Iranian Assassination Plot Thwarted in Singapore

From the Jerusalem Post:

A plot to assassinate [Israeli] Defense Minister Ehud Barak was foiled by Singaporean authorities in cooperation with the Mossad, during his visit to the island country earlier this week, according to a Kuwaiti newspaper report.

The report in Al Jarida, claimed that three members of a Hezbollah-Iranian terror cell were arrested by Singapore’s security agencies.

(H/t Instapundit).

Down and Out for Awhile

I've been hit hard by some sort of flu bug this weekend, so I probably won't be posting for a few days. My apologies to all of you, and I hope to back to blogging after that.

Storing Eggs Without Refrigeration

 Source: Wikimedia

One of my concerns with food storage is storing eggs because of the number of food items that use eggs in their preparation. However, this article at Family Survival Planning indicates that eggs can be stored for extended periods of time without refrigeration, as long as they are coated with mineral oil and stored in a cool location.

Egg producing companies are required by the USDA to wash the eggs, therefore washing off the bloom. So when you buy eggs from the store you will know the bloom has been washed off. Coating them lightly (but completely) with mineral oil is like replacing the bloom.

Here's how to prepare eggs for storage:
Put on some food handling gloves (because mineral oil is a petroleum product and you don't want to absorb it into your body). Slightly warm about 1/4 cup of mineral oil. Take all the eggs out of the carton (or you won't be able to get them out with oily hands). Rub each egg with mineral oil and put them back into the carton small pointed side down.

Store egg cartons in a cool place (68 degrees or less is fine) and they will last for months. If stored at room temperature, only store them for a couple of weeks.

Write yourself a note to remember to flip the cartons (gently) about once a month to maintain the integrity of the yolks.

You may get a bad egg now and then but don't worry about eating bad eggs. You will know when an egg is bad - it will have a sulfur smell that your nose will not miss.

Another way to tell if your eggs are bad is to float them in water. The older the egg, the more it will float - about half way out of the water.

Be sure to date the stored cartons of eggs and rotate them to use the oldest first.

The article notes that eggs, cheese and butter are commonly stored without refrigeration in other countries.

Ol' Remus on Guns

Ol' Remus as The Woodpile Report has some thoughts on guns (link here). Since he does not maintain an archive, I am reproducing the portion on guns, but would encourage you to check out his other items and links.

Guns are like sex, every generation thinks it all began with them. Greybeards stroke their walnut stocks and glass-bedded barrels and quote W.D.M. Bell and Townsend Whelen. Newbies are dazzled by Star Wars props wrapped around cartridges older than their parents and believe, deeply and sincerely, that looks can kill or at least ought to. Picatinny-mounted "tactical" cup holders can't be far off. Enthusiasts speak of guns in terms of received truthettes, say, ballistic coefficients or pressure profiles and the like, as if it were a kozmik kalling to proselytize among their fellows with no apparent benefit to either. Gun haters ask us to be shocked that firearms are "allowed" to the citizenry and intimate they appeared during the Kennedy administration as some reversible misstep, like tail fins on cars.

Demographics is a reliable indicator of preference. Those who came of age after World War II when the place was awash in surplus Garands and Mausers stand distinct and different from the following wave which lusted after wildcats so zippy the bullets were in danger of disintegrating into a blue cloud immediately upon exiting the muzzle. Now we're seeing the adoration of sheer mass, the "bullets as speeding locomotives" school harking back to the 1861 Joslyn or World War I tank busters. The intent seems to crush as much as to penetrate. There's something in this for everybody. Enthusiasts heft those cigar-size rounds and caress those chunky muzzle brakes with moistened eyes and reverent hands. Gun haters are happily re-shocked and demand to know what legitimate use there is for, say, a .50 BMG, knowing full well the legitimate use for any gun is to put a bullet down range. After that it's all opinion and tediously so.

What gun, or guns, should the survivalist rely on? Surprisingly, an incontestable answer can be given for any conceivable circumstance. Problem is there are so many conceivable circumstances. A diseased and starving opponent staggering around with a dodgy .25 auto is a different proposition from a battle-hardened opponent laying down effective fire from 600 yards out. Or, a nice little .22 rimfire may be just the thing for discreetly putting bunnies and squirrels in the pot, but the near presence of bears or feral hogs would argue convincingly for a more comprehensive notion of prudence. Adding a .45 ACP on the hip is one answer, for close-in work anyway, although its reputation isn't uncontested. John George claims, in Shots Fired In Anger, the Thompson's wartime stopping power was inferior even to the M1 Carbine. Well, maybe. On the other hand, we can't pack an RPG as backup and attend to much else.

Choosing a gun adequate "up to" bears and hogs is different from choosing a gun with the certain knowledge one will attack you, that day for sure. Just killing a dangerous predator isn't the benchmark unless it's okay with you if they're dead a couple of minutes after you are. For such occasions Remus finds himself favoring tried-and-true cartridges with large frontal areas and substantial bullet weights, .35 Remington or .444 Marlin or .45 Colt say, all available in handy lever-action rifles. They come pre-expanded right out of the barrel. And what puts down a bear puts down a hog or a feral dog with equal abruptness and finality. Lever-action rifles because they're true woods-cruising guns, entirely usable with iron sights—as they were meant to be given the ballistics. No, you're not going to get a Dall sheep barely visible on yonder mountain. And no, they're not battle rifles although they'd make a credible stand-in. Nor are you likely to resupply from barter or pickups in a post-doomsday world. But used as intended a few hundred rounds would last a young man the rest of his life, and somebody else's too were he a reloader.

Choosing a battle rifle comes down to an AR-15, AR-10 or M1A, or the FAL, AK-47 et al. Ol' Remus invites his readers to talk among themselves on this one. Whatever the consensus, he agrees. Next.

Choosing a hunting gun is the critical problem for the survivalist. He may not see a large predator in his lifetime nor ever get into a shootout with the Unruly Horde, especially if he practices avoidance over confrontation. But he will get hungry. Every day. And unless he plans to employ gun bearers, versatility is a must. For instance, he may be drifting towards his squirrel hotspot and put up a rabbit, or catch a turkey or a deer in a compromising situation. One answer is the combination gun, a rifle-plus-shotgun in one. Not a terrible choice but they are single-shot and, because they're two guns in one, unavoidably heavy. Many use the anemic .410 shotgun, sacrificing effectiveness for weight reduction. Whichever barrel is used, the other is an anchor along for the ride. And, just an opinion, they're the embodiment of unlovable, in the same class as flying automobiles. Remus prefers the shotgun alone.

A near miss with a rifle is still a miss, but the same point of impact with a shotgun puts game in the bag. It takes a better than average shooter to hit running game with a rifle, and an extraordinary rifleman to pull off a wing shot, but a so-so shotgunner will get 'em both with satisfying regularity. There's typically less meat damage with a shotgun than from a small game rifle, especially the .17 and .22 magnums. The tradeoff is range. Luck has taken over at 60 yards or so with field loads. But range is also what differentiates the small game shooter from the small game hunter. The would-be survivalist is well advised to become the latter in any case.

Remus has come to prefer the 20 gage over the 12 gage. With today's powder and shot technology a 20 gage is a near equivalent to the 12 gage of not long ago. A loaded 20 gage is a lighter carry and quicker to point than a loaded 12 gage, and has considerably less recoil, not contemptible attributes, and also extend its utility to the younger or smaller members of a group. A pocketful of 20 gage ammo counts up to more rounds than a twelve, something to consider should a hunting foray become exceptionally productive or a particular load be advantageous. Should things turn ugly, a 20 gage deer slug at short-medium range is the functional equivalent to a very powerful rifle, and accurate enough even with a general purpose barrel. And alternate loading of heavy buckshot and slugs is as lethal as it gets. By way of endorsement, African guides reach for their shotgun should dangerous game be wounded and escape into the bush.

Other members of a hunting party may carry a .22 rimfire, effective for small game out to eighty yards or so even in the hands of merely average shooters, in part because a dialed-in .22 rifle is a joy to use and repays the confidence of its user. Remus prefers "globe front and peep rear" sights but he keeps a fixed four-power scope handy should sport hunting turn to survival hunting.

Variants have their place. The .17 and .22 magnum rimfires are generally too destructive for small game but may make sense where sight lanes are longer than in the wooded hills of Appalachia, the .22 WMR particularly if game commonly runs to larger body mass. The .22 WMR is a valid choice, if not the first choice, for coyotes or feral dogs, garden-raiding woodchucks and similar varmints. It's said to reliably take down deer with a well-placed shot. There are candidates other than the .22 rimfires. Remus knows an accomplished small game hunter who favors the reloadable .25-20 for instance. .22 caliber airguns have much to recommend them, especially where noise is a liability, but beware, they're far from silent.

