"Humpty Dumpty (or your friend Joe) Sat On a Wall!" by nikola316

THIS IS THE OLD GOVERNMENT BUILDING IN NOVI BEOGRAD. THERE ARE NOT MANY GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES GOING ON TODAY.
WHEN IN BELGRADE I HEARD THE STORY OF WHY THIS SPECIFIC BUILDING WAS TARGETED. I AM NOT SURE IF IT IS ENTIRELY TRUE, BUT IT'S A BIT AMUSING IN A GRIM WAY.
THE STORY GOES THAT DURING THE BOMBING SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC'S DAUGHTER WAS RUNNING SOMEWHAT OF A PROPAGANDA RADIO STATION OUT OF THE 20th FLOOR. APPARANTLY, SHE MADE SOME COMMENT ABOUT THEN NATO GENERAL (AND FORMER US PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE) WESLY CLARK'S ABILITY TO PERFORM... OR RATHER LACK OF ABILITY TO PERFORM THE ACT OF LOVE MAKING. THE VERY NEXT DAY, SOMEHOW A TOMAHAWK CRUISE MISSILE CAME KNOCKING ON THE OUTSIDE WALL OF HER RADIO STATION... VERY PRECISE.
THIS WAS FROM MY UNDERSTANDING MEANT TO SEND A MESSAGE.

ALL JOKING ASIDE, BELGRADE IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. DESPITE ALL OF ITS SETBACKS, IT IS EMERGING AT BREAKNECK SPEED FROM THE DARKER DAYS. EVERY DAY I WAS NOTICING NEW SHOPS OPENING. I SAW THREE COMPUTER STORES OPEN WITHIN A MONTH... THOSE WERE JUST THE ONES I NOTICED.
I INCLUDED THESE PICTURES BECAUSE I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMIND PEOPLE OF WHAT TOOK PLACE IN 1999.
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT SINCE THIS TIME, NOTHING HAS IMPROVED FOR THOSE INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE FROM SERBIA'S SOUTHERN PROVENCE. THEY STILL CAN NOT RETURN HOME.

NOT TO GET PREACHY AND POLITICAL (BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL SITE), BUT I SEE THE 1999 CAMPAIGN AS AN ABSOLUTE FAILURE OF WESTERN GOVERNMENTS. SOONER OR LATER, THE SERBIAN PEOPLE WOULD HAVE REMOVED MILOSEVIC FROM POWER... WITHOUT OUR "HELP".
PRESIDENT CLINTON FAILED THIS COUNTRY. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT PRESIDENT BUSH SHOWS MORE POSITIVE INTEREST.

LAST SPRING WHEN I WAS IN BELGRADE, COLIN POWELL WAS THERE ALSO. I THINK THIS WAS A VERY BIG STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR THE PRESENT U.S. ADMINISTERATION.

Update: not much of a change in policy. Kosovo is still in a garbage state since 1999.

I DON'T REMEMBER WHERE THIS WAS... BUT I DO RECALL MY FRIEND GORAN TAKING THE PICTURE FOR ME.

THIS IS THE OLD MINISTRY OF DEFENSE. I HAVE SEVERAL FRIENDS THAT WERE LIVING WITHIN 200 METERS OF THIS WHEN IT WAS STRUCK.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, A FRIEND'S FATHER'S OFFICE WAS INCINERATED IN THIS BUILDING.

THIS IS THE OTHER HALF OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE. PART OF THE BUILDING IS STILL IN USE.
WALKING DOWN THE STREET ONE AFTERNOON, I NOTICED A STREET SIGN THAT STILL BORE THE MARKS OF THIS BOMBING. THERE IS STILL A LARGE JAGGED HOLE WHERE A PIECE OF SHRAPNEL RIPPED THROUGH IT.

JUST ANOTHER PHOTO OF THIS BUILDING.