Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The rifle is a weapon. Let there be no mistake about that. It is a tool of power, and thus dependent completely upon the moral stature of its user. It is equally useful in securing meat for the table, destroying group enemies on the battlefield, and resisting tyranny. In fact, it is the only means of resisting tyranny, since a citizenry armed with rifles simply cannot be tyrannized. The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." – The Late Jeff Cooper, The Art of the Rifle



Notes from JWR:

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Col. Jeff Cooper yesterday. He was a fine American, a true Patriot, and a master at his craft. Our condolences to his wife Janelle.

Round 6 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest ends in three days! The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $1,600.) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. If you want a chance to win Round 6, e-mail us your article, ASAP. Round 6 will end on September 30th. Remember that the articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging. The following article is another entry in Round 6.



Maximizing Food Storage Life, by R.E.M.

Well, I guess it is safe to say that we have successfully dodged the Y2K bullet (still not completely sure though), which means that a lot of us that implemented food storage programs in its anticipation in 1998 and 1999 are now looking at rotating stock. This, coupled with current events, has me refocused on restocking. I have some tips to share that may be of value to readers that find themselves in a similar position.

First, when evaluating how to go about restocking food supplies, consult the Excel spreadsheet that you created when you first started to get serious about provisioning (you did create a spreadsheet, didn’t you?). If not, be sure to start one with your next major food purchase. The spreadsheet should have the purchase date of the food listed, dates for inspection, and replacement, and other important information (weight, distributor name, how packaged, etc.). This inventory becomes essential in managing large stores of food, particularly when items are purchased over a period of time. By automating your inventory in a spreadsheet, you can, with a click, sort the spreadsheet on the inspection or replacement date columns – now you instantly know what needs to be inspected or replaced. The weight factor comes in handy if your survival plan necessitates moving your stores from one location to another – either as a core strategy or a contingency plan. It is amazing how the weight really adds up. Best to know what you have before you start trying to load 1,800 lbs. of food into your half ton pickup truck!

For those folks that do not live at their retreat, but have to drive there, long term remote food storage offers some special challenges. If you do not have to frequent your retreat, then inspection and maintenance can be a logistic nightmare. Here is a trick for those of you in this situation. I like the money I save by purchasing food in bulk – especially in super pails. However, in order to test the condition of product packed this way, one has to open the pail, which essentially ruins the packaging and the long term storage capability of the package. This can quickly negate the savings you got when you purchased in bulk. The next time you order bulk food in super pails, also order, from the same supplier at the same time, the identical item in two of the number 2.5 (about 1 quart) cans. Label the cans and the bulk food in the super pails with the purchase date, but also include the the first inspection date and the estimated replacement date on the cans. Store the cans in your home, in an environment the duplicates, to the best of your ability, the same storage conditions as the bulk food stored in your remote cache. Now instead of driving there to do the food inspection, you can, in the convenience of your home kitchen, simply sample what is in the cans at the appropriate time, and have a real good idea of the condition of the bulk food you have in remote storage. This is especially handy when your food cache is a few hundred miles away!

In order to rotate your food storage stock efficiently, it is essential to accurately predict shelf life. This information is often skirted by vendors, but I found a very handy chart supplied by Walton Feed that really lays this out – you might be surprised at some of the results.

There are a lot of environmental factors that effect storage life, but probably the most predominant is that of temperature. Lowering the average storage temperature by as little as 10 degrees Fahrenheit has a dramatic effect on storage life. That said, for those of you that like the convenience of MREs and plan on purchasing several cases, consider storing them under refrigerated conditions. A 20 degree drop from 80 degrees Fahrenheit to 60 degrees Fahrenheit changes the storage life of MREs from 76 months to 130 months! For every 10 degree drop in temperature, the storage life of seeds is doubled. Not just garden seeds, but many folks store seeds to eat as sprouts. So, here is the deal – if you are going to buy several cases of MREs, you may as well shell out that extra $20-$40 dollars to pick up a used refrigerator at the local thrift store or yard sale. Drag it downstairs into your basement, into your barn, wherever, and load it up. Even five cases of MREs, at $70 a pop, plus shipping costs, represents a decent investment. Even after factoring the cost of electricity, you come out way ahead by doubling, or even tripling the length of time you can store this stuff before you need to replenish.

