Year: 2017


Notes for Tuesday – January 31, 2017

On January 31, 1606, Guy Fawkes was executed for his part in the Gunpowder Plot against parliament and King James. Also on this day in 1872, American author Pearl Zane Grey was born. He was best know for his popular adventure western novels, including Riders of the Purple Sage, which was his best-selling book. As a boy, Hugh could often be found behind a copy of one of Zane Grey’s books, because he was an avid reader and any Zane Grey book was a favorite. o o o Today, we present the last entry for Round 68 of the SurvivalBlog …


When Every Shred of Privacy is Lost: Take Comfort, by The Recovering Feminist

“Why should we be afraid of one another, since both of us have only God to fear?”[1] (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) There exists a place where man is not allowed to venture. This place is another man’s soul. Humans may experience consensual soul connections but to think that man could determine the end of the soul is another thing altogether. There is a place in every human being that is untouchable. Even if humans are monitored day and night and their actions and words analyzed and predicted, put into a mental prison so-to-speak, and even if somehow technology is able to affect …


Letter Re: Airport BOB

HJL, I’ve traveled for my company for the past 20 years, and 98% of what T.H. listed is what I had in my travel bag. Note it is what I “had”, as in past tense. I finally got out of the airports and traveling all over the country in 2015. There is the possibility of an odd trip or two, so I still have my carry-on bag handy at work. I find that I occasionally rob it from time to time. One thing T.H. listed that I never had was a whistle, and I feel that is a good idea. …


News From The American Redoubt:

I just found a great little home-based business in Post Falls, Idaho that makes top-quality Paracord rifle slings: 2nd Amendment Slings, LLC. o o o This small company in Stevensville, Montana is well worth mentioning: Cooper Firearms. If a long range precision AR-15 or AR-10 is more to your liking, then check out Wyoming Arms. (In Cody, Wyoming.) o o o Widow of slain Oregon standoff leader carries on ‘liberty’ mission o o o The latest from fellow Redoubt blogger Patrice Lewis: The sword of Damocles, North Idaho-style. o o o Freedom Munitions and Seekins Precision (both located in Lewiston, …


Economics and Investing:

US Dollar Index Weakness…Implications For Gold Prices o o o Trump’s Trade Policy To Drive Price Inflation And Gold Buying o o o The standard wage for an American is $29,000: Social Security data reveals raw figures for the wealthiest country in the world. o o o The -other- “ban” that was quietly announced last week o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Odds ‘n Sods:

Articles on hackers: Hackers Hold Entire Hotel for Ransom, Trap Guests in Rooms (Editor’s note: The part of trapping guests in their room may not be true.) Computer outage grounds Delta flights in U.S. – C.L. o o o 20 Plants And Herbs Which You Can Grow From Cuttings – DSV o o o Fake news on this recent Executive Order? “But, wait a sec. I read the order and Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen are not mentioned in it.” – P.S. o o o Emboldened by Trump, some police unions seek to overhaul Obama’s reforms. Federal monitors …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“There are, in fact and practice, two divisions of BATFE: they are Arbitrary, and Capricious. Everything they do has to have approval from one, and ideally both, divisions, before it gets handed down from on high as verbum dei. For some decades, that hurdle has not been too cumbersome on their limited intellects to allow passage of all manner of nonsense, being a speed bump the height of which is measured in layers of paint on a flat surface. Give their explosives lab to FBI, shift alcohol and tobacco revenue collection (sans any law enforcement capability whatsoever) over to Commerce, …


Notes for Monday – January 30, 2017

January 30th is the birthday of historian Barbara Tuchman (born 1912, died February 6, 1989). She wrote some of the most engaging history books JWR ever read. January 30th is also the anniversary of the 1945 Great Raid on Cabanatuan Prison Camp where U.S. Army Rangers and Filipino Guerrillas liberated Allied prisoners. See Rescue At Los Baños, by historian and bestselling author Bruce Henderson.


Food Storage: The Calories Count! by JWR

Many newbie preppers make the mistake of buying a packaged long-term food storage system withoƒstarut looking at the details, and they just assume that they are now magically “prepared”. But anyone who is shopping for packaged food storage systems should look with a discerning eye at any claims such as: “a six month supply for four adults.” Often these estimates are based on the manufacturers’ absurd assumption that a daily ration is around 1,500 calories per day. But that is actually a starvation ration that would not maintain the body mass index for anyone with an average body stature. In …


S&W M&P Shield .45 ACP, by Pat Cascio

I know what the stats say that were put out by the FBI that the 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP loaded with a good JHP round are all about the same when it comes to stopping power. However, in their testing, they have no way of determining just how fast a bad guy goes down. Yes, there are results from the street from actual shootings; however, no one is there with a stop watch to time these events. I’ve been a fan of the .45ACP round for just about all my life, and I’m convinced in my own mind …


Recipe of the Week: Corn Casserole, by MCA

Ingredients: 1 can whole kernel yellow corn, undrained 1 can cream style yellow corn 1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream 2 eggs, beaten 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix 1 stick butter, melted Directions: Mix all together and pour into large, lightly oiled casserole dish. Bake at 350°F for 55 to 60 minutes. o o o Useful Recipe and Cooking Links: Video: Potted Beef In The 18th Century Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!


Letter Re: Airport BOB

Hugh, I used to be an airline pilot, so I’ve spent plenty of time in airports and hotels. Let your readers know, one inexpensive way to pick up an extra cell phone charger is to ask the front desk at the hotel. Previous guests accidentally leave their chargers, and the hotel stores them in a box. Most guests never return for them (I have left a couple myself), and the hotel either has to give them away or dispose of them. Just ask if you can run through their “box-o-chargers”; every hotel has one. – R from Texas



Odds ‘n Sods:

Snow damage to Idaho-Oregon onion industry nears $100 million. A lot of people have no idea of the ripple effect of this disaster. Migrant workers will have to move on to find work, and the schools will lose a lot of students, which means cuts in teachers,. This will affect every business in town. The local Walmart closed several weeks ago, because their roof was collapsing from the snow. Many people are out of work. – Pat Cascio o o o Jaw Dropping – Mexican Official Threatens to Unleash Cartels, Flood U.S. With Drugs and Narcotics – B.B. o o …