Notes for Monday – June 29, 2015

June 29th, 1868 is the birthday of astronomer Dr. George E. Hale. Dr. Hale was credited with founding the Yerkes Observatory in Chicago and the Mount Wilson and Palomar Mountain Observatories in Southern California. He also invented the spectroheliograph and first learned that the sun’s outer shell is made of gas. He photographed colossal hurricanes of incandescent vapor and discovered that the flaming whirlpools of hydrogen leaped 300,000 miles from the surface of the sun and were large enough to engulf the earth like a cinder in a furnace.


Scot’s Product Review: Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Application Sling and More

I’m not sure who first coined the phrase, but whoever it was suggested that we think of a sling as a holster for a long gun, and I’ve always rather liked that analogy. Some slings also help the shooter be more accurate by providing support in shooting positions. By and large, however, the main use of the sling is to carry a long arm while keeping one or both hands free for other purposes. There are a number of types of slings and ways to attach them to a rifle or shotgun. The most common is a simple carry strap …


Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Kershaw’s Emerson CQC-4KXL

I still remember the first time I toured the Kershaw Knives plant, some 20+ years ago. It was for an article in Knives Illustrated. I wrote for Knives Illustrated for many years, probably longer than any other writer at that time, and I was promoted to their West Coast Field Editor position, where I mostly covered knives made in the Pacific Northwest area. To be sure, Oregon alone houses numerous knife companies itself. It might just be the cutlery capitol of the USA. Back during my first Kershaw tour, if I recall, they only had, at best, a couple dozen …


Recipe of the Week: Baked Pineapple, by BanjoNinja

At our house, people would fight over the pineapple on an Easter or Christmas ham, until a friend suggested this recipe. It’s a favorite recipe, for the holidays or anytime, that is good tasting and relatively inexpensive to make: Ingredients: one can of crushed pineapple one can of chunked pineapple one can of pineapple rings 1 cup flour 3/4 cup brown sugar (packed), plus about 4 tablespoons for later 1/2 stick butter, chilled 1 tsp. cinnamon, plus more to taste Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Drain and reserve the …


Letter Re: Illusive Self-Sufficiency

HJL, I have a question for you and the SB readers. This is our third year living on our rural retreat and fifth year prepping in earnest. We have animals, a large garden, stored food, and other essentials. We’ve come a long way, but I can’t help but think when I survey everything how far we still have to go to become truly self-sufficient. Our garden wouldn’t come close to feeding our family year-round, but I’m already stretched to capacity with the current size, not to mention the animals and general farm chores (like cutting and splitting wood for the …


Economics and Investing:

Nature Provides Novel Solution To Energy Storage Problem o o o A Wary Athens Awaits the Referendum on Austerity. – JBG o o o Puerto Rico Debt Crisis Mounts With Key Deadline Just Week Away. – G.G. o o o Greece Update: Run On Banks Risks Leaving Them Cashless – JBG o o o The world is defenseless against the next financial crisis, warns BIS. – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Greek Capital Controls Begin: Greek Banks, Stock Market Will Not Open On Monday


Odds ‘n Sods:

A consulting client asked about sources for military surplus vehicles. One auction firm that is reputable is GovPlanet.com. But as with buying any used vehicle, caveat emptor! – JWR o o o Slave or Rebel? Ten Principles for Escaping the Matrix and Standing Up to Tyranny Some Americans are beginning to realize that they are slaves, and that if they don’t act soon they will find themselves imprisoned in the electronic. – H.L. o o o Tom Hammond’s Soldering Tips. – T.P. o o o ‘Sneak & peek’ warrants allow police to secretly enter homes without notice. – H.L. o …




Letter Re: A Dark Day for America, by HJL

Dear Survival Blog, Thank you for such a great service as Survival Blog. I am writing to comment on the above captioned article the Blog posted on June 27, 2015. The problem we have is 501c3 tax exempt status, that is, a tax exempt certification issued by the IRS to the Church in exchange for surrendering certain freedoms. The freedoms surrendered are listed in IRS Publication 1828 on page five. This publication is freely available to anyone with an Internet connection. Everyone should read it and understand it for themselves. The publication title is “Rules for Churches.” Rule five on …


Economics and Investing:

Video: Queues form outside Greek banks after referendum announcement – JBG o o o Greeks Line Up – Drain ATMs of Cash – T.P. o o o Lines form at Greek banks as PM Tsipras calls historic bailout vote o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: What Electricity Consumption Tells Us About The State Of The US Economy – An Update: This is an interesting concept. This is a little geeky and probably hard to really gauge, but interesting. 18 Years Ago This Country Collapsed Overnight——Could It Happen Again?


Odds ‘n Sods:

The End Of Constitutional Government. – B.B. o o o The Real Reason for the Anti-Confederate Flag Hysteria. – D.S. o o o IRS Employees Can Use ‘Password’ As A Password? No Wonder We Get Hacked. – PLC o o o Congress can halt same-sex ‘marriage’ in tracks. – D.S. o o o With knife murders spiking after gun ban, UK urges “Save a life-surrender your knife”. – H.L.


Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.” Matthew 23:13-15 (KJV)