Month: March 2015

February In Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover the price action of gold and silver and examine the “what” and “why” behind those numbers. Gold trended lower during February, after hitting multi-year highs in January, for several reasons. Physical demand from China was lower, after the habitual gold binge in January for the Lunar New Year. The Greek debt crisis tended to swing both gold and the U.S. dollar back and forth, but the warfare in Ukraine seemed to do little for gold …


Scot’s Product Review: Nikon PROSTAFF Target EFR 3-9x 40mm Rifle Scope

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If my rifles had feelings, I bet my .22’s and air rifles would feel slighted. They don’t get the expensive accessories that my centerfire ones get, the most important of which are quality optics. I usually have to pinch pennies, and I view the most important firearms in my collection to be the self-defense and hunting ones, so that’s where the money goes. The importance of self-defense does not need to be stated, while hunting puts food on the table and also serves a critical function. I don’t get to hunt as much as I would like, but when I …


Recipe of the Week: Cheddar Chowder, by L.H.

It’s cold outside! So my menu-planning mind marches determinedly toward hearty and warming comfort foods. This soup fits the bill, and it’s one we’ve come to enjoy over the last 25 years as a “meatless Monday” meal. You may want to add cooked ham bits or crumbled bacon to it, but really we haven’t found that the addition of meat enhances it in any significant way. Served with some hearty garlic toast, it’s a pretty wonderful winter meal, as is. Ingredients: 4 Tbsp. butter 1/4 c. finely chopped onion 1 cup chopped green pepper (optional; I have always omitted it, …


Letter Re: Tactical Preparedness

Hugh, I would offer a short story to your readers: Some years ago a friend, who has been preparing for the fecal matter to hit the oscillator for some years, was at the house of another friend, who was his neighbor. He asked her to show him her pantry. She did this, and it contained about three days worth of food. He looked her in the eye and told her that when things really go south, “The first place I am going to go is your house, and I am going to kill you, your children, and any other threat …


Economics and Investing:

Russian Supermarkets Freeze Prices for Inflation-weary Shoppers. – H.L. o o o An interesting document describing the mechanics behind the fiat money creation machine: Modern Money Mechanics. – P.M. o o o US Will Never Gain Oil Market Crown Says IEA Head o o o Exposure To Falling Oil Prices Driving Global Defaults and Slowdown


Odds ‘n Sods:

Obama Threatened to Shoot Down IAF Iran Strike. – JMC o o o Private police carry guns and make arrests, and their ranks are swelling. – P.M. o o o Vandalism in Arizona Shut Down Internet, Cellphone, Telephone Service Across State. – J.G. While the reports suggest vandalism, accessing the cable required the use of power equipment and significant labor. This seems like something more than a bunch of delinquents causing a ruckus. My mind tends to run towards disgruntled employee sabotage or deliberate probing for weakness. – HJL o o o Loretta Lynch’s Secret Prosecutions. – P.M.


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Emma felt frightened, apprehensive, yes, but also elated and excited, her feelings all tumbled and mixed together like a stew of varied ingredients tossed into the same pot. She was aware of the blood coursing through her veins, the beat of her heart, the breath in her lungs. Was aware, too, of that clenched knot that hung in the pit of her stomach. This was what it was to be alive, to be at the edge, facing survival eye to eye, knowing, KNOWING, you would win.” ? Helen Hollick, The Forever Queen


Notes for Sunday – March 01, 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 3

Responsibilities I designed the storage system and have assumed all responsibilities for filling the water containers and replacing the water every two years. In my absence, that responsibility falls to the oldest member of the remaining family who is also responsible for the continued upkeep of this operating instruction and ensuring that it is available to all group members. If group discipline problems erupt in using the water, that person acts with the authority of a group leader. I may be gone, but I’m watching from heaven! Policy Refreshing Water: The blue, plastic, storage containers at the ranch and in …


Letter Re: Bug Out Bag [Baloney] by RS

I too am in agreement on the weight of packs. Most people I know base their “ability” on how much they can carry over a short, flat distance and they have little practice at judging that distance. If I can brag a little, I was graced with shooting a nice bull elk this last fall. I went in on foot about three miles that was steep, rough, and covered with brush and dead fall. Coming out it started to snow. I had a small pack that day, my rifle, the head, antlers, and cape. It took me three hours to …


Economics and Investing:

California Rental Armageddon: Nearly half of Los Angeles adults doubling up, working class moving out, or you have the option of simply living in poverty. o o o “That Couldn’t Possibly Be True”: The Startling Truth About the US Dollar. – T.F. o o o The long inflation con on the public: How the CPI severely underreports inflation and the slow erosion in the American standard of living. o o o Interview with Steve St. Angelo


Odds ‘n Sods:

Veterans Place Corrupt County Board Under Citizen’s Arrest – They Laugh, Until the Sheriff Shows Up . – M.L. o o o Father Of Black Teenager Murdered By Illegal Alien Asks ‘Do Black Lives Really Matter?’ o o o SurvivalBlog reader H.E. writes in to say: “Here is what I discovered by accident. The silver heat shields for vehicle windows can also be used in your homes. Your body heat can’t be detected from outside. I was in fire department years ago. We used a scanner to find where people may be in building. Using this material can stop people …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he …