Notes from HJL:

Today we present another entry for Round 51 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value), 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, Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value), A $300 gift certificate …




An Old Man’s Long Gun Addiction, by *O.T.D*

I am 74 years old and have always been a little bit of a prepper. I was not into firearms and especially not hand guns, which I had never owned. I had rifles and shotguns from my youth, but never used them much after I got married. I had barely purchased a box of ammo for each. I even give them all away to my son a number of years ago. Then in the middle of 2009, I felt that everything was starting to fall apart and I needed to balance out my preparations by getting some firearms for protection …




Letter Re: EMP

Hugh, While the routers and switches do require power (which will be spotty at best), they too will be fried by the EMP. Many of the modern ASICs are based on IBM proprietary copper chips and as a result really don’t get along well with any form of EMP. It’s bad enough that I’ve seen a floating ground stretched between two buildings fry Cisco, ACC / Wellfleet, and Extreme gear. The only purpose-built router that is tempest hardened is the very old TGS router by Cisco. This was an AGS that was built into a hardened shell. Wide scale deployment …




Letter: 401K Rollovers And Precious Metals Investment

Hello Hugh, First of all I am not an investment expert, so I have to read and call experts. I recently left a company and moved to North Carolina. I was going to cash out my 401K, but I was starting a one-man business so I waited. I formed my own company and got started. After a short while I looked at 401 cash out options. (I am only 45.) One great option that is available is called a solo 401K. First, you have to be a one-person shop. That is easy. Go to the courthouse and register a DBA …




Economics and Investing:

Bitcoin firm CEO found dead. There sure are a lot of “coincidence”. We are now up to eight since January 1. Items from The Economatrix: U.S. factory activity growth hits highest since May 2010: Markit Gas And Oil Prices Soar And Petrol Could Be Next: Ukraine Crisis Shocks World Markets Amid Fears Russia’s Energy Resources Will Be Hit By Trade Sanctions Russia And China Stand In Agreement On Ukraine – And That Is Very Bad News For The United States Personal Income Faces First Year-Over-Year Drop Since Recession Ended: As Incomes Collapse, Spending Via Consumer Credit Begins To Increase.




Odds ‘n Sods:

Whole House Heating From A Single Wood Burner Or Open Fire The old Connecticut farm house I grew up in, had coal furnace in basement, and grills in first floor ceilings under the bedrooms. Dad put in oil furnace, BUT he kept the coal furnace and bin full of coal. Just in case!!!! Kept the DUG well, though he had drilled well put in. He was a prepper before the word was invented. – H.L. o o o Canadian Gun Confiscation Begins. Again – J.W. o o o L.G. sent this link in: Understanding The Stress response: It Can Buy …