These are questions to be taken seriously. There seems no good way forward from the current crisis, in fact, many indicators suggest a precipitous worsening is at hand. It's at least plausible we're close to a time of living many lives by turns: refugee, subsistence farmer, survivalist, combatant, hunter-gatherer, escapee and the like, for any one of the many present causes. We can buy or schmooze our way out of some fixes, but in the end the demands of such a life will sound the real depth of our capacity, material and otherwise.

Our choice of firearms going in may not be our choice coming out, 'experience' being what we have when the occasion for it has passed. In its stead we're wise to be informed by the experience of others. In the main they tell us short and sharp dramas get undue emphasis, more attention is needed for the day to day where we're likeliest to succeed or fail by our preperations, or their inadequacy.

Remus is no gun expert, nor has he any special insight into what's coming, but he believes it's better to observe and estimate than to discount and ignore, and better to act on those estimates than imagine a calamity will affect everybody but him. Finally, it gives him no pleasure to contemplate the epiphaney gun haters have coming, unarmed probably, unskilled and unpracticed certainly. Well, maybe a little pleasure, what with the unjust and unlawful obstacles they've put in the way of honorable folks, and their outrageous lies and insults. Self-deception cures itself when reality takes special notice of it and demands its due. Be sure to remember the gun haters in your prayers.

Iran Ramping Up Uranium Enrichment

From Fox News:

Iran has rapidly ramped up production of higher-grade enriched uranium over the last four months, the U.N. nuclear agency said Friday, in a confidential report that feeds concerns about how quickly the Islamic republic could produce an atomic bomb.

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency also said Iran had failed to give a convincing explanation about a quantity of missing uranium metal. Diplomats say the amount unaccounted for is large enough to be used for experiments in arming a nuclear missile.

It's almost like Iranian leaders are anticipating that they will soon be deprived of their uranium enrichment facilities. If  they can get the West to dither for just a little longer, they may have enough of a stockpile to build several weapons.

Collapse of Maya Civilization May Have Been Result of "Modest" Decline in Rainfall

From the Daily Mail:

Archaeologists studying the ancient civilisation centred on present day Mexico and Guatemala claim rainfall reductions of just 25 per cent were enough to cause 'the disintegration of a well-established civilisation'.
* * *
'These reductions amount to only 25 to 40 per cent in annual rainfall. But they were large enough for evaporation to become dominant over rainfall, and open water availability was rapidly reduced.

The data suggest that the main cause was a decrease in summer storm activity.'

The study combined records of past climate changes from stalagmites and shallow lakes to model 40 per cent reductions in summer rainfall and reduced tropical storm activity over the region.

Professor Medina-Elizalde added: 'For more than a century, researchers have related the demise of the Classic Maya civilisation to climate change, and especially to drought.

No sound estimates had been made about the severity of this drought, but some have suggested extreme scenarios.

'New data made it possible to finally get detailed estimates. To do this, we developed a model that coherently explains changes in critical datasets of change in the region's balance between evaporation and rainfall.'

Professor Rohling explained such modest rainfall reductions would have caused the disintegration of a well-established civilisation.

'Summer was the main season for cultivation and replenishment of Mayan freshwater storage systems and there are no rivers in the Yucatan lowlands.

Societal disruptions and abandonment of cities are likely consequences of critical water shortages, especially because there seems to have been a rapid repetition of multi-year droughts,' he said.

The Yellowstone Supervolcano

An article at Before It's News website on the Yellowstone supervolcano and what would happen if it exploded. It notes:

That volcano has shown all the signs of becoming active: parts of the ground have heated to just under 1,000⁰ F while the earth is bulging from a building lava dome and a lake has completely boiled away.

Just two years ago many geophysicists assured everyone, including the federal government, that there really wasn't anything to worry about. Really.

Now those same scientists have shut up. If they talk at all to curious reporters they respond only in clipped monotones and then hurry away.

What are they worried about? Approaching Doomsday.

Will Germany Balk at a Greece Bailout?

From the Telegraph:

“European solidarity is not an end in itself and should not be a one-way street. Germany’s engagement has reached it limits,” said the text, drafted by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats and Free Democrat (FDP) allies.

“Germany itself faces strict austerity to comply with the national debt brake,” said the declaration, which will go to the Bundestag next week. Lawmakers said there is no scope to boost the EU’s “firewall” to €750bn, either by increasing the new European Stability Mechanism (ESM) or by running it together with the old bail-out fund (EFSF).

The tough stance reflects popular disgust in Germany at escalating demands. Bowing to pressure, Chancellor Merkel’s office said an increase in the ESM was “not necessary” since Italian and Spanish bond markets have recovered.

Germany is now on a collision course with world powers, the IMF and even key allies in Europe’s AAA-core. The Netherlands and Finland are willing to boost the EU firewall to €750bn.

The IMF has hinted it may cut its share of Greece’s €130bn (£110bn) package and warned that its members will not commit $500bn (£318bn) more in funds to ringfence Italy and Spain unless Europe beefs up its rescue scheme.

It's like a game of chicken.

Gasoline Thieves and an Oil Driven Recession

I came across this article about an attempted gasoline heist while reading a different article about increased gasoline prices (h/t Instapundit).

Hillsborough County [Florida] Sheriff’s officials say several suspects parked a van over the in-ground fuel tanks at a BP gas station near Tampa early Tuesday and began siphoning gasoline into the vehicle.

Deputies say the suspects abandoned the van — with several hundred gallons of gasoline inside — sometime after 1:10 a.m. Tuesday. They say about 25 gallons of gas spilled into the parking lot.

We are going to see a lot more of this as gas prices peak this summer.

The article on gas prices is also interesting. It relates that in some areas of Florida, consumers are already paying nearly $6 per gallon for gasoline, even though the state average is $3.67. Moreover:

“It doesn’t look like we will have relief at the pump anytime soon,” Brady told CBS Tampa. “I do think we will see prices surpass $4 a gallon. I think we will see that closer to spring time.”

One reason for the high prices is the conflict with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has threatened to disrupt oil shipments through the waterway due to the European Union sanctions leveled against the country over its nuclear program, causing the price of crude to skyrocket. Trading on a barrel of crude today is a little over $106.

Another reason for the high gas prices: positive economic news. The drop in the unemployment rate and improved housing market numbers have caused gas and oil prices to rise.

“I know it frustrates quite a few consumers why positive news will lead to higher prices,” Brady told CBS Tampa. “It really just comes down to speculation.”

A third culprit behind the gas price boom is Greece. The EU’s bailout for the indebted country only adds to the global fuel demand.

And because of these reasons, Brady believes that Florida and the rest of the U.S. could see historic gas prices.

“I think this year we will see much higher highs.”

Believe it or not, those prices aren’t the highest in the nation. According to GasBuddy.com, motorists in Alaska are paying a whopping $6.34 for a gallon of regular at some gas stations. The cheapest gas can be found in Wyoming at $2.75 a gallon.

Obama wanted higher energy prices and is probably dancing a jig over this type of report. This may ultimately be bad news for Obama, though. The fact of the matter is that the current recession and financial woes began because of a prolonged shock to the economy due to high oil prices before the housing collapse. As this article notes:

The initial contention was that the primary reasons for the recession that hit the country in 2008 was the downfall of the financial services market and the housing market. More and more financial experts came forward with another, more accurate reason for the financial crash. The reason put forward and accepted widely was that the market financial crash was caused by the high oil price rise which shot to an all time high of $147 per barrel in the year 2008.

Although the economy has adapted, to a certain extent, to higher energy costs, a rapid run up in prices will further dampen demand for goods and services, which will ripple across the economy.

The problem here is that we seem to be caught in a vicious circle as far as market crashes and high oil prices are concerned with both of them aiding and abetting each other. A higher oil price increases the trade deficit of the US. This increased export bill leads to a weaker state of the dollar currency. A weak dollar in turn pulls up the international prices of dollar denominated commodities. This allows the oil prices to increase further leading to exorbitantly higher oil prices. A market crash for the US then becomes inevitable.

So, if gas prices jump as expected this summer, expect the economy to take a beating ... just before the elections.

The Combination Gun--A Modern Take

You are undoubtedly aware of combination guns--those firearms that offer a combination of rifle and shotgun in the same package. In the United States at least, these generally feature a .22 LR barrel over a .410 shotgun barrel. The U.S. Army is adopting its own combination weapon system--the M26 Shotgun. (H/t the Firearms Blog):

It weighs 3.5 pounds, has a barrel length of 7.75 inches, fires 12-gauge shells and can be mounted on the M4 carbine or act as a stand alone firearm; it is the M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) is the first unit in the Army to be issued the combat enhancer.

