Joshua Tree Report: May 9th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for May 7th, 2017... Except that it's being posted on May 9th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 61° Fahrenheit and the weather is partly cloudy. The temperature in Kirkwall is 6° centigrade and the weather is rainy. The temperature in Muscat is 39° centigrade and the weather is sunny. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $45.88, and $1.29 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the location of U2's since-deceased Joshua Tree outside Keeler, California.

In the News

Here are a few of top stories from the last couple of weeks.

Why did Trump win? New research by Democrats offers a worrisome answer. (Washington Post)

Trump's Syria Strike Fell Short (War is Boring)

Russian Election Hacks in France and Germany Are Still Active Despite US Sanctions (Wired)

Activity at North Korea nuclear site resumes: monitor (al Jazeera)

UAE's battle-hardened military expands into Africa, Mideast (ABC News)

Hundreds of Apps Can Listen for Marketing 'Beacons' You Can't Hear (Wired)

Who is Publishing NSA and CIA Secrets, and Why? (Schneier on Security)

Man pleads not guilty in murder case using Fitbit evidence (Associated Press)

The State Department Wants 5 Years of Social Media Handles From Refugees Before Entry (Gizmodo)

Watchdog Tells Congress to Slow Down New ‘Frigate’ Program (War is Boring)

How the IED won: Dispelling the myth of tactical success and innovation (War on the Rocks)

Milley: In future wars, creature comforts are out and disobeying orders is in (Army Times)

Will the COINdinistas Rise Again? (The National Interest)

The U.S. Military Can Learn a Lot From the Red Army (War is Boring)

Islamic State leader in Egypt says church bombings aren’t popular (Long War Journal)

Muslim men lynched for 'trying to steal cows' in Assam (al Jazeera)

Widely-Reported Study on Fish and Microbeads Might Have Been Faked (Gizmodo)

Making Orkney stoat-free (BBC News)

Rats 'drink seized alcohol in India's Bihar' (BBC News)

Groom in hostage situation after dowry demand (Khaleej Times)

Woman agrees to perform sex 'act' for Dh90, chicken nuggets (Khaleej Times) Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts since the last Joshua Tree Report.

Event: Learned From The Russian Hack: The New Era of Political Warfare (King's College London War Studies Podcast)

The National Archives: How to publish with The National Archives (The National Archives)

The road to war: The prelude to war (The National Archives)

The road to war: At home and abroad: propaganda and intelligence (The National Archives)

Risky Business #451 -- Shadowbrokers nothingburger edition (Risky Business)

Risky Business #452 -- Are Wikileaks charges a threat to press freedom? (Risky Business)

D1E3 - Security & Risk Management (CyberSecStudy)

D1E2 - Security & Risk Management (CyberSecStudy)

The Art of Manliness #260: Knights of the Razor (The Art of Manliness)

Course Report

ENG 199: I finally completed my Wilfred Thesiger slides.
PAC 130: Suspended!
BA 480/CS 406: I listened to, and took notes from, three CyberSecStudy podcasts. I also compiled some additional podcasts for some additional certifications, and I did some investigation into the requirements for the PSP exam.
PI5502: I started reading The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Future of Middle East Security.
HST 406 (OGHAP): I listened to a few podcasts and found a few new sources for my bibliography, particularly this bad boy.

Quote of the Week

"Progress means getting nearer to the place you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turn, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man."
- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity