The Colts are weak as hell for this

by Serra Everyone knows what camouflage is. That is the easy part – or should be. In real life, there are many misconceptions. Let’s begin with the goal of camouflage: getting the task done. That could mean wearing red and yellow garments and sporting a regimental tie. Or it could mean being the country boy in a Huge-City mall – buying new urban garments. You know, new in town and eager to start a new adventure at Acme Inc., 45th Street. Let’s get practical John Doe has a problem: some bad guys are robbing and terrorizing the area where he lives. You know, in some parts of the world, criminal gangs use these methods to reduce local populations into submission and obedience. At any rate, those are dangerous and armed guys. Maybe they get information from someone living in the area, who knows? The police are nowhere to be seen. Maybe they are too few, maybe there has been an earthquake in the neighboring Shire – you know, John Doe is a Hobbit. Our hero – John Doe – lives in the countryside (either in late Spring, Summer, or early Autumn), and it is not going to rain. Moreover, John is a customer of a camo shop – at least today. That means no ghillies or other special paraphernalia. By the way, John doesn’t own—or is not allowed to own or bring along—a firearm. This means going undetected is of paramount importance. John’s goal is to locate the black hats and obtain information on their movements—maybe to sound the alarm and save lives. The first question John Doe asks himself is: Who could be interested in spotting me, and what means could he use? Drones? Not probable, but one never knows. Okay, then what kind of drones and with what sensors—daylight camera, IR, FLIR? On this occasion, commercial daylight-camera drones are the worst scenario, but wars have been lost just because one never took one step more during planning. By the way, criminals are making use of drones in some countries, so John is going to be ready for drones with IR equipment. Long-range firearms? That could mean binoculars and other optics – you know, those things are NOT ONLY are useful to take out innocent Hobbits, they magnify everything. Oops! We are spoiling many wonderfully-crafted videos – such as those on camo comparisons and supposedly concealed observation posts. The fact is, John never stumbled upon – his fault – a single video in which binoculars were used. BTW, basic binoculars (4x or 8x) are cheap and maybe the bad guys own one – even if they are too lazy to go around with long-range firearms. Or maybe a local informer owns binoculars – perhaps, quite powerful ones. As for the who, informers are often ordinary people. Besides, even upstanding Hobbits could love gossiping for the sake of it – or be loose-tongued. Let’s stop here, lest we run short of parchment. Let’s begin with IR (infrared) To begin with, John buys, as far as possible, NIR compliant camos. NIR stands for Near Infra Red: in a few words, the IR band most commonly used (till now) in IR devices. In a few words, NIR compliant means John’s camos will stay camos when observed with an IR device – but without colors. How can John be sure a garment is NIR compliant? He tests it with an IR device – one with an IR spotlight is perfect (obviously, John uses such a device only for tests). One never knows what the bad guys could field. Besides, unless one is rich, one will wear those camos again – maybe in another scenario. John never forgets a camo – NIR compliant or not – is no formula for invisibility. It is just a camo. Back to visible light A good camo should not only conceal (as far as possible) John, but should also disrupt his shape – the human eye is very good at detecting it. That is the main reason why Hobbits usually prefer not to use – or at least use in specific environments only – one-color camos. Now it is up to John: he knows what works well in The Shire in that season – or better in that specific lapse of time and weather. Colors and patterns should be chosen according to the environment. There is a caveat, though: unless he is a lucky guy, John will have to go for a camo effective on x% of terrain – or for a compromise. In a fully forested area, the choice will be easy. If it is mainly vegetation and cultivated fields – Green? Dark brown? Light brown? Sand? Lavender?  – the choice will be a bit more difficult. But if the area is quite populated – or a varying mixture of colors/shapes – the choice may be very difficult. Now you know why the multicam camo is so popular with many armies: quite disruptive, it does a decent job in many environments. That does not mean it is the right choice for John, though. It may be, or it may not. Besides, John knows the best daylight pattern could be the worst night camo, and vice-versa. It all depends on John’s needs. Maybe a forgotten – NIR compliant – pattern used long ago in a little kingdom is the best solution for the task. BTW, John Doe never forgets what binoculars can do. Enters the scrim net John is a lucky guy: his cousin traveled a lot – as you know, this is a rare event among Hobbits – and brought home a scrim net (aka sniper veil in the Duchy). For the sake of brevity, let’s say a scrim net is a scarf with many bores. It allows one to see through it while concealing one from view. One may buy/make camouflaged scrim nets of a size sufficient to conceal oneself and his equipment – or just to disrupt the shape of his head and upper torso. Scrim nets take little space, so John can bring along more than one. I am sure you have the solution: the scrim net is a portable camo. In case of need, John can change his camo on the spot. He just dons it over his regular camo. By the way, it is not always possible to avoid open areas. John just takes a less visible posture and throws a scrim net upon himself. And… he never ever forgets it is just camouflage, not a cloak of invisibility. Hands and face Hands and face are visible from quite far away, even without binoculars. They often gave John away. IR-compliant face cream is a solution, but John prefers gloves and a shemagh. A shemagh can be useful under many circumstances and shields John from wind, snow, the sun, and so on. It can be donned as a big scarf, and if necessary, it can shelter all the head. By the way, a not-too-small scrim net can be used as a shemagh. To complete his set-up, John uses a Boonie – his cousin advised him to add some local vegetation. Poncho A poncho can be very light – John uses the same fabric used for scrim nets – and is a good solution if he must change his camo pattern and keep going. Besides, it conceals not only John, but also his equipment. John got a great idea from his cousin: if necessary, local vegetation can easily be added to such a poncho – and to a scrim net, obviously. And the winner is… All said, for John the best camo is… as far as possible, being/moving where no one can see him – no naked eyes, no binoculars, no drones, no IR, no Flir, no informers, and… no long-range shots. What about you? What is your go-to camo set up for your area? How do you stay invisible? What technology concerns you most where you live? Let’s discuss camo (and Hobbits) in the comments section. About Serra Never in the same place for too long, Serra likes speaking local languages and dialects. Having come to the conclusion that the night is dark and full of terrors – who the hell said that? – he has upturned his life upside down. Serra can usually be found far from urban spaces. It is being said right now he is taking care of rural people’s rights somewhere on a small blue planet in the Solar system – but one can take nothing for granted when it comes to him. The post On Camouflage and Hobbits appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

