Year: 2015

Letter: Taxes

In his recent article, My Experiences And Lessons Learned As A Suburban Prepper – Part 2, by CGman, the author states: “Depending on my tax refund this year…” Many people look forward to getting a tax refund from the government, seemingly because they regard this as “found money.” It is not; any refund on taxes paid is money you loaned the government tax free and have not had the use of some of it for as long as the full tax year. I recognize there are those among us who lack sufficient self-discipline to manage their finances, or who do …


Economics and Investing:

It’s not just the young men in America who are living with their parents: Record share of young U.S. women living with relatives – Sent in by G.G. o o o SurvivalBlog reader R.V. wrote in to ensure the readers saw the third paragraph in the E&I article yesterday on “Banking Giants Learn Cost…” “Under the rule for total loss-absorbing capacity, or TLAC, most systemically important banks must have liabilities and instruments ‘readily available for bail in’ equivalent to at least 16 percent of risk-weighted assets in 2019, rising to 18 percent in 2022, the FSB said on Monday.” Remember …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you! SurvivalBlog reader C.T. sent in the link to this video, and there isn’t much that isn’t disturbing and offensive about this video (taken directly from news reports regarding the “refugee” crises in Europe): The Anti-migrant Video Going Viral Across Europe. Consequences of the liberal non-existent immigration policies. o o o Reader G.P. sent in the link to this interesting breakthrough in water filtering: Scientists develop ‘nanopores’ that inexpensively filter the salt out of seawater o o o Space debris to collide with Earth today. – Sent in by G.P. o o o The …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Paper and digital currency based on debt – which we pretend is money – is a flawed system. A flawed system, some would say a fraudulent system, will eventually crash. $27 Billion daily increase in debt is a strong indication that much is deeply wrong in the global financial system. Perhaps its expiration date is near.” – Gary Christenson (aka The Deviant Investor)


Notes for Thursday – November 12, 2015

Today is the birthday of USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly (born 1873, died April 27, 1937). He was one of only nineteen men (including seven Marines) to twice receive the Medal of Honor. This is also the birthday of Corporal John Alan Coey (died 19 July 1975). He was the first American volunteer killed in Rhodesia. 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 …


Infectious Disease in the TEOTWAWKI World- Part 3, by Militant Medic

How Do Antibiotics Work? (continued) Antibiotics work in a number of different ways, but perhaps it would just be easier to talk about each one individually. I will focus on the pet antibiotics, since these are the ones most of us can stockpile easily. Again trying to make this as simple as I can, I have omitted many technical details. (A cellular biologist may take exception to what I say, saying “He didn’t even discuss peptidoglycan cross linkages by the DD-transpeptidase enzyme!! Who does he think he is!!??” However, I think most of the prepper army will appreciate omission of …


Letter Re: Love Thy Neighbor…Trust No One

Mr. Latimer: Thanks for sharing this thought-provoking item. For all our concerns about security, it helps to balance these concerns with our neighbor’s viewpoint. We do have a right to buy land and control it. However, the neighbor is thinking more like the Indian of 200 years ago, who only sees the newcomer as a paranoid control freak who is reducing their hunting grounds. In central Idaho, where my great-grandfather lived and hunted, nobody posted No Hunting signs, and trespassing was not thought of as long as you did no harm, stayed away from people’s stuff, and were willing to …


Economics and Investing:

Biggest Silver Supply Losers For 2015 o o o Have you seen the price of groceries lately? The Rapidly Rising Cost Of Living Is Absolutely Killing The Middle Class In America o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. National Debt is Actually $65T. “T” as in TRILLION. (Breitbart) Hint: Former U.S. Comptroller says Americans have lost touch with the reality of their spending. U.S. Debt: It’s a BIG PROBLEM (Zero Hedge) ADP Report Shows Latest Signs of Cooling Job Market (U.S. News and World Report) Commentary: There are curious conflicts among the jobs reports. A classic case of spin. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader L.N. notified us of the upcoming movie 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. It’s in post production now, scheduled for release in January. o o o Ryan (over at Total Survivalist) recommended a great 4-minute video primer by Kyle Lamb on practical concealed carry options. o o o Worried about access to doctors after TSHTF? It may not matter as much as you have been led to believe! Annual Physicals May Do More Harm Than Good Link sent in by D.S. o o o Reader T.Z. informed us of a new book about to be published. Sounds …



Notes for Wednesday – November 11, 2015

November 11th is of course Veteran’s Day. If you value you freedom, then thank a veteran. It is also the birthday of General George S. Patton, Jr. (born 1885, died December 21, 1945). And this is the birthday of Hugh Everett (born 1930, died July 19, 1982), the American physicist who first proposed the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) of quantum physics, which he termed his “relative state” formulation. November 11th also marks Rhodesia’s unilateral declaration of independence (UDI), in 1965. Remember Rhodesia. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly …


Infectious Disease in the TEOTWAWKI World- Part 2, by Militant Medic

Bacteria, Virus, Fungi, Parasites, and Prion Medicine.net defines an infection as “The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites that are not normally present within the body. An infection may cause no symptoms and be subclinical, or it may cause symptoms and be clinically apparent. An infection may remain localized, or it may spread through the blood or lymphatic vessels to become systemic (bodywide). Microorganisms that live naturally in the body are not considered infections. For example, bacteria that normally live within the mouth and intestine are not infections.” There is a lot there, in that …


Letter: Another Note on Infant Nutrition

Hugh, We raised six healthy kids on a diet best described as “locally grown, in harmony with the seasons”. Unless you’ve got the food stockpile of the century, you too will soon be eating primarily “locally grown, in harmony with the seasons” when those refrigerated rail cars quit rolling and are looted out. We live in the grain belt, and whole grains in one form or another play a major role in our diet as they have for much of mankind’s history. I’m not talking about white bread, Doritos, or noodles here but the “Staff of Life” freshly milled whole …


Economics and Investing:

Silly Season and Silly Fiscal Policy o o o Social Security Administration Spending Hit Record in FY2015; $6,345 For Every American With a Job – Sent in by G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Millennials Ditch Big Banks and Go Local With Their Money – Personally, I have done the same thing howbeit for a different reason, but I don’t find this shocking at all being on the front end of the millennial generation. Get your money out of the big banks and get local, credit union or otherwise. More Misery Ahead for Greeks as Economy Set to …


Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

Reader S.B. suggested The Uglies This is a book series that would be of interest to both young and old survival blog readers. They are an easy read, originally targeted towards teens and young adults. It’s a book about ultimate government control and the fight by a small group of young people to escape it. The government raises your children. Once you have your mandatory surgery, everyone is the same (socialist utopia). You are assigned a job. No money is used. You are assigned your lifestyle based on popularity points (think youtube and facebook). You are not allowed to leave …