The Male Pelvis Is Especially Adapted To Bipedal Locomotion

The article, "The Wonders of the Male Human Pelvis," discusses research analyzing and comparing 91 modern human pelvises (both men and women) and two Neanderthal pelvises, noting that the modern male pelvis has some unique features from the Neanderthal or female pelvises:

    Walking has been described as a series of controlled falls. When you walk, you destabilize your center of gravity, then interrupt an embarrassing trip to the ground by swinging your leg forward to catch yourself, and so on. During these controlled falls, your body drops downward, which both stresses your joints and requires energy to recover from. 

    Per the team, the unique architecture of the human male pelvis means we do a better job of dealing with both of these issues. Because our legs are positioned slightly more forward, our quads both absorb the shock of stepping and spring our bodies back upward. This more energy efficient gait may give men an advantage over long distances. Because they were constrained by the demands of childbirth, women’s pelvises weren’t able to develop these modifications, researchers say. 

Canada's Cost Cutting Measures

"Assisted suicides now makes up more than 1 in 10 deaths in parts of Canada — and rates are rising," reports the New York Post. In some areas, it is even higher: "Lanaudière — a mountainous region of Quebec just north of Montreal — had 13.4% of its deaths come from Canada’s medical assistance in dying program (MAID) in 2025, official records showed." 

Annals of Corruption: Doctors Transitioning Kids

For liberals, "helping" someone is just an excuse to make money. The New York Post reports: "Hospitals, doctors got rich through shady gender-care billing tactics — and taking advantage of kids: damning report." From the lede: "US hospitals and clinics have billed out nearly $120 million in gender-related medical treatments to minors since 2019, putting thousands of children on an expensive and irreversible treadmill requiring lifelong upkeep — with the blessing of doctors and lefty politicians."

    HHS points to “financial incentives” as one potential explanation for the explosion in gender-related care for minors — as hospitals sought a way to juice profits in pediatric departments, which typically bring in lower margins than other specialties.

    “Gender clinics changed that calculus by introducing a novel source of revenue: they promised a new stream of continuous revenue for pediatrics, endocrinology, and surgical specialties by taking physiologically healthy young people — who otherwise would not need to seek medical attention, and rendering them dependent for life on the medical system.”

    The report cited watchdog analyses that have found hospitals and clinics have billed almost $120 million in gender care treatments since 2019 — involving 5,500 surgical procedures and 8,500 courses of hormones or blockers.

    HHS accuses health care providers of willfully misusing diagnostic codes — diagnosing patients with endocrine disorder or precocious puberty — to get insurance to foot the bill or to protect a patient’s privacy. 

Fauci's Holocaust

Kevin Downey Jr. has a piece over at PJ Media entitled "COVID-19: Fauci's Holocaust." And I think he is spot on in his observations laying this at the feet of Fauci. Some of the points raised in the article:

COVID was nothing less than a modern-day Holocaust.  It killed roughly seven million people worldwide. Economies crumbled, and trillions of dollars were lost. Families were kept apart on holidays. We watched our grandparents die alone on tablets. Funerals were either not allowed or limited to 10 people. Children didn't go to school, creating years of educational and emotional damage they still feel today.

[snip]

 The COVID virus and the responses were some of the most evil, premeditated tactics humans have ever wrought upon mankind. What we also endured was a years-long propaganda-fest that would ideologically tear families apart, cost people their livelihoods, and have people at each other's throats in what many were duped into believing was an existential threat to everyone on the planet.

 Here's what we know:

• Fauci decided to sidestep restrictions on gain-of-function research in the U.S. so, through grants and contracts, pursued gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
• There, researchers created the COVID-19 virus which, whether by accident or deliberately, was released, quickly spreading in China and, thence, to the rest of the world. 
• Fauci's diary states on February 8, 2020, that he believed that COVID's fatality rate at 0.2-0.3%, but on March 10, he stated it was 10 times higher, which lie he repeated in testimony to Congress.
• He was a key figure urging the lockdowns, notwithstanding that COVID was no more fatal than seasonal flu. And he "admitted in his diary that he convinced elected leaders to continue the lockdowns for as long as he deemed necessary."
• He was a key figure behind mask mandates although he knew that the masks did nothing to prevent the spread of the virus 
• He used the lockdowns as a way of forcing people to get the vaccination.
• And he did all of this for fame, money, and self-aggrandizement.  

Gun & Prepping News #92

 Some links that may be of interest: 

• "Hero armed citizen opened fire on Idaho In-N-Out gunman, tried to stop shooting that left 2 dead, 7 wounded: harrowing video"--The New York Post.  
• "The Case Against FliteControl" by Travis Pike, The Truth About Guns. The author, who admits to using the 8-pellet Winchester buckshot with the FliteControl wad in his self-defense shotgun, writes:

For me, the biggest argument against FliteControl is the same argument for FliteControl: the pattern is tight. When dealing with typical home defense ranges, every shotgun load is firing a fairly tight pattern due to the limited range. A standard shotgun pattern is tight enough that the likelihood of an errant pellet is quite low.

When we reduce the pattern to a hole slightly larger than a 12-gauge slug, we are losing out on a big benefit to throwing multiple pellets per trigger pull. The little bit of spread we are getting at home defense ranges can help us put pellets where it matters.   

What I believe he is getting at is that you just don't need it for self defense inside the home because the distances are so short.  

• "August 2026 Rangemaster Drill of the Month: 3 Seconds Standard, Vers. 2.0"--The Tactical Wire. Revisiting a point made in the Weekend Reading column:

“The DEA in 2007 had 44 incidents in which shots were fired against criminals. The average engagement distance was 14.6 feet. The typical American sedan is 16 feet long, so we could just say, about a car length. 

“In the case of our students who had to shoot in self-defense, the distances involved were: 

Contact distance 4% 

3-7 yards 91% 

Beyond 7 yards 4%

“The 3 shootings beyond 7 yards were at 15,17 and 22 yards, so some work at that sort of distance is needed, but not a lot. 

“So, we put the vast majority of our effort in class on fast, reliable vital zone hits at the 3,5, and 7 yard lines, with a heavy emphasis on 3-5 yards. Three yards could be classified as conversational distance” and is the zone in which we normally talk to strangers. Five yards is essentially one car length. 7 yards is across a large room. If you think in those terms, the reason 91% of our shootings took place at from 3 to 7 yards makes a lot of sense. Keep this in mind when structuring your practice sessions.” 

• Conversely: "The Long Line – Practice for Precision"--Tactical Wire.  

If you want to be able to shoot at all well at 25 yards, you train at fifty yards. That’s the take from a bullseye shooter – at least one and likely many more. It’s also the take of Pat McNamara, a name familiar to those interested in the tactical/personal protection aspect of firearms. 

• "Civilian Marksmanship Program Announces Sale of M14s"--Bearing Arms. No details on prices or availability. In its announcement, "the CMP revealed that the rifles will be modified to be 'permanently and irreversibly semi-automatic rifles,' and will be 'fully compliant with CMP enabling legislation authorizing the transfer and sale of military surplus .30 caliber rifles.'" My guess--and it is only a guess--is that this means that they will be shipping them with new receivers.
• This looks interesting: Sightmark has released a red dot they are calling the G-Shot. What makes it unique is that the red dot is incorporated into a chassis or frame that is designed to fit over the rear of a standard Gen 3, 4, or 5 Glock slide with no modifications to the slide or need to remove the rear sights. 
• "Deep Concealment: Shedding Light on Pocket Carry"--Athlon Outdoors.  

    While deep concealment is the most common, pocket carry shines in a backup-gun role. Many armed citizens and law enforcement officers have long relied on small revolvers or compact pistols carried in a pocket as a secondary firearm. This provides access to a weapon if the primary gun becomes unavailable or if one hand is occupied. Carrying a backup gun in the support-side pocket can create additional options during a defensive encounter. While not everyone needs a second firearm, pocket carry remains one of the most practical methods for those who choose to carry one.

    For others, pocket carry may simply be the only realistic option. Physical limitations, work attire, body type, or daily activities may make traditional waistband carry difficult. The best carry method is often the one that a person can realistically maintain every day. The key is being honest about your situation. Carrying a smaller firearm in your pocket is far better than leaving a larger firearm at home. However, that decision should be made thoughtfully and not solely for convenience. 

• "Review: .45 Long Colt — History and Ammo Recommendations"--The Mag Life. This is one of only a small number of cartridges that successfully made the transition from black powder to modern smokeless powder. 
• "Marines Just Added AI That Turns M240 Machine Guns Into Drone Killers"--Military.com. A system that automates the tracking and targeting of the drones. 

