Year: 2016

Letter: Ammunition Purchasing OPSEC

Good morning!  I have a question regarding Operational Security (OPSEC) and buying ammunition.  I’ve tried to do my search due diligence at the SurvivalBlog site, searching multiple term combinations, but I still may have missed an existing article.  What are the most prudent OPSEC considerations for buying ammunition, other than not ‘flapping yer gums’?  Online sellers offer the best prices, but in -tore has benefits as well, though it’s much more expensive. Thanks for your time.  – Cliff JWR Replies: In essence, you will need to pay more, if you want to keep your privacy.  My advice is that f …


Economics and Investing:

The Contagion Deutsche Bank Is Spreading Is All About Derivatives o o o Mark O’Byrne: Euro Will Collapse…As It Is A House Of Cards o o o Silver Eagle Demand Returns With A Vengeance As Political & Economic Turmoil Increases o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Study: 1 in 2 American Adults Already In Facial Recognition Network. (Thanks to H.L. for the link.) o o o Another DDOS Ping Flood attack: Many sites including Twitter, Shopify and Spotify suffering outage. And this article explains how it might have been done, by harnessing the processing power of hijacked The Internet of Things linked devices: When the Entire Internet Seems to Break At Once o o o Conspiracy Theorists Vindicated: FBI Docs Reveal “Shadow Government” Protecting Hillary Clinton o o o Case against Ammon Bundy heads to jury


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” – Psalm 139: 1-6 (KJV)


Notes for Friday – October 21, 2016

On this day in 1950, Chinese forces invaded Tibet, beginning a brutal occupation that still continues.  For some insight on Tibet in the late 1940s and early 1950s, I recommend the book Seven Years in Tibet. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 67 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 …


The Survival Mindset: The Overlooked Prep, by B.D.

In prepping, the details matter. In most articles, blogs, and social media posts about prepping, you read at length about others’ preps: food storage, water filtration, alternative sources of energy, bug out strategies, vehicle maintenance, weapons/ammunition caches and military style training. These are all informative and necessary. However, the one prep that is often overlooked, but the preps that matter most, are the details regarding your human “preps.” I don’t mean physical fitness or skills training, though those are vital. I am talking about choosing potential Schumer Hits The Fan (SHTF) team members to better insure your ‘surthrival’ in one …


Letter Re: The National Do Not Call List

James, Yes, the national Do Not Call service will greatly reduce junk phone calls.  I’ve used it for years and have found that once every three or four years I need to reenter my information on the list.  I suppose my number starts floating around out there and gets picked up and the junk calls start again. As for political calls and political junk mail: When I register to vote I registered as an independent or unaffiliated voter.  I can still vote in the primary, but the best part is I no longer get a bunch of email from a …


Economics and Investing:

I’m going to go out on a limb and make a prediction as of today (October 21, 2016):  I am convinced that as long as the Negative Interest Rate Policy (NIRP) continues, there will be a strong demand for not just mattress money but also for physical silver and gold.  So I’m now going on record as saying: There should be a steady bull market in the monetary metals for as long as NIRP is in place.  Meanwhile the industrial metals will probably continue to be in the doldrums.  This explains why an ounce of platinum is now selling for …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader C.S. recommended this web site for trauma care training resources:  NAEMT.org TCCC. o o o BHO’s latest Executive Order: Coordinating Efforts to Prepare the Nation for Space Weather Events.  JWR’s Comment:  Someone must have reminded his cabinet Science Adviser that the risk of X-Class solar flares is greatest during prolonged sunspot minimums–just as we are now experiencing.  And it is noteworthy that many of the same infrastructure protective steps for surviving solar flares also protect systems from electromagnetic pulse (EMP.) o o o Reader B.B. sent us this: NRA-ILA: Hillary Clinton Supports Australia-style Gun Confiscation o o o H.L. …



Notes for Thursday – October 20, 2016

October 20th is the 58th birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) He normally lives in the American Redoubt, but it has been reported that he’s presently attending his father, who is in ailing health, in the Northeast. On his ranch in the Redoubt is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses used in the filming of the movie Hidalgo. Most SurvivalBlog readers probably know him best for his starring role in The Road. This is also the birthday of “fast and fancy” shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was …


I Love Sharp Things, by Phil M.

In any survival situation a defective tool is pretty much worthless and will cost you dearly in frustration or even your life. I’m sure you can think of a lot of examples. Effective tools are a big part of my life and most all of them need to be sharp, and some of them very sharp, like chisels and planer blades. When I started thinking of all the tools that I keep sharp the list started running into the dozens, everything from a potato peeler to a chainsaw. A lot of you are like me in one way or another …


Letter Re: Charcoal for Disaster Cooking?

Mr. Rawles, I am now reading your book “How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It“ for the third time. I am wondering why you did not mention the use of charcoal barbecues for cooking. I envision using a small one [such as a hibachi] for small meals, and a larger one for larger meals. Charcoal is storable. I am wondering if one can get a barbecue going by starting with wood, building up a hot base, then adding charcoal? (That’s for when you run out of starter fluid.) Has anybody done this? Love the book. …


Economics and Investing:

Martin Armstrong: Nonperforming Loans in European Banks 10x that of U.S. Banks o o o Understanding Deutsche Bank’s $47 Trillion Derivatives Book .  (SurvivalBlog readers have been warned about derivatives counterparty risks for a  full decade.  When the global OTC derivatives implosion finally occurs, it will be traumatic and have far-reaching effects, possibly toppling entire nations states. o o o I missed seeing this article when it was published last month:  Britain’s May meets Goldman, Amazon, IBM to discuss post-Brexit investment o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page …


Odds ‘n Sods:

The editors of the Middle East Forum note: Hungary has become “the first government to open an office specifically to address the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Europe.” o o o Reader W.C. suggested this Link:  CIA Prepping for Possible Cyber Strike Against Russia – NBC News.  W.C. asks:  “How can it be covert if they are telling everyone?” o o o Mike E. sent a link to this at Front Page Mag:  The Hijrah Into Europe. o o o DIY submachineguns are popping up across the West Bank. (Kudos to Tim J. for the link.) o …