Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers recommended the excellent documentary: Midnight Ride: When Rogue Politicians Call For Martial Law

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The count is now at 15 governors who have said they will reject the “refugees”. Obama faces insurrection – State governors are refusing to accept more refugees As a friend so aptly put it: “If you were given 10 grapes and told two of them were poison, and you couldn’t tell which two, would you eat any of them?”

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The “Big Boys” have the tools, now “Jr Varsity” ISIS wants them too. Britain warns of ISIS plotting deadly cyberattacks Link sent in by G.P.

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Military Armory Robbed – Haul included M4s, pistols, other rifles While nothing ties the theft directly to terrorist at this time, the timing is nonetheless disquieting. – T.P.

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Showing that the community is capable of policing its own: “World’s Worst” Firearms Instructor Stripped Of Credentials

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“A hand from Washington will be stretched out and placed upon every man’s business; the eye of the Federal inspector will be in every man’s counting house… The law will of necessity have inquisitorial features, it will provide penalties, it will create complicated machinery. Under it men will be hailed into courts distant from their homes. Heavy fines imposed by distant and unfamiliar tribunals will constantly menace the tax payer. An army of Federal inspectors, spies and detectives will descend upon the state… Who of us who have had knowledge of the doings of the Federal officials in the Internal Revenue Service can be blind to what will follow?” – Richard E. Byrd, speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, arguing against the 16th Amendment which authorized the Federal Income Tax

Notes for Tuesday – November 17, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  4. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  5. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  6. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  7. Twenty-five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knifemaker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  9. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 61 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Solid Solution On Securing Home Defense During A TEOTWAWKI Situation, by B.M.

Currently, I reside in a suburb about 40 miles outside of Chicago. It’s just far enough in my opinion to escape the madness should the SHTF. Nobody is going to walk 40 miles out of the city to my town. What would they achieve by doing this anyway? In any case, my personal bugout plan is to bug-in should a SHTF scenario develop. I live in a typical small suburban home with neighbors all around me. It is a typical suburban American block. I have thought through many scenarios that may present themselves during times of trouble, whether it’s that our grid is down or we’re dealing with war, disease, nuclear plant meltdown, economic collapse, or you name it. I am sure you have thought through all of the potential threats that you have to be prepared for, so I won’t beleaguer this point.

The purpose of my article is to introduce what is the best, most efficient, and least costly way to defend your family against any potential looters from breaking into your home/apartment to get to your food, supplies, guns, et cetera. Remember this is based on the assumption that you plan on bugging in rather than bugging out, although this solution would work for an RV as well. Desperate people will do desperate things; we all know that. If you have something they need, they will not stop by any means to get to your goods, and if you’re in their way it may very well be lights out for you!

I would like to share with you a few of my solutions using the element of surprise, which if executed well can deter a large group and also give you the upper hand at the same time. Let’s assume for a moment it’s cold out and you have your wood burning stove providing heat to your home. This obviously creates smoke that’s visible, and the wood burning odor can also be detected a mile away in the direction the wind is blowing. Or, let’s assume you have a dog as part of your protection team and he/she starts to bark, hearing a group of looters that are coming down your street. Food smells, dogs barking, indoor lights, candles flickering, and wood burning odors all can provide evidence that your dwelling has some creature comforts in it worth fighting for.

Know Your Dwelling

Who knows your residence best, be it an apartment, condo, townhouse, rural farm house, suburban home, city bungalow or RV? You, of course. You know every nook and cranny, every window, every exit, every staircase, the basement, the closets, and also externally how things are built, including your landscape, terrain, porches, decks, garages, and all as well as where they are located. If you’re a prepper, you know your perimeter and your dwelling well. If you don’t, you best get to know every inch of your living area now. Make it a priority, because all of the supplies and food and ammo you have won’t matter if someone can break into your dwelling and take it from you. There are several good articles on the Internet on how to make your property safer from break-ins.

Limit Entrances to One

Everyone’s living situation is different, but we all have one thing in common: whether it’s an apartment or a farmhouse, it’s a building code that you must have at least two entrance ways in and out of any residence. This brings me to my next point. What if you laid down a deterrent in front of any of the main floor doors or windows that are vulnerable to being broken into and select only one entranceway to enter and exit your home? You and your family cannot possibly be at every window or door that is vulnerable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That would be a poor home defense plan and rob you of valuable time that could be spent doing the hundred other things during a SHTF scenario.