    According to specs provided to Military.com, the system relies on passive sensing rather than radar, which helps keep the host platform’s signature low. Pointing accuracy is listed at less than one minute of angle.

    In the M240 configuration, the cyclic rate is 850 rounds per minute, and the company has repeatedly highlighted a cost per kill measured in the low tens of dollars, driven largely by the price of the ammunition itself. 

• "Sawyer Mini Not Flowing After Storage? How to Restore It"--Modern Survival Blog. The author explains:

    If your Sawyer Mini barely flows after months or years in storage, do not assume it is worn out. The hollow fibers may need to be fully re-wetted. Sediment or mineral deposits may also be blocking the small passageways.

    The best first step is to run clean water through the filter in the normal direction. Then backflush it forcefully with the included syringe. A stubborn filter may need a warm-water soak or a separate white-vinegar soak.

    This matters for anyone who keeps a water filter in an emergency kit. A filter that worked when stored may seem almost useless when you suddenly need it.

    That is especially true when the kit has never been opened or tested since the day it was purchased.

The remainder of the article provides more detailed directions and explanations.

• "Boot Care: How to properly care for your boots."--Joint Force Tactical.  Instructions on cleaning, drying, water proofing, and conditioning of the boot material. 
• "Best Hand Saw for Cutting Logs and Firewood"--Modern Survival Blog. The "best" is somewhat a misnomer because what is best depends on what is the size of the wood and whether you have someone to help you or are working alone. But he goes over different saws what where they excel. 
• The inevitable result of a natural disaster: "Looting breaks out in Bordeaux's empty suburbs as wildfire inferno so big it makes its own lightning storms moves to just seven miles from city"--Daily Mail.  
• "Parasite outbreak explodes to more than 10,000 cases in one state as hundreds are hospitalized nationwide"--Daily Mail. The state is Michigan, and the parasites discussed in the article are not Somalis but cyclosporiasis, "a sickness that causes diarrhea and stomach pain." 

Gun & Prepping News #91

 Some links that may be of interest: 

• "Violence of Mind & Action: Combat Marksmanship"--Breach Bang Clear. 

    Combat marksmanship (CMMS) is the ability to place lethal precision fire on a threat target in all environments under the stress of combat in order to reduce a threat to a point that it is no longer viable.

    CMMS principles differ from those of marksmanship (MMS) because with the former, an enemy is either actively firing at you or has just been firing at you. In the latter, the Gunfighter has all the time to make a shot count. In CMMS, the Gunfighter has limited time to perceive a threat and then eliminate the threat. That time is literally the rest of their life.  

He goes on to discuss topics of preparedness, mental rehearsal, determination, passion, and speed in order to achieve violence of action:

Violence of action is the execution of actions with surprisingly overwhelming force. It is a culmination of all the passion, determination and speed needed to realize victory. When faced with violence of action the assailant must reevaluate the situation. Violence of action also diminishes the bravado of the assailant and increases the bravery of the Gunfighter. Violence of action is the one aspect that criminals use to surprise victims and totally dominate the situation. By dominating the situation, they control the victim. The Gunfighter must use all the aspects of the combat mindset to be the one that dominates the situation, eliminates any threats with the appropriate level of force and be prepared to go to that level of force.  Thereby controlling the situation and being victorious. 

• "Your Hunting Bullet Choice is Too Small: The Case for a .30 Caliber All-Around Rifle"--Shooting Times. The author's perspective is addressing a single rifle for hunting big game in North America, with his pick being either the .30-06 or .300 Winchester Short Magnum (WSM). He explains:

I recommend that most people wanting to be one-gun hunters focus on .30-caliber cartridges. Those can handle 180-grain to 200-grain bullets for black bears and big nondangerous game like elk and moose, where lighter, smaller-diameter bullets may be less effective.

However, he does recommend larger calibers for dangerous game (e.g., brown bear). 

• Speaking of .30 caliber hunting rifles: "Lightweight AR-10: Building a Hunt-Focused Backcountry Rifle (Part 1)"--American Hunter. The author begins:

AR-10 rifles are a lot of things, but “lightweight” typically isn’t one of them. That is, until the Ruger SFAR was released. But since that rifle is being discontinued, and the guns were somewhat scarce as it is, I thought I’d try my hand at building a lightweight AR-10 and getting it even lighter, if possible. I wanted to stay within a reasonable budget, though. That said, I observed diminishing returns in weight versus cost—it could be lighter by shaving off a few ounces (maybe as much as half a pound depending on the optic you pick), but it would be ridiculously expensive.

The first part focuses on the lower receiver, while the future part 2 will focus on the upper (including optic) and part 3 will cover tuning the rifle. The author used a Nemo Arms receiver set that is made of "billet 7075-T6 aluminum, it’s skeletonized in some places and has lightening cuts in others, minimizing weight." When I built mine, I used a Roam lower receiver made of magnesium which is listed as having a weight of 7.3 ounces. (I also used a Roam upper). 

Related:

• "Is an AR-10 a Good Hunting Rifle?"--Battlbox.  

Quick Answer: Yes, the AR-10 is an excellent hunting rifle. It is most effective for medium to large game like whitetail deer, feral hogs, and elk due to its semi-automatic action and chambering in powerful cartridges like .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. 

• "How to Build an AR Hunting Rifle"--Peterson's Hunting.  Some discussion of building an AR-10 for hunting.
• "Building a Lightweight AR-10 on a Budget"--Shooting Illustrated.  

• On the subject of lightweight receivers (albeit for the AR15 platform): "33% Weight Reduction: New 1791 Industries LiteRaider MMC Receivers"--The Firearm Blog. Pricey, but here is the basics:

The weight race for AR platform receivers just shifted, and this is of interest for anyone who’s running & gunning a lot. 1791 Industries is introducing its LiteRaider line of ultra-lightweight uppers and lowers built from Metal Matrix Composite, a material engineered to sit 33 percent lighter than aluminum while matching the strength profile of 7075-T6. That's not a marketing-thin claim; it's built on an actual material science play, one that could reshape how builders approach the sub-eight-pound rifle conversation.

• If you are just looking for a lightweight hunting rifle, it is hard to beat a lightweight bolt action: "Howa Superlite: The Most Affordable Ultralight Hunting Rifle on the Market"--The Truth About Guns. The rifle, sans scope, is only 4.7 lbs. And as to price:

... Most of those ultralight rifles carry price tags north of $2,000, often $3,000 or more, before a scope ever touches the rail. The Howa Superlite in 6.5 Creedmoor breaks that pattern. At a street price that is typically under $1,000, you can easily build a complete rifle-and-optic package that comes in well under the price of other ultralight rifles. After putting rounds downrange from 100 yards out to 750 yards, it’s clear this mountain rifle backs up the affordable price tag with real performance.

• "I Want a Good Defensive Bullpup Shotgun…Is That Too Much to Ask?"--Shooting News Weekly. A quick look at the various bullpup shotguns on the market, including problems or downsides he sees to the different designs. He seems to lean toward the KSG-7 because he believes the extra tubes (and ammunition) just complicate the designs. And although the bullpup shotguns are slower to reload than standard layouts, the author does not believe this is a problem:

But I don’t think most people using a shotgun defensively will ever need to reload. I’ve looked, and I can’t find a single example of a civilian defensive shotgun encounter that required a reload. Even John Correia of ASP hasn’t seen a civilian defensive encounter that required a reload across the entire spectrum of civilian defensive firearms use. 

But, he also adds, "[a]t the end of the day, if having higher capacity and faster reloads is one of your must-haves, a shotgun probably isn’t going to be the weapon you’re going to pick anyway." 

• "KelTec KP50 Review: 100 Rounds of 5.7x28mm in a Compact, Folding Platform"--Guns America.  Another weapon you probably would not need to reload in a defensive context:

 KelTec completely reworked its original P50 concept, replacing the awkward top-loading design with a drop-free magazine, machined receiver and far more practical controls. We put the new KP50 through a high-volume range session, with and without a suppressor, to find out whether the unusual 5.7x28mm pistol is more than a novelty.

The review is very detailed--much more than most firearms reviews. However, the conclusion is:

    The KP50 is not for everyone, and KelTec clearly did not design it to be.

    It is heavier and larger than a conventional handgun. It lacks a last-round bolt hold-open, and its unusual internal arrangement requires the shooter to learn a different manual of arms.

    Ammunition cost will also discourage casual shooters from treating it like a rimfire plinker, no matter how mild the recoil feels. A 50-round box costs us $29, so it’s not ridiculously expensive but also not cheap like 22 LR.

    Within those limitations, however, the KP50 is a remarkably successful redesign.

