Month: October 2015

Notes for Saturday – October 24, 2015

October 24th is the anniversary of the firing squad execution of Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling, in 1945. His ignominious place in history was to have his surname become a noun. “Quisling” is now a moniker synonymous with treason and alliance with an invading army. Something tells me that the popularity of “Vidkun” as a boys’ natal name in Scandinavia dropped precipitously after about 1942. Ditto for “Adolf” in Germany and “Benito” in Italy, after 1944. o o o I was glad to see that Amazon.com has finally updated their list of my published works, including my soon-to-be-published novel, Land of …


Howdy Folks, And Welcome To Our Neighborhood!, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

I’ve been working on this article for a while and maybe now’s the time to share it. I would like to have a page of orientation information to post at our bugout encampment or in our neighborhood after we’ve implemented the Community Action Plan and the dust has started to settle. So this is my best attempt to put together some foundational ideas that should apply to every situation. I’ve deliberately tried to keep it conversational, simple, and friendly (maybe even slightly humorous), because there are a lot of “don’ts”. I’m looking forward to seeing what else the SurvivalBlog community …


Letter Re: The Harsh Truth About Bugging Out of Cities

HJL, A very short but pointed book is How Do You Kill 11 Million People?. If things collapse, there will be radio broadcasts or just assumptions that rescue will come. The Jews were told by the Nazis that the trains were to take them to safety so they didn’t fight until they couldn’t. I’ve been through two major “grid down” situations in an urban setting. The first was an ice storm in southeastern Michigan, where there was no power for two weeks. The second was the east coast blackout about a decade ago. In the first case, it was just …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog reader sent in this article about Russia’s response to the oil crises and sanctions: Russia retreats to autarky as poverty looms Items from the Economics Team: China: Red Capitalism is the New Black Swan (Zero Hedge) U.S. Pensions Slowing Waking Up to Risk (Reuters) The Two Income Trap and the Myth of High Wages (My Budget 360) Puerto Rico: Another Bailout Coming (Zero Hedge) o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Peak Prosperity – Has The Market Trend Shifted From Bull To Bear? Debt Prioritization Bill Comes to a Vote as Borrowing Limit Looms – Every time the “debt …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader T.P. sent in this link about Los Angeles considering a billion dollar “toilet to tap” water program. Hey, the astronauts do it; what could possibly go wrong? Ummmm, lets see… Typhoid, Cryptosporidium, Hepatitis A, Giardia, Leptospirosis (yikes!), Taeniasis, HPV, Rotavirus, Norwalk, Dysentery, Poliomyelitis… Have they forgotten that astronauts are screened for these things and are healthy? See Wikipedia for Waterborne diseases. o o o Mexico is getting hammered by Hurricane Patricia. It’s a category 5 storm with 200mph winds being recorded upon landfall. Keep them in your prayers today. Thanks to T.P. for the NOAA link. Reader JBG …



Notes for Friday – October 23, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. …


Energy, Efficiency, and Frugality, by Redoubting Thomas

There are many considerations when worrying about a “grid down” situation. Here are some thoughts worth considering: Frugality “Black Friday” is coming shortly, so you might want to make a wish list and maybe even store it in the “saved for later” section of your Amazon shopping cart; you will get a notification for price changes. Sometimes an item will drop 30% for a sale or no known reason. Do the same with your “prepper wish list” but also have a budget and price point in mind. If things fall apart soon, this might be a last chance to stock …


Letter Re: SurvivalBlog E-Mail List

Hi, I am curious if you have a sign up for the SurvivalBlog to come to my e-mail? Thank you, – S. JWR Responds: For the privacy of our readers, we keep NO lists! So that you don’t miss out on new posts, I recommend that you make SurvivalBlog your web browser’s home page, since SurvivalBlog is updated daily, without fail. HJL adds: You can also use your web browser or other RSS feed reader by pointing it to our RSS feed and adding it to your bookmarks.


Economics and Investing:

More Evidence That The Middle Class In America Is Dying o o o JWR has been warning about this for years: $1.5 Quadrillion Derivatives Bomb And The Great Financial Disaster Sent in by RBS o o o Items from the Economics Team: 10 Signs You’re Not as Rich as You Could Be (Huffington Post) Dear Dave & Teaching Teens to Budget (Dave Ramsey) 18 Tips for Extreme Penny Pinching (Life Hack) Saudi Arabia Broke In 5 Years? (Zero Hedge) \


Odds ‘n Sods:

The nightmare continues: Is Ebola Emerging Once Again in Sierra Leone? (Reuters) Sent in by T.A. o o o Hmm, ever get the feeling that someone knows something you don’t? Job listing in Idaho: Ebola Coordinator. Sent in by GJM o o o When Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for merely showing up, I thought the world had lost its collective mind. How could it possibly sink any lower in the scale of honor? I had to ask!Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe awarded ‘China’s Nobel peace prize’ Sent in by T.P. (For those who don’t remember, Mugabe was/is known for …



Notes for Thursday – October 22, 2015

Seed for Security, LLC is having a sale on their Colossal Security Pack, offering 15% off. There is a total of seven pounds of vegetable, grain and herb seeds, all open pollinated and non GMO. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course …


What We Lack In Training Can Be An Advantage- Part 2, by R.W.

Unfortunately, when we talk about FM and defense, we are probably going to wind up taking it up a notch to talk about guns and, of course, which guns are best for a WROL situation. Tons of articles abound about this topic, but suffice it to say I believe it is our duty to have a weapon or weapons and be people who are trained and proficient at using them effectively. Though the adage says “He who runs away will live to play another day,” that may not always be an option; if confrontation can be avoided and if use …


Letter: Sassafras FDA info incorrect

HJL, The information from G.G. that referenced Sloan Kettering’s info on FDA banning Sassafras, is incorrect . In fact, Sassafras is used in food and can be purchased as a tea online from Pappy’s in Ohio. The food safe version is Safrole free; it is the oil that is carcinogenic. – Annie in Amish country Sassafras Still brewed the old fashion way from sassafras root bark (Sassafras albidum). Pappy’s Sassafras Tea is also very healthy for you as it is Safrole Free, Caffeine Free, Sugar Free, contains 0 Carbohydrates and Less than 1 Calorie per serving! From Pubchem: PubChem CID: …