The following is adapted from the book Guns, Girls, and Greed: I was a Blackwater Mercenary in Iraq by Morgan Lerette. We’re headed to a random ministry building so our principal can meet an Iraqi who’ll try and extort US tax dollars from him. Moving diplomats around a warzone for Blackwater is the apex of mercenary life circa 2004. We take a right
The world is more connected than ever, and digital awareness is crucial in navigating this landscape. Our smartphones aren’t just communication devices—they hold our personal data, track our movements, and act as digital keys to our finances, homes, and social lives. While this convenience has benefits, it also exposes us
Imagine yourself at a long table with numerous other competitors, participating in a competitive eating contest, and in front of you are dozens upon dozens of hot dogs. Your goal is to consume those hot dogs in the fastest manner possible and beat the times of all other participants to be declared the winner. I also have
First and foremost, I’m not trying to piss off anyone who sells flying-compliant self-defense tools. Those are great; this article is for those who can’t afford those tools or are not knowledgeable about options at this moment. Understanding self-defense on a plane is crucial, and that will change when the
Fans of the classic western Tombstone mourned the loss of Val Kilmer’s death on April 1 from pneumonia after a 2014 throat cancer diagnosis. His portrayal of Doc Holliday remains iconic in this 1993 western film which tells a fictional version of the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral in the tiny Arizona town.
Let me start with a confession. I once celebrated fixing a jammed printer like I had just won the Super Bowl. Hands in the air. A little victory dance. Fist-pumping. Some expletives might’ve been thrown at an inanimate object. (Spoiler: it was still the printer.) But honestly? I stand by
World War II was filled with heroic feats. However, there were a few hazardous missions. Some may sound familiar, and others may be new information. Each of these missions was among the most dangerous during the years of World War II, and each shows how brave the soldiers in WW
I am in a poor and forgotten neighborhood in eastern Tijuana. I negotiated my way through a small walkway littered with garbage and flanked by houses made out of plywood, tarps, and whatever else was on hand. Illegal electrical wire connections (locally called “diablitos”) sprout from every electrical pole, like
From a terrestrial perspective, it is easy to convince yourself that America is fairly domesticated these days. Big cities are ubiquitous, and traffic can seem suffocating. However, climb up a few thousand feet, and everything looks quite different. Airplane survival techniques become crucial in such vast expanses. The US is absolutely enormous. During World War
