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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?

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lchic - 08:09am Jan 22, 2003 EST (# 7893 of 7899)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Shakespeare IRAN ~ AXIS of CULTURE

" "We didn’t realise until we came to alter the play just how much physical contact there was between the actors. But because of the laws and cultural customs in Iran, we have had to be extremely careful about what takes place on stage.

"For example, men and women should not be seen to have any physical contact and they are definitely not allowed to kiss. The cast is trying to treat the whole thing as a stage challenge, but it is very difficult. In fact, we are going to take a huge risk by leaving at least one risqué scene untouched. It’s where King Leontes of Sicilia becomes jealous when King Polixenes of Bohemia touches his wife, Hermione.

"This is a key part of the play and we have to keep it in or the scene simply would not work. It’s risky but for the sake of art it’s a risk we’ll just have to take and face the consequences. "After all, we are taking Shakespeare to Iran. If the play is completely different it would defy the point of a cultural exchange."

Dominic Hill, the director - Dundee Rep., said that staging the play in Tehran would be one of his greatest challenges.

http://www.iranexpert.com/2003/shakespeare13january.htm

BBC recorded audience exit comments - that included improved sub-titles along with use of 'sign language' - this Cultural exchange has been warmly accepted.

lchic - 08:21am Jan 22, 2003 EST (# 7894 of 7899)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Sign Language ....

If the UN developed an international sign language ... how much more interesting and theatrical joint talks and negotiations would become.

Germany & France together are/would be working for 'No war in Iraq'

Blair (UK), Howard(Aus), Bush(USA) would have to defend their stances to the world and each other via the drama of acting out body language.

rshow55 - 08:26am Jan 22, 2003 EST (# 7895 of 7899)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

Commondata and lunarchick are beautiful , and do things no one could think of doing by machine. But sometimes questions of "what a machine can do" are worth thinking about - to judge how easy it might be to level a sociotechnical system by war - and then gracefully, cheaply, humanely put the pieces back together.

The risks and horrors are VERY great - and it isn't a guess to expect that things will go wrong in unexpected ways.

If we're careful, though, we can do very well.

Let me make a few nutsy-boltsy postings.

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