January 6, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

Some music for your enjoyment: "Nocturne" by Secret Garden.

Firearms/Prepping/Self-Defense:

• TGIF: The Weekend Knowledge Dump from Active Response Training. A good selection of articles, as always, including a few technical articles on firearms, some advice on when and when NOT to confront an intruder (including some information on room clearing), training, first aid, and more. And this thought from Greg Ellifritz: 

Despite what some firearms instructors state, concealment is a better option than cover.  People rarely shoot what they can’t see.  If you can immediately get to concealment in a fight, that may be a better option than taking several seconds to get to solid cover.

• "A Revolver Year?"--The Shooting Wire. This article discusses the sudden surge in new models of revolvers, and it doesn't even consider Colt's new offering.
• "Gear Review: Apex Tactical M&P Barrel"--The Truth About Guns. The author sent his M&P pistol off to Apex Tactical for installation of a match grade barrel and had significant improvement in accuracy.
• "Is the .45-70 Gov't. Cartridge Still Relevant?"--American Rifleman. Apparently, since several manufacturers continue to offer the rifle. In any event, the bulk of the article is about some of the different offerings in cartridges from various ammo manufacturers. 

• Related: "A High-Tech .45-70"--Buckmasters. An article about the .458 SOCOM, which uses .45-70 bullets, but is a caliber intended to be used with AR-15 style rifles.

• Related: For those of you who like to roll your own, so to speak: ".45-70 Pile-Driver"--Beartooth Bullets. This company manufactures a 525 grain flat-nosed lead bullet, and has all the reloading data at the link. The loads are for modern lever-action rifles and Ruger single-shot No. 1 and No. 3 rifles. Heavy, wide and flat meplat--what's not to like?

• My recent link to an article on keeping predators out of your chicken coop made me think of traps, which made me think of snares. So, a selection of articles on making snares:

• "Building a Feral Hog Snare" (PDF)--Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

• "Build a groundhog snare"--Backwoods Home Magazine.

• "The Rabbit Snare: How to build, Use and Set Snare Traps"--How To Hunt Rabbit.

• "Squirrel Pole: Build a Squirrel Pole Snare in Three Easy Steps"--Survivalist 101.

• "How to Build a Small Game Survival Snare"--The Art of Manliness. Unlike the other articles listed, this one is primarily on making snares out of improvised materials such as if you were stranded in the wilderness.

• I'm sure there are other sources for supplies for making snares, but one I came across is Wildlife Control Supplies.

Other Stuff:

• Well, this would explain the National Intelligence Director's recent Congressional testimony that the Russians were behind the hacks of the DNC: "Donald Trump Plans Revamp of Top U.S. Spy Agency"--Wall Street Journal. Of course, you have to wonder about the whole thing since The Hill reports that the "FBI never examined hacked DNC servers itself." Instead, they are relying on the opinions of the computer forensics company hired by the DNC.
• The MSM has recently been trumpeting about a new study (actually, new statistical review would be more accurate) indicating that there really was no global warming pause. Watts Up With That discusses the problems with the study including that how the researchers cherry picked their data, didn't take into account statistical error ranges, and didn't consider data from 2016.
• "New evidence suggests there was something very wrong with the Titanic before the iceberg"--Science Alert. I did not know this previously, but the Titanic began its voyage with a fire in its coal stores. In any event, this new theory is that the fire was hot enough to weaken the hull metal where the ship struck the iceberg. It is based on examination of old photographs showing black spots on the hull of the ship corresponding to the location of the fire. 
• "Doctor Discovers Mysterious Chicken Virus That May Cause Obesity"--PJ Media. It is interesting to me over the last several years the number of studies that seem to indicate that the causes of obesity are apparently more complicated than generally believed. See also "Genes May Dictate How Much You Like To Exercise"--Web MD; "How Gut Bacteria Help Make Us Fat and Thin"--Scientific American.
• If it weren't for double-standards, the left wouldn't have any standards at all: "Now Obama's building a wall! Workers put the finishing touches to a brick barrier around $5million DC mansion where Barack, Michelle and Sasha will live after leaving the White House"--Daily Mail. 
• "Documenting the Global Extent of the Medieval Warm Period"--Watts Up With That. The Medieval Warm Period was not just limited to the North Atlantic, but appears to have been global. Moreover, current temperature data matches with the temperatures from that time period.
• "Shut Down America’s Refugee Programs Before They Turn Us Into Germany"--The Federalist. The author observes:

     ... the outgoing Obama administration is literally importing terrorists through our nation’s refugee programs. Because private contractors are paid by the head to resettle refugees and other needy populations, the resettlement program has built-in incentives for uncontrolled growth. This harmonizes with the Left’s open borders agenda, which seeks to swell the rolls of new Democrat voters while weakening the influence of traditional (read conservative) America.

     Big business shares this agenda in seeking cheap, subsidized labor. The resulting bipartisan alliance has long subsidized a resettlement industry that is expensive, secretive, duplicitous, and unconcerned about the Americans who pay for it with hard-earned tax dollars.  ...

He also notes that it costs 12 times as much to resettle a refugee than to assist them in place in their home country.