Odds ‘n Sods:

EPA Wants to Monitor How Long Hotel Guests Spend in the Shower. – H.L. o o o EU Plan To Install A Tracking Computer In Every Car – To Tax Miles. – T.P. o o o Alibaba’s Jack Ma Demos Pay-With-Your-Face Technology. – RBS o o o Lawmaker calls for a rebellion against EPA pollution emissions for backyard barbecues. – M.B. o o o Gun Control Group Sets up Fake Store, Shames First-Time Buyers. – T.P.







Notes for Tuesday – March 17, 2015

March 17th is the birthday of Józef Franczak (born 1917, died 21 October 1963), who was a Polish Army Corporal fighting in the World War II resistance against the invading Germans. He then carried on after the war, fighting against the occupying Soviets and their Polish communist stooges. Eventually, he was one of the last of the Cursed Soldiers resistance in Poland. His nom de guerre was Lalek. 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 …




PVC Survival Gear: How to Make It – Part 1, by J.H.

In this article, we will be examining why PVC may be one of your best choices for crafting usable, durable items at a fraction of what you’d pay to buy the items from a store. I will also be providing simple steps for you to follow to easily create five different, unique PVC survival items identified as five projects. The survival tools and gear that I have chosen for this article are all items that I have personally made and have used and tested repeatedly. Some of the methods and ideas that are listed I have learned from other people …




Letter Re: Firearms Philosophy

I’m writing in response to the discussion about the “narrow, but deep” firearms philosophy. I agree with the author of that post: start with your main rifle, buy quality optics, and then slowly expand your collection. There are several advantages to having guns in lots of calibers: There is always ammo to shoot. I remember several years ago, when ammo was really hard to find in my area. There wasn’t a box of .223, .308, 9mm, .45, or even 30-06 to be found, but I saw several leftover boxes of .40 S&W and .243 Winchester. They were there week after …




News From The American Redoubt:

Oregon’s Ban on Raw Milk Advertising Could be Headed for the History Books . – RBS o o o State House votes to restrict surveillance, drones. – D.H. o o o Plan to allow driverless car testing clears Idaho Senate o o o Liberty Meeting in Burley, Idaho on March 19th at 7pm at the King’s Little Theater at 2100 Parke Avenue in Burley. There is no admission charge and the speaker is Arthur R. Thompson, John Birch Society CEO. The topic is “What is the Real Price of Free Trade?”. Come and learn about the “free trade” agreements with …




Economics and Investing:

White House Floats Bankruptcy Process for Some Student Debt. – B.B. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Currency Wars Threaten Lehman-Style Crisis – This is a good article from, of all places, the Telegraph If Economists Were Right, You Would Have a Raise by Now – It’s amazing to me how so many intelligent people just don’t understand what is happening… Why the Fed Is Setting Markets on a Hair-Trigger – It’s all about the Fed, data, and fundamentals only coming into play if it’s perceived it will affect how the Fed will react Big Question: Will the Federal …




Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader D.D. sends us a reminder to use this respite from winter to take an evening, pull the 72-hour bag out of their vehicle, and make sure everything is still as you expect. He did so and discovered that his handheld transmitter was faulty (battery reported charged but would not last), 2/3 of his food was over a year out of date, and most of his meds were over two years “expired”. Also, he still had a 30-pin iPhone connector with his crank charger that won’t work with his newer phone. But, hey, his paracord still looked good! o …










Product Review: Springfield Armory XD-45 Mod.2

Last month, SurvivalBlog readers got an in-depth look at the Springfield Armory XD-9 Mod.2 sub-compact 9mm handgun, and to be sure, it’s a winner in all respects. However, not everyone thinks that the 9mm round is the best all around caliber for self-defense or other uses. Some of us believe nothing less than the .45ACP will make do, and I’m in that group myself. Yes, quite often I can be caught carrying some kind of 9mm pistol, but if I know in advance that I’m headed into harm’s way I’ll elect to carry a .45ACP of some sort. Many gun …




Scot’s Product Review: Anker 14W Foldable Dual-Port Solar Charger

We have had a number of requests to review ways to make electricity without the need for the grid, particularly for things like cellphones and tablet computers. I’ve been looking into options, and they usually boil down to solar, though I hope to get some products that use other strategies. There is a huge range of solar solutions out there, from systems that can power a whole house to something that can keep a small battery charged. The whole house solutions can easily hit $40,000 or more when you include the battery backups, while the least expensive small ones can …




Recipe of the Week: Old Kimber Girls Granola Cereal

Ingredients: 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup honey 1/3 cup water 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 cups old fashioned oats 1 cup coconut 1 cup raisins 2 cups dried cherries 2 generous cups chopped peanuts 2/3 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup wheat germ 1 5oz. can ice cream nut topping mixture (optional) Directions: Combine brown sugar, honey, and water. Bring to a boil, remove from the stove, add vanilla and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In separate bowl, combine oats and coconut; pour out onto a sprayed or greased, large, baking pan, and bake in 325 degree …