A Quick Run Around the Web (8/4/2020)

"Why MILITARY GUYS put HOT SAUCE in their EYES"--Black Scout Survival (2 min.)

As the video explains, it isn't actually in your eye, but rubbing a little underneath your eyes. Why? To wake yourself up. I'm not sure if I'm brave enough to try this.

• "Riot Survival Compendium"--Active Response Training. Greg Ellifritz has put together an impressive compendium of articles on the topic of self-defense and self-protection if you are caught up in a mob protest or riot. Some of the articles are prior pieces he has written while most are from other authors or sources. Normally I wouldn't post these separately, but given that the most likely confrontation between an innocent party and the so-called "protesters" has been people attempting to drive somewhere in a vehicle and encountering the rioters blocking a road or highway, I do want to reference a few articles to which Ellifritz links specifically on that topic. Because it is just as important--perhaps more important in this situation--to know when you can safely resort to force in defending yourself, first read this article from Legal Insurrection discussing the general rules of self-defense in the context of having your car blocked by protesters. Keep in mind that automobiles are considered deadly weapons when used against a person, so even your slowly driving forward and nudging someone could be considered aggravated battery. Then read this two part article from Gabe Suarez (Part 1) (Part 2) on how the actual how to use your car to get out of protests (or what you may need to do if you abandon the vehicle), including some recommendations as to weapons. 

      Greg also prefaces his list of resources with this advice:

     Here is my best advice…

      Stay away from any scheduled protests, riots, uprisings, or large political gatherings.  It is absolutely not safe to attend such an event in today’s political climate.  I hope my readers are smart enough to recognize that.   Both sides of most of these “protests” are at fault.  Both sides show up looking for a fight.  Both sides get exactly what they came for.  The only way to avoid violence like that on a personal level is to avoid being present in the first place.

     The only way to avoid such violence on a societal level is to refuse to give either group the attention they are looking for.  Don’t attend the rallies.  Don’t post news of the event on your Facebook wall.  Let these idiots die the obscure death they deserve.

• Related: I've also thought about defense against mobs and riots in the past. Check out my 2016 post on "When Your Car Is Surrounded By A Mob" which has advice from Mass Ayoob that I excerpted from one of his books, The Truth About Self-Defense. My 2014 piece, "Thoughts on Defense Against a Mob" is more of a theoretical piece about responding to something similar to the Jakarta riots of 1998 which saw mobs raging into ethnic Chinese neighborhoods for the express purpose of killing, raping, and pillaging. We haven't seen anything like this, yet, but some of the agitators have been promising to bring the riots to the suburbs. 

