Israel Launches Air Strike Into Syria

The Telegraph reports:

Israeli jets have launched an attack inside Syria to prevent missiles being transferred to the Lebanese militant group Hizbollah, according to new reports on Thursday. 

An explosion at a missile base to the south of the regime-held port city of Latakia on Syria's north-west coast was first reported by Syrian activist groups. 

But the Lebanese government was also reporting that Israeli Air Force jets flew over its territory on Wednesday afternoon. Both CNN and the Saudi-backed news channel Al-Arabiya reported anonymous sources saying that the two events were connected.

The attack was reportedly intended to destroy surface-to-air missiles possessed by Hezbollah.

Saudis Don't Trust U.S. To Protect Their Interests

From the Telegraph:

Ever since Western powers sided with pro-democracy demonstrators in Egypt’s Tahrir Square and backed the removal of President Mubarak in 2011, there has been a growing sense among the Saudi ruling family that they can no longer trust their allies to protect their interests. If Washington would not support a friend like Mr Mubarak, who had backed America through thick and thin – from the first Gulf War to the September 11 attacks – then what chance would others have of withstanding internal calls for reform? 

Anxious to head off any possible hint of anti-government dissent in their own country, the Saudis have embarked on a carefully orchestrated campaign to shore up the Arab world’s anciens régimes, rather than allowing revolution to flourish. They helped to overthrow the short-lived Islamist government of Mohammed Morsi in Egypt, and are working hard to ensure that other monarchies in Bahrain, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates survive the tremors sweeping the region. 

The mastermind of this strategy is Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former darling of Washington’s cocktail party circuit, where he served for many years as Saudi ambassador before becoming the country’s intelligence chief. By alienating long-standing allies such as the US, he and his colleagues are clearly taking a huge gamble, since it is unlikely that the likes of China and Russia would ever give them the same level of protection. But with the entire Arab world in such a state of flux, the Saudis are taking the fight to protect their interests very seriously indeed.

Review of the EnGarde T.R.U.S.T. Body Armor...

... over at All Outdoor. From the review:

What I received was their EndGarde T.R.U.S.T. plate carrier, along with two hard plates and two soft armor plates giving me a threat level IV. This means I can withstand most common rifle rounds, including .308 Win 30-06, 5.56mm and 7.62X39. The idea behind including the soft armor panels was to soften the blow from high-powered rifle rounds that strike the hard armor plates. The soft armor panels could also be used alone to stop many common handgun rounds.
The soft armor panels are made out of DYNEEMA, are curved, and can withstand multiple hits and grenade shrapnel. The hard armor plates are constructed out of a combination of Aramid and Ceramic. These plates are also curved and can withstand grenade shrapnel and armor piercing 7.62 NATO rounds, giving you a threat level IV protection.
EnGarde started out with one goal in mind: to create body armor that performs yet is comfortable and durable. I believe they’ve achieved this goal.


I wore my sample T.R.U.S.T. vest around for several days, and it was very comfortable. The Ceramic material makes these hard armor plates lighter than all-steel plates. EnGarde claims, and I have no reason to doubt them, that their armor outperforms standards set by the National Institue of Justice (NIJ) while still offering their clients very light-weight and comfortable vests. Their vests are also tested by H.P. White labs in the USA, Orgon Ballistic Labs in The Netherlands, Mellrichstadt ballistic labs in Germany — quite a feat, to be sure.

As I understand the review, you don't need the soft panels in order to have level IV protection--that comes from the hard plates--but the soft panels can provide cushioning if you happened to be shot.

Although I hadn't heard of anyone where I live doing this, the author mentions that he knows hunters that have started wearing body armor when hunting to protect against an accidental shooting. Given that fewer and fewer hunters wear blaze orange or red clothing anymore, this may be a good idea.

TTAG Reviews the Walther PPK/S .22

Review is here. The reviewer gave the pistol high marks. He notes:

The /S version was created by Walther to meet the new ‘sporting purposes’ importation requirement under the 1968 Gun Control Act. ‘S’ stands for Sport, and the frame is taller – i.e., the grip is longer – than the standard PPK. That actually makes the pistol a bit more pleasant for target shooting and plinking, as your otherwise-dangling pinky has a home. Probably a good choice for the .22 version, which I’d assume won’t be a popular CCW option where the extra size or weight would be less desirable.

In the black plastic Walther case, along with the PPK/S, is a 10-round magazine, a gun lock, an owner’s manual, warranty card, an NSSF safety pamphlet and a ziplock baggie with some parts and tools in it. Included are two replacement front sights – one taller and one shorter than the sight installed on the gun – for adjusting point of impact for elevation, a thin punch for pushing out the pin in the front sight, an Allen wrench for adjusting the rear sight for windage, and a wrench for removing the barrel nut. All in all pretty good kit, although I wouldn’t mind a second magazine. They’re available online for around $28.

 Interestingly, he also reports:

At the front of the barrel, a nut can be unscrewed in order to remove the barrel from the frame. Another reason to remove that nut would be to install a thread adaptor. For instance, to effectively extend the barrel out the front of the slide and provide 1/2×28 threads for mounting some sort of muzzle accessory like a compensator, fake suppressor for the easy secret agent look, or real suppressor to more fully satisfy your inner Bond. Thread adapters for Walther’s P22 fit the PPK/S just right!

Bat to Human Transmission of SARS

From the Wall Street Journal:

A decade after SARS swept through the world and killed more than 750 people, scientists have made a troubling discovery: A very close cousin of the SARS virus lives in bats and it can likely jump directly to people.


The findings create new fears about the emergence of diseases like SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. The virus spread quickly from person to person in 2003 and had a mortality rate of at least 9%. ...


While bats have previously been fingered as a host for SARS, it was believed that the virus jumped from there to weasel-like mammals known as civets, where it went through genetic changes before infecting people. Operating on that belief, China cracked down on markets where bats, civets and other wildlife were sold for food.


The new bat-to-human discovery suggests that the control tactic may have limited effectiveness because a SARS-like virus remains loose in the wild and could potentially spark another outbreak.


... "This paper indicates that the bat is the origin and that the virus can be directly transmitted to humans," said Charles Calisher, a virologist at Colorado State University who wasn't involved in the study. "It practically rules out the possibility" of an intermediate host.


Dr. Daszak described a potential scenario where close contact between bats and humans—such as when the animals are captured for food—could increase the risk of viral transmission. "They are bringing wildlife in from new areas. They are going to Yunnan where bats are still common."


Dr. Calisher said the finding was important because researchers will now be able to get clues about the danger these novel SARS-like coronaviruses pose. For example, if a bat carries a high load of the virus, it indicates that the potential for transmission to humans is also high.


... there is strong evidence that bats are a natural reservoir for a host of dangerous viruses, including Ebola, Nipah and SARS.


A year ago, scientists reported the emergence of a novel coronavirus, called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS. It has since been reported in people in several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Italy, Britain and other parts of the Persian Gulf. Oman reported its first case on Wednesday, according to local reports.


In July, a WHO committee concluded that while MERS was of "serious and great concern," it wasn't a global health emergency. Research has suggested local bats may be a host for MERS, though the findings aren't definitive.


