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

"How to Use a Compass"

REI (7 min.)

• Check out the new Woodpile Report for this week. Ol' Remus begins this week's edition with a discussion of Critical Race Theory and Black Liberation Theology. Among other things, he observes that "[c]entral to Black Liberation Theology is wordy but otherwise undisguised contempt for whites that includes a demand for total subjugation of white people, meaning a life of unquestioning service to Members Of The African American Community without hope of redemption for the 'original sin' of whiteness." 
• In juxtaposition, Mark Steyn, writing about President Trump's speech in Poland last week, concludes: "Ours is the civilization that built the modern world - as even the west's cultural relativists implicitly accept, if only because they have no desire to emigrate and try to make a living as a cultural relativist in Yemen or Niger. We built it, and, if we do not maintain it, and defend it, then, as Donald Trump says, it will never come again."
• Interesting firearms history: "Stille Vuurkrag:-Documented Combat Usage of the American-180 by SADF/Rhodesian SAS"--The Firearms Blog. The American 180 was a .22 LR caliber submachine gun using a pan magazine holding 177 rounds. In the operation described in the article, a Rhodesian special forces group used two of them, silenced, with good effect. The book from which the author quotes states:

Capt Willis and Lt. Mike Rich were carrying the silenced American-180 submachine guns and advanced on the FRELIMO group as if to talk with them.  When close up, they opened fire on the leader and his 2iC.  They both dropped immediately but the other members initially appeared not to fully realize that they were under attack and in the temporary confusion, the SAS team clambered over a wall and withdrew through the streets to the lay-up position.

• "When Do Burglaries Occur?"--Apartment Prepper.  Mostly between 10 am and 3 pm, when burglars know that most people will be at work or school. Posing at salesmen or repairmen, they can check out houses without suspicion. While the article gives standard advice on getting good locks, installing a security system, etc., I would also mention the importance of strong and deep screws for your locks and hinges. The screws should be at least 3 to 4 inches long so they can go deeply into the framing of the house.
• "Five Best AR-15 Magazines For Your Rifle"--Ammo Land.  The author gives his opinion as to the five brands/models of magazines he likes, while also discussing the need to test magazines. He recommends that you first buy just one or two to test before investing in a large number, then purchase an additional 6 to 8 for more testing.
• An example of government failing at its basic purpose: "BART Withholding Surveillance Videos Of Crime To Avoid ‘Stereotypes’"--CBS SF Bay Area. According to the article, "[i]n the last three months, there have been at least three robberies on BART involving groups of teenagers." It goes on:

       So far, BART has refused to turn over surveillance video for any of these incidents.

        Allen told us the agency issued an explanation for why it is being tight-lipped about the thefts.

        “To release these videos would create a high level of racially insensitive commentary toward the district,” she was told. “And in addition it would create a racial bias in the riders against minorities on the trains.”

        According to a memo distributed to BART Directors, the agency won’t do a press release on the June 30 theft because it was a “petty crime” that would make BART look “crime ridden.” Furthermore, it would “unfairly affect and characterize riders of color, leading to sweeping generalizations in media reports.”

       The memo was from BART Assistant General Manager Kerry Hamill.

• "Why Doesn’t the .45 Colt Get More Love?"--The Truth About Guns. The author discusses some of the advantages of the .45 Colt, including cartridges ranging from low power Cowboy Action Shooting rounds up to those providing performance equal to the .44 Magnum (but at lower pressures). He also notes that some companies produce revolvers that will also accept moonclips so you can shoot .45 ACP through the same weapon.
• Do as I say, not as I do: George Clooney has been instrumental in urging Western nations to welcome so-called "refugees" from the Middle-East and North Africa. But when these refugees actually arrive, what does he do? "George Clooney Plans to Move Amal and Twins Back to LA for Security Reasons"--Life & Style. From the article:

        Life & Style has exclusively learned that George Clooney has recently made plans to move back to LA, for the safety of his family, after the latest spate of terror attacks in England.

       “He doesn’t feel like Amal and the twins are safe living in the English countryside,” an insider says. “He’s determined to move his family to LA, where he feels much more secure.”

