Month: June 2014

Letter Re: Getting A Real Education

HJL, No disputes on the article from me. It points out that the “college education” and the attendant debt only assures more debt and dubious occupation opportunities. I made the error of having a career. When the economy went down the tubes and I was out of work, I did the degree thing. I was left with debt. Essentially no job opportunities were there. The economy was still failing. Because I had experience and an education, I was told I was “overqualified”. Say what? Reentry in the job market was at minimum wage, in a job normally filled by a …


Economics and Investing:

One Ton Gold Shipment Into Hong Kong Revealed To Contain Just Worthless Metal – B.B. o o o Steve Forbes: Link dollar to gold or face Great Depression II – G.G. o o o Items from Mr Econocobas: Companies Add Fewer Workers Than Forecast, ADP Data Show Fed’s Fisher Wants October End to QE3; Sees No 2014 Rate Hike Ya Think? “Student-Loan Debt May Hamper Economy, Senate Panel Hears” Half The Country Makes Less Than $27,520 A Year and 15 Other Signs The Middle Class is Dying


Odds ‘n Sods:

Payday Lenders Sue Regulators Over Operation Choke Point – G.G. o o o Some great ideas to lighten the load… of a bug out bag? 13 Clever Camping Hacks to Make the Outdoors More Fun – R.J. o o o I’m using this as an excuse for all those times I ate dirt as a kid. Seriously, in the day and age where even the grocery store supplies disinfectant wipes at the door, is it any wonder that we have no immunity? Newborns Exposed to Dirt, Dander and Germs May Have Lower Allergy and Asthma Risk – H.L. o o …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“[He] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should …


Notes for Saturday – June 07, 2014

Apparently, today is Freeze Dry Day. The final installment of the three-part review on Harvest Right’s freeze dryer is posted today. If you feel that, after reading the review, owning one of these machines is not for you, be sure to check out our advertisers below, as they are having sales on Mountain House freeze-dried foods. o o o Ready Made Resources is having a summer sale, offering Mountain House freeze dryed foods with entrees for 32%-60% off of normal pricing and they will cover the shipping. o o o The Freeze Dry Guy is having a 1 month sale …


Product Review: Harvest Right Freeze Dryer, by HJL – Part 3

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Note from the Manufacture Harvest Right has been very responsive to their customers feedback and, in fact, responded to the first two parts of this article with the following letter: Thank you for using the freeze dryer, and thank you for your article. Because of your thoughts, we have made the following modifications to our unit: We have changed the riveting of the tray holder assembly. It is now quite stable. We extended the length of the drain tube. We are also using shrink-wrapped solder connections instead of electrical tape. It is much faster and looks better. (We don’t know …


Two Letters Re: Harvest Right Freeze Dryer

Hugh, Thanks for the review of the freeze dryer, I’m very interested. Just wanted to share that the first thing I thought when reading your review and clicking on their pictures is “that display is going to go bad”! And it did. Gotta worry about $4K and something major (and predictable) goes like that, with only a 1 yr warranty. – M.R. HJL Replies: I was initially worried about that, too, but the company was very responsive in taking care of the issue. While I did the repair myself, they offered to have a local appliance repairman do the work. …


Economics and Investing:

The Good And The Not- So-Good News About US Jobs In One Chart. Part of the problem is the skills mis-match. Many good (primarily blue collar) jobs remain unfilled as younger folks do NOT have the skills, nor do they want to learn them! – H.L. o o o The Purchase Of Our Republic. – B.B. o o o Items from Mr Econocobas: Rising Resource Costs Escalate Odds of Global Unrest Video: James Rickards ‘Inflation is Coming as it is The Only Way The U.S. Can Pay It’s Debt’ Deflation ‘Greatest Hoax’ as Prices Keep Rising Seemingly Terrific April Jobs …


Odds ‘n Sods:

In the UK You Can Now Only Buy Heirloom Seeds if You Are Part of a Private Members Club. – H.L. Article quote: “The way we are being pushed and squeezed by regulations that govern every facet of our life, we will soon only be able to defecate when our allotted time slot comes around.” o o o What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades. – D.S o o o Holder to Create ‘Homegrown’ Terrorism Task Force – G.B. o o o Just Another Anonymous Victim of the Economic Recovery. – H.L. o o o Yet again, another reason why I like …



Notes for Friday – June 06, 2014

The 6th of June is remembered for both D-Day and for the birth of Dieudonné Joseph Saive (born 1899.) He was the designer of many well-known firearms, including the Browning Hi-Power and the FN49, and he was co-designer (along with Ernest Vervier) of the very popular FN-FAL, which was issued to the militaries of more than 90 countries. o o o RepackBox is joining our SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest with a $300 certificate to their site. o o o Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ worth of prizes for this …


Getting A Real Education– Why Becoming Self-Sufficient Is Better Than Going To College, by D.T.

Everywhere you turn experts are predicting that the world is heading into some very troubling times. At every level, they say we are heading into a period of history that will see major upheavals in economics, politics, education, food production, housing, jobs, and basically everything. These major changes will effect everyone on earth. That is why so many people are trying to prepare for these changes before they happen in full force, and most experts agree the best way to prepare to meet the challenges of living in this kind of future is to have a skills-based education rather than …


Letter Re: Officer Survival Initiative First Aid Materials

Scot, I enjoyed your article entitled Product Review: Officer Survival Initiative First Aid Materials. I am a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School and a three-time graduate of the Wilderness Medicine Institute’s Wilderness First Aid Course (a re-certification is required every two years). I have three points: First, Wilderness First Aid has a different orientation than regular Red Cross First Aid courses. The latter are quite practical for most of us who live in cities and towns and focus on assessing and stabilizing a victim, while an ambulance is on its way. In the back country when help is …


Economics and Investing:

Where Is The U.S. Economy Headed? – D.B. o o o 77,000 Foreign Banks to Share Tax Info with IRS – H.L. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: US Money Slump Flashes Warnings as Economy Contracts The Velocity Of Money In The U.S. Falls To An All-Time Record Low Ben & Janet’s Swell Housing Recovery: Sales Booming For The 1%; Heading Down For Everyone Else Four More Signs That A Market Top Is Nigh America’s Insatiable Demand For More Expensive Cars, Larger Homes And Bigger Debts


Odds ‘n Sods:

On this anniversary of D-Day, SurvivalBlog reader C.T. sent in this link to an interesting article comparing the Normandy beaches in 1944 to 70 years later. D-Day Landing Sites Then and Now o o o Dr. Ben Carson: Obamacare More Damaging Than 9/11 – H.L. o o o SurvivalBlog reader R.B. in Washington state writes in: Now Washington state is seeing detainment of motorists for roadside “surveys”. The online news video was edited from what actually was broadcast. One broadcast version has the same reporter saying (paraphrased) that a reluctance to participate in the survey might be an indicator of …