Tucker Carlson: NJ Drones Controlled From Chinese Satellite

The Daily Mail reports that notwithstanding the federal government claiming the drones were not controlled by a foreign adversary, Tucker Carlson has "said 'an intel person' told him that the drones 'were in fact Chinese,' explaining the US government took down a Chinese satellite 'that was a command and control satellite for these drones.'" 

    Carlson appeared to be hinting at a Beijing-operated satellite known as GaoJing 1-02 which fell from space on December 21.

    Astronomers tracking such devices confirmed the Chinese satellite re-entered Earth's atmosphere above New Orleans and headed north towards Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri before burning up in the atmosphere.

    But Carlson claimed it was 'taken down by the US government.'

    He made the claims while speaking with independent journalist Michael Shellenberger, who heard a similar explanation for the drones.

The article notes:

    The GaoJing 1-02 was a commercial satellite used for mapping parts of the Earth that launched at the end of 2016.

    It was said to have been decommissioned in early 2023 and floating around in space before burning up in the atmosphere in December.

    However, the European Space Agency, which keeps track of all commercial satellites in the sky, showed GaoJing 1-02's mission status as 'Operational' as recently as June 2024, which raises questions about whether it had truly been deactivated.

Oklahoma Suing The Federal Government For Cost Of Educating Illegals

The Daily Mail reports on the "Staggering cost of educating undocumented students in American schools is revealed in new lawsuit." From the article:

    Approximately 3,000 unaccompanied migrant children were sent to the Sooner State from 2021 to 2023, according to the filing.

    The lawsuit stated that educating those children, 'imposes a significant financial burden on the State of Oklahoma.'

    Financial data reported by the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System found that it cost $13,736 per student in the 2023-2024 school year.

    'Given the approximated 3,000 undocumented, unaccompanied minors estimated to reside in Oklahoma, that results in an estimated additional cost to Oklahoma taxpayers approximately $41,208,000 since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration,' the lawsuit said.

    Walters is seeking coverage for the cost of recruiting and retaining bilingual staff, additional school counselors, academic and language assessments, transportation, nutritional assistance and other assets needed to educate migrant children.

    'While President Biden has neglected his responsibility to protect our borders for four years, hardworking Oklahomans are forced to cover the costs of his dereliction of duty,' Walters said.

But the lawsuit is for much more than that. It seeks $474 million for the cost of educating an estimated 41,766 children of illegal aliens attending Oklahoma schools.

Cussing Eagles Fan: And Now For The Rest Of The Story...

 From the Daily Mail: "Eagles fan Ryan Caldwell who got fired for abusing female Packers rival makes bombshell claim." While admitting that he was wrong to use the foul language he did, Caldwell also maintains that the viral video of the event is taken out of context, and the offended couple (Ally Keller and Alexander Basara) had provoked the incident. The article also mentions that some now suspect that Keller and Basara might have intended to provoke an incident well before the incident happened. Per the article:

    Fans have discovered that Basara is actually a content creator with close to 60,000 subscribers on YouTube .

    And to add to the suspicion, Basara and his other half only attended Sunday's game after he created a GoFundMe page asking for donations to help get him there - despite claiming to live an hour away from Lincoln Financial Field.

    A number of users on X are now accusing Basara of instigating the viral altercation with Caldwell in order to generate views for his social-media channels.

* * *

    'The vulgar Eagles fan is clearly a POS, but the Packers fiancé who filmed the incident has a lot going on,' a third claimed. 'How much did he instigate this? Look at his attitude going into the Linc. He was wearing a body camera to video stuff for content. He also has multiple GoFundMe's to pay for his travel to Packers games etc. Need more info, but it feels like we've been manipulated by this dude'.

    A fourth put: 'The Packers fan recording the film was there via a GoFundMe to "rile up opposing fans in the belly of the beast". True story. This was all a scam.'

Gun & Prepping News #14

 Just some articles that caught my attention for one reason or another:

• "Top Selling New Guns of 2024"--Guns & Ammo. These are the top selling guns on Gunbroker and so may not represent the top selling models through standard retail channels. The article notes: "Fleshing things out by type of gun, a total of 14 of the 25 were handguns, with just two being revolvers. Eight were rifles, consisting of five bolt-actions, two lever-actions, and one semi-auto. Only one shotgun made the top 25." The single semi-auto rifle to make the list was Ruger's 10/22, which was second on the list.
• "The 2024 Colt Viper Part-I"--American Fighting Revolver. A .357 Magnum in models with 3- and 4-inch barrels.
  
• "Dealing With A Dark Parking Lot"--Shooting Illustrated. The author notes that for most people, "street" crime is actually parking lot crime as parking lots are key hunting territory for the criminally minded. The author list 13 tips on staying safe in a parking lot, but most of them are similar to what you probably already do: variants on paying attention, not making extended eye contact, and not making yourself appear to be a victim (e.g., walking confidently).
  
• "The Story of the ASP 9mm and the Secret New York City Workshop That Built It"--Handguns Magazine. The ASP was probably the first compact 9mm pistol. It was developed and manufactured by Paris Theodore, a holster maker in New York City in the 1970s who also had a sideline (and special permission from the ATF) to make unusual weapons for three-letter agencies. Per the article:

    Theodore started with a 9mm Smith & Wesson Model 39 and made around 200 modifications to the gun. He first cut down the barrel and grip. Then he smoothed and melted the edges for a quick draw, replaced the grip with clear Lexan grips, and modified the magazines so the shooter could see how many rounds he had left. He removed the pistol’s sights and replaced them with an invention called a “guttersnipe” sight (which allowed for quick target acquisition) and added a patented spur to the trigger guard for a better grip.

