Google

Saturday, June 9, 2007

SCARY VIDEO

SCARY VIDEO (DONOT WATCH ALONE)

THE BOY GETS SO SCARED THAT HE PUNCHES THE COMPUTER SCREEN

AMAZING SOCCER VIDEO

World Guinness Record: Most 90º Degree push-ups

MOST UNBELIEVABLE FOOTBALL GOALS

WEB SITES WHICH PROVIDES FUND FOR POOR.



06-09-2007 More
US Airways Education Foundation Seeks Grant Applicants
The US Airways Education Foundation announced today it has begun accepting applications for its 2007 Community Education Grant Program. The mission..


06-09-2007 More
New Mexico Women's Foundation Invites Applications for Women's Cottage Industries Program
The foundation's Women's Cottage Industries project helps women produce and sell handmade crafts as simple as rag rugs, as complex as developing..


06-07-2007 More
Dallas Women's Foundation Accepting Applications for Fall Grant Cycle
The foundation’s general funding cycle is in the fall. While all types of applications will be considered and funded in the fall of 2007, attention..


06-07-2007 More
Brown Rudnick Charitable Foundation Unveils New Grant Program Designed to Help Inner-City Educators
The purposes of the Community Grant Program are to simultaneously (1) encourage those involved broadly with the Brown Rudnick Center for the Public..


06-07-2007 More
National Gardening Association Invites Entries for the Youth Garden Grants Program
NGA awards Youth Garden Grants to schools and community organizations with child-centered, outdoor garden programs. In evaluating grant applications,..


06-07-2007 More
Retirement Research Foundation Accepting Grant Applications for General Program
The foundation's General Program funds service, education, research, and advocacy projects. The foundation is particularly interested in innovative..


06-01-2007 More
Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment (TRIAD) Funds
As the U.S. commitment to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom continues, the toll on military personnel and their families..


06-01-2007 More
The 2007 grant round for the Social Change Fund (SCF) is officially open! - Minnesota
The Women's Foundation of Minnesota funds projects that grow equality for women and girls in five cornerstone areas of social change: 1) Creating..


06-01-2007 More
Verizon Wireless Offers $30,000 in Grants to Non-Profit Groups in Metro New York and New Jersey
Verizon Wireless, the leading wireless company with the most reliable voice and data network, is seeking grant proposals for domestic violence..


06-01-2007 More
The ConocoPhillips SPIRIT of Conservation Migratory Bird Program
Funding Available: $600,000 annually Project AreaPriority will be given to projects in regions where ConocoPhillips has an operating presence,..


06-01-2007 More
The Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Awards
AARP is pleased to announce the creation of The Ethel Percy Andrus Legacy Awards. A $100,000 prize will be given to a public high school (grades 8 -..


05-30-2007 More
CIGNA Offers HopeLab's Re-MissionTM Video Game - Free!
CIGNA is using products developed by HopeLab to help young people with cancer improve their health and quality of life. CIGNA is offering them a free..


05-25-2007 More
American Bake Sale Offers Funding to Increase Participation in Afterschool and Summer Nutrition..
Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale® grants program helps ensure that low-income children receive nutritious food during critical times..


05-25-2007 More
Qwest Foundation/NDE Technology Innovation Grant - Nebraska
The Nebraska Department of Education has partnered with the Qwest Foundation to provide five $10,000 grants to educational entities across Nebraska...


05-25-2007 More
National Gardening Association's Healthy Sprouts Awards to Support School and Youth Garden Programs
As a way to encourage the growth of health-focused youth gardens, the National Gardening Association recognizes outstanding programs via the Healthy..


05-25-2007 More
Bikes Belong Grants Program
The Bikes Belong Coalition welcomes grant applications from organizations and agencies within the United States that are committed to putting more..


05-20-2007 More
Comerica Charitable Foundation
The Comerica Charitable Foundation funding priorities support community needs in our primary markets within Michigan, California, Arizona, Texas..


05-19-2007 More
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council - Promotion Grant
LMCC will provide direct grants of up to $12,000 to support new promotional efforts by Lower Manhattan-based cultural organizations with annual..


05-19-2007 More
Union Pacific Foundation Offers Funding for Community Programs
The Union Pacific Foundation accepts grant applications from nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations based in communities served by Union Pacific Railroad...


05-19-2007 More
Fund for Wild Nature Invites Applications for Grants Program
The Fund for Wild Nature (Fund) provides money for campaigns to save and restore native species and wild ecosystems, including actions to defend..


05-19-2007 More
Verizon Offers $25,000 in Grant Opportunities for Tennessee Nonprofits Addressing Internet Safety
The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, is seeking grant proposals from nonprofit organizations involved in programs..


05-15-2007 More
Liberty Media Corporation today announced the creation of the LibertyGives Foundation
Liberty Media Corporation today announced the creation of the LibertyGives Foundation. LibertyGives will distribute funds, based on employee chosen..


05-12-2007 More
The Dyson Foundation issues Requests for Proposals - May 2007
To address particular needs around after-school programs in certain geographic areas and the need for language services for non-English speakers all..


05-12-2007 More
New York State Health Foundation Launches Special Opportunities Grants Initiative
The New York State Health Foundation has announced the Special Opportunities Grants Initiative to support projects that represent a one-time chance..


05-12-2007 More
Save-the-Redwoods League Offers Education Grants
Save-the-Redwoods League is pleased to announce the availability of education grant funds to schools, interpretive associations, and other qualified..


05-12-2007 More
CVS Caremark Charitable Trust to Fund Health and Education Programs for Children With Disabilities
The CVS Caremark Charitable Trust was established with the goal of positively impacting the culturally diverse populations in communities where CVS..

