October 17, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around The Web

"Etna Tsunami Impact Analysis"--Suspicious Observers (2-1/2 min.)

There have been reports recently indicating that the east slope of the Mt. Etna volcano on the eastern seaboard of Sicily has been sliding, and it is possible that it could slough off completely given a strong enough earthquake. This video includes some computer modeling of what tsunami effects could be expected if the mountain side did slide into the ocean. It would result in catastrophic tsunami waves along those coast surrounding the central Mediterranean Sea.

• "The critical skill no one teaches"--Grant Cunningham. That skill, at least in this article, is risk assessment. He writes:

        While it’s true that evil can strike anywhere, anytime, the reality is that it strikes more often in some places and under some circumstances than others. Cancer, too, can strike anyone anywhere, and yet there are certain behaviors (and genetic predispositions) which make it more likely with some people than with others. The smart ones alter their behaviors to avoid both evil and cancer, while simultaneously understanding that there is no such thing as complete protection. 

       By assessing our overall risk, and the risk of specific behaviors and activities, we can take reasonable, prudent steps to reduce the chances of being victims of either cancer or evil. We can’t absolutely eliminate the chance, but we can significantly alter our own probability of facing either (and more.)

       I suspect that part of the reason it is not discussed more often is because telling someone that their behavior needs to be changed smacks of judging and moralizing. So the most we generally do is recite the general rules of "don't do stupid things with stupid people in stupid places," and leave it to the listener to determine what is stupid. That's easier than telling the young woman to stop going to bars on weekends and getting so drunk she can't remember what happened.

       This has been about 20 years ago, so I don't remember the web-site or even know if it is still up, but a police officer with, I believe, either the Memphis or Nashville police departments, had a web-site where you could go through a list of risk factors clicking "yes" or "no" and it would generate a score showing your risk of being a victim of a violent crime or being murdered. I don't know if the scoring was correct, but that was the least important part of the completing the form; rather, it listed some very specific behaviors that put you at risk, or, in some cases, reduced your risk. 

• Free downloadable targets from Targetz.com.
• "Crimson Trace Lasersaddle LS-250: First Impressions"--The Firearm Blog. This is a low profile laser sight designed to fit the Mossberg Shockwave firearms, fitting over the top rear of the receiver and projecting a laser along the right-hand side of the weapon. MSRP is $169 for the red laser version and $219 for the green laser version. Although the article makes no mention, I presume that Crimson Trace would also have one in the works for the Remington Tac-14. 
• "Comparison of Pocket Semi-Automatic Handguns Overall Length of Less Than Six Inches - .32 ACP or Larger"--Mouseguns.com. This is a PDF chart showing the relative sizes of small handguns, overlayed with an outline of a man's hand. It also has weight and other data on each of the models of firearms.
• "A Great Shot Timer at a Great Price"--The Truth About Guns. This is a just a press release for the RangeTech shot timer. Most shot timers fall into two categories: purpose built shot timers that work great, but can be bulky and generally cost more than $100 or more; or shot timer apps for a cell phone that are questionable as to their performance. The RangeTech is interesting because it offers a hardware solution to bridge the gap between the two categories--they have a small device that listens for the shots, but interfaces with a smart phone for controls, displays, and so on. Looking at their website, they have two models available. The first is a version designed to physically plug into the headphone jack on an Android device, and which costs $30, or a blu-tooth enabled device that can interface with Android or Apple devices and sells for $65. The latter has a clip so you can attach it to a pocket or lapel. I just have a regular shot timer and haven't used one of these, but it looks like an interesting concept.
• Don't anyone tell the Gun Plumber: "$500 Homebuilt AK Wins First Place At Red Oktober Rifle Match"--The Firearm Blog. The owner of the weapon relates:

This contraption was put together kind of last minute.  It was built in one day and probably not the ideal way.  The trunions are welded in instead of riveted like on a proper AK.  I TIG welded the rear and a buddy of mine did the front, we were comparing welding techniques and not taking things too seriously.  I cut the barrel down to 14.5″ behind the front sight and rethreaded it to 1/2-28 so it would accept an AR15 muzzle brake.  I had an early version of a 223/556 muzzle brake that I helped test sitting around and threw it on, permanently of course.  The barrel ended up being too thin for the Magpul handguard so I wrapped aluminum foil around it to provide “proper fit”. To finish it off, some high heat BBQ spray paint was applied to the gun.

