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Welcome to the ever famous Friday’s Food for Thought post from got geoint? Hmmm…so what is the big IC story this week? Oh yes, the little story about the leaking of 91,000 secret documents about the Afghanistan war on WikiLeaks. Of course, this made realize that the ideal theme for this week’s FFT post would be all about the leaking of confidential information? Does our human nature make it difficult for us to keep secrets? We try our best to dive into this topic today. Hope you enjoy and happy Friday!

WikiLeaks Founder May Have Blood On His Hands, Joint Chiefs Chairman Says
At a Pentagon press briefing yesterday, Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commented on the publication of some 91,000 classified documents by WikiLeaks, which was founded by Julian Assange: “Mr. Assange can say whatever he likes about the greater good he think he and his source are doing, but the truth is they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family,” he said. “Disagree with the war all you want, take issue with the policy, challenge me or our ground commanders on the decisions we make to accomplish the mission we’ve been given, but don’t put those who willingly go into harms way even further in harm’s way just to satisfy your need to make a point. Read the full NPR article here.

So, What is the Definition of a Leak?
A leak is a hole or other opening, usually unintended and therefore undesired, in a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship’s hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. The word “leak” is also used as a verb; matter going through the opening is said to leak. The entry, exit, or exchange of matter through the leak is called leakage, the subject of another disambiguation article. The matter leaking in or out can be gas, liquid, a highly viscous paste, or even a solid such as a powdered or granular solid or other solid particles. Read the full Wikipedia citation here.

Keeping Secrets: Experts Says It’s Best if You Let It All Out (Really??)
Please note that this story is a few years old, but we wanted to highlight it due to the ubiquitous WikiLeaks story. Therapists, counselors, even artists — keepers of conversations off the record, on the QT and very hush-hush — shared some of the secrets of their profession, but nothing that would break confidentiality. They seemed to agree, for the most part, that secrets shouldn’t be kept in intimate relationships, but that the fear of rejection and judgment can sometimes be so deep that people don’t want to risk revealing their true selves. “Friends and family members are notorious for giving all kinds of advice, and if you’re trying to say something when you’re very vulnerable people feel really exposed by people who mean to do well,” said Dana Kovalchick, who has been working in research or as a therapist for about 14 years. Okay, but what about keeping secret information with regards to our nation being at war?? Read more here.

American Leak Detection – The Original Leak Specialists
Perhaps we should call in American Leak Detection to help resolve the WikiLeaks issue? Welcome to American Leak Detection, the “Original Leak Specialists.” Since 1974, American Leak Detection, the “Original Leak Specialists,” has detected nearly 5 million leaks, saving home and business owners billions of dollars in costly repairs. Oh wait, these guys are experts in swimming pool and plumbing leaks — not the leaking of classified information. Anyhow, if you have a leaky swimming pool, we recommend checking them out.

Six Months in a Leaky Boat
First let us say that there are not many songs out there about leaks. However, the music video department of got geoint? dove deep and found a video clip of Split Enz’s “Six Months in a Leaky Boat,” that we thought would be a perfect fit for this week’s FFT post. Oh, and on a side note, Split Enz “split” in the mid-80s to form Crowded House.

Happy Friday!

Tags: American Leak Detection, Friday's Food for Thought, got geoint?, Information Sharing, Keeping Secrets, Leak Detection, The Original Leak Specialists, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, USGIF, WikiLeaks