I meant to point out this article earlier, but with a busy work week and other things going on I’m only getting around to it now.
Al Jazeera English published a story that discusses Twitter’s lack of transparency on terrorism. Something I’m sure many of you have noticed is a problem. Twitter will act to quickly block one account for one act, but leave another similar account online.
The writer Sarah Kendzior points out that Twitter’s policy on free speech and its handling is unclear, noting that Al Shabaab was suspended, but other terrorist groups remain on the platform using the service.
Now if you ask me, defending tweets as free speech is one thing, but Al Shabaab made direct death threats and published photos of a dead French soldier. If you read Twitter’s terms of service, even a five-year old can figure out the tweets were in clear violation of the rules.
If the rules aren’t enforced, then many people won’t follow the rules.
I’ve been complaining about Twitter’s stance on terrorism for years. Although the microblogging company recently suspended the militant Islamist group al-Shabab’s account, a new account was launched on February 3 and already has over 2,000 followers. This makes things even more confusing.
Kendzior is particularly concerned with Twitter’s lack of openness as to how it handles things and I would definitely agree.
Though I don’t agree with all points in the article, Kendzior does hit the nail on the head by saying, “Censorship that goes undocumented goes unchallenged. At the moment, Twitter representatives refuse to talk, although they continue to release updates applauding their transparency.”
Twitter has attempted to offer more information with its transparency center located at transparency.twitter.com. In late January Twitter said, “It’s our continued hope that providing greater insight into this information helps in at least two ways: first, to raise public awareness about these invasive requests; second, to enable policy makers to make more informed decisions. All of our actions are in the interest of an open and safe Internet.”
Kendzior asked a Twitter representative via email to explain their policy, but the only response she got was that they "don't comment on individual accounts for privacy and security reasons".
You can read the full Al Jazeera English story here.
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I like to visit Reddit occasionally because it’s where I find some of the most interesting discussions.
What do you do when your boss is lying about serving in the military?
“That's grounds for a challenge of a fight to the death. Call him out in your next meeting; if you win, you get his job”, writes chrome1453.
In a story posted to Reddit, a person claims to have proof that his boss is lying about his military service.
Among the phony claims are that:
He was a gunny sergeant or a drill sergeant (depending who he told),
He served on the USS Enterprise,
He served in the Pacific Rim,
He lost his hearing when he was a drill sergeant (or gunny sergeant, again depending) when a private pulled the pin on a grenade.
While one commenter gave some sage advice and recommended he contact a site like stolenvalor.com, others offered more interesting ways to out him:
HGWingless writes, “I probably would have sent digital copies to your entire company's distribution list through an anonymous mailer site. Side note - Don't piss off the IT guys.”
Gorky1 writes, “Non-confrontational way: Mail it to your bosses. Confrontational way: Call him PFC douchebag and produce the papers. He obviously isn't well liked by anyone there.”
The_uncanny_valley writes, “I say you give it to the soon-to-be poor bastard's wife. She'll know exactly how to use it.”
CherrySlurpee writes, “Get some real Marines to show up in full dress uniform at his office. I'm sure there are plenty of marines willing to do this. They'll know what to do.”
You can read the full thread here.
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“We wanted to make sure [their actions weren't] racially motivated, and I told the kids I just want to be sensitive to the feelings of everybody,” Lipman said. “If we’re doing it for patriotism, that’s fine. But if we’re doing it for something else that’s racially motivated, I’m not going to allow that.”
But the students deny any racial element to their chants. “We’ve done it always,” one student said. “It’s something we do. It’s the same group of friends. We’re all very patriotic.” The four students gained support from their peers: More than 100 students gathered by the school’s flagpole the following morning to protest in patriotic clothing.
There’s really not a whole lot to say, except “Wow”.
Full story here.
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(ComputerWeekly)
Esquire article wrongly claims SEAL who killed bin Laden is denied healthcare. Esquire magazine claims “The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden ... Is Screwed.” The story details the life of the Navy SEAL after the successful raid to take out the No. 1 terrorist, and it asserts that once the SEAL got out of the military he was left to fend for himself. “...here is what he gets from his employer and a grateful nation: Nothing. No pension, no health care, and no protection for himself or his family.”
