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<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/_dchris/7329063096/">Flickr/_dchris</a></div></div>Bart van Poll, co-founder of <a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com" target="_blank">Spotted by Locals</a>, the network of apps and blogs by locals in 51 cities, shares his favorite local spots in the city he always loves coming home to, <keyword id="22442" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amsterdam">Amsterdam</keyword>.
On your first day here, seeing this is a must:
What you definitely don't want to miss, is Amsterdam's canals. Walk, bike or "hitchhike" a boat with locals (do not take a touristy canal boat. It's not expensive and may sound tempting, but you'll see almost nothing because they <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> much too quickly to really allow the people aboard to soak in and learn about the many beautiful and historic sites. Plus, you are surrounded by tourists - the horror!).
Pick any of the big canals (Keizersgracht, Prinsengracht, Herengracht or Singel) for your walk, bike ride or boat tour, and stop frequently to admire the beautiful houses.
Most people don't know this, but to get a true taste of the local culture…
With a population consisting of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsterdam" target="_blank">176 different nationalities</a>, Amsterdam is the most multi-cultural city in the world.
One of The Netherland's former colonies is Suriname. We are lucky to have a number of Surinamese people in Amsterdam. Suriname cuisine is wonderful, and indulging in its gastronomy is a great way to get a feel for the "local" culture.
For a glimpse of daily life, I recommend this form of transportation:
<div class="image-container float_left" style="width:478px"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/theredproject/2364277045/">Flickr/mandiberg</a>Biking is the best way to get around Amsterdam</div></div>The bicycle is by far the best way to get around. However, you'll have the most fun on a boat. The canals look drastically different from the water. It's very easy to "hitchhike" on the canals, especially if you carry a six-pack of beer (or two)!
I had my best night's sleep at:
As a local, I don't sleep at hotels. I do go to the new <a href="http://www.amsterdam.prinsengracht.andaz.hyatt.com/" target="_blank">Andaz hotel</a> regularly - it's a very cool hotel located on one of the canals. It has a very local and pleasant feel, a great (and suprisingly - very affordable) restaurant and a very well stocked bar!
The meal at this local eatery had me salivating for days:
<a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/pata-negra" target="_blank">Pata Negra</a>, the tapas restaurant I've been visiting since I was a student 15 years ago, continues to surprise me with fantastic plates and wonderful wine. The same Spanish waiters have been working there for at least the last 15 years, but they seemed to have not learned any additional Dutch words. It's super chaotic in a good way, and oozes atmosphere!
Best place to find artisan handicrafts:
The "9 streets" area is one of the few shopping areas in Amsterdam where not one big international shopping chain is active. It's a haven for boutiques, galleries and artisan shops. I love visiting the shoemaker "<a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/map/spot/sir-max" target="_blank">Sir Max</a>" in the "9 streets" area. I've given up hope though that one day I might be able to splurge to buy a pair of their beautiful shoes…
Local celebration not to be missed:
Queens day! About a million people dressed in orange go crazy to celebrate the birthday of our former Queen Juliana. There is music and parties everywhere, and plenty of madness! It's really Amsterdam's bash of the year.
Interestingly, in 2012 the late Queen Juliana's grandson Alexander took over as king. So beginning in 2014, we'll celebrate King's day, on 26 April.
For a more bucolic/green setting I escape here:
<div class="image-container float_right" style="width:479px"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/neshuma/9001191598/">Flickr/Daviddje</a>Vondelpark.</div></div>My favorite park in the world is the <a href="http://www.hetvondelpark.net/" target="_blank">Vondelpark</a>. I live about a minute walk away, and go there every day. In the summer I play late night frisbee with friends (we have frisbees with LED lights!), have picnics, read a book, or just chill out and look at the Amsterdam locals passing by on their bikes and skateboards.
It can get awfully busy in Vondelpark during summer. If I really want to escape, I take my bike and go to the Oeverlanden - just north of Amsterdam. It's approximately 45 minutes by bike to virtually the middle of nowhere. It is beautiful with plenty of farms, waterways and lush countryside, with the skyline of Amsterdam as a backdrop.