TEXES UNIVERSITY WHICH PROVIDE FREE EDUCATION FOR POOR..

Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment (TRIAD) Funds

As the U.S. commitment to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom continues, the toll on military personnel and their families continues to grow. Texas military bases and personnel play an increasingly large role in the conflict and the need for support for them and their families grows each day. The Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund at the Los Angeles-based California Community Foundation has awarded grants of $5 million each to three Texas community foundations to support the efforts of nonprofit organizations that provide needed services in Texas to active and former military personnel serving in Iraq and/or Afghanistan and their families.

Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment (TRIAD) Funds have been established at The Dallas Foundation, the Permian Basin Area Foundation (Midland, TX), and the San Antonio Area Foundation.

Grant applications will be accepted from 501(c)3 agencies providing services in Texas. The foundations are researching the unmet needs by geography; please see the individual foundation pages for more details, deadlines and contact information. Please visit the RFP site for more information

US AIRWAYS WHICH PROVIDE FREE EDUCATION FOR PEOPLE...


US Airways Education Foundation Seeks Grant Applicants

The US Airways Education Foundation announced today it has begun accepting applications for its 2007 Community Education Grant Program.

The mission of the US Airways Education Foundation, Inc. is to support educational initiatives in communities the airline serves by promoting employee engagement and funding college scholarships to dependents of airline employees and community education grants to nonprofit organizations.

the US Airways Education Foundation, Inc., will consider providing grants up to $5,000.00 to non-profit organizations that submit grant applications describing educational programs that include any of the following criteria:

Educational programs that respond to the special needs of disadvantaged or disabled individuals

  • Educational programs that teach or enhance social responsibility
  • Educational programs that facilitate parental and/or community involvement
  • Educational programs that enhance academic achievement

(It is not necessary for each criterion to be included in the grant application; however, the above are key criteria the Grant Committee considers when rating the grant application.)

All applications must have been postmarked no later than midnight, August 1, 2007. For more details please visit the US Airways Education Foundation.

FREE FUNDS FOR POOR UP TO 1500$PER MONTH..

Funding Your Education

ATTENTION:
The Secretary of Education has announced two new federal grants. The new grants are available for the first time for the 2006-07 school year for first year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2006 and for second year students who graduated from high school after January 1, 2005. Click here for additional information.


We can help make your education affordable!


The Department's Federal student aid programs are the largest source of student aid in America. If you're interested in financial aid for college or a career school, you've come to the right place. These programs provide more than $80 billion a year in grants, loans, and work-study assistance. Read on to find out more and to find out how to apply for this aid.

U.S. Department of Education student aid is the largest but not the only source! You can find out here about other sources of federal aid and about scholarships. Nonfederal financial assistance programs and requirements often vary from school to school, so check with the schools you're interested in for information about state and institutional aid.


New: Financial Aid Estimator Tool - FAFSA4caster

The FAFSA4caster provides students with an early estimate of their eligibility for federal student financial assistance. Students considering furthering their education beyond high school can use this FREE tool to:

  • Calculate their eligibility for federal financial aid, including grants
  • Reduce the time it will take to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the qualifying form for all federal student financial aid

Federal Student Aid is excited to provide this tool to help students and their families evaluate their options for planning and paying for education beyond high school. To access FAFSA4caster, visit www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov

WEB SITES WHICH PROVIDES FUND FOR POOR.

Best Fundraising Programs - check out our list of best fundraising programs!

  • Apple Education Grants Program
    "The Apple Education Grants program sought to support schools that demonstrated innovative ways to use technology in the classroom, and who would have limited or no access to technology. As you are no doubt aware, Apple made the decision to limit its involvement in grants and equipment loans to individuals and institutions in order to help the company maintain long-term profitability. Therefore, there will be no formal grant program or donations of cash or equipment to individuals or institutions this year."

  • Balance Bar Individual & Community Grants
    BALANCE BAR Community Grants provide financial support to enable communities and organizations to passionately pursue physical activities that enrich their lives while enhancing their physical health.

  • BP ARCO Foundation (Merged with BP Oil)
    Funding interests include Arts and Culture.
  • Ashland Foundation
    Funds programs in education, health and the arts and is a sponsor of the ARTS program in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia.

  • Aspect Telecommunications Community Involvement
    Aspect focuses on programs or projects for children and youth that encourage positive and healthy learning at K-9 grade levels. Grants primarily target "at-risk" groups, such as those with minority status, low or no income, and the physically and mentally challenged.
  • AT & T Foundation
    Funding interests include Education, Arts & Culture, Civic and Community Programs.

  • Autodesk Corporation
    The Autodesk Foundation creates a unique bridge between the business and education communities engaged in school reform in order to provide vision, leadership, and incubation of new and expanding initiatives and collaborations.

EDUCATION FUNDS FOR POOR PEOPLE 1700$ PER MONTH

  • Double Your Sunshine Dollars on Focused Instruction Programs for Florida
    Peoples Education is proud to announce an exclusive Double Your Sunshine Dollars Program for our research-based Focused Instruction programs. This Double Your Sunshine Dollars Program is part of our initiative to ensure all students build reading strategies and mathematic skills. We understand that many students have different needs and more than ever it is critical for educators to be able to differentiate instruction in the classroom to meet those needs. The Focused Instruction programs target key areas in which students need extra help: content-area reading, vocabulary, and mathematics problem-solving allowing teachers to focus on the specific needs of their classrooms.

