Hello friends, family and followers! Here are several ways to keep up with the Alaska Trek. Follow our photo stream and Spot GPS crumbs on our adventure. Plenty of writing and photos to follow when we’re back in town but here’s how to view our progress.

Our Spot GPS shared page
You can view our  GPS progress and see what we’re up to at http://www.lastofthechivalrous.com/alaska-2010/
If for some reason that link does not work you may also view our GPS updates here.

Mobile Photo Stream Map
http://www.lastofthechivalrous.com/photo/mobile-uploads/
I will also be taking many photos with my iPhone and an array of cameras and uploading anywhere with reception.If for some reason that link does not work you may also view the photo map updates here.

I love history, sailing, and finding things on the web that people have forgotten. Below is a gallery of pages from the Bluejackets’ Manual circa 1943. Finding this website was like finding buried treasure as web Archeologist. It looks like it was designed in 90′s, an original web masterpiece, like cave art to us now. http://usselectra.org/bjm/bjmnn.html

These images are huge so in order to view them, please click on the view with Piclens option below.

[View with PicLens]

Death is a forbidden subject at most tables. Most people ignore and neglect even thinking of death and then when it comes for them or the people they love, they lose it. In fact, it is to the point where crazy reactions and psychological meltdowns are expected, encouraged and permitted. Death is one of the few certainties of life and that little piece of knowledge can be put to good use in terms of deciding the type of life we choose to lead in the present.

Many of us see no importance in thinking about death until it hits home, and when death comes, many people fail to even make a deep personal connection with their own culture’s traditions toward mourning and death. We process the loss and the guilt but too often, we don’t apply the experience to our lives. Many of us avoid thinking of death is out of superstition that we will somehow hasten our demise by merely thinking about it, and in the past, I have been guilty of this, but death is something for which everyone can prepare and we should all think about. It is when we think about death that we can develop a great appreciation and calling to enjoy and maximize our quality of life.  If you’ve survived a car crash, or simply heard the sound of screeching tires, I bet it got your blood pumping and at least for a moment, you thought about death and your life and new in an instant that there was much you wished to do and experience. You need not wait until those moments come to ponder the quality of your life.

Approaching life with the illusion of permanence is counterproductive to seeking a good quality of life. The notion that we will be here for a long time leads to superficial activities and procrastination that undermine ourselves and others. Creating the illusion that life is long makes it easier to put off the meaningful pursuits.

Here are some  helpful thoughts and things to say to yourself, that will help you maintain an awareness of death and use it to your advantage.

Because death can’t be avoided, my life only grows shorter and I’ve got such limited time; I must take advantage and do great things.

Because, my lifespan is indefinite, there are many causes of death and very, very few causes of life, and the time of death is unknowable due to the fragility of the body; I must do great things NOW!

Because at the time of death, my friends, my wealth and my body will be of no help to me, I must be spiritually and mentally prepared, satisfied with my efforts and contributions and avoid bitterness and anger.

Everyone should try to explore the opportunities to understand life, including death. A developed understanding of death makes for better coping mechanisms. Confront and prepare for an inevitable journey. I was recently reminded of our bodily rental agreement with the great creator,  helping my girlfriend when she discovered the boy of one of the family dogs in her parents backyard, and had this to say about it.

I found it different, to find him there, different from the news finding my ear. It was close. It was recent. The dog was not a dog; there was something empty about him; a husk of a husky.  Only a ringing left where a vibrant frequency was once heard, like losing perception, I could no longer pick up his transmission. It was not as if he had left but it felt as if I had gone partially deaf and could no longer hear him. I didn’t worry for his journey, my thoughts of worry were focused on those who would miss him. They to had to go on a journey, unpacked, unprepared, and often so it is, such a devastating trip to grieve.

As we wrapped him in shrouds and carried him away, it was strange to look at a rigored body, like seeing a frozen ocean; so use to the ebb and flow, the rolling waves of breath, the mind becomes dizzy and plays tricks as you look on with a thousand yard stare, looking for signs.

As vessels harden, it becomes easier to think of them as discarded husks; some invisible seed or blossom floated away leaving dry leaves and decay. I was well prepped to handle this tragedy and felt shame for feeling such curiosity. Pen in hand, mind in motion, I can meander in these situations. I worried for the family who are left to suffer and struggle, finding it so hard to process.  I had no words for them, I could think of none that would bring comfort. Tis a reminder, there will be more times when I am surprised; when someone escapes me and takes all comforts with them, and one day still when I too will be greedy, and take all words, leaving only grief for loved ones.