• "Does Your Body Armor Have Enough Stopping Power?"--Max Velocity Tactical. A couple nice graphics going over the different body armor ratings and explaining what they can (or can't) stop.
• "Survival Gear Review: Suunto Clipper Compass"--Survival Cache. A quality made button compass.
• "We Used To Build: Crystal Clear"--Sparks31. How to build a simple radio ... but you will need a set of high impedance headphones (he recommends at least 2000 ohms).
• For my UK readers: "UK growers warn of shortages of onions, potatoes and other vegetables after extreme weather decimates crops"--Independent. The article reports:

        Vegetable yields have fallen by as much as 50 per cent in some parts of the UK, following a year of extreme weather events.

       Farmers have warned of the likelihood of shortages of major crops including potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, parsnips, cabbages and Brussels sprouts, with consumers and retailers expected to see biggest impacts in the new year.

Blame has been directed at an unusually cold winter, wet spring, and hot summer.

• "Ancestral Hard Times"--Left Wing Survivalist. The author was perusing a survival site that primarily has lists of things ("Top 10 ...") and one of the lists was different ways that our grandparents or great-grandparents coped with hard times. What struck the author was that most of these were variants on simplifying their lives: i.e., they focused on what they needed, not what they wanted; they fixed things or did without rather than buying the latest and greatest; they were willing to wait; etc. Worth the read.

"Bigger than TRUMP: US LED World Order is COLLAPSING"--Black Pigeon Speaks (5 min.)

The international alliance and organizations put into place after WWII, and designed to fight communism, are obsolete. The consequence is what BPS refers to a geopolitical recession--a pulling back or decline of these international organizations.

• "China’s Golden Week Flops as Home Sales Crash, Cost of Living Soars"--Breitbart. 10 major cities have seen home sales nearly halved, while rental costs are climbing.
• "'Children's bodies are everywhere': EIGHTEEN people are killed in Crimean school massacre after student walks into canteen and opens fire - as video shows teenagers screaming and fleeing gunshots"--Daily Mail. Although the article doesn't describe the weapon, the photograph from the surveillance video shows the shooter loading what appears to be a shot gun. 
• "NASA Sees Climate Cooling Trend Thanks to Low Sun Activity"--New American. From the article: 

“We see a cooling trend,” said Martin Mlynczak of NASA’s Langley Research Center. “High above Earth’s surface, near the edge of space, our atmosphere is losing heat energy. If current trends continue, it could soon set a Space Age record for cold.”

(H/t Anonymous Conservative).

• r-select teenagers: "One in three teenagers who break the law identify as LGBTQ: Study into first-time offenders reveals a 'disproportionate number' are non-heterosexual youths"--Daily Mail. This study is from the U.S. These are kids seeking a dopamine hit.
• "Almost Half of U.S. Births Happen Outside Marriage, Signaling Cultural Shift"--Bloomberg. From the article:

Forty percent of all births in the U.S. now occur outside of wedlock, up from 10 percent in 1970, according to an annual report released on Wednesday by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the largest international provider of sexual and reproductive health services. That number is even higher in the European Union.

Also, "[t]he average age an American woman has her first child is now 27, up from 22 in 1970." The article indicates that the high out-of-wedlock births is at least partly due to government welfare programs for single-mothers, especially in Europe. Turchin would associate this with declining well-being for non-elites.

• Diversity hire: "Chicago police release video of off-duty sergeant shooting unarmed autistic black teen from an unmarked vehicle after chasing him through the neighborhood for looking 'suspicious'"--Daily Mail. The officer is identified as Sgt. Khalil Muhammed. He was in his private vehicle in regular clothing when he started trying to run down this kid. Is it any wonder that the kid tried running away?
• Paging Colin Flaherty: "Huge North Philadelphia Brawl Leaves 3 Officers Hurt, 14 Youths Detained"--NBC 10 Philadelphia. An estimated 150 to 200 "students" involved. From the video, this appears to be yet another example of black mob violence.
• Electric universe? "A Model of Solar Dynamo with Alternative Conversion of Large-Scale Magnetic Field and Production of Sunspots" (PDF)--Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The model used by the author is of an RLC circuit in the Sun.
• "Tree rings reveal globally coherent signature of cosmogenic radiocarbon events in 774 and 993 CE"--Nature Communications. 774 AD and 993 AD were known to be years which saw strong solar events. But it hasn't been clear if the impact was localized or global. This paper offers evidence that the effect was global.
• "Thanks for not raping us, all you ‘good men.’ But it’s not enough."--Washington Post. The author is Victoria Bissell Brown, a retired history professor at Grinnell College. The money quote from the op-ed: "I hate all men and wish all men were dead." Brown seems to be living proof that feminists are too infantile to care for themselves.