For the Love of Coal Fires

This is a post that could have easily appeared over at Operation Highlander, but I've been pretty consistent about posting over there lately, so I'll post it here. Something I enjoyed during my days in Orkney was a nice coal fire. The photo I've featured above, which somehow never made it on to the Operation Highlander blog, was taken during the Winter of 2013 when I was yet in Orkney. I know that coal is taboo due to environmental concerns, but it was so cool to come into Helgi's off the cold, blustery street and warm myself by the fire while enjoying a dram or a pint. In November of last year, I discovered that there's an hour-plus-long video of a coal fire (apparently filmed in Poland, not Orkney, but I'll take it), so I figured I'd share it.

As you can see from this second photo, I used the occasion of some cold nights in my since-vacated East Coast apartment to pour myself a dram or cuppa, light candles in my since-liquidated (and dearly missed) Moroccan lanterns, bundle myself into a cozy blanket, and enjoy a good book (like the Orkneyinga Saga, pictured) - or possibly a Washington Capitals game on the radio - while the coal fire burned happily on the television. Someday, I hope to have a house with an actual hearth in which Lady Jaye and I can build and enjoy a nice fire - maybe even burning a few chosen lumps of coal! Until then, I'll have to enjoy the spark and crackle of that YouTube video. Less heat, inferior ambience, but I'll take it.

The Referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan

A couple of years ago, I posted about my concerns for Iraqi Kurdistan. Iraq's Kurds are preparing to vote in an independence referendum. I'm getting caught up on news, and caught up on some articles I've saved on the topic. I may write something more substantial in the next few days. In the mean time, I wanted to share some of the articles I've collected.

Iraqi Kurdistan on the front line (BBC News, May 2016)

A referendum on Kurdish independence from Iraq carries grave risks (The Economist)

The Kurds Are About to Blow Up Iraq (World Affairs Journal/Michael J. Totten)

On the Kurdish Front Line, a Tense Night Fending Off Islamic State (War is Boring)

Iraqi Kurds Stockpiled Captured Islamic State Explosives (War is Boring)

For Iraq’s Long-Suffering Kurds, Independence Beckons (New York Times, via Small Wars Journal)

Iraqi Kurds 'prepared to draw own borders', Barzani warns Baghdad (BBC News)

Iraqi Kurdish leader: 'Our right to seek independence' (BBC News)

Iraq parliament votes to remove Kirkuk governor (al Jazeera)

Why is the Kurdistan Referendum Controversial? (VOA News, via Small Wars Journal)

Iraq MPs vote to sack Kirkuk governor over Kurdish referendum (BBC News)

U.S. Special Envoy: Kurdish Referendum Could Undermine Fight Against IS (VOA News, via Small Wars Journal)

UN urges Iraqi Kurds to drop referendum, hold talks (AFP)

Iraq army 'to intervene' if Kurds' referendum escalates (al Jazeera)

Kurdish referendum in Iraq: What and where? (al Jazeera)

Iraq top court rules to suspend Kurdish referendum (al Jazeera)

What is at stake in Iraqi Kurdish vote for independence? (BBC News)

Iraqi Kurdish referendum must be suspended - Iraqi PM (BBC News)

Northern Syria’s Anti-Islamic State Coalition Has an Arab Problem (War on the Rocks)

The Big News

Well, it's been a big month, with a lot of news. The biggest bit of that news? Well, I went and got myself married.

My first contact with Lady Jaye was in August of 2012. We met for the first time in December of 2013 - mere hours before January 2014. I proposed marriage in June of 2016. In August, we were married in her hometown. It took a lot of work, but when the dust settled, we got as close to a perfect wedding weekend as we could have possibly asked for. (That is, save for the unwelcome logistical disruption of the total solar eclipse, but it was more of an annoyance in the long run.)

