Day: October 8, 2012

Note from JWR:

Steve of Amateur Radio Ponderings just posted a nice review of my novel Founders. As an aside, I must mention that some non-Christians have slammed my novel at Amazon.com, giving it one star reviews. For the sake of balance, I’d appreciate seeing reviews from people who’ve also read the book but that don’t share their anti-Christian bias. The other main complaint about Founders is that some people found it repetitious. To explain: I took an 11-page post facto summary chapter from my first novel Patriots and fleshed it out into more than 100 pages, providing substantially more detail about Ken …


Pat’s Product Review: CRKT Foresight Tactical Folder

I’ve been writing about Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT ) products for about as long as they’ve been around. They started out small, with just a few really cool tactical knife designs. They were all were quality-made, and priced right. I’ve watched CRKT grow steadily, year after year, but adhering to their roots, to provide quality products at affordable prices. Some folks denigrate the idea of knives made in Taiwan, but I’m not in that group. You get as good as you want in a product, no matter where it might be made. I know that Rod Bremer, who …


Letter Re: Guarding Your Mental and Emotional Health

Dear JWR: I want to make just a quick comment on C.T.M.’s recent article titled Guarding Your Mental and Emotional Health.  There is an excellent essay that Dr. Song, Director of the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in New York has made available. He notes that perhaps 1 in 20 folks have an opposite reaction to Valerian. I know, that is only 5% – but what if you are one of those in that 5%?  My suggestion is to give it a try before you stock up.  Practice now, so you know what works. – Linda Z.


Recipe of the Week:

Lisa N.’s Taco Soup Here’s a recipe that uses nothing but canned goods and packaged seasonings. It’s very simple–just throw everything together and heat. A great favorite at our house! 2 cans kidney beans 1 can whole kernel corn 2 cans stewed tomatoes 1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies 1 small can green chilies (Optional: this will make it very spicy. Use less or none at all, to suit to taste.) 1 pkg dry Ranch dressing 1 pkg taco seasoning mix Mix all ingredients together in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer at least 30 minutes. …


Economics and Investing:

Wall Street’s Grand Old Man, Richard Russell declares: The Only Way Out Is to Devalue. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.) Reader H.L. sent word of some ill-advised State Level Cap and Trade. H.L. call it “…the final nail in the coffin of the once Golden State.” G.G. suggested this piece at Tyler Durden’s oft-quoted Zero Hedge blog: Do the Swiss Know Something the Rest of Us Don’t? Also from G.G.: Greece ‘to run out of money’ Items from The Economatrix: California Cities In Fiscal Trouble “Conga Line” Warnings That A Massive Stock Market Crash Is Imminent Iran In Economic …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent: Lunch lady slammed for food that is ‘too good’. (This is like something straight out of Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, from his Welcome to the Monkey House collection of short stories.)    o o o Some fun shooting up a lot of Uncle Sam’s ammo at Yakima: Special Forces A Team practices with M-ATVs equipped with CROWS.    o o o James C. liked this collection of photos: A Long-Term Survival Guide – Hidden Storage and Secret Compartments    o o o The latest from Montie Gear: Gloveshot. (The “Detailed Images” page …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle! Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which …