May 25, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"White South Africans Take Up Arms -- Afrikaners Aim to Counter Gov't Land Grabs, White Genocide"--One America News Network (6 min.). This report is from May 21, 2018, but provides an update as to what is going on in South Africa vis-a-vis the government's promise to confiscate land from white landowners.

• TGIF: This week's Weekend Knowledge Dump from Active Response Training. Articles include a discussion on the cause of school shootings, Vitamin D and sun exposure, the benefits of a mid-length gas system over a carbine-length gas system (it's more than just softer recoil), a pepper-ball device (including Greg Ellifritz's thoughts on how such a device could fit into your defensive plan), and stopping power, among many others.
• "Arizona Preparing For California Earthquake Evacuees"--CBS Los Angeles (h/t Anonymous Conservative). From the article:

        As CBSLA’s Elsa Ramon reports, Arizona is holding practice runs just outside of Phoenix, preparing for 400,000 evacuees from California.

         Deputy Director for FEMA Wendy Smith-Reeve says the training will last three-and-a-half days on the softball field at the National Guard base near Phoenix.

          Smith-Reeve says the goal is to make sure all agencies can work together and to spot any potential problem areas.

          “Where our systems are stressed, when it comes to sheltering, when it comes to feeding, when it comes to fuel because part of the scenario is the fuel line is compromised in Cailfornia which directly effects Arizona,” said Smith-Reeve.

          Seismologist and author of “The Big Ones” Dr. Lucy Jones agrees infrastructure will be severely damaged when the big one hits Southern California and many won’t be ready.

          “Historically we’ve seen damage to water systems being one of the most disruptive things that happens,” said Jones. “The estimate in shakeout was $50 billion in business disruption costs from lack of water because it is going to take up to six months to get it back.”

• "How to Make Ballistic Gel"--Outdoor Life. This isn't the good stuff, but if you don't have $100+ to buy the real deal ....
• "Canning Roundup"--Blue Collar Prepping. The author has collected four videos that she believes do a very good job illustrating out to can food.
• "The Ultimate Travellers Guide To Malaria And Antimalarials."--Bemused Backpacker. A good discussion on what is malaria including symptoms, methods to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, and a discussion of common anti-malarial medicines (including side effects).
• "Why I carry knives and why your karate instructor may be trying to get you killed!"--The Survivalist Blog. The author notes that the best way to avoid getting injured in a fight is to avoid fights. (Have you read The Little Black Book of Violence and Facing Violence? If not, do so. They do a very good job at teaching pre-violence indicators). The author then gives thoughts on knife fights, including:

         Above all else the single most important thing to remember when using a knife is this, you cannot take it away or disarm anyone who has one and NOT get cut or critically injured. During my practice sessions, we tried the popular TKD, karate (all styles), and many more styles disarming techniques. NONE of them actually work when both people are engaging with the intent to actually harm the other person. Certainly when your instructor sets everything up “this is how it should be done” than your disarm may work, however, the reality is the opposite.

          When utilizing knives in combat situations expect two absolutes, first expect to get cut and second expect to get extremely bloody. Using a knife as a ward to keep someone away will absolutely get you hurt if not dead. As with all deadly force encounters I suggest remembering a simple few steps. Burn these steps into your brain, and please, if your instructors tell you differently, they want you dead or have zero real experience in any way.

• "The Flint Spark Lighter"--Dreaming of Sunsets Over Ochre Dunes. The lighter he is discussing are the type intended for lighting propane or MAPP gas torches and acetylene welders. The author discusses their use as a survival lighter--they especially work well for lighting the cotton pads or balls coated with petroleum jelly.
• "Survivalist migration movement grows in the Northwest"--KXLY Spokane. Rawles' "American Redoubt" idea has resonated with a lot of people.
• "Ejection-Rejection"--Guns Magazine. An article on diagnosing and correcting extraction and ejection problems with an AR. The author notes that "[w]hen the ejector’s functioning just right, there ought to be a neat pile of unscathed empties deposited at about 3-o’clock and no more than three feet away. It’s all about 'timing.'” He points out:

          Too much pressure? The case can bang off the rear of the ejection port instead of just hopping out like it’s supposed to. You’ll get wildly spinning cases going off in all directions and flying too far. It’s the cause of the creases, dings and dents on spent cases. Excessive rearward bolt carrier velocity (common with carbine-length gas systems) can create/worsen this condition. I’ve seen this after trying a different load in a rifle that had been ejecting perfectly. The cure for this is slowing carrier velocity.

