The family of Howard Wasdin, the author of SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper has reached out to share their side of the story.

According to the several members of the Wasdin family the book published by Howard should be classified as fiction instead of non-fiction, because so many of the facts in the book appear to be made up.

The family recently has launched a campaign to clear the reputation of the authors deceased father Leon Wasdin.

“We are extremely dissapointed in Howard’s book” said Ron Wasdin, the brother of Leon Wasdin and the authors uncle. “Howard has lost respect with many people especially from his Mother, sisters and all relatives.”

His Stepfather, Leon, was not abusive. Howard did not weigh 3lbs at birth and he did not come home in a shoebox. He weighed over 5 lbs. He actually wanted Leon to adopt him and he was never forced to take the Wasdin name. He could have changed his name to Wilbanks which is his biological father’s name at any time. Leon provided for his family and treated all his children equally.

If you were to ask any active Seal, their opinion would be that you do not go against the oath and never disclose information about Special Operations. However, we can give credit to him being a Navy Seal, but he should have written about his personal Seal history and left the family alone.

According to family members of Wasdin, many of the other facts in the book were made up and they are willing to stand together as a family to prove it. However the most important thing to the Wasdin family is setting the record straight and clearing the name Leon Wasdin, who was a loving father, husband, and brother.

Description
When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six

SEAL Team Six is a secret unit tasked with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency. In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard Wasdin takes readers deep inside the world of Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)—the toughest and longest military training in the world.

After graduating, Wasdin faced new challenges. First there was combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. Then the Green Course: the selection process to join the legendary SEAL Team Six, with a curriculum that included practiced land warfare to unarmed combat. More than learning how to pick a lock, they learned how to blow the door off its hinges. Finally as a member of SEAL Team Six he graduated from the most storied and challenging sniper program in the country: The Marine’s Scout Sniper School. Eventually, of the 18 snipers in SEAL Team Six, Wasdin became the best—which meant one of the best snipers on the planet.

Less than half a year after sniper school, he was fighting for his life. The mission: capture or kill Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. From rooftops, helicopters and alleys, Wasdin hunted Aidid and killed his men whenever possible. But everything went quickly to hell when his small band of soldiers found themselves fighting for their lives, cut off from help, and desperately trying to rescue downed comrades during a routine mission. The Battle of Mogadishu, as it become known, left 18 American soldiers dead and 73 wounded. Howard Wasdin had both of his legs nearly blown off while engaging the enemy. His dramatic combat tales combined with inside details of becoming one of the world’s deadliest snipers make this one of the most explosive military memoirs in years.

BUY SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper

Reviews:

“SEAL Team Six is a masterful blend of one man’s—Waz-Man’s—journey from hard knocks to hard corps. Even better, Waz-Man and Templin can actually write as good as they can shoot. They capture your attention at every turn—not knowing if you’re about to take a bullet to the head from a SEAL sniper or get hit in the gut with a punch line.”

—Dalton Fury, former Delta Force Commander and New York Times bestselling author of Kill Bin Laden

“Great insights into the training and operations of one of America’s premier counterterrorism units. Grabs you on page one and is hard to put down.”

—General Henry H. Shelton, USA(R), former Commander-In-Chief, U.S. Special Operations Command and 14th Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

“Wasdin is a true warrior and real hero. SEAL Team Six is a must read.”

—Gunnery Sgt. Jack Coughlin, USMC, and bestselling author of Shooter

An Excerpt from SEAL Team Six

Chapter One

Reach Out and Touch Someone

When the U.S. Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six, the navy’s equivalent to the army’s Delta Force—tasked with counterterrorism and counterinsurgency, occasionally working with the CIA. This is the first time a SEAL Team Six sniper’s story has been exposed. My story.

Snipers avoid exposure. Although we prefer to act rather than be acted upon, some forces are beyond our control. We rely on our strengths to exploit the enemy’s vulnerabilities; however, during the war in the Persian Gulf I became vulnerable as the lone person on the fantail of an enemy ship filled with a crew working for Saddam Hussein. On yet another occasion, despite being a master of cover and concealment, I lay naked on an aircraft runway in a Third World country with bullet holes in both legs, the right leg nearly blown off by an AK-47 bullet. Sometimes we must face what we try to avoid.

* * *

In the morning darkness of September 18, 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Casanova and I crept over the ledge of a retaining wall and climbed to the top of a six-story tower. Even at this early hour there were already people moving around. Men, women, and children relieved themselves in the streets. I smelled the morning fires being lit, fueled by dried animal dung and whatever else people could find to burn. The fires heated any food the Somalis had managed to obtain. Warlord Aidid knew fully the power of controlling the food supply. Every time I saw a starving child, I blamed Aidid for his evil power play that facilitated this devastation of life.

The tower we were on was located in the middle of the Pakistani compound. The Pakistanis were professional and treated us with great respect. When it was teatime, the boy in charge of serving always brought us a cup. I had even developed a taste for the fresh goat milk they used in the tea. The sounds and scents of the goatherd in the compound reached my senses as Casanova and I crawled onto the outer lip at the top of the tower. There we lay prone, watching a large garage, a vehicle body shop that had no roof. Surrounding the garage was a city of despair. Somalis trudged along with their heads and shoulders lowered. Helplessness dimmed their faces, and starvation pulled the skin tight across their bones. Because this was a “better” part of town, multilevel buildings stood in fairly good repair. There were concrete block houses instead of the tin and wooden lean-to sheds that dominated most of the city and countryside. Nevertheless, the smell of human waste and death—mixed with hopelessness—filled the air. Yes, hopelessness has a smell. People use the term “developing countries,” but that is bullcrap. What developed in Somalia was things such as hunger and fighting. I think “developing countries” is just a term used to make the people who coined it feel better. No matter what you call them, starvation and war are two of the worst events imaginable.

I calculated the exact distances to certain buildings. There are two primary considerations when making a sniper shot, windage and elevation. Because there was no significant wind that could throw my shot left or right, I didn’t have to compensate for it. Elevation is the variable considered for range/distance to the target. Since most of my potential targets were between 200 yards (garage) and 650 yards (intersection beyond the target garage), I dialed my scope in at 500 yards. This way I could just hold my rifle higher or lower depending on range. When the shooting began, there would be no time to dial in range corrections on my scope between shots.

We started our surveillance at 0600. While we waited for our agent to give us the signal, I played different scenarios over in my mind: one enemy popping out at one location, then another popping up at another location, and so on. I would acquire, aim, and even do a simulated trigger pull, going through my rehearsed breathing and follow-through routine while picturing the actual engagement. Then I simulated reloading and getting back into my Leupold 10-power scope, continuing to scan for more booger-eaters. I had done this dry firing and actual firing thousands of times—wet, dry, muddy, snowbound, from a dug-in hole in the ground, from an urban sniper hide through a partially open window, and nearly every which way imaginable. The words they had drilled into our heads since we began SEAL training were true, “The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you bleed in war.” This particular day, I was charged with making sure none of my Delta Force buddies sprang a leak as I covered their insertion into the garage. My buddies’ not bleeding in war was every bit as important as my not bleeding.

Our target for this mission was Osman Ali Atto—Warlord Aidid’s main financier. Although Casanova and I would’ve been able to recognize the target from our previous surveillance, we were required to have confirmation of his identity from the CIA asset before we gave the launch command.

The irony wasn’t lost on me that we were capturing Atto instead of killing him—despite the fact that he and his boss had killed hundreds of thousands of Somalis. I felt that if we could kill Atto and Aidid, we could stop the fighting, get the food to the people quickly, and go home in one piece.

It wasn’t until around 0815 that our asset finally gave the predetermined signal. He was doing this because the CIA paid him well. I had learned firsthand while working with the CIA how payoffs could sway loyalty.

When we saw the signal, Casanova and I launched the “full package.” Little Bird and Black Hawk helicopters filled the sky. During this time, the Delta operators literally had their butts hanging out—the urban environment provided too much cover, too much concealment, and too many escape routes for the enemy. All a hostile had to do was shoot a few rounds at a helo or Humvee, jump back inside a building, and put his weapon down. Even if he reappeared, he was not considered hostile without a weapon. Things happened fast, and the environment was unforgiving.

Delta Force operators fast-roped down inside the garage, Rangers fast-roped around the garage, and Birds flew overhead with Delta snipers giving the assault force protection. Atto’s people scattered like rats. Soon, enemy militia appeared in the neighborhood shooting up at the helicopters.

Normally, snipers operate in a spotter-sniper relationship. The spotter identifies, ranges the targets, and relays them to the sniper for execution. There would be no time for that on this op—we were engaged in urban warfare. In this environment, an enemy could appear from anywhere. Even worse, the enemy dressed the same as a civilian. We had to wait and see his intention. Even if he appeared with a gun, there was a chance he was part of a clan on our side. We had to wait until the person pointed the weapon in the direction of our guys. Then we would ensure the enemy ceased to exist.

There would be no time for makeup or second shots. Both Casanova and I wielded .300 Win Mag sniper rifles.

Through my Leupold 10-power scope, I saw a militiaman 500 yards away firing through an open window at the helos. I made a mental note to keep my heart rate down and centered the crosshairs on him as my muscle memory took over—stock firmly into the shoulder, cheek positioned behind the scope, eye focused on the center of the crosshairs rather than the enemy, and steady trigger squeezing (even though it was only a light, 2-pound pull). I felt the gratifying recoil of my rifle. The round hit him in the side of the chest, entering his left and exiting his right. He convulsed and buckled, falling backward into the building—permanently. I quickly got back into my scope and scanned. Game on now. All other thoughts departed my mind. I was at one with my Win Mag, scanning my sector. Casanova scanned his sector, too.

