This tweet thread is making the rounds. Its points are good if narrow in scope.

What is meant by Christians that believe in a negative world? We think he means those who hold a positive view of the state of affairs in America are dull of spiritual senses. Well, they are, and perhaps not actually converted, either. Clueless Christians deny sin; perhaps that’s it? Denying sin is certainly a positive view though erroneous. Those don’t believe the Bible and their own eyes. The notion that men are generally good is an infection taking hold in Christianity: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one!

We don’t disagree with the thread; we’ll broaden the historical spectrum, recalling God’s stated purposes and Goals lest we lose sight of the end.

America is not simultaneously supposed to be blessed by God and immune to judicial determinations and instruction in righteousness from God. That’s the God of the New Religion (positive world?), not the God of the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible teaches God’s great purposes in judgment, grace in salvation by His mercies, and for instruction in righteousness. This is not a menu from which America may choose one or another; none are immune to these workings of God.

We’re negative in the short run on America and Western Civilization, but that doesn’t change God’s plan. If only Christians understood that they are no longer citizens of this world but ambassadors for Christ to this foreign and hostile land. They see these words in their Bible but do they get it?

Before you think we’re promoting abandoning our obligations on earth, that’s not what the Holy Bible teaches; see yesterday’s post.

What are the larger view of God’s plan and our purpose in it?

Sin has consequences. The rapid decline of western civilization is directly correlated to the growth of rampant sin (degeneracy, perversion, abortion, war, sexual promiscuity, etc.), as the thread rightly points out. The catalog of corruption is not necessary to review. What’s essential is to call it what it is, Sin. That’s God’s word for it; that’s what it is.

What is the Holy Bible, if not a history of the onset of sin and God’s dealings with the wicked, but also by His mercies choosing a people He desires to live for Him in righteousness?

America finds itself on the waning side of the last significant growth era of faith in the Almighty. That previous growth era was the most extraordinary yet in size and depth of fundamental belief, for this God’s blessings rained down from the throne of heaven upon western civilization.

Don’t, brothers and sisters, lose sight of the fact that Christ had conquered three continents and significant areas of one other over the last 500 years or so. You’ve heard that weak men bring hard times. The Bible’s view is that those weak men are the leaders you get, perverters of all that is holy when the people reject God’s Law. But even that scope is too narrow.

Christ is conquering the world. That’s hard to see for us because of the narrow point of view of a single lifetime and the skewed antichrist perspective of the history books. Christianity has grown geometrically in 2000 years, from 122 souls in that upper room who awaited the promise of the Holy Spirit to millions and millions of professing people from the center of empires to the farthest reaches of distant and strange lands. This didn’t happen by accident.

As our Lord gave us in the Great Commission, the Christian project is a long road with ups and downs, perils and pitfalls, evil seducers and sorceries, and the raising and razing again of kings and kingdoms, religions, and whole ways of living. But God’s power prevails; souls are converted, entire courses of history are subsumed under the power of the Gospel, the Father is glorified in the work of His saints, and civilizations are birthed as the blessings of God are poured out upon a faithful people. The name of Jesus of Nazareth continues to spread, which also doesn’t happen by accident.

The point here is that sin has brought trouble from evil rulers to a dying civilization, so what? These are not our kingdoms; they belong to Christ to do with as He pleases. It doesn’t gladden God to have to destroy them any more than it satisfies us that He will. But it’s necessary; every knee will bow. We’re sure God would much rather men accept His word and do it without a fight, but we are sinners making ourselves the enemies of God.

Which leads to this point; How could God do anything but destroy a wicked and adulterous generation? (That adultery in the Bible is meant as cheating on God.) There are vestiges of European pagan roots left, antinomianism, and spiritualism not of the Spirit of God, but today our current form of adultery is self as god. Father God will have no partners, no equal; He will not compete for His throne. He destroys the inhabitants of His planet over and again to bring them to the knowledge of His Son, that through Christ, all peoples would hear and fear Him, the Just One, judge of heaven and earth.

Our day is not one to lament except that we be grieved deeply by the depravity of our fellow man, troubled of heart, for they will not (re)turn to God and be saved. But, have you asked them, you know, if they need to be forgiven of their sin and saved from hell? Maybe nobody told them how! Perhaps the whole problem today is Christians’ fault for not doing what Christ said to build His Kingdom. And so you see, neither does His Kingdom get built by accident.

