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Watching the news while sipping coffee, I notice that the French are continuing their ancient tradition of being overrun by foreign powers. One would think that they had learned their lesson during the first half of the 20th century, but from what I'm seeing, they learned nothing.
I, for one, am not interested in another French intervention. Belle's father was in the Army during the first French invasion, and I had uncles who served during the second French occupation. They need to save themselves this time.
On a related note, I reckon that anyone who advocates for open borders should at least be morally consistent and leave their hones unlocked which they leave for the day. Consistency, like charity, starts at home.
Now, though, on a more local note, I need to spend some time studying ballistics charts. I need to review the ballistics of the .30 cal, 170 grain round nose Core-Lokt. Fpr the record, the ballistic calculator I use is here.. You need to know the muzzle velocity, the ballistic coefficient of the bullet, and the sight height.
Many of these tragedies turn into one page summaries: fourv dead bodies in an alley shot to death. No clues. Others are surprisingly interesting.
Santa Clara, Cal. (1969)
Before 09/31/1969: The career of the father, 48, as a credit manager collapsed as his financial problems led to “misappropriation of funds” from the credit bureau. Then his attempt at embezzling funds from his senile mother-in-law failed. Neighbors said the family “seemed to just disappear in the middle of the night.” The house changed hands several times before the crime came to light. He ended up in Cedar City, Utah, where he explained that his previous wife and family had died, which was technically true. Then he vanished after embezzling more than $50,000, taking his son from second marriage with him. He was eventually caught in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he married a third time.
In 1974, a termite inspector went into the crawlspace of the family home preparing the house for sale. He found a woman and her two teenaged daughters buried there. He later admitted that he beat to death his wife and one daughter with a hammer and strangled the other daughter.
He was convicted of three murders and sentenced to life.
Category: family
Suicide: no
Cause: financial?
Weapon: blunt[1]
[1] “Termite Inspector Finds Victims of Triple Murder,” [Burley, Ida ] South Idaho Press, Mar. 22, 1974, 1 .“House With a Secret,” [Scranton, Penn.] Times-Tribune, Oct. 06, 1974, 63, 70; “Former Biloxian Gets Life Term for Murders of Wife, Daughters,” [Biloxi, Miss] Sun, Jan. 27, 1979, 8.
You’ve just shot the criminal who broke into your house and threatened you with a weapon. The threat has been neutralized and police have been called. You’ve read my articles in the past, so you know it’s not a good idea to have a gun in your hand when the cops arrive. When […]This Week in History: On October 18, 1892, the first commercial long-distance phone line went into operation between Chicago and New York. Many more lines followed, necessitating the advent of long-distance switchboards to supplement local switchboards. — Deeper Discounts: To lighten the load for their upcoming move to Montana, the new owners of Ready Made Resources are offering some deeply-discounted food and gear packages. I just heard that they have increased the discount to 50% for SurvivalBlog readers, on both their equipment and food packages, but for just the next three packages that are sold. Mention that you are a SurvivalBlog …
The post Preparedness Notes — October 20, 2026 appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
I’ve often been quoted as saying that we are living in the age of deception and betrayal. I even turned that it an acronym: WALITAODAB. But I’d like to mention another characterization for life in the early 21st Century. We are living in an age of compromise. Increasingly, people seem willing to compromise on their principles in order to get what they desire — whether it be money, power, prestige, possessions, or even just brief pleasure. Life is all about making choices, and all too often people make poor choices because they have not overcome their base nature. Our permissive …
The post Living a Principled Life in an Age of Compromise appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
The following recipe for Tuna Fish and Rice Loaf is from Good Housekeeping’s Book of Good Meals. This 1927-copyrighted book (now in public domain) is one of the 11 books that will be added to the extensive library of bonus books included with the SurvivalBlog 2027 Edition waterproof archive USB sticks. (Available for ordering in mid-January, 2027.) Ingredients 3 cupfuls boiling water 1 large can tuna fish 5 beef bouillon cubes 1/2 cupful chopped celery 2 tablespoonfuls granulated gelatine. 1-1/2 cupfuls cold cooked rice (cooked in salted water.) Grating of onion 1/2 cupfuls cold water Directions Soak the gelatine in …
The post Recipe of the Week: appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