The art/music scene is alive and well here:
For great underground music follow the squat scene! Many old squats have been transformed into fantastic art &amp; music places.<a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/ot301" target="_blank"> </a>
<a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/ot301" target="_blank">OT301</a> is one of the most active. Almost every day, something is going on there. From ping-pong nights, to Korean film festivals, to glam rock parties.
<div>
<a href="http://occii.org/" target="_blank">OCCI</a> is oftentimes a bit too alternative for my taste, however I have enjoyed some truly memorable nights there, and the quality of bands is always very good.
The <a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/map/spot/vondelbunker" target="_blank">Vondelbunker</a> is another alternative culture hotspot that's privy only to locals and it's located right in the Vondelpark. They don't organize very many events (and when they do, they usually don't post them on their website), however they're always special.
Where the locals get tipsy:
One of the most happening nightlife spots in Amsterdam at this moment is <a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/map/spot/amsterdam-roest" target="_blank">Roest</a> in Amsterdam East. They have an event almost every night of the week. You can stay here for a "do it yourself" barbecue and campfire with locals. And if you're lucky, you'll find a good party stirring late night.
Most ludicrous stereotype about the people here:
As softdrugs are semi-legal in Amsterdam, many people are under the impression that most Amsterdam locals get high all the time. The truth is, we smoke a lot less weed than in countries around us where softdrugs are illegal. And we certainly smoke less than tourists! Being able to buy weed legally in a shop makes using softdrugs uninteresting for most locals. Most people try it a couple of times, and decide it's not for them.
Some "coffee shops" (that's how the shops where you can buy softdrugs are referred to) used to be my favorite places to go, because of their relaxed atmosphere. Coffee shops used to be great places to drink beer with friends, but unfortunately many laws changed in the last few years. It's no longer possible to buy alcohol in coffee shops, or to smoke. Unfortunately, most coffee shops are now deserted and have lost their lively soul.
If I had only 24 hours to explore Amsterdam I would:
Amsterdam is a relatively small city, so you can see a lot in one day. On a typical weekend, my wife and I bike from the South (where we live) to North Amsterdam, to West Amsterdam, to East Amsterdam and back South. You'll get a good glimpse of the city if you do what we do almost every week!
First, head to one of the big canals and bike the entire length, stopping frequently to admire the beautiful houses. If the weather is nice, buy a sandwich and sit as you watch the boats go by.
Then bike towards central station (try to avoid the awful touristy Leidseplein, Rembrandtplein and Rokin) and hop on the free ferry to cross the river IJ to NDSM wharf (you can take your bike along free of charge).
The NDSM wharf area is where the world's first super large container ships were made. Nowadays, it's a creative hotspot with lots of artists and galleries. A great place to have coffee is at the "beach" bar <a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/pllek/" target="_blank">Pllek</a>.
Take the ferry across the canal again. Not to Central Station, but to Houthavens. Check out the wonderful warehouses near the river from the ferry and the view of the center of Amsterdam. The former Gas factory "Westergasfabriek" is another beautiful factory turned into a cultural hotspot with lots of galleries and cafés. It's situated in one of my favorite local parks - <a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/westerpark" target="_blank">Westerpark</a>.
Hit the road again with your rental bike, to the far East of Amsterdam, about a 30-minute bike ride. Amsterdam East is the most international part of Amsterdam. Take advantage of it by having Suriname food at the <a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/dappermarkt" target="_blank">Dappermarkt</a>.
After that, you deserve a beer at one of the most iconic breweries in Amsterdam - Brouwerij 't IJ. It's located in an old windmill, so you'll also be able to enjoy some Dutch nuances!
