Notes for Saturday – January 23, 2016

January 23rd is the birthday of John Moses Browning, born 1855. He was the brilliant designer of dozens of guns, including the M1911 pistol, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and the venerable M2 .50 Caliber Machinegun. The latter is still in service in at least 95 countries, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is still in service in 2075 or even 2100. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 62 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 …


Letter Re: Starting a Small Business, by T & BR

HJL: I admire their enthusiasm. As an independent insurance agent I work with lots of successful businesses. Those successful business people have one thing in common and that is focus. If there is a second commonality, it is unequaled knowledge which would be a product of the first. Sure, those people are branched out in other endeavors with a goal of income diversification and asset preservation but only after significant success in the first. Rarely are the alternative investments as lucrative as the first, but they make up for that with security. Knowledge of how to get a job done …


Economics and Investing:

Strange and Crazy in the Financial World! o o o Reader B.B. Sent in this article: New Arizona Bill Would Give Tax Break To Gun Owners HJL’s Comment: While it seems at first glance that this bill is a good thing, a deeper look reveals that it is not. On July 29, 2010, Arizona’s Constitutional carry law went into effect. This means that if you are legally able to own a firearm and you are 21 years of age or older, you can carry concealed in the State of Arizona without a concealed weapons permit. (You still have to abide …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Good news for those living in the deep south…Reader G.P. sent in this article to an interesting invention. It’s a self-filliing water bottle that converts humidity to drinks.. Now if only they could invent one of those for the arid southwest. o o o Staying Warm During the Polar Vortex – Submitted by T.A. o o o Sent in by D.S.: Is D.C. megastorm Jonas a ‘gift of God’. While it’s probably not judgment from God, “Snow-pocalypse”, as many are calling it, can at least be looked at as an excellent time to practice putting those preps to work. A …



Notes for Friday – January 22, 2016

Between 1861 and 1865, more than 50,000 civilians died as a direct result of the American Civil War. In the years between 1914 and 1918, more than 7,000,000 innocent civilians died as a direct result of World War I. From 1939 to 1945, more than 23,000,000 innocents died as a direct result of World War II. (This number includes the 11 million deliberately killed in concentration camps.) Between 1905 and 1941, Stalin purged Russia of anyone whom he considered a threat or disloyal, murdering somewhere over 25,000,000 innocent people. Mao Tse-tung murdered more than 45,000,000 people from his own country …


Letter Re: The Year In Review of Starting a Small Business(es), by T&BR

I’ve owned and operated a painting contracting business in the American Redoubt for the last 30+ or so years. Something that stands out about T&BR’s experiences is their start up and the dollar amount of their losses. With all do respect and absolutely no disrespect intended, they need to hear some words. Those numbers don’t reflect a small business startup failure. They reflect the flawed thinking that throwing enough money at your problems can fix them. The problems they experienced weren’t a result of the size of their equipment. It was the job out-sizing their ability, their experience, and their …


Economics and Investing:

Mason jars in the backyard better than the markets for now – D.S. o o o San Francisco housing mania: Badly charred home that is uninhabitable sells for $186,000 over asking price.. In the S.F. Bay Area, the Housing Bubble now includes Rubble. What madness! – JWR o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Big Banks Brace for Oil Loans to Implode (CNN Money) Excerpt: “The oil crash has already caused 42 North American oil companies to file for bankruptcy since the beginning of 2015, according to a list compiled by Houston law firm Haynes and Boone. It’s …


Friday’s Vlogging Pick:

Pneumonia is always a concern for those who are at risk. Individuals who are bed-ridden, have other ailments or infections that migrate to the lungs, or a myriad of other issues that can compound into pneumonia. What happens when you don’t have access to a doctor or antibiotics? The Patriot Nurse walks you through some basics, from preventative maintenance to primitive care. What to do for Pneumonia


Odds ‘n Sods:

French Toast Warning! (Get your Milk, Eggs, and Bread now.) – Or better yet, just check your pantry and make sure everything is in order. More than 75MILLION people brace themselves for the wrath of Jonas – the monster East Coast snowstorm – as FIVE THOUSAND flights are canceled and panic buyers clear the shelves – JBG o o o Reader BLW wrote in to tell us that while the east coast is expecting a major snow storm in the next couple of days, an unexpected clipper roamed through his area Wednesday night and it crippled the city. Only one …



Notes for Thursday – January 21, 2016

January 21st Eliza Moore, the last surviving individual born into slavery before the Emancipation Proclamation died on this day, in 1948, in Montgomery County, Alabama, at age 105. Since 68 years have now elapsed since her death and 151 years have now elapsed since 1865, JWR perhaps presumptuously hereby declares that it is now fully high time for Americans to Get Over It, and instead focus on current slavery issues, like the uncounted thousands of slaves now being held by Muslims in North Africa. There is no cause for so-called White Guilt in our generation, but we should feel badly …


Letter Re: The Latest Wave of The Sagebrush Rebellion, Response by N.E.

I was glad to see JWR and SurvivalBlog writing about this topic. There are many historical aspects to this situation that seem to be lacking information. From a macro perspective, what is interesting to me about the entire discourse of the BLM and the 1976 Federal Land Policy and Management Act is how the entire law was largely about resources. The Oregon situation is also about resources. Sure, there are many narratives and news stories that provide different information and details about differences in perspective. However, let us not lose sight as prudent people to a major theme that surrounds …


Economics and Investing:

The U.S. Is At The Center Of The Global Economic Meltdown – D.R. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: World faces wave of epic debt defaults, fears central bank veteran – Folks on the inside are starting to let it out. These are very interesting times; stay alert. Items from Professor Preponomics: US News Stocks Drop as Oil Prices Tumble (Fox Business) Excerpt: “…the International Energy Agency on Tuesday said it expects excess supply to keep the oil market oversupplied through late this year, which the IEA said could make 2016 the third-consecutive year of supply exceeding demand by …


SurvivalBlog’s Podcast Pick of the Week:

Prepper Recon.com recently had Dr. Kirk Elliot of McAlveny Financial on their podcast. Titled Market Meltdown-Weathering the Storm, Dr. Elliot gives the listener an update on the massive market upheaval we currently see and some tips on how to prepare to survive it in this two part Podcast. Additionally, Dr. Elliot gives some tips on becoming financially fit in 2016. Each Podcast is roughly 27 minutes long and is well worth the time spent listening to it. Head on over to Prepper Recon.com and get both parts: Market Meltdown-Weathering the Storm with Dr. Kirk Elliot – Part 1 Market Meltdown-Weathering …