Category: Featured

White House staffers and guests are bracing for a change in policy that will ban personal cell phone use in the West Wing. The ban imposed by Chief of Staff John Kelly, a former Marine General, likely stems from his own experience with security practices that are widely enforced at U.S. military bases around the […]

He wears a large hefty beard, camouflage pants, M Frame sunglasses and a popular but controversial (read: edgy) veteran t-shirt.  His Instagram is no doubt littered with pictures of him traipsing through the woods in pristine combat wear, toting a rifle, decked out with an optic that costs more than the computer I am typing […]

Genocides, ethnic cleansing, democide — whatever name affixes itself to the act, there is one thing for certain: it takes a whole lot of work. The sheer amount of resources it takes to violently murder on a mass-scale, and displace, say, 650,000 people, involves a significant amount of resources and time. However, most regimes that […]

Preparing, packing and readying for a film shoot out in the boonies is actually quite similar to preparing, packing and readying for a long FTX or mission overseas. However, instead of weapons, ammunition and radios you’re carrying cameras, SD cards and microphones. The equipment is more sensitive to the elements but just like in combat, […]

The word “bigot” gets thrown around a lot these days. It’s often used to dehumanize another person or group of people, for if someone is labelled a “bigot” then they become nothing more than that label in the eyes of others, instead of a nuanced human being with unique experiences and something to offer the […]

A North Korean defector was recently found with anthrax antibodies in his blood which has caused quite the stir, particularly among South Koreans and U.S. forces in South Korea. There has been some confusion as to what this could mean. Why would someone have anthrax antibodies in his bloodstream? How is that indicative of some kind […]

Not every veteran who has stumbled into the spotlight is chomping at the bit to tell everyone about their service. However, just because they don’t parade themselves around like a hero doesn’t mean that they don’t use their military service to greatly influence their work. David Ayer, successful screenwriter and director, is a prime example […]

The soldiers defecting from North Korea to the south have been interesting subjects of medical study. The defector who was shot several times was found to have tapeworms up to 11 inches long in his intestines. Fleeing soldiers or civilians are often malnourished and have been denied a lot of basic healthcare. However, the most […]

It is that time of year again — the new year fast approaches. Instead of the typical “best of” end-of-year list, I am offering this year a list of the movies (or television shows — I am not picky) that I would like to see Hollywood tackle in the coming year. There are still so […]

In 1878, Henry Fleuss invented the first self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), opening a new era of exploration under the sea.  Spinnaker created their Fleuss series of vintage timepieces to honor this man.  They offer two variations.  Both are automatic.  The SP-5056 series features triangulated hands and trapezoid indexes, and the SP-5055 series with a […]

Imagine yourself in the middle of nowhere in Afghanistan. Maybe the sun is high in the sky, blasting relentlessly at the heavily armed soldiers below, or maybe the moon is high, gently illuminating the shivering bodies across the Afghan, semi-arid desert. It’s been a long mission, and the dirt below your tired feet is tilled […]

I’m not the type of person that puts value in obscure objects just because “I’ve had them since I was X years old.” I am constantly rifling through my drawers, under my bed and through my storage unit, throwing things away that have no utilitarian or decorative value. Sentiment hasn’t gotten me much over the […]