Odds ‘n Sods:

This great video shows a “stealth” camper van project with some potential for preppers: How to convert a Van in to an Off-Grid Camper in 17 Days! Used Transit Vans and Combi-Vans (as well as similar large vans–which you probably recognize from out on the highway, and on American Pickers) are starting to become affordable here in the States.  Most preppers would of course want to have more battery capacity, more propane capacity, and some hidden compartments. A little Velcro behind paneling and molding works wonders, for those. (Don’t miss opportunities like that.)  Oh, and don’t forget to wear eye …



Notes for Tuesday – October 18, 2016

October 18, 1662 was the birthday of Matthew Henry (died 22 June, 1714.)  He was a Presbyterian minister who lived primarily in Chester, England. Matthew Henry’s six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called Matthew Henry’s Commentary) is a must for the bookshelf of any serious Bible scholar. o o o Today, we present another entry for Round 67 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 …


News From The American Redoubt:

Elbow Room Matters! Consider the  following:  Idaho County, Idaho measures 8,503 square miles (22,020 km2), but it has a population of just 16,267.  Thus, it is slightly smaller than the state of New Jersey (which measures 8,722 square miles and has 9 million residents), but it is larger than Connecticut and Delaware, combined. (They measure 5,543 and 2,488 squares miles, respectively.)  And ponder the geography and demographics of Sweetwater County, Wyoming:  It measures 10,426 square miles (larger than the state of Maryland, which is 9,707 square miles) and has a population of just 45,267.  Maryland has a population of just over …


Economics and Investing:

Compare the disparate results in these two YouTube videos: Mining The Banks For Silver:  Is It Worth It? and Coin Roll Hunting Walkers, Franklins, & Kennedys. Obviously, you have to find a bank in a small town that has not yet been harvested by Coin Roll Hunters. For someone who is retired or disabled, or for anyone who travels by road regularly, this could be fairly profitable. o o o How Not To Manage A Currency o o o So much silver! (Coin roll hunting.) And one result that was even better: Are You Kidding Me?  There are still lots …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Former senator spills beans on Hillary’s anti-gun strategy o o o Reader J.E. sent us this: Russian state newspapers predict ‘direct military conflict’ with US as it compares Syria stalemate to Cuban missile crisis o o o I spotted this item at Mac Slavo’s great SHTFplan.com news aggregation site:  Our Threat Comes From Within: “The Establishment Is Doing Everything It Can To Make Us Look Crazy” o o o Video: Wranglerstar’s family makes a batch of elderberry wine. o o o This article over at Skilled Survival is of interest: DIY Survival Gear: 11 Projects Worth Building


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The worship of the state is the worship of force. There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt, or vile men. The worst evils which mankind ever had to endure were in?icted by bad governments. The state can be and has often been in the course of history the main source of mischief and disaster.” – Ludwig von Mises


Notes for Monday – October 17, 2016

On this day in 1835, Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers– a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers”. After winning their revolutionary war with Mexico the following year, Texans decided to keep the Rangers, both to defend against Indian and Mexican raiders and to serve as the principal law enforcement authority along the sparsely populated Texan frontier.


Recipe of the Week: Pork Tenderloin with Honey Butter, by M.C.A.

Ingredients: 4 tbs butter 2 tbs honey 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin Salt and pepper 1/4 cup water Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a Dutch oven or ovenproof skillet, heat butter and honey over medium heat, stirring to melt butter. Season pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and place in pan. Cook until underside is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn pork, and cook until other side is browned, about 5 minutes more. Lower the heat if the honey begins to burn. Put pan in the oven, and roast until pork …


Letter Re: Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a Retreat Locale

James, We lived along the northern shore of the Michigan’s Upper Peninsula  (UP),  in the Marquette area.  This was way back in the late 1960s. (We left in 1972.) We spent the last two years of that living in the middle of a fairly isolated 40 acre tract about half an hour drive (summer travel) from town. The great lakes, Superior in particular, have an enormous influence on the local climate. Varying by distance and prevailing winds, you tend to have cooler summer temps as well as slightly warmer winters.  The lakes effect precipitation, most noticeably snowfall, but cloud cover …


Economics and Investing:

The banksters’ Negative Interest Rate Policy (NIRP) appears to have quietly put the IMF’s analysts in a Modified Stationary Panic. See this August 2016 IMF white paper: Negative Interest Rate Policy (NIRP):Implications for Monetary Transmission and Bank Profitability in the Euro Area.  Buried in the report is this little zinger; “Early evidence suggests that the adverse impact of negative rates on bank profitability may increase non-linearly as the policy rate declines further.” We are headed for some interesting times, folks! The Deutsche Bank death spiral may be just the beginning of a full-blown, widespread debt crisis contagion. o o o …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Daisy Luther warns: Eight Alarming Warning Signs That Indicate War With Russia Could Be Imminent o o o John Whitehead at The Rutherford Institute:  The Imperial President’s Toolbox of Terror: A Dictatorship Waiting to Happen o o o Five Awesome Car Life Hacks


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I heard my country calling, away across the sea. Across the waste of waters, she calls and calls to me. Her sword is girded at her side, her helmet on her head, And around her feet are lying the dying and the dead; I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of her guns; I haste to thee, my mother, a son among thy sons. I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,


Notes for Sunday – October 16, 2016

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Leipzig (in 1813). This was largest battle in European warfare prior to WWI. In this battle, Napoleon’s forces were defeated by the combined forces of Prussia, Austria, and Russia. This is also the anniversary of abolitionist John Brown’s raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Although the raid failed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between North and …


Letter Re: Hurricane Matthew–Some Lessons Learned

JWR & HJL: That was another great article [on Hurricane Matthew]! A suggested alternative that I have adopted is buying a turbo diesel automobile and truck.  The benefits are simple and yet many people still have not discovered the option. Here are a few:My VW tdi as an example gets about 43 miles per gallon, so with a 15 gallon fuel tank it achieves about 600 miles plus on a  tank, and by adding three NATO style 5 gal metal cans (15 gallons total) in the trunk I have a 1,200 hundred mile cruising range. That is hard to beat. …