Gun & Prepping News #58

 Just some gun and prepping related links that I thought interesting or useful:  

• James Reeves at The Firearm Blog has posted a video (16 min.) going over the Glock Gen 6 pistols. At this point it appears that there are three models: the G47 (the replacement for the G17), the G19, and the G45. The reason for the replacement for the G17 is that it will use the shorter recoil rod and spring of the G19. Also, Glock is going back to a single recoil spring rather than the dual captured spring system. All three models appeared to have optic cuts in the slide, which optic cuts are designed to accept various models of optics. Other mechanical changes include changes to the extractor to eliminate potential interference with someone using too long of a screw to mount an optic; and, of course, it is incorporating the changes from the V models which for a day or two prevented someone adding a Glock switch to the weapons. There are substantial changes to the grips, as well, which now are more rounded--they have palm swells--a higher cut behind the slide to allow a higher hold on the weapon, different texturing, and some other changes. 
• "Weaponizing Fire"--Active Response Training. Greg Ellifritz takes a look at incidents where criminals have set victims on fire or tried to do so. He also has some tips on responding to such attacks.
• "Gun Grab Attempt Washington SRO Deputy"--Tactical Professor. The author begins: "Every time a POlice [sic] officer is attacked in a gun grab, it’s a reminder that Open Carry is not necessarily a deterrent. It may be to a rational criminal but many folks are irrational." In fact, he points out, in this case the openly carried gun was seen by the criminal as an opportunity. 
• "Holster Selection"--SP Wenger's Defensive Use of Firearms.  This is undoubtedly the most detailed discussion of this topic I've ever seen.
• "Squib Loads: What Are They?"--Tactical Hyve. From the article:

    A squib load, also known as squib rounds or just a squib, is when there is insufficient force behind a bullet to exit a barrel.

    This type of malfunction can happen for many reasons, such as fouling in the barrel, loading with too light of a charge, i.e., low powder load, or an improperly seated projectile. The most common causes are improper primer ignition or lack of gunpowder.

    A squib round is extremely dangerous. It can cause severe injury to a shooter and catastrophic failure of one’s firearm, so it is important to learn about them. 

• "The Side-by-Side Shotgun"--Guns Magazine.  A history of the side-by-side shotgun--its development, explosion in popularity, and subsequent decline after inexpensive pump-action rifles were introduced. The author writes:

    ... to my knowledge, currently the only production American-made side-by-side shotgun is by Connecticut Shotgun Co. If you want one of their least expensive Christian Hunter 20-gauge with 28” barrels and screw-in chokes, be ready to write a check for about $13,000 plus tax.

    However, if you just want a good quality SxS without worrying about its country of origin, there are a number of currently available SxS from manufacturers such as Weatherby (Orion), CZ (Sharptail, Bobwhite, and others), Tristar (Bristol & Phoenix), and Stoeger (Uplander and Coach Gun). Stoeger also makes the Double Defense “tactical” SxS, which I covet in the worst way. It might not be as practical as my 870 or Mossberg 590 for home intruders, but I’m sure John Wayne would approve. 

• "Fudd Friday: Parker Hale Classic Hunting Rifles"--The Firearm Blog. Back in the day when England still manufactured firearms, Parker Hale was a major producer and exporter of Mauser style bolt action rifles to the United States, even producing them for sale to department stores like J.C. Penny. The article goes over the history of the company, how they got into producing rifles after World War II, the author's experience with hunting rifles from the company. An excerpt:

    Parker Hale’s post-war exports were based on two main product lines: remanufactured military rifles and new-manufacture Mauser-pattern rifles.

    The military rifles were mostly Lee-Enfields, since that’s what the Brits used in the war, although Parker Hale also remanufactured P14 rifles and even used reconditioned Mauser actions as the basis of early sporter builds. They shipped these rifles under various names, and in various grades of refinement, all over the world but particularly to Commonwealth countries like Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

[snip]

     ... While it’s probably best-known for its Lee-Enfield conversions, Parker Hale sold a lot of Mauser-action rifles (built off surplus actions, and then new actions from Zastava or Santa Barbara). These rifles were chambered in then-new .243 and .308 short-action rounds, as well as .30-06, .270 and other long-action calibers. They had options in .300 Magnum, 7mm Magnum and .308 Norma Magnum; they even offered rifles in .375 H&H Magnum, .404 Jeffery and .458 Win Mag for the safari market.

• "Everything You Need to Know About Gun Protection Accessories"--The Range 702. A look at hearing and eye protection. 
• "Testing Gideon Optics: Affordable Glass That Performs"--The Truth About Guns. I've started seeing favorable reviews of Chinese optics. Reminds me of when Holosun first came out--good products for a low price because most shooters assumed they would be junk. Not the case anymore. Perhaps these telescopic sights will take the same course. 
• "Beretta 20X vs 21A Bobcat: The Tip Up Showdown"--Guns America. As you may know, the 21A Bobcat was a DA/SA pocket .22 pistol produced by Beretta for ages. But like a lot of other Beretta designs dating back to the 1970s and '80s, Beretta has updated this design--a firearm they are calling the 20X. This article compares the two against each other. While the 20X has better sights and was more reliable than the older model, it is also larger (thicker). Making a pocket pistol larger is a bold strategy--we'll see if it pays off. 
• "Reloading the .223 Rem.: Great .223 Handloads for Bolt and Gas Guns"--Shooting Times. A long discussion about the cartridge--the history, twist rates and bullet weights, primers, different bullets for different uses, etc.--and then some tables with different loading data. I use Accurate 2230 powder, but strangely did not see it listed. However, Hodgdon, which manufactures the powder, has an online "Reloading Center" with reloading data for their powders. I wish the author had gone a bit into case preparation. I will note that the two biggest things to note with .223/5.56 is to make sure about your case length as the neck seems to be longer on 5.56 than on .223; and check for cracks at the base of the neck. 
• "Shooting Practice: How to Train for Hunting"--Rifle Shooter Magazine. We are all generally familiar with practical shooting for handguns and tactical shooting, but this article discusses tips on practical training/practice for hunting. This is particularly important for hunters in the West that involve a lot of stalking (some states--Idaho for instance--ban any type of feeding to lure in deer or using blinds). 

... Western hunters are more accustomed to moving, glassing and stalking. Out there, shots at game are often dictated by terrain, so it’s essential to be versatile. You make do with what you have, from natural rests to carry-along shooting aids to the good old basic NRA shooting positions.

• "Tactical First Aid Skills Every Armed Citizen Needs"--Gun Digest. Lessons from a tactical first aid class taught by Greg Ellifritz. It discusses the MARCH protocol and five things to keep in your trauma kit. The "M" stands for "massive bleeding." The article explains:

 Why begin with bleeding? Battlefield data reveals that hemorrhage from extremity wounds causes 60 percent of preventable deaths, far more than airway issues. Blood loss kills faster than almost anything else.

• This is the type of thing that will lead to vigilantism: "Portland jury clears black man of assault because white man he stabbed had said the n-word"--The Daily Mail. The leftist fetishizing of blacks goes to a whole new level. In this case, a black homeless man knifed a white guy and then claimed he did so out of "self-defense" because the victim supposedly used the "n-word"--not before the attack, but after the attack! Not only does calling someone a name not justify using lethal force, but the alleged slur wasn't even the motivation for the knifing coming, as it did, after the attack. 
• "SELCO: The Truth About SNIPERS and How to Survive Them"--The Organic Prepper. He's not talking about the military sniper looking to take out a high value target, but harassing fire at civilians for the purpose of causing fear and hopelessness. An excerpt:

 Untrained people got shot from snipers mostly because :

•  They failed to understand how urban environment works in the fields of vision for snipers
•  They failed to understand how urban environment CHANGED because of SHTF
•  They failed to appreciate the difference between cover and concealment.

• "How to Escape a Sinking Car: A Step-by-Step Survival Guide"--Survival Life. Good advice here. As the author notes, "[y]ou have under one minute to escape a sinking car. In fact, most vehicles stay afloat for only 30 to 60 seconds before water pressure locks the doors and shuts down the power. Every second counts, and every move you make determines your chances of survival." 
• "Mother Nature’s Best Home Remedies"--Homesteading. Discusses the 10 best medicinal plants to grow including Great Burdock, Marsh Mallow, and Aloe Vera; 10 common "weeds" that have medicinal uses; and a few essential oils that can be used for medicinal purposes. 
• You might want to print these up: "Common Knife Sharpening Angles Chart (From Major Knife Manufacturers)"--Modern Survival Blog. An excerpt:

The best knife sharpening angle depends on the knife’s purpose, but most blades fall between 15° and 22° per side (DPS).

• 15–16° DPS → razor-sharp, thinner edges (Asian kitchen knives, fillet knives)
• 18–20° DPS → balanced sharpness and durability (most pocket and everyday carry knives)
• 20–22° DPS → stronger working edges (hunting, outdoor, and Western kitchen knives)
• 25–30° DPS → heavy-duty or tactical blades that prioritize toughness over razor sharpness

If you’re unsure of your knife’s factory angle, match the existing bevel. Maintaining the original geometry gives the best combination of sharpness, durability, and edge life.   

Horrible! Hong Kong Fire Killes 36, Hundreds Missing

 The New York Post reports: "Hong Kong high-rise fire kills 36 as blaze rips through multiple towers in Tai Po." The article relates:

     A massive fire ripped through multiple high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Wednesday, killing at least 36 people and injuring 29 as authorities struggled to bring the blaze under control. At latest count, 279 people are missing.

    Firefighters battled the orange flames into the night as thick black smoke billowed from the 32-story towers, which were sheathed in bamboo scaffolding – whose use the government began phasing out in March for safety reasons – and green construction mesh.

    The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Preparing for a civil war or an atomic war is more exciting than preparing for a fire, but the reality is that you are more likely to be the victim of a fire during your life. I have a lengthy article on "Escaping a Burning Building" with tips on fire escape plans, safety tips, and tips on evacuating a burning building, including not just single family residences, but also apartments and hotels, and high rise buildings, as well as a long list of sources and additional information. Check it out.

VIDEO: Water Bandit + Silcock Key

I've come across references to using silcock keys to access potable water after a disaster, but this video discusses using it for something more mundane: filling a low radiator/water reservoir on your car if you are on a long trip. The silcock key is used to open a faucet. The other device mentioned--the water bandit--allows you to connect a garden hose to the faucet if it doesn't have threading to connect a hose. The author also recommends taking along a coiled garden hose (it being pointless to have the key or the Water Bandit if you can't get the water into your radiator) and Stop Leak to fix small radiator leaks. 

VIDEO: "Water Bandit & Sillcock Key: 2 Must Have Roadside Emergency Tools"
Ballinator (5 min.)

