Letter Re: A Privacy Lesson From the Boston Bombing Investigation

Jim. I learned something from the recent Boston terrorist incident….though it passed very quickly in a reporter’s interview – and even though the reporter was interrupted and didn’t get to finish her thought. In regards to one of the bombers, the reporter said something like  “We can tell from the contents of his “Wish List” online, that he”  ……..(not exact quote). so… I was aware that Amazon.com had a “Wish List” that shoppers can create.  I had NOT been aware that you can search for anyone’s “Wish Lists”, but you can. So everybody needs to know that any Wish List …


Letter Re: A New Pandemic Threat On the Horizon: H7N9

Dear Editor, I am an emergency physician practicing in Southern Californistan. I share TXNurse’s concern about influenza in general, and especially new variants of Avian Influenza, like H7N9.   Her information is current and valuable.  I would urge standard OPSEC on this information if you are a nurse or physician or other health worker. Many of my colleagues pooh-pooh my concerns about Influenza.  They just don’t believe it.  And these are educated physicians!  Given many of them are liberal and believe FEMA will protect them and all that, but even so you would expect a nod from other physicians about …


Recipe of the Week:

Wayne B.’s Homemade Ranch Dressing Dry Ranch Mix 1/2 cup instant minced onion 1/4 cup onion salt 1/4 cup garlic salt 1/4 cup onion powder 1/4 cup garlic powder 2 cups dry parsley flakes 2 tablespoons dry dill weed Measure first five ingredients, minced onion, onion salt, garlic salt, onion powder and garlic powder, into a blender or food processor and blend until combined. Stir in parsley and dill. Store and keep mix dry. A Mason jar or freezer bag work well. Label and include instructions for dressing or dip. Label it. You think you will remember, but you won’t. …



Odds ‘n Sods:

I fail to see how the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was a great victory for law enforcement. That fact is that he was captured outside of their much-vaunted perimeter, and he wasn’t ferreted out by The Donut Eaters. Rather, some blood stains were found on a shrink-wrapped boat by its owner, and he summoned the police. These was a failure of law enforcement of epic proportions. Furthermore, kicking in doors on several streets in Watertown, Massachusetts without benefit of search warrants didn’t exactly make make friends and influence people. It was more like a dress rehearsal for martial law. Next …



Notes from JWR:

This year April 21st is Aggie Muster Day, for all Texas A&M Corps of Cadets graduates. Aggie Muster celebrations and meetings are held as far away as Japan, Germany, and Afghanistan. I should mention that my maternal grandfather (U.S. Army Cavalry Corps) was an Aggie–something mentioned so often that everyone in our family also felt like de facto Aggies. Other than the officers that matriculate though West Point, the three institutions that seem to have the greatest ongoing esprit de corps for their graduates are Texas A&M, The Citadel, and VMI. I felt almost obliged to include an Aggie character …


A Military Wife’s Perspective on Preparedness, by Laura M.

I take a different approach, but one that may prove useful for other ladies. My husband is military, so that would make me the military spouse. However, I can tell you from experience that there SHOULD be a survival guide to being a military spouse. Now, I don’t plan on making this some betty home maker guide; Because in my opinion there is so many other survival aspects that us ladies should be aware of when our husbands are away. Unfortunately, we are not aware of these survival tactics until some misfortune is staring us in the face and we …


Letter Re: COSTCO Freeze Dried Storage Food Buckets

James, Costco sells a bucket of freeze dried food that provides 2,000 calories per day for one person for 30 days. Not a huge variety of entrees but quite adequate and rather tasty. Normally it sells for $100 per bucket including shipping. They sell a 36 bucket pallet for $3,300. That pallet is on sale now for $2,700 and the sale ends Sunday evening April 21st. That’s $75 per bucket. I don’t think it’s possible to get this much food for this low a price. The link is below. Thanks so much for all the information you provided. – K.T. …


Letter Re: Knob Creek After Action Report

Dear SurvivalBloggers: This past weekend (12-14 October, 2012) was the Fall Knob Creek machinegun shoot in West Point, Kentucky. The Knob Creek ("KCR") shoot is normally a bi-annual event, held in April and October each year. It is the World’s largest machine gun (MG) shoot and machine gun show. Although none of our group are really “into” machine guns this event was on the “bucket list” of one of our party. With the spring shoot canceled last April because of heavy rains washing a bridge out, we were determined to make this one. Web sites were checked, reservations made, bags …


Economics and Investing:

Hinde Capital: “One of These Days I Think Gold Will Go To $5000—But When It Does, Nobody Will Own It” The world’s biggest container ships prepare for delivery Score: Banksters Two, Gold & Silver Zero Items from The Economatrix: 100 Years Old And Still Killing Us:  America Was Much Better Off Before The Income Tax Flashback: Warning: Watch The Metals, When They Dip. It Will Be A Good Indication That Things Are About To Happen Top Gold Analyst:  “We Can’t Imagine What It Would Be Like If There Were True Chaos”


Odds ‘n Sods:

Glenn Beck goes all in: gives Feds “until Monday to come clean” about the Saudi “person of interest” in Boston Bombing. For some details, see: “Innocent” Saudi in Boston bombing has ties to several al-Qaeda terrorists. Clearly, a Grand Jury needs to act quickly and issue a subpoena before he is deported!    o o o “Take your Soma, sheeple.” Tylenol Eases Existential Anxiety. (A hat tip to K.A.F. for the link.) OBTW, long term use of Tylenol has been shown to cause liver damage and “rebound” headaches.    o o o I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways [shall be] made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Then said he to the multitude that came forth …


Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 46 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The 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. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 …


Block Training for the Greatest Depression by JLee

The term "The Greatest Depression" comes from Gerald Celente, an economic trends forecaster.  I heard him use this term a few years ago in an interview he did on the Alex Jones Show.  Essentially, there never has been an economic recovery, but there has been a lot of unemployment and many former workers have fallen completely off of the map and are no longer counted in the Federal Unemployment Statistics.  TRILLIONS of dollars have been printed since the Economic Downturn of 2008 in which the housing bubble went bust. This write-up is predicated on the fact that over $16 Trillion …