Odds ‘n Sods:

Slaves sold for $10: Yazidi Women Tell of Rape and Enslavement at Hands of ISIS

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Reader D.S. sent in this article profiling the abusive nature of the nations healthcare when it comes to employees who don’t comply with mandatory flu shots which are highly controversial.

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Along those same lines, here is an example where the government is now mandating vaccines containing mercury in children and exempting the producers and health workers from any and all consequences…All in the name of child safety.

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In Sweden, 14,000 illegal immigrants disappear without trace. Meanwhile: No Apartments, No Jobs, No Shopping Without a Gun Thanks to B.B. and J.R. for the links.

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T.A. submitted this handy link that helps explain the difference between dehydrated foods and freeze dried foods.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Your personal philosophy is more important for you than mine! You are the master of your own life and if you don’t agree with my views, great, define, understand and implement your own. The biggest thing you can do is understand that you are in control of your life and that what you do matters. Those two factors have the greatest impact on individual survival across every demographic you can imagine.” – Jack Spirko of Survival Podcast

Notes for Monday – November 30, 2015

Just one more day ’til the release of “Land of Promise”! Tomorrow (December 1st) is the day to order your copies of either the Kindle edition or the trade paperback!

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I was saddened to hear of the passing of economist Richard Russell, at age 91. His Dow Theory Letters newsletter had been published since 1958. I started reading his newsletter back in 1987. Our condolences to his family. He coined the phrase: “The trend is your friend.” His market analysis was always sound, and he never lost sight of the importance of maintaining what he called a “core holding” of precious metals, for every individual investor. A veteran of World War II (as a USAAF B-25 bombardier), Russell typified his generation. He–and his prescient market analysis–will be missed!

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Don’t forget that the Homestead Store is still offering the 10% off sale of all of their drying racks.

Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Springfield Armory XDm Compact .40 S&W

Make no mistake, I’m a huge fan of Springfield Armory firearms– all of them. When the XD handgun first came out, I picked one up; it was in .40S&W. At first appearance, it looked very much Glock-ish to my way of thinking. However, once home, I tore the gun down and examined it. While some of the parts look like Glock parts, none of them will interchange with a Glock. None!

Something very rare for me is to carry any one particular handgun for two years, which is what I did with the XD .40, only changing to a different gun when doing an article about it and then only carrying the different gun for a week or two. Then, I went back to the XD .40 on my hip. The only minor complaint I had about my XD .40 was the finish on the slide. It appeared to be parkerized, but it wasn’t very durable. Weekly I would wipe the gun down, but it still developed some rust spots on the slide no matter what I did to it. Happily, Springfield Armory has gone to Melonite for the finish on many of their guns in the XD line-up, with the exception of the stainless steel slide models.

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Under review today is the Springfield Armory XDm Compact Model. And, with it comes some improvements in handling over the basic XD model. There is a different process for breaking the gun down for cleaning, and I won’t bore our readers with that. The information can be found on the Springfield Armory website. The ergonomics of the XDm guns are better feeling in the hand, compared to the XD models. The grip is thinner and just feels better all the way around. The slide is a bit slimmer, too. The gun just feels “all-that-much better” in my hand than the original XD model.

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I elected to review the .40 S&W XDm, because I’m a big fan of the .40 S&W caliber for many uses. Let’s take a quick look at the XDm Compact. It comes with a dual recoil spring set-up, making it a bit easier to retract the slide when chambering a round or clearing the chamber. The sights are of the three dot white variety, that are fast to pick-up. The gun weighs 28 ounces, but it feels a little heavier than that, to my way of thinking. It weighs a little more with the X-Tension mag inserted in the gun. (There’s more on this shortly.) I have the stainless steel slide version, and it hasn’t shown a hint of rust in our usual rainy climate. The barrel is 3.8 inches in length, so the gun is easy to conceal. The frame is black textured polymer, and it really provides a great feel under any weather conditions, and I shoot rain, shine, or snow when testing a gun. If I plan on shooting “that” day, I go shooting, no matter what the weather calls for. The XDm Compact in .40S&W comes with one 11-rd mag and one 16-rd mag, with the X-Tension on it. Of course, we have all the other goodies that comes with many of the Springfield handguns– a holster, double mag pouch, cleaning rod, magazine loader, and different back straps, so you can fit the gun to your hand. They are quick and easy to change. Just punch out pin and pull the back strap off and slide the new one on. The entire set-up comes in a very nice, lockable polymer case for easy transport to the range or storage of the XDm.