    The new bottom-loading magazine corrects the original P50’s most awkward feature. The machined construction feels substantial. The folding brace, flat magazine orientation and uninterrupted top rail produce a compact package that is easy to configure and transport. Recoil is almost nonexistent, practical accuracy is excellent and the 9.6-inch barrel produces a meaningful increase in velocity compared with shorter 5.7mm pistols. 

     Most importantly, the KP50 is enjoyable to shoot.

    That may sound like faint praise, but it is not. Firearms do not always need to imitate existing service weapons or satisfy a narrowly defined tactical requirement. There is still room in the market for a well-built, mechanically interesting gun that is accurate, reliable under reasonable conditions, and genuinely fun on the range.

    The KP50 is strange, but it is not strange merely for the sake of attracting attention. Its unusual shape follows an unusual mechanical solution: fitting 50 or 100 rounds of 5.7x28mm into a compact firearm without hanging a large magazine underneath it.

    KelTec took an intriguing but awkward concept and turned it into a much more mature platform. The KP50 remains unmistakably KelTec, but this time the unconventional engineering is paired with unexpectedly good execution.

• "How the Kentucky Rifle Turned Frontier Hunters into America’s First Snipers"--Outdoor Life. A reprint of a 1948 article. An excerpt:

     It was in response to the demands of obstinate frontiersmen that the famous Kentucky model evolved. It hit its stride by about 1730 but underwent steady change for many years. Most rifles were built to the buyer’s specifications or according to the maker’s latest experiments, and the resulting new ideas were eagerly seized upon by competing smiths. For this reason, surviving examples show wide variations in detail. 

    No frontiersman wanted to carry a heavy weapon on his long treks in the wilderness. The weight was steadily reduced until the average Kentucky hunting rifle weighed between 9 and 10 pounds. (Those made for match shooting averaged about 19 pounds.) Similarly, using a large-caliber rifle meant that the lone pioneer had to carry a heavy load of bullets. So the caliber was reduced from the .65 and .70 common in Europe to about .45. The pound of lead that once yielded sixteen .70 bullets now gave forty-eight .45 balls — three times as many shots. 
    
    Simultaneously the front sight was enlarged and the trigger guard strengthened while it was stripped of its old bulk. But probably the most distinctive change came in the barrel, which on previous rifles had been uniformly short and heavy.

    Now it was lengthened, ranging in the early Kentucky models from 51 to 77 inches, or up to more than triple the length of the average big-game rifle of today. This meant that less powder was needed than before, because it burned cleaner. In the opinion of several authorities, this long barrel which gave great accuracy at the same time that it deadened the noise of the firing was the main factor in the success of the Kentucky rifle. 

    Coupled with this was the novel “patch” method of loading invented by some unsung genius. Thanks largely to this discovery, rifles could be reloaded in one fourth the time it took before, and eventually backwoodsmen were getting off their second shot in less than half a minute after the first.  

• "Butterfield Effect Hits ‘The Trace’ Hard as They Try to Reconcile Lower Crime, Higher Gun Ownership"--Shooting News Weekly. It's hard for gun haters and cowards to understand how gun crime can be declining at the same time as gun ownership continues to climb. 
• "Separate outbreak of diarrhea parasite with dozens of cases not related to recalled lettuce identified"--Daily Mail. 

    Health officials are tracking another outbreak of the 'explosive diarrhea' parasite as the disease runs rampant across the US.

    The FDA said 72 people had been infected with cyclosporiasis, a disease transmitted by food or water contaminated with human feces, in a separate cluster than the one with thousands of suspected cases potentially linked to lettuce and Taco Bell. 

• "How to survive the apocalypse, according to the world's best doomsday preppers"--BBC Science Focus. This article is mostly about the booming underground shelter business in the UK and the different survival needs a shelter must address. But there are some tips on storing food and water.
• "Why 20 Million Americans Now Identify as Preppers—and What They’re Buying"--Inc.  The article itself is not significant as it is just another piece on how the underground shelter business is booming--this time focused on the U.S.--but I was somewhat surprised at the statistic of 20 million Americans identifying as preppers, a number that has doubled since 2017 according to the article. 
• Perhaps more realistic for many Americans: "How to prepare for a huge disaster when you live in a tiny apartment"--Vox. An excerpt of an interview with Anna Maria Bounds, a sociology professor at Queens College in New York, and the author of Bracing for the Apocalypse: An Ethnographic Study of New York’s ‘Prepper’ Subculture. (There is a link to the podcast with the full interview). It has some useful advice on storing food and water when living in a small space. For instance, Bounds related:

    ... Another myth about prepping is that people think that that means that you have to have a whole room dedicated to stacks of toilet paper and rice and spaghetti sauce. Absolutely not. You just need to think carefully about how you live in order to learn how to manage your space.

    In the living room in the corner, I had a white freezer, which looked absolutely ridiculous. So I applied wallpaper to it, and I think it looks really cute. The things that I keep in there are varied. I keep several different types of meat. I have some uncooked, and then I have some that are cooked and sliced and that I’ve cooked and ready to go, and I’ve packaged them. We have vegetables, we have pasta, and we have soup. We have pot pies and extra bottles of water because in the event of a blackout, our food will stay colder longer because we have the frozen bottles of water in there. If we get an injury and I need to place something cold on our leg or on our back, we could use that. 

• "CPAP Battery Solutions" (Part 1) (Part 2) -- Blue Collar Prepping. The author discusses her solution for powering her CPAP is the power should go out. Her solution involved the Rockpals Freeman 600 power bank (which can be charged by solar) and some cords so she would power the CPAP using a 12 V output rather than AC. 
•  "How Long Do Firestarters Typically Last?"--Modern Survival Online. This is discussing ferrocerium rods. There are a lot of variables, not the least being the composition and hardness (or softness) of the rod. However, the author states they generally last between 5,000 and 15,000 strikes. However:

    The rule of thumb is that harder alloy compositions last much longer but they don’t produce as many sparks from a typical strike. That’s because less material is physically being consumed.

    Conversely, your softer alloy blends produce a much larger and more intense shower of sparks but they wear out much quicker due to greater consumption.

The Diversity Report #34

 A selection of articles showcasing the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion: 

• "Trump’s Science Report: Visa Migrants ‘Sideline’ Many American Scientists"--Breitbart. An excerpt:

    Nationwide, at least 1.5 million white-collar jobs are held by non-immigrant foreign contract workers, most of whom arrived via the H-1B program. The universities’ foreign scientists get their work permits via the controversial H-1B, J-1, and Optional Practical Training programs.

    The science sweatshops financially exclude roughly 50 percent of young American technology and science graduates. The Americans, unlike most foreign students from poor countries, need to get well-paid 9-to-5 jobs to pay off their college debt, live a normal life, get married, and have kids.

    One side result is large-scale discrimination against non-white Americans in favor of Asian migrants.

    Amid this replacement migration, foreigners on visas now comprise more than 40 percent of the PhD students in the hard sciences, and roughly 25 percent of students in “applied life sciences,” the Kratsios report says. This critical population includes many students from China and India who bring their own national loyalties and home-country economic ties with them. 

• "Sanctuary California: Biden-Released Illegal Alien Accused of Raping 6-Year-Old Girl at Daycare"--Breitbart. 

    An illegal alien released into the United States by the Biden administration is now accused of raping a 6-year-old girl at a daycare in Sacramento, California, a sanctuary jurisdiction.

    Last year, illegal alien Gokhan Bagci of Turkey was arrested by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and charged with lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer against Bagci that same day.

    According to police, in July 2025, Bagci was working at the Mather Childcare Center when he allegedly lured a 6-year-old girl into a closet pretending to play hide-and-seek with her. Once in the closet, police allege that Bagci sexually assaulted her.

    Following the sexual assault, police allege Bagci took the girl into a bathroom where he raped her. Police have said there may be more child victims. 

• "ICE, FBI Agents Arrest Illegal Alien Accused of Attempting to Rape Girl in Indiana"--Breitbart. 

Javier Cereque-Perez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested by ICE and FBI agents before being turned over to the Fishers Police Department to face two counts of attempted rape, one count of sexual misconduct with a minor, and one count of sexual battery. 

• "A New, Fungal STI Is Quietly Emerging: Everything You Should Know About TMVII"--Yahoo.

    Vasilios Papapitsios noticed a scaly, itchy rash on their buttocks after a shower on March 13, which raised alarm bells for the long-time STI awareness advocate. Papapitsios, a South Carolina resident who uses they/he pronouns, usually stays up to date on the latest on sexual health news. He had been reading about an emerging sexually transmitted illness (STI) just a few weeks prior: a fungal infection, with the largest known cluster of cases reported in Minneapolis in July 2025, colloquially called TMVII.

