Drug Cartels Move Into Costa Rica

From Borderland Beat:

All of this — and Costa Rica's entire tourism-dependent economy — has been possible largely because of its reputation as a safe place that isn't like the rest of Central America.

"People say in Costa Rica God's always watching over us. We don't have a lot of hurricanes, we don't have devastating earthquakes, we don't have devastating poverty; instead of having tanks and military, we have teachers and schools," Damalas says.
But because there isn't a military and the police force has never had to be militarized, he says, "we are very vulnerable."

An Unprecedented 'Menace'

Recent polls show that crime and security are the leading public concern now in this country of 4.6 million people. The same laid-back attitude and openness to outsiders that draws tourists has also attracted Mexican cartels and their Colombia cocaine suppliers, who warehouse drug loads here and move them up the coastlines or overland toward the U.S.

Local contacts are increasingly paid in raw product for their logistical help, so drug use has jumped, especially for crack cocaine, and Costa Rica's homicide rate has nearly doubled since 2004.

The same article also mentions that Belize has been added to "the 'blacklist' of states considered major drug producing nations or transit countries."

AK74 Malfunction--Failure to Extract and Stuck Casing (Updated)

I thought that I would share a malfunction I had with an AK74 this past weekend and how it was resolved. [Note: It wasn't fully resolved--see my second update at the end of the post].

For some background, I had recently finished building the rifle. One of its 922r compliance parts is a U.S. manufactured barrel--plain steel, no chromium lining in the barrel or receiver. Although 5.45 mm ammunition is relatively inexpensive, it is not common. Most of what is available is East bloc military surplus, and so that is what I had to test the weapon. As you may or may not be aware, the Soviet-era ammunition is steel cased, with a green lacquer coating, and a red seal around the bullet and primer.

I had test fired the weapon several weeks ago without malfunction, putting approximately 100 rounds through it. Cleaning afterward was a quick pass through the barrel and chamber with cleaner, oil, and dry patches, and a general wipe down.

With one thing and another, I did not get back to using the weapon until this past weekend. Temperatures were in the mid-30s, so chilly but not so too cold. After setting up targets and other gear, I took my first shot and had a failure to extract malfunction. In examining the casing, the extractor had pulled the casing approximately 1/4 inch out of the chamber before the case had become stuck. The extractor had broken off part of the case rim, but the base of the case was otherwise intact. The primer did not evidence signs of overpressure. The hole in the target had a very slight oval shaped, but not keyholed, and the oval shape was so slight that I can't say for sure that it was anything other than because of a slight wrinkle or "wave" in the paper.

I made some attempt to remove the casing, but the cleaning rod I had was too short, and the multi-tool just couldn't give me enough leverage to work the casing out. So, I put the rifle aside and we shot some other weapons.

After returning home, I used a brass cleaning rod and used a light mallet to try and tap the case out. No good. I tried a heavier rubber mallet. No good. I tried a 16 oz. ball peen hammer. No good. I sprayed WD-40 down the barrel and let it sit overnight. The next day, I tried again with the rubber mallet and still couldn't get the casing to move.

Doing some research, I discovered that this is apparently not an uncommon problem when using the lacquer coated, steel casings. Apparently, when the chamber gets hot, the lacquer can melt and begin to build up in the chamber. Bits and pieces of the red sealant can also get stuck to the lacquer coating the chamber. So, with either a long shooting session, or a later shooting where this lacquer didn't get adequately cleaned out, the lacquer can build up to the point that a shell can get stuck--i.e., glued--in the chamber.

Obviously, in the future, I will need to pay particular attention to the chamber, and use a brush to make sure I break up and remove any lacquer. My only excuse for not already doing so is that (a) I don't shoot ARs, so I'm not used to having to do a full-out, brushes and solvent cleaning every time I shoot, and (b) I've used steel cased ammo for nearly 20 years in other rifles (albeit, with the original military chrome-lined barrels) and never had this issue before. Obviously this weapon, either because of the lack of chrome-lining and/or tighter tolerances will require a more careful and detailed cleaning regimen.

As for getting the case unstuck, my research indicated that the best method was to use a penetrating oil down the barrel to soak the casing and lacquer, and let sit overnight, then tap out with a rod and mallet. The general consensus was to use Kroil brand penetrating oil. Obviously, the WD40 had not worked.

I went to a nearby hardware store, but they did not have any Kroil in stock. They did, however, have Blaster PB "penetrating catalyst." I took that home and sprayed it down the barrel. The label indicated that just a few minutes should be sufficient before giving a try, and so I thought I would see if the advertising was true to its word. A few minutes later, after a  few hard taps on the rod with a mallet, the casing was free. The Blaster PB was true to its advertising and instructions.

A few lessons learned, and the discovery of a new product for cleaning and lubricating firearms, so there was a silver lining behind this whole thing. And I was glad to learn of this issue now, rather than later under different conditions.

Update: A review from Survivalist Blog on the Bulgarian AK74.

Second Update (1/25/2012):  A few weeks ago, I had posted about a failure to extract issue with an AK74 using a U.S. made barrel. The chamber was covered with what appeared to be a uniform brown coating, which was obviously what was causing the cartridge to stick. I thought the issue was solved when I made my earlier post, but the fact is that I could not clean the gunk (or whatever it was) out of the chamber with Hoppes, a copper solvent, or even carburetor cleaner.

I subsequently purchased two more cleaning products: "Goof Off," which is formulated to remove latex paint, asphalt and tar; and Rust-Oleum Rust Stripper (which I specifically selected because it was acid based). Alternating between these two products, which I applied to Q-tips for the actual cleaning, I was able to clean out the coating.

If it was rust, I am thoroughly embarrassed. However, I'm not sure it was. I have used corrosive ammo before in other weapons, and I've never seen anything like this before. There was no sign of corrosion in the barrel or on the gas piston--it was all in the chamber, uniformly distributed, and stopped in a clean circle about 1/8 inch from the bore. It came out somewhat irregularly, with jagged edges to some areas, and it truly appeared that something had coated or been applied on the interior of the bore.

Due to weather issues, it will probably be a while before I can test the rifle out again. Rest assured, I will report further extraction issues, if I have any. Given the lack of information I was able to find on the internet on solving this issue (even though I came across enough items to suggest that this is not an entirely rare issue), I hope that this is of some help to someone.

(Update: I was able to test fire the rifle again a couple weeks later and it functioned reliably--I shot 90 rounds through the rifle without any problems. After returning from the range, I immediately cleaned the bore with both the ordinary cleaners and the "Goof Off").

Update (7/3/2015): Currently I have dropped back to simply using Windex (with ammonia) followed by ordinary gun cleaner/oil without further problems.

Tactical Operations in a Winter Environment

Warrior Talk News has a new article entitled "Winter Warrior" discussing issues and concerns for the tactical operator in winter conditions, along with suggestions. Oh, and some cool pictures too.

Update (2/10/2014): Warrior Talk New/Taipan Magazine is currently down, and I don't know when it will be back up. But here is an alternate site that appears to have the full content of the "Winter Warrior" article.

China's Growing Investment in South America

I never thought I would read an article from Aljazeera, let alone link to one (although I've linked to articles from the Huffington Post and Politico, so I guess I can't sink any lower), but I came across this one concerning Chinese investment in South America which seemed relevant in light of the recent article I linked to concerning the East India Company. Anyway, from the Aljazeera article:

"Across Latin America we are seeing that China is having an increasing importance in trade and investment," Ricardo Delgado, director of Analytica Consulting in Buenos Aires, told Al Jazeera.

"Brazil and Argentina produce and export many raw materials: soy, sugar, meat and corn… China is a very important driver of demand for these commodities."

Since 2005, China's development bank and other institutions have spent an estimated $75bn on financial investments in South America, said Boston University professor Kevin Gallagher. This is, he points out, "more [investment] than the World Bank, US Export Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank combined".

Chinese private investment, often coming from large state-supported firms that set-up operations in the region or buy local companies, has been about $60bn, Gallagher said.

In the past five years, Bilateral trade between China and South America jumped more than 160 per cent, rising from $68bn in 2006 to $178bn in 2010. In Peru, Chinese mining giant Chinalco spent $3bn buying "copper mountain" - an entire rock formation containing two billion tonnes of the precious metal. The firm expects a 2,000 per cent profit on its investment.

The Chinese state lent Petrobras, Brazil's national oil company, $10bn in 2009. And a plan from China's Beidahuang food company to lease more than 300,000 hectares of land to grow genetically modified soya, corn and other crops in Argentina's Patagonia region has locals furious about potential environmental damage.

