Year: 2013

Letter Re: Could America’s Pot Growers Start Growing Opium Poppies?

Dear Jim, I thought I would let you know about something interesting going on in the Gold Country of California. Some SurvivalBlog readers may be aware that the North San Juan Ridge, aka “The Ridge” is highly populated with homesteaders, [near Grass Valley, California,, in Nevada County.] Since the soil is poor, and there are many squatters or people on largely undeveloped land, few make sufficient money from growing food for themselves, so turned to growing [marijuana, commonly called] pot.   In the old days, pot was illegal and the Fed and State CAMP task force would survey and raid …


Economics and Investing:

Readers Mark A. and John in Colorado both mentioned: Taper or no taper, the Fed will never end QE: Marc Faber Camden, New Jersey: One Of Hundreds Of U.S. Cities That Are Turning Into Rotting, Decaying Hellholes Record U.S. Gold Bullion Exports Head to Hong Kong & Switzerland Items from The Economatrix: Retail Sales Rise, Signaling Stronger Economy Jobless Claims Highest In Two Months Why I Won’t Be Surprised if the Global Economy Caves


Odds ‘n Sods:

K.T. recommended this 44-minute documentary video: Advanced Sniper Technology and Tactics. OBTW, the USMC’s four-to-six-man Scout Sniper squad structure roughly parallels what I describe for the organization of the Canadian resistance army cells in my upcoming novel Liberators. (Lord willing, that should be published by E.P. Dutton in October, 2014.)    o o o A reminder that CampingSurvival.com has a 5% off coupon code “sb1” available for all of their merchandise, aside from special sale items.    o o o Wintersown Seeds: Now is the time to start    o o o And speaking of seeds, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large …



Notes from JWR:

December 19th is the birthday of physicist Albert A. Michelson (Born 1852, died May 9, 1931), the first American to be awarded a Nobel Prize in science, for measuring the speed of light. (Along with Mr. Morley.) FWIW, I’m related to Michelson, by marriage. By way of my great aunt Zelpha (Rawles) Michelson. — Today we present another entry for Round 50 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $9,400+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) A course …


Anderson Powerpoles: The Legos of DC Electronics, by Dan in Alaska

To say that I’m a neophyte in the electrical world, or as we say here in Alaska a “Cheechako”, is making a big understatement.  So, a couple years back my co-worker and friend got me into Amateur Radio, also affectedly known as Ham Radio.  I studied my ARRL Technician book and passed my test, but it just barely rattled what I had in my head 20 years ago from my only electronics class I had back in High School where we studied Ohm’s law, identified a resistor, and made a strobe light.  So, I’m on a big learning curve.  I …


Letter Re: Marksmanship

Sir: That was an excellent article from Josh B. on Marksmanship. But as Gary D. pointed out, following those principles under stress can be a challenge. I thought I’d recommend a few stress inducers that I practice, which have improved my shooting skills. Before I begin, I’d like to note that I’m an US Army Infantry veteran. That should not imply that I am an expert. In fact, the more I practice and learn about shooting, the more I’ve come to realize how little I learned back then. Yes, the taught me the fundamentals, but I’ve since realized there is …


Economics and Investing:

K.A.F. sent a link to some fascinating maps: America’s Wealth Is Staggeringly Concentrated in the Northeast Corridor. (But take a look at the Bakken region of eastern North Dakota.) Reader Tim R. suggested this article: Gun Stocks Soar, Gun Control ‘Dead as an Issue’ Pierre M. sent: North America to Drown in Oil as Mexico Ends Monopoly Items from The Economatrix: Proposal On Capitol Hill Would Nearly Double Federal Gas Tax The Economy: What’s Ahead In 2014 Improving Economy: Is It For Real?


Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric Peters on Bug Out Vehicles. (Thanks to OSOM for the link.)    o o o Video: Former mayors discover membership in Bloomberg’s anti-gun group was kiss of death.    o o o R.B.S. sent: The Most Corrupt County In America (Dave Hodges)    o o o Chris M. sent: Google Acquires Boston Dynamics. (After all, what is Skynet without the hardware “to go with.”)    o o o B.B. suggested: Gun control: ‘What if we say no?’ – National Conservative



Notes from JWR:

This is the birthday of Charles Wesley (born 1707, died 29 March 1788.) He wrote more that 1,700 hymns. Today is also the birthday of Jørgen Haagen Schmith (born December 18, 1910, died October 15, 1944). He was better known under the codename Citron, was a famous Danish resistance fighter in occupied Denmark. His biographical sketch at Wikipedia describes his death, after he was tracked down by the Nazis: “German soldiers arrived at the house to arrest or kill Schmith. He fought for hours against an overwhelming force of enemy troops killing 11 and wounded scores of other before the …


In It For The Long Haul, by Java-Powered

I first got serious about prepping in 2006, when I realized the U.S. Dollar was on its way down.  I had a young son at home, and I wanted to make sure he would be safe if civil unrest occurred. I built a home on some acreage in the country in 2007 and started getting setup to be self-sufficient. I believed 2008 was going to be a bad year, and I wanted to be ready. I installed a wood stove in my home and purchased a hand pump for my well. When I moved my chickens out to the new …


Poll Results on SurvivalBlog’s Web Design

The vast majority of readers voted in favor leaving SurvivalBlog the way its is–predominantly text, for minimum bandwidth. I did learn that man readers would like more links to off-site graphics and videos. I also learned that I need to warn folks when a link is to a video, so that their mobile devices aren’t overwhelmed or “blow their budget” on bandwidth . So henceforth I will try to include the word “video” in those text links,


Letter Re: Firearms Selection for Times of Ammunition Shortages

Dear JWR, Last spring, with the ammo shortage clearing the shelves everywhere, I found myself in a position to expand my collection.  I decided on a Ruger .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk, with the 7" barrel.  Legal for whitetail in my state, you see.  Having neglected to actually check the retail supply, I assumed that the shortage would be primarily the military calibers (9mm Para, .45 ACP, 5.56mm NATO, .308, and 7.62x39mm) with the civilian calibers being readily available. Experienced wheelgunners are already laughing.  Took me a month to track down 100 rounds of basic .44 Magnum.  Eventually, diligent checking at …


Economics and Investing:

Andre D. forwarded this Reuters article link: Insight: Europe faces moment of truth on banks, with flawed defenses Mike Rowe on the Hidden Cost of Compliance (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: IT’S A SCANDAL: New Budget Agreement Doesn’t Contain Extended Benefits For The Unemployed New Wave Of US Mortgage Troubles Threaten Europe Repeating Japan’s Errors As Deflation Draws Closer