But know, Christ is putting down all rule. His project is for as many thousands of years as the Father chooses, bringing the whole earth to heel. Rejoice that He cares enough to destroy your wicked civilization. Praise His holy name that the Lord God Almighty puts down sin with vengeance, for righteous is He, just and perfect, and will not tolerate the ways of wicked men forever. Be not deceived; there are things God hates!

You are here now. You should find out why. What is it that God is calling you in service to perform? Teach the next generation to call upon Him? Spreading the seed of the word of God that souls be converted, prepared of God to carry forth the next explosive growth phase of the Gospel after God, sadly, deals with the trash now rampant among us? Hard times breed hard men, but are you training them, above all else, to fear God and keep His commandments, preparing them for the way of Christ?

In the coming hard times, people will be looking for answers. God is that answer. Do you know how to explain clearly and purposefully what sin is, how saving self from hell is impossible, how all sinners without Christ will die being cast out into eternal hellfire, and only those belonging to God’s own Son will be saved? Can you explain the purposes of the cross to scared, cold, hungry men who need a Saviour? That’s the Christian project; that’s the generations of work, century after century, a long hard slog of doing the works Jesus commissioned when He created His Church, the body of Christ.

Having heard of Christ’s commission, do you even know your purpose and calling in the Kingdom of God? Will you pray? Will you read the entire New Testament, examining what you are supposed to do? Will you train yourself to carry on the works of God, the Holy Spirit in you, to bring glory to the Father through Jesus Christ?

Now in heaven, there are millions of the most productive and faithful saints of God that nobody has ever heard of who labored in obscurity, year after year, for decades of their life, that you might one day, in God’s providence, hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repent, and find salvation. Are you up to this task? Thankless hard work, ridiculed, derided, a nobody, and very soon persecuted for the name of Jesus, can you do it?

The churches no longer teach the blessing of obedience and the curses of disobedience. The people don’t want to hear it. They have no fear of God, do you?

Christ has already won when He rose from the grave. The writing, as they say, is clearly on the wall. All power and authority in heaven and earth are given unto Christ. Death, hell, sin, and the devil who has tried to steal God’s throne are all defeated in the Kingdom of God that now reigns by the Spirit. But the day is coming of no more tears, no more sorrow, no more death when the Lamb of God shall have put down all authority by His own power, the kingdom of death and hell will be called forth and cast into the lake of burning brimstone for all eternity.

Those in Christ from all ages will be left, and the greatest King that ever was, with the utmost contrite act of humility, will turn and hand us all, with His Kingdom, up to the Father, that God may be all in all.

Having suffered the entire grieving process of anger, tears, and sorrow for America a decade ago, living for Christ should have been the first choice. But I had to see the ugliness of this world and the futility of its politics with the fragility of its kingdoms before getting it; Christ is King. His is an everlasting Kingdom.

Two thousand years ago, a new Kingdom was birthed; the Stone not cut by hands is growing into a mountain crushing all other power. Daniel’s vision is sure and true, coming to pass in the person of Jesus Christ.

“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” – Daniel 2:44

In today’s narrow scope, the war between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of death and hell is ugly and disturbing, but our King wins! Sometimes we think that evil is winning, only to find that God is withholding His blessings so that judgment might march across a land, destroying His enemies. This prepares the way for the next growth phase as the Gospel of Christ, by the Spirit of God, begins again to convert His people by the many millions, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.

The job of the Christian is not that of an observer of the machinations of evil during the death throws of empire: but to be doers of the word, telling the lost of salvation at the foot of the cross, teaching and training Christ’s disciples, carrying forth the good news of the resurrection, bringing to bear our coming victory in the Lord Jesus Christ, our King.

I like the idea of an autoloading .22 magnum more than Tim does, and I also like the idea of a .22 magnum revolver.

I must say that I once owned a KelTec PMR-30 and it was the most unreliable firearm I ever owned.  It wouldn’t cycle a full magazine without a failure to feed or failure to eject.  I suggested to KelTec that they redesign the magazine out of Aluminum because in my opinion the polymer magazine was causing problems with moving cartridges up the stack and into the chamber. It caused too much unnecessary friction.

