December 15, 2014 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Pictured: The spooky abandoned copper mines 4,000 feet up in the Alaskan mountains... where the last train left in 1938"--Daily Mail

Firearms/Prepping:

• "Developing Hunting Handloads"--Rifleshooters Magazine. Discussing the basic differences between bullets designed for target shooting, thin skinned game, and larger game, the author's fundamental advice is that "[i]t’s more practical to decide on one specific projectile offering the on-game performance you anticipate needing and limit your load development to a few carefully researched propellants and seating depths."
• "Obama Sends UN’s Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) To Senate for Ratification"--The Truth About Guns. Dear Leader is making one last stab at getting the Senate to ratify the ATT, which would place onerous procedural and record keeping requirements on gun dealers and purchasers of firearms, all in the name of making sure that the psychotic tyrants of other countries won't be toppled from power. 
• "DA-SA Semi-Auto Pistol Techniques with Massad Ayoob"--Tactical-Life. For those disdaining the striker fired pistol, this article is for you. Ayoob initially discusses the history of the DA/SA pistol, and the rational for selecting one:

     In 1990, I found myself teaching agent-involved shootings at the DEA Academy, which shares space with the FBI Academy. It was an ideal opportunity to pick the brain of John Hall, the legendary FBI agent who was then head of the Bureau’s Firearms and Tactics Unit (FTU).

     Hall explained to me that they went with DA-SA pistols because people under stress put their fingers on triggers—light trigger pulls were particularly prone to unintentional discharges under such circumstances—and safety was paramount. By then, Sig Sauer, S&W and Beretta had all come out with hammer-fired autopistols that were double-action-only (DAO), and I asked why FBI hadn’t gone in that direction.

     The reason, John told me, was that their research had taught them that negligent discharges were for the most part one-shot events. The reason the agent was armed in the first place was that he or she might get into a gunfight. When the agent fired more than one shot, Hall and the Bureau had reasoned, they were in a battle for their lives. A shorter, easier trigger pull would make it easier to hit under stress. Hence the choice of the traditional DA-SA, with the long and heavy pull for the first shot and a relatively easier pull for every shot thereafter. John Hall’s explanation of that made enormous sense to me at the time, and it still makes enormous sense to me now, a quarter century after the discussion.

As for operating the pistol's trigger, Ayoob offers the following advice:

     Assuming that the pistol fits the hand of the shooter, this means that, with the barrel of the gun in line with the long bones of the forearm, the distal joint of the trigger finger should be centered on the trigger. This is a lost secret from DA revolver shooting, which gives the shooter’s finger much more leverage against a relatively heavy trigger pull. When the trigger stays back after the first shot, there seems to be no degradation of rapid-fire accuracy when the shooter simply leaves the distal joint in contact with the trigger for subsequent rapid-fire pulls. In short, the DA-SA transition just isn’t that hard in and of itself.

     What makes it hard for some is that certain DA-SA autos have a very long reach for the finger to the trigger for the first shot. This is a problem best solved by going with a gun that better fits the shooter’s hand. 

• "Mental Health in the Apocalypse"--Blue Collar Prepping. This is part of a series of articles on health and nutrition post-SHTF. This particular article focuses on people that are suffering from emotional or psychiatric disorders requiring medications, the most common being depression and anxiety. Unfortunately, as the article explains, there is little hope to be found from herbs and such. In fact, traditionally, "medication," as such, was prolific use of alcohol beverages (which is probably why heavy drinking was such a problem throughout human history). His advice is to see if it is possible to stock up on your medications if you happen to be someone that needs them.
• "Magpul Now Shipping MOE SL-S Carbine Stocks"--The Firearms Blog. This new version of the MOE SL stock features a watertight storage compartment, which was lacking from the original version. Currently the stock is only offered in black, but other colors should soon be available.
• "Federal Court Upholds CA’s 10-Day Waiting Period for All Gun Sales"--The Truth About Guns. The liberal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a California law as "reasonable" that requires a 10-day waiting period between the purchase of a firearm and taking it home.
• "Changing Buffer Weight on AR15s"--Rifleshooters Magazine. This article discusses the pros and cons of various weights of buffers (noting that if you are going with a light weight buffer, you will probably need to couple it with an adjustable gas block). The author explains the various buffer weights, and even some specialty buffers such as MGI’s Rate and Recoil Reducing buffer and some of the offerings from HeavyBuffers.com.
• "What would REALLY happen if an asteroid struck the ocean: Simulation reveals impact would launch BILLIONS of tons of water into the atmosphere"--Daily Mail. According to the article:

     An impact would have devastating effects if it occurred within 10-20 kilometers of a city's coastline, potentially killing thousands of people - but if it hit out in the middle of the ocean, the massive waves generated by the collision would quickly die down.

