The nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea have been making headlines for years now. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists his nuclear ambitions are peaceful and that anyone who believes otherwise (most of the western world) are under the spell of the American Empire.

Then there’s Kim Jong-il, who wants to make it perfectly clear that North Korea is a force to be reckoned with. Unlike Iran, North Korea claims to already have these weapons in place andwill test these weapons in the not too distant future.

So How Does the World Respond?

Sanction this, sanction that, and eventually the test will happen regardless. Just like when he tested, and failed, those long range rockets earlier this year, Kim Jong-il will most likely go through with the nuke tests. And if he succeeds? What then?

I would imagine the same thing that has happened when the other nuclear weapon states learned how to blow the world up. Nothing. As of today, there are nine countries with nuclear weapons capabilities. Depending where you are in the world, most of these countries are, or at least have been, looked upon with great suspicion since they’ve declared themselves ready to play with the big boys.

Countries with Nuclear Weapons Capabilities: (continued on pg. O4…)

CBC Newsworld rebroadcast the documentary entitled Enemy Image last night and I was fortunate enough to catch it in its entirety. It is an account of U.S. military censorship laid down onto the media during times of war since Vietnam, with a brief discussion on what one might expect in the future. As many of you already know, the print and television journalists were allowed to present their unfiltered war stories and images to the general public with little government intervention. The horrors of war on display brought out large scale protests that helped end the quagmire that was Vietnam. The US government promised this degree of freedom will never again be granted to the media at large. (continued on pg. O3…)

It was just a few days ago that I wrote an article about the recent emergence of the new philanthropist movement. With Bill Gates and Warren Buffett promising billions of dollars towards a mélange of disease related research, I argued that this will hopefully be a sign of things to come (I’m looking at you Paul Allen). With the sixteenth annual AIDS Conference starting this Sunday, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced a further $500 million (USD) pledge towards the United Nations’ Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This comes mere weeks a similar donation of $287 million (USD) by the foundation to a series of HIV/Aids research teams across the world. It will be pointed out that these donations could still be considered small time expenditures considering what the countries of the world promise on a yearly basis. Actions, sadly, do speak louder than words. (continued on pg. O2…)