Bayou Renaissance Man On Medical Preparations

Peter Grant of the Bayou Renaissance Man blog has over the last few weeks published some posts on prepping which address medical preparations and concerns:

• "Building a reserve supply of prescription medications." He has a couple ideas on how to do this legally. The first requires careful tracking of dates, but it is simply to refill a prescription as soon as your insurer allows you do so (check with your pharmacist), which may be up to a week prior to when your current prescription runs out. If you do this over a period of time, that excess between when you can refill and when you otherwise would have run out will build up and provide you with a buffer. The second requires a willing doctor and the necessary funds to pay for extra prescriptions without assistance from your health insurance: basically, you need a doctor to write extra prescriptions for you that you can take to a different pharmacy, and for which you will pay cash rather than submit the claim to your insurer. (BTW, don't try and do this with controlled substances such as narcotic pain medications or certain other drugs because it is probably illegal, will be tracked by your state, and makes you come across to your doctor as "drug seeking" behavior; and, if you are treating for chronic pain, it may even violate drug contracts you may have with your provider). 
• "Medication reserves: it's not only about the tablets." Don't forget about eyeglasses and/or contact lenses. A reader of his relates that you can purchase a year's supply of daily wear contact lenses, but those lenses can actually last for weeks with appropriate care, thus stretching out that year supply substantially. Similarly, once you have a prescription for eye glasses, it can be relatively cheap to purchase back up pairs in simply frames; and/or reuse old frames by having new lenses installed. The same can apply to other medical gear. For instance, years ago I injured a leg and needed crutches to get around for a while. Rather than rent crutches, I spent a little more (and it wasn't much more) and purchased adjustable crutches that I have kept around. 
• "Emergency preparations: don't fool yourself - get real." This post is not so much about gathering medical supplies, but taking a realistic assessment of your physical and medical condition when making your plans for when SHTF. For instance, Grant notes that because of his severe back issues, getting fighting fit and bugging out on foot just aren't realistic; so he instead concentrates on preparations for "bugging in". And its not just injuries; old age can take its toll. You simply are not going to be able to do the things at 50 or 60 that you could do when you were 20 or 30.

But his suggestions go just beyond health related concerns. For instance, if you plan on bugging out, you might opt for freeze dried food because it is compact and light weight; whereas if bugging in, you can get more "bang for your buck" purchasing canned foods. Another example he gives is storing gasoline, noting that no matter how much you store (and it will probably be quite limited based on circumstances and local law) you will eventually run out; he suggests a small electric powered vehicle "such as an e-bike, a golf cart or a tiny electric car or truck actually makes sense in a 'bug in' situation, if we can afford it" and have a means of recharging it (Grant mentions both solar panels and generator, but the generator poses the same issues as a gas powered car--one the fuel is gone, you won't be able to sue it again).

Realistically, you will want to prepare for multiple situations. For instance, temporary power outages or having to evacuate and relocate for a few days is much more common than TEOTWAWKI. Thus, it may behoove you to store some extra gasoline (for a car, generator, chain saw, etc.), extra propane (for cooking), a gas generator (in addition to solar panels for power outages), or have a packed 72-hour kit to be used for an evacuation even if your long-term survival plan does not rely on them. All those items can pull double duty for camping, if that is your thing.

VIDEO: The Updated Holey Hiker Bidet

The Holey Hiker Bidet is essentially a perforated cap to put on a water bottle that allows you to squeeze the bottle to eject a shower of water to use as a bidet or a very quick shower to quickly wash off sweat and grim before diving into your sleeping bag. Intended for hikers or campers, I can see it also having use as an emergency prep, especially if toilet paper is in short supply. The original product was 3D printed by the inventor, but the new and improved version is manufactured using injection molded plastic which makes it both lighter and stronger according to the video. 

VIDEO: "Introducing the new Holey Hiker Bidet!"

Paul the Backpacker (10 min.)

POTD: Abandoned Ames Department Store

This video is a bit different than most because the intro and outro show what the stores were like in their heyday, and gives you some background on the Ames chain. A couple things in particular to note once it gets to exploring the department store. Because of the limited amount of glass around the entrance, the store is much darker than, for instance, an abandoned grocery store that we looked at several months ago that had windows down the entire width of the store front. Also, and we've seen this in other larger retails chains, is the distances inside the building. This can be a factor both in whether your flashlight can cast a beam far enough to pick out details on a far wall, or, in a post-SHTF, you had to use your weapon against an attacker or vicious animal that happened to be in the structure.

VIDEO: "ABANDONED AMES (90s retail goodies inside)"

Ace's Adventures (20 min.)

Here are some articles that have been collecting in my in-box:

• "A 12-Month Preparedness Checklist" (Part 1) (Part 2) by Reltney McFee, Survival Blog. Not all prepping is repeated each month--some things will be seasonal or need less than monthly attention. The author of this series describes a year in his prepping, providing lists of activities or preparations for each of the months.
• "Power Outage Grocery List: 23 Items to Get"--Modern Survival Online. A list of items and an explanation as to why each is a good selection. All of the items listed require no preparation (i.e., can be eaten cold) or only require minimal preparation such as adding water (hot or cold, depending on the item).

1.Freeze-dried Food

2. T.V. Dinners (referring to the smaller shelf-stable offerings by Hormel similar to an MRE entree).

3. Peanut Butter

4. Instant Oatmeal

5. Cereal

6. Powdered Milk

7. Pop Tarts

8. Crackers

9. Instant Coffee

10. Tea

11. Drink Mixes

12. Honey

13. Granola / Energy Bars

14. Candy

15. Nuts

16. Canned Vegetables

17. Canned Fruit

18. Canned Beans

19. Instant Rice

20. Instant Potatoes

21. Canned Chicken

22. Canned Tuna

23. Spam

• "Here Are 30 Foods That Will Last 25 Years"--Modern Survival Online. Moving beyond the basics of wheat, beans, and honey. For those worried about proteins and fat, in addition to powdered milk, the author includes the following on his list: hard salted meats, Pemmican, bullion cubes or powder, and ghee ("a special type of clarified butter that originates from the Indian subcontinent, and though it is an important component in a cuisine from that region it’s also attracting fans as a healthy alternative to typical cooking oils and common butter").
• "Gardening During Disasters"-- The Prepper Journal. The author discusses different ways to deal with shortages of water for your gardens based on actual strategies used in different countries or areas of the world.
• "Getting Food After Your Storage Runs Out"--Modern Survival Blog. Just a list of thoughts or considerations to keep in mind for raising your own crops, raising livestock, fishing, hunting, foraging, and bartering.
• "How to Clean a Catfish"--Field & Stream.
• "The RANGE-R Card"--Blue Collar Prepping. A review of the RANGE-R card from Black Hills Design which is a small card that allows you to estimate range based on the perceived height of a person or other common objects or vehicles. 
• "This is How Strong Paracord Really Is"--The Survivalist Blog. As the author notes, "Authentic type-III or '550 paracord' that meets the original military specifications will have a minimum breaking strength of at least 550 lbs (249.47 kilograms)." Unfortunately, not all paracord is the same--there are different types or ratings, there are, unfortunately, lots of fakes out there, and it may be damaged by exposure or other factors. The article discusses how to spot problems and a method for testing your paracord's strength.
• "EMP How Long Does It Disable My Electronics"--Modern Survival Online. A generalized discussion of EMP and the factors that could contribute to your electronics merely needing to be rebooted or being destroyed. I remember reading with some interest when the EMP Commission's report came out that some of their testing only resulted in devices shutting and just had to be restarted (e.g., an automobile they tested comes to mind). So I guess the gist of this is that don't assume that an EMP will necessarily zap everything. 
• Related: "So, Do EMPS Affect Batteries?"--Modern Survival Online. The short version:

No, the majority of batteries will not be affected by an EMP of any size. This applies to lead-acid, alkaline, nickel metal hydride, and lithium-ion batteries. Any electronics attached to the battery, such as a charge controller, will be ruined.

• "Multiple Layer Faraday Cage Shielding For Better EMP Protection"--Modern Survival Blog. The author did some testing and experimenting to see what worked best (better?). His conclusions:

• Relying solely on a galvanized trash can for EMP protection may not be enough at approximately 40dB attenuation.
• Multiple layers of shielding / protection may increase overall EMI attenuation (EMP protection).
• Multi-layer shielding such as wrapped aluminum foil inside galvanized trashcan may help to meet MIL spec (Insulate contents and layers from each other).

• "SurvivalBlog: Infectious Disease in the TEOTWAWKI World, Parts 1 to 6, by Militant Medic"--American Partisan. American Partisan did us the favor of providing the web addresses to all 6 parts of the cited articles on infectious disease (i.e., he has the addresses, but they are not links that you can just click--you will have to highlight the address and either copy it to your address bar or right click and choose the "go to web address" option). The author of the series indicates that he is a physician that has been practicing for 11 years. Although this is a valuable resource, recognize that it is just a summary of a very complex subject. Think of it as an introduction for which you will need to follow up in more detail. The first few parts go over germs and the different types of veterinary/pet antibiotics you can get and for what they should be used. The last two articles discusses specific diseases/infections and the appropriate antibiotic. 
• "Emergency Preparedness: Factors to Consider Before Bugging Out"--The Mag Life. An excerpt:

    The disadvantages to bugging out are many. First, though you may miss your bug-out window if you delay, historically true bug-out events are relatively rare. I lived in a large urban area during the food shortages, increased crime, civil disorder, and protests of 2020, but none of these events ever approached the need to bug out from our residence. The threat was present but did not outweigh the advantages of sheltering in place.

    Your residence’s resources are the next consideration. Before you leave your home, recognize the advantages that will be lost bugging out. Even without services, your home provides shelter, space, a familiar defensible location, large storage capacity (food, water, medical supplies, clothes), beds, and some waste management and cooking supplies. The decision to bug out takes your entire residence’s resources and familiarity and reduces them to what you, your family, and (if included) your vehicle, can transport.

• "Dakota Fire Hole: Step by Step How To Build One"--Modern Survival Online. This, as you might already know, is a small fire pit or hole which is connected under the ground to a second hole which provides the needed air flow. The result is that you can hide your fire below the surface of the ground.
• "How to Start a Fire"--Outdoor Life. A very detailed article on this subject. An excerpt:

    There are four stages to building a fire: fire preparation, fire starting, fire maintenance, and fire extinguishing. 

    Fire preparation is the act of locating a spot to build a fire, clearing debris from around the central hearth that could accidentally catch, and assembling all the components you need prior to starting. 

    Fire starting is the act of striking a match, scraping a ferro rod, catching a piece of tinder on fire, or otherwise initially igniting your fire. Fire starting is where the three requirements for fire, heat, air, and fuel must come together in the right ratio to burn properly. These requirements are often referred to as the “fire triangle” and when a fire is not burning well, you can troubleshoot which of the components is lacking. 

