Anderson Powerpoles: The Legos of DC Electronics, by Dan in Alaska

To say that I’m a neophyte in the electrical world, or as we say here in Alaska a “Cheechako”, is making a big understatement.  So, a couple years back my co-worker and friend got me into Amateur Radio, also affectedly known as Ham Radio.  I studied my ARRL Technician book and passed my test, but it just barely rattled what I had in my head 20 years ago from my only electronics class I had back in High School where we studied Ohm’s law, identified a resistor, and made a strobe light.  So, I’m on a big learning curve.  I …


Letter Re: Marksmanship

Sir: That was an excellent article from Josh B. on Marksmanship. But as Gary D. pointed out, following those principles under stress can be a challenge. I thought I’d recommend a few stress inducers that I practice, which have improved my shooting skills. Before I begin, I’d like to note that I’m an US Army Infantry veteran. That should not imply that I am an expert. In fact, the more I practice and learn about shooting, the more I’ve come to realize how little I learned back then. Yes, the taught me the fundamentals, but I’ve since realized there is …


Economics and Investing:

K.A.F. sent a link to some fascinating maps: America’s Wealth Is Staggeringly Concentrated in the Northeast Corridor. (But take a look at the Bakken region of eastern North Dakota.) Reader Tim R. suggested this article: Gun Stocks Soar, Gun Control ‘Dead as an Issue’ Pierre M. sent: North America to Drown in Oil as Mexico Ends Monopoly Items from The Economatrix: Proposal On Capitol Hill Would Nearly Double Federal Gas Tax The Economy: What’s Ahead In 2014 Improving Economy: Is It For Real?


Odds ‘n Sods:

Eric Peters on Bug Out Vehicles. (Thanks to OSOM for the link.)    o o o Video: Former mayors discover membership in Bloomberg’s anti-gun group was kiss of death.    o o o R.B.S. sent: The Most Corrupt County In America (Dave Hodges)    o o o Chris M. sent: Google Acquires Boston Dynamics. (After all, what is Skynet without the hardware “to go with.”)    o o o B.B. suggested: Gun control: ‘What if we say no?’ – National Conservative



Notes from JWR:

This is the birthday of Charles Wesley (born 1707, died 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, 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 other before the …


In It For The Long Haul, by Java-Powered

I first got serious about prepping in 2006, when I realized the U.S. Dollar was on its way down.  I had a young son at home, and I wanted to make sure he would be safe if civil unrest occurred. I built a home on some acreage in the country in 2007 and started getting setup to be self-sufficient. I believed 2008 was going to be a bad year, and I wanted to be ready. I installed a wood stove in my home and purchased a hand pump for my well. When I moved my chickens out to the new …


Poll Results on SurvivalBlog’s Web Design

The vast majority of readers voted in favor leaving SurvivalBlog the way its is–predominantly text, for minimum bandwidth. I did learn that man readers would like more links to off-site graphics and videos. I also learned that I need to warn folks when a link is to a video, so that their mobile devices aren’t overwhelmed or “blow their budget” on bandwidth . So henceforth I will try to include the word “video” in those text links,


Letter Re: Firearms Selection for Times of Ammunition Shortages

Dear JWR, Last spring, with the ammo shortage clearing the shelves everywhere, I found myself in a position to expand my collection.  I decided on a Ruger .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk, with the 7" barrel.  Legal for whitetail in my state, you see.  Having neglected to actually check the retail supply, I assumed that the shortage would be primarily the military calibers (9mm Para, .45 ACP, 5.56mm NATO, .308, and 7.62x39mm) with the civilian calibers being readily available. Experienced wheelgunners are already laughing.  Took me a month to track down 100 rounds of basic .44 Magnum.  Eventually, diligent checking at …


Economics and Investing:

Andre D. forwarded this Reuters article link: Insight: Europe faces moment of truth on banks, with flawed defenses Mike Rowe on the Hidden Cost of Compliance (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: IT’S A SCANDAL: New Budget Agreement Doesn’t Contain Extended Benefits For The Unemployed New Wave Of US Mortgage Troubles Threaten Europe Repeating Japan’s Errors As Deflation Draws Closer


Odds ‘n Sods:

Ken W. suggested: Proper Field Dressing in Today’s CWD World    o o o Frequent content contributor F.J. sent this from MIT Technology Review: How Remote Places Can Get Cellular Coverage by Doing It Themselves With Swedish telephone numbers and a tree-bound base station, a remote Indonesian village runs its own telecommunications company.    o o o H.L. sent: Rhode Island town voting on recall after gun-permit row    o o o Construction of secret hiding places. (Thanks to Pete S. for the link.)    o o o Video: J. McC. mentioned a 1950s Special Forces training film (now on …



Notes from JWR:

Today marks the birthday of Simo Häyhä (born 1905, died April 1, 2002.) He 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. — Today we present another entry for Round 50 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $9,400+ worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. …


Protecting Your Church, by Wandering Will

The service has ended, we say goodbye to our friends, wait for everyone to leave then lock up the church.  The drive home takes only a few minutes and when we arrive my wife and I take off and secure our weapons and conduct a debrief on any problems we encountered during the service.  Not exactly the Norman Rockwell version of a day in church.  I realize that the fact that someone would carry a weapon in church is appalling to many people.  However, before you begin stereotyping Christians as right-wing radicals, ask yourself a few questions.  When you were …


Letter Re: Any Escape from Obamacare?

Mr. Rawles, Is there any way that I can avoid enrolling in Obamacare? (I believe that abortion is sinful and there’s no way I want to support it.) Thanks, – Debra L. JWR Replies: As currently enacted, the Affordable Care Act (commonly called “Obamacare)” contains a special exemption provision for members of healthcare sharing ministries. One of the best of these is called Medi-share. A similar plan–and even less expensive per month–is available from Samaritan Ministries.