When Pope Leo XIV addressed the College of Cardinals two days after he was elected to the papacy, he explained why he took the name that he did. “Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV,” he said. “There are different reasons for this, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great Industrial Revolution. In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice, and labor.” Pope Leo XIII was born Joachim Vincent Pecci in 1810 in Carpineto, Italy, the second-youngest of seven children. “The inhabitants of Carpineto were generally poor, but they supported their poverty courageously,” wrote the Rev. James J. McGovern in a biography of Pope Leo XIII published in 1903, the year the pope died. The family of this future pope was not poor. His father was Count Louis Pecci; his mother, Countess Anna Pecci. “Leo XIII,” says the biography, “belonged to the eleventh generation of the Peccis of Carpineto.” “The Countess Anna brought to her husband a notable amount of property, which the family holds to this day,” said the biography. She also homeschooled her children. “The first lessons taught Vincent were in the homeschool, presided over by his mother,” McGovern wrote. “She was a finished scholar, capable in more ways than one to take charge of the instruction of her children.” Pope Leo XIII’s brother, Joseph, recalled that their father would occasionally assist in the homeschooling. “Being an accomplished Latin scholar,” said Joseph, “he took upon himself the task of teaching us the rudiments of the Latin language so thoroughly that when we entered the college at Viterbo, we were enabled to make most rapid progress in our studies.” “Sometimes,” Joseph said, “the good Bishop of Anagni would visit our home, remaining several days. It was his delight to spend hours in our classroom, closing his visit with religious and moral counsels. These simple talks took deep root in our hearts, proving to be of incalculable advantage to us years afterward.” Their mother also taught them charity—by example. “It was a treat to us when our mother, animated always with an inexhaustible fund of charity, permitted us to accompany her on her visits to the poor and sick in the neighborhood, carrying hampers of provisions and medicine,” said Joseph Pecci, according to the biography. When the future Pope Leo XIII was 8, his mother stopped homeschooling him and Joseph, and enrolled them in a Jesuit school. “When the Countess Pecci saw that she could no longer conduct the education of her sons, who she felt were divinely called to an ecclesiastical career, she took them to Viterbo, a city not far from Rome, and placed them in the College of the Jesuits, where they entered upon a course of study embracing Latin, Italian, and Greek.” Joachim Vincent Pecci went on to study at the Roman College (“sometimes known as the Gregorian University”) and “also availed himself of the lectures delivered by world-renowned professors in the University of Sapienza.” “At the completion of his term of study he distinguished himself by securing the highest honors of his class,” said the biography. His brother Joseph became a Jesuit. He was ordained a secular priest and “celebrated his first Mass, in the presence of his beloved father and family” on Jan. 1, 1838. Forty years later, in February 1878, he was elected pope—and took the name Leo XIII. Pope Leo XIII, as depicted circa 1878 (HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) In May 1891, he issued Rerum Novarum, an encyclical letter “on capital and labor” that defended the rights of laborers and private property—and condemned socialism. “In any case, we clearly see, and on this there is general agreement, that some opportune remedy must be found quickly for the misery and wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class,” said Rerum Novarum. “It is surely undeniable,” said this encyclical, “that, when a man engages in remunerative labor, the impelling reason and motive of his work is to obtain property, and thereafter to hold it as his very own.” “Socialists, therefore, by endeavoring to transfer the possessions of individuals to the community at large, strike at the interests of every wage-earner, since they would deprive him of the liberty of disposing of his wages, and thereby of all hope and possibility of increasing his resources and of bettering his condition in life. “What is of far greater moment, however,” wrote Pope Leo XIII, “is the fact that the remedy they propose is manifestly against justice. For, every man has by nature the right to possess property as his own.” “Hence, it is clear,” wrote this pope, “that the main tenet of socialism, community of goods, must be utterly rejected, since it only injures those whom it would seem meant to benefit, is directly contrary to the natural rights of mankind, and would introduce confusion and disorder into the commonweal. “The first and most fundamental principle, therefore, if one would undertake to alleviate the condition of the masses,” wrote Pope Leo XIII, “must be the inviolability of private property.” COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Pope Leo XIII Rejected Socialism, Defended Private Property. Will Leo XIV Follow Suit? appeared first on The Daily Signal.

