Tausi Insider

War is physical hell, but worse can be the psychological torture. Canadian mining industry stalwart Terry Salman was part of the first U.S. Marines unit to enter a Vietnam combat zone in 1965. A mortar section team leader, Mr. Salman quickly made sergeant. During his one-year tour of duty, he shed 50 pounds from his already lean physique, and his hearing was permanently damaged from mortar fire. Mr. Salman was frequently on edge in Vietnam. He learned never to accept a drink from a civilian, because it might have crushed glass in it. He also saw it as his duty to impart the same vigilance on his men. He once choked a private who fell asleep on duty, to show him what would be in store if the Viet Cong got hold of him. Then there was the ghostly voice of Hanoi Hannah over the airwaves, the infamous North Vietnamese propagandist who questioned the morality of GIs, urged them to go AWOL or even even murder their commanding officers. “After all these years, I still remember her talking l...

Microsoft is likely to receive an EU antitrust warning about its $69-billion bid for “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard ATVI-Q, people familiar with the matter said, that could pose another challenge to completing the deal. The European Commission is readying a charge sheet known as a statement of objections setting out its concerns about the deal which will be sent to Microsoft MSFT-Q in the coming weeks, the people said. The EU antitrust watchdog, which has set an April 11 deadline for its decision on the deal, declined to comment. Microsoft said: “We’re continuing to work with the European Commission to address any marketplace concerns. Our goal is to bring more games to more people, and this deal will further that goal.” The U.S. software giant and Xbox maker announced the acquisition in January last year to help it compete better with leaders Tencent and Sony. U.S. and U.K. regulators, however, have voiced concerns, with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission going to court to ...