They didn’t listen to me.  They apparently think the weight is more important than functionality.  I ridded myself of that firearm.  Maybe the Walther WMP would be a better gun at some point in the future.  And by the way, I wouldn’t have any problems carrying the .22 magnum for personal defense against two-legged predators, although it probably wouldn’t be my first choice as I leave the house.

I think the ammo thing is easily fixable.  Just don’t run ammo that isn’t reliable.

“7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” – Galatians 6:7-10

Verse 7 above is often quoted as a general principle of God, and rightly so. The biblical doctrine of reaping what you instill carries an immensely important compass with which the Christian lives, particularly in how he interacts with his fellow man. Broad application is often made, but if we read the following several verses, we see that what God teaches here applies to whether our actions are His commands or our desires.

One of the hardest lessons for the child of God is that God’s Law and plan for you are superior to anything you could imagine doing for yourself and your family. Following His Law may be the narrow path with some difficulty, but it brings fruit in abundance for you and glory to God.

Don’t misunderstand verse 8, as the New Religion of modern American Churches teaches it. It does not mean ignoring this world to the detriment of future generations being so heavenly-minded that they are useless in the Kingdom of God that now is. Nor does it mean what hyper spiritualists claim; that we have no duty to man, retiring to our inner meditations alone with God abandoning the commitment to kith and kin, tribe, and nation.

Verse 8 does not contradict other Scripture. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” – John 14:15.

People have this strange notion that the Spirit of God may sometimes contradict the word of God. Brethren, it isn’t so. We are to cultivate all things by the Spirit of God under the purposes and doctrines given by specific instruction in the Holy Bible. All that is sown outside the Spirit only adds to the world’s corruption. Let that sink in a bit; We’re not even talking about open sin or rebellion against God but serving ourselves. All that’s done for any purpose not commanded by God isn’t merely a waste of time and effort before the throne of God; it’s harmful to you, your fellows, and your country.

Verse 8 is not about choosing to abase yourself or denying creature needs for your family. It’s about following the Law of God, seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness so that all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). What are “these things?” Food, clothing, and gathering into barns for the future are God’s blessings to His faithful. If your eye be single, doing all by the word in the Spirit, then all you accomplish will be full of light to the glory of God the Father through Jesus Christ (Matthew 6:22).

Verse 8 concludes, “but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” A man is birthed into eternal life by the Spirit of God. It does not say that sowing to the Spirit of God shall of our works reap life everlasting. No, life everlasting is a work only God can perform when He makes a man His own. Not by the spirit of your own works, but only can you be sealed with the promise by the Spirit of God in you.

Modern Christianity has a considerable compartmentalization problem. You have your work life, family, leisure or recreation, and Christian life, and most have a pet sin. That’s not at all what the Bible teaches. We are to be Christ’s first, in all places and all ways, while doing all things to exalt the name of Jesus; this is to the glory of God the Father.

If you spend all your time struggling only for that which is of the flesh, worldly, self-promoting, gathering money, things, and fake friends, this is faulty and sows the seeds of corruption. It’s harmful to your family and your country. Look around at the condition of Western Civilization, who among us is not our own god, living in sin, serving self, with slovenly care for the future of the kingdom of heaven and God’s promises to those that love Him while building the hope of all nations under His command. Instead of hearing the warning in verse 8, all is corruption all the time; Christ’s commission is abandoned.

And so, what does verse 9 teach, therefore? Let us not be weary in well doing. Examine this self-centeredness of sowing to the flesh in verse 8 and how it leads to the end of well-doing toward all men in verse 9.

Persecution or rejection by men for the truth that is in you confirms by the Spirit that you are indeed God’s, advanced in the certainty of your future home among the saints of the faith seated in glory with the Almighty. Press onward toward the prize in the love where God keeps you for His grand purposes, ever striving, accomplishing the vocation in the faith to which He placed you.

Again the New Religion would have you believe that this is about a church program against which there is no law, but it’s not that; it’s serving in the Spirit by the love of God in all things full of joy in the hope of life everlasting to see the face your Saviour.

There was a woman blind from her birth saved later in life. A fellow believer lamented to her how God had not restored her sight. The blind woman admonished, Don’t say that; my blindness is the most wonderful blessing; the first face I’ll ever see is that of my Lord and Saviour.