(Stripes)
Afzal Guru hanging: Terror goes crazy on Twitter. At noon on Saturday of the ten top trending subjects on Twitter, seven were related to terrorism and Afzal Guru stayed at the top. Others trending were Kasab at number four, J&K at six, Tihar Jail at seventh position, RK Singh (home secretary) at eighth position, Kashmir was nine and Omar Abdullah took tenth spot. This clearly shows that Indians are worried about terrorism affecting their daily life and the nation's growth. The reactions from the Twitterati should be seen more as a sign of sigh of relief that something decisive is happening and now the political class should get on with the governance issue instead of indulging in cacophony on terror...
(Oneindia News)
Lebanon TV Reporters Fighting On Air over Syria . Two Lebanese guests on a political program scuffled late Friday over the crisis in Syria during a live broadcast on Hezbollah's Al-Manar television station...
(YouTube)
E-Mails Of Reporters In Myanmar Are Hacked. Several journalists who cover Myanmar
said Sunday that they had received warnings from Google that their e-mail accounts might have been hacked by “state-sponsored attackers.”
(The New York Times)
Harlem students work on film that tells stories of World War II. Carole Buhl was a 7-year-old living in Kirkland on Dec. 7, 1941, but she remembers that day, the start of World War II, like it was yesterday. She and her brother were searching for Christmas toys in the family’s attic before she heard her mother crying. Buhl initially thought the tears were because she and her brother got into mischief and found the toys. Then she heard the word “war.”
(Rockford Register Star)
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Photographs of Marines marching in the Presidential Inaugural Parade with no bolts in their rifles are starting to get a lot of attention online by bloggers, but not so much by the mainstream media.
The Examiner's David Codrea published a story on February 9 called “Disabled Marine rifles at inauguration signal shift in administration policy (Photos)” that has people wondering. Why no bolts in their rifles?
While I have no clue about the policy and therefore won’t comment on it, Codrea found video of the 2009 Inaugural Parade showing rifles with bolts.
Plenty of bloggers are chiming in, many with criticism.
The Gateway Pundit wrote, “It’s not the first time the Obama Administration disarmed US Marines at an event. In March 2012, US Marines were told to leave their weapons outside the tent during Leon Panetta’s speech in Afghanistan.”
You can read more at The Examiner.
Image Credit: United States Marine Corps
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Military bloggers, podcasters, journalists and social media writers, there is an amazing opportunity to participate in Bloggers-Media Embarks with the United States Navy.
Dennis Hall, founder of the Avere Group LLC, which develops and implements Bloggers-Media Embarks as a community service for bloggers-podcasters-journalists and authors globally, is coordinating US Navy ship embarks to sea in the Atlantic Ocean out of Norfolk, Virginia.
It’s an opportunity to share your experiences with your audiences through public speaking, articles, and social engagement via social media.
The list of past bloggers to be involved in an embark represents some of the big names in social media like Guy Kawasaki.
What’s involved in the Bloggers-Media Embarks?
Participants will be aboard ship for two or three days, touring the ship, meeting the leadership and crew, meals, lots of photo opportunities, plenty of adventure for blogs and podcasts, journalism articles, and memories to last a lifetime.
These particular embarks will not involve flying aboard Navy helicopters as transit from or back to shore.
If you’d like to learn more, you can check out past embarks with the Navy here and here.
What’s the cost to you?
An embark of this type involves a fee of about $20 per day of embark paid to the Navy.
Those participants that the Navy selects must travel at their own expense roundtrip to and from Norfolk, Virginia, and unless very near the base already, e.g. one hour’s drive, lodge the night before near the base. Show times for embarkation can be very early in the morning. Departure typically can be the night of return, but participants do plan a contingency for traveling the day following return to shore.
When are the embarks?
There are plenty of embarks to select from on various Navy vessels.