Nonetheless, the authors of the Nature study noted that the outbreak in the Middle East "suggests that this group of viruses remains a key threat and that their distribution is wider than previously recognized."

Is There A Coming Race War?

Thomas Sowell thinks so:

Initial skirmishes in that race war have already begun and have in fact been going on for some years. But public officials pretend that it is not happening, and the mainstream media seldom publish it at all, except in ways that conceal what is really taking place.
For American society, a dangerous polarization has set in. Signs of this polarization over the years include opposite reactions between blacks and whites to verdicts in the O.J. Simpson murder case, the “rape” charges against Duke University students, and trials resulting from the beating of Rodney King and the death of Trayvon Martin. 

More dangerous than these highly publicized episodes over the years are innumerable organized and unprovoked physical attacks on whites by young black gangs in shopping malls, on beaches and in other public places all across the country today. 

While some of these attacks make it into the media as isolated incidents, the nationwide pattern of organized black on white attacks by thugs remains invisible in the mainstream media, with the notable exception of Bill O’Reilly on the Fox News Channel. 

... Some of these many attacks are covered in detail in a book titled “White Girl Bleed A Lot” by Colin Flaherty. ...

... That phrase was uttered by one of a group of black attackers who descended on a group of whites at a July 4th fireworks show in Milwaukee. But what happened there was not unique, either in itself or in the efforts of police and political authorities to play down what happened – and to say that race had nothing to do with it. 

When the Chicago Tribune was criticized for editing out the race of the attackers in a series of similar organized attacks in Chicago, it replied that race was irrelevant. ...

Sadly, what happened in Milwaukee and Chicago were not isolated incidents. They were part of a pattern repeated in dozens of cities, located in every region of the country. ... 

Other books are emerging that are more clearly a white backlash, in the sense that they attack behavior patterns among contemporary blacks in general. 

Perhaps the most clearly backlash books are those written by Paul Kersey, whose central theme is that whites have created thriving cities, which blacks subsequently took over and ruined. Examples include his books about Birmingham (“The Tragic City”) and Detroit (“Escape from Detroit”). 

It would be easy to simply dismiss Kersey as a racist. But denouncing him or ignoring him is not refuting him. Refuting requires thought, which has largely been replaced by fashionable buzz words and catch phrases, when it comes to discussions of race. 

Thought is long overdue. So is honesty.

On a related noted, World Net Daily also has this story about reductions in Food Stamp Benefits starting in November.

With 20 percent of all American households on food stamps, amounting to 23.1 million households and 47.6 million individuals in July, a little-known across-the-board cut in food-stamp benefits is scheduled to go into effect in November. 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, the benefit increase granted by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to help people adversely affected by the recession is scheduled to expire Nov. 1. 

The USDA projects that the average monthly food stamp payment of approximately $272 per household will decline in November by $36 for a family of four.

$36 may not seem like much, but that represents a 13.2% decline in benefits (remember, too, that most of these families are probably the "working poor," not "welfare queens" who do no work). The article goes on to note the looting in Louisiana Wal-Marts when the EBT system crashed, and suggests that cuts in benefits could result in civil unrest.

"29 Incredible Facts Which Prove That Poverty In America Is Absolutely Exploding"

The Economic Collapse Blog discusses 29 statistics showing that the "recovery" is largely a sham, and discussing the implications of increasing poverty in the United States.

Tensions Higher Between Japan and China

From the Asia Times:

Tensions between China and Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea are once again running  high. This morning the Chinese Navy sent four Coast Guard vessels into the waters of the Senkaku / Diaoyu . It is a response to statements made by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who gave permission to his own troops to shoot down "drones or foreign aircraft entering our airspace without permission ." 

Soon after, on October 26, China issued one of the strongest statements in recent weeks: "if Japan fired on its unmanned aircraft it "would constitute a serious provocation, an act of war of sorts. We would have to take firm countermeasures, and all consequences would be the responsibility of the side that caused the provocation".

Terrorist Attack in China

The Daily Mail reports:

Police investigating the apparent car attack at Beijing's Forbidden City searched Tuesday for information on two ethnic Uighur minority suspects, a hotel employee said, a day after the vehicle plowed through a crowd and crashed, killing five people and injuring 38. 

Police released no public information about a possible motive for the incident at one of China's most politically sensitive and heavily guarded public spaces, and it was not immediately clear if the two suspects were among the three people killed inside the vehicle. 

Two bystanders, including a Filipino woman, also were killed when the sport utility vehicle veered inside of a barrier separating a crowded sidewalk from a busy avenue and then drove toward Tiananmen Gate, which stands opposite the sprawling Tiananmen Square. 

... The 38 injured were among the crowds in front of the gate, where a large portrait of Mao Zedong hangs near the southern entrance to the former imperial palace. Three other Filipinos and a Japanese man were among the injured, police said, but there were no immediate details on their conditions. 

Zhao Fuzhou, a security official at Beijing's Xinjiang Dasha hotel, said police had circulated a notice searching for information about two suspects with Uighur names in the aftermath of Monday's deaths. Unconfirmed copies of the notice also were widely circulated on the Chinese Internet. 

One of the men, identified in the notice as Yusupu Wumaierniyazi, was listed as living at the address of a town in Xinjiang in which 24 police and civilians and 13 militants were killed in an attack on June 26.

The Myth of "I'm Bad At Math"

Miles Kimball and Noah Smith write at the Atlantic that intelligence is malliable, and it is a mistake for someone to categorize themselves as "bad at math" or any other subject. They write:

 For high-school math, inborn talent is much less important than hard work, preparation, and self-confidence.

How do we know this? First of all, both of us have taught math for many years—as professors, teaching assistants, and private tutors. Again and again, we have seen the following pattern repeat itself:

1. Different kids with different levels of preparation come into a math class. Some of these kids have parents who have drilled them on math from a young age, while others never had that kind of parental input.
2. On the first few tests, the well-prepared kids get perfect scores, while the unprepared kids get only what they could figure out by winging it—maybe 80 or 85%, a solid B.
3. The unprepared kids, not realizing that the top scorers were well-prepared, assume that genetic ability was what determined the performance differences. Deciding that they “just aren’t math people,” they don’t try hard in future classes, and fall further behind.
4. The well-prepared kids, not realizing that the B students were simply unprepared, assume that they are “math people,” and work hard in the future, cementing their advantage.

Thus, people’s belief that math ability can’t change becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Read the whole thing.

Iran Two-Weeks From Enough Fuel to Produce Nuclear Weapon

The Times of Israel reports that former IAEC deputy director Olli Heinonen has said that Iran could be at a point where they can produce enough enriched uranium within two weeks to construct a nuclear weapon. 

In his assessment, which appears to concur with that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a critical level is reached when the Iranians have enriched enough uranium to weapons grade, in the form of hexafluoride gas enrichment, to create a nuclear bomb. 

“But you still don’t have a nuclear weapon,” Heinonen added. Preparing the highly enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb would take another month or two, “assuming that someone has all the knowledge.” After that, assembling an actual nuclear weapon that can be delivered with a ballistic missile would take perhaps another year, he said. 

Iran continues to install hundreds of new advanced centrifuges every month, drastically reducing the so-called breakout time it would require in order to produce weapons-grade uranium if it decided to do so, he said.