Setup A Serious, Deadly, Deterrent Of Entry Inside Main Floor Doors and Windows

So how do you stop a gang of looters from busting through your windows and doors in force and in numbers? I have a solution that I have thought through, and it is very efficient at stopping large groups, deadly in nature, and cost efficient. Additionally, it allows you ample time to get into your defensive position until the right moment when you unleash “hell”. (This is assuming you have firearms to defend your family and residence as part two of this defense deterrent.) This solution will not only stop large groups of people in their tracks, it will create utter chaos and panic and take them all completely by surprise. Remember to keep in mind the mob mentality and the desperation of people who are starving or freezing to death or who are thirsty or sick. They want what you have, and they will stop at nothing to get it. We’re talking serious stuff, and it needs to be dealt with a serious and deadly deterrent. A desperate mob or one desperate person at some point can get through your doors or windows by some means of force. It’s what lies on the other side of your doors and windows that will stop them cold. I am not talking about hand grenades here.

Concertina wire, razor wire, or whatever you want to call it is a stop dead in your tracks weapon. You do not place it outside of your home on the perimeter but inside your home, just beyond where your smashed in door breaks down or swings open. Also place it on the floor just below the base of your main floor windows.

Think about this scenario for a moment. Three desperate men that are prowling the streets for food come upon your place because they hear your dog barking. They will consider eating your dog as food, because it has been a week since the crisis and they are ravenous. They find an old pipe, maybe a large rock or two or anything they can grab and start smashing away at your doors or main floor windows. They are desperate. Their adrenalin is high, and yet they know there may be an armed resident inside and certainly a barking dog, which may turn into a biting dog once they break in. That won’t stop them, however, when driven by starvation. Do you think with that mind set and that scenario that they are going to try and quietly and stealthily enter your residence? No! They will bull rush that door or window, and once broken through they will charge into the house only to run straight into hundreds of shards of slicing, dicing, and flesh ripping razor wire. The first man falls into the wire getting entangled and screams in pain just as the second man right on his tail falls on top of him also slicing him to ribbons. You get the idea. All the while you wait with your (insert your favorite defense firearm here) and blast away as the intruders who are now panicked, bleeding, entangled, and in severe pain try and escape the razor wire spider web they just rushed into.

There are several places on the Internet to order razor wire or plenty of farm supply stores that sell it. I purchased three rolls of 18” diameter Galvanized Steel Concertina Razor Wire with each roll covering 15 feet in length. The total cost including shipping was $210. That’s not a bad price considering what you get. Caution: You must purchase steel mesh gloves to handle the razor wire. It is nasty stuff, and there’s no sense hurting yourself during a SHTF situation. Roll the wire out in such a manner that it is doubled up and at least three feet high and six feet in length. No one will get through that. Again, placement of the wire is critical. It must be placed just far enough away to allow a door to swing open forcefully or to allow the door to come crashing down without it landing on top of the wire; otherwise, the perpetrator can simply walk right on top of the door with the wire beneath it and not become entangled. You decide the most likely scenario on which way your door will open when forcefully broken. Will it fall straight down, hinges and all, or will it swing open as the lock is broken? If they break through a window and step or crawl inside the opening, there is the razor wire waiting silently below ready to slice them up and stop the threat immediately.

Safety Concerns

The obvious safety concerns for using this deterrent solution is not to have your family or pets get near this indoor booby trap. Again, make sure it is strategically placed but also out of the way from the normal traffic patterns in your residence. If you’re using this on the most vulnerable entrances on the main floor, keep one door wire free so you can access the outside. Think about this as well. Would you rather be trying to defend several windows and doors or just one? With all else that you must be engaged in, wouldn’t it be easier to pick out your one strongest door or window and defend it instead of having to be in several places at once? The razor wire is a 100% dead stop for anyone trying to enter your home with ill intent.

I hope you will consider my home defense solution. The element of surprise can make the difference when outnumbered. I will be using it as described above, should a real crisis come upon us. Also, let it be known, I do not work for nor endorse any particular firm that manufactures concertina or razor wire. I just feel strongly that this is a failsafe solution if a real SHTF situation develops and you are planning on bugging in. Be Prepared.

