Sunday 14 September 2008

Cornershot kitty

In these times of war new weapons & innovations are needed to defeat the enemy & as the enemy changes so do the tools for fighting them - I’m feeling a very Robocop kind of moment coming on as I introduce to you all the.. Cornershot kitty! Yes here to save the day is a stuffed cat. As you can see this is no ordinary stuffed kitty oh no not by a long shot, this kitty means serious business. The stuffed kitty is mounted onto a rifle that has the ability to turn at a 90 degree angle - hence corner shot. The person firing the weapon looks through a built in monitor while still having sufficient cover from enemy fire, the kitty it seems is a clever ploy at disguising the rifle from detection. Designed by the Israelis the standard rifle usually has an automatic pistol while some other models pack a grenade launcher, apparently the rifle has already been sold in 15 countries what’s not clear is how many people actually mount the kitty add-on onto theirs - imagine the shame of it, shot with a stuffed cat what a way to go.

Banged up abroad (2006 - 2008)

For those of you who are not familiar with the series it was first aired on British TV back in 2006 & since then it has been aired in many other countries including Sweden/Denmark &new Zealand. Each episode is set in a different country with a different story about an individual or individuals who spent time in prisons abroad usually involving smuggling drugs or victims of kidnapping. One of the most high profile stories that are featured is that of the Sandra Gregory a British woman who was convicted for trying to smuggle heroin out of Thailand, she faced 25 years in jail but would have easily gotten the death penalty. After serving time in a Thai prison she was then transferred to a maximum security prison in the UK but was later released after getting a royal pardon from the king of Thailand - others featured were not so lucky. Each episode follows the same structure where they mix in interview footage of the person with a reconstruction of the events mentioned. Very often the prisons featured are some of the most violent & overcrowded places on earth, the conditions are extremely inhumane with little or no sanitation. While some come close to losing their sanity & some even experience moments of torture everyone featured eventually makes it back home to get their story told but a certain few finish their story in handcuffs as they are still serving time, of course after every story being told they express a deep regret for the actions that got them banged up. Its common knowledge that smuggling drugs no matter how you go about it is illegal in every country & in most cases the people doing it get caught, its also so true that not just drug cartels do it but that ordinary everyday people get suckered into being mules for the cartels. In almost every case it seems that the people who opt to be mules put opportunity before common sense & it always ends in a the worst way possible, a harsh lesson for all involved & a tough reality check for anyone that’s ever been tempted of trying the deadly business of smuggling makes this a must see series. The easiest way to watch each episode is through you tube using a simple search of the title.

Some of the countries featured include Mexico, Venezuela, Thailand, Peru, Australia, Nepal, Columbia, Pakistan, & Bangladesh.