FerFal Reports that the Strongest Man In Argentina Was Killed by A Bum With A Knife

From Fer Fal's blog:

Alan Garay (43 years old) was a 260 pound “strongman” that won competitions both in Argentina and Spain. He could lift 880 pounds, pull 15 ton trucks and lift cars with little problem, but that didn’t save him from getting killed two days ago in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. 

After an argument with Fernando Pezetti, a 50 year old cartonero (paper and trash scavenger) over trash left on the sidewalk next to his house, Mr. Garay got into a fight with the man, easily overpowering him and punching him in the face. As Garay left, the scavenger produced a knife and stabbed him twice in the torso. The neighbors called for help but Garay was dead by the time help arrived. 

Garay had lived in Madrid for ten years and had recenlty moved back to Argentina. He worked security at night clubs and at times was part of security details of international celebrities.

The 10-Minute Bug Out

This seems to compliment the article on the 15 second bug out I posted about a couple days ago. The Apartment Prepper blog discusses evacuating your home in 10 minutes, mostly setting out questions you need to ask yourself.

The Attempted Assassination of Geert Wilder and Pamela Geller

By now, all of you have likely read of the attempted terrorist attack on an event being attended by Pamela Geller (who runs the Atlas Shrugged website) and Geert Wilders (a Dutch politician), both of whom have been actively involved in attempting to warn of the threat posed by radical Islam. My purpose here isn't to describe or comment on the attack itself, but the media reporting. Specifically, the event was, in part, to display drawings of Mohammed in response to the Charlie Hebdo attacks. However, numerous news outlets refused to show any of the artwork on display, going so far as to black out portions of news photos.

For instance, the Daily Mail had published the following:



Here is what they are editing:

Source: The Truth About Guns

"The 15-Second Bug Out"

The Street Smarts column at Swat Magazine discusses bugging out. Not the "end of the world bug out," though:

I’m referring to situations where someone like me starts pounding maniacally on your door and yelling, “Police! Get out! Get out!” The reason could be a ruptured gas main, hazardous material spill, barricaded gunman two doors away, bomb threat at your hotel, or another annoyance not of your own making.

While I’ve never been forced to flee The End of the World As We Know It, I have certainly displaced hundreds of people in situations similar to those I just listed. In fact, 12 hours before these words were written, I was double-checking an “empty” apartment during a fire scene and discovered a suddenly frantic woman who had been overlooked during the initial evacuation. She wasn’t in any imminent danger from the small blaze in another unit, but she did face a serious health threat stepping outside in the sub-20 degree wind chill.

Why? Because she wasn’t prepared to be forced from her home with literally one-second notice.

Therein lies the crux of today’s sermon: plan all the complicated Road Warrior-style bug-out maneuvers you want, even though the odds are good you’ll never be forced into such a retreat, but don’t forget there’s a high probability that someday you’ll have to instantly flee your home or office due to a lesser crisis.

Quick test: stand at your front (or office) door and ask yourself, “What do I do if I have 15 seconds to evacuate?”

First and foremost, based on the number of cold and semi-dressed people I’ve seen wandering around during various emergencies, clothing appropriate for the weather and sturdy shoes are the most important items you’ll need. If you have the typical coat closet near your front door, the clothing problem is easily solved, but make sure there’s at least one pair of slip-on shoes staged there too.

This admonishment also goes for the office. Women in dresses, high-heeled shoes and fashionable but inadequate coats are especially at risk during evacuation and the aftermath. A pair of sneakers, pull-on sweatpants and a heavy coat or jacket kept in a gym bag under your desk might just transform you into the smartest-dressed salesperson at the emergency shelter.

If you can only grab one item, grab your cellular phone. A means of communication can facilitate resupply or evacuation, or simply give peace of mind. Don’t underestimate the importance of letting family know you are alive and well when there are live news broadcasts of a major calamity taking place at your factory.

You might want to have some other items ready, provided they are near the door, lightweight, and have minimal bulk. For further inspiration, research those bags we preppers are always talking about: “EDC,” “Bug-Out,” “72-Hour,” “Get-Home,” “Grab and Go,” “Crisis Kit,” or “The old suitcase we keep in the closet for emergencies.”

Related Post: Attending a Presentation by the Local Emergency Management Agency.

DIY Toothpaste

Advanced Survival Guide's article on making your own toothpaste, including some recipes.

Some New England Ski Resorts are Still Open

Notwithstanding some scientists' climate models, mother nature continues to not cooperate. The AP reports that there more than half dozen skiing areas in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine still operating this weekend. In mid-April, the Boston Globe noted that there were 14 ski resorts still open. What was interesting from the latter article was this observation:

Interestingly, last year on tax day, most of the same big guns were open for skiing as well, but their trail counts were closer to 50 percent, versus this season where Cannon, Wildcat, Jay Peak, and even Mad River Glen are near 100 percent operation in mid-April.

With that small introduction out of the way, Elizabeth Price Foley, writing at Instapundit, discusses how Arctic ice caps have been expanding at record rates, and otherwise pokes holes in the global warming narrative that is being used as an excuse for "wealth redistribution" (itself a misnomer, because there is no intent to redistribute the wealth of the most wealthy, but that of the middle-class).

