Monday, June 11, 2018

Volume Four: Number Twenty-Four


Savarin
Jasper Johns
(1982)


Freedoms
Here in these Untied States, we have many freedoms, the freedom of speech, the freedom to own firearms, the freedom to vote for our representatives, and many more outlined in our Constitution and its amendments, better known as The Bill of Rights.

But, ...

Which one is the most necessary or most important one?

For the National Rifle Association members it would probably the right to keep and bear arms, according to the Second Amendment.

For the members of the Electronic Freedom Foundation, it would probably be unrestricted speech, according to the First Amendment.

For others, it might be the Fourth Amendment. For Lawyers it might be the Fifth Amendment. For certain senators, it might be the Seventeenth Amendment. For illegal immigrants, it might be the Fourteenth Amendment. For 'blacks,' it might be the Thirteenth Amendment. For teenagers, it might be the Twenty-Sixth Amendment.

But, ...

Which one is the most important?

My opinion?

It's the Tenth


Doom and Gloom

$400

Aeroplanes

Cops

FaceBook

Food Poisoning

Hackers

Hatchets

I.T.

Liberals

Outhouses

Reassignments

Status Quo

UXO

Volcanoes

Wildfire


Things You Might Want to Think About

China
Yeap, they hate your freedoms, too.

Elections
What did they expect after allowing a massive migration into a country that is already having a hard time supporting its citizens, a political scandal involving the former leaders, and ... ?

FaceBook
You might want to dump your FaceBook account and ... stock.

Ha, Ha, Ha
It took long enough, for karma to catch up with him.

Ha, Ha, Ha, Again
What's so funny about this story?

I believed it.

Guns
Crime and crime prevention is a complex subject. It takes years of developing a better police and resident relationship, improving opportunities for city residents, and other leftist liberal money wasters.

When, ...

All the city and state has to do is get more people to buy, carry, and use firearms, when appropriate.

Kids

I guess everybody was 'black.'

You know why?

Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton, David Hogg, and so-called Black Lives Matter didn't say a thing about the shooting.

Only One
Just to set the record straight, former President Bill Clinton is the only president of these United States to be impeached. Former President Nixon resigned before being impeached.

Also, ...

William Jefferson Clinton is a sexual predator. Even Ms. Monica Lewinsky agrees with me.

Also, ...

Who's the other guy in the interview, his lawyer?

Polio
Yeap, ... During an event, you're children might die or become permanently disabled becasue, during good times, you didn't think they needed their immunization shots.

Responsibility
Please! Please!! Please Remember!!!

Officer Scot Peterson had no legal responsibility to defend those students and teachers from anyone, including the scumbag Nikolas Cruz.

Socialists
Aaah, the mean ol' Democrats finally got tired of people taking their stuff without paying.

I wish they would get tired of trying to take my stuff, too.

Substitution
The nice lady, according to Jon Stewart, called the President's daughter a cunt.

Her exact words were “You know, Ivanka, that’s a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad’s immigration practices, you feckless cunt,”

Well, ...

What do you think would have happened if some, so-called, nice lady had called Chelsea Clinton, Malia Obama, or Sasha Obama a cunt, during their father's presidency?

I bet, Jon Stewart wouldn't have been defending them.

Time Piece
You know, what's so bad about this article?

A bill was written and proposed, the bill was passed and signed into law, and ...

Trespassing
Long before this story started, we went to StarBucks a few months ago.

The restrooms were clean and unlocked.

The seating area was clean and only customers were sitting in the booths.

And, ...

The coffee was still burnt and overpriced

Wheel Chair
Thanks America, ... You just gave our enemies another way to circumvent our nations security.


Overheard

"Shale oil is not a miracle so much as a spectacular stunt: ... "

"A journalist has named the senior White House aide Sydney Blumenthal as the source of press reports last year that Monica Lewinsky was a predatory 'stalker' obsessed with Bill Clinton, contradicting Mr Blumenthal's testimony to the Senate."

"But there is one thing Barack Obama has on all competitors: treason."

"What you see out there along the Pacific rim of the USA is a giant booby-trap of certain cataclysm. It’s part of the even greater tectonic phenomenon called the Ring of Fire, which circles the whole western ocean from the Aleutian Islands to Japan through Indonesia and up again along the western edge of South America. Things are livening up all over the darn thing right now, including the rumblings of a bunch of big volcanoes in the South Pacific and the Fuego volcano in Guatemala, uncorking lethally as I write. And, of course, none of the foregoing includes the giant magma dome of worthless stock and bond values swelling under the towers of Wall Street back east."

"The point of life is for old men to plant trees in whose shade they will never stand."


What Others Wrote

Ace of Spades HQ: The Morning Report, 6/8/18

Active Response Training: Weekend Knowledge Dump, June 8, 2018

Defense One: The D Brief, 8 June 2018

Ace of Spades: Weekend Gun Thread, 6/10/18

Survival Blog: The Survivalist's Odds n' Sods, 214 

Yer Ol' Woodpile Report: Index 532

The Z Blog: ???