Are We In the Post-Antibiotic Era?

From the Daily Mail:

A high-ranking official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared in an interview with PBS that the age of antibiotics has come to an end. 

'For a long time, there have been newspaper stories and covers of magazines that talked about "The end of antibiotics, question mark?"' said Dr Arjun Srinivasan. 'Well, now I would say you can change the title to "The end of antibiotics, period.”' 

[He also] said that both humans and livestock have been overmedicated to such a degree that bacteria are now resistant to antibiotics.  

‘We're in the post-antibiotic era,' he said. 'There are patients for whom we have no therapy, and we are literally in a position of having a patient in a bed who has an infection, something that five years ago even we could have treated, but now we can’t.’. 

Dr Srinivasan offered an example of this notion, citing the recent case of three Tampa Bay Buccaneers players who made headlines after reportedly contracting potentially deadly MRSA infections, which until recently were largely restricted to hospitals.  

About 10 years ago, however, the CDC official began seeing outbreaks of different kinds of MRSA infections in schools and gyms.  

‘In hospitals, when you see MRSA infections, you oftentimes see that in patients who have a catheter in their blood, and that creates an opportunity for MRSA to get into their bloodstream,’ he said.  

‘In the community, it was causing a very different type of infection. It was causing a lot of very, very serious and painful infections of the skin, which was completely different from what we would see in health care.’ 

With bacteria constantly evolving and developing resistance to conventional antibiotics, doctors have been forced to ‘reach back into the archives’ and ‘dust off’ older, more dangerous cures like colistin.

Blogging "65 Signs of the Times Leading Up to the Second Coming" - Part 6

This is part 6 of my review of David Ridges, 65 Signs of the Times Leading Up to the Second Coming. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here. Part 4 is here. Part 5 is here.

In earlier installments, I had made it through Ridges introductory comments and discussion, and the first 30 signs. This time, I will summarize the 31st through 40th signs:

(31)  Famines, earthquakes, tornadoes, and natural disasters will abound. Ridges lists this sign as one currently being fulfilled. He notes, for instance, D&C 45:33 which states:

And there shall be earthquakes also in divers places, and many desolations; yet men will harden their hearts against me, and they will take up the sword, one against another, and they will kill one another.

Other scriptures he mentions are D&C 88:88-91 which also discusses earthquakes, thunderings and lightening, tempests, etc. I would also noted Matt. 24:7, Luke 21:11, Rev. 8:5, Rev. 11:13, and Rev. 16:18. Ridges takes the position that there has been increase in both frequency and intensity of these natural disasters. I actually have not seen anything other than anecdotal evidence to suggest an increase in natural disasters. In fact, it appears that the last couple of decades have been relatively benign, notwithstanding some disasters such as Fukushima, Katrina, and the tsunami in Indonesia. Some of the strongest earthquakes, volcanic explosions, and other natural disasters actually occurred in the 1800s and early 1900s. I've noted in a prior post that the deadliest earthquake recorded (actually a series of quakes) was in the 12th Century. What this indicates to me is that we are right now in a lull--a time I believe is intended as a last chance to turn from our (speaking of the world at large) ways--and that this lull will probably end soon, and suddenly.

(32)  Strikes, overthrowing of governments, gang warfare, violence, and disrespect for authority will increase. Ridges categorizes this as being fulfilled. Ridges notes for this a passage by Bruce R. McConkie explaining what "the whole earth will be in commotion" (D&C 45:26), and other scripture such as Isaiah 3:5, and 2 Tim. 3:1-4. This is one that has been happening for a long time. Socialism and progressivism is based on the basic premise that traditional culture, society, government, institutions, believes, etc., should be discarded as a matter of course, to be replaced by rule by an expert elite (essentially, philosopher kings). Because of strict government controls on drugs and alcohol, powerful black markets have arisen that have enabled the growth and spread of organized crime. In the past short time, we are even seeing normally respectful groups in society (conservatives) exhibiting increasing disdain toward government (and, vice versa). Native kingdoms and powers were overthrown by the great colonial powers, which, after exhausting themselves in world wars, were replaced by various tyrants, which are yet again cycling through more changes in the Middle-East and Africa. Thus, we are well and deep into this sign ... and it will only get worse.

(33)  Sexual immorality, homosexuality, lesbianism, and pornography will abound. Being fulfilled and, in fact, has greatly accelerated since Ridges penned his book in 2009. See, e.g., 2 Tim. 3:6, and Romans 1:24-31. Ridges notes that these sins, and many others, will be softened by use of political correct speech, noting this 1996 General Conference talk by Neal A. Maxwell. I would also note the October 2013 General Conference talk by Dallin H. Oaks, in which Elder Oaks stated:

There are many political and social pressures for legal and policy changes to establish behaviors contrary to God’s decrees about sexual morality and contrary to the eternal nature and purposes of marriage and childbearing. These pressures have already authorized same-gender marriages in various states and nations. Other pressures would confuse gender or homogenize those differences between men and women that are essential to accomplish God’s great plan of happiness. 

Our understanding of God’s plan and His doctrine gives us an eternal perspective that does not allow us to condone such behaviors or to find justification in the laws that permit them. And, unlike other organizations that can change their policies and even their doctrines, our policies are determined by the truths God has identified as unchangeable. 

Our twelfth article of faith states our belief in being subject to civil authority and “in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.” But man’s laws cannot make moral what God has declared immoral. Commitment to our highest priority—to love and serve God—requires that we look to His law for our standard of behavior. For example, we remain under divine command not to commit adultery or fornication even when those acts are no longer crimes under the laws of the states or countries where we reside. Similarly, laws legalizing so-called “same-sex marriage” do not change God’s law of marriage or His commandments and our standards concerning it. We remain under covenant to love God and keep His commandments and to refrain from serving other gods and priorities—even those becoming popular in our particular time and place. 

In this determination we may be misunderstood, and we may incur accusations of bigotry, suffer discrimination, or have to withstand invasions of our free exercise of religion. If so, I think we should remember our first priority—to serve God—and, like our pioneer predecessors, push our personal handcarts forward with the same fortitude they exhibited.

(34)  The disintegration of the family will bring prophesied calamities in the last days. Being fulfilled. Ridges notes the proclamation issued about the family, and in particular, the following:

Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

 I would also refer you back to the scriptures and talks cited as to Sign No. 33. I've written on this topic before, such as here and here. In December of last year, I quoted the following from an article written by Jonathan Last:

As Robert George put it after the election, limited government “cannot be maintained where the marriage culture collapses and families fail to form or easily dissolve. Where these things happen, the health, education, and welfare functions of the family will have to be undertaken by someone, or some institution, and that will sooner or later be the government.” Marriage is what makes the entire Western project​—​liberalism, the dignity of the human person, the free market, and the limited, democratic state​—​possible. George continues, “The two greatest institutions ever devised for lifting people out of poverty and enabling them to live in dignity are the market economy and the institution of marriage. These institutions will, in the end, stand or fall together.”