Here’s a look at the upcoming schedule. Keep in mind, it’s three days. Plan the day before, and the day after the three-day span as travel days to-from Norfolk, VA.
Amphibious Transport Dock (LPD)
February 25-March 3, 2013
Guided Missile Cruiser (CG)
March 5-8, 2013
Destroyer (DDG)
February 25-March 1, 2013
March 4-8, 2013
March 4-22, 2013
March 12-18, 2013
March 18-22, 2013
March 22-29, 2013
Landing Ship, Dock (LSD)
March 4-8, 2013
March 11-15, 2013
Are you interested?
If you are interested in participating in an embark, please contact Dennis Hall, founder of the Avere Group LLC, by Thursday, February 14.
Dennis Hall may be reached at ContactDennisHall@gmail.com. The word “Contact” is part of his e-mail address. Twitter is @AvereGroup
Image via Navy.mil
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I’ve discussed a number of digital archive military projects on this website over the years including the granddaddy of them all, the Veterans History Project (by the Library of Congress).
Now, the Department of History at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM), has launched their very own digital and oral history project called, War at Home and Abroad (WAHA) that aims to give a perspective and understanding of recent wars and to contribute to the yet-to-be-written history.
Launched in November 2012, the project is in its first phase, and oral histories from CSUSM campus veterans are being gathered in what’s called the Story Lab Project. Eventually, the plan is to expand the project to veterans in the southern California region, not just campus veterans.
Here’s how the Story Lab works, which currently has 5 videos posted online:
“All WAHA veterans and active duty service personnel use the Digital History lab to self-narrate their stories, emphasizing what they feel is important for the public to know and remember. This technique allows for narrators to be the authors of their own oral histories and for a plurality of voices to be documented. Each participant is furnished with the training, equipment, and space to film their memories.”
The project grew out of discussions among faculty in the Department of History in 2011.
There is also a section on the website that shares print and digital documents, as well as photos. Some of the items include Iraq Election Ballots and a card from the card deck given to US service members to arrest former members of the Saddam Hussein government.
This project has a lot of potential for gathering a ton of information. According to the website, “In 2012, San Diego County was home to the largest population in the nation—nearly 30,000—of returning veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
You can learn more about WAHA at http://www.csusmhistory.org/WAHA/
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An Egyptian court has suspended the website YouTube for one month over the anti-Islamic video “Innocence of Muslims”.
According to Reuters:
“The country's administrative court ordered the ministries of communication and investment to block YouTube, owned by Google, inside Egypt because it had carried the film "Innocence of Muslims," said state news agency MENA.
The 13-minute video, billed as a film trailer and made in the United States, provoked a torrent of anti-American unrest in Egypt, Libya and dozens of other Muslim countries in September.”
The timing probably couldn’t be worse, with renewed clashes taking place between anti-government protesters and police.
Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, have been used to spread information that would otherwise go unreported.
More here.
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(The Verge)
Two more Marines charged in scandal over Afghan urination video. Two more Marines — including the first officer to be implicated — have been charged in connection with a video that became public last year showing Marines urinating on the dead bodies of insurgents in Afghanistan, the Marine Corps said Friday...
(NBC News)
Email hacker reveals Bush family photos, addresses. The Secret Service is investigating the hacking of email accounts belonging to members of the Bush family that divulged correspondence, addresses, phone numbers and a picture of a self-portrait painted by former President George W. Bush standing in a shower...
(Reuters)
Milpitas Sailor Retires from Navy via Skype. Technological advancements allow people to literally be in two places at once, whether it’s for a wedding, graduation, or even a childbirth, or in Lt. Maximiliano Pino’s case, providing the last salute at a fellow shipmate’s retirement ceremony...
(Milpitas, CA Patch)
How Social Media Journalism is Preventing Stories From Falling Through the Cracks. Students at Drury University Thursday were offered a glimpse into the world of National Public Radio’s social media senior strategist, Andy Carvin. His presentation was part of the school’s series highlighting how media and technology are changing the way we communicate...
