Month: June 2016

Sew and Grow, Save and Recycle Your Way Into Preparedness – Part 1, by S.T.

As a society, we all rely upon a vast amount of manufactured products every day from canning jars and lids to dishes to pots and pans to toothpaste and dental floss. This list goes on and on. However, we can not forget that gasoline and diesel fuel and electricity are the most important manufactured items. Without these there will no longer be any other mass produced manufactured items made or delivered to a store near you. Every disposable item that you can now replace with reusable items will put you well ahead of the sheeple, save you money, and make …


Letter: Rebalancing Your Gun Collection

Daer Editor:I had a thought about JWR’s suggestions on re-balancing your gun collection.  While I own a few pre-1899 guns, they are now pricey, even for well-worn guns in shooting condition.  I believe an acceptable alternative would be to purchase new reproduction black powder revolvers (the Model 1858 Remington is probably one of the best) and obtain a .45 Colt conversion cylinder.  The BATFE does not consider these to be firearms, so they can be purchased with no paperwork locally or through mail order.  With the conversion cylinder installed they can fire modern cartridges, albeit at low pressures that replicate …


Letter Re: Sanitation: Can You Burn It?

Dear Editors, Regarding the question: “Has anyone tried taking the poo and simply tossing it into a hot outdoor fire?” I can answer that question in the form of a personal reminiscence: When I was serving in Vietnam if someone screwed up our Platoon Sergeant would take the offending person in the morning to old papa-san. Papa-san’s job was to take the cut down 55 gallon drums out of the latrine pour some diesel fuel into them and then burn the contents. Papa-san’s face would light up with a huge grin as the offending troop was delivered to him for …


News From The American Redoubt:

Republican Party Sea Change:  No More Business as Usual in the State of Idaho. (The political influence of the American Redoubt movement is starting to be felt!) o o o The leftist hand-wringers at The Washington Post complain: ‘I’m looking at Drudge: “Syrian Refugees Rape Little Girl at Knifepoint in Idaho” – all false’   JWR’s Comment: Oh, I see, we shouldn’t be concerned because it wasn’t a “rape”. It was a mere  “sexual assault” of the five-year old. And the perpetrators were from Iraq and Sudan, rather than from Syria, as first reported.  So am I now supposed to feel …


Economics and Investing:

Deb B. wrote to mention this useful data from Kiplinger’s for anyone considering relocating: State-by-State Guide to Taxes on Retirees o o o G.G. flagged this piece by Michael Pento:  The next recession is already here—and there isn’t much the Fed can do o o o From The Drudge Report: Shares in Barclays, RBS and building firms suspended as Brexit sends prices plunging o o o Hoarding Cash in Vaults Seen More Attractive After Brexit Vote o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader “Reese” recommended an uncharacteristically well-balanced article about the Ghost Gunner milling machine published by Bloomberg Business Week: A Crypto-Anarchist Will Help You Build a DIY AR-15.  Parenthetically, after a long wait I now own a Ghost Gunner an a box of 80% lower receiver blanks. With the seasoned technical assistance of Hugh Latimer, I plan to post a full review of it in SurvivalBlog. – JWR o o o Peter S. mentioned this: Homemade submachineguns used in Tel Aviv shooting. Peter’s comment: “This shows that ‘gun control’ legislation is a myth.” o o o Several readers sent this: [City of] …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Do not wait for a national audience. Speak on any scale open to you, large or small—to your friends, your associates, your professional organizations, or any legitimate public forum. You can never tell when your words will reach the right mind at the right time. You will see no immediate results—but it is of such activities that public opinion is made.” – Ayn Rand


Notes for Monday – June 27, 2016

June 27th is the birthday of economist Dr. Ravi Batra. (Born 1943.) This is also the birthday of movie director J.J. Abrams (of Star Trek fame.) On this day in 1957,  Hurricane Audrey made landfall, killing more than  400 people. o  o  o Safecastle’s big Mountain House long term storage foods sale ends on June 30th, so get your order in soon! o  o  o Today, we present another product review by Pat Cascio, our Senior Field Gear Editor:


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Springfield Armory XDs 9mm

We covered the Springfield Armory XDs 45 pistol when it first came out, and I believe SurvivalBlog was the first in the media to cover this outstanding little pistol. We have many contacts in the firearms and cutlery fields and quite often get a first look at new products. The little XDs 45ACP was, and is, an outstanding concealed carry handgun. However, there were some teething problems with the first batch, and Springfield Armory was quick to take care of this minor problem. Several of our readers who lived neaby were also having a different sort of problem with their …


Recipe of the Week: K.M.’s Hot Milk Sponge Cake

Reader K.M. sent a quick and simple recipe recommendation that is great for families with both laying hens and a home dairy cow.  She notes: “We are folks who often ask ourselves: ‘What are we going to do with all these eggs and this extra warm milk?’  Here is one answer.” Hot Milk Sponge Cake Ingredients: 1 Cup All-purpose flour 1 Teaspoon baking powder 2 Eggs 1 Cup of sugar 1/2 Cup milk 2 Tablespoons of butter (or margarine) Directions: Combine flour and baking powder. Then, in a bowl mix the two eggs with a hand or electric mixer set …


Letter: Pre-1965 90% Silver Coins are the Best Defense Against Counterfeits

Dear Editor: Those buying  silver and gold coins and bars need to be aware. I work in the industry at a well known coin shop in the mid-west. Time after time…week after week customers try to sell us fake items that they purchased from eBay, pawn shops, Craigslist, and elsewhere. It has become a bigger issue over the the last year and especially so in the last few months. When purchasing coins and bullion from customers we use our scales to make sure items are of proper weight, we use our calipers to check diameters, and we have the benefit of …


Letter Re: Tracking Dogs

Dear Editor: I have some experience with dogs that were specially-trained to track living humans, and with cadaver dogs. I agree with the previous Tracking Dog posts regarding restrictive points of terrain and/or infrastructure. In any escape route, there are always certain areas of heightened vulnerability, which an experienced team of searchers will not disregard. The Texas Rangers at one time (reportedly) enjoyed an annual manhunt in the Texas Panhandle. They would seek volunteers from vetted and trusty inmates whose reward at the end of the day, would be the day’s freedom and a good meal. The inmate would be …


Economics and Investing:

Over at Zero Hedge: Will Brexit Give the U.S. Negative Interest Rates? o o o Over at The Daily Bell:  Brexit Vote Is Great News for Britain, but Difficult Times Ahead o o o Gold Summer Doldrums Risk o o o UK’s departure makes EU disintegration ‘irreversible’: Soros o o o 15 Euro Stocks That Lost Over 10% to 25% After Brexit Shock o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Mainstream magazine The Atlantic posits: Is Middle America Due for a Huge Earthquake? (Thanks to Peter S. for the link.) o o o Bad news from Hawaii: All registered gun owners are being added to the centralized “Rap Back” Federal crime database. o o o Truly pragmatic training: Tam (one of our favorite gun bloggers) describes learning practical pistol shooting with kids in tow. o o o Oregon standoff: Case of possible misconduct by FBI in LaVoy Finicum shooting now before grand jury