    Fire maintenance requires you to stoke the fire, add fuel to it as necessary, position logs to achieve more or less flame, and otherwise keep the fire going as long as you need it to burn.  

 

    Fire extinguishing is the process of dowsing your fire, moving the firewood to the outside of the fire ring, making sure there are no hot spots left behind, and making sure the fire is no longer burning. Your fire should start with an understanding of the final stage first as it is not wise to build a fire you cannot put out. 

The article goes on to discuss different types of fire lays, fuel, different tools for starting a fire, common mistakes, and more. 

• "Prepper's Toolbox: Adhesives"--Blue Collar Prepping. Give recipes and instructions on making a traditional flour paste and pine pitch glue.
• "Leave a Message"--Blue Collar Prepping. In a disaster, you might be able to call, text, or email someone. The author goes over various ways to leave messages for others, both historical (such as hobo codes) and modern and some supplies you should keep on hand.
• "Edible Survivors" by James Thompson, Unz Review.  In 1972, an airplane carrying the 45 team members of the Uruguayan rugby team, families and friends crashed high in the Andes mountains. The survivors were forced to cannibalize the bodies of the dead to survive. It's a long article, but worth the read. A relatively short excerpt:

    What was required of survivors in this situation? Everything, one might assume.

    Roberto Canessa summed up the essentials:

    Team spirit, persistence, sympathy for others, intelligence and, above all, hope.

    Their situation was parlous. They were in this dreadful situation because of pilot error. The navigator was at the back of the plane playing cards, the pilots were over-confident, and did not bother to check the one instrument which would could have saved them: their wristwatches. Had they done so they would have realized they were turning North far too soon, and had not allowed for the headwinds against them. They had not yet gone far enough West, were not yet out of the Andes, and mistakenly descended North into the high mountain peaks. After hitting a mountain which tore off the wings, the fuselage careered down a glacier and slammed into snow.

    They had many dead, and many injured they had to care for. It was reasonable to believe that planes would come to search for them, and some of those planes could be heard and seen overhead for the next 8 days of search, though they found nothing. Temperatures went down to -30 Centigrade at night, so to keep from freezing to death was essential. Body warmth was their sole source of heat as they huddled together in the remains of the fuselage. Most of them had never seen snow, and had no idea how to survive in high altitudes.

    Some days later, when a small group ventured out into the snowy desolation, they all suffered from the bitter cold, one went snow blind, and the lack of implements to help them through the snow showed how helpless they were. Not encouraging. Staying put and waiting for rescue seemed better.

    How to survive?

    Intelligence is what you use when you don’t know what to do. (Carl Bereiter).

    To provide drinking water, Fito Strauch worked out that snow collected in an aluminium shell would catch the sun’s rays and provide a trickle of meltwater, which they shared in very small gulps. He also designed improvised sun glasses to combat snow blindness. They used seat covers as protective clothing and footwear.

    Roy Harley improvised an antenna so that a transistor radio they found hidden in a seat could provide them with news, the first being that the search had been abandoned. He also tried to get the batteries and remains of the radio receiver to build a transmitter, a task which understandably proved impossible. The batteries they found were of the wrong voltage to power the available equipment, even if they had been able to assemble it.

    The survivors who had found the rear of the fuselage came up with an idea to use insulation foam from the rear of the fuselage, sewed together with copper wire, and waterproof fabric that covered the air conditioning of the plane to fashion a sleeping bag. Nando Parrado and Carlos Paez led the work on this.

    Those with medical knowledge did a triage of the wounded, including removing a shaft of metal from a person’s intestines.

    In short, when they did not know what to do, they improvised, and innovated. Such knowledge as they had of medicine, mechanics, navigation and engineering was put to good purpose.

    When Nando Parrado, Roberto Canessa anid Antonio Vizintin set off on their final rescue mission, they had no technical gear or clothing, no compass, and no climbing experience. Vizintin went back after 3 days, because there was not enough food.

    As a matter of painful observation, and guidance from the few who had medical knowledge about the Krebs cycle (the body can convert protein into sugar, and fat into protein, so that on a meat only diet they could survive without malnutrition), it was obvious to the starving survivors that they needed to eat energy rich protein to survive. In ordinary conditions, warm temperatures at sea level, 2000 calories of food would be sufficient. Under sedentary conditions in the cold high glacier, 3,600 to 4,300 calories would be needed. For highly strenuous work in the cold, like climbing up a mountain, 4,200 to 5,000 calories would be required. (British soldiers training in Norway get 5000 calories, and an officer told me “You have to stand over them at breakfast to make sure they eat it”).

    The fact that the world had abandoned them within a few days made them better able to feel justified in abandoning the taboo about not eating human flesh. Initially they spoke about this in whispers, then in small group deniable hypotheticals, then finally in open discussion. Not all agreed, though the lack of any rescue plans was an eventual clincher for most. For everyone’s protection, a small group made the first cut in the actual bodies, and gave it to others to further cut and dry the flesh strips in the sun, so that all could eat without knowing whose flesh it was.

    So, survivors needed to solve an existential calculus: they could live only on the bodies of the dead, their only source of fuel (and protein). In order to just wait for rescue, and to do the daily tasks on which their immediate survival depended, they needed about 4000 calories each. They had to count the bodies, count the survivors, and count the days. When there were more survivors, before the avalanche which killed 8, each body supplied food for three days. (One survivor was 85 kilos before the crash, and below 38 Kilos when rescued, a typical drop in body mass). To complicate matters, the escape party needed 5000 calories each per day of travel, extra clothing taken from others, and relief from doing daily tasks as they built up their strength.

    Every day of preparation depleted combustibles, but every day they waited reduced the chance of snow falls, and improved conditions for the escape party. One survivor had said that it never snowed in December, but in the early days of that month there was a massive snowstorm, which did not seem a good omen. Canessa argued for a postponement of another week. There were 16 alive and 27 dead when the three-person team set off on 12 December.

    At all stages, the group tried to reason their way out of the life and death puzzle box in which they were incarcerated. For example, they selected those they though most likely to survive the journey, (based on physique and, crucially, strength of character) and altered the selection as circumstances changed during preparations.

The Realist: The Texas 2021 Winter Storm

The following is a guest post from The Realist about his experience during the recent Texas winter storm and blackout, and lessons learned:

    We were lucky. We were only without power for twenty-eight hours during the two coldest days in several decades.

    The February winter storm that hit Texas like a ton of bricks was not a surprise. It was predicted. The highway department started doing what they could do in preparation for the storm the week before - spraying brine on the problem spots bridges, overpasses, and intersections before the storm. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) assured everybody they were prepared for the storm. I more-or-less continued on with regular life because the weather forecasts for upcoming winter storms always overstate the severity. Plus, I grew up in a Rocky Mountain state and know how to deal with winter weather.

    The fun and games really kicked off around 6 AM Thursday morning, February 11, with a 135 vehicle pile-up that killed six people. Below freezing temperatures combined with some spotty rain had caused a bridge/overpass on I-35W (just north of downtown Fort Worth) to ice over. The actual pile-up itself was in two channelized toll lanes - separated from the "free" lanes by concrete barriers. I never heard how it started, but I assume someone lost control, more people lost control of their vehicles as they tried to avoid the first person, and it cascaded from there.

    The snow and extreme cold hit Sunday (February 14).

Texas Winters

    Ignoring far west Texas and the panhandle, Texas winters are generally mild.

    Texas homes are optimized for cooling during the hot summers, and not heating during the usually mild winters. Similarly, peoples' wardrobes are optimized for mild and hot weather, not cold winter weather.

    Once every other year we will get an ice storm, where temperatures dip below freezing with precipitation consisting of freezing rain, wet snow, and/or sleet. It screws up the roads for a day or two before temperatures warm back up and everything melts. Local and state governments don't have a lot of snow removal equipment, beyond sand spreaders they can put on the back of dump trucks, because it would only rarely get used.

    Winter storms like we experienced in February are a once a decade event, and usually it doesn't get as cold as it got this time. The last time something like this happened was the week of Super Bowl XLV, in 2011, which was held at the then-new AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. We had snow and ice all week, and temperatures in the 20s. There were not any widespread or prolonged blackouts. And, other than a lot of grumpy football fans who spent obscene amounts of money to attend the game and festivities, it was a fairly uneventful week.

My Situation

    I live in a suburban neighborhood in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth area - not out in the boonies. My house is a few hundred yards south of a major east-west Interstate highway. My house is all electric, with no natural gas in the neighborhood. My house is built on a concrete slab - no crawl space or basement. My neighborhood is built on the side of a hill, with my street going straight up the hill. While most of the plumbing is in the core of the house, the kitchen sink plumbing is on an outside north-facing wall, and there are two outside hose bibs.

    I had made preparations to protect the kitchen sink and the most vulnerable hose bib from the extreme cold by pointing 90 W spot lights at the interior walls to keep the pipes in the wall warm. Since the water meter box is very shallow and unusually low cold temperatures were forecast, I put a light bulb in the water meter box and stuffed some plastic shopping bags into the box for insulation to keep the water meter and related plumbing from freezing. Those preparations became moot once the power went out and stayed out.

    Sunday, we started getting snow. I went outside and shoveled the snow off my driveway and off the street in front of my driveway to make things easier for me Monday.

    At 1 AM Monday (February 15) morning, the power went out at my house. I was not surprised because rolling blackouts were predicted. About 45 minutes later, the power came back on - that's the way rolling blackouts are supposed to work.

    At 5 AM, the power went out at my house again. I was expecting it to come back on soon, so I didn't worry. But, the power did not come on 45 minutes later. It did not come on two hours later. It did not come on three hours later. Looking at the Oncor Electric Delivery outage maps, power was expected be restored in a few hours. I was annoyed, but not really worried. Those few hours later, checking the Oncor outage maps, power restoration estimates had become "unknown."

    I didn't go into work Monday because I didn't sleep well after the power went out the first time at 1 AM, and I hadn't had a shower. Cold showers are not my thing.

    The low Monday morning was a few degrees above zero.

    Mid-day Monday, I did go outside and shovel the additional snow that had fallen Sunday night off my driveway and the street in front of my house, and cleared the snow off my vehicle.

    There began to be boil-water notices being issued for various cities and parts of cities. These were issued because of equipment freezing up at water purification plants and from contamination caused by water main breaks.

    By Monday evening, the temperature inside our house had dropped to around 50 degrees. We stayed warm by bundling up in blankets and heavy clothing. Also, by Monday evening the pipes leading to the kitchen sink had frozen - I had neglected to leave the kitchen sink faucet dripping.

