November 1st, 1923, is the birthday of science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson (pictured at a sci-fi convention.) He was born in 1923, died January 31, 2001.) Many of his novels and short stories, such as Wolf and Iron, have survivalist themes.
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November 1st is also the birthday of economist Martin A. Armstrong. For many years he was a prisoner of conscience, in part because he refused to turn over his proprietary trading algorithms to Federal prosecutors. After seven years in prison without a trial, the longest Federal incarceration for contempt in American history, Armstrong was finally put on trial in a proceeding that was branded as a sham. He was convicted on securities fraud charges based upon some marginal testimony and given a five-year sentence. He was released from prison in September of 2011. Notably, Armstrong continued to write his economics newsletter while in prison, producing most of the issues on a prison library typewriter.
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Today we present another review written by our Field Gear Editor, the Redoubtable Pat Cascio.