Notes for Friday – April 28, 2017

April 28th is the birthday of Aimo Johannes Lahti. (Born in 1896.) This clever Finn designed (or co-designed) an amazing array of weapons including the L-35 Lahti pistol, Suomi M-31 SMG, the Lahti-Saloranta M/26 LMG, the the famous Lahti L-39 20mm anti-tank rifle, and even the 20 ItK 40 (a 20 mm dual anti-aircraft cannon.) o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 70 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The …




Economics and Investing:

Cashless society getting closer, survey finds. “More than a third of Europeans and Americans would be happy to go without cash and rely on electronic forms of payment if they could, and at least 20 percent already pretty much do so, a study showed on Wednesday.” – G.G. o o o Government Employee Salaries Outpace Private-Sector Salaries by Double Digits for Similar Work. “Government employees earn roughly 17 percent more in total compensation than private-sector workers in similar jobs, according to a report from the Congressional Budget Office.” – G.G. o o o Canada’s Housing Bubble Explodes As Its Biggest …




Odds ‘n Sods:

The Only Plant That Should Be in Your First Aid Kit. Not sure it’s the only plant you need to know about, but it does have some pretty amazing properties. – H.L. o o o Amazon wants to watch you get dressed: New “Echo Look” camera to spy on you in your own bedroom and bathroom. “This Echo Look camera is, of course, just the latest insane intrusion into personal privacy by a monopolistic corporation with ties to the CIA and NSA. Does any informed person really think Amazon isn’t recording all this audio and video, then sharing it with …







Notes for Thursday – April 27, 2017

On this day in 1789, the crew of the British ship Bounty mutinied, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 70 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $15,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day …




Economics and Investing:

Is The Deep State Creating Another “Crash Of 1929”? o o o Leo Nelissen is sounding like a Perma Bull, over at Seeking Alpha: The Market Is Overbought, But There Is Plenty Of Room In The Near Future. JWR’s Comment: The U.S. equities markets are starting to look “toppy” to me. It is high time to bail out and get into cash and metals. But shorting the market right now could prove deadly. o o o This bubble finally burst. Which one’s next? o o o Sweden’s Gold Reserves: 10,000 gold bars shrouded in Official Secrecy – H.L. o o …




Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader R.V. wrote in to remind our readers that “Two is one, one is none.”: My little Berkey went flopping into the sink the other day as my nine year old (just one of them) tilted it on the ledge attempting to gain the last drops for his cup. The impact did not hurt the vessel but stripped the vinyl nut on the stem of the filter rendering the efficacy of the seal dubious. Off to the hardware to see if a stainless steel nut is available and if it will do the job. o o o Reader A.W. sent …







Notes for Wednesday – April 26, 2017

On April 26, 1986, one of the world’s worst nuclear accidents occurred at the Chernobyl plant in the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire in the No. 4 reactor sent radioactivity into the atmosphere; at least 31 Soviets died immediately. o o o If you haven’t been following comments on SurvivalBlog, you are missing out. There has been an excellent discussion on last week’s articles – “Should I Bug Out or Survive in Place?- Part 1”, “Part 2”, and “Part 3”, by Jonathan Hollerman. There is a whole other article just in the comments! o o o Today, we present …




Economics and Investing:

SurvivalBlog reader MHL wrote in: “My son lives and works in Colorado (lucky guy); his father and I are in Ohio. With the offspring soon to celebrate a birthday, my husband wanted to gift the boy with money, which is always welcome no matter what one’s age, so he took cash and one of the kid’s bank deposit tickets to an Ohio branch of our son’s bank (Chase Bank). He was informed by the teller that unless we had an account with Chase, or were co-owners of the Colorado account that they could not accept cash for deposit. I’ll write …




Odds ‘n Sods:

Highlighting government over reach today: Cops Detain Entire School, Illegally Search/Grope 900 Kids — Find NOTHING, Parents Furious – H.L. Oregon Engineering Speech – fined $500 – B.B. Build a Sandcastle at Panama City Beach, Florida – Get Fined $500, and Maybe Go to Jail – T.P. o o o Despite assurances that this wouldn’t happen: NSA Blimp Spied in the United States o o o ICE Failures Under Obama Leave 2.2 Million ‘Supervised’ Aliens on Streets – B.B. o o o This Lawsuit Could Shatter ALL Federal Gun Control Laws – DSV o o o Speaking of gun control, …







Notes for Tuesday – April 25, 2017

Breaking News: The BATFE has reversed part of its notorious Open Letter on mis-use of arm braces on pistols, now making it clear that “incidental, sporadic, or situational ‘use’” of an arm brace wherein it contacts the shooter’s shoulder does NOT constitute a redesign and hence it would not make the owner subject to prosecution. Thankfully, common sense has prevailed. Hopefully President Trump will announce far more gun law reforms at the upcoming NRA meeting in Atlanta! – JWR o o o Today is the birthday of physicist, inventor, and entrepreneur Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937). He was known for his pioneering …




Economics and Investing:

Global Silver Mining Industry Productivity Falls To The Lowest In History o o o The French Election And A Gold Price Forecast o o o The Bullish Case For Oil Is Fading Fast. As the bullish case for oil is losing strength and the contango is back, major hedge funds have started to close some long positions. o o o How a $1.4 Billion ETF Gold Rush Rattled Mining Stocks Around the World o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.




Odds ‘n Sods:

New Poll: Record number of Americans want MORE government in their lives. Mindboggling, especially when you consider that there is virtually no way to have more government involvement that what we already have and stay economically solvent. Expectations and reality are colliding. o o o Along with that concept comes this news out of Turkey: Turks Vote to Give Away Their Democracy o o o One more reason to avoid politically and violently charged hot spots as society breaks down: Couple charged in connection with shooting during Milo Yiannopoulos protest at UW. The prosecutor is going after them for for …