Another militiaman carrying an AK-47 came out a fire escape door on the side of a building 300 yards away from me and aimed his rifle at the Delta operators assaulting the garage. From his position, I’m sure he thought he was safe from the assaulters, and he probably was. He was not safe from me—300 yards wasn’t even a challenge. I shot him through his left side, and the round exited his right. He slumped down onto the fire escape landing, never knowing what hit him. His AK-47 lay silent next to him. Someone tried to reach out and retrieve the weapon—one round from my Win Mag put a stop to that. Each time I made a shot, I immediately forgot about that target and scanned for another.

Chaos erupted inside and outside of the garage. People ran everywhere. Little Birds and Black Hawks filled the skies with deafening rotor blasts. I was in my own little world, though. Nothing existed outside my scope and my mission. Let the Unit guys handle their business in the garage. My business was reaching out and touching the enemy.

This wasn’t the first time I’d killed for my country. It wouldn’t be the last.

A few minutes passed as I continued scanning. More than 800 yards away, a guy popped up with an RPG launcher on his shoulder, preparing to fire at the helicopters. If I took him out, it would be the longest killing shot of my career. If I failed…

Copyright © 2011 by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin

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When was the Taser Shockwave introduced?

The TASER® Shockwave™ the first generation of new TASER Remote Area Denial (TRAD™) technology became available on March 30, 200

How is the Taser Shockwave system used?

The TASER Shockwave is designed as a fully modular system, allowing complete flexibility to achieve the desired objective. Multiple TASER Shockwave units can be stacked together horizontally to extend area coverage or vertically to allow multiple salvo engagements, or daisy chained together to maximize area coverage and pattern.

What are the benefits of the Taser Shockwave System?

The TASER Shockwave system minimizes risk as the system can be activated with the push of a button on the Control Box at a safe stand-off distance of up to 100 meters. The TASER Shockwave unit deploys its cartridges up to 25-feet, to instantaneously incapacitate multiple personnel within the field of deployment coverage.

In what situations would the Taser Shockwave system be used
The TASER Shockwave device has the ability to de-escalate/defuse violent crowd/riot situations with the only safer response to resistance Area Denial incapacitating ECD, by deploying multiple TASER cartridges that are oriented across a wide area arc.

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• Intelligent Networking System
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(CNNMoney) Wal-Mart’s core shoppers are running out of money much faster than a year ago due to rising gasoline prices, and the retail giant is worried, CEO Mike Duke said Wednesday.

“We’re seeing core consumers under a lot of pressure,” Duke said at an event in New York. “There’s no doubt that rising fuel prices are having an impact.”

Wal-Mart shoppers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, typically shop in bulk at the beginning of the month when their paychecks come in.

Lately, they’re “running out of money” at a faster clip, he said.

“Purchases are really dropping off by the end of the month even more than last year,” Duke said. “This end-of-month [purchases] cycle is growing to be a concern.

Wal-Mart brings guns back

Wal-Mart, which averages 140 million shoppers weekly to its stores in the United States, is considered a barometer of the health of the consumer and the economy.

To that end, Duke said he’s not seeing signs of a recovery yet.

Other than competing on prices and products, Duke said Wal-Mart is focused on leveraging technology — especially social networking — more aggressively to drive sales.

“Social networking is much more a part of the purchasing decision,” he said. “Consumers are communicating with each other on Facebook about how they spend their money and what they’re buying.”

Elsewhere, Duke said Wal-Mart is exploring a number of e-commerce initiatives to grow the business such as testing an online groceries delivery business in San Jose.

With food prices rising, Duke said Wal-Mart is charging customers more for some fresh groceries while reducing prices on other merchandise such as electronics.

Wal-Mart has struggled with seven straight quarters of sales declines in its stores.

Addressing that challenge, Duke said the company made mistakes by shrinking product variety and not being more aggressive on prices compared to its competitors.

“What’s made Wal-Mart great over the decades is ‘every day low prices’ and our [product] assortment,” he said. “We got away from it.”

Now, with its strategy of low prices all the time back in place, Duke said making Wal-Mart a “one-stop shopping stop” is a critical response to dealing with the rising price of fuel.

Americans don’t have the luxury of driving all over town to do their shopping.

News media outlets have been hyping the fact that radiation from the Japan reactors could reach the U.S. Their claims are based in truth however they provide no measurable facts. No numbers, no baseline radiation, no data of any kind, in other words, they are making people halfway around the world scared to go outside.

While nuclear radiation is nothing to take lightly, there are some way to measure the levels and determine if there are actually any facts or not.

How To Monitor Real Time U.S. Radiation Levels Online

Real-time monitoring networks such as Black Cat System’s Online US Ionizing Radiation Map and Radiation Network’s Real Time Radiation Monitoring Map offer maps that can give you peace of mind in emergencies like we’ve seen in Japan’s nuclear reactor meltdown.

These maps are just to give you a basic idea of the environment in the U.S. if you really want to invest in radiation monitoring in case of a disaster, dirty bomb attack, or full scale nuclear war, then you need to buy some basic equipment that is available online.

DON’T Take Potassium Iodide Unless You Are Exposed to Radiation

Don’t take Potassium Iodide unless and until elevated radiation levels hit your area.

Because of the fear that the radiation from the Japanese nuclear meltdowns will hit the Western United states, Potassium Iodide has sold out in most health food and supplement stores in many California, Oregon, and Washington locations.

People know that it’s good to take potassium iodide to protect against radiation, to help protect against thyroid cancer (potassium iodide does not protect any other organs).

But taking Potassium Iodide when there is no radiation can actually damage the thyroid gland.

Whatever you do, don’t take more than the recommended dosage. The Centers for Disease Control and the FDA recommend:

130 milligrams for adults

65 milligrams for children

Take every 24 hours. Because KI contains so much stable iodine, the thyroid gland becomes “full” and cannot absorb any more iodine—either stable or radioactive—for the next 24 hours. So when you take Potassium Iodide you prevent your body from absorbing the radiated KI

Water Storage Myth #1

You should always treat your water first and then store it

Water Storage Fact: If you use regular tap water, it’s already treated. There’s no need to add any additional chemicals to it when it’s just going to be sitting in a container. If your water needs treatment, do so at the point of using it, not prior to storing it.

Water Storage Myth #2

Don’t store your water barrels on cement

Water Storage Fact: There’s a component missing to this myth. The key is not to store your water barrels on HEATED cement. To store your water in your basement on the cement floor is just fine. There’s no need to make your barrels less stable by putting them on 2 x 4s. Cement only leaches chemicals when it gets hot. If you’re going to store your water in your garage, where the sun heats up the connecting driveway cement, then yes, I’d consider raising your barrels up on floor boards.

Water Storage Myth #3

Stored water always tastes bad

Water Storage Fact: Stored water is merely lacking oxygen. You can get it back to tasting great simply by stirring it up or pouring it back and forth a couple of times between a couple of pitchers, or glasses. This will infuse oxygen back into your water.

Water Storage Myth #4

I’ve got a swimming pool for water storage, so I don’t need to store more

Water Storage Fact: One who has this opinion is taking a big risk. Presuming that no animal waste, nuclear waste, or other bacterial, microbial, or biological contamination will enter the pool water, you still have many things to worry about. Also, if there is a water shortage in your area, and your big pool is out there for all of the desperate folks to see, you’re simply begging for some dangerous self-defense scenarios. You might as well leave your car doors unlocked with your wallet on the front seat. In the event of a real emergency, I would ALWAYS recommend that families store water as well as presuming that their pool water supply will be available, thus preventing it from outdoor contaminates and ensuring that you have water to survive in the event of all possible scenarios.

Water Storage Myth #5

I can use iodine tablets and drink water from the river

Water Storage Fact: You and everybody else. Just how long do you think that river supply is going to be available to you and your family? How useful will that river supply be to you in the event of a flood? Iodine tables don’t do too well with cleaning out home and body parts. How much vital physical energy will it take you to fetch enough water for you and your family to survive long term? People who have this attitude sure are taking a huge gamble. Remember that conserving your own physical energy should be your first priority in an emergency.

So purposefully putting yourself in a situation in which you need to work hard for water is short-sighted. Also, you’re assuming that your iodine tablets will take care of whatever is in the outdoor water, regardless of what it’s been exposed to. (See previous myth/fact example) If you have water stored in quality containers in your home, you can save your physical energy for other more important tasks, and you will ensure that your water supply is protected and is YOURS. Not only that, but chemical treatment of water is not the safest. Heating your water, such as boiling it, is by far the safest method of treating your water.

You’re also assuming that you won’t be quarantined and that the streets will be safe to travel.

Water Storage Myth #6

You must boil water for 10 minutes in order for it to be safe.

Water Storage Fact: Actually, you do not need to boil your water. Boiling the water is actually a waste of precious fuel. Water boils at 212 degrees. However, getting your water to a heat of 160 degrees for 30 minutes will kill all pathogens, and 185 degrees at for only 3 minutes. This is true even at a high altitude. (Note that my preferred way of heating water is in a solar oven. No fuel waste!)

Water Storage Myth #7

You only need 2 weeks worth of water for your family.