    I had a small catalytic propane heater, intended to heat a tent or small room. I set in front of the kitchen sink in the hope of keeping the situation for that plumbing from getting worse.

    Monday evening, after dark, I went outside and could see plenty of lights on the north side of the Interstate, including lights illuminating large billboards - not everybody was without power.

    I slept reasonably well Monday night under extra blankets. I kept most of my clothes on, only removing my shoes, and I wore a stocking cap to reduce heat loss through my head.

    We have an elderly cat with arthritis in some of her joints. In the middle of the night she started moaning - I assume from the cold affecting her joints. I pulled her under the blankets with me, and once she figured out I was a source of heat, she settled down and slept the rest of the night.

    The Tuesday (February 16) morning low was -2 degrees. This tied a record low set in 1949.

    By Tuesday morning, the temperature inside our house had dropped to around 45 degrees.

    Tuesday, I still hadn't had a shower, but decided to go into work mid-morning. The Interstate highways were passable, with one lane each way completely clear of snow. The side streets had not been plowed, major intersections had not been sanded, and the stop lights were out. My workplace never lost power. It is near a couple of major professional sports venues that are considered high-priority facilities.

    At around 9:30, my wife texted me to let me know our power had come back on. It went out for a few minutes a couple hours later, but returned and stayed on.

    After the power came back on, we were able to start warming up the house. Tuesday night, the pipes to the kitchen sink thawed. Fortunately, no pipes in our home burst.

    For the rest of the week, I overheard reports of coworkers discussing their experiences. Some ended up being without power for five days and were dealing with frozen pipe issues. Others were without water.

    My oldest son, who lives in an apartment just west of downtown Dallas, was without power for three days. He had water the first couple days, but eventually lost water for a couple more days. He proudly showed me a picture of a hole he'd chipped through the ice covering the swimming pool at his apartment complex so he could get water to flush his toilet.

    Friday (February 19), I went to a nearby Target store to get a few things. There was virtually no frozen food, and no dairy products. I don't know if it was all sold to panicked shoppers before the storm, or if it had to be discarded because the store lost power and they couldn't keep it cold. The gas station were I normally get gasoline was out. The ATMs were out of cash. The Sam's Club seemed reasonably well stocked, and they were restocking the perishable refrigerated goods when I visited - they were well enough stocked that I wondered if they had shut down completely for most of the week.

    By the next Monday (February 22), things were beginning to return to normal. My gas station had gasoline. The ATMs finally had cash. The stores were beginning to restock.

    The power looses were spotty. Some neighborhoods lost power for several days to a week, while others never lost power.

The Situation of Others

    Several people in my neighborhood lost water due to freezing pipes. And, from the flow of water down the gutter, and least one person had the pipe in their meter box burst.

    I saw one neighbor start his car in his driveway and run it for several hours to get warm and get some warm sleep.

    One person in the neighborhood apparently had several members of his extended family living with him. He fired up his outdoor grill to cook meals for his family.

    When I came home from work Wednesday, the side streets were still covered in snow and ice. A neighbor and his wife were at the end of the street at the bottom of the hill shoveling ice and snow off the end of the street to make it safer. I went down, met these neighbors, and helped shovel snow and ice for a couple hours. He grew up in Colorado, so he also had adequate winter clothing.

    Most people I saw running around outside lacked adequate footwear for the winter conditions.

Things We Did Right

    I have always tried to keep winter clothing in my wardrobe, including winter boots. We had plenty of blankets. A few years ago, I had purchased a balaclava but never used it. The balaclava made the entire snow shoveling experience much more comfortable.

    We had plenty of flashlights and small electric lanterns, along with plenty of spare batteries, to provide light after dark.

    We had plenty of no-preparation-required finger food - things like Clif Bars.

    We kept our cell phones and tablets going by recharging them from small, and not so small, external battery packs intended for charging cell phones and tablets. We were using our cell phones for internet access to keep up on what was happening in the world and to keep up with the power outages. We burned through the smaller battery packs the first day, and started using the larger ones. One of my recent acquisitions was a lithium battery pack intended to jump start a vehicle. It also has a couple 5 volt USB outputs for charging. We tapped into it, too.

    Last October, in anticipation of a possible BidenApocalypse, I purchased a new Toyota 4Runner with four-wheel drive. While 4WD was not a mandatory feature, I considered it a nice-to-have feature. Four-wheel drive was very nice to have running around and climbing the hill to my house during the storm.

Things We Did Wrong

    Normalcy bias. I kept expecting the power to come on at any time - remember, we were told to expect rolling blackouts. I did not try to use emergency supplies I would have utilized if I'd known we were going to be without power for 28 hours. I didn't dig out a propane stove to cook hot meals. I didn't try to start a fire in the fireplace for additional heat. I didn't try to get the generator going.

    I did not turn on the kitchen sink faucet to drip as soon as the power went out. That oversight could have turned into an expensive mess, and made my ordeal far worse if the pipes had burst.

    I did not have adequate emergency heat sources. A small catalytic propane heater and a small stack of firewood is not enough.

    I did not drink enough water and became somewhat dehydrated. In the past, I had become too dehydrated from not drinking enough water in cold weather and developed kidney stones - not an experience I want to repeat.

Things We Need To Do

    At the top of my list is to get a larger heat source that can at least keep the central portion of our house, including our kitchen, somewhat warm. I never imagined we would suffer such a prolonged power outage during such cold weather.

    I want to find a wider variety of no-preparation-required non-snack finger foods. (Yes, I've got Datrex emergency ration bars, but I'd prefer to not use those while sitting at home.) The no-preparation-required foods would serve to bridge the first few hours or days of an at-home emergency without having to fully drop into the full emergency food preparation mode.

    We were fortunate to have running water throughout our entire ordeal, but we might not be so lucky next time. We need to procure a reasonable supply of emergency hygiene supplies, such as baby wipes, to help keep clean. (We already have a lot of bottle water stored to help handle water disruption events. We also have disposable plates and spoons to reduce the need to wash dishes during a water disruption event.)

Conclusion

    We were lucky. We were only without power for 28 hours and didn't suffer any significant losses.

    The 2021 Texas winter storm presented a confluence of events that that turned what would have otherwise been just an inconvenience into a full blown emergency. Either just the power loss or just the cold weather would have only been inconvenient.

    My preps and prior cold weather experience certainly helped me cope with this emergency better than many other people. At the same time, normalcy bias stopped me from taking actions that would have made the emergency less unpleasant.

    I'm afraid energy disruptions are going to be more common in the future. First, lots of people are leaving blue hell-holes and moving to Texas, which is already taxing our infrastructure. Second, the communist regime in Washington is pursuing polices that could easily turn the United States into a failed state like Venezuela. Third, prophesy warns us that interesting times are coming.

E-Book Resources: More Prepping and Survival Books

 When I discussed some of the more general sources of info and put together my E-Book Resource page, I generally listed some major repositories with the warning that you would need to explore those repositories to find the books and information that might interest you. But I thought I would periodically post more specific links to a collection, library, or specific titles that would be of interest to the prepper/survivalist.

    Today's selection are books on prepping and wilderness survival:

• Escape The Wolf: Risk Mitigation - Personal Security Handbook for the Traveling Professional (PDF) by Clint Emerson
• The Preppers Cookbook: Essential Prepping Foods and Recipes to Deliciously Survive Any Disaster (epub) by the Rockridge Press
• Prepper’s Pantry: Build a Nutritious Stockpile to Survive Blizzards, Blackouts, Hurricanes, Pandemics, Economic Collapse, or... (epub) by Daisy Luther
• Prepper's food storage : 101 easy steps to affordably stock a life-saving supply of food (epub) by Julie Languille
• 52 unique techniques for stocking food for preppers : a strategy a week to help stock your pantry for survival (epub) by David Nash
• Prepper's Survival Medicine Handbook (epub) by Scott Finazzo
• First Aid Manual (10th Ed. Revised) (PDF) from DK, St. John's Ambulance, St. Andrew's First Aid, and British Red Cross
• Handbook of Medicinal Herbs (PFD) by James A. Duke
• Prepper's natural medicine : life-saving herbs, essential oils and natural remedies for when there is no doctor (epub) by Cat Ellis
• Prepper's Communication Handbook: Lifesaving Strategies for Staying in Contact During and After a Disaster (PDF) by Jim Cobb
• Prepper's total grid failure handbook : alternative power, energy storage, low voltage appliances and other lifesaving strategies for self-sufficient living (epub) by Alan Fiebig and Arlene Fiebig
• Step-by-step projects for self-sufficiency : grow edibles, raise animals, live off the grid, DIY (PDF) by the Editors of Cool Springs Press
• DIY Prepper’s Projects: A One-Project-a-Week Guide to Help You Prepare for an Emergency (epub) by Sergio Rogers
• Prepper's home defense : security strategies to protect your family by any means necessary (PDF) by Jim Cobb
• Doomsday Preppers Complete Survival Manual (epub) by Michael Sweeney
• Badass Prepper's Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Prepare Yourself for the Worst (PDF) by James Henry
• Survival: a prepper's guide to life after the crash (epub) by Steven Mattoon
• Prepper Supplies & Survival Guide: The Prepping Supplies, Gear & Food You Must Have To Survive (epub) by Novato Press
• Outdoor Life: Hunting & Gathering Survival Manual: 221 Primitive & Wilderness Survival Skills (epub)
• The Ultimate Wilderness Survival Handbook: 172 Ultimate Tips and Tricks (epub) by the Editors of Outdoor Life
• The Survival Handbook (PDF) by Colin Towell
• Essential Survival Skills (DK Essential Skills) (PDF) by Colin Towell
• The Ultimate Bushcraft Survival Manual (epub) by Tim MacWelch
• How to Stay Alive: The Ultimate Survival Guide for Any Situation (epub) by Bear Grylls
• Camp life in the woods and the tricks of trapping and trap making: containing comprehensive hunts on camp shelter, log huts, bark shanties, woodland beds, and bedding, boat, and canoe building, and valuable suggestions on trappers' food, etc. (PDF) by W. Hamilton Gibson
• Bushcraft: The Ultimate Guide to Survival in the Wilderness (epub) by Richard Graves
• SAS Survival Guide (Collins Gem) (PDF) by John Wiseman

Please note that the site at which these books are collected only allows 5 downloads within a 24 hour period. Also, for the books using epub format, you might find the following programs useful to view them on your computer or to convert to a different format: First is Calibre, which is a free-to-download e-book management program. What makes it useful is that it can read many different formats of e-books and can convert between different formats (e.g. from epub to MOBI) as long as there is no encryption, and allows you to organize files into useful libraries. Second, and more basic, is SumatraPDF which also allows you to view all sorts of e-book formats but without the ability to convert a file from one format to another.

