Year: 2014

Notes for Friday – October 24, 2014

Silent Key: I just learned that Ken Holladay (K6HCP) passed away last Tuesday, following a long battle with cancer. Ken was the “K” founder of the rightfully famous KLM radio, amplifier, and antenna company. He later continued on as a designer and was associated with M2, Mirage, RF Concepts, and of course JK RF Designs. Many of Ken’s linear amplifier designs are legendary in the Ham radio world, and some are still produced by M2. My condolences to his widow, Jacqui, as well as to his other family members and to his many close friends, like Leland “Mel” Farrer , …


Identifying and Protecting Yourself and Your Family Against Hazardous Chemical Materials Incidents, by a Marine in Missouri – Part 2

There are many different levels of protection out there. Military gear is specifically designed for CWAs. There are three general levels of protective equipment– level A, level B, and level C. Military gear is somewhere in between level B and C because it is designed for specific chemicals. Level A gear is fully encapsulated, typically a chemical-resistant plastic suit with a Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) or provided air through a pressurized air system and a hose. This provides both splash and total vapor protection. However, the downfalls to this nearly complete protection are: It is cumbersome to wear, Depending …


Letter: Flies

Hugh, It’s fall in Vermont, and that means cluster flies are back. Cluster flies enter buildings through the tiniest cracks imaginable; they work so hard getting in and then the next thing they do is beat themselves against the windows trying to get out. (This sort of parallels some people’s lives.) I normally have a company come out and spray the entire outside of the house to kill off the flies, but I didn’t get around to it early enough. Luckily cluster flies are more of a nuisance than a health issue. They do not lay their eggs in people …


Economics and Investing:

The Many Roads to Currency Ruination – G.G. o o o Whistleblowers: IRS Officials Behind ‘Fraudulent’ Multi-Billion Dollar Corporate Tax Giveaways. – CPL o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: There Is A Plunge Protection Team – It’s Called The FOMC – Again an economy that lives by QE will die by QE…


Odds ‘n Sods:

Our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off site has been expanded and now includes “by state” agent listings. Check it out. Also, if you know of any real estate agents with rural or off-grid properties, please let them know about this unique advertising opportunity. (Remote properties that are considered “hard to sell” by most agents find eager buyers at SurvivalRealty.com.) The ads for agents are just $25 per month, and the initial one month trial ad placement is free. o o o Why I Will Not Submit To Medical Martial Law. “Ebola SWAT Teams?” – T.P. o o o I’ve been asked by several …



Notes for Thursday – October 23, 2014

I’ve been pleased to see such positive reviews for my latest novel, Liberators, which was just released on Tuesday. Here are some highlights from the reviews: Publishers Weekly called Liberators the “…rousing fifth after-the-apocalypse thriller [installment in the novel series]” and also mentioned that “Supporters of the ‘prepper’ movement…will lap up every detail.” One of the co-editors of Total Survivalist wrote: “My overall assessment is this book was excellent. I tried not to get into spoilers but there is a lot on bugging out by vehicle as well as by foot. Additionally many interesting lessons for potential insurgency situations as …


Identifying and Protecting Yourself and Your Family Against Hazardous Chemical Material Incidents, by a Marine in Missouri – Part 1

We live in a society that depends on hazardous materials to create the technological wonders and comforts we expect for everyday life. Whether you take your kids to a swimming pool or drink any sort of city water, you knowingly or unknowingly depend on large amounts of chlorine to ensure the water is safe. Anywhere there is a mechanic shop there are chemicals required to lubricate, clean, and repair materials; some of those chemicals are potentially dangerous or deadly. As you drive down the highway you see thousands of semi-trucks carting loads of materials that could be more deadly than …


Letter: Costco Emergency Foods

I know you all recommend Costco Emergency Food. I don’t know if you’ve been monitoring them, but about Tuesday they had sold out of at least three items. Just 24 hours later, it was 11 sold out. (I counted.) Now it’s almost all sets. All of the expensive sets, including the $4-5K pallets, have sold out. It’s worth noting to your readers. As they sell out, they’re initially putting “sold out” over the product, then removing it totally from the website. – P.K. Hugh Replies: Costco is a tough cookie to base buying trends on. Their purchasing model seems to …


Economics and Investing:

Fear of Ebola Now Creating Weakness in U.S. Stocks? o o o Permanent Damage to US Economy-Michael Snyder. – J.W. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Chris Martenson- How The Federal Reserve Is Purposely Attacking Savers – This is a little slow to develop but a nonetheless a great article. Slump in Mortgage Rates Fails to Rally Home Buyers David stockman- Wall Street Is One Sick Puppy—–Thanks To Even Sicker Central Banks 19 Very Surprising Facts About The Messed Up State Of The U.S. Economy


Odds ‘n Sods:

This gives new meaning to the term “Chicago Democratic Machine Politics”: Voting error? – MtH o o o I missed seeing this when it was first posted at The Prepper Journal: Is it Crazy to Worry About the Golden Horde? o o o As vulgar as it sounds, desperate people do desperate things. It’s something to remember as you prep: Pakistan has lots of problems. Now add cannibalism. – T.P. o o o Remember, these are the situations that “suspend” your rights: Special report: America’s perpetual state of emergency. – SMZ o o o Thoughts from Frank and Fern: Wakey! …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“It is indeed a singular thing that people wish to pass laws to nullify the disagreeable consequences that the law of responsibility entails. Will they never realize that they do not eliminate these consequences but merely pass them along to other people? The result is one injustice the more and one moral the less.” – Frederic Bastiat


Notes for Wednesday – October 22, 2014

Today, we present another entry for Round 55 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ 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, DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hardcase to go with your …


Survival is Attractive, by L.M.

As a young, single female, I guess I’m probably the furthest in most eyes from the typical profile of a self-sustaining person who prepares for anything. I am a 26 year old regular girl with no military family or background. I never really liked camping or the outdoors, and I don’t even live in an overly remote or homestead-type community. I grew up just like most every other girl– cheering, having sleep-overs, and generally being as naïve as most girls are, unfortunately. I’m not unusually strong or unique; I’m just a girly girl. I’ve always shopped and been focused on …


Letter: Watching a Snake Eating its Own Tail

Mr Rawles, I’m reminded today of a line from your Patriots series describing the crunch as “like watching a snake eating its own tail.” Today’s economic news is exactly that– Terror of Ebola and rising interest rates forces investors to dump their dollars into treasuries, artificially lowering interest rates and creating a new housing bubble. This fear in turn leads to a “reconsideration” of raising interest rates and ending bond purchases by the Fed. In the interest of moderation, I intend to withdraw the majority of my 401k Monday and pay off the mortgage on my retreat, leaving only enough …