My only minor complaint with the Compact model is that the 11-rd magazine doesn’t give my pinky finger any place to go. Oh sure, if I squeeze my hand up on the gun, I can get half of my pinky on the grip. However, it’s easier to just replace the flat magazine base plate with one from Pearce Grip. It then gives my pinky something to hold onto, and it honestly doesn’t add all that much more to the gun when it comes to concealment. With the 16-rd mag, with the X-Tension on it, there’s no problems getting all my fingers wrapped around the grip frame of the gun, and the X-Tension 16-rd mag also comes with different X-Tensions that you can swap out to match the different sized back straps. A lot of thought went into this design process, and we can thank Dave Williams, who heads up the Springfield Armory Custom Shop, for many of these innovative designs. I also love the aggressive checking on the front strap as well as the back straps, which make for a sure hold on the gun under any conditions.

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As mentioned, the XDm Compact comes with a double mag pouch that threads through your belt, which I like. However, the holster is a paddle style and I don’t like this set-up at all. It has nothing to do with Springfield Armory. I just don’t like paddle holsters. They tend to move around and not stay in place. When I put a gun on, I want it to be in a particular spot on my belt for the sake of muscle memory, so I don’t want the gun and holster sliding around. I ordered a leather belt holster from DeSantis holsters. However, I ordered one of their “E” models, and it is a loose fit. I should have known better. I’ve ordered some of their “E” holsters before. (Maybe “E” is for economical?) They also were very loose fitting; it sits in my holster drawer! Instead, I carried the XDm Compact in a Blackhawk Products generic belt slide holster, which can be adjusted to fit a lot of handguns. The XDm rode high and tight against my body. If your holster isn’t holding your gun tight to your body, you’re doing something wrong when it comes to concealment.

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The XDm comes with a full-time ambidextrous magazine release as well as a grip safety and a trigger safety, which is in the face of the trigger. There is a slide release/lock on the frame and then the take-down lever. All in all, the gun is pretty “clean” and doesn’t have anything you don’t need. Trigger pull is double-action only, and it is smooth to my way of thinking. Breaking at five lbs, it “rolls” as you pull the trigger; I like it! The magazine release is a bit stiff with fully loaded magazines, and I’d rather have a mag release a bit too stiff, as opposed to one that can accidentally release a mag on you. However, once one round is fired and you want to take the mag out, it is much easier to release than when the mag is full. That’s just something to be aware of. Again, I’d rather have a stiff mag release than a mag release that is too loose.

The grip safety doesn’t take any thought to depress, if you are holding the gun in a proper. It’s just that simple, unlike some 1911 handguns that you sometimes have to think about or the grip safety isn’t properly adjusted and you go to fire the gun and it won’t fire because the grip safety isn’t fully depressed. While it is a “manual” grip safety, it is really more like it’s passive. You just don’t have to think about it when you take a proper grip on the gun.

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I had a great selection of .40S&W ammo on hand for my testing, including some +P loads. I’m told by those in the know, at Springfield Armory, that their XD line-up of handgun can handle all the +P ammo you want to shoot through them, or as much as you can handle.

From Black Hills Ammunition I had their new 155-gr JHP fodder, their 180-gr JHP, and their 140-gr Barnes all-copper TAC-XP hollow point rounds. From Buffalo Bore Ammunition I had their 140-gr Barnes all-copper TAC-XP hollow point load as well as the same in 125-gr. I love their 200-gra Hard Cast Outdoorsman load. it’s the load you want to carry if you are out in the boonies and might face dangerous 4-legged critters. I also had their 155-gr JHP +P, 180-gr JHP +P, and 180-gr FMJ +P loads.

