Free Republic

Alexander the Great's "Crown," Shield Discovered?Sara Goudarzi for National Geographic NewsApril 23, 2008 An ancient Greek tomb thought to have held the body of Alexander the Great's father is actually that of Alexander's half brother, researchers say. This may mean that some of the artifacts found in the tomb—including a helmet, shield, and silver "crown"—originally belonged to Alexander the Great himself. Alexander's half brother is thought to have claimed these royal trappings after Alexander's death. The tomb was one of three royal Macedonian burials excavated in 1977 by archaeologists working in the northern Greek village of Vergina (see map of...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian concerns over Washington's plan for a missile shield in Europe will only be eased if Russian officers have permanent access to the shield facilities, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday. Russia says the planned shield is a threat to its own security and the row over the issue has helped to drive diplomatic relations with the United States to their lowest point since the Cold War. Moscow has, however, agreed to consider a set of confidence-building measures proposed by Washington to allay Moscow's concerns. "In all these many proposals we are interested only in two...

Poland Questions the Missile Shield The formerly staunch US ally has shifted its tone, and now an ambitious pet project of the Bush administration -- a missile shield to protect Europe and the United States -- is no longer a sure thing in Poland. Until recently, it looked like the US missile defense shield was a done deal when it came to cooperation with Poland. Although no formal agreement had been signed, the government under Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski seemed eager to make the Americans happy -- and was even willing to ignore European Union concerns when it came to...

Russia may have to retarget some of its rockets at the missile defenses that the U.S. is planning to deploy in Central Europe, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. "Our experts believe the system threatens our national security," Putin said at his final annual news conference in the Kremlin echoing comments he made on Tuesday. "If it appears, we will be forced to respond appropriately - we will have to retarget part of our systems against those missiles." He also said Russia could be forced to redirect its missiles at Ukraine if NATO bases are deployed in the country. "We...

· Scientists simulate solar wind in Oxfordshire lab · Magnets give protection against cancer risk "Shields up!" barks Captain James T Kirk as the Starship Enterprise braces itself for another blast from the Klingon cruiser, referring to that essential accessory without which the crew could never have ventured beyond the final frontier. And while real astronauts are not thought to face quite the same risk from alien species, engineers are developing a similar shield to protect them from the solar wind, a stream of high-energy charged particles from the sun travelling faster than the speed of sound. They say protecting...

A US F-16 fighter used an air-to-air missile to destroy a sounding rocket in its boost phase for the first time this week in a test of a new missile defense concept, US spokesmen said Tuesday. The system -- named the Net-Centric Airborne Defense Element (NCDE) -- breaks new ground in that it would arm fighter aircraft or drones with missiles fast enough to intercept a ballistic missile as it lifts into space. The aircraft would have to get to within a 100 miles of the launch site to catch the ascending missile in the first two to three minutes...

Atlantis Astronauts Inspect Shuttle Heat ShieldTariq Malik Staff Writer SPACE.com 37 minutes ago A torn insulation blanket (upper right) on the port side of the Shuttle Atlantis is shown in this video grab from the orbiter's end effector camera during a survey of the spacecraft's thermal protection system June 8, 2007. (NASA TV/Reuters) Astronauts aboard NASA's shuttle Atlantis scanned their spacecraft's heat shield for any signs of damage Saturday as they continue on course towards the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis launched into orbit late Friday on a planned 11-day construction mission to the orbital laboratory. Commanded by veteran shuttle...

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2007 – The Defense Department will take “every action necessary for as long as possible,” to ensure that troops fighting in Iraq are not affected by the delay in approval of its supplemental war funding, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday. The longer the supplemental funding goes unapproved, the greater the financial disruptions on the Army, but most of those will be absorbed as monies are transferred from accounts for U.S. construction, training, hiring and travel and funneled to supporting the war, Gates told Pentagon reporters. President Bush on May 1 vetoed an emergency war-funding...

