Notes for Tuesday – January 12, 2016

On January 12, 1888, the “Schoolchildren’s Blizzard” killed 235 people, many of whom were children on their way home from school, across the Northwest Plains region of the United States. The storm came with no warning and some accounts say that the temperature fell nearly 100 degrees in just 24 hours. There were many instances of teachers keeping or rescuing children who would have been caught in the storm while walking home. 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 …




What’s For Dinner?- Part 3, by J.R.

Powdered Milk/Dairy Ah, powdered milk. It’s probably the ugly stepchild of the food storage world, the last item people want to put in their food storage because it’s the last thing they want to drink. We’re going to change that. First off, let’s discuss the various needs, the bare bones essentials. Children, up to about age ten or twelve years, and pregnant and nursing women need 75 pounds of powdered milk per year to satisfy the nutritional demands of their growing bodies. Teens and adults can make do with 20 pounds of dry milk per year. This reduced amount is …




Letter Re: Algorithms

Sirs, I was particularly interested in your 1/9/16 link to an article regarding The risks — and benefits — of letting algorithms judge us. Algorithms are convenient tools and are more ubiquitous in society than you might think. Those maddening automated telephone answering scripts that lead you through a labyrinth of options that do not address what you are calling about are an excellent example. Many businesses and healthcare venues (or providers) regularly use algorithms to help them maintain a minimum standard of service. That is fine, if you are satisfied with a minimum standard of service. I tried, at …




News From The American Redoubt:

Here is some food for thought, when considering retreat locales: Five Maps Showing the Extreme Variance in U.S. Population Distribution. Note that The American Redoubt has some of the least populous counties. o o o U.S. Government to Cull Hundreds of Yellowstone Bison This Winter – Sent in by T.J. o o o RBS sent in this article containing some odd photographs of a rare defect: Idaho Fish and Game mystified by rare, deformed mountain lion o o o The Californication of Washington continues. Here is yet ANOTHER reason for the Citizens of eastern Washington to seek partition! – JWR …




Economics and Investing:

“Unprecedented Demand” – US Mint Sells Nearly As Much Gold On First Day Of 2016 As All Of January 2015 – G.G. o o o Shipping Said to Have Ceased… Is the Worldwide Economy Grinding to a Halt? – B.B. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News More Trouble Ahead for US Oil Industry (Houston Chronicle) Excerpt: “The tentacles of the energy sector run deeper in the US economy than most understand…” Why Sugar, Once a Big Business in Hawaii, is Disappearing (Christian Science Monitor) Excerpt: “The company hopes to shield itself from the vulnerability of a single …




Odds ‘n Sods:

The latest from Wranglerstar (one of our favorite vloggers: Best Everyday Carry Gear 2016) o o o Reader C.S. sent in this link to a review of some inexpensive/cheap “mop wick” diesel stoves. Part of the article is a video that shows how to re-wick them and their operation. Prepping 101: Cooking With Diesel – Mop Wick Kerosene Stoves Explained o o o From Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large: Point source failure – One major highway and only one bridge connecting the nation. Ontario’s Nipigon River bridge fails, severing Trans-Canada Highway o o o After Ebola, two other tropical …