</div>

A Local Reveals The Best Places To Eat, Drink, And Play In Amsterdam

<ul><li>Howdy, Modi ! is a rally where PM Narendra Modi will address 50,000 Indian Americans during his US visit on 22 September 2019, reported ANI. </li><li>US President Donald Trump will also be joiningModi to address this large gathering of Indian Americans. </li><li>The event is amongst the largest gatherings held by a foreign leader in the US, said the report. </li></ul>Howdy, Modi ! is a rally where PM Narendra Modi will address 50,000 Indian Americans during his US visit on 22 September 2019, reported ANI. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="Narendra Modi" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1134082549041393672/QbihPzrL_normal.png" favoritecount="56514" retweetcount="10230" status="A special gesture by @POTUS, signifying the special friendship between India and USA! Delighted that President… https://t.co/OgBxV6fOu4" createdat="1568607144000" id="1173449532769632261"></div>





 US President Donald Trump will also be joiningModi to address this large gathering of Indian Americans The event is amongst the largest gatherings held by a foreign leader in the US, said the report. "It will be a great opportunity to emphasize the strong ties between the people of the United States and India, to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the world's oldest and largest democracies, and to discuss ways to deepen their energy and trade relationship," said Stephanie Grisham, White House Secretary. Here’s everything we know about the event : Howdy Modi: Date, Time and Venue Howdy, Modi! will be held at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on September 22, 2019. The event will begin at 10am (local time) or 8.30pm (IST) and will last till 1pm (local time) or 11.30pm (IST). Howdy Modi tickets availability Organisers have claimed that the event is sold out. As many as 50,000 Indo-American have already registered for the event. All the new registrations will be added to the waiting list. People can opt for two types of registration — general registration and student registration. What’s going to happen? The 3-hour long event will have a cultural programme and Modi’s speech. Trump will also try to woo Indian origin voters for the upcoming presidential election during the rally. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/modi-offers-indias-cost-effective-technology-but-only-to-friendly-nations/articleshow/71046346.cms">Modi offers India's cost-effective technology but only to 'friendly' nations</a>

Here’s all you need to know about “Howdy, Modi!” where Modi and Trump will come together for their first rally ever

<ul><li>A few weeks after its launch, Amazon Prime Video offers a glimpse into the unique marketing strategy behind the recently launched Amazon Original Series <keyword id="9232238" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="paatal-lok">Paatal Lok</keyword>. </li><li>Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Country GM, Amazon Prime Video India shares tips on how to execute a large-scale marketing plan amid the lockdown.</li></ul>With a release during the nation-wide lockdown period, the digital streaming service faced various limitations to promote the show, including lack of outdoor campaigns. Below are excerpts by Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Country GM, Amazon Prime Video India on how these limitations were turned into opportunities. The Marketing Campaign Paatal Lok’s marketing campaign had three dimensions to it. The first was to bring the title to life ‘Paatal Lok’ – a word that derives itself from Indian mythology, and make it relevant &amp; contextual for audiences. We borrowed the concept of the three realms – Paatal Lok, Swarg lok, Dharti lok - layering them with present day context, to construct a relatable yet intriguing concept. Central to the campaign was the concept, story and the characters – and that really was the core of the campaign. ‘Haathiram’ , ‘Hathoda Tyagi’ , ‘Sanjeev Mehra’ were all powerful characters and we put them in the context of the three realms. The third element of the campaign was the unique visual language of the show which made it totally stand out. The unique thing about the phases of this campaign were that in addition to our efforts (of anticipation, launch and sustenance), the love for the show inspired a huge wave of ‘fan’ led marketing. In addition to the great critic and media reviews, the show created a pop culture moment of its own that saw fan-art to memes to other brand’s doing ‘moment marketing’ using the three realms – Paatal Lok, Swarg lok, Dharti lok. All of it further added to the show’s appeal and fandom. Change in marketing strategies with the absence of OOH and other outdoor medium With the growing popularity of the show, the distinctly different worlds of the show or the ‘Loks’ have become a pop cultural reference. This thought was seeded by the marketing team in early stages of the campaign along with a distinct visual identity. The campaign kicked off with an intriguing teaser, which was originally supposed to be filmed, but the team quickly pivoted to create an animated spot (given the lockdown), with Jaideep Ahlawat (Haathiram) lending his powerful voice to it We realised that given the lockdown the Media choices will be limited so the team decided to go even bigger on social and digital media (with support from TV). The campaign had a lot of hooks to engage &amp; build intrigue – a good example of this would be the a cryptic significance behind the time of the release of the trailer i.e. 11:34 am IST. The time, if read upside down, spells HELL (Paatlal) – and this was only revealed when we provided a preview of the trailer on the microsite 12 hours before its official release at 11:34 pm IST. The talent , creators and the team at Amazon Prime Video continued to build on the excitement for the customers using themes linked to the ‘Loks’, ‘visual language’ or now ‘iconic’ dialogues from the trailer right till the day of launch. 