And this from Paul Rahe:

... Liberty requires a responsible citizenry, and the sexual revolution (very much like the drug culture, which was and is its Doppelgänger) promotes irresponsibility of every kind. It promotes dependence, and it fosters an ethos in which those who exercise the virtues fostered by the market are punished for doing so and in which those who live for present pleasure are rewarded.

 I've also previously noted the deleterious effects on children and society of families where the father is absent.

See also this article by David Goldman.

(35)  The Spirit will stop working with the wicked. Being fulfilled. I would have preferred the wording that the Spirit will stop striving with the World. Ridges writes that the substance of this sign is "[t]hat in the last days, because of gross wickedness, great numbers of people will cease to feel the natural righteous emotions, feelings, common sense, wisdom, appreciation of beauty, nature, environment, worth of humans, and so forth, which are instilled and nourished by the Spirit." See 2 Tim. 3:1-7 and Romans 1:29-32.

(36)  Peace will be taken from the Earth. Being fulfilled. See D&C 1:35-36, D&C 115:6.

(37)  Jerusalem will be a "cup of trembling" to those who attempt to fight against it. Ridges lists this as both fulfilled and being fulfilled. This is in reference to Zechariah 12:2:

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

Ridges cautions, though, that although all nations will be involved with Israel, it is only those nations that fight against Israel that will be broken in pieces upon Israel.

(38) The righteous will be alerted by the signs of the times. Being fulfilled. This is less a "sign of the times," than a promise to the righteous. Ridges notes that:

[O]ne of the many good reasons for studying and becoming familiar with the signs of the times [is that] [n]ot only do they provide testimony that the scriptures are true, but they also provide strength and spiritual stamina for us against deception, discouragement, and despair as the prophesied punishments of God descend upon the inhabitants of the earth ....

(39) People will refuse to believe obvious truths and will instead adhere to fables and falsehoods. Being fulfilled. From 2 Timothy 4:3-4:

 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 

 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Ridges comments that the absence of sound doctrine, or turning to "fables" is not only applicable to religious doctrine, but also to politics, business practices, and, in general, the philosophies of men.

(40) False prophets, false churches, and false miracles will abound. Being fulfilled. See Matt. 24:24 and Mark 13:22. Again, Ridges warns that this is not necessarily limited to just religious cults:

Media idols, liberal [i.e., socialist/progressive] philosophers, corrupt politicians and business people, and a host of other public and private "heroes" could well fit into this category. In fact, any in positions of influence who lead others astray could be considered to be in the category of false prophets and false Christs.

Review of the Bullpup Unlimited Conversion Kit for the 870

Chris Cheng reviews the Bullpup Unlimited Conversion Kit for the Remington 870, including a video.

Declining Gold Prices Threaten West African Economies

The Voice of America reports on the impact that falling gold prices are having in Africa:

With the U.S. Federal Reserve expected to roll back its quantitative easing program, many analysts believe gold prices may fall further as investors switch to assets offering better returns.

For mining-dependent regional economies, the consequences could be dire.

Although Ghana's current economic boom is often chalked up to its new oil wealth, its gold exports were worth $5.6 billion last year, nearly as much as oil and cocoa combined.

Gold contributed 27 percent of the country's foreign exchange and furnished more than $700 million to government coffers, according to data from Ghana Chamber of Mines (GCM).

“We are not going to repeat that feat this year. Payment to the GRA (Ghana Revenue Authority) is going to shrink,” said Toni Aubynn, GCM chief executive.

The impact on Africa's third biggest producer, Mali, where gold accounts for 75 percent of export receipts and 25 percent of GDP, is potentially even worse. Just two mines, Sadiola and Morila, historically accounted for 80 percent of Mali's output.

The Welfare Scales

CNS News reports:

Americans who were recipients of means-tested government benefits in 2011 outnumbered year-round full-time workers, according to data released this month by the Census Bureau. 

They also out-numbered the total population of the Philippines. 

There were 108,592,000 people in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2011 who were recipients of one or more means-tested government benefit programs, the Census Bureau said in data released this week. Meanwhile, according to the Census Bureau, there were 101,716,000 people who worked full-time year round in 2011. That included both private-sector and government workers. 

That means there were about 1.07 people getting some form of means-tested government benefit for every 1 person working full-time year round.

... The 108,592,000 people who were recipients of means-tested government programs in the fourth quarter of 2011 does not include people who received benefits from non-means-tested government programs but not from means-tested ones. That would include, for example, people who received Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, or non-means-tested veterans compensation, but did not receive benefits from a means-tested program such as food stamps or public housing. 

In the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the Census Bureau, there were 49,901,000 people who received Social Security benefits, 46,440,000 who received Medicare benefits, 5,098,000 on unemployment, and 3,178,000 who received non-means-tested veterans compensation.

What the article doesn't relate is the amount of overlap--i.e., the number of full-time workers receiving means-tested government benefits. Also, it would be interesting to see how many of these people work part-time. Remember, the rolls of the part-time employees have been increasing due to various economic and government incentives.

This statistic should be troubling for various reasons. For one, it shows the relative weakness of the economy. It also demonstrates that a significant portion of the population is dependent on the government for their day-to-day survival.

Israel and Gulf States Drawing Closer?

Israel and the Gulf States may be allying against Iran:

Recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have fueled renewed speculation of behind-the-scenes links between Israel and the Gulf monarchies. 

Netanyahu, speaking at the UN, said that “the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran and the emergence of other threats in our region have led many of our Arab neighbors to recognize, finally recognize, that Israel is not their enemy.” 

He added: “This affords us the opportunity to overcome the historic animosities and build new relationships, new friendships, new hopes.” 

There have been subsequent rumors of visits by senior Gulf officials to Israel, to discuss matters of common interest. 

While it is difficult to acquire details of these contacts at the present time, it is a near certainty that they exist, on one level or another. Conversations with Israeli officials suggest that much is happening behind the scenes. 

Israel and the key states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (most importantly, Saudi Arabia) share core views on the nature of key regional processes currently underway, and their desired outcome.  These commonalities have existed for some time, and it is likely that the contacts are themselves not all that new. 

There are three areas in which Israel and the countries of the GCC (with the exception of Qatar) are on the same page. 

They are: the urgency of the threat represented by the prospect of a nuclear Iran, the danger represented by the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood over the last two years, and the perception that the United States fails to understand the urgency of these threats and, as a result, is acting in a naive and erroneous way on both.

What the Administration doesn't realize (or care about) is that Israel and Saudi Arabia both view a nuclear armed Iran as an existential threat. Consequently, if there is nothing done about Iran, and it develops nuclear weapons, there will be a great sense of urgency--perhaps even panic--on the part of Israel and/or the Gulf States.

No posts today

Are Banking and Monetary Crises Inevitable?

Dr. Edwin Vieira argues, at News with Views, that they are under our current banking systems. 

The East Bloc fell apart--and had to fall apart, no matter what anyone did--because of an obscure principle of economics known as "the impossibility of rational economic calculation under bureaucratic central planning". Socialism failed--and must always fail--because, without prices for goods and services generated by a free market, central planners cannot allocate resources and manpower intelligently. But central planners cannot allow a free market to set prices (otherwise there could be no central planning). In the long run, this self-imposed bureaucratic blindness to the real values of people and things results in monumental waste, the failure of central plans to deliver sound capital investments and advancing standards of living, and finally the collapse of those societies that allow politicians and bureaucrats, rather than free entrepreneurs and workers, to direct the course of economic affairs. 