    Theodore coated the pistol in Teflon inside and out to make it even more slick when drawn from a waistband or holster. He also cut a relief in the front of the trigger guard for either left or right-handed shooters. What he was left with was a pistol designed for close-quarters fighting. It was not designed to shoot bullseyes at distance, but it could be drawn and fired quickly into a man-sized target.

• "Should You Use Shotgun Slugs For Self-Defense? Let's Find Out"--Guns & Ammo. This is a deep dive into the topics of using slugs for self-defense, including its performance against automobiles. The two primary reasons for using a slug over buckshot is (i) when the buckshot pattern starts to open up and becomes less effective (probably beyond 30 yards), and (ii) when you need something with more penetration than buckshot is capable of providing (e.g., shooting through a car door or windshield). As for selecting a slug, the author mentions:

The best slugs for self-defense are those with the lowest price tags. You read that correctly. Even before a lead-alloy slug expands, it’s nearly 3/4” in diameter. To put it into perspective, that’s more than twice the width of the 0.355”-diameter bullet fired from the ubiquitous 9 mm Luger—and more than three times its weight, too. Therefore, frills aren’t needed to stop an assailant, even at longish ranges. And, as noted elsewhere, economical slugs can provide respectable accuracy, even out to 200 yards. Simply find a slug that cycles reliably in your shotgun and delivers the accuracy you demand. Brand isn’t important. It’s shopping made easy.

• Related: "Shotgun Limitations"--Shooting Illustrated. Some of the limitations discussed in the article:
• "A shotgun is a short-range tool, ideal for ranges of 40 yards and closer when loaded with standard 00 buckshot loads."
• "If precise and controlled shot placement is a prerequisite for your arm of choice, a shotgun, with its swarm of pellets, is not it."
• "A shotgun is not for untrained, physically weak or recoil-sensitive shooters."
• "Reloading most shotguns is a relatively slow process, and without training it’s painfully slow."
• The author also notes the limited magazine capacity and lack of concealability.
  
• "Living With Your Defensive Gun"--Shooting Illustrated. 

    Col. Jeff Cooper talked about the importance of becoming one with your firearm. He said that we should live with our gun. We should wear it during our waking hours whether at home or abroad. The more we handled it, wore it and shot it, the quicker we would become familiar with it and more comfortable with its presence.

• "A 'GRAND' NEW POWDER for the Discerning Hand Loader"--Shooting Times. A review of a new magnum rifle powder from Ramshot probably intended for long-for-caliber bullets used in many newer rifle cartridges. It is a slow-burning powder that is designed to meter accurately, and contains a de-coppering agent. It is also supposed to be temperature insensitive. The author tested it out in loads for .243 Win., the .300 Win. Mag., the 6.5 PRC, and the 6.8 Western. 
• "Are Bullets Too Sharp?" by Wayne van Zwoll, Gun Digest. Why and when you might want to use a blunt nosed bullet for hunting. The author notes that "[b]lunt bullets are best for short shots at durable beasts, where SD trumps BC, and in tube magazines to nix primer detonation." But they also can be designed to open up easier at lower velocities than the pointed bullets, and tend to keep a straighter line as they plow through their target. 

In sum, bullets with long, sharp noses aren’t beneficial at ordinary shot ranges. Their niche is The Long Poke. Their lofty BCs trace shallow arcs, defy wind and maintain speed and energy well. When you needn’t kill a township away—arguably a hard sell anytime—blunt bullet noses can deliver the result you want.

• "How to Travel With Handguns on Airlines"--Handguns Magazine. The article not only covers the the legal aspects, but practical tips on what to tell the airline's agent, locks and best types of cases. 
• "I Realized My Family Had No Plan For Emergencies — Here's What I'm Doing Now"--Pop Sugar.  The author's family had, at one time, been good about having an emergency plan and keeping a "go bag" stocked and ready, but had slacked off after moving to a new state. She described her steps to get a plan put together and some tips for a basic 72-hour emergency kit. This is probably more basic than most readers will need, but for someone just wondering where to get started, it might be worth perusing this article. 
• "LA's lowlifes: The 'looters, burglars and drug addicts' arrested during Palisades Fire all share common trait"--Daily Mail. Although charged with various crimes, the suspects were all looters or intending to engage in a bit of looting and/or burglary. The common trait, however, is that they were all from outside the evacuation zone--that is, they had all traveled to the burned out and evacuated parts of LA to conduct their looting.
• "Wealthy LA homeowners take up arms to defend their fire-ravaged neighborhoods from looters"--Daily Mail.  

    Some wealthy Los Angeles homeowners have taken up arms to defend their devastated neighborhoods from looters.

    Residents of Altadena, where fires demolished more than 2,700 structures, have been patrolling the area, questioning strangers, as they work to keep away criminals who want to take advantage of the chaos.

    In some homes, residents have messages that read: 'Owner armed and present.'

• "Here’s Everything You Need to Know About How to Grow Potatoes at Home"--Country Living (via Get Pocket). Probably the best advice is to start with certified seed potatoes instead of what you buy in the grocery store, which may have been treated to prevent sprouting. 
• "Practicing Selflessness" by Fabian Ommar, Organic Prepper. The author notes some practices that can help deal with stress or feelings of helplessness including religion, philosophy, hitting the gym, taking long walks, journaling, etc., but focuses on practicing selflessness. 

    That’s what I’m addressing today. Starting with an important distinction: being selfless is an attribute; practicing selflessness is an action. Both are altruistic and noble; however, donating our time and resources impact others much more.

    It’s backed up by anecdotal evidence as well as science to be good for the mind and the body, and also for the soul: every religion encourages charitable giving. Regardless of yours, or even if you have one, everybody has a spirit and practicing selflessness is good karma.

    If you’re an atheist, it still applies: as Lincoln said, “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. And that’s my religion.” He’s not talking about the afterlife, but here and now: no matter what, we feel healed and elevated when we make a difference to others.

