turkish daily news: News: Marine suit for Facebook arrest continues

News: Marine suit for Facebook arrest continues

Saturday, August 3, 2013, 09:22 PM - News Stories Court to feds: Explain Marine's Facebook-postings arrest. A federal judge in Richmond, Va., has refused to dismiss from a lawsuit several FBI and Secret Service agents as well as local police officers who arrested a military veteran based on an opinion from a counselor who had never met him that he might be a danger. The officers had confronted the veteran, Brandon Raub, after he expressed criticism of the U.S. government on a social networking page...
(WND)

Documentary starring Marines to be shown at Oceanside Film Fest.? Camp Pendleton Marines will be featured in the documentary, ?Patrol Base Jaker? to be screened Aug. 24 during Oceanside?s International Film Festival. The film, won Best Documentary at the GI Film Festival and focuses on U.S. Marine?s counter-surgency operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan...
(UTSanDiego.com)

Day in History: Civil War veteran celebrates 96th birthday. 1938 ? 75 years ago. Lucian Warren of Spring Valley, Civil War veteran, celebrated his 96th birthday. Warren is Spring Valley's oldest resident and the town's only survivor of the War Between the States. He was honored with a gathering of 30 family members...
(PostBulletin.com)

Do you have a First World War story to share with Brighton Museum?? First World War stories, photos and mementoes are being sought for a new exhibition commemorating the centenary of the start of the First World War next year. Curators from Brighton Museum are holding two special drop-in days, and are inviting people share their stories, family histories, pictures and keepsakes that relate to the war and the city...
(From The Argus)

Photographer turns personal tragedy into opportunity. British freelance photographer Giles Duley, who suffered horrific injuries while working in Afghanistan, is on a mission to educate the western world about the consequences of war in that country. Despite losing both his legs and an arm after stepping on a homemade bomb in Afghanistan, he returned to the war ravaged country so he could tell the stories of those whose lives had been devastated by the conflict...
(ABC News)

Why fewer ground reports are emerging from Syria. Among the journalists I know covering Syria, almost everyone is swearing off crossing the border and going inside the country. It?s not the threat of violence that?s stopping people, but the risk of kidnapping.Working in Syria during the war has always been dangerous. Since March 2011, the conflict has claimed the lives of at least 24 journalists and 60 citizen journalists. But for those working inside, there were ways to limit exposure to violence and there was relative comfort in knowing that you could trust the people around you...
(The Christian Science Monitor)

At least 30 journalists killed so far in 2013

Saturday, August 3, 2013, 09:14 PM

In 2012, 72 journalists were killed (motive confirmed according to CPJ).

It's more than halfway through 2013 and 31 journalists have now been killed.

Syria is by far the most dangerous country, accounting for more than half the deaths at 16.

The current breakdown is as follows:

Syria: 16
Pakistan: 4
Brazil: 3
Somalia: 2
Egypt: 2
Russia: 2

Here's a look at the last 3 confirmed killings according to CPJ:

Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev
Novoye Delo
July 9, 2013, in Semender, Russia
Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev, 53, deputy editor of the independent news outlet Novoye Delo and a contributor to the independent regional news website Kavkazsky Uzel, was shot dead at 7 a.m. outside his house in Semender, a suburb of Makhachkala, capital of Dagestan, according to regional and international press reports. A gunman shot at the journalist from a car before fleeing the scene, the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported.

Ahmed Assem el-Senousy
Freedom and Justice
July 8, 2013, in Cairo, Egypt
Ahmed Assem el-Senousy, a photographer for the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice newspaper, was killed while covering clashes in Cairo, according to news reports.? El-Senousy, 26, was shot by a sniper after photographing security forces firing on pro-Morsi protesters, Freedom and Justice reported. El-Senousy had been covering clashes between security forces and pro-Morsi protesters at the Republican Guards headquarters, which left at least 54 dead, according to news reports. The protests came the week after the Egyptian military announced the removal of former president Mohamed Morsi.

Fidaa al-Baali
Orient News
July 5, 2013, in Damascus, Syria
Al-Baali, 20, died of shrapnel wounds he sustained from government shelling of Qaboun district in Damascus in early June, according to news reports. Al-Baali had left Qaboun and was on his way to cover Jobar, another neighborhood torn apart by the conflict, when he was injured by the mortar strike, the reports said. The journalist was hospitalized for several weeks in a coma before he died.

ADF soldier disciplined for Facebook "slut" pages

Friday, August 2, 2013, 11:47 PM - Facebook Only one Australian soldier was disciplined in a case involving two Facebook pages that demeaned women.

Back in June, the Australian Defence Force began an investigation after the Facebook pages were believed to be linked to Australian soldiers and veterans.

ABC News reports:

"The ADF says during the course of the investigation, the number of serving Army members believed to be associated with the incident was revised down from 10 to two serving members.