• Related: "Army sergeant who shot dead BLM protester Garrett Foster reveals he was driving for a ride share firm, wasn't aware of protests and only opened fire in 'self-defense' when the victim pointed his assault rifle at him"--Daily Mail. 
• Related: "Garrett Foster was a waste of skin"--Lagniappe's Lair. "... When a regular citizen tried to drive down a road that Foster and his friends were obstructing, the mob blocked the car in and started banging on it and Garrett said 'He's my change to be Rambo!' and ran up to the car,m [sic] pointing his rifle at the driver just like in one of his video games. Alas for poor Pugsley, the car driver had a concealed carry permit and a firearm, and he had the resolve to defend himself. The driver acted in response to the threat that Foster was presenting and dropped him like a dirty sock with multiple rounds to the chest. The driver then left the scene, stopped when he felt safe, and called the police. The driver is not in custody right now in large part because despite the lies told by Foster's pals, plenty of pics show Garrett pointing a deadly weapon at the man before the man defended himself."
• "Another ‘Worst Possible Case’ – Interrupting a Murderer"--The Tactical Professor. He writes, "Probably the best Course of Action upon discovering a body is to RUN the other way as fast as you can and when in a safe place, call the POlice. Secondarily, if you are armed, be prepared to engage the killer without hesitation. If they’ve already killed someone else, they may not think twice about trying to kill you."
• "A Paramilitary Threat We Could Face"--Mason Dixon Tactical. The author notes that we have seen up-armored vehicles increasingly used by cartels in Mexico, with the implication that we might see some groups in the United States also start to field such vehicles. He has some suggestions and thoughts as to the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of such vehicles.
• Related: "Form 1 DIY Panzerfaust"--The Firearm Blog. "Capable of firing over 100 yards, the warhead (in this case is a practice dummy) uses a propelling charge of Goex cannon black powder housed in a cardboard tube attached to the rear of the fins. Like the original Panzerfaust design, initiation is provided by means of a primer (in this case commercial muzzleloading primers) fitted into an external nipple that is struck via the sheet metal trigger mechanism. The launching tube is simply a length of commercially available steel tube onto which the trigger mechanism is welded."
• "Here Are the Biggest Selling Firearms During the Hottest Gun Sales Market Ever"--The Truth About Guns. If I were Glock, I would be a little worried. The top selling semi-auto was the Sig P320, and Glock (with the Glock 19) doesn't even show up until 4th place. (Although I'm a little mystified as to why they break out the "Glock 19" from the "Glock 19 Gen. 4" which was at 7th place. Is the "Glock 19" supposed to represent just Gen. 5 weapons, or does it also include Gen 3?)
• "The Story Of How Samuel Colt Made Men Equal"--The Federalist. A short history of Samuel Colt and his invention of the revolver. As would be expected, the military initially had no interest in the weapon believing that the ability to fire multiple shots without reloading was of no real use. Instead, it was law enforcement--specifically, the Texas Rangers--that marked the beginning of the revolver's popularity.
• "A Patrol Rifle Primer"--Loose Rounds. This article is intended for the law enforcement officer stuck with a pretty basic rifle and without the funds and/or permission from his department to upgrade the rifle, but is applicable to anyone with a basic AR-15 that wants to make it better without a lot of money to pour into it. The author therefore looks at some simple accessories that probably would be allowable but still make the rifle more usable such as a removable rubber butt-pad to fit over the end of the stock, better front sight posts, and, if an optic can be mounted, some advice as to the type of reticle. 
• I actually found some buckshot at a local farm and gardening store this past weekend, which is worthy of note because buckshot has become extremely difficult to locate during the current ammo shortage. But if you have some stored up or are able to score some buckshot, here are a few articles from Lucky Gunner on using buckshot for self-defense: "Stuff You Should Know About Buckshot" (Part 1) (Part 2) and "What’s the Maximum Effective Range of Buckshot?"
• Related: "Shotgun Ammo For Home Defense" (Part 1) (Part 2) --Modern Defensive Training Systems. Part 1 discusses why birdshot is not a viable choice for self-defense, and Part 2 discusses buckshot, including a couple recommendations.
• Related: "The Best Shotgun Ammo for Home Defense"--AmmoToGo.com. Another article on selecting a type of shot, but also finishing with some specific recommendations of brand and type of buckshot.
• "My Go-To Carbine Setup"--American Partisan. The author's carbine, he states, is specifically not for home defense, but something to use for patrolling and combat. As such, it is a fairly basic set-up: a standard 16-inch barrel with the M-4 profile, 1:7 twist, and a standard A2 flash hider; an M-LOK free floated handguard from Palmetto State Armory; a VTAC sling; an ACOG sight; what appears to be a standard collapsible/adjustable stock; and what appears to be a laser designator. The author uses night vision equipment, so there is no tactical flashlight riding on the weapon.
• A look at some more gun leather: "Gear Review: Galco Gunleather Miami Classic II Shoulder System"--The Truth About Guns. Not only a review, but he also shows how to set up the holster.
• "Talking Salt"--Beans, Bullets, Bandages & You. A look at the importance of salt and potassium intake to replenish your electrolytes after hard work and sweating.
• "The Reality Of Survival: It Ain’t Pretty"--Urban Survival Site. Survival entertainment and media sell a heroic, sanitized version of survival after disasters, but the truth is more prosaic: worrying about getting food and clean water, what to do when the toilet doesn't work, potentially dying from a small scratch or cut because of poor hygiene or lack of antibiotics. 
• "Imodium’s Survival Applications: What It Is & Why Carry It Everywhere"--More Than Just Surviving. The author begins by observing that "[w]hen discussing survival, we often gravitate towards the bad-ass, like which knife to carry or the fashionably practical question of which tactical backpack is best. It’s fun, it’s interesting, no issues with that – so long as we aren’t completely ignoring the negative realities of survival – it’s dirty, it’s messy, and chances are, your bowels (I know, who wants to think about that) won’t be even remotely happy with the situation." He continues:

      When travelling under duress/stress your body typically responds pretty badly to the food you encounter and encourage it to eat. Traveller’s diarrhea is a legitimately dangerous thing to have in emergency situations (diarrhea = dehydration), and yet it’s something very easily caused by contact with any sort of contaminated food or water, which can be loaded with nasties from Salmonella, to E. coli, Shigella, Giardia, as well as many others.

      That’s bad enough, but considering the fact that you can also have pretty bad bowel problems as a consequence of adrenaline, fear, or stress, you’ll finally start to get a picture of how uncomfortable you may be as a result of a SHTF situation.

      As I am sure you can imagine, a survival situation is positively loaded with stresses and unknowns – these bowel-related issues are just the icing on the top of the mud cake.

      As I’ve already stated, besides the obvious discomfort diarrhea can bring, it also dehydrates you a considerable amount. The other outcomes of having diarrhea you would know if you’d even had it once – it seeps your energy and truly does negatively impair your mental faculties. It’s uncomfortable, incredibly dangerous if you don’t have clean water to replace what you just lost with, and just downright to be avoided in an already bad situation if it’s at all possible.

The author recommends having plenty of Imodium on hand; and, in fact, suggests that if a disaster occurs, you just preemptively take some.

