Month: May 2016

Notes for Friday – May 06, 2016

May 6th is the birthday of Tuvia Bielski (born 1906). You may remember him as the main character in the movie Defiance. This movie was based on the book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec. o o o Please lift up our neighbors to the north in prayer – ‘Catastrophic wildfires’ force thousands to flee in Canada 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 …


Maintaining Your Household in the Post-SHTF World- Part 2, by S.T.

Wood Stove Cooking The same recipes that you use in the summer with a wonder oven you can also cook in the winter on a wood stove. The Ice House Keeping Food Cold or Frozen in the Hot Summer I do not have ponds or horses and buggies to move large blocks of ice during the winter, so I must improvise. During summer, when cutting and splitting firewood, this will be done over a tarp so that the sawdust can be collected and saved in buckets. When winter is full force, I have 10 each of the 20-gallon Rubbermade totes …


Letter Re: Velcro on Tactical Gear

Dear Hugh, A very nice alternative to velcro pouches is made by the folks at UW Gear. They use a “tuck tab” feature that doesn’t use velcro, snaps, or buckles. This uses a stiff piece of webbing that “tucks” into the tab on the front of the magazine pouch. There is nothing to wear out here and should be easy to clean if snow or mud somehow gets in there. They make chest rigs, bandoleers, and standalone pouches. To my knowledge, they currently can make these for 5.56, 7.62×39,5.45, and 7.62×51. It is a little bit of a wait time …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A beautiful prayer by film producer/author Alex Kendrick speaking at the 2015 National Day of Prayer in Washington D.C. o o o This link is to an article from Tech Insider on the ease with which a penetration team (white hat hackers) completely compromised a power utility within 24 hours. It is a good eye-opener to just how much at risk such things still remain, as well as a good lesson for those of us responsible for computer security generally. How easy is it to compromise a utility? – M.P. o o o Baltimore police warn motorists of armed carjackings …


Economics and Investing:

Every Time This Has Happened, A Recession Followed o o o New banking normal where lending $2 increases GDP by $1: US bank credit up 44 percent since 2008 while GDP up 21 percent. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Inflation as a Policy (Mises) Excerpt: “…the more evident the evil consequences of inflation became, the more rabid became the demands for still more inflation to cure them.” Investors Look for Signs of Future Fed Action (Financial Times) Excerpt: “You don’t get the sense going into this [meeting] that there is a solid consensus,” Ms Swonk said. …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Liberals believe government should take people’s earnings to give to poor people. Conservatives disagree. They think government should confiscate people’s earnings and give them to farmers and insolvent banks. The compelling issue to both conservatives and liberals is not whether it is legitimate for government to confiscate one’s property to give to another, the debate is over the disposition of the pillage.” – Walter E. Williams.


Notes for Thursday – May 05, 2016

May 5th is the birthday of Pat Frank (1908-1964). This was the pen name of newspaper journalist Harry Hart Frank. His novel Alas, Babylon is a survivalist classic. His personal life was marred by alcoholism, but his writing is admired and still surprisingly popular, today. (Alas, Babylon is still in print, after more than 50 years!) As an homage to Pat Frank, one of the settings in JWR’s novel Expatriates is Mt. Dora, Florida, which was fictionalized by Pat Frank as Fort Repose in Alas, Babylon. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 64 of the SurvivalBlog …


Maintaining Your Household in the Post-SHTF World- Part 1, by S.T.

Today I washed clothes the easy way: I placed the clothes in the washing machine, added homemade laundry soap, and turned it on. When the washer was done, I transferred the clothes to the dryer and turned it on. When the dryer was done, I removed the clothes from the dryer and folded everything. While my automatic washing machine and automatic dryer are working, I am sitting here typing this. I do this three times every week– once for my family, once for my father who can not navigate his basement stairs, and once for my aunt who also can …


Two Letters Re: Velcro on Tactical Gear

Hugh, My experience with the hook-and-loop closure system is, that it works fine while it is new and clean, but deteriorates quickly. Lint is one of the biggest enemies, along with cheat grass and other vegetable contamination. We have velcro on a camera case closure, and one time it came in handy when a moose was headed toward us with its hackles up. Zip, and the moose made a 90-degree turn to the left and trotted away. But in situations where the noise could draw fire, a snap is usually less loud. Better yet, unsnap your retainer early on, before …


Economics and Investing:

It’s High Time To Worry About The U.S. Economy o o o China’s banking regulator moves to contain off-balance sheet risk. Excerpt: “Authorities are tightening scrutiny of the lenders as the growing use of complex financial structures has raised concerns that bad lending and credit risks can be concealed.” o o o ECB blames you for negative interest rates o o o Banks Quickly Abolishing Your Ability to Use & Store Cash – Sent in by DSV o o o Social Security: Why Congress is messing with your benefits – Many are being forced to take their benefits sooner and …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Sent in by Reader T.Z. – Apologies for the fbomb title, but I wanted to get the info out. Here in the Redoubt we often forget there are those north of the parallel. ‘It’s a F[*] Ghost Town’: Inside Canada’s Fort McMurray As It Burns. Please keep them in your prayers. o o o New addition on SurvivalRealty, Stunning Log Home Sits Quietly Off The Grid, located 49 miles into the Coeur d’Alene National Forest, near the backcountry Magee Airport. o o o Houston School Officials Call Police After Student Tries Buying Lunch With ( REAL) $2 Bill. “There are …



Notes for Wednesday – May 04, 2016

On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others. Also on this day in 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed an accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho, creating what the world believed would be peace at last in the Middle East. Of course, the Palestinians then, as now, threw away the peace agreement and resumed hostilities towards Israel. o o o Don’t you wish there was a solar system that was EMP, lightning, …


Surviving the 2015 Fire of Lake County California- Part 2, by B.G.

Looters- Lessons Learned You don’t need to be an expert killer to deter an attacker. The people who loot an evacuated area are generally cowardly. You need only appear more of a threat than the average person. Buy a gun, learn to use it, but don’t obsess. The survivalist fantasy of defending your home against squads of organized killers is just that– fantasy. What is more realistic is that you will stumble into the opportunist that thinks “mandatory evacuation” means “no one is at home”. Encounters can happen any time. If you are staying, start carrying a gun shortly after …


Letter Re: Velcro on Tactical Gear

Dear Hugh, Regarding the use of Velcro on tactical gear, I have something which might be of importance that I would like to share. Due to an old athletic injury, I wear an ankle brace for both stability and compression on a daily basis. I have been wearing a brace of one kind or another for more than 40 years. I currently use a brace employing an elastic wrap around with a Velcro closure. It is both convenient and holds tight. Until, that is, the Velcro begins to wear out. With daily use it does wear out rather quickly. I …