Month: January 2016

Odds ‘n Sods:

Doctors can report some mentally ill patients to FBI under new gun control rule – JBG o o o Reader P.S sent in this link to a “Graduation-rate Estimator”. For communities that are fairly well in the middle, it does a pretty good job of estimating graduation rates from high school. However, as you move towards the ends of the spectrum, it has trouble. It is possible on the estimator to get better than 100% graduation simply by paying your teachers more than anywhere else. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a tool to help you decide where to relocate, …



Annual Reminder: The Ten Cent Challenge

I only post one reminder each year about Ten Cent Challenge subscriptions, and this is it. Unlike the whining leftist hand-wringers at PBS, I don’t do endless pledge drives. I depend on my readers to help pay the bills to keep SurvivalBlog up and running. Our web hosting on a dedicated server costs $650 per month, and our local ISP bill is $135 per month. We also have a salaried Managing Editor, a paid Product Review Editor, and other expenses including liability insurance, phone bills, computer hardware, software, accounting, subscriptions, writing contest Honorable Mention prizes, and so forth. My appeal …


Notes for Monday – January 04, 2016

January 4th is the birthday of George Hyde, who was born “Heide” in 1888, in Arpfingen, Germany. He was the chief gun designer for the Inland Division of General Motors (GM) in Dayton, Ohio during World War II. Hyde was best-known as the co-designer of the M3 “Grease gun” SMG and the Liberator pistol, but he also designed the Bendix-Hyde Carbine and the M2 Hyde submachinegun. He immigrated to the United States in 1927. A gent at the Nitro Express Forumsmentioned some details on his life before World War II: Before 1935 Hyde was the shop foreman and metal man …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: MagPul D60 AR Magazine

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I’ve seen it, not a few times and not a hundred times but thousands of times, while in gun shops all over the country. A person will lay down a large sum of money for a high-end firearm of some type and then ask the clerk behind the gun shop counter, “Do you have any cheap magazines for this gun?” Are you kidding me? The same goes when it comes to buying a holster for that new 1911 that cost a guy two grand. He’ll buy a $20 generic nylon holster to go on his ultra-thin dress belt! I just …


Recipe of the Week: Minted Grape Juice with a Tart Lime Accent, by T.A.

Ingredients: 1 large White Grape Juice, usual large plastic container 1 generous handful mint leaves, coarsely chopped 3 medium juicy green Limes, sliced thinly Directions: Pour off about 1 cup of the grape juice to make room to add your coarsely chopped mint leaves. Add thinly sliced limes. Replace the cap and then rock your grape juice bottle back and forth to circulate the juice in and around the mint leaves and lime slices. Refrigerate overnight to incorporate the flavors. Pour into serving cups or pitcher through a screen sieve that’s fine enough to catch the mint leaves and lime …


Letter Re: Windstorm

Jim/Hugh After the 17-Nov windstorm, we lost power for five days, having similar damages and drama in the article by ShepherdFarmerGeek! Thank you UTAH Power for driving 40 hours to help Avista out! Now we keep two turkey fryer pots of water on the woodstove for hot water and extra radiant heat between firings. Oh, we leave our tin can of used chicken egg shells on the stove instead of the kitchen window so they dry crispy and are easy to crush. We installed a Lux Bidet on the toilet two years ago, which has cut our TP usage by …


Economics and Investing:

FUTURE MONEY TRENDS: Silver Will Break $50 In 2016 o o o New Year begins with record number of men not in the labor force: Those not in the labor force increased by 1.9 million last year while the labor force increased by only 1.1 million. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News New Year Begins with a Record Number of Men NOT In the Labor Force (My Budget 360) Excerpt: “Employment, income, and financial prosperity are the most important issues for Americans. It is ironic that in 2008 the election was driven largely by the economy. It …


Odds ‘n Sods:

More details are beginning to emerge on the Oregon situation: Reader A.L. sent in this link to Mike Vanderboegh’s blog: No more free Wacos. Reader Joe K. sent in the link to Oathkeepers official statement: The Hammond Family Does NOT Want an Armed Stand Off, and Nobody Has a Right to Force One On Them. o o o A very good article about collectivism and freedom: One American’s Rage Spills Over: Dear Liberal… Here’s Why I’m So Hostile – L.A. o o o Those who have tangled with the American justice system know that it should not be confused with …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“It is in the free market that self-interest finds its finest expression; that is a cardinal point in individualism. If the market is regularly raided, by robbers or the government, and the safety of property is impaired, the individual loses interest in production, and the abundance of things men live by shrinks. Hence, it is for the good of society that self-interest in the economic sphere be allowed to operate without hindrance.” – Frank Chodorov



Important Provisos For SurvivalBlog Readers

(Please Read This!) SurvivalBlog, a private information service, is obliged to post some disclaimers and provisos, annually. These notices are current as of January 1, 2016 and remain in force unless later specifically revoked or modified by the Editor. Advertising and Reviews Per FTC File No. P034520: SurvivalBlog accepts cash-paid advertising. To the best of my knowledge, as of the date of this posting, none of our advertisers that sell the products mentioned in this blog have solicited SurvivalBlog or our staff to write any reviews or endorsements, nor have they provided me any free or reduced-price gear in exchange …


Letter Re: Shaving Problem/Solution

HJL, As we have been reminded this year in the Northwest and elsewhere, power outages can occur at any time for a variety of reasons (fires, floods, wind storms, snow, ice). As the utilities shutdown, electricity goes off. If we have been diligent, we have been getting ready to the best of our ability and means for at least short-term self sustainment. We have food, several gallons of water, and various supplies on hand. As I was updating the health and hygiene portion of being prepared I discovered that shaving could become a real problem for me. I have stocked …


Letter: Voting – More Important Than Ever

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HJL’s Preface: The arguments laid out in this letter are good arguments, and they make sense for the most part. However, SurvivalBlog speaks with one voice and one mind on the issue of voting in the upcoming elections. There are some issues that are so important that compromise is impossible. The political establishment has created an atmosphere where practically all issues are on the table. There is very little difference between the Democrat and Republican parties today (except, perhaps, for the speed at which they push this once great country into moral oblivion.) A prime example of this would be …


Economics and Investing:

A Year of Sovereign Defaults? – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: 2015 Was the Hardest Year to Make Money in 78 Years Chicago PMI Plummets to 42.9; Lowest Since 2009 Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Is It Time for a Skyscraper Alert? (Mises Institute) Excerpt: “The important thing to remember is that skyscrapers do not cause economic crises. Rather they are just a very noticeable example of the distortions taking place throughout the economy when interest rates are [kept] artificially low by the central bank.” Puerto Rico to Default on Some Debt (Reuters) Of course the …