A Quick Run Around the Web (3/2/2020)

"Newly Married Couple Foil Armed Robbery"--Active Self Protection (7 min.)

The newlyweds were both police officers.

• "The 'Date Night' Restaurant Robbery"--Active Response Training. Greg Ellifritz gives his opinions and discusses options and possible outcomes as to the incident shown in the video, above. Basically, for your average CCL holder, he believes the option with the highest probability of a good outcome (i.e., you and yours not getting killed or arrested) would involve not confronting the robber, but attempting to escape the situation, such as slipping out through the back door, and only shooting if the robber tried to intervene. I'm not sure, given the open layout of the restaurant, that trying to escape out the back door would not have had just as likely as negative an outcome as other options. But read his reasoning and think about what you would do.
• The coronavirus statistics for today are: 90,255 confirmed cases worldwide, including 3,082 fatalities.

• Related: "China officials knew of coronavirus in December, ordered cover-up, report says"--New York Post. The article relates:

      In late December, several genomics companies tested samples from sick patients in Wuhan — the center of the coronavirus outbreak — and noticed alarming similarities between their illnesses and the 2002 SARS virus, the Sunday Times of London reported, citing Chinese business news site Caixin Global.

      The researchers alerted Beijing of their findings — and on Jan. 3, received a gag order from China’s National Health Commission, with instructions to destroy the samples.

      Rather than hunkering down to contain the virus, Wuhan officials went ahead with their annual potluck dinner for 40,000 families.

• Related: And back to why it has taken so long for the WHO to declare it a pandemic: "Investors flee from controversial pandemic bonds with coronavirus set to trigger payout"--DW. Delayed long enough for investors to sell the bonds. From the article:

      The idea behind the bonds was to place some of the risk for low-income countries of a pandemic onto the financial markets, rather than their own governments' budgets. Investors who bought the bonds would only lose money if certain trigger conditions relating to a pandemic were met.

      If those conditions are triggered, the bonds are not repaid in full and the money is used instead to help tackle the crisis in developing countries.

      The growing coronavirus outbreak around the world has prompted many of the investors who bought up the bonds to sell them off, as it looks increasingly likely that the conditions for the bonds not to be paid back will be met.

• Related: "Coronavirus: When All Else Fails, Try Reason"--American Thinker. Excerpt: "There is something more to the Covid-19 panic. It is the latest phenomenon to fulfil a weird and growing appetite for doom among the populations of developed countries. We are living in the healthiest, most peaceful time in history, yet we cannot seem to accept it. We constantly have to invent bogeymen, from climate alarmism, nuclear war and financial collapse to deadly diseases."

• Related: "How does the coronavirus attack the human body? Scientists reveal the deadly illness kills off lung cells and can cause the immune system to go 'haywire'"--Daily Mail. 

• Related: "The difference between COVID-19 and flu symptoms"--MSN. The common symptoms, according to the article, are fever, a cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. Per the article, it apparently doesn't present the body aches, chills, runny nose, or sore throat that may accompany the flu.

• Related: "A biochemist reviews the Trump administration’s continuing response to COVID-19"--Legal Insurrection. Like some other sources, this one indicates that masks will generally not be needed: "The masks, N95, require fit-testing and training to be used effectively. Any other kind of mask won’t protect against aerosols and is ultimately nothing more than decoration."

• Related: "Guest Post: Pandemic? Don't Panic!"--Blue Collar Prepping. A guest post from someone with a Ph.D. in molecular virology. From the article:

Bottom line: what preps do you need? I would suggest the following:

• Maintain at least a week’s worth of groceries and staples in the house, including whatever the kids or pets need. Throw some easy-prep meals in there for days when you’re too sick to cook. 

• Staples in this case includes disinfectants.

• Check prescription medications. If anything is about to run out, see if you can refill a little early. (Don’t bother trying to source and stockpile antibiotics. They don’t work on viruses anyway.) 