Water Storage Fact: Two weeks is only enough to get you from one point to another. Long-term survival will require a year’s supply of water. The magnitude of a disaster which would create a long-term water shortage, would also require 3.5 years of repairs in order for you to have the kind of water access you are accustomed to now. So really, a one year supply of water is still a minimalistic “get-us-through-until-we-can-find-a-good-well-or-other-water-supply” kind of storage. And besides, if you’re not storing a year’s supply of water, no one else is. So now let’s compound your problem exponentially in your community and discover just how fast the “native get restless.”

Water Storage Myth #8

I don’t need to drink a gallon of water a day!

Water Storage Fact: The recommend amount of one gallon per person, per day is not just for drinking. It’s for bathing, (as hygiene is critical), sanitation (you gotta manually flush your stuff in an emergency, folks), medical (some instances require more drinking water than others), cooking, and cleaning. Next time you think one gallon of water a day sounds like a lot, measure how much water you put in the pot when you boil water, wash your dishes, or wash your clothes. It’s a LOT more than you think!

Also, your kidneys process the equivalent of 400-500 gallons of water per DAY! If you don’t feed your body new water, then the old water ends up looking like nasty oil in a car that hasn’t been changed in 10,000 miles. When times are tough, you don’t want to try and use that kidney of yours as a commercial slime filter, do you?

Water Storage Myth #9

Food is more important than water

Water Storage Fact: Nope. You can go several days without food. You cannot live without water for longer than ONE day without seriously beginning to tax your body. It only goes downhill from there. Without water, your muscles lose their elasticity, your organs shut down, and your senses are dulled. None of these are situations you want to occur during an emergency.

Water Storage Myth #10

I don’t need water, I’ve got a year’s supply of Gatorade

Water Storage Fact: Liquid intake is not the same as water intake. The moment you add ANYTHING to your water, your body no longer takes it in as water. It has to process it, filter it, and THEN use what water is left in the liquid before it benefits from it. If your body has to work hard to process the liquids it takes in, it’s using more vital energy. In a perfect world, your water drink for refreshment would consist of distilled water, as that’s what you body can use the most readily.

Water Storage Myth #11

I’ve got 2-liter bottles, old milk jugs, and juice bottles full of water that is enough.

Water Storage Fact: Ok. This is better than nothing. But if it’s water than you intend on saving your life, I would definitely consider more sturdy and durable containers. In my opinion, even the water that is sold in the stores is insufficiently packaged for long-term storage in most cases. The plastic is too vulnerable for rugged use and access. I also don’t advise storing drinking water in used containers. And whatever you do, stop storing water in the old milk jugs. Those are the WORST in terms of chemical leaking and plastic breakdown.

Water Storage Myth #12

I’ve got ten 55 gallon drums full of water. I’m set.

Water Storage Fact: It’s great that you’ve got that much water. However, consider also having some water that’s more portable as well. It will make your life physically easier in surviving a long-term emergency situation. And by all means, make sure you’ve got the hardware necessary to get your water out of those big drums such as a hand pump, wrench, etc.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop. All rights reserved. You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop

What started out as anti-government protests in Egypt turned into a full scale revolution. The ruling class realized that the opposition leaders were using the internet, social media, and cell phones to co-ordinate their efforts. In an attempt to sever communications and cut the head off of the rebellion the government shut down everything.

First social networking sites like twitter and Facebook were taken offline. Followed by Google and then the entire internet. Not long after that even cell phone networks went down and eventually land lines were shut off too. There were still a hand full of people in the center of the Egyptian revolution who were able to communicate with others and spread information.

Even if you’re not caught in the middle of a peoples revolution there are still many times when there will be no internet or working cell phones. Here are some ways you can still communicate when modern methods go dark.

Walkie Talkie

The Motorola Talkabout MR350, with its range of up to 35 miles and bundle of great features, is a great communication tool for the serious outdoor enthusiast.

Lightweight and rugged, the extra large buttons to help you operate even with gloves on. The MR350 includes an emergency alert feature, to inform others should any dangers come your way.

The MR350 also features a built-in LED flashlight for peace of mind during evening adventures or unexpected emergencies and power outages. Weather alerts will provide your group with warnings of incoming storms or dangerous conditions.

This radio also features the VibraCall silent vibrating ringer, which is useful for locations where ringing can be intrusive or background noise would drown out your ring tone.

Radio Scanner

The Uniden BC72XLT handheld scanner offers a simple way to monitor “action” bands, including police and fire channels, NOAA weather transmissions, business and industrial radio broadcasts, utilities, marine and amateur (ham radio) bands, air bands, and more.

This scanner keeps interested parties in the information loop. Of course, scanning the 32,000 available frequencies can be time-consuming and frustrating, which is why Uniden added such functions as Close Call capture technology, which instantly tunes to signals from nearby transmitters to help you detect and identify local signals, and a memory that holds up to 100 programmed channels.

Should you want to regularly monitor a few specific channels, you can designate them as “priority” channels. The BC72XLT will then check those channels every two seconds while it scans each bank, so you never miss an important transmission.

The scanner comes with a flexible antenna with a BNC connector, ensuring adequate reception in strong signal areas (a separately sold external antenna will further improve reception), along with an AC adapter. As an alternative, you can power the scanner using two AA alkaline or rechargeable batteries (the latter can even be recharged while in the scanner).

CB Radio

Cobra is giving professional drivers one more way to communicate safely and easily with the first-ever CB radio with Bluetooth technology – the New Cobra 29 LTD BT. The Bluetooth feature allows drivers a better way to have phone conversations on the road because calls from a mobile phone are synched with the CB radio. A noise canceling microphone allows calls to be heard loud and clear, even over a noisy engine. Incoming audio is routed through the radio’s 5-Watt CB speaker making it easy for the driver to hear the caller. The unit also provides one-touch Bluetooth operation, giving drivers the ability to stay focused on the road by answering and terminating calls with the push of one button. An auto-redial feature also allows for one-touch redialing of the last number called.

The new unit offers 4 Watts AM RF power output, the maximum amount of power allowed by law; Talk Back controls allowing drivers to adjust the desired amount of modulation talk back; a Blue Channel indicator displaying channel selection in cool blue illumination; and Delta Tune which is used to clarify incoming signals. The 29 LTD BT is redefining the CB radio!

Emergency Radio

When there is no power how will you get updated news and information? In the case of the Etón MICROLINK you can turn the crank to power it up or harness the power of the sun. Listen to AM or FM radio for important updates, use the built-in flashlight to find your way around in the dark. You can also charge up your cell phone with the built-in USB port.

The Etón American Red Cross ARCFR160R Microlink Self-Powered AM/FM/NOAA Weather Radio with Flashlight, Solar Power and Cell Phone Charger (Red)American Red Cross MICROLINK FR160 by Etón does more than keep you connected. It is a multifunctional, ultra-compact companion ready for any preparedness kit.

It has a high-quality AM/FM tuner, providing you with news, entertainment and public service announcements. Not only that, but it also integrates a NOAA Weather Band receiver that brings you weather forecasts, alerts and other emergency messages–information vital during severe weather conditions.

Only 5.25 inches, the Red Cross MICROLINK FR160 literally fits in the palm of your hand. It also includes a powerful solar panel, which gives you the freedom to explore without the hassle of batteries or adapters. If that wasn’t enough, there is also an added full sized USB port to easily charge any small electrical device such as an mp3 player or cell phone. You’ll always know what’s going on, thanks to the AM, FM and NOAA Weather Band tuners.

High Power Megaphone

If all else fails you can always stand outside and yell, but whats better than yelling at the top of your lungs, is projecting your voicing up to a mile away with the high powered Pyle-Pro PMP50 Dynamic Megaphone.

Amplify your voice cord-free and with clarity with this lightweight device. This megaphone also includes a siren sound and handheld microphone.

Powerfull Piezo Driver And Large Bell Diameter For Projection Range Up To One Mile

Used By Used By U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force And Marines Teacher Coaches Cheerleeders Schools – 2 Modes

Talk And Siren – For indoor/outdoor use

Variable volume control – Eronomic Pistol Grip And Light Weight Chasis – Powered By 8 x C batteries, not included

Millions in fake currency

(MSN Money)There’s no shortage of cash circulating throughout the economy, about $824 billion, according to a University of Wisconsin study.

But a good chunk of that cash — $64 million based on one estimate — may not be on the up and up.

Counterfeit currency is a problem that just won’t go away, despite the increased use of credit and debit cards, and e-payment technologies. Whether it’s a street hustler passing off bogus $10 bills or professional counterfeiters dealing in heavy doses of $50 and $100 bills, fake currency has the full attention of the U.S. Treasury, FBI and the Secret Service.

But, as the Secret Service points out, the American public has a significant role to play in uncovering counterfeit currency. Small-business owners and retail cashiers should be trained to examine and identify phony bills — but the truth is that anyone can learn to spot a piece of counterfeit cash.

Here are some tips on how to get a handle on bogus bills:

#1 Light it up

The Secret Service advises taking a questionable bill and holding it up under bright lighting. If it’s a good bill, you’ll see a hologram on the face-up side of the bill. Ideally, both of the images should match up perfectly. Under the same light, you should notice a thin vertical strip with text that spells out the currency’s denomination. In the photo, a genuine $100 bill is held above a counterfeit.

#2 Look for changes in color

The U.S. Treasury offers this tip. Take any bill other than the $5 note and move it back and forth (ideally tilting it as you do so). You should notice a number in the lower right-hand corner. If the bill’s good, the number’s color will shift from green to black and back again.

