Το χαμομηλάκι: Η ρίψη ατομικής βόμβας στη Χιροσίμα και το Ναγκασάκι- Because somethings cannot be forgotten or forgiven...Ο βομβαρδισμός της Χιροσίμα από τις ΗΠΑ έλαβε χώρα λίγο πριν τη λήξη του Β' Παγκοσμίου πολέμου, στις 6 Αυγούστου 1945 και ήταν η πρώτη πολεμική πυρηνική επίθεση της Ιστορίας. Η βόμβα ήταν τύπου ουρανίου 235, η οποία είχε λάβει το προσωνύμιο "Little Boy" (αγοράκι) στο κέντρο συναρμολόγησης και δοκιμών Αλαμογκόρντο. Τα αποτελέσματα της έκρηξης δεν ήταν γνωστά εκ των προτέρων, μια και τέτοιου τύπου βόμβα δεν είχε δοκιμαστεί, όπως η βόμβα πλουτωνίου, που ακολούθησε.
Υπολογίζεται ότι επιτόπου φονεύθηκαν περίπου 70.000 άτομα, οι περισσότεροι άμαχοι. Πολύ περισσότεροι πέθαναν αργότερα ή έπαθαν σημαντικές βλάβες στην υγεία τους λόγω της ραδιενέργειας.
Byzantine Blog: Croats Systematically Destroyed Serbian PopulationFormer US Ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith who testified before the Hague tribunal on Monday, confirmed that ethnic cleansing of Serbs from Serbian Krajina region was a deliberate systematic operation and the state policy of Croat leadership, headed by Franjo Tudjman, which led to the mass scale ethnic cleansing in two blitzkrieg operations in 1995, codenamed Storm and Flash.
As a prosecution witness in the case against Tudjman's generals Ante Gotovina, Mladen Markaca and Ivan Cermak -- accused of conducting military operations aimed at forced and permanent removal of Serbian population from the Krajina region, including killing Serbian civilians and prisoners, expulsion, deportation, plunder of Serbian property, merciless destruction of Serbian-populated towns and villages and inhumane and cruel treatment -- Galbraith stressed that this was Croatia's state policy that continued to be enforced afterwards, preventing the expelled Serbs from returning to their homes and land in Croatia.
According to Galbraith, the systematic destruction and plunder of the Serbian property during the Storm, as well as prevention of their return, through the legal and other means undertaken after the operation, took place "because Croat state leadership -- Tudjman and the gang around him -- wanted it to happen, and they were happy when it did happen".
source: The Cyprus Action Network of Americaadditional reading: The "Storm" Wastelandupdate #1, 06/08/08:
Croatia: Anniversary of Operation Storm
Ex -US Envoy: Croatia Expelled Serbs update #2, 08/08/08:
Η σφαγή και ο ξεριζωμός των Σέρβων είναι διαχρονικός
Healthcare in Germany | A Political Glimpse from IrelandNPR launched a new series on healthcare last week focusing on the healthcare systems of Germany, France, Netherlands, U.K and Switzerland. I just stumbled upon this today, so for the moment I am going to discuss Germany. A few startling facts about the German Healthcare System:
1. Germany’s version of universal healthcare has existed for 125 years
2. The majority of German patients are happy with the healthcare system the way it is
3. The system is financed not by the Government but by the workers and their employers
4. Germany has a 99.8% coverage of its 82.3 million people
5. Children are completely covered until they are 18