It says disciplinary action was taken against one soldier who was found guilty of prejudicial conduct and fined five days' pay and was given a severe reprimand.

The ADF says there was insufficient evidence to charge the second soldier.?

The investigation into the matter is now closed and the ADF says no further disciplinary action will be taken.?

The past few months have been difficult for the ADF in terms of social media.

At the same time?of the investigation into the demeaning Facebook pages, several ADF soldiers were suspended or investigated for allegedly filming themselves having sex with military and civilian women, then circulating the images and video through email.

The incidents prompted Australian Lieutenant General David Morrison to post a video with a strong message to ADF soldiers which went viral almost immediately.

WIKIPEDIA: Australian Defence Force

News: Syrian dictator Assad using Instagram

Friday, August 2, 2013, 11:22 PM - News Stories Assad's Instagram charm offensive: Syrian dictator's page features smiling children and cheering crowds (with no civil war in sight) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has taken the time to post pictures of his wife and smiling schoolchildren online, despite the bloody civil war that is tearing his country apart. The pictures of a grinning and waving al-Assad, his British-born wife Asma and jubilant youngsters appeared on his Instagram account, enraging human rights groups. The President's pictures were posted a short time after another batch of photos showing the harrowing state of obliterated cities like Homs was released...
(Daily Mail)

CID warns of dating site scams, social networking.? The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, commonly known as CID, continues to warn the greater Army community and the American public, to be vigilant of Internet scams and impersonation fraud, especially within popular social networking and dating websites. CID special agents frequently receive reports from around the world of various scams involving criminals pretending to be U.S. Soldiers. These scam artists often portray themselves as male U.S. Soldiers; then prey on the unsuspecting victim?s emotions, leading to nothing more than broken promises and an empty bank account for their victims...
(The Fort Campbell Courier News)

Intriguing documentary tracks Afghan photojournalists covering their war-torn country. If you still believe in the power of photojournalism you should consider funding a new documentary about Afghan photographers covering their war-torn, native country. The documentary, called "Frame by Frame," is a Kickstarter project launched by Brooklyn-based directors Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli...
(Imaging Resource)

Pentagon propaganda websites under fire. Pentagon propaganda websites aimed at countering terrorism in foreign countries would be shut down under a Senate measure sponsored by the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, according to his office...
(USA Today)

Syrian Electronic Army no longer just Twitter feed jackers... and that's bad news. The Syrian Electronic Army is starting to pose a serious risk to enemies of the Assad regime in both Syria and further afield, according to security watchers. Reports that the SEA managed to take over three personal email accounts of White House employees remain unconfirmed. However, recent worrying attacks on VoIP apps Viber and Tango mean that officials and security researchers need to keep a closer eye on the group, argues anti-malware tools firm FireEye...
(The Register)

TV Media reporter sacked for ?Liking? a post on Facebook. A reporter of a private TV channel, 1TV Media was sacked from his job after he ?Liked? a post on Facebook social media website. Rohullah Arman lost his job after he ?Liked? a post which was published by another user of Facebook, regarding the addition of a 1TV Media official who is a German citizen into Exit control List (ECL) by the government of Afghanistan, and the detention of the official by Afghan police in Kabul Airport...
(Khaama Press)

Facebook shows Warsaw residents marking anniversary of 1944 anti-Nazi uprising. WARSAW, Poland ? Sirens wailed and traffic in downtown Warsaw stopped for a minute on Thursday to honor the thousands of people who died trying to liberate the city from Germany's Nazi forces during World War II. This year some observances were shown live on Facebook for the first time. The Warsaw Rising Museum's Facebook page showed people honoring their fallen heroes...
(Star Tribune)

Fashion blogger, Army wife featured on HuffPo

Thursday, August 1, 2013, 10:41 PM

Fashion blogger, Army wife featured on HuffPo

Image via www.mdollnyc.com

Earlier today, Martha Luna Medina, a respected fashion blogger, was featured in The Huffington Post.

But the story is not only about Medina being a fashion blogger.

Medina is also an Army wife as the title of the article emphasizes, ?Martha Luna Medina: Fashion Blogger, Army Wife?.

Shira Hirschman Weiss writes:

"As a respected fashion blogger, she is regularly consulted by those in the industry and is a frequent contributor to Lucky magazine.

But Martha is no ordinary 30-year-old, keen to embroider her crest on the fashion world's tightly-stretched cardigan. Though she possesses a tenacity that would put Whitney Port of "The City" (the fashion-forward spinoff to MTV's "The Hills") to shame, a trait that warns "full speed ahead" (She contacted me several times in the immediate aftermath of our interview to find out when this piece would run!), Martha is balancing a whole other life. She is a military wife, and when she and her husband met, she knew the Army would be first priority. Before his deployment last winter, they had lived blissfully as a married couple for almost four years -- well, a near-blissful four years: There was always that one nagging anxiety about potential deployment."

Medina's fashion blog, MDOLLNYC (www.mdollnyc.com) is not all about fashion though.

