Notes for Friday – July 01, 2016

July 1st, 1863 was the beginning of the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. Today is also the birthday of actress Olivia DeHavilland (star of Gone With The Wind), actor Dan Aykroyd (co-star of The Blues Brothers),  and film director William Wyler (often remembered for his film Best Years of Our Lives.) o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 65 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 …




A Call for Legislative Change – Part 2, by J.D.

(Continued from Part 1) The third explanation is law, which is defined as the system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties. Let’s disagree with that definition, because clearly with millions of laws and regulations on the books to regulate our actions it doesn’t work. Our country’s prison system maintains over 5,000 jails with a population of nearly seven million. It doesn’t look like law regulates anything to include the definition of “actions”. I think we can argue ethics does regulate action, because …




Letter: Washable Cloth Toilet Wipes

Dear Editor: I have a suggestion, prompted by my reading of the recent two-part SurvivalBlog article titled: “Sew and Grow, Save and Recycle Your Way Into Preparedness“: Why go to all the trouble to cut and sew toilet wipes when you can simply use mass-produced bathroom washcloths? They are already the right size and will clean you up better than smooth cloth will. I already have a large stash of thick washcloths that I bought at a thrift store, along with a case of rubber dishwashing gloves in various sizes. When all the toilet paper is gone, each family member gets …




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

James, That was an excellent letter sent recently by “The Silver Bull” (Pre-1965 90% Silver Coins are the Best Defense Against Counterfeits).  Regarding his suggestion of  pre-1965 “junk” 90% silver coins,  I’d like to ask  a question: Are the 1 Troy ounce U.S. Mint American Eagles purchased from dealers considered suspect for counterfeiting? I know that are when purchased through eBay. There is some good counterfeit-spotting tutorials available on YouTube. I appreciate what he is saying. By the way,, my favorite precious metals remain quality brass, lead, and copper in 5.56 and 7.62. Thanks for all you do. – RetiredPara …




Economics and Investing:

Will Gold Crash With The Dow…Or Soar? o o o Faber Says Own Gold, Prepare for QE4 as Easing Follows Brexit o o o BBC: Pound falls as Bank of England hints at fresh stimulus measures o o o Gary Tanashian: A Path Toward Inflation o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.




Odds ‘n Sods:

Paul Ryan shows his true colors: House Plans Vote on Guns Next Week.  JWR”s Comments:  It is obvious that the Republican Party leadership is preparing to cave in on this issue. Please contact your congressman immediately and insist: NO COMPROMISE on background checks! Remind them that the “No Fly” and “Selectee” lists are both horribly flawed and are based on rumors and innuendo–NOT any proper sort of due process! And please remind them that so-called “universal background checks” would destroy a key part of the Second Amendment: The anonymity of American gun owners!  Register brides, not gun owners! o o …