He also notes that it can serve as a means of prepping:

Helping people already in an SHTF situation allows us to know and experience that thorny reality firsthand, which removes the edginess and builds a thicker skin, mental toughness, plus a host of other soft and hard skills.

• "I Followed the Knees Over Toes Guy’s Advice—and It Worked"--Outdoors Magazine. An excerpt:

    If you have ever spent time in a weight room, you’ve likely been warned that your knees should never go past your toes in a squat. Instead, you should push your butt backwards and stop when the upper and lower leg form a 90-degree angle. Failing to do so will put too much pressure on your knee and cause injury.

    This is only half true. Squatting with your knees over your toes does put pressure on the joint, but that pressure may actually help you avoid injury. 

    “Tendons, cartilage, ligaments—all those things will toughen up to load,” says Erik Meira, a physical therapist and rehab specialist based in Portland, Oregon, who works with NBA and NFL players. For most athletes, especially those in endurance sports, injuries occur in the connective tissues of the joints. Tendons, while quite different in composition than muscles, still operate under the same principle: to get them stronger, you must use them in a mildly stressful manner, then back off and let them recover.

    “Knees over toes is something that has been vilified for a long time as causing pain to the front of the knee,” says Meira. “The reality is it will cause pain if you’re not conditioned to take that kind of load. But the best way to condition yourself to that kind of load is to get used to positions like that.”

    Patrick has taken this philosophy—that bending your knees under progressive load will make them healthy and strong—and applied it to other vulnerable parts of the body including the ankles, hips, lower back, shoulders, and elbows. In a way, Patrick’s protocol could be seen as a gym routine structured entirely around proactive physical therapy: he identifies problem areas and develops strength and range of motion in the local musculature and connective tissue.

• "Could you pass the NYPD’s physical fitness test? It must be completed in 4 minutes and 28 seconds"--New York Post. Firearm drills and qualifications seem to be a popular topic with those interested in firearms and self-defense, but what about physical fitness? 

    The clock starts with a climb. From a kneeling position, candidates must sprint 50 feet and then scale a 6-foot chain-link fence in the Police Academy Gym. You get three tries to clear the fence.

    No rest for the weary — next up is the six-stair system, where NYPD hopefuls must complete three over-and-back runs, equal to a four-story climb.

    Still standing? The next step challenges candidates to resist or control force in a physical restraint scenario, using a weight machine designed to simulate a struggle with a suspect.

    From there, it’s a 600-foot cone run, followed by a simulated victim rescue where candidates must drag a 176-pound mannequin a full 35 feet.

    The final hurdle is the trigger pull. Wannabe cops must handle a dummy firearm, keeping it steady within a 9-inch target and pulling the trigger 16 times with their dominant hand and 15 times with the other.

    Once the 31st trigger pull is complete, the clock stops. Finish under the time limit, and you move on.

The article indicates that this test is easier than in the past: the time limit used to be a full minute shorter, and the candidates had to scale a wall rather than a chain link fence. And the NYPD dropped a timed 1.5 mile run that was part of the older test.

•  "A Beginner’s Guide to Bushcraft"--Outdoor Life (via Get Pocket). A look at what makes bushcraft different from wilderness survival, and how to get started. From the lede:

Bushcraft is about wilderness survival on the most practical level. But at its core, bushcraft is about more than just staying alive. It’s the art of thriving in the woods with primitive tools and skills that have been passed down through generations. Bushcraft is all about attaining a deeper level of interaction with the natural world. It involves a range of important outdoor skills such as shelter-building, tool-making, foraging, fishing, and navigating. The philosophical underpinnings of bushcraft involve sustainable resource use and the willingness to sacrifice modern-day conveniences like lighters and gas stoves.

War With China Within 2 Years?

 So predicts Stephen Green in this piece from PJ Media. "Communist China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) celebrates its centenary in 2027, the same year the CCP has indicated it will be ready to take Taiwan by force," he writes, noting that China is expanding its naval building efforts, including constructing "Mulberries"--floating, mobile harbors to allow for the rapid offloading of cargo onto beaches.

    Everybody seems to know that war is coming, particularly China's shipbuilders. "Anyone wondering what an invasion of Taiwan might look like now has a fresh visual clue," Naval News reported on Friday.

    "A number of special and unusual barges, at least 3 but likely 5 or more, have been observed in Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China," the report continues. "These have unusually long road bridges extending from their bows. This configuration makes them particularly relevant to any future landing of PRC (People’s Republic of China) forces on Taiwanese islands."

• Related: "Suspected Chinese ship loiters off north Taiwan for 5 days"--Taiwan News. 

    A suspected Chinese freighter has been detected off north Taiwan for nearly a week, raising concerns about undersea cable sabotage.  

    On Jan. 6, a Mongolian-flagged freighter with the Mandarin name “Bao Shun” was spotted taking an erratic course over subsea cables off north Taiwan, prompting the Coast Guard to drive the vessel away. The ship then moved north of Pengjia Islet and in and out of Taiwan's 22 km (12 NM) territorial waters in a southwest-northeast direction for five days, per Liberty Times.

* * *

    When confronted by a Coast Guard patrol boat on Jan. 6, the ship's captain claimed the main engine had malfunctioned and it would leave after repairs. It then turned to waters north of Keelung's Pengjia Islet but continued to circle in and out of Taiwan's territorial waters during the week, covering approximately 575 km (311 NM) and moving at an average speed of less than 5.5 kph (three knots).

    On Sunday, the Bao Shun changed course to the southwest at 1 p.m. By 8:36 p.m., the vessel had reached the edge of Taiwan's contiguous zone 44 km (24 NM) from the northern coast and continued to sail southwest along the outer perimeter of Taiwan's territorial waters.

    DPP lawmaker Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) was cited by FTV News on Sunday as saying that the Bao Shun's path is related to Taiwan's 10 subsea cables. Wang said Taiwan and other countries, especially the Baltic nations, are monitoring the matter.  