3 Use Ultraviolet Light

An easy way to tell if a bill is authentic is to hold it up to ultraviolet light. Here’s what to look for:

$5 bills glow blue

$10 bills glow orange

$20 bills glow green

$50 bills glow yellow

$100 bills glow red

If the bill doesn’t appear as described above, then you’ve got a bogus bill on your hands.

#4 Crunch the numbers

An authentic bill has serial numbers that are cleanly spaced and printed in the same color ink as the Treasury Seal. With a fake piece of currency, the numbers may not seem so evenly spaced and may have a color different from the Treasury Seal’s.

What to do when you find counterfeit money?

The U.S. Treasury has some direct advice if you encounter a phony bill.

1. Keep the bill in your possession, but get a good description of who gave it to you and where.

2. Write down the license or any other available identification number of the passer of the bill, if possible.

3. Contact either the police department or the Secret Service.

4. Place the counterfeit bill in a safe packet or envelope.

5. Do not actively accuse or engage the bill passer. Leave that to the authorities.

If you own your own business, or handle cash as part of your job, it’s a smart move to buy an ultraviolet light or counterfeit detection devices. Most business supply stores carry them or you can buy them online.

Handling counterfeit cash isn’t a game. If you suspect a bad bill is on your possession, take account of the person who gave it to you and call the authorities.

More information about counterfeit money is posted on the U.S. Secret Services Website.

First part in the 5 Part series “100 Things You Should Know About Communism.” Prepared and released by the Committee On Un-American Activities, U.S. House of Representatives. Washington D.C, Aug 15, 1949

View the original document here.

100 Things You Should Know About Communism in the U.S.A.

1 . What is Communism?

A system by which one small group seeks to rule the world.

2. Has any nation ever gone Communist in a free election?

No.

3 . Then how do the Communists try to get control?

Legally or illegally, any way they can . Communism’s first big victory was through bloody revolution. Every one since has been by military conquest, or internal corruption, or the threat of these . CONSPIRACY is the basic method of Communism in countries it is trying to capture.

IRON FORCE is the basic method of Communism in countries it has already captured.

4. What would happen if Communism should come into power in this country?

Our capital would move from Washington to Moscow. Every man, woman, and child would come under Communist discipline.

5. Would I be better off than I am now?

No. And the next 17 answers show why.

6. Could I belong to a union?

Under Communism, all labor unions are run by the Government and the Communists run the Government . Unions couldn’t help you get higher pay, shorter hours or better working conditions.

They would only be used by the Communists to help keep you down. More complete details are given in ONE HUNDRED THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COMMUNISM AND LABOR.

7. Could I change my job?

No, you would work where you are told, at what you are told, for wages fixed by the Government.

8. Could I go to school?

You could go to the kind of school the Communists tell you to, AND NOWHERE ELSE. You could go as long as they let you AND NO LONGER.

You could read ONLY what the Communists let you; hear only what they let you, and as far as they could manage, you would KNOW only what they let you. For details, see ONE HUNDRED THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COMMUNISM AND EDUCATION.

9. Could I belong to the Elks, Rotary, or the American Legion?

No. William Z. Foster, the head of the Communists in the United States, says Under the dictatorship all the capitalist parties-Republican, Democratic, Progressive, Socialist, etc . – will be liquidated, the Communist Party functioning alone as the Party of the toiling masses .

Likewise will be dissolved, all other organizations that are political props of the bourgeois rule, including chambers of commerce, employers’ associations, Rotary Clubs, American Legion, YMCA, and such fraternal orders as the Masons, Odd Fellows, Elks, Knights of Columbus, etc.

10. Could I own my own farm?

No. Under Communism, the land is the property of the Government, and the Government is run by the Communists. You would farm the land under orders and you could not make any decisions as to when or where you would sell the produce of your work, or for how much .

11 . Could I own my own home?

No. Under Communism, all real estate in the city as well as the country belongs to the government, which is in turn run by the Communists. Your living quarters would be assigned to you, and you would pay rent as ordered.

12. What would happen to my insurance?

The Communists would take it over.

13. What would happen to my bank account?

All above a small sum would be confiscated . The rest would be controlled for you.

14. Could I leave any property to my family when I die?

No, because you wouldn’t have any to leave.

15. Could I travel around the country as I please?

No. You would have to get police permission for every move you make, if you could get it.

16. Could I belong to a church?

In Russia, the Communists have for thirty years tried every way they could to destroy religion. Having failed that, they are now trying to USE religion from the inside and the same Party strategy is now operating in the United States of America.

See ONE HUNDRED THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COMMUNISM AND RELIGION.

17. Could I start up a business and hire people to work for me?

To do so would be a crime for which you would be severely punished.

18. Could I teach what I please with “academic freedom”?

You would teach only what the Communists authorize you to teach .You would be asking for jail or death to try anything else.

19. Could I do scientific research free of governmental interference and restrictions?

Police and spies would watch your every move. You would be liquidated on the slightest suspicion of doing ANYTHING contrary to orders.

20. Could I have friends of my own choice as I do now?

No, except those approved by the Communists in charge of your life from cradle to grave.

21 . Could I travel abroad or marry a foreigner?

You could do nothing of that sort except with permission of the Communists.

22. Could I exchange letters with friends in other countries?

With the police reading your mail, you could try-once.

23. Could I vote the Communists out o f control?

No. See ONE HUNDRED THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COMMUNISM AND GOVERNMENT, showing the facts of Communist government in other countries and the facts of Communism at work within OUR OWN government .

24. But doesn’t Communism promise poor people a better life?

Communist politicians all over the world try in every way to break down nations as they are, hoping that in the confusion they will be able to seize control. Promising more than you can deliver is an old trick in the history of the human race. Compare Communism’s promises with Communism’s performances in countries where it has come to power .

25. What are some differences between Communist promise and Communist performance?

When it is agitating for power, Communism promises more money for less work and security against war and poverty . In practice, it has not delivered any of this, anywhere in the world.

26. But don’t the Communists promise an end to racial and religious intolerance?

Yes, but in practice they have murdered millions for being religious and for belonging to a particular class . Your race would be no help to you under Communism. Your beliefs could get you killed .

27. Why shouldn’t I turn Communist?

You know what the United States is like today . If you want it exactly the opposite, you should turn Communist. But before you do, remember you will lose your independence, your property, and your freedom of mind. You will gain only a risky membership in a conspiracy which is ruthless, godless, and crushing upon all except a very few at the top.

28. How many Communists are there in the world?

There are 20,000,000 Communists, more or less, in a world of 2,295,125,000 people. In other words, about one person in 115 is a Communist, on a world basis.

29. How many people are now ruled by Communism?

About 200,000,000 directly ; 200,000,000 more indirectly, and an additional 250,000,000 are under daily Communist pressure to surrender.

30. Which countries are Communist controlled or governed?

Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Yugoslavia . Important regions of Austria, Germany, Korea, Mongolia and Manchuria. Communism is concentrating now on immediate capture of Afghanistan, China, France, Greece, Latin America, Iran and Palestine .

It has plans to seize every other country including the United States .

31 . How many Communists are there in the United States?

There are approximately 8o,ooo out of a population of 1145,34 0,000 people. J. Edgar Hoover has testified that “in 1917 when the Communists overthrew the Russian Government there was one Communist for every 2,277 persons in Russia . In the United States today there is one Communist for every 1,814 persons in the country.”

32. Why aren’t there more?

Because the Communist Party does not rely upon actual Party membership for its strength . J. Edgar Hoover testified :

“What is important is the claim of the Communists themselves that for every Party member there are ten others ready, willing, and able to do the Party’s work. Herein lies the greatest menace of Communism . “For these are the people who infiltrate and corrupt various spheres of American life . So rather than the size of the Communist Party the way to weigh its true importance is by testing its influence, its ability to infiltrate .”

33. How are they organized?

Primarily around something they call a political party, behind which they operate a carefully trained force of spies, revolutionaries, and conspirators.

The basic fact to remember is that Communism is a world revolutionary movement and Communists are disciplined agents, operating under a plan of war.

34. Where are their headquarters in the United States, and who is in charge?

Headquarters are at 35 East Twelfth Street, New York City . William Z. Foster, of 1040 Melton Avenue, New York City, has the title of “Chairman of the Communist Party of the United States,” but Foster is actually just a figurehead under control of foreign operatives unseen by and unknown to rank and file Communists.

35. What is the emblem of the Communist Party in the United States?

The hammer and sickle.

36. What is the emblem of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union?

The hammer and sickle . It is also the official emblem of the Soviet Government .

37. What is the flag of the Communist Party in the United States?

The red flag, the same as that of all Communist Parties of the world .

38. What is the official song of the Communist Party of the United States?

The Internationale. Here is the Chorus:

‘Tis the final conflict,
Let each stand in his place ;
The International Soviet shall be the human race.

39. Do the Communists pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States?

The present head of the Communists in the United States has testified under oath that they DO NOT.

40. What is the Communist Party set-up?

At the bottom level are “shop and street units” composed of three or more Communists in a single factory, office, or neighborhood. Next is the section which includes all units in a given area of a city.

Then come districts, composed of one or more States . At the top is the national organization, composed of a national committee and a number of commissions.

In the appendix of this pamphlet.you will find listed the officers and address for each district of the Communist Party in the United States .

41. Who can become a member of the Communist Party of the United States?

Anybody over 17 years of age who can convince the Party that his first loyalty will be to the Soviet Union and that he is able to do the Party’s work as a Soviet agent .

