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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.

lchic - 01:30pm Apr 22, 2002 EST (#1656 of 1675)

Alex expresses concerns regarding the differences in juxtaposed economies. One neighbour rich, the other poor - and yet with unused Human Capital. The underutilisation of mindpower in one geographic zone leads to either migration of people, or, the lower-labour-priced nation to have to 'think' how to provide goods and services for export.

Provision may be via increased tourism, IT services, education and language services, contracting workers/services out, finding new markets - creating niche markets; looking hard at/for competitive advantage(s).

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China is coming unstuck re corruption. It seems that it isn't possible to move through that country without being apprehended by 'Highway Men' who (dressed as policemen - for that's their regular job) stop lorries and buses and demand a bribe. The government has for too long turned a blind eye to this corruption - and now the people are 'demonstrating' wanting reform.
Logistic planning by drivers has reached the point where they carry the regular load + the same again .. the latter to be used to PAY the Highwaymen!
If China really wanted to stop this corruption, using video cameras, or IntegrityMarshall riding shotgun - it could be resolved - fast!

lchic - 01:40pm Apr 22, 2002 EST (#1657 of 1675)

The Saudi-Russia link (6.00am) isn't available to us
Yet it looks interesting re 'agreement/fail' >>

Saudis Desperate for Russian Help Apr 19

lchic - 01:58pm Apr 22, 2002 EST (#1658 of 1675)

Media - Global village (7.10am)

The author offers an interesting perspective ... and yet reports via travellers to the USA say that the 'tv news' there is most often delivered in brief 'snatches' without depth analysis. These 'snatches' are replicated world wide.

Check out films from the USA - they are filled with guns, violence, and orange-flame-burning-diesal ....
Check out films from Europe - they aren't formula, are mostly 'human' re character/story, and often have an unpredictable ending.
The one markets to teenagers the latter to adults.

China news has interesting pictures - always touring factories and industry - the economy is their star.

A thought for the USA might be to make and distribute documentaries for international television on the theme of

'Improving your Third World Economy - how to '

Give teenagers insights removed from triggers and gunsights!

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/magazine/21WWLN.html

lchic - 02:16pm Apr 22, 2002 EST (#1659 of 1675)

If refreshing and re-indexing a database is this difficult ....

^{We are experiencing severe technical problems with our talk boards. We are working to restore this service, but this may take some time.
( Guardian London )}

almarst-2001 - 02:43pm Apr 22, 2002 EST (#1660 of 1675)

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/magazine/21WWLN.html

The TV version of the "Global Village" looks like a "Global Dressing Window".

The reason - $$$$$

The CNN as any other media network's main goal is to make money by keeping the audience entertained enough to swallow the COMMERCIALS. The rest is just a trap (if not a crap);)

almarst-2001 - 02:45pm Apr 22, 2002 EST (#1661 of 1675)

Recently, PRAVDA.Ru interviewed Mrs. Jean Lotus from the International Campaign Against Television. - http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/20/27815.html

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