Day: September 18, 2007

Notes from JWR:

The headlines are full of economic gloom and doom. (For example, don’t miss reading today’s Odds ‘n Sods section.) This is the news that I’ve been warning you about for many months. You can expect things to get much worse before they get better. At least I can rest assured that most SurvivalBlog readers are well prepared. A reminder that the WRSA has a high power rifle shooting clinic scheduled for this weekend, in Yakima, Washington (September 22-23). These clinics are great way to get high quality rifle shooting instruction for a fraction of what you’d pay at one of …


Running Chainsaws on Ethanol, by Brian in Wyoming

One of my hobbies is muscle cars and I have friends that are drag racing fanatics so I am around engines that run on ethanol weekly. Here is what I have learned, If an engine is carbureted and runs on gasoline then it can be converted to run on ethanol (corn liquor). First off a little info on ethanol, it is any distilled spirit in its pure form. Everclear is ethanol, its just expensive due to the alcohol tax the government imposes. Now the ethanol you buy has been denatured so as to make it poisonous to drink and therefore …


Letter Re: Advice on Police Department Trade-In Guns

Hi Jim, I saw the posting about police trade-in guns and thought I could weigh in both as a cop and as a law enforcement firearms instructor and armorer. Cop trade in guns can be a real steal if a buyer understands a few things. First, a majority of trade-in guns are low mileage, high wear guns. What that means is that the guns will often see anywhere from minimal to extensive holster wear. However, in this day and age, a majority of cops are not routine shooters and therefore, rarely shoot their assigned duty pistols. If a buyer has …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Frequent content contributor SJC suggested this article by Michael Panzner: The Time to Panic is When Those in Charge Say “Don’t Panic”. JWR’s comment:The bank run that Mr. Panzner mentioned (at Northern Rock–a mortgage lender in England) could very well spread to other banks primarily associated with mortgage lending, and then in a worst case, if a fevered bank run ensues, all banks. Here in the States, the public’s trust in the FDIC and FSLIC insurance will probably slow any bank runs, but the end result may be long delays before deposits can all be paid out, and even lengthier …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Let me now reassure you, your money is safe with us and if you want some, or all of it back, then you are perfectly entitled to it. Whilst you may have to wait a little longer than usual to receive it, you will get it." – Adam Applegarth, Chief Officer, Northern Rock Bank, (The fifth largest mortgage lender in England), September 14, 2007