SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:36 P.M. ET: 

EDITOR'S NOTE – One of the pleasures of writing and editing Urgent Agenda is getting to know the work of many of our remarkable readers.   One of those readers, and subscribers, is the distinguished military historian Will Stroock, author of many books and articles – non-fiction and fiction – that explore the world of the soldier.  Will is just out with his latest novel, "Israel Strikes:  War of the Red Sea," which can be found here, at Amazon.  Once again Will shows his mastery of the Mideast's leading militaries – how they fight, how they think, how they're lead.  It's almost as if you're reading battle reports on the desks of the major players.  The action never stops, and the plot twists show that there's nothing as unpredictable, or human, as modern warfare.  And as the last few pages prove, there'll always be another surprise.  Will we be ready?  Give "Israel Strikes" a good look.  The author is a first-class researcher, which is why the book has the power of authority, as well as solid story telling.

THE FUTURE OF BRITAIN – From London's Daily Mail:  "For years Muhammad has been racing up the chart of the country’s most popular baby names – and now he has been joined by his sisters Nur and Maryam.  The two girls’ names have been among the most popular of 2014, according to website BabyCentre.   The data shows a surge in Arabic names in the UK this year, with Omar, Ali and Ibrahim all entering the boys’ top 100 for the first time."  This is called the future electorate.  Future, as within 25 years.  The same thing is happening in France.  It isn't bigotry to point out the impact this will eventually have on European and British politics, including foreign policy.

BARKLEY TELLS IT LIKE IT IS – From Fox:  "Sir Charles has opinions, and he isn’t afraid to voice them. NBA great Charles Barkley undoubtedly lost some fans and gained some more recently, when he said the grand jury got it right in declining to indict Ferguson, Mo., Police Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown and labeled looters 'scumbags.'  'The true story came out from the grand jury testimony,' the Hall of Fame forward told radio host Mike Missanelli last week on Philadelphia’s sports radio station The Fanatic.  Noting that several black witnesses corroborated Wilson’s version of events, saying Brown attacked him and went for his gun, Barkley accused the press of using dubious information to inflame passions."  And he is correct.  There've been periodic rumors that Barkley intends to enter politics.  He should.  He could shake up black politics.  But the race establishment would probably destroy him.

READY FOR THEIR CLOSE-UP – From Fox:  "The White House is pushing a multi-million-dollar program to encourage local law enforcement agencies to use body cameras, on the heels of the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.  At the same time, President Obama is not seeking to pull back federal programs that provide military-style equipment to local law enforcement.  The administration revealed details of a White House review after Obama met with members of his Cabinet about the situation. The president is pushing a three-year, $263 million program to expand training and resources for local police departments -- the biggest component would be a $75 million fund during that period to help purchase 50,000 body cameras. "   The cameras are a good idea, but hardly new.  We've had police dash-cams for years.  And New York has adopted a program of on-person cameras, possibly located in headgear, for officers.  Dash-cams have revealed improper behavior by police officers in dealing with the public.  They have also exonerated officers falsely accused of brutality.

December 1, 2014