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Right off the bat, I’ll say, there were no malfunctions of any type with any of the ammo, even when I mixed different brands and bullet types in the same magazines. No problems at all. Accuracy testing was done at 25-yards, even though this gun only has a 3.8-inch barrel. I knew it could do what I wanted it to do at 25-yards. I used a rolled-up sleeping back over the hood of my pickup for a rest. No groups exceeded three inches in my testing. The Buffalo Bore 125-gr and 140-gr Barnes TAC-XP loads are not rated +P, however, you know you touched off a relatively warmish round. I liked the Buffalo Bore 200-gr Hard Cast Outdoorsman load a lot. As I mentioned earlier, this would be my choice if I were out in the boonies and might come face-to-face with a bear. This round will shoot through more than 30 inches of flesh, muscle, and bone. WOW!!!

The overall winner, if you will, in the accuracy department was the Black Hills 140-gr Barnes TAC-XP all-copper hollow point load. If I did my part, I could shrink those groups down to 2 1/2 inches, again, if I were on my game. There were no losers in the accuracy department. All loads tested were plenty accurate enough for self-defense use, every one of them!

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As an aside, I lined up ten 1-gallon milk jugs that were filled with water, put a one by four board behind them, and fired the Buffalo Bore Outdoorsman load into it. It went straight through all the water jugs and the board. Tthis round will penetrate, deeply!!! A lot of shooters believe that a FMJ load will penetrate deeper than a Hard Cast bullet will. That’s simply not true. The Hard Cast bullet tends to “cut” though whatever it goes through, whereas the FMJ loads tend to slip and slide through material. A person would be smart to keep the last few rounds in their spare magazine loaded with the Hard Cast rounds, in case you have to fire through light cover to get to an attacker. It’s just something to think about.

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Now, for the really good news. If you purchase any handgun from Springfield Armory between Sept 1st and the end of the year, you can get two more free mags, a double mag pouch, and an outstanding handgun case that holds two handguns and plenty of spare mags. Just verify online that you recently purchased the gun and fill out the claim form, and in no time at all those freebies will be headed your way. This is more than a hundred dollar value, on top of the great gun.

I wouldn’t hesitate to carry the XDm Compact .40 for self-defense in the right holster. I have 100% confidence in this gun. Then again, Springfield Armory don’t make no junk. I know, I know, that’s not proper grammar, but still…

The XD line of handguns is actually produced in Croatia and imported by Springfield Armory, and they hit several home runs with this line-up. I didn’t want to list retail, because the actual street price on this gun is all over the place, but even if a person paid full retail, they’d be getting a great handgun for just about any needs.

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio

Recipe of the Week: Christmas Cheese Ball, by L.H.

This one is a super simple recipe that has stood the test of time. Everyone was making it in the late 70’s/early 80’s, and we’re still making it and delighting company and get-togethers all these years later.

Ingredients:

  • 2 blocks (8 oz. ea.) cream cheese
  • 1 bunch green onions, minced
  • 1 small pkg. (7 oz., or 1/2 of a 16-oz. pkg.) ham lunchmeat, diced small
  • generous dash of Accent (optional)
  • 1/2 c. finely chopped pecans snack crackers

Directions:

  1. In mixing bowl combine cream cheese, onions, ham lunchmeat bits, and Accent (if using).
  2. Mash well with hands or spoons, and shape into a ball.
  3. Place pecans on plate or cutting board and roll ball in pecans to coat.
  4. Cover and let set at least 6 hours, or overnight, for flavors to meld.

Serve with buttery (Ritz-type) snack crackers.

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Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

A SurvivalBlog reader sent in this link on using canning lids to make perfectly round pancakes.

