Notes for Monday – December 12, 2016

On December 12, 1989, the Queen of Mean was sentenced to four years in prison, 750 hours of community service, and a $7.1 million tax fraud fine in New York. Leona Helmsley, nicknamed the “Queen of Mean” by the press, became the object of loathing and disgust when she quipped that “only the little people pay taxes.” Helmsley died in August 2007 at age 87. She famously left $12 million to her dog, Trouble.




SurvivalBlog Welcomes New Sponsors and Advertisers

Tobers Traditions is now a sponsor of the SurvivalBlog Writing Contest and is offering a $250 gift certificate to their store. Tober’s Traditions formulates, produces, and sells, safe, healthy, effective all natural personal care products that actually work! Our product line includes lotions, soaps, deodorant, sunscreen, tooth cleaner, lip balm, massage oil, and insect repellent. Unlike many of the big name brand products, which contain harmful synthetic chemicals and preservatives, our products don’t put your health at risk by using them. And unlike many other all natural products, our products actually work well. Our product line was originally formulated for …




FN PS90 PDW, by Pat Cascio

I first read about one back in the early 1990s and then again in 2005, when the civilian-legal version was released. Several years ago, I actually saw one and handled it in my local gun shop. Recently, my local gun shop got another one in. I hesitated because of the cost, and two weeks later a trade was worked out; I got it. I actually fired this caliber in a converted AR-15, and I liked it, but it offered nothing in an AR-sized gun. Long-time SurvivalBlog reader, Mike C., and good friend in Eugene, OR got one along with the …




Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Cake, by C.S.

Ingredients: 4 eggs (room temp.) 2 cups flour 2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. cloves 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 2 cups granulated sugar 1 cup oil 1 can (1 lb.) pumpkin Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar at high speed until light and fluffy. Then beat in oil and pumpkin at low speed. Add dry ingredients; mix until combined. Pour into an ungreased 9” tube pan. Bake about 1 hour. Cool, then remove from pan. Serve with whipped …




Letter Re: Firestarters

HJL, I’ve read with interest and amusement the recent firestarting articles (https://survivalblog.com/letter-re-easy-fire-starting-article/ ) and wanted to add my 2¢. For everyday firestarting in the wood stove at home, I use egg cartons dipped in melted bacon fat. We have bacon once a week and save the drippings in a big plastic coffee container. (I also cook with bacon fat, but that’s another story!) Once a month or so I carefully melt that fat in Mr. Microwave until it’s clear-ish. Then I dip the egg carton egg “cups” into the container and put them in an open gallon Ziploc to cool. …




Economics and Investing:

Here it comes, just as JWR predicted: Fed to raise rates as Trump economy looms. o o o From the desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large: Black market cash in India – There are so many ways around this. o o o Bitcoin Users Who Evade Taxes Are Sought by the I.R.S. – H.L. o o o Venezuela Orders Largest Bills Turned in Ahead of New Bank Notes – G.P. o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.




Odds ‘n Sods:

Mapping The Top States For Resettling Refugees In 2016 – K.T. o o o Involuntary tracking for citizens with disabilities – Bill Would Allow Government to Locate People With Tracking Devices – G.P. o o o Getting In Bed With The Government o o o Where did the billions of dollars in donations to Haiti go? The Shelters That Clinton Built – T.J. o o o Europe’s 2 Largest Land Armies Tiptoe to Edge of War – W.C.




Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

With the Bushes, Obamas, Clintons and Fellow Travelers foremost in mind, the words of Oliver Cromwell from 1653 are taken to heart: “It is high time to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue and defiled by your practice of every vice … In the name of God, go!”