“This is a new capability that is now in your hands for you to conduct your mission downrange,” said Col. Scott C. Armstrong, with Project Manager Soldier Weapons, during a presentation ceremony held at Fort Campbell’s Strike Academy, February 7th. “This is a big day, not just for the 2nd Brigade, but for the Army.”

* * *
“I can see this being very effective with the engineers for breaching and with the military police, especially since you can shoot ammunition that is non lethal,” said Sgt. Rhys McMahon, a combat engineer with Company A. “So far this is an amazing weapon; I’ve shot about 75 rounds and it works magnificently. This would have helped us out quite a few times when we were in Afghanistan.”

(Full story here).

As noted, it can also be used independent of the rail mount, as seen in this photo:

It would require an SBR license/stamp, but would be an interesting accessory for an AR.

Recipe for Homemade Lip-Balm

At the Paratus Familia blog.

Grocery Store Lettuce versus Dandelions

An article at Essential Bread blog discussing the nutritional advantage of dandelion greens over lettuce.

Interview with Bear Grylls...

...at Backpacker magazine.

Greece--A Country in Decay

Greece has stumbled off a cliff:

Athenians now live in a city where physical decay mirrors social malaise: traffic lights have broken down across the capital, either because demonstrators have smashed them or the state, which is sacking thousands of personnel, no longer troubles to fix them. City thoroughfares are stained with graffiti, shops are boarded-up and Stadiou street, scene of the last big protests, is lined with the blackened shells of burnt-out buildings.

Meanwhile, a pack of stray dogs roams the street beside the Parthenon, snarling at passers-by and running in demented pursuit of motorcyclists. Greece had endured five consecutive years of recession even before the looming onset of this new round of deflation. Unemployment for those aged under 25 already stands at 48 per cent, having risen by more than a third since November 2010. Perhaps most stark of all is a national suicide rate that has doubled from 2.8 per 100,000 people in 2008, to about 6 last year.

* * *

Half of all small businesses in Greece are unable to meet their payroll costs, while a quarter of companies have gone bankrupt since 2009. Greeks have shown how little they trust their banks by emptying their accounts and stashing savings under metaphorical mattresses: about a third of the money on deposit has been withdrawn.

(Full story here).

Increasing Number of Antibiotic Resistant Diseases

A British report shows a rise of antibiotic resistant diseases. (H/t Instapundit).

Britain is facing a "massive" rise in antibiotic-resistant blood poisoning caused by the bacterium E.coli – bringing closer the spectre of diseases that are impossible to treat.

Experts say the growth of antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat to global health as the emergence of new diseases such as Aids and pandemic flu.

Other diseases are increasingly becoming drug resistant as well, such as gonorrhea (see also here), and tuberculosis. This article notes:

Dr. Trevor Van Schooneveld, an assistant professor of infectious disease at UNMC, said American scientists began seeing highly resistant bacteria strains in large quantities in the 1990s. But Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, warned some 65 years ago that bacteria would become resistant to antibiotics, Van Schooneveld said.

Antibiotics still work well against some illnesses, such as strep throat. But bacteria that cause gonorrhea, skin infections such as MRSA and some urinary tract infections are growing tougher to defeat with antibiotics.

Creighton’s Wilson said drug-resistant bacteria are of even greater concern because there aren’t many new antibiotics being created now.

In addition to the article previously cited, this article also discusses the issues with drug-resistant TB:

On the heels of the news of totally drug-resistant (TDR) TB being identified in India — and disavowed, unfortunately, by the Indian government — the World Health Organization has released an update on the background situation of drug-resistant TB around the world.

The news is not good. Drug-resistant TB is at the highest rates ever recorded.

* * *

By agreed-up international definitions, MDR (multi-drug resistant) TB is unaffected by the first-line drugs, and XDR (extensively drug-resistant) TB is not susceptible to any of the first-line drugs and some of the second-line ones also. In addition, doctors who have seen TDR cases (which was originally dubbed XXDR for “extremely” drug-resistant) say those strains are resistant to every drug they have available locally — but the WHO has objected to that terminology, pointing out that “everything available locally” is not necessarily the same thing as “every drug available anywhere.”

This new WHO report is primarily concerned with MDR and XDR. It says that MDR-TB has now been identified in 80 countries; XDR TB has been found in 77. The meat of the report, though, is in these numbers; overall:

19.8 percent of MDR patients were previously treated for TB.
3.4 percent were never treated for TB before.
9.4 percent of all resistant cases are XDR.

Here’s what is going on there. MDR in a previously treated patient represents a failure of treatment: They did not take their drugs, were not able to get drugs, or got counterfeit drugs; their TB strain was not knocked out, but persisted and strengthened. But MDR in a first-time patient represents transmission of MDR-TB from someone who developed it. Those patients never get a chance to try the easier drugs. And XDR in any patient, whether newly acquired or bred via poor treatment, is an emergency.

Within the report, some of the numbers are staggering. The proportion of previously treated cases that become MDR is 51 percent in Belarus, 60 percent in Lithuania, 65 percent in Moldova. In China, 26 percent of previously treated TB cases are now MDR. In Estonia, 19 percent of all MDR cases are now XDR. Meanwhile, India and Russia, two of the biggest contributors to resistant TB because of their size and the state of their healthcare systems, report resistant cases only on a local level, not nationally. And most of Africa lacks the infrastructure to measure resistant TB at all.

There is some hope, however. As this article reports:

A Chilean avocado may contain the secret to fighting aggressive, antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals all over the world.

A natural substance found in the Chilean rainforest fruit blocks yellow staphylococci bacteria's ability to reject antibiotics.

These specific bacteria are the most common cause of infection in wounds from an operation.

They develop a resistance particularly quickly - strains that do not respond to treatment have already been found in the USA and Greece.

PhD student Jes Gitz Holler, from the University of Copenhagen, worked with the Mapuche people in Chile to make the discovery.

He said: 'I have discovered a natural substance in a Chilean avocado plant that is active in combination treatment with traditional antibiotics.

'Resistant bacteria have an efflux pump in their bacterial membrane that efficiently pumps out antibiotics as soon as they have gained access.

'I have identified a natural substance that inhibits the pumping action, so that the bacteria's defence mechanisms are broken down and the antibiotic treatment allowed to work,' explains Jes Gitz Holler.

Storing Water

The importance of storing water cannot be understated. Water systems and wells may be compromised in a disaster. An earthquake may break water mains. Floods and tsunamis may cause water systems or wells to become contaminated with sewage or other contaminants. Almost any natural disaster could result in the loss of power to pumping stations needed in municipal water systems. It may be days or weeks before safe water may be available. Even a financial crises or disaster may lead to rolling blackouts with the concomitant interruption of water service. Thus, a disaster preparation plan should include water storage for at least three days and, if possible, for a couple weeks or more; and the means for purifying and/or filtering additional water.

Information Sources

There are many sources of information on locating, purifying, and storing water, including the web-sites for FEMA and the Red Cross. There are also several survival and disaster preparation books that discuss the subject. However, hands-down, the best and most complete information on the subject is probably Cody Lundin's book, When All Hell Breaks Loose. Lundin devotes 70 pages of his book just to this subject. 

How Much Water Do You Need?

FEMA recommends:

You should store at least one gallon of water per person per day. A normally active person needs at least one gallon of water daily just for drinking however individual needs vary, depending on age, physical condition, activity, diet and climate.

To determine your water needs, take the following into account:

• One gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation.
• Children, nursing mothers and sick people may need more water.
• A medical emergency might require additional water.
• If you live in a warm weather climate more water may be necessary. In very hot temperatures, water needs can double.
• Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person.

Besides the fact that the recommendation is self-contradictory (it first says you need a gallon a day for drinking, but only recommends you store a gallon per day for drinking and sanitation), Cody Lundin notes that this amount is woefully inadequate. He writes:

A person at rest, doing nothing, loses from two to two and half quarts of water every day. If your home is located in a hot part of the country, be forewarned that you and your family will much more water than this.  ... In extreme hot temperatures, it's possible to lose a gallon of water an hour in sweat.

He notes that the average American uses 116 to 220 gallons of water per day (although, most of this is for watering lawns and flushing toilets), but that the average African family only uses five gallons per day (I presume that this is per person).

Lundin recommends storing a minimum of 1 gallon per person per day just for drinking, and at least three gallons per person per day in arid climates. I think the five gallons per person per day is probably a reasonable starting figure for drinking and sanitation needs.

The next question is for how many days you should plan for. I think 3-days is too little of time, but it represents the minimum you should probably consider--essentially a bare minimum time to allow rescue workers to arrive or power to be restored. However, in the event of a real disaster, two weeks is more realistic. For instance, this article indicates that following Hurricane Katrina, 10% of the survivors were without water for 6 days or more. Boston T. Party states in his book, Surviving Doomsday, that because of sewage contamination of filtration plants after floods in 1993, some residents of Des Moines, Iowa, were without water for 30 days.

