Month: April 2016

Economics and Investing:

The Real Reason To Invest In Silver… It’s The Fundamentals o o o Video: The Shocking Rail Data That Screams Recession Is HERE – Sent in by P.M.e o o o Fed Statement Could Offer Clues Toward June Rate Decision (Note: You’ll need to sign in or subscribe to read this one.) o o o Yellen Scope for Summer Rate Hike Widens as ECB Signals Hold – Excerpt: “Investors see zero probability the Federal Open Market Committee will hike at its April 26-27 meeting and only about 20 percent chance of a move at its gathering in June, eight days …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From the desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large: Despite what you’ve heard about the fearsome IS fighters in sweeping victories, this video footage obtained by VICE News shows that they are often in disarray. o o o Cartels Help Terrorists in Mexico Get to U.S. to Explore Targets; ISIS Militant Shaykh Mahmood Omar Khabir Among Them – Sent in by B.B. o o o Fridges go off as Venezuela power-rationing hits – It was only a matter of time before this started. Are your preps ready for that here? Can you do without your fridge (or freezer)? – …



Notes for Wednesday – April 27, 2016

On this day in 1789, the crew of the British ship Bounty mutinied, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 64 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, …


An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure- Part 2, by L.W.

Clean Clothes The first line of defense in protecting the skin is your clothing. Protect the hands by always using gloves appropriate to the task at hand—medical gloves for caring for the sick and injured; heavy duty rubber gloves for washing dishes and a completely different set for bathroom cleaning; garden gloves; and leather work gloves. Beyond the gloves, we also need to use clothing to protect the rest of the body. The better covered the body, the better the defense. Understand that sunscreen will eventually run out or lose its efficacy, so protecting the skin from sunburn (and the …


Letter Re: Velcro in Tactical Gear

SurvivalBlog reader R.B. wrote in to ask about Velcro on Tactical Gear. As a life-long SCUBA diver, on wrecks, rescues, and searches, he states that Velcro can fail to stay attached when wet. Aside from the obvious issue of sound (the exceedingly loud rrrrriiiip when it is removed, either intentionally or accidentally), we’d like to hear from you. Do you use Velcro on your equipment? If not why? If so, what issues do you have? – HJL


Economics and Investing:

Unions’ $15 Minimum Wage About-Face – Sent in by B.B. Note: The link will require that you either have an account or have ad-blocker disabled. o o o The lack of inventory in housing: 5.9 percent fewer homes for sale in the U.S. than there were a year ago. You also have flippers asking for ridiculous prices on homes the size of closets. All this brings back memories of 2006 and 2007. o o o No One Works in 1 in 5 U.S. Families – G.G. Excerpt: “There were 81,410,000 families in the United States in 2015. Of those, there …


Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

Blast 23. Ultimate faith based true story. A star high school football player becomes blind, still plays football, and eventually becomes a pastor. Watch the amazing extras! – DMS o o o Reader P.M. writes in: “One of my favorite books as a youngster was “T-Model Tommy” by Stephen W. Meader. The story of a boy in the 1930’s Depression who recovers an old truck from a junkyard and starts a coal-hauling business to support himself and his widowed mother. I was pleased to learn that all 44 of Meader’s novels have been reprinted by Southern Skies Press. The stories …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Safecastle’shuge Mountain House food sale ends this Saturday, April 30. Both the 30-year #10 cans and the 12-year pouches are seriously discounted, up to 46%. Safecastle always includes shipping to the lower 48. o o o Camping Survival has a new video out on cleaning water. It’s not a survival video but is good info. o o o From the desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large: Camopedia, the camourlage encyclopedia. o o o The Death of Encryption. “The Burr-Feinstein bill claims to support “the rule of law,” which the authors seem to think means that if a government …



Notes for Tuesday – April 26, 2016

On April 26, 1986, the world’s worst nuclear accident occurred at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into the atmosphere; at least 31 Soviets died immediately. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 64 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 …


An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure- Part 1, by L.W.

In 2007 the British Medical Journal polled doctors about what they considered to be the most important medical advance in modern history. While not necessarily a medical advance, clean water and sanitation—the number one answer in the survey—have undoubtedly prevented more early deaths than any other single advancement. The question for us is: What do we do to ensure we have clean water and to promote sanitation when TEOTWAWKI hits? The black plague killed over 75 million Europeans. Why? Rats and their fleas were the major source of spreading Yersinia Pestis– the cause of the black plague. Why were rats …


Letter Re: Doxycycline and Penicillin

Hugh, I am interested in obtaining a supply of doxycycline, an antibiotic used to treat Lyme disease. If bugging out on foot ever became a necessity the exposure to ticks and Lyme disease in my part of the country is quite high. Can you make recommendations for purchasing this medication? I found little to guide me in your archives. I have seen it suggested to get veterinary medications; however when I looked at one major website doxycycline and penicillin where listed as the same drug. I believe that’s not accurate. Who am I to trust? – KM HJL’s Comment: You’re …


News From The American Redoubt:

Judge again refuses to let nationally known lawyer defend Cliven Bundy – Sent in by B.B. o o o Idaho Freedom Foundation is hosting the Freedom16 Town Hall meetings in North idaho. The Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman will provide IFF’s take on the 2016 session on what lawmakers did right and what they got wrong. o o o Montana takes one on the chin – Surprise! Missoula, Montana expected to get mostly Muslim refugees after all. Sent in by B.B. o o o Sheriff Palmer intends to sue city of, John Day, employees


Economics and Investing:

Why I Believe the American Dream Just Died. – Sent in by G.G. – Excerpt: “My breaking point came yesterday, upon reading a Legg Mason survey of affluent investors, which Legg Mason defined as individuals with more than $200,000 in investment assets. It found that 55% of those surveyed believe that the American Dream no longer remains within reach, with only 23% “strongly agreeing” that they are living proof of its existence.” o o o U.S. stocks fall on oil, earnings; dollar retreats. o o o Dangerous Divergence. The Fed’s policy of “Save a Wall Street Banker” is beginning to …