As director of Mercampo, an agricultural consulting firm based in Rosario, Argentina, Gabriel Perez has seen the increase first hand. More trade delegations are coming from China, and tycoons from the world's second largest economy are eager to invest in agriculture and commodities.

"China has the strategic vision to ensure food security and energy in their country [as they worry] that long-term problems will be the supply of raw materials," Perez told Al Jazeera. "This is undoubtedly the primary reason for China's investments in South America."


Chinese firms often buy local assets or lock-in long term supply agreements, sometimes making deals in Chinese currency, rather than the US dollar which typically underpins international trade.

(Emphasis added).

As would be expected from Aljazeera, the article basically takes a pro-Chinese, anti-American tone. The authors do not seem to connect the dots, however. What they are describing is mercantilism engaged in by state-backed companies. That is, China purchasing the raw materials for export to China, while exporting finished goods back to the foreign "colony." (As implied by the reference to a "China town" in the article, China is not only importing raw materials from South America, but exporting its officials and managers to the South American nations).

Raul Prebish, an Argentinian economist and former director of the UN’s Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC), argued that nations on the "periphery" of world trade were doomed to be primary commodity exporters unless they developed by building a domestic manufacturing base and closing trade links.

"In Brazil, China is an important competitor in low labour cost industries. Chinese prices are low and problems of dumping and subsidised exports are common," Delgado said. "Our industries are not prepared very well for this competition." China is frequently accused of keeping its currency artificially low to boost exports.

Brazil's real and other South American currencies have risen drastically due to the commodities boom in recent years. Brazil’s former finance minister went so far as to warn of a "currency war" as countries around the world tried to lower their currencies to boost exports.

"You hear lots of complaints from the industrial sector that competition has become very hard, because the exchange rate is misplaced," Cardoso said, adding that she thinks such concerns are minor compared to the country's growth.

Plenty of economists who do not have strong positions in debates about dependency think it's wrong to worry about Chinese investment because the terms of trade are squarely in South America's favour, as countries maintain large trade surpluses with China.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. If some of the trade deals are denominated in yuan, but the Chinese move ahead with devaluing their currency, as presently predicted, those deals are suddenly going to become worth a lot less. Also, the trade surplus is not necessarily to their advantage if the price of Chinese goods undercut domestic producers to the extent that the local South American manufacturers can't afford to compete. It must be remembered that one of the initial goals of British colonialism in India was to destroy local industry to make Indians dependent on British manufacturing. This appears to be what is happening here.

Gear Review -- Petzl "Tikka XP2" Headlamp

I've had the Petzl "Tikka XP2" Headlamp for about one (1) year now. (Note: the link is for convenience--I did not receive any compensation from Petzl or REI for this review). Before reviewing the particular light, however, I would like to address the use of headlamps in general.

Headlamps are intended as utility lights--they are not, nor should they be used as, tactical lights. First, they are connected to something that you don't want targeted--your head. Second, they cast a beam behind the weapon that can illuminate the weapon and, particularly with a rifle, cast a shadow from the weapon that can obscure the target. Third, and most important, they cannot be quickly and easily operated while using a weapon.

They excel as a utility light, however, for the simple reason that they (i) allow hands-free operations (which is critical when grabbing a load of wood, setting up a tent, working with tools under a car hood, or climbing into an attic) and (ii) they direct the light to where you are looking. I also use mine as a lamp for bike riding at dusk. (While I haven't used it for night riding, I'm sure it would work fine).

For most uses, it is not necessary to purchase an expensive model. We've picked up a few of the inexpensive 3-LED models on sale for $5 - $7 which seem to have held up well through Scout camp outs (and without the worry of them being lost or stolen) and offer a strobe mode for use for bike riding. 

The advantage of more expensive lights is generally greater durability (i.e., shock resistance), a more powerful beam, and other special features that may vary from model to model such as variable brightness settings, secondary red lights, water-proofing, etc.

Details: I'm not going to repeat all of the features for the lamp. If you want the specifics, see the web site that I've linked to above. However, it does have a white LED lamp with three settings: high, low, and strobe. It can also switch over to a red LED. Switching between the settings is done by pressing a single switch--press once for the high, twice for the low, etc. The red light is turned on by holding down on the switch for several seconds.

There is a diffuser "lens" that you can slide up over the lamp to provide a diffuse light over a narrower beam. Since I'm using the lamp for short range, I almost always use the diffuser.

It uses three "AAA" batteries, and seems to have a pretty good life if you mostly stick to using the low power.

There is a whistle on the head-band, which is a nice accessory.

The specs say that the lamp is water-resistant, although I have not had the opportunity (or mishap) to test this.

General Impressions: I would give the lamp a thumbs up overall. Good quality, comfortable to wear, and a long battery life. As I noted, I primarily use the diffuser lens, but I like the option of having a more narrow, longer range beam. I have also used the strobe setting quite a bit when bicycling. I have never used the red light.

Pros: I would give special mention to the easy adjustment of the attitude of the light, and the fact it stays in place. I don't mountain bike, so I can't say how it would hold up to the jarring in that use, but I've never had any problems when going over some serious bumps on the paved bike trails and streets that I use.

At 60 lumens (I think it actually brighter with new batteries, but I have no way of testing), the bright beam is sufficiently bright to light up a trail or path.

The lamp is well built and seems solid (although not heavy), like some of the cheaper lamps I've handled and used.

Cons: There are three things I don't like, but these are minor annoyances more than serious flaws. First, is the orange color on the band. That is an aesthetic issue, and fortunately the orange doesn't really stick out on the outside of the band. I'm sure I would change my mind if I happened to drop the lamp and was trying to find it in grass or brush.

Second, I have a hard time getting it to switch to strobe mode without first taking it off my head. May just be me, but if I'm wearing my lamp before turning it on, I have to stop my bike and fiddle with the lamp.

Third, the body of the lamp is partially clear, and when the lamp is pointed downward, I've had some light reflected through the clear portion and into my eyes. This is a minor issue, and is only when it is pointed down at a sharp angle, but still irritating.

Overall Impression: Good buy. Good lamp.

Excerpt of a Speech by General McCaffrey (Ret.)

Part of a speech by retired General McCaffrey concerning Mexico:

What we are facing now in Mexico is not a “war on drugs.” It goes well beyond that. What’s happening in Mexico is a struggle to establish the rule of law; not just on a police and military level, but also on a cultural level. We are struggling with a contradiction: on the one hand, you are trying to create a society that is internally democratic and self-governing; on the other hand, a significant element of that society has operated with impunity under the law. The short-term problem—chief among the realities they’re facing in Mexico—is that somewhere between $19-$35 billion a year of drug-related commerce is being generated there. The numbers vary depending on your source, but the impact is clear. That amount of money is a blowtorch that melts democratic institutions. It establishes a level of violence…a sophistication of violence…that is perpetuated in and among 120,000 people directly involved with the drug cartels.

Some of them are organized in platoon- and company-sized units—and I use those phrases provocatively to tell you that we are dealing with 50 to 70 people with automatic weapons, RPGs, other military-grade grenades, machine guns, and 50-caliber anti-aircraft guns, who will engage in direct firefights and engagements with Mexican Marines and Soldiers. And they will abduct squad-sized units of the Army and the Federal Police, torture them to death, decapitate them, and leave them as provocative gestures. And they will abduct Mexican general officers and murder them, and leave them with a sign around their necks. They have created an internal atmosphere of intimidation that is so pronounced that, in some ways, it has become impossible for local police (and to some extent state police) to deal with it. It is some kind of threat.

How many people have died at the hands of these elements? Again, the numbers vary with the sources you choose; but one could safely posit 42,000 murders during the current struggle to establish the rule of law.

To reiterate, it’s more than just drugs. It’s also prostitution, abuse of women in the immigrant population, violation of commercial control laws, and potentially (although I don’t think this is a dominant concern) it bears an associated threat with terrorism.

As Frank (Cilluffo) mentioned, we have just been through a Congressional hearing surrounding a report I recently released with (Major General–Retired) Bob Scales. As the hearing progressed the focus shifted to the cartel’s cross-border drug activity. There were a lot of sparks flying, with U.S. Congressmen in denial over this situation; but basically, I think, there is an unwillingness to accept the fact that the problem is not just internal to Mexico.