    "I just showed up [at my local health clinic] and said, 'I think I have a fungal infection that's a new STI,'" Papapitsios tells Them. "They didn't even know what I was talking about. My doctor had to look it up."

[snip]

    According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Infection (CDC), TMVII is a fungal infection that can spread through sexual contact, but also by sharing towels and linens or any skin-to-skin touch. Patients and experts alike are concerned about the lack of response to TMVII, given that most of its cases have presented in men who have sex with men. The U.S. government has a track record of mishandling, ignoring, and actively cutting research funding of infectious diseases that disproportionately impact queer people. Coupled with the fact that it can take weeks to run a test for TMVII, some experts are concerned that the fungal infection has silently been spreading to epidemic proportions without intervention. 

• "FBI captures fugitive on ‘Most Wanted Fraudsters’ list who allegedly led $547M Medicare scheme"--New York Post. 

Khalid Satary, 54, was cuffed in the Middle East on Monday after more than three years on the lam for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to defraud Medicare of over $547 million, the US Department of Justice announced on Tuesday. 

• "Illegal Migrant Trucker from India Arrested for Allegedly Stealing $2.8M in Chemicals"--Breitbart. 

    Officials say Deepak Kumar, 31, illegally picked up the cargo in Pennsylvania on June 25, then drove off with the toxic compound.

    Tungsten oxide powder is used in armor-piercing bullets, ceramics, lasers, optical products, and high-tech windows, according to the New York Post.

    After the theft was reported to police, investigators used a Flock camera system to track Kumar’s semi and the vehicle was located in Indiana traveling on Interstate 70 near Greenfield.

• "Road rage driver who allegedly killed boxing star Hannah Rapp is career criminal with lengthy rap sheet"--New York Post.

Charles Eric Medina, 31, was arrested on manslaughter charges for fatally striking Rapp, a 26-year-old up-and-coming featherweight fighter, with his car while she was cycling with her boyfriend, Will Pollalis, in Brazos County, Texas, on Saturday.

• "California’s Fourth of July plunges into hell as stores looted, police horses charge and fires break out"--New York Post.  

    Fourth of July descended into mayhem across parts of Southern California as unruly crowds overwhelmed packed-out fireworks displays, looted stores, ignited fires and saw cops charge on horseback.

    The worst unrest erupted in Newport Beach, where Independence Day revelers poured into Orange County, choking traffic and triggering a police response as disorder spread near the pier.

    Authorities ultimately shut down businesses from the Newport Pier to Pacific Coast Highway as officers moved in to restore order.

• "Hasan Piker Calls Mao ‘One of the Great Leaders’"--National Review. From the lede:

    Hasan Piker, the leftist influencer, has millions of followers across Twitch, YouTube, and other platforms. And so it is not without interest that he has described Mao as “one of the great leaders of this world” and that, when challenged about this, he conceded that “there was a lot of f***ing excesses, let’s be real, but. . . .”

    Ah yes, there is always a “but.”

    The “but” in this case was that “the People’s Republic of China would not exist without Mao Zedong.”

    True enough. Then again there were tens of millions of Chinese who would have existed for quite a bit longer were it not for Mao or his republic. And many of those did not meet their deaths because of yet another catastrophic communist “reform,” but because they were, in one way or another, murdered.

 Reminder: Hasan Doğan Piker is the son of Turkish immigrants. 

• "Mystery as Democrat nepo-baby lands $411k-a-year council job over 400 other applicants... including THREE who scored better than her during selection process"--Daily Mail. 

    Questions are being raised over how the daughter of a congresswoman landed a $411,000-a-year council job over three other candidates who reportedly scored better than her in interviews. 

    Erica Lee Carter, 46, the daughter of late Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, was appointed as the Harris County Administrator earlier this year in a hotly contested hiring process with over 400 applicants. 

    The role is one of the best paid government jobs in Harris County, which covers over five million people including the city of Houston, with applications coming from CEOs and politicians across the country.  

• "Woke activist group says State of New York must offer reparations to ALL black people living there"--Daily Mail. 

    Civil rights groups in New York have released a report demanding reparations for black residents, arguing that decades of deliberate racial inequality must be amended. 

    The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the local chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) released a report last week titled, The Other New York: The Legacy of Slavery and the Case for Reparations Now. 

•  "Dr. Oz claims NY Medicaid program is being ripped off by Chinese crime syndicate"--New York Post. 

    Federal Medicaid czar Dr. Mehmet Oz said New York’s overblown $110 billion spending on medical bills is sickening — as he claimed Chinese crime syndicates are ripping off the Empire State.

    The TV doctor-turned-Trump administration official, blasted New York’s Medicaid program as rife with fraud in an interview Sunday as he outlined an alleged scheme that included millions of dollars in fraudulent medical bills.

    “Social safety net programs are being defrauded. They’re being hurt oftentimes by foreign governments or foreign-run criminal syndicate organizations,” Oz, administrator of the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said Sunday on 77 WABC ‘s the “Cats Roundtable” program. 

Enjoy Your Street Food

From the New York Post: "Lake Hollywood Park rocked by wave of truly disgusting acts — before food is served." The Park apparently is below the famous "Hollywood" sign. But it lacks restrooms and, therefore, photographs show fruit vendors use the bushes to defecate and urinate before serving food.

The images were provided by outraged residents who say they have spent years documenting vendors relieving themselves in the park, dumping wastewater into the street and leaving behind piles of trash while city officials have repeatedly failed to stop the growing operation.

Probably because the city officials didn't want to be racist. A local resident told the Post:

“They go to the bathroom in the bushes … then they come back. Mind you, there’s no hand washing because there’s no bathroom. They’re urinating and defecating in a park space, and then they come back and cut fruit.” 

And like most illegal activities in blue states, it is part of a larger operation:

    Cobb also told The Post she believes many of the fruit carts are part of a larger operation rather than individual vendors.

    She said trucks regularly drop off multiple carts each morning and return to collect them at night. She says she suspects some workers may be exploited.

     “I think a lot of these people are trafficked to do the jobs. It’s not right.”

FDA Still Links Cyclosporiasis Outbreak To Mexican Taylor Farms Facility

You may have read or heard that the FDA test of the Taylor Farms' lettuce was a false positive. 

    In its statement on Sunday, the FDA said a sample of lettuce supplied by the company had reported a positive cyclospora result on July 18.

    However, 'due to the complexity in detection of cyclospora, FDA laboratory experts re-reviewed the sample results and have concluded that the finding does not represent true amplification and should be considered a false positive.'

    The statement continued: 'FDA has notified Taylor Farms and continues working with the firm to ensure product implicated in this outbreak has been removed from the market. FDA and state partners continue to collect and analyze product samples.

However, the FDA has indicated that this does not clear Taylor Farms, and that they (the FDA) still believe that the outbreak was due to lettuce from the Mexican facility. 

Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Traced To Lettuce From Mexico

The New York Post reports that the Cyclosporiasis outbreak has been traced to products distributed by Taylor Farms:

    Taylor Farms, which is based in Salinas and has a facility in central Mexico, was identified as a possible source of tainted iceberg lettuce connected to the summer outbreak of cyclosporiasis, The Washington Post reported, citing two individuals with knowledge of the investigation.

    Taylor Farms, described on its website as a leading producer of salad kits, vegetable trays, cheese packs and other snack items, also supplies iceberg lettuce to Taco Bell — which investigators have linked to the diarrhea outbreak.

    A statement from California Department of Public Health noted that a federal investigation into the outbreak involves shredded iceberg lettuce from Mexico served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Taylor Farms emphasized that although the lettuce was sourced from a single "independent farm" in Mexico, it is recalling all of its iceberg lettuce products sourced from the region. 

VIDEO: The Cyclosporiasis Outbreak

You probably have already seen numerous news stories and articles about the cyclosporiasis outbreak that is most notable for causing "explosive" diarrhea. The current focus is on it possibly spreading via leafy or uncooked vegetables. For instance, the Independent recently reported "Taco Bell now under investigation over outbreak of parasite that causes ‘explosive diarrhea,’ report says," noted that "several Taco Bell locations in Michigan last week warned customers that the restaurants were 'currently unable to sell Lettuce, Cilantro Onion, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole due to a nationwide recall.'" It also explains:

    Exposure to the Cyclospora parasite leads to cyclosporiasis, an infection with symptoms including “watery diarrhea” and “explosive bowel movements,” as well as fatigue, stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, vomiting and a low-grade fever. It is rarely life-threatening. Cases have spiked over the past week in several states including Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, Ohio, and New York. 