He must be an active member of a Party unit . He must obey ALL Party decisions . He must read the Party literature . He must pay dues regularly.

42. How do you go about joining the Party?

You must know some member in good standing who will vouch for you to his Party unit. Your acceptance still depends on the verdict of Party officials that you WILL AND CAN obey orders .

43 . Can you be a secret member?

All Communists are secret members until authorized by the Party to reveal their connection . Party membership records are kept in code. Communists have a real name and a “Party name.”

44. Are meetings public like those of ordinary political parties?

No, meetings are secret and at secret addresses. Records are all secret and in code . Public demonstrations are held at regular periods .

45. What dues do you have to pay?

They are adjusted according to income. They may range from as low as 2 cents a week to $15 a week with special assessments in addition .

46. What do you have to promise?

To carry out Communist Party orders promptly . To submit without question to Party decisions and discipline . To work for “The triumph of Soviet power in the United States .”

47. After you join, what do you have to do?

You have to obey the Party in all things . It may tell you to change your home, your job, your husband, or wife . It may order you to lie, steal, rob, or to go out into the street and fight .

It claims the power to tell you what to think and what to do every day of your life .

When you become a Communist, you become a revolutionary agent under a discipline more strict than the United States Army, Navy, Marines, or Air Force have ever known .

48. Why do people become Communists then?

Basically, because they seek power and recognize the opportunities that Communism offers the unscrupulous .

But no matter why a particular person becomes a Communist, every member of the Party must be regarded the same way, as one seeking to overthrow the Government of the United States .

49. What kind of people become Communists?

The real center of power in Communism is within the professional classes. Of course, a few poor people respond to the Communist claim that it is a “working class movement .” But taken as a whole the Party depends for its strength on the support it gets from teachers, preachers, actors, writers, union officials, doctors, lawyers, editors, businessmen, and even from millionaires.

50. Can you quit being a Communist when you want to?

The Communists regard themselves as being in a state of actual war against life as the majority of Americans want it .

Therefore, Party members who quit or fail to obey orders are looked on as traitors to the “class war” and they may expect to suffer accordingly when and as the Party gets around to them.

51 . How does the Communist Party o f the United States work, day by day?

The Communist Party of the United States works inside the law and the Constitution, and outside the law and the Constitution with intent to get control any way it can .

52. What are some types of Communist activities within the law?

Working their way into key positions in the schools, the churches, the labor unions, and farm organizations . Inserting Communist propaganda into art, literature, and entertainment . Nominating or seeking control of candidates for public office. The immediate objective
of the Communist Party is to confuse and divide the majority so that in a time of chaos they can seize control .

53. What are some types o f Communist activities outside the law?

Spying, sabotage, passport fraud, perjury, counterfeiting, rioting, disloyalty in the Army, Navy and Air Force.

54. What are some official newspapers or magazines of the Communist Party?

Daily and Sunday Worker, 5o East Thirteenth Street, New York City; Morning Freiheit, 50 East Thirteenth Street, New York City;

Daily Peoples World, 59o Folsom Street, San Francisco, Calif .;

Masses and Mainstream, 832 Broadway, New York City ;

Political Affairs, 832 Broadway, New York City. There are also numerous foreign language publications.

55. Does the Party also publish books and pamphlets?

Yes, thousands of them, through such official publishing houses as :

International Publishers, 381 Fourth Street, New York City ;

Workers Library Publishers, 832 Broadway, New York City ; New Century
Publishers, 832 Broadway, New York City.

56. Does the Party have public speakers and press agents?

Hundreds of them, paid and unpaid, public and secret, hired and volunteered, intentional and unintentional. Publicity seeking is one of the Party’s principal “legal” occupations, intended to confuse people on all important issues of the day .

57. How does the Party get the money for all this?

At first it received money from Moscow but now it raises millions of dollars here in the United’ States through dues, foundations, endowments, special drives, and appeals.

58. Do only Communists carry out Communist work?

No. The Party uses what it calls “Fellow Travelers” and “Front Organizations” in some of its most effective work .

59. What is a fellow traveler?

One who sympathizes with the Party’s aims and serves the Party’s purposes in one or more respects without actually holding a Party card.

60. Is he important in the Communist movement?

Vital. The fellow traveler is the HOOK with which the Party reaches out for funds and respectability and the WEDGE that it drives between people who try to move against it .

61 . What is a Communist front?

An organization created or captured by the Communists – to do the Party’s work in special fields . The front organization is Communism’s greatest weapon in this country today and takes it places it could never go otherwise-among people who would never willingly act as Party agents.

It is usually found hiding among groups devoted to idealistic activities. Here are 10 examples out of hundreds of Communist fronts which have been exposed :

1. American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born .

2. American Slav Congress.

3. American Youth for Democracy .

4. Civil Rights Congress.

5. Congress of American Women .

6. Council for Pan-American Democracy .

7. International Workers Order .

8. National Committee to Win the Peace .

9. People’s Institute of Applied Religion.

10. League of American Writers.

62. How can a Communist be identified?

It is easy. Ask him to name ten things wrong with the United States. Then ask him to name two things wrong with Russia. His answers will show him-up even to a child . Communists will denounce the President of the United States but they will never denounce Stalin .

63. How can a fellow traveler be identified?

Apply the same test as above and watch him defend Communists and Communism.

64. How can a Communist front be identified?

If you are ever in doubt, write the House Committee on Un-American Activities, Room 226, House Office Building, Washington 25, D. C.

65. What do Communists call those who criticize them?

“Red baiters,” “witch hunters,” “Fascists .” These are just three out of a tremendous stock of abusive labels Communists attempt to smear on anybody who challenges them .

66. How do they smear labor opposition?

As “scabs,” “finks,” “company stooges,” and “labor spies .”

67. How do they smear public officials?

As “reactionaries,” “Wall Street tools,” “Hitlerites,” and “imperialists.”

68. What is their favorite escape when challenged on a point of fact?

To accuse you of “dragging in a red herring,” a distortion of an old folk saying that originally described the way to throw hounds off the track of a hot trail .

69. What is the difference in fact between a Communist and a Fascist?

None worth noticing.

70. How do Communists get control of organizations in which the majority are not Communists?

They work . Others won’t .
They come early and stay late . Others don’t.
They know how to run a meeting . Others don’t .
They demand the floor . Others won’t .
They do not hesitate to use physical violence or ANY form of persecution. They stay organized and prepared in advance of each meeting. The thing to remember is that Communists are trained
agents under rigid discipline, but they can always be defeated by the facts.

71 . When was the Communist Party o f the United States organized, and where?

September 1919, at Chicago.

72. Has it always been called by its present name?

No. Here are the recorded, official name changes :

1919-Communist Party of America, and the Communist Labor Party of America .
1921-The above parties merged into the United Communist Party of America.
1922-The Communist Party of America and the Workers Party of America.
1925-The above merged into one organization known as Workers (Communist) Party of America.
1928-Communist Party of the United States .
1944-Communist Political Association .
1945-to present -Communist Party of the United States of America .

73. Why has it changed its name so often?

To serve Moscow and evade the law of the United States .

74. Why isn’t the Communist Party a political party just like the Democratic and Republican parties?

Because it takes its orders from Moscow .

75. Are the Communists agents of a foreign power?

Yes. For full details write the Committee on Un-American Activities, Room 226, House Office Building, Washington 25, D . C., for House Report No. tog, entitled The Communist Party of the United States as an Agent of a Foreign Power .

76. Where can a Communist be found in everyday American life?

Look for him in your school, your labor union, your church, or your civic club . Communists themselves say that they can be found “on almost any conceivable battlefront for the human mind.”

77. What States have barred the Communist Party from the ballot?

Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Tennessee, and Wisconsin.)

‘This list was compiled as of January 1948 .

78. How does Communism expect to get power over the United States if it cannot win elections?

The Communists only compete for votes to cover their fifth-column work behind a cloak of legality.

They expect to get power by ANY means, just so they get it .

The examples of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and other countries in Europe show just how many methods Communism applies . In each country different details-in all the same result.

79. Why don’t Communists over here go to Russia if they like that system so much?

They are on duty here to take over this country . They couldn’t go to Russia even if they wanted to, except on orders from Moscow .

80. Which Communists get such orders?

High Party officials and special agents who are to be trained in spying, sabotage, and detailed planning for capture of this country .

81 . Where are they trained in Moscow?

The Lenin Institute, a college in revolution which teaches how to capture railroads, ships, radio stations, banks, telephone exchanges,newspapers, waterworks, power plants, and such things.

82. Does Stalin let American Communists in to see him?

Yes. Earl Browder and William Z. Foster, the two heads of the Party for the last 2o years, have both admitted under oath that they conferred with Stalin. The records show that Browder, for instance, made 115 known trips to Moscow, several with false passports .

83. Are American Communists used in the Soviet Secret Service?

Yes, here are the names of a few such agents proved on the public records :

Nicholas Dozenberg, George Mink, Philip Aronberg, Charles Dirba, Pascal Cosgrove, J . Mindel, Alexander Trachtenberg, Julia Stuart Poyntz, Jack Johnstone, Charles Krumbein, and Albert Feirabend .

84. What central organization controls all the Communist Parties of the world?

An organization originally set up in Moscow by the Government of Russia, and known as the “Communist International” called Comintern for short . It has since changed its name to “Communist Information Bureau” and is known as the Comin form.