She has set up a section dedicated to her life as a military spouse called, "Diary of a Fashion Army Wife".

Her About Page also highlights her military connection.

The opening reads, "Hello! My Name is Martha Luna and i am the Editor for MDOLLNYC! I have a huge passion for Fashion New York City is my runway my lifestyle is fabulous and i dont mind sharing my world with you guys am dedicated to My Blog and also my #1 priority is my duties as a Fashion Army Wife."

Much more on the story over at The Huffington Post.

Military blogs added to Milblogging (Jul' 13)

Wednesday, July 31, 2013, 11:07 PM

Here are the latest blogs to be indexed on Milblogging.com.?

One of the latest additions is ??A Taste of Whiskey?, that was written by Army Specialist Cody Towse who was killed in May 2013 in Afghanistan.? Earlier this month, the Western Heritage Parade in Spanish Fork featured a special tribute to Towse.

Another blog to note is that of the crew of the BRP Alcaraz, a ship that was acquired by the Philippine Navy.

Wounded by War is written by Kevin Flike, and tells the story of a Green Beret's journey to physical, mental and emotional healing.

There are plenty of blogs to read through this month.

Then there was we, B, Japan, Hi there, I'm B. An East Coast Army Brat embracing..., 28 Jul 2013

The Stone Family, Julie, United States, I'm Julie and this is my little space of the blogg..., 28 Jul 2013

Just the little things, Haley, United States, I love Jesus, my husband, my daughter, my family, ..., 25 Jul 2013

Seis Matters, Lizzie, United States, Michael and Lizzie have been dating since June 16,..., 25 Jul 2013

Army Pants and Flip Flops, Aileen, United States, I?m Aileen: a neurotic, gun-fearing, soon-to-be ..., 25 Jul 2013

Wounded by War, Kevin Flike, United States, I wish to help wounded veterans, their families an..., 25 Jul 2013

A Taste of Whiskey, PFC Cody Towse, Afghanistan, Hello one and all. My name is PFC Cody Towse, US A..., 21 Jul 2013

Jets and a Brunette, Haylee, United States, My name is Haylee, and I am a young woman living l..., 21 Jul 2013

First Lieutenant Matthew Riggs, First Lieutenant Matthew Riggs, United States, I enlisted in the Minnesota Army National Guard in..., 20 Jul 2013

Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Grimes, Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Grimes, United States, LTC Grimes has been in the Army since graduating f..., 20 Jul 2013

Topic A: Defense, Taegan Goddard, Chris Riback, United States, This blog for industry and policy experts to excha..., 17 Jul 2013

Harper's Headlines, Amanda Karl, United States, I am a wife to a handsome USAF pilot named Doug, n..., 17 Jul 2013

The m word, Melissa, United States, USAF wife, 13 Jul 2013

Rachel In Real Life, Rachel, United States, I am a dreamer. I am a lover. I strive each day to..., 13 Jul 2013

Eights on the Move, Ashley, United States, I'm a proud Navy wife, tattooed teacher of the Dea..., 13 Jul 2013

All about E, Lt Jr Grade Errol de la Cruz, Philippines, Naval officer with BRP Alcaraz, 13 Jul 2013

BRP Alcaraz blog, Com Gilbert Pacio, Navy Lt Marineth Riano Domingo, and Lt Jr Grade Errol de la Cruz, Philippines, Official blog of the Philippine Navy's newest ship..., 13 Jul 2013

DutyDay.com, Various, United States, Post about your DutyDay blues. Get something off y..., 08 Jul 2013

NoMoreDutyDays, ShaneSDR, United States, Separating from the military is a life changer. No..., 08 Jul 2013

Marine Wife, Mommy & Life, Jen, United States, Marine Wife, Mommy & Life, 07 Jul 2013

Through the Hanson Lens, Mandy, United States, I'm Mandy and this is life through my lens., 06 Jul 2013

Love Where you Land, Amanda, Japan, Falling in love with people and places, wherever t..., 06 Jul 2013

Wife on a Mission, Ally, United States, In March of 2013, I married my best friend Chris. ..., 06 Jul 2013

That Hooah Life, Ashley, United States, Army Wife, New Mommy. Married to Chris. Student. 2..., 03 Jul 2013

Adventures of a Semper Fi Family, Nicole, United States, A thirty-something gal married to a Marine, raisin..., 03 Jul 2013

Army Ever After, Elizabeth Lynn, United States, Once upon a time?.there was a girl with a quirky..., 01 Jul 2013

Going Coastal, Katie, United States, We are an Air Force family moving from Oklahoma to..., 01 Jul 2013

News: Twitter users react to Manning verdict

Wednesday, July 31, 2013, 04:58 AM - News Stories Twitter has mixed feelings over Manning verdict. Though U.S. Army Pfc Bradley Manning was found guilty on most of his lesser charges, he was found not guilty of the most serious offense: aiding the enemy. After spending three years in custody after his arrest for the largest leak of classified information in U.S. history, Manning, 25, received his verdict today in Fort Meade outside Baltimore...
(The Washington Post)