Today’s graphic of the Mississippi River Watershed shows a raindrop’s 2,147-mile journey to the Gulf of Mexico America, starting 15 miles from Lake Erie. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail image below is click-expandable. — If any SurvivalBlog readers have personally taken or otherwise hold the copyright to a particularly nice landscape photo or other photo of particular interest to preppers that is in a wide horizontal format (to match our blog template) then please send it in as an e-mail attachment, and I will consider posting it as a Graphic of the Week, or as a Top Note photo. …
The post SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Economics & Investing Links of Interest Last Call for more than 20 Ruger models! A news headline: Ruger Discontinues many models. “Effective immediately, Ruger is ceasing production of its LCR, SP101, GP100 and Bearcat revolvers. The company plans to complete its final production runs of the following models for 2026: SR1911, LC Carbine, PC Charger, PC Carbine, LC Charger, Redhawk, Super Redhawk, Blackhawk, Super Blackhawk, Single-Series revolvers, Vaquero, No. 1, 77-Series rifles, Hawkeye and Ruger Precision Rifle.” …
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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, mre AI-driven battlefield robots. AI-Powered Robots Could Soon Dominate the Ukraine War National Security Journal: Terminator in 2026: AI-Powered Robots Could Soon Dominate the Ukraine War and Change …
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Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — This video illustrates the effect of panic buying: Italy Stripped of Food, Fuel in 4 Days as Diesel Protests Block Deliveries. o o o 10 Practical Lessons for Concealed Carriers From the Zimmerman Trial. o o o US appeals court invalidates federal $9 billion telecom subsidy fund. Alberta’s “Question 10” pre-separation referendum …
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This weekly column features media from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. REDOUBT NEWS LINKS Moose encounter near McAllister injures woman. In Bend, Oregon: ‘A Hero!’ Man who took out killer was armed, in violation of school rule. Idahoans voting on state gun. Video: The Most Remote Town in the Lower 48 Is in Montana. (Touring Glasgow, Montana.) Frustrated Ranchers Want People To Quit ‘Rescuing’ Their Working Guardian Dogs. Video: Before You Move to Idaho, See More Than One Part …
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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds …
The post Editors’ Prepping Progress appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Please Help Me Understand: Liberals Tell Me That A Man Can’t Hold An Opinion On Abortion Because He Doesn’t Have a Uterus But They Also Tell Me That That A Biological Man Can Become A “Woman” , Without A Uterus Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.
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“If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly.” – Colonel David Hackworth, US Army
The post Editors’ Quote: appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
What is a pirate's favorite letter?
Most people think it's R but they really love the C.
Are you a Fudd? Do you worry you might become one? We've got a simple guide on what Fudd-ism is and how to avoid it!The post US Army 1871 Rolling Block Pistol – Obsolete When New first appeared on Forgotten Weapons.
While some think the double action revolver is obsolete, there are many who still find effective use for it. Of late we’ve heard a lot of complaints about quality control on currently manufactured handguns of this type. One answer is to simply buy a good used one that was built earlier. But how do you […]
I recalled just as we left Idaho, supposedly independent candidates with positions intermediate between Democrat and Republican appearing. When we arrived, one of the candidates for governor was a convicted felon. From the 9/15/26 Tennessee Lookout:
Hatley running as conservative outsider
Hatley has never run for political office in Tennessee and has spent most of his adult life as a businessman.
After a felony bank fraud conviction, Hatley said he turned his life around. He became the successful owner of Whisper Outdoor, which started by manufacturing hot tubs and has since expanded to producing golf carts, boats and off-road vehicles.
While running as an independent, Hatley described himself as “a very conservative guy.”
“I’ve always been pro-life and pro-guns,” Hatley said. “I want to be independent because I don’t want to have party pressure.”
A tenet of Hatley’s argument to voters is that he is pushing for the state to have an elected auditor to “figure out where the money is going,” because he doesn’t feel like the state is managing its budget correctly.
He is also touting his willingness to spend at least $7 million of his own money and doesn’t plan to do any fundraising.
“I don’t want anyone in my ear,” Hatley said. “It’s very important that I go in on day one with a clean slate, only thinking about things that make sense for Tennessee.”