Although this principle had been recognized by other economists for almost a century theretofore, it received systematic exposition in Ludwig von Mises's seminal treatise, Socialism, first published in the 1920s. So, during the heyday of central planning from the 1920s to the 1980s, no one should have been unaware of the problem. Nonetheless, the political elite and the intelligentsiia ignored it, just about everywhere. In the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, where Stalin and his successors imposed industrial-strength central planning through police-state terrorism and slave labor in the Gulag, the price was higher than in (say) the United States, to which Franklin D. Roosevelt was able to administer only a diluted dose of the same poison. But a price there was, paid as usual by common people. 

Economic theory also teaches that any scheme of fiat currency and fractional-reserve central banking is just as inherently flawed, incapable of permanent existence, and inevitably doomed to disaster as all-around, full-blown socialism, because fractional-reserve central banking systematically subverts the free market's structure of prices through expansion of currency and credit--which results in redistribution of wealth, misallocation of scarce capital, and collapse in either depression or hyperinflation followed by depression. This is no new insight. The problems fractional-reserve banking causes were widely discussed in the 1800s; and the whole subject of political versus free-market money was exhaustively examined by Ludwig von Mises, in his treatise The Theory of Money and Credit, first published in the 1920s. (Probably the best book on this subject now available for the average reader is Murray Rothbard's The Mystery of Banking.) But, throughout the Western world during the 1900s and even unto the present moment, the political elite, high finance and big business, and their hired intelligentsiia have generally ignored these problems--doubtlessly because irredeemable currency and fractional-reserve central banking have served their short-term interests, and the costs of the system have always been paid by picking the pockets of the common man.

Read the whole thing.

I agree with Vieira's basic argument that managed economies eventually succumb because it is impossible for any person or group to understand and direct the complete economic affairs of a nation. (This is the gist of Friedrich von Hayek's The Road to Serfdom). To the extent that Vieira attacks fractional reserve banking, however, I would contend that he is wrong.

Fractional reserve banking is actually one of the greatest accomplishments of Western banking because it freed up capital for use by people to purchase homes, start businesses, and so on. One of the reasons that the West so rapidly overtook other cultures (some more technologically advanced at the time) was because of the development of fractional reserve banking. I may be over interpreting Vieira's argument however.

To the extent that he focuses on central banking, he has a valid point. When a central bank engages in "managing" the economy, it is no different than the central planner attempting to manage the physical goods needed and produced. I believe that Friedman once pointed out that a monkey could have done as good a job at managing the money supply as the Federal Reserve. And, in reality, the Fed was not intended (at least by the majority of its supporters) to manage the money supply, but to step in and provide liquidity to banks that were experiencing bank runs, so that the bank would not collapse. It is moving away from this central purpose, and instead using the bank to implement national policy, that has created the monster we see today that is printing money like there is no tomorrow.

I still am in a toss-up over fiat currencies. Reliance on currencies backed by gold did not produce a golden age (excuse the pun) of economic stability. We still saw bank runs, bubbles, depressions, and so on. I believe most economists would agree that remaining on the gold standard would have placed extraordinary deflationary pressure on the economy, because the amount of gold produced has not kept pace with either the growth of the world economies or the growth of population.

Saudi Arabia Cuts Diplomatic Ties With U.S.?

The Daily Mail reports:

Upset at President Barack Obama's policies on Iran and Syria, members of Saudi Arabia's ruling family are threatening a rift with the United States that could take the alliance between Washington and the kingdom to its lowest point in years. 

Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief is vowing that the kingdom will make a 'major shift' in relations with the United States to protest perceived American inaction over Syria's civil war as well as recent U.S. overtures to Iran, a source close to Saudi policy said on Tuesday. 

Prince Bandar bin Sultan told European diplomats that the United States had failed to act effectively against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was growing closer to Tehran, and had failed to back Saudi support for Bahrain when it crushed an anti-government revolt in 2011, the source said. 

'The shift away from the U.S. is a major one,' the source close to Saudi policy said. 'Saudi doesn't want to find itself any longer in a situation where it is dependent.' 

It was not immediately clear whether the reported statements by Prince Bandar, who was the Saudi ambassador to Washington for 22 years, had the full backing of King Abdullah. 

The growing breach between the United States and Saudi Arabia was also on display in Washington, where another senior Saudi prince criticized Obama's Middle East policies, accusing him of 'dithering' on Syria and Israeli-Palestinian peace.

The Saudis are not stupid. If they have advanced far enough to break off ties with the country that has guaranteed their existence for the past 50+ years, it is only because they have already found (or believe they have found) another guarantor. Probably China. But there could be much more to this. Part of the quid pro quo of the United States defending Saudi Arabia was that Saudi Arabia would conduct oil trades in dollars. Presumably, if the Saudis have obtained another guarantor, there would be an agreement to use that nation's currency for oil transactions, whether solely or in addition to dollars. Whatever the terms, our oil-backed currency could soon be a free-floating fiat currency in truth, with a resulting drop in value.

Amatuer Smoke Bombs and Rocket Engines

I've always thought the smoke bombs that magicians (and supposedly ninjas) use would be fun to make. Here is a website that explains (both video and written instructions) how to make smoke bombs using potassium nitrate and sugar. (A different article here).

Apparently the same materials can be used to make model rocket engines as well, which is nice to know because I like shooting model rockets, but the price of engines has skyrocketed (pun intended) over the last several years. (Another recipe for rocket fuel; and this page appears to offer significantly detailed information).

Apparently you can also make fuses.

Left Demands that Ted Cruz and Others Be Charged with Sedition

Another reason to not allow the public to be disarmed. Byron York writes at the Washington Examiner:

After Cruz and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin appeared together last weekend on the National Mall, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow reported the event in front of a screen with pictures of Cruz and Palin and the title LATEST SEDITION. Maddow did not utter the word itself, but viewers certainly got the message. 

On the activist website MoveOn.org, there are multiple petitions calling for Cruz and others to be charged with sedition. In one, the petition writer adopted a very broad and somewhat fuzzy standard under which Cruz should be sent to jail: "Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order," the petition says. "Sedition may include any commotion, though not aimed at direct and open violence against the laws. Sedition is the stirring up of rebellion against the government in power." Another petition adds "insurrection" to Cruz's indictment. 

And it's not just Cruz the lefties seek to prosecute. One particularly energetic petitioner lists 61 people "known to date to have conspired against the United States government to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of a law of the United States by forcing the government to shut down." Among those targeted are many of the usual suspects — the Koch brothers, Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell, Mike Lee and others. But the list also includes Grace-Marie Turner, head of the Galen Institute; Michael Grebe, head of the Bradley Foundation; Angelo Codevilla, a retired professor of international relations; Craig Shirley, the public relations man and author of books on Ronald Reagan; Edwin Meese, Reagan's attorney general; and many others.

Home Canning Information

Some sources of information for home canning.

(1) The USDA's National Center for Home Food Preservation's "Complete Guide to Home Canning" 2009 Revision.

