Year: 2015

Economics and Investing:

Global Debt Now At $200 Trillion o o o Student and auto debt fuel credit bubble 2.0: Student loans carry the highest delinquency rate of all debt classes. Student and auto debt up $1.15 trillion in last decade. o o o Here’s how Americans are eating into their savings . – H.L. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Moody’s Downgrades Chicago Debt to ‘Junk’ with Negative Outlook Five Reasons Chicago Is in Worse Shape Than Detroit 5 Big Banks Expected to Plead Guilty to Felony Charges – And not much of anything will happen U.S. Retail Sales Disappoint Again …


Odds ‘n Sods:

DHS caught busing in illegal Somalis from Mexican border. – P.M. o o o California senators approve ban on grand jury investigations into police deaths. – H.L. o o o University Launches Insult-Reporting System That Records Offenders’ Social Security Numbers. – B.B. o o o Eeben Barlow Speaks Out: Tactics Used to Destroy Boko Haram. – J.M.



Notes for Thursday – May 14, 2015

With over 30 million turkeys and chickens killed due to Avian Flu and with the disease apparently spreading and driving the cost of meat up, Yoders canned meats are Amish made, high quality, and an excellent way to avoid the whole issue. Get them at Ready Made Resources while they are on sale! o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 58 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 course (a $1,195 value), A …


Digital Security- Part 1, by Dakota

Before we begin, note that the title is a bit of a misnomer. Digital security is mostly nonexistent. When computers took off, security was never a concern, so they are inherently insecure. I will do my best to help you secure your computer as much as possible. The point isn’t to make your computer invulnerable to attack. That’s impossible. However, just like your survival retreat security, the goal is to make yourself such a hard target that hackers or the government move on to lower hanging fruit. Again, nothing in here will make you immune to the NSA. They have …


Letter Re: Comment on Communications by J. B.

Greetings, Morse code is still encouraged and is definitely a useful skill. He also mentions ARES. In addition, there is another group of emergency communication volunteers, RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service), which is called into action in the case of a major emergency. If interested, I would encourage an Internet search for more information. By and large, his article is very useful. – S.S.



Odds ‘n Sods:

Great news for those traveling to Ohio! Ohio now recognizes all other state CCW licenses. – Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog Editor At Large. o o o Also from Mike Williamson (actually his attorney): “According to the BATFE NFA guy at the NRA annual meeting (I’d like to buy a Z, Pat), a ridiculous number of NFA trusts, presumably built on a sample once shared on Arfcom, all have the same beneficiary. That dude is going to inherit a ridiculous amount of cash and NFA stuff one of these days (the BATFE believes the number is in the thousands for the guns …



Notes for Wednesday – May 13, 2015

May 13 is the birthday of firearms engineer Theodor Koch (born 1905, died 1976). Koch, along with Edmund Heckler and Alex Seidel, salvaged tooling from the bombed-out Mauser factory at Oberndorf, and with it founded Heckler und Koch. o o o Safecastle is having a sale on canned butter, chesses, and Ghee right now. Dairy is a necessity in your pantry, and these real dairy products need no refrigeration. While you are there, check out their Katadyn Pocket filters on sale through May. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 58 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. …


God’s Natural Provision- Part 2, by Dr. Z

White Willow Bark The second widely available and brilliant plant God made that will be useful in a SHTF situation is one I recommend my patients use instead of aspirin, which according to research can damage and weaken the body. It is white willow bark, which has been used in medicine for 6000 years, since the time of the Egyptians, and has been used effectively for reducing pain and as an: anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antiseptic, anti-oxidant, and analgesic. It also has immune boosting capability to keep your body from getting sick. It has been used on a wide range of problems, …


Letter Re: A Decade of Prepping, Do’s and Do Nots by RR

In “A Decade of Prepping, Do’s and Do Nots by RR”, I must take issue with RR’s advice to not discuss prepping issues with a future wife because prepping is a male thing. There are plenty of women around who want the security of preparedness. If a man can’t find a practical woman who values preparedness, maybe he is looking in the wrong places or at the wrong women. I am a “Plain Jane” who met my husband 20 years ago working in our church’s Sunday school. We came together because of our mutual love of Jesus. Neither of us …


Economics and Investing:

Almost Half Of US States Are Officially Broke. – B.B. o o o Is There Any Gold At Fort Knox? Survey Says “Highly Unlikely” o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Class Of 2015 Sets Student Debt Record—–$68 Billion Bonds Extend Global Decline as Goldman Warns on Long-Term Debt ‘The Crash” Will Not Be Caused By An Event… Greece Effectively Defaults To IMF Using SDR Reserves To “Repay” Fund; 1 Month Countdown Begins – This is getting very serious; I don’t know how it is going to end, but I suspect somehow things are going to get pulled together and …


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Books Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys. This is a post-pandemic total wipe-out scenario. This book had an influence in JWR’s writing. The Little Black Book of Violence by Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder Movies Red (Warning: Has many violent scenes but no gore.) Red 2 (Warning: Has many violent scenes but very little gore.) Instructional Video: At Home Canning For Beginners and Beyond


Odds ‘n Sods:

IRS-Affiliated Site For Charities Hit By Data Breach. – PLC o o o St. Lawrence County woman tased at border patrol checkpoint. – P.M. o o o America is a food stamp nation. – B.B. o o o American Exceptionalism . – B.B. o o o I just noticed that we are approaching 75 million unique visits to SurvivalBlog. In August, we will celebrate our 10th Anniversary. Thanks for making SurvivalBlog such a great success. You can help spread the word about SurvivalBlog by putting a link to SurvivalBlog in your e-mail footer or by placing a SurvivalBlog banner or …