Yea, I know, “eat what you store, store what you eat”….”rotate your stock”…etc. All sage advice. So, you mean that none of us have a bunch of outdated MREs laying around, right? Right. Don’t forget that through refrigeration you can now also greatly enhance the storage life of injectable antibiotics, some prescription medications, bakers yeast, etc.

And date label everything. It irritates me that MREs aren’t date labeled. I like the way cases are packaged, with the heavy duty cardboard box and neat little plastic bands, but open each case, and date each individual MRE. Once they “get loose”, all is lost – so don’t just date the case on the outside of the box. I recommend repackaging them though, in their original heavy duty case boxes and storing them that way, just in case you need to “grab and go”.

I have been looking for a way to augment my dehydrated food storage with some real yummy stuff, like real meat. Not that I don’t love pigging out on TVP…Yum. The freeze dried option for meat is great, but it is very expensive. What I discovered is that you can actually store a lot of meat fairly cheaply. I am finding that with a little patience in my shopping, I can find canned salmon and tuna fish with late 2010 expiration dates. That’s four years! DAK hams, canned in Sweden and sold through Wal-Mart are also an excellent low cost, long term option for meat storage. Four years is a considerable term for meat. And that is calculated at room temperature. If refrigerated, these canned goods will keep much, much longer. Meat that is home canned, such as elk, deer, and small game, can also be stored in the fridge for extended life. Just use some common sense. Never open a can that is bulging (just pitch it), and be sure that all meats stored this way are well heated (including precooked hams, etc.) prior to eating. The heat destroys the toxicity of salmonella toxin, which is odorless, tasteless, and very nasty stuff. I have enjoyed home-canned squirrel stew and other canned-then-refrigerated game meats for many, many years after they have been canned with no problems at all.

I’m sure many SurvivalBlog readers have additional tricks and tips when it comes to long term food storage. Now would be a good time to share them. Did I mention that I am restocking? – R.E.M.



Letter Re: Questions on the Pickup Truck as a Multi-Purpose Retreat Vehicle

Dear Jim and loyal SurvivalBlog readers:
I have been researching pickup trucks as my next logical purchase in preparation for the inevitable short or long-term SHTF/grid-down scenario.
I have decided that I will purchase an older (pre-1990/EMP-resistant), diesel, 4 x 4 pickup truck, probably a Ford, but maybe a Dodge or GMC/Chevy. The truck will need to be powerful enough to tow whatever (trailer, boat, camper) as well as be able to effectively plow snow (living here in snowy New England after all). My decision is based on reading the many postings on SurvivalBlog regarding the best G.O.O.D. vehicle to own (or at least, one of the best).
However, before investing several grand in 2006 dollars, I would greatly appreciate some guidance on the very best trucks to consider regarding the following questions (and my budget of around $3,000 to include plowing capability):
What years should I consider for each manufacturer to ensure that the truck is not vulnerable to an EMP?
1.) I want to be able to plow with this truck. Would I be better off to buy a truck that has never plowed and then outfit it with a plow? Or, should I buy a truck that is already equipped to plow?
2.) I seem to be leaning towards a Ford as there appears to be more Fords available than the others. Then there are the model variables to consider: 150, 250 and 350… Any personal opinions on makes and models are most welcomed.
3.) What is the best (most reliable) older diesel engine made? What kind of engine longevity could I expect (200K, 300K) considering the make and vehicle’s overall condition?
4.) Please advise on any other purchase issues I should consider.

Thank you for your time and attention and may God bless you and your families and keep you safe, faithful, and hopeful. – David J. in New England



Odds ‘n Sods:

Our friend Simon mentioned this article at WorldNetDaily: The city of Cooper City, Florida, has given itself the power to seize residents’ personal property in times of emergency.

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The bidding is still at $180 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction for a fully tested and recently professionally calibrated U.S. government surplus Civil Defense CD V-717 fallout survey meter with remote sensing capability. The meter was donated by Ready Made Resources (one of our first and most loyal advertisers). This auction ends on October 15th. Please submit your bid via e-mail.

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The big sale at Mountain Brook Foods (a storage food vendor in Tracy, California) with discounts from 20% to 40% ends on September 30th. Our readers that live in the East S.F. Bay area or in the Central Valley might want to go visit them and pick up their first order in person.That will eliminate the cost of shipping, which is otherwise considerable.