• "Gun Designers Other Inventions"--TINCANBANDIT's Gunsmithing. I knew that Mikhail Kalashnikov had a lot of non-firearm inventions to his credit, but apparently many other famous gun designers also had wide ranging interests in mechanical and electrical gadgets. For instance, the article mentions that Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim who invented the Maxim machine gun was in a long legal battle with Thomas Edison over who had first invented the light bulb. Interesting reading for the history buffs out there.

"Walther PPKs on the Range: Comparing the .32 to the .380"--Forgotten Weapons (8 min.)

The .32 and the .380 are identical except for caliber and magazine capacity (7 rounds of .32 versus 6 rounds of .380). Ian found both to be accurate and, to his surprise, shootable. Years ago I had the opportunity to shoot a PPK in .32, and although I was only able to try one magazine worth of shooting, I thought it was one of the most accurate handguns I'd used.

• "America’s 'Days of Rage': The Extensive Left-Wing Bombings & Domestic Terrorism of the 1970s"--Ammo.com. I've mentioned before that the Leftist violence we are seeing today is not new, but something with which we had to contend in the 1960s and 1970s. But you won't hear much of it today. As the author of this piece notes, "[t]he most likely explanation for why you have never heard of this until now is that the events of these years have been consciously buried by those who would prefer you not know about them." Just like you won't hear about how many prominent Democrat politicians have a history of communist extremism. This particular article focuses on a particular protest between October 8 and 11, 1969, sponsored by the Weather Underground (aka Weathermen). From the article:

       The Weathermen started out as a faction within Students for a Democratic Society. Without getting too much into the weeds, much of what happens during this period of leftist terrorism in the United States has its genesis in a faction fight between the Weathermen, who controlled the national SDS organization, and the rest of their faction (known as the Revolutionary Youth Movement II or RYM II), who were in opposition to the more classically Maoist Worker Student Alliance.

       Tensions ran high because the stakes were high – nothing less than total control of the largest student radical organization in America and all of the spoils that came along with that. Many within the Weathermen faction of RYM II believed that they were fighting literal fascism coming to America in the form of President Richard Nixon.

      Sound familiar yet? It’s about to sound a lot more so.

       On October 6, 1969, a statue memorializing a police officer killed during the 1886 Haymarket riots was blown up. No one ever figured out who committed this act of iconoclasm, but the tangible effect of the act of political terrorism was the final isolation of the Weather Underground from the rest of the SDS.

       The Weathermen then shifted their activity to the Days of Rage, a protest rally with the slogans “Bring The War Home!” Many wielded lead pipes and were clad in football helmets, ready for a confrontation with the police.

      Turnout was disappointing. The Weathermen expected a massive turnout, but only got about 800, who stared down 2,000 Chicago police likely itching for another fight after the 1968 Democratic Convention. By the first night, about 500 had deserted the protest, with about half of the remaining 300 being Weathermen from around the country.

       Abbie Hoffman and John Froines, two members of the Chicago Seven, showed up, but declined to speak and left. The remaining hardcore of Weathermen and their supporters shifted the goalposts to simply fighting the police as constituting victory.

       At 10:25 p.m., Jeff Jones, one of the leaders of the Weathermen, gave the signal and chaos erupted. The crowd moved through the city, smashing windows of ordinary cars and middle-class homes throughout Chicago, as well as small businesses such as barber shops.

       The next day, October 9, a "Women's Militia" comprised of about 70 female Weathermen planned to attack a draft board office, but were prevented from doing so by the Chicago Police Department. The governor called up 2,500 National Guard members to protect Chicago, and protests for later in the day were canceled. The Black Panther Party’s local leadership attempted to distance themselves from the Weathermen, describing the group as “anarchistic, opportunistic, adventuristic, and Custeristic."

       The next day was the last day of the Days of Rage proper, centered around a march of 2,000 through a Spanish-speaking area of Chicago. The next day, October 11, the Weathermen attempted to reignite the protests, but were quickly sealed off by Chicago’s finest. Approximately half of the crowd were arrested in 15 minutes.

As the article goes on to explain, the Weathermen then went underground, renaming themselves the Weather Underground. The article goes on to describe the ideological stance of the group--basically, what flavor of communism were they--and outline the terrorist attacks carried on by the Weather Underground. However, these terrorists did not disappear to black sites once captured. There were feted by the Left, and the leaders landed plush jobs teaching at various elite universities where they inspired the likes of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

• "Rioter Intel Part 2"--Loose Rounds. The rioters are not simply showing up--many have at least familiarized themselves with the roles they will be playing, if not having actually had some training. The rioters tactics continue to evolve. This article links to some of the resources that the rioters are using or sharing concerning tactics. The author also has some takeaways from video taken in Portland: "This is the grant park attack, where a black bloc formed inside a protest and redirected it towards an assault on the grant park Columbus statue. Pay attention to the way the LE detachment is pushed from the area, then how the 'peaceful protesters' form a bike shield and wall off the police from reentering the park while the black bloc goes after the statue."
• "As They Turn To Burning Bibles, Portland Rioters Show Their True Colors"--The Federalist. The article relates that "[a] video posted to Twitter on Saturday shows rioters holding Black Lives Matter signs tossing Bibles into a fire. Bystanders stood and watched as the flames licked away at the pages of the books."
• Related: "America is engaged in a religious war"--Bookworm Room. And its war between Christianity and Marxism, which has all the trappings of a religion less a supernatural deity. 
• Related: And, of course, there must be a confession of sins and atonement by those cursed with the original sin of whiteness: "The Reconciliation Must Be Televised" by Wesley Morris at The New York Times.