Facebook Isn't the Key to Catching Terrorists. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that U.N. investigators have asked for the private details of Somali pirates? Facebook profiles?and that top Facebook officials, chastened by Edward Snowden?s revelation that the company had provided the NSA with emails and pictures, said no...
(New Republic)

Facebook rebuffs UN team request on Somali pirates. United Nations investigators hoped they would get some help from Facebook when they asked to see information on suspected pirates operating in Somalia. But Facebook refused...
(WBOC-TV)

Behind lonely troops lurks online con with fake IDs, photos. GoodSoul87 said he was just looking for love, but it didn?t take long for Debby Wadsworth to figure out he was after something else. When she signed up for an online dating site called CountryMatch.com, the Maple Grove, Minn., woman got an almost immediate hit from GoodSoul87. He described himself as a muscular 6-foot, 50-year-old nonsmoker, nondrinker from Georgia. He told her he was looking for a woman and, more importantly, a friend: ?One to whom you can pour out all the contents of your heart."
(The Bulletin)

Syrian war takes center stage on Ramadan TV series. Blasts echo in the distance as two longtime friends and neighbors sit along a narrow street in old Damascus chatting about Syria, when one of them calls the civil war raging in their home country a "crisis."
(NBC29)

Veterans from both sides of WWII tell stories at packed meetings. One served in the German Army during World War II. The other served with the African-American Buffalo Soldiers of the 92nd Infantry Division. Within the past week, on different nights at two locations to capacity crowds, the men, now both in their 90s, who fought on opposite sides of the European Theater in World War II told their stories ? tales that slowly are being lost to history as more and more who fought in WWII pass away...
(Ohio.com)

Twitter back when: microblogging also popular in the 19th century. These tweets are two centuries old. Twitter's 140-character microblogging platform was revolutionary when Jack Dorsey and friends introduced it in 2006 -- or it seemed revolutionary, anyway...
(Fox News)

Hezbollah suspect behind Burgas attack active on Facebook. The Lebanese-Australian Hezbollah suspect Meliad Farah, who is sought by the Bulgarian authorities for his role in a deadly terrorist bombing of an Israeli tour bus last July, may be active on the social media outlet Facebook...
(JPost)

Enfield Man Documents Town's Civil War Soldiers. Ted Polinski, 55, has been a history buff since junior high school.? But it wasn't until his childhood friend Mike Leroy took him on a walk through the Enfield Street Cemetery a few years ago that he became interested in the graves of Civil War soldiers...
(Courant.com)

Syrian Electronic Army hacks Reuters Twitter

Tuesday, July 30, 2013, 10:13 PM - Twitter The Syrian Electronic Army struck again on Monday, with a hack of the Thomson Reuters Twitter account.

The Wall Street Journal, one of the first sites to write about the hack, reported, "The unauthorized Thomson Reuters tweets said they originated from the Syrian Electronic Army, which often posts messages supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.?

The popular website BuzzFeed published several of the political cartoon images that were posted to the Thomson Reuters account before it was suspended by Twitter.

The account is now back online.

This is not the first time the Syrian Electronic Army has hacked the account of a major news organizations and won't be the last.

In May, the Twitter accounts of the Daily Telegraph, ITV News, The Onion and E! Online were hacked.

In April, the Twitter account of The Associated Press was hacked and a tweet was sent out about explosions at the White House.? CBS accounts were also hacked the same month.

March saw three BBC Twitter accounts hijacked.

And those aren?t even all of the attacks in 2013.

More on the story of the latest Twitter hacking over at Digits.?

Images of the political cartoons can be viewed here.

WIKIPEDIA: Syrian Electronic Army

AWFUL: "Lee Rigby deserved it" Facebook page

Monday, July 29, 2013, 03:49 AM - Facebook

Image via Facebook

A disturbing Facebook page called ?Lee Rigby deserved it? appears to finally be offline.

Facebook initially refused to remove the page, but it appears the company may have taken action, after an online uproar.

?He killed many people as a soldier directly or indirectly by supporting the Royal British Army, he deserved it,? were among the messages posted by the page?s creator.

Drummer Lee Rigby was the British soldier who was brutally hacked to death in London on May 22^nd of this year.

The ?Lee Rigby deserved it? page, which was created by Tony Salmon, had been active over the weekend and had sparked outrage on social networking sites like Twitter on Sunday.

Some of the comments on Twitter over the past several days include:

@JaamieAtkinson
Have I really just seen a "Lee Rigby deserved it" page on facebook, I feel sick. Absolutely disgusting.