Weary not, no matter how ugly and wicked the world becomes or what they throw your way. Faint not, but hope to the end for the glorious appearing of our Lord as He sets down all rule. Keep in mind; tumultuous times are His rule being established; don’t be among those that need to be made His footstool. Be found doing the works of the Spirit in love and peace.

For this cause, if war becomes an absolute necessity, you’re well-founded before God, having followed His Law in kindness and truth toward all men. You can be part of the problem and accumulate enemies, or be upright, knowing you did all you could to forestall the day of evil, justified when, sadly, men must act. In due season the righteous shall reap if we faint not.

Verse 10 starts, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good.” This thought is very well aligned with our situation today. As in the first century, a significant shift today with massive change is coming. War, famine, plagues, and pestilences were arriving in the first century judgment; the end of all things was at hand (1 Peter 4:7). Opportunity to do good for God is fleeting. Perilous times bring out the best or worst in a man.

So let us do good unto all men sowing in the Spirit; meekness, kindness, joy, and love. Glory be to God. Do something nice for somebody who’s a total jerk? It’s arresting; it either sets them aback or makes them all the more furious. And besides, it’s the funniest thing to be sincerely kind and gracious to people who don’t know how to handle it. It’s a fond memory, especially the look on their faces. Make sure to tell them it’s because of Christ in you.

Train your children in all things, and take care to pray for them. Job sacrificed for his children (1:5), saying, “it may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Your children are not yours; they are God’s: “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” – Psalm 127:3. Children are given by the Lord, the ultimate custodial responsibility of His property.

Do good, especially to your brothers in Christ, which is, lastly, the real point we desire to make. Be a man of allegiance to the Almighty, sowing in your clan the word of God, making them fellow citizens in the faith and family of the King. A home is just an empty plot without the love of Christ one toward another. We have the most extraordinary family ever conceived because the Spirit of God birthed it as the gracious and precious gift of the Father through faith in the crucifixion and resurrection of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Our Father is the finest there ever has been or ever will be. Rule your family well, be the head, and worship the Father: teaching the word and emulating Christ in your home and among your broader lineage. Have fervent charity among yourselves, as this will cover a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8)

Clearly understand; sowing to the flesh is rottenness to the core, destructive of all that is good. Sow all things instead to the Spirit, according to His word, doing good, especially unto those who are alive in the faith of Christ, reaping life everlasting.

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” – Ephesians 2:19-20

I missed this, but our friend Andy at Practical Accuracy did a video on whether a 1:7 twist barrel does well with lighter bullets.

The answer?  It depends on the ammunition.  Ammunition selection seems to be the king-maker on whether you do well at the range.

Outdoor Life.

Colville, Washington is like a lot of bare-knuckle Western towns, with dusty pickups parked at family businesses, government agencies stabilizing the boombust ranch-and-timber economy, and a string of fast-food franchises along U.S. Highway 395 that heads north to Canada. It’s the late general season for deer this week in northeast Washington, but this year hunters aren’t seeing nearly as many elk or pine-ridge whitetails as usual.

They mostly blame wolves that have moved into this rural corner of Washington over the past decade and the increasing number of cougars that are no longer staying way out in the Colville National Forest. Instead, lions have been coming closer to town, following the scarcity of deer right down to the city limits. Locals cite the ambush of a 9-year-old girl playing hide-and-seek in the town of Fruitland, about 45 miles southwest of Colville, in June as evidence that cougars need to be more aggressively managed by the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.

When the Fish and Wildlife Commission met in Colville last week, they were welcomed sarcastically to the “center of wolf recovery” by members of a pro-hunting organization called Northeast Washington Wildlife Group. But the commission also heard from predator advocates, represented by members of Washington Wildlife First, a non-profit founded last year whose mission is “transforming the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife from a model of consumptive use” to one that “prioritizes the preservation of natural ecosystems.” For Washington Wildlife First, the increase in predators isn’t problematic; instead, it’s indicative of a healthy ecosystem.

Tension between the two camps was palpable at the Colville meeting, says Commissioner Kim Thorburn, a retired public-health physician from Spokane and self-described “non-hunting hippie from San Francisco.”