Before it  [the current national attention on Black Lives Matter] vanishes, the centuries and conditions that produced it warrant commemoration. They warrant further confrontation, reclamation and connection. They warrant an event — broadcast across the country, over months, not days — that squares the present with the past, that explains The Moment to those who say they are, at last, awake to it. This Moment of historic holding to account, of looking inward, deserves a commensurate, totalizing event that explains what is being reckoned with, demanded and hoped for, an experience that rubs between its fingers the earth upon which all those toppled monuments had so brazenly stood. The Moment warrants a depth of conversation the United States has never had. It demands truth and reconciliation.

• "Body Cam Footage Of Floyd's Arrest Leaked"--Powerline. If this had been released at the get go, we might have been able to avoid weeks of rioting and looting. Key bit:

       Floyd complained of being unable to breathe long before anyone knelt on his neck. (Shortness of breath is a symptom of fentanyl overdose.) He apparently preferred being on the ground to being inside the squad car. One of his companions, his “ex” according to the Daily Mail, made a finger-twirling-next-to-the-temple gesture to explain his mental state.

 

       A more likely explanation is drugs. The toxicology report that was part of his autopsy found that Floyd had 11 ng/mL of fentanyl in his blood, along with other drugs and metabolites. Published literature (based on a modest Google search) finds lethal overdoses of fentanyl down to 5 ng/mL, less than half the concentration in Floyd’s blood. If I am misreading the literature, I am happy to be corrected.

 

      Pretty much everyone who watches the famous video thinks he sees Floyd dying on account of a police officer kneeling on his neck. But Floyd’s autopsy found no evidence of physical trauma in the neck area, and documented no other signs of death by asphyxiation. It may be that what we are actually seeing in the video is one of tens of thousands of deaths due to opioid overdose. Or it may be that Floyd died later, on the way to a hospital.

The videos are embedded in the article.

• "Minneapolis Police, Defunded by City Council, Advise Residents to Obey Criminals"--PJ Media. As I've noted numerous times before, government is at a fundamental level a protection racket: we pay them money (taxes) to protect us from invaders and brigands. This is the most basic function of government, and our governments, both national and local, have largely failed at these respective tasks. I would expect that at some point there will be a taxpayer revolt in those cities that have defunded their police. 
• Related: "Seattle Citizens on Their Own After City Council Bans Less Lethal for Cops"--Tactical Life. The article reports: "Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best recently warned business owners and residents of her city. Local police will not 'risk their personal safety to protect property,' she wrote. The warning comes after city officials banned police from using less-lethal tools like pepper spray for dispersing crowds to control rioters."
• Heresy! "Is Racism Responsible for Today's Black Problems?"--Townhall. The author, Walter E. Williams, instead considers whether the problem is because dysfunctional, single-parent households are the norm in the black community. 

      The most devastating problem is the very weak black family structure. Less than a third of black children live in two-parent households and illegitimacy stands at 75%. The "legacy of slavery" is often blamed. Such an explanation turns out to be sheer nonsense when one examines black history. Even during slavery, where marriage was forbidden, most black children lived in biological two-parent families. Professor Herbert G. Gutman's research in "The Black Family in Slavery and Freedom 1750-1925" found that in three-fourths of 19th-century slave families, all the children had the same mother and father. In New York City, in 1925, 85% of black households were two-parent. In fact, "Five in six children under the age of six lived with both parents." During slavery and as late as 1920, a black teenage girl raising a child without a man present was a rarity.

      An 1880 study of family structure in Philadelphia shows that three-quarters of all black families were nuclear families. There were only slight differences in family structure between racial groups. The percentages of nuclear families were: black (75.2%), Irish (82.2%), German (84.5%) and native white Americans (73.1%). Only one-quarter of black families were female-headed. Female-headed families among Irish, German and native white Americans averaged 11%. According to the 1938 Encyclopaedia of the Social Sciences, only 11% of black children and 3% of white children were born to unwed mothers. As Thomas Sowell reported: "Going back a hundred years, when blacks were just one generation out of slavery, we find that census data of that era showed that a slightly higher percentage of black adults had married than white adults. This fact remained true in every census from 1890 to 1940."

 

If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that the Democratic party is the black community's biggest problem.