(KSMU)
Here Is the Alleged Killer Cop’s Whistleblowing-Complaint Appeal Document.Part of ex-cop turned murder suspect Christopher Dorner's rambling manifesto, which touches on everything from his feelings about gay rights to his opinions about the actor Christoph Waltz, delves into the matter that seems to be at the heart of his breakdown...
(Gawker)
Sky News Arabia Twitter accounts hacked by 'Syrian Electronic Army'.Sky News Arabia’s Twitter and Facebook accounts were targeted by hackers last night, the broadcaster has revealed. A group calling itself the “Syrian Electronic Army” hacked into two of the channel’s Twitter accounts at midnight UAE time and its Facebook account several hours later...
(PressGazette )
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The United States Navy has passed 800,000 “likes” on Facebook, inching it closer to the 1 million “Like” mark, which the Marines, Army, National Guard and Air Force have already reached.
According to PageData, an independent Facebook page metrics website, the Navy gained nearly 4,000 “Likes” in the past 7 days alone and topped 800K in late January 2013.
So where does that put the Navy in the grand scheme?
Here’s a look at other Facebook military pages:
United States Marine Corps – 2,886,977 likes
Marines – 2,596,210 likes
The U.S. Army - 1,709,677 likes
National Guard – 1,301,810 likes
United States Air Force - 1,192,873 likes
U.S. Coast Guard - 174,276 likes
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In a new research paper published in January by the New America Foundation, Aaron Zelin takes a look at the state of the global Jihad online.
The paper uses the word “jihadis” instead of “terrorists” throughout, but there’s little doubt as to the subject matter.
The interesting part of the research, which goes into detail about online forums, has to do with the use of Twitter by “online jihadis”.
Here are some of the highlights:
Jihadis have been highly innovative in their use of the Internet, but their use of Twitter and social media has lagged behind the general public, a fact that has drawn several explanations from specialists analyzing jihadi propaganda: (1) vulnerability; (2) “if it ain’t broke [the forums], don’t fix it”; and (3) loss of authenticity.
Compared to al-Shabaab or Jabhat al-Nusra, the name al-Qaeda evokes a more visceral reaction, which might mean al-Qaeda would not use its formal name as an account since it likely would be taken down.
Jihadis, like other Twitter users, use hashtags. Hashtags are a popular way for Twitter users to follow tweets about specific topics and for tweeters to expand their audience. Al-Shabaab uses a custom hashtag (#JihadDispatches) to draw attention to events in Somalia.
It is only a matter of time before terrorists begin routinely using Twitter, Instagram, and other services in ongoing operations.
More jihadis continue to be attracted to Twitter, but that distribution mechanism is unlikely to replace the forums as the main environment for conversation and information distribution among jihadis
Zelin runs down a list of Twitter accounts being used, including al-Shabab, which have been in the news more recently after Twitter suspended their account. However, as I've written about, they’re back online under a different username.
Zelin briefly touches on the fact that al-Shabab has been designated as a terrorist organization, but still remains online --- a common question and concern for many.
“Twitter has never publicly commented on this”, writes Zelin.
You can read the related story here and the research paper here.
Via Fast Company
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I wanted to recognize a nice story that I read over at USNavySEALs.com that talks about a blog created by Kara Williams.
The blog honors fallen Navy SEAL Lt. Brendan Looney, who died in 2010 in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. USNavySEALs.com cited another story from PEGASUSNEWS which first wrote about Kara and her vision for the blog.
According to the article, following the death of her husband, Amy Looney requested everyone perform 10 random acts of kindness by the end of 2012. The request inspired Kara Williams, who had never met Brendan or Amy, to start the website to get people to do an act of kindness in honor of Brendan and post it on the blog.
“It is our hope that Brendan’s family will be able to visit this blog and view all the good deeds that were motivated by who Brendan was and the way he lived his life,” Kara writes.
As of right now, over 100 people have shared the acts of kindness they performed.
If you'd like to learn more about Brendan Looney, The Travis Manion Foundation has several stories that talk about his life.