We loaded the dog in the truck and took him to the vet hospital to be cremated. It was a different experience than a funeral. Participating in the technicalities made it all the more strange…and interesting. After we arrived at the pet hospital, we transferred the remains onto a flatbed and it held its form like a plastic mold, as seemingly unnatural as a flamingo lawn ornament. The three of us wandered the halls down to the pathology department where the necropsy was to take place. I kept a blank look, fearful that to keep my normal SNAFU look would be an insult of some kind. I was also afraid to invoke emotion by expressing it. I didn’t want to expose my childish curiosity by asking too many questions either.

My girlfriend escorted me to a room where I was to wait until after she had collected a paw print from the dog.  I scribbled some thoughts down on paper. Secretly, I felt lucky; not sad, lucky to be detached enough to simply observe and think not of grief, not of death, but of life. I thought of life in this time of death. For some reason I felt comfort. There is something of a home and a family in times of grief. There is something in the fray, the surprise and emergency that comforts. I suppose it is the certainty of purpose, a call to service; one of the few moments for true virtues, friendship and compassion to shine. I wasn’t brought up with  table manners or a sensitivity to politically correct speech or the like.

Much can be learned from an awareness of  death. The delicate nature and indeterminate shelf life of our own fleshy cartons and blurry expiration dates remind us to that we are best enjoyed by the present, the now, the next 10 minutes.

I was not a scout growing up and am making up for it now. I have a tendency to learn how to do things and then forget them if I don’t use them. I am also a visual learner and will get lost in diagrams if given enough time to wander. Thank the maker for the invention of youtube. I was able to watch some videos and practice with some paracord. Now I am prepped and ready to lay siege to castles, set trip wires, and tie innocent peasants civilians to trees. Or help get a truck out of the mud, lash down gear, and other activities that require less testosterone.

Knots are important. Whether you’re using them to tie up your little sisters, rig a fishing line or tie down a load in the truck, knots. It’s true that duck tape can get you far but it can’t do everything (or can it?).  One thing is certain, knowing how to tie some knots can can save your life or help you have a more enjoyable outing. In this post you’ll find plenty fof video tutorials for essential knots. So grab some cord and practice

2 Nerdy Facts About Knots

Did you know that there is an International Guild of Knot Tyers?  It is a very nerdy collective, but their site is full of useful information. I see that title and expect to find a criminal underground of super-villains and henchmen but maybe that’s just me.

There are knots in mathematics too, but they are a little different. A mathematical knot is an embedding of a circle in 3 dimensional space, so  mathematical knots are closed—there are no ends to tie or untie this kind of knot.

7 Knots Every Scout Should Know

Trucker’s Hitch Knot

Clove Hitch

Bowline Knot

Chain Knot

Common Fishing Snell Knot

More Awesome Knot Resources.

http://www.asiteaboutnothing.net/cr_most-useful-knots.html#lashing

http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Index.htm

A friend sent this to me, and after the weeks of coverage, in case you missed any news recently, here’s what you need to know.

I am re-reading Becoming Enlightened by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and want to take time to reflect on each lesson in the book.  I love Buddhist literature because of its logic and simple truths are undeniable and inescapable compared to other moral or religious doctrines. I find purpose, meaning and that personal motivation to work hard each day to take advantage this gift of mind and body. Here are my notes and reflections on a lesson focused on the rarity and value of a human life and going about virtuous deeds.

Human life is precious. If you are a Buddhist, you believe it took a hell of an effort and many lives as lesser beings to be given this opportunity and it will take many virtuous acts to have the opportunity to be a human in your next life. If you are of a Western religion, this life is it. No matter your view, the opportunities provided with this life are the most important things you will ever have. I am lucky to have the freedom to pursue academic and spiritual wisdom every single day. To take full advantage of this life I should spend each day learning what I can to rid myself of destructive emotions, so that I can become more selfless and apt to help others.

Lately, I feel I’ve been distracted from spiritual practice and rationalizing it by focusing on regaining stability in my life and relationships. Yet ironically, mental clarity is needed to meet these challenges. The ability to stay virtuous and compassionate in hard times is vital to overcoming obstacles and alleviating suffering. My spiritual practices and beliefs are very different from most people and I want this body and mind to best use. I best serve myself and others by keeping the mind and body sharp; taking time out of everyday to read, meditate, act, challenge and engage myself in practice. I am tormented by my own analytical abilities and what some grasp in a bumper sticker, I will take days to comprehensively wrap my head around reflecting upon reading through writing, meditation and exploration.

