June 3, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Woodman's Pal"--Wilderness Outfitters (10 min.). 

Dave Canterbury reviews the military version of the Woodsman's Pal (WP284). 

Firearms/Self-Defense/Prepping:

• "GEMTECH Sold To Smith & Wesson"--The Firearms Blog. GemTech has announced that it has been acquired by Smith & Wesson. They are a local company, and I have some concerns that they might be moved back East with the rest of Smith & Wesson, but the article indicates that "the new GEMTECH headquarters building in Meridian, Idaho is still on schedule as well as all current product development and manufacturing capabilities." The acquisition makes sense, what with the Marine Corps looking at equipping each Marine with a silenced weapon. GemTech, by itself, would not have the capital to ramp up production if a large military contract came through, but Smith & Wesson probably would.
• "Get Off the X, Don’t Turtle: Guns for Beginners"--The Truth About Guns. Discussion a video of a man showing off how fast he is with a handgun and reloads, the author of this article has one criticism: the shooter never moves. The author writes: "you need to GTF out-of-the-way first. Or, at the least, at the same time as you’re unleashing a ballistic response. And definitely towards cover (an object that stop bullets) or concealment (an object that hides you). Remembering that a moving target — you — is harder to stab, shoot, pummel or rape than a stationary one."
• "How to Predict Ethnicity of a Mass Shooter from the Ratio of Wounded to Killed"--V Dare. Looking at some mass shootings, the author notes that greater accuracy (expressed in the ratio of dead to wounded) appears to be related to "white privilege." Not a surprising observation, however, to anyone that has noticed that the best quarterbacks are white.

• Related: Speaking of poor shots: "Racist, Black, Mass Shooter “Dr.” Henry Bello Had Committed Felony Attempted Rape, but Through Criminal Justice Affirmative Action, was Only Charged with a Misdemeanor, and Always Got Jobs Through [Affirmative Action]"--Nicholas Stix, Uncensored. 

• "Dakin’s Solution for Wound Care"--Doom and Bloom. Dakin's Solution was a topical antiseptic made from bleach and baking soda, invented during the horrors of World War I to protect against infection in open wounds. According to the author:

Today, Dakin’s solution is still considered effective enough to be used after surgery and on chronic wounds, like bedsores, by many practitioners. It’s easily prepared and can be made stronger or milder by varying the amount of bleach used. Use it simply to clean the wound during dressing changes by pouring onto the affected area, or to moisten dressings used in an open wound.

The author provides a recipe for the solution, as well as instructions on canning it. However, the author notes that even canned, the solution only remains potent for about 30 days, so he recommends it be made as needed in a survival situation. As for use, he directs:

        Pour into wound once daily for mildly infected wounds, twice daily for heavily infected wounds with drainage of pus. Alternatively, moisten (not soak) dressings used inside the wound (not on top of the skin) with a mild strength solution and observe progress. I would prefer using it as a cleanser as opposed to a regular component of a wet dressing. Some studies show that use in this manner may be injurious to developing cells. Having said that, if you’re dealing with a severe infection (as opposed to preventing one), it may be reasonable to incorporate Dakin’s into the dressing.

       Dakin’s solution can be used as a mouthwash for infections inside the oral cavity, but must never be swallowed. Swish for about a minute before spitting it out no more than twice a week.

       Full strength may irritate skin, so consider protecting skin edges with petroleum jelly or other skin protectant/moisture barrier. Look for evidence of skin rashes, burning, itching, hives, or blisters. If irritation occurs, drop down to a milder strength or discontinue. Do not use in those allergic to Chlorine.

One concern I would have is the extended use of this solution. When I was a teen, my hand was caught underneath the tongue of a trailer, which slid across my hand and severely abraded the back and some of my fingers. I was sent home from the emergency room with instructions to soak my hand in hydrogen peroxide twice a day to prevent infection. What the doctor didn't say was whether there was time limit to this program. After a week of doing this, the wounds were clean with no sign of infection, but there was also no indication that they were healing; and it was extremely painful to soak the wounds like this. After the week, I stopped soaking my hand in the H2O2 and started using an antibiotic gel, and the wounds quickly healed without too much scarring. 