Letter Re: Infant Nutrition

Hello,

After reading the infant nutrition article and several responses to it, I could not help it but add something to the discussion. Dental caries and especially childhood dental caries is the most widespread disease in United States. The science behind it is that it is a bacterial infection, meaning the cavities are caused by bacteria in the mouth. Kids are not born with that bacteria but acquire them during childhood. DNA testing has shown that in 90% of the infection cases, the source is the primary caretaker, mainly the mother. Ways of infection are sharing utensils, kissing on the mouth, and you guessed it, pre-chewing the food. Research has also shown that the later the child acquires that bacteria the less likely he will have cavities for the rest of his life. Now, I understand that in a SHTF scenario, feeding the child will take a precedence above all else. However, we don’t want to discount dental decay in kids. Tooth aches, infection, swelling, inability to eat and even death can result from a simple cavity. Google the name Deamonte Driver for an example of possible consequences. Currently, a dentist is a short drive away. I doubt it will be that easy once normal society breaks down. Antibiotics will slow down the infection but will not cure it until the source of it is gone. This is something for those advocating pre-chewing the food to consider. – BG, Pediatric Dentist

Economics and Investing:

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

China Welcomes IMF Backing to Make Yuan World Reserve Currency

Car Loans Hit $1 Trillion for First Time

Japan Relapses into Recession in July-September, a Blow to ‘Abenomics’

Items from Professor Preponomics:

Nordstrom: The Religion of Consumption Has Proven Unfulfilling (Market Watch)

It’s Official. Obama Wants to Help You Manage Your Retirement Savings. (Zero Hedge)

Jury Finds Ernst & Young Liable for Millions in Damages Related to the Madoff Ponzi Scheme (Reuters)

Postal Service Tallies $5.1B Loss Even As Revenues Rise (U.S. News)

100 American CEOs Have More Wealth Than 116 Million Americans (My Budget 360)

Smaller Bonuses on Wall Street and 2016 Doesn’t Look Promising Either (Business Insider)

12th Obamacare Co-op Closes After Receiving $71.5M in Taxpayer Funded Loans (Daily Signal)

Managing Your Money the Old-Fashioned Way (Clark Howard)

Save Money on Thanksgiving Dinner (Frugal Living)

A Lighter, Simpler, More Beautiful Holiday (Becoming Minimalist) Thought to Share: What a wonderful way to make Christ the focus this and every Christmas.

Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader D.E. writes in with the comment: “It’s a sad day in the land of the free and home of the brave when Microsoft must move it’s data centers to Germany to give their users a smidgen of data privacy from their own government.”

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From D.S.: Texas warns Obama: No Syrian refugees here! – The lines are being drawn. Texas, Idaho, New Mexico and others are saying no; Washington says yes. Which state did you want to live in?

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B.B. sent in this link to an excellent article on the average Americans response to Paris: Pamela Geller, Breitbart News: The West Has Lost the Will to Live.

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Ever wonder why SurvivalBlog always chooses “Made in (pretty much anywhere)” over “Made in China” when possible? Why Home Depot is not your best choice for quality products This is just a minor reason compared to the slave labor issue. Sent in by P.M.

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Going hand-in-hand with the latest article on SurvivalBlog on antibiotics comes this warning: ‘Dangerously high’ antibiotic resistance levels worldwide: WHO Sent in by G.P.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Humans are pattern-seeking story-telling animals, and we are quite adept at telling stories about patterns, whether they exist or not.” – Michael Shermer

Notes for Monday – November 16, 2015

November 16th is the birthday of Michael D. Echanis (born 1950, died September 1978), a former United States Army Special Forces and 75th Ranger Battalion enlisted man. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with “V” device as a LRRP in the Vietnam War. He was born and raised in eastern Oregon. Echanis was killed while working for the CIA in Nicaragua in 1978 in a plane crash along with his colleague, Charles Sanders, and members of the Nicaraguan armed forces. There was conjecture that the plane was destroyed in flight by a saboteur’s bomb. JWR’s novel Survivors includes a minor character from Oregon with the surname Echanis, as a small homage to Mike Echanis.

Schrade SCHF3 Survival Knife – By Pat Cascio

It’s probably been at least 20 years since I owned any sort of Schrade knife, and the last one I had was a fixed blade hunting knife. It worked just fine, near as I can recall, dressing out a deer. Schrade has been around for a long, long time, well, sorta. Schrade is now owned by Taylor Brands, and I’m not sure when this takeover took place. As far as I know, all Taylor Brands cutlery is produced in China. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.