The wedding followed some other big events for me: leaving my employer of ten years and relocating home to the West Coast after more than three years in Northern Virginia. Lady Jaye joined me for a few weeks in July, so we were able to do a joint goodbye tour, followed by my solo goodbye tour. My departure was bittersweet, because even though I don't feel as if I accomplished the goals I set when I moved to the National Capital Region in the first place, we had a great time in the process, and I think I set myself up for long-term success now that I've moved back home.

So... What now? Well, stay tuned.

Hiatus

The good news: I passed my CISSP exam, which was the major reason why a couple of weeks of Joshua Tree Reports have been skipped. I also have some big stuff happening in the coming weeks that may get some acknowledgement here on the blog. It's a good time to be alive.

The bad news: I'm insanely busy. So, I'm going to suspend the Joshua Tree Reports for a few weeks. At some point, I'll try to come up with some stuff to make up for the absence. However, if you follow this blog, be prepared not to read anything until early September.

Joshua Tree Report: July 2nd, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for May 28th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 82° Fahrenheit and the weather is fair. The temperature in Kirkwall is 9° centigrade and the weather is rainy. The temperature in Muscat is 40° centigrade and the weather is clear. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $46.04, and $1.30 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the Roman ruins of Leptis Magna in Libya.

In the News

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

Saudi king's son Mohammed bin Salman is new crown prince (BBC News)

Mohammed bin Salman named Saudi Arabia's crown prince (al Jazeera)

Saudi Arabia's royal shuffle - All decrees in full (al Jazeera)

What does Saudi’s new Crown Prince mean for the country? (Gulf News)

Saudi naval forces foil attack on offshore oil field (Khaleej Times)

Weapons found after shots fired in oil field: Saudi (AFP)

Yemeni Forces Hit Saudi Warship off Southwestern Coasts (Tasnim News Agency)

Bahrain: Explosion kills policeman, wounds two in Diraz (al Jazeera)

Qods Day commemorations highlight Tehran’s global reach (Long War Journal)

Israel calls for Saudi Arabia ties and state visits (al Jazeera)

UK activists demand end to Saudi Arabia, UAE arms sales (al Jazeera)

The mysterious fall in Saudi foreign reserves (al Jazeera)

Why did Qatar leave the Djibouti-Eritrea border? (al Jazeera)

Donald Trump Is Building an Alliance of Oil States (War is Boring)

Chinese Navy ships in Oman on goodwill visit (Times of Oman)

Pakistan to introduce strict visa policy for Chinese (Khaleej Times)

We are to blame, not expats (Kuwait Times)

US coalition downs first Syria government jet (BBC News)

Syria conflict: Russia issues warning after US coalition downs jet (BBC News)

Assad Still Must Go (The Tower/Michael J. Totten)

China, Russia to hold joint naval drills in Baltic Sea (AFP)

NATO holds first war games on vulnerable Baltic corridor (AFP)

Soviet Docs Shed Light on the Red Army’s Booze-Fueled Nuclear Vacation in Cuba (War is Boring)

Australia accused of spying on China: Chinese media (AFP)

Sharp rise in violent Islamist extremists in Sweden: intelligence (AFP)

It's Difficult to Know If Counter-Extremism Programmes in Europe Are Working (RAND Corporation)

Marines Take Control of Mexico’s Ports to Fight Out-of-Control Crime (War is Boring)

In Fixing the Afghan Army, We Need to Start with The Afghan Air Force (Small Wars Journal)

How China Could Truly Rein in North Korea (RAND Corporation)

Giving Japan a Military (RAND Corporation)

The European Commission Is Struggling to Demonstrate 'Value for Money' (RAND Corporation)

The U.S.-France Dustup Over Counterterrorism in the Sahel (RAND Corporation)

NATO says non-US 2017 defence spending to rise 4.3% (AFP)

Grounding the Ayatollah’s Tomcats (War is Boring)

It’s Better When F-35s and Super Hornets Work Together (War is Boring)

The U.S. Air Force Is Starving Its A-10 Squadrons—Again (War is Boring)

To Grow the Fleet, the U.S. Navy Could Recommission Retired Warships (War is Boring)

Five Myths About a Controversial Nuclear Weapon (War on the Rocks)