    Up to $3 million will be available for the Double Your Sunshine Dollars program. A series of program approvals will be awarded to successful applicants. A customer must submit an application for a minimum application of $2,000 of Focused Instruction program materials. For example, if you apply for $2000 worth of materials, you would pay $1000 and Peoples Education would pay $1000.There is no application maximum. Application deadline is August 31, 2007

  • 3Comm Corporate Commitment
    Areas of funding interest: Education, Community, Health and Human Services, Arts.
  • Abbott: In the Community
    Areas of funding interest: Science Education, Environment. You can also review The Abbott Laboratory Fund which funds organizations in the U.S. Funding interests include Health and Welfare, Education and Civic Activities.

  • AETNA Foundation
    Major Programs: Health, Education, The Arts, Communities.

  • Agrilink Foods: Philanthropy and Community Service
    Areas include health, community services, education, youth, agricultural research and cultural programs. Site features grant request criteria.
  • The A. J. Fletcher Foundation - North Carolina
    Areas of Funding Interest: Adolescent Drug Prevention, Organ Donation, Technology and Nonprofits.

  • J.A. & Kathryn Albertson Foundation Idaho
    Funding is focused in five areas: student learning, teaching excellence, preparation and advancement of educational practitioners, performance of educational systems, and early childhood education.

  • Alza Corporation
    Priority funding areas for ALZA include education, health and human services, science, and arts & culture.
  • SBC Ameritech Foundation - Regional
    Areas of funding interest are Education, Special Needs: Information for Seniors and People with Disabilities. Now part of the SBC Corporation which funds programs in 13 states.

  • The Guidance Channel Zine - NEW Resource
    The Guidance Channel Zine is a monthly magazine focusing on the social, emotional and educational issues facing the K-12 population. Their audience is comprised of school counselors, teachers, administrators, parents, prevention specialists, and other mental health professionals

SCHOLARSHIP FOR POOR PEOPLE2500$PER DAY.


Access to a college education has never been more important for individuals and society! A college education opens up unlimited possibilities and helps students to discover and foster their unique gifts. It also demonstrates that students are willing to make an investment in their own futures. However, for many young people this investment cannot become a reality, because they are unable to afford the rising cost of college tuition.

Since 1985, the UNCF Scholarships and Grants Administration office has awarded in scholarship assistance over $105 million to over 28,000 students enrolled in its 39 member colleges and universities and other HBCUs and majority institutions as well. We provide support in numerous ways to a variety of constituencies:

Students -Scholarships that pay for tuition, room and board, and any mandatory fees associated with direct educational costs. Opportunities through internships with corporations throughout the United States are also available to provide valuable hands-on experience to assist in career development of our students.

Member Colleges/Universities ? Funding to our member institutions in order to maintain low tuition cost and nurturing environments. Grants also provide needed assistance to help building capacity of the UNCF network.

Faculty Development ? Grants to enhance teacher training among UNCF faculty members.

Scholarships and faculty development grants administered by the UNCF are intended to facilitate access to UNCF member institutions and to strengthen the quality of education that these colleges and universities offer. You can use this site to search through hundreds of scholarship and grant programs administered by the United Negro College Fund. You will have access to both UNCF SCHOLARSHIPS and scholarships administered by many other organizations.As you search, you can APPLY ONLINE for any of the UNCF scholarships.

If you are a student attending a UNCF member college or university, it is highly recommended that you complete the UNCF GENERAL SCHOLARSHIP application. Once a student completes a UNCF General Scholarship application, the information will be used to match you to many of the specific programs administered by UNCF. Should additional information be needed to complete your application for another UNCF scholarship, our online process with alert you of the additional information required to complete your application.

JAPAN TO LAUNCH NEW HIGH-SPEED TRAIN


TOKYO, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - A new high-speed train capable of traveling at speeds up to 285 km/h (177 mph) will enter service in Japan next month, maintaining the country's standing as a world leader in fast rail travel.

The first eight N700 Shinkansen trains will run on the Tokaido high-speed rail line, linking Tokyo and Osaka, July 1, with 46 more trains to hit the rails by 2009.

The maximum service speed of 270 km/h will let the N700 cover the distance between Japan's two biggest cities in 145 minutes, an improvement of five minutes on the previous model and one that has taken some 15 years to achieve, designers said.

Reduced journey times are partly due to new air suspension technology, which makes the 16-car N700 train tilt 1 degree when passing curves, which means no loss of momentum.

The train's increased capacity is also down to an increase in the number of engines, which have made the new model less power-consuming, and to an extended "aero double wedge" end styling, which is a modification of the previous model's "aero stream" style.

Improvements to the train's interior include an increased number of power sockets for recharging mobile phones and laptop computers, as well as soundproof booths near carriage doors to enable passengers to talk on their mobiles without disturbing other travelers.

Six segregated smoking compartments have been added as part of a plan to make all seating non-smoking.

The first Shinkansen train was built in 1964 and had a top speed of 220 km/h.

The world speed record for a conventional wheeled train - 574.8 km/h (357 mph) - was set by a French TGV on April 3, 2007.

The current unofficial world speed record for a train of any type, 581 km/h (361 mph), was reached by the experimental Japanese JR-Maglev MLX01 magnetic levitation train.

HISTORY OF ADOLF HITLER(1889-1945)

Adolf Hitler - born 1889 died 1945

Adolf Hitler's early life from 1889 to 1918:

Adolf Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany, was born on April 20th 1889 in a small Austrian town called Braunau, near to the German border.


The house where Hitler was born

His father - Alois - was fifty-one when Hitler was born. He was short-tempered, strict and brutal. It is known that he frequently hit the young Hitler. Alois had an elder son from a previous marriage but he had ended up in jail for theft. Alois was determined that Hitler was not going to go down the same round - hence his brutal approach to bringing up Hitler. Some believe that the background of Alois was a potential source of embarrassment for the future leader of Nazi Germany, though experts on Hitler's background disagree with what Hans Frank wrote.

