Month: February 2017

Notes for Tuesday – February 28, 2017

February 28th is the birthday of famed Swiss investor and economic pundit Marc Faber (born 1946). o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 69 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the …


Preparing Out of Necessity, by B.H.

Many articles regarding prepping and “how-to” leave me to wonder how people survive in this world. I’m not judging, as only GOD can; rather, I am perplexed at how they can afford it. You see, many of the skills being taught are just what I had to figure out in order to get by. I learned how to fix machinery myself because if I did not these things would no longer be of use to me. I learned how to buy second hand because I simply cannot afford new. I learned to garden in order in eat; the why in …


News From The American Redoubt:

GOP advancing bills to expand concealed-carry of handguns in Montana o o o I suppose it was inevitable: Now there is an American Redoubt song. o o o After taking a brief break, Enola Gay (one of our favorite bloggers) is back to regular posting at her Paratus Familia blog. This righteous family been living off grid and cooking on a wood stove for many years. There is a huge difference between studying self-sufficiency and actually living self-sufficiently. Learn from those who truly live the life. o o o Some interesting terrain analysis: Northern Islands of Refuge (in The American …


Economics and Investing:

A number of SurvivalBlog readers have written in about the March 17, 2017 date as a doomsday for the U.S dollar. However, we must realize that just like every other time the debt ceiling has been reached, there will be much gnashing of teeth, name calling, threats, and insults hurled across the aisle of congress, but in the end, the debt ceiling will be raised. One of the best instructional videos on the current economy that I have seen comes from Mike Maloney. In part 4 “The Debt Ceiling Delusion” Mike talks about why this is so. (The debt is …


Odds ‘n Sods:

How To Buy and Store 260 Pounds of Food for just $83 – H.L. o o o What first amendment? Does this incredibly harsh punishment fit this “crime”? Judge sentences 2 people convicted in Confederate flag confrontation – T.P. (Editor’s note: SurvivalBlog does not condone the actions of the defendants, but this punishment borders on the level of political punishments seen 70 years ago in Europe.) o o o CDC: Bullets Can Cause Lead Poisoning – DSV o o o Welcome Aboard, But First US Marshals Will Scan Your Retina – D.W. o o o 7 Vegetables You Should Be …



Notes for Monday – February 27, 2017

On February 27th, 1897, an agreement between Great Britain and the United States allowed the U.S. to arbitrate a border dispute between Venezuela and British Guiana, defusing a dangerous U.S.-British diplomatic crisis and formally recognizing the U.S. authority of the Western Hemisphere per President Grover Cleveland’s interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine. In the end, the border was decided in 1899, largely upholding Britain’s claims.


Blackhawk Legacy, by Pat Cascio

As many readers will know, my wife is always chiding me about flashlights. She is somehow under the impression that I might have too many, until the lights go out and she asks, “Where’s a flashlight?”. To be sure, I keep flashlights within my reach– in my living room, bedroom, kitchen, and office. Living in the boonies does have some disadvantages; the power goes out quite often in the winter months, due to trees falling onto the power lines. We are used to the power going out and have prepared accordingly. We have LED lanterns, and we also have a …


Recipe of the Week: Biga and Pugliese Bread, from Sarah Latimer

1

Biga For Bread This is a bread starter that is used for artisan type breads, including Pugliese bread. This makes enough for two loaves. It must be made well in advance (at least 12 hours and preferably 24 hours) of making bread for best results, and it makes a big difference in the texture and the crust of bread, generating the nice soft and spongy inside with a crusty outside and excellent flavor. When using homemade yeast water instead of the combination of water and dry active yeast, it becomes a wonderful pre-ferment dough. Yeast water from raisins are most …


Letter Re: Jøtul Woostove

Dear Hugh, We have been using a name-brand (Firefox, a UK brand) woodstove at our home in the Greek Islands for about seven years. We had the baffle at the top of the stove burn through within two years. The manufacturer would not send us a replacement, referring us to a retailer in the UK. They wanted the best part of $100 dollars for the part, plus postage of about the same amount. Instead, I took the broken part to a local metal shop. They fabricated one out of much thicker steel for $20, and it’s still intact; in fact, …


Economics and Investing:

N.Y. retirees struggle to survive after pension fund bottoms out – B.B. o o o Americans now Hold Over $4.1 Trillion in Consumer Debt: Last Debt Bubble Peak was at $2.5 Trillion – B.B. o o o Dutch Parliament to Debate Leaving the Eurozone: Nexit on the Way? o o o Economic Globalization Is Not Political Globalization o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

First Amendment??? Arizona Wants Power To Seize The Assets Of Protesters – H.L. o o o JWR interview on Infowars (video): Tradecraft for Privacy: Use It or Lose It. o o o Farm from a Box – a complete off-grid toolkit for tech-powered farming – G.P. o o o A Two-State Solution… For The West? – B.B. o o o Proposed Executive Order Designating Certain Rifles for ‘Militia Purposes’ – G.G.



Notes for Sunday – February 26, 2017

This day, February 26, is the birthday of Major-General Orde Charles Wingate (born, 1903, died 24 March 1944), an eccentric British Army officer who organized special military units in Palestine in the 1930s, and in Abyssinia, Sudan, and Burma during World War II. He is most famous for his creation of the Chindits, airborne deep-penetration troops trained to work behind enemy lines in the Far East campaigns against the Japanese during World War II. o o o We’ve made mention of Emergency Life Saving Armor (ELSA) before in the blog and now Ready Made Resources is carrying it. It looks …


Household Basics in TEOTWAWKI- Part 4, by Sarah Latimer

3

The Physical Properties and Application I’m concerned about having yeast readily available in TEOTWAWKI. I like having dry yeast readily available by the measurable spoonful, and so I buy it in one pound bricks and then store it in a sealed quart Mason jars – one in my refrigerator door and one in my freezer– so that the yeast keeps for well over a year (if I haven’t used it up in that amount of time). It is no problem to use cold yeast directly in your recipes. It wakes up in the warm water just as if it had …