Month: February 2015

Notes for Saturday – February 28, 2015

February 28th is the birthday of famed Swiss investor and economic pundit Marc Faber (born 1946). o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 57 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 …


Your Brain On Paper—How to Write Useful Operating Instructions, by M.R. – Part 2

Topic Areas for Operating Instructions Topics will vary for different groups, depending upon the extent of their preparations and unique specifics. I live in the mountains of California. You will find earthquake instruction in my binder, but you will not find one concerning hurricanes. Choose one or two areas important to you, and start with them. This will allow you to learn and test the format and save a lot of re-do time. On the bright side, you may find that the operating instructions and the binder provide a place to organize and include papers and information that you have …


Letter Re: My Personal Alexandria, Now Less Flammable!, by ASC

Good Morning Hugh ASC’s article on the E-readers is spot on. I’ve been using e-readers in various forms for some time now, and I’ve incorporated them into my jourmey of getting ready for whatever may be on the horizon. If I may I’d like to add a few additional points that may be of help when using an E-reader as part of a preparedness plan. As JWR has said many times, “Two is one and one is none.” Words to live by. In regards to an E-reader, I encourage those who rely on these devices to accumulate more than one …


Economics and Investing:

Check the cushions! Thieves loot $18,000 worth of nickels from Florida home. – P.M. JWR Adds: Saving nickels makes sense. However, they are bulky and you will need to find a secure place for them. A hidden walk-in vault would be ideal, but just a very well-hidden compartment will suffice. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Fourth-Quarter GDP in U.S. Rose Less Than Prior Estimate Here Is What Americans Spent Their “Gas Savings” On Why Does Maryland Have The Most Millionaires Per Capita? The Answer Might Make You Angry Pending Home Sales Miss For 5th Month In A Row


Odds ‘n Sods:

I was doing some web wandering and discovered that my old friend Yasha at www.WhatACountry.com has some of the now quite scarce green tip SS109 5.56 ammo available. Theirs is Australian military M855, in 900 round cans. They also have some original “new old stock” MG-42 antiaircraft (AA) tripods available for just $269 each. These make great stand up range tripods for Class 3 shooters. Mount adapters are made for a wide variety of guns. It is hard to believe that there is still NEW WWII surplus equipment floating around! – JWR o o o I would suggest everyone watch …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“As for you, son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the plan. If they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the house, its structure, its exits, its entrances, all its designs, all its statutes, and all its laws. And write it in their sight, so that they may observe its whole design and all its statutes and do them. This is the law of the house: its entire area on the top of the mountain …


Notes for Friday – February 27, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 57 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 hard case to go with …


Your Brain On Paper—How to Write Useful Operating Instructions, by M.R. – Part 1

Do you have any idea how much of your prepper knowledge is actually recorded in your head and nowhere else? I’m talking about details that you think are common knowledge but aren’t actually common among those in your survival party. If you are the key member of the group—the one who has done the lion’s share of planning and training, it’s likely that others don’t know as much as you think they know or that they will be able to remember as much as you think they will. If you drop off your twig unexpectedly or suffer a mentally-incapacitating illness …


Letter Re: To Camo or Not To Camo?, by J.M.

Good morning, Hugh, J.M.’s letter on camouflage is a good one. As for group members procuring the more expensive camo patterns, digital camo is nearly impossible to duplicate, but “generic casual camo” can be home made. Begin with clothing of an appropriate base color. Desert requires tan shirts and pants, woodland a medium brown, urban a medium gray, and so forth. (Don’t get shirts and pants in exactly the same base shade; it’ll look like a suit.) A few dollars of clothing dye, rubber gloves, and some rags or inexpensive paintbrushes will allow adding random shapes of complimentary colors. When …


Economics and Investing:

Take Your Money And Run!! Global Central Bank Conspiracy Exposed – Next Step: Confiscating Your Bank Deposits. – B.B. o o o Paranoia And Purges For Venezuela As Oil Misery Continues o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: This Is What Happens To Gold In A Hyperinflationary Currency Crisis: Ukraine Edition Consumer Comfort Falls to 2015 Low as View of U.S. Economy Dims David Stockman- The Pathetic ‘Talk Therapy’ Of Janet Yellen 100 Reasons Why Janet Yellen Is Freaking Out About ‘Audit The Fed’


Odds ‘n Sods:

The Mandatory Dash Cam Is Coming. – G.G. HJL adds: While I think dash cams are a great idea and truly believe that every car should have them, it’s the “mandatory” part that gets me. o o o Update: Charges Dropped Against 72-Year-Old NJ Man With Flintlock Pistol. – JBG o o o Language warning: U.S. Military Using Giant Blimp To Surveil Movements Of Maryland Residents. G.P. o o o The most mismanaged federal organization now has permanent seizure powers. What could possibly go wrong here: Quiet Change Expands ATF Power to Seize Property. – B.B. o o o Cell …



Notes for Thursday – February 26, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 57 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 hard case to go with …


Range Brass to Finished Cartridge, Tips For The Ubiquitous .223 Cartridge, by R.W. – Part 3

On full charge cartridges, you need to watch for defects, so: Look for any swelling, cracks, splits, or thinning of the brass. Check for fouling, debris, or dirt jammed into the cavity of the shell case. It may be generally noted that discoloring around the top of the case at the neck radius is common with most military surplus brass and will often be polished off in the cleaning of the shell cases. Watch for any heavy corrosion or pitting, as this should be a warning that the bullet has lost some ductility and integrity due to the oxidization process, …


Letter Re: I-594

Hugh, The dots to connect include the fact that almost all of this was financed by Microsoft fortunes. There’s the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s donations to the legislation. They’re also known activists for universal population control and vaccination. The past chairman of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, and his wife gave a million or so to the anti-gun campaign. He bought the LA Clippers basketball team for a couple of billion dollars. Another heavy donor was Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft and good friend of Bill Gates. Paul Allen is also the owner of the Seattle Seahawks NFL team, which, as …