Maxim Salutes The U.S. Military

Maxim Salutes The U.S. Military With Special Issue Featuring Kellie Pickler, Sexy Marine -- FOX News

NEW YORK – Maxim Magazine’s second "Salute to the Military" special edition features a country music cutie, a seriously hot Marine, and several of the magazine's iconic Hometown Hotties from across this great land of ours.

"American Idol" veteran and avid military supporter Kelli Pickler graces the cover, and the magazine's head honcho said choosing the singer was a no brainer.

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My Comment: The things that people do to sell magazines and newspapers (and traffic to their websites). :)

No Dark Knight's Flying "Bat" For The U.S. Military

'Dark Knight Rises' crew members lifted up what is allegedly a flying bat mobile in the Financial District to shoot a scene for the Batman movie on Sunday. John Taggart for New York Daily News

US Military Shoots Down Dark Knight's Flying "Bat" Idea -- Live Science

When the Dark Knight rises to defend Gotham once more, he literally takes to the skies in a flying vehicle known simply as the Bat. The new nonlethal weapon in Batman's arsenal can hover like a helicopter and pull off aerial maneuvers worthy of "Top Gun" fighter jets — a combination that may seem almost too good to be true.

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My Comment: I understand .... it's just too far fetch.

Can Certain Types Of Chilli Be Used As A Biological Weapon?

Dr Anuj Baruah, who cultivates the bhut jolokia chilli, holds a vial containing oily red capcaisin at his lab in Kherti, Assam.

Chilli Used By Indian Army In Weaponry Is Hot Property For Poor Farmers -- The Guardian

Military's demand for bhut jolokia, once the world's hottest chilli, is offering thousands of Assam farmers a way out of poverty.

"Look at this," said Dr Anuj Baruah, holding up a vial containing a few drops of rusty red liquid. "With this I could make you senseless." His nose started twitching; his eyes watered. "Oh dear. I think I may have got some on my fingers," he said, looking remarkably unconcerned that his skin had touched something the Indian government has developed into a biological weapon.

"I know what happens. Your brain starts to not work properly, you become restless … " He scurried off, returning a few minutes later after washing a particularly pungent strain of bhut jolokia chilli concentrate off his hands on his farm-cum-chilli research lab in the north-east Indian state of Assam.

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My Comment: Hmmmm .... I am intrigued .... I love hot and spicy food .... and I love chilli.

Will The Arab Spring Reach Saudi Arabia?

Will Saudi Arabia Be Next To Fall? -- Michael Rubin, Commentary

After the Tunisian protesters sent Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, dictator for almost a quarter century, packing, the Central Intelligence Agency famously predicted the Arab revolt would not spread. Almost two years later, dictators have fallen in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and a fifth appears on the ropes in Syria. Despite what regional experts and Arab autocrats hoped, the desire for freedom and liberty is contagious. So when Bashar al-Assad’s tenure ends with a bullet in his head or a broomstick in his bottom, what will be the next domino to fall?

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My Comment: Talk about nightmare scenarios.

A Review On The Tensions Between China And India

China And India Today: Diplomats Jostle, Militaries Prepare -- Mohan Malik, World Affairs

Just as the Indian subcontinental plate has a tendency to constantly rub and push against the Eurasian tectonic plate, causing friction and volatility in the entire Himalayan mountain range, India’s bilateral relationship with China is also a subtle, unseen, but ongoing and deeply felt collision, the affects of which have left a convoluted lineage. Tensions between the two powers have come to influence everything from their military and security decisionmaking to their economic and diplomatic maneuvering, with implications for wary neighbors and faraway allies alike. The relationship is complicated by layers of rivalry, mistrust, and occasional cooperation, not to mention actual geographical disputes.

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My Comment: An excellent review on the tensions between India and China.

Will Growing Ties Between Iran And The Taliban Result In The Taliban Receiving Anti-Aircraft Missiles From Iran?

Taliban Opens Office In Iran -- The Telegraph

Iran has increased its support for the Taliban by allowing the militants to open an office in the country while considering the supply of surface-to-air missiles, according to Afghan and Western officials.

By helping the Taliban, Iran aims to derail a decade-long "strategic partnership" signed between Afghanistan and America in April. Tehran would also have the option of stirring violence in Afghanistan in retaliation for any US strike on its nuclear facilities.

A member of the Taliban's "Shura", or ruling council, was allowed to set up an office in May in the eastern Iranian city of Zahedan. Two months later, intercepted communications showed members of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps discussing plans to send surface-to-air missiles to Afghanistan, although there was no evidence of the weapons actually being dispatched.

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Update: Tehran-Taliban Cooperation: Will Iran Send SAM Missiles if the US Strikes? -- Robert Dreyfus, The Nation

My Comment: If Iran starts arming the Taliban with anti-aircraft missiles .... the Afghan conflict changes. It will also precipitate an American response against Iran that will be severe. I am sure that "worse case scenarios" now being played in the White house.

White House Authorizes Covert US Support For Syrian Rebels

President Obama. Photo: PETE SOUZA

Exclusive: Obama Authorizes Secret U.S. Support For Syrian Rebels -- Reuters

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, U.S. sources familiar with the matter said.

Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad.

This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents - a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the U.N. Security Council to agree on tougher sanctions against the Damascus government.

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Update #1: Obama authorizes secret US support for Syrian rebels -- NBC
Update #2: Obama authorizes covert US support for Syrian rebels – reports -- RT

My Comment: This changes the dynamics on the ground in Syria appreciably.