Nowadays every country in the world has special forces of some type or other with the stated goal of being a “counter terrorist” force. But at one time, very few countries had such a force. Twenty some hours in Germany would go a long way towards changing that.
You can read more about it here if you want more details.
The unintended consequences of the legal decision discussed in this post is also why the US made a marked shift towards drones blowing up houses with woman and children inside rather then try to take captives to gather intelligence. Behind Eddie Gallagher’s Court Martial Is a Much Larger Issue: The 2008 No-Prisoners Policy
First third is not worth much. But the rest of it does a have way decent job of demonstrating why Solzhenitsyn works should be read.How the great truth dawned
This was funny if you watch it happen in real time. When the villain is Obama, not Trump, news suddenly becomes not worth reporting
The main thing of interest in this story is the use of AI in running a campaign of this type: The China Cables: Leaked Classified Chinese Documents Confirm China Running Massive Concentration Camps to “Re-educate” Uighurs
This is an opinion piece in a respectable journal so you have to expect that it will be filled with lies but that does not change underlying point. The Next Syrian Refugee Crisis Will Break Europe’s Back
One of the big reasons for the failure of US torpedo bomber failures at the Battle of Midway (since we were discussing this on Sunday). Mark 13 torpedo
The story of American in general: The Long-Forgotten Flight That Sent Boeing Off Course
Proof they don’t actually fear Trump: Why the Hell Did Democrats Just Extend the Patriot Act?
We don’t actually care about military might anymore: Lack of Right to Repair Limits Ability of US Military to Maintain its Own Equipment
Just in case you missed it: Israel carries out ‘wide-scale strikes’ on Iranian forces in Syria
I know there is two sides to this story and only one of them is told. But still…..The Quiet Rooms
I think there are more solutions to this problem then most people allow for. But it is still an interesting issue. Creating buildings to house all those people, along with the roads to knit them together, requires prodigious quantities of sand. In India, the amount of construction sand used annually has more than tripled since 2000, and is still rising fast. China alone has likely used more sand this decade than the United States did in the entire 20th Century. There is so much demand for certain types of construction sand that Dubai, which sits on the edge of an enormous desert, imports sand from Australia. That’s right: exporters in Australia are literally selling sand to Arabs.
When two people drive towards each other at full speed hoping the other person swerves it is called a game of chicken. Iran and Israel renegotiate ‘rules of the game’ in Syria shadow war
I will believe it when I see it. Half-Life: Alyx: What we know about Valve’s upcoming full-length VR game
Not in the news. Abandoning Malmö to Its Criminals
I am wondering if this will cause more problems then it will solve. This new magical coating saves water by making toilets so slippery that poop basically flushes itself
For those who missed it in the dead tree edition. Blockbuster WSJ Investigation: How Google Interferes With Its Search Algorithms and Changes Your Results
You already know this. Why you’re not hearing more about that mass shooting in Fresno
The most interesting story of the day. The Woman Who Can Smell Parkinson’s
Coming soon to a country near you? Foreigners visiting China are increasingly stumped by its cashless society
Just in case you are not keeping up. Impeachment: the allegations against US President Donald Trump
So few young people remember because many of their parents believed the same lies that they spout today with even less excuse. The Berlin Wall Is Gone, but Its Lessons Remain
It never does explain why because in a lot of ways we don’t know why. But still interesting to see how great the gap still is. Why explosives detectors still can’t beat a dog’s nose
It would take a heart of stone not to laugh. New Jersey homeowners say aggressive turkeys are terrorizing community
Not to much media focus on this part of the world but a lot of people (far more then in the west) have been killed by terrorism over there. Islamic State Is Alive and Well in South Asia
That China is a threat is a pretty standard line. But not many people are paying attention to its problems. Beijing’s newfound assertiveness looks at first glance like the mark of growing power and ambition. But in fact it is nothing of the sort. China’s actions reflect profound unease among the country’s leaders, as they contend with their country’s first sustained economic slowdown in a generation and can discern no end in sight. China’s economic conditions have steadily worsened since the 2008 financial crisis. The country’s growth rate has fallen by half and is likely to plunge further in the years ahead, as debt, foreign protectionism, resource depletion, and rapid aging take their toll.