24 hours before the show’s launch, the creators, producers and talent of the show turned (upside down) their Twitter profile pictures to build the narrative of an upside down/inverted world. Moment Marketing Paatal Lok saw huge organic flow of memes which shows ‘fandom’ &amp; ‘love’ for the show and its characters. The format for the distinctly different realms of the show was introduced by us on the trailer launch day to contextualize the 3 loks, and once audiences got intrigued and connected with it, several brands took note of the same and tapped on it for their social communication thus further propelling it into a big pop cultural moment. Paatal Lok will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and Bollywood in the Prime Video catalogue. These include Indian-produced Amazon Original series such as Four More Shots Please, Paatal Lok, The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye, The Family Man, Mirzapur, Inside Edge and Made In Heaven, as well as award-winning and critically- acclaimed global Amazon Original series like Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Hunters, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all on Prime Video, which is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. The service includes titles available in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi and Bengali.

How Amazon Prime managed to make Paatal Lok talk of the town through its marketing strategy

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Alex Wong/Getty ImagesFacebook cofounder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.</div></div></div>There's a potential civil war brewing at Facebook.Conservative employees are up in arms against what they argue is an "intolerant" liberal culture at the tech company.A private group on the famously liberal Silicon Valley firm's internal message board has been set up in protest with more than 160 members, posters are appearing around campus, and Facebook employees are having heated internal debates around the subject, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-the-facebook-conservative-employee-protest-2018-8">as Business Insider detailed in a recent report</a>."'I disagree of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.' We need to channel Voltaire more in the company today," one employee wrote to his colleagues. "So many viewpoints are summarily dismissed as *ist/*obe because they are not understood."The tense atmosphere highlights how even famously liberal Silicon Valley has become sucked into the vortex of America's chaotic national <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword>, as companies like Facebook grapple with their political role and influence on the public stage and within the workplace."You can...see the dripping of hate off them," one Facebook employee told Business Insider, describing the way "liberal" employees behave around their outspoken conservative colleagues.The aggrieved Facebook employees complain that the company doesn't tolerate non-liberal viewpoints, and many conservatives believe they need to stay "in the closet" about their political beliefs. The Facebook employee also said conservatives at the company believe they can be fired more easily than others, citing ousted Oculus founder Palmer Luckey as an example: "If you're conservative at Facebook, you're already walking on eggshells. You will get fired quicker than if you're a liberal in seconds."Reached for comment, Facebook spokesperson Bertie Thomson referred Business Insider to a statement issued Tuesday: "On Day 1 of Facebook's new hire orientation in Menlo Park, everyone hears from our Chief Diversity Officer about the importance of diversity and how to have respectful conversations with people who have different viewpoints."<h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-the-facebook-conservative-employee-protest-2018-8?R=NL">Read the full report on the culture war exploding at Facebook on BI Prime »</a></h2>Do you work at Facebook? Do you know more? Contact this reporter via Signal or WhatsApp at +1 (650) 636-6268 using a non-work phone, email at rprice@businessinsider.com, WeChat at robaeprice, or Twitter DM at <a href="https://twitter.com/robaeprice">@robaeprice</a>. (PR pitches by email only, please.) You can also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-tip-business-insider-securely-guide-signal-securedrop-2017-6">contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop</a>. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-anesthesia-works-affects-brain-body-2018-8">How anesthesia affects your brain and body</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Inside the Facebook employee group at war with the company's 'intolerant' liberal culture