• Related: "Half of Japan firms prepared in event of Taiwan contingency"--Japan Times (h/t Vox Day). 

    Of the 114 companies surveyed between late November and mid-December last year, 53 percent said they had concrete measures in place for a potential Taiwan contingency, including drafting manuals, planning evacuations, and stockpiling inventory.

    Another 12 percent said they did not have plans but saw the need for consideration, according to the survey, which covered a range of industries and included companies such as Toyota Motor Corp and ANA Holdings Inc.

Disturbing the Status Quo

 My wife and I decided to shake things up a bit at church by sitting on the opposite of the chapel from where we normally sit. We'd had a couple joke with us about "changing sides", so when an older woman walking past where we were sitting turned as if to talk to my wife and me, I prepared for yet another query about our sitting somewhere different. Instead, the woman asked if we were new to the ward (i.e., congregation). "No," I replied. "I'm the ward clerk." She appeared confused at that, and then turned to find a seat without another word. 

Gun & Prepping News #13

 Just some articles that caught my attention for one reason or another:

• Greg Ellifritz has a new Weekend Knowledge Dump. Some of the articles include training when you use both big pistols (for competition or training) and small pistols (for concealed carry); the effective range of buckshot; 9mm+P versus .357 Magnum in snubs (spoiler: you are no better off with .357 Magnum in that short of a barrel); the "mythology of the 'bad guy'"; and more. In the latter article, the author's aim is to disabuse us that there is something observably different that you can use to tell a criminal from a anyone else. That is, there is no "mark of Cain" or bright yellow or orange stripes as nature provides as a warning sign on some insects and animals. But I would also caution that the other extreme--the general idea that "we're all just the same inside"--is also incorrect.  There is plenty of evidence concerning the difference between people that are sociopaths or psychopaths and normal people. There is also plenty of research showing that Western peoples are very different from non-Westerners in fundamental ways:
  

 In The Weirdest People in the World, Joseph Henrich says that western people are WEIRD—Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. They tend to have certain features in common—an individualistic sense of identity and purpose, weak ties to extended family, a universal sense of morality with guilt as a means of social control, less obedience to elders and tradition, not marrying blood relatives, and more trusting of people outside your own family.  He argues that this is an unusual state of affairs in the history of the human race, as most societies were and still are what he calls ‘kin-based’. Features of kin-based societies include an overwhelmingly corporate sense of identity with strong family ties, a tendency to marrying cousins, being loyal to one’s tribe or family, using shame as a means of social punishment, distrusting people outside one’s clan, having respect for elders, and conforming to the group norms. In fact Henrich uses ‘cousin-marriage societies’ as almost an interchangeable term for kin-based societies.

• "7 Ways Good Guys Can Screw Up in Armed Self-Defense Situations"--Shooting News Weekly. The seven ways he lists are: (i) chasing, pursuing or shooting at fleeing bad guys; (ii) forgetting that the threat must be imminent (i.e., once the threat is over, you can't then deliver a coup de grace); (iii) thinking your home is your castle (i.e., thinking that you can use unreasonable force just because someone is in your house); (iv) using deadly force to defend property; (v) not keeping the proper mindset (yes, Virginia, there are evil people in the world); (vi) using force when it can be avoided; and (vii) not having an attorney present before you answer questions from the police. 
• "Ruger Expands 10/22 Line With Lightweight Models"--The Truth About Guns. Ruger has released a new lightweight model 10/22 that uses a carbon fiber wrapped barrel and a Magpul stock to bring the weight down to 3.5 lbs. 
• "Dead for Defense"--Guns & Ammo. A look at some cartridges that seemed to have a promising future when they were first introduced, but never quite seem to catch on (at least in the United States) or have lot their appeal: the .357 Sig; .327 Federal Magnum; .32 ACP; .45 GAP; .40 S&W; and .30 Super Carry. Everyone likes to dump on the .40 S&W, but there are so many in circulation that I I doubt we will see this cartridge disappear anytime soon. 
• On a related note: "Five Forgotten Self-Defense Cartridges"--Guns & Ammo. Some cartridges thought to be dead, but which the author claims are seeing a revival: .25 ACP; .32 ACP; .32 H&R Magnum; .357 Sig; and .44 S&W Special. So two of these--the .32 ACP and .357 Sig.--were also on the list of cartridges dying off. So which is it?
• "HIP GRIPS, CLIPDRAW and NPE CARRY, WITH THE DARRYL BOLKE MOUSEGUN MINDSET"--Civilian Defender. 

 It really dovetails nicely into the mission of the Civilian Defender…we aren’t raiding the castle or hunting escaped fugitives…we are just trying to live our lives and go home safely at the end of the day. Lots of people forget this! Your local police might carry a Glock 45 with a RDS, and three spare magazines on their belt. They carry that pistol and that much spare ammunition because they are ACTIVELY moving towards the sound of gunfire, and they are charged with the duty of (hopefully) opting to effect an arrest or seizure of bad guys. We aren’t doing that! And military special operations personnel are responsible for directly engaging the enemy to complete some sort of tactical objective. Thus, they carry box magazine fed weapons that allow them to achieve that goal and they don’t have to care about the same things that the Civilian Defender does. We, as responsible Civilian Defenders are charged with avoiding trouble at all costs, but when it comes to us, we launch some sort of definitive counter ambush to force the bad guys to break contact with us. We aren’t trying to apprehend them like the police do, and we aren’t trying to destroy them with overwhelming firepower like the military does. We win 100% of the fights we don’t get into, and thus it is incumbent on us to keep our eyes and ears up and open and stay one step ahead of the opposition. Our mission is different…and the MOUSEGUN MINDSET fits right into that.