I’ve read that there are four ways to mitigate a non-virtuous action; admitting it, regretting it, committing not to do it again and engaging in virtuous acts such as helping others. Unlike  my experience with the notion of repentance, there is less focus or dwelling on guilt and more on acknowledgment of regret and progressive steps to do better and serve others.

There is a subtle but important difference between guilt and regret. Too often do we claim words as perfect synonyms.  The notion of guilt takes a communal, punitive,  external approach to experiencing shame. Guilt is most often expressed when staring down  a gun barrel or guillotine. Regret is  a personal, internal experience  of accounting for one’s actions. Which is more effective? A  man who expresses shame or regret needs no gun, or external prompt to atone for his actions and does so by choice. A guilty man, when rid of the barrel, has yet to atone and has every reason to avoid doing so as it is tied to punishment.  Regret and shame alone are not as condemning as guilt, and leave opportunity for progress. So, a religious institution that relies on teaching that all are guilty (and to seek repentance in  fear of punishment)  might not be as effective as an instituition that instructs to feel shame and/or regret and to seek enlightenment. I love and recognize the power and importance of words.

I do not avoid responsibility but I do believe that focusing on guilt can more easily lead to other destructive emotions and far more suffering than the original infraction. This gives all sinners purpose and responsibility to themselves and their community. We will all make mistakes but need not dwell in guilt.

In order to perform virtuous deeds, one should prepare a good motivation in advance, with high quality execution dedicated to altruistic enlightenment and without regret. We take on many tasks and complete few, and fewer still we complete well. In order to do well, it is important to cultivate a strong motivation to wish to see something through with no other aim than enlightenment; to learn something. This echoes the chivalry of ancient knights errant, juxtapose a world that still thinks  Don Quixote a great fool.

I love my life and spending a little time each day to reflect on life’s many lessons just makes me that much more determined to get more out of  each and every day.

Today I got a call from REI, they lost my new  mountain bike tire and wouldn’t be able to get a replacement in for a week. I explained to the REI bike-master employee, that I use my bike to commute downtown and had planned a few rides with friends this week. He mentioned that they have a better one in stock and that because it was their error, they’d cover the difference in cost. This was one of those serendipitous draws from the Community Chest deck. I get a lot of guff about shopping at REI and spending money on gear but these are the moments that warrant every penny of the experience. This phone call could have gone south and I would be bike-less for another week or shelling out more dough for a better tire. Customer Service is worth paying for especially when you are dealing with things and systems that are vital to your lifestyle.

These moments happen all the time. You’re stuck on the line waiting for a stranger to stop beating around the bush, drop the bad news and get to the point, but instead, a surprise twist and accommodation. The person admits their mistake and gives you a bargain.We tend do define our experience in the losses and under-celebrate the gains. Too often we count the potholes and puddles we drive through and  fall in, forgetting the $20 bills found under bar-stools, and all the times we didn’t get speeding tickets.  If you learn to appreciate the little victories life will bring you more of them. It’s important to make decisions that put you in an environment where can thrive. There are opportunities everywhere but not in proportionate amounts. Whether you’re shopping for a new jacket or a job, to increase your odds of  a serendipitous event, I recommend going to places with great customer service. They attract people who prefer accommodating conversations over hostile negotiation. Places that encourage their employees to share stories and get to know their customers, attract people with similar, open mindsets. I’m not that materialistic. I shop for the experience, adventure and opportunity. You never know who you will meet or where it will take you, but when you have a decent starting point, it’s more likely bound to be somewhere good.

Shameless Praise and Personal Testimony of My 6 Years With REI

As you might know, I’m a bit of an REI fanboy. There are four main reasons. I am an outdoor nut. I prefer educational environments. I like making my choices easier by limiting options to the top quality products, and I love sharing stories.

As an REI member, you also get a 10% dividend from all of your purchases each year and you can return any purchase for the lifetime of the product without a crazy hassle. They believe in the quality of their products this much. I haven’t returned anything that I can recall but that will change sometime I’m sure. I’m about to put a new Osprey rucksack through its paces in Denali National Park, and hopefully it will perform well.