@LukeRawlinson
Got banned from the Facebook page 'Lee Rigby deserved it' because I gave them so much abuse, something is seriously wrong with this country

@karencooke77
Has anybody seen this? Lee Rigby deserved it. I'm disgusted. #RIPLeeRigby Another reason for me not to use FB
People who commented on the Facebook page expressed anger at its creator Salmon and frustration at Facebook for not taking down the page sooner.

On Sunday afternoon, the Examiner reported, members of Twitter reported the page as offensive hate speech.?

One Twitter user @BenGB_ who had reported the page, post a screenshot (pictured above)?of the message he?received from Facebook:

"We reviewed the page you reported for containing hate speech or symbols and found it doesn't violate our community standards on hate speech."

To counter the ?Lee Rigby deserved it? page, another Facebook page went online called, ?Arrest Tony Salmon?.

I can?t imagine Tony Salmon will have it easy after this.

As I reported early yesterday, offensive Facebook posts made by Paul Muir led to charges and a fine after a dead soldier's mother read the offensive posts.

But the fine for Muir wasn't the end of it.? Muir told STV as a result of his actions, he had been shunned by his local community and had even received death threats.

WIKIPEDIA: Death of Lee Rigby

News: Sudan Army angry over Facebook impostor

Monday, July 29, 2013, 03:22 AM - News Stories Sudan army spokesman ready to fight Facebook impostor. Sudan's military spokesman is ready to battle a Facebook imposter who has been making online comments about the country's armed forces, official media say. Somebody has been using an account on social networking site Facebook to impersonate army spokesman Sawarmi Khaled Saad, the state SUNA news agency reported late Saturday. The pretender "makes dialogue with friends on issues including matters related to the work of the armed forces", SUNA reported...
(Fox News)

A Day in the Life of Civil War Reenactors. When Hope Rouda married Dave, she received the first clue when their honeymoon included a stop at the Shiloh Battlefield. David is a history buff and the Civil War holds a particular fascination for him.? Fourteen years and two sons later, the whole family is involved with reenactments of the Civil War. They were in Gettysburg recently for the grand celebration of the 150 year anniversary of the Civil War...
(State College)

Pentagon Spokesman: Public Affairs Must Change With Times. The Defense Department is facing a once-in-a-generation change, and its public affairs practitioners around the world need to communicate that change clearly, the Pentagon?s chief spokesman said today.? George Little, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, spoke to commissioned, enlisted, civilian and contract employee defense public affairs professionals gathered at the Defense Media Activity?s headquarters on Fort Meade in Maryland. Little?s remarks also were webcast...
(Defense.gov)

Most decorated veteran shares story of torture, freedom. The most highly decorated member of the U.S. armed forces since Gen. Douglas MacArthur spoke Monday night at Papillion-La Vista High School to a nearly full auditorium. Retired Air Force Col. George ?Bud? Day, a Medal of Honor recipient who has more than 70 other decorations, spoke as part of Patriotic Productions ongoing series featuring veterans talking about their experiences both during and after their service...
(Omaha.com)

Follow Plain military activities on Twitter. THE latest news and information about military activities on Salisbury Plain is now just a click away with the launch of a new Twitter hashtag.? People who live near the training area or who visit it for work or recreation can now keep up-to-date on issues such as firing times, access and military manoeuvres by searching #modontheplain...
(Salisbury Journal)

Heart-wrenching photo captures a compelling story. Re: 'Wait for me, Daddy' photograph to be memorialized in bronze, Page A4, July 25 The touching 1940 image captured by The Province photographer convincingly proves the adage "a picture is worth a thousand words."? An un-cropped picture shows what appears to be the entire British Columbia Regiment marching in "column of route" (with the distant rear of the column disappearing over the horizon) on their way for further training on Vancouver Island prior to the Second World War European deployment...
(The Vancouver Sun)

Offensive posts seen by dead soldier's mother

Sunday, July 28, 2013, 06:23 AM - Facebook

Last year, a 33-year old man named Paul Muir posted offensive comments on the social networking site Facebook that were directed at British troops.

One comment read:

"got to love the Afghans blowing the English up left, right and centre ...hahaha"

The posts upset a lot of people, as you can imagine.

According to STV, Muir's Facebook posts were even seen by a mother whose son had recently been killed while serving in Afghanistan.

The mother reported Muir to the police.

Muir was charged with "breach of peace" and was fined 350 British pounds.

Though Muir claims he was drunk at the time and immediately apologized for his actions, STV reports he has been shunned by his local community and has received death threats.

Full story here.

Video of airman's windmill dunk goes viral

Saturday, July 27, 2013, 04:02 AM

Image via YouTube

The YouTube video of a U.S. airman doing a windmill dunk during a timeout at the USA Basketball Showcase in Las Vegas has gone viral.

The twenty-one second clip, which was published to the video sharing site on Thursday, has been viewed nearly 200,000 times.

What?s particularly impressive is that the airman does the windmill dunk while in fatigues and boots.

One commenter on YouTube had this to say:

?Who needs? an airplane? When this dude was born to fly! USAF, total air supremacy!