That's Just the Way it Was: Little Rock, Arkansas (ca 1935)


Sunday



Sunday

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Friday's Thoughts and Other Stuff, on a Saturday


Dear Preppers and Survivalists,

Coast Guard Auxiliary Division 7
Flotilla 73
crew academy training (ca 2012)
photograph by
Jonathan James

Comments
Thanks for all the comments folks. Sorry about not getting them posted sooner, but I have been busy these last few months.


Blogging
I have had several questions about starting a blog, sad to say I'm terrible at it, but .... Here's my suggestions.

First, are you doing it for you or the money. Hopefully it's for you because most people don't make any money at blogging.

Second, have a regular schedule that you can work within. Take Uncle from Say Uncle. He writes five, six, seven blurbs a day while

Third, write about something you enjoy. If you like cooking, write about cooking. You like guns, write about guns. If you like politics, write about politics.

Fourth, don't quit your day job. Ha, ha, ha.

Fifth, add value by selling your writing, be it a cookbook, pamphlets, or other stuff (art, charity store finds, or ...) to your readers.

But, ...

Do it directly because the middlemen will keep some of your profit. Please, some do-gooder like me will come along and talk bad about the expensive, useless stuff the blog is peddling like Survival Blog.

Sixth, ... It's late; I'm headed to bed.

Friday, June 8, 2018

Friday's Thoughts and Other Stuff (Information)


Dear Preppers and Survivalists,

Electrician's Mate 2nd Class Paul Lerret
reads a book in the USS Harry S. Truman's library (ca 2002)
photograph by
Photographer's Mate 2nd Class H. Dwain Willis

Information
I work with a gal that loves the printed page. She likes to have all of her work on a sheet of paper, especially any reference material.

So, ...

She has stacks of folders in huge file cabinets, map cabinets full of maps and deep shelves full of technical drawings, and plans galore, all over her office ; - )

Well, ...

The nice lady is running out of space, so she will be purging her files in the next few years.


A Sandisk-brand USB thumb drive,
SanDisk Cruzer Micro, 4GB (ca 2010)
photograph by
Evan-Amos

Thumb Drives
The Universal Serial Bus Flash Drive (USB Flash Drive) was invented in early 1999. It was first offered in 8 MB. At 500 pages of text per Megabit (MB) that works out to 4000 single-sided sheets of paper or 80 low resolution images.

Now a days, you and your family can purchase 4 to 256 Gigabit flash drives.

Just so you know, 1 gigabit equals 1000 megabits, so a four gigabit thumb drives holds 2,000,000 pages of text or 40,000 low resolution images.

Now, I'm going to stop here with one more piece of information about jump drives. They can last at least 10 years with the possibility of working for close to 100 years.

Link:
Wikipedia - USB Flash Drive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive

Wikipedia - Universal Serial Bus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB


Micro SD Card, 1 CHF coin , and SD Card (ca 2016)
photograph by
Clément Bucco-Lechat


SD Cards
Secure Digital is a format introduced in late 1999. Currently it has four families, the Standard-Capacity (SDSC), the High-Capacity (SDHC), the eXtended-Capacity (SDXC), and the SDIO. These cards come in three sizes, original, mini, and micro.

SDSC cards can hold up to ??? of information, and SDHC cards can hold up to 32 gigabit of information. SDXC cards can hold up to 2 terabit of information while SDIO cards are used to attach the electronic device to support cameras, global positioning systems, FM tuners, and many others.

These cards can last up to five years.

Link:
Wikipedia - Secure Digital
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital


Hard Disk Drive
with cover removed (ca 2004)
photograph by
Rjt

Hard Disk Drives
Developed in the mid-50s, the first hard drive was the size of two medium refrigerators and stored 3.75 megabytes of information.

Now-a-days, hard drives can be had in sizes of 14 terabits and can last for around 250 years.

Link:
Wikipedia - Hard Disk Drive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive


Disassembled Solid State Drive (ca 2014)
photograph by
Arvutistuudio

Solid State Drives
All I have to say, ... They only last two years in storage.

Link:
Wikipedia - Solid State Drive
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid-state_drive


The Trail to Kalam Lake (ca 2013)
photograph by
Talha Malik

Destination
By now, you probably know where I'm going with this information.

And, ...

You would be right.


Trade Offs
First, paper is bulky and can be difficult to properly store. Plus, it is flammable, can be damaged by insects, and it takes knowledge to access.

Second, electronic devices are small but require electricity to access. They can be damaged be power surges, extreme heat, moisture, and other ravages.

Third, no matter your information storage device, including your brain, every device has its pros and cons.


Which One?
Like your food storage, you need to make an assessment

First, ... What are your needs? Are you looking for the basics, then a few books would be fine with some training or practice to cement your knowledge. If you're looking for depth and breadth then you will need the important and critical knowledge in paper with the remainder and backup of the paper in electronic storage devices.

Second, ... What are your resources? Do you have some money then you can buy multiple forms of the information, like compact disks with thumb drives with SD cards with an external hard drive and two devices to access the information, like a laptop with a solar panel and a mobile phone with a card reader. If you don't have excess money then you might request the local library to purchase all the anthologies for Backwoods Home magazine.