Disclaimer: I'm not the author of any of the documents, applications or things linked above and cannot vouch for their accuracy or completeness--use them at your own risk. I am not responsible for the posting or offering of any of the documents or things in the collections and/or libraries and have no control over whether they are posted or taken down. 

E-Book Resource: "The Ultimate Survival Food List For a Family of 4"

So when I discussed some of the more general sources of info recently, I generally listed some major repositories with the warning that you would need to explore those repositories to find the books and information that might interest you. But I thought I would periodically post more specific links to a collection, library, or specific titles that would be of interest to the prepper/survivalist.

     This post is a little different than my prior posts. In this case, someone with SCP Survival reached out to me about an HTML e-book titled "The Ultimate Survival Food List For a Family of 4". I've glanced through it and it looks pretty good. I'm particularly pleased by the philosophy that you should be (i) stocking up on things that you will actually eat, and (ii) learning how to actually cook and eat the things that you stockpile. Too many times, especially with long term storage, people will stock up on the basic 5 foodstuffs, including hundreds of pounds of wheat, with no plans to consume it unless there is an emergency, and then not really having any idea to process and use it for food (other than simply grinding it up into flour and cooking it in their non-functioning electric or gas oven). To give you an idea of what is in the book, here is the Table of Contents:

1. In a Hurry? Want this Post in Downloadable Checklist form?
2. Quick and Easy Meals
3. Grains and Starches
4. Proteins
5. Soups
6. Fruits
7. Vegetables
8. Sauces, Oils, and Condiments
9. Shelf Stable Dairy
10. Snacks and Luxuries
11. Juices and Other Beverages
12. Bulk Staples
13. Freeze Dried Emergency Foods
14. Baking Ingredients
15. Vitamins and Supplements
16. Animal and Pet Food Storage
17. Criteria for Choosing Your Survival Food
18. Survival Food Storage and Preservation Supplies
19. Frequently Asked Questions
20. Ready to Get Going?

If you are disappointed that there aren't any PDFs to download, they have you covered there with their "Free Survival PDFs, Manuals, and Downloads".

Disclaimer: I'm not the author of any of the documents or things linked above and cannot vouch for their accuracy or completeness--use them at your own risk. I am not responsible for the posting or offering of any of the documents or things in the collections and/or libraries and have no control over whether they are posted or taken down. 

Article: "Survival Fishing: How to Catch Fish When SHTF" by Coty Perry (Updated)

 I once read that if you wanted to know how to hunt big game post-SHTF, just read through the hunting regulations and do what it says is illegal. I guess the same must apply to fishing. Coty Perry, in his article "Survival Fishing: How to Catch Fish When SHTF" at Your Bass Guy Anglers warns his readers that "[b]efore we continue, know that some of the techniques I’m going to share are illegal in the United States. I’m sharing them so that in a true survival situation, you’ll know what to do." 

    I have to admit that I haven't put a whole lot of thought into survival fishing because I don't fish and, therefore, don't have the equipment. (I've a couple cheap rods and poles from when my kids were Cub Scouts and I was trying to help them, but that isn't real equipment). I've poured over many outdoor survival books since I was a wee lad, so I know the rudiments of making an improvised fish hook and how to make simple fish traps, but I also know that there is a lot of work and skill that goes into fishing that I don't have. (I have a friend, on the other hand, that the couple times he was fishing literally was able to throw in his lure and regularly pull a fish out every minute or two while I couldn't even get a nibble). Fortunately, Perry's article seems aimed at people like me. 

    For instance, he begins by telling the reader:

    When catching fish in survival mode, you need to think a little differently about fishing. Sure, you can fish with a rod and reel, but for the long-term, you’ll want something that doesn’t require so much of your time. Called passive fishing, it involves you setting the stage and coming back to reap the harvest. We’ll discuss these different methods in a moment.

    In long-term survival, you also want more than a reliable fishing spot. You want a place where you can collect fish and keep them alive until you want them. Lastly, when you’re in a survival situation, you need to maximize your chance of catching fish. That means implementing more than one strategy and continually monitoring them for success.

The two basic methods that he starts with are setting multiple lines from poles (improvised or not) and a trot line (dropping lines from a rope or cord suspended across a stream). He goes on to discuss some other non-sport fishing methods of catching fish, including using a gorge hook or net fishing, hand fishing, spear fishing, knocking them out with a club, fish traps, fish weirs, and "stunning" fish using a poison.

    Perry then turns to trying to advice on where to fish, different factors that impact how and when fish feed, and how to approach a fishing hole without spooking the fish. For instance, about some of the factors that influence fishing, he writes:

    Fish feed most before dawn and within the first hour of daylight, making it the prime time to have a line in the water. The second most productive time of day to fish is right after dusk when they again feed heavy.

    In the spring, fish are easiest to catch, especially if you live somewhere that has a cold winter. In these areas, the fish are hungry and active due to the warmer water. Many are also laying their eggs near shore in the spring, so opt to drop your line in covered, shallow water.

    In summer, fish often prefer the deeper waters where it’s cooler. Move away from the shore and try to hit the deep holes or still water in the shade. In the fall, the water temperature starts to drop, spurring fish to increase their food intake.

    This means they may be more interested in your bait. During winter, fish stay in deeper waters, away from the ice on the surface. Be sure to have a deep enough line that the fish can find your hook.

    Barometric pressure also impacts fish and many go into a feeding frenzy before a storm. When the storm includes a cold front, the amount a fish eats can slow down until after the cold snap passes. On this same note, a bit of wind can increase your odds when you’re fishing for survival.

    Strong winds make waves that interfere with the fish’s ability to see out of the water. Windy weather also stirs up sediment, making the water cloudy and the fish less likely to spook.

Experienced fishermen are probably reading this and saying, "well, duh," but for someone like me that is not a fisherman, it is all good to know, and not something I've seen in survival manuals. 

    Anyway, Perry concludes his article by going over what gear to have on hand for a survival situation, putting together a SHTF fishing kit (both for home and a bug-out bag), where to look for bait, and cleaning and cooking fish. 

    Read it and print it up for your survival notebook.

[Updated to reflect a change in the website of the cited article]

September 15, 2019 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"How to Properly Sight in Your Hunting Rifle"--Paul Harrell (27 min.)

• Just as initial matter, we see that things are heating up in the Middle East as Houthi rebels in Yemen successfully launched an attack using drones outfitted with explosives against Aramco oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. Per the Daily Mail, "Attacks on two plants at the heart of the kingdom's oil industry yesterday knocked out more than half of Saudi crude output, or five per cent of global supply." Actually, from other reports I've seen, the output reduction is also partly due to Saudi Arabia shutting down some facilities that might be at risk of attack. In any event, the consequence is that oil prices will shoot up. News reports indicate that the U.S. may release some of its strategic reserves to help soften the blow. The conflict in Yemen is a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with Iran backing the Houthi rebels. Nevertheless, Iran claims it had nothing to do with the attack, while threatening that it (Iran) is ready for war. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Saudi Arabia believes it might have its production back up and running Monday. From the latter article:

      Saudi Arabia raced Sunday to restore crude production knocked out by a weekend attack, but the blow at the heart of the kingdom’s oil industry threatens to boost prices and raise concerns about the security of supplies in the region.

      Analysts said they were looking ahead to the opening of futures-market trading Sunday evening to see how much oil prices would react, but that it was hard to assess without more details about the longer-term disruption to Saudi production.

      “The oil price could move up $5 to $10 a barrel if it turns out the damage is extensive,” said Andy Lipow, president of Houston-based consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates.

      Saudi officials said they could return to normal levels of oil production by Monday, after an attack Saturday disabled a key processing plant and knocked out about five million barrels of production—about half of the country’s output and 5% of global supply.

      Western capitals said they were ready to release emergency stocks if necessary, and Saudi officials discussed shipping their own extra inventory to meet short-term supply needs, according to people familiar with the matter.

      The International Energy Agency, a Paris-based group representing top energy-consuming nations that coordinates such releases, said it was in contact with Saudi authorities and major producer and consumer nations.

• "Canned Meat"--Blue Collar Prepping. A look at storing corn beef hash as part of your food storage. One of the advantages is the high fat content, since fats are one of the hardest types of food to store.
• Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink.... Some articles on water storage and purification:

• "A Million Gallons of Water"--Marcus Wynne. The author relates a personal anecdote about why you can't trust someone else's assurance on whether water is clean. He goes on:

       In considering your personal and community resilience in the face of a natural disaster, power outage or extended regional crisis, have you planned for water security? Have you considered the source(s) of the water you drink and utilize each day? If for some reason your municipality could no longer supply water at the turn of the tap or could not assure the purity of that water, what would you do? You can only go maybe three days tops without water, and here in America, we tend to take the massive use of potable water in toilets, irrigation, bathing and so on for granted.

     Here are some points to consider if you were to examine your water security:

⁃Where is your closest source of open fresh water? It is a pond, river, stream, lake, reservoir, containment facility of some kind? Do you have a well or spring on your property or nearby?

⁃How far away is it? If you could get there, would you have access to the water?

⁃If you did have access to the water, how would you transport sufficient quantities back to your home or shelter? You need a minimum of one to two gallons of clean water a day, per person, for drinking purposes. That doesn’t include any used for food preparation, washing, irrigation, bathing or other purposes. A gallon of water weighs around 8.3 pounds. Do you have containers sturdy enough to carry enough water out of your source and back to where you needed to take it? A five gallon bucket of water weighs about 41.5 pounds — can you carry that much weight for any distance? Like to your car, a wagon, or up a hill?

⁃Do you have the knowledge and equipment to determine if your water is safe to drink? To determine whether the water is free of bacteria, protozoa, dangerous chemical run off? Is viral infestation an issue and would you know?

⁃Do you know how to purify water? Could you make a fire (and have a container) to boil water, or iodine or chlorine bleach or other chemical purifiers to kill micro-organisms, or a mechanical filter to take the nasty stuff out? Do you have the knowledge to do so and/or the reference materials and a way to read them that will work in the absence of electrical power so you can find out how to do so?

⁃Do you have a way to store purified water and keep it separate from untreated water? Sanitation methods to support and maintain the cleanliness of your water?

Wynne continues by offering tips on how to assess and develop your own water resilience plan, and discusses the equipment that he uses, as well as including links to other resources, so be sure to read the whole thing. One important point is that if you are worried about viral contamination, you can't rely on just the filter, but will also need water purification tablets (iodine). 

• "Survival & Backpacking Water Filter Tests"--Wideners. This lengthy article discusses possible contaminants, how water is tested, how filters work, filters versus purifiers, and then goes into the tests. This is a long read, and might be something to print up.