Some of you may wondering why the intense interest in a seemingly political matter. First, there are a lot of people that are prepping based on global warming misconception, which could leave them with serious problems in the event of cold temperatures. Second, the greatest disasters are the collapse of nations and civilizations, which inevitably coincide with large declines in population either concurrent with the collapse, or immediately following thereafter. (The studies I've read of past civilizational collapses suggest that the decline is bracketed on one side by a decrease in birth rates, and and on the other by a further decline following a collapse due to war and famine).  The collapse of nations or civilizations are tied heavily to political and economic factors. In this case, global warming is being used as an excuse to shut down the most efficient and dependable sources of electricity (coal) and instead offers us "green" energy (solar and wind) which is more expensive (i.e., small or negative marginal return on investment) and subject to the vagaries of weather and natural disasters, on top of a whole new slough of regulations and taxes (i.e., increased complexity with a negative marginal benefit). These global warming policies are not just bad politics, economics or science, but are real threats to our ability to sustain our national economy and, thereby, our civilization.

I can't recommend much different for preppers than what the LDS Church has been advising for decades: store food (a year's supply where possible) to deal with shortages, famines, or an influx of refugees; store water; have a 72-hour kit in the event of an emergency evacuation; and store fuel where possible. I would add that war and civil disturbance also figures heavily in modern day prophecy about the last days, so I believe that learning principles of self-defense, and obtaining tools to protect yourself and your family, is also important. (Although never forgetting the warning that those that live by the sword shall die by the sword).

Unfortunately, I can't tell you if you will ever need those food preparations. I've known people, and myself been in situations, where a change in financial situations has resulted in having to use up food stores. I've seen a major disaster where people dug deep into food stores in order to feed those whose homes had been damaged or destroyed. But, on the other hand, I've known people that have put away buckets or barrels of wheat, and other long term food stores, never to use them.

If you will permit me to wander into a bit of speculation, my own personal belief (i.e., not doctrine, but just a guess) is that since Christ's ministry was in the meridian of time, and we have to cut a thousand years off for the Millennium, He will probably return 2,000 years after his prior ministry, or sometime in the 2030s. (Again, keeping in mind that no one knows the day or time). This would also tend to follow from the fact that each of the seven seals in Revelations represents a 1,000 year period, with Christ returning at or shortly after the opening of the 7th seal. A lot of commentators believe that the Anti-Christ will probably initially appear (or gain power) as a peacemaker, which suggests that his/her appearance (at least as the premier international leader) will coincide with the great wars that he/she will seemingly resolve. Those wars and related upheaval will necessarily precede the Second Coming, which further suggest, if my guess is in any way correct, that those wars will primarily occur within the next two decades. 頑張って.

A Video on Improvised Suppressors for .22 Rimfire

A video I came across--for educational purposes, of course.

New Tests Seem To Support Electromagnetic Drive (Updated and bumped)

Last year NASA successfully tested a concept electromagnetic drive that derived its propulsion from bouncing microwaves inside a closed container--in effect, a reactionless drive. However, skeptics indicated that the results showing thrust could have been due to environmental factors since the device was not tested in a vacuum. But io9 reports that recent tests performed in a vacuum confirm the tests from last year.

Update (May 2, 2105): The Chicago Boyz explain in greater detail the significance of the EM drive, if it works.  Especially when considered together with Lockheed's Skunkworks planned development of a compact fusion reactor. It opens up the solar system, at the least.

A Battery Backup For Your Home

Battery backup for computer systems have been around for decades. But Tesla Motors has announced battery systems designed to power homes. "The Powerwall is around three feet wide and four feet tall, weighs 220lbs, and can be installed either on an outside or inside wall of a home. The 'daily use' version has a capacity of 7 kilowatt-hours, which is around a quarter of a home's daily usage."

The product is intended to store power during times when power rates are cheaper, then allow it to be used during peak power usage time, to save on costs. However, it could also be used in conjunction with a solar panel system, or even as a backup in the event of a power outage.

Happy May Day!

Just a reminder from Reason:

According to a disturbingly pleasant graphic from Information is Beautiful entitled simply 20th Century Death, communism was the leading ideological cause of death between 1900 and 2000. The 94 million that perished in China, the Soviet Union, North Korea, Afghanistan, and Eastern Europe easily (and tragically) trump the 28 million that died under fascist regimes during the same period. 

During the century measured, more people died as a result of communism than from homicide (58 million) and genocide (30 million) put together. The combined death tolls of WWI (37 million) and WWII (66 million) exceed communism’s total by only 9 million.

The graph can be located here. The author of the Reason article also notes that several of the largest famines occurred under communist regimes: 9 million in the Soviet Union (1921-22), 30 million in China (1958-62), and 3 million in North Korea (1995-99). Since we know that the famine in the Soviet Union was a result of the communists consolidating power, that the Chinese famine was part of Mao's "great leap forward" and North Korea because of communist central planning, that brings the total deaths due to communism to at least 136 million. Of course, this doesn't include war deaths caused by communism (the Chinese Civil war of 1945-49 left 25 million dead; the Korean War had 1 million; the Vietnam War 2 million; the Soviet-Afghanistan war killed 1 million; the Russian Civil war of 1917-1922 killed 9 million), or the 2 million killed by Khmer-Rouge in Cambodia. So, in round numbers, some 176 million died as a direct result of communist ideology or expansion.

Of course, it is unfair to leave out other socialists. According to the chart, Fascism was responsible for 28 million other deaths in the 20th Century, not including wars. WWII resulted in 66 million dead, the vast majority being the result of the conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union.

So, all told, 270 million deaths directly attributable to socialism. This, of course, doesn't include the millions of abortions or deaths due to environmentalists (such as the malarial deaths because of the banning of DDT).

Another way to look at this is through the perspective of religion. Communism (in fact, socialism generally) is an atheistic movement. So, you could say that Atheism accounted for some 270 million deaths in the 20th Century.