You have to start with the fact that there are seven major cartels and forty or so subsidiary groups which, combined, represent a peril to the United States. Yes, Stupid, they do. There are 280 some-odd cities in the United States whose dominant organized crime activity is Mexican cartel. They have associates in more than a thousand cities. I just did a seminar for the Portland (Oregon) Police. They are facing a Mexican cartel activity. I participated in the Alameda County “Urban Shield” exercise. They house another Mexican cartel activity. The cartel and their gang foot soldiers are all over the country. They are armed, they are dangerous, and instinctively (because they are a business) they don’t want to confront the FBI.

You and I ought to thank God for the FBI, because the other threat to U.S. democracy associated with the ones we are dealing with here is corruption. You know, when you are talking about the amount of money being offered at this level, it’s not “silver or lead” being thrown up against a U.S. Border Patrol agent—it’s silver. And we’ve had some problems because of it.

Some of our institutions are almost impossible to penetrate: not totally impossible, of course; but when you consider the Coast Guard, the FBI, the Marshall Service, the U.S. Air Force (with regard to radar operators)—it’s pretty hard to penetrate our institutions. That impenetrable nature keeps those institutions from crumbling.

But that cross-border threat from Mexico is real, and—as I said—is using gangs in America as its foot soldiers. There are 30,000 gangs in America, with a million gang members in them. In Texas alone there are 18,000 gang members. And unwittingly, we are contributing to their numbers. The United States has some 2.1 million people in our prisons—nearly the highest incarceration rate on the face of the Earth. Within those prisons we are providing a means for these gangs to socialize, recruit and expand. When the incarcerated leave the prisons (and we turn out a half million every year) many of them are schooled and prepared to enter into the Mexican cartels’ activities. We have found that to be particularly true along the southwest border. And the ranks of the foot soldiers grow, with guns and power distributed from the rural communities of the southwest to the streets of our major metropolitan areas.

And by the way, these are not hierarchical organizations. This is not an ideological struggle. This isn’t a religious struggle. It’s a criminal struggle. And that’s the threat we are facing.

(Footnotes omitted). The whole thing is here. (H/t Instapundit)

Security Landscaping in 4 parts

Posted by Stealth Survival:

Part 1 -- An Introduction.
Part 2 -- The 3-7 Rule.
Part 3 -- The 3-7 Rule Continued.
Part 4 -- Types of Thorny Plants.

More information on Building and Using Hayboxes

I recently posted about different types of insulative cooking, including using hay-boxes. (See here). The Daily Survivor Blog posted some more information on the manufacture and use of hay-boxes. (Story here). There is even a link to a cook book for using hay-boxes.

Volcano in Chile Grounds Air Flights in Argentina

Ash from a Chilean volcano is now stretching across Argentina to Buenos Aires, grounding most air travel to and from the country. State-owned airlines Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral announced that they have cancelled all flights until further notice. International air carriers Delta, American, United, Gol, and TAM air lines have cancelled flights to and from the airports in Buenos Aires as a precaution, and other carriers are expected to follow.

(Story here)

Syrian Protestors Demand Support from Arab League.

(Story here). Ah...the old, beg one dictator to help you against another one sham. The Arab's League's purpose is to figure out a way to control Syria's protests that do not risk inflaming their own population, but without out conceding any meaningful reform or sharing of power.

A Brief History of the East India Company

From The Economist:

A POPULAR parlour game among historians is debating when the modern world began. Was it when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, in 1440? Or when Christopher Columbus discovered America, in 1492? Or when Martin Luther published his 95 theses, in 1517? All popular choices. But there is a strong case to be made for a less conventional answer: the modern world began on a freezing New Year’s Eve, in 1600, when Elizabeth I granted a company of 218 merchants a monopoly of trade to the east of the Cape of Good Hope.

The East India Company foreshadowed the modern world in all sorts of striking ways. It was one of the first companies to offer limited liability to its shareholders. It laid the foundations of the British empire. It spawned Company Man. And—particularly relevant at the moment—it was the first state-backed company to make its mark on the world.

The relevance to today?

Ever since its ignominious collapse the Company has been treated as an historical curiosity—an “anomaly without a parallel in the history of the world”, as one commentator put it in 1858, a push-me pull-you the like of which the world would never see again. But these days similarly strange creatures are popping up everywhere. The East India Company is being transformed from an historical curiosity into a highly relevant case study.

The Company’s history shows that liberals may be far too pessimistic (if that is the right word) about the ability of state monopolies to remain healthy. The Company lasted for far longer than most private companies precisely because it had two patrons to choose from—prospering from trade in good times and turning to the government for help in bad ones. It also showed that it is quite possible to rely on the government for support while at the same time remaining relatively lean and inventive.

But the Company’s history also shows that mercantilists may be far too optimistic about state companies’ ability to avoid being corrupted by politics. The merchants who ran the East India Company repeatedly emphasised that they had no intention of ruling India. They were men of business who only dabbled in politics out of necessity. Nevertheless, as rival state companies tried to muscle in on their business and local princelings turned out to be either incompetent or recalcitrant, they ended up taking huge swathes of the emerging world under their direct control, all in the name of commerce.

The Chinese state-owned companies that are causing such a stir everywhere from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (where they account for some of the biggest recent flotations) to the dodgiest parts of Sudan (where they are some of the few business organisations brave enough to tread) are no different from their East Indian forebears. They say that they are only in business for the sake of business. They dismiss their political connections as a mere bagatelle. The history of the East India Company suggests that it won’t work out that way.

Sort of the story of the once-and-future King. Read the whole thing.

Photographs of the Exclusion Zone around the Fukashima Nuclear Plant

Almost like an episode of "Life After People." (Story and photographs here).
Here's one of a hastily abandoned grocery store:

On Patrol with the Shadow Wolves

An article about Native American trackers working for the Department of Homeland Security to track drug smugglers and illegal aliens crossing the Mexico-Arizona border. After tracking down a vehicle that was abandoned in a hurry, one of the agents explained:

He explains that the spotters sit on peaks all the way from the border to Phoenix. They outnumber the Shadow Wolves and are equipped with night vision goggles, mobile phones and radios that deliver encrypted messages to drug mules on the ground. Other spotters work for people smuggling gangs and are in touch with the "coyotes" who guide groups of illegal immigrants across the desert.

"We're probably being watched right now," says Mr Garcia. "They see us coming and they get on the radio telling people we're coming." 

* * *
Drug smugglers use every possible option to get over the US border including horses, quad bikes and even ultralight aircraft. But the main delivery method is still the oldest, human mules carrying 40lb hessian wrapped bales of marijuana for payment of as little as $500 per trip. It can take them seven days to cross the desert.

The mules, and the thousands of illegal immigrants crossing, strap pieces of carpet to their shoes in an attempt to obscure their footprints. In response the trackers examine thorns for snagged fibres of clothing or hessian. They study the direction of indentations in the soil made by dislodged pebbles. Moisture from a carelessly squashed piece of cactus tells them how far ahead people are. Disturbed soil under a tree reveals how long ago someone stopped to rest, as the shade from the tree moves through the day.

The game of cat and mouse between the Shadow Wolves and the mountain-based spotters goes on daily, and at night, and the tracking methods are having some significant success. They seize an average of 60,000lb of drugs a year with a street value of around $60 million (£38 million). It is impossible to determine how much marijuana, and how many illegal immigrants, get through.

Zetas Issue Open Challenge to the United States and Mexican Governments

Borderland Beat recently published the following communique from the Zetas drug cartel:

A communique from the special forces of Los Zetas

Message to the nation, the government, and all of Mexico and to public opinion: The special forces of Los Zetas challenges the government of Mexico and its federal forces.

Not the Army, not the Marines nor the security and antidrug agencies of the United States government can resist us. Mexico lives and will continue under the regime of Los Zetas. Let it be clear that we are in control here and although the federal government controls other cartels, they cannot take our plazas. You want proof? Look at what happened in Sinaloa and Guadalajara. If we can get all the way into their kitchen we are not going to lose control of our territory.

Sincerely, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales Z-40

(Link here) (More details here). Morales subsequently released another communique refuting that he had anything to do with the first message. The second stated:

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

With respect to the banner under my name, MIGUEL ANGEL TREVIÑO MORALES, that challenges the Mexican government and all the authorities and federal agencies
of both countries. To start with let me clarify that I did not order those banners to be hung. We do not govern this country, nor do we have a regime; we are not terrorists or guerrillas. We are dedicated to our occupation and what we least desire is to have problems with any government, neither Mexico or much less with the U.S.

That message must have been put by someone with nothing better to do; that person wants to set me up against the government and make the government believe that is my mindset.