• "How (and Why) to Ditch Hydration Bladders"--Jerking the Trigger. The author was a big fan of hydration bladders, but now he is not. Some of the reasons is that it is difficult to clean and maintain bladders, they are more easily damaged, and its so easy to take sips that its easy to too quickly use up your water supply. I'm on the fence. I don't like the cleaning part either, and, in hot weather, I don't like having to wear a hydration pack on my back. Thus, I've moved away from hydration packs for short hikes or bicycling. However, in cooler weather, it's fine, and it seems to work well when hunting to wear a large hydration pack (e.g., a 3 liter) and a fanny pack for other items.

• "Burglar Target Selection: A Cross-national Comparison"--The Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. Key findings:

      Primary findings of these analyses demonstrate that in The Hague, Birmingham, and Brisbane, the likelihood that an area will be selected for burglary is consistently positively influenced by (i) proximity to an offender’s home, (ii) the proportion of easily accessible targets, and (iii) the number of targets in an area. Additional analyses demonstrate that in all study regions, the influence of proximity of target areas to an offender’s home is greater for juvenile offenders under the legal driving age than adults. This difference is statistically significant in both Birmingham and Brisbane.

       These findings support both opportunity-based accounts of offending, those that portray offenders as optimal foragers, and the principle of least effort; such that offenders are consistently attracted to those areas that can be reached quickly and easily, and in which there are an abundance of viable targets. Furthermore, results from two of the three regions studied are compatible with hypotheses that assert the importance of access to vehicles in shaping patterns of offender mobility.

      Subsequent analyses do, however, demonstrate that the magnitude of impact for two of these three consistently attractive choice criteria varies significantly across environments. Considering these findings, differences in the magnitude of impact that target proximity has on location choices of offenders are of particular interest because it may suggest that the commonly observed distance decay curve is at least in part reflective of the number of potential targets available to offenders within a given distance. To illustrate, in the study regions where the spatial density of targets was relatively high—The Hague (3,652 households per km2) and Birmingham (1,513 households per km2) offenders displayed comparatively limited search spaces; conversely, in Brisbane where target density was relatively low (299 households per km2), offenders were less influenced by the proximity of target areas—perhaps by necessity. This observation is consistent with the notion of intervening opportunities (Stouffer 1940), which posits the likelihood of travel to a given location (in the context of migration) is determined by the opportunities at competing destinations, and less so by the distance involved.

• A reader sent this to me: "Robbery victims targeted for cellphones, beaten in downtown Minneapolis"--KSTP (ABC 5). You may have already seen the video linked in the article, but it shows a youngish white man sitting peaceably and using his smart phone, when he is violently attacked by a feral group of black men. They punch him, kick him, chase him, jump on him, ride a bike over him, and lots more. It is also a perfect advertisement for using what the left terms "high capacity" magazines. The accompanying article states:

       The Minneapolis Police Department has arrested more than a dozen suspects involved in crime ring that focused on robbing cellphones from intoxicated people and then beating the victims.

      According to a report provided by Minneapolis police spokesperson John Elder, a three-day sweep conducted two weeks ago ended with police arresting 16 people between the ages of 13 and 25. The suspects are seen on surveillance video punching, kicking and riding over one man with a bike.

     The robberies occurred near Hennepin, First and Second avenues, between Third and Sixth streets, and happened between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.

      The suspects were mostly boys and men, with a female sometimes present. They would "finesse" the victim — looking for an easy target, such as someone who was intoxicated and alone, looking at their cellphone at times. Elder said half of the assailants are juveniles.

      One of the incidents happened on Aug. 3 near Target Field. According to the criminal complaint, the footage shows approxiamtely 12 males attempting to take a cellphone from a male victim, viciously beating him. The suspects are seen ripping the vicitim's shoes and pants off and then going through his pockets. The victim is noted to be punched and kicked in the head several times throughout the altercation. At one point, the complaint states the victim is thrown to the ground — left motionless — then repeatedly jumped on, hit with planting pots and ridden over with a bicycle. Once police arrive, the victim and all suspects involved are gone.

    Then on Sept. 6, after further investigation, officers recognized one of the assailants from the video and arrested him. He is identified as Boris Likuwa Lusumbo, 20. The video shows Lusumbo running toward the victim along with other attackers after the victim was struck by another attacker. He was seen picking up something off the ground that the victim dropped and walked away with it. Lusumbo admitted it was him in the video to police. He has been charged with first-degree aggravated robbery and faces up to 20 years in prison for the crime, if convicted.

While the police are characterizing this as a robbery assault, it is much more. It is more than an educational beat down. This is just violence for the pure pleasure of it. If you have ever lived on farm, you probably are aware of how predators will sometimes get into a flock of sheep or a chicken coop and just simply kill a bunch of the animals for no reason other than the sure pleasure of the killing. This is the same type of thing.

       Also note what the story does not say: that half of the attackers are adults; and, given the name of one of the perpetrators, that at least some of the attackers were refugees.

       So, what are some lessons to learn from this. First is a issue of situational awareness. The white guy was sitting playing on his phone and probably not aware or dismissive of the sudden aggregation of black thugs around him. One has to wonder if maybe he became aware, but didn't want to be "racist" by leaving. Second, is to not be in stupid places doing stupid things. Playing with a smart phone in a high crime area seems to fit into both of these. Third, develop means of intelligence. For instance, if there were news reports of these types of crimes in that area, and the victim had paid attention to these reports, he maybe would have chosen a different place and/or time to hang out.

• "Anatomy of an Assault: The 5-Step Attack Cycle"--Shooting Illustrated. The author notes that attacks will often follow a script. The script in this case involves a predatory attack (e.g., robbery) with the following outline: (1) look, (2) choose, (3) stalk, (4) close, and (5) strike. The article further explains:

      All predators must first seek their prey. They can’t do anything to you if they first don’t go looking for you. In the process of looking, they at one time or another must choose their victim. These two steps—look and choose—must occur in that order. You can’t choose someone if you don’t first go looking for them.

      Next, after look and choose, is to stalk their prey. They may observe you for a while to figure out if you’re really worth the effort; maybe you are, maybe you’re not. Once they make their decision, they then need to figure out how to get close to you. Again, these are mandatory steps—look, choose and stalk—that must be executed in order. If he decides you’re not worth the effort, he’s not going to move to the next step in his plan: close.

      After looking, choosing and stalking, the bad guy is then tasked with closing the gap from his physical position to your physical position. Lastly, and only after these first four steps, will he be in the right place and at the right time to execute his attack.

      In the intelligence community, we refer to this as the Attack Cycle: Look, Choose, Stalk, Close, Strike. It is this cycle, the execution of these five steps in order—which any predator must follow to present you with a physical threat—that is the Bad Guy’s Blueprint. He must follow all five steps. He cannot omit even one, and he cannot execute them out of order. They must be followed one at a time and in this exact sequence, or he fails.

The author discusses different ways to disrupt the cycle, but the easiest is at the "look step" by "not put[ting] yourself there in the first place. There’s no need for you to drive to a 24-hour convenience store in the seediest part of town at 2 a.m., leave your engine running, windows down, door open and run in with cash falling out of your hands or pockets." In short: 

Three easy ways to break the cycle: 

1: Don’t put yourself in harm’s way (no need to go to the ATM at 2 a.m. in a bad neighborhood)

2: Don’t be an attractive victim (cash hanging out of your purse, belligerent or drunk in public, etc.)

3: Make the bad guy ask the question “Are there softer targets around?” and answer “Yes.”

• "What Criminologists Don’t Say, and Why"--City Journal. The article is about how the criminology field, at the university level, is so dominated by the left, that it cannot consider anything but how society has created the criminal, who is the "real victim" in their view. The actual victim and safety of society doesn't matter. From the lede:

The history of academic criminology is one of grand pronouncements that don’t often prove out in the real world. In the 1960s and 1970s, for example, criminologists demanded that public policy attack the “root causes” of crime, such as poverty and racism. Without solving these problems, they argued, we could not expect to fight crime effectively. On this thinking, billions of taxpayer dollars poured into ambitious social programs—yet crime went up, not down. In the 1970s and 1980s and into the 1990s, as crime rates continued to spike, criminologists proceeded to tell us that the police could do little to cut crime, and that locking up the felons, drug dealers, and gang leaders who committed much of the nation’s criminal violence wouldn’t work, either.

Also:

       To understand why many criminologists refuse to acknowledge criminal behavior as a potent predictor of life outcomes—including premature mortality, health disparities, arrest and incarceration, and even being shot by the police—one must understand that most liberal criminologists feel strangely protective about criminals. Criminologists who work collaboratively with the police have done important work in understanding how best to respond to crime and how to prevent it. Their research, which often includes complex spatial analyses of crime patterns and which targets specific, high-rate offenders for arrest and prosecution, has been rigorously evaluated and confirmed. Yet liberal-minded criminologists dismiss these scholars as “administrative criminologists”—meaning that they help the state impose unfair social and economic arrangements.

       Liberal criminologists avoid discussing the lifestyles that criminal offenders typically lead. Almost all serious offenders are men, and they usually come from families with long histories of criminal involvement, often spanning generations. They show temperamental differences early in life, begin offending in childhood or early adolescence, and rack up dozens of arrests. Their lives are chaotic and hedonistic, including the constant pursuit of drugs and sex. They produce many children with different women and rarely have the means—or inclination—to support them. Active offenders exploit others for their own benefit, including women, children, churches, and the social-welfare system. They commit many crimes before getting arrested, and they move in and out of the criminal-justice system for decades. Many also report enjoying acts of violence; the social-media accounts of martyred gangsters shot by police often illuminate this subculture. Perhaps not surprisingly, they see the police as another competing tribe that has to be manipulated, controlled, and sometimes confronted. In sum, the lives of persistent criminal offenders are often shockingly pathological. The nature of this world is hard to grasp without witnessing it firsthand.

      Unfortunately, criminology has had a long history of suppressing evidence for expressly political reasons. For most of its history, the discipline has overtly censored research, for instance, on biological, genetic, and neurological factors that scientists have shown to be associated with antisocial traits and behavioral problems. Even today, despite lots of hard scientific evidence—such as that 50 percent of the variance in antisocial behavior is attributable to genetic factors, or neuroimaging studies that show systemic structural and functional brain differences between offenders and non-offenders—those who pursue this line of research get branded as racists or even eugenicists. We have personally experienced hostile receptions when presenting our work in these areas at professional conferences and have been excoriated in the anonymous-review process when attempting to publish our papers. The disciplinary animus toward the study of biological factors extends to other individual factors, including intelligence and personality, and to a range of traits, such as callous and unemotional behavior, psychopathy, and self-control.