Lundin recommends two weeks, and 3 or 4 weeks if possible. After this, if regular water service has not been restored, you will need to figure out how to get more water.

How to Store the Water

The best method of storing water is probably going to vary according to circumstances and your needs. Obviously, a multi-thousand gallon tank or cistern would be ideal if you could afford it and had room for it. However, this is probably not going to be realistic for most people.

Although Cody Lundin and other experts describe various types of containers for storing water, for most people there are only a few realistic options. These are forced by a few constraints: (i) the container must be sealed and able to safely store the water for an extended period of time, which will generally require a food-grade plastic container; (ii) the container(s) must be inexpensive enough that you can afford to get the requisite number of containers; and (iii) you must be able to store the containers in the available space.

The two most commonly used methods for accomplishing this are large (55 gallon) plastic drums and plastic 2-liter soda bottles. If you have a water cooler, you may also want to consider using the 5 gallon water bottles commonly used for the coolers as this gives an easy method for dispensing water. Do not use old plastic milk jugs or juice bottles.

Water drums are available as either opaque (blue) or non-opaque (white). Opaque drums are generally recommended because it inhibits the growth of algae. However, if you keep your water storage in dark place, such as a basement, or rotate your water every 6 months or so, this probably won't be an issue. Non-opaque (white) water drums are commonly used in the food industry, and you can sometimes pick up used ones from places such as soft-drink distributors. If you decide to use a 55-gallon drum, make sure that you also get a siphon pump so you can get the water out.

The biggest disadvantage of the 55 gallon water drum is the weight.  Filled up, they will weigh over 450 lbs. This means that (i) you won't be able to easily move it once its filled, so fill it where you intend to use it; and (ii) the flooring must be able to support the weight, which typically will require a concrete floor. If you store your container over a concrete floor, you must use a pallet or boards to get the container up off of the concrete. Contact with concrete can cause chemicals to leach into the container and water, as well as degrade the plastic.

I would note at this point that I've also seen smaller capacity water containers that are triangular so they can sit into a corner. If you are short on space, but have a floor that can carry the weight, this may be an option.

Two-liter bottles are ubiquitous, tough, "food-grade," and easily stored in cabinets, on shelves, under beds, etc. Just be sure that the cabinets or shelves can hold the weight, and periodically check for leaking.

Prepping the Containers

The I Will Prepare blog recommends a couple of methods for cleaning the drums:

Used water barrels often come pre-sanitized. To be on the safe side, you should clean your own.

Using dish soap can be a big mistake. You will be filling and refilling the barrel dozens of times trying to get rid of all the bubbles.

Try this method:

Fill the barrel 1/4 full of water. Add a box of baking soda and a 1/2 gallon of vinegar.

Close the bung caps. The resulting foaming action will clean the toughest mold or algae growth inside (If there is any). Turn the barrel on its side an let the kids roll it around the backyard for a while. Have a barrel that has been sitting empty for a long time or just needs extra cleaning? Let the Water/Baking Soda /Vinegar solution sit overnight. Rotate it a couple times so all sides get cleaned….including upside down to clean the underside of the lid. Empty the contents and rinse a couple times with water to remove the Water/Baking Soda /Vinegar solution. Fill as outlined below.

Another Method:

Fill the barrel 1/4 full of water. Add cup of bleach

Close the bung caps. The bleach water solution will kill anything growing inside the barrel (If there is any). Turn the barrel on its side an let the kids roll it around the backyard for a while. Have a barrel that has been sitting empty for a long time or just needs extra cleaning? Let the Water/Bleach solution sit overnight. Rotate it a couple times so all sides get cleaned….including upside down to clean the underside of the lid. Empty the contents and rinse a few times with water to remove the Water/Bleach solution until the inside of the barrel no longer has a strong bleach smell. Fill as outlined below.

Two-liter bottles are easier. Note: FEMA recommends that you only use two-liter bottles that have been used for soda-pop, and not those used for juices or other drinks. Simply rinse out the bottle and cap when you are done and fill immediately, or let air dry.

Filling the Water Containers

Only use tap (i.e., potable) water to fill your containers. The 2-liter bottles can be filled from your kitchen tap, but you will need to use a hose to fill the water drums. However, the I Will Prepare blog warns about using standard garden hoses:

Most garden hoses are now made with recycled materials and now carry a tag similar to the following:

WARNING: "This hose is NOT intended for drinking water use. This product contains chemicals, including Lead, known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after use".

In the sun, the chemicals in the hose can leach into the water still left in the hose . Smaller amounts could leach into the running water as it passes through the hose. You may want to consider an alternative hose when filling your water barrels for drinking purposes.

She recommends using a new PVC recoil hose, an RV/Marine drinking water safe hose, or a flat garden hose with new materials. Only use this hose for filling the water drums and store it carefully away.

As noted above, the drums will be over 450 lbs when full, and so you will need to fill them in their final location and position.

Disinfecting the Water

If you are filling your drums or water containers using water from a chlorinated municipal water supply, it should not need any additional treatment prior to storage. (See here). 

If you are using a clean water source, but it is not chlorinated, Lundin gives the following information from the water superintendent of Prescott, Arizona, for chlorinating safe water: 1/3 cup (2 and 1/2 oz, or 14-1/2 teaspoons) of chlorine bleach for 1000 gallons of water. The Church web-site indicates:

Non-chlorinated water should be treated with bleach. Add 8 drops of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) for every 4 liters (one gallon) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.

Boston T. Party has suggested using one table-spoon (1/2 oz.) of hydrogen peroxide per gallon of water.
If you are not sure as to the safety of the water, you will need to use enough bleach for emergency disinfection of water. For instance,  Clorox provides the following instructions on their web-site (click on the Outdoors tab):

When boiling off water for 1 minute is not possible in an emergency situation, disinfect water by:
1. Remove suspended particles by filtering or letting particles settle to the bottom. Pour clear water into a clean container.
2. Add 8 drops of Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to one gallon of water (2 drops to 1 quart). For cloudy water, use 16 drops per gallon of water (4 drops to 1 quart).
3. Let treated water to stand for 30 minutes. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat and wait another 15 minutes. The treated water can then be made palatable by pouring it between clean containers several times. 

This web-site has lengthier instructions from Clorox:

Boiling Is Best
Short of using a very high-quality water filter, this is the most reliable method for killing microbes and parasites. Bring water to a rolling boil and keep it simmering for at least several minutes. Add one minute of boiling to the initial 10 minutes for every 1,000 feet above sea level. Cover the pot to shorten boiling time and conserve fuel.

Liquid Clorox Bleach
In an emergency, think of this (one gallon of Regular Clorox Bleach) as 3,800 gallons of drinking water.

When the tap water stops flowing, Regular Clorox Bleach isn't just a laundry-aid, it's a lifesaver. Use it to purify water, and you'll have something to drink.

It's the same in any natural disaster. As the shock wears off and the days wear on, the biggest demand is for drinking water. Time after time, relief crews hand out free Clorox Bleach with simple instructions: use it to kill bacteria in your water and you'll have purified water to drink. Here are the general guidelines.

First let water stand until particles settle. Filter the particles if necessary with layers of cloth, coffee filters, or fine paper towels. Pour the clear water into an uncontaminated container and add Regular Clorox Bleach per the below indicated ratio. Mix well. Wait 30 min. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat dose. Wait 15 min. Sniff again. Keep an eyedropper taped to your emergency bottle of Clorox Bleach, since purifying small amounts of water requires only a few drops. Bleach must be fresh for best use and results. See below suggestions for storage bottle replacement.

Don't pour purified water into contaminated containers. Sanitize water jugs first.

Without water and electricity, even everyday tasks are tough. In lieu of steaming hot water, sanitize dishes, pots and utensils with a little Clorox Bleach. Just follow the directions below to keep dishes clean.

Whether you use Clorox Bleach in an emergency or for everyday chores, it's always an environmentally sound choice. After its work is done, Clorox Bleach breaks down to little more than salt and water, which is acceptable anytime.

Ratio of Clorox Bleach to Water for Purification

2 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per quart of water
8 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per gallon of water
1/2 teaspoon Regular Clorox Bleach per five gallons of water
If water is cloudy, double the recommended dosages of Clorox Bleach.

Only use Regular Clorox Bleach (not Fresh Scent or Lemon Fresh). To insure that Clorox Bleach is at its full strength, rotate or replace your storage bottle minimally every three months.

Clorox Bleach Sanitizing Solution

To sanitize containers and utensils, mix 1 tablespoon Regular Clorox Bleach with one gallon of water. Always wash and rinse items first, then let each item soak in Clorox Bleach Sanitizing Solution for 2 minutes. Drain and air dry.

