Month: August 2016

Pat Cascio’s Product Review: S&W 9mm Shield Performance Center Model

Right off the bat, I’ll admit my bias against Smith & Wesson– the company, not the guns. I used to be a huge fan of their firearms for a lot of years, but their warranty service is lacking. It’s something to keep in mind when purchasing one of their firearms. However, S&W continues to produce some outstanding firearms these days. For several years, as a private investigator back in Chicago, IL, I packed a S&W Model 586 with a 4” Bbl on a daily basis. It was a comforting (not comfortable) handgun to carry all day long. When I was …


Recipe of the Week: Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients: 1 lb lean ground beef 1 large onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 (1lb) cans of tomatoes, cut up 1 (8oz) can tomato sauce 1 (12oz) can tomato paste 1 cup beef bouillon 2 tbs minced parsley 1 tbs brown sugar 1 tsp dried oregano leaves 1 tsp dired basil leaves 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper Directions: In a large skillet or slow-cooking pot with a browning unit, crumble the meat with onion and garlic. Break up pieces of meat with fork and cook until it loses its red color, then drain off excess fat. In a …


Letter Re: Taurus Judge

Pat, Hello. I just read your info about the problem with Taurus Model 85 and have a quick note about a Judge I bought from a nice dealer. I tried shooting it several times, and it worked well with no failures. I disassembled the firearm safely, then had it color-coated by a finisher. I did the disassembly and apparently lost a small spring, and when I reassembled it I didn’t find it. I then contacted Taurus and sent the firearm to them. I received a call from a service tech that the coating had to be removed, and they returned …


Economics and Investing:

‘Dead’ mall has hardly changed since the 1980s- another dead Mall o o o The Fallacy of the ‘Third Way’ o o o Japan’s economy is barely growing (Note: autostart video) o o o Why this U.S. market rally gives investors good reason to be cautious o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

(So-called) Justice Department Prevented FBI Probe Of Clinton Foundation; Reporters Slam State Department Stonewalling o o o After taking a break for a few weeks, Ryan, over at Total Survivalist, is back to making regular posts. Welcome back! o o o Above the law? What is Obama’s daughter smoking? Malia Obama snapped ‘smoking cannabis’ at music festival – KMC o o o ‘Black Lives Matter’ Rioters Target Whites For Beat Downs. “Video footage shows violent mobs of ‘Black Lives Matter’ rioters targeting white people for brutal beat downs during last night’s unrest in Milwaukee.” – J.C. (Warning: foul language) o …



Notes for Sunday – August 14, 2016

For those wondering what happened to the great Paratus Familia blog: They had a domain registration glitch last week. This prompted them to migrate to: http://www.paratusfamilia.com, where they are now back up and running. Be sure to bookmark that new URL. – JWR o o o Safecastle’s big Lindon Farms sale ends on August 16. There are great discounts in this sale like 53% off a bucket of freeze dried veggies. Check them out!


My Tomato Process- Part 1, by Sarah Latimer

It is that time of year when the garden is bursting with its bounty, and I am regularly giving thanks to our Creator for His provision and kindness in giving us a diverse and pleasurable taste and texture smorgasbord for our palates as well as the necessities of nature, mind, and body to work the land and see its fruit come forth. He created the very earth from which they came and provides the balance of nature– the appropriate amount of sun so that the plants don’t freeze or burn, have enough oxygen, and have water and nourishment from the …


Letter Re: So Tell Me Again…

HJL, The writer stated that he doesn’t typically blanch so that he doesn’t destroy the enzymes. However, acid in the stomach will do the same thing as blanching. So it really doesn’t matter whether he does or not, at least as far as “destroying” the enzymes. If he eats the food, the enzymes will naturally break down as the second step of digestion. An enzyme is simply a type of protein, a molecule that is too big for our bodies to absorb intact. (An very simplistic example: Insulin is an enzyme. If eaten, it will break down and not be …


Economics and Investing:

Manipulation: The Phony Job Recovery o o o BIS Intervenes In The Gold Market To Aid Battered Gold Shorts! o o o Wall St. banks ask Fed for five more years to comply with Volcker rule o o o JPMorgan to Liquidate Japan Fund After ‘Significant’ Redemptions o o o North American Life Insurers “Accidentally” Pile Up Massive Distressed Debt Holdings o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Some good predictions on coming crunch times: over at the great Of Two Minds Blog: Ultimate Long Game: Autarky and Resilience. A key quote: “Those with surplus food will be the ultimate arbiters of value.” o o o Bill Weld Just Compared AR-15s to “Weapons of Mass Destruction,” & Said Pistols Were Even Worse! JWRs Comment: And he is the Libertarian Party’s Vice Presidential pick? It looks like there are NO good choices for the upcoming election. – JWR o o o This is how the US military would put down an armed rebellion – J.C. o o o College …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I …


Notes for Saturday – August 13, 2016

Today is the birthday of screenwriter, director, and producer, Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980) His many films spanned five decades. Today is also the birthday is shared by sharpshooter, entertainer, and folk heroine Annie Oakley (1860–1926.) o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 66 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 …


The Times They Are A Changin’ , by ShepherdFarmerGeek

Last night, the Dogs of Doom and I were out for our after-dinner hike when we heard what sounded like voices. But it was coming from the treetops, and soon a crow flew into sight, pursued by an angry sparrow. The crow was smarter, stronger, faster, and much bigger than the little bird, but he was being driven away because the sparrow was out-maneuvering it. I knew exactly how that crow felt! Nine hours earlier I had been the only customer at the local copy shop, and the owner was helping me find some colored paper, when this sour-looking elderly …


Letter: Remote Versus Truly Remote Rural Retreats

Dear Editor:I’ve been reading SurvivalBlog for a few weeks now, and while I admit that isn’t remotely enough time to wade through all the data present, I’m an old school (former) U.S. Marine that has long had a survialist mindset; I see one particular issue that jumps out at me. The standard advice, for looking for a bugout location or retreat, whether inside or outside of the ‘Redoubt’ seems to be this… 1) Find a plot of 20 acres or more that is, (2) off the beaten path BUT (3) has a well established road access, (4) with a good …