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

Dear Editor S.H provided an excellent reminder of a vital survival and prepper resource: the bicycle. I would like to add a few points. Commuters, tourists, and utility riders carry loads over various distances and terrain at non-athletic pace, so look to their example. When selecting a bicycle, look for standard components such as tire size. MTB 26″ and Hybrid/touring style 700c are both common sizes. 29″ is the same as 700c. 27″ is not the same as 700c but may be your local standard for a similar fast/utility wheel. Bike shops now sell MTBs in 27.5″, which is a …


Economics and Investing:

SRSROCCO REPORT: U.S. Ponzi Scheme & Peak Silver o o o An anonymous short-seller called a company a ‘Ponzi-like real-estate scheme’ and the stock has crashed 65% o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Fed “Stimulus” Has Made Inequality Worse, Hurt Economic Growth (Cato Institute) Article Quote: “…Fed policy has contributed to the rise in income inequality in this country. It has also resulted in misallocation of capital in ways that will only be fully discovered when the policy is reversed.” High-Yield Hedge Fund Stops Redemptions (WSJ via CNBC) Quote: “Icahn, an activist investor, also renewed his repeated …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader JBG sent in yet another reason to avoid Social Web Media. While you may not live in Thailand, the record still exists. Once it’s there it’s permanent. o o o Wound-Stopping Battlefield Sponge Gun Now OK For Civilians, Too – Sent in by T.P. o o o Pete in Switzerland suggested this great six-minute educational video: PSK – Personal Survival Kit – Maxpedition EDC Pocket Organizer o o o Does anyone else out there ever find it ironic that the majority of the population of what were the original 13 colonies are so quick to want to jettison the …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to …


Notes for Saturday – December 12, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 61 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 Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. …


The Myth of The Gun Show Loophole: The Statist Perversion of Our Language Continues

I’ve mentioned this before in SurvivalBlog, but recent events make this worth repeating: The statist gun grabbers drone on and on about a “gun show loophole” as if it were some ground truth, just like saying a phrase like “humans are mortal.” But just what is this “loophole” they are talking about? It is in fact perfectly legal commerce between private citizens of the same state. This is not a “loophole”. Rather, it is merely the exercise of free trade in used household goods between sovereign citizens within their own states. Gun shows are a time-honored tradition in free exercise …


Letter Re: Sheath for Rawles Voyager XL

JWR, Hey, I sent you an email some time back about a sheath for the new knife of yours that my wife bought for me and you recommended “Wicekleather”, a company from Poland. I just wanted you to know, I ordered the sheath and it came today. It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL workmanship, and the knife fits into it PERFECTLY. I was thrilled with the sheath and for anyone who bought the knife, I can highly recommend Wiceleather. Thanks for the recommendation! – W.R.


Economics and Investing:

Living A Lie How much debt?! – Sent in by B.B. o o o Why A Major Deflationary Financial Crisis Is Imminent o o o Items from Professor Preponomics: U.S. News Why Gold-Backed Money Doesn’t Bring Booms and Busts (Mises Institute) Zombies Appear in U.S. Oilfields as Crude Plumbs New Lows (Reuters) Article Quote: “The slump has created dozens of oil and gas “zombies,” a term lawyers and restructuring advisers use to describe companies that have just enough money to pay interest on mountains of debt but not enough to drill enough new wells to replace older ones that are …


Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader D.B sent in this link about New Legislation Would Force Twitter and Facebook to Report “Terrorist Activity”. So who decides what terrorist activity is? Just one more reason to avoid social web media o o o Krayton Kerns on Gun Control – Picasso’s Little Sister o o o No passports for US citizens who haven’t paid taxes or don’t have a Social Security number o o o I am incredibly unsettled by reports of large amounts of cell phone purchases and stolen LP tanks by Muslims. On one hand, the purchase of cell phones shouldn’t be a crime …


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her …


Notes for Friday – December 11, 2015

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 Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value), A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. …


Two Letters Re: The 9mm Parabellum vs the .40 Smith and Wesson vs the .45 ACP, by B.F.

Good Morning Hugh, Read with interest the article posted today about handgun calibers. I agree, the topic is beaten to death, and I agree with the author’s conclusion 110%: You should practice, practice, practice and use what works best for you! I found the following website/report to be extremely useful in my own research, and it provided me with the information I needed to choose a carry-ammunition for my family (Federal 124 gr HST 9mm). YMMV, however, the data was presented extremely well and un-biased. Please pass this link along to your readers for them to use as well. I …


Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog reader WMJ writes in: “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a roll of dollars from the local credit union, and I found myself in for something of a shock. I gave the teller USD 25 and asked for a roll of quarters. She didn’t have a roll in her till and went to grab one from the safe. When she got back I was asked for my account number. I thought it odd but gave it to her. While she was pulling up my account I asked why I couldn’t just swap cash for cash. She demurred somewhat. …


Odds ‘n Sods:

We knew this was coming. Now it’s here. In fact, it’s here, there, and may soon be everywhere… Scientists Have Found a New Strain of Bacteria Resistant to ALL Antibiotics – Submitted by T.A. o o o A disturbing trend carried to an extreme… Still in a Crib, Yet Being Given Antipsychotics – Sent in by D.S. o o o An excellent article on True Light Infantry (4gw) sent in by T.Z. Just because you don’t have artillery doesn’t mean you automatically lose the war. o o o This article is written from a pro-government-helps standpoint, but it underscores the …