9/11 Foreshadowing in Art and Film

ART HISTORY / ENTERTAINMENT

There is a plethora of artworks and films out there made before September 11th 2001 which are considered to foreshadow the events of 9/11. As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches this coming Sunday we would like to share some of these foreshadowed pieces.

#1. The Spiderman Film Trailer 2001.



#2. Alex Grey's painting "Gaia" from 1989.

The painting contains the WTC Twin Towers in the lower right, along with 2 planes and in the foreground are three figures resembling George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Osama bin Laden.

#3. Sculptor Michael Richards

Perhaps the most striking, tragic and bizarre example is the case of sculptor Michael Richards, the only artist with a studio in the Twin Towers that perished that day. Michael was killed in Tower 1 and his entire body of work was thought to be destroyed. One piece, discovered later at the North Carolina Museum of Art, was a self-portrait figure sculpture depicting the artist with many airplanes penetrating his body in a style similar to St. Sebastian.

Other examples abound. X-Men and Superman comic books, song lyrics by Prince, album art by bands, etc.

One might argue that there was no shortage of ideas about planes crashing into buildings that it was only a matter of time before someone used it for evil purposes.

In related news check out the videos of Barrie Zwicker, one of many filmmakers making documentaries which assert that 9/11 was an elaborate deception.

Speaking from a statistical perspective, buildings don't fall straight down. The chances of 2 buildings (3 if you count Building 7) falling straight down in the manner the WTC buildings did is highly improbable (if not impossible). (Plus in the videos you can clearly see the demolition squibs, which any demolition expert will tell you is explosions knocking out the support structures on each level on a timer. Bringing a building straight down using controlled demolition explosions requires months of planning.)

31 American Special Forces killed when helicopter shot down

POLITICS - On Saturday Afghan warlords shot down a US military helicopter during fighting in eastern Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans, most of them belonging to the same elite Navy SEALs unit that killed Osama bin Laden, as well as seven Afghan commandos. It was the deadliest single day loss for American forces in the decade-old war.

The much lauded, tight-knit SEAL Team 6 took the hit hard. It was also a heavy setback for the U.S.-led coalition as it begins to withdraw thousands of combat troops fighting what has become an increasingly costly and unpopular war.

None of the 22 SEAL personnel killed in the crash were part of the team that killed Osama bin Laden in a May raid in Pakistan, but they belonged to the same SEAL unit.

Special operations forces, including the SEALs and others, have been at the forefront in the recent strategy of killing key insurgent leaders in targeted raids. The operation has been jokingly called "Hydra" because every time one leader's head is chopped off, another grows back. (In Greek myth the 5-headed Hydra would regrow its heads when they were chopped off.)

[Hydra is also a fictional terrorist organization in the comicbook Marvel Universe.]

Explosive missile warheads stolen from Romanian train

POLITICS - 64 missile warheads have been stolen from a Romanian train. The train was transporting military equipment to Bulgaria. Prosecutors said today they are investigating the theft.

Spokesman Marius Militaru says the explosive warheads are not dangerous on their own, only when attached to a missile... or when disassembled to get the explosives out. In other words, the warheads are very dangerous in the wrong hands.

Officials today did not respond to inquiries regarding how much explosives the warheads contained. (We can guess its enough to level a large building.)

Railway workers on Saturday noticed the seals on a carriage door were broken, and it was not properly closed when the train reached Giurgiu, a Danube port that borders Bulgaria.

Tohan Zarnesti, the Romanian company that was shipping the warheads, produces artillery ammunition, ground to ground missiles, air to ground missiles and warheads for 122mm missiles.

It can now be assumed that the 64 explosive warheads are now in the hands of terrorists or people intending to sell them to terrorists.

FYI, its not that hard to make a missile. True, it is technically "rocket science", but the basics of how to make a missile can be learned from YouTube videos. Or even a guidebook on how to make your own fireworks.







Seriously, its far too easy.

Spokesman Marius Militaru was lying through his teeth when he said the warheads aren't dangerous. They're designed to explode on impact. You could drop them out of a plane or a helicopter on to the target (or leave them on railway tracks to be hit) and still have the same explosive damage.

US Investigators find Osama bin Laden's porn stash

POLITICS/SEX - US investigators going through Osama bin Laden's computer and other materials from his secretive compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, have found Osama bin Laden's secret stash of pornography.