Yes, I know and am aware that you cannot and should not fight against any government. Never in my right mind would I pick a fight against Samson, I have no motive to put such those stupidness on a message, nor do I think the government believes anybody with a brain would sign their name to such stupidness.

We also want to clarify that the Zeta cartel are not terrorists and we are against terrorism.

Not long ago the media said the DEA had an informant commented that we would make an attempt against the life of an ambassador. We would not now or ever have any such inclination.

That is not who we are or how we think. That messsage must have been put up by someone who wants to ostracize me. I don't know who put it up, nor am I going to say it was this group or that person because in reality I have no idea. But what is true is that I respect the Mexican and the American governments, and I reject those foolish comments on that messsage and I reiterate that I am not of that mindset nor is the Zeta cartel, now or ever. In regards to what happened at the casino royal in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon: those were not our orders, it was stupid what those people did. I don't think those idiost realized the damage they were doing to the families of the victims that died in that regrettable occurence. With our most sincere condolences we want it understood we did not order that. We know this will cause an outcry but what those idiots did was senseless and they did not realize the problems they were getting into.

Our respect to the Mexican government.

Whatever is going on, it is interesting to compare this type of challenge to the letter by the Gadianton Robbers to the Nephites in Chapter 3 of Third Nephi.

British PM Promises to Protect Falkland Islands

Almost 30 years since Britain fought off Argentina’s invasion of the Falklands, the Prime Minister reassured the islanders that they would be allowed to decide their own destiny.

“Let me be absolutely clear,” he said in a radio address. “We will always maintain our commitment to you on any question of sovereignty.

“Your right to self-determination is the cornerstone of our policy. We will never negotiate on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands unless you, the Falkland Islanders, so wish. No democracy could ever do otherwise.”

Tensions with Argentina have resurfaced since a British company claims to have found large quantities of oil in the sea surrounding the islands.

Last week Argentina issued a new threat that it will put up an “eternal fight” for the islands, as Brazil and Uruguay also agreed to blockade ships carrying the “illegal” Falklands flag.

 (Full story here). This also:

Argentina has also taken offence that the Duke of Cambridge is set to start a posting in the remote Falklands early next year.

Prince William, a Flight Lieutenant with the RAF, will fly search and rescue helicopter missions.

Argentina’s Foreign Ministry interpreted this as a “provocative act” just before the islands are due to commemorate three decades since the Falklands War in April.

Neither country is in as good a position to fight a war now as they were 30 years ago. However, since Britain no longer has any aircraft carriers, Argentina may believe that it has the edge.

Why Manufacturing is Necessary for Technical Innovation

For many people in industry, the connections between innovation and manufacturing are a given—and a reason to worry. "We have learned that without a foothold in manufacturing, the ability to innovate is significantly compromised," says GE's Idelchik. The problem with outsourcing production is not just that you eventually lose your engineering expertise but that "businesses become dependent on someone else's innovation for next-generation products." One repercussion, he says, is that researchers and engineers lose their understanding of the manufacturing process and what it can do: "You can design anything you want, but if no one can manufacture it, who cares?"

A specific example:

It turns out it's not necessarily true that innovative technologies will simply be manufactured elsewhere if it doesn't happen in the United States. According to research by Erica Fuchs, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University, the development of integrated photonics, in which lasers and modulators are squeezed onto a single chip, has been largely abandoned by optoelectronic manufacturers as they have moved production away from the United States. Many telecom firms were forced to seek lower-cost production in East Asia after the industry's collapse in the early 2000s, and differences in manufacturing practices meant that producing integrated photonic chips was not economically viable in those countries. Thus a technology that once appeared to be just a few years away from revolutionizing computers and even biosensors was forsaken. Economists might argue that we don't care where something is produced, says Fuchs, but location can profoundly affect "the products that you choose to make and the technology trajectory itself."

(Full article here). (H/t Instapundit).

The Role of Modern Day Revelation

In various eschatological posts, I have referenced modern day revelation. I found this article on modern day revelation that I thought may interest some of you.

Church Dispells Rumors Concerning Tennessee Cannery

I hadn't heard any rumors about Federal officials visiting a cannery for information on who used the facility, but the Church reports that it is just a rumor. The official news release:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has received a number of inquiries about an alleged visit by federal officials to a Church canning facility in Tennessee seeking information about those who use the facility. The Church has investigated these claims and there is no basis for the rumors.

(Link here).

New H5N1 Virus (Bird Flu) Outbreak on the Way?

From the Daily Mail:

Hong Kong health authorities have slaughtered more than 17,000 chickens after three birds were found to have died from the H5N1 bird flu strain in the past week.

The city is on high alert having raised its flu warning system level to 'serious' after a chicken carcass found at a bustling market tested positive for the virus.

It follows the discovery earlier this week of the bodies of an oriental magpie and a black-headed gull, both found at Hong Kong secondary schools, which also tested positive for the virus.

Besieges Chinese Village Claims Small Victory

From The Telegraph:

As thousands of Wukan residents threatened to march on Thursday to demand the body of rights campaigner Xue Jinbo, who died in police custody, a top level Communist official brokered a meeting with the angry community.

Guangdong provincial deputy-Communist Party Secretary Zhu Mingguo will meet with unofficial Wukan representatives Lin Zuluan and Yang Semao on Wednesday.

Hopefully they aren't being too trusting:

Amid the growing volatility in the province, the authorities offered a goodwill gesture and agreed to dismantle one of the security cordons blockading Wukan village.

In response, the villagers tore down their crude barricades.

But as some residents clapped and unfurled a victory banner, a village elder angrily rushed over to tear it down.

"This is not yet a victory," he yelled.

Villagers are still on alert and fear snatch squads will seize their chance to grab the ringleaders of their unprecedented rebellion.

Groups of residents are now patrolling the sprawling coastal community.

How Long Until War in Europe?

The title to this post may seem a little over the top since the article I'm citing to is merely about Britain possibly facing a downgrade from Moody's:

Moody’s, one of the world’s largest rating firms, said in its annual credit report that, although the AAA rating was currently secure, it was based on the economy not deteriorating further or the Government being forced to bail out the banks again.

George Osborne, the Chancellor, has repeatedly stressed the importance of retaining the rating, which determines the rate at which Britain can borrow money on the international financial markets.

The article also mentions France's imminent downgrade, and other continuing problems. But this is what caught my attention:

France is currently facing a downgrading and last week senior French politicians demanded that Britain’s rating should also be reviewed.

With the increased friction between the European nations, and Germany demanding more say-so in how other Euro members run their finances, it heightens the possibility of political instability and armed conflict.

"Rebuilding Survivors"

An article at Survival Cache about the rebuilding of society following TEOTWAWKI. (Link)

New Useful Link--Food Storage and Survival Blog

I've added a new useful link to the Food Storage and Survival blog. Check it out!

A Recurring Theme

A library filled with rare books and manuscripts was destroyed in fights between the Egyptian Army and protestors. (Story here). Reminiscent of the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, first during a battle against Roman forces led by Julius Caesar (which was accidental), and the later deliberate burning at the hands of the Muslims.

EPA Grasping for Unlimited Power (Updated)

The Federal government and bureaucracy continues its remorseless acquisition of power, this time (or perhaps I should say, once again) under the auspices of the EPA. It is because Congress is too ready to cede power to a professional bureaucracy and too beholden to lobbyists and large campaign donors, and because the Courts have read too broadly the powers granted to the Federal government in the Constitution, that we find ourselves in this situation. Congress, the President, and the Federal Courts, as a whole, truly believe that there are no limitations on the power and authority of the Federal government. 

From the article:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to change how it analyzes problems and makes decisions, in a way that will give it vastly expanded power to regulate businesses, communities and ecosystems in the name of “sustainable development,” the centerpiece of a global United Nations conference slated for Rio de Janeiro next June.

The major focus of the EPA thinking is a weighty study the agency commissioned last year from the National Academies of Science. Published in August, the study, entitled “Sustainability and the U.S. EPA,” cost nearly $700,000 and involved a team of a dozen outside experts and about half as many National Academies staff.

Its aim: how to integrate sustainability “as one of the key drivers within the regulatory responsibilities of EPA.” The panel who wrote the study declares part of its job to be “providing guidance to EPA on how it might implement its existing statutory authority to contribute more fully to a more sustainable-development trajectory for the United States.”

Also:

What is “sustainability” in the first place? That is a question the study ducks, noting that it is only advising EPA on how to bring it within the agency’s canon.

