Day: October 5, 2009

Letter Re: Where to Start in Survival Preparedness?

Mr. Rawles, My family and I are facing some challenges in our pursuit to become prepared. First off, a little background on our situation. I’m a 12-year Air Force veteran currently stationed in Montana. My wife also works full-time. We have about $60,000 in debt between credit cards and two auto loans. We have no problems paying our bills and our credit is excellent. It’s just that we don’t have a ton of extra money to begin our grand survival scheme. We’ve talked about all the different routes about living debt free and also purchasing the right vehicles, retreat and …


Letter Re: Firearms Training — Some Stress is a Good Thing

Dear Jim, I attended an Appleseed Project shoot, and it was interesting. I really enjoyed everything about the program, the instruction, the history, and the camaraderie. I’m a newbie to shooting, and I think I may have had the wrong sling type. The type that the instructors had was a loop sling, but the kind I had was just a nylon strap. When trying to get into positions and change positions the strap kept sliding down my shirtsleeve. I did awful in the shooting, and really surprised myself at exactly how bad of a shot I am. I need lots …


Letter Re: Raising Sheep and Goats: Dealing with Internal Parasites

I just finished reading the linked article “Five Highly Productive, Low-Stress Animals You Can Raise at Home.” When I read articles like this I start to fume. They make it sound like all you need to do is ‘get your goat’ (or whatever) turn it out and reap the benefits. One the major issues in sheep and goat raising that can be and often is a killer is parasites (intestinal and nasal worms). Sheep and goats are subject to stomach worm. This worms basically suck the their blood and the host (sheep or goat) then dies from anemia. Most folks …


Three Letters Re: Travel Security, by CapnRick in Argentina

Sir: Having read Part 1 of an expatriate’s explanation of his travel safety preps – and being an avid motorcyclist in South America, I have a couple of cents to add: Batons are worthless, I’m 6’1″ and pretty strong. After having worked as a cop, I can attest that baton strikes are of little utility in a serious fight, holding onto a baton in a fight is a serious mistake, you tend to concentrate on the weapon that does very little actual damage and get swarmed under. I’ve had to abandon my baton most of the time in a real …


Economics and Investing:

Reader Eric S. spotted this: CIT debt swap could cost U.S. more than $1.8 billion By way of Market Oracle, Damon found these two links: News From 1930 and Zero Hedge discusses railroad carloading statistics. Items from The Economatrix: Jim Willie: Systemic Failure Approaches. “Numerous sustaining forces will contribute toward the inexorable path to systemic failure. It will begin with the relapse failure of the US banking system. Citigroup is facing real bankruptcy, whose numerous segments are underwater and growing worse. Bank of America is in a death spiral, whose CEO Ken Lewis departs amidst political and shareholder legal pressures. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader FG flagged this news story from Texas: Soldier who stole night vision goggles sentenced. ” FG’s comment: Be very careful about any “super deals” on US mil spec night vision gear. It may be stolen Government issue.”    o o o Reader Bill D. spotted an interesting two-part article yesterday on “The Brussels Journal” web site dealing with the downfall of Bronze-Age civilization and some of the implications for our own times. Bill’s comment: “It’s very heavy on the ancient history but very much worth a read.”    o o o FG mentioned this article on cyber terrorism, from …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Nature is cruel and dynamic. It is a daily massacre for the lame and the newborn. Vicious spasms of violence red in tooth and claw tempered by turns of weather that can kill and nourish in the same pastoral event. Most importantly, nature is capricious in the most practical sense: the complexity is so immense as to be almost incomprehensible to human cognition. Complexity theory has tried to capture the distillate of what appears to be random phenomenon but is actually a spontaneous order much like economic market forces. Which brings us to the cruelest joke of all on the …