• "Democrats’ ‘War Game’ for Election Includes West Coast Secession, Possible Civil War"--Breitbart. So what happened was that the Democratic party decided to war game the upcoming election. In one of the scenarios, with a close election, because of delays in counting ballets, Biden (played by John Podesta of Pizza Gate fame) refused to concede defeat and convinced two states to send pro-Democrat electors (of the Electoral College) to Washington to vote for Biden. The result was that the Left Coast states threatened to secede if Trump prevented Biden from taking office. The Democrats wanted to play some shenanigans with the Electoral College after the 2016 election, but were so shocked by the outcome that they had planned for the loss, and therefor nothing happened. This time, they may be better prepared. So the scenario might not be unrealistic. 
• "Dear Good White People, Your First Test Is Here"--Medium. Marley K., a self-described "Southern Raceologist," is back to her usual conspiracy theory rantings:

Most Good White people know most White cops have a silent pact with White people, or at least among themselves. That pact is that White people don’t kill White people, meaning White cops don’t/won’t kill White people. If they do, it’s last resort or a scary newbie, but on most days their secret pact is not to kill White folks. ...

 

By "good white people" she means those who are "anti-racist" and willing to riot and take up arms in support of international socialism. And, of course, she can't even get her facts right: police kill far more whites than any other race.

• "Coronavirus Shock Claim: Refugee Scientist Says Virus Came from Army Lab"--PJ Media. Per the article, "Hong Kong-based virologist Yan Li-Meng, currently in hiding at an undisclosed location, claims that the COVID-19 coronavirus came from a People’s Liberation Army lab, and not from a Wuhan wet market as Beijing has claimed." It's not clear whether Yan had personal knowledge that the virus came from a lab or if it is based on deductions or suspicions. 
• "Coronavirus: Iran cover-up of deaths revealed by data leak"--BBC News. The BBC obtained records from a whistleblower that indicate that Iran's reported cases and deaths from COVID-19 is vastly under-reported: "The government's own records appear to show almost 42,000 people died with Covid-19 symptoms up to 20 July, versus 14,405 reported by its health ministry," and "[t]he number of people known to be infected is also almost double official figures: 451,024 as opposed to 278,827."

"Asian Stalingrad - The Battle of Manila 1945"--Mark Felton Productions (22 min.)

This short video takes the viewer from the initial landing of American infantry (this was an Army effort) through the end of the battle, with a short section on the aftermath--namely, the war crimes trial for the Japanese General that was nominally in charge of the forces in Manila. 

• "Why George Washington Could Not Be Felled by Powder and Ball" by Mark Albright at Meridian Magazine. During the campaign of General Braddock against Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War, in which a young George Washington participated, he was the only officer not killed or wounded, notwithstanding the efforts of the French troops and their American Indian allies and that Washington very prominently was riding his horses (several were shot out from underneath him) in order to maintain command and rally troops. In fact, notwithstanding his military career, including later leading the Continental Army, Washington was never injured in combat. From the article:

      During the battle, the Indians targeted the officers intentionally, and as the battle continued, nearly every member of Braddock’s staff, including his secretary and two of his military aides, were shot down. Washington, Braddock’s only uninjured staff member, rode over every part of the field carrying the general’s orders. Significantly following the battle, Indians confirm that they had specifically singled out Washington and repeatedly shot at him but without effect. They, therefore, became convinced that he was protected by an invisible power and that no bullet could harm him. Indeed even though hundreds of victims fell all around him, shielded by God’s hand, Washington escaped without a scratch, untouched by bullet or bayonet, arrow or tomahawk. He later credited this miracle to divine providence.

       Braddock was eventually shot because the Indians knew that if they could shoot down the officers they could scatter the remaining troops and easily destroy them. Consequently, every mounted officer, except Washington, had been slain before Braddock fell. One famous Indian warrior, who was a leader in the attack, was often heard to testify, “Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet! I had 17 fair shots at him with my rifle, and after all that, I could not bring him to the ground.”

       When one considers that a rifle aimed by an experienced marksman rarely misses its target, his utterance seems to have been prophetic and confirms that an invisible hand from Heaven had indeed turned aside the bullets. Another witness who had spoken with Red Hawk, an Indian chief, after the victory, said he had shot 11 different times at Washington without hitting him and because his gun had never before missed its mark, Red Hawk ceased firing at him, convinced that the Great Spirit protected Washington.

       Washington’s survival was so obviously miraculous that special mention of it was made in a famous sermon preached by the Reverend Samuel Davies only weeks after the battle. Davies, considered one of the greatest pulpit preachers in America, was an active leader in the American revival known as the Great Awakening and later became the president of Princeton University. In his 1755 sermon, Davies commended the military qualities that the Virginia soldiers had displayed during the fight and then added: “I may point out here to the public that the heroic youth, Colonel Washington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal a manner for some important service to his country.”

• An evolutionary biologist explains why biological sex is, in fact, binary, and there are characteristics associated with each of the sexes:
• "No One Is Born in ‘The Wrong Body’" by William J. Malone, Colin M. Wright, and Julia D. Robertson at Quillette. An excerpt:

       The idea that all people have an innate “gender identity” recently has been endorsed by many health-care professionals and mainstream medical organizations. This term commonly is defined to mean the “internal, deeply held” sense of whether one is a man or a woman (or, in the case of children, a boy or a girl), both, or neither. It also has become common to claim that this sense of identity may be reliably articulated by children as young as three years old.

