June 30, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around The Web

"Concealed carry: .380 ACP ammo selection-Part three."--Paul Harrell (7 min.)

Another video looking at the efficacy of different .380 loads, comparing between different length barrels (a 2-3/4 inch versus 3-3/4 inch).

• "THE TRUTH ABOUT LASERS ON HANDGUNS"--Gabe Suarez. The gist of the article is that a laser is a great compliment to a red dot sighting system and/or light system. I'm like Suarez in that I don't think concealed carry pistols and weapon mounted lights really go together. My nightstand gun? Yup. Something that I need to be concealable and easily drawn from said concealed position? No. I haven't played too much with lasers. I have one for a rifle, but don't really like it. If it wasn't part of an integral unit with a light, I would probably take it off. But where they really shine is on some of the small, compact pistols--especially those only sporting vestigial sights, like the Kel Tec P-3AT. A laser makes an incredible difference in accuracy. However, as Suarez points out in his article, lasers have limitations. They can be hard to see in direct sunlight unless very close to a target--especially with the red lasers. And, even though the beam will spread, the dots can be relatively small at longer distances and hard to pick up--especially off something with very low reflectivity. 
• The Truth About Knives has some photos and commentary from the Blade Show. The author has a lot of pictures of warhammers, maces, axes, and some swords that caught his eye.
• "Specialized Firearms Have Their Place, But…"--Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You. I've taken issue before with having a multitude of different firearms and calibers for prepping. Sure, if your tastes and budget allow you to collect firearms, go ahead. But for prepping (including stockpiling ammunition), you should concentrate on a small number of firearms suited for prepping and survival that have a broader range of uses. The author of the cited article addresses this same topic, arguing for having a few multi-role firearms over a large collection of specialized arms. The author argues that the only exceptions would be a defensive rifle, which he considered a specialized weapon (I would disagree since even a 5.56 or 7.62x39 can be used for hunting deer sized game or smaller, making such weapons "general purpose" in my opinion). 
• "Armaspec Victory Ambidextrous AR-15 Charging Handle"--The Firearm Blog. I like my Raptor ambidextrous charging handle, and would recommend them to most anyone. But whether it is Radian's product or something similar from another company, ambi handles are expensive, often in the range of $80 to $120. The charging handle that is the subject of this article is not only ambidextrous and oversized, but also designed to redirect gas away from the face if you are running a suppressed gun. And the MSRP is only $57.
• "Source of E. Coli in Deadly Romaine Lettuce Outbreak Finally Found"--Live Science. It has been traced to a particular irrigation canal outside Yuma, Arizona; but officials are unsure how it entered the canal and was spread on the lettuce. The latter issue is stupidly obvious: the water from the canal was used to irrigate the lettuce, probably via sprinklers or drip lines. The article suggests that officials are looking at manure from cattle as being a possible source.  
• "Winchester Ammunition Launches New Website and Enhanced Ballistics Calculator"--American Hunter. Here is the link to the ballistics calculator.
• "How to Stay Hydrated on Hunting, Fishing, and Scouting Trips into the Backcountry"--Outdoor Life. One of the points raised in the article:

Drink early and often. Turns out your thirst instinct is not a reliable gauge for your body’s need for fluids. Drink before you are thirsty. Ration your water over the course of the day. Drink plenty before the outing and have water waiting for you when you return.

• What's the point? "It’s all about the music: San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus performs with Mormon Tabernacle Choir"--Deseret News. This is just a cheap way for the Choir to virtue signal. But what is the purpose, unless the Church is going to change its stance as to homosexual relationships and gay marriage? One of the commentators raised a good point why we, as members, should object: "This is great. Don't worry frog, I know it feels a little hotter in that pot of water but it only went up one measly degree, don't worry, you'll get used to it." And that is the problem. As Alexander Pope wrote: "Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, as to be hated needs but to be seen. Yet too oft, familiar with her face, we first endure, then pity, then embrace."
• "Ex-Clinton aide: 84 percent of Americans support turning undocumented immigrants over to authorities"--The Hill (h/t Anonymous Conservative). So don't listen to those who want to marginalize those who believe illegal aliens should be reported. They are the minority.
• "NY-14 Winner Ocasio-Cortez No Fluke--The Democratic Party IS Tipping!"--Patrick McDermott at VDare. The author analyzes the shift in the Democratic party to being one representing minorities and their interests. He writes that "[t]his sudden surge in minority candidates is not an indicator of increased open mindedness, but a symptom of demographic change," and notes that in 23 states, white Democratic voters are either the minority or at parity. He also argues that the Republicans cannot look to minorities for future voters, and that the parties will become increasingly aligned with race. He observes, for instance:

However, White polarization is the mirror image of nonwhite polarization and its causes are similar. Numerous scholars have cited genetics as a basis for reciprocal altruism among closely-related kin and hostility toward outsiders among humans and in the animal kingdom in general. This ethnocentrism is instinctual, observable even among babies. Whites are not immune from its effects.  Most are socialized to suppress their ethnocentric instincts, but they remain only a short distance beneath the surface.