Kicking ass since 1947!?

Watch the full video here.

WIKIPEDIA: USA Basketball

News: Video emerges of journo's final moments

Friday, July 26, 2013, 11:45 PM - News Stories Michael Hastings Death: Newly Unearthed Surveillance Video Captured Fiery Crash. Disturbing footage taken from Pizzeria Mozza, frequented by A-listers and located just hundreds of feet from where the explosion happened, reveals the final moments before the journalist's Mercedes burst into flames...
(The Hollywood Reporter)

Keeping connected. As I watched the video of the aircraft carrier the USS Harry S. Truman sail away from Naval Station Norfolk with my son on it this week I thought about how many families never had the opportunity to see such a sight. I didn?t get to go to the pier to watch in person, as the strike group left for the Mediterranean and eventually to the Persian Gulf, but thanks to the local news agencies accessible online, I did get to see it. In fact, the Navy was going to live stream the event. but the satellite connection failed and to my disappointment the event did not happen...
(Delaware County Journal)

Polish photojournalist kidnapped in Syria. A Polish photojournalist has been kidnapped by masked gunmen in northern Syria, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Thursday, calling for his "immediate and unconditional release"...
(GlobalPost)

'Insider' leaks secrets from heart of Mugabe regime on Facebook. Zimbabwe?s national army chiefs are at ?loggerheads?, it was reported this week, as they argue over public funds to be paid to them through various shell companies. This unconfirmed report is the work of a ?deep throat?, who claims to be revealing the murky dealings of the Mugabe regime...
(The Independent)

Aerial photographer recalls Korean War duty. Bob Hart of Smithfield served as an aerial photographer during the Korean War, and on Friday he fondly recalled his service as America prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of fighting. Hart flew reconnaissance missions in a B-29 Superfortress, documenting damage from bombing runs, snapping photos of Russian ships and other targets...
(Daily Press)

Egypt army signals tougher tactics: Facebook page. The Egyptian army is ready to turn its guns on anyone carrying out "black violence and terrorism" after protests planned for Friday, it said in a statement posted on a Facebook page affiliated to the military...
(Chicago Tribune)

Franco-US photographer held in Syria released. ?A Franco-American photographer who had been detained in Syria since April has been freed and arrived safely in Paris this week, the French foreign ministry said. Jonathan Alpeyrie, who works for the New York-based Polaris Images photo agency and has travelled to several conflict zones in the past, flew into the French capital on Wednesday...
(Expatica France)

Soldier uses Craigslist to search for lost dog

Friday, July 26, 2013, 11:28 PM - Facebook

Soldier uses Craigslist, Facebook to find dog

Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier Brandon Harker recently returned home after serving in Afghanistan for 9 months.

Eager to be reunited with his yellow Labrador retriever named Oakley, Harker contacted the friend who had been taking care of the 2-year old purebred while he was deployed.

Unfortunately, Harker received bad news.

The friend gave the dog away.

Harker has now turned to Craigslist and Facebook to find Oakley.

Q13 Fox News reports, ?He turned to social media to find his dog and was contacted by numerous people who said they?d seen Oakley listed for sale in February on Craigslist. Harker has been calling local veterinarians and shelters, hoping for word on his dog since Oakley is micro-chipped and registered.?

The Craiglist ad reads:

?I just recently returned from a 9 month deployment. And upon arrival back into the area I found out my yellow labrador retriever was either given away or sold while I was gone. I was told this happened in May, but it could have happened anytime from February till June. He is good with kids and other dogs. He has a unique coat, on his face he has spots of a darker yellow (champagne) he also has spots of the same color going down his sides and legs. If anyone has any information on this and can help me please do. I am just trying to get him back to me since he was wrongfully given away or sold with out my permission while I was deployed. I will also be able to verify the dog is mine because he is micro-chipped and registered to me. Once again thank you to everyone who sees this and tries to help. If you could spread the word about this issues that would be great as well.?

A Facebook post asking for help in finding Oakley was published by Dogs on Deployment, a non-profit organization that supports troops by boarding their pets.

The post has nearly 50,000 Facebook shares since going online on Thursday.

Dronestagr.am: Share your drone photos online

Thursday, July 25, 2013, 04:09 AM

Dronestagr.am: Share your drone photos online

You may only think of drones as unmanned aerial vehicles that fly around going Pew! Pew! Pew! but they're so much more.

Now, I?m sure you?ve heard of the popular photo sharing website Instagram, but have you heard of Dronestagram??

In the past week, the new site has been getting some good press coverage from VentureBeat to The Verge.

Just what is Dronestagram?

Dronestagram is the first ever social network where owners of commercial drones can share aerial photos.

The site uses a domain hack http://Dronestagr.am and has all types of photographs in a variety of categories like cityscape and countryscape.

So why a photo sharing site for drone owners?