 

       While these claims about gender identity did not attract systematic scrutiny at first, they now have become the subject of criticism from a growing number of scientists, philosophers and health workers. Developmental studies show that young children have only a superficial understanding of sex and gender (at best). For instance, up until age 7, many children often believe that if a boy puts on a dress, he becomes a girl. This gives us reason to doubt whether a coherent concept of gender identity exists at all in young children. To such extent as any such identity may exist, the concept relies on stereotypes that encourage the conflation of gender with sex.

 

       However, starting at a young age, children do tend to exhibit preferences and behaviors that we associate with sex (as distinct from gender). For example, male children display more aggressive behavior than female children. In addition, “cross-sex” behavior—or, more accurately, cross-sex stereotypical behavior—often is predictive of later same-sex attraction.

 

      Can all of these findings be integrated? To start, just as sex influences the development of bodies, it also influences brains. There are in-utero differences in hormone exposures (male testosterone surges at eight weeks gestation, for example), and distinct developmental pathways are triggered based on the XX (typically female) or XY (typically male) chromosomal make-up of neurons. The integration of these sex-related and other developmental processes with environmental pressures gives rise to an individual’s unique personality and preferences.

 

       It comes as no surprise then that population-based studies have demonstrated sex-related differences in personality and preferences that are independent of social influences. When social influences are weakened (in more egalitarian societies such as the Nordic countries of Europe), the sex-related differences in personality and preferences actually increase (the opposite of what one would expect if men and women were wired in an identical fashion). This suggests that as environmental pressures become relaxed, innate sex-specific preferences surface.

• "The New Evolution Deniers" by Colin M. Wright at Quillette. An excerpt:

       At first, left-wing pushback to evolution appeared largely in response to the field of human evolutionary psychology. Since Darwin, scientists have successfully applied evolutionary principles to understand the behavior of animals, often with regard to sex differences. However, when scientists began applying their knowledge of the evolutionary underpinnings of animal behavior to humans, the advancing universal acid [i.e., the theory of evolution] began to threaten beliefs held sacrosanct by the Left. The group that most fervently opposed, and still opposes, evolutionary explanations for behavioral sex differences in humans were/are social justice activists. Evolutionary explanations for human behavior challenge their a priori commitment to “Blank Slate” psychology—the belief that male and female brains in humans start out identical and that all behavior, sex-linked or otherwise, is entirely the result of differences in socialization.

 

       This stance is maintained by the belief that evolutionary explanations for sex-linked behavioral differences are biologically essentialist, which is the fatalistic notion that biology alone directly determines our behavior. Blank Slate psychology, however, is universally rejected by experts, as the evidence for innate sex-linked personality differences in humans is overwhelmingly strong. But experts also universally reject that this view demands we embrace biological essentialism, because the environment does play a role, and observed sex differences are simply averages and overlap tremendously between the sexes. Sex no more determines one’s personality than it determines one’s height. Sex certainly influences these traits, but it does not determine them. For instance, most of us know females who are taller than most males, and males who are shorter than most females, though we are all aware that males are, on average, taller than females. In humans, the same is true for behavioral traits.

 

      I am an evolutionary behavioral ecologist, and most of my work is concerned with how individual differences in behavior (i.e. personality) influence individual fitness, and the collective behavior and success of animal societies. Most are probably not aware, but animal personality research is a vibrant field within behavioral ecology due to the ubiquity of personality as a phenomenon in nature, and its ability to explain interactions both within and between species. In nearly every species tested to date for the presence of personality, we’ve found it, and sex-linked personality differences are frequently the most striking. Sex-linked personality differences are very well documented in our closest primate relatives, too, and the presence of sexual dimorphism (i.e. size differences between males and females) in primates, and mammals generally, dramatically intensifies these differences, especially in traits like aggression, female choosiness, territoriality, grooming behavior, and parental care.

 

       Given that humans are sexually dimorphic and exhibit many of the typical sex-linked behavioral traits that any objective observer would predict, based on the mammalian trends, the claim that our behavioral differences have arisen purely via socialization is dubious at best. For that to be true, we would have to posit that the selective forces for these traits inexplicably and uniquely vanished in just our lineage, leading to the elimination of these traits without any vestiges of their past, only to have these traits fully recapitulated in the present due to socialization. Of course, the more evidenced and straightforward explanation is that we exhibit these classic sex-linked behavioral traits because we inherited them from our closest primate ancestors.

 

       Counterintuitively, the social justice stance on human evolution closely resembles that of the Catholic Church. The Catholic view of evolution generally accepts biological evolution for all organisms, yet holds that the human soul (however defined) had been specially created and thus has no evolutionary precursor. Similarly, the social justice view has no problem with evolutionary explanations for shaping the bodies and minds of all organisms both between and within a species regarding sex, yet insists that humans are special in that evolution has played no role in shaping observed sex-linked behavioral differences. Why the biological forces that shape all of life should be uniquely suspended for humans is unclear. What is clear is that both the Catholic Church and well-intentioned social justice activists are guilty of gerrymandering evolutionary biology to make humans special, and keep the universal acid at bay.