I’m a huge Burn Notice fan and created ebooks containing the plot summaries and voice over narration for every season. It makes for an awesome summer read. Here’s a sneak peak at Volume One of every voice over tip from the hit TV Show Burn Notice. I put this together in my spare time and triple checked every word from each episode. You can see the first few episodes for free and purchase a downloadable PDF version for $3.00. That’s  a great read for less than a fancy cup of coffee or even a used book.You can share it with your friends and family without restriction. I will be adding every season including the fourth season soon.

*Alternatively, You can always click on the donate button on the right and donate any amount you prefer and write me an email and I’ll send it to you.

What’s different about my ebook? There are many, great fan websites and pages dedicated to Burn Notice, but all of them, including Wikipedia are unorganized, full of errors and misquotes. This ebook includes the plot summaries for each episode followed by the voice over narration, which are all the useful tidbits from the show and all of it is accurate.

1.1 Pilot

Plot Summary

While on assignment in Nigeria, covert operative Michael Westen learns that he’s been “burned.” For a spy, it is the equivalent of being fired. A burned spy is blacklisted from all government agencies and resources; his bank accounts are frozen and his credit is trashed. Michael barely escapes Nigeria and wakes up, battered, in a Miami motel. In order to survive and fund his own personal investigation, Michael enlists the help of the only two “friends” he has: Fiona Glenanne, an ex-IRA operative who also happens to be an ex-girlfriend, and Sam Axe, a washed-out military intelligence contact who has been under FBI surveillance. He is also forced to deal with the family he went halfway around the world to get away from—particularly his mother, Madeline Westen, who could not be happier to have her son back in town.

Through former spy-turned-security consultant Lucy Chen–whom Michael helped learn the trade–he gets a lead on a small investigation job: a caretaker of an estate, Javier, has been accused of stealing valuable art from his employer, Graham Pyne. All evidence points to it being an inside job and Javier, with very little money to offer, has nowhere else to turn. When Michael begins to dig around, he quickly discovers that it was in fact an inside job: Pyne orchestrated the robbery and framed Javier in order to collect insurance.

Michael confronts Pyne with the incriminating evidence. When Pyne and his bodyguard come after Javier and his son, Michael is already a step ahead of them and has set up a trap at Javier’s house. After the smoke clears, Pyne has accidentally shot his bodyguard, and Michael has enough evidence to send both of them to jail for conspiracy to commit kidnapping. With the mounting evidence hanging over his head, Pyne agrees to clear Javier’s name and provide financial support to Javier and his son.

Meanwhile, Michael keeps trying to get in touch with his old government handler, Dan Siebels, who will not accept his calls. Deciding to get creative, Michael resorts to mailing Siebels a fake bomb in order to get his attention. The ploy works, and Michael finally gets to confront Siebels about the burn notice. Siebels believes Michael has probably been framed and there is nothing he can do to help him, but that he still has allies within the Agency. He tells Michael not to leave Miami, unless he wants an FBI manhunt after him. To top it all off, Michael returns home to find his door open and the floor covered with surveillance photos. It is not the FBI, but whoever it is, they have been tracking his every move. And they have left a message: “Welcome to Miami.”

Narration

Covert intelligence involves a lot of waiting around. Know what it’s like being a spy? Like sitting in your dentist’s reception area twenty-four hours a day. You read magazines, sip coffee, and every so often, someone tries to kill you.

[Michael Weston is Crammed in the back seat of a Mercedes sedan, pinned between two armed thugs and sarcastically making them aware that Mercedes also makes an SUV. The thugs think he is a CIA operative.] What do you say to that? No? Explain A lot of spies do not work directly for the CIA? A lot of good that will do.

[While getting the crap kicked out of him, caught off guard by a group thugs]Sometimes the truth hurts. In these situations, I recommend lying.

In a fight, you have to be careful not to break the little bones in your hands on someone’s face. That’s why I like bathrooms: lots of hard surfaces.

Southern Nigeria isn’t my favorite place in the world. It’s unstable. It’s corrupt and the people there eat a lot of terrible smelling preserved fish.

I will say this for Nigeria though: it’s the gun running capital of Africa, and that makes it a bad place to drive a passenger sedan into a crowded market.

If you’re going to collapse on a plane, I recommend business class. The seats are bigger if you start convulsing. Although once you pass out, it really doesn’t matter.

