Stop the world, I want to get off ...

... and I managed to get off for 7 days in a warm sunny clime on the beach. My GF (and not checking the news) really helped;-)

But now I'm back (dammit!) and the weather sucks and there ain't no beaches, so you have to suffer along with me.

Here are some of the daily atrocities I, and you might have, missed:

20,000 vets' brain injuries not listed in Pentagon tally

At least 20,000 U.S. troops who were not classified as wounded during combat in Iraq and Afghanistan have been found with signs of brain injuries, according to military and veterans records compiled by USA TODAY.

The data, provided by the Army, Navy and Department of Veterans Affairs, show that about five times as many troops sustained brain trauma as the 4,471 officially listed by the Pentagon through Sept. 30. These cases also are not reflected in the Pentagon's official tally of wounded, which stands at 30,327.
[...]
One base released its count of brain injuries at a medical conference. The others provided their records at the request of USA TODAY, in some cases only after a Freedom of Information Act filing was submitted.

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Houston Police and Homeland Security using military spy planes on Americans

Houston police started testing unmanned aircraft and the event was shrouded in secrecy, but it was captured on tape by Local 2 Investigates.

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Military Probe Focuses on Iraq Contracts

[...]
One of the most striking aspects of the fraud investigations has been the number of those caught up in it who have apparently killed themselves _ at least three Army officers so far.
[...]