[snip]

    Cyclospora is transmitted when people consume food or water contaminated with fecal matter, according to the CDC. While cyclosporiasis cases are reported year-round, they are most common from May 1 through August 31. Past outbreaks have been linked to raspberries, basil, cilantro and salad mixes.

    “Most people with healthy immune systems will eventually recover from cyclosporiasis without treatment,” the CDC website states. “However, if not treated, you may be sick for anywhere from a few days to a month or longer.”

    Symptoms may take two weeks or longer to appear, and some people remain asymptomatic — factors that can make the source of an outbreak difficult to pinpoint.     

 But it isn't just any fecal matter that spreads the parasite, but human feces. 

    The video below addresses the implications that Cyclospora only comes from human feces as well as offering some steps to take to prevent an infection. It is not enough to wash contaminated vegetables; and the parasite does not appear to be affected by freezing. Rather, the only way to make contaminated food safe to eat is by cooking the food. 

VIDEO: "This Parasite Spreads Through Human Poop (How to Stay Safe)"
Neal K. Shah (21 min.)

Gun & Prepping News #87

 Some links that may be of interest :

• "The Mount"--The Tactical Wire.  An excerpt:

    In wing shooting, a critical aspect is the mount – bringing the comb of the stock to the cheek under the dominant eye, bringing the gun to your eye line, not ducking your head to see the bead.

    In riflery, when crossing a plain in search of small varmints for example, the technique is largely the same -- as it is in combat. Bring the rifle to your eye, don’t duck down to the rifle.

    When shooting a handgun, according to an aged document from the American Pistol Institute (now known as Gunsite Academy), the plan for the 250 – Defensive Pistol included students beginning range experience with the mount.

    As there are less points of contact with the handgun than long guns, you could argue the mount is more critical. It’s certainly critical when learning the gun. 

    Some will decry this beginning as “range world,” alleging that one can never do this operationally. Is there something to this? It seems a bit like using the sights. Walt Rauch once told me that the sights on a handgun are like the training wheels on a child’s first bicycle; once you learn the mount through extensive practice, the sights confirm your hold.  

• "Overrated & Unneeded: Back-Up Iron Sights"--Recoil Magazine. Despite the click bait title, the author notes that if your handgun's red dot sight becomes occluded for some reason, your front iron sight will not be visible either. He discusses three alternative methods of sighting:

•  Guillotine/Shoulder Squaring

First popularized with the Trijicon RMR due to the convex top glass, the guillotine is simply placing the top edge of your MRDS at the base of the target’s neck, like you’re chopping the head off a French noble. Similarly, you can align the edges of the optical body with the shoulders and press.

• Owl Horns/Crowning

This method simply lines up the top of the optical window with the top of the target’s head. With an RMR this may look like horns on the head, and with a rounded window you’ll give them some new headgear — right before you turn their face inside out.

• Meat-In-Window

Sealed sights work exceptionally well with this method because they have both front and rear windows to line up (sound familiar?). Look for misalignment between your pistol and target by observing shadows in the window itself. The longer the optical body, the more accurate this method will be.

He has other advice, so read the whole thing. 

• "Behind the Bullet: The .500-416 Nitro Express"--American Hunter. 

    Unlike the American system of naming a cartridge derived from an earlier design—the .25-06 Remington, 7mm-08 Remington and .338-06 A-Square come quickly to mind—where the new bullet diameter comes before the parent cartridge, the British method uses the parent cartridge name before the new bullet diameter. The .450/400 NE is the .450 Nitro Express necked down to hold .400-inch (actually .411-inch) diameter bullets; the .500/465 NE used by Teddy Roosevelt is the .500 Nitro Express cartridge necked down to hold .465-inch-diameter bullets; and so on and so forth. Kreighoff mated the case of the .500 Nitro Express with the abundant bullets of the .416 Rigby, resulting in the .500/416 Nitro Express, a well-balanced cartridge which makes a sound choice for dangerous game. 

     Looking at the ballistics of the .500/416 NE, you might recognize the formula: a 400-grain .416-inch-diameter bullet at a muzzle velocity of 2,300 to 2,350 fps, generating 4,700 to 4,900 ft.-lbs. of energy at the muzzle. These figures are common to the .416 Rigby, .416 Remington Magnum and .416 Ruger, and are certainly more than adequate for any and all game species on earth. A 400-grain bullet of this nominal diameter possesses a Sectional Density figure of .330; anything above .300 is considered perfectly acceptable to deliver the penetration needed for taking thick-skinned dangerous game, and modern premium bullets are even more effective in the field. In fact, for the visiting sportsman using the services of a Professional Hunter, this formula is just about as perfect as you could ask for, and just might represent the quintessential balance of striking power and ease of shooting, especially in a double rifle which has a little more weight to it.

• "WSM Legionary 22: Lightweight .22 LR Can Under $200"--The Firearm Blog.  An excerpt:

    The suppressor weighs 3.5 ounces with a 1-inch diameter, keeping it from upsetting the balance of lightweight rimfire rifles and pistols. The body is 6061-T6 aluminum with a Type III hardcoat anodized black finish. Thread pitch is 1/2x28, which covers the vast majority of threaded .22 LR barrels on the market. I have a few .22LRs, and they’re all threaded in this pitch.

    On the performance side, WSM claims the Legionary 22 reduces sound levels to 114.10 dB on .22 LR, which works out to roughly 27 dB of noise reduction compared to unsuppressed fire. That should put it in a competitive territory for aluminum rimfire suppressors in this price range. 22s are one of the few rounds I dare to shoot suppressed without hearing protection, apart from the odd sub-9mm here and now.

• "Hunting with Air: Getting Started"--American Hunter. The author notes:

Here in Idaho, you can use PCP air rifles to hunt upland game, small game, big game and furbearers. Different caliber restrictions apply depending on the animal you’re pursuing. For example, projectiles must be at least .35 caliber for deer, pronghorn, wolf and black bear, and at least .45 caliber for elk, moose and sheep. The bottom line, whether it’s varmints, game animals or furbearers, it’s legal to pursue with an air rifle here in Idaho.

• "Myth Of M1 Carbine Penetration Failures in Korea"--Scattered Shots.  There had been persistent reports from some troops in the Korean War that the M1 Carbine was unable to penetrate the heavy winter clothing worn by Chinese troops. This assertion always seemed strange to me because nothing comparable was reported in WWII of which I'm aware. The author of this piece decided to test the story. He writes:

    Being August, I could not manage sub freezing temps, but I did set up a cardboard target behind a very thick pad that I added extra clothing by stuffing it inside to make it even thicker.  I set up from 200 yards away and fired.

    The military FMJ round had no problem punching through the thick clothing and padding just as I knew it would.

    Even from 200 yards the carbine and its ammo said by “experts” to be puny. not only went through the padding with ease, it zipped through the wood and damaged it more than I expected.  But it was not done yet.

    It traveled another 10 yards and tore into the dry hard packed dirt and rocks behind   several inches deep with little deformation to the short stubby 110 ball rounds.      

Others have debunked this as well:

• "Debunking M1 Carbine Myths: What the Record Actually Shows"--Keep Shooting. 
• "The Box O' Truth #36 - Frozen Clothing And The Box O' Truth"--The Box Of Truth. 
• VIDEO: "Testing The M1 Carbine Myth That Won't Go Away: Can it Penetrate Winter Clothing at 100 Yards?"--Battlefield Curator.  

• "Review: Jim Green African Ranger barefoot boots"--Survival Common Sense.  

Barefoot boots have become a “thing.” The concept is that barefoot shoes/boots allow the foot to react to the ground as it would if the walker was walking barefoot. This strengthens muscles in the feet, bare foot proponents claim, which may have become weakened because of years of  wearing shoes. Going barefoot allows the legs and spine to align naturally, proponents further claim, reducing or eliminating back aches, joint issues and other posture-related problems.

• "How to Choose a Ferro Rod That Won’t Let You Down"--Survival Common Sense. The author recommends:

    A lot of people focus on rod length first, but diameter is often the more important detail.

    A thin ferro rod may still work, especially for occasional use, but thinner rods usually have less surface area and can wear down faster. They can also feel less forgiving when your technique is off. If your angle is not perfect, or if your scraper is not ideal, a small rod can make the whole process feel more difficult than it needs to be.

    A thicker rod generally gives a little more margin for error. It often feels easier to control, easier to scrape, and better suited for repeated use. That does not mean bigger is always better, but it does mean that ultra-small rods are often best treated as compact backup tools rather than primary fire starters.

    If you are building a main fire kit, choose a rod size that gives you confidence, not just portability.

