Day: February 15, 2016


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Beyond Locks – Door Security

For much of my life I’ve been involved in law enforcement, security, K-9 security, private investigations, and security consulting in one form or another. It’s been a fairly diverse and exciting career, to be sure. I’m hardly ever bored on most days. I still do some security consulting these days and training, mainly in the firearms field, as time permits. For a guy who is supposed to be at the very least semi-retired, I find myself busier than I care to be most days. I don’t know what happened to my retirement dreams of hunting, fishing, and sitting on the …


How to Use Old Cooking Oil: The Floating Wick

A few months ago, one of my consulting clients mentioned that she had over-stocked her supply of vegetable oil. She had also neglected to store it in her freezer, to extend its storage life. The result after four years was 10 quarts of corn oil and two quarts of olive oil that had gone rancid. She asked if there was anything she could do with the oil. (She bemoaned the fact that that olive oil was particularly expensive.) My reply: Buy some floating wicks, and burn up that oil as a source of light and heat, during power failures. Floating …


Recipe of the Week: Quick Texas Chili, by Sawyer

No self-respecting Texican would ever put mushrooms or beans in chili. You can serve chili with beans, but never Beans in chili. Ingredients: The easy way is to use Wick Fowler’s Two Alarm Chili Mix, I have never been able to make it better myself. However, you can duplicate it yourself if you are averse to buying a pre-packaged mix: 2 lbs ground beef, ground for chili (I prefer a mixture of Venison and Wild Hog/fat back myself) 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 cups water 2 teaspoons paprika 4 teaspoons cumin 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes 1?4 teaspoon …


Letter Re: Making a Final Run

Dear Hugh, In regards to the final run concept, I have to add my contrarian view and say, don’t do it! I have witnessed first hand the competitive spirit of people at a Walmart prior to a weakened hurricane making landfall. It made Black Friday look calm. Any perceived event that would be seen as significant enough for the general population to panic and flock to stores will be extremely dangerous. Why risk physical danger to the “runner”, damage to that person’s vehicle, exposure to any illness being carried by members of the general population, (which could be the reason …


Economics and Investing:

Fingerprints for Food: Venezuela Rolls Out New Plan to Keep Shelves Stocked. “…critics warn that the scheme — which is not mandatory for the moment — will be one more way for the state to keep tabs on the population, or might be a precursor to rationing.” Submitted by T.A. o o o ‘Look out, we are heading for a crash again’, warns William White, the central banker who predicted 2008 crisis – G.G. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Food Stamp Beneficiaries Exceed 45M for 55 Straight Months (Washington Free Beacon) Excerpt: “The USDA has been …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Anyone looking for a large, defensible property on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee should take look at this new listing on our SurvivalRealty spin-off site: Copeland Mountain. This 540 acre tract with numerous springs would be ideal to subdivide for a large group retreat community. The $1.75 million price tag might seem spendy, but if it were broken into 10 subdivided parcels of around 54 acres apiece, that works out to $175,000 per parcel. – JWR o o o Submitted by SurvivalBlog reader T.A.: 2 people walking across Golden Gate Bridge hit by blow darts The blowgun, while being a …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Movement is not necessarily progress. More important than your obligation to follow your conscience, or at least prior to it, is your obligation to form your conscience correctly. Nobody — remember this — neither Hitler, nor Lenin, nor any despot you could name, ever came forward with a proposal that read, ‘Now, let’s create a really oppressive and evil society.’ Hitler said, ‘Let’s take the means necessary to restore our national pride and civic order.’ And Lenin said, ‘Let’s take the means necessary to assure a fair distribution of the goods of the world.’ “In short, it is your responsibility, …