KALININGRAD, April 12 (RIA Novosti) - Deployment of U.S. missile-defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic is an attempt by the U.S. to control Europe, the former Soviet president said Thursday. "It is all about influence and domination in Europe," Mikhail Gorbachev said. "I believe it is wrong that America did not even bother to consult its NATO allies." Asked how Russia could respond to these plans, he only said: "Time will show." The U.S. revealed plans in January to deploy elements of its missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland to counter possible attacks from Iran...

A senior Russian lawmaker called Saturday for Russia to be included in US plans to build a missile defence system in Europe, warning Moscow will otherwise view the antimissile shield as a threat. "Russia has every reason to be interested in close cooperation in creating Eurasian missile-defense systems," Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the State Duma, wrote in an opinion piece in the International Herald Tribune. "And any attempt to build them without Russia (which is not only an interested party but also geographically and technically the most suitable place for an effective antimissile defense) automatically...

The United States is trying to reassure Russia that an American missile defense shield in central Europe will not undermine Russia's national security, but the Kremlin's reaction so far has been deeply skeptical. The United States says the rockets it plans to build will carry no warheads, and are intended only to intercept attacking missiles. Authorities in Russia say the U.S. plan could drag the world into a new arms race. Anya Ardayeva reports for VOA from Moscow.

WARSAW -- The U.S. proposal to place radar and interceptor sites for a new missile defense system in Central Europe -- respectively, in the Czech Republic and Poland -- may generate a new security partnership with the countries of the region. Or it could provoke a spiral of misunderstanding, weaken NATO, deepen Russian paranoia [...] Early omens are worrisome. Some genius at the State Department or the Pentagon sent the first official note describing possible placement of the facility with a draft reply attached -- a reply that contained a long list of host countries' obligations and few corresponding U.S....

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2007 – Basing missile defenses in Eastern Europe would protect the United States, deployed U.S. troops and Europe against Iran and other rogue nations, but would pose no threat to Russia’s missile deterrent, the director of the Missile Defense Agency said here today. Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry Obering briefed media members at the National Press Club here about plans to deploy missile defense capabilities to Poland and the Czech Republic. The United States could put the first of a projected 10 interceptors in place by the 2011 time frame if the details are hammered out...

A top advisor to President Bush left for Moscow Tuesday to deal with rising tensions between the US and Russia over American plans to build missile defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic. The International Herald Tribune reports that national security advisor Stephen Hadley set out for talks in Moscow just a day after a Russian general warned that Poland and the Czech Republic could become targets if they played host to US antimissile bases, meant to defend against Iranian ballistic missiles. The trip by the adviser, Stephen Hadley, was planned weeks ago. But it now comes in the...

The Bush administration reiterated Thursday that the missile defense system it plans to build in central Europe is not directed against Russia. The comments follow a reported warning that Moscow might withdraw from a Cold War-era arms reduction agreement if the U.S. plans go forward. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.Officials here say Russia has been consulted at various levels about the U.S. missile-defense plans and intentions, and they say they are puzzled by the repeated caustic comments about the envisaged system from Moscow.The Bush administration announced last month it was opening formal negotiations with Poland and the...

WARSAW, Poland - The United States has entered a decisive phase in a plan to set up missile defense sites in Eastern Europe — a system Washington says is aimed at protecting itself and its allies against potential attacks from the Middle East. But the prospect of sophisticated U.S. radar and interceptor systems in formerly communist Eastern Europe has led Russian military leaders to warn of a new arms race. The system "would create a clear threat for Russia," Col. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin, the chief of Russia's Space Forces, warned Monday. The United States told Polish leaders it wants to...

Missile shield 'threatens Russia' The US has had mixed results from its missile tests US plans to expand its embryonic missile defence shield to the Czech Republic and Poland are an "an obvious threat", Russia military officials say.Poland has confirmed the US wants to negotiate the use of its territory to build part of its missile defence base. On Sunday, the US asked permission from the Czech Republic and received the backing of Czech PM Mirek Topolanek. Washington says it needs interceptor missiles in Europe to stop attacks by states like Iran or North Korea. It hopes to build...

