Month: August 2015

Getting Home – Part 1, by BF

I recently had to travel for work to a large, Midwestern city with a population of about two million. I needed to spend two weeks there working with a team to help recover an IT development project that had gone “south”. I could have traveled back home for the middle weekend; however, I didn’t want to spend all the extra time traveling, waiting for connections in airports, and so forth, so I stayed in the city. The Challenge For fun, I decided to spend that weekend seeing what I could put together for a get home bag, with a target …


Letter: Zippo Lighters

HJL, It has been mentioned that Zippo lighters tend to dry out. While this is true, the effect can be minimized by cutting a piece of bicycle inner tube to slip over the case, sealing the joint where the lid and the body come together. The lighter fluid is simply naphtha, and you can purchase that in quarts at WalMart much less expensively. – S.F.


News From The American Redoubt:

Glacier park fire 67 percent contained o o o A new ammunition company has been launched in Montana, called Blackfoot Ammunition. Their initial offerings are all rifle calibers: .223 Remington., .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, 7mm Magnum, and .30-06. It’s top quality stuff and all made in Bonner, Montana. o o o 5-year-old Critically Injured when Salt Block Falls off Truck o o o Grain mills crafted in the USA right here in the American Redoubt.


Economics and Investing:

Dutch king declares the end of the welfare state – P.S. o o o Firm OPEC And U.S Production Keep Hopes For Higher Oil Prices Down o o o The economy chugs along with consumers going into deep credit card debt: Credit card debt surges in top 25 US metro areas according to Equifax data. o o o The Insanity that is San Francisco Real Estate: Median home price is 34% higher than previous peak bubble price and stands at $1,360,000. It is ironic that a place that was made unique by lower income artists and free spirits in the …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Many rely upon the Tor browser for anonymous browsing, but MIT researchers were able to identify 88% of anonymous websites – without breaking Tor’s encryption. Something to be aware of if you relying upon anonymous browsing. – S.C. o o o Former S.F. inmates file claim that deputies forced them to fight – T.P. o o o Report cites ‘Latinization of U.S.,’ warns of ‘backlash’ against whites – P.M o o o Feds charge three men accused of prepping for martial law When I first read just the headline, I was not sure what to expect. Were peppers being persecuted? …



Notes for Monday – August 03, 2015

August 3rd, 1846 was the day that the Donner party found a note warning the emigrants that their expected route through the mountains ahead was nearly impassable. Hastings, an unscrupulous trail guide, had created his own “short cut” route and wasn’t even at the meeting place at Fort Bridger but had left word for the party to continue on. Hastings had claimed easy passage through the rugged Wasatch Mountains, but he had left a note attached to a forked stick for the party explaining that the route was more difficult than he thought. Eventually reduced to cannibalism, only 45 of …


Scot’s Product Review: Work Sharp Guided Sharpening System

It’s probably just me, but when I get a nice, sharp, new knife, my first response is glee at how well it cuts, but then fear creeps into my mind, the fear of dulling it. Making it dull means having to make it sharp again. Will it ever be as sharp as it was new? Sometimes I find myself trying to avoid using it and looking for a box cutter with a disposable blade instead. That kind of defeats the purpose of having a good knife, which led me to confront my fear of sharpening years ago. I’ve learned to …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Cold Steel’s Special Forces Shovel

Ever since I was a little tyke, which is going back many decades, I’ve had an interest in anything having to do with the military, especially military gear. When I was a kid, back in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago, IL, my friends and I would play “soldier” or “cowboys and Indians” all of the time. These days, if kids are seen pointing toy guns at one another, the police are called. What a shame! I was the envy of most of the kids on my block when I was a kid. I had a genuine U.S. military canteen, complete …


Recipe of the Week: Honey Oatmeal Bread, by C.S.

Ingredients: 1 cup quick-cooking oats 1/3 cup butter 2 cups boiling water ½ cup honey 1 Tablespoon salt 2 pkgs. yeast 2 eggs 6 to 7 cups flour 1 egg, slightly beaten 1 Tablespoon water Additional oats to coat the top of the bread Directions: In a large mixer bowl, combine oats, butter, boiling water, honey, and salt. Cool to warm (105 to 115 degrees). Stir in yeast. Add 2 eggs and 2 ½ cups flour. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn dough onto a …


Letter: Every Prepper Needs A Bar!!

Hugh, In all the material I have read over the years, I don’t think I have ever seen info about every prepper needing a bar. It is one of the most important items that you can have. You will need it often, and there are times it will be critical to have one. My bar has many names. My dad called it a cheater bar. My neighbor calls it a digging bar. I call mine a pry bar. Oh, we are talking about a TOOL bar, not the kind where you get juiced. With all the various projects that will …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Using Windows 10? Microsoft Is Watching – C.M. o o o UPDATE: Drone owner disputes shooter’s story; produces video he claims shows flight path – T.P. o o o Garland gunman bought gun through Operation Fast and Furious – D.S. o o o Heading Toward An EMP Catastrophe – B.B. o o o Four Boys in South Carolina Medically Kidnapped When Parents Ask for Second Opinion – D.S.



Notes for Sunday – August 02, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 60 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 providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go …