• "15 Ways To Wipe Your Butt When The Toilet Paper Is Gone"--Urban Survival Site (h/t SHTF Preparedness). The first three options are other paper products: wipes, kleenex, or old newspaper. Other methods (which will require that the item be cleaned between uses) are to use a sponge, rags, or a flat rock with smoothed edges (basically, a rock that would be good for skipping across a pond). You can also use water: either by washing and splashing the water into the target area using a cup or your hands; or using a squirt bottle, similar to a bidet. The author then discusses some plant leaves that will also work.
• "Thermophilic composting of human wastes in uncertain urban environments: a case study from Haiti" (PDF) -- S. Kramer, et al. A science journal article on the use of composting to dispose of toilet wastes following the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. The paper notes that "[d]espite multiple hurricanes, a cholera epidemic, and political unrest, the SOIL composting facilities have treated over 500,000 gallons of human waste in the past three years, converting it to pathogen free compost, over 10,000 gallons of which has been sold for use in agriculture and reforestation projects. The experience of thermophilic composting in Haiti is unique in scale and duration and can have global implications for waste treatment in both emergency and development contexts."
• Just a reminder to readers to check out the Vintage Projects site which has an extensive collection of DIY articles from past issues of home repair and mechanics magazines.

Other Stuff:

• Running out of other peoples' money: "'From Horrific to Catastrophic': Court Ruling Sends Illinois Into Financial Abyss"--The Anti-Media (republished from Zero Hedge). If you have been following real news, you probably are aware that the financial situation in Illinois has grown progressively worse, and that because of the state's failure to approve a budget for 3 years, Moody's was prepared to downgrade Illinois' bonds to the lowest of any state, ever. Currently, the Illinois legislature looks to have finally passed a budget, but the governor is threatening to veto it because, rather than reign in spending, "it calls for a humongous $5 billion tax increase and for a lot more spending. Especially for public employee union benefits, public schools, universities, social service groups, and other Democrat Party supporting groups latched on to the teat of government funds." Now a court may have delivered a death blow to the state's finances: 

       ... [I]n a “shocking” development, just hours remaining before the midnight deadline to pass the Illinois budget, and Illinois’ imminent loss of its investment grade rating, federal judge Joan Lefkow in Chicago ordered Illinois to come up with hundreds of millions of dollars it owes in Medicaid payments that state officials say the government doesn’t have, the Chicago Tribune reported. Judge Lefkow ordered the state to make $586 million in monthly payments (from the current $160 million) as well as another $2 billion toward a $3 billion backlog of payments – a $167 million increase in monthly outlays – the state owes to managed care organizations that process payments to providers.

        While it is no secret that as part of its collapse into the financial abyss, Illinois has accumulated $15 billion in unpaid bills, the state’s Medicaid recipients have had enough, and went to court asking a judge to order the state to speed up its payments. On Friday, the court ruled in their favor. The problem, of course, is that Illinois can no more afford to pay the outstanding Medicaid bills, than it can to pay any of its $14,711,351,943.90 in overdue bills as of June 30.

• "Gunmen Open Fire On Mosque In France"--Anonymous Conservative. The news article cited in the post indicated that police had ruled out "terrorism," which suggests that it may have stemmed from a conflict between criminal immigrant gangs. Anonymous Conservative notes, however, that if it were French "patriots" opposed to immigration, the government would attempt to downplay the same. He also warns anyone thinking of such operations about the effectiveness of the surveillance state:

       Our security services have now had over a decade and a half to practice both spotting these kinds of things before they happen, and finding who did them after they happen. ...

       If you have no experience or training in the most elite counter-intelligence aspects of the security state apparatus, keep your powder dry, and do not get involved in this battle. They will take you down fast, using technology and techniques so effective you would not believe it if you saw it.

* * * 

       Clearly the elites have set a stage for civil war, which looks unavoidable. But getting shots off now is only going to get you taken out of the big game when it goes down, and it will not affect the timetable, which by now it is obvious will be dictated by the tides of r/K.

        Things will get bad. Our side will take hits. But if it is going to come to war someday, make sure you have not been taken out of the game before it even starts by not getting into it now. Let the tide of K roll in, and wait until the decision to act is an obvious one, and there are tens of millions of your fellow citizens who have reached the same conclusion.

         Until then, keep your head down and keep your nose clean. While you do, it is entirely possible that the Muslims will kill a significant number of each other in the intervening period.

