Year: 2015

Notes for Thursday – December 31, 2015

December 31st is the birthday of Dr. Cynthia Koelker, SurvivalBlog’s Medical Editor. It is also the birthday of Frederick Selous (born 1851, died 4 January 1917). o o o Reader J.K. sent in Jim Sinclair’s excellent article on preparedness that goes well beyond the usual financial things covered in his blog: Be Prepared! o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 62 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged …


Some Harsh Lessons of Beekeeping, by Keith K.

I would like to share my experience with beekeeping to help others decide if it might be for them. My initial interest in beekeeping began before I moved to the Redoubt. My wife and I attended a beekeeping night at a local library and later took a four-day (four Saturdays) beekeeping course. We learned a lot. We found that beekeeping hobbyists were very enthusiastic and touted the many benefits of beekeeping along with the fun of it. It was very easy to be influenced by all of the positive and energetic people. Ultimately, we decided that beekeeping would be part …


Two Letters Re: Good Samaritan Bag

HJL, As an addition to the note on a “Samaritan Bag”, I have had good results using a food vacuum sealer with the longer rolls of plastic to shrink and seal heavy winter jackets and blankets. The items are well protected by the heavy plastic and can fit in small locations in your car, such as under the seats. They are low bulk, out of the way, and there when you need them. – Tom o o o HJL, We try to keep a few gallon Ziploc bags in our vehicle to hand to beggars with peanuts, trail mix, hand …


Economics and Investing:

No Inflation, No Interest, No Recovery. Printing Money Enslaves the Middle Class – T.A. o o o $2,957,000,000: U.S. Taxpayers Will Fund Lion’s Share of UN Budget Again in 2016 – RBS o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Puerto Rico is on the Brink of a BIG DEFAULT (CNN Money) From the Article: “I don’t take risks – at least I didn’t think I was taking a risk…” Commentary: This is a story that could easily repeat itself across the U.S., and there are lessons to be learned for everyone from this report. Many people are financially …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Should Christians be Encouraged to Arm Themselves? John Piper, chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, recently wrote an article challenging Jerry Falwell’s speech at Liberty University in a campus chapel service in which Falwell encouraged his students to obtain CC permits. Piper’s argument is centered around the concept of turning the other cheek. However, SurvivalBlog reader R.N. wrote in with an excellent refutation of Piper’s argument: “Should Christians lock their doors? Should Christians install home security systems? Should Christians dial 911? Should Christians vote for laws that protect the innocent? Christianity is not advanced through force, nor do we take …



Notes for Wednesday – December 30, 2015

December 30, 1865 is the birthday of Rudyard Kipling. I should mention that his writings about Afghanistan have sparked a modern-day revival of interest in Kipling among British, Australian, and American officers and NCOs deployed to Afghanistan. o o o Senator Rand Paul Announces Senate “Audit the Fed” Vote (Warning: Requires a Forfeiture of Privacy Facebook account to access) JWR’s Comment: This is great news. Among other things, I am confident that a full forensic audit will reveal that the “ended” rounds of Quantitative Easing (QE) in fact never really ended. They were replaced by secret debt swaps between the …


Seven Survival Tips For the Modern Feminist- Take II, by J

Greetings, Following-up to a previous article submitted with the same base title, I decided to continue the discussion. The modern feminist is a hindrance to survival and preparedness in our society. This essay is much harsher and more straight-forward than the last, because frankly there is no time to waste. It does no service to a hard-core feminist to be soft spoken and patient now, especially knowing that she needs to hear the cold, hard truth! With the recent graduation of two female Rangers, this country has quickly propelled itself towards a full-speed push for women in combat. Who is …


Letter Re: Good Samaritan Bag

HJL, I commend B.F. for their forethought to pack for others, items that could mean life or death when exposed to the elements, especially during this time of year. In the 1990’s, I was a police officer in an uptown, N.Y.C. precinct, working the midnight tour (shift). One area of the precinct had thousands of elderly residents who lived in their apartments as they had for decades, some alone, many with home-health aids who would just go to sleep and ignore those in their care. (Many of the elderly were Jewish, with the tattooed numbers of the Nazi’s still plainly …


Economics and Investing:

Debt distress level at highest since recession – GG o o o The death of the American pension: Shifting the retirement burden from employers to workers has created an enormous financial crisis. – RBS o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Millions in Fraud on Government Credit Cards (Waste Fraud and Abuse) Some waste is absurd, but the words disgusting and despicable come to mind over reports like this one. From the Article: “That law was inspired in part by a report earlier this year from the Defense Department finding that government credit card holders from across the …


Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

D.S. suggested that this book should be on every prepper/survivalists bookshelf. Know how to cook with wood. o o o Reader H.L. suggested the movie The Good Lie. It’s about the Lost Boys of Sudan. Several of the Lost Boys are in the movie. It tells their story of the long walk and becoming boy soldiers. It’s a story that few Americans know. o o o Do you have a favorite book, movie, or video that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!


Odds ‘n Sods:

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander!: VA GOP to defund “protective services” in wake of political banning of CWP reciprocity – Sent in by RBS o o o G.P. sent a link with some charts showing some critical societal institutions and how public perception of them has slipped tremendously since the 1990s: America’s Decaying Institutions The rule of law is clearly in trouble in the United States. o o o MtH sent in this update to the ridiculous trampling of rights over your right to refuse service: Oregon bakery owners pay more than $135G in damages …



Notes for Tuesday – December 29, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 62 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. …


Windstorm 2015 Washington, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

So, in Washington this week on 11/17/15 and almost a year to the day of last year’s massive windstorm, we had another massive windstorm. Last year, at our place, we had a single sustained 70 mph gust that broke 10 trees in half. This year we had multiple 70+ mph gusts that only broke down six trees. (God must want me to have a lot of firewood.) The wind blasted and mangled many of our roof shingles along with those of perhaps thousands of other homes, outbuildings, and businesses in a wide swath. The howling winds lasted about 12 hours …