The myth of the fearless, lethal soldier collapses under a surprising truth: most soldiers in combat do not shoot to kill. Despite rigorous training, many hesitate to pull the trigger, even when their survival depends on it. This isn’t due to lack of skill or weaponry but a profound psychological barrier against killing, rooted deeply in human nature. Combat studies have revealed that, throughout history—from ancient warriors to modern soldiers—the reluctance to take life persists. Military training has adapted, but the instinct to preserve life challenges assumptions about warfare, revealing the complex human morality laid bare on the battlefield.

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Home: https://almostcertainlynot.com/

→ Support Join our Patreon with the link below.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Almost_Certainly_Not

→ Original Article/Script

Substack: https://danwlauer.substack.com/p/hold-your-fire

→ Post Meridiem: An Unreliable Memoir of Madness in Los Angeles

Dan Lauer has a memoir available on Kindle & Paperback.

Amazon: https://a.co/d/a1tPujS

"Post Meridiem is an unreliable memoir of events that occurred in Los Angeles County between June and September 2009. From the bewildering cast of a state-run psychiatric hospital to the horrific exhibits of the Museum of the Morbid, Dan Lauer searches for comfort and solace from a severe depression-driven psychotic break from reality in all the wrong places."

In the summer of 1916, the Jersey Shore was rocked by a series of brutal shark attacks that left beachgoers terrified and authorities baffled. Over twelve harrowing days, five people were attacked, four of them fatally, in a rampage that moved from the ocean to a quiet creek inland.

→ Credits, References, Corrections, and More

Home: https://almostcertainlynot.com/

→ Support Join our Patreon with the link below.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Almost_Certainly_Not

→ Original Article/Script

Substack: https://danwlauer.substack.com/p/we-saw-the-water-turning-red

→ Post Meridiem: An Unreliable Memoir of Madness in Los Angeles

Dan Lauer has a memoir available on Kindle & Paperback.

Amazon: https://a.co/d/a1tPujS

"Post Meridiem is an unreliable memoir of events that occurred in Los Angeles County between June and September 2009. From the bewildering cast of a state-run psychiatric hospital to the horrific exhibits of the Museum of the Morbid, Dan Lauer searches for comfort and solace from a severe depression-driven psychotic break from reality in all the wrong places."

Imagine a life without food, where the human body thrives on nothing but air and sunlight. Breatharianism—a belief that we can survive without eating—has fascinated and horrified skeptics for decades. Devotees claim they’ve unlocked the ultimate secret to longevity, shedding their dependence on physical sustenance. But what happens when followers go too far and are fully taken in by the figureheads who don’t practice what they preach? Behind the serene promises of enlightenment lie stories of starvation, mystery, and death.

→ Credits, References, Corrections, and More

Home: https://almostcertainlynot.com/

→ Support Join our Patreon with the link below.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Almost_Certainly_Not

→ Original Article/Script

Substack: https://danwlauer.substack.com/p/waiting-to-inhale?r=11vpl1

→ Post Meridiem: An Unreliable Memoir of Madness in Los Angeles

Dan Lauer has a memoir available on Kindle & Paperback.

Amazon: https://a.co/d/a1tPujS

"Post Meridiem is an unreliable memoir of events that occurred in Los Angeles County between June and September 2009. From the bewildering cast of a state-run psychiatric hospital to the horrific exhibits of the Museum of the Morbid, Dan Lauer searches for comfort and solace from a severe depression-driven psychotic break from reality in all the wrong places."

Sandra Lynn Johnson-Hughes vanished without a trace in the dense Sierra National Forest in the summer of 2020. Her campsite was found abandoned, her belongings scattered as if she'd left in a hurry. Then came the sightings—fleeting glimpses by hikers who swore Hughes looked disoriented, barefoot, and bruised. Each time, she vanished into the trees before they could reach her. Weeks passed, and hope waned, until one day, a chilling discovery was made deep in the wilderness—something that changed everything. But if it wasn’t Sandra... then who, or what, had been watching from the woods?

→ Credits, References, Corrections, and More

Home: https://almostcertainlynot.com/

→ Support Join our Patreon with the link below.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Almost_Certainly_Not

→ Original Article/Script

Substack: https://danwlauer.substack.com/p/electric-blue

→ Post Meridiem: An Unreliable Memoir of Madness in Los Angeles

Dan Lauer has a memoir available on Kindle & Paperback.

Amazon: https://a.co/d/a1tPujS

"Post Meridiem is an unreliable memoir of events that occurred in Los Angeles County between June and September 2009. From the bewildering cast of a state-run psychiatric hospital to the horrific exhibits of the Museum of the Morbid, Dan Lauer searches for comfort and solace from a severe depression-driven psychotic break from reality in all the wrong places."

THE PLATFORM is an audio play adaptation by author and filmmaker Dan Lauer of Chris Marker's seminal 1967 French film "La Jetée" which serves as the basis for the film "12 Monkeys."

The following rules were set for the adaptation by Dan Lauer:

• He must speak all the dialogue
• He may only use sound effects and music included in Final Cut Pro X (no downloads)
• He may not add anything to the plot to elaborate or clarify
• The final product may not be longer than 25 minutes

Watch LA JETEE.

Purchase Dan Lauer's debut memoir POST MERIDIEM.

Dan Lauer is on Threads.

"The stabbing horror of life is not contained in calamities and disasters, because these things wake one up and one gets very familiar and intimate with them and finally they become tame again. No, it is more like being in a hotel room in Hoboken let us say, and just enough money in one's pocket for another meal."

-- Henry Miller

MUSIC: Slow Burn & Just As Soon Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Leyla makes her triumphant return, while Dan drinks too much (for these days), shares too much and points to the sky, saying: "The sun's not yellow, it's chicken!"

MUSIC: Slow Burn & Just As Soon Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

No update today. Just a thing I wrote. I don't remember when and cannot say why. It's called "Mrs. America".

Yeah, I was in the right! Yes, absolutely in the right! I certainly was in the right! Yeah, I was definitely in the right; that geezer was cruising for a bruising...Yeah. Why does anyone do anything? I don't know, I was really drunk at the time...

MUSIC: Slow Burn & Just As Soon Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

For the first time in a long time Dan does an episode solo. He doesn't like it. This, actually, should be considered a spinoff called "Maybe Certainly Not." Regardless, Dan has some updates about what is going on, upsides, downsides and progress, slow that it may be. Never fear, Leyla will return in episode 6.

MUSIC: Slow Burn & Just As Soon Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/