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“If you don’t understand weapons you don’t understand fighting. If you don’t understand fighting you don’t understand war. If you don’t understand war you don’t understand history. If you don’t understand history, you might as well live with your head in a sack.” – The Late Col. Jeff Cooper.



Note From JWR:

Permission is granted to cross-post the following article to other blogs and web sites, but only if it is posted in its entirety, with its links intact.- JWR.

 



Derivatives–The Mystery Man Who’ll Break the Global Bank at Monte Carlo

When I do radio interviews or lecture presentations, I’m often asked: “Mister Rawles, what do you see as a likely ‘worst case scenario’?” People expect me to say “a full scale nuclear exchange in World War III” or, “a stock market crash”, or “a flu pandemic”, or “a sudden end to the current real estate bubble.” But most of them are surprised when I respond: Economic collapse triggered by the popping of the derivatives bubble. Many people that are involved in the periphery of the investing–including most small investors–have never even heard of derivatives. They may have heard of ‘hedge funds”, but they don’t understand what they are. Yet in terms of the sheer number of Dollars, Yen, and Euros traded, these investments represent the biggest financial market of all.

What are Derivatives?

The Derivatives Primer sums it up nicely in one sentence: “Derivatives are financial contracts designed to create pure price exposure to an underlying commodity, asset, rate, index or event.” Another way of putting is it is that a derivative contract is a secondary or “derived” wager on the future price of an investment in an underlying market. It is much like the futures markets for stocks, bonds, and commodities. But a derivative can be something even more speculative. A derivative can be a bet on a incremental market change in yet another bet on an incremental change–in effect a hedge on a hedge, or bet on a bet. There is a global trade in derivatives. There are very few regulations on derivatives. The market is still The Wild West. All traders like to hedge their bets. And these days they typically use exotic derivative contracts to do so.

Derivative contracts can be traded in just about anything: stock, bonds, commodities, credit, interest rates, or currencies. You can place a derivative bet on next year’s price of QQQ (the aggregate price of all NASDAQ stocks), or you can place a bet on the price of tea in China. A corporation can make a forward rate agreement (FRA), predicting the interest rate that it will pay on money that it plans to borrow for a factory expansion in two years. (An agreement to borrow or lend a certain amount of principal at a specified interest rate and time. ) You can even bet on the future of the futures market in pork bellies. Economist Robert Chapman summed it up best when he wrote: “The point everyone misses is buying derivatives is not investing. It is gambling, insurance and high stakes bookmaking. Derivatives create nothing.”

Hundreds of Trillions in Play

How big is the derivatives universe? As William Shatner would say: “Big, reaalllly big!” The scary thing is that the volume of derivatives trades is much larger than their underlying markets. To give you some perspective, here is a quote from economist Gary Novak, “The total annual product of the globe is around $30 trillion. I estimate that the total value of the global real estate is around $50 trillion. A few years ago, Alan Greenspan said the amount of derivatives on the books was $200 trillion. Then it was $300 trillion. Now, someone is saying $770 trillion.” That’s a lot of zeroes.

Economist Robert Chapman was one of the first to warn the public about the full implications of the derivatives bubble. More recently, there have been many others, most notably Michael J. Panzner, (best known as the author of Stock Market Jungle), who last year penned The Coming Disaster in the Derivatives Market, and Gary Novak, who wrote Derivatives Creating Global Economic Collapse.

In a July, 2003 commentary titled “He’s Forever Blowing Bubbles” (about Alan Greenspan), Dr. Gary North encapsulated the greatest risk of the ever-expanding hedge trading universe.  He wrote:  “The derivatives market is an interconnected system of debts and credits that are based mainly on expected earnings of assets of all kinds. Sellers of expected earnings discount them in a highly leveraged financial futures market. Winners and losers offset each other in any transaction. It’s a zero-sum game: for every loser, there is a winner, assuming – the central assumption on which our civilization rests – the loser pays off. If he doesn’t, “the knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone; the thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone.” It’s cascading cross defaults time!”

A Precursor: The LTCM Fiasco

The first really big indication of the potential risk of derivatives came in 1999. That was when the heavy-into-hedges trading firm Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM) collapsed. At the time, they were carrying $1.4 trillion (that’s trillion with a “T”, not “B” for billion) in derivatives on their books. But LTCM had only about $4 billion in net asset value, with assets totaling over $100 billion. Again they had about $1.4 TRILLION in derivatives bets on the table when the house of cards collapsed. Then came the bailout–quiet and quick.  This took a joint effort between the Federal Reserve and some big banks, minimizing the public outcry. (Unlike the Enron collapse, with the LTCM collapse, few small investors were hurt.)

