January 15, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"US Spring Forecast"--Suspicious Observers (3 min.)

The outlook is for more cold and snow in the Eastern U.S. Also, a brief discussion of some climate articles indicating that (1) there is a large body of cold water in the Arctic that could spell a colder climate for Europe, and (2) climate modelers have severely underestimated the cooling effect of clouds.

• For those of you that haven't gone through it yet, check out Active Response Training's Weekend Knowledge Dump for this past weekend.
• "Gunshot Wounds: 8 Real-Life Cases on the Receiving End of Gunfire"--Personal Defense World. This is an interesting article written by an ER doctor. He relates a series of cases which he handled involving bullet wounds. The clear take away is "location, location, location," and use something with sufficient power to penetrate. An excerpt:

Case No. 2: Penetration Is Important, but It’s Complicated

        The 17-year-old young man presented to my clinic complaining of penile discharge. He was found to have good old-fashioned Chlamydia — the “Clap” in the Vulgar Tongue. His medical history reported a gunshot wound, so I inquired as to the details.

        About six months prior this young man had run afoul of his drug dealer. When confronted with his inability to pay for some illicit pharmaceuticals, the unlicensed pharmacologist terminated their professional relationship with a single .22 LR to the head.

        The round impacted at the medial aspect of his left eye, tracked along his skull base, and exited just to the left of his spine, leaving him minimally inconvenienced overall. He healed completely without surgery and even retained his vision. Thankfully we got his newfound STD treated so that he could go forth and spread his seed yet further.

• "Anatomy of an Avalanche: What You Can Do to Survive"--Real World Survivor. 

       Wind, the most common cause of avalanches, can load snow 10 times faster than snowfall. Add the weight of just single skier or snowmobile to this and damages to the buried weak layer occur rapidly; not in a couple hours, but in a couple tenths of a second. According to the U.S. Forest Service National Avalanche Center, avalanches are responsible for more fatalities in our national forests than any other natural hazard.

        The last 10 winters in the U.S. saw an average of 30 fatalities due to avalanches. These deaths are not limited to extreme athletes in remote stretches of mountain ranges.

         Snowmobilers and backcountry tourers are the most likely to be involved in an avalanche. But anyone—hunters, hikers, and people just driving through the mountains—can be caught in an avalanche.

        One of the biggest myths surrounding avalanches, often perpetuated in movies and on television, is that noise can trigger one. This is simply not true. It takes an extremely loud concussion, like that of a mortar shell used by trained snow mitigation teams to break a slab loose, to cause an avalanche. What really causes the snow to let loose are people.

• Just an example that after a major disaster, you may not be allowed to return to your home immediately: "Montecito blackout! Mudslide-ravaged town has its gas and power switched off to enable repairs as residents get increasingly frustrated they cannot return to their homes for clean-up"--Daily Mail.
• "HK PSA – Palmetto State Armory Building $800 MP5s?"--The Firearms Blog. What is known is that Palmetto State Amory is going to offer semi-auto versions of the HK MP-5. Rumor is that they are going to offer them at an $800 price point. 
• Some Hawaiians cowed by North Korea: "'We huddled in the bathtub': How those in Hawaii reacted to missile threat"--NBC News. "DuPree [one of the people interviewed about their reaction] said Saturday's incident underscored the need for a diplomatic political solution to the escalating tensions with North Korea." 

• Related: "Pandemonium and Rage in Hawaii"--The Atlantic. And to others, the incident spawned anti-Colonial feelings:

Yet the Saturday fiasco, and the explosion of emotion that ensued, revealed that a culture of preparedness will only go so far in protecting the Aloha State from the ravages of nuclear war. It was also a raw reminder of Hawaii’s geopolitical role in the United States—a role that, for many in the kingdom-turned-territory-turned-state, is a source of deep resentment.

As if not being part of the United States would change the strategic importance of the Islands, or reduce the threat to them. 