Investigators won't say what the stash of naughty photos and videos contains, but prying eyes want to know.

And the rumours are circulating wildly. Everything from the silly to the outrageous. Suffice to say such material will never see the light of day, and the rumour mill will be turning non stop now.

Its bad enough the White House is refusing to release photos of a dead Osama bin Laden to confirm to the world that he really is dead.

There is even just a possibility this is all just a rumour started by Homeland Security in an effort to demoralize Osama bin Laden's ragtag band of followers by besmirching his name.

If so, expect more news in the future that Osama bin Laden really wasn't a Muslim and that he had secret Satanic writings, that he privately committed all sorts of sins, that he didn't pray towards Mecca, etc.

As long as they don't find any of Osama bin Laden's personal notes admitting that he didn't plan the September 11th attacks and pointing out that he never took credit for it.

Reporters confusing Obama and Osama

ENTERTAINMENT/POLITICS - We've all done it. Confused the names Obama and Osama at some point.

Its just funnier when the news media does it.

The following clip is from Jimmy Kimmel Live! and features news broadcasters mixing up the names of President of the United States Barack Obama with that of dead terrorist Osama bin Laden.

Broadcaster Carolyn Jarvis, who is shown several times making the mistake, is a correspondent for Global National and Global’s weekly newsmagazine, and anchors the Saturday edition of Global National.

Who will replace Osama Bin Laden?

POLITICS - For decades during the Cold War the Soviet Union was the devil incarnate. Inflated the threat to unbelievable levels and it was only after the fact we learned most of it was just mythology and paranoia.

During the early 1990s Iraq and Saddam Hussein became the new focus.

Following September 11th terrorism and Osama Bin Laden...

But now that both Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are dead, who will we make the new devil? Who is the new enemy that needs to be vanquished?

Possible Baddies include:

Muammar Gaddafi / Libya

Kim Jong Il / North Korea

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad / Iran

Of course there is also the conspiracy theorists who believe Osama Bin Laden isn't really dead. There was no photos or video of Osama Bin Laden's dead body, he was buried at sea, and no proof he actually died. There were fake photos made by members of the media, but that hardly counts. People aren't going to believe it until they actually see photos and/or video of Osama Bin Laden dead.

The same thing happened with JFK and Che Guevara. Photos of their dead bodies had to be released before people could really believe it was true.

And back to the devil idea... Does the United States really need to find a villain overseas? Certainly they could villainify someone in their own backyard and improve their own country for once instead of stirring up trouble overseas.

OSAMA BIN LADEN IS DEAD

POLITICS - Osama Bin Laden was killed last night by a helicopter raid in the town of Abbottabad, Pakistan. The raid on Osama Bin Laden's fortress in western Pakistan was a daring attack vs a small army of bodyguards. President Barack Obama made the announcement last night.

Note: The lead up to and the final assault is sure to become a feature film.

Osama Bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda, was shot in the head while fighting back against the helicopter assault force. One of Osama Bin Laden's sons died with him.

Osama Bin Laden was living in a house in the town of Abbottabad that was “custom built to hide someone of significance” according to US intelligence officials.

Abbottabad is approx. 100 kilometres from the Pakistani capital Islamabad, far from the remote mountain caves along the Pakistan-Afghanistan tribal border where it was believed he was hiding.

Instead Osama Bin Laden was living in a million dollar mansion just a stone's throw from the Kakul Military Academy, an army run institution where top military officers train.

Osama Bin Laden has been in hiding ever since September 11th 2001, accused of plotting the terrorism attacks of that terrible day.

The 5-year-old compound Osama Bin Laden was hiding in was guarded by 12 to 18 feet high walls, barbed wire, burned its own trash so people wouldn't snoop through garbage, had no phone or internet connections to the outside, internal walls and two separate security gates. It was practically a prison already.

The building was 8 times larger than other homes in the area and stuck out like a sore thumb. Its amazing people didn't question who actually lived there, and with the military academy so close it seems odd. It was really a matter of time before someone in US intelligence noticed the strange building during visits to the nearby academy.

As it turns out it was a Pakistani informant who told the USA where to find Osama Bin Laden. The informant told the CIA about a courier who worked for both Khaled Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Faraj al-Libi, both high ranking Al Qaeda members. The CIA then tracked the courier to the compound, which kick started an investigation into who might be living there.

