January 16, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

The Firearms Blog has conducted a ballistic gel test of Federal 9mm +P 124gr HST from a 3.1″ S&W Shield, and it did remarkably well in both bare gel and through heavy clothing (5 layers of denim). The video is above, and the article (if you just want to see the results) is here.

• A new Woodpile Report is out.
• "A Closer Look at the Earth Pak Dry Bag – 55 , 40 and 10 liter bags"--Security & Self-Reliance. These appear to basically be waterproofed stuff sacks--except that they have shoulder straps. The two larger sizes reviewed have a pair of shoulder straps similar to what you would find on a backpack, while the 10 liter bag had a single shoulder strap (like a messenger bag). The current models do not have waist belts, but the author indicates that Earth Pak is working on adding them to the next generation bag. The MSRP for the 55 L bag is $38.99, the 40 L is $34.99, and the 10 L is $17.99. Anyway, check out the review for more information and detailed photographs of the stitching, straps, buckles, etc.
• "Jeff Gonzales: The Truth About a One-Handed Draw"--The Truth About Guns. Some tips on drawing from concealment: using a consistent draw stroke for all types of clothing by hooking your thumb under the jacket, shirt, etc., to catch it and draw it up or back allowing you to reach your pistol. He has photographs illustrating the steps.
• When advertising hype jumps the shark: "First Look: DoubleStar Lite-Fighter EX Combat Utility Knife"--Shooting Illustrated. The knife in question has a 4-3/4 inch single-edge, hollow grind blade, and G-10 scales. In fact, it is remarkably similar to SOG's Field Pup II, except for the G-10 scales. But this is the part that made me laugh, though: "The Lite-Fighter Combat Utility Knife is inspired by the famous Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife used by commando units in WWII ...." I'm not sure how the Lite-Fighter was inspired by the Fairbairn-Sykes knife, since the latter  was a double-edged dagger style knife with a 7-inch blade and a completely different style guard and handle. 
• Back to the basics: "Rifle Fundamentals: Breath and Hold Control"--Shooting Sports USA.
• "Time To Prune Fruit Trees"--All Outdoors. You want to do it before the sap returns and the trees begin to bud. 
• I've been waiting for this headline ever since I first read of the initial "attack": "Toronto police say scissor attack on a girl's hijab 'did not happen'"--BBC News. Like most publicized incidents of "hate-crime" it was made up by the supposed victim. In this case, the girl claimed that a man had come up to her on the street and tried to cut off her hajib. The police appear to have dropped the case (i.e., no charges for making a false report) while the r-select girl has moved to a different means of protecting her victim status, claiming that she is afraid to go back to school.
• "Oh, Spare Me!–Should You Even Bother to Carry a Reload?"--Recoil Magazine. The author argues that the statistical likelihood of a civilian needing a fast reload in a self defense situation is so low that it is unnecessary to carry a reload. He writes:

Reloading a handgun mid-gunfight, outside of a military or law enforcement context is pretty unlikely. Although he’s talking about carbines rather than pistols, a great quote from trainer Randy Harris springs to mind: “If you empty one 30-round mag in civilian-world USA, you’re going to be on the news … if you empty two, you’re going to be in the encyclopedia …”

Read his article and see what you think. I disagree, especially if you are talking about a firearm with less than 10 rounds on board ... which is most defensive pistols. 

• Hmm. "German police carry out raids on suspected Iranian special forces assassins 'plotting attacks on Israelis'"--Daily Mail. 
• This may be relevant to the current debate over the immigration lottery: "Cameroon’s economic capital buried under heaps of rubbish"--France 24. From the article:

       For the past few months, rubbish has been piling up in the streets of the Cameroonian city of Douala, filling the air with a nauseating smell. While hygiene has always been a problem in the country’s economic capital, our Observers say the situation has become much worse now that the government owes a large amount of money to the country’s only trash collecting company.

        "Soon, we won’t be able to move around anymore!” ....

• "Black Death 'spread by humans not rats'"--BBC News. Researchers that modeled the spread of bubonic plague by rat borne fleas, airborne, or by fleas and lice that live on humans, found that the latter model most accurately matched the extant records from several cities hit by the "Black Death." Frankly, the rat borne theory has long been suspect, not the least because it couldn't explain the fact that the bubos reportedly first formed in the neck and upper extremities, rather than the lower extremities as is generally the case with rat-borne plague.
• "Climate: Cancel The Boiling Oceans"--Power Line Blog. The author notes a couple new papers regarding ocean temperatures. The first looks at historical ocean temperatures and concludes that during the Younger Dryas, which occurred about 13,000–11,500 years ago, ocean temperatures rose by 1.6 C over a period of 700 years--which is 1.7 times the rate which it is estimated to be rising today. The second found that ocean temperatures are not rising as fast as estimated. In fact, the temperatures appear to have risen only 0.1 C; but the margin of error is 0.2 C, so the 0.1 C rise may be imaginary.
• "The 50 most dangerous countries in the world to be a Christian: List reveals the nations most likely to persecute religion's followers, with North Korea at the top"--Daily Mail. The inclusion of Muslim and Communist countries on the list is not surprising. However, flying under the radar of most Westerners is the not-exactly-peaceful Buddhists and Hindus: India comes in at number 11, and is part of the list of nations holding the distinction of offering "extreme persecution" to Christians. Another reason to question the value of importing all the H1-B visa holders from India.