Gone fission: Iran offers visits to nuclear plantsAfter the surprise announcement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear facilities will be opened to tourists, Persian Voyages says it is “awaiting formal instructions” on how to arrange visits, but is considering including nuclear plant stop-offs in its next trip in December. Nasrin Etemadi, managing director of Persian Voyages, the UK’s leading tour operator of trips to Iran, said: “We were very surprised by the announcement. I think it was made to show that Iran is a peaceful place. If even tourists can see nuclear facilities then it...

U.S. Must Move to Full Missile Defense by Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.Posted Oct 09, 2006This week, HUMAN EVENTS begins an occasional series of exclusive articles in which leading conservatives who served in the Reagan Administration explain how they believe the principles of Reagan conservatism ought to be applied today and in the coming years. This week, Frank Gaffney, who served in Reagan’s Defense Department, addresses the issue of missile defense. Ronald Reagan is now esteemed around the world for having the vision and the leadership skills to bring about the demise of the Soviet Union. He is less widely appreciated...

Poland wants US pact in exchange for missile silos WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Poland wants a bilateral pact and improved air defenses as part of any deal to become the first ballistic missile-defense hub outside of the United States, its defense minister said on Wednesday. There would be "downside" to hosting such a facility, Radoslaw Sikorski told a forum during a visit to the United States by Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The United States is seeking to put up to 10 interceptor missiles in underground silos in Poland or the Czech Republic to shoot down long-range missiles that could be launched...

CONTROVERSIAL SHIELD By W.Z. 6 September 2006 The location of part of the U.S. National Missile Defense (NMD) system in Poland, known as "the shield," remains an open issue. Although politicians of the governing coalition stress that the project would bring Warsaw even closer to Washington, voices opposing the construction of such military structures in Poland are equally vocal. According to the Pentagon, the shield is meant to defend the United States and their allies against a limited missile attack by any of the so-called "rogue states," such as North Korea and Iran. The system consists of ground-based radar and...

8/15/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Their mission is simple: save the lives of troops on the ground in Iraq by providing an electronic shield around them. That is the job of the 43rd Expeditionary Electronic Combat Squadron. Known as the Bats, they take to the air every day of the week to actively support coalition warfighters in harm's way by providing electronic combat coverage. As one of only a few electronic combat squadrons in the Air Force, the 43rd EECS's special skills are in high demand. When not deployed, the 43rd ECS and its sister squadron, the 41st ECS,...

Shanghai builds vast bunker to shield against terrorism attack (Filed: 31/07/2006) The authorities in Shanghai, which is the Chinese financial hub, have built a huge underground shelter against the eventuality of terrorism or industrial accidents. The vast 968,400sq ft subterranean complex could accommodate 200,000 people for up to 15 days.It is linked to government offices, commercial and residential areas and the transport system by a labyrinth of tunnels. The bunker can protect occupants from "nuclear radiation, poisonous gases, explosions and other disasters," the state's news agency Xinhua reported yesterday. "In peacetime, parts of the bunker could be used as garages,...

In the wake of two especially brutal attacks in Australia, ocean-lovers can try a new invention to ward off the toothy terrors This year got off to a bad start in Australia, which had its first fatality in January when 21-year-old Sarah Whiley died from shock and blood loss after being savaged by up to three bull sharks while swimming off a Queensland beach. A short time after, Bernie Williams was mauled on the elbow by a Great White, diving not far from Perth. The animal then proceeded to stalk him while he hid in a crevice on the ocean...

A victory for Hamas in Wednesday's Palestinian election will strengthen the Right in Israel and harm Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima Party, MKs on the Israeli Right said on Tuesday. They said a Hamas victory would serve as a wake-up call for the Israeli public that would begin a process of support shifting from Kadima and Labor to parties further to the Right. "Hamas is a terrorist organization that wants to destroy Israel, and it was strengthened by the disengagement," Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu told reporters outside the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The head of the Likud's...