Former Fed Chairman Al Greenspan ominously noted this in testimony before congress about the LTCM.   In his testimony he said: “…on occasion there will be mistakes made, as there were in LTCM and I will forecast without knowing who, what or where, that there will be many more. I would suspect there are potential disasters running into a very large number, in the hundreds.”

Robert Chapman pointed out that had not the Federal Reserve and the big lenders stepped in on the LTCM debacle, the markets would have had to absorb an $80 billion hit. At the time that LTCM went down in ’99, only six banks had notional derivatives exposure above $1 trillion. But there are now dozens and perhaps a hundred or more private banks, investment firms, central banks, and national governments with that much derivatives exposure.

Forebodings

Even before the 1999 LTCM fiasco, there were some forewarnings of derivatives disasters:

The Future

The global derivatives universe hums along nicely in times like these–in times like we’ve had since 1988. There are no nasty LTCM-type headlines. In such times market changes are gradual and incremental. Here are some examples of how derivatives traders make their profits:

  • A derivatives trader bets that the Dow Jones will be 2.2% higher next year, while others expect a 1.9% gain.
  • A derivatives trader bets that interest rates will increase by .02% while most analysts are predict an increase of .02%
  • Another trader bets that higher fuel costs will put the pinch on bird guano miners in the South Pacific, curtailing their annual profits.

What the hedge book boys have never encountered is a market with huge swings. (Something like the equities markets between 1929 and 1935.) This would wipe out any derivatives traders if that volatility were to re-occur. Their losses would be monumental.

Again, we are talking about somewhere between $300 trillion and $770 trillion (notional) presently on the casino table. These are boggling figures. The risks, in absolute terms, are incalculable. Don’t forget that directly or indirectly, central (“state”) banks and national governments themselves are now inextricably tied to the derivatives trading universe. They are not just “dabbling in derivatives”. Rather, they are in derivatives up to their necks. If and when the global derivatives bubble ever pops, it may topple not just trading companies like Goldman Sachs, or corporations like GM, Daimler-Chrysler, or RCA, but entire nations. I’m not kidding.

Terra Incognita

The derivatives market was relatively small when the U.S. markets had their last big hiccup in 1987. And it was even smaller when the commodities markets went through their last big spikes in 1978 to 1981. The whole derivatives universe has grown up since then. So we are in essentially uncharted waters, with no way to predict the effects of huge markets swings on the derivatives markets. The hedge boys will be entering terra incognita. The big market swings will blind-side the hedge traders. The implications could be huge. This will wipe out  more than just trading firms and their clients.

As another precursor of trouble ahead, the latest hedge fund fiasco was reported in September of 2006 by Bill Bonner and Lila Rajiva: “Hedge fund Amaranth Advisors [an Energy derivatives firm] managed to lose $4.6 billion – about half its entire value – in a matter of just a few days through a sensational miscalculation of the price of natural gas futures in the spring of 2007. Today’s news tells us the figure has now grown to $6 billion.”

Protect Yourself with Tangible Investments

Be ready for a derivatives implosion. Because of their derivatives books, some major corporations may go down in flames, wiping out investors. Entire currencies might even cease to exist. Protect yourself. Diversify out of dollar denominated paper investments. Hedge into tangibles like silver and gold. Buy some productive farm or ranch land with plentiful water where you’ll fare better if the power grid goes down.

In closing, my advice is to do your own form of hedging. Hedge against the future follies of the big hedge funds. Diversify out of dollars and into tangibles. You can expect trouble to occur when you start to see radical swings in interest rates or in the stock and bond markets. I predict that someday there will be big, bad, financial news about derivatives in the headlines. How big? Reaalllly big.

James Wesley, Rawles (JWR) is a former U.S. Army Intelligence officer and a noted author and lecturer on survival and preparedness topics. JWR is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com.

(Note: SurvivalBlog grants permission to re-post this entire article. You must re-post it in full, with proper attribution to James Wesley, Rawles and SurvivalBlog, and you must preserve the included links.)



Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader D.M. mentioned this site on anonymous web surfing. I personally recommend these tried and true tools: Anonymizer and StealthSurfer.

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I have a good friend that is an attorney who specializes in privacy, trusts, and incorporation. If you’d like to contact her, just send me an e-mail with “Trust Attorney” in the title, and I will be happy to forward it to her.

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Courtesy of “akfanatic” at the FALFiles, here is a U.S. Army web site comparing commercial portable water filters.



Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors; they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men." – Samuel Adams



Rethinking Global Oil Reserves by Michael Z. Williamson

Ah, oil. It’s close in everyone’s minds because we rely on it absolutely. It fuels our vehicles, some houses, provides lubricants, is used for all our plastics and in many industrial applications.
The first major factor in the chain is surveying and drilling of crude. As recently made the news, a massive reserve in the Gulf of Mexico has increased our domestic supply by 50%. There are also newer technologies coming on board for extracting oil from tougher resources (Shales, sands, deep wells, from under permafrost) and also manufacturing oil from organic waste, in a process called Thermodepolymerization (TDP). The TDP process also adds support to newer theories that oil and other hydrocarbons are produced in an ongoing process, and are not just fossil. Certainly we’re all aware of methane production in compost and the slimy, tarry “oil” that results from rotting animal carcasses. The fact is that most of the oil fields that had a “20 year supply” in 1970 still have a “20 year supply” today. Of course, that only addresses the current demand and does not account for future increases in demand.
I have extracted the following info and summarized, from the US Energy Information Administration. I should also credit an article by Dr. Robert Metzger, a fellow science fiction writer and PhD in Electrical Engineering from UCLA, who has worked for both Georgia Tech and Hughes Labs.

Of the 400 million barrels of crude used in March 2006, 240 million barrels, 40%, were domestic production. Other sources were:
Canada, 70 million barrels
Mexico 56 million barrels
Venezuela 47 million barrels
Saudi Arabia 42 million barrels
Nigeria 37 million barrels
Angola 16 million barrels
Iraq 15 million barrels
Algeria 13 million barrels
UK 9 million barrels
Kuwait, Qatar, UAE (combined) 3 million barrels

First, this gives lie to the claims that the Iraq War is about oil. Only 9% of our oil comes from the Middle East, and 2/3 of that is Saudi oil. If it was really about oil, we’d be better off invading Nigeria (or annexing Mexico as a state, but I digress.) Chavez in Venezuela, however, can have great impact over one of our closer and larger suppliers.
Europe and Asia depend much more on Middle Eastern oil than we do, and a shift of that small percentage can indeed affect prices at our end–again, reference the Gulf find, which will not be in production for months or years, created a public perception of relief that has brought pump prices down by 35% around here.
Once the oil is here, we run into the first critical issue–refinery capacity. Increasing government standards have made oil refining one of the most complex and least profitable businesses in the US. We are chronically and acutely short of refineries, and they are a prime target for terrorism or military attack. It didn’t help that there are large terminals and refineries near the Louisiana and the Texas coast, subject to further hurricanes and civil unrest.
Then we come to one of the key factors in chaotic price changes–formulation standards set in place in the late 1990s. In an effort to reduce vapor and exhaust emissions, precise formulation standards were put in place that are based on climate and altitude. If San Francisco runs short of gas, they can’t just transfer from suppliers in the Central Valley–it’s illegal to use that fuel in that fashion. Obviously, this can result in massive regional jumps, which affect public perception elsewhere, and do allow local stations to feed on panic. Around here, I’ve seen a 25 cent difference per gallon in a ten mile radius. (One advantage of a 35 gallon tank is being able to wait for a price drop.)
Obviously, in the wake of a massive disaster, it is reasonable, practical and obvious that such standards should be tossed and gasoline taken where needed. This was done somewhat after Katrina. But will it be reasonable, practical and obvious to a future government, particularly one with “green” leanings? A healthy dose of cynicism is the survivalist’s friend here.
Electricity by and large is produced by coal, and coal is something we possess in almost ludicrous quantities by comparison to most nations. But coal, tremendously more energy-efficient than oil, cannot fuel vehicles, and is much harder to convert to lubricants and plastics. That latter is one of our biggest uses of oil. Everything from vinyl siding to blister packs for medication is made from oil. Expect that to change (as fast food containers are now cardboard instead of styrofoam) because of both landfill considerations and materials cost. Most people don’t even think of the fact that their new computer cable is plastic insulation and fittings in a plastic package with oil-derived inks on the slip of paper inside. Plastic, nylon and other polymers were a large part of the fuel bunker in the World Trade Center fires. Like any other petroleum product (or ANY organic product), heat it up and it burns. We depend on plastic as much as fuel oil, and anything that affects the oil supply also affects the cost of plastics, paints, packaging as well as transport. This has to be taken into consideration when planning for economic disasters.
Obviously, trite as it sounds, we can “all do our part” by recycling anything we can. It’s cheaper to reuse materials than refine new ones, and a good survival minded person should not be throwing out steel, aluminum, brass that can be used for generating income or as raw materials, or plastic bags and such that can be used for storage, waterproofing or recycled to reduce the burden. Long term, however, alternatives will have to be found to keep our society working. How many of us would find it harder to survive without plastic trash bags, duct tape, spray lubricant in a can and solvents?
Most of Europe is already paying $6 a gallon for gas, and their governments have turned a deaf ear to complaints in wake of the profit made in taxes. While it won’t destroy our society to pay that much, I’m sure we can all see what effect it would have on travel, disposable income and other aspects of the economy. Creeping socialism attacks both supply and demand with taxes and controls that hinder business and reduce efficiency. A heck of a lot to think about when filling the tank, isn’t it?