“We had people from the community begging us to pay attention to the changes they’re seeing on the ground,” says Thorburn, the longest-serving member of the 9-person commission. “They feel that large carnivores are impacting hunting and livelihoods. We heard people say they don’t let their kids stand out at isolated school bus stops any more. We heard hunters say the deer numbers are going way down. They were asking the department to be more responsive.”

But a new majority of the Washington commission doesn’t recognize those pleas as a problem. They’re among an insurgent type of wildlife official that wants to transform state fish-and-game departments across the country into agencies that “emphasize the intrinsic value of individual animals and healthy ecosystems.” That realignment would deemphasize hunting as a wildlife management tool and devote more agency resources to non-hunted and fished species.

This movement, championed by a small but influential group based in New Mexico called Wildlife For All, borrows from a number of allies, including animal-rights, rewilding, and deep ecology campaigns, few adherents of which have previously been involved in the day-to-day business of fish-and-game management. But with the appointment earlier this year of three “preservationist” commissioners in Washington, reformers now hold a 5-4 majority on the board. In March, they succeeded in closing Washington’s spring bear season, despite recommendations from agency staff that the hunt was ecologically sustainable and despite opposition from Thorburn and three other commissioners.

Now, let’s see what the Almighty God says about this.  “God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

What the hippies in Washington are doing is worshiping the creation over the creator and His law-word.  They don’t care that little children and animals will be attacked by wolves, bears, mountain lions or other predators.  The creation is their god.

I had someone ask me a while back why the hippies get the Northwest and we don’t.  My answer is that it doesn’t matter now, it’s done, and there is no going back.  This fight would have had to be fought long ago while real men were working for a living.  You must do more than work – you must pay attention to the world around you, including human predilections and sins.

I think Hornady has a 7mm PRC devotee.  But my question remains, what if you’re not hunting Elk at 400 yards, but rather, white tail at 50 – 100 yards?  It seems to me that 7mm PRC isn’t so preferable to .308 or 6.5mm Creedmoor.

The first rule of drone club is…

Yuneec, H520 commercial drone. Photo via RotoDronePro.com

If you need a drone, and you will, the place to start is with lots of reading and comparison. First, consider your use case(s) for which you have primary, secondary, and tertiary purposes. Consider what you must accomplish, what would be worthy of performing, and what would be added benefits. Perhaps jot down some notes with a list. Then look for the craft that suits your needs based upon your priority scale of needs.

Some drones are tiny and almost useless in any weather, including a light breeze, but they are quiet and less detectable. As with most products, there are trade-offs. Some don’t survive crashes with as much resilience as others, which seems essential when starting. Some have neat-sounding features that get a premium price markup, but when considering the practicality of the feature versus your actual needs, the cost may not be worth adding.

The best feature is automatic obstacle avoidance. Second is an Auto-Home feature that returns the unit to a specified location under certain circumstances; out of range/push button home/battery level. Flight time and range are critical considerations. Ability to move the camera while holding the drone geo-stationary may interest you. Made in America is a concern with the history of some electronics having Chinese backdoors.

Other trace-off aspects: remember, a drone is a vehicle. The vehicle should serve an objective which is to accomplish specific purposes. A lesser vehicle with a better camera may serve you better, but a greater range with an inferior camera may suit you. We’re not against hobbyists that love a specific vehicle (think car owners), but keep to the purpose of your needs.

There are some licensing considerations, although asking permission seems, well, you decide for yourself. Nonetheless, here’s a basic FAA registration guide.

Are there kinetic applications for racing drones? Do your geotagging and mapping well in advance and print on hard copy, correlate with land nav.

There’s a ton of information on youtube, especially about professional drone types of service, but you have to weed through the hobby and commercial channels. If you have a mind for it, examining the technical applications of drones for civilian utility planning, mapping, zoning, surveying, agriculture, construction, property inspection, and other industries can teach valuable information about how to use your drone for recon, including geotagging. These can be a worthwhile resource not only for recon but also for defensive position planning and battlefield shaping plan objectives.

DroneU might interest the serious-minded who can take general civil applications information and apply it to their own purposes.

Source One:

Whether you’re a videographer, vlogger, or just want to have some fun, the best drones let you fly around with ease, shoot breathtaking photos and videos, and not worry about crashing into things.

