Tuesday April 1, 2008, 12:37 am
Excellent video. Makes you think.....

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 3:39 am
http://www.icbl.org/
please go here
international campaign to ban land mines
INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 6:11 am
watched and noted...Thanks Thomas...

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 2:20 pm
The Canadian Red Cross has a whole Department that is working on this atrocious business. As well this WAS one of Princess Diana's pet works. I think in my Heart of Hearts that this is why she was killed and had nothing to do with her personal life! There are people out there who don't want their business interfered with as the death of John and Robert Kennedy and King as example.

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 3:09 pm

Good point, BT!

If nothing else, this is a TOTALLY irresponsible weapon, and should be banned, as it has hurt more innocent civilians than military enemies.

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 3:13 pm
Noted, thanks

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 3:40 pm
noted ... thx *C* for fwd

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 4:06 pm
The most disgusting thing about this is that the US is one of the few remaining countries that refuses to sign the Ottawa Treaty.. banning the use of land mines... US and China.. how proud can we be of that? (Yes, there are other countries as well, but more have have signed it then have not.. and to be grouped in with China and their human rights violations... very disturbing!)

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 4:17 pm
Land mines are controversial because they remain dangerous after the conflict in which they were deployed, killing and injuring civilians and rendering land impassable and unusable for decades. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines has sought to prohibit their use, culminating in the 1997 Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, known informally as the Ottawa Treaty. As of 2007, a total of 158 nations have agreed to the treaty. Thirty-seven countries have not agreed to the ban, including China, India, Russia and the United States.

Ten facts you need to know about landmines:

1. Each year, up to 20,000 new casualties are caused by landmines and unexploded ordnance: around 1,500 a month and 40 a day.

2. Landmine injuries include blindness, burns, destroyed limbs and shrapnel wounds. Often the victim dies from the blast because they don't get to medical care in time. Those who do survive often need amputations, long hospital stays and extensive rehabilitation.

3. Eighty five per cent of all the injured children die before they reach hospital.

4. Landmines are a developmental disaster: they deny people the use of land and infrastructure. Treating survivors drains the poorest countries of scarce resources.

5. Eighty two countries are affected by landmines or unexploded ordnance. No-one knows how many mines there are in the ground but their impact is dramatic: it only takes two or three mines to render a piece of land unusable and just one wrong step to transform a life.

6. The most affected territories include: Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Cambodia, Eritrea, Iraq, Laos, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.

7. In 2003, countries where mines were still used included: Burma, Burundi, Columbia, India, Iraq, Pakistan, Philippines,Russia (Chechnya), Somalia, Sudan and Nepal.

8. Fifteen countries produce or reserve the right to produce anti-personnel mines. Of these, India and Pakistan are actively engaged in new production of anti-personnel mines.

9. Somewhere between 190 million and 205 million anti-personnel mines are stockpiled by states not party to the Ottawa Treaty.

10. States Parties to the Ottawa Treaty are obliged to clear all mines on their territory within ten years of ratifying the Treaty.

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 6:16 pm

Thanks for your great input, Melissa!

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 6:26 pm
It is the horrific aftermath of war and it hurts the innocent.Thanks for the email Carole..noted.

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 6:41 pm

Oh, the war we start doesn't end with a signed agreement. The ensuing victims are innocents -- never donning military garb, never even knowing the definition of "enemy."

When will we value life . . . and pursue peace above everything else?

Tuesday April 1, 2008, 11:41 pm
Thanks Melissa! some figures were missing indeed :)

Wednesday April 2, 2008, 1:03 pm
Noted; signed the treaty a few minutes ago. I abhor these monstrous weapons that lurk to maim and/or kill innocents who don't have any knowledge that such things exist in their locale until they happen upon one. Land abandoned but still killing. Not only should the production and use of them be strictly monitored and outlawed internationally, but where they are known to have likely been left is known and where that information exists then skilled technicians should go into those fields and safely detonate them. Not every one will be located...but to fail to do this is inhumane and criminal negligence. Thank you, "C" for the forward, Melissa for her knowing contributions, and Thomas for posting the story.