But as Paul Joseph Watson notes in this recent video (5 min.), it isn't just England: Clooney is also reportedly selling a mansion in Italy after refugees invaded the nearby village. Anonymous Conservative explains: 

The funny thing is, these ideas are not contradictory in his mind. In his mind, the migrants he has supported importing are not the migrants he is running from, and the two are totally unrelated. He doesn’t really need to question his programming, because he has already followed the rabbit program – things got hot and he fled to a safer land of free resource availability. In his mind, there is no cognitive pain.

• Stating the obvious: "Saudi Arabia exports extremism to many countries - including Germany, study says"--Deutsche Welle. The article notes that "[a] British study has found that Saudi Arabia plays a key role in the radicalization of Muslims. The Wahhabi influence, fueled by oil money, can be seen in Germany as well, says researcher Susanne Schröter."
• Evolution in action: "Seven friends drown after their boat capsized when they huddled in one corner to take this selfie"--Daily Mail. 
• They've been lying to you: "Study Finds Temperature Adjustments Account For ‘Nearly All Of The Warming’ In Climate Data"--The Daily Caller. From the article: "Climate scientists often apply adjustments to surface temperature thermometers to account for 'biases' in the data. The new study doesn’t question the adjustments themselves but notes nearly all of them increase the warming trend." Well, in addition, the biases are because surface temperature thermometers are generally located in areas that would be considered heat traps. Thus, if there is any adjustment, it should be downward. But, instead, the climate "researchers" are adjusting the already skewed temperatures further upward.

• Related: "How They airbrushed out the Inconvenient Pause"--Watts Up With That.

In November 2015, just before the faithful gathered around their capering, gibbering witch-doctors and shamans in Paris for the New Superstition’s annual festival of thanks and praise, hugs and back-slapping, the Inconvenient Pause lengthened to 18 years 9 months. One-third of Man’s entire influence on climate since the Industrial Revolution had occurred since February 1997, yet on the then RSS dataset the 225 months since that month had shown no global warming at all.

• Related: "2017 Global temperatures are leveling off – near 1980 temperature anomaly (depending on who you ask)"--Watts Up With That.

• The wages of sin socialism: "Two years after the bailout, life in Greece has gotten more miserable"--USA Today. From the article:

       Two years after an international bailout that was supposed to lead to an economic revival, conditions here have only worsened and life for Greeks has become one of constant misery.   

       The economy is stagnant, unemployment hovers around 25% and is twice as high for young adults, taxes are rising, and wages are falling. Half of Greek homeowners can’t make their mortgage payments and another quarter can’t afford their property taxes, according to the Bank of Greece.

But at least they have all those "refugees" to help grow their economy.

• "Israelis fume over Netanyahu's retraction of Hungary's anti-Soros campaign criticism"--Deutsche Welle. The Hungarian government has been publicly very critical about Nazi-sympathizer George Soros and his social-Marxism. The Israeli ambassador to Hungary condemned the ad-campaign against Soros, calling it Antisemitism.  "But a day later, Israel retracted the criticism, with the foreign ministry saying that Soros 'continuously undermines Israel's democratically elected governments by funding organizations that defame the Jewish state.'" This has resulted in criticism against the Israeli prime minister. Vox Day has some interesting comments on this situation.
• Remember what I was discussing yesterday: "Monster Solar Minimum Approaching?"--Watts Up With That. The author writes:

This recent post was on the fact that the Sun’s EUV emissions had fallen to solar minimum-like levels well ahead of solar minimum. The implication was that the Solar Cycle 24/25 minimum was either going to be very deep and prolonged, or that Solar Cycle 24 would be very short, which in turn would be strange for a weak cycle.

Keep in mind that the Carrington Event happened during what was an otherwise unremarkable solar cycle, so just because there is little solar activity on the surface does not mean that something dramatic is not happening within the Sun. Interestingly, the reduced solar activity also means that the Earth's heliosphere--a protective bubble around the Earth--is shrinking. Thus, “[a]s the sun becomes less active, sunspots and coronal ejections will become less frequent. However, if a mass ejection did hit the Earth, it could be even more damaging to the electronic devices on which society is now so dependent.”