Most people would be thrilled to be dumped in Miami. Sadly, I am not most people. Spend a few years as a covert operative and a sunny beach just looks like a vulnerable tactical position with no cover.

I’ve never found a good way to hide a gun in a bathing suit.

When a spy gets fired, he doesn’t get a call from the lady in HR and a gold watch. They cut him off. They make sure he can never work again. They can’t take away his skills or what’s in his head, so they take away the resources that allow him to function. They burn him.

When you’re being watched, what you need is contrast, a background that will make the surveillance stand out. An FBI field office is full of guys in their forties. At most South Beach business hotels, it would be tuff to tell which middle aged white guy is watching you. So, stay in the place where everyone is a jell-o shot away from alcohol poisoning. If you see someone who can walk a straight line, that’s the Fed.

Need to go someplace you’re not wanted? Any uniform store will sell you a messenger outfit, and any messenger can get passed a security desk.

[While entering a luxurious mansion in Miami] With this much money things get complicated. Change a light bulb in a place like this, and a week later you’re on a speed boat to the Cayman Islands with someone shooting at you.

M y mom would have been a great NSA Communications operative. Drop me in the middle of the Gobi desert. Bury me in a God-damn cave on the moon, and somehow, she’d find a way to call me and ask me for a favor.

I don’t like stealing cars, but sometimes it’s necessary. I have rules though. I’ll keep it clean, and if I take your car on a work day, I’ll have it back by five.

Figuring out if a car is tailing you is mostly about driving like you’re an idiot. You speed up, slow down, signal one way; turn the other. Of course, ideally, you’re doing this without your mother in the car… Actually, losing a tail isn’t about driving fast. A high-speed pursuit is just going to land you on the six o’clock news. So you just keep driving like an idiot until the other guy makes a mistake. Again, all this is easier without a passenger yelling at you for missing a decade’s worth of Thanksgivings.

Sleep through an aerial bombing or two, and noise isn’t an issue. You just need some privacy and a bed. In a pinch, you can lose the bed. But the privacy’s important for projects like this one. With everyone X-raying and chemical testing their mail these days, a box of wire and pipe and batteries sprinkled with chemical fertilizer is a great attention-getter.

Whether you’re a coke dealer, a thief, an arms dealer, or a spy, you need someone to clean your money; which makes a good money launderer the closest thing you can get to a Yellow Pages for criminals. Even better, a money launderer will always take your calls burn notice or no burn notice.

Pilot Part 2

When you work as a covert operative, meeting new people becomes a real headache. Chances are anyone who wants to meet you is someone you don’t want to meet.

It doesn’t matter how much training you have; a broken rib is a broken rib.

I never run around the bushes in a ski mask when I’m breaking into a place.  If somebody catches you; what are you going to say? You want to look like a legitimate visitor until the very last minute. If you can’t look legit, confused works almost as well, maybe get a soda from the fridge or a yogurt. If you’re caught, you just act confused and apologize like crazy for taking the yogurt – nothing could be more innocent…

Cracking an old-school safe is pretty tough, but modern hi-tech security makes it much easier. Thing is, nobody wipes off a fingerprint scanner after they use it. So what’s left on the scanner, nine times out of ten, is a fingerprint.

Fighting for the little guy is for suckers. We all do it once in a while, but the trick is to get in and out quickly, without getting involved. That’s one trick I never really mastered.

Powerful people don’t like being pushed around. You can never quite predict what they’re going to do. Or have their washed-out special-forces, security guys do. Point is, blackmail does a little like own a pit bull; it might protect you, or it might bite your hand off. That’s why it pays to make sure you know what they’re thinking, and that means eavesdropping.

To build a listening device, you need a crappy phone with a mike that picks up everything. But you want the battery power and circuits of a better phone. It’s a trick you learn when the purchasing office won’t spring for a bug.

Once somebody sends a guy with a gun after you, things are only going to get worse. But like it or not, you’ve got work to do. For a job like getting rid of the drug dealer next door, I’ll take a hardware store over a gun any day. Guns make you stupid. Better to fight your wars with duct tape. Duct tape makes you smart. Every decent punk has a bulletproof door. But people forget walls are just plaster. Hopefully you get him with the first shot, Or the second. Now he’s down and waiting for you to come through the front door. So you don’t come through the front door.

People with happy families don’t become spies. A bad childhood is the perfect background for covert ops – you don’t trust anyone, you’re used to getting smacked around, and you never get homesick.