• Do get some extra cold medicine - the stuff you have is probably an inch of orange syrup in the bottom of last year’s bottle, and you’ll need a full set if the crud (of whatever variety) hits your house.

• Talk to work about their plans for coverage. Can they cross-train people to fill multiple functions? Allow telework if someone gets sick?

• Ditto if you’re under regular medical or mental health care. Will your therapist allow a Skype call? Do they have a plan for making sure everyone can still get dialysis/chemo/scheduled surgery during an outbreak or a staff shortage?

• Related: "Coronavirus Could Be The End Of China As Global Manufacturing Hub"--Forbes. From the article:

       That China is losing its prowess as the only game in town for whatever widget one wants to make was already under way. It was moving at a panda bear’s pace, though, and mostly because companies were doing what they always do - search the world with the lowest costs of production. Maybe that meant labor costs. Maybe it meant regulations of some kind or another. They were already doing that as China moves up the ladder in terms of wages and environmental regulations.

      Under President Trump, that slow moving panda moved a little faster. Companies didn’t like the uncertainty of tariffs. They sourced elsewhere. Their China partners moved to Vietnam, Bangladesh and throughout southeast Asia.

     Enter the mysterious coronavirus, believed to have come from a species of bat in Wuhan, and anyone who wanted to wait out Trump is now forced to reconsider their decade long dependence on China.

     Retail pharmacies in parts of Europe reported that couldn’t get surgical masks because they’re all made in China. Can’t Albania make these things for you? Seems their labor costs are even lower than China’s, and they are closer.

      The coronavirus is China’s swan song. There is no way it can be the low-cost, world manufacturer anymore. Those days are coming to an end. If Trump wins re-election, it will only speed up this process as companies will fear what happens if the phase two trade deal fails.

• "Glock 44 Problems Already? That's Just Perfect"--Primer Peak (formerly The Firearms Rack). The author relates:

Recently, posts have been popping up across social media showing all manner of problems with the new Glock 44. These range from cracked slides, broken ejectors, and out of battery detonations. I first came across the issue from a post by the Military Arms Channel earlier today. Since then I've seen posts from multiple sources with multiple instances of issues.

Odd that this isn't getting the attention it should. Hickok45 has a side-plate loosen up and its suddenly all doom and gloom for Colt's new Python, but new Glocks having serious problems and it is mostly crickets.

• "Don't Get Trapped by Myths"--Shooting Illustrated. One of the myths (or sacred cows) that he slays is “I use my handgun to fight my way to my rifle.”

Now I am sure that that has been successfully accomplished, but I submit to you that those times are very rare. Researching actual gunfights indicate those fights are usually over, one way or another, long before someone could run to get a rifle. And my question would be, “If you are going to run and get your rifle, why didn’t you just keep running and get away from the threat?”

• "More about Refining the drawstroke"--Tactical Professor. Answering a question about what shortest line we should concentrate on in our draw stroke, he writes: 

      In this case, the line to follow is the eye-target line not the line from the holster to full extension. The sooner the gun gets into the eye-target line, at least peripherally, the sooner we can begin refining our visual reference of the gun to the target. If the gun is presented straight to extension, the visual refinement cannot begin until the gun reaches extension.

      Presenting along the eye-target line seems counter-intuitive but is actually a faster method of acquiring a visual index than presenting straight to extension. The only time presenting straight out would be faster is at near contact distances. We don’t want to have the gun at full extension at those distances anyway.

• Related: "Refining the drawstroke"--Tactical Professor. He writes: "One of the most common errors in the drawstroke is allowing the pistol to dip below the holster during the draw; this is called bowling. Another common error is bringing the gun up to the eye-target line like an underhand toss, which is called scooping. Both of these errors increase the time of the drawstroke and increase the difficulty of acquiring the sights." Click through to the article for a video on how to correct these errors.