Insitu receives $45 million contract extension for SOCOM UAVs (UPI)

Washington Might Feel the Chill of a More United European Defense (War on the Rocks)

Don't Believe the Hype About European Defense (War on the Rocks)

Germans Should Accept What a Military is For, or Get Used to Disappointment (War on the Rocks)

Obama reportedly ordered implants to be deployed in key Russian networks (Ars Technica)

NATO says cyber attacks a call to arms (AFP)

Petya' Ransomware Outbreak Goes Global (Krebs on Security)

Petya Ransomware Hackers Didn't Make WannaCry's Mistakes (Wired)

Tuesday’s massive ransomware outbreak was, in fact, something much worse (Ars Technica)

WikiLeaks Dump Reveals a Creepy CIA Location-Tracking Trick (Wired)

NSA Insider Security Post-Snowden (Schneier on Security)

The Encryption Debate Should End Right Now, After Vault 7, Shadow Brokers, WannaCry, and Petya (Wired)

Senator Probes Top US Defense Contractor Over Leaked Data Tied to Pentagon Project (Gizmodo)

How to Browse the Web and Leave No Trace (Gizmodo)

How to Spot and Remove Stalkerware (Gizmodo)

Official warning: Snapchat 'bug' gives away your location (Gulf News)

UAE residents warned about new Snapchat update (Khaleej Times)

Microsoft bringing EMET back as a built-in part of Windows 10 (Ars Technica)

Some beers, anger at former employer, and root access add up to a year in prison (Ars Technica)

Is Continuing to Patch Windows XP a Mistake? (Schneier on Security)

The FAA Is Arguing for Security by Obscurity (Schneier on Security)

Human error blamed for 'wrong island' air ambulance (BBC News)

US gun laws: Colorado to arm teachers in classrooms (BBC News)

Hacking the Nazis: The secret story of the women who broke Hitler's codes (Tech Republic)

Saudi man mauled by lion at recreational facility (Gulf News)

Exploding cream dispenser kills French fitness blogger (BBC News)

Things that Canada is really, really good at (BBC News)

Baby elephant rescued by family at zoo (BBC News)

Top Podcasts

These were my favorite podcasts from the last couple of weeks.

In Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s fight, Iran’s the real winner (War College)

IOT: The Battle of Salamis (BBC)

Inside the DIA, Episode 1: An Interview with DIA Historian Greg Elder (SpyCast)

The Death of Expertise: An Interview with Tom Nichols (SpyCast)

Episode 256 - Robert O'Neill, SEAL Team 6 UBL shooter (SOFREP Radio)

MWI Podcast Ep. 27 – The Battle of Barg-e Matal (Modern Warfare Institute)

Rational Security #114: The "Intelligence Porn" Edition (Rational Security)

Security by the Book: How America Lost Its Secrets (The Hoover Institution)

Episode 059 – Legal Stalking and Other Scary Tales from Michael Bazzell (Social Engineer)

Security Management Highlights June 2017 (ASIS)

Episode 197 - After the Penetration Test (The Southern Fried Security Podcast)

Risky Business #109 - Open source intelligence with Maltego creator Roelof Temmingh (Risky Business)

Risky Business #458 -- Reality Winner, Qatar hax and Internet regulation calls (Risky Business)

100 years of the WI: The acceptable face of feminism (The National Archives)

Voices of the First World War: U-Boats (BBC)

Voices of the First World War: Ypres (BBC)

U.S. Entry Into World War I: Lessons One Hundred Years Later (Council on Foreign Relations)

The Art of Manliness #311: The Meaning of Beards (The Art of Manliness)

The Art of Manliness #314: Building Better Citizens Through Rucking (The Art of Manliness)

The National Archives: An Embarrassing Question: Opium, Britain and China 1856-1860 (The National Archives)

The National Archives: Lines on the map: records of international boundaries (The National Archives)

The National Archives: Lost London pubs (The National Archives)

Course Report

ENG 199: I've been at work on an undisclosed project.
PAC 130: I deliberately stretched a couple of times.
BA 480/CS 406: I continued studying for my CISSP.
PI5502: I diligently followed the ongoing diplomatic dispute in the Gulf.
HST 406 (OGHAP): I collected a few sources and listened to a bunch of podcasts.