The best quadcopter drones now all cost less than $2,000, with many excellent models at $1,000 or less. But there are a lot of things to consider, including flight time, what you want to do with the drone, and more. That’s where our guide to the best drones comes in. We’ve flown all the top models, evaluating their handling, controllers, endurance, camera quality, and more. Below are our top picks for drone pilots of every feather.

[…]

How to choose the best drone for you

Drones aren’t just fun to fly. They can let you capture breathtaking footage, some in high-resolution 4K video. They’re also more affordable than ever, as quality beginner models now cost less than $60. Good camera drones start at a few hundred dollars, and they’re great for simple tasks like checking your gutters for leaves. More complex drones, starting at less than $1,000, offer customizable and programmable features, turning them into truly autonomous devices that can make their own decisions.

Drones aren’t that complicated, but there are a few key features you should consider when you are shopping. There are also some key rules you need to follow when you take to the air.

Remote Control

Most drones use a remote control with two joysticks — a bit like one of the best PC game controllers. One stick controls what’s called the attitude of the quadcopter, including roll (tilting left and right) and pitch (tilting up and down). The other stick controls throttle and the rotation of the quadcopter. A good remote control should fit well in the hand, with sticks resting comfortably under your thumbs and providing a smooth, responsive feel that allows you to guide the quadcopter by touch.

Some less expensive models skip the remote control, or offer it as an extra-cost feature, and instead use a smartphone connected via Wi-Fi and a flying app. These apps often provide a live video view from the quadcopter camera. However, apps don’t allow the precision of real controllers: It is easier for your thumbs to slip, possibly causing a crash.

Repairability

Despite what the ads tell you, drones crash all the time. A good drone will take an unplanned descent and ground interface (aka: a crash) in stride, without damaging the frame. It will also include shields to protect the rotors and electronics from harm.

Regardless, things still get broken sometimes, particularly racing drones. A good model will offer a ready supply of cheap parts like rotors and struts to replace the broken ones, and will make it easy to swap these parts out when required. The same is true of batteries.

Battery life

Most drones will last between 20 to 30 minutes on a charge, and are designed so that you can quickly swap out batteries. To ensure that you can keep filming, it’s a good idea to purchase extra batteries. Just make sure to charge them beforehand!

Camera quality

Want to show off your aerial exploits? A camera, either built-in or add-on, can capture those dramatic vistas for posterity. The best drones will have cameras that can record video at resolutions of 4K or higher, but even budget models are getting better, able to capture video at 1080p. However, they tend to use smaller image sensors, so the quality won’t be as good.

While not covered in this guide, there are professional drones which let you attach mirrorless or DSLR cameras, which provide even greater image quality that built-in cameras. However, these drones typically cost upwards of $2,000.

The best camera drones will also mount their cameras on a gimbal, so that your image stays steady as the drone is flying around. If video is your priority, look for a drone that has a three-axis gimbal; that will give you the most stable image.

Some drones also offer first-person view (FPV), sending a pilot’s-eye view from the drone itself to a phone or tablet. Some models offer video goggles for the ultimate pilot-seat flying experience.

Features

Drones are getting smarter; now, instead of just flying around based on manual inputs, you can program drones to fly pre-programmed routes, or even follow specific objects, such as people and vehicles. Depending on your needs, it’s worth examining what features a drone has before buying one.

How we test drones

When we take a new drone out for a spin, we evaluate it based on a number of factors:

• Design: How well is the drone built, and does it look good? If it comes with a controller, we take a look at its ergonomics.
• Durability/Repairability: Face it. You’re going to crash your drone at least once, but a good model should be able to survive a few mishaps without a problem. And, if something happens to break (it’s usually a rotor), how easy is it to repair?
• Flight Performance: How easy is the drone to fly? Is is stable when hovering, or does it require a lot of stick work? How does it respond to your commands?
• App: How intuitive is the app? What sort of features are available?
• Camera Quality: If the drone has a camera, then how good are the photos and videos it takes?
• Flight time: How long can the drone stay in the air before its battery runs out? This varies a lot based on the size of the drone, but the best drones have batteries that last up to 25-30 minutes.
• Price: Obviously, we don’t expect a $50 drone to perform as well as a $1,000 drone, so we take its cost into consideration when rendering a final verdict.

Can drones fly for hours?