• "Prepping for Trauma"--Handguns Magazine. How to be prepared for dealing with a gunshot wound including policies and procedures, equipment, and the basics of applying a tourniquet. 
• "‘Mystery volcano’ that erupted and cooled Earth in 1831 has finally been identified"--CNN. From the article: "According to the analysis, the mystery volcano was Zavaritskii (also spelled Zavaritsky) on Simushir Island, part of the Kuril Islands archipelago, an area disputed by Russia and Japan. Before the scientists’ findings, Zavaritskii’s last known eruption was in 800 BC."
  
• "Preparing for a pandemic that never came ended up setting off another − how an accidental virus release triggered 1977’s ‘Russian flu’"--The Conversation. An excerpt:

    ... Going into the 1976-77 winter season, the world waited – and prepared – for an H1N1 swine influenza pandemic that never came.

     But that wasn’t the end of the story. As an experienced infectious disease epidemiologist, I make the case that there were unintended consequences of those seemingly prudent but ultimately unnecessary preparations.

    What was odd about H1N1 Russian flu pandemic

    In an epidemiological twist, a new pandemic influenza virus did emerge, but it was not the anticipated H1N1 swine virus.

    In November 1977, health officials in Russia reported that a human – not swine – H1N1 influenza strain had been detected in Moscow. By month’s end, it was reported across the entire USSR and soon throughout the world.

    Compared with other influenzas, this pandemic was peculiar. First, the mortality rate was low, about a third that of most influenza strains. Second, only those younger than 26 were regularly attacked. And finally, unlike other newly emerged pandemic influenza viruses in the past, it failed to displace the existing prevalent H3N2 subtype that was that year’s seasonal flu. Instead, the two flu strains – the new H1N1 and the long-standing H3N2 – circulated side by side.

    Here the story takes yet another turn. Microbiologist Peter Palese applied what was then a novel technique called RNA oligonucleotide mapping to study the genetic makeup of the new H1N1 Russian flu virus. He and his colleagues grew the virus in the lab, then used RNA-cutting enzymes to chop the viral genome into hundreds of pieces. By spreading the chopped RNA in two dimensions based on size and electrical charge, the RNA fragments created a unique fingerprint-like map of spots.

     Much to Palese’s surprise, when they compared the spot pattern of the 1977 H1N1 Russian flu with a variety of other influenza viruses, this “new” virus was essentially identical to older human influenza H1N1 strains that had gone extinct in the early 1950s.

    So, the 1977 Russian flu virus was actually a strain that had disappeared from the planet a quarter century early, then was somehow resurrected back into circulation. This explained why it attacked only younger people – older people had already been infected and become immune when the virus circulated decades ago in its earlier incarnation.

    But how did the older strain come back from extinction?

The author doesn't point fingers at any particular country--it was called the Russian Flu simply because that is where it was first detected. But it could have been the result of research by any country with sufficient facilities.

The Diversity Report #16

  A selection of articles showcasing the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion:

•  I noted this yesterday, but it bears repeating: The lesbian LA fire chief, Kristin Crowley, "implemented an internal 'racial equity plan' in 2021, and, in 2023, launched a bureau in preparation for a three-year strategic plan to increase diversity in the department." 
• Related: "DEI In a Fire: LA's Obese Female Assistant Fire Chief Says, No, I'm Not Able to Carry Your Husband Out of a Fire, But If You Think About It, Isn't That His Fault?"--Ace of Spades. 
• "Homeless man with ‘flamethrower’ busted on suspicion of arson near LA’s Kenneth Fire after residents detain him"--New York Post. No name or other information provided, but he looks like he is from south of the border.
• "Confirmed: An Illegal Immigrant Set a Woman on Fire in NYC Subway"--PJ Media.
• "Tren de Aragua is terrorizing Utah — as Venezuelan dissident warns that local authorities ‘are not ready’"--New York Post.
  
• "Illegal migrant charged with murdering girlfriend in Utah — a week after he’d been deported for second time"--New York Post.
  
• "Illegal migrant who's been deported 5 times is arrested for trying to snatch girl at Alabama store"--Daily Mail. 
• "Migrants take over, trash beloved NYC community garden — transforming greenspace into heap of beds and human feces"--New York Post.
  
• "Central American Officials Complain They ‘Don’t Have Capacity’ to Take Back Illegals Deported by Trump"--Breitbart. I thought this bit interesting (bold added): "Approximately 560,000 Hondurans, about 5% of the country’s population, live in the U.S. without legal status, according to U.S. government figures. Of those, migration experts estimate about 150,000 can be tracked down and rapidly expelled."
• "Jittery Mexico breaks up caravans, drops migrants in cartel-infested Acapulco ahead of Trump inauguration"--New York Post.
  
• "Homeless man, 69, seen on video stabbing thugs terrorizing him on NYC subway, killing 1, won’t face charges: DA"--New York Post. His attackers all appear to be Hispanic. You might be wondering how this guy wasn't charged when Danny Penny was put through the wringer. I don't know for sure, but it might have to do with this incident occurring in a different jurisdiction (Queens) from the old crone that went after Penny. 
• "Horrifying video shows moment feather-clad showgirl was knifed to death by lunatic on Vegas strip"--Daily Mail. The murder was in October 2022, but apparently the video was just released. The victim was white and the killer was from Guatemala. And this:

    Court documents exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com reveal that Barrios was charged in 2019 with criminal domestic violence by Los Angeles district attorney Jackie Lacey, who has since left office.

    Had he been convicted, Barrios would likely have been imprisoned and deported.

    Lacey failed to bring the case to court in time, and after 90 days elapsed the judge was forced to dismiss the case under California speedy trial laws, according to court records.