The Federal government has published a fairly comprehensive table for disinfecting various quantities of water, available as a PDF here.

Rotating Water

I would recommend rotating your water supply (i.e., emptying and refilling your containers) every 6 to 12 months.

100 Skills Every Man Should Know

From Popular Mechanics. I'm not sure about the "should" part for all of them, but definitely would be "nice to know."

Making Homemade Non-Toxic Glass Cleaner

A DIY science project and useful skill from Scientific American.

Materials
•    one half cup of white vinegar
•    one half cup of water
•    one half cup of rubbing alcohol
•    one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (which will take about one lemon)
•    Spray bottle
•    Mixing bowl
•    Spoon for mixing
•    Funnel (optional)

Preparation
•    Be sure to use only measuring utensils and bowls that are not used for food preparation and eating.

Procedure
•    Pour all the liquid ingredients together in a bowl. What kind of pH levels do you think all of the ingredients have?
•    Stir this solution for two full minutes. What does it smell like?
•    Pour the solution into your spray bottle (use a funnel if you have one to cut down on spillage).
•    Clean some glass! Just be careful to not get any of the solution in your eyes.

More explanation and discussion of the science aspect at the link, plus a video. Might be a good project for those of you involved in homeschooling your kids.

Possible Iranian Responses to an Attack

A rather lengthy article at the Small Wars Journal concerning possible Iranian responses to an attack. Bottom line, the author believes that Iran would retaliate with an aim to cause as heavy damages to U.S. forces as possible:

Iran believes through the use of fourth generational warfare, which invokes a heavy toll on the US, Iran could end the hostilities fairly quickly in their favor. “The fourth generation of war uses all available networks-political, economic, social and military to convince the enemy’s political decision makers that their strategic goals are either unachievable or too costly" (ONI, pg10) Fourth generational warfare also targets the population of its adversary not by bombs and missiles, but by psychological means. This is could be done by inflicting a heavy death toll on

US military personnel which would be shown via the 24/7 news coverage we have come to expect.

The question is how would Iran carry out this fourth generational warfare? Being that this war would be carried out by US forces solely through attacks by air and sea, Iran cannot depend on carrying out a low intensity conflict which causes a great amount of casualties over time. This usually occurs only when the adversary has placed ground troops on foreign soil and the occupied country uses the advantage of knowing the terrain and local support to launch attacks at times of their choosing. War with the US would not offer this opportunity, Iran would need to inflict as much damage on the US in a short period of time hoping the US and perhaps its allies would ask for a truce. As mentioned earlier, Iran does have the capability to carry this out and would have too if they wanted any chance to succeed as the war would surely escalate. Iran could of course prevent an escalation by not retaliating, or by doing so covertly at a later date. But based on Iran’s military buildup, rhetoric, and perceptions of the US strategic power in the Middle-East, it would be a stretch to conclude that one, Iran would not immediately retaliate leading to an escalation, and two, Iran would not retaliate with all its might against a far superior force.

It is for these reasons I believe the hypotheses which states: “Iran’s reaction to an attack by the US would be to use all means at its disposal including their large arsenal of missiles, asymmetric warfare, regular forces, and economic/political disruption methods that would cause large amounts of devastation, casualties, economic disruption, and fear; in the hopes that the enemy would lose the support of its citizens and allies, thus forcing them to end the confrontation; Iran would use all means at its disposal to accomplish this goal rather quickly as they would try to avoid an extended conflict” is credible and has a likely chance of occurring if the United States were to commence an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The author also believes that Iran may target other Gulf states:

The question must be asked again, would Iran attack GCC states if the US attacked Iran? The common perception which is similar to Molavi’s response is this would all depend on what Iran perceives to be the GCC countries complicity to the US attack. The answer based on recent history should be obvious. The Iranians would likely believe, most if not all the GCC states directly or indirectly assisted the US. Why would this be the case? The State Department cables that were obtained and released by Wikileaks shows Saudi Arabia asking the US to “cut of the head of the snake” (Iran) before they are able to obtain nuclear weapons. If there was ever any doubt of Saudi Arabia tolerating an attack on Iran, this was put to rest after the cable leaks.

Secondly, we have seen over the past 18 months a major acquisition of US weapons by Saudi Arabia, UAE, and others throughout the Gulf, the most recent acquisition being bunker busting bombs by the UAE. These countries are purchasing these weapons with only one threat in mind, and that threat is Iran.

If Iran were to launch attacks against these installations, the one that needs to be mentioned according to Afshin Molavi is “Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq Plants” located in Saudi Arabia. With a capacity of producing 7 million barrels per day, the facility is the primary oil processing site for Arabian extra light and Arabian light crude oils. A successful attack on this facility would cause long term damage to Saudi Arabia and its oil production. If Iran were to retaliate according to the hypothesis of this paper, then it is a sure bet they would strike Abqaiq. Furthermore, if the US were preventing Iran from exporting oil, Abqaiq could become a priority target.

But could GCC countries such as Saudi Arabia offset any negative affects Iran has on the oil supply? According to Prince Turki al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia “Saudi Arabia has so much (spare) production capacity- nearly 4 million barrels per day- that we could almost instantly replace all of Iran’s oil production.” (Tait, pg1) Saudi Arabia also has another option, one which they previously carried out during the first Persian Gulf War. As a precautionary measure before military action commenced in 1990-1991, “the Saudis had stored huge quantities of oil outside the warzone.” (Freedman and Karsh, pg343) There are two points that would need to be addressed before Saudi Arabia repeated history, first we are assuming that Saudi Arabia would be informed of any pending attack and done so in a time frame that allows them to remove a good amount of oil from the Persian Gulf. Secondly and more importantly, if the US were to attack Iran, they would want to do so achieving complete surprise. A major indicator for Iran of a pending US attack would be seeing the Saudis store oil outside the Gulf region. For these reasons, it is unlikely Saudi Arabia would repeat what they did during the lead up to the first Persian Gulf War.

Some Discussion at TTAG about Self-Defense Handguns for Disabled Shooters

(Link here).

Couple Survives Three Days in Snow on Cookies and Peanuts

From Fox News:

A California couple missing since Monday was found Wednesday afternoon in their car, which had gotten stuck in snow, Fox40.com reports.

Mark Schroeder and Janette DeGrace of Sacramento were out sightseeing in Placer County, Calif., when they traveled down a remote road that had not been plowed and their car got stuck in snow.

A friend says Schroeder hiked about 6 miles in 2-foot deep snow to find cellphone reception, with his cellphone almost dead and no charger.

Miraculously, he was able to get to high enough ground to call 911. The couple was rescued soon after.

The couple survived by turning on their car every 30 minutes for warmth. They rationed out peanuts and Girl Scout cookies and melted snow for drinking water.

Searchers say it was difficult to find the couple because they were searching in the wrong area. The couple did not tell friends or family where they were going.

Schroeder is being treated for minor frostbite. DeGrace has a medical condition that, rescuers say, would have killed her if they stayed stuck a day longer.

A few things right, but a lot of things wrong.

First, the wrong. Overconfidence. What made them think that they could drive their car on a snow-covered road (apparently, there was 2 feet of snow)?

Lack of planning and preparation. They didn't tell anyone where they were going, and they hadn't packed extra food or water or medicine. They were traveling without a cell charger. Given that one of them suffered from frost bite, I would guess that they didn't have adequate clothing either.

What did they do right? Well, they intelligently used their car heater and food resources to stretch out what few resources they had. And they took the initiative to try and get help. It's always risky to leave a vehicle, and it's a judgment call that sometimes doesn't work out. In this case, however, given that no-one knew where they were, it was the right call.

Nukemap

An online application using Google Maps to show the radii of certain effects and damage due to a nuclear blast. You can pick a location (such as your hometown) and enter the size of the nuclear weapon. The site has various preset sizes based on historical weapons, or you can enter your own amount. It doesn't consider MIRVs, so you would need to do multiple maps to get an idea of the damage from the pattern of explosions from that type of warhead. The site doesn't calculate fallout patterns, unfortunately.

There is an article at the Daily Mail discussing the application and an interview with the creator, Alex Wellerstein. Says Wellerstein:

Dr Wellerstein, who is a Ph.D graduate from Harvard University, says he uses the 'Nukemap' to bring help his students understand the implications of nuclear warfare.

'I've done different types of map based teaching for the students because I've found that students don't really have a sense of how big a nuclear explosion is,' said the 30-year-old, who lives with his wife in Washington, DC.

'What I like about the map is it makes the explosions look large and impressive but it shows it isn't the end of the world.

'I think a lot of people think a nuclear weapon goes off and everybody gets blown up or disappears.

'The reality is the buildings would collapse and you would be set on fire, which makes it real and scarier.'

