Some posted their feelings of embarrassment at the thuggish behaviour by some of their countrymen (Japanese cars were a popular target for destruction, and on September 15th a Toyota dealership and Panasonic plant in Qingdao, a port city once occupied by Japan, were reported damaged by fire).

ECONOMIST: East Asian rivalry

All he wants is a terror weapon to throw destruction at a target.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Zero Warning

"We will not stand idly by as North Korea builds the capability to wreak destruction on any target in the region -- or on us, " said Gates, speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore.

CNN: Gates: Nuclear-armed N. Korea not acceptable

There was a brief moment of collective panic around Memorial Day in late May, after the federal government started sharing its fears that terrorists might target cities with weapons of mass destruction and the New York Times Magazine ran a cover story exploring what might happen if a dirty nuclear bomb went off in Times Square.

ECONOMIST: New York city one year on

"It has been documented in most newspapers and the media that terrorist cells that some of the cells, some of these networks, have weapons of mass destruction that they intend to target toward the United States, " Daschle said on the Senate floor.

CNN: Senate gets to slow start on contentious defense bill

Mr Booen said that once a material started getting hot, it affected the reflective ability, making the target absorb more energy and eventually leading to its destruction.

BBC: Anti-aircraft laser unveiled at Farnborough Airshow

Because those who target the innocent, they offer nothing but death and destruction.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Honors Victims of Mumbai Terror Attack

The Olympics brings thousands of athletes, spectators, dignitaries, and companies to London, all of whom make an attractive target for terrorists, anarchists, and other seeking to cause destruction and make headlines.

FORBES: The Security Threats Companies Will Face At The 2012 London Olympics