Month: July 2015

Notes for Friday – July 31, 2015

31 July is the 94th birthday of Army Air Corps veteran David Thatcher, one of just two living Doolittle Raiders. He lives in Missoula, Montana. 31 July is also the birthday of free market economist Milton Freidman (born 1912, died November 16, 2006). o o o More moving sales from Camping Survival: Canned Cheese, DAK Ham and Red Feather Butter. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 59 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, …


The Importance and Art of Fire-Making, by N.P.

Obviously, being able to make a fire in a SHTF scenario is of utmost importance. In addition to providing warmth and cooking capabilities, fire also provides a psychological boost. As an avid outdoorsman, who is originally from Canada, I’ve got a lot of experience and training, but I’m by no means claiming to be an expert. I just want to share some of my findings that may prove useful to others. I have several stories about the importance of fire-making. Here’s an example: I was in the Boreal Forest in Canada and noticed a large billboard containing the writing “Nature …


Letter Re: Raising Meat Rabbits

HJL, This is just a note to let you know that three years ago, based on information obtained on SurvivalBlog, my daughter stopped using commercial pellets to feed her pedigreed silver fox rabbits. I gave her an article about all the things you can eat from your yard. Two hours later, she had found most of them in our yard and decided to feed her rabbits that way. Since then, she harvests clover, wild strawberry, dandelion, mulberry, sorel, wild violet, and much more from about six yards in the neighborhood that use no chemicals. She supplements in winter with bales …


Economics and Investing:

Rental Apocalypse: US homeownership collapses to 48 year low while rental rates continue to climb. o o o Central banks will disagree; Keynesian economists probably disagree; Too-Big-To-Fail banks don’t care … o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: 2nd Quarter GDP Misses Expectations Alan Greenspan: This is ‘Extremely Dangerous’ – While what he is saying is true, Greenspan has no room to lecture anyone, considering his abysmal track record at inflating debt and destroying an economy. US Economy Grew At 2.3% In Q2, Below Expectations, “Winter” Quarters Revised Higher On Double Seasonal Adjustments – Venturing further down the “Ministry of …


Odds ‘n Sods:

War drums beating: China, Russia to hold military drills in Sea of Japan – G.P. o o o Violent Street Gangs Launch Shocking Contest: “Kill 100 People In 100 Days” – B.B. o o o Michigan Officer Shells Out $35,000 For Open Carry Stop – D.S. o o o Dem Congressman: With Sanctions Relief, Iran Can Just Buy a Nuke from North Korea – B.B. o o o US military’s smart rifle can be HACKED to change weapon’s target and disable its scope – JBG



Notes for Thursday – July 30, 2015

Today we remember the birthday of author Reginald Bretnor. He was born Alfred Reginald Kahn on July 30, 1911, in Vladivostok. He died on July 22, 1992 in Medford, Oregon. In addition to penning many witty science fiction novels and short stories in his characteristic style, he also wrote nonfiction articles for Mel Tappan’s P.S. Letter o o o Camping Survival is continuing their moving sale, hoping not to have to move these heavy items. Now is an excellent time to stock up. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 59 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. …


Raising Meat Rabbits: Mistakes and Successes, by JEE

We currently live on one acre. So finding a protein source that is easy to house, is inexpensive, has a fairly good turn-over rate, and doesn’t require a lot of land, was hard at first. We actually stumbled upon it by accident. We were given two Rex rabbits with a cage shortly after moving into our new house. Three months later, we had babies, lots of them. However, not ever having butchered anything before and not really wanting to, as they were such small animals, we re-homed them. However, it got me thinking and researching. It turns out that there …


Letter Re: West Nile Virus

Hi Hugh, I recently heard from two people (one who stayed in Florida, the other in Texas) that restaurants were hanging zip-loc bags with water in them around their outside dining areas. Apparently, that repels mosquitoes and flies. Although no one could provide an explanation as to why it worked, I have a theory that may explain it. When sunlight passes through water droplets in the air (when it’s raining) the light bends as it passes through the surface of the water droplet. The different wavelengths of light bend at different angles. A second bending occurs when the light exits …


Economics and Investing:

The War On Cash: Why Now? – D.S. o o o Oil Majors Resigned To Lower Oil Price Environment o o o If The American Dream Is To Own A Home, Then It Hasn’t Been In Worse Shape Since 1967 o o o Paul Craig Roberts – The Global Economy A “House Of Cards”, Fed Most Certainly Will Not Raise Interest Rates, Demand for Gold and Silver Very Very High


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader K.S. wrote in to tell us that GunMag Warehouse currently has a fantastic price on Springfield XD-9 and XD-40 magazines – $13.99 for either. o o o For those that care, a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) is a hiccup from our sun. Doesn’t happen often, and when it does it normally misses the earth. One of significance hit the earth in 1859 known as the Carrington Event. If an event like that would happen today, it would fry our electrical grid and it would take out all the large transformers which are custom made, so there isn’t a …



Notes for Wednesday – July 29, 2015

29 July 1805 was the birthday of Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville, who died 16 April 1859. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 59 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 day 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 …


Thoughts on Pre-Event Healthcare Preparations – Part 3 , by B.E.

Vaccinations [Editor’s note: This article takes a pro-vaccination stance. It is SurvivalBlog’s position that every parent has the right to raise their children as they see fit and that mandatory vaccination programs are an overreach of governmental authority. Aside from the discussion of whether the vaccinations cause reactions of one sort or another, there is an ethical issue on what materials are used in the production of vaccines. SurvivalBlog will never advocate using vaccines that are manufactured with aborted fetal tissue and/or toxic ingredients.] Now back to my initial story about having to get a vaccine due to a lack …


Letter Re: West Nile Virus

Hugh, In August of 1999, my father, then just 67, fell ill at 0240 while my family was staying with he and my mother on a vacation. I took him to the local hospital; his pain was debilitating, localized just above the pelvic region. After initial medical triage, he was transferred to the larger city hospital, where his condition worsened. He fought fever of unknown origin, underwent exploratory surgery, became confused and comatose, and after a total of 30 days from start to finish, he passed away. As the hospital bore some degree of suspected negligence (they incorrectly inserted his …