Ok, Vic Mackey fans. This year Forrest Whittaker tries to do what David Acevedo and Glenn Close could not---tame Vic Mackey. Also, 24's new season should be starting soon! Man I'd love to see Jack Bauer and Vic team up for a little whoop-@ss on terrorists!

India has decided on a synergised land and air-based missile defence system, and the US, Russia, France and Israel would be invited as technology partners, should they agree, and on the Indian side, DRDO, ISRO and BARC will participate. Following a US presentation weeks ago, the government mulled the offer of outright purchase of a missile defence system, and rejected it, given the peculiar nature of the threat to India, with in-flight missile time from Pakistan being merely 3.50 minutes and from China seven minutes. After considerable brainstorming, the government has decided to split the missile defence system with a...

Some bad ideas look even worse at second glance. That's true of legislation that would potentially protect rogue police officers from scrutiny. The measure has been reintroduced in the Legislature, where it died last year. It deserves the same quick burial this time. Under the bill, statements made by law enforcement officials in internal investigations would no longer be subject to the state's Freedom of Information Act. The statements could be disclosed only if the individual responsible for them gave written consent or if a court subpoenaed them. The first is highly unlikely, the latter an unnecessary obstacle to the...

The IDF has revealed a revolutionary new protective shield system for its armored vehicles that intercepts and destroys missiles and rockets with a shotgun-like blast just before they hit. The system is called Trophy and was shown in public for the first time during this week's arms fair at the Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds during a conference on Low Intensity Conflict sponsored by the IDF's Ground Forces Services. The Trophy was developed by RAFAEL together and Israel Aircraft Industries' Elta Group and General Dynamics. Known as an "active protective system" (APS), it is seen as a major milestone in weapons...

This comes as no surprise, but our do-nothing neighbors to the North have declined participation in the missile defense shield. Apparently, the support just isn't there within the House to "risk" the Liberals losing future elections over. The fact that this issue is so charged that Canadians would vote them out of office if they supported it should give us all a little into the mindset of our "allies." I don't know how else to read it other than Canadians prefering to bind our hands when it comes to defense. Does the majority of Canada prefer to see more destruction...

The Lompoc RECORD First missile interceptor to be installed at VAFBBy Janene Scully - Associate Editor12/5/04 Countdown clocks ticking off minutes, hours and days will hit zero with this week's installation of the first missile defense interceptor at Vandenberg Air Force Base.On a remote section of northern Vandenberg early Tuesday morning, crews expect to begin lowering the first missile defense interceptor to its underground home.Rain or heavy wind could force the crews to postpone their work, officials warned.The missile, and a second to be added this month, join six already in place in silos at Fort Greely, Alaska, for the...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research provides further evidence that substances in kale, spinach and other green vegetables help protect aging eyes from cataracts. In an experiment, investigators found that human eye cells treated with antioxidants called lutein and zeaxanthin showed less damage after being exposed to ultraviolet rays, the sunlight ingredient considered a major contributor to cataracts. Cataracts occur when proteins in the eye's lens begin to clump together, forming a milky cloud that obscures vision. Currently, around 20 million Americans have cataracts, and research suggests that the more sunlight you are exposed to in life, the greater...

In the first step toward erecting a multibillion-dollar shield to protect the United States from foreign missiles, the U.S. Navy will begin deploying state-of-the-art destroyers to patrol the waters off North Korea as early as next week. The mission, to be conducted in the Sea of Japan by ships assigned to the Navy’s 7th fleet, will help lay the foundation for a system to detect and intercept ballistic missiles launched by “rogue nations.” Washington hopes to complete the network over the next several years.

