Day: October 9, 2009

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 25 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) and C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.) Second Prize: A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing …


Where You Live Matters: How to Assess Your Location and Develop Scenarios, by Brendan S.

A little foreknowledge will prevent you from becoming a victim. Most people don’t think about what they will actually do in the case of an emergency. One just has to see what happened after Hurricane Katrina to see how ill-informed the masses are. They simply expect the government to take care of everything. They meander like zombies to some location and wait to be fed and cleaned up after. Not me! I know what I’m going to do when any disaster strikes. In this article I want to share with you my thoughts on how to: •Assess the situation and …


Letter Re: How to Make Your Own “Black Out” OPSEC Window Panels

Sir, In the film industry we use a very cheap and very opaque product to block out windows. We often need to shoot [indoor] night time scenes during the day and can’t have any stray light. Product is called Duvetyne, it’s a very, very heavy black cloth. We even use it for flags and cutters, which are light-blocking pieces that we put in front of lights as big as 20K (20,000 watts) to deflect and control stray light. This stuff works great. Here is a supplier of Duvetyne. Has it for $8.25 per yard (60″ wide), so it really is …


Influenza Pandemic Update:

Are surgical masks as effective as N95 respirators to prevent influenza? US Rolls Out Massive Swine Flu Vaccination Campaign US Children Now Receiving Swine Flu FluMist China Reports First Swine Flu Death MSNBC Asks: How Safe are the Flu Shots? Sebelius: Americans Must Get Swine Flu Vaccine (BTW, the article does not state that it is mandatory.)


Economics and Investing:

Reader CP suggested a column piece by Malcolm Berko: Taking Stock. CP’s comment: “While Berko runs an investment advice column, he’s generally not a cheerleader for irrational exuberance. This response to a reader’s question is an general indictment of the markets and those who might as well be donning grass skirts dancing on a beach to appease the financial gods.” Commentary from Dan Denninger: Consumer Credit: Disaster, Down $12 billion Items from The Economatrix: US Consumers Cut Borrowing by $12 Billion in August Mortgage Rates Below 5% Fuel Re-Fi Boom Gold Price Hit Record High on Report to Ditch Dollar …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Morgan spotted this: Brazil’s Motorists Invest in Armor    o o o Attention New Yorkers: Don’t miss the Doomsday Film Festival, October 23-25, 2009.    o o o Penny was the first of several readers to send me this: SWAT raid on food storehouse heading to trial; Family sues over confiscation of supplies, computers    o o o Mystery ‘Police’ Force Has Small Montana City on Edge. (A hat tip to KAF.)