetics at Oxford University, as he lends his voice to those in favor of proceeding with male-less involvement in conception. But can it really be accomplished?
Continue reading →

Originally posted 2007-12-20 12:21:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

End of the Spear

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Editors note: On our sites, we have the trailer for End of the Spear. When it came out, we put it here. This is a pure demonstration of the cost of the Gospel, in discipleship, in blood, in faith, and its effects. This is challenging, heart warming, inspiring, faith inspiring, and what’s more, it is true. There are many, many, who have gone before us in our faith walk for the LORD. The truth is, these five men and their wives, along with the children did not start out life wanting to be martyrs, martyrs wives, or children of martyrs. But this they became, by the grace of God, in Jesus Name, thus we have the transforming power of the Lord in this movie and the effects it has on those who follow Christ and on those who were the targets of his love and gospel, the tribal people of the Ecuadorian Rain Forest.

I have included both the movie here “End of the Spear”, and the documentary “Through the Gates of Splendor”. WIBR/WARN Editor

End of the Spear

Based on a true story, End Of The Spear tells the true life story of 5 young men: Jim Elliot, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Peter Fleming, and their pilot, Nate Saint who gave their lives for the Gospel. It also focusses on the families (specifically Nate’s son, Steve Saint) and their unbelievable response to such a senseless tragedy.

Finishing Watching this on Youtube Here, this is part two of twelve segments,

or

Watch the full Movie on Hulu here, End of the Spear

read rest of post to get links to ‘Beyond the Gates of Splendor’ info.

Continue reading →