The experts take their definition from an Obama Administration executive order of October, 2009, entitled Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance. It defines sustainability in sweeping fashion as the ability “to create and maintain conditions, under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic, and other requirements of present and future generations.”

The study specifically notes that “although addressing economic issues is not a core part of EPA’s mission, it is explicitly part of the definition of sustainability.”

The end result?

“EPA needs to formally develop and specify its vision for sustainability,” the study says. “Vision, in the sense discussed here, is a future state that EPA is trying to reach or is trying to help the country or the world to reach.”

The study offers up new tools for EPA to do the job. As opposed to environmental impact assessment, the study encourages the use of “sustainability impact assessment” in the evaluation of the hundreds and thousands of projects that come under EPA scrutiny to see whether they are moving in the proper direction

“Environmental impact assessment tends to focus primarily on the projected environmental effects of a particular action and alternatives to that action,” the study says. Sustainability impact assessment examines “the probable effects of a particular project or proposal on the social, environmental, and economic pillars of sustainability”—a greatly expanded approach.

One outcome: “The culture change being proposed here will require EPA to conduct an expanding number of assessments.”

As a result, “The agency can become more anticipatory, making greater use of new science and of forecasting.”

The catch, the study recognizes, is that under the new approach the EPA becomes more involved than ever in predicting the future.

“Forecasting is unavoidable when dealing with sustainability, but our ability to do forecasting is limited,” the document says.

One forecast it is safe to make: the study shows whatever else the new sustainability mission does for EPA, it aims to be a much, much more important—and powerful-- federal agency than it is, even now.

(Underline added). In other words, the EPA plans on becoming a super-governmental agency, not only concerned with environmental impact in the U.S., but world-wide; poking its head into every economic matter imaginable. But don't worry, like "Big Brother" in 1984, it will only use its power to help us.

Update: This is a good example of how the EPA is hurting our country. Closing down power plants that provide power to 22 million homes.

"Wonderbag" Cooking Bag, Hay Boxes and Other Types of Insulated Cooking (Updated)

Although I think that the Durban Climate Conference is just another manifestation of a modern-day secret combination, this article from The Telegraph caught my attention because it deals with a serious issue for preppers--conserving fuel when cooking.

A large number of the world’s poorest people spend a third of their income on fuels such as kerosene or paraffin. Others, invariably women, have to trudge for hours each day – often risking attack or rape – to fetch firewood or dung, which increases deforestation and denudes the soil. Burning the fuel in their inefficient stoves produces toxic smoke that kills more than two million people – mainly women and children – a year, and emits carbon dioxide and black carbon, the two main causes of global warming. Attempts to introduce solar cookers have failed because people cook at night, after the sun has gone down.

The idea first came to Sarah Collins, a Durban “social entrepreneur”, during power cuts in 2008. She remembered how her grandmother had surrounded her pans with cushions to keep them cooking when taken off the stove. She tried it, found that it worked, and wondered if it could help the poor.

She later mentioned the idea to Moshy Mathe, a formidable, “traditionally built” social activist while sitting with her on an aeroplane. Moshy suggested replacing the cushions with a padded bag and together they went on to develop the lidded Wonderbag, covered in African textiles and insulated with recycled polystyrene.

Its users can heat cassava on a stove in just half an hour, instead of eight, placing it in the bag to finish off, and there are big reductions in cooking times for rice, stews, beans and root vegetables (each bag comes with recipes for such delicacies as tripe, “supper pap”, and chicken feet). It works on the same principle as the old hay box, or the Bushman practice of burying food to continue cooking.

Unfortunately, the bag is too expensive for the people that need it to actually buy it. The makers are hoping to get a government subsidy. (Interestingly, this design is obviously based on a device called a "Wonderbox," also developed in South Africa, but several decades earlier--clearly, the idea mentioned in The Telegraph article above is not original, not even as to the name or the type of insulating material used).

All of the bogus PC, "caring about people" comments aside (how caring can they be when they copy other people's ideas and pass it off as their own), the article raises an important issue, which is during a grid-down situation, you may have limited access to fuel. One way to conserve fuel is to get a cooking pot and its contents up to cooking temperature, and then move the pot to an insulated container to simmer and continue cooking.

As noted in the article, the idea is similar to the old-time "hay box." Constructing and using a "hay box" is discussed in some detail in Cody Lundin's book, When All Hell Breaks Loose. (Amazon link here). Mr. Lundin notes that using a hay box, "[i]ts fuel savings, depending on the type of food and how much cook time it requires, can be from 20 to 80 percent!" Id., pp. 330-331. He explains:

The concept behind insulated cookers is simple. When food in a container is put near a heat source, the food climbs to the boiling temperature and then stabilizes. The food within  the stabilized temperature then "cooks" for a given period of time. Any heat beyond the boiling temperature is merely replacing heat lost to the surroundign environment by the pot. When the container reaches it top temperature and then is removed from the heat source and placed in a super insulated box, the food inside continues to cook. In heat-retained cooking, food is brought to a boil, simmered for a few minutes depending on the particle size of the food, and then put into the hay box to continue cooking.

Id., p. 331. Lundin recommends simmering (i.e., over the fire or stove) small grained foods, such as rice, for 5-6 minutes; dried beans (preferably presoaked and drained) and whole potatoes for 15-18 minutes; and red meats for 20-30 minutes. He cautions that meats should be reheated over the stove or fire prior to serving. He also advises that you practice and experiment with this method since it obviously will vary according to the insulation you use, how tightly it fits around the containers, the type and size of containers, and so on.

Plans for building an insulated cooking box similar to the Wonderbox can be found here. Cooking ideas here.

There was also a discussion on the Zombie Squad forum about using a Thermos for insulated cooking. (See here and here). Apparently, specific vacuum flask systems are available for insulated cooking. (Wikipedia article here).

Update (11/4/2014): The Approaching Day Prepper takes a look at the Wonderbag.

Book Review - Seal Target Geronimo by Chuck Pfarrer

Book: Seal Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama Bin Laden by Chuck Pfarrer. (Amazon link).

Overview: This book purports to be about the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden. However, there is considerable debate on whether Pfarrer fabricated the facts in the book.

Impression: The book falls into roughly three sections: SEAL training and history of SEAL Team 6; background on Islamic terrorism; and the planning and execution of the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden. For anyone that has read other books about the SEALs, the training and background section is old news. The background on Islamic terrorism had a lot of anti-Israeli bias, but was interesting. The preparation and mission to kill Bin Laden was actually well written and a good read. Unfortunately, there is substantial controversy as to the truth of the book. (Read the "one star" reviews at Amazon; also, read this article at the American Thinker). The American Thinker article concludes:

Because so much of this information is classified, Pfarrer's narrative cannot be fully proven or disproven. There are those in the military who feel that too much information has already been given out, jeopardizing the SEALs and their families, while others have commented that this book is a fabrication. In defending himself, Pfarrer noted that "no one had refuted individual points of my story, yet they have called the book a fabrication. I know everything about this operation, good and bad. I stand by what I wrote." He made good points regarding some of his arguments, while there is skepticism about other arguments. American Thinker feels that the truth lies somewhere in between.

Notable Points: The single most notable thing in the book was the claim that chemical weapon attacks (including nerve gas attacks) had been made against coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a theme that Pfarrer has written about before. (See article here). I tried to find some news reports to confirm the specific sarin gas attack mentioned in his book and article, but was unable to do so. I did come across this article about the possible use of nerve gas on female school students in Afghanistan.

Update: Pfarrer's article cited this article from Fox News, which I was able to pull up.

Review--Condor 602 Tactical Jacket (Updated)

I purchased a Condor Model 602 "Summit Tactical Soft Shell Jacket" late this last spring. I used it during a wet, rainy spring for a couple weeks, and have used it this fall.

Details:

It is available in "foliage" (pictured above), black, O.D., and "coyote" colors.

The jacket is constructed with three layers: an outer shell made of polyester, a middle-layer made with a "breathable film membrane," and an inner layer of "super fine fleece." It has a hood that folds up and zips into its own pocket on the collar. The hood can be tightened, and there is a Velcro attachment on the back to adjust how much the hood overhangs your face.

The other major feature are the pockets: as you can see from the picture, it has sleeve pockets. It also has a large, transverse mesh pocket on the rear of the coat (almost like the "game pockets" on some field vests) that zips open from either side. There are also two inside pockets that zip open, and are large enough for a wallet.