Also:

          A new spring is the cure for an under-functioning ejector. If you need one, I strongly recommend upgrading, and I recommend it anyhow. I do it on all my guns since this spring will weaken. They’re also prone to breakage due to heat. I like chrome-silicon springs as they don’t fail and they don’t change. Most aftermarket springs are “extra-power” but that isn’t important.

        If your ejection ailments indicate excessive spring pressure, shorten the spring. Use a grinding or cutting wheel type tool for the job. Don’t attempt to just snip it.

But he warns not to overdue it--just lighten until the empty cases aren't bouncing off the port.

• "GRAPHIC — Cartel Violence Spreads to Formerly Peaceful Cities in Mexican Border State"--Breitbart. The article reports:

        Massacres, clandestine incinerations, gory executions and narco-messages are all becoming common in the border cities of Tamaulipas. The escalation is tied to rival Gulf Cartel groups spreading terror throughout the region as they fight for control.

          The rising wave of violence also brought a spike of kidnappings and armed robberies. As Breitbart Texas reported, the war for Reynosa is now surpassing one year of bloodshed. The violence already led to more than 470 murders in a year, but in recent days it escalated even more when rival factions resumed their attacks.

• "More Myths About Drowning"--Soundings Magazine. These are that there is no such thing as dry drowning (its all about fluid in the lungs), and it is unlikely that a drowning person will pull you under water if you try to rescue them. As to the first point:

What should you look for? If your child, or anyone else, gets out of the water and has any symptoms beyond what they might experience after something “goes down the wrong way,” you should have them checked out. If they have persistent heavy coughing that doesn’t stop after a few minutes, you should have them checked out. Usually, these patients are observed for four to six hours and released. If someone coughs for a couple of minutes after getting out of the pool and then acts fine and asks for lunch, it means he or she is fine and wants lunch. You don’t have to call 911.

As to the second:

       People in aquatic distress or people who are actively drowning are both looking for the same thing — what I call free freeboard. They want their mouths above the water without effort. They want to be standing up or supported by some kind of flotation. Once they feel supported, they no longer pose any danger if you can keep them feeling that way. What lifeguards are trained to do is to enter the water and support drowning victims so that they can easily breathe and are strong enough to get them to safety.

        Reaching for someone who is drowning from a secure position is better than throwing something at him. And throwing him flotation is better than wasting time getting to him by boat. But here is the hard truth: if reaching, throwing, or rowing isn’t an option and someone doesn’t go get him, he is going to drown. If you call 911 (or Mayday) and do nothing else, you are calling for a body recovery. And since most of you are not going to be able to stand there and do nothing, here is how you can safely “go” — yes, even though you are untrained: bring flotation with you.

• "EXPLAINING THE ‘MYSTERY’ OF NUMBERS STATIONS"--War On The Rocks. A discussion about the short wave stations that broadcast seemingly random sets of numbers.
• "There’s a time and a place to rat out your neighbor, but church isn’t it"--By Common Consent. This is a follow up article to the recent one (which I discussed in detail) criticizing Mormons that might think about reporting an illegal alien (who happens to also be a Mormon) to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The author of this piece takes time out from negotiating away U.S. interests in space to the United Nations to tell us that members that report other members to ICE are going to hell. So the author's elevated status in government has also made him a prophet? 

         Similar to the author of the prior article, this author begins with the false premise that being in the United States illegally is a trivial violation of law, similar to a non-moving vehicle infraction; but then suggests that, in any event, our obtaining information about the immigration status of the member was one that implicitly arises from a position of trust and confidentiality. Both of these presumptions are, of course, unfounded. Invading another country is a serious issue, particularly when it is done en mass. One illegal may be trivial--tens of millions are not. And, as one of the comments points out, there is no duty of confidentiality that extends to illegal acts, especially, as another comment notes, when we learn about the immigration status from a statement openly made or overheard in a meeting. 

• Endgame: "‘Unsustainable’: Non-UK Born Population Record High, One Tenth Foreign National"--Breitbart. Foreign invasion is not a sign of a strong healthy culture--it's the sign of a civilization that's circling the drain.