Month: May 2014

Notes for Saturday – May 31, 2014:

May 31, 1895 is the birthday of George R. Stewart (novelist, university professor and toponymist) died: August 22, 1980. In the preparedness community, he is best remembered as the author of the classic post-pandemic novel Earth Abides. o o o Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ 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), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day …


Proselytizing With Pandemics, by D.C.

Perhaps in the nature vs. nurture debate, it is going to turn out that people worried about emergency preparedness are just born that way. Certainly, I have tried for years to persuade many of my skeptical friends that having, say, some extra food on hand or some means of personal protection, or even a backup source of energy greater than an extra D battery, is just plain common sense. What I have experienced in response to my well-intentioned suggestions are rolled eyes, turned backs, and closed minds. I’ve pretty much despaired of ever making even the smallest dent in their …


Letter Re: Cashing out your 401K accounts

Dear C.P. This is in response to your query about cashing out your 401K accounts. I am a CPA in California and have been practicing for 20 years. I like your idea of cashing out your retirement accounts to live in a paid-for home. I have two suggestions: If you can, wait until you are 59 1/2 before cashing them out. This avoids the additional 10% federal tax on early withdrawal. There may be other ways to avoid this penalty that are more detailed, so ask a CPA that is familiar with this. Rolling all of the accounts directly into …


Letter: New Federal Information Grab

To the Editor, I am relatively new to your site and now read it daily. It is a valuable site, and I have been passing the word to my friends. Thank you so much for your work in getting the information out there that you provide. My reason for writing is that I am firmly convinced that a SHTF event is coming, and coming soon. A daily reading of the news provides a piece or two at a time to be incorporated into the overall picture. We are witnessing pervasive domestic racial violence that is being largely unreported, our economy …


Economics and Investing:

They just can’t seem to get it. Progressive aldermen propose $15-an-hour Chicago minimum wage – A.B. o o o FDIC Reveals That Over 400 Banks Remain on the Problem Bank List – G.G. o o o Items from The Economatrix: The Theft Of Your Retirement Accounts Will Accompany The Seizure Of Bank Accounts Bad Trend Breaking: Why Retail Results Are Not Better Than Expected, But Worse Than Ever! U.S. Gold Holdings Close To Zero-Rob Kirby Wall Street Criminals Threaten That Economy Will Blow Up If They’re Prosecuted


Odds ‘n Sods:

Water Wars: Ankara suspends pumping Euphrates’ water, cutting off the water supply to Syria and Iraq It appears that Turkey has control of the Euphrates River and has shut off flow into Syria and Iraq. This happened well over a month ago, but it is now reaching crisis proportions for the people and the agriculture in the region. Will this bring warring factions to the table? Will those factions now join to move against Turkey? Or, will all sides just let millions suffer and die of thirst as the supply of drinking water vanishes? – C.M. o o o Report: …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, …


Notes for Friday – May 30, 2014:

JRH Enterprises is having a sale on New Gen 3+ Pinnacle Autogated PVS14’s. They come with all accessories and a 10-year warranty. The P+ Upgraded unit is on sale for $2995. It comes with a FREE weapons mount, and the first 10 customers will receive a FREE Light Interference Filter as well. The Standard model Pinnacle Autogated PVS14 is also on sale at $2695.00 o o o Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good …


What to Expect When Planning A Hardened Shelter With A Professional Team of Engineers and Architects, by D.C.

I’m writing this article to persons considering developing their retreat with a fortified shelter. Here, I will thoroughly explain the expected preparation and process we went through on our shelter design and construction phases with our design professionals (engineers and architects) and other building industry professionals (general contractors, subcontractors, and product vendors). I am a licensed architect, with licenses in more than eight states and over 25 years of experience. Much of my career has been spent in highly technical commercial work (MRI suites, computer data centers, pharmaceutical labs, and so forth). For a mid-career alternative, in 2001, I also …


Letter Re: A Simpleton’s Guide To Preps: The Best And The Overrated

HJL, I enjoyed reading A Simpleton’s Guide To Preps: The Best And The Overrated, by B.H. He (she?) gave some excellent arguments against gold, generators, batteries – in one type of situation, but life is never that simple. The thing about crisis is we don’t get to choose what it looks like. It might be the lawless TEOTWAWKI they are describing. It might equally be a totalitarian jackbooted police state with severe deflation. It might be global thermonuclear war, or it might just be a national economic malaise, such as what Fernando FerFAL Aguirre went through in Argentina, 2001. In …


Economics and Investing:

U.S. Gold Holdings Close to Zero-Rob Kirby. – G.G. o o o Items from The Economatrix: Richard Russell – This Will Shock The West & World Leaders First Quarter Canadian Maple Leaf Sales Up A Hefty 24% 20 Big Box Retailers Take Major Losses In First Quarter Has The Next Recession Already Begun For America’s Middle Class?


Odds ‘n Sods:

Inside the Ring: Memo outlines Obama’s plan to use the military against citizens – B.B. o o o When looking at retreat locations, a SurvivalBlog reader suggested using this tool: The Criminal States of America o o o After reading Patriots, Survivors, Founders, and Expatriates, I found it hard to imagine some of the improvised equipment. This is it in real life. I know this article is kinda dated, but a picture is worth a thousand words and there are a lot of pictures here. – DSB o o o A false report to get even with this innocent man …



Notes for Thursday – May 29, 2014:

Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ 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), 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 …


Moving Females in SHTF Scenario, by C.B.

The topic I want to discuss might seem pretty obvious to some of you and not so obvious to others. This article is going to discuss the transporting and safety of tactically untrained female members of your group. I’ve been a prepper for a number of years now, and I really haven’t ever seen anything on bugging out to a retreat or anywhere for that matter with untrained females in a SHTF scenario. First, let me give you some background on myself; it might help to establish some credibility with some of you. I have served in the U.S. military, …