Month: June 2016

Notes for Friday – June 03, 2016

On June 3, we remember those who lost their lives in China in a failed bid for freedom. In 1989, with the protests for democratic reforms entering their seventh week, the Chinese government authorized its soldiers and tanks to reclaim Beijing’s Tiananmen Square at all costs. By nightfall on June 4, Chinese troops had forcibly cleared the square, killing hundreds and arresting thousands of demonstrators. In the weeks afterward, an unknown number of dissidents were executed. The world responded with sanctions sending China’s economy into decline, but by late 1990, all was forgotten as China released a few hundred prisoners. …


May in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review,by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover the price action of gold and examine the “what” and “why” behind those numbers. What Did Gold Do in May? Gold began the month with another run at the $1,300 mark but was unable to break through after several attempts. This failure changed sentiment among speculators, leading gold lower. The Federal Reserve, thinking that the markets had stopped listening to them, started an all-out media blitz to stoke fears of …


Letter Re: Hunting for Self Sufficiency

Hugh, I am not sure how far the writer is from the Georgia Border, but you can hunt feral hogs year round, 24/7, with night vision, flashlight; it doesn’t matter. Farmers in Georgia do have issues with these non-native animals that were introduced for sport hunting in the early days of this nation. If you can find a farmer that would allow you to hunt (and if Georgia is not that far from you), you should be able to take quite a harvest. You can even hunt over bait with these critters. I am amazed that Florida would only allow …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog reader T.T. sent in the link to this interview with Felix Zulauf in which investing, markets, and gold are discussed. Monetary Stimulation Creates Bubbles, Not Prosperity Nor Growth. o o o Greece to co-produce Kalashnikov rifles with Russia – H.L. o o o Puerto Rico’s U.S. Rescue Won’t Come Soon Enough to Halt Default o o o Silver Will Move The Most of All The Metals o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

At least Two Shot In UCLA “Gun Free Zone” – Let me get this straight. Two people are killed with guns in a “gun free” zone in a nearly “gun free” state. Of course, the responders had guns as well. It appears to me that the only people who didn’t have guns were the victim and potential victims. – DSV o o o Another article about Venezuela: ‘We can’t go on like this’: Shortages, economic crisis make Venezuela a nation of lines. We are headed down this same path. How are workers supposed to wait in line for food when …



Notes for Thursday – June 02, 2016

On June 2, 1774, Parliament renewed the quartering Act allowing British military to stay in private homes if necessary, completing the Coercive Acts. The Quartering Act, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Boston Port Act, were known as the Coercive Acts. These Acts were Parliament’s way of asserting their control over the colonists after the Boston Tea Party and were one of the main motivations for the 3rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. o o o Our SurvivalRealty spinoff has some great retreat properties, but this latest one is almost unique, straddling …


Five Common Mistakes New Preppers Make and How to Avoid Them- Part 2, by S.M.

Practicing Poor Opsec (continued) There are a lot of different ways to see if a person is receptive to prepping or whether they are sheep. Help those who ask for your help or are interested in becoming prepared. I actually put together an easy 30 day pantry list and have been asked for a copy by several people shortly after the “winter weather” discussion I mentioned earlier. They can easily grow from there on their own. Some other great topics that you can work around to a preparedness conversation that I like to use are: Civil Unrest. Everyone is discussing …


Letter Re: Hunting for Self Sufficiency

James, I’ve been a follower of your blog for many years and find it both a good resource and a great way to keep your ear to the ground among all the survival/prepper sites that trend to sensationalism and speculation. Patriots was my first real fiction and began a great love of survival fiction. Thirty or forty books later and daily searching for solid tips on the prepper blogs, I believe the time has been well spent. My wife and I live alone, and due to a degenerative neurological affliction neither one of us can work and I am her …


Economics and Investing:

Lost Decade for Value Stocks Tests Faithful Who Say End is Nigh o o o “The Economy Is Better Off Now Than When I Started” – Obama Delivers Remarks On The State Of The Economy – Now go wipe that spewed coffee off of your computer monitor. – B.B. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Alan Greenspan: “We’re Running To A State Of Disaster” – Like the end of the article, “If only he had not gotten us in this mess in the first place”, perhaps only if the Fed had not, not just Greenspan Consumer Confidence Unexpectedly Plunges …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Samuel Culper of Forward Observer Magazine recently recorded a webinar on Intelligence Preparation of the Community (77mins). It’s a great introduction to the need for intelligence in community security and prepping. o o o Snowden Explains How to Protect Your Smartphone From NSA Hackers – DSV o o o ‘All Critical Infrastructure Sectors are at Risk from EMP’ – RBS o o o Britain really is ceasing to be a Christian country – Submitted by G.G. o o o SurvivalBlog reader S.G. wrote in to let us know that the information in the article on the giant alligator, to which …



Notes for Wednesday – June 01, 2016

On June 1st, 1942, seven months after the extermination of prisoners began, the Warsaw underground newspaper, the Liberty Brigade, made the public announcement of the gassing of tens of thousands of Jews at Chelmno, a Nazi-operated death camp in Poland. The story came from a young man, Emanuel Ringelblum, who had escaped the Chelmno death camp after being forced to bury bodies as they were thrown out of the gas vans. The West now knew the horrific truth about the slaughter of Jews. o o o Today, we present the first entry for Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing …


Round 64 Non-Fiction Writing Contest Winners Announced!

First Prize goes to B1 for “Crises Preparation- Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”, which was posted on April 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2016. 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. Three …


Five Common Mistakes New Preppers Make and How to Avoid Them- Part 1, by S.M.

Those new to prepping, and even those more experienced, will often find themselves overwhelmed with not only information that is often conflicting but with tasks. “Where do I even start?” is a common question. It is my intention to help you become less overwhelmed and more organized in what you will soon realize is a marathon journey rather than a sprint. In doing so, I will attempt to keep my particular opinions to a minimum and just provide helpful information to the readers. Failure to Properly Assess Your Situation There’s an old saying, “If you fail to plan, then you …