       When it comes to disciplinary biases, however, none is so strong or as corrupting as liberal views on race. Disproportionate black involvement in violent crime represents the elephant in the room amid the current controversy over policing in the United States. Homicide numbers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Supplementary Homicide Reports, 1976–2005 indicate that young African-American males account for homicide victims at levels that are ten to 20 times greater than their proportion of the population and account for homicide offenders at levels that are 15 to 35 times greater than their proportion of the population. The black-white gap in armed-robbery offending has historically ranged between ten to one and 15 to one. Even in forms of crime that are allegedly the province of white males—such as serial murder—blacks are overrepresented as offenders by a factor of two. For all racial groups, violent crime is strongly intraracial, and the intraracial dynamic is most pronounced among blacks. In more than 90 percent of cases, the killer of a black victim is a black perpetrator.

       Criminologists talk about the race-crime connection behind closed doors, and often in highly guarded language; the topic is a lightning rod for accusations of racial hostility that can be professionally damaging. They avoid discussing even explicitly racist examples of black-on-white crime such as flash-mob assaults, “polar bear hunting,” and the “knockout game.” What criminologists won’t say in public is that black offending differences have existed since data have been collected and that these differences are behind the racial disparities in arrest, prosecution, and incarceration. They also won’t tell you that, despite claims of widespread racial discrimination in the justice system, legal variables—namely, the number of prior arrests and the seriousness of the crime for which the offender has currently been arrested—account for all but a small fraction of the variance in system outcomes. Nor will they tell you the truth about politically correct remedies, such as diversifying police forces, hiring black police chiefs, or training officers in the alleged effects of implicit bias: that these measures won’t reduce racial disparities in crime.

• "Parkland dad uncovers how district enabled deranged student-turned-shooter"--New York Post. 
• "The Trayvon Hoax That Divided America Is About to Be Exposed"--American Thinker.

On Monday. September 16, Joel Gilbert will preview his new documentary, “The Trayvon Hoax,” in the 500-seat Ballroom of the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The screening begins at 1 p.m. Admission is free, and Gilbert is encouraging all interested parties to come see for themselves what could be a game-changer in the way the media report racially-charged news. Gilbert’s findings are that significant.

• "Thinking About Buying A Concealed Carry Revolver? Here’s What You Need to Consider"--The Truth About Guns. A discussion of different considerations including caliber, issues concerning sights, trigger pull, and how you intend to reload it. 
• "DRY PRACTICE WITH REVOLVERS"--Tactical Professor. Good tips and advice for dry fire with a revolver, including some timer applications.
• "EXPLORING THE LIMITATIONS OF EDC CHOICES…"--Civilian Gunfighter. From the author:

... If you carry a gun for defense of yourself or others, you need to know what you can do with it, on demand. You may discover that making compromises in your choice of a carry gun compromises your ability to respond to life-threatening events. Dedicated practice and having a well-rounded skill set can somewhat mitigate that compromise, but often the reality is that smaller guns are harder to shoot well. My reality is that I am measurably slower and less accurate with the J-frame revolver. Sometimes that’s a choice I make. To paraphrase some of Mike Pannone’s wisdom, know what your are doing, know why you are doing it, know how to do it well, identify the potential failure points, and train to mitigate those failure points. That’s what it’s all about.

• "Now New Zealand Wants to Establish a Registry of all Civilian-Owned Guns"--The Truth About Guns. New Zealand's "buy-back" of evil assault weapons is not going to well, and part of the reason is that the government does not know who owns the weapons. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (who left her church because she thought gay rights were more important than God's commandments) has a solution: a mandatory registration of firearms. Which will probably be about as successful as the buy back. But watch out for those that will narc you out.

      There is actually a silver lining to these various prohibitions. If you have studied successful underground movements and revolutions, you will note that they are heavily dependent on people that are not only fine with breaking the law, but have experience and established networks for that express purpose. Gun prohibitions will actually make it easier for gun owners to resist down the road because they will already have the willingness to break the law ... and perhaps even have developed grey markets or black markets.

• "New Jersey to Penalize Banks, Retailers That Do Business With Gun Industry Companies"--The Truth About Guns. 
• "With Gun Control Talk Rife, NICS Background Checks Jump 15% in August"--The Truth About Guns. Might also be a good time to pick up some extra magazines.
• Wait! This Wasn't How It Was Supposed To Work: "Conservatives: We’ll Spill Blood to Keep Our Guns"--The New Republic. Liberals finally realize that there may be a problem with their dreams of confiscating firearms. As Glenn Reynolds observes, "THEY’RE UPSET BECAUSE ONLY LEFTISTS ARE SUPPOSED TO THREATEN VIOLENCE IF THEY DON’T GET THEIR WAY."

• Related: "Beto O’Rourke on his gun confiscation plan: 'No, it’s not voluntary'"--The Washington Examiner. 

• Related: "Kamala Harris: My EO Seizing Assault Weapons Would Be Constitutional Under The Yes We Can Clause, Or Something"--Hot Air. 

• A day that will live in infamy: "25 Years Ago Today: President Clinton Signs the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban Into Law"--The Truth About Guns.
• Meanwhile, across the pond: "German citizens are arming themselves with firearms"--Voice of Europe. As of today, close to 640,00 German citizens are legally permitted to carry a deterrent gun or similar self-defense weapon. To put things in perspective, in 2014, there were just 260,000. That’s nearly a 250 percent increase in just five years."
• "We can stop mass shootings without restricting Second Amendment liberties"--Dallas Morning News. The author of this op-ed suggests that the solution is for businesses to employ more armed guards. I disagree. The solution is to encourage more people to concealed carry.
• Thank goodness that they have given up on the idea of caseless ammunition: "True Velocity Shows the 6.8mm Composite-Cased Cartridge of General Dynamics NGSW Submissions"--The Firearm Blog. General Dynamics is going with a polymer case with a twist:

This ammunition has a metal base that is integrated with the polymer body. All the True Velocity cartridges that were shown before were replicating the external dimensions of their brass counterparts. However, the NGSW submission has a different design of shoulder and neck areas. As you can see, instead of a traditional shoulder and neck, the case has a rather small step from the case body to the bullet. I assume that step is designed to provide a headspacing point. I think the bullet should be supported inside the case. This design should be more reliable due to the elimination of a conventional case shoulder and neck which arguably has been the weakest point of polymer cased cartridges.

"This Is Why Your Backpack Hurts"--Dan Becker (13 min.)

Some tips on adjusting your backpack, and packing it correctly.

• "Armed conflict between Venezuela and Colombia is now a real, and terrifying, possibility"--Washington Post. From the article:

     ... Venezuela’s increasingly tight alliance with the drug-running guerrilla armies waging war on the Colombian state, which has rattled Bogota so hard it’s now seeking a hemispheric response.

     On Wednesday, Colombia, the United States and nine other countries invoked the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR), signed in Rio de Janeiro in 1947, which commits the countries of the Western Hemisphere to respond to military aggression against any one of them. The move came after Nicolás Maduro said he would deploy 150,000 troops to the border with Colombia. Invoking TIAR is an extreme measure in the region and an unmistakable sign that armed conflict is now a real possibility.

• Of course. It would defeat the purpose of Red Flag laws if aimed at the Democrats' allies: "Democrats frown on targeting gang databases with 'red flag' laws"--The Washington Examiner. From the article:

     House Democrats this week advanced a new measure to encourage states to pass “red flag” laws, known as extreme risk protection orders, that authorize removing guns and ammunition from dangerous individuals.

     Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee amended the measure during a Wednesday mark-up to authorize the federal government to issue extreme risk protection orders in some instances, but they rejected an amendment that would have red-flagged anyone who law enforcement lists as a gang member.

• Overworked and with abusive supervisors: "Nearly 18 years after 9/11, the federal air marshals program is in 'crisis'"--ABC News. The lede:

The U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service program has reached what critics describe as an acute crisis point marked by a recent rash of suicides, psychotic episodes, a murder-suicide, a bomb plot, devastating health problems and a pervasive sense of dread and depression among the ranks of the most elite cadre of marksmen and women in the nation, according to a month-long ABC News investigation into the secretive federal agency.

On top of this, the constant flying and stress has resulted in increased deaths due to blood clots, strokes and heart attacks. According to the article, "air marshals fly about twice as many international trips as U.S. airline pilots each month, and that unlike pilots, there's no maximum on the shift hours an air marshal can fly on any given day."

• "The Founder of America’s Earliest Lesbian Bar Was Deported for Obscenity"--Atlas Obscura. She later died in Auschwitz. It is disturbing how a certain religious/ethnic group was tied to so many liberal/progressive trends that undermined Western society.
• "Spying for Israel Is Consequence Free"--The Unz Report. 

      Back in the spring I wrote about coming across the name Arnon Milchan by chance on a movie credit while flying from Venice to Washington. Milchan, some might recall, is a Hollywood billionaire movie producer born in Israel, well known for such films as Pretty Woman and Bohemian Rhapsody. He is less well known for his role in arranging for the procurement and illegal transfer of U.S. technology that enabled the Jewish state to develop its own nuclear arsenal. Far from being ashamed of his betrayal of the adopted country that helped make him rich and famous, in 2011 he authorized and contributed to a ghost-written biography, which he boastfully entitled “Confidential: The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon.” Parts of the book were in the first person with Milchan telling his story in his own words.

      I had been aware of Milchan’s crimes for a number of years, just as I had also speculated on how a leading Israeli spy working actively and successfully against vital U.S. anti-nuclear proliferation interests had managed to continue to maintain a home and business in Los Angeles while also appearing regularly at the Oscar presentation ceremonies. I asked “Why is this scumbag still making movies in Hollywood? Why isn’t he in jail?” before concluding that the federal government clearly regards spying for Israel as a victimless crime, rarely arresting anyone and almost never prosecuting any of the numerous easily identifiable Israeli intelligence agents roaming the country.

• The real world is much different from what we are raised to think: "American Pravda: the Power of Organized Crime: How a Young Syndicate Lawyer from Chicago Earned a Fortune Looting the Property of the Japanese-Americans, then Lived Happily Ever After as America's Most Respected Civil Libertarian Federal Appellate Court Judge"--The Unz Report. The article discusses the close connections between organized crime and politicians, focusing especially on Chicago and California. I found this interesting:

      But although the top [Chicago] Syndicate leadership remained almost entirely Italian—with a Welsh immigrant being the sole exception—roughly half of all the key figures found in Russo’s detailed narrative turned out to be Jewish. From the 1930s onward, organized crime in Chicago was essentially an Italian-Jewish partnership, with the Italians concentrating on the violent muscle side of the business and the Jews more likely to be involved in money-laundering, political corruption, and legal manipulation.

