Letter: Cataracts

Hugh, I was diagnosed with a cataract about ten years ago. Because it was new, I was having depth perception issues and even had a rear end car crash. An alternative newsletter by a doctor at the time recommended the following drops. I still have one cataract, but the other one never developed. My eye doctor nurse tells me I have what people pay to have. I see distance with one eye and up close with the other, which has the cataract. I use reading glasses for certain focal lengths, such as a computer screen. My vision has not changed …


Letter: Michael Ruppert

Hello Jim and Hugh, I have only just become aware of this awful event that occurred last week. Mike was well known in Peak Oil circles and is likely familiar to many of the readers of Survival Blog. While I certainly don’t agree with the decision he made to take his own life, it was fairly obvious to me that he was deeply troubled by the state of our civilization and the path we seem to be marching towards. I thought the readership may want to be aware of this event, if they weren’t already. I know Jim was on …



Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader F.G. wrote in to make sure readers are aware that wood pallets can be used for firewood, but to be very careful in burning any pallet with chemical residue on them. For many years his family owned a business that rebuilt pallets for a large company that used lots of chemicals. They would burn the un-repairable pallets, until one of the dock workers told them that some of the chemicals that were spilled on the pallets were toxic when burned. o o o Video: SAFE Act update 4/21/14- State Police & DHS classify prepping as “suspicious activity” – …



Notes from HJL:

I have to confess that my personal remarks on today’s posts are somewhat limited. JWR and I are frustrated at the unreliability of our web hosts servers over the last two weeks, and I have spent much of the day importing 20,000+ posts to a new server and converting the format to a new blog format, while maintaining continuity with the original site. You will see some minor changes as we try to bring the styling of the new software inline with the old. If you notice that something is broken, feel free to let me know. I may not …


Why We Make Certain Decisions, by J

So, I wanted to chat about something a bit different. It’s been really helpful for me, and I hope it will be for you, too. It’s about why we do certain things, about why we make certain decisions. I’m starting to get a little older now, and for many of you, you are as well. You can look back at your life and see certain things about yourself and, maybe like me, can see choices made by you or others that had big implications. I’d like to talk about something that I learned about how people work, and I hope …


Letter Re: Eye for Eyes

B.A. makes some very valid points. I have worn glasses all of my life for distance and now need them for small print as well. During my most recent annual exam, the doctor told me I was developing cataracts. In all my years of going for eye exams, I had never been told, until that visit, that to slow the progression of cataracts sunglasses should become my best friend. I was advised those with lenses rated at UV 400 were the best. I have found one type by a company called Cocoon, and there are others that make sunglasses to …


Letter: I See the Light

Hugh, FYI. Sam’s Club has a 3-pack of TASCO XR5 “Tactical” Cree LED flashlights for $19.98. They are 250 lumen on high power with a low power setting and a strobe setting. Three AAA batteries are included per flashlight (nine total). It is brighter than my Fenix TK 10 (~$70.00 for one) and about the same size. They’re also shock proof and water resistant. The Fenix uses a CR 123 battery, which is much more expensive but will also last much longer than the one hour @ 250 lumens from the three AAA batteries. Still, it is 1/10th the cost …



Odds ‘n Sods:

You saw his proof. Now meet BLM Whistleblower Rusty Hill who uncovered the corporations and shady land deals connected to Reid Bunkerville LLC, Zion Bank Corp, and BLM lands surrounding the Bundy properties. BLM Whistleblower Reveals Financial Motive Behind Bundy Ranch Raid. – J.W. o o o ‘I blame both sides,’ Oklahoma militia members join fight against feds. – P.M. o o o The Next Shoe Just Dropped: Court Denies Attorney-Client Privilege . – H.L. o o o Meltdown America – YouTube (Removed by YouTube) – B.B.



Notes from HJL:

Today, April 22, is the birthday of the late Charles Rankin Bond, Jr., born in Dallas on April 22, 1915, one of the last of the AVG Flying Tiger pilots. o o o Manufacturers and distributors, if you have a product that you would like to see reviewed in the blog, contact our new Field Gear Editor Scot Frank Eire at his new email address <fieldgeareditor AT survivalblog DOT com> and let him know. o o o Today we present another entry for Round 52 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. I hope you enjoy reading this one as much …


Home On The Range, by Rustic Barbie

When I first began this experiment, I must admit, I was under romantic ideologies. Can 21st century people step back in time and homestead like our forefathers? Whenever I passed an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere, I would dream of the chance to do this. Then the chance was presented. Here is the scenario. Take a California Valley Girl to “Green Acres”, and see if she and her friends can do it like their forefathers. Granted, I have had modern luxuries, such as running water and electricity (sometimes, depending upon the weather). Still, even with the modern luxuries, …


Letter Re: A Different Look at the Tactical Flashlight

Hugh, I enjoyed D. Hacker’s article on flashlight use, and I look forward to trying the technique. Here are a couple of additions for the readers from a night shift cop: Hacker hit on it a little bit talking about not cheating from reflective light. One of my favorite light techniques is simply pointing the beam at the ceiling when entering a dark room. The reflective light from most modern flashlights is enough to fully light up the room. If your light technique does not illuminate your sights, this may not be a totally bad thing. You can get a …