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">GettyFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.</div></div></div><ul><li>More than 160 Facebook employees are pushing back against what they call the company's "intolerant" liberal culture.</li><li>They have joined a new internal message board group intended to promote "political diversity."</li><li>There have previously been incidents where Facebook employees have refused to work with or talk to colleagues over <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword>.</li><li>Some conservative employees feel they need to stay "in the closet" about their beliefs, and can't talk openly to their colleagues about their views.</li></ul> A turbulent political climate is spreading across <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/fb-stock">Facebook's</a> employee ranks, pitting coworkers against each other in heated chat room arguments, and in some cases, causing tensions that ripple throughout the workplace.More than 100 employees have rallied in a group on Facebook's internal Workplace messageboard founded by a conservative employee to protest what they alleged is an "intolerant" culture towards conservatism. Posters promoting the group and attacking the "outrage mob" have appeared around campus, and debates among employees have broken out across Facebook Workplace over the company's approach to politics. There have also previously been some incidents in which Facebook employees have refused to work with or talk to certain colleagues because of their political beliefs, an employee told Business Insider."You can...see the dripping of hate off them," the source said, describing the way "liberal" employees behave around outspoken their conservative colleagues.The tense atmosphere highlights how even famously liberal Silicon Valley has become sucked into the vortex of America's chaotic national politics, as companies like Facebook grapple with their political role and influence on the public stage and within the workplace. "Anyone who says there's not a liberal bias here is either lying, or just so blinded by their political views they can't see the bias," the source said. <h2>Inside the group: 'No memes or straw men'</h2>The internal Facebook group, "FB'ers for Political Diversity," was founded by Brian Amerige, a senior engineer, following a post last week decrying what he views as the company's "intolerant" liberal culture. (The existence of the group <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/technology/inside-facebook-employees-political-bias.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fkate-conger&amp;action=click&amp;contentCollection=undefined&amp;region=stream&amp;module=stream_unit&amp;version=latest&amp;contentPlacement=1&amp;pgtype=collection">was first reported on Tuesday by The New York Times</a>.)Employees who view the group are greeted with a banner featuring apparent quotes from conservative Facebook employees, including "They say that every opinion is welcome, but it's really not," "It's not easy speaking out here, so props to you and good luck with the outrage mob," and "I agree with you 100% but I'm too scared to show it publicly."Amerige wrote in his initial post, <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/201-facebook-political-diversity/a8dfe9ae492061f54455/optimized/full.pdf#page=1">"We Have a Problem with Political Diversity"</a>:"We are a political monoculture that's intolerant of different views. We claim to welcome all perspectives, but are quick to attack-often in mobs-anyone who presents a view that appears to be in opposition to left-leaning ideology. We throw labels that end in ​*obe​ and ​*ist​ at each other, attacking each other's character rather than their ideas."As of Tuesday, the group now has more than 160 members. It includes both conservative and liberal employees who agree with its message, an employee said.Discussions range from whether there's "a socialist version of Atlas Shrugged," a libertarian-objectivist classic, to the definitions of hate speech.And there "meta" discussions about the group itself and its aims: "[There is] an external impression that we are ideologues in an echo chamber, pursuing a goal of remaking FB's culture in a way that pleases us," an employee wrote. "I hope this group doesn't become a forum for constant arguments by people who adamantly disagree with each other," wrote an operations employee in another post.Amerige laid out a set of rules for the group early on, including: No personal attacks, including calling people racist for supporting a public figure that someone believes is racist; "assumption of good faith is a prerequisite to participation," and "no memes or straw men."Reached for comment, Facebook spokesperson Bertie Thomson referred Business Insider to a statement issued Tuesday: "On Day 1 of Facebook's new hire orientation in Menlo Park, everyone hears from our Chief Diversity Officer about the importance of diversity and how to have respectful conversations with people who have different viewpoints."<h2>Some conservative Facebook employees feel they have to stay 'in the closet'</h2>The Facebook employee, who was not authorized to speak publicly, told Business Insider that the political climate since the formation of the group has been "positive," and "a lot of people who you wouldn't expect to be conservative actually came and joined the group and actually came out as conservatives."More generally though, the person said that the majority of conservative Facebook employees feel uncomfortable disclosing their political stance to their more liberal coworkers. One trans employee said she found it harder to "come out" as conservative than as trans at Facebook, according to the source.The Facebook employee also said conservatives at the company believe they can be fired more easily than others, citing ousted Oculus founder Palmer Luckey as an example: "If you're conservative at Facebook, you're already walking on eggshells. You