Day: January 11, 2011

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 32 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 $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 250 round case of 12 Gauge Hornady …


Situational Awareness, by P.S.

“Stop Look and Listen” – That is the phrase that used to be plastered on every railroad crossing sign from Maine to California. What is true for safety crossing the tracks is true for all of us in our daily lives.   The ancient Chinese curse is: “May you live in interesting times”. Well, I think we can all agree, these times are interesting, if not a bit scary.    Let’s give some thought about being aware – knowing where you are, what is going on, what your options are – regardless of the situation. At this moment, I am …


Gun Grabbers Pounce on the Tucson Shootings–America’s Hungerford?

Just as I predicted, the headlines are already full of shrill cries for civilian disarmament. Never mind the fact that these were the actions of just one man who was mentally unstable. They aim to disarm the 99.9% of us law-abiding gun owners in the hopes of disarming the remaining 0.01%–the dangerous lunatics. This is something akin to the Hungerford Massacre, where the actions of one sick individual were used as the pretext to disarm an entire nation. Most of what I’ve read so far is just the expected statist knee-jerk reaction. But there was one well-reasoned response. And, despite …


Avalanche Lily’s Bedside Book Pile

This week I’ve been busy homeschooling and house cleaning, so I’ve slacked off on my usual reading. Here are the current top-most items on my perpetual bedside pile: Well, I haven’t dug in to Survivors, yet. (It had been next on my list.) However, Jim was previewing its second season of the television series this past week, and as I was passing by him in the office, I stopped and watched the first ten minutes with him. The show was very intense and dramatic. So I am suspecting that the book is just as dramatic as the show. I’m presently …


Letter Re: In Defense of the Fortress Mentality–and Architecture

CPT Rawles: Rolled [woven] cattle wire and green landscaping cloth strike me as something that could be whipped up into a do-it-yourself HESCO barrier. And then there’s good old-fashioned Basket Weave from saplings. (which is still in the current US Army Engineer field manual, believe it or not) To save on wire (i.e.: Eliminating the end panels on a HESCO that but up against each other), perhaps two parallel fences can be run with posts and filled in between them with rock, dirt, etc. Also, I grew up on a farmstead in New England that was built in the 1760s. …


Economics and Investing:

John R. pointed us to a piece by Mike Whitney: Printing a Recovery. While our politics don’t always mesh, I’m in full agreement with Whitney on the re-animation of the credit bubble. Also from John R., a piece over at Lew Rockwell’s site by Terry Coxon: The Long Swim – How the Fed Could Become Insolvent Silver Demand Surges Six-Fold in India and World’s Richest Man Enters the Silver Market B.B. recommended a well-produced video from Gold Core: GoldNomics – Cash or Gold Bullion Reader B.J.G. flagged this item: Brazil Threatens Trade War Against US, China John S. sent this: …


Odds ‘n Sods:

B.B. suggested an essay by Eric Peters: Where We’re Headed…    o o o The first hand account of Air Force One pilot Col. Mark Tillman’s experiences on 9-11-01 are well worth the watch. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)    o o o Troy H. suggested this National Geographic article: Seven Billion: By 2045 global population is projected to reach nine billion. Can the planet take the strain?    o o o SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson pointed me to this new product: The Rifle Integrated Power Rail (RIPR). Mike’s comment: “I’m not a huge fan of …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The universal practice of carrying arms in the South is undoubtedly the cause of occasional loss of life, and is much to be regretted. On the other hand, this custom renders altercations and quarrels of very rare occurrence, for people are naturally careful what they say when a bullet may be the probable result." – LtC Sir Arthur James Lyon Fremantle, HM Coldstream Guards, 24 May 1863