Hitler's father was the illegitimate child of a cook named (Maria Anna) Schickelgruber. This cook, the grandmother of Adolf Hitler, was working for a Jewish family named Frankenburger, when she became pregnant. Frankenburger paid Schickelbruber, a paternity allowance from the time of the child's birth up to his fourteenth year.

From a secret report by the Nazi Hans Frank. Written in 1930

Alois was a civil servant. This was a respectable job in Brannau. He was shocked and totally disapproving when the young Hitler told him of his desire to be an artist. Alois wanted Hitler to join the civil service.

Hitler’s mother - Clara - was the opposite of Alois - very caring and loving and she frequently took Hitler’s side when his father’s poor temper got the better of him. She doted on her son and for the rest of his life, Hitler carried a photo of his mother with him where ever he went.

Hitler was not popular at school and he made few friends. He was lazy and he rarely excelled at school work. In later years as leader of Germany, he claimed that History had been a strong subject for him - his teacher would have disagreed !! His final school report only classed his History work as "satisfactory". Hitler's final school report (September 1905) was as follows:

Hitler was able but he simply did not get down to hard work and at the age of eleven, he lost his position in the top class of his school - much to the horror of his father.

Alois died when Hitler was thirteen and so there was no strong influence to keep him at school when he was older. After doing very badly in his exams, Hitler left school at the age of fifteen. His mother, as always, supported her son’s actions even though Hitler left school without any qualifications.

When he started his political career, he certainly did not want people to know that he was lazy and a poor achiever at school. He fell out with one of his earliest supporters - Eduard Humer - in 1923 over the fact that Humer told people what Hitler had been like at school.

Hitler was certainly gifted in some subjects, but he lacked self-control. He was argumentative and bad-tempered, and unable to submit to school discipline....moreover, he was lazy. He reacted with hostility to advice or criticism.

Eduard Humer

Humer had been Hitler’s French teacher and was in an excellent position to "spill the beans" - but this met with Hitler’s stern disapproval. Such behaviour would have been seriously punished after 1933 - the year when Hitler came to power. After 1933, those who had known Hitler in his early years either kept quiet about what they knew or told those who chose to listen that he was an ideal student etc.

Hitler had never given up his dream of being an artist and after leaving school he left for Vienna to pursue his dream. However, his life was shattered when, aged 18, his mother died of cancer. Witnesses say that he spent hours just staring at her dead body and drawing sketches of it as she lay on her death bed.

In Vienna, the Vienna Academy of Art, rejected his application as "he had no School Leaving Certificate". His drawings which he presented as evidence of his ability, were rejected as they had too few people in them. The examining board did not just want a landscape artist.

Without work and without any means to support himself, Hitler, short of money lived in a doss house with tramps. He spent his time painting post cards which he hoped to sell and clearing pathways of snow. It was at this stage in his life - about 1908 - that he developed a hatred of the Jews.

He was convinced that it was a Jewish professor that had rejected his art work; he became convinced that a Jewish doctor had been responsible for his mother’s death; he cleared the snow-bound paths of beautiful town houses in Vienna where rich people lived and he became convinced that only Jews lived in these homes. By 1910, his mind had become warped and his hatred of the Jews - known as anti-Semitism - had become set.

Hitler called his five years in Vienna "five years of hardship and misery". In his book called "Mein Kampf", Hitler made it clear that his time in Vienna was entirely the fault of the Jews - "I began to hate them".

In February 1914, in an attempt to escape his misery, Hitler tried to join the Austrian Army. He failed his medical. Years of poor food and sleeping rough had taken their toll on someone who as a PE student at school had been "excellent " at gymnastics. His medical report stated that he was too weak to actually carry weapons.

In August 1914, World War One was declared. Hitler crossed over the border to Germany where he had a very brief and not too searching medical which declared that he was fit to be in the German Army. Film has been found of the young Hitler in Munich’s main square in August 1914, clearly excited at the declaration of war being announced……..along with many others.

In 1924, Hitler wrote "I sank to my knees and thanked heaven…….that it had given me the good fortune to live at such a time." There is no doubt that Hitler was a brave soldier. He was a regimental runner. This was a dangerous job as it exposed Hitler to a lot of enemy fire. His task was to carry messages to officers behind the front line, and then return to the front line with orders.

His fellow soldiers did not like Hitler as he frequently spoke out about the glories of trench warfare. He was never heard to condemn war like the rest of his colleagues. He was not a good mixer and rarely went out with his comrades when they had leave from the front. Hitler rose to the rank of corporal - not particularly good over a four year span and many believe that it was his lack of social skills and his inability to get people to follow his ideas, that cost him promotion. Why promote someone who was clearly unpopular?

Though he may have been unpopular with his comrades, his bravery was recognised by his officers. Hitler was awarded Germany’s highest award for bravery - the Iron Cross. He called the day he was given the medal, "the greatest day of my life." In all Hitler won six medals for bravery.

In the mid-1930's, Hitler met with the future British Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden. It became clear from discussions that they had fought opposite one another at the Battle of Ypres. Eden was impressed with the knowledge of the battle lines which Hitler had - far more than a corporal would have been expected to know, according to Eden.

The war ended disastrously for Hitler. In 1918, he was still convinced that Germany was winning the war - along with many other Germans. In October 1918, just one month before the end of the war, Hitler was blinded by a gas attack at Ypres. While he was recovering in hospital, Germany surrendered. Hitler was devastated. By his own admission, he cried for hours on end and felt nothing but anger and humiliation.