• Meanwhile, in Europe: 𝗡𝗶𝗼𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴 ♛ ✡︎ on X: "This is a very important symptom of mass immigration: The gradual disappearance of women from crowded public spaces out of fear of harassment. People don't talk enough about this." Short video at the link. The crowd appears to mostly be Middle-Eastern men.
• "Almost 1,000 cars set ablaze during New Year celebrations in France"--Yahoo. You should appreciate the self-delusion of the opening line in the lede (bold added): "Despite nearly 1,000 cars being set ablaze, hundreds of thousands of people in France welcomed the New Year with largely peaceful celebrations, according to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau."
• "The US Census Bureau is adding refugees to its immigrant count"--AP. Yet another group of non-citizens allowed to influence the allocation of representatives in Congress by being included in the census.
  
• "Analysis: Nearly 400K Anchor Babies Born in 2024, Exceeding Population of New Orleans"--Breitbart. The evil of the current practice of birth right citizenship.
• "Tesla More than Doubles H-1B Visa Workforce Imported to U.S."--Breitbart.

Tesla, led by Elon Musk, showed a significant increase in H-1B approved petitions, rising to 16th on the list of most approved H-1B petitions for initial employment in FY 2024 after not appearing in the top 25 among employers in previous years. Tesla had 742 approved H1B petitions for initial employment in FY 2024, more than double its total of 328 in FY 2023 and 337 in FY 2022. Tesla also had 1,025 H-1B petitions for continuing employment (primarily extensions for existing employees) approved in FY 2024. [Emphasis added]

But he can't fill all those jobs otherwise, right? Right? "Report: Elon Musk’s Tesla Replaced Laid Off Americans with Foreign Workers on H-1B Visas"--Breitbart.

• More: "H-1B: Indian Migrants Want Elon Musk to Help Them Win Green Cards"--Breitbart.The article reports: 

    The Indians have earned little sympathy in Congress because nearly all of them were imported by investors and their executives to take career-starting, mid-skill white-collar jobs that would otherwise have gone to young U.S. professionals.

    The Indians are allowed to take desirable careers from Americans because many U.S. employers use the H-1B, L-1, J-1, TN, OPT, CPT, and H4EAD programs to hire low-wage foreign graduates, mostly for entry-level jobs. Indians get roughly 70 percent of these visas.

• More: "Trump shocks MAGA by backing Elon Musk in 'civil war' over controversial immigration policy"--Daily Mail.
  
• More: "Elon Musk changes his tune on H1-B visas as he tries to cool raging MAGA civil war over skilled immigration"--New York Post. I'm not sure that I would use the term "skilled"--at least skilled at what they were hired to do. They are probably skilled in other matters:
• "Why India law against exam cheating may not work"--BBC.
• "Relatives scale buildings to help Indian students cheat on exams"--The Guardian.
• "How exam scandals threaten the future of India's young people"--BBC.
• "In India, 'cheating mafias' and 'coaching factories' thrive on students' thirst for success"--Le Monde.
  
• "Silicon Valley’s Open Secret: H-1B Visa Workers Paid 10% Less than American Counterparts"--Breitbart.
• Related: "Nicole Shanahan: H1-B Visas a ‘Massive’ Cheap Labor Boon for Big Tech"--Breitbart.
  
• "Some H-1B workers say they feel insulted by debate over visa holders"--NBC News. Key part: "Indians make up around 75% of all H-1B petitioners, outpacing the next highest group, Chinese workers, who make up less than 12%."
  
• Robert Sterling has a thread on the H-1B visa program you should check out because he digs into the statistics to get a view of how the program works.  But a couple points he makes:
• "To start with, this program is MASSIVELY popular with employers. The program has a statutory limit of 85,000 visas per year, but employers routinely receive approval for more than 800k applications per year (868k, or 10x the limit, in 2024)."
• "Almost all the prominent job categories are tech-related. The two top categories, for software developer roles, are 1.1M over five years by themselves."
• Although there are few American companies that are among the largest users of H-1B visas, that majority of the big users are "Indian companies that import H-1B tech workers en masse:

Cognizant (93k)
Infosys (61k)
Tata Consultancy Services (60k)
Wipro
Capgemini
HCL
Compunnel
Tech Mahindra
Mphasis

"These aren’t American companies that needed international talent to fill critical roles. They’re foreign companies that appear to have been founded to place overseas tech workers into US companies as contractors."

• And it is not just STEM jobs, but he notes a large number are used to fill accounting and finance jobs. 
• He concludes: "You can see where I’m going with this. A casual perusal of the data shows that this isn’t a program for the top 0.1% of talent, as it’s been described. This is simply a way to recruit hundreds of thousands of relatively lower-wage IT and financial services professionals."
  

• Instapundit linked to this post from X:

    Just got a dm from someone who works in recruiting at one of big tech companies. He said it's internal policy within the team he works for to reserve roles for what they call “outside talent”.

    They are not allowed to recruit Americans for these roles but must go through the motions of setting up interviews with Americans. He said he and his colleagues try to keep these calls short 10-15min or some of them just ghost the call completely.

    They then work with an international recruiting firm out of India to fill these roles.

    He said the purpose is budgetary in nature. Since they pay less to these H-1B hires they can keep talent costs low by allocating a certain amount of head count to these candidates.

    He also said that the “talent shortage” narrative is false. They get an overwhelming amount of qualified American candidates. They are just not allowed to hire them.

• The other problem with hiring these foreign tech workers is that their inherent tribalism winds up forcing Americans from companies, a concept neatly summarized in the following meme I came across at Vox Day's blog:

 

• Vox Day has a lengthy quote from an Apple Manager's 11-years experience as a hiring manager. An excerpt:

    When you are speaking with an Indian, you are not communicating. You are engaging in a choreographed dance where they are exclusively tasked with mirroring your moves, and leaving you to walk away thinking that your needs will be satisfied. And that is all that has happened. If you don’t know which follow-up questions to ask, you’ll have no idea that you’ve just been handled by an entity that understands how to “close,” but not how to deliver anything promised. The idea of the latter is never even part of the equation. Utterly alien minds to us.