The main pockets, however, are the two side pockets. These are large pockets that zip open from the outside. Inside is a main compartment and a couple pouches to slide a cell phone or smaller items in. There are holes on the inside of the jacket to run wires between a phone, IPod, or radio to earbuds or earphones. These main pockets are placed too high, however, to slip your hands in for warmth--you will need your gloves in cooler weather.

There are velcro squares on each upper arm to attach patches or insignia. This gives it a certain "tactical" or police type look. I think this is why I've had people stop me to ask directions when I've worn it. So, in that regard, the jacket does not help you blend in.

General Impressions:

The fleece is thin and doesn't provide much insulation. In cooler weather, you will want a warm shirt or base layer. Notwithstanding the breathable layer, the jacket tends to trap perspiration. So, in warmer weather or when active, its easy to get a damp, sticky feeling when using the jacket. I would say that this jacket is best in the range of 40 to 55 degrees, depending on the undergarment you are wearing. Any warmer, and you will probably want to move to something lighter; any colder, and you will want a heavier coat.

There are some things you can do with the jacket to help vent or cool it a bit. One of the interesting features are zippers in each of the arm pit areas, which can be zipped open to help with venting. I had noted above that there was a large, mesh pocket across the lower back. If you don't have anything in that pocket, you can leave those zippers open which also helps to vent.

Although I haven't used it in a heavy downpour, the jacket did fine in the lighter "drizzling" rain. It doesn't have a storm flap to cover the front zipper, so I'm not sure how well it will do in a really heavy rain.

Pros:

-- It is a nice looking jacket, and seems to be well made.

-- It is cut longer on the back, similar to a bicycle jacket, so it covers your lower back while riding a bike, bent down, or crouching.

-- Better than a simple rain-poncho in cooler climes.

Cons:

-- The sizing is all wrong. It is undersized--you need to get at least one size larger than you would normally wear.

-- Probably because of the sizing issue, bulkier objects (concealed carry pistols, fat wallets, etc.) tend to print.

Overall Impressions:

 My overall impression is neutral with a slight positive leaning. It is a good intermediate temperature coat. But with too much exertion or in warmer weather, it simply traps moisture (i.e., sweat) too much for my liking. However, it is priced for less than $90, so you can't expect Gortex quality breathable fabric. It is superior, however, to most rain type jackets on the market.

(Update: I have additional thoughts on this jacket based on additional use here).

(Update: Detailed review at the Weapon Blog and a video review by Nutnfancy).

Gluten and Sugar Free Brownie Recipe

We've had to make a recent change in our diets in my household toward using more gluten free products. (This may have an impact on our food storage that I hope to address in a future article). And we (or, at least, my wife) have tried to get us to go lighter on the sugar for a long time. So, if you are in the same situation, I came across this Gluten and Sugar Free Brownie recipe at the Muffins and Musings blog (scroll down to the end of the post). We've already tried it and it is pretty good.

Good for Them!

Report of a man that walked into a K-Mart and paid off lay-away items for complete strangers. From the story:

A mystery man guaranteed a Merry Christmas for dozens of poor families after he walked into a shop and spent more than $1000 paying off total strangers' layaway items.

The layaway department at the Missoula Kmart was full of items that were unlikely to be given as presents this year, because their would-be buyers were late with their payments.

That's until the generous Secret Santa dropped in on Tuesday afternoon and anonymously paid down the balance on dozens of gifts.

 He wasn't the only one. From the same story:

Shops in Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska and California have all reported random acts of kindness from individuals coming in to pay off the balance on layaway items.

Antibiotics for the Rest of Us

Non-medical sources of antibiotics.

More complete information here.

Oil Strike in the Falklands Islands

In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland's Islands, leading to the Falkland's War. The British drove the Argentineans from the Islands, but Argentina has never renounced its desire to occupy the Islands. Recent oil strikes in oil fields off the Islands may raise this issue once again. In fact, it may have already begun:

Argentine patrol vessels have boarded 12 Spanish boats, operating under fishing licences issued by the Falkland Islands, for operating “illegally” in disputed waters in recent weeks.

Argentine patrol commanders carrying out interceptions near the South American coast told Spanish captains they were in violation of Argentina’s “legal” blockade of sea channels to the Falklands.

The warning has been backed up in a letter to Aetinape, the Spanish fishing vessels association from the Argentine embassy in Madrid warning boats in the area that “Falklands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and adjoining maritime spaces are an integral part of the Argentine territory.”

Interestingly, in September of this year, Argentina's U.N Ambassador:

... wrongly claimed that the RAF Mount Pleasant military base in the Falklands “has more soldiers than the total British civilian population occupying the islands.”

He predicted that the 21st century would be the “century of the natural resources dispute” and added that “fisheries and oil have much to do with this conflict.”

Since the UK no longer has an aircraft carrier, it is unlikely that they could successfully retake the Islands if they were again invaded.

China's Credit Bubble Has Burst.

From Ambrose Evans-Pritchard at The Telegraph. He notes:

It is hard to obtain good data in China, but something is wrong when the country's Homelink property website can report that new home prices in Beijing fell 35pc in November from the month before. If this is remotely true, the calibrated soft-landing intended by Chinese authorities has gone badly wrong and risks spinning out of control.  

The growth of the M2 money supply slumped to 12.7pc in November, the lowest in 10 years. New lending fell 5pc on a month-to-month basis. The central bank has begun to reverse its tightening policy as inflation subsides, cutting the reserve requirement for lenders for the first time since 2008 to ease liquidity strains.

The question is whether the People's Bank can do any better than the US Federal Reserve or Bank of Japan at deflating a credit bubble.

Chinese stocks are flashing warning signs. The Shanghai index has fallen 30pc since May. It is off 60pc from its peak in 2008, almost as much in real terms as Wall Street from 1929 to 1933.

"Investors are massively underestimating the risk of a hard-landing in China, and indeed other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China)... a 'Bloody Ridiculous Investment Concept' in my view," said Albert Edwards at Societe Generale.

"The BRICs are falling like bricks and the crises are home-blown, caused by their own boom-bust credit cycles. Industrial production is already falling in India, and Brazil will soon follow."

"There is so much spare capacity that they will start dumping goods, risking a deflation shock for the rest of the world. It no surpise that China has just imposed tariffs on imports of GM cars. I think it is highly likely that China will devalue the yuan next year, risking a trade war," he said.

China's $3.2 trillion foreign reserves have been falling for three months despite the trade surplus. Hot money is flowing out of the country. "One-way capital inflow or one-way bets on a yuan rise have become history. Our foreign reserves are basically falling every day," said Li Yang, a former central bank rate-setter.

 Read the whole thing.

Update on the Uturuncu, Bolivia, Volcano

I had recently included a post that referenced a volcano at Uturuncu, Bolivia. (See here). I decided to see if there was anything more to report, and came across this discussion of recent earthquakes at that volcano and the results of seismic studies. The conclusion:

Should we be worried by the seismicity? To answer that question we need to first know if the seismicity is unusual, for either Uturuncu or other similar volcanoes. It is difficult to say what is normal for Uturuncu. There have only been two previous seismic surveys, one in 1996-1997 and one in 2003. As none of these used the same methods or stations, comparisons are also difficult, however it appears there has been little change in the seismicity for the last 14 years. Looking further afield, this style seismicity doesn't seem that unusual at large volcanoes, and doesn't necessarily precede an eruption.

It is becoming clear that magma injection, like what is currently happening at Uturuncu, often occurs before an eruption. Indeed, it is likely that it triggers some eruption. However, the injection of magma doesn't always lead to eruption at the surface. We don't have enough experience of eruptions of this sort to really tell what is going to happen. While an eruption of Uturuncu is not going to lead to the end of the world, especially as it is so remote, it could still cause us problems. I wouldn't loose too much sleep over it, but it is definitely a volcano to watch closely.

The Mosin Nagant Rifle from AIM Surplus

 For reasons that I plan on discussing in a future post, I recommend that a "newbie" purchase a handgun as their first weapon. At some point, especially if for those living in the countryside, a "newbie" will want to get a rifle. For someone just starting out in prepping, the costs of purchasing supplies and materials can be pretty daunting. It may make sense to get a lower-priced rifle initially, and then save your pennies to get a better rifle at a later date, and either sell or relegate your inexpensive rifle to a backup category.

Up until a couple years ago, my recommendation for an initial, inexpensive rifle would have been the SKS. I really like the SKS--it's a dependable, rugged, semi-automatic weapon that can be loaded reasonably quickly using clips. At one time, you could pick up a new, in the cosmoline, SKS for $80. Even up until a few years ago, most SKS rifles were priced at $150 or less. Ammunition--it uses the Russian 7.62 x 39--also used to be fairly inexpensive. Now, an SKS in good condition runs $250 or more. The price of ammunition has also risen.

