Funny. Just a couple days old, but I hesitate to link it, given the way wars shift quickly. At least it's something to watch. Trend? Or temporary chaos amongst erstwhile allies? I think this says quite a bit:
The fighting in Hawija, in Kirkuk province, on Friday was sparked by the refusal of Naqshbandi fighters to give up their weapons and pledge allegiance to ISIL, a security official said.
The topsy-turvy nature of “nature” in the age of man (a.k.a. the Anthropocene), is evident all around us.
American bullfrogs spread in Europe. Burmese pythons thrive in the Everglades, while elsewhere in Florida endangered native manatees munch happily on mats of introduced water hyacinth.
...The surprise vote, adopted 293-123, is an amendment to the 2015 Defense appropriations bill that would effectively prohibit the NSA from using funds to conduct warrantless searches. It’s also designed to prevent the NSA from using its budget to force companies and organizations to add backdoors to encryption standards and products.
Quite unlike its earlier, hold-for-interrogation-then-prosecute cases (Ghailani, Warsame, and Al-Liby), the United States now claims—has—no power to hold Abu Khattallah under the 2001 AUMF and laws of war. And without a wartime nexus, the government’s authority to detain for intelligence purposes prior to commencing criminal proceedings—rather than commencing criminal proceedings immediately—is less clear. In that regard, Abu Khattalla’s case stands to create a more broadly applicable (and thus perhaps more consequential) precedent.
Power concentrates. For systems which are "supposed" to be distributed, this concentration may cause problems.
... Erin has been teaching for eight years, and has made an empirical difference on countless lives in that time. She has worked with a passion and drive that I could only dream to have.
While my heart tells me that Erin is unique in her dedication and drive to teaching, my brain knows otherwise. There are a tremendous amount of teachers that dedicate their lives to improving the lives of others. In America, this is one of the most thankless professions one can choose.
Thank you, teachers.
Yay! (I think)
The reservoir, which is said to be three times the volume of the oceans on the surface, is contained within highly-pressurized rock known as ringwoodite. The scientists hope that their findings, recently published in the journal Science, can shed light on where Earth's oceans came from.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) effectively governs a nation-size tract of territory that stretches from the eastern edge of the Syrian city of Aleppo to Fallujah in western Iraq – and now also includes the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.