You can read more over at PEGASUSNEWS and visit the blog here: http://brendanlooney.wordpress.com/
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(NY Daily News)
James McClean Twitter 'kill threats': Ex-soldier quizzed by police. AN ex-soldier has been questioned by police over alleged threats to kill Premier League star James McClean. The Sunderland winger who comes from Northern Ireland, refused to wear a Remembrance Day poppy on his shirt during a match at Everton in November. Images of bullets were posted on a Twitter account with comments about McClean, 23, being shot...
(Mirror Online)
Matt Farmer Booted from American Idol for BS War Story. So much for Matt Farmer being crowned the American Idol Season 12 champion. Following a successful audition in Long Beach, Farmer has come out and admitted that he's one giant liar. That whole tale he told? About being injured in an IED explosion in Iraq? And being diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury? And how the medication he was assigned would supposedly make him sterile, until he ended up fathering a daughter named Cadence who joined him in front of the judges? LIE, LIE, LIE...
(The Hollywood Gossip)
North Korean Propaganda Video Imagines a Brighter World, Without Manhattan. When aliens strike, the climate goes berserk, the Russians invade, an asteroid threatens the Earth, New York City is often the first place to be destroyed. Hollywood has long used the city’s skyline to demonstrate what destruction looks like in action movies and video games. It seems as if North Korea, in seeking to show how an assault on America would play out, also has Manhattan squarely in its cross hairs...
(The Lede)
Tracking Rape In Syria Through Social Media. Rape has long been a weapon of war, but documenting sexual violence usually happens after a conflict is over. Researchers are taking a new path with the Syrian conflict: tracking the incidents of rape as they occur. The Women Under Siege project is live-tracking how sexualized violence is being used in Syria. What's new is the data: information collected through crowdsourcing — reports on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from inside the country — which is then analyzed by public health researchers at Columbia University...
(NPR)
Military blogger cautions against PTSD speculation in death of ‘American Sniper’. In his latest dispatch from the frontlines today, military blogger and photographer Michael Yon reflected on the shocking death of former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. Among his comments came a warning against knee-jerk speculation surrounding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) being a driving force behind the senseless killing:
(The Blaze)
MOH Recipient Slams Ron Paul Over Kyle Tweet. Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer criticized former Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul on Twitter Monday night after Paul posted a controversial tweet about former Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, who was killed Saturday at a Texas gun range. Meyer sent his tweet in response to one by Paul that read: “Chris Kyle's death seems to confirm that "he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." Treating PTSD at a firing range doesn't make sense.”
(Military.com)
54 killed in clashes over kidnapped journalist. Manila: Around 54 people were killed, several wounded and 300 families displaced in clashes between a former separatist Filipino-Muslim rebel group and militant Islamists over the custody of a Jordanian broadcast journalist who was kidnapped in southern Philippines eight months ago, sources said...
(GulfNews.com)
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Nearly two weeks ago when the militant Islamist group al-Shabab was suspended on Twitter, it was already suspected that other accounts run by the terrorist group were springing up online.
Reuters reported earlier today that al-Shabab is back to tweeting, using a similar username (@HSMPress1) to their previous one (@HSMPress).
Among the online death threats and other TOS violations made by al-Shabab under @HSMPress, the group also published photographs of a dead French soldier in mid-January.
The new account, which was launched on February 3, has already gained nearly 2,000 followers.
It’s unknown whether the new account is the real thing or just a copycat, but hopefully Twitter keeps better on top of these things.
The company reacts fast to shut down scam accounts, but takes forever to cleanup these types of accounts, even though they are in blatant violation of its own rules.
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Densmore committed suicide nearly two weeks ago, months after being outed for lying about his military credentials.
According to The Times-Standard, back in November 2012, “Densmore falsely claimed he was a member of the United States Seal Team One, and that he earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts, two presidential unit citations, and six Navy commendation medals.”
The news about Densmore was first broke by This Ain’t Hell, which to date, has helped to uncover nearly 100 people who have faked military credentials and awards.