• "Free Survival eBooks: Downloadable Straight from Amazon"--More Than Just Surviving. This isn't a list of specific titles--these change constantly--but instead includes searches for different categories of books by price (lowest to highest). 
• "Mother Nature’s Best Home Remedies"--Homesteading.  Some medicinal plants and how to use them. 
• "Older buildings and substandard construction left Venezuela vulnerable to earthquakes"--Associated Press. From the lede: "Older buildings, substandard construction and geography left many neighborhoods in Venezuela vulnerable to strong earthquakes like the ones that struck the country this week." Also:

    David Cocke, a structural engineer in California and former president of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, said that a combination of soft soils, tall towers and older concrete structures contributed to the widespread damage, particularly when buildings pancaked, or collapsed floor-by-floor.

    “They just don’t have the more modern reinforcing steel connections that we put in those kinds of buildings today,” said Cocke.

    Since the 1970s, engineers have known that concrete buildings are particularly susceptible to earthquakes and seek to reinforce new construction with steel. While many rich nations have forced property owners to retrofit or tear down dangerous buildings, many poorer or middle income countries have lagged in enforcing upgrades as they battled more immediate woes.

• "Astronomers: We might be experiencing a shower of comets from the distant Oort cloud due to a close pass of another star 2.5 million years ago"--Behind The Black. 

HD 7977 is a still nearby Sun-like star in the constellation Cassiopeia whose close passage was discovered by the Gaia mission. Approximately 2.5 million years ago, the orbits of the Sun and HD 7977 brought the two stars close together, but exactly how close is still an open question. Gaia data suggest they passed within 4000-25000 astronomical units of one another. Now, Kaib and Raymond have shown that the orbits of long-period comets suggest HD 7977 came within 6000-10000 AU of our Sun, setting off a major shower of new comets into the inner solar system.

Another Major Veterinary Breakthrough Allowing Mice To Regrow Limbs

While lab mice are cute, I would like to see more advances for humans. The article: "Scientists Say They’ve Invented a Serum That Activates a Dormant Ability to Regrow Lost Limbs in Mammals"--Futurism. An excerpt:

    Basically, the researchers used a two-step process that mimics the way regenerative animals such as salamanders regrow lost tissue after amputation. They pull it off via a process known as epimorphic regeneration, in which lost limbs are first covered by a layer of skin cells. Local cells then rearrange themselves into a blastema, a temporary structure that forms the base-layer for the rest of the limb.

    By controlling this limb-loss process with a specially-engineered serum that sends signals to cells, researchers found they can encourage the growth of a blastema in mammals: lab mice, in this case.

    “This is really a two-step process,” Ken Muneoka, one of the authors of the study, said in a press release. “You first shift the cells away from scarring, and then you provide the signals that tell them what to build.”

    Unlike typical regenerative approaches which use external stem cells, this newly-uncovered process uses the cells that are locally available. As Muneoka put it: “they’re already there — you just need to learn how to get them to behave the way you want.” 

VIDEO: Backcountry Trauma Care And Improvisation

 VIDEO: "Backcountry Trauma and Improvisation"
University of California Television (UCTV) (1 hr. 20 min.)

Interesting. Plague Outbreak 5,500 Years Ago

Ars Technica reports that "Hunter-gatherers in Siberia died of a plague outbreak 5,500 years ago." The article relates that "[p]lague swept through groups of hunter-gatherers in southeastern Siberia 5,500 years ago, leaving dozens dead in its wake—with DNA from Yersinia pestis bacteria still trapped inside their teeth." A few points:

• The reason this is significant is because the previously belief was that the plague only became deadly to humans after humans had settled in communities living in close association with rats or other animals that were hosts to the fleas carrying the Y. pestis bacterium. But this outbreak was among hunter gatherers. Thus, not only was close and long term contact not needed to produce a plague deadly to humans, but something that was as deadly as later plagues had already arisen much earlier than believed possible.
• The article indicates that the plague DNA was extracted from "plague victims at four ancient cemeteries in the area around Russia’s Lake Baikal." This is significant because it seems to be part of the large marmot based plague reservoir. Lake Baikal is in Russia, just north of central Mongolia. The 14th Century plague was traced back to the Lake Issyk Kul, which is in modern day eastern Kyrgyzstan. Not exceptionally close, but both part of the natural range of marmots in Central Asia (see the map below).
• Finally, the article indicates that "Bubonic plague spreads through flea bites, but pneumonic plague is a respiratory disease, which spreads in a similar way to the flu or COVID-19, and that seems to be how this early version would have passed from person to person." This is also what made the 14th Century Black Death so deadly and allowed it spread so quickly. It didn't need or use fleas once it became pneumonic. 

Perhaps this particular outbreak was largely contained simply because there were not the extensive trade routes and number of people as in the 14th Century, but it would be interesting to know how far the plague spread from this 5,500 B.C. event. My suspicions are that if we were to ever see another plague outbreak comparable to the Black Death, it will also originate in this Central Asian marmot reservoir.

Lake Baikal is the largest lake just above Mongolia in this map, while Lake Issyk Kul is the only lake you can see in Kyrgyzstan in this map. (Source)

Will Bird Flu Be The Next Pandemic?

From The Walrus: "The Next Pandemic May Already Be Brewing." A good overview of H5N1 bird flu and its slow spread to humans starting with an outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997 and slow spread from Asia to North America. An excerpt:

    Fortunately, when H5N1 causes illness in humans, it’s a one-off. Humans aren’t spreading it to each other. For a pandemic to occur, there must be sustained human-to-human transmission. The worry is, with so much of the virus around, in animals near to us, a pandemic could strike at any time.

    Angela Rasmussen believes a bird flu pandemic would be catastrophic, far worse than COVID-19. She’s a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan, who studies how viruses spill over from one species to another. Looking at the numbers of human cases and deaths since the current strain of H5N1 took hold, Rasmussen doubts the case fatality rate would be anywhere near 50 percent. That figure exaggerates the danger, as many mild cases likely have gone unreported. She estimates it would be closer to 2 percent—but on a global scale, it would mean 164 million deaths. Our health care systems would fall apart. The case fatality rate for COVID—which brought much of the world to a standstill and upended economies, schools, and health systems—was less than 1 percent.

    An H5N1 pandemic could be economically disastrous for agriculture, threatening food security worldwide, Rasmussen suggests. Consider that between October 2024 and March 2025 in the US, 50 million sick hens were culled, causing an egg shortage that nearly doubled egg prices. If pigs got infected, there would be wide-scale swine culling. Seeing so many species of birds and mammals already affected also raises environmental concerns.  

    She acknowledges it’s a worst-case apocalyptic vision. “I’m not saying that would happen,” she says, “but there is a version of this that ends with the collapse of human civilization.” 

Despite the scaremongering, the article goes on to describe the difficulty the virus faces in spreading directly from human to human. It then calls for requiring the wide-spread vaccination of domestic fowl. But, of course, the scourge of illegal immigration may play a role in any future pandemic:

Current US immigration policies may be a factor. Dairy and poultry farms rely largely on migrant workers, who may not report symptoms because they fear being sent to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centre. She imagines a scenario where suddenly a cluster of people show up in a hospital and it is discovered, too late, that there’s been community transmission. The pandemic will have begun. ...

Gun & Prepping News #80

Some links that may be of interest:

• "Are Sub-Machine Guns Really Becoming a Thing of the Past?"--Shooting News Weekly. This is a short excerpt of an article from The Telegraph (which is, unfortunately, behind a paywall). The article appears to address the issue from a military perspective--particularly main line units. But it really comes down to how you define "submachine gun". Because an argument could be made that personal defense weapons (PDWs) for the military are submachine guns. And if it weren't for federal laws on automatic weapons, the strong interest in pistol caliber carbines suggests to me that many civilians would opt for a submachine gun if they could afford them. The lack of range which the article cites as a reason they have fallen out of use with the military is of little consequence to the civilian defender faced with short distances inside a house or business. 
• "Three-Dot Sights Suck and This is Why . . ."--Shooting News Weekly.  I'm not convinced. The theory advanced by the author is that the dots on the rear sight momentarily draw your attention from the front sight and might be confusing. He appears to be arguing for nothing on the rear sight. Perhaps there is some merit to his argument when shooting in daylight, but it is a different story when using tritium in very dim light. 

Chris Baker at Lucky Gunner addressed this same issue in an article entitled "Three-Dot Pistol Sights: Just Say No." He does not push for getting rid of all three-dot systems, "just the miserable little non-illuminated white-on-black 3-dot sights that come stock with almost every new handgun." Why?