The helicopter raid started being planned weeks ago...

On March 14th President Obama held the first of a series of 5 high security meetings to plan the operation. The last meeting was Friday at 8:20 a.m.

Following the meeting Obama traveled to Alabama to witness the damage from the recent tornadoes.

Many critics and conspiracy theorists have long believed that Pakistan might be hiding Osama Bin Laden within their border. The proximity to their highest ranking military academy suggests possible collusion with the Pakistani military.

The team of helicopter pilots and the assault crew are already being hailed as heroes. No Americans died during the assault.

Osama Bin Laden's body was recovered during the assault and American forces are now debating what to do with it. Like JFK and Che Guevara it will likely have to be shown publicly before people will believe he is dead.

Russian Airport attacked by Terrorists, 31+ killed

POLITICS - A suitcase full of explosives was carried into Moscow’s busiest airport today by a suicide bomber. The explosion killed 31 to 35 people and wounded almost 170. Exact numbers have not been released yet.

Domodedovo Airport's international arrivals terminal was engulfed in smoke, and body parts scattered as shrapnel, screws and ball bearings inside the suitcase went off with the deadly impact of shards from a giant grenade. Hundreds of international visitors to Russia were in the area at the time of the explosion.

President Dmitry Medvedev immediately ordered beefed up security at Moscow’s two other commercial airports and also bus and train terminals. He cancelled a trip to Switzerland, where he had hoped to promote Russia as a profitable investment haven free from violence.

Its evident that Russia is not as safe as he would like. The suicide bomber has yet to be identified. They believe to have found his severed/charred head.

The explosion, which occurred at 4:32 p.m. (1342GMT), could be the result of Chechen militants who have claimed responsibility for previous terror attacks in Moscow. A Chechen double suicide bombing on the subway in March 2010 killed 40 and wounded over 100 people.

Questions are now being asked as to whether Russia should host the 2014 Winter Olympics. FIFA this past weekend announced that Russia will host the 2018 World Cup for Football (Soccer).

Terrorist attacks have been growing in Russia in recent years. In 2004, Chechen suicide bombers managed to sneak past Domodedovo Airport security and killed 90 people when they blew up two planes.

Chechnya has been fighting for independence for over a decade now. The republic wants to throw off Russian rule and form their own government, free of Russian influence. Two disastrous wars between Russia and the republic’s separatists have not quelled their desire for independence.

Its not certain if any Canadians or Americans were injured in today attack. Two British people are among the dead.

A Domodedovo Airport spokesperson said 35 people were killed. Emegency services say it was 31 people confirmed. The discrepancy has not been explained.

Amateur video taken after the attack has been posted on YouTube and shows piles of bodies on the airport floor and more bodies scattered around.



Built in 1964, Domodedovo is located 42 km (26 miles) southeast of Moscow and is the largest of the three major airports in the region, serving 22 million passengers / year. It is considered to Russia's most high tech airport, but its lax security procedures are often questioned.

Rebuilding the World Trade Center in NYC

ART HISTORY - As architecture goes the new World Trade Center in New York City is going to be one of the most iconic and controversial buildings of the 21st century.

As the 9th anniversary of September 11th approaches the pace of construction on the site is rapidly changing the shape of the site now known as Ground Zero. Approx. 2,000 construction workers are busy like bees there, every day, 7 days a week. They're pouring concrete, arranging new beams and columns, pipes and electrical lines.

You can even watch their progress on a webcam at rebuildgroundzero.org.



If we ignore the controversy about how the building was brought down, whether it was really terrorists or a conspiracy by George W. Bush and the Bush Administration and even the allegations that the building was brought down using explosives in a controlled implosion because jet fuel doesn't burn hot enough to weaken girders... well then what you're left with is a memorial site dedicated to the 2,977 who died on September 11th.

The memorial is planned to be finished by September 2011, just in time for the 10th anniversary of September 11th.

But apparently that is not good enough. Americans also want their tall building(s) back and so they've made plans to build a new glass and steel structure designed by American architect David Childs.

The new building will be 1,776 feet (541.32 meters) tall, have 105 floors, 2.6 million square feet (241,000 square meters) of floor space, an observation deck, restaurant, parking, and broadcast and antenna facilities and is due to be completed by April 2013.