Jonn Lilyea, a blogger at This Ain’t Hell, told the Times-Standard that the website receives 7,000 hits a day, and that readers of the blog are often to thank for tips and information.
Lilyea published several stores about Densmore.
In the latest post, published at the end of January, Lilyea discussed the death of Densmore, saying, “While we grieve for the family Ike left behind, we’re still secure in our decision to bust him out. As I said before, he made the decision to be a phony and he made the decision to abandon his family so he could avoid the consequences of the other choices he had made.”
Last June, This Ain’t Hell was featured on MSNBC after outing "America's Got Talent" contestant Timothy Michael Poe, who had told the television audience and judges that he was injured in Afghanistan in 2009 by an RPG.
Read more about Ike Densmore at The Times-Standard.
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(The Washington Post)
Sharing war stories: WWII first-hand. World War II veterans had a chance to share their stories that are bigger and better than any textbook could tell. 14 veterans came together at the National Museum of World War II Aviation Saturday afternoon. A crowd of nearly 100 people, old and young, military and civilian gathered to hear their personal accounts of combat, travel and lessons learned...
(FOX21NEWS)
Israel Strike On Syria YouTube Video: Syria Releases Footage of Alleged Israeli Attack. An airstrike in Syria raised eyebrows last week when a small convoy of vehicles was reportedly wiped off the map near Damascus, while intelligence officials privately indicated Israeli forces were likely behind the attack. Now, Syria has released footage of what they say is the aftermath...
(policymic)
BBC Arabic and the complexities of the Arab world. It is no secret that recent Arab uprisings have placed enormous burdens on the shoulders of BBC Arabic journalists responsible for reporting news from the region. Covering the Arab world is not always an easy task - we need to mix sensible caution with a dose of courage in covering political issues that attract so many disputed views among Arabic-speaking audiences...
(BBC)
Malaysian journalist killed in firearm mishap in Lebanon. Claudia Theophilus, 42, who worked as a web producer with Al-Jazeera English news agency, died after a rifle - which she was taking a look at, went off accidentally at about 2.30am local time (about 8.30am Malaysian time). The incident happened in Baakleen - located about 45km southeast of Beirut. Malaysian ambassador to Beirut Ilango Karuppannan said Theophilus died shortly after she arrived at a general hospital in the district...
(New Straits Times)
Incredible war story of pilot who survived a Russian gulag and trekked hundreds of miles to India before making it to Britain to fly Spitfires for the RAF. A Polish war hero with an incredible story of survival during World War Two has died aged 91. Flight Lieutenant Czeslaw 'Tony' Rogers braved a 830-mile trek on foot across the Soviet Union's frozen wastes to India after being freed from a prison camp before eventually making it to Britain...
(Daily Mail)
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Image of Chris Kyle via Craft International
People from all walks of life have taken to Twitter to pay their respects to former Navy SEAL and “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle, who was one of two people shot and killed at a Texas gun range on Saturday.
According to news reports, "Kyle was shot point-blank" while helping another man who was recovering from post traumatic stress syndrome.
Shortly after the tragic news broke, people began paying tribute on the social networking site Twitter.
Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) wrote: RIP CHRIS KYLE. You were a great sniper, honorable navy seal, and great human being.
Eve Torres (@EveMarieTorres) wrote: I was utterly devastated to hear that American hero, and friend, Chris Kyle was taken from us today. Please pray for his wife Taya, & kids.
Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) wrote: Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and many friends of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle tonight.
SEALofHonor (@SEALofHonor) wrote: Damn Few R.I.P. Chris Kyle, “The Devil of Ramadi” NAVY SEALs and Marine Sniper 1974-2013
Nick Lachey (@NickSLachey) wrote: devastated to hear of the murder of chris kyle. i was honored to have spent time with him.....a TRUE American hero. senseless. #RIPCHRIS
Greta Van Susteren (@gretawire) wrote: Stunning that Chris Kyle / Navy Seal survived so much danger in war to die like this..very sad
Jim Norton (@JimNorton) wrote: Very sad news about soldier Chris Kyle being murdered. He was a great guest, I wish he'd come on more than once
Robert Stoneman (@robert_stoneman) wrote: Friend of mine was lost yesterday, RIP to Chris Kyle
5.11 Tactical (@511Tactical) wrote: Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of slain American Hero and friend to 5.11, former SEAL Chris Kyle. He will be missed.