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Letter: Hoarding Silver, Gold and Diamonds

Hugh,

I remember when I was young and would sit for hours listening to the depression stories that the old people would tell. One thing that stuck in my mind was that the only time that precious metals or stones were worth much was during times of plenty when you could buy products with them. I watched my grandfather open his safe from time to time, and he would show me the gold and diamonds he had in it from years ago. Seems that when urban dwellers who were rich ran out of food, they would come to trade and paid extravagantly for it. He knew eventually the economy would come back on track, and he kept taking whatever precious stones and metals he could for the food he raised and ended up a rich man. He also had a very high-end grand piano in the parlor that no one knew how to play. LOL

My point is that having precious metals or stones and relying on them will only ensure that after you survive a long-term major catastrophic event that you will probably be poor, and the guy with the food will end up rich. No, the “hordes” of city dwellers didn’t over run the hinterlands in those days. I talked to many people who went through the depression, and they said they were too beat down to fight or steal. Ten percent of the population or more died of famine or famine-related disease. Prepare for war. Pray for peace. God bless. – Mark

HJL responds: JWR and I have long taught that you can’t eat PMs. If your basics are not covered, you shouldn’t be storing them, as your efforts should be moving towards feeding and caring for your family. Once you attain a comfort level (whatever your goal was, whether three months, six months, one year, or a deep larder), then you can worry about PMs. PMs, with few exceptions, are not intended to give you the option of having barter or trading tools during times of shortages. They are designed to hold and maintain the value of wealth through the hard times and later. Coming out on the other side of hard times, when valuables trade is re-established, is when PMs are most useful, as your grandfather was wise enough to know.

During the depression, the cities were seen as the locations with the greatest resources so people flocked to the urban centers, abandoning the rural and migrant lifestyles. Now that the greater population is urban, the rural areas will be seen as where the resources are, especially if the supply trucks stop rolling or there is no power.

One other thought– hoarding is when there is a shortage and you are grabbing and storing all you can to the detriment of everyone else. Prepping is when you are storing up in times of plenty, to be used when there is a shortage. The man who chose to visit Disneyland or take a vacation while you spent your resources on preparing for the hard times would like to call your prepping “hoarding”, but that is only because he wants to enjoy the fruits of his labor in times of plenty and the fruits of your labor in times of shortage.

Economics and Investing:

Items from Professor Preponomics:

Thanksgiving is a Celebration of Free Enterprise (Mises Institute)

1200 American Works Training Their Foreign Replacements (Breitbart)

Why Federal Funds Pay for Empty Flights Out of Maryland and Virginia (Taxpayers for Common Sense)

The Price of Copper May Hinge on a Single Precious Resource: Water (Market Watch)

Feds Spend $460,809 Watching Preschoolers Outdoors (Washington Free Beacon)

Debt Under Obama Up $8T (CNS News)

Here Comes the $1 Letter (Business Insider)

CoreLogic: Falling House Prices in Sydney and Melbourne Could Open the Way for a Rate Cut (Business Insider)

UK Oil Industry ‘to Face a Wave of Company Failures’ (The Telegraph)

Chinese Markets Slump as Brokerage Probe Widens (Reuters)

After Arresting Hundreds of Stock Traders, China Cracks Down on Malicious Metals Sellers (Zero Hedge)

Russia Seeks Economic Revenge Against Turkey (Reuters)

CEO of Brazil’s Largest Investment Bank Arrested (CNN Money)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Do our politicians not study history anymore? Do they think that they can flippantly navigate through the dangers without consequence? Does anybody remember the powder-keg of world events that led to World War I? Turkey Blockades Russian Shipping, Black Sea Fleet Completely Cut off

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Video: 1000W LED Flashlight – Worlds Brightest (90,000 Lumens) – Sent in by T.R.

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Reader T.Z sent in the link for this neat tool: For those who own a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer, this Flush Kit can greatly simplify the process of flushing the pump and changing the oil. (Video)

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Santaclaustrophobia – watch where you attempt to gain entry lest it be a free fire zone. Sent in by T.Z.

