Notes for Saturday – April 01, 2017

April 1st is both April Fool’s Day and (unofficially) Molly Ivins Day. The latter refers to this key verse: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1 KJV) April 1st, 1886 was the birthday of Arthur W. Pink, who died 15 July 1952 and was an English Christian evangelist and excellent Reformed Biblical scholar. It was his meticulously referenced arguments in his book, The Sovereignty of God, that first convinced JWR of the truth of the doctrine of Election. o o o Ten Cent Challenge subscribers, consulting clients, and anyone else sending USPS mail, please …




Austere Dentistry and Temporary Fillings, by J.D., DMD

I am a general dentist, who has been at it for 26 years working part-time in private practice in a small, working class town and part-time on the dental staff in a state prison. I am also the dental director of a small non-profit organization that provides dental and medical care to the rural poor patients in Honduras. One of my main professional interests is low tech, austere dentistry. The purpose of this article is two fold. First, I want to give the reader some insider, professional advice on how to get their dental needs squared away and met while …




Letter Re: Online OPSEC

Hello, I read your articles concerning “OPSEC” and was wondering if you could answer a question for me? I am concerned about my privacy with online purchases. I would like to buy some “controversial” items (nothing illegal, of course). For example: An AR-15 80% Lower. How would I do that with good OPSEC? – Dave HJL’s Comment: Unfortunately, if you are going to pay online, there is virtually no way for you to maintain any sort of anonymity. There will always be a path of traceability. You can help the situation by paying with Postal Money Orders for which you …




Economics and Investing:

Caterpillar to close Illinois plant, lay off 800 workers – G.P. HJL’s Comment: This is news that has been expected. Caterpillar was making a killing selling product to China when China’s economy was booming. Now that China is feeling the effects of overspending and has quit buying the heavy equipment, Caterpillar has way too much capacity for the market. o o o Zuma’s Night of Long Knives Risks ANC Split, Credit Rating. JWR’s Comment: Note the huge drop in the value of the South African Rand (ZAR) versus the U.S. Dollar (USD) in the past week. This level of instability …




Odds ‘n Sods:

If you publish Georgia’s state laws, you’ll get sued for copyright and lose JWR’s Comment: If the only way to access the annotated edition of State law is through a paid service like LEXIS/NEXIS, then where does that leave us? We are often reminded: “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” But we live in a society where the law is so labyrinthine that even someone who is quite a good researcher can barely understand its nuances. And now we are denied access to reading the law with full case citations, unless we fork over $20 per day or $75 …