Economics and Investing:

Is U.S. Gas Really Expensive, And Will It Get Cheaper? o o o 5 U.S. Banks Each Have More Than 40 Trillion Dollars In Exposure To Derivatives. – D.B. I can’t even comprehend those numbers! o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Peter Schiff – A New Fed Playbook for the New Normal ECB to Keep Loose Policy ‘For Long Time’: Draghi Home Prices Rise Less Than Expected The Glaringly Obvious Guide to the Next Crash




Odds ‘n Sods:

The Burning Platform blog recently posted a cogent letter clipping about U.S. intervention in Syria (from what appears to be Navy Times), titled Clear As Mud. o o o Seattle mandates residents separate food waste from trash or pay $1 fine – T.P. o o o Forest Service says media needs photography permit in wilderness areas, alarming First Amendment advocates o o o Apparently there really are zombies (other than those found at *Mart on Black Friday): Liberia: Dead Ebola Patients Resurrect?. It is stories like this that make me really question the level of medical care available in some …







Notes for Wednesday – September 24, 2014

In 1493AD, Columbus set sail with 17 ships on his 2nd voyage to the Americas. Also on this date in 1775, Ethan Allen was captured by the British. o o o Yesterday, SurvivalBlog ran an article that had a list of Emergency Frequencies that might be important to know. At the time, we did not have a source for attribution and stated such. Thanks to our readers, the original link has been found at Graywolf Survival, and it contains much more useful information. Check out How to communicate when the world goes silent. o o o Today, we present another …




The Mindset and Experience of a Single Competent Female Prepper, by Skylar

For the majority of my adult life– 34 years– I have taught, lived, worked, and recreated in wilderness settings. I appreciated JMS’s call for articles from single female preppers, as it has been a frustration of mine for many years. My early years were spent trying to prove that women can be effective and competent in a survival setting without having to become “one of the guys” or Rambo-esque. It took me a couple of tries before I found an organization to work for that shared this view. I spent the next 10 years working for Outward Bound, and I …




Three Letters Re: Covert Communications

Dear Hugh: Regarding the captioned article posted 23 September 2014, I call your attention to the following quote, pulled from near the middle of the second paragraph: “These radios do have ‘Privacy Codes’, but anyone can switch around until they find the code you are on, as they all use the same codes and scanners will hear them, coded or not. Switching codes every hour or time you decide will help not being discovered by other FRS/GMRS radio users, but others will scan the codes. It may help but will get you found if others find which code channel you …




Economics and Investing:

The Ponzi Economy. – J.W. o o o Why Are The Ultra-Rich Rushing To Buy Gold o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: The Dow And S&P 500 Soar To Irrational Heights – Meanwhile The Ultra-Wealthy Rush To Buy Gold Bars Minimum-Wage Blowback; The De-Humanization Of Fast-Food Has Begun Billionaires Are Hoarding Piles of Cash – Disagree with the authors analysis but the facts of how much cash is being withheld is interesting







Odds ‘n Sods:

North has nuke missiles: source. – G.P. o o o LE squeals about more secure smartphones. – T.P. o o o America — poised for collapse. – B.B. o o o Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa — The First 9 Months of the Epidemic and Forward Projections. – H.D. o o o Willing Demons . – B.B.




Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Here are my questions to you: Why do people and organizations cough up billions of dollars to line political coffers? One might answer that these groups and individuals are simply extraordinarily civic-minded Americans who have a deep and abiding interest in encouraging elected officials to live up to their oath of office to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution. Another possible answer is that the people who spend these billions of dollars on politicians just love participating in the political process. If you believe either of these explanations for coughing up billions for politicians, you’re probably a candidate for psychiatric …




Notes for Tuesday – September 23, 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 …




Covert Communications, by J.K.

When it all hits the wall, one thing you should be sure of is that someone is listening to every communication you make within reception range. Many will use scanners to try and find you or your group. If they hear radio activity, especially activity on the short-range radios, they will know you are near. Some will use direction-finding antennas to get your exact location. The idea with radio comms is to use the least power and radio with the least range that will get you reliable comms. If all has gone south, you will want to use radio only …




Letter Re: Sharp-Shoot-R Products

I was truly amazed by the work Scott put into cleaning his firearms! I shoot a fair amount of hard cast lead bullets for plinking and target shooting but keep velocities under 1600 fps, and above that I use jacketed bullets, which seems to simplify my cleaning. One patch lightly gun oiled up and down the barrel three times, then I follow that with a dry patch up and down the barrel three times. Take a lightly oiled scrap of cloth and wipe down the outside of the firearm, then the bolt face and moving parts. If the firearm is …




An Emergency Frequencies List

The following frequency list is part of a blog post from Graywolf Survival. 34.90: Used nationwide by the National Guard during emergencies. 39.46: Used for inter-department emergency communications by local and state police forces. 47.42: Used across the United States by the Red Cross for relief operations. 52.525: Calling frequency used by ham radio operators in FM on their six-meter band. 121.50: International aeronautical emergency frequency. 138.225: Disaster relief operations channel used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency; it is active during earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and other catastrophic events. 146.52: Used by ham radio operators for non-repeater communications on the …