Thirty years of karate, combat experience on five continents, a rating with every weapon that shoots a bullet or holds an edge; I still haven’t found any defense against Mom crying into my shirt.

Airbags save a lot of lives, but they also put you out long enough to get your hands cable-tied to the steering wheel.

When you work solo, it’s about prepping the ground. Home-court advantage counts for a lot. You never know what’s going to happen. You prepare for everything. Most bad guys expect you to just sit there and wait for them, like those are “the rules” or something.

If you’re going to put prints on a gun, sticking it into somebody’s hand isn’t going to do it. Any decent lawyer can explain prints on a gun. But try explaining prints on the inside of the trigger assembly.

As a spy, it doesn’t matter if you’re helping rebel forces fight off a dictator or giving combat tips to a third grader, there’s nothing like helping the little guy kick some bully’s ass.

There’s nothing worse for a spook than knowing you’re being played. Someone is pulling strings. Who? Not some intelligence agency bureaucrat in a cubicle. This is someone with more style. Not FBI either, they’re not this creative and they don’t do surveillance on their own guys. This is someone who knows what he’s doing; someone who wants to send a message: Welcome to Miami.

1.2 Identity

Plot Summary

The episode opens with Michael trying to track down where the photographs that he found on his apartment floor were taken. After talking to his mother, Madeline Westen, he found out two government agents were in her home, and after checking the wiring, he finds a bug. He tracks the bug down to an abandoned house only to see two guys taking off in a car and their equipment left in flames.

Madeline refuses to tell her son anything more about the two men that came to her house until Michael agrees to help one of her friends, Laura, who got scammed and beaten by a con artist. Laura is able to provide only a weak description, but the fake certificate she has leads Michael to a copy shop, where he’s able to eventually trace it back to the master criminal.

Sam Axe finds that the con artist’s name is Quinten, and provides Michael with a brief background of Quinten’s run-ins with the law. Michael decides to use this information to attempt to trick Quinten into thinking that Westen is a fellow con artist. After their first encounter goes poorly, Michael pushes Quinten harder. Sam sets up some fake papers to make it look like Quinten’s partners are about to betray him. However, everything falls apart when a device meant to disable Quinten’s car is set incorrectly by Fiona Glenanne, and accidentally blows it up right before he steps inside.

Now that Quinten is scared, Michael is playing his cards carefully. He sends Sam & Fiona to play FBI agents and convinces Quinten’s partners to leave town. Meanwhile, Michael takes advantage of Quinten’s paranoia and convinces Quinten that he cannot go to the bank to withdraw his money because the police are watching him. Michael then cons Quinten into giving him full access to his bank accounts so he can withdraw the money in his place. Once he has the information, Michael proceeds to return all the money Quinten stole, along with providing his name to several “colorful” organizations.

After all of the money is returned, a thankful Madeline finally divulges all of the details about the two government agents. They came into the house and asked whether Michael had returned to Miami. She told them no because to her, “family comes first.” She then gives Michael a number the agents had given her to contact them. Michael calls the number and speaks with an anonymous voice, who congratulates Michael for his hard work, but does not provide any helpful information.

Narration

A surveillance photo can tell you a lot about the photographer. Surveillance takes planning. You have to scout the area. You need a place to sit and wait for the target for an hour or 10. Lots of chances to get seen.

You can’t choose your intelligence sources. (They) might be a heroin smuggler, a dictator… or your mom.

My mother’s understanding of my career changes with what she wants from me. One day, she can name everyone on the National Security Council. The next day, she thinks I work for the post office.

Not all bugs are the same. If it has got a battery; it’s disposable; short-term. If it’s wired into the house power, it’s a longer term thing. If it has a transmitter, you can figure out how close the listener is.

Once your surveillance knows you’re on to them, the clock starts ticking. They know you’re coming so the question for them is whether they can destroy their equipment and get out in time. The question for you is whether you can find them before every bit of useful information is turned into a pile of burning slag.

There’s a reason spies don’t have a lot of parties. Everybody’s got a history with everyone else.

Often, the best way to get intel is to provoke action; set people in motion. Pros know better, but they usually have to work with a few amateurs, and they panic. So you beat the bushes a little and see what flies out. Once your frightened amateur leads you to the pros, the work begins.