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Reader D.S. sent this in: I’m sure everyone has their cans of powdered or dehydrated cheese in the stocks. By here’s a better option for REAL cheese that stores up to 25 years!

Notes for Sunday – November 29, 2015

Today is the birthday of Clive Staples (“C.S.”) Lewis, who was born in 1898 and died 22 November 1963.

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2 more days ’til the release of “Land of Promise”! As tempting as it is to pre-order, holding off until December 1st to order both the trade paperback and the Kindle edition will help with their placement in the Bestseller lists, which in turn will create publicity. Don’t forget, if you have already read a draft copy, please leave a review at Amazon.com (now available on the trade paperback page.)

Change Your Clocks and Change Your Batteries, Water, Et Cetera, by R.C.

This time of year we must change our clocks, fall back or spring forward. As a retired firefighter and EMT, I take this seriously. If your smoke detectors are over 10 years old, please change the unit. This twice a year rotation also offers us a chance to rotate other items we have stored in our preps. It is important to have someone verify that you have rotated your stocks, like a group check off or a family weekend project.

Fuel

First is the gasoline. Every six months you can dump the 5-gallon containers into your truck. Luckily, I had hunting season and used it in the four wheeler. When getting new gas, please remember to add a stabilizer to it and store in a safe place. Do not store it in your garage where your furnace is located. Many structure fires start this way. Make sure your propane tanks are full; after camping, hunting, and canning, my tanks needed to be filled. Kerosene is the last fuel to check. Use blue containers and stabilize with diesel additive. Now that you have enough fuel for your chainsaws, truck, stoves, grills, space heaters, and lights, we would move on to water.

Water

Water in 55-gallon blue barrels are on furniture dollies with ratchet straps. We have one per family member. Drain these with a hose outside or use a pump. Fill them with fresh water, using a fresh water hose from the camper. You could add additional bleach if you would like, just make sure it does not have any additives. The same goes for the 5-gallon water camp jugs, which number in quantity of one per family member. Cases of bottled water seam to rotate themselves. Just make sure you have at least one case per person. Rotate stored bleach as well, since it does degrade in potency. (You can also research how to make a stock solution from pool shock.) Have a couple ways to treat water, including pots for boiling, buckets for filtering, and chemicals for treating water. Without water you may have all the food you need, but your body will not process food without clean water. Now we move on to food.

Food

It is very convenient for my wife to go out to the garage and get a can of beans or a #10 can of rice. She refers to me as a horder, but that’s another article. Twice a year take an inventory of your food. What do you need to buy or replace? Look in your freezer. Make jerky of freezer-burned deer. Have enough spices to jerky your freezer, if we had a long-term grid down event. Learn how to pressure can meat. You can put up a lot of taco meat in an afternoon. Again, have extra canning supplies and lids on hand in case you have to do an emergency canning session.

First Aid, Sanitary Supplies, and Medications

This time of year, it is good to check your first aid kits, medicine cabinet, and your supply of sanitary supplies. My wife loves the never ending supply of toilet paper, though it needs to be restocked. I still teach CPR and first aid classes, and I tell them of the time I cut myself pretty good and went for my toolbox first aid kit behind the seat of my truck. The butterfly bandages were dried out and the liquid skin was hard. Then I show them my truck kit and my pack kit and explain the need to rotate and restock. This time year is a good time to stock up on flu supplies and any other medications you might use. Get your flu shot, if you are supportive of the flu shot; if you are not, then don’t.

Guns, Hunting, and Fishing

I feel that prepping, hunting, fishing, and gardening are the reasons that I’m just overweight and not obese. Inventory your ammo and weapons. Maybe you need more 12 gauge or you have a ton of FMJ and you need some soft points. There are good sales going on this time of year around the hunting seasons. The same goes for fishing in the spring. Take up bow hunting or ice fishing. Go out and practice. Just replace your ammo and clean your guns. My wife knows I tend to spend alot of money on hunting trips and gear this time of year. It’s easy to pick up a couple of extra boxes of ammo when you’re at the store.