The old World Trade Center buildings had to be torn down anyway due to faulty construction and asbestos lawsuits. Larry Silverstein, the owner of the lease on the WTC buildings really lucked out when it all came crashing down in a stellar example of a controlled implosion. Whether you believe that or not is up to you.

Iraq War officially over, says Obama

POLITICS - “Operation Iraqi Freedom is over," says United States President Barack Obama.

The declaration was spoken in a live address from the White House's Oval Office, marking the end of American combat operations in Iraq after 7 years of inability to find Weapons of Mass Destruction and the USA presiding over a civil war being Sunnis and Shiites.

Obama praised American soldiers, but admitted they still have work to do in Afghanistan where he now plans to take troops on the offensive. The 50,000 troops currently in Iraq are scheduled to leave by the end of 2011. Some may leave sooner to be restationed in Afghanistan where they are needed for a growing offensive against Taliban strongholds.

The fate of Iraq's feuding Sunni and Shiite factions, to say nothing of the Kurds in the north will have to be dealt with through diplomacy. The toll of the Iraq War includes 4,400 American soldiers killed, almost 32,000 wounded and over 106,000 Iraqi deaths (Stats from Iraqbodycount.com).

Obama didn't assign blame for the Iraq War and its failings. “It’s well known that he and I disagreed about the war from its outset. Yet no one could doubt President Bush’s support for the troops or his love of country or his commitment to our security,” said Obama.

On the topic of Afghanistan the President renewed his promise to drawback troops there in August 2011, which implies that if the USA still has works to do there it needs to be done more quickly and efficiently. "As was the case in Iraq, we cannot do for Afghans what they must ultimately do for themselves," says Barack Obama.

“The pace of our troop reductions will be determined by conditions on the ground and our support for Afghanistan will endure. But make no mistake – this transition will begin – because open-ended war serves neither our interests nor the Afghan people’s."

America's slow withdrawal of troops from Iraq also means that if war breaks out with Iran or North Korea that the USA will have more experienced troops they are able to draw upon in the event of such a conflict.

Should the USA be worried about militias?

POLITICS - Should the United States be worried about the growth of anti-government militia groups? Yes and no, but for different reasons.

Since 2008 there has been an astonishing growth of anti-government militia groups with a hatred of the White House, the New York Stock Exchange and America's banking industry. The recent capture of the Hutaree militia / terrorist group for example was planning to attack police officers in the hopes of setting off a civil war between militia groups and the U.S. government.

Yes, the USA should worry about terrorist attacks on government and financial institutions. Such attacks would damage the USA's economy and defensive capabilities, leaving long term repercussions on civil liberties and the economic status quo.

No, the USA should not worry about possible civil war with militias. People are overestimating the number of right-wing fanatics out there actually willing to declare war on their own government. Wackos are rare and their schemes are ludicrous to say the least. The vast majority of militia groups support the government, not the other way around, so the assumption that all militias are inherently anti-government is wishful thinking on the part of would-be terrorists.

But that doesn't mean the government should not take these groups seriously for the potential to damage and cause chaos.

Calming down these people will take time however. We can't just assume they're all Astroturf conspiracy theorists. Some of their anger is real, especially when it comes to bank bailouts and the current economic crisis. It doesn't matter whether they blame Bush or Obama, they blame the government in general and that dissatisfaction needs to be addressed so that such groups can be diffused with common sense instead of calling out the SWAT team.

See Also
Christian militia sought civil war with US government
Anti-government sentiments a cause for concern
William Swor, Hutaree lawyer must be on crack

JTF2 returns home to Canada

CANADA - One of Canada's elite commando units, the JTF2 commandos, have returned home to Canada after serving in Afghanistan for almost 9 years.

In their first raid back in late 2001 the team captured a computer hard drive which later helped with gathering intel about Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders. Since then the JTF2 (Joint Task Force 2) have been involved in the capture of over a hundred top level Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders.

The JTF2 has been pretty mum on their operations in Afghanistan but now that they're returning home it doesn't seem to matter any more. Their mission is over.

When they first setup a base of operations in Kandahar they only had 2 weeks of food/supplies and there was a logistical snafu when nearby countries refused to let Canada's forces fly over their territory to drop in more food and supplies. The JTF2 had to rely on the Americans for food, bullets and even transportation.

There were other problems too. The JTF2 was part of Task Force K-Bar which included six U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets, etc.) and special elite units from other countries involved. During the assault in which they gained the computer hard drive the American helicopter carrying them had a rough landing and later on their way back to the base it nearly ran out of fuel.

