Year: 2014

How to Plan for Survival on a Small Budget, by N.G.

It’s no secret that being prepared takes time and money. These days, with the questionable economy, most people believe that they have to win the lottery or inherit a small fortune to begin preparing for an unforeseen disaster. Since I am married to a wife who is a full-time student and we have a small child and combined income of thirty thousand dollars per year, I also thought it was impossible to get started. However, whether it be supplies, equipment, training, or home modifications, anyone can get started just by starting on a smaller scale. The key is to minimize …


Scot’s Product Review: Malkoff

Thanks to all of the folks who are writing me about products to review. It really helps. One common thread in several letters is to test affordable stuff, and that’s going to be a priority. Please keep the ideas coming! They really help. Malkoff might be another word for light. It is all thanks to Gene Malkoff going out one night to protect his chickens and realizing he needed a better flashlight. The Enterprise, Alabama man tried an LED light but just wasn’t happy with it. He decided he could come up with something better. After some hard work, he …


Recipe of the Week: Sourdough Spice Cake, by DEC

I have always loved cooking with sourdough. It is super easy to make and keep a jar of sourdough sitting on the counter, ready for use in bread, cakes, pizza dough, or anything else. My favorite recipe of all is Sourdough Spice Cake: Ingredients 1 cup sourdough 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup vegetable cooking oil (I use olive oil) 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp cloves (ground) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp ginger 1 cup flour, if the sourdough is thin Directions To …


Letter Re: So You Think Starting a Garden Will Be Easy After TEOTWAWKI

I have been meaning to post this information online and have not found a good venue for it, but reading the responses to the article So You Think Starting a Garden Will Be Easy After TEOTWAWKI inspired me to contact you for your consideration of adding this little tidbit for your blog followers. The second letter response to the article stated that “We put dehydrated tomatoes and peppers in pint canning jars, put a tiny hole in the center of the lid, put on a Pump ‘N Seal seal, pump out the air, and place in our cool, dark, root …


Economics and Investing:

Global Financial Reset – J.W. o o o How the Rentenbank Stopped Inflation. – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Why We’re In ATLEAST The Third Biggest Stock Bubble In U.S. History Mortgage Volume Tanks; Jamie Dimon Bashes The FHA If This Keeps Up, They Will Have To Start Putting Armed Guards On Food Trucks


Odds ‘n Sods:

Manpads – They obviously work: Videos show Ukrainian surveillance plane shot down by MANPADS (and crew jump from it). – T.P. Also, Youtube video of the Downed AN-30. o o o Congressman Just Confirmed the Border Patrol is Being Shot At. – D.S. o o o The Electrical Grid May Well Be The Next War’s Battlefield. – G.G. o o o Former Border Patrol agent warns what’s coming. – B.B. o o o A national identity scheme goes global: Estonia takes the plunge. – G.G.



Notes for Sunday – July 20, 2014

Today we present another entry for Round 53 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 …


Our Struggle With Survivalism, by R.B.

This is an honest attempt to put into writing the struggle my family and I have with the issues surrounding our involvement in survivalism and the potential of a societal collapse that may or may not occur within our lifetime. I am doing this because I tend to think more clearly if I put my thoughts into writing, and that forces me to be a bit more precise in my thinking. Additionally, perhaps others like me are struggling with the same life-changing decisions and may find my thoughts helpful. Obviously, the first issue to deal with is whether or not …


Two Letters Re: Justifying Preparation

Hugh: Here in Georgia, a hurricane right up the middle puts power lines in the road and shuts down traffic for a minimum of 30 days. Evidence of that result can be found in the Connecticut Governor’s response to Hurricane Sandy, which was to shut down all state highways. There was no traffic and no grocery store resupply. Counting on FEMA to show up in three days is foolish. In the aftermath of Katrina, it was churches that carried the day rather than FEMA. My family up in New Jersey during Sandy was at the end of their rope after …


Economics and Investing:

Insider Trading and Financial Terrorism on Comex – S.B. o o o It’s So Bizarre, It’s Beyond Comprehension How Bad It Is – David Morgan – H.L. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Video: Jim Rogers – Only a Russian/Chinese/Brazil Joint-Currency Can Battle Dollar Dominance Delusional IMF “Delighted” To Be Marginalized By BRICS Video: Jim Rickards – The significance of a BRICS development bank


Odds ‘n Sods:

More police brutality caught on video. We are beginning to see more and more hostile police actions where the police just automatically assume an “us vs them” attitude. Staten Island man dies after NYPD cop puts him in chokehold – H.L. o o o Three More Cases of Deadly Plague Found in Colorado – B.B. o o o It was just a matter of time before a civil plane was shot down in Ukraine’s SAM-infested airspace – T.P. o o o Air Force research: How to use social media to control people like drones. – T.P. o o o Example …




Potential Bioterrorism Agent Found in Colorado, by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

July 2014: One of the deadliest diseases on earth is right here in our own back yard, so to speak…with no vaccine, fatal without antibiotics, and on the CDC’s “Category A List” of potential bioterrorism agents. Don’t panic just yet. The disease also occurs naturally, as is the case in this month’s outbreak. However, overnight I’ve changed my outlook on the disease. What I’ve recently described to my students as highly unlikely is instead alive and well on the prairie. I’ve gone from believing I’d never encounter this infection to thinking it’s entirely possible. The next time I see a …