Lists and More

This is where the lists of lists come in handy. Twice a year grab your lists and go to work. Check out your bug out bags; are your vehicles ready for winter? Is the house winterized like it should be? Silver is still inexpensive; maybe you could buy another sleeve of eagles? The gardens are put to bed, you’re in between hunting seasons, and school sports are almost over. It’s time to get to work. Change your clocks, change your smoke detector batteries, change your water, et cetera. Good judgment comes from experience, and alot of experience comes from bad judgment.

Captain America Is Coming For You!, by N.E.

I found a news article this morning that to the untrained eye seems harmless. However, as I have studied narratives of geopolitics, I felt compelled to send along a note to the reader’s of SurvivalBlog.

The comic book character “Captain America” was first released with the goal to influence popular culture of the American youth just prior to World War II to establish a national identity against Nazi Germany. The cover of the first issue of the comic displayed Captain American punching Hilter in the mouth. Why you should be interested in Captain America and his original battle with Nazi Germany is due to a news article recently released by The Washington Times in which the “new” Captain America battles right wing conservatives. Captain America was a tool used to shape public perception. He symbolized American values, and his original fight was with the Third Reich. Now, Captain America is coming after right wing conservatives.

Through using such a character as Captain America, scholars have done research that details that such “tools” are used in way that “the production and consumption of popular culture enable a master narrative of national myth to be disseminated throughout a national (or even international) market. This narrative can contain details of not only who belongs to the nation but also what `belonging’ means and what the relationship is between those who belong and those who do not.”i To clarify, this quote details how popular culture has been intentionally used to shape people’s understanding, thoughts, and even their identity. In geopolitics this area of study is called ideological power.

The first issue of Captain America was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (both Jewish Americans) and released in December of 1940. Joe Simon stated, “The United States hadn’t yet entered the war when Jack and I created Captain America, so maybe he was our way of lashing out against the Nazi Menace.”1 Territorial symbols have been used throughout history to reproduce and symbolize nations and its territory. An example of a territorial symbol is that of the flag or the bald eagle. Captain America (among other examples) is considered a rescaling icon that represents a nation and stands for the best qualities of a nation. Children cannot be taught to be a bald eagle or the flag. However, they can be taught specific ideals through a rescaling icon, such as Captain America. The famous comic book icon Stan Lee has been quoted as stating, “Captain American represents the best aspects of the United States: courage and honesty.”[1]

The recent article by the Washington Times details that the new Captain America is fighting right wing conservatives who are a part of an “evil” militia known as “The Sons of the Serpents.” These right wing conservatives are accusing illegal immigrants of “invading a sovereign land to spread disease and crime, take American jobs, and collect welfare.”ii What’s more, the article further quotes that the story within the comic states, “by invading this sovereign land, you defy the laws of God, nature, and the United States Constitution! Therefore, I hereby apprehend you by the power vested in me by the aforementioned God, nature, et cetera, et cetera.”[2] My concern here is this: if Captain America is fighting the “new enemy” when his original enemy was Hitler and Nazi Germany, this act details that Captain America is now associating God and the U.S. Constitution with Hitler. In contrast, Captain America is not fighting ISIS, he is not fighting Muslim extremists. Keep in mind the many news stories of recent years have reported that Muslim extremists have been known to cross our southern border. Even filmmaker James O’Keefe put on a Bin Laden mask and crossed the border without a hitch. If you ever had a shred of doubt that the U.S. is under attack, maybe this article could provide some perspective and support for your concern. If you are concerned, Captain America is coming for you.

