Day: March 15, 2007

Notes from JWR:

Today is the last day of bidding in the current SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a brand new Schecter “Warthog” Electric Guitar. The high bid is now at $400. This is an awesome guitar that is decorated in a military aviation theme, from Schecter’s Tempest series. It has a $729 retail value. It was kindly donated by the fine folks at Schecter Guitar Research. The auction ends at midnight tonight. (March 15th.) Just e-mail me your bid. Today we welcome our newest advertiser, Green Mountain Gear, in Vermont. They sell a broad line of tactical field gear, MOLLE gear, trauma kits, …


Letter Re: Honey–Storage Life, Crystallization, Storage Quantities, and Medicinal Uses

Jim: I was at Costco this week and paid particular attention to the bulk honey supplies they had . (I was buying a few 96 ounce jugs of Clover brand honey – good stuff). I had last purchased some of the same honey two months ago. It is now up nearly 80 cents from that time. In speaking to a friend who is involved in honey sales and production of bee related product, waxes, etc, they are very concerned about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and declines in the [bee] populations. They agree with points made at Survivalblog that prices will …


Letter Re: Pros and Cons of Springfield Armory XD Pistols

Hi Jim, I am grateful for your suggestion of the [Springfield Armory] XD in 45 ACP. I hadn’t heard of it before and the price is appealing. Could you take a few minutes to address the “cons” listed at Wikipedia? That would be much appreciated! – Eric M. JWR Replies: As you will see in the following paragraphs, I’m now having serious second thoughts about suggesting the XD pistols for a survival battery. The following are the XD “Cons” mentioned in Wikipedia (in orange text). My comments are in-line: * Though some parts can be purchased through aftermarket suppliers, Springfield …


Letter Re: The Psychology of Denial in the Information Age

Jim: Good morning. I don’t know that I have seen any discussion on your blog on the psychology of denial–why folks aren’t more prepared. I acknowledge that it may not be the most vital topic, and that you are doing your part to get the word out, but I correspond to you on this topic in sheer frustration. Let me be more specific. I have friends and family members who make serious money in their chosen professions, many of whom are in the finance sector. Yet, when I raise the barest reference to preparation and our fragile infrastructure, it’s like …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Felix mentioned that the International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent has made their new manual “First Aid in Armed Conflicts and Other Situations of Violence” available for free download, in PDF.   o o o A Peak Oil pundit responds to the recent piece in The New York Times about new oilfield yield boosting technologies.    o o o One of our frequent content contributors runs a part-time mail order biz, called Knife Brigade. Check out his great prices on Ka-Bar, Buck, Kershaw, and CRKT knives.


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“That’s the issue that I’ve been exploring: How did the Republic turn into the Empire? That’s paralleled with: How did Anakin turn into Darth Vader? How does a good person go bad, and how does a democracy become a dictatorship? It isn’t that the Empire conquered the Republic, it’s that the Empire is the Republic.” – George Lucas