Since that rough beginning the team has been credited with destroying Taliban and Al Qaeda weapons and training grounds, searching caves, compounds and hideouts, performing search-and-rescue operations and calling in bomb strikes on the enemy from their mountain vantage points.

There were other Canadian forces in Afghanistan too, regular army units which were more in charge of local security in Kandahar and road side bomb detection teams. The JTF2 however got all the high-stakes missions... and won praise from their American allies who were at first confused as to "Who the f*** is the JTF2?"

The JTF2 were busy right up until the end. Their final mission was an assault on an enemy compound located three-and-a-half hours by helicopter from their home at Kandahar Airfield. 24 JTF2 members snuck up under the cover of darkness, blasted a hole in the side of the compound using explosives and then forced a surrender of 53 resistance fighters inside.

They arrived back at Kandahar at 7 AM in the morning. An hour later they boarded a plane bound for Canada and home, their mission completed.

William Swor, Hutaree lawyer must be on crack

POLITICS - The following is a list of things uncovered by the FBI from the Hutaree Christian terrorist militia in Michigan (according to court papers released Monday):

Dozens of assault Rifles
Machine Guns and Sub-Machine Guns
Thousands of rounds of ammunition
Nazi propaganda
Crack cocaine
Steroids
Gas masks
Hand grenade instructions and schematics for building your own hand grenades.
Potassium chlorate, an incendiary commonly used in explosives
Swords and machetes
A copy of "My New Order" by Hitler
Audio of "The Turner Diaries", a novel that is popular with white supremacists
A samurai sword
A jeweled dagger
A ballistic helmet
An intrusion detection machine
A CD titled "Explosives, Ordnance and Demolition."
A variety of computer hardware
Mapquest directions to a terrorist target in Washington state

David Stone Sr. and eight other members of the Michigan-based terrorist group known as the Hutaree plotted the mass killings of police officers in the hope of sparking an anti-government revolution. They are charged with seditious conspiracy, planning to use weapons of mass destruction. The group was planning to overthrow the American government and declare their own country (comprised of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana) a new Christian state.

William Swor, the defence attorney for Hutaree leader David Stone Sr. called the prosecutions assertions "nonsense" and after listening to the list of items found in the raid responded with: "It sounds like a big 'So what?'"

Swor's defence of the Hutaree is based on his concept that its not illegal to plan to use WMDs or plan to overthrow the U.S. government. Except it IS illegal. Its called seditious conspiracy.

If it was a group of Muslims planning to overthrow the U.S. government there wouldn't even be a question over the fact that their plot was uncovered and foiled. This argument of "So what?" is so ridiculous the only conclusion is that the defence lawyer William Swor is either high on drugs or is mentally disturbed.

I did a Google search and found William Swor's website, where it says he also defends drug traffickers.

He also published a written work in 2007 titled: "Defending the Non Citizen, The Anti Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act" in which he talks about defending terrorists...

So in conclusion he helps drug dealers and terrorists. Nice combination. And for some silly reason he thinks its perfectly legal to plan acts of terrorism and sedition. Yep, he's probably on crack.

Parliament Hill getting Submachine Guns

CANADA - The RCMP has been ordered to up security around Canada's Parliament Hill following security concerns that a gunman might try to attack the center of Canada's government.

Thus RCMP officers will now be toting Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns in their vehicles patrolling around Parliament Hill.

Security concerns were raised in December 2009 when protestors used a ladder to climb up the side of the Parliament building and unfurled a banner mocking Prime Minister Stephen Harper's stance on climate change.

No new guns were purchased, the RCMP had old MP5s in storage and the officers patrolling are be given a refresher course in their usage. MP5s are significantly better at providing stopping power at a medium range than the current 9mm pistols the RCMP usually carry.

The RCMP didn't say whether there has been any specific threats against the government or Stephen Harper.

Christian militia sought civil war with US government

POLITICS/RELIGION - 9 Christian people living in the Detroit area are in jail today charged with conspiracy to preparing to overthrow the U.S. government. Their plan was to kill police officers, attack police stations with homemade bombs and eventually expand their civil war to attacking the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security.

Their hope was to inspire other groups and individuals into a full scale Christian war against the US government with plans of installing a Christian fundamentalist government.