By the time he left hospital with his eyesight restored he had convinced himself that the Jews had been responsible for Germany’s defeat. He believed that Germany would never have surrendered normally and that the nation had been "stabbed in the back" by the Jews. "In these nights (after Germany’s surrender had been announced) hatred grew in me, hatred for those responsible for this deed. What was all the pain in my eyes compared to this misery ?"

THE TOPAL SS27 IS THE FASTEST MISSILE EVER...




On November 2, a rather staid little story appeared on a ticker powered by Itar-Tass, a Russian News Agency. The tone was decidedly Russian—matter-of-fact and shorn of all hyperbole. It reported the test launch of a ballistic missile called the Topol RS 12 at 8:10 pm Moscow time. After taking off from the Kapustny Yar test range in the Astrakhan region, it hit the intended target at Balkhash in Kazakhstan at 8:34—24 minutes later.

“The target was precisely hit,” said the report, quoting a top-ranking official from the Russian armed forces.

In conclusion, Itar-Tass added some jargon that sounded like regulation copy to most people tracking defense.

“The advanced Topol missile…has three cruise engines and can develop hypersonic speed. The high thrust-to-weight ratio allows the warhead to maneuver on the trajectory and pass through a dense air defense system.”

At that time, not many defense analysts thought much of the report. After all, Kapustny Yar, located on the banks of the Volga River, 75 miles east of Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad), had gone to the dogs and was infrequently used. Whenever the base was lucky to see some action, all it witnessed was small payloads.

But what the mainstream media missed was analyzed in great detail on Internet discussion boards. For starters, something about the time mentioned in the report sounded astounding. For anything to travel from Kapustny to Balkash in 24 minutes, it had to fly at a speed of three miles a second. That’s 180 miles a minute or 10,800 miles an hour. If the reports were indeed true, the Topol RS 12 or the Topol SS 27, as it is known in military circles around the world, had to be the fastest thing man has ever seen. And if you will for a moment excuse the breathlessness, it also represented the pinnacle of modern missile technology. Until this test, the fastest thing known to man was the X43 A. A hypersonic, unmanned plane built by NASA. It flew at 10 times the speed of sound—almost 7,200 miles per hour.

But the Topol isn’t attracting attention for its speed alone. It has got more to do with the sheer viciousness it demonstrates. A conventional intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), once deployed, takes off on the back of a booster. After attaining a certain altitude, it follows a set flight path or trajectory. When it reaches the intended target, it lets loose a set of warheads that home in on the target with devastating accuracy. Given these dynamics, military establishments build defense systems that can intercept an ICBM before it strikes. Very often, the defense works.

With the Topol, these dynamics simply don’t come into play. To start with, the damn thing can be maneuvered mid-flight. This makes it practically impossible for any radar system in the world to figure out what trajectory it will follow. The other thing is the kind of evasion technology built into the missile. That makes it invulnerable to any kind of radiation and electromagnetic and physical interference.

Then there is the question of ground-based nuclear warheads traditionally deployed to stop ICBMs in their path. Until now, any ICBM can be taken down by detonating a nuclear warhead from as far as 10 kilometers. The Topol doesn’t blink an eyelid until the time a nuclear warhead gets as close as 500 meters. But given the Topol’s remarkable speed and maneuverability, getting a warhead that close is practically impossible.

That leaves defense establishments with only two options. Target the missile at its most vulnerable points—either when it is on the ground or when it is just being deployed (also known as the boost phase). Apparently, the Russians have gotten around that problem too. Unlike virtually every ICBM that exists on some military base or the other, the Topol doesn’t have to be on a static base. All it needs is the back of a truck. And trucks can be driven anywhere, anytime. That makes it practically impossible for any country to monitor how many of these missiles have been deployed and where.

Writes Scott Ritter, a former intelligence officer and weapons inspector in the Soviet Union and Iraq in the Christian Science Monitor, “The Bush administration’s dream of a viable NMD has been rendered fantasy by the Russian test of the SS-27 Topol-M…. To counter the SS-27 threat, the US will need to start from scratch.”

But when you’re done marveling at the technology, sit back for a moment and consider this. You thought the cold war was over. You thought wrong. Cold War II has just begun. And the world just became a more dangerous place

Iran test fires 'world's fastest' underwater missile

Iran last Friday test fired what it claims is the world's fastest underwater missile - reported to have a top speed of 360km/h (233mph), according to the BBC.

Special Republican guard troops fired the weapon - dubbed "Hoot" or Whale - and successfully destroyed a derelict ship in the Gulf as part of Iran's "Holy Prophet" war games. Iranian TV interrupted normal broadcasts to show footage of the test.

Click here to find out more!

This latest bit of sabre-rattling, certain to irritate the US whose 5th Fleet operates in the area, comes hot on the heels of a test last week of a multi-warhead conventional missile.

Regarding the Hoot, the deputy head of the Republican Guard, Gen Ali Fadavi, told AP: "It has a very powerful warhead designed to hit big submarines. Even if enemy warship sensors identify the missile, no warship can escape from this missile because of its high speed." ®

Experts have calculated that "severe technical difficulties" in Iran's nuclear programme mean it's eight years away from an operational nuclear weapon, the Telegraph reports.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared on 9 April that the country had commenced enrichment of uranium on an "industrial scale", but scientists call this "misleading" and estimate it could take Iran four years just to produce enough weapons-grade product for a single nuke...

Norman Dombey, emeritus professor of theoretical physics at Sussex University, explained: "It's very difficult to enrich uranium. It calls for several different scientific and engineering disciplines. Iran hasn't yet shown that it has mastered the problem."