85. Who is the most important Communist in the United States today?

The Coming form representative.

86. Why is he here?

To see that American Communists follow the orders of the Sovietdirected Coming form in all things .

87. Do they?

Yes.

88. Has any representative of this central organization ever been caught?

Yes. For example, over a period of 12 years one Gerhart Eisler, alias Brown, alias Edwards, alias Berger, did such work, making regular trips between the United States and Europe . On February 6, 1947, his activities were exposed by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and he has since been convicted in court of perjury and contempt of Congress!

89. What is the best way to combat Communism?

Detection, exposure, and prosecution .

90. Are these being done?

Millions of dollars have been spent by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Army and Navy Intelligence, and other executive agencies to detect and keep track of Communists since the Party’s organization in this country a generation ago. Exposure in a systematic way began with the formation of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, May 26, 1938 . Prosecution of Communists, as such, has never taken place in this country, as yet.

Eisler jumped his bond of $23,000 and fled to Europe on the Polish liner Batory on May 6, 5949 .

91. Have any Communists been prosecuted on other grounds?

Yes. For violations of such laws as those governing passports, immigration, perjury, criminal syndicalism, and contempt.

92. Is this enough?

No. The House of Representatives maintains this Committee on Un-American Activities to study the problems of Communism and all other subversive movements and recommend new laws if it feels they are needed.

93 . Has the Committee made any such recommendations?

Yes. The latest is H . R. 5852, known as the Mundt-Nixon bill, which passed the House of Representatives on May 19, 1948, by a vote of 319 to 58.

94. What does this bill do?

The main points are : To expose Communists and their fronts by requiring them to register publicly with the Attorney General and plainly label all their propaganda as their own .

To forbid Communists passports or Government jobs.

To make it illegal for ANYBODY to try to set up in this country a totalitarian dictatorship having ANY connection with a foreign power.

95. What is Communism’s greatest strength?

Its secret appeal to the lust for power. Some people have a natural urge to dominate others in all things .

Communism invites them to try .

The money, hard work, conspiracy, and violence that go into Communism, add up to a powerful force moving in a straight line toward control of the world .

96. What is Communism’s greatest weakness?

The very things that give it strength . For just as some people have a natural lust to dominate everybody else, so do most people have a natural determination to be free . Communism can dominate only by force .

Communism can be stopped by driving every Communist out of the place where he can capture power .

97. What is treason?

Our Constitution says that:

“Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court .”

98. Are the Communists committing treason today?

The Soviet Union has launched what has been called a “cold war” on the United States . Therefore, Communists are engaged in what might be called “COLD WAR TREASON.”

The Mundt-Nixon bill is intended to fight this “cold war treason .” If our war with Communism should ever change from “cold to “hot” we can expect the Communists of the United States to fight against the flag of this country openly .

99. What should I do about all this?

Know the facts . Stay on the alert . Work as hard against the Communists as they work against you .

100. Where can I get information about Communism regularly?

Write the House Committee on Un-American Activities, Room 226, Old House Office Building, Washington, D . C., for information regarding official publications .

Prepared and released by the Committee On Un-American Activities, U.S. House of Representatives. Washington D.C, Aug 15, 1949

via Boston Public Library

The first of a series on the Communist conspiracy and its influence in this country as a whole, on religion, on education, on labor and on our government

“No Communist, no matter how many votes he should secure in a national election, could, even if he would, become President of the present government.

When a Communist heads the government of the United States-and that day will come just as surely as the sun rises the government will not be a capitalist government but a Soviet government, and behind this government will stand the Red army to enforce the dictatorship of the proletariat.”

Sworn statement of
WILLIAM Z. FOSTER
Head of the Communist Party in the United States

100 Things You Should Know About Communism in the U . S. A.

Forty years ago, Communism was just a plot in the minds of a very few peculiar people.
Today, Communism is a world force governing millions of the human race and threatening to govern all of it.

Who are the Communists? How do they work? What do they want? What would they do to you?

For the past 10 years your committee has studied these and other questions and now some positive answers can be made.

Some answers will shock the citizen who has not examined Communism closely . Most answers will infuriate the Communists.

These answers are given in a five parts, as follows :

• 1. One Hundred Things You Should Know About Communism in the U.S.A.
• 2. One Hundred Things You Should Know About Communism and Religion.
• 3. One Hundred Things You Should Know About Communism and Education.
• 4. One Hundred Things You Should Know About Communism and Labor.
• 5. One Hundred Things You Should Know About Communism and Government.

These booklets are intended to help you know a Communist when you hear him speak and when you see him work .

If you ever find yourself in open debate with a Communist the facts here given can be used to destroy his arguments completely and expose him as he is for all to see .

Every citizen owes himself and his family the truth about Communism because the world today is faced with a single choice: To go Communist or not to go Communist.

For men (and women too) shaving can become an expensive task. A pack of 8 Gillette Fusion Proglide Power Refills costs $34 in the store. The razor itself costs about $9 and if you want the electric vibrating version it will be closer to $15. 4 engineered blades, lotions, and a “microcomb” all on a stick to give you the most hi-tech shave the future can offer….

What a joke. For hundred, if not thousands of years men have been shaving the hairs from their face with nothing more than a sharp rock or jagged piece of metal.

After using the more advanced expensive razors for some time, I realized that all of the extra bells and whistles were not necessary. I bought a pack of 4 disposable Bic Comfort 3 Razors for $5 and realized that 3 blades works just as good as 4.

Next I noticed that a good amount of time and energy is spent by men choosing which shaving cream to use. There are several choices of new specially “engineered” gels. One can of Gillette Fusion Ultra Sensitive W/Aloe + Vitamin E Hydra Gel costs about $4.

When I made the switch from hi-tech to disposable razors I also switched from the gels to old fashioned shaving cream. One can of Barbarsol men’s shaving creams costs about $1.

I still I noticed that shaving was just as easy and clean as it was before.

It wasn’t until I spoke with a friend who recommended that I tried shaving in the shower that I realized that shaving cream is not even necessary AT ALL. The water from the shower head acts like a natural lubricant and also washes away cut hairs at the same time. Which means my razors stay cleaner for longer.

Something I noticed while shaving with multi-blade razors is that hairs get clogged up in between the blades and become difficult to remove, and reduce the effectiveness of the razor. This led me to think that maybe even fewer blades would be better.

The next time I went to the store I bought a pack of generic Wilkinson 2 blade disposable razors for about $1.50. I took them home and hopped in the shower for a test run. The first thing I noticed is that it wasn’t much different at all. I did have to use more strokes over the same surface to get the smoothest shave, however even with more strokes I noticed much less skin irritation.

The problem with hairs clogging up the blades was the same as before with the 3 and 4 blade. However the cheap generic razor provided a novel solution to the problem. There was a small button on the top that pushed a small plastic blade out between the two cutting blades that pushed all the hairs out and cleaned the blades. It worked perfectly. Something like this would be nearly impossible to do with all the wires and guides and moving parts in the new engineered razor blades.

I also noticed that I never once cut myself shaving with the double blade razor. The four and three blade razors I usually ended up cutting myself once or twice in the process.

While at the store there was also a pack of 15 single blade razors for $0.97. After my experiments I would recommend sticking with at least 2 blades because one will probably not get through thicker beards without alot of work. Two blades was just enough to get the job done, and my face thanked me for not removing so many extra layers of skin while shaving.

When it comes to shaving its not necessary to spend 30 to 50 dollars every few months just to keep your face looking clean. Remember that John Wayne and Clint Eastwood never needed a fancy 4 blade razor with lotion and vitamin E scented gels, and neither do you.

Tyler Durden
via Zero Hedge

Either in anticipation of QE2 which will cut the value of the dollar by another 50% once another $2 trillion in toxic crap becomes the “assets” backing the viability of the dollar, or just because they are sick of Fed policies, mid-Michigan has taken monetary matters into their own hands, and in one simple act, completely bypassed the destabilizing influence of the domestic currency printers.

As ConnectMidMichigan reports, “New types of money are popping up across Mid-Michigan and supporters say, it’s not counterfeit, but rather a competing currency.  Right now, you can buy a meal or visit a chiropractor without using actual U.S. legal tender.” The plan is so simple, it just may work – after all if one can’t get away from the Fed’s probing and pickpocketing long fingers, all one has to do is learn to live without its parasitic pieces of paper. And not just paper: “I sell three or four every single day and then I get one or two back a week,” said Dave Gillie, owner of Gillies Coney Island Restaurant in Genesee Township. Gillie also accepts silver, gold, copper and other precious metals to pay for food.” So yes, you can eat gold…. and load up your gas tank with it.

“Do people have to accept dollars or money? No, they don’t,” Gillie said. “They can accept anything they want or they can refuse to accept anything.”

He’s absolutely right.

The U.S. Treasury Department says the Coinage Act of 1965 says “private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash, unless there is a state law which says otherwise.

That allows gas stations to say they don’t accept 50- or $100 bills after a certain time of day in hopes of not getting robbed.

A chiropractic office in Lapeer County’s Deerfield Township allows creativity when it comes to payment.

“This establishment accepts any form of silver, gold, chicken, apple pie, if someone works it out with me,” said Jeff Kotchounian of Deerfield Chiropractic. “I’ve taken many things.”

Jeff Kotchounian says he’s used this Ron Paul half troy ounce of silver to get $25 worth of gas from a local station.

While the government and banks don’t accept them, many others do.

So why is there interest in these competing currencies?

Is it just novelty or is there something deeper?