Camera drones are purpose-built to take video and photos. They will have a gimbal-mounted camera and software that allows them to track people or objects, or fly predetermined routes. These drones will generally have the longest flight times.

Source Two: Lots of tech specs comparing vehicles.

Source Three: Youtube channels. Again, most must be understood in a commercial or hobby context while making your own application scenarios.

Source Four: Mitigating the Drone/RDF Threat, Part One, Part Two, Part Three.

From Part One:

Drone technology is here to stay and drones will increasingly become problems in many ways. They can be used to gather intelligence visually, day and at night. Thermal imaging can be used both during the day and at night. And now affordable drones have Radio Direction Finding (RDF) capabilities. Drones are increasingly used for intelligence gathering, and kinetic (offensive) measures. An ability to use doppler RDF technology, allows drones to locate a potential target. Learning how to deal with such a growing threat will be an ongoing process. As technology advances, we can adopt low-tech practices that can help us conduct a more secure communications plan. To better understand the threat and the measures proposed, we need to understand how drones are used in RDF operations. There is an excellent video on how RDF using drones works. Please first view this instructional video from S2 Underground, and then come back to this article:

Radio Direction Finding: AKA How “They” Can Find You

Roto Drone Pro is worth browsing. Other industry online magazines may help as well.

These three sources here, here, and here tell the story. In Oregon, a functioning coal plant with 20 years of service life left was shut down and demolished. Excerpts from all three are below:

“There was a lot of work put into it and it didn’t take long to bring it down,” Aldritt said. “It’s kind of sad to see that much infrastructure wasted, because it was still a functioning plant when they shut it down.”

Instead, power companies will rely on renewable sources — which will be good for the environment — but not as dependable. Experts say we will have a one in four chance of blackouts by the year 2026.

The plant shut down in October 2020, and the decommissioning had been planned since 2010, when PGE agreed to shut the plant down 20 years early as part of a settlement in an environmental lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club.

If the government didn’t hate you, the lawsuits would never have been accepted for filing.

Boardman is the first but not the last coal plant to close in the West. Over eight years, 12 plants will shut down, taking down enough dependable electricity to power 3.8 million homes.

But as we [WE] transition away from coal and gas as energy demands increase, PGE customers will also have to do their part by reducing how much they use.

“We” will just have to be cold. “We” will just have to live like the third world.

DEMOLITION VIDEO: Oregon’s last standing coal power plant comes down in a controlled implosion.

This plant, in Boardman, was decommissioned about 2 years ago – symbolic of a shift to more renewable energy sources in Oregon. @KGWNews pic.twitter.com/9RZ9x2BGlE

— Evan Watson (@EvanWatsonNews) September 15, 2022

First, your blessings are being removed by God. The Bible tells you what to do about that, but you’ll be busy all week pretending elections still matter; we doubt this post will even be read. But, your blood is upon your own head; you’ve been warned over these pages.

Second, related to point one, the Republicans won’t and can’t help. The Global Oligarchy runs the permanent bureaucracy. The coal plant was shut down under Donald J. Trump, and for two years of his presidency, Republicans held both chambers of congress and the SCOTUS. Quit wasting time on politics.

Thirdly, you must plan. We don’t know what you’re going to do to keep your family fed and warm, but the days of depending on national infrastructure run by reasonably caring fellow American men are over. What they won’t tell you is that coal saved the trees. Perhaps buy land and fell one large tree every year for wood? Maybe a better plan is for a wood, propane, gasifier, and oil mix? Think multiple sources, antifragile. Prepare your home accordingly. 2030 is seven years away!

Digging up info for this post started with a tip at SurvivalBlog.

Friend of TCJ Stephen Stamboulieh got himself a win in New York.

