April 26, 2016 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

News Items:

• "Cartels Help Terrorists in Mexico Get to U.S. to Explore Targets; ISIS Militant Shaykh Mahmood Omar Khabir Among Them"--Judicial Watch. From the article:

Mexican drug traffickers help Islamic terrorists stationed in Mexico cross into the United States to explore targets for future attacks, according to information forwarded to Judicial Watch by a high-ranking Homeland Security official in a border state. Among the jihadists that travel back and forth through the porous southern border is a Kuwaiti named Shaykh Mahmood Omar Khabir, an ISIS operative who lives in the Mexican state of Chihuahua not far from El Paso, Texas. Khabir trained hundreds of Al Qaeda fighters in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen and has lived in Mexico for more than a year, according to information provided by JW’s government source.

Now Khabir trains thousands of men—mostly Syrians and Yemenis—to fight in an ISIS base situated in the Mexico-U.S. border region near Ciudad Juárez, the intelligence gathered by JW’s source reveals. Staking out U.S. targets is not difficult and Khabir actually brags in an Italian newspaper article published last week that the border region is so open that he “could get in with a handful of men, and kill thousands of people in Texas or in Arizona in the space of a few hours.” Foreign Affairs Secretary Claudia Ruiz, Mexico’s top diplomat, says in the article that she doesn’t understand why the Obama administration and the U.S. media are “culpably neglecting this phenomenon,” adding that “this new wave of fundamentalism could have nasty surprises in store for the United States.”

• "Shocked police reveal blood, urine, faeces and semen smeared over surfaces in asylum centre which is now a cockroach-infested slum since it was used for migrant housing in Germany"--Daily Mail. Basic story is that a group of police, called up to provide extra security for Obama's visit, were told to use a recently emptied immigrant shelter for their quarters. What they discovered was that it was unusable because the immigrants had pissed, shat, vomited, and who-knows-what-else, on the floors, bedding, etc. 
• "'We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses and enslave your women by the permission of Allah': Christian Church website gets hacked by ISIS"--Daily Mail. They keep saying it, but our leaders do not believe them.
• "The Chernobyl Conundrum: Is Radiation As Bad As We Thought?"--Der Speigel. Low levels of radiation apparently is not detrimental, and may actually be beneficial to people that suffer from chronic inflammation. 

Survival/Prepping:

• "Firewatch"--Wilderness Survival Skills. The author writes:

Unless you've built a Teepee, it's usually impossible to build a fire inside your shelter. Ring your campfire with grapefruit sized rocks. You can't take the fire into your shelter with you, but you can wrap hot rocks in spare clothing and use them inside your shelter or bedroll like hot water bottles. You can also bury 3 or 4 of them directly under your bedroll to heat the ground. That gives you several hours of continuous heat and a good night's sleep. Exchange them for hot ones as they cool off. Be cautious not to use rocks from stream beds or lakes. Those are waterlogged and can explode if you heat them, sending sharp rock shards flying thru your campsite like shrapnel. ...

• "Armageddon Wok"--Neo Survivalist. Using a small vertical log fire with a cast iron wok for cooking.
• "Is a Russian SF AK really an AK?"--John 1911. A look at the modifications that Russian special forces make to their AKs, and which you might want to consider.
• "How To Quickly Force Open a Padlock Using a Pair of Nut Wrenches"--Laughing Squid (h/t Breck Ellison on Pinterest). Video at the link. I have an old padlock to which I've lost the key that I may try this on--so far, it has resisted my bolt cutters, and I haven't bothered to try and cut it with a saw.
• "Radiation Doses for Dummies"--Blue Collar Prepping. Another in their "Radiation for Dummies" series, this time discussing the acute versus chronic exposure, and the impact of shielding and distance.
• "How to Make a River Cane Fish Trap"--Survival Sherpa. You've probably seen a basic illustration and, perhaps, bare bones instructions on these before. Basically, you have a larger cone made of canes, and a smaller funnel set within the opening of the large cone. The fish swim through the funnel into the larger body of the trap, but, because of the narrow opening on the funnel, can't find their way out. The author has not only detailed written instructions and photographs, but also includes an instructional video. 
• "An $89 backup generator"--Backwoods Home Magazine. The author writes:

While a generator rated at 1000 watts or less may not be able to power your toaster, coffee pot, or microwave oven, they can keep a residential refrigerator operating by running about two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening (while also powering your television, radio, a few LED lights, and perhaps recharging a few battery-powered devices) with only one gallon of gas per day. The larger contractor and whole-house generators may have the capacity to power all of your electrical loads, but this is little comfort if your fuel supply only lasts a few days. At a one-gallon consumption per day, a 1000-watt backup generator can operate an entire week on the fuel a larger generator would use in less than a few hours — something to think about when facing a potential grid-down event.

In this under 1000-watt size range, there is a small gasoline generator being marketed by Harbor Freight. The Storm Cat 800-watt (900-watt peak) generator has a huge following on YouTube with videos describing their operation and suggested modifications to make as soon as you open the box. Many owners feel its extremely low price is the reason several needed features were left off, while others have a love-hate relationship with this little generator. While I am not going to recommend readers run out and buy one tomorrow, I do think it might be worth a closer look, especially for those with limited cash.

I actually paid only $89 for this generator, which normally sells for $135, using a magazine coupon at a Harbor Freight store located in a nearby city, which saved the shipping cost.

• "Natural Spider Repellents – 8 Ways to Get Rid of Spiders"--Common Sense Homesteading. The author recommends certain herbs be included in a garden (or gardens) around the perimeter of the house, as well as certain essential oils; but she also mentions some basic hygiene and other steps to reduce spiders.
• "Beginner Fitness Exercises for SHTF Survival (Part One)"--GeekPrepper. This first part of the series focuses on drills and exercises for the beginner--i.e., someone that is out of shape. The author promises future posts with more advanced exercises.