Specifically, Dombey says it could take the Islamic Republic two years to "master the process" of running the gas centrifuges required for uranium enrichment. After that, a further two years would be required to knock up enough to make a bomb. Thereafter, it would have to build a warhead suitable for delivery via missile, giving a total of eight years, according to Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Authority.

The current state of play is this: Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency that it has installed 1,312 centrifuges at its Natanz facility, which has capacity for 3,000. As and when it has the full complement, they must be "fitted together to form 18 cascades", after which operatives can introduce gaseous uranium into the centrifuges.

The centrifuges spin at high speed to separate the fissile uranium-235, which must ultimately be enriched to 90 per cent purity if it's to later go bang*.

However, Iran will have to "spin all the centrifuges inside a vacuum without any interruption for a period of about one year", during which time the smallest speck of dust in the works can ruin the whole process, requiring a complete restart. Likewise, mechanical or power failure can send months of work down the pan.

Thursday, June 7, 2007

NORTH KOREA MISSILE MILESTONES (1969-2005)


North Korea Missile Milestones - 1969-2005

The Risk Report
Volume 11 Number 5 (September-October 2005)

1969-70: North Korea obtains FROG-5 and FROG-7A missiles from the Soviet Union.

1976: Egypt sends Soviet Scud-B missiles to North Korea.

1984: North Korea successfully tests its first reverse-engineered Scud-B missile.

1984: An Iranian businessman and a Soviet émigré are indicted in New York for conspiring to smuggle U.S. missile guidance components to North Korea.

1985: Iran agrees to finance the development of North Korean Scud missiles in exchange for Scud-B technology and an option to buy the missiles when they become available.

1987: Iran and North Korea sign a $500 million arms deal that includes the purchase of 90 to 100 Scud-Bs by Tehran.

1987-88: North Korea delivers approximately 100 Scud-B missiles to Iran.

1989: Two Japanese companies ship spectrum analyzers to North Korea, which can be used to improve missile accuracy.

1990: North Korea successfully tests a Scud-C missile, hitting targets off North Korea's eastern coast from a base in the Kangwon Province; Iran tests what U.S. intelligence identifies as a North Korean version of the Scud-C.

1991-92: North Korea delivers an estimated 24 Scud-Cs and 20 mobile launchers to Syria, and ships additional Scuds to Syria through Iran.

1992: Russia prevents some 60 Russian rocket scientists from going to North Korea.

1992: The U.S. Department of State sanctions entities in North Korea, Iran and Syria for "missile technology proliferation activities."

1993: North Korea successfully tests the Nodong missile to a range of about 500km.

1995: According to comments by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Iran has received four Scud TELs from North Korea.

1996: The United States and North Korea begin bilateral talks on how to curb North Korea's missile exports and freeze its missile development.

1996: Taiwanese Customs officials seize 200 barrels (15 tons) of ammonium perchlorate, reportedly from North Korea's Lyongaksan General Trading Corporation, on a North Korean freighter bound for Pakistan's SUPARCO (Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission).May 1997: North Korea tests its AG-1 cruise missile. A Pentagon official downplays the threat, saying that it uses "unimpressive, old technology" from Russian Styx and Chinese Silkworm missiles.

September 1997: A U.S. military satellite detects the deployment of a Nodong-1 missile in possible preparation for a test launch. The missile is believed to be capable of reaching Tokyo.

September 1997: A U.S. State Department official claims that North Korea earned close to $1 billion from missile sales over the past decade, making it the foremost missile exporter in the world.

October 1997: Two North Korean defectors testify before a U.S. Senate Committee. Choi Ju-hwal, a former colonel in North Korea's Ministry of the People's Army from 1968-1995, states that North Korea transferred missile technology and experts to Egypt in the early 1980s and "has been engaged" in a plan to jointly develop missiles with Egypt. Ko Young-hwan, a formerly employed in North Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1978-1991, testifies that North Korea primarily exports missiles to Iran, Syria, Egypt and Libya.

June 1998: North Korea publicly admits that it exports missiles and demands that the United States "lift the economic embargo [on North Korea] as early as possible and make a compensation for the losses to be caused by discontinued missile export."

August 1998: North Korea tests a nuclear-capable Taepodong-1 missile. The missile flies over northern Japan and lands in the Pacific Ocean.

September 1998: North Korea announces that the recent test of a Taepodong missile was actually a launch to deploy a satellite.

September 1998: The U.S. State Department admits that North Korea did attempt to orbit a satellite as it had claimed, but failed. A three-stage Taepodong rocket was launched, but the satellite fell into the Pacific still attached to the third stage.

November 1998: According to U.S. intelligence and diplomatic sources, North Korea is building two new launch facilities for the Taepodong-1 and is increasing its production of short-range missiles.

February 1999: George Tenet, the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), tells Congress that North Korea is developing missiles that are capable of hitting the continental United States.

June 1999: Indian officials stop a shipment, aboard the North Korean vessel Kuwolsan, of what one Indian government official describes as "an entire assembly line" for Scud-B and -C missiles. U.S. intelligence officials assert that the shipment, which was documented as headed for a fictitious company in Malta, in fact, was en route from North Korea to Libya. The cargo, falsely labeled "water refining equipment," includes components for missile subassembly such as tips of nose cones and sheet metal for rocket frames, machine tools for setting up a fabrication facility, instrumentation for evaluating performance of a full missile system, equipment for calibrating missile components, and engineers' drawings.

July 1999: North Korea proceeds with plans to test-fire the Taepodong-2, which has an estimated range of 3,750 miles, far enough to hit Alaska and Hawaii.

July 1999: Two members of the Japanese parliament claim that semiconductors and argon gas burners used in North Korea's missile program came from Japan.

