February 12, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"More Proof that Evil Exists in Our World"--Active Self Protection (4 min.)

In this video, we see a man (in the yellow jacket) first mock another man (the victim) suffering from cerebral palsy, then sucker punch the victim. The victim was visiting a convenience store in the early morning hours, which brings up the 4 basic rules of self-protection: don't do stupid things, with stupid people, at stupid times or in stupid places. The author of the video notes that both the time (2 am) and place (convenience store) violate the latter two rules. I would also add that you should be very careful and suspicious if see someone hanging around the door of a convenience store for no good reason.

• "Israeli IMI Systems Develops Enhanced 5.56x45mm Ammunition Called 5.56APM"--The Firearm Blog. Per the article:

The new bullet is a 73-grain full metal jacketed boat tail projectile designated by IMI Systems as APHC (Armor Piercing Hard Core). The 5.56APM is designed to provide better penetrating capabilities compared to existing 5.56x45mm NATO projectile options. The company also states that the new bullet has better barrier penetration performance compared to 7.62x51mm NATO at up to 800-meter distance. It is also more accurate than the 7.62x51mm. IMI Systems claims that the test results show the new 5.56APM to be 30% more accurate compared to the 7.62x51mm M80 projectile at up to 550 meters.

The increased performance is purportedly due to changes in the bullet design (if you look at the photograph accompanying the article, you can see that there is a different type of material at the tip, probably some form of penetrator), powder (which is not disclosed), and "the way the bullet is inserted into its shell casing" (you will also notice on the photo that there is an unusual type of crimping). I would have to guess that the crimping, combined with the different powder, may be to increase the chamber pressure.

• "6 New Long-Range Scopes for Budget-Minded Shooters"--Guns & Ammo. This is just an overview of the scopes being released, and not a review of each. The prices vary from around $400 to over $1,000. Keep in mind the general rule, however, that you should anticipate paying at least as much for your scope as for your rifle.
• "That Elusive and Maddening Quality Called Accuracy"--Shooting Times. The author shares anecdotes about trying to get the best accuracy out of one of his rifles. It is another example of how just changing little things--in this case, the type of bullet--can make a huge difference in accuracy.
• Of course: "Father Saves His Wife, Daughter And 30 People From Armed Gunman, And Then The Cops Shoot Him"--The Captain's Journal. Herschel comments: "Nice.  Late to the scene, a dollar short of a full stack, shoot the hero, refuse to allow succor and comfort from his most loved one, slap him in cuffs, misreport what happened, and then 'investigate' the incident."
• "7 Livestock Breeds for Preppers"--Modern Survival Online. The title on this is misleading. The article discusses different species (rabbit, chicken, goat, etc.) that make good livestock for preppers, but doesn't discuss different breeds until the section on cattle. It is a very general article, and really just to expose you to the idea of different types of animals. For someone just getting interested in prepping or self-sufficiency, the article will be interesting; but if you already know a bit about the topic, you can skip it.
• "Illegal Firearms Seized in Odessa, Ukraine"--The Firearm Blog. Ukrainian police closed down an illegal firearms and ammunition factory. The story is interesting not so much because there was an illegal "factory" (putting it kindly), but because the weapons are so incredibly crude. They look like someone crudely welded and bolted miscellaneous pieces of metal together, complete with weird bracing and layout. However, the article also indicates that the police had been involved in a shootout with the gang, so at least some of the firearms must have worked.
• "NEW Bolt Action Rifle: Franchi Momentum"--The Firearm Blog. The rifle features a floated, hammer forged barrel, in common hunting calibers plus 6.5 Creedmore ... and the MSRP starts at about $600 for the most basic configuration. These and similar offerings from Tikka, Savage, Ruger, and, most recently, Mauser, have to be cutting into Remington's sales for its 700 series of rifles.
• "First Look: Umarex Hammer .50-Caliber Air Rifle"--Shooting Illustrated. The article indicates that "[t]he all-new Umarex Hammer is a .50-caliber air rifle capable of launching a 550-grain lead slug at 760 feet per second, producing 705 foot-pounds of muzzle energy." Not bad, especially for an air rifle. The problem I see with rifles like this is that most people are going to have to go to a Scuba shop to fill up the tanks (or fill up their refill tank), and it doesn't sound like it is quiet to shoot. So what is the advantage over a regular rifle? Am I missing something?
• "PRO GUN KURT RUSSELL “I’M NOT A REPUBLICAN, I’M WORSE, I’M A…”--Tribunist Daily. He describes himself as a libertarian. I didn't know he was one of the people of the gun.
• "Professor Claims Soros ‘Missionaries’ Bragged About Toppling Governments in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East"--Breitbart. Money quote:

I sat quietly and felt uncomfortable with a group of people who so casually assumed that they had the right to play God throughout the world. At one point, the head of the table – a Hungarian leader of a Soros NGO – asked me what I thought about their work. Not wishing to offend, I quietly remarked that I wasn’t sure whether the external imposition of their idea of democracy on the people of Libya was legitimate nor that it would work. Without a second’s hesitation, my interlocutor rounded me with the response: “I don’t think that we have the luxury of waiting until the Libyan people come up with their own Jefferson!”