If the ruling kleptocrats, demand on being such an intimate part of everyday life, and procuring all of the population’s real wealth and cash producing assets in the process, said population has a choice of either going with this sheepish approach, and meekly allowing the loaded gun to be parked at its temple, or do what Michigan, with its 99.9% real unemployment, has decided to do.

You can reduce your outstanding debt with just one easy rule. The “Plus 1 Percent Rule” accounts for the monthly interest charged in each payment you make.

Trying to figure out how many payments you have left in your head can be tricky because you debt is still acquiring interest. Also when you just go along paying whatever you feel like is okay, you don’t pay much attention to fee’s and interest being accumulated and it’s very easy to fall into a trap where you pay much more that the amount you planned on.

For a long time my rule was to take the minimum payment then just pay a little extra, basically whatever I felt like I could afford at the time.

I found that my outstanding debts was not going away as fast as I felt like they should be.

Every time I made a payment to reduce my debts I would try and choose a nice rounded number, I would later come back to see that the interest charges would bump the debts back up to a higher level.

So I found a way to get ahead of the interest charges by factoring them into the payment ahead of the charges.

An easy rule of thumb to use is the “+1% Rule“. Take your initial payment and add 1% of the principal.

For this example we’ll assume 12 pct APR

If I owed $7,500 and I wanted next month to show that I only owed $7,000.

Before I was just paying off $500 and feeling pretty good about that payment.

At that rate it would be paid off in 15 months according to the in my head calculations.

However the next month I came back to see it was something more like $7075.

It was kind of discouraging to think I had felt like I just paid off a big chunk, considering the monthly minimum payment is something closer to $300, but I still didn’t hit my goal.

As a matter of fact by only paying the min. $75 goes to the interest and only $225 goes to pay down the principal. That’s 25% of the payment sucked off by interest.

I sat down and looked hard at all the money I was wasting on interest alone and decided to start knocking it out before I even considered how much to pay each month.

So now to keep on the schedule I’ve set, I pay the original $500 + 1% of the total (assuming that nice even 12% APR).

But adding 1% of the total amount you owe to each payment is a good rule of thumb to get ahead on your loans. If you’re paying a higher rate like 30% APR for example then 2.5%. Which is a little harder to do in your head, so just add 1% twice then round up.

How To Add 1 Percent In Your Head:

Adding 1% in your head is easy, just use the 10% rule and knock off an extra 0, and if you can’t figure out 10% of a number in your head then you should turn in all your credit cards, and let your parents, wife, husband, or random middle school student handle your finances from now on.

Instead of $500 now I pay $575.

That way the outstanding total is reduced by the amount I had intended it to.

The good news about this method of payment is that by accounting for the interest in the payment, the amount I pay each month actually gets smalller as I pay it down.

Next time I’ll only owe $7,000 like I intended so I will only have to pay $570 this month. In 5 months I’ll only be paying $550. If you could knock off $25 off your cell phone bill you would consider this a big savings!

This method is helpful if you can afford to pay extra on your debts in the short term and it helps you set a standard for your monthly payment instead of casually paying whatever feels right. It’s also rewarding to see your principal amount go down incrementally in while your monthly payments actually get smaller.

Even if you’ve been stuck paying minimum payments then you should still consider this method, monthly minimum payment + 1% of the total (or your APR / 12 months for higher interest rates ) or else you will never be able to pay it off.

The goal is to pay more today so that down the road your payments will be smaller. If left unchecked you could be paying the same or even more later on due to interest charges.

Not to long ago I clicked on an ad for a free investor’s kit from Goldline International. I was skeptical at first entering my phone number and address to a web form for a company I knew very little about. I was afraid of being spammed not only with unwanted emails, but advertisements in real life or even worse phone calls from telemarketers.

Despite these risks I took a chance and filled out the forms. The current climate here in the US has given me some serious concerns about the safety of the U.S. Dollar and my investments in the stock market. I felt like I needed to protect my savings with something I could physically put my hands on like gold or silver.

Within 2 weeks I received my Investors Kit along with only one or two emails, one confirming my sign-up and another monthly newsletter.

I was blown away by the quality of the Free Investor’s Kit. It came in a large envelope packed full of papers and information. Inside was a folder with several high quality full color pages printed on High Gloss paper and several brochures and documents with all the information that YOU NEED TO KNOW.

What Comes In The Goldline Free Investors Pack?

1. Precious Metals and Rare Coins Investors Guide

Tables of Contents:
I: Introduction to Precious Metals
II: Advantages of Owning Gold & Silver
III: Most Popular Coins & Products
IV: Why Investors & Collectors Choose Goldline
V: How To Acquire Precious Metals & Rare Coins

2. Coin Facts For Investors and Collectors to Consider

Facts, risks, and policies collectors should know:
Diversification, Holding Period, IRA Accounts, Buy Back Policy, Delivery, Storage, Risks In Precious Metal Investing, Pricing, Bullion Purchases, Exchange Transactions, Refund Policy

3. Account and Storage Agreement Information

Any and everything you need to know about Goldline International’s Terms and Conditions.

4. One-Time Special Offer Coupon for Free Shipping on my order.

5. Complimentary Issue of The American Advisor Newsletter
Goldline’s newsletter, American Advisor, provides timely news and information about our economy, precious metals and rare coins. The Investor’s Kit also included an offer for 1 Year Free subscription to the American Advisor.

Listen to the American Advisor Radio Podcast Here.

6. Pre-Paid FedEX Air Mail Envelope

7. Vintage Copy of 1933 Executive Order Gold Confiscation Act.

Under Executive Order Of The President issued April 5, 1933 all persons are required to deliver on or before May 1, 1933 all GOLD COINS, GOLD BULLION, AND GOLD CERTIFICATES now owned by them to a Federal Reserve Bank, brand or agency, or to any member bank of the Federal Reserve System.

8. Personalized Letter written to me from my Goldline Account Executive.

How was the customer service at Goldline?

About a week after receiving my Goldline Investors Kit I got the first phone call. Normally I don’t pick-up unknown phone numbers so I let it go to voicemail. It was from the same acount executive that left his business card in my free investors kit.

He was polite and basically said:

Hi John, we’ve got your phone number here because you requested some information online. I’d love to get a chance to talk with you about how we can help you with your investments at Goldline. Give me call back at this number…

It was a short message and not too pushy. I actually did not call them back right away, but my account executive called me two more times in the span of about 2 weeks and left a message each time. After that I did not hear back from him again.

Overall I would say that they were very professional and courteous. I was afraid to give out my ‘real’ phone number, but you can trust not to have problems with Goldline.

How Can I Get A Free Goldline Investors Pack?

1. Call Goldline at 1-800-827-4653 to speak with a Account Exec.

2. Sign up on the web here

3. Follow the links in the side bar.

The books on this list take you down the darkest paths in uncivilized worlds, from cannibalistic gangs to vampire infected corpses. If this list doesn’t get you thinking on the quickest way stock your basement full
of water, canned goods and rifles. I don’t know what will.

World War Z

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is a post-apocalyptic horror novel by Max Brooks. WWZ is a collection of individual accounts in the form of interviews with characters conducted by the author. Brooks plays the role of an agent of the United Nations Postwar Commission who published the novel a decade after the Zombie War.

The United Nations left out much of his work from the official report, choosing to focus on facts and figures from the war rather than individual stories; these form the bulk of the novel. The interviews chart a decade-long war against zombies from the view point of many different people of various nationalities. The personal accounts also describe the changing religious, geo-political, and environmental aftermath of the Zombie War.

The outbreak, which started somewhere in China, spread throught the world, causing distruction and chaos. While the zombies are never completely irradicated, some symblance of life does appear to go on, after an eventual move of the US Capital and millions of lives lost.

Brooks used World War Z to comment on social issues like government ineptitude and American isolationism, while also examining themes of survivalism and uncertainty.

Blindness

Forget world wide pandemics of flesh eating bacteria or a zombie illness! Portugese author Jose Saramago took one of the most common afflictions, loss of sight, and turned it into my worst nightmare! in “Blindness”, a mass epidemic of sight-loss sweeps an unidentified city, causing a break down in society, civilization, and everyday function. The books main characters band together, forming a family unit, comprised of a doctor and his wife and his patients. The wife has somehow been spared from the epidemic and helps the unit function. They are placed in an asylum where the infected are being contained, which eventually detiriorates to filth, due to everyone’s lack of sight.

The family unit escapes and attempts to build a new life in the outside world, just as sight is returned, just as quickly as it was taken away.

I don’t know who I felt worse for reading this book. The people who lost their sight, who began living in their own filth and scrounging for food, or the doctor’s wife who had to take care of them all and see everything that was happening around her.

The Road

If you are a parent, or a person who doesn’t wish harm upon children, you might find this book slightly disturbing. ‘The Road’ focuses on the journey of a father and son, after an unnamed apocalyptic event wipes out a majority of the earth’s population, as well as the ability to grow plants. The father and son, only identified as the “Man” and the “Boy”, are attempting to make it to the coast, to an undetermined hope. The pair encounter several disturbing sights along the way, including a cannibalistic “army”, a baby roasting on a split, and humans who are being kept locked away and used for limb-harvesting (for food obviously).

There are some high points in the book, but overall, it paints a pretty grim picture. Towards the end of the novel, the father gets ill and dies, leaving the boy to be taken in by a couple who has been observing the pair for some time. It isn’t a happy ending, but it does keep you from wanting to kill yourself!

