Category: Note

I was saddened to hear of the death of Bob Hoover, one of the world’s most skilled pilots. He was a fighter pilot, test pilot, exhibition flyer, and airshow promoter. He was 94 years old. When Bob put on his flying exhibitions at air shows, it was often in a Shrike twin engine passenger plane–a plane that was not designed with aerobatics in mind.  Most of those flights were done with one of the engines turned off and the prop feathered, and then he shut down the other engine, and continued to do aerobatics, often landing dead stick!  He absolutely …

October 26th is the anniversary of the death of American-born RLI Trooper Joseph Patrick Byrne, in Rhodesia, in 1978. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 67 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A …

This is the birthday of explorer and pilot Admiral Richard Byrd (1888–1957). His autobiography titled Alone is a must-read. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 67 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A …

October 24th is the anniversary of the firing squad execution of Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling, in 1945. His ignominious place in history was to have his surname become a noun. (“Quisling” is now a moniker synonymous with treason and alliance with an invading army.) Note: Because of the most recent nationwide hack attack, our mail server is presently down. It may be 48 hours before our e-mail service is restored. Thanks for your patience. – JWR

Today is the birthday of French actor Gérard Blain, best known to Americans for his role in the classic African adventure film Hatari, that starred John Wayne. The film’s vehicular big game capture “rodeo” scenes are unforgettable. (They would be considered politically incorrect, these days.) o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 67 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard …

This is the birthday of painter and book illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945) It is also the birthday of actor Jeff Goldblum (born 1952) He was unforgettable in his role in Buckaroo Banzai as well as in the Jurassic Park and Independence Day films.

On this day in 1950, Chinese forces invaded Tibet, beginning a brutal occupation that still continues.  For some insight on Tibet in the late 1940s and early 1950s, I recommend the book Seven Years in Tibet. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 67 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day …

October 20th is the 58th birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) He normally lives in the American Redoubt, but it has been reported that he’s presently attending his father, who is in ailing health, in the Northeast. On his ranch in the Redoubt is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses used in the filming of the movie Hidalgo. Most SurvivalBlog readers probably know him best for his starring role in The Road. This is also the birthday of “fast and fancy” shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was …

October 19th is the birthday of three notables– the late Alexander Zeisal “Zus” Bielski (born 1912), investor Jim Rogers (born 1942), and James Howard Kunstler (born 1948). Kunstler is well known to SurvivalBlog readers as the author of the novel World Made by Hand and the nonfiction book The Long Emergency. A fictionalized portrayal of Zus Bielski is seen in the movie Defiance. This dramatic movie was loosely based on the excellent book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec. o o o October 19th also marks the anniversary of Operation Gatling–the famous  “Green Leader” raid in which Rhodesia attacked …

October 18, 1662 was the birthday of Matthew Henry (died 22 June, 1714.)  He was a Presbyterian minister who lived primarily in Chester, England. Matthew Henry’s six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called Matthew Henry’s Commentary) is a must for the bookshelf of any serious Bible scholar. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 67 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled …

On this day in 1835, Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers– a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers”. After winning their revolutionary war with Mexico the following year, Texans decided to keep the Rangers, both to defend against Indian and Mexican raiders and to serve as the principal law enforcement authority along the sparsely populated Texan frontier.

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig (in 1813). This was largest battle in European warfare prior to WWI. In this battle, Napoleon’s forces were defeated by the combined forces of Prussia, Austria, and Russia. This is also the anniversary of abolitionist John Brown’s raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and …

Today is the birthday of Chinese computer software entrepreneur and billionaire Jack Ma (born 1964.) Also on this day, in 1990, South Africa’s Separate Amenities Act, which had barred blacks from public facilities for decades, was scrapped.

The following article is interesting reading. Because I go by the precept that tangibles beat conceptuals, my general preference is still for precious metal coins (both bullion and numismatic), but I can also see the utility of hedging one’s portfolio a bit into Bitcoin. – JWR o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 67 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican …

One of my contacts who serves on a General Staff mentioned that the recent news reports about contingency plans for a war with Russia have actually under-reported the intensity of the planning effort. There is now a quite frequent shuttling of general officers around the world, to attend logistical planning meetings. My source mentioned that high level staff meetings have been going on since the Ukraine crisis began in late 2013, but they have recently intensified. If you are not yet concerned about the possible advent of World War III, then you should be. The recent policy shift toward the …