Book Review - Light Infantry Tactics for Small Teams

Book: Light Infantry Tactics for Small Teams by Christopher E. Larsen (2005). (Amazon link here). The book is soft-cover, and 234 pages.

Overview: As the title indicates, this is a book intended to convey basic skills, procedures, methods and tactics for a small military or para-military team. The books is divided into six (6) sections: (i) individual competencies (i.e., basic skills for team member), (ii) leadership competencies (i.e., basic skills for the team or squad leader), (iii) patrolling methods, (iv) defensive procedures, (v) offensive operations, (vi) and appendices (essentially miscellaneous information that didn't fit in the other sections).

Impression: This book is for small teams--4 to 10 people--operating in a rural environment (although many of the basic skills would carry over to urban operations). It presumes basic firearms skills, and focuses solely on the team skills.

As some of the reviewers on Amazon indicate (and not too nicely, I will add), it essentially lays out materials covered in various military manuals, and is very basic information. However, that is actually its strength--it presents in a single book basic information for use in a small unit that you would otherwise have to track down from multiple sources; some being so basic that they are easily overlooked. In other words, this book is the start of a journey to learn military small unit tactics.


I think the book would be of interest to several groups of people: military reenactors, paint-ball or airsoft enthusiasts, military historians/history buffs who want a better understanding of how modern small units actually operate, people that like to critique movies and books on their poor tactics, and anyone interesting in training or preparing to defend a retreat or small town with a small group of people. Although those with Infantry or Marine training would find the book too basic, it provides a good text for training those without the basic background and skills. And, since the author worked in providing basic training to Iraqi troops, that is the fundamental purpose of the book.

Although the book does not cover teams large enough to be using heavy weapons and most support weapons, it does presume the use of squad automatic weapons (light machine guns for everyone else). Obviously, if you were thinking of using the book to assist with training, you may have to adjust for the difference.

Most of the photographs are clear and detailed enough to show what the author is trying to convey, although it would have been nice if some of the photographs pertaining to camouflage had been in color. Interestingly, most of the photographs are of civilian reenactors (I presume) handling AKs and SKS carbines.

The diagrams are somewhat poor quality, being either crude computer diagrams or enlargements of diagrams from military manuals. However, they are more than sufficient to convey the information that is intended.


Notable Points: There are two areas where the book really shines, in my opinion. The first is a clearly illustrated explanation of common hand and arm signals. The book uses 30 pages just on these signals.

The second is its explanation and example of creating and using counter encrypting operations and intelligence (CEO&I) call signs, codes, authentication tables, etc., when using unencrypted communications, and the use of passwords and challenges.

I also liked the fact that the author attempted to provide examples of most of the concepts.

Mystery Illness in Central America

The Daily Mail is reporting on a "mystery" illness causing kidney disease in various Central American countries. 

A mysterious epidemic is devastating the Pacific coast of Central America, killing more than 24,000 people in El Salvador and Nicaragua since 2000 and striking thousands of others with chronic kidney disease at rates unseen virtually anywhere else.

Scientists say they have received reports of the phenomenon as far north as southern Mexico and as far south as Panama.

Last year it reached the point where El Salvador's health minister, Dr. Maria Isabel Rodriguez, appealed for international help, saying the epidemic was undermining health systems.

However, this appears to be more an issue of belatedly recognizing conditions that have existed for a long time. In this instance, the problem appears to be a mixture of hard work combined with frequent severe dehydration because of not drinking enough fluids while working.

An Unjust Society?

Here is an interesting piece from The Atlantic about Srdja Popovic.

Popovic is something of an expert on unjust societies, and in particular their rectification and reconstruction by nonviolent means. Just over a decade ago, Popovic was a student activist in Belgrade working to oust Slobodan Milošević. After that odds-defying campaign ended with the Yugoslav president’s one-way trip to The Hague, Popovic spent a few years in electoral politics before founding the Centre for Applied NonViolent Action and Strategies, or CANVAS, and began training activists interested in copying the Serbian model of bottom-up regime change. CANVAS has worked with people from 46 countries, and graduates of Popovic’s program include organizers of the successful movements in Georgia, Lebanon, Egypt, and the Maldives. The young Iranians rioting against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009 downloaded 17,000 copies of Popovic’s guide to nonviolent action. The Syrians currently standing up to Bashar al-Assad are the latest in the long line of advice-seekers. With little fanfare, Popovic, who is 39, has become an architect of global political change. And no one is more surprised about this than Popovic himself.

Here is the scary part:

LATE LAST YEAR, while visiting the United States to accept his nomination as one of Foreign Policy magazine’s top 100 global thinkers, Srdja Popovic took time to talk with a number of Occupy Wall Street activists in New York. He left those conversations with a mixed impression.

“The good news,” Popovic, a wiry Serb, told me, “is that for the first time in many years, something has awakened the enthusiasm and the activism in this country, which is not typically an activist society.” Yet he added that Occupy had to make sure it got three things exactly right: a clear vision of tomorrow, a clear plan for pursuing that vision, and a clear understanding that whatever happens in New York or Boston or Denver is connected to a larger global movement that stretches from the alleyways of Cairo to the beaches of the Maldives. “Talking about the 99percent and the 1percent can be applied in so many ways,” Popovic said. “But this is not just a story about capitalism. It’s a story about unjust societies around the world.”

The story goes on to recount Popovic's influence over revolutionary groups in Egypt and, now, Syria. The key point, however, is that he thinks that the U.S. is in the same category as Egypt and Syria as an unjust society; that capitalism is equivalent to socialist dictatorships. It seems ludicrous, but it is true. Many of the people that are trying to tear this country apart view themselves as heroes and saviors.

Prvi Partizan .308 Winchester Match

This is less of a review than some observations on the dramatic impact of bullet weight and accuracy.

I happened to purchase a Parker-Hale .308 hunting rifle. It was used, although in pretty good shape given its probable manufacture date, but didn't come with a manual. Unfortunately, while there seems to be a reasonable amount of information on the Parker-Hale sniper rifles manufactured for the UK, I could locate almost no information on the company's more mundane hunting rifles other than some brief information concerning some of the model numbers and calibers. I couldn't find any definitive information on my particular model, but that is neither here nor there. The crucial factor is that I have no information on the twist rate of the rifling or a recommended load.

When I bought it, I had some mil-surplus 7.62 NATO (which uses a 142 grain bullet) as well as some .308 Winchester (also using a 142 grain FMJ bullet and which I knew to be exceptionally accurate in a different rifle) that I used to test out the Parker-Hale.  While I expected that the mil-surplus probably wouldn't be the most accurate, I thought that the other .308 would work well. I was wrong. I could get no better than 4 or 5 inch groups at 100 yards from a sandbag rest, no matter which ammunition I used, which is terrible.

To be honest, my first thought was that it was the rifle. However, on reflection, I decided that, as a hunting weapon, the rifling probably had a twist rate intended for heavier bullets that would typically be used in hunting, rather than the lighter bullets used in military rifles.

Since I wasn't sure what weight to try, and realized that I might have to try different weights to find what worked best, I didn't want to fork over a lot of money on a box of ammunition. That is what drew me to the Prvi Partizan ammunition. It was $17 for a box of 20 rounds versus almost twice that for the higher quality hunting and target ammunition. I decided to start with the lighter weight, 168 grain hollow-point, boat-tail "match grade."

I have to say that I was surprised by the difference. From a sand-bag rest, I was able to get consistent 1-1/4 inch (3-round) groups at 100 yards, with the best group at 1 inch. I'm definitely not the best shot around, which means that the rifle and ammunition is probably capable of even better performance. (I would note that later testing with Hornady 165 gr SST "Superperformance" ammunition gave similar results).

While I knew that twist rate and bullet weight could impact accuracy, I had previously thought of balancing the two factors as part of fine tuning the accuracy of a rifle. Not true, at least with this rifle. And I was pleased with the performance of the Prvi Partizan .308 "Match" ammunition.

"Without Rule of Law"

... a review over at the SHTF Blog.

It begins with covering gear, but its approach is a bit different. It talks about how to think about your gear, what to carry, why and how to train with it. It talks about your primary weapon (Joe Nobody is an AR platform fan). Then, at least for me, it starts getting into the more interesting stuff, things I hadn’t thought of before. How to hide. How to evade. How to infiltrate. How to scavenge.

Now on to the bold WARNING. This book may tick some people off. It’s not “offensive” in the way of foul language or graphic images. What it does is tell you how to do things that some might find immoral. The generally accepted prepper belief is that you prep to be self-reliant, secure. Taken a step further, it’s about adding additional preps, to help your family, friends, neighbors and strangers. It’s not about planning to kill, loot or steal.