July 1999: South Korea reports that North Korea is building an underground missile launch site at Yeongjeo-dong, within a dozen miles of the Chinese border.

September 1999: North Korean TV displays a Taepodong-1 missile, allowing analysts to confirm that its first stage has a single engine exhaust and not a cluster of four smaller motors as originally believed. The single exhaust lends support to the allegation that Pyongyang helped Pakistan develop its Ghauri missile and helped Iran develop its Shahab-3 missile, and that both are similar to the Nodong.

September 1999: American and North Korean delegates meet in Berlin, where North Korea agrees to freeze the testing of long-range missiles and in response the U.S. agrees to ease some economic sanctions.

October 1999: North Korea declares its right to launch missiles, just one week after pledging to freeze long-range missile tests.

October 1999: A U.S. National Air Intelligence Center (NAIC) report says North Korea is continuing to develop the Taepodong-2 missile, which NAIC has classified as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

October 1999: North Korea has offered to sell a Scud missile factory to Sudan.

January 2000: A Hong Kong company is supplying North Korea with Chinese-made missile components and technology.

February 2000: North Korea sold Iran 12 medium-range ballistic missile engines in November 1999. Intelligence officials say the engines are the same as those used in the Nodong medium-range missile, which Iran uses in the first stage of the Shahab-3 missile.

February 2000: U.S. and Israeli intelligence sources allege that Western and American technology obtained by Egyptian government-owned companies is being sent to North Korea and is being adapted and returned as advanced missile components for a 1000-km medium-range ballistic missile that Egypt is developing. There are also concerns about the possibility that Egypt has been provided technology for the Taepodong long-range missile, and that Egypt may have sent North Korea technology acquired during Egypt's Condor missile program.

April 2000: The United States imposed sanctions against North Korean and Iranian entities involved in Scud missile transfers; among those sanctioned was North Korea's Changgwang Sinyong aerospace company.

June 2000: Less than a week after a historic meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea, the Clinton administration eases some sanctions against North Korea.

June 2000: North Korea declares that it will extend its moratorium on long-range missile test flights, and the United States responds with plans to resume talks on curbing North Korea's missile program.

June 2000: Russia is selling missile technology, including a special aluminum alloy, connectors and relays, and laser gyroscopes, to North Korea.

July 2000: North Korea refuses to stop developing missiles it says are for self-defense, claiming that Washington has deployed "thousands of missiles" that threaten it. However, North Korea does offer to halt missile technology exports in exchange for $1 billion a year.

July-December 2000: The CIA in its semi-annual report to Congress says North Korea continued its procurement of ballistic missile-related raw materials and components, especially through North Korean firms based in China. North Korea also continues to export ballistic missile-related equipment, components, materials, and technical expertise to countries in the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa.

October 2000: U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il hold the highest level talks to date between the two countries. According to Albright, the two parties discussed North Korea's indigenous missile programs and exports, as well as Kim Jong-il's "ideas of exchanging [North Korea's] restraint in missiles for launches of [North Korea's] satellites."

May 2001: North Korean leader Kim Jong-il tells European officials that North Korea will not launch ballistic missiles until at least 2003, unilaterally extending a moratorium on the missile testing.

December 2001: The U.S. National Intelligence Council releases the unclassified version of its National Intelligence Estimate, which states that the United States will "most likely" face an intercontinental ballistic missile threat from North Korea before 2015. The report further notes that North Korea's Taepodong-2 program may be ready for flight-testing, "probably" in a space launch configuration.

June 2002: In its semi-annual report to Congress on nonproliferation, the CIA asserts that North Korea is "nearly self-sufficient in developing and producing ballistic missiles" and demonstrates "a willingness to sell complete systems and components" to other countries.

October 2002: The New York Times reports that U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Pakistan was a major supplier of critical equipment to North Korea's nuclear program apparently as part of a barter deal beginning around 1997, in which North Korea supplied Pakistan with ballistic missiles.

November 2002: Spanish warships halt and U.S. authorities board a North Korean freighter, named So San, 600 miles off the Horn of Africa. The shipment, headed for Yemen, contained 15 Scud missiles, 15 high-explosive conventional warheads, and nitric acid rocket fuel, according to Spain's defense minister, Frederico Trillo.

December 2002: The United States agrees to release the ship containing North Korean missiles bound for Yemen. A senior U.S. official argues that the United States did not have the authority to hold the ship, which had flown a Cambodian flag and was engaged in fulfilling a "state-to-state" commercial transaction. An unnamed senior administration official suggests that the ship was freed since Yemen does not constitute a threat and is partner in the U.S. "war on terrorism."

2003: South Korea's Ministry of National Defense issues a report stating that North Korea has deployed Scud-B and Scud-C missiles with a maximum range of 300 to 500 km and the Nodong-1 with a maximum range of up to 1,300 km. In addition to noting the August 1998 test of the 2,000 km range Taepodong-1, the report announces that the 6,000 km-range Taepodong-2 is "currently" under development.

March 2003: The Washington Times suggests that recent U.S. sanctions on Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) resulted from the purchase and receipt, via C-130 aircraft, of North Korean Nodong missiles that are "fully assembled and ready to fly."

May 2003: North Korea appears to have successfully tested an engine for a long-range missile, which is believed to be for the Taepodong-2 missile, according to unnamed diplomatic sources quoted in South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper.

May 2003: The Japanese periodical, Yomiuri Shimbun, reports that North Korea is believed to have exported $580 million worth of missiles to the Middle East in 2001, according to an unnamed U.S. military officer stationed in South Korea. The officer also states that North Korea possesses 600 to 750 ballistic missiles, with 175 to 200 believed to be Nodong missiles.