Con artists and spies are both professional liars. Cons do it for the money and spies do it for the flag, but it’s mostly the same gig. They run operations. They follow security procedures. They recruit support staff and issue orders.

When you go after a spy, you send another spy. The same goes for con artists. To catch one you’ve got to beat him at his own game; be a better liar than he is.

No matter how good your cover identity is, you’ve got to sell it and that’s not always easy.

Sometimes you have to decide just how committed you are to pretending you are who you say you are.

I don’t like running from cops, but it has its advantages: it builds your credibility with a criminal when you flee a crime scene.

Eavesdropping and fieldwork go hand-in-hand. You want to know what your target is saying, what he’s typing into his computer. But technology can’t work miracles: bugs don’t plant themselves. Fact is, even the fanciest equipment usually needs help from a good old-fashioned crowbar.

It’s always useful to disable a car remotely; a cell phone, some wire, you can ground the circuit on the electrical system with a phone call.

A good cover identity keeps the target feeling in control. You talk too much; drink too much just to let him know he’s got the edge.

Go after a group of people directly, and they pull together. They get stronger. Taking out a tight knit group is about making them turn on each other. You plant the seeds of distrust and watch them grow. Of course, sewing seeds of distrust is harder when nobody trusts you.

Sometimes a great plan comes together just a little bit too early.

You’ve been in the business way too long when you recognize the sound of a .45 caliber over a phone.

[Car explodes unexpectedly] That’s what happens when you wire a cell phone to a blasting cap in the gas tank instead of the electrical system.

Whether you’re in Moscow, Tehran, or Miami, club girls are a good source of information. Men say things to a beautiful woman. They give out phone numbers, hotel keys; they let down their guard. Getting information from a club girl means buying drinks. It’s no problem with an operational slush fund. It’s a big problem if you’re spending cash scrounged from your mom’s purse.

A hit-man is like a plumber, a dentist or a mechanic. Everybody is always looking for a good one.

Truth is, identity theft isn’t hard. A number and an ID is all you need to drain a bank account, and return a lot of money to some very surprised retirees. But why stop there? As long as you’re stealing someone’s identity, why not use it to contact some known terrorist organizations on unsecure phone lines; why not use it to threaten federal judges, and insult the local drug cartel? Most fun I’ve had in Miami.

1.3 Fight or Flight

Plot Summary

Michael’s landlord Oleg convinces him to earn 4 months’ rent by resolving the threats which keep his star waitress, Cara Stagner, stuck at home, scared-stiff. It turns out she was the sole witness to a drug cartel crime. Michael barricades Cara and her willful teenage daughter Sarah, in his mother’s garage, then approaches the cartel’s lawyer. All the while Michael’s ex-girlfriend, Fiona pressures him to pick up his hated father’s old Charger. Meanwhile, he leans on an Egyptian spy to help trace his burn notice.

Narration

International conferences attract spies for the same reasons hotel bars attract hookers. You can do business and drink for free.

Any high security function is going to have a lot of oversight; a lot of meetings, a lot of bureaucrats checking up on each other. In all the confusion of the big event, it’s easy for another bureaucrats to…just show up (posing as a bureaucrat). The important thing is to disappear before people can ask questions. If they do decide to ask questions, you just have to hope you’re in a building with a lot of hallways, a good service basement, and plenty of exits. But in the end, sometimes making an escape is just about being willing to do what the guy chasing you won’t; like jump off a building.

Asking my mom for anything is a lot like getting a favor from a Russian mob boss, he’ll give you what you want with a smile, but believe me, you’ll pay for it.

My father’s approach to machinery was similar to his approach to family. If you don’t like how something works, keep banging on it until it does what you want. If something doesn’t fit, force it and above all, make sure it looks good on the outside.

Convincing a bully to back down is usually just a matter of showing you’re not afraid of them. Of course, some bullies have guys with 357 magnums, then you change tactics. [Michael then changes to an accommodating tone and scrambles to escape.]

When faced with a superior force, you can do two things. You can retreat quietly or you can attack with as much fan fare as possible.

Outfitting a safe-house is about two things. You need to know if someone is coming and you need to know how the folks you’re protecting are going to get out of there if they do. And if you can’t be on babysitting duty all the time, you need to make sure that you know the minute something is wrong. A 35 dollar outdoor floodlight has a decent motion detector on it. Wire that to a cell phone and you’ve got a remote alarm system that will call you if there’s trouble.

