Year: 2015

Economics and Investing:

In Sweden, a Cash-Free Future Nears – Sent in by G.G. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Saving Puerto Rico from Itself (Wall Street Journal) From the Article: “After snowballing for decades, Puerto Rico’s debt problems have become an avalanche.” Economic Growth Slower Than Thought in the 3rd Quarter (Washington Examiner) But wait, there’s more… The Federal Reserve projects growth of just 2.4% in 2016. Biggest Economic Story of 2016: Inflation (Business Insider) The Fed has taken its strategic position: that inflation, rather than deflation, will be the greatest risk to the economy in the coming year. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Sleazy MN Council Woman “Doxes” Constituents Who Opposed Her Involvement in Illegal Protest – T.P. For those that don’t know…”Doxing” is the posting of someone’s private information such as email, phone number, resident address, et cetera in a public forum. If you sent a message to this Council Woman disagreeing with her position, she publicly posted your contact information to Twitter. So much for OPSEC. o o o Chocolate Gives Statins A $29 Billion Run For Their Money – Let’s see…taking Big Pharma drugs for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, which are known to have side effects (which include heart …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word …


Notes for Saturday – December 26, 2015

A very thought-provoking article has been posted over on Thoughts from Frank and Fern: The Line Has Been Drawn o o o 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 …


Left Of Boom”– A Different Way of Thinking About Prepping, by The Retired Professor

“Left of Boom” is originally a military term referring to the timeline before an explosion. When the explosion happens (the boom), then the timeline shifts to “right of boom”. Left of boom is where you want to be. This gives you time to avert the explosion, or at least prepare for it. Right of boom is where you do not want to be. Being right of boom means you now have to shift from averting and preparing to focusing on recovery. The whole concept embraces a timeline of “before”, “during”, and “after” a calamity, be it personal or systemic. On …


Letter Re: Can You Buy a Budget Sniping Rifle That Is Effective?

SB editors, That’s an interesting read on sniping rifles; thanks for posting. I would like to bring your attention to a detailed 80+ YouTube video series on long-range marksmanship, Sniper 101 by Tiborsaurus Rex. The author is a bit long-winded and spreads out 15 minutes of good info into 20-30 minutes, but it’s still worth passing on to your readers. I’m up to video 38; so far it’s been a very informative series, and I’ve adjusted some of my cyber-Monday purchases after hearing his discussion on equipment choices (i.e. single-power mili-rad scope and spotting scope). The author also has a …


Economics and Investing:

China establishes rival to World Bank. Sent in by G.G. o o o California cash sales surge while total sales volume plunges: Cash sales made up 30 percent of total sales last month. o o o Video: Egon von Greyerz – Bond Market Biggest Bubble in the World – Sent in by G.G. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News When Santa Was a Bank (Bloomberg) A Little Bit of History… “For much of the 19th century, Santa Claus had a branch office at No. 12 Wall Street. This was the “Saint Nicholas Bank,” established in 1853 and …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Another reason why I don’t do social media: The Serial Swatter – T.Z. o o o ISIS Sanctions Organ Harvesting of living non-Muslims (to save Muslim lives) – Sent in by T.P. Article quote: “Islamic State has sanctioned the harvesting of human organs in a previously undisclosed ruling by the group’s Islamic scholars, raising concerns that the violent extremist group may be trafficking in body parts. The ruling, contained in a January 31, 2015 document reviewed by Reuters, says taking organs from a living captive to save a Muslim’s life, even if it is fatal for the captive, is permissible.” …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself” 2 Kings 2:1-3 (KJV)


Notes for Friday – December 25, 2015

To those who are celebrating the Advent of our Lord and Savior, the team at SurvivalBlog wishes you a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. For those who choose to celebrate our Lord through the biblical feasts, stay safe out there during this holiday season. Our prayer is that each and every one of you enjoy the family time and stay safe on the roads. o o o 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 …


The Grid Will Never Be Down in the Way You May Think! – Part 2, by X-liberal

Discrimination Imagine eating lunch inside your employer’s break room and reading lovely gestures on the bulletin board, such as “We are an equal opportunity employer. We don’t discriminate over race, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, etc.” The liberal leadership stands next to the bulletin board, illustrating to the world that they would never discriminate in hiring practices, no way, no how! Then these same enlightened liberals enact a diversity program whereby they hire solely based on one’s skin color, gender, or sexual orientation, thereby ignoring the law they just stood behind! That means these “chosen few” (in the diversity) have …


Letter Re: Water Works

Team, Yet another solution to hot water is to use a solar inverter of an appropriate size to provide 220v power to a regular old hot water heater. I can recommend the Outback Radian 8000W inverter and the Rheem Marathon water heater due to the water heater’s high efficiency and extra insulation. It uses between 3000w and 4500w of power depending on the model, and if you put it on a timer it only runs at night when everyone is asleep and not using the inverter otherwise. I have seen that inverter run our well pump, the hot water heater, …


Economics and Investing:

Russia Gold “Buying Spree” Continues; Buys 22 Tons In November o o o U.S. Exports More Gold To Hong Kong Than It Produces o o o Russia keeps pumping Could we see oil go below $30? – P.S. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News 50 Examples of Government Waste (Waste Fraud and Abuse) This truly sums up the problems at hand! Article Excerpt: “Reducing wasteful spending is not easy. Even the most useless programs are passionately supported by the armies of recipients, administrators, and lobbyists that benefit from their existence. Identifying inefficiencies and abuses is much easier …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A recent article on Zero Hedge that has absolutely no media coverage that I can find. “Unstoppable” California Gas Leak Now Being Called Worst Catastrophe Since BP Spill – Sent in by M.C. o o o From the desk of Mike Williamson, Survivalblog Editor At Large – There’s always a way… Aluminum wall art for sale on Amazon. o o o An innovative old-tech solution to greenhouses: Fruit Walls: Urban Farming in the 1600s also, Reinventing the Greenhouse – Sent in by P.S. o o o SurvivalBlog reader sent in an enjoyable video clip of Santa and his reindeer from …