The Midwestern Christian militia members were lured out in a ruse by the FBI to attend a phony memorial service last Saturday and then arrested. Several other weekend raids netted the a total of 9 Christian militants.

According to a FBI source "they had enough firearms to make Sarah Connor jealous", referring to the mother in Terminator I and II.

"We basically set up a scenario where we were able to draw them all to one location," said Andrew Arena, head of the FBI in Detroit. "And the reason we did that was to obviously get them away from their weapons."

The nine members calling themselves the "Hutaree" ("Christian Warrior") were charged this week with seditious conspiracy, plotting to levy war against the United States, attempting to build and use weapons of mass destruction and other crimes. They planned to make a false 911 call, kill the responding police officers and set off a bomb at the police funeral to kill many more.

The plan was to begin during the coming weeks of April.

They were also plotting to blow up non-Christian schools with a high population of minorities, set fire to Mosques and Synagogues, kidnap and kill celebrities, build homemade missiles to shoot down airliners and assassinate CIA, FBI and Homeland Security officials.

Ringleader David Brian Stone of Clayton, Michigan, first start organizing the group years ago according to his ex-wife. The 9 members are:

David Brian Stone Sr., 44 (a.k.a "RD", "Joe Stonewall", "Captain Hutaree")
David Brian Stone Jr., 19 (a.k.a "Junior", "Jaggers", "BearBack" )
Tina Mae Stone, 44 (a.k.a. "T-Bod", "She-Stone")
Joshua Stone, 21 (a.k.a. "Josh")
Jacob J. Ward, 33 (a.k.a. "Jake", "Nasty Nate")
Thomas William Piatek, 46 (a.k.a. "T-Rock" )
Joshua Clough, 28 (a.k.a. "Azzurlin", "Az", "Mouse", "Jason Z", Charles")
Michael David Meeks, 40 (a.k.a. "Mikey" )
Kristopher T. Sickles, 27 (a.k.a "Pale Horse")

According to website photos however there are supposed to be 17 people (and a dog). Who are the other 8 people?

According to their website (hutaree.com) their slogan was "Preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive" and included several videos of training exercises set to German music. Their website also professes a hatred of the United Nations and vowing to create a "Colonial Christian Republic" which would expand Christianity through international war.

The FBI managed to discover the plot with the help of an undercover agent when it was determined the group was selling pipe bombs over the internet.

The number of Christian militias operating in the United States has grown in recent years, from 42 in 2008 to 127 in 2009. Police fear other Christian militia or so-called "Patriot" groups may become inspired to act.

More Bombings in Moscow

POLITICS - Two more suicide bombers attacked Russia today, killing another 12 people in Dagestan close to Chechnya. One of the bombers was disguised as a police officer. One of the suicide bombers detonated explosives in a car when police tried to stop the car in the town of Kizlyar near Dagestan’s border with Chechnya.

Its believed it wasn't an active suicide bomb attempt, but possibly may have been a bungled attempt to smuggle explosives north towards Moscow. The explosion may have been set off when the driver realized the car was going to be searched.

As investigators and residents gathered around the scene of the blast, a second bomber wearing a police uniform approached and set off a 2nd set of explosives, killing the town’s police chief and others.

Chechen rebels are fighting for the right to form their own government. Chechen militant leaders have vowed to bring their struggle to the heart of Russia.

Russia is refusing to give Chechnya independence because they need the oil pipelines that pass through the region.

Female bombers kills 38 in Moscow subway

POLITICS - At least 38 people are dead today and another 65+ injured when crowded subways in Moscow were the target of terrorist attacks by two Chechen women. Witnesses at the two stations targeted by the attack say people were trampling each other to get out the dust-choked subways following the explosions.

Chechnya has been fighting for independence from Russia for almost 20 years. The tiny country between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea has been a hotbed of unrest with routine terrorist attacks targeting Russian politicians and the general populace.

Russia is refusing to negotiate with Chechen rebels. The region does have a large majority of Muslims, but the war they are fighting is not for an Islamic state but simply the right to govern themselves (which makes them similar to the IRA in Ireland or the Separatists in Quebec).

Chechnya declared independence in 1991, but Russia is refusing to acknowledge it as legitimate. They aren't the only ones claiming ownership either. Emir Dokka Umarov of the Caucasus Emirate also claims the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria as a Vilayat (Province). Russia wants the region for itself because of key oil pipelines that pass through Chechnya.