* * *

     ... I was surprised to realize that a milieu I’d always regarded as overwhelmingly Italian was actually mostly Jewish, suggesting that I had accepted the misleading headlines of a historical narrative without focusing upon its actual contents. Indeed, Brooklyn’s notorious Murder Inc. was originally established by Lansky and Siegel and seems to have been overwhelmingly Jewish, while living up to its name by its many hundreds of killings, with one of its leading members supposedly having a personal body-count of over 100 or even far higher. But since I’d never heard of a single Jewish gangster in Chicago, I was still very surprised that such individuals comprised nearly half of the leading figures in Russo’s comprehensive history.

• There is a certain poetic justice to this: "Mexican gang CASTRATE an alleged rapist by letting a pit bull maul his genitals"--Daily Mail. 
• And in a blow to forensic science: "No rest in peace! Human corpses MOVE around 'significantly' for a year after death, stunned scientists discover"--Daily Mail. For instance, "'What we found was that the arms were significantly moving, so that arms that started off down beside the body ended up out to the side of the body,' Ms Wilson told ABC News." The study also found that under certain conditions, in the Sydney area (i.e., high humidity), bodies could mummify. 
• "ICE IS BUILDING A 'STATE-OF-THE-ART' 'URBAN WARFARE' TRAINING FACILITY THAT WILL INCLUDE 'HYPER-REALISTIC' SIMULATIONS OF HOMES IN CHICAGO AND ARIZONA"--Newsweek. Well, they won't be the only one's using it: "... Newsweek was able to establish that the facility will be built at the Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs' (OFTP) Tactical Operations Complex (TOC) at Fort Benning, Georgia." The article continues:

      Among the training devices expected to be included at the new training site are "hyper-realistic props/design" that simulate "residential houses, apartments, hotels, government facilities and commercial buildings," along with other training configurations.

     The "devices" are defined as "scalable, portable, modular" training structures that would be "made from portable shipping containers or other appropriate modular materials that can be relocated to alternate sites as needed."

      "Hyper-realistic is defined as 'such a high degree of fidelity in the replication of battlefield conditions in the training environment that participants so willingly suspend disbelief that they become totally immersed and eventually stress inoculated'," ICE says.

      Hyper-realism, the agency states, is "a critical component to this acquisition as the details provide essential information that must be acknowledged, processed and acted upon to minimize risk to our Special Agents, Deportation Officers and SRT operators during high-risk search and arrest warrants, fugitive operations, undercover operations, hostage rescue, gang operations, etc."

      "For example, details like the number of dishes left on the table, toys in the yard, lighting, furniture, etc. all provide clues that allow our agents and officers to infer vital information that directly affects their safety and the potential resolution or outcome in the scenario," it continues. "Learning to process this information quickly to identify whether there are children present, or how many people are currently in the structure is a necessary skill developed in training."

• "Supreme Court rules Donald Trump CAN deny asylum to almost ALL migrants who cross the Southern Border: President celebrates a win in his immigration crackdown and slams the Democrats for 'not doing anything'"--Daily Mail. This ruling only terminates temporary injunctions against enforcing the rule, but the litigation challenging the rule will still continue.
• "Biological age of humans reversed by years in groundbreaking study, scientists suggest"--The Independent. From the article:

Volunteers who were given a cocktail of drugs for a year actually “aged backwards”, losing an average of 2.5 years from their biological ages, according to the new study. The research showed that the marks on their genomes that represent their “epigenetic clock”, as well as their immune systems, actually improved despite the passing of time.

The scientists expected the biological clock to slow down, but were surprise that it was reversed. Participants were given a growth hormone and two diabetes medications. However, before getting too excited, this was a preliminary study with only 9 participants and no control group.

• Heh. "Climate change: Electrical industry's 'dirty secret' boosts warming"--BBC. The article reports:

      Where once large coal-fired power stations brought energy to millions, the drive to combat climate change means they are now being replaced by mixed sources of power including wind, solar and gas.

     This has resulted in many more connections to the electricity grid, and a rise in the number of electrical switches and circuit breakers that are needed to prevent serious accidents.

     Collectively, these safety devices are called switchgear. The vast majority use SF6 gas to quench arcs and stop short circuits.

Ironically, however, sulphur hexafluoride, or SF6, is 23,500 times more warming than carbon dioxide (CO2), according to the article. Because of the increased leaks from electrical equipment in the UK and EU, alone, it was the equivalent of putting an extra 1.3 million cars on the roads. Good job, climate warriors!

• Welcome to the new feudalism: "TRUSTAFARIANS WANT TO TELL YOU HOW TO LIVE"--New Geography. Keep in mind that this article was written in 2014. 

      And the boomers—at least those in the more affluent classes—are about to get yet another windfall. As the members of World War II’s “Greatest Generation” die off, they are set to pass on between $8.4 trillion and $11.6 trillion to their Baby Boomer descendants, according to a study by MetLife.

      In the coming decades this tsunami of inherited money will likely accelerate class divisions, as those in the current top decile (in terms of income) gather in more than a million in parental bequests, while those in the lower class will at best count their inheritances in the thousands. Among boomers who will receive an inheritance, the top 10 percent will receive more than every other decile combined.

     This is just the beginning of the process. The well-born members of the millennial generation are set for an even greater inheritance, which will distort the economy even more. The Social Welfare Research Institute at Boston College estimated that a minimum of $41 trillion would pass between generations from 1998 to 2052. This huge transfer, the researchers believe, will usher in what they call “a golden age of philanthropy.” Even as most younger Americans struggle to obtain decent jobs and secure property, the Welfare Institute concluded, America is moving toward an “inheritance-based economy” where access to the last generation’s wealth could prove a critical determinant of both influence and power.

The article continues:

      Historically, education was one way the middle and working classes, and even the poor, ascended the class ladder. But we may be seeing the end of this trend, given what some see as the “death of meritocracy,” particularly if you also count the enormous advantage in education that comes from going to an elite private school or a well-placed suburban public school. Over the past two generations, notes former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, the gap in educational achievement between the children of the rich and the children of the poor has doubled. While the college enrollment rate for children from the lowest quarter of income distribution has increased from 6 percent to 8 percent, the enrollment rate for children from the highest quarter has risen from 40 percent to 73 percent.

      So we have a graduate of Choate or Beverly Hills High who attends Wharton, and goes to work for, say, Goldman Sachs. And yes, this individual may work hard. But whether he or she works hard or not, the chances of success are much greater than those of an equally talented, equally diligent person who has to pay off college loans and whose choices about where to live—outside of places like New York or San Francisco—are driven as much by cost as they are by opportunity.

Read the whole thing.

• Related: "American Renewal: The Real Conflict Is Not Racial Or Sexual, It’s Between The Ascendant Rich Elites And The Rest Of Us"--The Daily Caller. 

      Today’s neo-feudalism recalls the social order that existed before the democratic revolutions of the 17th and 18th Century, with our two ascendant estates filling the roles of the former dominant classes. The First Estate, once the province of the Catholic Church, has morphed into what Samuel Coleridge in the 1830s called "the Clerisy," a group that extends beyond organized religion to the universities, media, cultural tastemakers and upper echelons of the bureaucracy. The role of the Second Estate is now being played by a rising Oligarchy, notably in tech but also Wall Street, that is consolidating control of most of the economy."

      Together these two classes have waxed  while the Third Estate has declined. This essentially reversed the enormous gains made by the middle and even the working class over the past 50 years. The top 1% in America captured just 4.9 percent of total U.S. income growth in 1945-1973, but since then the country’s richest classes has gobbled up an astonishing 58.7% of all new wealth in the U.S., and 41.8 percent of total income growth during 2009-2015 alone.

• Related: "US household income finally matches 1999 peak, while poverty rate hits lowest point since 2001"--AP. Wow, household income finally has reached where it was 20 years ago.

• Related: "Good intentions without wisdom leads to evil."

• Refugees as a weapon of mass destruction: "Turkish president threatens to allow Syria refugees to leave unless ‘safe zone’ created with US"--Military Times. The issue is that Turkey wants to create a buffer zone--the so called "safe zones"--inside Syrian territory under the pretense of resettling refugees. If Turkey doesn't get its way, it is threatening to release a tsunami of refugees on Europe.
• "The 48 Laws of Power List & Summary." I recommend reading the book, but this is a nice summary.
• "They care about white bears"--Vox Popoli. Apparently brown bears are immigrating to areas historically populated by polar bears, and the brown bears are interbreeding with the polar bears, and raising fears that polar bears might go extinct. 

• Related: "Texas Republicans sound alarm about rapidly evolving state"--The Hill. 

• Related: "Make No Mistake: The GOP is Losing Texas"--American Thinker. 

     ... Republican share of the vote is steadily shrinking despite the lack of spending by Democrats and massive spending by Republicans.

      As noted, the reason for this is simple: demographics. For decades, the Republicans have told their voters that they were going to clamp down on illegal immigration and address the legal immigration policies that have facilitated this takeover. They have made excuse after excuse for not fulfilling those promises and now that lack of action is turning Texas blue one district at a time.

• A reminder that we live in the 21st Century: "Iran's F-14 Tomcats vs. Mach 10 Spaceship UFOs (Who Wins?)"--The National Interest. 

     The Americans retired their F-14s in 2006, but around 40 of Iran’s Tomcats remain active. Their main role is defending Iran’s nuclear sites. It’s a mission that has brought the interceptors in close contact with some very mysterious aircraft, according to a bizarre and fascinating 2013 story in Combat Aircraft magazine by reporter Babak Taghvaee.

      The Iranians believed the objects were spy drones belonging to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, sent to sniff out Tehran’s suspected atomic weapons program. But they attribute to these alleged unmanned aerial vehicles flight characteristics and capabilities far beyond what any known drone can achieve.

     And in 2012 one of the alleged flying robots reportedly also shot down an F-14 attempting to intercept it. Or at least some Iranians seem genuinely to believe so.

* * * 

      To protect the nuke facilities, in 2004 Iran deployed a task force composed of eight F-4E fighters and eight F-14s plus a former 707 airliner and a C-130 cargo plane outfitted with sensors and radios for command and control. The task force encountered what it believed were CIA drones with “astonishing flight characteristics.”

      The UAVs could jam radars and disrupt interceptors’ navigation systems. They flew “outside the atmosphere” at speeds of up to Mach 10. They could hover. Flying at night, they emitted a telltale blue light that led to their nickname: “luminous objects.”

       “In several cases … F-14s faced them but were unable to operate their armament systems properly,” Taghvaee wrote. One Tomcat taking off to intercept a luminous object on Jan. 26, 2012 mysteriously exploded, killing both crewmen. Taghvaee implies the alleged UAV was somehow responsible, as the F-14 in question was “one of the fittest” of the 40 or so Tomcats then in service.

I guess Trump wasn't kidding when he said that UFO's weren't alien craft.