Now we’ve had the looting debate before. If you’re of the mindset that looting is ethical under absolute necessity, for example: taking food to live versus a television to watch, than you won’t find Without Rule of Law offensive. If you’re of the mindset that stealing under any and all circumstances, and teaching someone how to steal, is immoral, than you might find Without Rule of Law offensive. Joe Nobody writes the book on the premise that if, for whatever reason, all of your preps have been expended or destroyed, there are skills you can deploy to increase your chances of living. This book describes those skills. It’s the kind of book that you don’t want in the hands of someone that is … evil.

Read the whole thing.

I'm not going to attempt to jump into the issue of scavenging versus looting or pillaging at this time. However, even if you have no intention of looting or pillaging, it would still be useful to read the book to better understand how to stop someone else from looting or pillaging your neighborhood, business, or home.

"Assault Rifles and Their Ammunition"

A very interesting article on the history of assault rifles (including experimental models) and the ammunition that has been developed and used for them. (H/t The Firearms Blog). A couple highlights:

Frustratingly for the intermediate-calibre supporters, the US Army realised after initial experience in Vietnam that they had made a mistake and cancelled further production of the 7.62mm M14 rifle (which had anyway experienced serious production quality problems). Inspired by experimental work which showed the efficiency of small-calibre rifles, they went to the other extreme in adopting the M16 rifle and its tiny .223 (5.56x45) cartridge (after some competition from the .224 Winchester and two different .25" Winchesters (6.35x48 and 6.35x53). The 5.56 was developed from Remington commercial hunting rounds which had been designed for taking small game such as rabbits. This was actually only intended to be an interim purchase pending the perfecting of the SPIW flechette rifle (see below) but as this never happened, the 5.56x45 became the US Army's standard rifle cartridge by default. Much controversy arose about its effectiveness in stopping a determined enemy, but what was clear was that the long-range performance of the little bullet (designated M193) was poor. In the next competition for a new NATO rifle cartridge held in the late 1970s, the 5.56mm was duly adopted but in the new Belgian SS109 loading (M855 being the US version), which has a heavier bullet at a lower muzzle velocity and thereby achieves a better long-range performance and penetration - although its terminal effectiveness on human targets has been even more critically questioned. The USA has continued to develop improved 5.56mm ammunition, recently adopting the lead-free M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round and (for the USMC) the MK318 Mod 0.

Rather surprisingly, the Russians were inspired by the 5.56mm to develop a new 5.45x39 7N6 cartridge for their next-generation rifle, the AK74. This is a bit less powerful than the 5.56 NATO although the bullet does have an exceptionally good aerodynamic form achieved partly by a hollow tip, giving it a good performance at long range. There is a small lead element at the back of the tip which moves forward on impact, causing the bullet to destabilise quickly. Despite this feature, it is understood that in some quarters the older 7.62mm M1943 round is still preferred.

More recently, the Chinese have introduced a 5.8x42 calibre for assault rifles and LMGs. The ballistics seem little different from the 5.56mm, although it is claimed that it outperforms it, with penetration superior to the SS109, a flatter trajectory, and a higher retained velocity and energy downrange. The differences are only marginal, however, as the standard rifle round is only loaded to 41,500 psi chamber pressure, compared with 55,000-62,000 for the 5.56x45. Furthermore, the emphasis in the bullet design has been the penetration of body armour; its hardened steel core will punch through 10mm armour plate at 300m, which is in the same class as steel-cored 5.56mm AP rounds. A heavier loading of the 5.8x42 also exists, for use in the GMPG and sniper rifles. The most recent development is the introduction of a new, universal loading of this cartridge (designated DPB-10), intended to replace the earlier versions. This has a 4.6g bullet at 915 m/s for (71 grains at 3,000 fps).

The author also addresses the issue of the "ideal" cartridge:

One conclusion as a result of recent combat experience is that the 5.56mm weapons are most effective in short-range combat. That was satisfactory in Iraq which mainly saw urban fighting, but was revealed as a major deficiency in the much longer ranges common in Afghanistan. The British and US Armies both found that the 300-400m maximum effective range of 5.56mm weapons was inadequate when foot patrols were engaged by small groups of Taleban, using 7.62x54R SVD rifles and PKM LMGs at ranges of up to 900m. As a result, 7.62mm rifles and MGs have made a comeback at section level in the foot patrols.

In addition, performance of the small-calibre, high-velocity rounds (especially the 5.56mm NATO) is erratic; sometimes they work well, sometimes they don't, depending on their impact velocity, the precise manufacturing details and the angle at which they strike the target. There is more on the subject of small-arms terminal effectiveness HERE. The 7.62mm weapons are more reliably effective but are much heavier (both guns and ammunition), and the recoil of the rifles is also heavy, making automatic fire uncontrollable.

A larger-calibre, more powerful cartridge than the 5.56mm, but still significantly lighter than 7.62mm and generating light enough recoil to permit controllable automatic rifle fire when required, might also deliver another substantial benefit: its performance could be close enough to that of the 7.62mm NATO to permit the new cartridge to replace both existing 5.56mm and 7.62mm rounds, providing considerable benefits in reducing the weight of MG ammunition plus the costs of small-arms acquisition, training and support. The August 2011 report by the US Army's PEO Soldier report titled Soldier Battlefield Effectiveness includes a number of points in favour of general-purpose weapons and ammunition, summarised concisely in this:

"Ultimately, Army service rifles must be general purpose in nature and embody a series of tradeoffs that balance optimum performance for a wide range of possible missions in a range of operating environments. With global missions taking Soldiers from islands to mountains and jungles to deserts, the Army can’t buy 1.1 million new service rifles every time it’s called upon to operate in a different environment."

Is it possible to achieve a suitable general-purpose cartridge? The evidence suggests strongly that it is. Most recently, a 2010 investigation into rifle calibres by the US Army's ARDEC determined that, when considered across a range of criteria, the 6.5mm to 7mm calibres provide a better solution than 5.56mm or 7.62mm.

The British aimed for this with the 7x43 cartridge half a century ago, and by all accounts succeeded admirably. This gives us an upper calibre limit. It seems unlikely that a cartridge with the long-range performance to replace the 7.62mm can be achieved with anything smaller than 6.5mm calibre, which gives us the lower limit. We need to specify a bullet sectional density ratio of at least .230 and preferably .250 in order to retain velocity better than the 7.62mm (whose 9.33g bullet has an SDR of 0.217 - the 5.56mm SS109 bullet has an SDR of 0.174,and the new 5.0g Mk 262 is 0.220) and thereby deliver the long-range performance we want. We also need a muzzle energy of no more than 2,500 joules to provide the right balance of power and recoil. This works out as the following range of choices with minimum bullet weights in common calibres:

7mm/.276": bullet weight 8.4-9 g (130-140 grains) at 772-745 m/s (2,532-2,440 fps) = 2,500J

6.86mm/.270": bullet weight 7.9-8.5 g (124-131 grains) at 788-760 m/s (2,585-2,500 fps) = 2,455J

6.5mm/.258": bullet weight 7.25-8 g (112-122 grains) at 820-780 m/s (2,690-2,560 fps) = 2,430J

Any of the above options would do, but for the sake of argument let's take the 6.5mm. A cartridge of this performance could be smaller in length and diameter than the old military 6.5mm rifle rounds such as the Arisaka, the Carcano and the Mannlicher, with a diameter of around 10.6mm and a length of about 45mm. In fact, the case diameter and length would be similar for all of the cartridges in the list above. As a matter of interest, the four standard case diameters manufactured in the West and adopted by most cartridges in this class are approximately 9.6mm (5.56 NATO), 10.6mm (6.8mm Remington), 11.3mm (6.5mm Grendel), and 12.0mm (7.62mm NATO).

* * *

So, we have our ideal military general-purpose assault rifle and MG cartridge - and we could have had it many decades ago. What are the chances of such a cartridge being adopted now? Some hopes were raised recently by the introduction of a couple of new rounds which (more or less) fit the above criteria. One is the 6.8x43 Remington SPC (Special Purpose Cartridge) which fires a 115 grain bullet at 2,650 fps from a 16.5 inch barrel (7.45g at 808 m/s = 2,430J); not too different from the 'ideal' 6.86mm listed above. The cartridge case is based on the old .30 Remington commercial round, with a diameter of 10.6mm, intermediate between the 5.56x45 (9.5mm) and the 7.62x51 (11.9mm). Overall length is kept within the 57mm limit to fit in the M16 action, which limits the length of the bullets which can be loaded, blunting their long-range performance. Even so, this round develops 55% more muzzle energy than the 62 grain SS109/M855 loading at the muzzle, rising to 84% better at 550m due to its superior ballistic coefficient (the SD is 0.214). The trajectory matches that of the 7.62x51 M80 ball out to 500m, and is only 10cm low at 600m. The development of this round was sponsored from within the US SOCOM (Special Operations Command) who were looking for a more powerful cartridge than the 5.56mm, and it has reportedly been successfully tested in action, although not adopted for logistic and financial reasons. SOCOM, and now the USMC, has instead adopted the 5.56mm MK318 Mod 0 SOST ammunition, which is reportedly much more effective but uses an open-point bullet unacceptable to UK and probably other European countries. In any case, while the 6.8mm Remington would be a significant improvement over the 5.56mm, it does not have the range to replace 7.62mm and thus could not be a general-purpose cartridge.

