Archives for September 17th, 2004

A picture of the (fake) Yugoslavian Land Mine Game.

File this one under questionable taste. Bob’s Inappropriate Toys for Children contains something called the “Yugoslavian Land Mine Game.” The decription:

“An ultimate game of chance. Every turn has the potential to be your last… The more you play the game, the more survival skills you pick up to increase your chance of making it to the finish.”

Jokes aside, it’s worth remembering that more than 2000 sq. kilometers of Bosnia & Herzegovina are still considered “potentially contaminated” and that U.N. officials expect it to take decades to clean up. “The mine threat in BiH,” according to one summer report, “is arguably among the most complex in the world given the fact that it is widespread, low density, and random in nature. In addition, mine action takes place in a complex governmental environment.”

Parts of Croatia and Serbia & Montenegro also contain “contaminated areas,” although to a much lesser extent. Slovenia is, thankfully, “not affected.”