Jason Whitely (@JasonWhitely) wrote: "My heart is breaking," said director of FITCO Cares Foundation about Chris Kyle's murder. Kyle founded the group that helps vets w/ PTSD.
John Rieber (@John__Rieber) wrote: If y'all don't know who Chris Kyle is, he's the deadliest sniper in American history, a true hero who is with God now.
WFAA-TV published an update earlier today noting that the second victim was identified early Sunday morning as 35-year-old Chad Littlefield. Eddie Routh, 25, is in custody in connection with the shootings, reports WFAA.
Rest in peace, Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield.
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White House Warns: Don't Photoshop Obama Gun Pic. The White House has released a picture purporting to show President Obama "skeet shooting" at Camp David. An activity he claims he does "all the time." The White House also warns all you mischievous internet types to not mess around with the picture...
(BREITBART)
'America's most lethal sniper' dead: Best-selling author and ex Navy SEAL shot at gun range. Former US Navy SEAL and best-selling author Chris Kyle has been shot dead along with another man on a gun range, police in Texas said. Newspaper reports said Erath County Sheriff Tommy Bryant had confirmed that Kyle, 38, who wrote the book 'American Sniper', and a second man were found dead yesterday afternoon at Rough Creek Lodge's shooting range, west of Glen Rose, about an hour south west of Fort Worth...
(Mirror Online)
Army: Satellite network isn’t for Facebook. Soldiers are using a war zone logistics satellite network to surf Facebook, Twitter and other sites that are off limits on Army computers. And the Army is ordering them to knock it off. An Army bulletin warns soldiers that the mobile satellite network is not for non-Army uses like file-swapping networks, checking e-mail or visiting non-Army web sites. Army deputy chief of staff for logistics Lt. Gen. Raymond Mason issued the message Jan. 13...
(Army Times)
Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Who Served in the Military, and How it Changed Their Work. So much of science fiction's core topics intersect with war, one way or the other. Rapid social change and technological innovation both get supercharged during wartime, and some of our greatest explorers are also warriors. So it's not surprising that many of science fiction's most well-known authors served in the military at some point — especially during the era when we had a compulsory draft. But how did serving in the military shape these writers' books? Here's a look at 15 of the authors who served in the armed forces, and how their work reflects that experience...
(io9)
Red-handed: Associated Press caught inserting “assault rifle” into Alabama hostage standoff. Jimmy Lee Dykes has no business having firearms. A violent Vietnam vet with PTSD who beat a neighbor’s dog to death, threatened to shoot school children, and did shoot into an occupied vehicle, that Dykes wasn’t already incarcerated is a complete failure of the mental health and criminal justice system in this nation. All that happened before he murdered a school bus drive and took a 5-year-old hostage earlier this week in an on-going standoff. In reading up on the hostage situation today, however, I caught an edit to the established facts...
(Bob Owens)
“Fighter Pilot’s” book panned. Hilariously. Unless you like to get pummeled in the ready room, this is exactly what you shouldn’t do before you try to become a fighter pilot. Ensign Shannon Ray Anderson wrote a self-help book that promises to show anyone who is interested the path to become a fighter pilot. But there’s a catch: Anderson is not a fighter pilot. Nope. He’s a student at Training Wing 2, flying T-45 Goshawks...
(MilitaryTimes)
Marine survey lists concerns on women in combat. Male Marines listed being falsely accused of sexual harassment or assault as a top concern in a survey about moving women into combat jobs, and thousands indicated the change could prompt them to leave the service altogether...
(SFGate)
Video of protester stripped and beaten fires Egypt fury. After eight days of protests that killed nearly 60 people, a video of one demonstrator stripped naked, dragged across the ground and beaten with truncheons by helmeted riot police has fired Egyptians to a new level of outrage...
