twenty-minute takeout
n.— «The “security check” used by the CIA to prepare a detainee for transport on a rendition plane was described to us by one source in the American intelligence community as a “twenty-minute takeout.” His explanation was that within a very short space of time, a detainee is transformed into a state of almost total immobility and sensory deprivation. “The CIA can do three of these guys in an hour. In twenty minutes they’re good to go.” An investigating officer for the Swedish Ombudsman was struck by the “fast and efficient procedure” used by the American agents, while the Swedish interpreter who witnessed the CIA operation at Bromma Airport said simply: “It surprised me how the heck they could have dressed him so fast.”» —by Dick Marty in Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly, Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights Alleged secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers of detainees involving Council of Europe member states June 12, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Astronauts returning from space say they experience what’s called the overview effect, a new understanding of the fragility of our planet and our need to reflect on what humans all share as a species. A book about the end of the universe...
The archaic English word ruelle means “the space between a bed and the wall.” It’s adapted from French ruelle meaning “a small alley or lane.” This is part of a complete episode.
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