Who's afraid of silly old ball bearings?

One of the dangers of the 24 hour media cycle is that we tend to fancy ourselves well-informed about the most granular aspects of world events.  This is dangerous because once we think we know something, it becomes difficult to disabuse ourselves of that notion.

For instance, nearly every network has provided detailed explanations of how the Hezbollah rockets do their damage.  We have heard scholarly discussions of these non-guided weapons packed with explosives and ball bearings, and how they are designed to spray the area where they hit with thousands of these small round projectiles.

The problem is that while bullets are firmly inscribed in our minds as unquestionably lethal... we inevitably associate ball bearings (no matter how they are used), with bicycles, roller skates and other 'safe' pastimes. 

In short, we don't really 'get' what all the fuss over ball bearings could possibly be.

Please watch the linked Power Point presentation showing a small sample of the carnage in Haifa.  It was put together by a talented photographer named 'Lenny M'. and will forever change the way you think about these innocuous silver-colored balls.

Click HERE to start downloading the slide show

For those unfamiliar with PowerPoint... you will have to either click to advance each slide or use the scroll wheel of you mouse (if you have one).

[It might take a few minutes to download but it is required viewing for anyone who thinks they understand what the Israelis in the north are contending with.]

Hat Tip to Smooth Stone for sending me this.