• "The Dangerous Denial of Sex" by Colin M. Wright and Emma N. Hilton at The Wall Street Journal. The article is behind a paywall, but you can find it reproduced here. From the article:

        In humans, as in most animals or plants, an organism’s biological sex corresponds to one of two distinct types of reproductive anatomy that develop for the production of small or large sex cells—sperm and eggs, respectively—and associated biological functions in sexual reproduction. In humans, reproductive anatomy is unambiguously male or female at birth more than 99.98% of the time. The evolutionary function of these two anatomies is to aid in reproduction via the fusion of sperm and ova. No third type of sex cell exists in humans, and therefore there is no sex “spectrum” or additional sexes beyond male and female. Sex is binary.

 

      There is a difference, however, between the statements that there are only two sexes (true) and that everyone can be neatly categorized as either male or female (false). The existence of only two sexes does not mean sex is never ambiguous. But intersex individuals are extremely rare, and they are neither a third sex nor proof that sex is a “spectrum” or a “social construct.” Not everyone needs to be discretely assignable to one or the other sex in order for biological sex to be functionally binary. To assume otherwise—to confuse secondary sexual traits with biological sex itself—is a category error.

 

        Denying the reality of biological sex and supplanting it with subjective “gender identity” is not merely an eccentric academic theory. It raises serious human-rights concerns for vulnerable groups including women, homosexuals and children.

 

      Women have fought hard for sex-based legal protections. Female-only spaces are necessary due to the pervasive threat of male violence and sexual assault. Separate sporting categories are also necessary to ensure that women and girls don’t have to face competitors who have acquired the irreversible performance-enhancing effects conferred by male puberty. The different reproductive roles of males and females require laws to safeguard women from discrimination in the workplace and elsewhere. The falsehood that sex is rooted in subjective identity instead of objective biology renders all these sex-based rights impossible to enforce.

 

        The denial of biological sex also erases homosexuality, as same-sex attraction is meaningless without the distinction between the sexes. Many activists now define homosexuality as attraction to the “same gender identity” rather than the same sex. This view is at odds with the scientific understanding of human sexuality. Lesbians have been denounced as “bigots” for expressing a reluctance to date men who identify as women. The successful normalization of homosexuality could be undermined by miring it in an untenable ideology.

 

       Those most vulnerable to sex denialism are children. When they’re taught that sex is grounded in identity instead of biology, sex categories can easily become conflated with regressive stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. Masculine girls and feminine boys may become confused about their own sex. The dramatic rise of “gender dysphoric” adolescents—especially young girls—in clinics likely reflects this new cultural confusion.

 

       The large majority of gender-dysphoric youths eventually outgrow their feelings of dysphoria during puberty, and many end up identifying as homosexual adults. “Affirmation” therapies, which insist a child’s cross-sex identity should never be questioned, and puberty-blocking drugs, advertised as a way for children to “buy time” to sort out their identities, may only solidify feelings of dysphoria, setting them on a pathway to more invasive medical interventions and permanent infertility. This pathologizing of sex-atypical behavior is extremely worrying and regressive. It is similar to gay “conversion” therapy, except that it’s now bodies instead of minds that are being converted to bring children into “proper” alignment with themselves.

 

       The time for politeness on this issue has passed. Biologists and medical professionals need to stand up for the empirical reality of biological sex. When authoritative scientific institutions ignore or deny empirical fact in the name of social accommodation, it is an egregious betrayal to the scientific community they represent. It undermines public trust in science, and it is dangerously harmful to those most vulnerable.

• "Being a Chinese student in the US: ‘Neither the US nor China wants us’"--BBC News. This piece was intended to spark sympathy for Chinese students living in the United States, and outrage at the Trump Administration for the growing tension between the two countries. However, the article actually makes a pretty good case for limiting the number of Chinese students. The article mostly focuses on Shizheng Tie who moved to Ohio when she was 13 to be educated in the United States. Tie, according to the article, reports that she had dreamed of staying in the U.S. after she gets a Ph.D. and working here, but now she is "very scared" because of what she describes as rising anti-China sentiment and discrimination, although the article is bereft of any actual incidents of discrimination. In any event, what the article inadvertently reveals is that, although Tie supposedly wanted to remain in the United States, she had no intention of assimilating. "Despite her frustration over China's travel restrictions, Tie says she has become more patriotic since living aboard," writes the author. The article also relates that Tie has criticized the United States in her school paper over its supposed "Sinophobia." (I'd like to see her return to China and publish something critical of China or the CCP). 

     "I am patriotic in a rational way, not as a result of brainwashing," Tie says, adding that she views both Washington and Beijing critically, citing the lack of freedom of speech in China.