Quote of the Week

“So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.”
- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Joshua Tree Report: June 18th, 2017

This is the Joshua Tree Report for May 28th, 2017.

General Data

The temperature in Cody is 60° Fahrenheit and the weather is fair. The temperature in Kirkwall is 11° centigrade and the weather is rainy. The temperature in Muscat is 39° centigrade and the weather is clear. A barrel of crude oil is selling at $44.74, and $1.27 currently exchanges for £1. This week's geospatial image is the the monastary on Skellig Michael, off the Irish coast.

In the News

Here are a few of this week's top stories.

Qassem Soleimani allegedly spotted in Syria near the Iraqi border (Long War Journal)

New US Russia sanctions bill riles Germany and Austria (BBC News)

Juncker says Europe can no longer 'outsource' protection (AFP)

Yemen rebels fire on UAE ship: coalition (AFP)

Yemen rebels fire on UAE ship: Saudi coalition (Khaleej Times)

Photos show US joint patrols with rebels in southern Syria (Long War Journal)

United Nations Shines Light on Shadowy Libyan Air War (War is Boring)

The UAE's 'destabilising' role in Libya (al Jazeera)

UAE boosts Libyan faction's air power: UN report (AFP)

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi freed from prison in Zintan (al Jazeera)

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi case: ICC calls for arrest of ex-Libya leader's son (BBC News)

Philippine OV-10s Bomb ISIS (War is Boring)

Dollar diplomacy?: The island's allies are being picked off by China in what Taiwan calls a "diplomatic money game (BBC News)

What China's space ambitions have to do with politics (Sputnik)

Ukraine touts defense industry to potential customers (UPI)

Modern Wars Are a Nightmare for the Army's Official Historians (The Atlantic)

Russia's Election Hacking Playbook (Wired)

Russia struck at election systems and data of 39 US states (Ars Technica)

NSA Document Outlining Russian Attempts to Hack Voter Rolls (Schneier on Security)

Latest WikiLeaks Release Shows How the CIA Hacks Your Router (Wired)

Advanced CIA firmware has been infecting Wi-Fi routers for years (Ars Technica)

U.S. Cyberweapons, Used Against Iran and North Korea, Are a Disappointment Against ISIS (New York Times)

Facing limits of remote hacking, Army cybers up the battlefield (Ars Technica)

Mass surveillance: BBC Arabic found the sales included decryption software that could be used against the West (BBC News)

How BAE sold cyber-surveillance tools to Arab states (BBC News)

US arrests nearly 200 Iraqis in deportation sweep (al Jazeera)

Iraqi detainees launch case to halt deportation from US (al Jazeera)

How a crippling shortage of analysts let the London Bridge attackers through (The Guardian)

Fasting Muslims save lives in London fire, hailed as heroes (Khaleej Times)

Suspected N.Korea drone filmed missile defence site: Seoul (AFP)

NSA links Wannacry worm to North Korea (BBC News)

Global cyber-attack 'came from N Korea' (BBC News)

US Blames North Korea for Series of DDoS Attacks (Gizmodo)

North Korea's Cyberattacks Are Chaotic, But Also Make Perfect Sense (Wired)

There's Proof That North Korea Launched the WannaCry Attack? Not So Fast! - A Warning Against Premature, Inconclusive, and Distracting Attribution (Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology)

'Mary, Jesus' Mother' is new name for UAE mosque (Gulf News)

UAE Christians hail renaming of Abu Dhabi mosque (Khaleej Times)

'Historic' islands bill published (BBC News)

Archaeologists Uncover Secret Message On Bible-Era Pottery (Gizmodo)

No wasta with God (Kuwait Times)

Vintage 1950s Bedford coach to return to Shetland (BBC News)

Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore Admits the Cylons Never Had a Plan at All (Gizmodo)

A 15-Piece Orchestra Played Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Than Daft Punk Themselves (Gizmodo)

Top Podcasts

Most of this week's listening hours were spent on either music or baseball, so I'm going to hang on to the handful of podcasts until the next edition.