(2)  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers advice and tips concerning botulism and home canning. This page also has links to other canning resources.

(3)  Ball, one of the largest manufacturers of canning supplies in the United States, has a web-site offering information on home canning, including recipes.

(4)  Better Homes and Gardens' home canning page.

PopSci Headline: "New, Incurable Botulinum Strain..."

"... has top secret DNA."

... just last week, a team of scientists discovered a new type of the toxin, as well as a new strain of the bacterium that makes it, Clostridium botulinum. 

Yet because the toxin type is new, scientists have not yet discovered an antidote to it, so they've restricted how much information they're publishing about it. They're withholding the DNA sequence that codes for for the toxin, out of fear that terrorists could use that information to make a potent bioweapon. ... 

... Two scientists from the California Department of Public Health discovered the new botulinum toxin and bacterium in fecal samples taken from a baby who had botulism, the disease that results from exposure to the toxin. Babies are more susceptible to botulism, which they can get from eating improperly canned vegetables or honey contaminated with Clostridium botulinum spores. The California pair published their work in two papers in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 

(H/t Instapundit)

Blogging "65 Signs of the Times Leading Up to the Second Coming" - Part 5.

This is part 5 of my review of David Ridges, 65 Signs of the Times Leading Up to the Second Coming. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 3 is here. Part 4 is here.

In earlier installments, I had made it through Ridges introductory comments and discussion, and the first 20 signs. This time, I will move on to the 21st through 30th signs:

(21)  The prophet Elija will come to restore the keys of sealing. The reason for this sign is given in Malachi 4:5-6. Turning the hearts of the father to the children and vice versa is in reference to the sealing of families together in the eternities--that is, creating links between not only living members of our families, but our ancestors who have passed on and accepted the gospel through Christ's (and others) teaching the Spirits in prison (i.e., in the after life). The fulfillment of this sign is recorded in D&C 110:13-16, which happened to be Easter Sunday, or the time of the Passover.

(22)  The Saints will be few in number, but the power of God will be with them. This sign is being fulfilled. It was given in 1 Nephi 14-12-14. The comforting thought in that scripture is that even though all the powers of Satan are turned against the Saints and the true Church, the Lord will be with the Church and protect us. Thus, members have the right to be protected from the harrowing perils of the last days, which blessing will not necessarily accorded to those outside the Church.

(23) Christ will come to his temple. The source of this sign is Malachi 3:1. Ridges contends that this prophecy was fulfilled when Christ appeared at the Kirtland Temple (D&C 110:1-10). However, while recognizing that the Kirtland visitation satisfies the prophecy, I suspect that it has a dualistic meaning, also referring to Christ's Second Coming when he comes to the temple to be build in the New Jerusalem and inaugurate his reign here on Earth.

(24) Genealogical research and interest in family history will spread as never before. This sign is derived from Malachi 4:5-6. Obviously, in order to seal together our families, we must first know or identify our families and ancestors, which requires genealogical research. And, of course, the interest in genealogy has literally exploded as a hobby not only in the Church but outside as well. Ridges indicates in his book that genealogy has become the number one hobby in the U.S.; and he notes that over half of the visitors to the LDS genealogy center in Salt Lake are not members of the Church. Accordingly, this sign has been fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled.

(25) Dangers upon the water. Ridges notes several scriptures as sources of this sign, but the most relevant to us is probably D&C 61:13-19. Versus 15 and 16, in particular, note:

15 Wherefore, the days will come that no flesh shall be safe upon the waters.
 16 And it shall be said in days to come that none is able to go up to the land of Zion upon the waters, but he that is upright in heart.

As Ridges notes, some of the prophecies and guidance concerning travelling on the waters appears to be related to the specific time and travel upon the primary water ways in America at that time (the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio Rivers). The versus above, however, appear to refer to some future day where troubles upon the water (or perhaps weapons) will make travelling by sea to be highly dangerous. 

(26) Much ecological damage will occur in the last days. Ridges cites, for instance, Rev: 8:7-12 which describes great natural disasters. Verse 7 seems to describe many small meteorites ("hail and fire mingled with blood"); The second verse describes "a great mountain burning with fire [that] was cast into the sea," which could be a large meteor, or a volcano collapsing into the sea. Whatever it describes, it results or proceeds one third of the life of the sea perishing and one-third of ships being destroyed.

(27) The sun will be darkened and the moon will become as blood. Ridges suggests that this sign has already been fulfilled. The primary reference Ridges relies on is Joel 2:28-32. (But see also Matt. 24:29 and Revelation 6:12). Ridges notes that in October 2001 general conference, President Hinckley indicated that Joel's vision had been fulfilled. Ridges notes that this imagery could be literal or figurative. For instance, in its figurative sense, we use the Sun and the Moon to represent the Celestial and Terrestrial glories. Ridges suggests that "[i]t could mean that throughout this world there will be an overflowing flood indulging in filth and spiritual pollution, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, pornography, dishonesty, crudeness, selfishness and so," so that it become difficult for anyone to life a Celestial or Terrestrial life. It could have a literal fulfillment, in pollutions or emissions in the air literally dimming the Sun and the Moon or, I would add, even the dimming of the light of the sun due to changes in the sun or intersteller dust. For instance, the sun currently produces far fewer sunspots than normal, indicting reduced steller activity.. Ridges acknowledges that Pres. Hinkley may have been speaking that the conditions for fulfillment had occurred. I would suggest that these may refer to different events. 

(28) Diseases, plagues and pestilence will sweep the earth in spite of medical advances and technology. This is being fulfilled. Ridges cites to numerous scriptures warning of plagues and pestilence (as well as other calamities  prior to the Second Coming:  D&C 109:30; 2 Nephi 6:14-15; D&C 84:97; D&C 87:6; and in a portion of Joseph Smith's translation of Matthew. Consider that with air travel, diseases can now more freely and quickly spread than before; and biotechnology opens the way for tailored diseases and plagues. I would also note that this is not necessarily limited to just humans. We see wheat rust threatening wheat production in much of the third world; we see diseases destroying trees and wild animal populations; even diseases sweeping through certain areas of livestock production and disease spreading and killing off bee colonies.

(29) Knowledge, science and technology will increase dramatically. One of the sources for this sign is Daniel 12:4. I would note the following from an article at Industry Tap (IT) News:

Buckminster Fuller created the “Knowledge Doubling Curve”; he noticed that until 1900 human knowledge doubled approximately every century. By the end of World War II knowledge was doubling every 25 years. Today things are not as simple as different types of knowledge have different rates of growth. For example, nanotechnology knowledge is doubling every two years and clinical knowledge every 18 months. But on average human knowledge is doubling every 13 months.  According to IBM, the build out of  the “internet of things” will lead to the doubling of knowledge every 12 hours.

(30) Wars and rumors of wars will become normal life. Ridges cites several scriptures for this point, as well: Matt. 24:6, Joseph Smith Translation Matthew 1:23, D&C 45:26. Like most people, Ridges interprets this solely as a result of an increased number of wars. However, researchers have shown that fewer people are dying of organized violence (war) now than ever before in the past--even considering the hundreds of millions killed under the direction of atheist regimes (fascists and communists) in just the past 100 years. (See also here and here). This is where I believe that the "rumors of wars" becomes significant. Even though violence is declining, overall, we hear more about it through the media than ever before. Thus, the "rumors of war."

