Year: 2016

Letter Re: When You Get Here

HJL, Having moved to a small town from a large metro area 23 years ago, and I found this article to be of interest. Although all the suggestions in this article are universally good and applicable to anyone moving into any new community, the brief mention of a drug and alcohol problem with the admonition to “stay out of bars” needs some more attention. There is a serious, escalating drug and alcohol problem in rural communities that, in fact, do “stay out of bars” as there isn’t enough room there. Around here, farmers post signs in their fields stating “these …


News From The American Redoubt:

Former U.S. Navy carrier pilot and now Trike flyer “TTABS” has uploaded another one of his great flying videos. This one was recently shot over eastern Washington: The Intermission Time is Over! (As you can see, the region is starting to “green up”, with the spring weather.) o o o Finicum Shooting Investigators Release Bundy Cellphone Video – RBS o o o Wyoming: High-speed chase ends in arrest o o o Montana: Fire in northwestern Montana burns through wilderness area o o o Eastern Oregon: FBI Arrests Another Defendant in Oregon Standoff o o o Eastern Washington: Former Spokane Police …


Economics and Investing:

12 frugal lessons from the Great Depression o o o Goldman-Sachs fined $5 billion. But, since they took $10 billion in bailout money from tax payer dollars, they still profited $5 billion plus what they initially stole prior to the crash. – DMS o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News What Harry Potter Can Teach the Federal Reserve (Mises) Excerpt: “Given the monetary dark arts being practiced around the world, I would much prefer my money in the hands of a Gringotts goblin, than at the mercy of our Federal Reserve Chairman Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. “ US Readies Bank Rule …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Arrogance to the nth power: Obama Administration Doesn’t Care Anymore, Releases Fast And Furious Documents o o o Violence becoming the norm at Dearborn’s businesses – Sent in by B.B. o o o Shock: Man Who Called 911 To Report Walmart Threat To Be Charged After POLICE Shoot and Kill Suspect o o o How a Cashless Society Could Embolden Big Brother “But wherever information gathers and flows, two predators follow closely behind it: censorship and surveillance. The case of digital money is no exception. Where money becomes a series of signals, it can be censored; where money becomes information, …



Notes for Monday – April 11, 2016

April 11th is the birthday of John Milius, who was born in 1944. He both wrote the screenplays and directed the films Dillinger, The Wind and the Lion, Big Wednesday, Conan the Barbarian, Red Dawn, Farewell to the King, and Flight of the Intruder. He also wrote the screenplays of the first two Dirty Harry movies as well as the first draft of the screenplay for Patton (before Francis Ford Coppola turned it into a vaguely anti-war commentary laced with references to reincarnation). Milius is JWR’s favorite Hollywood writer and director, in part because he stands for everything that Hollywood …


How to Survive Workplace Violence , by SM

The office building where I work was recently the scene of workplace violence that ended in a murder-suicide. While company policies and security measures attempt to prevent such things, we all know that it is nearly impossible to stop people who are bent on destruction; rules and policies are simply ignored, and security can be circumvented. Like I did before this occurred, you may view workplace violence as something that happens somewhere else, maybe in large cities or in other states. But we experienced it in our community, at our workplace, so I want to remind SB readers that it …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Springfield Armory MC Operator 1911

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I first saw one of the very first Springfield Armory MC Operator 1911s at a gun shop in Idaho some years ago. The MC Stands for Marine Corps, and this particular 1911 was designed with the specs laid out based on what the US Marine Corps wanted in a 1911 for their special ops guys. It wasn’t until just recently that the Corps was even allowed to refer to their special ops guys by the term Special Operators! Like many in the military SpecOps community, they prefer the proven stopping power of the .45 ACP FMJ round in the 1911 …


Recipe of the Week: Stuffed Beef Bundles, by Mrs. Almand

Mr. Latimer, here is a recipe that I first made as a money-saver. It soon became a requested family favorite. Easy, delicious, and budget friendly. Ingredients: 1/3 cup evaporated milk 1 lb ground beef 1 cup packaged/homemade stuffing mix 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbsp catsup Directions: Combine milk and ground beef. Shape into 5 large (thin) patties. Prepare stuffing mix as per directions. Divide into 5 mounds of stuffing and place one on center of each patty. Draw meat up around the dressing to form a ball. Place balls, seam side down, in …


Letter Re: Google Maps Measurement

HJL, Google maps has a neat feature that lets you measure distances on their maps by zooming in to the features you want to measure, right-click over the point of the start of the measurement then select “measure distance” then left-click the next point of measurement. You can continue to add segments to the existing measurements or simply right-click again and select “Clear measurement” from the menu. This is handy to get rough range estimates to neighboring properties or terrestrial features that may aid in range finding. This does not mitigate the need to actually observe the landscape in person. …


Economics and Investing:

“The Greater Depression Has Started” – Comparing 1930s & Today – J.C. o o o Government Will Owe More Money Than Entire Economy Produces – G.G. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News The $1 Trillion Short Underlying Stocks’ Spring Awakening (Bloomberg) Excerpt: “Amid its biggest about-face in nine decades, a funny thing has happened in the U.S. stock market, where rather than loosen their grip bears have grown ever-more impassioned.” Obama Administration Pushes Banks to Make Home Loans to People with Weaker Credit (The Washington Post) Excerpt: “The Obama administration is engaged in a broad push to …



Notes for Sunday – April 10, 2016

10 April, 1796 is the birthday of James Jim Bowie, who died March 6, 1836 at the Battle of the Alamo. 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 …


Crises Preparation- Part 3, by B1

Without Electricity If you have a portable generator and/or a whole house generator, that is great. However, how much fuel do you have to run it? Do you have enough set aside to last you several months? The less you run it, the longer it will last. You should only run it for the bare necessities. Do you honestly need lights? No. Invest in candles and lanterns. The generators should only be run at the bare minimum. They make noise and draw attention from criminals. They should only be run during the hours of less activity outside, so as not …


Remember Who You Should Fear- Part 1, by Sarah Latimer

Not long ago I attended a large, women’s conference for Bible believers with a diverse set of denominational, cultural, and social backgrounds. There, I heard a consistent undercurrent from the attendees as they spoke among themselves on end times, evil, uncertainty, failing economics, Islam, terrorism, failing education, and especially on politics. I’d identify their general focus by summing it up in a word– fear. Little was said about faith, hope, and confidence, though God was mentioned from time to time in the conversations I overheard. There was less joy apparent among believers in attendance than I can recall from any …