May 2003: A man identified as a North Korean expert in missile guidance, who claimed he had worked at a plant in Chagang Province before defecting to South Korea in 1997, states in testimony before a Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee that he helped to test-fire a missile in Iran during the summer of 1989. The defector with the alias Bok Koo-lee also declared that Iran later became a client for North Korean missile guidance control equipment and that 90% of the components came from a pro-Pyongyang ethnic Korean group in Japan.

May 2003: The Washington Post reports a crackdown by Japanese officials on companies that have been suspected of supplying North Korea with WMD-related equipment, after the Japanese company Meishin attempts to export specialized power-supply devices that can be used in either uranium enrichment or missile launch development.

June 2003: North Korea indefinitely suspends service of the only passenger ferry that runs between North Korea and Japan in response to Japanese cargo vessel inspections. According to testimony given by North Korean defectors, the Mangyongbong-92 was used to smuggle missile parts to North Korea.

July 2003: The New York Times reports that CIA officials have identified an advanced nuclear testing facility via satellite in Youngdoktong, with equipment for explosives tests, suggesting that North Korea is attempting to combine its missile and nuclear programs.

July 2003: The South Korean Defense Ministry claims that North Korea deployed a "battalion" of Nodong missiles in June 2002.

August 2003: Taiwan confiscates 158 barrels of phosphorus pentasulfide, which can be used as a precursor for VX nerve agent, from a North Korean ship named Be Gaehung docked in Taiwan's Kaohsiung Harbor. According to the ship's manifest, the cargo was en route from Thailand to the North Korean port of Nanpo.

October 2003: David Kay, head of the Iraq Survey Group, says that just months prior to the Iraq war, Baghdad paid North Korea $10 million for Nodong medium-range missile technology. Even though Baghdad advanced the money for this deal, no missile technology was transferred.

October 2003: South Korea's Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Ki-beom relates the contents of a ministry report to parliament, stating that North Korea has exported approximately 400 Scud missiles and missile-related components to such Middle Eastern countries as Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, since the mid-1980s.

November 2003: Two North Korean diplomats say that North Korea would agree to "not manufacture nuclear weapons, allow annual inspections, dissolve the nuclear facilities, and suspend the testing of missiles or the missile export or such kind of things," in return for a written security guarantee, economic compensation, and a pledge from the United States not to hinder North Korea's economic development.

November 2003: An article in the Far Eastern Economic Review, citing unnamed U.S. and Asian officials, suggests that Myanmar has begun negotiating the purchase of surface-to-surface missiles from North Korea. Rangoon-based diplomats say that about 20 North Korean technicians are working at the Monkey Point naval base, possibly getting ready to install the missiles on Burmese naval vessels.

January 2004: The Japanese periodical Sankei Shimbun cites an unnamed source as saying that a WMD and missile "triangle" of cooperation exists between North Korea, Iran, and Libya. The source suggests that North Korea has provided technical assistance to Libya to domestically produce Scud-B and Scud-C missiles. North Korea has also discussed with Iran the possibility of developing Nodong missiles at a Scud missile manufacturing plant in Libya.

January 2004: The Nigerian government announces that North Korea agreed to sell it missile technology, under an agreement between Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Yang Hyong Sop, vice president of North Korea's Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly.

February 2004: Nigeria rejects a North Korean offer to sell it missiles. According to the Los Angeles Times, this rejection occurred under U.S. pressure.

March 2004: U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Matthew Daley, tells a Congressional panel that the United States has concerns over North Korea's alleged efforts to sell surface-to-surface missiles to Myanmar. Myanmar's officials have indicated they have not accepted, but Daley adds that the United States and Rangoon already have a "military and trade" relationship.

May 2004: The South Korean periodical Choson Ilbo reports that U.S. intelligence satellites have uncovered 10 new ballistic missiles and mobile launching pads at two underground ballistic missile bases, thought to be 80% complete, according to South Korean intelligence. One base is in Yangdok, east of Pyongyang, and the other is in Hochon, South Hamgyong province.

July 2004: South Korea's Defense Minister, Cho Young-gil, tells the National Assembly that North Korea is deploying new intermediate-range ballistic missiles with a range of up to 2,500 miles and testing a new main engine for its Taepodong-2 missile.

July 2004: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto admits in an interview that Pakistan obtained missile technology from North Korea after she visited Pyongyang in December 1993.

August 2004: The Associated Press reports that an unnamed Bush administration official stated that North Korea is working on a new nuclear-capable ballistic missile based on Russian technology and assistance and is testing them by proxy in Iran.

December 2004: Stephen Rademaker, Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, states that North Korea's Taepodong-2 missile "could be flight tested at any time."

February 2005: An unnamed top U.S. official tells Time Magazine that there have been indications that Iran is giving North Korea telemetry and other data from missile tests that North Korea then uses for improvements in its own missile systems. In exchange, North Korea may be supplying engineering consultation for further Iranian missile tests.

May 2005: North Korea's missile test on May 1st may have involved a modified short-range ballistic SS-21 'Scarab' missile. According to a South Korean Yonhap News Agency report, Kim Sung-il, an official with South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a closed-door parliamentary session that the 100-120 km range missile was a KN-02, an upgraded version of the Soviet SS-21. The missile is a short-range, road-mobile, solid-propellant ballistic missile that carries one warhead. Kim is also said to have suggested that North Korea's KN-02 test a few weeks earlier was a failure.

May 2005: Israeli military officials announce that Syria has test-fired a Scud-B and two Scud-D missiles for the first time since 2001. Israelis suggest that the missile tests were part of a program using North Korean technology and designed to deliverair-burst chemical weapons.