Month: July 2012

Odds ‘n Sods:

Bryan E. recommended this for all the techies out there: Raspberry Pi    o o o O Kwame, Where Art Thou? Plan to Raze Detroit Empty Homes in Final Stages. FWIW, there is fine agricultural soil under all that urban blight. Perhaps someday Detroit will have a future as a farm town.    o o o Some good commentary over at Off Grid Survival: Anti-Gun Groups use Tragedy in Colorado to Push Gun Control Agendas. Of course, the statists won’t mention the fact that the movie theater chain banned concealed carry in their theaters. Once again, a mass murderer picked …



Notes from JWR:

On July 21, 1899 Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois. He was a great writer, but his personal life was a shambles. It ended with his suicide in 1961. Enjoy his books. Learn from his mistakes. — Today we present another two entries for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government …


Developing Intelligence Information on Your Subdivision, by F.J.

During my years in the military, I spent most of my time in the military intelligence field.  Though I was specifically trained in signals intelligence, I learned to utilize a number of sources in producing intelligence products for my command.  The tactics that I learned both in individual training as well as on-the-job are applicable to a number of applications, including preparing yourself and your family for emergency situations.  In my years of reading “alternative” message boards and blog posts, I noticed that most people in the prepper community either live in a rural community or have a desire to …


Preparedness Essentials, by F.M.H.

I found myself in a rather uncomfortable and vulnerable position. Hurricane Frederic hit Mobile, Alabama in September 1979. I thought it was going to be exciting. In fact several friends of mine had a party the night before Frederic made landfall. There was no preparation made on my part for this hurricane. I had no anxiety and could have cared less. At the time I didn’t even have a gun. I had barely a quarter of a tank of gas in my car. I did not have a battery operated radio or a flashlight. There was very little non-perishable food …


Letter Re: Long Term Public Employee Pension Obligations

Sir: Bob G. wrote on July 19th regarding pension obligations for retired government workers.  The implication seemed to be that they are excessively generous and should be cut.  I am a retired teacher and a taxpayer, so I have two dogs in this fight.  As a taxpayer, I want to hold the line on government spending.  As a retiree, I depend on the money I was promised for my livelihood. Pensions are a contractual obligation backed by the ‘full faith and credit’ of government.  If government had properly funded the liability in the first place, the money to pay pensions would be there today.  …


Economics and Investing:

Reader M.E.W. suggested: The Federal Reserve Is Not Going To Save Us From The Great Depression That Is Coming Default? U.S. Post Office Might Miss Retirees’ Payment. (Thanks to SurvivalBlog’s G.G. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Psychopaths Caused The Financial Crisis…And They Will Do It Again And Again Unless They Are Removed From Power Beginning Sovereign Debt Crisis Endgame, Attack of the Zombie Banks and the New Religion of Europe These 12 Hellholes are Examples of What the Rest of America Will Look Like Soon Bad Economic Signs 2012s


Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. sent us this piece from Virginia: Fowl Territory: Why Richmond should embrace backyard chickens.    o o o Join The Club, Your Honor: Trenton Mayor Tony Mack federal probe: FBI raids homes of mayor, brother, supporter. Any guesses on the illustrious “crime fighting” group that Mayor Mack belongs to? The folks over at the If It Hits The Fan blog just passed the milestone of 500 posts. Congrats.    o o o Yet another conference… This one is in Tucson, on August 11, 2012: The Arizona Survivalist Show. (Thanks to Randy in Arizona for the link.)    o o …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: [they were] judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 41 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any …


Prepare to Share, by Mrs. T.J.

Growing up, we are taught to share.  Share our toys, share the chores, share our parents attention.  When we get to an age where we can earn some money, whether it be allowance for household jobs, or something like a paper route, our parents teach us to be sure to give God his 10%.  (Here is a little secret…it is ALL God’s, he just allows us to keep 90%, if only the government would be so generous).  Well, as we get even older, let us say, after high school or college, we get a ‘real’ job.  This is theoretically speaking …


Letter Re: Cinder Block Safety Concerns

JWR, First of all thank you for your blog.  I have been reading it every day for the last year. J.D. in Texas offers some good information regarding Concrete Masonry Units(CMUs), however I may be able to share some more details.  I have also been in the concrete masonry business for about 22 years.  The first thing to consider when using concrete masonry is to avoid breathing any dust from the units, such as when a unit is cut, split, or ground.  At the very least use a N95 or N99 dust mask.  If you are cutting a CMU then …


Economics and Investing:

The “well funded” Social Security myth: $20 trillion timebomb. (Thanks to G.G. for the link.) Reader AmEx sent an article by Paul Farrell: How Bernanke will cause the next crash before 2014 Over at Alt-Market: Bad Economic Signs 2012 Ol’ Remus of The Woodpile Report alerted me to an article wherein Karl Denninger summarizes the enormity of the LIBOR scandal: So I Need To “Be An Adult” About Fraud Eh? Here is a key quote: “There are hundreds of trillions of dollars of interest-rate derivatives linked to LIBOR, directly and indirectly. A 1% move would be something like $3 trillion …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson mentioned a new product: the Trucker’s Friend. (It is even American-made!)    o o o Yet another reason to avoid all social media: Facebook Monitors Your Chats for Criminal Activity. (Thanks to RBS for the link.)    o o o Sterile v. Clean In Survival Situations:  Doom & Bloom    o o o Some facts on firearms in the United States.    o o o Speaking of guns, read: Outrage After News Channel Helps Public Identify Gun Owners. In the warped minds of the gun grabbers, they perceive gun owners on a par …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“…if the study of the Bible is to be excluded from all state schools; if the inculcation of the principles of Christianity is to have no place in the daily program; if the worship of God is to form no part of the general exercises of these public elementary schools; then the good of the state would be better served by restoring all schools to church control.” – National Education Association (NEA), 1892