March 11, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

The barbarians are within the gates: "Miami vice! Hundreds of wild college students clash with cops after trashing South Beach in out-of-control Spring Break party"--Daily Mail

Firearms/Prepping:

• "DI Optical’s [EG]1 Review: Thinking Outside The Box With A Box"--Loose Rounds. The author beat and mishandled this reflex sight and really liked it. He describes the optic:

One of the key features of the optic is the unique form factor. As you can see, it is a square body with a square-ish 28mm lens. This unique configuration is made possible due to the prism assembly which allows the emitter to be smack dab in the base of the optic. As the emitter shines upward from the base, it is redirected by the prism to the shooter and it allows the DIO to maximize lens real estate without the emitter assembly getting in the way. Thinking outside the box with a box.

He has a video of his review at the link as well. Although the specific price is not stated, he indicated that the price was "just north" of $400. This same author had reviewed another DIO product recently: the DV1 red-dot sight. Its price is about $230. Both are military rated optics.

• "British Hypocrisy on Guns"--The Truth About Guns. The author notes that while the UK pretty much prohibits its subjects from possessing firearms and using them for self-defense, it is more than willing to authorize sales of military arms to various war zones to arm child armies. He thinks this is hypocritical. However, that is incorrect: the UK's position is completely consistent. Like most countries, the UK allows sales of military arms because it advances a particular foreign policy goal or objective. That is, the UK knows that supplying arms can influence a situation: supplying arms to a government (or pro-government forces) can help that government maintain power; supplying arms to rebels can help overthrow a government. It is the latter consideration that informs British laws prohibiting the private ownership of firearms. It only appears to be hypocritical from our perspective because we hold to the quaint notion that the people are the rulers, not the ruled.
• "Making Flour and Flatbread from Dried Beans"--Security and Self-Reliance. The author describes his and his wife's experiments with trying to make flour from beans. Because their grain mill was out of action, they ended up cooking the beans, mashing them, then drying them into flakes which were broken up with an improvised mortar and pestle. 
• "Storage Issues"--Survival UK. A look at the problems (and expense) of buying and storing tools and supplies. I think we can all empathize. 
• "Math for Marksmen: The Speed Vs. Accuracy Equation"--John Mosby at Prepared Gunowners. This article seems a nice follow up to some other recent articles concerning speed and accuracy--particularly Gabe Suarez's recent comments on the obsession with speed. Mosby also shares various drills to enhance both speed and accuracy.
• "Self Watering Propeller Bottle Garden"--Urban Green Survival. This is a clever contraption: a central 2 liter soda bottle is used as a water reservoir for multiple other bottles inserted around it, and in which are soil for growing plants. Instructions, photographs and video at the link. (H/t "5 Tips to Start Your Apartment Garden with Very Little Money"--Apartment Prepper).
• "How To Make An Emergency Rope Horse Halter"--Urban Survival Skills. 
• "Trauma to lives, economy from tsunami persists 6 years on"--Associated Press. From the article:

Six years ago, more than 18,000 people died or went missing as a tsunami triggered by a massive quake engulfed coastal areas of northeastern Japan. Tens of thousands more people's lives were unraveled when they lost family members, friends, homes and livelihoods. The displacement widened as entire communities fled after meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant.

The gist of the story is that the impact of a disaster can live on long after the disaster occurred.

• "I Am Your Worst Nightmare"--Survival Spot. Some thoughts about defending your home or retreat from groups of raiders. The nature of the article is a type of "what would I do?":

I am the leader of a band of 8-to-12 looters. I have some basic military training. We move from place to place like locusts devouring everything in our path. My group is armed with light weapons and can develop and follow simple plans of attack. We take what we want by force of arms. We prefer none of our victims survive because that could cause problems for us in the future.

The advice and tactics seem to oriented around defending an isolated rural retreat with substantial land and cover around the retreat location. Most of the advice is centered around maintaining operational security and counter-surveillance. The author also addresses tactics to overcome strong defenses such as: "snipe and siege" (essentially infiltrating to within 50 to 75 yards before picking off potential defenders): Trojan Horse tactics of using a vehicle from a someone familiar or friendly to get within a defensive perimeter; kidnap and surrender; and good ol' fire and maneuver.  

To me, although I could nit-pick the general scenario, this really seems to be an argument against having an isolated, rural retreat. In a SHTF situation, ad-hoc vigilance committees will spring up. A small group of raiders, as set out in the scenario, would always have to worry about becoming the hunted instead of the hunter. They would have to balance reconnaissance against the risk of discovery. Attacks are going to have to be either against isolated locations, and/or smash and grabs. 

Other Stuff:

• More cultural diversity on show in Germany:

• "Hamburg ‘tear gas attack’ on packed train"--News.com.au. The article reports: "Two 'youths' reportedly fled the scene after spraying the toxic substance on a carriage carrying about 50 people." "Youths" is commonly used to denote Muslim teens in news reports from Europe.

• "Plot to hit German shopping centre with multiple suicide bombers is foiled after police are tipped off about 'imminent attack'"--Daily Mail.

• "North Slope Alaska Oil Discovery Already Called Huge Just Got Bigger…"--Weasel Zippers. Based on data from additional test wells, reserves for the deposit is now estimated to be 1.2 billion barrels.
• "Possible Breakthrough in 3D Metal Printing?"--Silicon Graybeard. Current technology uses a process of laser sintering, in which a layer of metal powder is deposited, and then a laser is used to melt those portions of the layer needed to create the object. This new technology, being developed in the United States, is more like an ink jet printer, using a reservoir of molten metal, and spraying out the droplets of metal to print an object.
• "Warfighter: Middle Earth"--Angry Staff Officer. An analysis, applying modern military doctrine, of the siege of Minas Tirith and the destruction of the orc army when the siege was broken.
• "Did an extraterrestrial object wipe out Paleo-Americans? Traces of platinum at US archaeological sites suggest an asteroid or comet might have caused disappearance of Clovis people"--Daily Mail. This theory has been bubbling around for years, but this reports on new evidence to support the hypothesis.