 

     "Both countries let me down many times," Tie says, "but China is my motherland, so I am more willing to endure that frustration."

Would you really expect someone like this to ever honestly pledge allegiance to the United States? 

• "The Pork Road"--West Hunter. The author notes that "[i]t now seems clear, from genetic evidence,  that Polynesians from the Marquesas visited the western coast of the Americas – somewhere ( or maybe several places) between Peru and Mexico." But the question is why? What trade was valuable enough to sustain these voyages? Although there are many things that Polynesians might want from the ancient Americans, there isn't much that could be traded in return, except, the author suggests, pork. Specifically male pigs (so the ancient Americans couldn't breed them for themselves).
• Why does Ellen DeGeneres' talk show set look like Epstein's temple? Good question.
• Speaking of which: "Epstein’s alleged secret girlfriend revealed as children’s book author, entrepreneur"--New York Post. I've talked before about some of the symbolism on Epstein's island temple. I was intrigued by the statues that were there: one of Neptune and two of owls. I linked up some of the tales of Neptune to Epstein's belief that he was to breed many children, the statues of the owls were more mysterious. I linked them to Lilith, who is described as a night owl in the Bible, and, according to legends, would go forth to kidnap children. Two owls--two Liliths--two girlfriends?
• "Alarm over discovery of hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels near Galápagos Islands"--The Guardian. 
• I still wouldn't plant them: "REVEALED: Mysterious seeds sent from China to Americans in all 50 states include cabbage, mint, sage and roses, Department of Agriculture tests find"--Daily Mail. 

"Communist Power Struggle to Take Down Xi Jinping"--China Uncensored (14 min.)

As if the multiple natural disasters facing China were not enough. 

• "How to Blog Anonymously"--Anonymous Conservative. Instructions and advice on how to never have a blog traced back to you, including what to do if you still plan on making money from your blog.
• "100 Soviet-Era "Backpack" Sized Nuclear Weapons Could Be Missing"--National Interest. Both the U.S. and the Soviets had man-portable nuclear weapons that could be used for purposes of sabotage; the Russians admitted in the late 1990s that they apparently couldn't account for 100 of the 250 such devices that the Soviets had built. The concern was that some of these devices may have been smuggled into the United States and hidden in caches. Not unlikely since I have come across articles concerning small arms caches that both the U.S. and Soviet Union had left in locations around the world. Whether we should be concerned about these decades old weapons is a different matter since, as this article explains, nuclear weapons have limited shelf-lives due to many different factors.
• And how is this any different from hatching sea monkeys? "Scientists successfully revive 100m-year-old microbes from the sea"--The Guardian. Per the article, "[s]cientists have successfully revived microbes that had lain dormant at the bottom of the sea since the age of the dinosaurs, allowing the organisms to eat and even multiply after eons in the deep." "Their research sheds light on the remarkable survival power of some of Earth’s most primitive species, which can exist for tens of millions of years with barely any oxygen or food before springing back to life in the lab."
• "How Scientists Encoded 'The Wizard of Oz' Into DNA"--IEEE Spectrum. The why is straightforward: DNA offers extremely high density data storage and is very durable (the article notes, for instance, that scientists had recently mapped the genome of a horse whose remains were dated to 700,000 years ago). The problem has been translating data format between digital and what could be stored in a DNA type storage. 

Enter William Press’s team at the University of Texas at Austin. They’ve pioneered a set of DNA data encoding and decoding algorithms that could jumpstart a new field of high-density, long-term data storage. Their work, reminiscent in its generative ambition of the landmark BB84 protocol that launched the field of quantum cryptography, could one day form the basis for a world of genomic data storage applications that come from reimagining information in terms of petabytes per gram.

• And with this, one of the most fundamental problems with long space voyages and habitats in space or on other planets or asteroids has been solved: "Could Chernobyl be key to conquering Mars? Fungus found in Ukrainian nuclear plant can EAT radiation and may be able to protect settlers from Red Planet's deadly atmosphere"--Daily Mail. "A layer of the fungus around 21 centimetres thick could 'largely negate the annual dose-equivalent of the radiation environment on the surface of Mars', researchers found." Not only that, but even if it is damaged, it will self-repair. This, part, however, sounds like the protomolecule: in studying the fungus to learn how it could survive intense radiation, the researchers found that "[n]ot only did it survive, but they discovered the fungi actually grew towards the radiation, as if attracted to it."
• "Thank you for flying SpaceX! NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken emerge from the Dragon Capsule after splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico at the end of historic two-month mission on the International Space Station - and the first NASA water landing since 1975"--Daily Mail.
• A reminder that we live in the 21st Century: The Mars 2020 mission launched on July 30, 2020, carrying the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity helicopter drone. Two other Mars probes were launched in July. The United Arab Emirates’ Hope orbiter successfully launched from the Tanegashima Space Center near Minamitane, Japan, on July 20, and, on July 23, China launched its Tianwen-1 Mars mission carrying an orbiter, lander, and rover.