Survivors, a Novel of the Coming Collapse by James Wesley, Rawles, editor of Survivalblog.

Hardcover

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439172803/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=www.michaelzwi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1439172803

 Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T4KXWS/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmichaelzwi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B004T4KXWS

 audio edition

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455847046/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmichaelzwi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1455847046

"Survivors" runs concurrently with "Patriots."  You need not read "Patriots" first, though of course, I would always encourage buying more books.

These books are narrative training scenarios--How to guides written as fiction.  They do have a story, but the reason to read them is for the information they impart and the consideration they provoke.  It's much easier to remember a story than dry facts in a list.

Order or buy Tuesday, and you'll get to hear the pollyannae scream as a nice bonus.

You can help me help Special Olympics too, by making a donation using this fundraising page.


www.somo.org/ChuckCoffin
All I'm asking for is "Ten Cents a Foot!"

The hotel is 289 feet tall, so that's $28.90 (or any other amount--greater or smaller--you feel called to contribute). It’s simple, fast and totally secure, and gets me that much closer to going Over the Edge. Only kicker is--I didn't find out about this until yesterday! I have less than one week to hit my goal! So I ask for your help, to make this happen.

This thrilling event is a unique opportunity for SOMO fans to support more than 2,900 local Special Olympics athletes by rappelling down the The Four Seasons Hotel at Lumiere Place in St. Louis on October 7. I'm joining the 3rd annual group of only 100 participants who are fan enough to take this challenge.

~~~~~

Chuck is a retired officer, all around good guy who helped me and others with retirement issues at National Records, a fan (who was the CO for Sgt Mel Butler, credited in "Freehold," which is how we met and they reconnected), and I did say good guy, right?

PFC Dan Gronde was the victim of an I.E.D in Afghanistan on July 24th. He suffered fragmentation wounds to his abdomen and back. His buddy suffered knee damage. With a very grateful and troubled look he tells me feels lucky. Most of the casualties in his unit's area suffer limb loss or death.

Dan is on medical leave here in Indianapolis, and got treated to a meal at Chili's. He didn't realize that while he ate, a small crowd of family, friends, vets and even a member of the Young Marines were gathering outside to greet him.

There were cameras, hugs, handshakes and Dan graciously accepted all of it, looking a bit embarrassed at all the attention.

Then it was time to go to the Legion Hall, with a police escort. There are lots of ways to travel in style, but his family found something unique. Dan is a big fan of Batman.

Mark Racop of Logansport builds officially licensed 1966 Batmobiles.

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Quite a few thousand locals must have wondered what kind of emergency required the attention of police, Batman and Soldiers.

I have to admit, it was fun being in one of the chase cars, watching people pull over, and the expressions on faces, especially of young men in their rice burners. Sorry, son, but no matter what you do to your Honda, it will never be as cool as a 1966 Batmobile.

The Legion had their own greeting ready.

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Dan was very gracious and modest, with strangers and children, and was a gentleman with maturity and manners far beyond his 20 years.

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By the way, just in case you ever wondered, the secret to the Batmobile is a Chevy engine

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And rockets for backup

Please extend wishes of recovery and good luck to PFC Gronde, and thanks to Chili's, the Zionsville Police and Fire Departments, the American Legion, and Mark Racop of www.FiberglassFreaks.com.

Item The First

You live in a city. You don't know how to change a tire or oil. You don't know how to build a fire.  You can't communicate without a cell phone. You can't fix your plumbing. You can't set up your own wifi. You're untrained in basic economics, chemistry, physics and history.  You can't prepare food without packages, and aren't even aware that food has to be processed from root or bone before that. You only know and get paid for one very specialized task.

Yet you call me a "hick."

~~~

Item The Second

http://news.yahoo.com/york-police-shoot-down-plane-needed-144444290.html

Said threat is probably departing from Newark, Long Island or the Hamptons.

So, by the time they get CONCRETE PROOF OF CRIMINAL INTENT, get THE FEDS TO AUTHORIZE THE SHOT, because sure as hell the FAA and USAF ain't letting urban hick trash make that call, scramble a bird and a sharpshooter, intercept, take the shot, take another shot, take a few more shots, the plane will crash in Times Square just as the pilot intended after spraying whatever he was going to spray, and there'll be a few holes in buildings as well.

If I turned that in as a plot outline I'd be laughed at.

Sounds like this hick was talking out of his ass to try to impress the media on a question he really couldn't answer. In the meantime he's just told every dedicated hostile "No, we really don't have any plans, they're screwed." Capital! Bravo!

 But don't worry, because:

"Kelly also told "60 Minutes" that the NYPD has intelligence officers stationed in cities around the world, including Abu Dhabi, Amman, Montreal, Toronto, Singapore and Paris."

And the CIA is okay with this?

OR:

Officials said it is now nearly impossible to walk a block in lower Manhattan without being on surveillance camera.
"Nobody has a system like this," said Jessica Tisch, the NYPD's director of policy and planning for counterterrorism.

That's supposed to make us feel better?  What exactly do these camerae accomplish?  Enable fat donut munchers to watch more crime?