Month: August 2015

Traversing the Hinterlands – Part 2, by Iowa Farm Boy

Weather As with all situations, it depends on how long it has been since the SHTF. If it is Spring when you set out or Fall, you will be in pretty good shape temperature wise, although Spring can be quite windy at times. In the heat of the summer with high humidity, I’d suggest traveling at night. You will bake out in the open on a day with no wind. Even if there is a strong wind, it may hit you like a blast furnace. The night may not necessarily bring respite. The heat will become oppressive at times, and …


Letter Re: Regarding the Tails for Mac Users article

HJL, Almost every “Mac” made since around 2006 has been Intel-based. From a name perspective, the products were renamed with the shift. Earlier product names included PowerMac, iBook, and PowerBook. Intel-based product names include: Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, etc The only two devices that didn’t get a name shift were the Mac Mini and the iMac. You can see full details at these wikipedia links, and to figure out which mac you have, you can go under the Apple Menu to “About this Mac” and it will tell you both the model as well as the processor …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Court Rules Police Can Use Volunteered DNA In Other Cases – G.P. o o o Mapping 1083 People Killed By Cops In The Last Year – GJM As usual, the Redoubt rates very well here, though the low population density probably has a significant impact. o o o Judges Can’t Use Freedom of Religion to Avoid Performing Same-Sex Marriages – D.S. o o o Not preparedness oriented, but I stumbled upon this: Riftworld. Quite entertaining! (But beware of some foul language.) – JWR o o o Europe Watches Nervously As NATO And Russia Ready For War With Each Other – …



Notes for Wednesday – August 12, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 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 …


Traversing the Hinterlands – Part 1, by Iowa Farm Boy

I have lived in the Midwest all of my life, 90% of which was spent in the Central Iowa region. I’ve traveled the roads and byways from Toledo, Ohio to Denver, Colorado and from Minneapolis, Minnesota to St. Louis, Missouri, and more. Most of this was via the Interstate highway system, so I can’t comment too much about what is too far off of the main road, except in my immediate region. It must be noted that there is a specific reason why the original Lincoln highway (Hwy 30) and Interstate 80 go right through the center of this part …


Letter Re: Growing and Storing Our Own Food

Dear Hugh, Tennessean wrote a very useful article regarding providing your own food, but I wanted to point out one remark about choosing Yukon Gold potatoes. One lesson from the Irish Potato Famine was that most farmers had gone to planting only one variety of potatoes, the Irish Lumper. Other countries had a variety of potatoes, some more resistant to the fungal blight that hit Europe and so the blight did not hit them as hard. The lack of potato variety was only one contributor to the famine but nevertheless an important factor. I humbly submit that it might be …


Economics and Investing:

China Rattles Markets With Yuan Devaluation – G.P. o o o Trends in low wage America: 1.4 million waiter/bartender jobs gained while 1.4 million manufacturing jobs lost since 2007. Top 4 employment sectors pay $10 an hour or less. John Kerry Warns “Dollar Will Cease To Be Reserve Currency Of The World” If Iran Deal Rejected – P.W. “Scaremongery… or maybe the whole point, as Obama’s former chief economist noted, is to lose reserve status. Take that China!!” o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: The Long-Range Social Security/Medicare Deficit: $72 Trillion And Counting The Fed Is Out Of Options, …



Odds ‘n Sods:

Heavily armed ‘Oath Keepers’ inject disquieting element in Ferguson – C.L. “Disquieting for who?” might be the appropriate question. o o o Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: White House Aide Barvetta Singletary’s Ex – R. o o o The Stanford Prison ExperimentForty-four years later, a searing film starring Billy Crudup brings the chilling research to life – An interesting study on prison psychology – Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large. o o o ATF Denies Being an ‘Agency’ to Avoid FOIA Compliance Requirements – B.B. o o o Glenn’s list of 15 cities to avoid like the plague when …



Notes for Tuesday – August 11, 2015

August 11th is the birthday of SurvivalBlog editor The Werewolf in Brazil. Feliz aniversário! o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 60 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $10,000 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 …


Tails for MacBook Users: Anonymity for the Survivalist, by Losttribe

Since the exposures of details regarding the NSA’s communication capture and domestic spying programs, many Patriots wish to keep their identities as anonymous as possible. Examples would be avoiding the tracking of us (who read online blogs, search for articles and information applicable in TEOTWAWKI, and make certain purchases that we feel are not the business of the powers that be) by those who wish to capture and store all of this detail for use against particular individuals and groups, whether it be in our current “big brother” era or future TEOTWAWKI. For many users, reducing your cyber footprint is …


Letter Re: Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Kahr Arms CM40

HJL, I just want to thank Pat for his reviews especially on the small conceal carry type of pistols. Unfortunately, the review on the Kahr Arms CM40 came a little late for me personally. About a month ago I went to a gun show specifically looking for a small frame 9mm for conceal carry purposes. I had researched several specific brands in a low price range, such as the Taurus PT111, and the Taurus PT-709, the Kel-Tec PF9, and the Ruger LC9. I even read Pat’s LC9 review that he posted here some time ago. My thought was to get …