Kobe Bryant Ruling a Step Towards Equity in Rape Trials By Glenn Sacks A Colorado judge issued a highly controversial decision late last month on a matter that should not be controversial. Judge Terry Ruckriegle ruled that Kobe Bryant, who is facing four years to life in prison for an alleged rape he claims was consensual sex, can introduce evidence that his accuser had other sexual encounters in the 72 hours before her medical examination for the alleged assault...

SAS ordered into Saudi Arabia to shield embassy By Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 23/06/2004) A 25-man SAS team has been sent to Saudi Arabia to bolster security at the British embassy and plan a possible mass evacuation of foreigners, defence sources said last night. The squad is backed by many more special forces troopers in neighbouring Qatar. This force would be summoned if the 20,000 British citizens in Saudi had to be withdrawn in a hurry. The members of the SAS team are counter-revolutionary warfare specialists and were deployed last week. The larger SAS force has been given diplomatic...

After the bombs stopped falling, Faith Fippinger ventured out into Baghdad. At a hospital, she found a man weeping beside his dying wife. Their six children had been killed in the attack, too, Fippinger said. When the man asked Fippinger where she was from, she told him the truth — the United States, which was dropping the bombs pounding the city. Not denying her citizenship was something she had sworn to do during her time in Iraq, Fippinger said. She wanted the Iraqis to know there were Americans who did not approve of the war on Iraq. "I would say...

<p>CANBERRA, Australia (December 3, 8:34 p.m. AST) - Australia has agreed to participate in a U.S. program to build a defensive missile shield, the government announced Thursday. "We believe that taking part in the U.S. program will serve our strategic interest, help us defend Australia and allow us to make an important contribution to global and regional security," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement.</p>

Doctors will apply to the High Court to turn off the life-support of a London student who has been in a coma since an Israeli soldier shot him. Tom Hurndall, 22, has been in a permanent vegetative state for more than six months after being shot in the head while taking pictures with a human shield group in the West Bank. His family, from north London, have been told there is no hope of him recovering. Anguish: Tom's parents Anthony and Jocelyn Other stories: Bosnich held over 'attack' No full Northern line 'until March' Tory plotters choose Howard Courtney Love...

RAMALLAH, West Bank, October 5 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Fearing Israel might exploit Haifa bombing to "remove" Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, thirty Israeli and foreign pacifists formed a human shield abound the Ramallah headquarters of the veteran Palestinian leader."We came here because we realized the suicide bombing in Haifa with its many casualties would provide an ideal pretext for (Israeli Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon to do what he wants to do for a long time -- to kill Arafat," former Knesset member Uri Avnery, who arrived with seven members of the Israeli pacifist group Gush Shalom (Peace Bloc),...

Hours after North Korea reportedly threatened to test a nuclear bomb, the Japanese Defense Ministry asked Parliament to spend $1 billion a year through 2007 to build an American-designed missile shield to defend the main cities of the Japanese archipelago. Under the plan, elaborated and accelerated in recent weeks, Japan would spend $1.2 billion next year, nearly 10 times the amount spent on missile defense over the last five years. "Given recent behavior, we cannot discount the possibility that North Korea's nuclear weapons program is already quite advanced," the Defense Ministry wrote in a White Paper prepared before reports Thursday...

Missile shield to protect Japanese By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor (Filed: 30/08/2003) Japan's armed forces yesterday asked for a large budget increase to build an anti-missile shield to protect the country from the growing threat posed by North Korea. The announcement from Japan's Defence Agency came on the day that six-country negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear programme ended in acrimony in Beijing. Japan, already worried by a North Korean missile test in 1998, has become alarmed by Pyongyang's moves in recent months to accelerate the development of nuclear weapons. The Japanese armed forces' request for £760 million to buy missile...