I recently purchased a Schrade SCHF3 fixed blade survival knife for testing. You can find it on the Taylor website; however, I purchased it through Amazon.com and only paid $36 for it with free shipping. The knife retails for close to $80 on other websites.

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A quick look at the specs of the SCHF3 is in order. The blade is 6.4-inches long and made out of 7CR17 stainless steel that is black powder coated for additional protection from the elements. The handle material is polish Micarta that is a combination black/brown/green in color and nicely sculpted; it fits the hand nicely. The blade is clip point– a good all-around style, and it comes in a Nylon sheath with a plastic liner to protect the blade from cutting through the sheath. The sheath is a nice addition. The blade weighs 22 ounces, and the steel is 1/4 inch thick, unlike many other large fixed blade knives that have a 3/16th-inch thick blade. The blade is partially serrated; however, you can get one that doesn’t have the serrations.

After reading a number of reviews on the SCHF3 that were most favorable, I actually made the purchase and hoped for the best. When the knife arrived, I was impressed with how well ade it was. The grind lines were perfect as was the Micarta handle, albeit a bit thick. Many may not like how thick the handle feels in their hands. There is also a nice lanyard hold on the butt of the knife with a para cord lanyard attached. The sheath also has para cord on it with a nice, large pocket on the front for a sharpening stone (not included) or for carrying a spare handgun magazine or multi-tool.

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All-in-all, I was impressed with the knife, except for the sharpness of the blade. It needed some serious work to bring it up to my standards of sharpness. I hope they all don’t come this way. Then we have the serrations on the back/bottom of the blade. I never saw serrations like this, and after testing them I found them to be totally useless for what you’d normally use them for. One of the cutting tests I perform is on poly rope. The serrations did nothing to aid in cutting this slick rope, nor did it help cutting any other rope. Forego the partially serrated version, and get the plain blade version.

As to the sheath, it’s very thin nylon, and I don’t see a long life with it. I’d elect to have a Kydex sheath made for this knife, if I were to carry it long term. I can see the sheath ripping or wearing out and falling off your belt, without knowing it, and you’d lose the knife. These days, you can even obtain Kydex material and form your own sheath. I would also place a sharpening stone in the front pocket on the sheath.

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I actually did quite a bit of testing with this Schrade knife. I was more than a bit concerned with the low price I bought it for. Sometimes money is well spent on some items, when you can find them “on the cheap”. Other times, you get what you pay for; you get junk! I live in Western Oregon, where we normally get a lot of rain, and don’t you know, we are in a bit of a drought these days with not much rain. However, I did place the SCHF3 on the patio table when it rained and left it there for several days. There was just a hint of rust on the knife’s edge, where it’s not protected with the black coating. In the test of the knife, I had no problems with rust at all.

I chopped on some dead and downed trees on my little homestead with the SCHF3 and found it to be a fairly good chopper, other than the thick handle. While it felt good in my hand, when actually using the knife to chop with, it tended to twist in my hand for some reason.

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One test I always perform when possible is slicing through blackberry vines, which are some tough stuff. The SCHF3 failed me, even with the sharp edge I put on it. I was more than a little disappointed in this test, and I don’t think working the edge over again would give it any better slicing power.

The wife used the knife around the kitchen, where it performed very well slicing meat and veggies. Even with the thick blade, it worked very well. The wife is picky when it comes to knives (and guns), so I was surprised she liked it, other than the thick handle scales, which were too thick for her hand.

Every chance I got, I pulled out the SCHF3 and used it for cutting chores. For the most part, it worked just fine and better than some other knives I’ve tested in the past. I also stabbed the knife into stacked cardboard, and I could easily stab it up to the handle with some effort on my part. (Skinner knives work better in this respect.)

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So, in the end, is the Schrade SCHF3 a good buy? Well, it depends on what you plan to use it for. For long-term survival, I’d have to give it a “no-go”. For camping and hunting chores, I’d say “yes”, and it would be a great blade to toss into your survival box in the trunk of your car and forget about it until you need to pull it out and use it. For carrying around the ranch or farm, yep, it would work just fine, so long as you replaced the flimsy Nylon sheath with a molded Kydex sheath; you don’t want to lose the knife, even if it is inexpensive.

All things considered, I was a little surprised that this inexpensive, large, fixed blade knife performed so well, but I would like Schrade to put a better edge on it. While I didn’t have to touch-up the blade during my testing, it was getting dull. In the end, I gave the knife to the manager at the gun shop I haunt, so he could give it to his son, who is into collecting knives lately.

