Day: July 6, 2011

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) …


Some Creative Gardening Techniques, by Kristi N.

I often have dirt under my fingernails. Fortunately, my husband doesn’t care.  He doesn’t care that unlike most of the women living in this southwestern suburb with us, I don’t have fake fingernails.  He doesn’t care that I like digging and fertilizing and mounding up dirt, burying seeds and planting seedlings so that we can enjoy a summer harvest of fresh vegetables and fruit.  My wonderful husband doesn’t care that I come in flushed and sweaty from watering plants and snipping herbs under a brutal Sonoran desert sun, and I am grateful for that!  It might sound like hard work, …


Letter Re: Some Experience with Clothing and Field Gear in Desert Environments

Captain Rawles, I came across a good post by Erik M., a brother Marine, about the practicalities of humping the brush in full gear, in your archives from last year.  Where he writes from the perspective of an east coast Marine, I thought it would be good to complement that by writing on the same subjects from a west coast Marine’s viewpoint (was stationed at 29 Palms, California), as I’m guessing from his time reference that we were contemporaries, or close to it.  If someone else has done so already, my apologies for having missed it. For the high desert, …


Economics and Investing:

Courtesy of David N.: Lessons of Argentina crisis ignored in handling of Greece The latest from The Daily Bell: So Many Lost Decades – Why? Items from The Economatrix: Be sure to watch this: Economic Armageddon & You Factories Busier In June After Spring Slump Enough of this Greek Farce, Everyone Knows Default is Coming The Great Misdiagnosis Selling Gold Teeth in Greece to Make Ends Meet Jim Rogers:  Boost Food Production At Any Cost Or “No Food At Any Price”


Odds ‘n Sods:

Derek C. suggested an encrypted phone service that makes voice over IP (VoIP) calls.  This is a free Android application called Redphone, and when both phones have registered, “secure” calls can supposedly be placed between the phones. Note that if you have Google Voice installed, you need to log out before you can either register or receive Redphone calls;  however, once registered, you can place Redphone calls while still logged into Google Voice.  Derek notes: “I installed this on my wife’s phone and my phone, so we theoretically have an emergency ‘secure channel’ for communications.   If I want to initiate …



Economics and Investing:

Lyn suggested this: Our next Monetary System and the End of Freedom B.D.W. sent this from Seeking Alpha: Inflation Indexed Bonds and Annuities Versus Gold, Silver and Platinum Items from The Economatrix: The Fifth Option:  Is This How Governments Will Fix Their Debt Problems? Greenspan:  Fed’s Massive Stimulus Had Little Impact Stores Find Success By Focusing On The Hunt Companies Ordered More Factory Goods in May