Course Report

ENG 199: I got some work done on a super secret squirrel writing project.
PAC 130: Nada.
BA 480/CS 406: I spent a lot of time studying for my CISSP exam. This actually consumed a lot of my week.
PI5502: Nothing to report.
HST 406 (OGHAP): Nothing to report.

Quote of the Week

“Plant yourself not in Europe but in Iraq; it will become evident that half of the roads of the Old World lead to Aleppo, and half to Bagram.”
- Arnold Toynbee

More Sources and Headlines on Recent Gulf Tensions

Here's a follow-up to last week's post.

What the Qatar Blockade is Really About (Michael J. Totten/World Affairs Journal)

Qatar accused: Tom Keatinge looks at why the tiny Gulf emirate of Qatar is alleged to supported terrorist groups (BBC News)

Qatar and the myth of humanitarian work (Gulf News)

Qatar's case (Kuwait Times)

GCC citizens launch petition to end Gulf crisis (al Jazeera)

Will Hamas survive the Gulf crisis? (al Jazeera)

Qatar allows residents from boycotting states to stay (al Jazeera)

Akbar al-Baker on the Gulf Crisis and Qatar Airways (al Jazeera)

No limitations on foreign carriers: Gulf nations clarify (Khaleej Times)

Qatar's migrant workers on Gulf crisis frontline (Kuwait Times)

Africa and the Gulf crisis: the peril of picking sides (al Jazeera)

Pakistan urged to quit Saudi-led alliance (Khaleej Times)

Turkey: Gulf rift damages Muslim world (Kuwait Times)

Turkish FM holds talks in Kuwait over Gulf crisis (Kuwait Times)

Cavusoglu meets Gulf envoys to discuss diplomatic rift (al Jazeera)

Mevlut Cavusoglu pushes efforts to end Qatar dispute (al Jazeera)

Turkey's Erdogan decries Qatar's 'inhumane' isolation (BBC News)

Turkey: Qatar military base for the security of Gulf (al Jazeera)

Why is Turkey standing up for Qatar? (BBC News)

UAE: 'No military component' in actions against Qatar (al Jazeera)

No Arab plans to push for Qatar-linked UN sanctions (Khaleej Times)

Qatar's history of agitating its neighbours (Gulf News)

Qatar ships cargo via Oman to bypass Gulf restrictions (BBC News)

Oman values Saudi, UAE, Bahrain move on Qatar joint families (Times of Oman)

Twitter mocks Saudi editor over #Qataristomach remarks (al Jazeera)

Qatar crisis: All eyes on Riyadh (Khaleej Times)

Saudi: Gulf rift bigger political issue than airspace rights (Khaleej Times)

In Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s Fight, Iran Is the Real Winner (War is Boring)

Qatar-Iran ties: Sharing the world's largest gas field (al Jazeera)

Iran sends warships to Oman amid Gulf dispute (al Jazeera)

Qatar blockade: Iran sends five planeloads of food (BBC News)

Gulf dispute tops agenda of France-Morocco talks (al Jazeera)

Morocco offers to mediate Qatar-GCC crisis (al Jazeera)

Morocco supports Kuwait mediation in Gulf crisis (al Jazeera)

Britain's Theresa May urges easing of Gulf tensions (al Jazeera)

US' Mattis: Qatar blockade 'very complex situation' (al Jazeera)

US and Qatar seal $12bn deal for F-15 fighter jets (al Jazeera)

Qatar buys F-15 fighter planes in billion-dollar US deal (BBC News)

US naval warships arrive in Qatar for military exercise (al Jazeera)

Qatar moving quickly towards isolation—Gargash (Gulf News)

Gulf gamble: The longer the isolation of Qatar persists, the deeper the wounds to the entire region (BBC News)