Well, Eric Dupin, founder of Dronestagr.am, recently told VentureBeat, ?Drones are becoming more and more important in our lives, the civilian drone market is really exploding. We thought it was a good idea to build a platform where every ?dronist? could upload and share their best aerial pictures (and later, videos) [and] build a huge community and a solid database of aerial shots.?

See?pictures taken by?commercial drones?here.

News: Centcom uses digital engagement team

Wednesday, July 24, 2013, 11:19 PM - News Stories Centcom Taps Social Media to Promote Engagement, Understanding. Check out a U.S. Central Command posting on one of some 120 social media sites, and you are as likely to see an image of Istanbul?s Blue Mosque or a favorite family recipe as a mention of a U.S. military operation in the region. It?s a formula that?s connecting Centcom with more than 100,000 people from the Middle East and Central Asia every week, occasionally hitting the half-million mark with a particularly compelling posting, reported Army Col. J.R. Robinson, the command?s public affairs officer...
(Department of Defense)

Military News Explodes Online. In what may be the season?s unsexiest journalism trend, mainstream media companies are launching military-related news sites, on the theory that defense-related digital ad spending will grow as the industry?s print stalwarts fade...
(Observer)

Texas author honored for war stories. As a writer, Tim O'Brien has stood at the dizzying intersection of boyhood memories of small-town Fourth of July parades in Minnesota and an eye-opening combat tour of Vietnam. The Austin-based novelist and short story author who teaches creative writing at Texas State University in San Marcos was recently named the winner of the Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement...
(San Antonio Express-News

War friend hopes to jar amnesia victim's memory.? Four decades ago,two mechanics bonded under the hood of an aircraft, hidden in the belly of a massive ship, far off the coast of a country embroiled in war. One of those men, Glenn Grant, 61, is still haunted by the memories of Vietnam. The other, Michael Thomas Boatwright, also 61, says he has no memory at all...
(USA Today)

Civil War exhibit wins award, extends its stay at State Museum. The residency of an award winning exhibit at the New York Museum has been extended until March 23, 2014. The exhibit, called "An Irrepressible Conflict: The Empire State in the Civil War," commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The exhibit opened in September 2012, and received an Award of Merit from the American Association of State and Local History...
(Legislative Gazette)

A Personal Story Of The Civil War. Writing a book is always a labor of love, but for Katherine Arbon of The Dalles, writing the children?s book ?Guarding Camp, Finding Home? was especially personal. #That?s because the protagonist, a young Civil War soldier named Charles Watson, is her real-life great-great-grandfather. The book is based on four years? worth of letters Charles and his wife Libbie exchanged during the war. A distant relative of Arbon?s gave her copies of the letters after she started researching her family history...
(The Dalles Chrnonicle)

Syria deadliest for journos for 2 yrs straight

Tuesday, July 23, 2013, 07:59 PM

The "World?s Deadliest" country for journalists in 2013 is Syria, which led the world in 2012 with 28 killings.

As of today, 13 journalists have been killed (motive confirmed) in Syria, which will most likely hold the title for a second straight year.

The next closest deadliest country is Pakistan with 4 killings, followed by Brazil with 3 killings.

The last reported journalist killed/Motive Confirmed was?Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev, who was deputy editor of Novoye Delo.? According to CPJ, he was shot dead at 7am outside his house in Russia.

Before Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev's killing, Egyptian photographer Ahmed Samir Assem was killed while working for a newspaper affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.?

Assem captured his own death on film as security forces opened fire on a large.

Facebook post critical of VA gets 100K+ shares

Monday, July 22, 2013, 09:35 PM - Facebook

A Facebook post by Kelsey France on July 19 went viral on the social networking site, after Kelsey posted that her boyfriend, a veteran airman?who served three tours overseas, was turned away by the Richland VA clinic in WA state.

Kelsey included a photograph of her and her boyfriend, Richard Wyer in the post.?

The story was picked up the same day by local news stations, and has since been featured on numerous news sites.

The message reads:

?This is my boyfriend, he may look like your everday kinda guy; but he has served 3 tours overseas and is was an airman: a well respected one at that. 4 days ago he was stung by an insect, reacting severly to this bite, we headed to our local VA. Richland VA clinic in WA state. There, they rudely refused for this veteran to be seen or treated because he was not their patient and they also stated that "they didn't have to treat him if they didn't want to." The front desk employee then began to mock him as he referenced the VA handbook; stating that a veteran can turn to a VA clinic and be seen in between patients. When asked the names of the nurse and front desk employee, they said " I'm not obligated to give you my name" as they covered their name tags. We then had no choice but to go to ER and risk the chance of having to pay out of pocket. He was diagnosed with an anaphalatic reaction which was infected at the sting sight causing cellulitis. If untreated, this veteran could have faced severe conditions. Is this how our veterans should be treated? I think not. Please share if you support our veterans and active duty military. We want to show the real colors of richland VA veteran clinic and bring light to the reality.?

