Month: May 2016

Tea for Two Hundred, This Year and Next- Part 2, by Sarah Latimer

While “tea” is technically reserved for the plant camellia sinensis, in common language we often call many herbs by the name “tea”, especially when they are capable of being brewed into a flavorful beverage all by themselves. Additionally, there a many plants whose fruits, leaves, and flowers can be grown to add a variety of enjoyable flavors to traditional tea. Here are some we grow and use at our homestead: Chamomile Chamomile is probably one of my top three flavors for tea, and it has health benefits as a bonus! It has so many wonderful benefits besides being a flavor …


Letter Re: Long Distance Vision and Night Vision

Dear Sirs, I really enjoy reading your blog, but I have a question to ask you. I am blind in my right eye and I am having trouble trying to find a long distant vision and night vision for a one-eyed person. Do you have any suggestions? – R.H. HJL’s Comment: The PVS-14, carried by several of our advertisers, is an excellent choice for night vision. It is a monocle and is used on only one eye. It is commonly worn on the dominate eye, allowing the non-dominate eye to be used for peripheral vision. Without the use of your …


Economics and Investing:

Class of Underemployed: Nearly 50 percent of recent college graduates are working in jobs where no college degree is required. o o o A Critical Juncture In Gold And Silver Prices o o o Fed’s ticking financial time bomb – Sent in by P.S. o o o Rauner Vetoes Bill Reducing Pension Contributions Despite Massive Underfunding, Chicago Mayor Whines – Expect more of this to come in the years ahead. – P.S. o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

New sophisticated ransomware attack targets 100 million people – Sent in by DSV. o o o The superbug that doctors have been dreading just reached the U.S. – “The antibiotic-resistant strain was found last month in the urine of a 49-year-old Pennsylvania woman.” o o o Another privately owned drone is shot down – “Caught by surprise” is the term the pilot used, but he also states that he moved closer to people on the ground specifically to identify them. – T.P. o o o Arizona hiker dies after being stung by 1,000 bees – W.C. o o o Another …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“…And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were …


Notes for Saturday – May 28, 2016

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, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. …


A Micro Solar Power System With Maximum Utility, by B.C.

Necessity being the mother of invention, I recently stumbled backwards onto an inexpensive and truly totable way to power two-way radios, shortwave, and other receivers; charge smart phones and iPads; provide lighting; quickly purify water on the go; keep night vision functional; enable electronic security systems; and pump rainwater to a gravity tank, while protecting all these functions from EMP in the interim. I will quietly be turning 50 next month. I joined the survivalist movement in the early 1980’s, at the tail end of that upswing of interest in such things. Vietnam was still fresh in our minds, and …


Memorial Day: Give it Meaning!

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day), a day of remembrance for those who have died serving in the military of the United States of America. In my family, we think especially of my Great Uncle Robert Kinsella, who died when his B-24D bomber “Punjab” was lost on a bombing mission over Rabaul in the South Pacific, on November 16th, 1942. It was the lead bomber on the mission. Both Group Commander (Colonel Arthur Meehan) and the Squadron Commander (Major Raymond Morse) were on board. Memorial day is more than just a three day weekend with BBQs, …


Letter Re: Using EMP-Hardened HF Ham Radio

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Hugh, I strongly recommend against using any Heathkit rig for an emergency radio. There was one solid state Heathkit but it was a rebadged, factory assembled Yaesu. All others were built by an individual, whose attention to detail you most likely have no idea about. They are known in the hobby as “GRIEF kits” for a GOOD reason. They fail – early, and often. They have too many disadvantages for the emergency backup purpose. Besides all the ones mentioned by the original author: They have high (LETHAL) voltages inside. They require 120V AC power. They have no cooling fan on …


Economics and Investing:

S&P Significant Low has Occurred – NOT Likely! – “Of course this time might be different, but it seems wise to consider the possibility of a substantial S&P 500 Index drop in coming months.” o o o Why $50 Oil Is Here To Stay – “As oil prices hit $50, oil traders are trying to answers the million dollar question: will U.S. drillers turn the taps back on?” o o o Video: Brexit – The Movie – a crowdfunded film that presents the case for Britain to leave the EU on June 23rd. – P.S. o o o Greece’s Journey …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Facebook Will Now Track You and Force Feed You Ads Even If You Don’t Use It – DSV o o o A warning to Canadians via video: S-223 Canada’s New Gun Control Bill o o o Senate bill would let FBI read your emails without a court order – “All the agency would need is a National Security Letter, which lets the FBI get information from companies about their customers without alerting the person being investigated. Currently, the FBI can access phone records that way, but not emails.” – B.B. o o o The inmates are indeed running the asylum! …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name, great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men” – Jeremiah 32:17-19 (KJV)


Notes for Friday – May 27, 2016

On May 27, 1813, former President Thomas Jefferson wrote former President John Adams about the loss of their mutual friend, Dr. Benjamin Rush. Reflecting upon the loss, Jefferson wrote, “We too must go; and that ere long. I believe we are under half a dozen at present; I mean the signers of the Declaration.” Dr. Rush was instrumental in the reconciliation of Jefferson and Adams by initiating correspondence between the three of them. Both Jefferson and Adams continued to correspond until their deaths on July 4th, 1826– the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which all three had signed …


Building An Infrared Triplight (and Other Ideas), by ShepherdFarmerGeek

Here’s an idea for how to build a tripline-activated infrared light that will illuminate a path or area when triggered. The person passing through will not know they have triggered it, and an observer with a night vision device will be able to see the person better than with only ambient light and without activating their own infrared source/spotlight. Why set up triplights? The reasons would be to: (a) alert you to the approach of someone at night, (b) to help you identify the approaching person(s), and possibly even (c) to help you target the approaching person if you absolutely, …


Letter Re: Lost Knowledge

Hugh, My great grandmother was born in the late 1800’s and was raised in an orphanage in a rural area. This orphanage had an on-site school where, in addition to the 3R’s, all the girls were required to learn to “Cook, Clean, Sew, Crochet, and Knit”. All of the boys were required to learn to farm and master carpentry skills. At aged 16 ,when she graduated school and left the orphanage, she was equipped to run a household and earn a living as a seamstress. My great grandmother lived through the 1918-1919 flu pandemic and a typhoid outbreak. She died …