(Yahoo! News)
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I learned of this story when I visited Reddit today.
Apparently, Team Maxwell-Gunter at Maxwell Air Force Base earned very low marks for standards in 2011. "Disregarding them shows a lack of attention to detail and a lack of respect to our service. It shows disregard to our core values." writes Jeff Bergdolt of the 42nd Air Base Wing Plans Office.
While news of uniform violations may not be all that interesting, here's where the story gets juicy.
In the coming months, Maxwell AFB photographers will capture pictures of standards violations across Maxwell Air Force base and post them in the Dispatch. Then readers will be challenged to identify the violation.
Fashionistas are going to have a field day with this.
The picture above is the first photograph posted online asking readers to comment. It was also posted to the base’s Facebook page. While no one commented on the picture, one reader left a separate comment about a violation they witnessed. It involves a taco.
Concerned Old Dude writes, “I saw a female at the food court today with a group of six other people during lunch who had her PT gear on including her jacket. She had the jacket sleeves tucked up to her elbows while devouring a taco. She managed to keep these sleeves up while conversing and prancing around the food court looking like a crazy. She did not pull them down until going outside only because I assume she was cold. I am wondering why she was even wearing PT gear at noon”.
In case you’re wondering, the photo above is not Photoshopped.
The airman is miraculously able to walk with both hands in her pockets. God willing, she made it to her destination without toppling over.
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The newest batch of blogs added to Milblogging.com includes quite an array of categories and countries. The list includes blogs written by Afghan nationals, military spouses, reporters, the Coast Guard, and more. There’s something for everyone.
Endeavor to Persevere, Rebecca Johnson, United States, Military Ethics Twitter Course
Nasim Fekrat - Afghanistan Through My Eyes, Nasim Fekrat, Afghanistan, Nasim Fekrat is an Afghan blogger who has also wor...
Afghanistan's Realities, Farzad Lami, Afghanistan, Afghanistan-born Ahmad Farzad Lami (or Lameh) is a...
Mufid Perspective, Hadi Mufid, South Korea, Hadi Mufid, was born in Ghazni, Afghanistan. On th...
CPJ Journalist Security blog, Covering the news in a dangerous and changing worl...
Love and the Air Force, Marley Marie, United States, My husband and I were recently married and are now...
Buoyed Up, Ollie, United States, 3 May 2012 changed the lives of more than 176 men....
It All Fades, Jay Christopher, United States, The content posted here is a mixture of both perso...
Becoming A Navy Wife, Julie, United States, He's the "Steely Eyed Killer of The Deep" & I'm th...
My Home Is With You, Meara Bodle, United States, Sharing snippets of our ordinary lives, under extr...
Alice Swan's Blog - DCMilitary Family Life, Alice Swan, United States, So as another of your site bloggers, I hope to sha...
Navy Wives Unite, Jen Hatzung, United States, A place where Navy Wives {or husbands too} can gat...
White Coat Revolt, Unknown, United States, Adventures of a Spec Ops Flight Surgeon
The Navy's Grade 36 Bureaucrat, Ryan Haag, United States, One-stop shopping for all your questions related t...
After Action, Group blog, United States, Your military sports report
FlightLines, Group blog, United States, Air Force Times blog for airmen
Stan R Mitchell, Stan R Mitchell, United States, I often write about Afghanistan, National Security...
Jenny the Military Spouse, Jennyspouse.com, United States, Jenny follows the adventures of a young Air Force ...
The TSA Blog, United States, This blog is sponsored by the Transportation Secur...
Coast Guard Auxiliary Live, United States, This is an official blog of the U.S. Coast Guard A...
Active Duty Dad, Theron Bostic, United States, A collection of tips, thoughts, and random rants f...
Lily and the Roses ~ Creativity with Autism, Twins and Military Adventures, Lily Rose, United States, I am a composer, pianist, artist and an Air Force ...
Mal's Miles, Mallory Whitt, United States, Lifestyle blog of an Army wife, runner, teacher, p...
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