The Postman

This post-apocalyptic novel is about a drifter who finds himself taking shelter in an abandoned postal van. Gordan Krantz, the protagonist, takes the uniform of a postman only to keep him warm, but when he begins carrying mail on his journey, he begins to restore hope to survivors. Eventually, Krantz encounters a small community led by Cyclops, an artificial intelligence created at Oregon State University that managed to survive. Krantz learns however that the machine was destroyed and that it’s appearance is being maintained by a group of scientists who are trying to “keep hope, order, and knowledge alive”. Krantz eventually pairs up with the Cyclops scientists in their war against the hyper-survivalists, who have begun and extreme version of life.

By the end of the novel, the impression is given that the three groups rally together to help revive civilization.

This novel begins after yet another collapse of civilization, with the protagonist, Snowman, living as a hermit. He lives near by a community of what he calls “Crakers”, which appear to be strange human like creatures. It is revealed in the story that the crakers, as well as beasts like wolvogs, piggons, and rakunks, are the products of genetic engineering.

Through flashbacks, the reader learns that Snowman grew up as Jimmy in the mid-21st century. His parents were both scientists who lived in privileged compounds that separated them from commoners, or pleeblands. When Jimmy’s family moves to a compound, he meets Glenn, or Crake as he is referred to through out the story. The boys play games, smoke weed, as well as other slightly disturbing activities such as watching live executions and child pornography.

Jimmy and Crake eventually become obsessed with a young asian girl they see in a child porn video. Jimmy seeks the girl out and eventually meets Oryx, who could be the same girl, but it is never clarified. Orxy becomes highly involved in the lives of both young men. As time goes on, Crake becomes a bio engineer while Jimmy focuses on the arts and literature.

Crake soon embarks on an endeavor to create peaceful human-like creatures which he calls Crakers. Crakers are leaf-eating herbivores who only have sex during a mating period, therefore eliminating several “human” disputes. Eventually, Crake releases a world wide virus, which wipes out a huge percentage of the population, except Jimmy, who was unknowingly vaccinated. Crake is soon painted as a “Mad Scientist”, and eventually kills Oryx.

The reader is transported through out an incredible series of events and begins to feel sympathy towards all characters, including the “villain”, Crake. The book ends leaving the reader wondering whether Snowman will return to life with humans, or continue to look after the Crakers, as he promised Oryx before she died.

A Canticle for Leibowitz

“A Canticle for Leibowitz” spans thousands of years set in a Roman Catholic monastery. After a devastating nuclear war, the novel follows along while civilization makes attempts at rebuilding itself. The monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz take on the mission of preserving and protecting the pieces of human’s scientific knowledge until the world is ready for that kind of information again.

The apocalyptic event in this story is a backlash against advanced technology and knowledge. During a time that is referred to in the book as “simplification”, any one who had any learning, and eventually anyone who could even read, was killed by angry mobs, with books being destroyed and illiteracy taking over the world.

Isaac Leibowitz had been a Jewish engineer working for the US Military, but converts to Catholicism and begins the Albertian Order. Their mission becomes to protect,memorize, and preserve any books, from before the Simplification. The novel is separated into three different parts, “Fiat Homo (Let There Be Man)”, “Fiat Lux (Let There Be Light)”, and “Fiat Voluntas Tua (Let Thy Will Be Done)”.

The novel is an interesting look into what our world would become if communication, science, technological advances, and knowledge were suddenly cut off from every day people.

Alas, Babylon

Published in 1959, “Alas, Babylon” was one of the first post-apocalyptic novels of the nuclear age. The story focuses on the small town of Fort Repose, Florida and the effects that a nuclear war had on it. The protagonist, Randy Bragg, is a former Korean War vet who becomes a hero after the Soviet Union starts a nuclear war with the US. Several towns in Florida, including Jacksonville, Tampa and Miami are reported as being destroyed, leaving the citizens of Fort Repose to their own measures. Communication is limited, and the city is quickly emptied of money and supplies. People in the town quickly learn how to survive, with Bragg leading the way. In the end, the Air Force offers to move the remaining families of Fort Repose out of their survivalist world, however, non accept.

Alas, Babylon shows how quickly the world could deteriorate if a Nuclear war started. Don’t be alarmed if after you read it, you feel the need to go to Costco for bottled water and dry goods!

Lucifer’s Hammer

If you’re one to quickly oppose scientists, then Lucifer’s Hammer might be just the post-apocalyptic book for you! Even after several reassurances by astronomer Tim Hamner that a new comet won’t be crashing into the earth, people still begin hoarding and collecting food. Scientists realize that they have mis-tracked the trajectory of the comet, which eventually breaks into several smaller pieces and devastates the earth with its collision. The strike causes volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis and endless weeks of rain, which cause food and other survival necessities to be lost.

After the “Hammerfall”, Hamner steps up from a quiet astronomer to a “determined survivor”. He fights to keep he and his new wife, Eileen safe, in such a tumultuous world.

This book particularly got me thinking, just because we rely so much on what scientists tell us. What if they really did get it wrong?

Swan Song

Swan Song doesn’t start out on a particularly happy note. The world is in turmoil, with the U.S. and USSR fighting all around the world. When all of the bombs are launched, the world is covered in mushroom shaped clouds. The novel follows several main characters, including a NYC bag lady called Sister Creep, Josh, aka Black Frankestein, a 7 foot tall wrestler with a heart the size of Texas, and Roland Croninger, an incredibly smart kid. Of course good vs. evil is prominent through out the novel. The bad lies within “The Man With the Scarlet Eye”, who is a shape shifter, always up to no good. The very refreshing good however is a blonde girl named Swan, who possesses the ability to replenish the earth.

The book is pretty big (950 pages!), and if you can get through it, its probably the most terrifying post apocalyptic novel out there!

On the Beach

“On the Beach” doesn’t only qualify as one of the best Post-Apocalyptic novels, it qualifies as one of the most depressing. If you’re looking for sunshine and rainbows, this isn’t one you’ll want to check out! The novel starts in the mid-sixties, after the air in the Northern Hemisphere has been polluted with nuclear fallout, killing all animal life, including humans. Air currents are slowly carrying the fallout to the southern hemisphere, where the only humans live, slowly succumbing to radiation poisoning. The Australian government makes arrangements for its citizens, providing free suicide pills and injections, allowing the people to avoid the slow and painful death of radiation poisoning. A submarine crew is dispatched to Seattle to respond to a signal, only to discover that the wind was blowing a coke bottle onto a telegraph machine.

The crew then realizes that the results of the nuclear war aren’t dissipating, and that the people living in the south will die shortly. The characters in the novel then try to happily live out their final days, some returning to their hometowns, others taking classes and staying busy. In the end, the characters don’t continue to run, but accept their death once the radiation reaches them. Probably the most depressing point in the book is when one Australian officer must explain to his wife how to euthanize their baby daughter and then kill herself, should the radiation reach them.

Like I said, not all sunshine and rainbows.

Z for Zachariah

“Z for Zachariah” starts by introducing the reader to Ann Burden, the protagonist, who has been living alone in a valley for over a year after a nuclear war, which has rendered all other places inhabitable. One day, Ann sees a stranger in a protective suit entering the valley, which changes her life forever. When he determines that the valley is safe, he takes off his suit and swims, but unfortunately, the water is contaminated by water being brought in from the outside. Once he is sick, Ann decides to try to help him.

Once he is better, he introduces himself as John R. Loomis, a scientist who was helping to design the protective suits underground when the war began. The sickness soon takes over his body completely, sending him into a coma, during which Ann continues to look after him.

He begins to recover and becomes highly possessive of Ann. One night, he attempts to rape her, and Ann decides she must leave the comfort of her home. She attempts to coexist in the valley with Loomis, but he makes it difficult, cutting her off from food and supplies, and even shooting her in the leg.

Eventually, Ann tells him she is taking the suit and the cart and leaving. She tells him that if he kills her, then he’ll truly be alone. Ann sets of in the direction of birds, hoping to continue her life.

This novel is popular among young adults, because the main character is a strong willed young person. There are obviously sad portions, but there are also light, almost comical moments that keep you turning the page.

I Am Legend

If the only opinions you have of ‘I am Legend’ come from the horrible movie adaptation starring Will Smith, erase them all. Probably one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever written, much less in the “post-apocalyptic” category, “I am Legend” deals with the idea of becoming obsolete, which plagues so many people.

After a bacterial pandemic wipes out the entire human race, Robert Neville, the novel’s main character, is the only human left in a world of vampires. Neville attempts to study and cure the disease, to which he became immune after a bite from a bat that was infected. Neville eventually discovers that the strain of bacteria is able to infect both the deceased and the living, leaving the living slightly human, although exhibiting signs of vampirism.

Robert comes across a woman who appears to be uninfected and captures her. He becomes suspicious of her after her reluctance to kill the vampires. She finally agrees to a blod test and just when Neville realizes she is infected, she knocks him out. She leaves him a note, sharying the adaptations that the infected have made towards sunlight and how they have even developed pills that keep their desires at bay. She tells him that they are attempting to rebuild society. Eventually the vampires come for him, and he is wounded and captured. When he knows death is near, Ruth comes to visit and gives him some pills that will make his death easier. He asks Ruth not to let society get heartless and after a kiss, she leaves. Neville finally realizes that he is the only survivor and is therefore feared by this new race. As he realizes that life with infection could be normal again one day, he chuckles before he dies, thinking “[I am] a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am legend.”