Hatley was 21. We all do stupid things when young. Maybe not that stupid.
I do believe that once a felon has completed their sentence, continuing their disability from full citizenship is not a great idea. If you are that dangerous, perhaps you should still be inside. I do not think this particularly recommends you for public office, however.
Grok confirmed my intuition:
Yes, more pure independents (candidates not nominated by a political party) are running for Congress in the 2026 midterms than in typical recent cycles.
A July 2026 Newsweek analysis of candidate lists found 217 independent entries across U.S. House and Senate races (170 House, 47 Senate), covering 153 distinct contests. Later reporting (NPR and others) put the House figure around 170–173.
A more precise Ballot Access News tally (September 2026 print edition) counted 141 independent candidates for U.S. House seats. That is roughly double the recent norms and matches or exceeds the recent high-water mark:
- 2024: 57 independents for House (lowest since 2004)
- 2022: 78
- 2018: 84
- 2016: 72
- 2014: 82
- 2012: 104
- 2010: 140
- 2006–2008: ~63–65
Political scientist Bernard Tamas noted that a clear increase would reverse a decline in independent/third-party House candidacies lasting more than 25 years (the broader third-party + independent peak was 559 in 2000). Multiple outlets (The Nation, Independent Voter News, NPR) described 2026 as one of the largest surges of independent candidates in recent memory, coinciding with a record ~45% of Americans identifying as independents in Gallup data.
Notable high-profile pure independents include Senate candidates Dan Osborn (Nebraska), Brian Bengs (South Dakota), Todd Achilles (Idaho), and Seth Bodnar (Montana), several of whom benefited from Democrats stepping aside in red states, plus House candidates such as Bill Hill (Alaska).
Caveats: Early lists can include candidates who later dropped, failed ballot access, or ran as write-ins. “Independent” here means unaffiliated (not a nominee of the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Green, or other parties). Structural barriers (petition requirements, fundraising, spoiler concerns) remain high, and success rates for independents have historically been very low. Overall congressional candidate volume was also elevated in 2026, partly due to high open-seat numbers.
In short, the data support more independent candidacies than the recent average, especially versus the lower counts of the 2010s–early 2020s.
Why? It would be tempting to see this as a rejection of doctrinaire politics. This would be a good thing.
A cynical view is that these are Democrats in mufti, attempting to split likely Republican voters away to give Democrats seats that would otherwise be out of their reach. I asked Grok about this as well. While independent candidates are not concentrated Republican districts:
Where the serious/viable ones stand out
The independent candidates receiving the most attention—and those where Democrats have cleared the field or formally/informally backed them—are concentrated in Republican-leaning states for statewide races:
- Nebraska (Dan Osborn for Senate)
- South Dakota (Brian Bengs for Senate)
- Idaho (Todd Achilles for Senate; also House candidates like Sarah Zabel in a deep-red district)
- Montana (Seth Bodnar for Senate)
- Alaska (Bill Hill for House)
This reflects a pattern in which Democrats, facing weak brands in solidly red states, have stepped aside in hopes an independent can be more competitive against a Republican incumbent. Similar dynamics appear in some deep-red House districts (e.g., examples cited in Florida and Idaho).
At the same time, independents are also running in blue-leaning or competitive areas (New York, Illinois, California, Washington, Virginia, swing districts like Iowa’s 1st). One sitting House member, Kevin Kiley (California), switched from Republican to independent and is running as such in a redrawn district that leans Democratic.
This actually makes sense. Democrats know that socialism and child mutilation are so now heavily identified with their party that backing candidates without that "Democrat" label is likely to defeat Republicans. These IINOs (Independents In Name Only) could redeclare themselves after the election or simply caucus with the Democrats like Socialist Bernie Sanders does.
After arriving, officers said they found a woman and man who had been shot outside of the business. Police said the man died at the scene and the woman was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries
Police said witnesses told them the shooting happened after an argument. Witnesses say the man who died shot into a group of people who were arguing, striking the woman
Police said this led to another man shooting the man who shot into the group. Detectives said that man ran away from the scene. His identity is unknown at the time.
Adams says they have identified the shooter, and that he is cooperating with the investigation.