Today's attack and the high death makes it the worst attack on Moscow since February 2004. The fact today's attack was planned and carried out by female bombers suggests these attacks will continue for as long as Russia maintains its presence in Chechnya.

Past Bombings in Moscow Subways

Aug. 31, 2004: Female suicide bomber blows herself up outside the Rizhskaya station, killing 10 people. A little-known Islamic group supporting Chechen rebels claims responsibility. The woman's identity was never confirmed.

Feb. 6, 2004: A suicide bomber from the North Caucasus sets off explosives during morning rush hour on a train traveling between the Avtozavodskaya and Paveletskaya stations, killing more than 40 people and wounding more than 100.

Feb. 5, 2001: Explosives placed under a bench on the platform of the Belorusskaya station go off, wounding 15 people.

Jan. 1, 1998: Homemade bomb explodes in vestibule of Tretyakovskaya station, wounding three people.

June 11, 1996: Homemade bomb explodes on train in tunnel between the Tulskaya and Nagatinskaya stations, killing four people.

What if Toronto got nuked?

CANADA - There is a little program online I stumbled upon called "Ground Zero" which allows you to do a search for a city or location and a Google map will pop up of that location. Then you select a nuclear weapon of some kind (they vary in sizes) and test what would happen if that particular city was hit by a nuke.

I chose Toronto and was disappointed to find out my home is right near the epicenter according to Google. Then I chose a 50 Mton Russian bomb called "Tsar Bomba", the largest explosion recorded in history.

It wiped out all of Toronto and the effects were as far away as Burlington, Oshawa and Newmarket. Yikes.

Of course, who actually has a 50 Mton nuke? For a bit more realism I chose a 1.4 Mton Mk28 which destroyed the city core and irradiated the rest of the city.

Then I tried the "Little Boy", the 15 kilotonne nuke that was dropped on Hiroshima. It only destroyed the neighbourhood around me, but the CN Tower, the SkyDome, Queen Street and the vast majority of the city was left untouched.

Conclusions? Even if a terrorist organization managed to build their own nuclear bomb (or several) why would they waste it on Toronto? The area it would damage would be relatively small. Only large enough to destroy PART of Manhattan Island in New York City.

Even a 400 kilotonne "Joe-4" would effect Manhattan and corners of surrounding neighbourhoods. Sure, it would be destructive and historians/politicians would talk about it for centuries, but the sad truth is it wouldn't be as big as people expect.

There would be, by sheer coincidence, a lot more survivors than dead people. The Hiroshima bomb killed 140,000 people and half of the fatalities occurred afterwards as people died slowly from radiation sickness, trauma, etc. At the time of the attack Hiroshima's population was approximately 340,000-350,000 people.

Thus should terrorists ever get a nuke, why would they waste it on Toronto which has a low population density when compared to high density target like Manhattan? The answer is simple. Toronto, Canada's biggest city, isn't a target at all, which means nuking any city in Canada would be a complete waste of time.

The 5 best targets are (I apologize to any people living in the United States reading this):

Washington D.C.
New York City
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Boston

If a person or group of individuals managed to get their hands on weapons grade nuclear material and built a bomb, they likely would not build one really big one. To make it more worthwhile they'd aim to build multiple smaller bombs which individually could each destroy the core of a city target. Plus having multiple weapons increases the chances of one or more of them actually successfully reaching the target and be detonated. I stuck Washington D.C. at the top of the list because it has more political / social / military significance. NYC is a high density, wealthy area, Los Angeles is an industrial backbone / entertainment city, San Francisco is both a military target and technological target, and Boston is a military / scholarly target. The Pentagon (honourable mention) lacks the nearby population to make it a worthy target.

Outside of the USA, Israel, Japan and South Korea are much more likely to be targeted by Iran or North Korea. Canada isn't even on their radar.

For fun the Ground Zero program also offers what would happen if an asteroid hit the earth. Ouch.

147+ Dead in Baghdad

POLITICS - If you thought the violence in the Middle East was going down you've thought wrong. Since George W. Bush made the choice to invade Iraq the violence has only gone from bad to worse to horrific.

And leaving Barack Obama to clean up his mess is hardly very presidential. Its the act of a man who has been avoiding public attention ever since.

