Year: 2016

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Negative interest rates are Mammon’s Götterdämmerung. The money cult is bolstered by the idea that its huge and all-powerful deity will be even more huge and all-powerful tomorrow; if the opposite is demonstrably the case, then people’s faith in it begins to falter and fade. Negative interest rates are like an icy-cold bath for Mammon, causing its godhead to shrink a little more with every dip. People see that, and think, ‘I don’t want to worship his shrinking yarbles.’ Then they go and spend their own yarbles on anything they can find—fallow land, vacant houses, golden calves, boxes of brass …


Notes for Thursday – July 21, 2016

July 21st is the birthday of Ernest Hemingway. He was born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. He committed suicide in July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho, after being diagnosed with haemochromatosis, and after electroshock treatments failed to lift him from chronic alcoholic depression. He lived a sad life but was a great writer. o o o We are coming up on the end of Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog Writing Contest. If you have an article you would like to submit to the contest, finish it up and email it to SurvivalBlog. o o o As I recently mentioned …


Guest Article: The Best Oils For A Worst Case Scenario – Part 1, by Melissa Mink

I am going to lay out the very best oils in my opinion to have on hand in a “worst case” scenario or emergency situation. I have used (ran a business and used personally) essential oils for 17 yrs now. They are a part of my life, in home and business every day. I am giving my wisdom, gleaned from experience and much research on the uses and abilities of essential oils. Although there is no replacement for a well-trained medical professional, I realize sometimes life puts us all into situations where what we need isn’t always accessible. So here …


Letter Re: Sanitation Considerations for Long Term Emergency Situations

SurvivalBlog, Reading all the back and forth last month regarding what to do after toilet paper is no longer available, lead me to the conclusion that I think we are making things much more dirty and complicated than necessary. I currently have a small one-gallon hand pump pressure sprayer in storage specifically for this purpose. It will be kept next to the toilet or outhouse and used essentially as a bidet. Simply remain sitting on the toilet, “power wash” the affected area, and dry with a clean cloth. You will still need to clean and disinfect the drying cloths, but …


Economics and Investing:

Commerce Dept says large washing machines from China dumped in the U.S. Excerpt: “Whirlpool had alleged that the machines were being sold in the United States at prices below production costs. Samsung and LG will be required to pay cash deposits on washing machines imported from their production facilities in China following the ruling, Whirlpool said in a statement.” o o o The Long-Term Outlook For Silver Is Very Positive o o o Negative Rates: We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Vault o o o “These are the danger signals and they are flashing now.” o o o SurvivalBlog and its …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A Mormon Tycoon Wants to Build Joseph Smith’s Mega-Utopia in Vermont o o o Say what?! The L.A. Times has Quite Obviously Lost It’s Mind! – Suggests military will revolt if Trump is Elected If there was any doubt that the main stream media has lost all credibility, this should cinch the deal. – T.P. o o o Video: Making Charcoal. I love watching this guy. It reminds me of the important skills we have lost and of all the modern conveniences that I love. – K.C. o o o Crossing the line: No more knock-off AR-15s in Massachusetts, says …



Notes for Wednesday – July 20, 2016

On July 20th, 1969, At 10:56 p.m. EDT, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, spoke these words to more than a billion people listening at home: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Stepping off the lunar landing module Eagle, Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 65 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. …


Prepper Axioms That I Find Puzzling- Part 2, by N.B.

(SurvivalBlog Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SurvivalBlog, its editors, or its advertisers.) Prepper Axiom #3: “Grey man” I cringe every time I hear these words. It sounds so reasonable, but it isn’t. In essence, the idea is to make yourself so nondescript that no one pays you any notice. In theory, if they don’t notice you, then they won’t harm you. In certain situations this could work. However, I think it is very dangerous to apply it all the time. …


Letter Re: Prepper Axioms

Dear Editor, I have to comment on the recent article on prepper axioms. The author suggested oats were not part of his daily diet due to the preparation time. I was introduced to cold oats with fruit and nuts by an old girlfriend over 25 years ago. I have been eating cold oats for breakfast every day since then primarily to the taste but also for the quickness of the preparation. I make a large pot of oats. I boil 4 cups of water, then add 2 cups of oats with some ground flax seed and cinnamon. I stir the …


Economics and Investing:

Don’t Reform the Fed: Exit the Fed o o o Something Big Happened In The Gold Market o o o Gold Price Forecast: Long-Term Pattern Targets $2,700 o o o Why the Fed Can’t and Shouldn’t Raise Interest Rates. The Federal Reserve may be working within a basic policy strategy that may be fundamentally flawed. o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

Books: Nonfiction: Modern Homesteading: Rediscovering the American Dream by Wranglerstar Fiction: Warday: And the Journey Onward by Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka The Rackham Files by Dean Ing Movies: The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (suitable for ages 12 and up) Metropolis (The Giorgio Moroder Restoration) Music: Les Paul and Mary Ford: All-Time Greatest Hits Risotto by Fluke (Note: Only if you like electronic dance music.) Video Blog Posts: Wranglerstar: Back To Basics 3.0 Photography is Not a Crime (This ties in with the theme of our Constitution First Amendment Press Association (CFAPA) spin-off …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Life Imitates Art Department: In my most recent novel Land Of Promise, I fictionally warned about “The Sharia Renditions” –mass extraditions of political dissidents by Muslim countries, from western countries. I posited that the interlocking web of extradition treaties might someday be used to ensnare more than just common criminals. Well, now we read that Erdogan’s radicalized Muslim government is summarily issuing job dismissals and issuing arrest warrants and extradition requests for thousands of Turks, some living abroad, on their Enemies Of The State list. The individuals include military officers, school teachers, legislators, judges, journalists, and many more. This is …



Notes for Tuesday – July 19, 2016

July 19th is coincidentally the birthday of handgun designers Samuel Colt (born 1814) and Gaston Glock (born 1929). o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 65 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 value), A course …