Acclimatizing to the new reality: Links 4 on Sept. 2 – 2014

Glasgow-born Aqsa Mahmood, 20, the daughter of a successful businessman, abandoned a university course last year to join Islamic State fighters.

Since then she has married and has posted regular messages on Twitter, ranging from descriptions of daily life to publicising propaganda urging people to commit atrocities in the West.

(I wonder how the Justin Trudeau’s of the world will try and explain this as the result of poverty and lack of opportunity. Oh right of course. By lying about it and ignoring the facts)

4. A more complete list of educational requirements for the new Islamic State

5. Scores killed as Boko Haram insurgents overrun Nigerian town

MAIDUGURI: Islamist Boko Haram insurgents have overrun much of a northeastern Nigerian town after hours of fighting that has killed scores and displaced thousands of residents, several security sources said on Tuesday.

The Islamists launched an attack on the town of Bama, 70 km (45 miles) from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri, on Monday. They were initially repelled but came back in greater numbers overnight, the sources and witnesses said.

6. A million people at risk as Somalia slides towards famine: UN

NAIROBI: Over a million people in war-torn Somalia are struggling in conditions close to famine, with hunger and drought due to worsen, United Nations experts said on Tuesday.

The grim assessment, based on the latest data collected by the UN, comes three years since famine in the Horn of Africa nation killed more than a quarter of a million people, and as heavy fighting persists in some of the hardest hit regions.

The UN said 1,025,000 people were classified in either “crisis” or “emergency” situations, just one step short of famine on its hunger scale. This represents an increase of a fifth compared with the numbers affected in January.

Thank you Don L., M., Maria J., Don C., Wrath of Khan, and all. In 22 minutes, at 8:30 ET for an hour, I will take another shot at hosting an online radio program on these subjects. Please feel free to join in and join the chat room and call in if you like. This is only the second Blog-cast we have done so far. Its still a bit rough. But we have to do everything we can think of I believe.