The Party Goes On...

The Republicans capitulated over the debt ceiling today:

Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Texas Senator Ted Cruz dramatically caved in to pressure today paving the way for a Democrat-led bill to pass before a midnight deadline to ensure the country doesn't crash through its debt ceiling and cause global chaos. 

The bill still needs to be navigated through the House and Senate, but observers on Capitol Hill expect it to sail through in a crushing defeat for Republicans on the party's right wing. 

Boehner and his House caucus have walked away humiliated after a month of brinkmanship in which the Republicans were accused by President Obama of holding the White House ransom over Obamacare and their desired spending cuts. 

The speaker made his capitulation official after a closed-door meeting with his caucus Wednesday afternoon, saying he would 'absolutely' navigate the bill quickly through the House, even if he has to rely on Democrats to pass it. 

Republicans' fight against the Obamacare law 'will continue,' he said. 'But blocking the bipartisan agreement reached today by members of the Senate will not be a tactic for us.'
News of a deal saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average soaring to a finish 205.82 points ahead, a 1.36 per cent gain. 

U.S. Treasury bond yields, which rose through the morning, headed downward again after Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell announced their compromise, signaling at least a temporary relaxing of global market fears.

With more blood to squeeze out of American tax payers, the global markets responded positively.

Stock markets staged a rally today after US politicians struck an eleventh hour deal to avoid a catastrophic debt default which had threatened the global economy. 

The FTSE 100 Index had earlier plunged into the red as the prospect of the world's largest economy defaulting on its debt edged nearer, but by the close of the session updates from Washington had lifted it 22.5 points to 6571.6. 

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 200 points ahead, a rise of more than 1%. Germany's Dax was also up, although France's Cac 40 failed to climb out of the red by the end of the session.

Brazil's Biggest Drug Cartel Threatens Violence At World Cup

From the Daily Mail:

Brazil's biggest drug cartel has promised a 'World Cup of terror' next year - in a reminder of the high level of violence that still marks the country.

The threat was issued by the First Capital Command [PCC] in Sao Paulo, who last year was behind the murder of more than a hundred of the city's police officers.

... In messages intercepted by police this week, leaders of the gang in Sao Paulo made the vague but ominous threat should the authorities move jailed members of the cartel to a tougher prison.

In Brazil, powerful gangs often linked to the drug trade are very powerful and frequently control whole prisons and favelas, or shanty towns.

... The gang was founded in 1993 by hardened criminals inside Sao Paulo's Taubate Penitentiary, but remained a relatively obscure group until early 2001, when uprisings in 29 prisons across the state killed 19 inmates. It was the biggest prison rebellion in Brazil's recent history and took police 27 hours to crush.

... 'The PCC is better organized, more powerful, and they have a monopoly of crimes and power which is something nobody achieved in Rio,' said Ignacio Cano, a researcher at the Violence Analysis Center at Rio de Janeiro State University. 'They are by far the strongest criminal group in Brazil.'

There are no official numbers on the gang's size, but the inner core considered as members is thought to include no more than a few thousand people, Cano said.

Police documents obtained by the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo last year indicated the gang's members numbered just over 1,300, and showed they are required to pay $300 in monthly fees in exchange for legal aid if they're arrested and support for their families if they go to jail.

What makes the PCC so powerful is that corporate approach to how it manages gang enterprises as well as its reach beyond its core membership.

'They outsource. They contract people and allow them to carry out certain activities as long as they're paying them (the PCC) something in return,' Cano said. 'For example, in 2006 many people say the killings of policemen were outsourced.'

Estimates of the number of people connected in some way to the gang go as high as 100,000.

Why Are Americans Vulnerable to Moral Relativism?

PJ Media has an article exploring why Americans are so vulnerable to moral relativism--the idea that no culture is better than another, and America is, possibly, worse. 

This delusion is both pathological and pathetic, yet it’s strong enough to render us incapable of defending our culture and our nation against attacks by other nations – nations that, by any other metric, should be at best pitied and at worst despised.

The author believes that part of the cause is our belief, summed up by Anne Frank, that at heart, all people are good. After discussing the context of Anne Frank's statement, and the circumstances of the death of all but one of her compatriots, the author states:

People are not innately good. Her words were whistling in the dark, written to give herself courage under terrible circumstances. In that context they are admirable. However, it is a grave error to use them as a yardstick for measuring human beings’ natural state.

Anyone who has children knows that, while they have a tremendous capacity for love, and have within them the potential for reason and kindness, their innate state is more Lord of the Flies than universal brotherhood. Children are naturally violent, greedy, and jealous. What tempers children is a society’s externally imposed value system. Significantly, these value systems don’t spring out of whole cloth. They are the results of centuries of give and take, violence, refining, and thought.

 In a chauvinistic way that I’m not even going to bother to defend at length, I firmly believe that our modern Judeo-Christian value system is one of the best ever created — and it’s not innate, it’s learned. I’ll go even further here: I don’t like the current fundamentalist Islamic value system, with its denigration of women, Jews, homosexuals, and non-Muslims, and its obsession with visiting extreme physical violence (and here I include beheading and other slaughters) on those so denigrated. Nor do I like socialist Europe, which has deified the state and is again giving itself permission to approve of or ignore Jewish genocide. People in those cultures, rather than being “truly good at heart,” have been taught inferior values from the cradle on.

Americans are not innately good and those in the fundamentalist Islamic Middle East or in socialist Europe are not inherently bad. We are all humans – but we Americans have the better value system. It’s therefore terribly dangerous for people to put their faith in Anne Frank’s touching but misguided words about humans’ innate goodness. If we pretend that no difference exists between us and the Muslim Brotherhood, then we cannot fight for our superior values because we have deliberately blinded ourselves to their superiority.

Mini-14 Rail Mounts

Although the Mini-14 is a long time favorite of preppers, it has always suffered from a couple of flaws that have held the rifle back from its full potential. Although the rifle is reliable (perhaps even more so than the AK), it has traditionally had poor quality sights. The original sights on the rifle, although sturdy, were not the best for accuracy--the front post was too large and thick, and the rear peep site, although rugged, blocked too much of the sight picture. Although the Ranch version had better rear sights for precision work, the sights were too delicate.

Ruger finally addressed this issue (and a few more) in the past few years with the newer "tactical" models. In the meantime, though, the world had moved on to optical sighting systems using rails. Because of the design of the Mini-14 (similar to the M-14), it is not amenable to rails over the bolt. ATI makes a stock system that has front rails. But for someone with an older rifle or someone that wants to keep the general look of the Mini-14 (which is rather benign), there are not a lot of good options for upgrading the sights.

Although I have not used these products, I have come across a couple that may be good solutions. Tech-Sights makes a replacement rear sight system that appears to be superior to the original, and has good reviews. (They also make improved sights for other rifles, including the AK and SKS).

