Tombstone, AZ residents told their water supply could be cut in order to protect Mexican owls [CNN]

"Things I Learned from People Who Tried to Kill Me" [Small Wars Journal]

In between wars the British army is an S&M holiday camp for men [Taki's]

The psychology of lying [Wired]

Post smug vacation statuses on Facebook, get your house burgled [Ars Technica]

To feel like a man, act like a man [Brett McKay]

The Cuban revolution's "American Commandante" [New Yorker]

Detroit's countdown to bankruptcy; This too is "what democracy looks like"  [Detroit Metro-Times]

With "allies" like these

Time.com's Battleland blog which covers military affairs says that in the last two years at least 58 allied troops have been killed by their Afghan army and police allies. These killings were not so-called "friendly fire" mishaps either but deliberate killings. Sheesh. And don't get me started on America's lying, perfidious "allies" in the Pakistan military and intelligence agencies. America needs to get the hell out of that quagmire.

Is China’s One Child Policy Affecting Military Readiness?

Sure. It gives the PLA plenty of cannon fodder for military adventures all over the world if need be. The Chinese birthrate is so skewed in favor of males that a large percentage of these millions of men coming into adulthood will very likely never have wives. There simply aren't enough women.

Are "20 and out" military pensions on the way out?

The powers that be at the Pentagon are looking at making some changes to military retirement. I have always thought that it was unfair that a clerk typist at some Navy base in California or Hawaii who  polishes a chair with their ass for two decades gets the same retirement payout as an Army or Marine grunt who sweats and bleeds on the front line for tour after tour. I would hope that those serving in the combat arms (infantry, artillery, armor, Marines, combat aviation & etc.) would get more consideration as well as money and benefits than a Air Force or Coast Guard food service supervisor stationed in Florida. But we'll see.

It may well be due time to stop those kinda pensions for cops and firefighters too. Paying someone to "retire" at age 42 at 80 percent of their salary & benefits (and inflation adjusted too) is just a formula for bankruptcy at the city, county and township level as well. But soldiers (unlike cops and firemen) don't have unions so it may be a good place to start.