Year: 2015

Odds ‘n Sods:

The Simple Off-Grid Guide To Making Paper. – D.S. o o o I wonder how long before this shows up in North America or Europe? China unveils world’s first facial recognition ATM. – B.B. o o o Is it time for civil disobedience of kludgeocratic bureaucracy?. – JBG o o o Global Warming Agenda driven “study” attempts to paint Christians as anti-science fools: New study reaffirms the link between conservative religious faith and climate change doubt. – T.P. o o o House Democrat Backed By Insurance Companies Pushes Mandatory Gun Insurance




Scot’s Product Review: Armasight Night Vision Accessories

I recently reviewed the $549 Russian-made Armasight Spark Core night vision device and promised to do an update on some of the accessories that can be used with it. If you recall, I liked the monocular unit (which was $90 less when I bought it) and felt it offered a lot of bang for the buck, enough so that I purchased it on my own and then reviewed it. I still like it, but I am very concerned about not being able to get a response from Armasight on several questions. I contacted them both as a purchaser looking for …


Ruger Mini-14, .300 AAC Blackout Tactical Rifle, by Pat Cascio

I still remember the very first Ruger Mini-14 I owned. It was in .223– the only caliber available at that time. It was 1983, and I really didn’t get a chance to shoot the little Mini-14 until a vacation from Chicago back to Oregon to my brother-in-law’s ranch a few months later. Some unforeseen circumstances found my wife and I stuck in the Chicago, IL area from 1982-1984. My stepfather and mother made the trip with us to Oregon, and my stepfather brought along his Universal M-1 Carbine. We had a lot of fun shooting, but my stepfather was blown …


Recipe of the Week: Salmon ‘Souffle’, by JVB

My uncle likes his little luxuries, even when we’re eating LTS food. Here’s one of his favorites. Ingredients: 1 14-oz can salmon 1 can condensed mushroom soup 1/2 cup powdered cheese 6 Tbsp powdered eggs 1 cup water 1/4 tsp pepper (optional) 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional) Directions: Drain and flake salmon in casserole dish. Add mushroom soup; mix with spoon. Alternate powdered cheese along with half the water while mixing. Alternate powdered eggs, along with the rest of the water while mixing. Add spices, mix. Cover and bake at 350F until firm, approx 30-40 minutes. Makes about four servings. …


Letter: The Noose is Tightening

HJL, Report from Maryland: I went to the bank today to make a deposit (two medical insurance reimbursement checks). I was informed that I had to show my drivers license or passport to make a deposit. (Up until now ID had to be provided only for withdrawals.) Then, the teller told me I needed to provide personal information: name of employer, annual salary, citizenship of another country or dual citizenship, foreign bank account holdings, and because it is a joint account, I was told to provide the same for my spouse. I’ll let you and others imagine my response. I …


Economics and Investing:

How Long Can OPEC Maintain Its Current Strategy? o o o Here’s a sad statistic from a Georgia think tank—Georgia Public Policy foundation: Cost of government: Federal regulation and intervention cost American consumers and businesses an estimated $1.88 trillion in 2014 in lost economic productivity and higher prices, according to “Ten Thousand Commandments,” by the Competitive Enterprise Institute. If U.S. federal regulation was a country, it would be the world’s 10th largest economy, ranking behind Russia and ahead of India. Given that our total national economy is somewhere in the $18 trillion range (GDP was listed as $16.7 trillion in …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The fine folks at the Paratus Familia blog have posted a very useful piece about U.S. military surplus GP Medium tents. o o o Administration preps new gun regulations. – G.G. o o o The working class Hunger Games – Reality TV show now pits working class against working class family for the chance to earn $101,000 for a mostly affluent audience. o o o Lest you think the Fox Network isn’t part of the problem: Lucifer Makes Prime Time – M.R. o o o And even more about the moral decline of of our society – When The “Sharing” …



Notes for Sunday – May 31, 2015

May 31st, 1895 was the birthday of George R. Stewart. Prior to his death on August 22, 1980, he was a novelist, university professor, and toponymist. In the preparedness community, he is best remembered as the author of the classic post-pandemic novel Earth Abides. o o o Our friends Frank and Fern have just celebrated the second anniversary of their blog. It is packed with a lot of great information and some sage homesteading advice. If you have not yet visited, then be sure to check it out! – JWR


Street Combat – This Ain’t No Game! – Part 8 of 9, by Pat Cascio

Chapter Six Carjacking Carjacking has become such a serious and violent crime that I decided to include an entire chapter on this all-important topic. In the past if someone wanted to steal your car for a joy ride or to use it in the commission of a crime, they did so at night while you slept. Or for that matter, they would steal your unattended car from a mall parking lot, while you shopped inside. Things have changed! People are now being seriously injured and sometimes killed by carjackers. In the blink of an eye, it could happen in your …


May 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. May was a dance between gold and the greenback, as the two fell back into a negative correlation. Gold traded in a tight range between $1185 and $1195 for the first part of the month, before a weakening dollar helped both gold and silver rally to a three-month high. The dollar hit a four-month low on May 15, then rallied into …


Letter Re: Surviving Science

HJL, Your surviving science log reminded me of a high school chemistry class experience. The year before had been physics. That class I aced with no problems. (I had lots of garage experience with levers and such.) However, chemistry was something I couldn’t get my brain “wrapped around”. In chem class we had the typical of the times (1959 to 1961) chem class desks that included flasks of hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and some glycerin for lubricating the glass tubes for going through the rubber stoppers used in various experiments. We had desk partners; mine was a typical …