Day: April 15, 2010

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include: 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.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of …


Better Barter Preparedness, by Dan H.

I’ve heard a lot of suggestions about bartering.  Some of them are good ideas, while others might be dangerous.  Bartering is just trading, either goods for goods, goods for services, or services for services. First of all, we need to ask why we are bartering at all.  If we need to barter, it is probably because we need (or just want) something we don’t have, and someone else needs or wants something that we have.  If something isn’t exchanged by both parties, then it’s essentially a begging or charity situation. It is best to put yourself in a position where …


Product Review: Triple Eight Professional S.O.L. Knife, by Michael Z. Williamson

This tiny knife is a very durable piece of hardware. Construction is of steel, with a hard phosphate or oxide finish. The pivot is adjustable with a spanner wrench, very smooth and has slick bushings. The lock is of the rotating handle design, with strong pins to hold the blade rigid when open. The handles swing easily open or closed, and remain in place in the hand without slipping. The finish survived being dropped on a tile floor unmarked. The handle did open a fraction—the detent is fairly light. As can be seen from the photos of the knife, it’s …


Economics and Investing:

GG sent this: Pray For Inflation — It’s Our Only Hope. [JWR’s Comment: Well, its the government’s only hope. For the Citizenry, mass inflation will be wealth destruction. As I’ve noted before, inflation is essentially a hidden from of taxation.] Reader CZD sent this item: The Dow at 11,000 is Misleading. (CZD warns that he expects there will be multiple dips. I concur. This “recession” is far from over. I stand by my assertion, that we are actually in the early stages of of depression.) Items from The Economatrix: The Dow’s Up But Trades are Scarce, Worrying Bulls Jim Sinclair: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson keyed in on this article: BOB, America’s Biggest Sodium Sulfur Battery, Powers a Texas Town    o o o Titus suggested this population density map as a good starting point for looking for retreat locales.    o o o H.A.H. suggested this WorldNetDaily article: County to feds: They’re our roads! Supervisors vote to reopen routes hit by BLM closure    o o o Randy F. liked this piece, by my hero Walter E. Williams: Parting Company.


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Even as a youngster, though, I could not bring myself to believe that if knowledge presented danger, the solution was ignorance. To me, it always seemed that the solution had to be wisdom. You did not refuse to look at danger, rather you learned how to handle it safely.” – Isaac Asimov,”The Caves of Steel“, p. viii