Letter Re: Walking Blood Banks and Interceptor Body Armor

James,
Here’s a link to an e-mail written by a Marine Corps Intelligence officer in Iraq. It’s humbling to read first hand the sacrifices our troops endure for us. But in all dark clouds, there is a silver lining (in this case from a preparedness perspective). In the near future, there are going to be a lot of medical personnel returning to civilian life that know exactly how to treat gun shot wounds and conduct “walking bloodbanks”. May the Lord bless you with one near your home.

Other stray thoughts: keep an eye out for the new [Interceptor] body armor if it ever hits the surplus market. Also, the next generation of expert firearms instructors is being molded right now in Iraq and Afghanistan. Once again, may you be blessed with one near your home in the future. – Rookie

JWR Adds: My favorite snippet from the Marine Corps officer was this: “Best Chuck Norris Moment – 13 May. Bad Guys arrived at the government center in the small town of Kubaysah to kidnap the town mayor, since they have a problem with any form of government that does not include regular beheadings and women wearing burqahs. There were seven of them. As they brought the mayor out to put him in a pick-up truck to take him off to be beheaded (on video, as usual), one of the bad Guys put down his machinegun so that he could tie the mayor’s hands. The mayor took the opportunity to pick up the machinegun and drill five of the Bad Guys. The other two ran away. One of the dead Bad Guys was on our top twenty wanted list. Like they say, you can’t fight City Hall.”



Odds ‘n Sods:

You gotta love Idaho: It has been proposed that every household in Greenleaf, Idaho have a firearm as part of a larger emergency preparedness requirements. Sounds good to me.

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Moriaty told me about a great site with articles and essays on Renaissance weapons.

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John the Bowhunter mentioned this amazing series of posts over at Archery Talk: A youngster has taken 77 big game animals with a 42 pound bow. With that bow he got penetration “to the feathers.” Notice the picture of the boy next to pro-gun and pro-archery rock-n-roll legend Ted Nugent, on a hunt in Africa. John notes: “Even a low poundage short draw bow can be amazing effective.”





Letter Re: Some Light on the Subject–An Amazing Coincidence

I had major dental surgery yesterday. Sure, I could have ignored it, but most animals are dead when they can’t eat. I consider dental health an excellent investment. In any case, I digress. I brought a flashlight in with me and the office staff and doctor looked at me like I was nuts. “What happens if your power goes out and there I am with a mouth full of blood, power tools and incisions and you can’t see how to stitch me back up?” They told me they hadn’t lost power in over 10 years but I put my flashlight in the corner.
Don’t you know that halfway through the operation, off go the lights. The whole building goes dark. The lights came back on one minute later, and then the entire office staff came in to stare at me dumbfounded. I’ll be an urban legend at that office for generations. A lesson in being prepared. By the way, I was thinking of going back to the dental office when I have the stitches removed with an umbrella in my hand. If they ask why, I’ll say “What happens if the fire alarm goes off and the sprinklers turn on?”, just to mess with them. – SF in Hawaii