 

    The main issue that I have with white three-dot sights is a lack of contrast. All three dots are the same color, and they’re usually about the same size, too. There’s too much competing for my attention.

    This isn’t good for quick sight acquisition or sight tracking during rapid fire. I want some visual aid to help my eyes distinguish that front sight from the rear. Ideally, that means a front sight with some kind of bright, contrasting color to help it stand out.

 

[snip]

 

    ... When I’m pulling the trigger five times per second on a rapid fire string, my eyes need as much help as they can get to see what’s going on. Following the front sight because “it’s in the middle” is a whole lot easier when it doesn’t look identical to the rear sights. In fact, plain black sights would even be preferable to the dots. If they all look the same, they’re more of a distraction than anything. 

 

His recommendation: "Personally, I prefer a two-dot setup with a bright fluorescent front sight and a small dot in the middle of the rear sight notch." But, he adds: "Three dot sights are just fine as long as there is contrast and something that will stand out in low light."

• "Fifty Years Of Pyrodex"--The Firearm Blog. The author begins:

Silly as it might seem, the world of muzzleloaders is constantly upgrading and changing to new technologies (similar to the world of bowhunting—try to figure that one out). But one thing has stayed constant over the past five decades. Pyrodex, the black powder substitute that many front-stuffer shooters prefer for its convenience, is celebrating 50 years on the market.

 The rest of the article discusses the history of Pyrodex. 

• "ATF Rolls Back Biden-Era Gun Rules in Sweeping 34-Policy Shift"--Guns America. The article mentions:

 Among the most notable moves:

•     Rescinding the “Engaged in the Business” rule
•     Rolling back the pistol brace rule
•     Eliminating certain record retention requirements
•     Clarifying what constitutes a “willful” violation of federal law
•     Removing CLEO notification requirements for NFA purchases

• "The Stenzel Industries SAK-21: A Uniquely American AK"--American Rifleman.  An AK for the 21st Century:

While maintaining some basic design features and aesthetics of the Kalashnikov, the SAK-21 makes significant departures. Its receiver is machined out of billet aluminum with a steel trunnion insert, and it has a user-changeable barrel. This design allows for cartridge conversion by swapping out the barrel, bolt and magazine. While currently offered in 7.62x39 mm, there are plans to add 5.56 NATO and other chambering options in the future. Its two-lug rotating bolt that operates in a carrier mimics the AK, but Stenzel has opted to go with a short-stroke gas piston operating system for softer felt recoil and better accuracy. The system is adjustable and tunable for optimized use with suppressors.  

The rifle looks good but out of my price range: it has an MSRP of $4,000. 

• "Ruger LCP MAX Gets Magpul Enhanced Handgun Grip Treatment"--The Firearms Blog.  

Ruger has teamed up with Magpul to deliver a new variant of the LCP MAX chambered in .380 Auto, this time wearing Magpul's Enhanced Handgun Grip (EHG). The collaboration brings a purpose-built grip module to one of the smallest and lightest pocket pistols on the market, wrapping it in a package that Ruger says improves control and shootability without growing the platform's footprint.

• "Review: Diamondback 9 mm SDR"--American Rifleman.  The author explains why offer a snub-nosed revolver in 9mm:

As of today, the 9 mm semi-automatic-pistol cartridge is among the most commonly used calibers in the U.S. and worldwide. This contributes to practice-grade and defensive ammunition being readily available and more affordable than some calibers. In fact, shooting a wheelgun chambered in 9 mm can save revolver aficionados money, as 9 mm practice ammo currently costs less than similar .38 Spl. loads.

• "Why Your Holster Retention Feels Too Tight or Too Loose"--Guerilla Tactical.  This article focuses on Kydex holsters. The author notes:

Holster retention can make or break your concealed carry setup, especially in apparel like athletic shorts. If it’s too tight, your draw becomes slow, inconsistent, and frustrating; not to mention it can cause wear on your firearm’s finish. If your holster retention is too loose, your firearm may not stay secure—creating a serious safety concern, especially in a situation where you need to be able to draw comfortably.  

 

He then discusses tips on why your holster retention might be too tight or too loose and tips on adjusting it. 

• "Concealed Carry Corner: Should You Carry The Same Position Every Time?"--The Firearm Blog.  Here is the issue:

There are a number of people who think you should carry the same handgun in the same position no matter what. Others think it's important to be flexible and carry various guns in various positions. Both arguments have their valid points, but what's best?  

For those that believe that you should carry in the same position all the time, I have a one word response: winter.  

• "Skills All Preppers Should Be Learning Today Before Something Devastating Happens"--The Late Prepper. The author lists categories of skills (medicine without a doctor; food from the land not a store; water; mechanical and trade skills; fire, shelter, and navigation; grid down communication) and list several skills for each. For instance, "medicine without a doctor" lists wound care, infection and fever, respiratory illness, and pain management; while the food from the land includes foraging, gardening, hunting, fishing, trapping, and food preservation. I know very bright people that are good at anything they put their hands to and pick up skills quickly. Most of us are not like that. But we can try to learn a bit about each general category and have some basic books and tools, while doing a deep dive into several of the others. For instance, for "medicine without a doctor" we can take a first aid class or two, store and become knowledgeable on how to use a first aid kit and trauma kit, as well as common over the counter medications; and some will take a deep dive in procuring and using antibiotics, or herbal remedies, or advanced medical skills. For the food category, the outdoorsman can learn hunting, fishing and foraging; the gardener can learn to preserve what they grow. 
• "Bugging Out Is the Last Option, So Prepare to Bug In for as Long as Possible"--The Late Prepper. A good article outlining the benefits to bugging in when possible versus bugging out to parts unknown (with the "bugging out" essentially becoming a refugee). The advantages to bugging in basically come down to already having shelter and the resources you have stocked up versus limited resources and not knowing where you will lay your head. 
• "Hunting Boot 101"--American Hunter. A deep dive into hunting boots--different boots for different environments, some brands and materials the author recommends. 
• "Protein Powder as a Survival Food: Is it Any Good?"--Modern Survival Online.  Short take: "Yes, protein powder is a pretty good survival food. It’s an easy and convenient way to carry plenty of easily digested protein and calories with you, and is versatile enough to be prepared and drunk as is or mixed in with other foods. It isn’t, though, nutritionally complete."
• "Roasting coffee on a wood stove"--Backwoods Home Magazine.  I don't drink coffee but some of you may find this useful. The author remarks:

     If you’re just looking for a hot cup of caffeine, instant coffee is the most practical option for storage; it lasts for decades. But if you love a rich cup of coffee and are concerned about the possibility of being without electricity, buy a small manual coffee grinder, an inexpensive pour-over coffee maker, and a selection of green coffee beans.

    Why green coffee beans? They can be purchased online for about half the price of roasted designer coffee beans. They store for at least a year, and if they’re kept cool and dry they can last three years or more.

    Even if there is no electricity, the beans can be roasted on a wood stove. All you need is a cast-iron skillet, a heat-resistant utensil for stirring, a hot wood stove, and a little patience. Be prepared for some smoke. It helps to have a heat-powered stove fan or an open window while roasting.

•  "Mother Nature’s Best Home Remedies"--Homesteading Magazine. The author lists 10 medicinal plants to grow including Great Burdock, Marsh Mallow, and Aloe Vera. The article also includes 10 weeds that have medicinal purposes. 

Gun & Prepping News #79

 Some links that may be of interest:

•  "You Want To Be A Modern Minuteman"--Security & Cigars. The author offers some general advice on (1) getting a quality handgun, some training, and practice; (2) the importance of physical fitness and recommendations of certain exercises/activities; and (3) learning first aid including for traumatic wounds.
• "Terrifying doorbell cam captures knife-wielding maniac stalking Sacramento neighborhood"--New York Post.  My point in referencing this article isn't just that some kook was ringing the doorbell cameras and then making stabbing motions with a knife before running away, but this:

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Lt. Amar Gandhi said multiple frantic residents reported the armed prowler as deputies rushed to the scene within minutes.

But by the time they arrived, the suspect was gone. But if the suspect had concentrated on one home instead of going door-to-door, he would have had enough time to kick down a door, kill someone, and then flee. This isn't to fault the deputies, but as a reminder that you are your own first responder.

• "Enhance Your Shooting Skills: The Power of Dry Fire Training"--Close Quarter Combat. The author begins:

 In the realm of firearms proficiency, consistent practice is the cornerstone of mastery. Yet, not all practice requires live ammunition and a firing range. Enter dry fire training – a method often overlooked but immensely powerful in refining shooting skills. In this blog, we'll delve into the benefits and techniques of dry-fire training and how it can transform you into a more adept shooter.

