Day: March 6, 2023

Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 6, 2023

Today is the birthday of Georg Johann Luger (March 6, 1849 – December 22, 1923). He was the Austrian designer of the famous Luger pistol and the now ubiquitous 9×19mm Parabellum cartridge.  Because there are now hundreds of other 9mm pistol designs, the “Luger” name is no longer printed on most 9x19mm ammunition boxes. March 6th was also the birthday of Leroy Gordon “Gordo” Cooper Jr., born in 1927 in Shawnee, Oklahoma. This U.S. Air Force pilot and astronaut was aboard Mercury 9 and Gemini 5. Cooper had his exploits well documented in Tom Wolfe’s book The Right Stuff, and …


Maglite Flashlights, by Thomas Christianson

I am a flashlight junkie. I love flashlights. I love big flashlights and small flashlights. I love bright flashlights, and flashlights that project a gentle glow. I love flashlights with AAA, AA, C, D, or rechargeable batteries. I love flashlights with polymer cases, rubberized cases, wooden cases, bamboo cases, and metal cases. I love flashlights with standard incandescent, halogen, krypton, xenon, or LED bulbs. I just love flashlights. Sometimes my addiction causes strains in my relationship with my wife, “Kari.” She says things like, “Do you really need another flashlight?” or “How many flashlights does one man need anyway?” I …


Recipe of the Week: Pancakes From Storage Oats

The following recipe for pancakes from storage rolled oats is from SurvivalBlog reader Paul B. Paul says:  “This recipe makes 8 or 9 pancakes. You might want to double this recipe if you have a large family, or if you like using leftover pancakes for peanut butter roll-ups, like I do. This uses typical storage rolled oats. Or you can substitute oat flour, if you want a more even texture.” Ingredients ½ cup of whole wheat flour 2 teaspoons of baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons of honey 1/3 cup non-fat powdered milk 1 cup rolled oats (or substitute …


Some Implications of the Blackstone Default

In lieu of my regular economics & investing column, I’m posting a brief update on the threat to global financial markets from commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) and collateralized loan obligations (CLOs). Since 2006, I’ve warned SurvivalBlog readers about the systemic risk posed by disappearing counterparties, in the trillion of dollars of notional value in derivatives. If you haven’t yet read my background piece about that, please take the time to do so: Derivatives–The Mystery Man Who’ll Break the Global Bank at Monte Carlo. Just a week ago, this headline was seen in newspapers around the world: Blackstone Defaults On $562MM …