Month: October 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 …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 43 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


The Aesthetic Pantry: Trading Ornamentals for Edibles, by Matthew C.

Henri Frederic Amiel once said, “Any landscape is a condition of the spirit.” While once standing on the kopjes of South Africa, gripped by the panoramic view of vast bushveld, scrub thorn, and columns of azure African sky, the condition of my spirit was one of breathtaking wonder at our God’s creation.  When once overlooking the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, eyeing this deep and seemingly never ending chasm of layered and painted earth, the provision of my soul was that of mute and wide-eyed awe. Twice, the state of my existence soared on the wings of angels when …


Letter Re: U.S. Midwest Drought Continues

JWR: There was a very interesting article in my local newspaper yesterday regarding soil conditions here. We have had so little rain of and consequently that the soil here is turning to stone. Farmers are working at feverish pace to harvest this years crops that are yielding far less volume than normal and of poor quality. However they say that the ground is too hard to till and plant over the winter crops such as wheat. This sound pretty ominous to me If this condition is more widespread the impact on food availability that therefore prices could be very serious. I …


Letter Re: More About Duty to Inform Laws for CCW Holders

Mr. Rawles- The following appears in the 10/6/12 “Odds ‘n Sods” section: “Do you carry concealed and/or in your car?Be aware of “Must Inform Officer” state laws . (No such laws in any of the American Redoubt states, where the gendarmes all rightly assume that most of the vehicles they pull over will contain at least one loaded gun.)” The linked text goes to an image which is at least misleading for at least one state – Minnesota. (I suspect this is true for other states but I am not as familiar with the laws of the other 49…) While …


Economics and Investing:

Those pesky derivatives: Task force slaps MBS-related charges against more banks The Other B.B. suggested this interview: Kyle Bass On The Federal Budget: “I Don’t Know How To Fix This”. Not surprisingly, Bass recommends getting out of dollars and into productive tangible assets. Real Homes of Genius – Silver Lake back in action with 4 garage duplex. Raging gas prices and luring in the next round of dreamers. At Forbes: Managing The Risks Of A Globalized Supply Chain Items from The Economatrix: Last Housing Crash Is Not Even Over But Bernanke As Set The Stage For The Next One Bill …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader H.L. sent: Winter Forecast: Not Mild, But Wild for Eastern U.S. It looks like a winter of drought for the Redoubt.    o o o Signs of the times: You won’t be able to get your movie made until it’s Islamopproved by the appointed cleric. The Hollyweird crowd only rarely asks for the opinion of Christians before making movies that might be offensive. But of course modern day Christians don’t have a reputation for beheading people that they consider blasphemers, like the Moslems do. We just suffer in silence, even when the name of Christ is repeatedly attacked. We …



Notes from JWR:

Happy Birthday to science fiction author David Brin. (Born October 6,1950.) He wrote The Postman, a great novel that was later loosely adapted into a passable movie by Kevin Costner. — Today we present another entry for Round 43 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 …