DECISION AND PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION that Defendant Hochul is DISMISSED from this action as a party. Plaintiffs’ motion for a Preliminary Injunction (Dkt. No. [6]) is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part in accordance with this Decision. Defendants, as well as their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys (and any other persons who are in active concert or participation with them) are PRELIMINARILY ENJOINED from enforcing the following provisions of the Concealed Carry Improvement Act, 2022 N.Y. Sess. Laws ch. 371 (“CCIA”): (1) the following provisions contained in Section 1 of the CCIA: (a) the provision requiring “good moral character”; (b) the provision requiring the “names and contact information for the applicant’s current spouse, or domestic partner, any other adults residing in the applicant’s home, including any adult children of the applicant, and whether or not there are minors residing, full time or part time, in the applicant’s home”; (c) the provision requiring “a list of former and current social media accounts of the applicant from the past three years”; and (d) the provision contained in Section 1 of the CCIA requiring “such other information required by review of the licensing application that is reasonably necessary and related to the review of the licensing application“; (2) the following “sensitive locations” provision contained in Section 4 of the CCIA: (a) “any location providing… behavioral health, or chemical dependance care or services” (except to places to which the public or a substantial group of persons have not been granted access) as contained in Paragraph “2(b)”; (b) “any place of worship or religious observation” as contained in Paragraph “2(c)”; (c) “public parks, and zoos” as contained in Paragraph “2(d)”; (d) “airports” to the extent the license holder is complying with federal regulations, and “buses” as contained in Paragraph “2(n)”; (e) “any establishment issued a license for on-premise consumption pursuant to article four, four-A, five, or six of the alcoholic beverage control law where alcohol is consumed” as contained in Paragraph “2(o)”; (f) “theaters,” “conference centers,” and “banquet halls” as contained in Paragraph “2(p)”; and (g) “any gathering of individuals to collectively express their constitutional rights to protest or assemble” as contained in Paragraph “2(s)”; and (3) the “restricted locations” provision contained in Section 5 of the CCIA. Plaintiffs are EXCUSED from giving security. The State Defendants’ request for a limitation in the scope of this Preliminary Injunction and for a stay of it pending appeal (Dkt. No. [48], at 115-16) is DENIED. Signed by U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby on 11/7/2022. (sal)

But it’s not just his win – it’s a win for liberty.  We encourage everyone to dismantle tyranny everywhere they find it, and in whatever station of life they find themselves, in Stephen’s case, the field of law.

Congratulations to Stephen, one of the premier 2A legal advocates in the country.  We like to celebrate wins, and especially wins by friends!

American Rifleman.

You are only going to get one shot at this, so take the time required to get it right. Mount the gun in a gun vise so it won’t slip. Select an Allen bit that is in good shape without rounded or worn edges. Make sure the hex pocket in the screw head is clean and free from debris so the bit can enter all the way to the bottom. Insert the bit into the screw and tap it into place with a plastic-tipped hammer. A few solid whacks with the hammer on the screwdriver handle not only seats the Allen bit in the screw, but may also help loosen the screw. If the fit is at all sloppy, put a little Drive Grip or powdered rosin on the bit. Using two hands, push straight down on the top of the screwdriver with one hand, and turn with the other. Keep the screwdriver perfectly in line with the center of the screw; do not allow it to tip. Be careful about how much torque you apply, as these are small, rather delicate, screws. If the screw doesn’t loosen, back off. Try again while tapping on the screwdriver handle with a plastic hammer and applying constant torque to the handle. This is easier if you have some help. One person taps on the handle with the hammer, while the other keeps the screwdriver straight and applies the torque.

If just one of the screws is a problem, remove the rest of them first. Sometimes there is a misalignment of parts, so that puts pressure on one particular scew when all of them are tight. Removing the rest of them will often relieve that pressure, allowing the last screw to be removed.

If the screw is in a scope base that sits on a flat receiver, you can sometimes use a plastic hammer to tap on the base and turn it on the gun enough to loosen the screw. Remove all the other screws, and then tap the corner of the base so that it will drive the base counter-clockwise. It’s not necessary to turn it very far—just a partial turn will often break the screw free. Sometimes working the base back and forth with the hammer a few times will also break the screw free. Be careful about doing this on rounded receivers like the Remington 700, as tapping the mount will cam it against the receiver, jamming the screw tighter or breaking it off.

I found the entire article to be very helpful.  Yes, the value of torque wrenches, quality gunsmithing tools, and gunsmithing screwdrivers cannot be overstated.  You know all of those screws on lever action rifles?  Yea those.

You don’t get them off with a regular screwdriver bought at Lowe’s.  Quality gunsmithing tools cost more, but it’s worth it in the long run from damages to your firearms when you use the wrong tools.

I’m not being a know-it-all.  Like all good engineers, I learn by doing it wrong the first time.