Month: May 2015

Notes for Sunday – May 31, 2015

May 31st, 1895 was the birthday of George R. Stewart. Prior to his death on August 22, 1980, he was a novelist, university professor, and toponymist. In the preparedness community, he is best remembered as the author of the classic post-pandemic novel Earth Abides. o o o Our friends Frank and Fern have just celebrated the second anniversary of their blog. It is packed with a lot of great information and some sage homesteading advice. If you have not yet visited, then be sure to check it out! – JWR


Street Combat – This Ain’t No Game! – Part 8 of 9, by Pat Cascio

Chapter Six Carjacking Carjacking has become such a serious and violent crime that I decided to include an entire chapter on this all-important topic. In the past if someone wanted to steal your car for a joy ride or to use it in the commission of a crime, they did so at night while you slept. Or for that matter, they would steal your unattended car from a mall parking lot, while you shopped inside. Things have changed! People are now being seriously injured and sometimes killed by carjackers. In the blink of an eye, it could happen in your …


May 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 examine the “what” and “why” behind those numbers. May was a dance between gold and the greenback, as the two fell back into a negative correlation. Gold traded in a tight range between $1185 and $1195 for the first part of the month, before a weakening dollar helped both gold and silver rally to a three-month high. The dollar hit a four-month low on May 15, then rallied into …


Letter Re: Surviving Science

HJL, Your surviving science log reminded me of a high school chemistry class experience. The year before had been physics. That class I aced with no problems. (I had lots of garage experience with levers and such.) However, chemistry was something I couldn’t get my brain “wrapped around”. In chem class we had the typical of the times (1959 to 1961) chem class desks that included flasks of hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and some glycerin for lubricating the glass tubes for going through the rubber stoppers used in various experiments. We had desk partners; mine was a typical …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Elderly face NHS discrimination under new UN death targets . – H.L. o o o The New Nationwide Crime Wave (May require subscription or login to read) o o o Emergence of a National Police Force. – B.B. o o o ‘Ferguson Effect’: America’s New Crime Wave Is All Part of the Plan. – JBG o o o The College Bureaucracy: How Education Forgot the Students and Became A Business. – H.L.


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead …


Notes for Saturday – May 30, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 58 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 …


Compressed Air Well Pump and Pressurized Home Water System Bubbles- Part 2, by H.W.

Acquiring Parts To build this pump, I wandered for about two hours through the plumbing section of one of the big box home improvement stores. I love it when the guys who work there come up to me and ask what I’m looking for. I tell them I have no idea, and then I show them the back of my envelope with still-wet scribbles, as I design my project in real-time while I’m walking through the store! They see this a lot, I think. It might be called Home Depot engineering. I’ve noticed that the big box stores have stopped …


Letter Re: Historians Perspective At Natural Diets Link

Mr. Hugh, There are significant facts to be gleaned from the post: A Plea For Culinary Modernism. This post should be read by all. This should be read slowly to glean the correct viewpoints. For example: Those who are not “prepared” will be thrust back to the 1200’s and gathering roots and berries, which will kill them due to their lack of knowledge. We have been enjoying fresh chick weed salads from random patches of weeds from our fence rows this spring. It tastes 10 times as good as lettuce from the store. Some think that if not prepared, they …


Economics and Investing:

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Warns Greece “Is Not Investable” As Germany Denies Any Deal Progress o o o Inflation acts as a pickpocket on the wallets of working Americans: Young Americans take a big hit given the small weight given to tuition in the CPI. o o o Millennials in Texas and in California reject home ownership for vastly different reasons. – H.L. o o o Lunch With Elvis (Sarcasm and fantasy) o o o This Is What Happens When A Millennial Tries To Get A Job. – H.L.


Odds ‘n Sods:

North Korean hackers ‘could kill’ o o o Bloody Baltimore Shows What Happens When You Trade Essential Liberty For Temporary Safety o o o Chief of elite Tajik police unit defects to Islamic State, vows jihad against enemies . – G.P. o o o Vatican Adviser Says America’s Founding Document Is Outmoded, Reveals Global Game. – D.S. o o o Most Democrats Think Illegal Immigrants Should Vote. – JMC


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” Numbers 6:23-27 (KJV)


Notes for Friday – May 29, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 58 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 …


Compressed Air Well Pump and Pressurized Home Water System Bubbles – Part 1, by H.W.

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There have been many great articles and letters on SurvivalBlog recently regarding alternative, non-electric, or low power well pumps. I’ve built an alternative well pump that runs on compressed air. It does require electricity to compress the air, but an air compressor can be run off a modest solar/battery rig easily and can pump a decent amount of water suitable for an emergency situation. I’d like to describe how I built this pump and how it works. First, let me say that there are various air-operated pumping systems out there, including variations of this one; there are also some you …