     A new simulation reveals that the destructive waves would be unable to travel long distances, preventing city-swallowing tsunamis from reaching the shorelines.

     Water vapour, instead, could pose a larger threat – the impact would launch billions of tons of the greenhouse gas into the air, with potential to linger in the stratosphere for months or even years.

Other Stuff:

• Fake News Update: "CIA officials REFUSE to brief Congress on the truth about Russian hacking claims - and are rebuked by GOP congressman for 'disgraceful' move"--Daily Mail. The reticence of the CIA is probably because the facts don't support their story. In fact, Craig Murray, a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan and a close associate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, has indicated that the source of the emails was a Democrat insider. In any event, the only election hacking of which there is evidence is the Department of Homeland Security's multiple attempts to hack the Georgia Secretary of State's Office.
• Of course: "Teen made up story about anti-Muslim attack on subway"--New York Post. "The Muslim teen [eighteen year old Yasmin Seweid] who claimed three drunks taunted her as a 'terrorist' on a Manhattan subway train now admits she lied to cops — who arrested her on Wednesday." 
• "The Secrets of Saberin, Iran’s Elite Commando Unit Operating in Syria and Iraq"--The Tower. From the details in the article, it sounds as though they suffer a large number of fatalities.
• "A mother of four vanished in June. Police say her husband — and his other wife — killed her."--Washington Post. The primary suspect is Francisco Valdivia, a Mexican national, married the victim, Cecilia Bravo Cabrera, in order to obtain legal status in the United States. Valdivia, however, was already married to another woman, Rosalina Lopez, who has also been charged as an accessory. Valdivia is believed to have killed Cabrera after obtaining his legal status.
• "Electors are being harassed, threatened in bid to stop Trump"--New York Post. The article indicates that "[e]lectors around the country are being harassed with a barrage of emails, phone calls and letters — and even death threats — in an effort to block Donald Trump from being voted in as president by the Electoral College on Monday."
• Related: "How To Violently Prevent Trump From Taking Power"--Michael Tracy at Medium. Tracy indicates that he would never condone any such action, but nevertheless sets out what he would do (if he were to do it) to prevent an electoral collage vote:

     I’d assemble armed resistance brigades in and around states that voted for Trump. I’d make sure the participants are well-trained in urban combat. I’d do drills. I’d ensure that secure communications have been established to enable inter-state coordination. I’d impart to participants that they should be prepared to face severe state punishment for their rebellious acts— perhaps even death.

     The plan would be as such. The brigades would position at Republican state capitals (Harrisburg PA, Lansing MI, Raleigh NC, etc.) where the Electoral College is due to meet on December 19. I’d make sure every Elector expected to vote for Trump is identified. The night of December 18, the brigades would forge a blockade at the various state capitol buildings. Electors identified as Republican and/or Trump supporters would be physically prevented from entering, if necessary by lethal force. It’s possible that Electors would scramble to meet someplace other than the state capitol building; the resistance must take precautions to ensure this does not happen, possibly by physically restraining the Electors, imprisoning them, or worse.

     If this is carried out successfully in enough Republican state capitals, Trump will fail to receive the requisite 270 electoral votes, and the election would be decided in the House of Representatives. Who the hell knows what would happen at that point.

•  "'No! You cannot touch me!': New footage from Cologne sex attacks reveals how women screamed at their attackers as police realised they are powerless to stop them"--Daily Mail. It was a lack of will, not ability. 
• "The incredible thousand-year-old UNDERGROUND 18-storey city that could house 20,000 people and was discovered by chance when a man was doing DIY on his house in Turkey"--Daily Mail. Obviously not a new discovery, but lots of interesting photos of the underground complex.