will get fired quicker than if you're a liberal in seconds."The size of the group - roughly 160 employees - is a tiny proportion of Facebook's total headcount of more than 25,000. But the stance of its members illustrates a rift in the tech giant between its politically liberal majority and a minority of conservative employees who feel unable to speak freely."There is diversity at Facebook with its employees, but there is definitely a lack of political diversity," another employee told Business Insider. "As Mr Zuckerberg said to Congress on Capital Hill Facebook is located in an area that is left leaning. I would say that is an understatement."In July, more than a month before founding the FB'ers for Political Diversity" group, Amerige spoke out against a mural in Facebook's new MPK21 building which says "GENDER FREE," labeling it "radical leftist art.""Facebook is free to put up whatever art it wants, but I just want to register my frustration and frankly the disgust I feel every time I pass this," he wrote.He criticized it as an attempt "to wipe out the validity of gender as a concept," arguing that "we do not make progress towards treating people as individuals by blanking out the existence of what makes us different from one another."Posters promoting "FB'ers for Political Diversity" have since been stuck beneath it.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl1QC2FnGCk">ialvarock/Instagram</a>The "GENDER FREE" mural at Facebook's headquarters.</div></div></div><h2>'Political diversity is not ipso facto good'</h2>Amerige's post on Political Diversity - as well as his earlier criticism of the mural - drew condemnation from some colleagues."This isn't nearly [as] interesting of a take as you think friendo. Being called out for behaving in a harmful way is part of learning how not to be harmful, if you take that as an personal attack rather than an opportunity, that's your problem," said a customer support specialist, criticising his initial response to the mural."Political 'diversity' is not ipso facto good," said another software engineer. "Politics is the study of power, and not all uses of power are good."Others were more supportive. "This is a really important note. Thank you for writing," wrote a software engineer, arguing the definition of "tolerance" has shifted. "The culture that flows from this new 'tolerance' tends to be rather unkind, unforgiving, and ironically, intolerant (by the classic definition). Another employee added: "'I disagree of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.' We need to channel Voltaire more in the company today. So many viewpoints are summarily dismissed as *ist/*obe because they are not understood."<h2>Silicon Valley is under siege</h2>Silicon Valley, the heart of the American tech industry and has been fraught with allegations of bias in Trump's America.In July 2017, Google found itself at the centre of a political firestorm after engineer James Damore wrote an internal post decrying what he characterised as "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber," in which he attacked the company's diversity efforts. Some conservatives also allege that social <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> firms are deliberately silencing and censoring non-liberal voices on their platforms.Facebook has grappled with how to approach dissent by conservative employees before. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-shut-down-anonymous-chat-group-for-employees-2017-8">As Business Insider previously reported</a> in 2017, a group called "Facebook Anon" where employees could chat anonymously morphed into a hub for conservative, Trump-supporting employees during the 2016 election.It was ultimately shut down in December 2016 as the talk "turned ugly and ... alarmed management."Do you work at Facebook? Do you know more? Contact this reporter via Signal or WhatsApp at +1 (650) 636-6268 using a non-work phone, email at rprice@businessinsider.com, WeChat at robaeprice, or Twitter DM at <a href="https://twitter.com/robaeprice">@robaeprice</a>. (PR pitches by email only, please.) You can also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-tip-business-insider-securely-guide-signal-securedrop-2017-6">contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop</a>.<h2>Now read:</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/third-facebook-us-users-say-use-social-network-less-than-2017-2018-8?r=promo-below-article">A new study reveals a worrying trend for Facebook, and the problem might not show up in the 'official' numbers</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-games-industry-angry-about-apple-google-fees-fortnite-2018-8?r=promo-below-article">The video games industry is quietly fuming about Google and Apple's sky-high app store fees</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-most-important-engineers-2018-8?r=promo-below-article">Meet 16 of Facebook's most important engineers, working on its biggest products and guiding its future</a></li></ul> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-hack-an-election-former-nsa-hacker-cyber-security-russia-putin-trump-2018-8">How to hack an election, according to a former NSA hacker</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

'You can see the dripping of hate': Inside the protest group at Facebook that's attacking its 'intolerant' liberal culture

<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image">REUTERS/Ahmad Masood</div></div>The last couple weeks have witnessed one of the most significant periods in decades in the annals of diplomatic history.