I love commuters. Anybody who drives the same route to work every day; it’s like they’re doing the work for you. And a punctual commuter, a guy who is in the same place every morning at 8:36AM: it’s almost too easy.

Threaten any serious criminal organization and they’re going to do one of two things. They’ll send someone to make a deal or they’ll send someone to make a corpse. Either way, you’ve got something to work with.

When you go on the run, the first thing you do is lay down tracks in the opposite direction, but that only works if the bad guys find the trail and believe it’s for real; which means selling it. You need to put on a little show, make them feel clever. When you make somebody work to get a piece of information, they’ll believe it that much more because it’s hard to get.

Approaching a spy in the middle of a job, gives you a lot of leverage. They’re playing a delicate game and the last thing they want is someone coming in and smashing their delicate game with a brick.

Basic rule of body guarding: Never fight with the protectee around, mostly because if they happen to catch a stray bullet, you just lost your job.

Modern technology has made it possible to do sophisticated electronic surveillance with stuff from your local electronics store. It sounds more fun than it is.

Faking surveillance video has come a long way. It used to be that you’d spend days slaving over a VHS tape with a razor blade.

A drug cartel is a business. If killing a witness to protect a valued employee from jail time is the best way to keep making money, they’ll do that. If it looks like that employee is testifying to the FBI though, they’re just as happy to leave the witness alone and take care of the problem another way.

An alpha-numeric tracking code and a special access code name, it’s not much but it’s a start. [While reviewing a report from the Department of Home Land Security that offers a clue to Michael’s burn notice.]

After watching a Man Vs. Wild marathon, I noticed in his later seasons, one thing he always relies on is his para-cord. I’ve seen some para-cord bracelets on the web and thought it would be an awesome/ man-crafting experience and a cool thing to do with my girlfriend as we prep for a  Denali backpacking trip. She is far craftier than I, and quickly outdid me by making herself a belt using this technique.

I’ve seen many websites for survival bracelets that leave out the pesky details. I am also not a fan of paying for instructions that leave out important details; Instructables guides- I’m talking about you, especially when there are free and better videos on the web. To give them credit- here is the instructables link to a paracord bracelet with side buckle. Here is a link to some of the best Instructable guides Torrent file- Why? Because they stole the information from the web anyway! Please don’t click the link if you don’t know what a torrent file is. On with the post.

I like the looks of bracelets found on the survival straps website and wanted to mimic them. If you want to spend $22, you can purchase one well made paracord survival strap from their website. I found I could make better straps and take personal pride in my work and for the same price, make several bracelets for friends and relatives. I plan on making quite a few of these and carrying them with me, if for nothing else than to use for barter and trade with fellow travelers and passers by.

Materials

Clasps

1/4″ Stainless Steel Marine Grade Shackle-$2.50 Home Depot This is used as the clasp or fastener. You can also purchase small plastic buckles on Ebay but I prefer something stronger with more utility.

You can also use these Nite Ize S-Biner Size #0 Clips that come in a package of 2 at REI for $1.49 Here is a link

*Note- if you use the S-Biner- be sure to cut off the tooth in the gate, so you can easily take on and off the bracelet.

Cord

Paracord 550 military spec. You only need 12-24 feet of this depending on the type of bracelet and the size. You can purchase it in many colors for $4.39 per 50 feet from this Ebay seller

Scissors- or a knife- I bought some scissors from Dollar Tree that did the job, and guess how much they cost?

Fireplace Lighter- for melting and fusing cord. You’ll see youtube videos of guys using Zippos but I find it easier to work with these and I am less likely to burn the rest of the cord.

A quarter

Tweezers/toothpick/paper clip- come in handy at the final stages.

You can buy also buy one from survival straps or other websites for $22- or make one for $3.00-$6.00 and have plenty of cord left over to make more for family and friends.

Here are some video tutorials

My variations:

I used a clasp and at the end of the knot- I wove a little excess back through the knot work- about 3 notches from the last knot and then fused the ends with the lighter. This ensures that the bracelet won’t fall apart until I need to use it.

*When tucking the excess back into the knot, t after weaving it back through the 3rd to the last knot, cut any excess and bend the bracelet, burn the edges and use a quarter to flatten them against the bracelet. This will ensure that you have a secure bracelet that is comfortable to wear.

Cobra Knot

Awesome Video of how a father used the bracelet technique to send money to his son who was on deployment. What an awesome dad!