`I Saw the Suffering' By Lynn Waddell, Newsweek Web Exclusive Faith Fippinger, a 62-year-old retired teacher of the blind, was one of more than 200 international human shields who hunkered down in Iraq early this year in hopes of discouraging a U.S. attack. FOR FIPPINGER, it was the latest in a long series of global-idealist adventures. She's lived in Alaska with Eskimos, with the Aborigines in Australia and taught in Fiji and Japan. But it may be the first time her travels land her in jail. While more than half the human shields left Iraq before the war started, Fippinger...

Rev. Ken Joseph has spent his time helping the Christians of Iraq after its liberation by “The Coalition of the Willing.” He is currently touring the U.S. and is discussing the situation of the Christian Assyrians and the dangers posed to them by the Islamic fundamentalists. His next stop is Turlock, California as following: Thursday – June 12, 2003 7:00 PM Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock 2618 North Golden State Blvd. Turlock, CA Free Admission Presentation will be in English If you are local, your participation in this event will encourage Rev. Joseph to continue his mission of love...

Human shield from Eastern Assyrian Church who admitted he was totally wrong is on the Prager show. LINK TO KRLA WEBSITE FOR INTERNET FEED

Human shield quandary 3. april 2003 Justice Minister Lene Espersen has been asked to investigate whether 57-year-old Dane Helene Dreyer, who recently departed for Baghdad to act as a human shield against allied bombardments, has violated the Danish criminal code paragraph by aiding and abetting the enemy in a time of war. The chairman of the right-wing Danish People's Party youth organisation, Kenneth Kristensen, together with party deputy chairman Peter Skaarup, believes the question is worth asking. Kristensen said that individuals who serve as human shields for Saddam Hussein's regime are encompassed under paragraph 102 of the Danish criminal code....

Lets Assist the Human Shields with travel to IRAQ!!! Pick a place you would want them to go and stand and we will attempt to send them there! I can think of a few good places I would want them to go and stand. Please donate big bucks so we can try to place a few of them helping to shield the Iraq navy. Reality: Do not forget your local Reservist Relief Fund. This fund is to help support the families of the Reservists that were called to duty for this war against terror and fear. For more information contact...

Dear Mr. Carter: Let me begin with a belated congratulations on your being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As you noted in your book, Negotiation: The Alternative to Hostility, it’s important to understand that peace is impossible without justice. And justice is a two-way street, which means that the “war on terrorism” should not be about just us. A study of the Just War Tradition reveals that, though the criteria for it varies slightly among scholars, there are seven basic requirements that must be met in order for a war to be considered just. A just war must: 1) have...

Now Winnie wants to be a human shield in Iraq February 19 2003 at 05:21AM African National Congress MP Winnie Madikizela-Mandela wants to travel to Iraq as a human shield, and wants other women to join her. This is according to a statement on Monday, in which the ANC Women's League president criticised the Democratic Alliance for its comments on the state-of-the-nation address during a debate in parliament. "The DA, and elements within the ANC, will however be delighted to know that she is seriously considering a suggestion that she travel to Iraq as a human shield against American attacks,"...

Human shields warned over Iraq 14feb03 AUSTRALIANS planning to become human shields in Iraq were foolish and might not be able to be evacuated if war broke out, a senior foreign affairs official has said. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade warned its ability to help any Australian civilian wanting to leave Iraq during military conflict was very limited. "These people are, frankly, quite foolish for putting themselves in this position," Rod Smith, assistant secretary of DFAT's consular branch, said in response to a question from Labor's John Faulkner at a senate estimates committee. "If there was an...

   GEORGE WEBER, photo courtesy of: Christian Peacemaker Teams Canadian peace worker dies in accident in Iraq Ian Harrison, CTV.ca NewsA Canadian Christian peace advocate was killed Monday in a road accident in Iraq. George Weber, 73, died when the vehicle he was riding in blew a tire and rolled over.The accident occurred near the port city of Basra in southern Iraq.Weber, of Chesley, Ont., was in Iraq with a group called Christian Peacemaker Teams, a Chicago-based organization with offices in Toronto and other countries.He is the first member of the organization to lose his life in an overseas...