Month: May 2015

Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Cold Steel’s Battle Shades

Whenever I teach a firearms class, I require my students to bring three things. One is a baseball cap to prevent hot brass from falling on their face, while the other two things are hearing protection and some type of eye protection. These last two things require no explanation, right? Wrong! Most students show-up for a training session with no eye protection, for some reason. I simply don’t understand this at all. Nevertheless, it happens, so I keep extra pairs of eye protection in my shooting box along with extra ear plugs for those who don’t think their hearing is …


Recipe of the Week: Chili in An Electric Crock Pot, by D.D.

We spend a lot of time talking about off-grid living, so I try to balance the endless chatter with gear tests. It’s better to learn now whether a clever scheme actually works when there is no consequence for failure. Cooking is a big deal and one that I’ve given much thought to, both here in my city house (bug in location) and at our secret lair in the base of an inactive volcano (bug out location). Solar cookers are fun but of limited OPSEC, and they only operate when the sun is out. I had it in my mind to …



Odds ‘n Sods:

From our friends Frank and Fern: Winter of Our Demise o o o The IRS continues its abuses, despite claims to the contrary. IRS seizes rural convenience store owner’s career savings in another horrible abuse of civil forfeiture. – T.P. o o o Two suspects killed, officer injured after shooting outside Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas. B.B. There also seem to be suggestions at this time that they were Islamist extremists and that they took credit before the attack via social media. o o o U.N. Official Reveals Real Reason Behind Warming Scare – To destroy evil capitalism, of course. …




Street Combat – This Ain’t No Game! – Part 5b of 9, by Pat Cascio

[Street Combat – This Ain’t No Game is a SurvivalBlog exclusive.] Chapter Three (continued) CASE STUDY: Three Determined Power Plant Thieves At one time or another, both Ralph (who we called Lo-Lo for some reason that I don’t recall) and Rudy worked for me when I was a supervisor at a detective agency. This story deals with Ralph. At this point in time, Ralph hadn’t completed his 30-hour training course in order to be an armed security officer in Illinois. So, Ralph was working unarmed at a very remote location. He was supposed to protect an old Commonwealth Edison power …


Letter Re: Google Almighty

HJL, Do I speak blasphemy? Do I speak heresy against the almighty, all-knowing, all-seeing Google? Yes, I do and proudly proclaim my disgust with Google and their we-know-better-than-you mindset. In fact, they have accumulated so enormously and stupendously much data that they have concluded they know everything, and since they know everything they can decide what you should know and what you should not know. That’s right. Google has decided to filter the search results it presents to you in the name of Internet quality, and I can’t argue that they do not have a right to do this, but …


Economics and Investing:

Major U.S. Retailers Are Closing More Than 6,000 Stores. – B.B. o o o Since the late 1980s, panicked governments have responded to slowdowns by herding their most vulnerable savers into excessively risky assets and then pulling away the football. And every time the same groups fall for it. o o o Is The US Worried About Oil Sector Jobs? It Should Be! o o o Consumers Near Collapse?. – Mr. Econocobas


Odds ‘n Sods:

Obama blocks Iraqi nun from describing Christian persecution. – T.R. o o o Looters just wanted to play video games at home, but unemployment won’t let them, says black activist. – B.B. o o o CDC Report: 35,369 Vehicle Accident Deaths, 505 Gun Accident Deaths. – JBG o o o Environmentalists to Plunge Manhattan into Darkness to Protect Mating Frogs. – T.P. o o o Up to 400K Children Born To Illegal Immigrants in U.S. Annually, One In 10 Births. – B.B


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us …



April 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. April was an up-and-down month for just about every asset class, and gold was no exception. After big boosts in the first part of the month to briefly touch the $1,220 mark, gold bounced in a tight range on either side of $1,200. After ending the week at a three-week low on the 24th, it came roaring back the next Monday …


Book Review: The Reluctant Partisan Volume One: The Guerrilla

I’m going to say a few things about this book that I found while reading a few online blogs on a few survival-related websites. I found this book on readfomag.com and ordered it directly from them for about $70. I don’t get anything in return for posting this, and I am happy with the purchase. This book encompasses a reality for me. You don’t know what you just don’t know. Sure, I was in the military, and I know how to hike and camp and shoot a gun. While I have some military experience, the author of this book was …