• Although it seems pretty cheesy by today's standards, the classic "Duck and Cover" video used to teach school children how to respond to a nuclear attack is probably the best place to start on learning how to respond to a nuclear blast. At just over 9 minutes, it is well worth your time.
• Watch yourself in those transition areas: "Subway franchisee and his wife, both 61, are found bound and shot dead with their home ransacked in targeted attack"--Daily Mail. The article reports that "[i]t appears that the couple, both aged 61, were targeted as they parked their car in the garage[.]"
• The other day, I wrote about Trump moving the Overton Window as to immigration by referring to some countries as "s***hole" countries. I was wrong. It was Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat, who moved the Overton Window by falsely reporting about what Trump said.  (See also this article). The Democrats probably thought that their false report would weaken Trump, but instead it has allowed the public to openly discuss just how bad are many of the countries from which we are taking immigrants. For instance, Peter Grant noted in response to the Trump story: 

About those "Third World s***holes" . . . allegedly described as such by President Trump:  allow me to say, I've been in far too many of them for comfort.  They are precisely as described:  s***holes.  They smell of s***.  All too often, the food tastes of s***, and/or is prepared in circumstances so unhygienic I have no doubt whatsoever that it is actually full of s***. 

Interestingly, Europeans seemed the most outraged about the alleged statement, yet I saw at least one story reporting on Britons upset over the crime rates in the UK being compared to those of s***hole countries, such as the Congo. (The UK does have an overall violent crime rate higher than any other European or Anglo country--including the U.S.). If those countries are so great, why would the English object to the comparison? 

• Karma. Justice. Something like that. "Germany fears EU migration reforms will trigger refugee influx: report"--Deutsche Welle. From the article:

        Berlin fears the European Parliament's planned amendment to the so-called Dublin Regulation could see many more refugees settling in Germany, news magazine Der Spiegel reported Saturday.

         The Dublin Regulation requires people seeking asylum to register in the first EU state they enter, and for that state to assume responsibility for processing their claim. But if the proposed reform is passed, responsibility could shift from the arrival state to the EU country where any of the applicant's relatives live.

        Under such a change, "Germany would have to accommodate significantly more asylum seekers," said an Interior Ministry memo, quoted by Der Spiegel. Any caps on refugees would be "nullified," the memo added.

In other words, the immigration was fine as long as Germany could force other countries to bear the burden, but not so wonderful if Germany, itself, has to be accountable for its invitation to the third world to move on in.

• "South Africa: EFF supporters attack H&M stores over 'racist jumper advert'"--Deutsche Welle. (See also this story from The Daily Mail). The row started because of a hoodie worn by a black child model, with the words "Coolest Monkey In The Jungle" printed on the item. According to the articles and accompanying video, protesters swarmed H&M stores in South Africa, hooting and howling in protest, while some broke into the stores overturning and stealing merchandise before fleeing. 
• The wages of sin socialism: "Starving mob beat cattle to death with rocks in desperate search for food and four people are killed during looting in Venezuela as country's economic collapse continues"--Daily Mail. 

• Related: "UN chief offers Colombia help with Venezuela migration crisis"--Deutsche Welle. The article indicates that more than 470,000 Venezuelans have fled to neighboring Columbia because of the worsening situation in Venezuela. When Venezuelan's chose socialism, they chose poorly.

• What DACA has wrought: "Police chase Greyhound bus from Wisconsin to Illinois after illegal immigrant 'threatened to shoot and kill fellow passengers'"--Daily Mail.
• Corruption: "Armed Federal Agents Enter Warehouse in Puerto Rico to Seize Hoarded Electric Equipment"--The Intercept. Basic story is that the reason that electrical workers brought into Puerto Rico to restore power after the hurricane have not been successful is because the electrical utility, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), has not been releasing materials and supplies necessary for that work. The Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA are now working to correct PREPA's "oversight." According to the article, "[t]he armed encounter comes as around half of Puerto Ricans still remain without electricity well over 100 days after Hurricane Maria. As PREPA hoards crucial resources that could help remedy the island’s dire situation, the Puerto Rican government is attempting to annihilate the power provider’s only regulator."
• A reminder that we live in the 21st Century: "Laser are getting ten times more powerful every 3 years, soon Exawatt lasers will unlock fusion and more"--Next Big Future. Fusion is one of the key components to escaping the current age of scarcity. But expect a rush to mine the moon for its large supply of Helium-3.