by Serra Everyone knows what camouflage is. That is the easy part – or should be. In real life, there are many misconceptions. Let’s begin with the goal of camouflage: getting the task done. That could mean wearing red and yellow garments and sporting a regimental tie. Or it could mean being the country boy in a Huge-City mall – buying new urban garments. You know, new in town and eager to start a new adventure at Acme Inc., 45th Street. Let’s get practical John Doe has a problem: some bad guys are robbing and terrorizing the area where he lives. You know, in some parts of the world, criminal gangs use these methods to reduce local populations into submission and obedience. At any rate, those are dangerous and armed guys. Maybe they get information from someone living in the area, who knows? The police are nowhere to be seen. Maybe they are too few, maybe there has been an earthquake in the neighboring Shire – you know, John Doe is a Hobbit. Our hero – John Doe – lives in the countryside (either in late Spring, Summer, or early Autumn), and it is not going to rain. Moreover, John is a customer of a camo shop – at least today. That means no ghillies or other special paraphernalia. By the way, John doesn’t own—or is not allowed to own or bring along—a firearm. This means going undetected is of paramount importance. John’s goal is to locate the black hats and obtain information on their movements—maybe to sound the alarm and save lives. The first question John Doe asks himself is: Who could be interested in spotting me, and what means could he use? Drones? Not probable, but one never knows. Okay, then what kind of drones and with what sensors—daylight camera, IR, FLIR? On this occasion, commercial daylight-camera drones are the worst scenario, but wars have been lost just because one never took one step more during planning. By the way, criminals are making use of drones in some countries, so John is going to be ready for drones with IR equipment. Long-range firearms? That could mean binoculars and other optics – you know, those things are NOT ONLY are useful to take out innocent Hobbits, they magnify everything. Oops! We are spoiling many wonderfully-crafted videos – such as those on camo comparisons and supposedly concealed observation posts. The fact is, John never stumbled upon – his fault – a single video in which binoculars were used. BTW, basic binoculars (4x or 8x) are cheap and maybe the bad guys own one – even if they are too lazy to go around with long-range firearms. Or maybe a local informer owns binoculars – perhaps, quite powerful ones. As for the who, informers are often ordinary people. Besides, even upstanding Hobbits could love gossiping for the sake of it – or be loose-tongued. Let’s stop here, lest we run short of parchment. Let’s begin with IR (infrared) To begin with, John buys, as far as possible, NIR compliant camos. NIR stands for Near Infra Red: in a few words, the IR band most commonly used (till now) in IR devices. In a few words, NIR compliant means John’s camos will stay camos when observed with an IR device – but without colors. How can John be sure a garment is NIR compliant? He tests it with an IR device – one with an IR spotlight is perfect (obviously, John uses such a device only for tests). One never knows what the bad guys could field. Besides, unless one is rich, one will wear those camos again – maybe in another scenario. John never forgets a camo – NIR compliant or not – is no formula for invisibility. It is just a camo. Back to visible light A good camo should not only conceal (as far as possible) John, but should also disrupt his shape – the human eye is very good at detecting it. That is the main reason why Hobbits usually prefer not to use – or at least use in specific environments only – one-color camos. Now it is up to John: he knows what works well in The Shire in that season – or better in that specific lapse of time and weather. Colors and patterns should be chosen according to the environment. There is a caveat, though: unless he is a lucky guy, John will have to go for a camo effective on x% of terrain – or for a compromise. In a fully forested area, the choice will be easy. If it is mainly vegetation and cultivated fields – Green? Dark brown? Light brown? Sand? Lavender?  – the choice will be a bit more difficult. But if the area is quite populated – or a varying mixture of colors/shapes – the choice may be very difficult. Now you know why the multicam camo is so popular with many armies: quite disruptive, it does a decent job in many environments. That does not mean it is the right choice for John, though. It may be, or it may not. Besides, John knows the best daylight pattern could be the worst night camo, and vice-versa. It all depends on John’s needs. Maybe a forgotten – NIR compliant – pattern used long ago in a little kingdom is the best solution for the task. BTW, John Doe never forgets what binoculars can do. Enters the scrim net John is a lucky guy: his cousin traveled a lot – as you know, this is a rare event among Hobbits – and brought home a scrim net (aka sniper veil in the Duchy). For the sake of brevity, let’s say a scrim net is a scarf with many bores. It allows one to see through it while concealing one from view. One may buy/make camouflaged scrim nets of a size sufficient to conceal oneself and his equipment – or just to disrupt the shape of his head and upper torso. Scrim nets take little space, so John can bring along more than one. I am sure you have the solution: the scrim net is a portable camo. In case of need, John can change his camo on the spot. He just dons it over his regular camo. By the way, it is not always possible to avoid open areas. John just takes a less visible posture and throws a scrim net upon himself. And… he never ever forgets it is just camouflage, not a cloak of invisibility. Hands and face Hands and face are visible from quite far away, even without binoculars. They often gave John away. IR-compliant face cream is a solution, but John prefers gloves and a shemagh. A shemagh can be useful under many circumstances and shields John from wind, snow, the sun, and so on. It can be donned as a big scarf, and if necessary, it can shelter all the head. By the way, a not-too-small scrim net can be used as a shemagh. To complete his set-up, John uses a Boonie – his cousin advised him to add some local vegetation. Poncho A poncho can be very light – John uses the same fabric used for scrim nets – and is a good solution if he must change his camo pattern and keep going. Besides, it conceals not only John, but also his equipment. John got a great idea from his cousin: if necessary, local vegetation can easily be added to such a poncho – and to a scrim net, obviously. And the winner is… All said, for John the best camo is… as far as possible, being/moving where no one can see him – no naked eyes, no binoculars, no drones, no IR, no Flir, no informers, and… no long-range shots. What about you? What is your go-to camo set up for your area? How do you stay invisible? What technology concerns you most where you live? Let’s discuss camo (and Hobbits) in the comments section. About Serra Never in the same place for too long, Serra likes speaking local languages and dialects. Having come to the conclusion that the night is dark and full of terrors – who the hell said that? – he has upturned his life upside down. Serra can usually be found far from urban spaces. It is being said right now he is taking care of rural people’s rights somewhere on a small blue planet in the Solar system – but one can take nothing for granted when it comes to him. The post On Camouflage and Hobbits appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

Protect Terrorists and Human Traffickers From Deportation? This County Says 'Yes'

It's a true tongue-twister test with tenaciously techy text designed to torment even the most talented talkers.

The quote has been mocked online already, but some have expressed genuine worry.

As far as we know there is no sport known as extreme dentistry, but if there was this would surely deserve a medal.

In Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, players have the chance to romance either Sciel or Lune. Unfortunately, it's not possible to romance both in a single playthrough, meaning you'll have to choose.