Year: 2015

Economics and Investing:

White House Floats Bankruptcy Process for Some Student Debt. – B.B. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Currency Wars Threaten Lehman-Style Crisis – This is a good article from, of all places, the Telegraph If Economists Were Right, You Would Have a Raise by Now – It’s amazing to me how so many intelligent people just don’t understand what is happening… Why the Fed Is Setting Markets on a Hair-Trigger – It’s all about the Fed, data, and fundamentals only coming into play if it’s perceived it will affect how the Fed will react Big Question: Will the Federal …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader D.D. sends us a reminder to use this respite from winter to take an evening, pull the 72-hour bag out of their vehicle, and make sure everything is still as you expect. He did so and discovered that his handheld transmitter was faulty (battery reported charged but would not last), 2/3 of his food was over a year out of date, and most of his meds were over two years “expired”. Also, he still had a 30-pin iPhone connector with his crank charger that won’t work with his newer phone. But, hey, his paracord still looked good! o …




Product Review: Springfield Armory XD-45 Mod.2

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Last month, SurvivalBlog readers got an in-depth look at the Springfield Armory XD-9 Mod.2 sub-compact 9mm handgun, and to be sure, it’s a winner in all respects. However, not everyone thinks that the 9mm round is the best all around caliber for self-defense or other uses. Some of us believe nothing less than the .45ACP will make do, and I’m in that group myself. Yes, quite often I can be caught carrying some kind of 9mm pistol, but if I know in advance that I’m headed into harm’s way I’ll elect to carry a .45ACP of some sort. Many gun …


Scot’s Product Review: Anker 14W Foldable Dual-Port Solar Charger

We have had a number of requests to review ways to make electricity without the need for the grid, particularly for things like cellphones and tablet computers. I’ve been looking into options, and they usually boil down to solar, though I hope to get some products that use other strategies. There is a huge range of solar solutions out there, from systems that can power a whole house to something that can keep a small battery charged. The whole house solutions can easily hit $40,000 or more when you include the battery backups, while the least expensive small ones can …


Recipe of the Week: Old Kimber Girls Granola Cereal

Ingredients: 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup honey 1/3 cup water 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 cups old fashioned oats 1 cup coconut 1 cup raisins 2 cups dried cherries 2 generous cups chopped peanuts 2/3 cup sunflower seeds 1 cup wheat germ 1 5oz. can ice cream nut topping mixture (optional) Directions: Combine brown sugar, honey, and water. Bring to a boil, remove from the stove, add vanilla and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In separate bowl, combine oats and coconut; pour out onto a sprayed or greased, large, baking pan, and bake in 325 degree …



Economics and Investing:

15 large investment banks = nearly 90% of “notional amounts of all open derivative contracts”, trading assets of the ten largest banks summing up to > £5 trillion o o o Government Farming Subsidies Are A Pile Of Poo. – K. o o o The next bailout will be with student loans: White House takes first steps in allowing a bankruptcy option for student debt. $1.2 trillion in student debt outstanding. o o o The Real Problem Behind Low Oil Prices


Odds ‘n Sods:

Americans exposed to Ebola return from Africa for monitoring. – P.M. o o o Sanford airport police hold gun rather than arrest armed passenger stopped by TSA. – T.P. o o o Man gives change to homeless person, is handcuffed and held by police for an hour. – H.L. o o o Survivalblog reader M.B. suggested this article. It’s an older article, but well worth the read as it is still pertinent today: When The Music Stops – How America’s Cities May Explode In Violence o o o Police use stop and search powers on 300 toddlers . – J.C.



Notes for Sunday – March 15, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 57 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 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 with …


Low Budget Knife Selection for a Novice, by S.G.

I. The World of Knives On the top of all new “prepper” lists is a good survival knife. The knife is a low-tech, multipurpose tool that has served humankind since before the dawn of civilization. To these early men, the side of a chipped flint could butcher an animal carcass for food and clothing. To the modern man, however, there is a dizzying array of choices when it comes to knife selection. This article documents my ongoing journey of knife selection, with my own frugal, low budget perspective. Now, when talking “low budget”, I do not mean cheap. When I …


Letter Re: Getting Home, by D.K. Vet

HJL, I thought this was a great article with many fine ideas. I have a couple of comments to add to the theme. As someone who has to often work hundreds of miles from my home for extended periods of time, I am always thinking of how I would return home if the balloon goes up. I addition to the idea of bringing cash, I like to take a little silver coin. I have also been known to frequent pawn shops in my new area and pick up silver, since lately it is at bargain prices. One thing I do …


Economics and Investing:

Guess What Happened The Last Two Times The S&P 500 Was Up More Than 200% In Six Years? o o o Recent actions by the world’s central banks, at a glance. – G.P. o o o Surprise! U.S. economic data has been the world’s most disappointing o o o ExxonMobil CEO Wrong About “Resilience” Of Tight Oil Production