• "Quick Tips on Setting up a General Purpose Carbine"--Green Ops. Some advice on setting the right length of pull (LOP) on an adjustable stock, as well as advice on mounting optics and why you need a sling.
• "Concealed Carry Corner: Best Cover Garments for Concealment"--The Firearm Blog. The author considers some garments for concealing a firearm in the summer: a leather biker vest, suit jackets/blazers, fishing vests (or a photographer's vest). On the latter options--the fishing vest--make sure you have one long enough to cover the weapon if wearing an outside the waistband (OWB) holster; many seem cut pretty short. 
• "Fudd Friday: Parker Hale Classic Hunting Rifles"--The Firearm Blog. Parker-Hale was a British company probably best remembered for their sniper rifle, their sporterizing military rifles after WWII for commercial sales, and their relatively inexpensive hunting rifles based on Mauser actions but with their own hammer-forged barrels. Outside of gun forums, however, it is hard to find much information about them anymore. 
• "Is Aero Precision Going Out of Business? Here’s What We Actually Know"--The Truth About Guns. The firm is obviously having problems, but they haven't filed for bankruptcy. And their associated business--Ballistics Advantage--doesn't seem to be having the problems that you see with Aero Precision. It is too bad because they made very good AR receivers and other parts. 
• "6mm ARC Basics – What you Need to Know to Get Started"--AR Build Junkies.  Some history, what the cartridge does well, best twist rates, common barrel lengths, etc.
• "Barnes 6mm ARC Ammo Review: 1,000-Yard Test"--The Truth About Guns. A test of Barnes' VOR-TX 90 grain TAC-TX and the Harvest 100 grain GameKing loads. Conclusion:

Both loads shot sub-MOA out of my Howa 1500 mini action, and the GameKing proved capable of consistent hits on steel out to 1,000 yards. For hunters and shooters looking for accurate factory ammunition that doesn’t require handloading or extensive load development, Barnes has delivered two solid options that punch well above their weight class.

• "Bear Guns: 300 Win Mag VS 7mm Mag"--Bear Hunting Magazine.  I had recently linked to an article about the 7mm Rem. Mag. and a reader commented that it was good for bear. This article bears him out. Short take:

When using quality bullets and with good shot placement, both the 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag are excellent for hunting black, brown, and grizzly bear at all practical hunting ranges. However, since they are such flat shooting and hard hitting cartridges, the 7mm Mag and .300 Win Mag really shine in situations where hunters need to take shots out past 200-300 yards. 

• "Spin Difference: The Impact of Barrel Twist Rates on Terminal Performance" by Richard Mann, American Rifleman. An excerpt:

    Legacy American self-defense pistol cartridges like the .45 ACP (1905), .380 ACP (1908) and .38 Super (1929) all use a rifling-twist rate of 1:16-inch. A number of more modern American pistol cartridges like the 10 mm (1983), .40 S&W (1990) and .357 SIG (1994) have the same slow twist rate, and the .38 Spl. and .357 Mag. have an even slower twist rate of 1:18.75-inch. But, the 9 mm has a rifling twist rate of 1:10-inch, and that can give the cartridge an advantage. 

[snip]

    As ballisticians began to work to develop better bullets—bullets that would perform better in the FBI’s testing protocol—the faster rotational velocity of the 1:10-inch-twist 9 mm cartridge began to show its worth and made it easier to make bullets work better. For example, a 124-grain 9 mm bullet has a rotational velocity that is 73 percent faster than a 165-grain bullet fired from a .40 S&W. By leveraging this additional rotational energy, 9 mm bullets could be designed to perform better over wider velocity ranges, and in some cases rival and even exceed the terminal performance of bullets fired from larger-caliber cartridges. The slow twist rates and rotational velocities of other handgun cartridges—especially the .38 Spl.—are why you commonly see special short-barrel loads for them. The projectiles need to be made differently to work at slower linear and rotational velocities. 

• Sometimes firearm accessories are just for fun: "Ripley Rail - 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night"--The Firearm Blog. A handguard and rail attachment for the AR that mimics the look of the M41A Pulse Rifle from the movie, Aliens.
• "The strange reason why wildlife agencies want Americans to buy more guns"--Vox.  The reason is the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, commonly known as the Pittman-Robertson Act, which imposes an excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and certain other outdoor gear and equipment and channels that money to state wildlife agencies. The tax is 11% for rifles and 10% for handguns and ammunition. 

Over the last decade, the law has channeled close to $1 billion a year into state wildlife agencies across the country, amounting to a substantial share of their budgets. One recent analysis found that Pittman-Robertson made up about 18 percent of state agency budgets, on average, in 2019. (License fees for fishing and hunting, along with a hodgepodge of other revenue streams, including a similar tax on fishing gear, make up the rest.) And revenue from Pittman-Robertson has been increasing, roughly doubling in the past two decades — in no small part because gun sales have surged. 

So just remember, as a gun owner, you have probably done more to preserve the environment than have most liberals who claim they care for the environment. And the anti-hunters? They are actually trying to harm the animals they pretend to care about. 

• "Choosing the Right First Aid Kit for your Needs"--Alpha Survivalist. Because you are going to need a boo-boo kit more often than a trauma kit. The article covers issues of what are your requirements, whether to assemble one yourself or buy a pre-made kit, what to look for in a pre-made kit, the top brands, and some other tips. 
• "How To Use an Israeli Bandage To Stop Severe Bleeding"--Modern Survival Blog.  The author explains:

An Israeli Bandage, also called an Emergency Bandage, is a compact pressure dressing used to help control serious external bleeding. It combines a sterile wound pad, elastic wrap, built-in pressure applicator, and closure bar in one bandage. The basic idea is simple: place the pad over the wound, wrap the elastic bandage around the injury, use the pressure bar to increase direct pressure, then secure the closure bar so the bandage stays tight. 

The article goes on to discuss why you want to include one in your kit, a discussion of the 4" versus 6" sizes, a couple brands available on Amazon that he recommends, step-by-step instruction on applying one, a link to an instructional video, when to use an Israeli bandage versus a tourniquet, and some additional information. 

• "Bleach, Hand Sanitizer, or Natural Cleaning Products? What to Use When"--Organic Prepper.  The author points out:

    Staying clean is a critical part of staying healthy. We have a wide array of disinfectants and cleaning products to stock up on. This guide takes the most common disinfectants, breaks down their pros and cons, and sorts out how and when to use each item.

    Staying clean becomes even more important when access to medical care is not guaranteed, such as during or post-disaster. Therefore, we need to know to know how to remove pathogens from surfaces and fabrics. 

The rest of the article discusses why cleaning is not optional, cleaning versus disinfecting, and then goes over cleaning and disinfecting products: bleach, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, vinegar, and herbal washes, as well as when and how to use each. 

• On a related note: "How to get rid of common stains: the science behind your top tips"--Which? Magazine.  How to get rid of stains from blood, red wine, grass, bolognese and tomato sauce, and sun screen creams. As a quick note, several of the tips mention using "washing-up liquid" which apparently is the British term for liquid dish soap, like Dawn. 
• "Boot Care: How to properly care for your boots."--Joint Force Tactical. Good advice for anyone who uses leather boots for work or play.  Covers cleaning, waterproofing, and storage.
•  "Quick Breads"--Blue Collar Prepping. The author explains:

Quick breads usually operate without yeast, often substituting a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder and/or baking soda to generate a similar result. Chemical leaveners require an acid to activate, which is why quick bread recipes will include sour cream, yogurt, buttermilk, or even vinegar.

The author includes recipes for a flat bread, soda bread, and basic scones.

•  "Yard Carts & Wagons for Homesteads, Gardens, and Preparedness"--Modern Survival Blog. If you don't know what these are, think of a child's wagon except with a beefed up frame, pneumatic tires, and the ability to lift the bed to dump out materials. They do a lot of things that the wheel barrow does, but are more stable and can be easier for some people to use. I have both because the wheel barrow is oft times faster to move around, but for going over irregular ground nothing beats the yard cart. And if you have a bunch of potted plants that you want to transport around your yard, the yard cart is less likely to jostle and overturn the pots. 
• "‘God of chaos’ asteroid will be once-in-a-lifetime event visible to the naked eye — and closer than many satellites: NASA"--New York Post. On Friday, April 13, 2029--yes, Friday the 13th--the asteroid Apophis will pass "approximately 20,000 miles from the Earth’s surface, closer than many satellites floating in space — nearly 12 times closer than the moon’s average distance from Earth." It is believed to be 1,230 feet in diameter. Given its size and how close it will pass, it should be visible to the naked eye. It is supposed to return again in 2036.