For my American readers, I would also note that as bad as things may appear, they are still picayune compared to much of what was going on in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. Sure, there is the wide-spread public acceptance of sexual deviance, whether it be openly embracing such behavior by the left or the laissez faire approach favored by most Christians and libertarians, but civil strife, political violence and domestic terrorism was much greater in the '60s and '70s. 

• Someone is aiming to be bad: "Portuguese president speaks out over stolen weapons arsenal"--BBC News. The theft from a military arsenal included 9 mm ammunition and a large number of grenades, 102 explosive charges, and 264 "pieces" of plastic explosive (whatever that means--are individual "pieces" 1 pound, 1 kilogram, 500 pounds?).
• Big Brother is watching over you: "Wikileaks Exposes CIA’ Linux Hacking, Geolocation Tracker Malware"--Hack Read. The article states that one of the tools disclosed in recent Wikileaks disclosures is "OutlawCountry", which is "a tool that allows CIA to hack into Linux-based systems and perform a cyberespionage on the victims. According to the leaked documents, it essentially lets the agency to secretly monitor the activities of the victim by manipulating network traffic." The article goes on to describe, in a cursory manner, how the hack works. It also warns that another tool allowed the CIA to track the location of laptop computer via its interaction with WiFi networks, even if the WiFi was "off."

• Related: PRISM Break offers some anti-surveillance tools. 

• Cultural enrichment: "Teen jailed for life for plotting to bomb Elton John concert"--The Telegraph. From the article:

       Haroon Syed, 19, tried to get a suicide vest or machine gun and identified the Hyde Park event as a possible target.

       He was snared online by officers from the British Security Service posing as a fellow extremist.

       The Old Bailey heard the trigger for his radicalisation was the arrest of his older brother for plotting an Islamic State-inspired Poppy Day attack.

       Syed, from Hounslow, west London, had admitted preparation of terrorist acts between April and September last year.

• "As predicted climate scientists begin adjusting satellite data to fit models"--Beyond the Black. This is a space exploration blog, so it is unusual to see the author delve into this topic. Nevertheless, he reports:

If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts! The scientists in charge of the climate satellite data produced by Remote Sensing Services (RSS) in California have decided to adjust their satellite data to increase the warming trend since 2000 and make that data more closely match the surface temperature data that NASA and NOAA have already altered to show that same warming trend.

• The hoi polloi are revolting:  "Adidas executive's new home in Portland is defaced with 'go back to California' graffiti just months after he moved to the city"--Daily Mail. And this is was in tolerant Portlandia. I blame Black Claw. 
• "The mainstream media’s Leftist bias means it’s all fake news"--Bookworm Room. One method used by the mainstream media to provide fake news is by twisting language or misusing terms. For instance, the author discusses the replacement of "illegal alien" with "immigrant":

        In the old days, when there was a societal consensus that it’s a bad thing for people to sneak into a sovereign country without that country’s permission, those sneaky people were called “illegal aliens,” which was a perfect descriptive term. They were here illegally and, being illegal, they could not be “immigrants.” In a sovereign nation with border control laws, an immigrant is someone whom the government welcomes into the country through its legal process; an alien is a non-citizen who has no right to be in the country.

        Progressives, with their push to use newly arrived people, whether here illegally or not, as ballast for permanent Democrat party votes, fully understood the accurate import of the term “illegal alien.” That’s why they started calling those people “illegal immigrants.” Yeah, sure they’re illegal, but they’re still immigrants, just like all the rest of the teaming masses who arrived at Ellis Island legally and gazed up at the Statue of Liberty. (And to anyone wondering, Emma Lazarus’s nice poem at the statue’s base is not the law of the land. It’s just a nice poem that was written with one group especially in mind: those Jews who escaped the pogroms in Poland and Russia and came legally to America.)

        By changing the language, Leftists shifted the argument from illegality to immigration. And once having done that, they used two tiers of guilt on Americans. Tier one is that we’re all descended from immigrants in one way or another, unless we’re Native Americans (who also immigrated here, albeit in prehistoric times). Who are we, then, to sneer at the latest crop of immigrants? Tier two is about those native Americans. Because we immigrated here illegally as to them, and stole their land, we have no moral standing to argue about the latest crop of illegal immigrants.

• "President Trump Issues Executive Order on Reviving the National Space Council"--White House Press Release. The council was originally formed in 1989 to assist the President with developing national space policies and strategy, but was eliminated in 1993. Hopefully, this marks a renewed commitment to space exploration and access.