• Heh. "Hurricane Harvey Baby Boom"--All Outdoors. A Corpus Christi hospital reported a 70% increase in births. The article notes that increased births is not unusual following a disaster: 

However, short term disasters, such as power outages, have little affect on pregnancy rates.  When people are knocked out of their typical routine for several weeks, or several months, that is when the pregnancy rates seem to go up.

• Baltimore is another Democratic Party success story: "MTA: Entire Metro system will close for up to 4 weeks for emergency repairs"--ABC 2 News (Baltimore). The city supposedly will have additional buses to compensate. However, the city has one thing to brag about: "Baltimore is at 11 days without a homicide — the longest streak since 2015."
• More of the conversation on race: "White people not welcome: Costa Rican ‘healing’ retreat offers women of color a break from caucasians"--Daily Mail. Per the article:

         A female-only retreat in Costa Rica is offering women of color the chance of a break from white people. 

          Andrea X, who created Women of Color Healing Retreat in Puerto Viejo, said she has 'completely cut out white people' from her life, saying 'they have caused enough damage'. 

          Guests enjoy yoga, meditation and vegan food in an environment free from what the founder calls micro-aggressions and passive-aggressiveness that exists in the US. 

        Andrea X said she decided one day to completely 'eliminate' white people from her personal life. 

         She said her life became 'much more breezy', and even said white people shouldn't be given passports due to how destructive they are.   

         'They are here,' she said, 'They are everywhere. I feel white people shouldn't even have passports.

         'I have no tips for white people. Let us have our space. 

         'Let us have our room and hang out with other white people - you've done enough damage.'

However, I think the Left needs to get their narrative straight. Andrea X is offering yoga classes, and, as we all know, people doing yoga contributes to white supremacy. 

• Sacré bleu! "Muslim Street Prayers Forced Off Paris Boulevard After Angry Clashes"--Breitbart. From the article: "French authorities have banned mass Muslim prayers from a Paris street after clashes between worshippers and protesters angry their public square had turned into an open air mosque." The Muslims are complaining that they haven't been given suitable land to build a new Mosque and don't want to have to travel to go to a different Mosque because the rail stops are inconvenient. First world problems.
• #metoo. "There's a Sexual-Harassment Epidemic on America’s Farms"--The Atlantic. Apparently women that are illegal aliens and working on farms picking crops are being sexually harassed by their Hispanic crew bosses.
• And the truth shall set you free: "Human rights activist admits: Muslim refugees have no intention of adopting our values"--Voice of Europe. From the interview:

Looking back through the years of repetitive experiences and myself in my work environment as a volunteer, I had to admit to myself that when it comes to Muslim refugees, they have grown up with completely different values, into which they have been brainwashed and are indoctrinated by Islam, and have no intention of adopting our values — worse, they look at us, unbelievers with superiority and arrogance.

But they still retained their own cultural mores:

You’ve also worked in refugee shelters. What caught your eye?

          The sexual molesting of volunteers happens all the time, but none of us has ever reported such a case to the police because none of us wanted to be seen as an opponent of refugees and cause problems for the centre.

And what has emerged from your tracking of the progress of immigrants?

         A woman has no human value, she is perceived as a sexual object and not as a partner. She is a worker and a birthing machine. This is her job as a good Muslim woman.

• A reminder that we live in the 21st Century: "What was impossible in Space will become easy with SpaceX BFR"--Next Big Future. Looking past the recent Falcon Heavy launch to the future. Basically, the BFR (Big Falcon Rocket) will allow us to more cheaply and efficiently launch larger cargoes into orbit, where they can be assembled to allow larger and faster spaceships to the Moon, Mars, or other destinations. It's possible that the BFR will prove the tipping point to allowing actual space development and travel.

• Related: "SpaceX Aims to Begin BFR Spaceship Flight Tests as Soon as Next Year"--Popular Mechanics. The article describes:

The Big Falcon Rocket will consist of a massive first-stage booster with 31 Raptor engines—a new rocket engine SpaceX began test-firing in September 2016. The second stage, also known as the Interplanetary Transport System, is a 48-meter long, 9-meter diameter spaceship that, on paper, could carry up to 100 people on flights to other planets. It's a rocket that could fulfill Musk's ultimate goal: colonizing Mars.