    One of Britain’s greatest crimes was teaching them to speak with that hackneyed, goobledygook accent, because it simply fries the brains of most Americans. It is scamouflage for the fact that they will lie, lie, lie as easily as you or I draw breath. It’s indescribable. Thankfully, I became good enough at technical interviewing that a couple simple questions would break their lies wide open, & I could simply nope out in good conscience. After a while, a glance at such resumes told me how the conversations would go, optimizing away the rest.

    During this time, in other parts of SWE & IS&T, I watched as a couple Indian hires within 18 months turned into an almost wholesale replacement of any other race in the blighted departments. The degree of their apparently illegal hiring practices cannot be overstated. But of course, who is going to complain, and to whom? One of my last cross-functional meetings at the company, myself & one or two other guys from our org met with one of the terraformed orgs. There were 25 of them packed into a room for a meeting that required 5 people tops.

    Regardless of context, every American needs to understand that they will lie under any circumstances for any reason or no apparent reason whatsoever. It is “cultural,” so get over your Christendom-centric notions of morality; those exist nowhere else on Earth.

•  "Weaponized Migration Is More Destructive Than People Think"--The Organic Prepper. An excerpt:

    However, in recent years, there has been a growing recognition that migration can also be deliberately engineered as a tool of political coercion and destabilization.

    Under certain contexts, migration can be weaponized, functioning as a form of “slow violence” that inflicts widespread suffering and undermines the stability of states and societies.

    The concept of migration as a weapon of mass destruction may seem hyperbolic, but it is grounded in a growing body of evidence. The infiltration of criminal groups in the migration wave is one of the most blatant pieces of evidence.

    By systematically targeting civilian populations, undermining state institutions, and provoking social unrest, actors can exploit migration to achieve a spectrum of strategic objectives. These objectives may include territorial expansion, regime change, or distracting attention from domestic problems.

    This has been a behavioral pattern, and the free media and social networks continuously unmask it.

    We have in recent history two perfect examples: the displacement of Venezuelan migrants, resulting in turmoil in the streets under the government of President Duque (a known enemy of the Venezuelan regime) in 2017-2018. This chaos disappeared once the guerrilla chief Petro and his gang took over the Presidency.

    The same pattern was generated in Chile, with such unrest in the streets never seen in years, only to produce problems in the government of President Piñera (compared by the Venezuelan regime with Pinochet, a known dictator). Once again, as President Boric assumed office, all the turmoil ceased, and there has not been a serious demonstration ever since.

    Historically, forced migration has been used also as a tool for ethnic cleansing. In the case of the most recent regimes, the rogue States use it to expel opposition and enemies. The Colombian guerrilla expelled and displaced almost 5 million people only to use their territory as a sanctuary. The leftist ideology once exhibited by these groups lost all the “coating” they had. Their real purpose of existing is to serve as guardians of the humungous drug production business and the corresponding trafficking routes.

    Which can be considered an act of war.

• "Majority of employment growth since COVID-19 goes to immigrants, report finds"--Fox News. Key point: "Immigrant employment soared to 3.2 million since 2019 compared to U.S.-born employment, which rose to 917,000, as employment among Americans dipped narrowly in the past year, according to the Center for Immigration Studies." Here's a link to the report: "Most Employment Growth Since Pandemic Has Gone to Immigrants."
  
• "Mentally Ill Man Kills Postal Worker; Media Lies About His Gender"--PJ Media. You might remember this incident from the news: a postal worker had stopped at a New York deli, another person entered after him, the two got into an argument, and the other person stabbed the postal worker to death. 

The suspect in custody was initially reported as a 24-year-old woman named Jaia Cruz, but many sources have uncovered the truth: The suspect is actually a 24-year-old man named Alvin Cruz who claims to be a "transgender woman." However, the media seems intent on keeping up the charade. 

• More: "Knife-wielding transgender woman accused of killing NYC postal worker smiles, rolls eyes in creepy video"--New York Post.
• "Professor Blames Math’s ‘Rational Thought’ for Women’s STEM Struggles"--Toni Airaksinen. From the lede:

 A professor at the University of Delaware recently penned an academic article arguing that women’s sense of belonging in calculus classes is hurt by “rational thought” and “objective truth,” which the professor sees as masculine qualities.

Young Men Flocking To Orthodox Church

The Telegraph has an article, "Young, single men are leaving traditional churches. They found a more ‘masculine’ alternative," that highlights an issue that I've posted about before: how the feminization of churches is driving men away from many denominations. This is an issue that initially arose hand-in-hand with industrialization and urbanization as work in cities pulled men from communities and churches, which then, in turn, began to cater more and more to women's values. World War I and II seemed to accelerate this trend. Today, many denominations seem to worship what I've heard described as a "teddy bear Jesus" who is long on coddling feminists and their pet causes (especially the LGBTQ) and short on commandments and consequences. This is not the true Christ. Christ is merciful, but he is also just and cannot abide sin. And he was not afraid of offending people.

    I've seen the decline of churches into feminism within my own faith, the LDS Church. When I was young, the Boy Scouts were an integral part of the activities for the young men, and all men were encouraged to participate in Church sponsored sports. (There is a reason most every LDS Church building in the U.S. has a basketball gym). Obviously the Church exited the Boy Scouts (the decline and feminization of the Boy Scouts is its own story well described in this article: "Girling the Boy Scouts"). And organized Church sports are hardly ever mentioned in the congregation I attend (although that might be because my ward's population is skewed heavily toward old and elderly members). 