Still, for the money, this isn’t a bad knife. Just know the limitations and don’t buy it if you want it to be your one and only survival-type knife. Instead, get something a little better.

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio

Recipe of the Week: Native Persimmon Pudding, from OkieRanchWife

Hello, Jim and Hugh! Here is another recipe for the blog. It is a great time of year for preserving the harvest, whether it is planted or foraged.

I am fortunate to have numerous native persimmon trees, Diospyros virginiana, on my property. It’s free foraged food, and this year I was able to get to them before the deer, coyotes, or the cows. If you have not ever tried a ripe persimmon, the best description I can give you is to imagine a honeyed apricot. The taste is fantastic. Always be certain that it is a ripe persimmon. Green ones are so astringent that it will take your breath away. They are the last fruit to ripen in the fall. They are also a good source of Vitamin C, having 16.5 mg in every 25 grams of pulp. It is best to process the persimmon for pulp before you intend to use it. It does take a little while to separate the flesh/pulp from the seeds.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 cup persimmon pulp
  • 2 whole eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ tsp lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp butter, softened

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Butter and flour thoroughly an 8x8x2 baking dish.
  3. Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar. Add the persimmon pulp, beaten eggs, milk, lemon zest, and butter. Mix thoroughly.
  4. Turn out the mixture into the greased and floured baking dish.
  5. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, depending upon your oven.
  6. A toothpick in the middle should come out clean. Allow to cool slightly before serving. It can be served with whipped cream.

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

Letter Re: Multi-Caliber Firearms

Hugh,

I was wondering what were your thoughts on rifles capable of shooting multiple calibers? Examples are the Sig Sauer SIG556xi and Colt MARC 901. I can see the utility of pistols having this capability, but I was wondering if you thought the extra investment would be worth it for rifles?

HJL responds: I haven’t tried any of the new offerings on the market, but the Thompson Contender has long been a staple of my collection. I have both the original frame and an Encore frame with a barrel for each caliber for which I reload. I use it as the platform for working up loads, because I can attach strain gauges to the barrel much easier than to nearly any other firearm (especially those of the semi-automatic variety). It is also an excellent platform for accuracy and for calibers that you want to try but don’t want to invest heavily in until you know for sure. I’m not sure I could do without it at this point. While it does not serve on a front-line status for home defense or hunting, it certainly is an integral part of my system.

That being said, I’m not sure that I would want a multi-caliber firearm that served as a primary weapon. While I have no direct experience in either of the platforms that you mention, I have long held the philosophy that when ultimate reliability is demanded, single function is a requirement. I’ve heard the arguments about being able to shoot your ammo as well as that of your enemy, but it’s probably easier to pick up his weapon to use as well, and proper planing negates that need altogether. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and I am currently admiring the Detonics Defense STX, though I haven’t pulled the trigger on one yet.

Economics and Investing:

Americans are buying tons of gold November 12 Sent in by G.P.

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Despite their own economic woes, the Chinese continue to chip away at the U.S. dollar dominance on the world scene: China welcomes IMF backing to make yuan world reserve currency – P.S.

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

Four U.S. Firms with $4.8B in Debt May Default at Any Time: Energy Sector Losses Continue (Zero Hedge)

Social Security: The Long Slow Default (Mises Institute)

Obamacare’s Co-op Failure Contagion (Wall Street Journal)

ECB Says Further Policy Easing is Coming to European Markets Next Month (Reuters)

Acceleration in the Upward Movement of Property Values: Projections for Home Values in the United Kingdom (Business Insider)

Apple’s Chief Tech Exec Says Next Generation Won’t Know What Money Is (The Telegraph)

Odds ‘n Sods:

J.C. sent in a link to an interesting article on gardening in Colonial America: How Americans Gardened 260 Years Ago

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You are probably already aware of most of this content, but while the media wants to claim that ISIS came out of nowhere, the truth is far more concerning. U.S. policy has direct links to its creation. Video: Origin of ISIS. Sent in by J.C.

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Still not convinced that all of Islam is bad? How about hearing from their own lips that there is no such thing as Islamic Extremists; there is only Islamic: Video: Extreme Islam is Islam, according to Islam.

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US Senate Passes Bill Approving Mandatory Vaccinations for Veterans – Sent in by J.H.

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It’s kind of basic, but Popular Mechanics has an article on 7 ways to protect yourself from a home invasion that is worth reading. – D.S.