• Low power variable optics go mainstream: "The Marines are Replacing the ACOG with… The VCOG"--The New Rifleman. "The Marines have awarded Trijicon a contract to produce the “squad common optic” which appears to be a variant of the VCOG from Trijicon." The issue is weight: 31 oz. for the VCOG.

• Related: "A Rifleman’s Guide to the ACOG"--The New Rifleman. A deeper look at the pro's and con's of the ACOG versus a variable optic.

• "What Survival Foods You Actually Need"--Survivopedia. A good look at this issue, but too long for me to summarize and too many good points to just pick one or two. Read the whole thing.
• An adjustable gas block is not the answer to achieving basic function: "AR-15 Architecture: The Key To Function"--The Captain's Journal. 
• This is really weird: "Why We Carry: Oklahoma Deputy Dumps Disturbed, Violent Suspect at Texas Walmart"--The Truth About Guns. The article mostly focuses on this being another example where you need to be armed, but it can't escape the oddness of the incident all together. The author relates that "[t]o be clear, a Lawton, Oklahoma LEO picked up an apparently disturbed robbery suspect, put him in a cruiser, got on the interstate and drove him almost an hour south, just over the state line, before dumping him in front of the nearest Wally World. My local Wally World" in Wichita Falls, where the disturbed individual then immediately entered the WalMart and proceeded to a gun case and tried to break it open. Even the skeptical among you will have to admit that this looks like a deliberate attempt to initiate a mass shooting. Someone needs to go over that Oklahoma deputy's life and finances with a fine-tooth comb.

"The Nazis Building Bridges, Not Walls - WW2 - 079 - February 28, 1941"--

World War Two (14 min.). Parts of the British forces in North-Africa are being sent to Greece to strengthen the Allied position there. Hitler plans his attack on Greece through Bulgaria.

• Just confirming what was already known: "Origins Of The Black Death Traced Back To China, Gene Sequencing Has Revealed"--Medical News Today. From the article:

The researchers reveal that the plague bacillus developed near or in China, and via multiple epidemics was transmitted through several different routes, such as into West Asia through the Silk Road and Africa between 1409 and 1433 by Chinese travelers under explorer Zheng He. The Black Death made its way through Asia, Europe and Africa from 1347 to 1351, and probably brought the world’s then 450 million population down to 350 million. Approximately 50% of China’s population perished, while Europe’s went down by a third and Africa by an eighth.

• "Criminals have 'smaller BRAINS': Scientists claim the 'handicap' which can be spotted in early childhood may explain why life-long offenders lie, steal and are violent"--Daily Mail. From the article:

      The researchers took MRI brain scans of participants at the age of 45 and compared the cortical surface area and cortical thickness of 360 different regions of the cortex.  

     On average, across the entire brain, those who were antisocial into adulthood had a smaller surface area in 282 of 360 brain regions than people who had no history of antisocial behaviour.

     They also had thinner cortex in 11 of 360 regions. The areas effected have been previously linked to antisocial behaviour through their involvement in regulation of emotions, motivation and goal-driving behaviour. 

* * *

      She said: 'Our findings support the idea that, for the small proportion of individuals with life-course-persistent antisocial behaviour, there may be differences in their brain structure that make it difficult for them to develop social skills that prevent them from engaging in antisocial behaviour.'

     Widespread differences in brain structure were not found for the adolescence-limited group compared with either the general population or the life-long antisocial group. 

     The researchers said these findings have implications for the way the criminal justice system treats juvenile offenders. 

• Immigrants welcome: "Mexican immigrant who was released by Chicago authorities despite ICE telling them not to 'went on to rape a three-year-old girl in a McDonald's bathroom as she cried 'daddy, daddy'"--Daily Mail. 
• Refugees welcome: "New refugee crisis as 30,000 migrants from countries including Syria mass on Turkish borders with Greece and Bulgaria as they hurl stones at guards and try to cut through razor wire"--Daily Mail. To elicit sympathy rather than horror, the article mentions that "[p]regnant women and children were among those making hazardous crossings from Turkey to Greece by sea." Yet trying to find women and children in the accompanying photographs is like a game of "Where's Waldo." I only found one photograph that included a single woman in it, and she looked too old to be pregnant.
• Modern day slavery: "Uyghurs for sale"--Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Key point: "Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen."
• "PHYSICISTS MAY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERED A NEW STATE OF MATTER. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS"--Northeastern University. The news release states:

      Electrons should repel one another—they’re negatively charged, and move away from other negatively charged things. But that’s not what the electrons in these layers were doing. They were forming a stationary pattern.