However, there are still some inexpensive options out there. AIM Surplus has been advertising Mosin-Nagant rifles for $79. They also have ammunition (it uses a 7.62 x 54R round) for $78 for 440 rounds. (Here and here). (Note, I don't get any compensation from AIM Surplus).

I don't have one, but I have shot the rifle. It is a bolt-action rifle developed by the Russians in the late-1800's, and used in WWI and WWII by the Russians and Soviets, respectively. Large numbers of these rifles were captured by Germany in WWI and ended up being used by the Germans on the Eastern Front in that war. It's heavy, it's long, but it is rugged. From articles I've read about the Mosin-Nagant and other WWI era bolt-action rifles, such as the Enfield, Mauser, and Springfield, it is overall a more accurate rifle with good ammunition. There are also lots of parts and accessories available for it.

In short, for someone with a tight budget, just starting into purchasing defensive weapons, the Mosin-Nagant may be a good starting point.

Is America Prepared for an EMP Attack?

Video report from Fox News. Short answer: No. It's nice that the mainstream media is taking some notice of the issue, though.

I would note, however, that the graphic showing the loss of lighting is misleading. An EMP attack would destroy critical portions of power grids. Thus, the loss of power would follow the grids, rather than a neat oval.

Wealthy Chinese Trying to Smuggle Money Out of China

From The Economist, a look at the gambling industry in Macau, and how it is helping wealthy Chinese nationals to move money out of China and into foreign currency.

But it is not just a passion for cards that brought more than 13.2m mainlanders to Macau in the first ten months of this year. Many come to elude China’s strict limits on the amount of yuan people can take out of the country. A government official who has embezzled state funds, for example, may arrange to gamble in Macau through a junket. When he arrives, his chips are waiting for him. When he cashes out, his winnings are paid in Hong Kong dollars, which he can stash in a bank in Hong Kong or take farther afield.

“There are many ways to launder money, more than we can think of,” says Davis Fong, an associate business professor at the University of Macau. Some bypass junkets and instead use pawnshops and other stores, where they buy an item with yuan and promptly sell it back for Macanese pataca or Hong Kong dollars—less, of course, a generous cut for the shopkeeper. No one can quantify how much money is laundered in Macau, but it’s “such an obscene amount of money you would die”, one resident avows.

Mainland China offers scant legal protection for private property. The rich, many of whom cut corners to get that way, know they could lose it all suddenly. Many also fear losing their political patrons next autumn, when China’s Communist Party will anoint a new generation of leaders. Small wonder they are seeking havens for their money and their families.

According to the Hurun Report, a wealth researcher, some 14% of rich Chinese say they have already left the country or are filling out paperwork to obtain a foreign passport. Another 46% are considering one of these steps. A recent report by Bank of America Merrill Lynch warned about the destabilising effects of “hot money” speeding out of China this year.

Global Investors Predict that China Is Heading Into a Banking Crises.

From Bloomberg: 

Most global investors predict China will face a banking crisis within the next five years, paring their appetite for the nation’s shares and eroding confidence in its leadership, a Bloomberg Global Poll indicated.

* * *

Evidence of slowing growth in China -- including the weakest manufacturing performance in more than two years, falling home sales and ebbing export growth -- has stoked concern that non-performing loans will climb in the world’s second-largest economy. The risk is a legacy of a record 17.6 trillion-yuan ($2.8 trillion) lending boom unleashed by Premier Wen Jiabao in 2009-2010 amid the global recession.

“The deep-seated misallocation of resources, particularly in the real estate and banking sectors, will lead to a combination of political and economic instability,” says Lance Depew, managing director of UPI Management LLC in Santa Barbara, California, and a participant in the poll. “I expect further macroeconomic weakness and sub-par returns in the stock market for the foreseeable future.”

Review of the FN Five-seveN at Gun Nuts

Gun Nuts has a rental stress test/review of the FN Five-seveN pistol. 

As you probably know, the Five-seveN shoots the 5.7 x 28 mm cartridge developed for the P-90 personal defense weapon--i.e., the modern term for submachine gun-type weapons. The Five-seveN was intended to supplement the P-90 by providing a common caliber. The cartridge itself is essentially a necked-down .30 Carbine, but with superior ballistics.

From the review:

We’ve had the Five-seveN in the rental case for almost a year and a half now. It’s never been back to the gunsmith. And it’s not like the Taurus PT809 where it’s never been back to the gunsmith because no one’s rented it, the Five-seveN has had thousands of rounds put through it. It also tends to get pushed to low priority on the cleaning list because, while it’s rented a reasonable amount, the 1911s, the Glocks, the Sigs, the Berettas and the M&Ps all take precedence due to their extreme popularity.

The comments are pretty positive as well.

Normally, I wouldn't recommend a weapon that uses an unusual round--and would probably never do so for a combat rifle. However, there are occasional exceptions out there for handguns (the .357 Sig, for instance), and from what I've read about the 5.7 mm, it may be one of the exceptions.

Thank Goodness! New Lens Coating May Prevent Glasses from Fogging

The Daily Mail reports on a newly developed coating that could prevent glasses from fogging from steam or in cold weather.

Review of Headlamps.

The Eastern Slopes blog has a review of 3-AAA headlamps. I'm not familiar with any of the lamps they review, but they have good points about the desirability of certain features. Anyway, check it out.

Here is another roundup of reviews of LED headlamps from Consumersearch.com.

I have a Petzl Tikka XP2, which I've used for a little over a year now, which I have been very pleased with. I especially like being able to slide the diffuser open or shut to either have a tight beam, or a diffused beam. I haven't used the red LED feature, so I can't comment on it. The whistle is a nice bonus, and would probably be satisfactory for a signaling device. The only problem I have is that I have to take the lamp off my head to turn on the flashing--just my own awkwardness at pushing and holding the button, and I'm sure most people could do just fine.

I cannot understate how useful it is to have a headlamp when working on stuff, climbing into the attic, or any other time when you need hands free light. I don't know if you necessarily have to have the brightest and best. My kids have some cheap (<$10) 3 led headlamps that have served well for them, at least for camping, over the last couple of years. I do recommend getting one with a flashing setting on it, which is better for bicycling at dusk because it attracts attention more readily than the constant beam.

Roundup of Budget 1911's from Guns, Guns, Guns.

Read the whole thing.

"96 Hours to the Stoneage"

This is an important article discussing what will happen to our telecommunication systems in a grid-down situation.

Consider this. On Thursday, September 8, 2011, an equipment failure in Arizona caused an electric utility cascade failure, leaving millions of people from the San Diego area in the dark. One moment, power was on for a several thousand square mile area. The next moment it was gone.

In August, Hurricane Irene temporarily took out 6,500 cell phone sites on the east coast. At the end of October, a freak snowstorm left millions without power in parts of the Eastern Seaboard. Although weather problems are challenging, at least there’s usually some prior notice so utilities and cell operators can prepare. And there are often pockets where power is still available. When power goes down everywhere simultaneously, instantaneously, like it did in San Diego, it makes you think.

By 96 hours after the power shuts down, power better be turned on again, our connectivity restored, or we’ll be in the Stone Age.

That worries me.

 He continues:

So imagine power goes down one morning. No notice, it is just out. For the first few hours, we bitch that our wireless Internet connection is slow, or that we get network busy tones for some of the calls we want to make. Through our phones, tablets and other connected devices, we get news and updates from our local municipality along the lines of: “hang in there, we are sorting it out.” If we are not stuck at work or in a traffic jam, we make our way home to our dark houses.

24-48 hours: Enter the information abyss. The next morning, many of us will not have cell service. Operators will get portable generators to key sites — but not all sites. After 48 hours, more of us are disconnected.

So how do we find out what’s happening? Our TVs and cable modems don’t work — no power! Battery-powered radio? If you are one of the rare people who owns one, you’ll still have a problem. Radio stations are increasingly high tech, and guess what, most stations were off the air during the September San Diego blackout.

48-72 hours: Your wallet is empty and so is your fridge. How will you handle even simple purchases without power, communications or cash? As we increasingly transact via credit cards, online and even cell phones, cash has become much less prevalent. If the ATMs are down, and you don’t have enough emergency cash on hand, what do you do?

Already, it seems that for a broad range of demographics, especially those under 25, cash is already dead. Or, if there are emergency radio broadcasts and the broadcasts says that emergency help is located at a certain park in a certain city, what good is that information to a GPS reliant person who never learned to read a map and doesn’t own any maps?