Yesterday's tragic events for example: Multiple car bombings in Iraq killed over 147 people and injured over 721. The death and injury toll is continuing to rise in the deadliest attack in 2 years as the warring Shia and Sunni Muslims continue to battle for dominance.

Shia Muslims believe that the descendants of Muhammad should rule the land, whereas Sunni Muslims believe in following the actions, words and examples of Muhammad.

Needless to say that planting bombs in cars and killing innocent people of the opposing sect isn't very Islamic (the word Islam itself ironically means "peace"), but its not really about religion any more.

Its more of a blood-feud that is as old as Irish and British people killing each other. Last I checked the IRA's biggest religious beef for Catholicism Vs Anglicanism, but there's nothing "Catholic" about attacking British people with car-bombs and letter-bombs.

Yesterday's bombing also had political motivation. It targeted two government buildings and the dead include 35 employees at the Ministry of Justice and 25 staff from the Baghdad Provincial Council.

Three American contractors were wounded but not killed.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is currently seeking re-election. al-Maliki is a Shia Muslim, but he's been making efforts to reach out to Sunni Muslims and attempting to bring peace to Iraq. Its one of the reasons why he was elected in 2006 in the first place, taking over from Ibrahim al-Jaafari (also a Shia Muslim and a direct descendant of Muhammad). Before al-Jaafari was Ayad Allawi, also a Shia.

Saddam Hussein and many of political allies were Sunni Muslims.

Its important to note however that both factions seem equally willing to conduct violence and murder innocents for the sake of political posturing. Iraq is basically in a state of civil war as the two sects compete for control. Its also important to note that the USA originally helped the Sunni's and Saddam Hussein into power in 1979 and later helped Iraq against Iran during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s.

Yesterday's explosions were about two hundred meters from Iraq's Foreign Ministry, which is being rebuilt after massive bombings there in August 2009. Sectarian violence has been on the rise since 2006 and there is no sign of it going down.

Pakistan invades Waziristan

POLITICS - It should be noted that South Waziristan is actually a province of Pakistan, but it has become a lawless province in recent years because it has become overrun with an army of approx. 10,000 fighters including about 7,000 - 8,000 of Afghanistan's Taliban fighters, a few remnants from Al Qaeda (according to the CIA, but we know how inaccurate their info is), 1,500 hardened fighters from Uzbekistan, and mercenaries working for various local war lords.

30,000 Pakistani soldiers invaded Waziristan on Saturday and so far they claim to have killed 60 militants by Sunday evening, losing 6 soldiers in the process. There is currently a ban on journalists in the region to prevent the Taliban from garnering info about troop movements and locations.

The Pakistani army has tried three times previously to seize control of Waziristan since 2004, an area of approx. 3,300 square km, which has been under Taliban control for about 5 years now and serving as a base of operations for attacks across the Afghanistan border. Previous attempts to invade Waziristan called upon approx. 7,000 Pakistani soldiers, which proved to be an inadequate number.

American, Canadian and allied troops are not allowed to cross the border in pursuit of Taliban fighters, and the United States and other countries have been pressuring Pakistan to remove the threat from their side of the border.

The Taliban has also been staging attacks on the Pakistani government, killing 175 Pakistanis this month alone.

Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq said Sunday the militants had inflicted "heavy casualties" on troops and boasted "We will defend our land till our last man and our last drop of our blood. - This is a war bound to end in the defeat of the Pakistan army."

The Taliban has been seeking some sort of negotiation process wherein they could eventually return to their homes in Afghanistan peacefully, but are largely opposed to the social and political changes that have taken place in their homeland since 2001. The United States and current Afghan government is unwilling to turn a blind eye to militants who pose a potential threat if they are allowed to reintegrate into Afghan society.

According to fleeing residents waving white flags the Taliban are offering very little resistance and are simply migrating to safer regions. Some of the Taliban are leaving behind arms and ammunition, perhaps a sign they've given up on violence or simply had too much to carry.

Last week approx. 24,000 people fled from South Waziristan to neighbouring districts. 150,000 civilians have left in recent months after learning the Pakistan army was planning a huge offensive. Its believed 350,000 civilians are still living in the region.

Pakistan's military and security forces are currently on high alert, fearing counter attacks by fleeing militants. Militants are also expected to stick to guerrilla warfare, sniping at entrenched army positions and supply lines, creating road side bombs and settling in for the harsh winter.