     “At certain angles, these materials seem to form a way to share their electrons that ends up forming this geometrically periodic third lattice,” Kar says. “A perfectly repeatable array of pure electronic puddles that resides between the two layers.”

• Liberals aren't interested in helping people: "Keeping Africa on the brink of starvation"--Watts Up With That. An excerpt:

       In this era of incredible modern agricultural and insect control technologies, when American farmers get 3-5 times more crop yields per acre than 50 years ago­­ – how is it possible that Africa remains perpetually on the brink of starvation? That Africa faces yet another locust plague of biblical pharaoh proportions? That Africans must rely on absurd “time-tested,” almost totally ineffective locust control methods?

     Incredibly, this looming catastrophe is due to policies and programs that have been officially adopted and deliberately implemented by the very UN agencies that are now crying loudest about the horrific situation.

      For years now, the FAO, UN Development Programme and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have been working in cahoots with some of the most radical environmentalist pressure groups on Earth to devise and impose “agroecology” – a perverse combination of socialism, pseudo-ecology and primitive, anti-technology agriculture. The program is financed and advanced by the UN, by European governments via their development agencies and funding of environmentalist NGOs – and even by US taxpayers, who provide 22% of UN funding and underwrite grants to and tax-exempt status for environmentalist groups.

      Agroecology is above all political. It rejects virtually everything that has enabled modern agriculture to feed billions more people from less acreage. It rabidly opposes monoculture farming, hybrid seeds, synthetic/non-organic insecticides and fertilizers, biotechnology … and even mechanized equipment like tractors! It claims Dr. Norman Borlaug’s Green Revolution, which saved a billion people from starvation, did little more than put global food production “under the control of a few transnational corporations.”

      Acceptance of agroecology tenets and restrictions has become a condition for poor farmers getting seeds, and their countries and local communities getting development loans and food aid. Mid-level bureaucrats get cushy jobs overseeing and propagandizing agroecology campaigns, while ruling elites get more opportunities to siphon off additional millions in international aid money. They still erect roadblocks to Golden Rice, which could save 2 million parents and children a year from blindness and death.

      AgroEcology advocates extol “food sovereignty” and the “right to subsistence farming.” They promote “indigenous agricultural knowledge and practices,” to the exclusion of knowledge, practices, technologies and equipment that have been developed in recent decades – and could help end Africa’s perpetual poverty, malnutrition, disease, joblessness and early death. They sow fear about pesticides and GM food.

      Instead of transforming and modernizing African agriculture, the UN, FAO, UNEP, and radical groups like Food First, La Via Campesina, Greenpeace and IFOAM Organics International demand “culturally appropriate” food produced through “ecologically sound and sustainable methods,” as only they can twist those terms to serve their sick determination to negate and roll back human progress.

• Liberals aren't interested in saving the environment: "Crickets from green groups as Trump makes U.S. 'global leader in emissions reductions'"--Washington Times. From the article:

      Under President Trump, the United States led the world in reducing carbon-dioxide emissions in 2019, but don’t expect Greta Thunberg to give him a hug any time soon.

     International Energy Agency data released earlier this month showing that U.S. emissions dropped by 2.9% last tear failed to make an impression with Democrats, environmentalists and climate activists, who either shrugged off the data or argued that Mr. Trump’s climate-denialism was somehow thwarted.