As for rail systems, there are rail/scope mounts that replace the cover plate on the right side of the rifle. These appear to be indifferent to poor in quality, and I have not seen good reviews. As noted, ATI makes a stock system with front rails, but you have to replace the whole stock. Considering the top handguard of the Mini-14, I have wondered why someone didn't make a replacement that incorporated a rail system. To my delight, I found a business advertising such a product--the Country Shed is selling a "Mini-Scout-Mount" that replaces the top handguard of the Mini-14 (and the top half of the gas block) with a rail system.

If anyone has had experience with these products, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Fitch Signals Possible Downgrade of U.S. Credit Rating

NBC reports:

One of the country's major credit rating agencies signaled Tuesday that it could downgrade the U.S. rating, citing the impasse in Washington over raising the debt ceiling. 

Fitch Ratings put the U.S. government's AAA credit rating on "rating watch negative," which means there's a higher probability of a rating change, and that it could be negative. 

"Although Fitch continues to believe that the debt ceiling will be raised soon, the political brinkmanship and reduced financing flexibility could increase the risk of a U.S. default," the rating agency wrote in a statement. 

I wonder if my credit rating could be improved by getting a higher limit credit card. It would certainly give me more financial flexibility.

Earthquake in the Philippines

At least 85 people have been killed in the central Philippines when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake ripped through the area, destroying buildings and roads and triggering terrified stampedes. 

At least 15 people died in Cebu, according to the National Disaster Agency, with some killed when they became involved in a crush as people rushed out of homes and buildings, including hospitals, as aftershocks continued. 

Most of the deaths were on the neighbouring island of Bohol, which is close to the epicentre of the quake, with 69 confirmed fatalities so far.

(Full story here).

The Tunnel System Under Chicago

The Daily Mail has photos and a story about the freight train tunnels under Chicago.

Chicago is famous for its soaring skyline, but hidden from view is a 62-mile grid of abandoned freight tunnels once considered an engineering masterwork.  

Although the impressive grid connects all major railroad freight houses and many commercial establishments in downtown Chicago, few people ever saw this system from construction in 1899 to its abandonment in 1959.  

It wasn't until a contractor kicked a hole into the side of the one of the bores during the 1992 floods that the doomed passageways became big news.

What Would Happen In A U.S. Default

From the Telegraph:

I'd been part of the received wisdom that any act of US default would set off a devastating chain reaction of bankruptcies that would provoke a second global financial crisis. But David Bloom, chief currency strategist at HSBC, has convinced me that dollar hegemony might perversely act in the opposite way, at least initially. 

Unlike a generalised credit event, where all instruments default at the same time, the US would initially engage in a series of little, self contained defaults, or "selective defaults", whose individual impact would probably not be that great. 

Each bond has a life and coupon of its own. The missed coupon payment might therefore be regarded as not so bad – especially as this is a case of "won't pay", rather than "can't pay". 

Markets see such defaults differently, with missed payments expected to be made up eventually once a political resolution is found. It's also very likely that the Federal Reserve would attempt to counter the damage in financial markets with more QE, buying up the Treasuries that investors dumped. 

Furthermore, the financial uncertainty created by default would likely drive investors towards past safe havens of choice – in particular, US dollar assets. Alternative safe havens, such as Japan and Switzerland, have been rendered defunct by central bank money printing. Ironically, emerging markets are likely be more damaged by default than the US itself, with further capital flight. 

Such is the degree of "exorbitant privilege" enjoyed by the dollar that it might therefore be the first currency in history to see an asset price rally on the back of a default. However, if there were repeated selective defaults, a second, less benign phase would eventually set in. Spooked markets would begin to sell off the dollar. 

The consequent stronger euro and pound would have powerfully deflationary consequences for Europe. Internal demand in the US would also collapse as a result of the wrenching fiscal squeeze that would result from federal government attempts to match expenditures with tax revenues. 

Dollar hegemony has long been a destabilising force at the centre of the international monetary system; it's a major part of the sharp build-up in global current account imbalances and cross border capital flows that have been at the heart of so many of the problems in the world economy. The unprecedented accumulation of dollar foreign exchange reserves has in turn caused new challenges for the US, making it more difficult to maintain fiscal and financial stability within its own borders. 

Policies that may or may not be good for the US are in all probability bad for everyone else. Loose monetary policy in the US since the crisis began has induced unwanted demand and asset bubbles elsewhere in the world.

Noel Kerns' Night Photographs of Ruins

The Daily Mail has a story and photos by Noel Kerns' photographs of decayed and derelict buildings that he photographed at night. (Example below). Check out the whole thing.

Riots in Moscow

RT News reports:

Moscow police detained some 380 people during the mass rioting in a southern district of the city. A mixed crowd of nationalists and locals attacked a warehouse run by natives of the Caucasus, blaming a migrant for the fatal stabbing of a local. 

Authorities lifted the emergency plan codenamed “Volcano” after midnight, several hours after public order had been restored. The plan, put into effect in the afternoon, involved sending scores of riot police to the scene of the clashes, and placing police officers across the city on high alert.    

By midnight the streets were practically deserted, except for police officers and a couple of bystanders discussing the day’s events. Meanwhile the 380 detained during the unrest were being interrogated in a criminal case over hooliganism – thus far as witnesses, police said.  

A crowd of people on Sunday broke into a vegetable warehouse in the southern district of Biryulyovo, hurling rocks, smashing up stalls and vending machines. While the police estimated the crowd at about 350 people, witnesses at the scene suggested the number of rioters could be as many as 1,000. 

... Residents of the Biryulyovo district in southern Moscow took to the streets following the fatal stabbing of Egor Shcherbakov, a Muscovite, earlier in the week. Late on Thursday evening, when Shcherbakov and his girlfriend were on their way home, the young couple were attacked by an unidentified man who stabbed Shcherbakov with a knife.  

Shcherbakov’s girlfriend described the attacker as a male native of the Caucasus and said that he had assaulted her boyfriend after trying to harass her. 

 Buzzfeed also has a report.

Imminent Land Bust in Mid-West?

Scientific American (h/t Instapundit) reports that the EPA is considering reducing the amount of ethanol required to be mixed with fuel. The crony-capitalists (i.e., socialists) are upset, of course, because they stand to lose money if the government stops forcing people to buy their unwanted, useless product. From the story:

Speculation and media reports about the potential reduction in the blending levels ripped through financial markets on Thursday, spurring a major rally in the shares of independent refiners who have been paying hundreds of millions of dollars to buy ethanol credits to cover their blending obligations. 

Refiner PBF Energy surged by 12 percent, Valero Energy rose 5 percent while corn futures in Chicago tumbled more than 1 percent on the prospect of reduced demand for corn-based ethanol. Ethanol credits known as Renewable Identification Numbers slipped to 40 cents. 

The proposal, if ultimately approved, would mark a significant victory for U.S. oil companies, who have been lobbying regulators and Congress to cut biofuel blending mandates that had been eating into their market share. 

It would also mark a significant blow to the U.S. corn ethanol industry, which has been urging regulators to stand pat at the ambitious blending targets required under the law.

Not only has this misguided policy resulted in higher food and fuel costs (and, since ethanol is bad for engines, ultimately higher repair and replacement costs), but it has caused a boom in prices for farm land in the corn belt. The prices for land, however, are wholly artificial. So, if the mandate for ethanol is relaxed, expect the farm land bubble to burst, or at least deflate.