May 15, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Understanding the FBI's Data and Comparison of the 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP"

Jason Blaha Firearm Enthusiast (26 min.)

Firearms/Self-Defense/Prepping:

• In case you thought the caliber wars were over .... "In Praise of the [Clearly Superior] .40 S&W Cartridge"--The Truth About Guns. The author discusses why he likes the .40 S&W.

• Related: "9mm vs. .40 Caliber"--Police Magazine. A 2016 article briefly outlining the data that convinced the FBI to switch back to 9mm. Basically, though, there is no significant difference in terminal ballistics, so they went with the one offering the highest capacity and least recoil. 

• Related: "9mm vs .40 vs .45: Which Chambering Has More Stopping Power?"--Massad Ayoob at Personal Defense World. A March 2017 article discussing the role of velocity and energy, and some of the police loads that have worked well, and other that were disliked. In the 9 mm, he notes that the LAPD seem to like their Winchester 147-grain Ranger 9mm ammunition; the Portland, Oregon, and St. Paul, Minn., departments have done well with their Federal 147-grain HST; Orlando, Florida, police seem well served by Winchester Ranger 124-grain +P rounds; and the NYPD and Topeka, Kansas, police like the Speer 124-grain Gold Dot +P JHPs.

• Related: "Stopping Power: Myths, Legends, and Realities"--Police Magazine. Shot placement is key.

• "The Firearms of 2017 Moscow Victory Day Parade"--The Firearms Blog. Photographs of the some of the infantry rifles on display. The majority of troops are still carrying the AK-74M.
• "15 Actionable Tips for Staying Safe During Times of Civil Unrest"--Bearing Arms. The big one, of course, not being there in the first place. Another critical point to keep in mind:

These rioters who trash their own cities and attack women? They ARE NOT like you. The Antifa thugs, Communists, and far-left progressives don’t like people like you. They hate freedom. They don’t care if children get hurt, or if you’re with your family; so don’t try to reason with them, because it won’t work. They are not rational, so don’t expect any favors. Valueless people act in valueless ways, and you could be shown no mercy. Know your enemy.

Read the whole thing.

• "7 Tips on How to Shoot a Compound Bow Better"--Surviving Prepper. Most of these are common sense, but one that the author believes is often overlooked is follow through. Just as you should avoid moving or shifting a rifle after making a shot, so too you need to keep the bow up and arm extended after you have loosed an arrow.

Other Stuff:

• "North Korean hacking group is thought to be behind cyber attack which wreaked havoc across the globe"--Daily Mail. The article reports that "[a]nalysts from security firms Symantec and Kaspersky revealed that they are looking into technical clues suggesting the Lazarus Group created the virus." See also:

• "Virulent WCry ransomware worm may have North Korea’s fingerprints on it"--Ars Technica. 

• "The WannaCry Ransomware Has a Link to Suspected North Korean Hackers"--Wired.

• "Second Ebola case confirmed in Congo outbreak: Health officials try to trace 125 people linked to the cases"--Daily Mail. By second, they mean that an autopsy/test has confirmed that a second victim had Ebola. There are 3 dead among 19 suspected and confirmed cases.
• Diversity is our strength: "Measles Outbreak Caused by Anti-Vax Campaign, Officials Say"--Live Science. This article is a fun read because, even as officials try to divert attention from the fact that almost all of the victims are Somoli refugees, they end up emphasizing other negatives about immigration. For instance, the officials cited in the article blame the outbreak on an anti-vaccination group targeting the Somoli community with its propaganda. But why did the group target the Somolis? Because "[i]n 2008, local news agencies reported that Somali-American children were accessing special education services in Minnesota school districts more than children in other ethnic demographics." Then, to top it off, the article goes on to observe that measles, at one time, had been eradicated in the Americas (North and South). "However, this meant only that cases no longer originated in the Americas; measles could still appear in the U.S. if they were imported, infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior associate at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told Live Science in September 2016." Thus, the article necessarily implies that the Somolis were likely the source of the measles. So, in order to avoid blaming the Somolis for not being vaccinated, the authors wound up instead indicating that the Somolis are mentally deficient and the source of the measles.
• The Japanese don't import workers in large numbers: "Japanese firms are employing ROBOTS to replace the plummeting working-age population"--Daily Mail. 
• The European refugees cause crime in all sorts of ways: "Italy busts 'mafia operation' in large migrant center in Calabria"--Deutsche Welle. Mafia controlled refugee centers have been siphoning off millions in government aid.
• "What Did Donald Trump’s Tweet To Comey About 'Tapes' Mean?"--Anonymous Conservative. AC reasons that Trump was letting Comey know that he (Trump) knew the he (Comey) had been recording their meetings in the Oval Office. He explains:

       ... Trump’s tweet was not implying President Trump recorded the conversation. Rather President Trump was letting Comey know he is aware that Comey recorded the conversation, and he is letting him know that as President he can pull the conversation from the FBI database for public release or leaking, embarrassing Comey twice – first over his misrepresentation of what was said, and second over the fact that Comey recorded their conversation, which carries a creepy, mentally unbalanced air to those outside of intelligence circles and unfamiliar with intel practices today.