• "DARPA's hypersonic 'Glide Breaker' could blast missile threats out of the sky"--Space.com. From the article:

      Since 2018, DARPA has been developing a "hypersonic defense interceptor" system called Glide Breaker, which is designed to intercept threatening vehicles moving at hypersonic speeds (meaning, at least five times faster than the speed of sound) in Earth's upper atmosphere. 

      Aerojet Rocketdyne will develop "enabling technologies" for Glide Breaker under the newly announced contract, which is worth up to $19.6 million. 

• The alternative is street justice: "Harvard Law hosts discussion on abolition of police forces"--The College Fix. 
• "'DNA' found preserved in 75-million-year-old dinosaur fossils for the first time suggests that organic material can survive much longer than previously thought"--Daily Mail. 
• "‘I Have White Advantage, Male Advantage, Straight Advantage’ – Woke Archbishop Brands Own Church ‘Racist’"--Breitbart. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, spoke out recently of how ashamed he is of the Anglican Church's history and of his supposed advantages as a straight white male. The article notes that "[h]e gave no indication that he intends to resign from his own prestigious role to make way for an ethnic minority archbishop, however."
• "The Quiet Disaster of Student Debt"--SHTF Blog. Money quote: "We sent a whole generation willingly walking into a Buzzsaw from which only some could come out unscathed." 
• Part of the buzzsaw is foreign labor taking American jobs and driving down wages: "CEOs Keep 1 Million Indian Graduates in U.S. Jobs, Legally"--Breitbart. An excerpt:

      The Indian labor force is so large that many American graduates now work in Indian-run offices throughout corporate America, and especially in Silicon Valley. In those offices, the mass of Indian workers and managers has pushed out many Americans, has replaced U.S. professionalism with Indian-style workplace politics of caste and ethnic alliances, deference to managers, blame-shifting, kickbacks, and hostility to outsiders, according to numerous reports and lawsuits, as well as statements by Indian participants and by U.S. witnesses to Breitbart News.

       “Now it’s like most of the managers coming in are Indian, so it is very hard for an American to get hired,” an experienced Silicon Valley engineer and manager told Breitbart News.

     Americans get screened out from jobs even before the interview process, he said. “I know at one point there was a woman that was an Indian woman who was in the human resources department. … She was sorting through the resumes and all we got … was resumes from India.”

      “Even in the interview process, the Americans are screwed,” he added: 

When the interview process comes along, guess what? They’re gonna have three people from India and three people from America [interviewing the job seeker]. The three people from India are all going to vote the same. They’re going to pick their Indian guy and they’re going to say ‘Yep that’s our guy,’ and the Americans are gonna go back and forth. Guess who’s going to get hired? It’s such a skewed system.

India’s 4,000-year-old caste system pressures and enables Indians to exclude Americans — and to separate Indians from Americans’ society — in violation of U.S. workplace laws, he said. “We don’t have a caste [system]; we’re not part of their caste system, so we [individuals] have no caste. … You might as well be an untouchable. … I think that’s what they do is they [say], ‘You don’t have a caste; you are the lowest caste.’ And so they treat you that way.”

      “Americans are culturally oblivious to this idea that something so Third World would be in the United States,” said Jay Palmer, a former technology worker who now helps India’s mistreated visa workers to sue U.S.-based corporations. “I’ve had so many Indians tell me it is an Indian Mafia — they use those words.” He continued:

I have hundreds of Indian workers coming to me to complain that they have to give part of their salary to Indian hiring managers out of gratitude [for getting their jobs], whether $5 to $10 an hour.

…

There are some Indian managers — I can prove this — making upwards up to $15,000 to $20,000 a month in kickbacks.

The Indian white-collar labor market in the United States is far bigger than prior estimates, or the 451,000 Indians nominated for green cards in the last ten years.

     For example, the Department of State issued 399,686 non-immigrant visas to Indians in 2009 — but that number rose to 1,006,802 Indian visas in 2018. In 2017, Indian workers sent almost $12 billion back to India, so reducing consumer spending in many American cities and towns.