Kelsey continued to post messages on July 19^th after receiving an overwhelming response and had this to say:

?I am overwhelmed with emotions. I never thought a small town girl like me could make a huge impact. Please continue to share our story post, our fight is NOT over we still have a lot of steps to take before this system actually changes its ways. Ire not just our story but the stories of other military families. Again I can't thank you enough! Your support is acknowledged and appreciated!!! We will NOT stop until change happens!!!!?

Apparently, the story got so much attention, she was required to prove her identity to Facebook which had blocked her account from commenting.?

Many questioned whether the story was true according to follow-up messages posted by Kelsey to her Facebook account.

Kelsey even started a Facebook page called We Have Your Six with a goal of spreading awareness for Vets and Active Duty Military Care.

The couple told The News Tribune, "They?ve heard nothing from anyone at the VA, locally, regionally or nationally, since they went to the Richland clinic."

News: Terrorists using Twitter for recruitment

Monday, July 22, 2013, 05:54 PM - News Stories Jihadists turn to Twitter. From Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), terrorists are increasingly turning to Twitter to spread their message. "Twitter has become the new beacon for jihadist propaganda and, more importantly, a free zone for extremist users online," the Combating Terrorism Centre said in a new report, "Tweeting for the Caliphate". By posting links on Twitter, terror networks such as AQIM, Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Shabaab are able to guide followers to YouTube videos and other media to aid in the radical recruitment effort...
(Magharebia)

Monitoring social media to cut the military suicide rate. Nearly every day, an active-duty service member takes his or her own life, causing waves of grief among families and peers. And each day, on average, 22 military veterans in the United States commit suicide. Roughly one in five Americans who commit suicide is or was in the service. The military has been working aggressively since 2007 to try to stem suicides, but everyone agrees there will be no easy fix...
(The Boston Globe)

Looking Back To Move Forward: 13 Years Of Photographing Afghanistan. Retrograde. It seems an unfitting term for America's longest war, but it's the word of the moment for the U.S. military when it talks about Afghanistan. In plain terms, it means something like moving backward as other things move forward ? or just opposite the normal flow. For almost 13 years I have been in the normal flow of journalists ? and later the military ? to Afghanistan, covering the war that followed Sept. 11. When I first arrived in the fall of 2001, there was no such thing as being "embedded." Journalists depended entirely on local Afghan drivers, fixers and translators...
(NPR)

Volunteers Save Veterans' War Stories ? Brevard NC. Two lives converging in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, connected by the tiniest thread, perhaps owe their very survival to a 10,000-pound bomb dropped on Aug. 6 over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Lloyd Norman and Newton Lockhart were drafted into two different military branches ? Norman went into the U.S. Army, while Lockhart went into the Navy. On Tuesday, the two met at the...
(The Transylvania Times)

Afghanistan hardliners declare a jihad on TV talent shows. The programmes ? modelled on Western favourites such as 'The Voice' and 'X Factor' ? are hugely popular in a country with a young population and where television ownership has risen sharply since the Taliban were ousted from Kabul in 2001. At the same time there is a growing backlash against what many see as foreign values...
(Independent.ie)

Ed Drew's Afghanistan: the first wet-plate conflict photos in 150 years. It must have been a peculiar sight: a US soldier, his hands and clothes pockmarked with black silver nitrate, hunkered beneath the dark-cloth of a 5x4 field camera in a war zone in Afghanistan. Not since the American civil war 150 years ago had a photographer used the wet-plate collodion process in a conflict zone. The images produced by Ed Drew, an aerial gunner, during his three-month stint in Helmand province this year, are as rich and profound as anything created by Mathew Brady, the most renowned photographer of the civil war era, amid collodion's brief... popularity.
(Guardian)

Fallen Milblogger SPC Cody Towse honored

Sunday, July 21, 2013, 09:45 AM - Fallen Military Bloggers

Image of SPC Cody Towse via Herald Extra

Army Specialist Cody Towse was killed in May 2013 in Afghanistan of wounds caused by an improvised explosive device.

According to the Associated Press, the 21-year-old had run in to treat an injured fellow soldier when he was killed May 14 in Sanjaray, Afghanistan.

Towse kept a blog called ?A Taste of Whiskey? at tasteofwhiskey.blogspot.com.

Here's a description of his blog in his own words:

"Hello one and all. My name is PFC Cody Towse, US Army. I have put this blog together to hopefully give those looking to join the Army a better idea of what they are getting themselves into. I'll be the first to admit that I probably didn't have the typical BCT experience, but I got all the training, so here goes. Learn and enjoy!"

Towse began blogging in 2011 and last wrote in December 2012.? The post was titled, "So I'm Going To War Next Week."

This past Friday, the Western Heritage Parade in Spanish Fork featured a special tribute to Towse.

Via the Herald Extra:

Friday evening's Western Heritage Par

Source: http://milblogging.com/index.php?entry=entry130803-212249

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