Day: February 16, 2012

Note From JWR:

Today we present a short guest article and another two entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) 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 C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur …


An Overview of NFA Gun Trusts, by Patrick Stegall

The last few years have seen the development of an interesting legal mechanism called the gun trust. Gun trusts use estate planning law to deal with, and in some cases legally circumvent, arcane and restrictive federal laws that regulate the use and possession of certain types of firearms. These federal statutes make up the National Firearms Act (NFA), a series of laws that require registration of guns such as machine guns, short barreled rifles and shotguns, and sound suppressors (aka silencers). They are often referred to as Title 2 weapons because they are regulated under Title 2 of the 1968 …


Planning for Shingles Symptoms in TEOTWAWKI, by M. Matriarch

The chicken pox vaccine was not licensed for use in the US until 1995, which means a lot of adults today may have had chicken pox. That also means that a lot of us are susceptible to developing shingles, a painful potential recurrence of the same virus that infected us with chicken pox. I remember when my great grandmother had shingles in the early 1960s. She experienced great pain and disability for at least a couple of months, and was left much less ‘able’ than before the disease.  Medicine has come a long way since then. This contribution is to …


Powering Vehicles and Machinery Without Gasoline, by Caspar d’Gonzo

World War II has always fascinated me. I spend a great deal of time reading and researching a wide array of books, articles and Internet sites about this period. To the conquered peoples of Europe and Asia, it must certainly must have seemed like the end of the world as they knew it. One of the most fascinating aspects of my studies is discovering how individuals and groups in Axis-held countries survived behind enemy lines.  Valuable lessons can be gleaned by looking at the tactics and techniques of underground and partisan groups in France, the Philippines, Yugoslavia, China, Norway, Belgium …


Letter Re: Some Transportation Alternatives

Hi Mr. R.: I worked in a bike shop for five years up until two years ago and my better half continues to work in a bike shop to this day. I have to say having a road (or “racing”) bike for when the SHTF is a really bad idea. Road bikes are kind of like the sports cars of the bicycling world. They are not meant to beat upon, you run over or hit the wrong thing on the road or whatever–even gravel–and you could be walking. They eat tires and tubes. I have changed hundreds, maybe a thousand or …


Economics and Investing:

Adam B. sent: An agency-by-agency guide to Obama’s budget. JWR’s Comment: That doesn’t look like much “deficit slashing”, to me! By way of Ol’ Remus at The Woodpile Report comes a link to some food for thought by Charles Hugh Smith: Why Is Gasoline Consumption Tanking? Why I’m Taking Gold Double-Eagles On My Next Trip To Utah Over at The Daily Bell: Now EU Kicking Spain Out of EU? Items from The Economatrix: There’s Talk of an Exit – But Default Would Have Catastrophic Consequences Japanese Economy Shrank in Fourth Quarter The Economy Relies on the Suspension of Disbelief Greece …


Odds ‘n Sods:

AmEx (American Expat) sent this: Report: Russia Nuclear Disaster Narrowly Averted In Submarine Fire    o o o Over at Alt-Market: Going Off Grid – Montana Style!    o o o South Carolina bill would make home invasion a specific crime. (Thanks to Sue C. for the link.)    o o o Alan H. pointed me to a portable, easy to build 8’x12′ greenhouse for under $150. JWR’s Comment: Ah yes, hog panels, 101 uses…    o o o My wife Avalanche Lily alerted me to to an object lesson that went viral: The Dad Who Shot Up His Daughter’s …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“A wild boar stood under a tree, and rubbed his tusks against the trunk. A fox passing by asked him why he thus sharpened his teeth when there was no danger threatening from either huntsman or hound. He replied, ‘I do it advisedly; for it would never do to have to sharpen my weapons just at the time I ought to be using them.’ To be well prepared for war is the best guarantee of peace.”  – The Fables of Aesop