Month: August 2014

Notes for Sunday – August 31, 2014

Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,100+ 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, DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hardcase to go with your …


Amish as Prepper Role Models, by V.R.

1

This one is so obvious, I can’t believe that it hasn’t already been written for SurvivalBlog. All that I know about the Old Order Amish is gained from association with individual families in a couple of Amish settlements in southeastern Minnesota. These folks are reputed to be among the most conservative of the Old Order Amish, having not yet adopted many of the modern conveniences other Amish groups have seen fit to adopt. For instance, SE Minnesota Amish still use steel rims on their buggies and farm implements, they cook and heat with wood, and they use kerosene lamps and …


Letter Re: EMP

I currently keep my backup mini-iPad in an EMP bag. Do I also need to keep my power supply for it there, too? Thanks – A.B. HJL replies: Yes. In fact, it is probably more important that the charger is in the bag than the ipad. Being an electrical engineer with considerable radio technology experience, I have a perspective that is a bit different than most on the subject. The true danger of EMP is in having antennas or things that act like antennas pick up the electrical energy. If the object in question either has wires or parts that …


Economics and Investing:

How Many Warnings Can You Give? o o o Janet Yellen thinks social media is overvalued o o o Comex Gold Warehouses Filling Up…With Paper o o o A 5-digit Price for Gold Is Not That Far-fetched – Here’s Why o o o The Nail In The Petrodollar Coffin: Gazprom Begins Accepting Payment For Oil In Ruble, Yuan. B.B.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Myth of arctic meltdown. – P.M. o o o The “nanny state” strikes again: Government publishes detailed instructions on how to safely roast marshmallows. – JBG o o o Death of man restrained by NYPD ruled homicide . – T.P. o o o Online posts show ISIS eyeing Mexican border, says law enforcement bulletin. M.B. o o o Government To Regulate Groundwater For 1st Time As California Drought Becomes “Race To The Bottom”. -H.L.



Notes for Saturday – August 30, 2014

August 30, 2014 is the 95th birthday of Joachim Rønneberg, a hero of the Norwegian resistance during World War II. His exploits earned him the War Cross With Sword, Norway’s highest military honor. In April 2013, Rønneberg was presented with a Union Jack during a ceremony at the Special Operations Executive (SOE) monument in London to mark 70 years since the successful Gunnerside heavy water plant sabotage mission. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 54 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,100+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Gunsite Academy Three …


Fishing For Survival, by M.K.

I have spent a decent amount of time fishing with my two sons (ages 7 and 9) recently. Watching them learn to go after a stringer of fish has been a real joy. You have all heard the saying, “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” That thought came to my mind as I was talking my boys through our plan of attack on the little lake near our house. As they continued to cast and reel without bringing anything in, I began to wonder …


Four Letters Re: How to Survive Without Glasses

Hugh, In response to Wednesday’s response: There are much better options out there for new or backup glasses than waiting for a “two pairs for $99” coupon or local deal. Online providers like Coastal.com and WarbyParker.com have good quality frames (many name brand) and their standard polycarbonate lenses are light years ahead of the basic plastic lenses in terms of durability. Both offer the option to “try before you buy”. Recently I was able to get a new pair of glasses from Coastal for less than $45, shipped (no tax in my state) by using an online code. Their standard …


Economics and Investing:

A day of reckoning has arrived to retiring Americans: 63 percent of Americans that start working by the age of 25 will be dependent on Social Security, relatives, or charity by the time they hit 65. o o o Real stock correction going to blindside us: Pro. M.V. o o o Are We Heading For Another Stock Bubble?. – CDV o o o A Fraud By Any Other Name Is Still A Fraud o o o Butter Prices Reach All-Time High Amid Smaller Stockpiles. – G.G.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Ammunition now plentiful one year after mass shortages . – H.L. o o o The movie Atlas Shrugged Part 3: Who Is John Galt? will be released on September 12, 2014. There are 223 confirmed theater locations that can be be found here. o o o Swatting continues to be a real issue as more and more people engage in the practice, while police are over anxious to use their SWAT teams. Vice news has an interesting video on the swatting issue. You can also see an example where one online gamer, who was streaming video of himself (a common …



Notes for Friday – August 29, 2014

August 29th is a mournful day, as we remember the anniversary of the death of “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” – Isaiah 40:3. John, the Baptist, who heralded the first coming of our Lord and stood true to his belief in the face of death, was beheaded on this day in 29AD. In 1862, the Battle of Bull Run in Virginia began, along with the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. o o o Today, we present another entry …


Why I Believe A World-Wide Pandemic Will Bring About Civil War and Ethnic Cleansing in the United States, by S.T.

1

A world-wide pandemic is my worst nightmare. I fear a pandemic more than I fear a nuclear war. We have scientists who have already weaponized the flu virus. http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/421-national-security/8630-scientist-weaponizes-flu-strain-in-bioterrorism-experiment The majority of the American population is just nine meals away from anarchy. The government lawmakers– those who are elected to act in the best interest of the citizens of the United States that they represent and to act upon the citizen’s requests and desires– have, for the last 40 odd years, only acted in ways that would: Get themselves elected or re-elected, Get themselves additional campaign contributions, Get themselves time …


Letter Re: Quarantine Procedures for Ebola and Other Diseases at Your Bugout Location

Hi HJL. The article about quarantine procedures is timely and thoughtful. It points out scenarios that have a human element that I bet many have not considered. As a clinician, I would like to add a few points to consider. Quarantine is only necessary for the maximum of the illness’s incubation period. For Ebola, this is 21 days. There is no need to quarantine longer than that. If it is your child, or your sister, it will be much easier to enforce compliance with the quarantine if it is fact-based and not fear-based. It removes all question of bias. The …