More recently, another challenger emerged in the form of the 6.5mm Grendel (6.5x38).This uses a slightly fatter case (the same 11.3mm diameter as the 7.62x39 Russian) which enables it to be shorter, thereby leaving space for longer and more aerodynamic bullets. This enables it to fire a 123 grain Lapua Scenar bullet at 2,530 fps (8.0g at 770 m/s: 2,370J) from a 16 inch barrel, with a far superior ballistic coefficient to the 5.56mm Mk 262 or 6.8mm bullets (SD 0.252). In a longer rifle or MG barrel this provides trajectory and velocity loss figures to match or better those of the 7.62x51 M80 ball round. This clearly has potential for a general-purpose cartridge, but there are some reservations. The performance shown below is achieved with a high-quality target bullet; a military ball round with a crimping cannelure would not have such a good ballistic coefficient. Also, adopting a lead-free design would significantly lengthen the bullet (and a tracer even more so) so it would have to protrude more deeply into the case, reducing the propellant capacity. And the shape of the case may be rather stubby to be ideal in a belt-fed MG. 

The designs of both the 6.8mm Remington and the 6.5mm Grendel have been compromised by the need to keep within the 57mm overall length of the 5.56x45, so that existing 5.56mm weapons can be rebarrelled to chamber them. A clean-sheet design would probably result in an overall length of around 65mm.

Another new round currently being developed by Cris Murray, who was involved in the 6.8mm Remington development, is the 7x46 UIAC (Universal Intermediate Assault Cartridge). This is based on the same 11.3mm case diameter as the 6.5mm Grendel. In its proposed standard loading it fires a 130 grain bullet at 2,650 fps (8.4g at 810 m/s). This develops 2,750 J, so it is very much at the top end of the size, calibre and power range. The extra case width over the 6.8mm Rem's 10.6mm might however prove useful in accommodating long, lead-free bullets and possibly thicker cases made from polymer, should these succeed in meeting military requirements. Interestingly, the basic case dimensions of the UIAC are very similar to those of the .270 British from the late 1940s, and the performance is very similar to that of the .276 Pedersen of the late 1920s.

Of the current rounds, the 7mm UIAC and the 6.5mm Grendel represent the top and bottom of the range for a general-purpose rifle/MG round in terms of their performance, recoil, calibre, size and weight. Perhaps the ideal lies somewhere in between?

Read the whole thing.

Life in Homs, Syria

Story and video here.

Shot over the course of several days this month, the images depict the chaos inside the city as Syrian government forces intensified their bombardment of the city, a renewed onslaught that has claimed over 300 lives in the past five days according to opposition activists.

The footage shows an unequal battle as armed rebels claiming to be from the Free Syrian Army attempt to defend Homs and its residents from a growing barrage of artillery, tank and sniper fire.

"We don't have the same capabilities to retaliate with the same power, because he [Assad] has tanks and we only have this rifle," one of the men said as he pointed to a weapon in his comrade's hands.

Shielded in the corridors of a deserted building once occupied by President Bashar al-Assad's forces, the rebels are seen moving carefully from one position to another overlooking suspected sniper hide outs.

"We are just here to respond and defend the local residents from Assad's army snipers," the rebel explained.

There is a scoped rifle at 0:41 into the video, which I could not identify, which is apparently being used in an anti-sniper role. I would be interested if any of the readers could identify what it is.

A couple observations on the rebels use of weapons. First, one of the rebels is shown using the magazine as a forward grip. This is a bad practice because twisting or pushing on the magazine could result in a feeding malfunction. Second, another segment showed a man with his left hand wrapped around the front of the magazine and front end of the receiver with his fingers wrapped so far around that they are almost touching the cocking handle. Again, this is poor handling. If the cocking handle struck the man's fingers, it not only could hurt, but, more importantly, could prevent the bolt carrier from going fully forward into battery. There is a reason for the front grip, and the AK grip actually has a small bump on the rear of the front grip that is designed to fit up against the back of the hand, and encourage a proper hold on the weapon.

The battle wounds should be a reminder of the importance of one-handed emergency compression bandages (aka, Israeli bandages) and QuikClot or similar trauma packings to stop and control bleeding.

Explosion At Russian Power Plant Lights Up Night Sky

Story and video at the Telegraph:

A video recorded on the dashboard camera of a car has captured a the moment an apocalyptic flash of light filled the Moscow sky.

Cars are seen hitting the brakes on Vitebsk Avenue as the dazzling light fills the horizon and knocks out street lights.

The blast, which happened at 9am on Monday, was also captured on CCTV in the area.

According to the Russian news website Fontanka.ru, the explosion was caused by an equipment failure at a power station.

The local fire brigade was called to the area by residents and is still battling to put out a fire caused by the blast.

Bombast or a Warning?

The rhetoric continues to mount as to Iran's nuclear program. On Sunday, Pres. Obama stated that the U.S. and Israel are "in lockstep" on Iran. (Although, given Obama's history toward Israel, Israel shouldn't count on his support any further than election day). Although I have read a couple articles indicating that even with nuclear weapons, Iran hasn't the capability to deliver the weapons to a target, this may not be accurate.

It is claimed that Iran has accumulated several thousand short- and medium-range mobile ballistic missiles. Iran’s ballistic missiles could also be configured to carry nuclear warheads if Iran can develop them.

(Source).

Iran continues to put on a defiant face, threatening anyone that assisted Israel or the United States:

Gen Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the elite Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s most powerful military force appeared to be warning to Iran’s neighbours not to let their territory or airspace be used as a base for an attack.

“Any place where enemy offensive operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran originate will be the target of a reciprocal attack by the Guard’s fighting units,” Gen Salami said according to the semiofficial Fars news agency.

(Full story here). General Suleimani has been described as Iran's most dangerous general. (See PDF article here--the article notes, however, that Suleimani is more a tactician than a strategist). Suleimani is a general in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran divided its armed forces into regular and revolutionary components. This means Iran has two active armies: the Islamic Republic of Iran Army (Regular army) and the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (Revolutionary Guards, IRGC). The IRGC is a combined arms force with its own ground forces, Navy (IRGCN), Aerospace Force (IRGC AF), Intelligence, and Special Forces. Whereas the regular military defends Iran's borders and maintains internal order, the Revolutionary Guards are intended to protect the country's Islamic system. Both armies operate in parallel and share military facilities, but the IRGC has a higher status and a preference in receiving modern inventory.

(Source).

Iran's political/religious leadership is also threatening the destruction of Israel:

A website with close ties to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has outlined why it would be acceptable to kill all Jews and annihilate Israel.

Conservative site Alef has published a doctrine detailing why the destruction of the nation and the slaughter of all its people would be legally and morally justified.

It warned that the chance to remove the 'corrupting material' of Israel must not be lost - and that it would only take nine minutes to wipe it out.

And it said it was a 'jurisprudential justification' for Iran's Islamic government to then take the helm.

The article, written by Khamenei's strategy specialist Alireza Forghani, is now being run on most state-owned conservative sites, indicating it has the regime's support.

The crux of piece said Iran would be justified in launching a pre-emptive strike against Israel because of the threat the Jewish state's leaders are posing against its own nuclear facilities.

(Full story here). Of course, this policy is why Iran cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons--it is a threat, not only to Israel, but its neighbors.

A big question mark is Russia's stance on the issue. There are a few hints. From a January 12, 2012, Reuters story:

Russia fears Israel will push the United States into a military conflict with Iran which could retaliate by blocking oil shipments from the Gulf, a confidant of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.

“There is a likelihood of military escalation of the conflict, towards which Israel is pushing the Americans,” Nikolai Patrushev, who heads the Kremlin’s Security Council, told Interfax news agency.

Also:

However, Patrushev said there was still no proof that Iran was on the brink of creating nuclear weapons.

“Talk about Iran creating an atomic bomb by next week we have heard for many years,” he said, adding that the United States was trying to topple the Iran’s leadership using “all available means” to make the country into “a loyal partner”.

In other words, Russian officials seem to be signaling that they are more concerned about U.S. efforts to turn Iran into a friendly power than they are of Iran's nuclear program. (See also this article about Russia downplaying U.S. fears of an Iranian missile strike into Europe).