Having deeply mishandled the domestic side of the Syrian crisis, the Obama administration proceeded to worsen matters by, in effect, outsourcing the problem to Vladimir Putin. 
<a href="http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/americas-middle-east-policy-collapses-9073">As I've written elsewhere</a>, I'm pessimistic about any Moscow-brokered WMD deal having the effects that the West desires. That said, much remains to be seen, as this issue is really only in the first chapter of diplomatic resolution.
However, I'm confident in stating that the United States backing off from overt military intervention in Syria's civil war has important implications, already visible, for the <keyword id="196649" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="U-S-military">U.S. military</keyword>.
That diplomats, not generals and admirals, were walking point in the White House on this issue has been widely noted, as has<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-h-scales-soldier-and-citizen/2013/09/17/b96fc552-1ee8-11e3-94a2-6c66b668ea55_story.html"> a budding civil-military conundrum </a>that will very likely get worse in the years ahead.
Looming over all this, though, is the reality that the U.S. military may have simply priced itself out of the market. After the thrashing of Saddam's forces in early 1991 by a U.S.-led coalition in Operation DESERT STORM, it was evident to nearly everyone that facing America's military in a stand-up fight was a losing proposition. Our technological lead, coupled with superb command-and-control (C2), gave the United States a remarkable competitive edge in the tactical-to-operational realm of warfare.
Strategy, however, would prove a much tougher nut for the Pentagon to crack. Even Saddam, in the years after his 1991 defeat, never seriously planned for conventional resistance against any future U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which even the man from Tikrit realized was a fool's errand.
In the heady time of Blitzkrieg triumphs early in World War II, Hitler famously proclaimed "nothing is impossible for the German soldier" (dem deutschen Soldaten ist nichts unmöglich) and in the salad days of U.S. hegemony after 1991 that Nazi mirage seemed to have been realized, at last, by the Americans.
Yet tactical awesomeness does not equal strategic competence, and any serious analysis of U.S. military performance since 9/11, in the era of the Global War on Terror, must conclude that Americans arms failed to deliver promised political outcomes in either Iraq or Afghanistan. While there is much blame for this to be laid at the feet of barmy politicos, U.S. top military leadership is equally culpable for the strategic setbacks.
History will not be kind to the likes of Generals Tommy Franks and Ricardo Sanchez, to cite only two particularly egregious examples, and any attempt to dodge this truth can fester into a kind of "stab in the back legend" (to allow a second Germanism in one paragraph), a fate to be avoided at all costs.
Above all, the U.S. is broke. This week, while addressing the baleful impact of sequestration on the Pentagon, three of our four service chiefs bluntly informed Congress, in open session, <a href="http://20committee.com/2013/09/20/the-coming-age-of-special-war/us-military-could-not-handle-one-major-theater-operation-if-sequester-sticks">that they could not execute even one Major Theater War </a>under current financial conditions. Since the end of the Cold War, the MTW has been the military's gold standard.
Down to 9/11, the Pentagon's positions was that it could fight two MTWs simultaneously; now, with readiness in trouble due to wars and empty coffers, the reality has set in that the Pentagon is facing a crisis. The post-modern American war of warfare, which very few if any countries could hope to match in complexity and cost, is now so expensive that even Americans can no longer afford it. The strategic impact of this realization promises to be vast and far-reaching.
Conflict, though, shows no signs of evaporating. We can expect a gradual move away from the high-intensity warfare that the U.S. has perfected in the tactical-operational realm. Which may be just as well, given the current state of the U.S. military, particularly our ground forces, which are tired after 12 years of counterinsurgency in CENTCOM.