72-96 hours: No gas, no water. Now what? Cars have run out of gas. The roads are so clogged, they’re non-functional. Public safety will be dealing with all of these issues — with a degraded communications infrastructure. And are the pumps from your local water facility still running? Remember, all of the sewage and water plants are increasingly automated. I don’t know about you, but I will be cranky by that point.

Acts of humans will be worse than the proverbial “acts of God.” But wait. We’ve been discussing natural disasters and equipment failures. In another scenario, what if some bad guys launched a cyber attack on the utility grids? Kind of like what “may” have happened in Brazil in 2005 and 2007 (though the government attributed it to “soot on wires”). I’m not a data security guy, but in looking up articles on utility vulnerability, I stumbled upon the Grey Goose Report, which is scarier than anything I’ve written.

 (H/t Instapundit, which has some ideas and further links on power during a grid-down situation).

Questions Over Whether a Seperate EU Treaty Is Legal.

In The Phantom Menace, there is an exchange between Darth Sidious and Nute Gunray that goes as follows:

Darth Sidious: This turn of events is unfortunate. We must accelerate our plans. Begin landing your troops.
Nute Gunray: My lord, is that... legal?
Darth Sidious: I will make it legal.
Nute Gunray: And the Jedi?
Darth Sidious: The Chancellor should never have brought them into this. Kill them immediately!

(Source; emphasis added).

The event in Europe today remind of that exchange. Germany and France want greater control over their neighbors in exchange for bailing them out of their financial crises, which would necessitate a change to the Lisbon Treaty. Britain balked. As reported in Der Spiegel:

British Prime Minister David Cameron indicated that he wasn't prepared to join EU efforts to significantly alter the Lisbon Treaty in order to increase fiscal unity and strengthen debt and deficit rules by making penalties automatic.

"What was on offer is not in Britain's interest so I didn't agree to it," Cameron said. "We're never going to join the euro and we're never going to give up this kind of sovereignty that these countries are having to give up."

Germany and France's response was to advance a new treaty among only those nations that use the Euro as their currency. From the same article:

The euro-zone 17 in combination with six other countries quickly began moving forward on their own. But is such a move legal? European Union lawyers have their doubts that the kind of euro-zone fiscal union within the EU would be allowed.

Changes to the EU treaty, after all, must be unanimous. Furthermore, EU officials in Brussels say, because monetary union is regulated extensively in the Lisbon Treaty, reform can only be implemented within the existing legal framework. The legal services experts of the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the European Council, which represents the member states in Brussels, are all in agreement. A treaty concluded only by the 17 euro-zone governments would be illegal, they say.

Individual countries could only issue a "political declaration of intent," in which they determined, for example, how they would decide on the use of sanctions against budget offenders. But such a declaration would have no legally binding character and, as officials point out, could also be revoked following the election of a new government. This is principally a reference to France, where the Socialist presidential candidate François Hollande has already announced that he would not accept any incursions into national sovereignty.

We'll see. I suspect that, with or without France, this is a situation where Germany will make it legal.

AIM Surplus is Selling WWII P-38's for $540.

For those of you interested in WWII firearms. It's actually not a bad price for a 9 mm handgun, even one without the historical interest.

"Rental Gun Stress Test" of the Rock Island 1911.

I've noticed the low prices for Rock Island handguns for a long time. (Centerfire Systems has several models for less than $400). The prices are certainly intriguing for someone that has to watch his pennies, but there is also the old adage, "you get what you pay for." So, it was with interest that I read this review from Gunnuts.net of a .45 ACP 1911 made by Rock Island. As you will see from the review, Gunnuts' review is based on having the firearms available and used as rental guns at their shop--in other words, a lot of shooting over a length of time.

The Financial Crises and the London Connection

A round-up on the latest on the impending financial disaster. First, from Reuters, "MF Global and the Great Wall Street Re-Hypothecation Scandal." To summarize:

By way of background, hypothecation is when a borrower pledges collateral to secure a debt. The borrower retains ownership of the collateral but is “hypothetically” controlled by the creditor, who has a right to seize possession if the borrower defaults.

In the U.S., this legal right takes the form of a lien and in the UK generally in the form of a legal charge. A simple example of a hypothecation is a mortgage, in which a borrower legally owns the home, but the bank holds a right to take possession of the property if the borrower should default.

In investment banking, assets deposited with a broker will be hypothecated such that a broker may sell securities if an investor fails to keep up credit payments or if the securities drop in value and the investor fails to respond to a margin call (a request for more capital).

Re-hypothecation occurs when a bank or broker re-uses collateral posted by clients, such as hedge funds, to back the broker’s own trades and borrowings. The practice of re-hypothecation runs into the trillions of dollars and is perfectly legal. It is justified by brokers on the basis that it is a capital efficient way of financing their operations much to the chagrin of hedge funds.

United States law caps the level of re-hypothecation, but the UK does not. The result is that large financial firms have set up UK subsidiaries in order to avoid the United States' limits. 

With weak collateral rules and a level of leverage that would make Archimedes tremble, firms have been piling into re-hypothecation activity with startling abandon. A review of filings reveals a staggering level of activity in what may be the world’s largest ever credit bubble.

Engaging in hyper-hypothecation have been Goldman Sachs ($28.17 billion re-hypothecated in 2011), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (re-pledged $72 billion in client assets), Royal Bank of Canada (re-pledged $53.8 billion of $126.7 billion available for re-pledging), Oppenheimer Holdings ($15.3 million), Credit Suisse (CHF 332 billion), Knight Capital Group ($1.17 billion),Interactive Brokers ($14.5 billion), Wells Fargo ($19.6 billion), JP Morgan($546.2 billion) and Morgan Stanley ($410 billion).

Nor is lending confined to between banks. Intra-bank re-hypothecation is also possible as evidenced by filings from Wells Fargo. According to disclosures from Wachovia Preferred Funding Corp, its parent, Wells Fargo, acts as collateral custodian and has the right to re-hypothecate and use around $170 million of assets posted as collateral.

According to the author, the prognosis is grim:

The volume and level of re-hypothecation suggests a frightening alternative hypothesis for the current liquidity crisis being experienced by banks and for why regulators around the world decided to step in to prop up the markets recently. To date, reports have been focused on how Eurozone default concerns were provoking fear in the markets and causing liquidity to dry up.

Most have been focused on how a Eurozone default would result in huge losses in Eurozone bonds being felt across the world’s banks. However, re-hypothecation suggests an even greater fear. Considering that re-hypothecation may have increased the financial footprint of Eurozone bonds by at least four fold then a Eurozone sovereign default could be apocalyptic.

U.S. banks direct holding of sovereign debt is hardly negligible. According to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), U.S. banks hold $181 billion in the sovereign debt of Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. If we factor in off-balance sheet transactions such as re-hypothecations and repos, then the picture becomes frightening.

However, there is more to this picture. As explained in this post at Zero Hedge, the financial collapse in 2008 also started with similar financial "magic" from AIG.

As readers will recall, the actual office that blew up the world the first time around, was not even based in the US. It was a small office located on the top floor of 1 Curzon Street in London's Mayfair district, run by one Joe Cassano: the head of AIG Financial Products. The reason why this office of US-based AIG was in London, is so that Cassano could sell CDS as far away from the eye of Federal regulators as possible. Which he did. In fact he sold an unprecedented $2.7 trillion worth of CDS just before the firm collapsed due to one small glitch in the system - the assumption that home prices could go down as well as up.

Only this time, instead of a handful of financial firms imploding, it will be a bevy of banks:

...in this world where distraction and diversion often times is the only name of the game, while banks were pretending to have issues with their traditional liabilities, it was really the shadow liabilities where the true terrors were accumulating. Because in what has become a veritable daisy chain of linked shadow exposure, we are now back where we started with the AIG collapse, only this time the regime is decentralized, without the need for a focal, AIG-type center. What this means is that the collapse of the weakest link in the daisy-chain sets off a house of cards that eventually will crash even the biggest entity due to exponentially soaring counterparty risk: an escalation best comparable to an avalanche - where one simple snowflake can result in a deadly tsunami of snow that wipes out everything in its path. Only this time it is not something as innocuous as snow: it is the compounded effect of trillions and trillions of insolvent banks all collapsing at the same time, and wiping out the developed world and the associated 150 years of the welfare state as we know it.

A collapse of the European financial system would drastically impact the United States, possibly leading to a prolonged depression and high unemployment.