References


[1]Jason Dittmer – “America is safe while its boys and girls believe in its creeds!” Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 2007, Volume 25, pages 401- 423. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=587pAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA80&dq=America+is+safe+while+its+boys+and+girls+believe+in+its+creeds!&ots=F8y4uFcZq3&sig=zNruXOhPgh-yUkqqHc5xcF-ZPm8#v=onepage&q=America%20is%20safe%20while%20its%20boys%20and%20girls%20believe%20in%20its%20creeds!&f=false


[2]Kellan Howell – “Captain America battles right-wing conservatives in new comic” The Washington Times, October 17, 2015. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/17/captain-america-battles-right-wing-conservatives-/

Letter Re: What’s a Dime Worth?

HJL,

The contributor states $4 today will buy:

“Now, we ask, when we walk down the aisles of our local grocery store, what’s currently priced for about $4? Let’s start with the staples:

Two gallons of milk

Two or three loaves of bread

Two or three dozen eggs”

I am not sure where he is shopping, but it is obvious it is not in the USA. Milk is closer to $4 for ONE gallon, bread (decent bread) is over $3 a loaf, and eggs are selling from $3-6 a dozen depending on organic/ NON Gmo etc he also writes: For example, if you happen to live in the dairy land capital of Wisconsin, then you may be able to get three or four gallons of milk for your dime. I know you have no control over what folks write, but it makes me CRAZY when people write such things. He was close on the price of pasta though. – P.

HJL Responds: If I hadn’t been buying milk myself for $1.99/gallon, I might think that too. I haven’t bought eggs in a while because we have chickens, but while the normal price for milk is close to $4.00/gallon, there are enough grocery stores around here that there is almost always a sale on. Often I pay more than what is listed in his prices, but that is because I’m picky about some things. However, the hungrier I am, the less picky I get.

I dislike shopping at Walmart, but they will honor any store’s sales flyer. You might check on the policies of your local store because they might do that too.

Economics and Investing:

Target and other online retailers did well, but traditional brick-and-mortar retailers took a pounding this Friday. A chilly Black Friday for some brick-and-mortar retailers

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

Beware of the Sure Thing: Possible Curve Balls for the December Market (Market Watch)

U.S. Retailers Hunt for Attacks After Warning on Stealthy Malware (Reuters) Commentary: Take measures to protect your information

When Financial Bubbles Burst: Real Estate Values are Plunging in Canadian Heavy Oil Patch (Contra Corner)

Interest Rates to Stay Low Longer, Household Debt Remains a Concern – Says the Bank of England (The Telegraph)

Glencore’s Oil Deal in Libya Branded Worthless by Rival Government (The Guardian)

Brazil’s Economic Meltdown: Stagflation Ahead, Goldman Unreservedly Disappointed (Zero Hedge)

5 Steps to Help You Get Started Paying Off Debt (About.com)

7 Ways to Avoid Identity Theft Over the Holiday Season (Washington Post)

The Best Things in Life are Free (Clark Howard)

Simple Christmas Links (Becoming Minimalist)

Hotels, Cars for Joe Biden’s Thanksgiving Trip to Italy and Croatia Cost $307,118 (Washington Free Beacon)

Eliminating Cash Makes It Easier to Silence Critics (Mises Institute)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Great news! Ol’ Remus of Yer ol’ Woodpile Report is back to his Fresh Baked Every Tuesday schedule.

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There has been a politically-correct stink raised over a U.S. Army Aviation unit’s “Crusaders” logo. But as Dr. Bill Warner points out, unlike the hundreds of years of Islamic jihads, the Christian Crusades were short-lived and almost entirely defensive wars. Keep the logo!

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Obama and his mainstream media co-conspirators wasted no time to show their outrage and scream for more “gun control” after the killing of three people and wounding nine others in and outside of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic on Saturday. But where is Obama’s outrage over the millions of babies that have been murdered inside of those clinics for the past 40 years? And it is worth mentioning that a disproportionate number of those babies (36%) were black. – JWR

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SurvivalBlog reader RBS sent in this interesting link on gambling with your life: May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor

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Obama launches PR campaign to change America’s idea of refugees Sent in by D.S.