Month: March 2017


CZ 85B, by Pat Cascio

Continuing on with testing all-metal firearms, as requested by many of our readers, here’s one of my favorite double-stack 9mm handguns. The CZ-85B is simply an upgraded model of the original CZ-75. For many years, the CZ-75 was hard to come by in the USA, because it was produced in the Czech Republic when it was behind the “Iron Curtain”. The few CZ-75 handguns that were in the USA were very hard to come by and expensive, very expensive! Because of the scarcity of the original CZ-75, a number of near-clones of this gun appeared. One of the most recognized, …


Recipe of the Week: Garden Season Pico de Gallo (Cold Salsa), by L.H.

An easy and flavorful summertime garden treat. We eat it on our tacos and burritos. We eat it on the side of cottage cheese. We dip celery/carrot sticks and tortilla chips in it. It wonderfully tops a bowl of fresh shredded lettuce. Shoot, we sometimes just eat it out of the bowl with a spoon. It’s good stuff. Ingredients: 6 large garden tomatoes, chopped small (or) 4-5 cups smaller garden tomatoes such as cherries or romas (measured before chopping) 1/2 cup finely diced red onions 1 large medium-to-hot pepper such as jalapeno, habanero, Serrano etc., chopped fine 3 cloves garlic, …


Letter Re: Cell Phone Blocking/Masking

Hi James, For people with cell phones having non-removable batteries, I have wondered if cell phone tracking could be blocked by removing the sim card. I have such a phone, and although removing the battery is not an option, removing the sim card is pretty straightforward. – B.G. o o o Dear Editor, I work exclusively with cell phone RF protocols (4G/LTE, Bluetooth) and can say this “evidence bag” does the trick. http://a.co/7z56VAh In a separate item please let SurvivalBlog readers know that Polar Pure is back on the shelves in the USA after resolving its conflict with the geniuses …


Economics and Investing:

When This All Blows Up… (Peak Prosperity) Understanding the how and when of the next economic crash. Sent in by B.B. o o o More money for homeless? Seattle consultants said no last Fall. “But she said the true political challenge remains: how to shift money away from some groups that have been getting it for decades. Of 205 shelters and low-income housing projects reviewed countywide by Focus Strategies, 51 were judged to be ‘low-performing’ for return on taxpayer dollar. To get better results, politicians may have to lop off some social-service providers, who have huge hearts but aren’t cutting …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Harvard library circulating ‘fake news’ list, which, of course, includes just about every conservative news site. JWR’s Comment: Note that dozens of popular news websites and blogs (including SurvivalBlog) made it on their list but are tagged only “unknown.” This seems to be their default tag for any site that they simply dislike because its editorial stance doesn’t match their Progressive/neo-Maoist worldview. It is ironic that they often use the tag “bias” when they are blind to their own bias, which is self-evident. The short “Updates and Notes” section below the table is particularly telling about the strong bias of …



Notes for Sunday – March 12, 2017

Today is the birthday of science fiction author Harry Harrison, who is best known for his Deathworld trilogy. (He was born in 1920 and died in 2012.) On March 12, 1850 the first U.S. $20 gold piece was issued. The current bullion (melt) value of a $20 gold piece (not even considering any numismatic value) is about $1,185. Lesson learned: Trust gold, not paper.


Household Basics in TEOTWAWKI- Part 6, by Sarah Latimer

Well, this series on pantry basics (beyond meat, eggs, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables) is getting long. Yet, I still have several more items on my list to explore and share. These items even go beyond the normal bulk items we think of and beyond spices and herbs, though last week I covered salt and pepper and encouraged readers to use the improved SurvivalBlog search capabilities to go back and read some of the great articles our SurvivalBlog community has previous provided on the subject of “growing herbs” and spices. We have a wealth of information within our community not …


Letter Re: South African Confiscation of White Owned Land

HJL and JWR, In reference to the article on SurvivalBlog concerning the South African Government’s confiscation of white owned land, I thought you may like to know about a group of Protestant White Christian South Africans known as the Suidlanders, who foresaw the coming storm in 2006. They have developed and put in place a detailed evacuation plan that could be adapted for those in Deep Blue States. BTW, these are refugees I wouldn’t mind having in the Redoubt. – J.M.


Economics and Investing:

How Central Banks Enable the Money-Creation Process (Mises Institute) “The key source of money expansion is commercial banks that, via an expansion in lending, set in motion an expansion in the money supply.” o o o ECB Declares Victory Over Deflation: Hallelujah! (MishTalk) “That’s much like shouting hallelujah when you miss the game-winning field goal.” o o o Are Rare Coins Part Of Your Gold Diversification Strategy? (Kitco) “While gold bullion or a typical Gold American Eagle coin tends to track the underlying price of gold higher and lower, rare coins can trade at a premium to spot gold.” o …


Odds ‘n Sods:

City Tries To Bar Artists’ Exercise Of Faith Excerpt: “The opening brief has been filed in a case before the Arizona appeals court after a lower court stunningly ruled that publishing a `religious’ statement is not `religious activity’. “ – Sent in by H.L. o o o N. Korea’s Dangerous Escalation, U.S. Issues New Worldwide Caution – Japan continues to be threatened by N. Korean missiles. – D.B. o o o Another review of the Vault 7 leaks: America in Turmoil: From Deep State Insurgency to Deep State Spying – WikiLeaks’ Vault 7 – DSV o o o Euthanasia on …



Notes for Saturday – March 11, 2017

Today is the birthday of author Douglas Adams (born 1952). He is the author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Also on this day, the Great Blizzard of ’88 struck the northeastern United States (1888). March 11th is the birthday of the late actor Anton Yelchin (born 1989, died June 19, 2016). He is remembered for his portrayal of Kyle Reese in Terminator: Salvation, and as Ensign Pavel Checkov, the most recent Star Trek movie series. He died in a freak accident wherein his parked Jeep Grand Cherokee unexpectedly rolled forward on an incline, pinning him to a security fence. …


Our Home Freeze Drying Saga, by R.P.

First, let me share a little background. Being single for a long time, I bought a very small house on a big lot. Well, things seem to happen in our lives. I met a woman, one thing led to another, and now I have a wife and three kids in a very tiny house. Retiring at the first of the year, my brother asked me to help rehab a house. While I was working, I kept hearing these ads for a food freeze drier by Harvest Right. After a few months of this, I went home one night and asked …