Although the possibility of force-on-force conflict with China seems plausible, particularly given rising tensions in East Asian waters, the rest of the world appears uninterested in fighting the United States the way the U.S. likes to fight.
This, paradoxically, may not actually be good news in the long run, as the United States is seriously unready for other forms of conflict. Worse, the U.S. Government has persuaded itself that it is more ready for lower-intensity forms of conflict than it actually is.
To be fair, in recent years the Pentagon, in collaboration with the Intelligence Community, has made UAVs a serious threat to terrorists around the world, while DoD's Special Operations Forces - as large as the entire militaries of many Western countries - are the envy of the world in terms of their size, budgets, and capabilities. Yet all these are really just somewhat more subtle forms of traditional military applications of force.
What is needed instead is a serious capability in what some Eastern intelligence services term "special war," an amalgam of espionage, subversion, even forms of terrorism to attain political ends without actually going to war in any conventional sense.
Special war is the default setting for countries that are unable or unwilling to fight major wars, but there are prerequisites, above all a degree of cunning and a willingness to accept operational risk to achieve strategic aims. I'm afraid the U.S. Government falls quite short in those two departments.
The apparently total inability of the U.S. Government to keep secrets these days indicates a basic unreadiness for special war. Just as serious an obstacle is the mindset of most U.S. warfighters, which remains vividly conventional and unimaginative.
No less, the risk aversion that characterizes too many American military and intelligence operations, caused by having lawyers oversee everything the Pentagon and the IC do, will have to be dispensed with if America wants to develop any real capabilities in special war.
There are templates to follow. Britain and France are more proficient in aspects of special war than we are, in part due to a legacy of colonial-era operations that lingers in London and Paris. Israel in particular is comfortable with the nuts and bolts of special war - aggressive espionage, subversion of hostile foreign factions, and even assassinations - but the Israeli model has its limits.
In the first place, it's questionable how much a system developed for a small state with a defined set of foes can be expanded to meet the needs of a huge global power. Moreover, Israeli political culture is tolerant of special war, including the mistakes that inevitably accompany it, showing a degree of public maturity about such messy matters that seems seriously lacking in the United States.
Unfortunately there is one country that excels at special war, and that's Russia. Moscow's proficiency in these dark arts goes back to the late Tsarist period, when the regime's solution to a rising terrorism problem was to penetrate terrorist groups while creating some of their own: a politically tricky strategy that worked nearly perfectly, as long as one is willing to close one's eyes at key moments.
Proficiency in espionage, subversion, and terrorism was perfected under the Soviets, yet the skills of Russian intelligence in this domain have, if anything, increased under the rule of President Putin who, by virtue of being a onetime KGB counterintelligence officer, fully comprehends the power of special war.
Putin's years in power have witnessed a blossoming of special war in Chechnya, where intelligence-led counterinsurgency has worked where blunter military methods failed to subdue the rebellion; in the Baltic states, where Russian intelligence successfully influences and intimdates these small NATO countries; and especially in Georgia, where the full range of Russian secret tricks has been employed intensely.
The August 2008 Russian military intervention got the world's attention, while the day-in, day-out activities waged by Moscow against Tbilisi, encompassing a rough form of spywar, get little press outside the region. The lead-up to the Obama administration's agreement to a Russian offer to settle the Syrian WMD issue is a classic case of Moscow's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_measures">active measures </a>- a key aspect of special war - setting the field for a big Russian diplomatic win.
Special war works when competently handled. It's very cheap compared to any conventional military operations, and if executed properly it offers states a degree of plausible deniability while achieving state interests without fighting. The United States at present is not ready - organizationally, legally, politically, or culturally - to compete in special war.
But getting proficient in special war will soon not be a choice, but a necessity. We're already losing at it, whether we realize it or not, and the current trajectory is worrying. Over 2,500 years ago Sun Tzu, an early advocate of special war, argued that the acme of skill is not winning battles, rather subduing your enemy without actually fighting. It's about time the Pentagon caught on.
<a href="http://20committee.com/">Check out more at The XX Committee &gt;</a>

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