Notes for Friday – December 18, 2015

December 18th is the birthday of Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788). He wrote more that 1,700 hymns. Today is also the birthday of Jørgen Haagen Schmith (born December 18, 1910, died October 15, 1944). He was better known under the codename Citron and was a famous Danish resistance fighter in occupied Denmark. His biographical sketch at Wikipedia describes his death, after he was tracked down by the Nazis: “German soldiers arrived at the house to arrest or kill Schmith. He fought for hours against an overwhelming force of enemy troops killing 11 and wounded scores of …


Letter Re: How To Title Retreat Property, An Overlooked Item in Your Planning, by John in the Ozarks

HJL John in the O is right on. It is important to make it hard to track you down. He talks about insurance in a figurative sense. My day job is independent insurance agent. In the literal sense it is important in insurance for names to match. Not named? Then there’s no coverage. Find an agent that preps, confide in that agent, and get the coverage right. No one ever comes to me looking for one of my clients, particularly lawyers. Even if the insurance company is not paying attention to details, handling a check with the wrong name on …


Economics and Investing:

Something Strange Is Taking Place In The Middle Of The Atlantic Ocean – Sent in by J.C. o o o Baltic Dry Crashes To New Record Low As China “Demand Is Collapsing” – Sent in by G.G. o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Fed Betting It Will Avoid Central Bank Errors of the Past (CNS News) Commentary: The Fed’s 1937 error, Japan’s lost decades, Europe’s dubious hikes… A stroll down a less than pleasant version of memory lane. Time will unfold the story about whether or not the current quarter point rate hike was the right Federal …


Odds ‘n Sods:

There are some pretty frightening satellite images in this link sent in by RBS. Batten down the hatches! Bering Sea monster storm hits Alaska as wind gusts reach 122 MPH and waves 40ft in the Aleutian Islands. o o o SurvivalBlog reader B.B. sent in this link: Russia and China’s “Enhanced Human Operations” Terrify the Pentagon. o o o Just tourism or something else? Sheriff’s office confirms tip about possibly suspicious questions regarding Bagnell Dam. o o o Electromagnetic Harvester charges battery (in a day) from “thin air” While this isn’t a new concept, I do wonder how long before …



Notes for Thursday – December 17, 2015

December 17th, 1905, was the birth day of Simo Häyhä, who was the world’s most successful sniper. Using an iron-sighted Mosin–Nagant in Finland’s Winter War, he had an astounding 505 confirmed sniper kills. He died April 1, 2002. 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 Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value), A Gunsite Academy …


Two Letters Re: Keep Your Bicycle Running in Tough Times, by S.H.

HJL, The most remarkable product I ever used to save a bike tire is MXBON 105 instant industrial glue <http://www.mxbon105.com/category_s/1818.htm>. A few years ago, riding home from work at night, I missed a sharp-edged object on the road, but my front tire did not. There was an immediate 3/4″ cut across the tread, including through reinforcing fabric! After a few bad words, a couple of miles walking, two bus rides, I was home, where I removed and patched the tube, removed the tire, applied MXBON 105 to the cut, pushed the open “wound” shut for a few seconds, sanded the …


Economics and Investing:

Items from Mr. Econocobas: Bitcoin Or Gold: Did The Alleged Bitcoin Creator Just Settle Once And For All What Is More Valuable? David Stockman: December 16, 2015—–When The End Of The Bubble Begins What Benefits To Savers? Banks Rush To Hike Prime Rate To 3.50%, Forget To Increase Deposit Rate Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News All eyes are on the FED… Fed’s Historic Liftoff and Everything After: Decision Day Guide(Bloomberg Business) “Economists and traders expect the first interest rate increase since 2006, marking the beginning of the end for the unprecedented era of easy monetary policy. The move would …


Odds ‘n Sods:

From the Desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog Editor At Large: Would you trust your life to a company that can’t get its calibers straight? .22mm short? o o o Reader A.L. sent in this link as an outstanding response to the question about “peacful Muslims” HJL Adds: This is a somewhat dated link but an excellent one nonetheless and worth repeating. I recently heard a podcast on Forward Observer Magazine that also gives some good reasoning. The short of it? “Islam” apparently means “submission” as in submission to Allah. If you’re going to be submissive to Allah, you need to …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“I shall exert every faculty I possess in aiding to prevent the Constitution from being nullified, destroyed, or impaired; and even though I should see it fail, I will still, with a voice feeble, perhaps, but earnest as ever issued from human lips, and with extinguish, call on the people to come to its rescue.” – Daniel Webster


Notes for Wednesday – December 16, 2015

December 16th, 1928, was the birthday of Philip K. Dick, who died March 2, 1982. He penned a remarkable number of sci-fi novels and novellas that have been adapted into movies, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers, Impostor, Minority Report, Paycheck, A Scanner Darkly, Next, and The Adjustment Bureau. Though he had a troubled personal life (with drug use and several failed marriages), his captivating books certainly had a knack for envisioning potential futures. 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 …


Letter: Good Idea for BOB Water

Hugh, I thought I’d seen it all. Well, at my age I have seen most of it, but it’s not often I see a prep idea I haven’t seen before AND that makes this much sense. Access to water is one of the very top preps. Many places you will see an outside water faucet (aka hose bib or sillcock). But the owner has removed the handle so only he can use it. It’s a deep hole and very difficult to manipulate without the proper handle or tool, which is by design. Enter the 4-way Sillcock Key. It’s $8.50 from …


Economics and Investing:

Big Banks Caught Using Credit Default Swaps To Destroy Nations o o o Silver: Until Paper Currencies Stop Losing Value o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Janet Yellen: An Orthodox Economist in Unorthodox Times (Reuters) Commentary: Brief, easily readable, a good overview as we approach the coming announcement with the Federal Reserve’s decision regarding a rate hike. This article revisits the idea that old models may no longer work to evaluate current conditions and the uncertain environment in which decisions will be made. Fannie and Freddie’s Propoganda War (Wall Street Journal) Bubble Watch: No Down Payment Jumbo …


Odds ‘n Sods:

For readers who’d like to get a glimpse of what the terrain, weather, and people are like in the Ilemi Triangle (the main locale of my latest novel, Land of Promise), I recommend a YouTube video narrated by a C-130 Hercules pilot who was based out of Lokichoggio, Kenya: A Postcard From Loki. – JWR o o o This video clip from Homeland pretty well sums up just how extremely devoted the jihadis are to setting up an Islamic Caliphate: Quinn from Homeland Understands the Problem – JWR o o o For those following the Infrared camoflauge technology, SurvivalBlog reader …