On:

Retired Army nonlethal weapons expert Col. John Alexander offers his thoughts on whether or not we are actually using the right strategy to efficiently defeat terrorism. In this thought-provoking article, first published in the Las Vegas Sun, he discusses the need for a strategy that will win the hearts and minds of terrorists and their supporters, not simply suppress their actions.

But can we do this? Do we have the energy, determination and faith in the value of freedom to really communicate our ideals to others? Always controversial and provocative, the author of Future War offers unique inights into these important issues.

To read Col. Alexander’s article, click here.
read more

On:

For most of the United States, winter 2001-02 will be a lot like a last year?s, with sharp swings in temperature and precipitation, including heavy snows in the Northeast and Midwest, cold air in the South, and blizzards along the East Coast. The absence of a strong El Nino or La Nina climate pattern means we will have a “typical” winter with a full range of extremes.

?We don’t expect a repeat of the record-breaking cold temperatures of November-December of last year, but this winter should be cooler than the warm winters of the late 1990s,? says Scott Gudes, NOAA?s acting administrator. ?Citizens should prepare for the full range of winter weather.?
read more

On:

A new study shows that ancient Egyptians used far more complex embalming techniques than previously realized. They used complex mixtures of plant and animal extracts to embalm mummies, and researchers have discovered traces of a wide variety of materials, including animal fats, plant oils, beeswax, and resins in minute samples from 13 mummies. Embalmers mixed cheap and plentiful ingredients with exotic juniper and cedar oils imported from the Middle East.The research, carried out by two chemists from the University of Bristol, is the first systematic scientific analysis of mummification. Richard Evershed and Stephen Buckley examined samples from 13 mummies spanning 2,300 years of Egyptian history.
read more

On:

British Prime Minister Tony Blair says that Osama bin Laden will be killed, while US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that he may never be caught.

Rumsfeld says it would be ?very difficult? to capture or kill him, but he believes that Afghanistan?s Taliban government will be toppled. He says, ?I think there will be a post-Taliban Afghanistan.?

Rumsfeld says of Bin Laden, ?He?s got a lot of money, he’s got a lot of people who support him and I just don?t know whether we?ll be successful. Clearly, it would be highly desirable to find him.? But he says Bin Laden?s terrorist network will carry on without him. ?If he were gone tomorrow, the same problem would exist.?
read more