Year: 2016

Notes for Thursday – May 05, 2016

May 5th is the birthday of Pat Frank (1908-1964). This was the pen name of newspaper journalist Harry Hart Frank. His novel Alas, Babylon is a survivalist classic. His personal life was marred by alcoholism, but his writing is admired and still surprisingly popular, today. (Alas, Babylon is still in print, after more than 50 years!) As an homage to Pat Frank, one of the settings in JWR’s novel Expatriates is Mt. Dora, Florida, which was fictionalized by Pat Frank as Fort Repose in Alas, Babylon. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 64 of the SurvivalBlog …


Maintaining Your Household in the Post-SHTF World- Part 1, by S.T.

Today I washed clothes the easy way: I placed the clothes in the washing machine, added homemade laundry soap, and turned it on. When the washer was done, I transferred the clothes to the dryer and turned it on. When the dryer was done, I removed the clothes from the dryer and folded everything. While my automatic washing machine and automatic dryer are working, I am sitting here typing this. I do this three times every week– once for my family, once for my father who can not navigate his basement stairs, and once for my aunt who also can …


Two Letters Re: Velcro on Tactical Gear

Hugh, My experience with the hook-and-loop closure system is, that it works fine while it is new and clean, but deteriorates quickly. Lint is one of the biggest enemies, along with cheat grass and other vegetable contamination. We have velcro on a camera case closure, and one time it came in handy when a moose was headed toward us with its hackles up. Zip, and the moose made a 90-degree turn to the left and trotted away. But in situations where the noise could draw fire, a snap is usually less loud. Better yet, unsnap your retainer early on, before …


Economics and Investing:

It’s High Time To Worry About The U.S. Economy o o o China’s banking regulator moves to contain off-balance sheet risk. Excerpt: “Authorities are tightening scrutiny of the lenders as the growing use of complex financial structures has raised concerns that bad lending and credit risks can be concealed.” o o o ECB blames you for negative interest rates o o o Banks Quickly Abolishing Your Ability to Use & Store Cash – Sent in by DSV o o o Social Security: Why Congress is messing with your benefits – Many are being forced to take their benefits sooner and …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Sent in by Reader T.Z. – Apologies for the fbomb title, but I wanted to get the info out. Here in the Redoubt we often forget there are those north of the parallel. ‘It’s a F[*] Ghost Town’: Inside Canada’s Fort McMurray As It Burns. Please keep them in your prayers. o o o New addition on SurvivalRealty, Stunning Log Home Sits Quietly Off The Grid, located 49 miles into the Coeur d’Alene National Forest, near the backcountry Magee Airport. o o o Houston School Officials Call Police After Student Tries Buying Lunch With ( REAL) $2 Bill. “There are …



Notes for Wednesday – May 04, 2016

On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others. Also on this day in 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed an accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho, creating what the world believed would be peace at last in the Middle East. Of course, the Palestinians then, as now, threw away the peace agreement and resumed hostilities towards Israel. o o o Don’t you wish there was a solar system that was EMP, lightning, …


Surviving the 2015 Fire of Lake County California- Part 2, by B.G.

Looters- Lessons Learned You don’t need to be an expert killer to deter an attacker. The people who loot an evacuated area are generally cowardly. You need only appear more of a threat than the average person. Buy a gun, learn to use it, but don’t obsess. The survivalist fantasy of defending your home against squads of organized killers is just that– fantasy. What is more realistic is that you will stumble into the opportunist that thinks “mandatory evacuation” means “no one is at home”. Encounters can happen any time. If you are staying, start carrying a gun shortly after …


Letter Re: Velcro on Tactical Gear

Dear Hugh, Regarding the use of Velcro on tactical gear, I have something which might be of importance that I would like to share. Due to an old athletic injury, I wear an ankle brace for both stability and compression on a daily basis. I have been wearing a brace of one kind or another for more than 40 years. I currently use a brace employing an elastic wrap around with a Velcro closure. It is both convenient and holds tight. Until, that is, the Velcro begins to wear out. With daily use it does wear out rather quickly. I …


Economics and Investing:

Video: Gold COT’s and Sentiment Levels – “Traders you don’t have to chase, you will get a better opportunity. Traders already long should trail a stop. Old Turkey’s just ignore the market for the next 4-5 years” o o o Puerto Rico Default Bruises Dollar, Boosts Gold o o o In 6 Months Since Budget Deal: Debt Up More Than $1 Trillion – Submitted by B.B. o o o Silver & Gold Rally Led By China As They Take Over Pricing o o o Another Sign That Wall Street Doesn’t Believe The Rally o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors …


Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

Movie recommendations from DMS: If you don’t have time for a movie, Best speech ever to a father/ future husband. Finding Normal (it’s not what you have, it’s how you live). The Book of Esther. Do You Believe? Escape. Just Let Go (a true story of forgiveness) Like Dandelion Dust (yes, this actually happens) The Greening of Whitney Brown. The Railway Man (WW2 true story/parental warning: graphic torture) o o o Reader STS wrote in to suggest “The Great Human Race” on NatGeo, suggesting that those with an interest in early bushcraft techniques might find it interesting. o o o …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Colorado Sends Non-Vaccinating Parents ILLEGAL Order to “Register Their Child With the State” – Sent in by DSV. o o o What do you do when you have barbarians and no gate? You build a wall… in Kenya – Kenya can build a wall and we can’t?? – Submitted by B.B. o o o Student Gunned Down During Robbery Near “Gun Free” Campus In NJ – Not just gun free campuses but gun free all of NJ! At least to protect oneself outside the home. ?- D.S. o o o Edward Snowden: Whistleblowing Is Not Just Leaking — It’s an …



Notes for Tuesday – May 03, 2016

May 3, 1952 is the birthday of Pastor Chuck Baldwin. He has done yeoman service in promoting the American Redoubt movement. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 64 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 that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 …


Surviving the 2015 Fire of Lake County California- Part 1, by B.G.

This is a true story of a thirty-something survivalist/engineer and his family as well as some lessons learned in the second most destructive fire in California history. I had seen other large fires in Lake County over the years, and they would arrive in apocalyptic fashion, as the up swelling of a mushroom cloud. This one started no differently on a windy afternoon as I was pulling pork chops off of the grill. At about one o’clock in the afternoon, the wall of black smoke that erupted to our south immediately flattened out due to the wind. It formed an …