Month: December 2015


November 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. What Did Gold Do in November? Gold fell prey to the Fed and its pet monster the dollar in November. A huge non-farm payrolls report on November 6th set the tone for commodities for the rest of the month. Traders took much better than expected non-farm payrolls as pretty much a guarantee that the Fed would raise rates from near-zero at …


Letter Re: Developing a Communications Plan for Your Group, by NM

HJL, Thank you for the excellent article by N.M. “Developing a Communications Plan for Your Group”. I too have been a Ham for 20 years and have a couple of additions to his article. Great description on use of repeaters and simplex. When using simplex with VHF and UHF, here are some tips. Height and reducing obstructions are important. If you are using any hand-held radio and are having difficulty communicating with someone else, take a moment to think about your surroundings. If you are inside, move outside if you can. The building you are in will interfere with your …


Economics and Investing:

Dishonest Money Will Die – I Hope o o o Collapse Of U.S. Shale Oil Production Has Begun o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Senator Jeff Flake’s New Report – Waste Book 2015: The Farce Awakens (Citizens Against Government Waste) Hint: You’ll not believe this report on the darker side of government spending, from the $1M NIH study involving monkeys in hamster balls riding on treadmills to $210,000 in a Department of Agriculture subsidy for solar powered beer. …and a suggestion: Send a message of thanks to Senator Jeff Flake for his efforts in this regard. …and …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The “Instant Background Check” managed to pass because it was illegal for the government to keep and maintain a database derived from these background checks. In a recent Washington Post article, the GAO announced that at least 2233 times, suspected terrorists attempted to buy firearms and succeeded in 2043 of those times. How would they know this if the data is not kept? Either the GAO is lying about the numbers or they are illegally keeping the data! My bet is on the illegal data retention. – Thanks to T.Z. for the link. o o o Point Deer, Make Horse …



Notes for Wednesday – December 09, 2015

December 9th, 1914 is the birthday of Maximo Guillermo “Max” Manus. He was one of the few Norwegians who had the testicular fortitude to put his life on the line, fighting the Nazi occupiers. (There surely would have been more active resistance fighters, but fearing widespread reprisal executions by the Germans, King H7 asked the civilian populace to stand down.) Max Manus passed away in 1996. I would have liked to have met him. His exploits are fairly accurately shown in the movie Max Manus: Man of War. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 62 of …


The 9mm Parabellum vs the .40 Smith and Wesson vs the .45 ACP, by B.F.

I recently wrote a letter to SurvivalBlog suggesting that preppers who were looking to upgrade their handguns consider some of the bargains currently available in .40 S&W. In recent weeks, I have seen police trade-ins dropping even more in price with Sig Sauer P226s and P229s selling for as low as $305 and Glock 22s selling for $279. Hugh asked me about my experience with the .40, and I sent him back a note that covered a bit of ground on that topic. I’ve been shooting and reloading for the .40 S&W since Glock introduced the G35 in 1998. That …


Two Letters Re: Developing a Communications Plan for Your Group, by NM

HJL, Good article. I have chosen to organize my FT-60 memory along paths home from destinations that are frequently visited. The ARRL repeater directory makes it easy. It goes hand in hand with thinking through where we might be at a given moment and the path we might take. I-95 sounds like a terrible path, until you identify the state prison along the alternate route. Many things must be considered. – RV o o o Good morning, Hugh, The item Developing a Communications Plan for Your Group, by N.M. is an excellent treatise on “group comm”. I’d like to add …


Economics and Investing:

Greeks Must Declare Non-Bank, Personal Assets – Who’s Next? I fully expect a high level of noncompliance with this edict, but being caught in violation of it can have serious consequences. It is also disturbing to note that we have watched this crises unfold in Greece and then watched our legislators prep the legislation for the same sort of governmental action here. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Canada Just Warned That Negative Interest Rates Are Coming Morgan Stanley’s Christmas Present To 1,200 Of Its Best-Paid Employees: Pink Slips Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Global Joblessness, the Real …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers sent this: video link to a Fox News story: Over 100 MILLION Guns Sold in US Since Obama Became President of United States JWR’s Comment: That is a stunning figure. I’d say that is roughly one firearm for every adult in the United States. Thanks Obama, you are the Gun Salesman of the Century! o o o “We Just Can’t Seem to Pinpoint the Problem”, says Obama so let’s bring in 180,000 more. Are we crazy? o o o This smart car seems to have tattled on its driver While it’s difficult to be upset with how the …



Notes for Tuesday – December 08, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 62 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. …


Developing a Communications Plan for Your Group, by N.M.

I’ve been a Ham for almost 20 years and held an Extra class for about the last 15 years. I’ve been involved in public safety communications for over 10 years and developed communications plans for a large number of public safety as well as public service events. I’ve developed numerous emergency response exercises, including exercises specifically designed to test and evaluate communications procedures, plans, and systems. I’ve written prior articles for SurvivalBlog on the different communications systems that are available and how to obtain your Amateur Radio license. This article will step you through developing and exercising a communications plan …


Letter Re: Pat Cascio’s VP-9 review

Pat, While most of us who have had some experience with the VP9 agree that it is a reliable and affordable pistol we also have found that the trigger guard has a groove in it that will really mess up your finger from friction if you shoot it a lot. One guy I know loves the gun so much he has altered the trigger guard a bit to mitigate this problem. – M.