       That would also explain why Trump has nothing further to say. This was a one-off press of Comey’s buttons over the whole wiretapping scandal, which I’m sure is a button among upper level FBI and domestic intel. Now everybody in intel is wondering if Trump might leak classified intel techniques that would freak out the populace [of] the nation, just out of spite.

• Related: "Did James Comey Bury Evidence Of Spying On Trump?"--Anonymous Conservative. He notes that "years before Donald Trump announced he was running, Obama had him buried under surveillance, and was pulling all his communications for monitoring."

• "Dinosaur asteroid hit 'worst possible place'"--BBC. As sneak peak to an upcoming BBC documentary, the researchers cited in the article indicate that the asteroid that allegedly caused the extinction of the dinosaurs hit at the exact time and place to cause the most devestation; striking in an area with only a shallow sea and high amounts of sulphur (from the mineral gypsum) which was thrown high into the atmosphere and cooled the planet. A few moments earlier or later, and the asteroid would have impacted into deeper ocean waters, with far less consequence on climate. A couple points, however. First, I would remind readers that there is some dispute whether the asteroid killed off dinosaurs since there are fossils of dinosaurs appearing afterward (thus, getting us back to the theory that wide spread volcanic activity killed off the dinosaurs). Second, and just me being picky, but the screen shots from the documentary shows the dinosaurs with scaly skin, whereas it is now generally accepted that they had feathers.
• Aiming to bypass North America: "China's new Silk Road summit opens with major funding vision"--Deutsche Welle. North America stands in the enviable position of sitting between East Asia and Europe, and thus having a key advantage in international trade. China wants to mitigate this by building an overland trade route through Central Asia (although bypassing Russia). If it gets built, it will make things much more interesting in Asia as China will then be forced into keeping its investment safe. Just as the Suez Canal drew England into wars and battles, the "Silk Road" will likely do the same for China.
• "More Evidence Conservatism Is About The Recognition Of Threats"--Anonymous Conservative. Scientists were able to use focused magnetic fields to shut down portions of the brain that assists in detecting and analyzing threats. The result was that the subjects acted more liberal/leftist, including a declined belief in God. As AC notes, leftism appears more and more to be the consequence of deficient brain development. Also:

It is interesting that shutting down the part of the brain that recognizes reality also shuts down one’s belief in God. God is reality. You need to be disconnected from reality to assume this world is an accident, and there is nothing special about it.

• Paging Joseph Tainter: "Our Fragile Civilization"--Richard Fernandez. Discussing the malware attack of last Friday, and other massive data breaches, Fernandez writes: 

These suggest that too many of our systems may be built on rotten props or false assumptions. The ice looked solid enough until the weight of civilization stepped on it and things fell through.

From there, he goes on to discuss the rise of Trump and the Alt-Right, observing that, contrary to what the left believes, this past election was never been about Trump, but people voting against the current system and world order. The reason that the left--what he terms "the Resistance"--can't get the populace to cooperate, can't overcome the "Tea Party" and Alt-Right, is because they are not just fighting these groups, but fighting against complexity:

       The liberal project wanted the global world.  Maybe they didn't understand what came with it.

       The problem may be not with liberal compassion but its eschatology: the Great State at the End of History was their paradise on earth. Progressives built a great state at huge expense and sacrifice, yet now as they approach the Throne in final triumph they are dismayed to see it occupied by Trump! "Tis' witchcraft," said some.  "Tis' Russian hacking," said still others.   But the words  'any government big enough to give you everything you want [can] take everything you have' never came to mind. Perhaps the real reason for the surprise is our old friend complexity. The liberal project really thought they could control the complex world when it's all you can do to control parts of it.

       What globalism forgot is that system complexity doesn't just expand linearly; potential interactions can increase exponentially.  As they tore down borders and plugged stuff into whatsis and whosis things not only got more complicated than the Masters anticipated they got more complex than they could imagine. ...

Read the whole thing.