A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience
Syrian activist group claims that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) have begun minting their own “Islamic dinar” coins. Pictures posted on social media showed a series of gold sovereigns bearing Isil inscriptions, and with a reported value of one gold dinar being with $139 (£89).
For the first time in more than 35 years, the U.S. military has met all of its annual recruiting goals, as hundreds of thousands of young people have enlisted despite the near-certainty that they will go to war. The Pentagon, which made the announcement Tuesday, said the economic downturn and rising joblessness, as well as bonuses and other factors, had led more qualified youths to enlist.
Najibullah Zazi after his arrest in a terrorism investigation
Eight years after 9/11, the specter of terrorism still haunts the United States. Just last week, F.B.I. agents were working double time to unravel the alarming case of a Denver airport shuttle driver accused of training with explosives in Pakistan and buying bomb-making chemicals. In Dallas, a young Jordanian was charged with trying to blow up a skyscraper; in Springfield, Ill., a prison parolee was arrested for trying to attack the local federal building. Meanwhile, the Obama administration struggled to decide whether sending many more troops to Afghanistan would be the best way to forestall a future attack.
Continue reading… “Is Terrorism A Diminishing Threat?”
The U.S. Army wants you – to be its friend on Facebook.
Continue reading… “Social Media As A Recruitment Strategy For The U.S. Army”
Military researchers have dressed live pigs in body armor and strapped them into Humvee simulators that were then blown up with explosives to study the link between roadside bomb blasts and brain injury.
Continue reading… “Pigs Used By Military In Blasts To Test Body Armor”
The US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), the Army’s criminal Investigation Command and the Justice Department are investigating US soldiers and officials in the alleged misuse of a portion of the $125 billion initially sent to Iraq for reconstruction shortly after the fall of Saddam. Continue reading… “Missing Iraq Billions”
Before you ask “why would I need fireproof gloves?” it’s just one feature of this glove system from Outdoor Research that’s in use right now by the military in Iraq, including special forces chaps.
Continue reading… “Special Forces Fireproof Glove System”
Researchers are developing a cheap, lightweight plastic strip that can be worn on a soldier’s helmet to help diagnose brain injury.
Continue reading… “Helmet Patch To Measure Soldier’s Exposure To Explosions”
More than one-third of all Americans will soon receive better insurance coverage for mental health treatments because of a new law that, for the first time, requires equal coverage of mental and physical illnesses.
Continue reading… “Bailout Provides Broader Mental Health Coverage”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHzDG7E9GjM[/youtube]
Since the 2003 invasion, 53 Iraqi women have either carried out suicide attacks or were apprehended before they could do so, according to the U.S. military. The attacks have killed more than 370 people and injured 650. This year, there have been 31 female bombers, including 17 in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad. The youngest bomber was 13, according to U.S. military statistics.
Continue reading… “Female Suicide Bombers Become Latest War Tactic”
Scientists in the United States have identified brain cells linked to fear, paving the way for a more effective treatment of post-traumatic stress and other anxiety disorders.
Continue reading… “Brain Cells Linked To Fear Identified”
When it was announced that a war was coming, Iraq went through a major brain drain as the best and the brightest chose to leave the country. They will only return when it’s safe to come home. As a result, these are the type of people making decisions in their country.
I don’t believe many countries would have given airtime to this argument, but its fascinating to see how they twist the facts to fit their understanding of the world.
Continue reading… “Iraqi TV Debate: Is the Earth Flat?”