Third, ... What events are you and your family planning to survive? Are you planning for a winter storm, hurricane, tornado, or other short-term event then you probably only need copies of all you family's important documents that are normally stored in a safety deposit box. If you're planning for a long-term wide-ranging event then you and your family are probably going to need an extensive base of knowledge. A base of knowledge that would fill a small local library with books, floor to ceiling and wall to wall.

Lastly, ... How long? Because if it's a multi-generational event, you and your partner are going to have to start a school to teach your children and the children of your friends how to read all those books, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and other written material.

Link:
Wikipedia - Digital Permanence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_permanence

Wikipedia - Print Permanence
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Print_permanence

Wikipedia - Preservation (Library and Archival Science)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preservation_(library_and_archival_science)

Wikipedia - Disk Storage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_storage

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Wednesday: 6 June 2018, Part Three


Welcome Preppers and Survivalists,

Stevens 520-30 Trench Gun with M1917 Bayonet (ca 2015)
photograph by
Keydet92


Last week, I highlighted some articles about shotguns that got me to thinking.

So, ...


870 or 500
The two most popular 12 gauge shotguns, in these United States, are the Mossberg Model 500-series and the Remington Model 870.

Which one is 'better?'

You will have to decide.

Link:
YouTube: mixflip - Watch this before you buy a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuxCLivZ-Vk

YouTube:BlockShawOutdoors - Remington 870 VS Mossberg 500 - which one is better?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mvD2Iuf4IQ

YouTube: dochinson - Remington 870 vs Mossberg 500/88 Ultimate Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycvSAZyQU6o


Lucky Gunner
Either choice, ...

Both will require you and your family to have ...

Knowledge and Skills

Link:
YouTube: Lucky Gunner - Why Use a Shotgun for Home Defense?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USs4AfyI9wM

YouTube: Lucky Gunner - 6 Features of a Home-Defense Shotgun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8pWkGJg2Vw

YouTube: Lucky Gunner - Buckshot for the Home Defense Shotgun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCAI3Ni6bzg

YouTube: Lucky Gunner - Cruiser Ready: How to Store A Home Defense Shotgun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyqy8AC3uPQ

YouTube: Lucky Gunner - Practical Drills for the Home Defense Shotgun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0uoLNB-pTo

YouTube: Lucky Gunner - How to Reload a Defensive Shotgun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imY0FT4ZtBc


Hickok 45
With over a three million subscribers and two hundred videos, he has something to say about ...

Links:
YouTube: hickok45 - Mossberg 590 vs Remington 870
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vaa6wsw7Ts

YouTube: hickok45 - Shotgun Choice: Pump vs Semi-auto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_1-E6qFuXk


20 Gauge
Back in the day, I would shoot 12 gauge all day, everyday.

Now-a-days, it's ...

Link:
YouTube: Gun Talk Media - 20 Gauge Shotguns for Home Defense
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvb7O6SucEc

YouTube: Paul Harrell - 20 Gauge Shotguns Part One: Home Defense
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8EL9MXY2S4

YouTube: Lucky Gunner - What About 20 Gauge for Home Defense?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dogPJQLeqg


Ammunition
If you have a firearm, you're going to need ammunition. Just not any old ammunition, if you're protecting your family.

Link:
YouTube:earthling1984 - Shotgun Shells Explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQwSkeO_2mA

YouTube:fmgpubs - Home Defense: Buckshot vs. Birdshot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrM5U2kGQCc

YouTube: Paul Harrell - Bird Shot in your Home Defense Shotgun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaR1EVybUgc

YouTube:nutnfancy - Ammo Carry for Tactical Shotgun: Ways That Work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnLbe5q3-Lo

Wednesday: 6 June 2018, Part Two


Welcome Preppers and Survivalists,

A Traditional Ugandan  Meal (ca 2014)
photograph by
Welli

Oldies
In a few short months, Getting Started in Emergency Preparedness will be ten years old,

In honor of this event, ...

I have collected, every Wednesday for the next year, a few blurbs from various places, such as ...


Safely Gathered In
Hannah and Abbie with Brittany, Aleasha, Sarah, and Tiffany provided wonderful advice and suggestions about gathering, storing and using food storage for you and your family. The six women also provided great, delicious recipes based on their food storage that their families eat at family meal times.

Link:
Safely Gathered In - Our "Safely Gathered In" e-book!
http://safelygatheredin2.blogspot.com/2008/06/sgi-e-book.html


Food Storage Made Easy
Jodi and Julie have a wonderful blog with lots of information, so they also have many tips, tricks, and recipes, for you and your family.

Link:
Food Storage Made Easy - How to Make Omelets Freeze-Dried Style
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2013/06/01/how-to-make-omelets-freeze-dried-style/

Food Storage Made Easy - Sweet and Sour Chicken from Scratch (+ Quinoa)
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2012/06/01/sweet-and-sour-chicken-from-scratch-quinoa/