Year: 2014

Odds ‘n Sods:

Constitution is Just a Scrap of Paper. – J.W. o o o The SurvivalBlog reader, GG in the South, who wrote in about the recent spectacular claim that United States automobile gas consumption has declined by 75%, suggestive of a collapsing economy, is mistaken. The original author was confused by labeling on a government graph, which reported retail sales by United States refiners, rather than total sales. It turns out that much of refiner’s output is wholesale. The United States total automobile gas consumption is some four times what was listed on the spectacular graph purporting to show an economic …



Notes for Sunday – June 01, 2014:

Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is now over, and it is a tough one. We are going through the entries right now and hope to have the winners announced by Monday, June 2, 2014. Those of you who submitted articles for the contest but did not get published in round 52 will have your articles automatically entered into Round 53. o o o SurvivalBlog has a few improvements this week that will help you navigate and print articles. The old “permalink” has been replaced. Now, the title of the article serves as the “permalink” to bookmark the …


Seven Years of Preparation, by CHG (Chicken Hating Grandma)

We work best when we have a deadline, so our preparation began in October 2008 with hopes of reaching our goal in seven years. Our son, who is a university professor, became convinced that we had seven years to “prepare”; we were not sure of exactly what we were to prepare for though. (We thought perhaps he had changed his name to Joseph, since the Biblical Joseph had seven years to prepare before the seven years of famine.) We decided to join him, because it couldn’t hurt to be ready for any calamity. Our half-hearted efforts took on urgency after …


Letter Re: A Simpleton’s Guide to Preps

Hugh, Another letter in regards to A Simpleton’s Guide to Preps‘ overrated item #8 – NBC Equipment. BH appears to have forgotten the C in NBC. If you live near railroad tracks, chances are that a good deal of chemicals transit that line. A train derailment may be all that is between you and wishing that you had gotten some NBC gear for your family. In addition to a train line not too far off, there is a local fertilizer plant that could be an ammonia hazard. Not all NBC hazards mean that WWIII has broken out.


Economics and Investing:

1 in 6 American Men Between Ages 25-54 Are Not Working. – G.P. o o o Guest Post: U.S. Gasoline Consumption Plummets By Nearly 75% o o o Items from The Economatrix: Current Economic System Is “Pure Fiction” Economists: The U.S. Economy Shrank In Q1, But Better Days Are Just Around The Corner Stocks Could Fall 20% As ‘QE Fluff’ Leaves The Market Gold Hit Again As Headwinds Mount


Odds ‘n Sods:

Refrigerator or Counter? Where to Store Some Produce May Surprise You. There are some foods that absolutely need refrigeration and some that are better off stored outside of your fridge. – H.L. o o o Why Colt Can’t Shoot Straight. An interesting read, but remember that the source magazine is owned by Bloomberg. – T.P. o o o Gun Seller Dropped By Bank Rejects Their Attempt ‘To Kiss And Make Up’. – G.P. o o o If the severe drought in the Southwest wasn’t enough to strain food growers, now they are dealing with a plague of grasshoppers: Grasshoppers cloud …



Notes for Saturday – May 31, 2014:

May 31, 1895 is the birthday of George R. Stewart (novelist, university professor and toponymist) died: August 22, 1980. In the preparedness community, he is best remembered as the author of the classic post-pandemic novel Earth Abides. o o o Today we present another entry for Round 52 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 …


Proselytizing With Pandemics, by D.C.

Perhaps in the nature vs. nurture debate, it is going to turn out that people worried about emergency preparedness are just born that way. Certainly, I have tried for years to persuade many of my skeptical friends that having, say, some extra food on hand or some means of personal protection, or even a backup source of energy greater than an extra D battery, is just plain common sense. What I have experienced in response to my well-intentioned suggestions are rolled eyes, turned backs, and closed minds. I’ve pretty much despaired of ever making even the smallest dent in their …


Letter Re: Cashing out your 401K accounts

Dear C.P. This is in response to your query about cashing out your 401K accounts. I am a CPA in California and have been practicing for 20 years. I like your idea of cashing out your retirement accounts to live in a paid-for home. I have two suggestions: If you can, wait until you are 59 1/2 before cashing them out. This avoids the additional 10% federal tax on early withdrawal. There may be other ways to avoid this penalty that are more detailed, so ask a CPA that is familiar with this. Rolling all of the accounts directly into …


Letter: New Federal Information Grab

To the Editor, I am relatively new to your site and now read it daily. It is a valuable site, and I have been passing the word to my friends. Thank you so much for your work in getting the information out there that you provide. My reason for writing is that I am firmly convinced that a SHTF event is coming, and coming soon. A daily reading of the news provides a piece or two at a time to be incorporated into the overall picture. We are witnessing pervasive domestic racial violence that is being largely unreported, our economy …


Economics and Investing:

They just can’t seem to get it. Progressive aldermen propose $15-an-hour Chicago minimum wage – A.B. o o o FDIC Reveals That Over 400 Banks Remain on the Problem Bank List – G.G. o o o Items from The Economatrix: The Theft Of Your Retirement Accounts Will Accompany The Seizure Of Bank Accounts Bad Trend Breaking: Why Retail Results Are Not Better Than Expected, But Worse Than Ever! U.S. Gold Holdings Close To Zero-Rob Kirby Wall Street Criminals Threaten That Economy Will Blow Up If They’re Prosecuted


Odds ‘n Sods:

Water Wars: Ankara suspends pumping Euphrates’ water, cutting off the water supply to Syria and Iraq It appears that Turkey has control of the Euphrates River and has shut off flow into Syria and Iraq. This happened well over a month ago, but it is now reaching crisis proportions for the people and the agriculture in the region. Will this bring warring factions to the table? Will those factions now join to move against Turkey? Or, will all sides just let millions suffer and die of thirst as the supply of drinking water vanishes? – C.M. o o o Report: …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, …