He also points out:

       These trends are expected to become stronger over time. Experimental research has shown that growing white awareness of demographic change makes them more conservative, less favorably disposed to minorities, and feel greater attachment to other whites. The effects are heightened the more whites think they are threatened.

* * *

       Ethnic conflict has been a constant in human relations—everywhere and throughout history. More recently, 64 percent of all civil wars since 1946 have divided along ethnic lines. Such conflicts are highly correlated with genetic diversity and ethnic polarization. Some of the worst examples, such as Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Sudan, have included ethnic cleansing and genocide.

       Race-based identity politics are just a lower form of ethnic conflict. Like ethnic conflict more generally, the strength of such politics depends on the level of ethnic diversity and corresponding racial polarization. In homogenous societies, for example, politics tends to divide along class and cultural lines. As a society becomes more diverse, however, ethnicity begins to play a growing role.

      Politics and parties that are explicitly ethnically-based usually do not appear until much later, when a nation has become more diverse and has begun to suffer extreme racial polarization. Such politics have been shown to produce substantial ethnic favoritism. Their appearance is often a prelude to civil war or partition.

An example of what we may very well see is already being played out in Brazil, which at one time touted itself as an integrated country, but which has become much more racially polarized over the last couple of decades. See also the author's article, "America’s Coming Political Realignment", at The American Renaissance, where he also describes the "white flight" to the Republican party, the real risk of secessionist movements. This is of particular concern in the United States, in my opinion, because a lot of the minorities that are coming to dominate in the Democratic party don't actually play along all that nice. Asians and Hispanics, for instance, don't really get along well with blacks (and we see at work in California where Hispanic gangs have been working to drive blacks out of neighborhoods that were traditionally black, but have now become Hispanic). 

• Coordinating the news: "‘JournoList’ 2 Revealed, over 400 ‘Left-Of-Center’ Members"--Breitbart (h/t Anonymous Conservative). Did anyone seriously think it was going to disappear after the first list serve was exposed? From the article:

“The listserv, per its ‘About’ page, aims to provide an ‘off-the-record discussion forum for left-of-center journalists, authors, academics, and wonks.’ It has been around for at least eight years (I found discussion posts dating back as far as 2010), and has just over 400 members (403 at the time of this writing),” reported Jezebel. “These members include New York Times best-selling authors, Ivy League academics, magazine editors, and other public intellectuals—in short, a lot of important people who influence public discourse through their written work.”

• "The life hacks that EVERYONE needs to know: Tips and tricks to instantly improve your day - from the best way to reheat leftovers to using a WALNUT to buff bashed furniture"--Daily Mail. My favorite, which I hadn't seen before, is when reheating leftovers in a microwave, space out the food in a circle with a space in the middle, to get more even heating.
• So? "Terrified gangster who snatched Lesandro Guzman-Feliz before he was hacked to death by Trinitarios members says he fears for his life in prison and 'can't sleep at night'"--Daily Mail. Imagine how Lesandro felt as they were killing him. Or how his parent(s) feel.
• Oops: "Farmers may NOT have a higher suicide rate than veterans: CDC retracts major 2016 study due to 'flawed evidence' that mislabeled scores of deaths"--Daily Mail. I'm guessing that the retraction won't receive as much media attention as the original reports.
• "It’s Always About Power"--The Declination. Social-justice warriors (SJWs) always attempt to infiltrate and re-purpose an organization to support their quest for power. The author explains:

        It is important to understand the scope and purpose of the SJW’s actions. For them, there is no other purpose to life than the battle for control over other human beings. Folks, I know I’ve said this many times in the past, but people really need to take this to heart fully. It’s very hard for a mind not bent toward power to comprehend fully a mind that is bent that way.

       They do not care about safety, or the children ™, or equality, or any other excuse. Racism does not matter to them, nor does sexism. Wealth inequality does not matter to them. What matters to them is power, and these things are seen as convenient vehicles for this power. Were SJWs alive in 1930s Germany, they would have blamed all their woes upon the Jews, as they blame straight white Christian men now. It would have been convenient for them.

• A reminder that we live in the 21st Century: "Intel's New Path to Quantum Computing"--IEEE Spectrum. The are making progress toward mass production, although the number of chips per wafer are still very low.

Update: clarifying a point about defensive rifles.