    But the feminization of a church goes well beyond the abandonment of the Boy Scouts or lack of organized sports for the boys and men. It has to do with the whole approach to religion and life. The Telegraph article, for instance, reports that "[s]ome converts said they felt disillusioned with the 'feminisation' of the Protestant church and were attracted to the 'authenticity' of Orthodoxy, which they claim pushes them physically and mentally." One convert interviewed for the article stated: “What really drew me to Orthodoxy… was the structure, the guidance, the authenticity and the historicity”. Another convert interviewed for the article described his prior church's services as not too different to his Saturday night in a bar.

They had the “same kind of lighting, same kind of music, same kind of the same feeling, and after reading the gospels and the book of Acts, you know, I knew that’s not how they worshipped 2000 years ago, I kind of knew, hey, I’m, I don’t think I’m in the right church.”

* * *

    He believes part of the surge in men converting to the Orthodox church is a rejection of the “feminisation” of other denominations.

    “It’s unfortunate that feminism has kind of sunk its teeth into all of our organisations to include Christianity,” he said.

    He said that at Protestant churches, the majority of the leaders “aren’t good, strong men”, whereas the Orthodox church leaders are more like “father figures”.

    He said: “They look like men. They look like fathers, they’re strong, spiritually, mentally, physically... I think young men right now are yearning to follow a good father.”

    Jesus Christ, he thinks, is the “perfect example of masculinity”, someone capable “of calling down all of Heaven’s armies to destroy his enemies” but who instead chose to serve others.

    “I’m very comfortable with physicality and because of my Orthodox faith, I’m also very comfortable at just, you know, being soft and kind... but being capable also of violence towards, you know, those who would do harm to those I love... I think young men, too, they want that.”

An Orthodox priest to whom the reporter talked also mentioned that "one aspect that appeals to newcomers is that while other churches are being drawn into rows about cultural issues, such as debates around the LGBTQ community, the Orthodox church does not shift." 

    The desire for a Church that champions masculinity and fathers may be key. The article on the decline of the Boy Scouts explains:

    Today, American boys are plagued by fatherlessness, both real and symbolic. Whereas in the early twentieth century, boys lost their biological fathers to industrial accidents and tuberculosis, now they lose them to parental irresponsibility. In 2022, 40 percent of all American children were born to single mothers. Black newborns faced a catastrophic 69.3 percent illegitimacy rate, while more than 53 percent of Hispanic children were born to unmarried females. Whites had a 27 percent illegitimacy rate; the rate among the white underclass is twice that. Already in 2016, 59 percent of births to white women who did not finish high school or obtain a GED occurred outside of marriage. Boys suffer the most in the typical fatherless household, with its lack of structure, parade of shiftless boyfriends, and inconsistent discipline. (There are exceptions to this chaos, of course.)

    The disintegration of the family coincided with the devalorization of males, making the possibility of even a symbolic father figure remote. Feminism was zero-sum: it championed females by tearing males down. The concept of toxic masculinity was active decades before the American Psychological Association declared traditional masculinity (which the APA defined by such civilization-creating traits as competitiveness, stoicism, and the desire to provide for others) a malady. Positive male characters in television and movies were replaced by dolts and abusers. And a cascade of female-uplift programs started pouring out of the government, foundations, corporations, and universities.

I think what men are looking for is a church that allows them to reach their potential as men rather than forcing them into the role of pussy-whipped metrosexuals. Unfortunately, the watchword among the leaders of the congregation I attend is to avoid offending anyone.

What Caused The LA Fires?

The malevolence and stupidity of liberals. It's so bad that even some celebrities have turned on the Democrat politicians, including the governor and mayor.

    Some of the latest reports on the fires:

    The most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history has burned over 17,000 acres with zero containment, scorching the seaside area between Malibu and Santa Monica. The inferno has destroyed at least 2,000 building structures (damage estimates in the tens of billions of dollars) and forced 130,000 residents to evacuate their homes. Meanwhile, a new fire ignited overnight in the Hollywood Hills area.

    The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's latest update on Thursday morning shows that the Palisades Fire has burned through more than 17,200 acres, while the Eaton Fire has expanded to 10,000. Both fires still have zero containment.

    Also, the Hurst fire has spread to nearly 900 acres, 10% of which are contained, while the Lidia Fire has burned 350 acres, 40% of which are contained.

    The newest, the Sunset Fire, was sparked on Wednesday night in Hollywood Hills and has grown to dozens of acres. 

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass returned from Ghana and was literally without words when asked about how her actions contributed to the problem, but eventually other liberals will undoubtedly come around to some version of blaming global warming for the fires. 

    The direct physical cause of the fires is undoubtedly going to be human. Perhaps arson, but more likely from homeless encampments throughout the LA basin. "Fire officials say that homeless camp wildfires doubled from 2020 to 2023 to 13,909. There were 24 'homeless related' fires in LA County responded to every day of 2021."

    So, let's look at some issues leading up to the current fires:

• "In October 2024, Joe Biden's Administration officially pronounced an end to controlled burns in California for fire mitigation." Perhaps not related to these fires, but it shows a general lack of concern over managing forests and range land.
  
• Thanks to Mayor Bass, "[f]rom the 2023-2024 to the 2024-2025 budgets, the LAFD’s budget was reduced by over $17 million from $837,191,237 to $819,637,423." At the same time, the city's budget for homelessness was $1.3 billion, although half went unspent. 
• The gay LA fire chief, Kristin Crowley, "implemented an internal 'racial equity plan' in 2021, and, in 2023, launched a bureau in preparation for a three-year strategic plan to increase diversity in the department." As Pride.com's headline proclaimed: "Amid Palisades fire, Los Angeles' first LGBTQ+ fire chief is proving that lesbians get it done." 
• Due to a lack of updated infrastructure, fire hydrants ran dry or operated at lower pressure.
• The LAFD has had a shortage of firefighters, probably exacerbated by the DEI policies and budget cuts. 

The next battle for many of the affected homeowners will be insurance, as some of the largest home insurers stopped writing policies in parts of California earlier this year due to the number of large wild fires and the regulatory environment.