"He did come into City Hall, provided the police with a statement," Adams said.
The DA says based on video evidence, Steele was armed, and he believes Steele was the aggressor.
"Clearly, this is a situation where self-defense may be the appropriate resolution of this incident," Adams said.
Glenside Elementary School was placed in SECURE action due to police activity.
The district said in a statement that it will provide assistance and resources to students who may have witnessed or been otherwise impacted by the shooting.
“We must be as stealthy as rats in the wainscoting of their society. It was easier in the old days, of course, and society had more rats when the rules were looser, just as old wooden buildings have more rats than concrete buildings. But there are rats in the building now as well. Now that society is all ferrocrete and stainless steel there are fewer gaps in the joints. It takes a very smart rat indeed to find these openings. Only a stainless steel rat can be at home in this environment...”The latest version of the MapQuest App has a layer that will show the locations of various smart surveillance cameras. It's good to see the occasional tech company remember Silicon Valley's old subversive roots. (The latest version finally supports Android Auto, too.)
― Harry Harrison, The Stainless Steel Rat
We buried Bill yesterday. It was a pretty good crowd. Bill was a man o many parts, all o them good, steadfast parts. He was an Eagle Scout, a basketball coach, a competitive shooter, a retired educator. His widow asked the shooting club to wear our regalia and serve as "honorary pallbearers". Of course, we were honored to do so.
I am a decrepit old man. A lifelong smoker with a body wrecked by years of service on armored vehicles, along with the attendant bad habits that characterizes cavalry service. Yet, when it came time to bear the pall, there were not six o his healthy friends who could lift a casket. I was pressed into service as a pall bearer.
Later that afternoon, stirring a roux, I was struck by the irony that I have recently carried three healthy men to their grave. I'm not complaining, you understand, simply stuck by the irony that "healthy" friends are dyeing off. The last two did it right. They had a good day, enjoyed a pleasant evening, kissed their wives good night, then rolled over and went to sleep. No lingering, no drama, just went to sleep. That is the way to do it.
I hope, when my time comes, that is the way I'll go. I also hope that I have enough chain-smoking, semi-alcoholic friends to carry me to the hearse. Those "healthy" folks can't seem to carry the burden.
The suspected shooter was fatally shot by a community member who saw the teen going into the Silver Rail Elementary School after firing at a truck in front of the building, Krantz said.
In another "heroic" act that may have saved lives, the police chief said another teacher tackled the shooter to the floor and tried to take the gun away from him. That teacher was not injured, police said.
Deputies say two men wearing masks allegedly forced their way into a home in Bethel Township.
Deputies say the homeowner confronted the two suspects and discharged a gun at them and their black sedan as they fled.
Investigators say the suspects were not reported to be hit by the gunfire.
Three young children and a teacher were killed Thursday afternoon in a horrific shooting at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, and a teenage suspect was fatally shot by a good Samaritan who pursued him.
The Federal Reserve’s latest Survey of Consumer Finances revealed a striking split: Median net worth rose roughly 38% for households headed by someone 75 or older between 2022 and 2025, while falling 23% for those headed by someone under 35. Both figures account for inflation, according to an analysis by Nick Maggiulli, chief data officer at Ritholtz Wealth Management and author of The Wealth Ladder.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the age split in a short post on what it called “the gold standard for measuring household wealth,” which the central bank releases every three years. Americans 55 and over now hold roughly $140 trillion, about three-quarters of the nation’s net worth, Fortune reported this month, citing a Bank of America Institute analysis of the Fed data.
The oldest households finished the period with a median net worth of $504,600, up from $366,288 in 2022, measured in 2025 dollars. For the youngest households, it fell from $42,725 to $32,820. The oldest group now has roughly 15x the wealth of the youngest, compared with about 9x three years earlier.
Across all families, inflation-adjusted median net worth rose just 2% between 2022 and 2025, reaching $215,900. That modest national gain concealed sharply different experiences at opposite ends of the age spectrum.
The findings also echo an argument Yale law and history professor Samuel Moyn made in an interview with Fortune this summer about his book, Gerontocracy in America: The concentration of wealth among older Americans is not merely a matter of who has had longer to save. In his account, it also shapes whose interests the economy and political system serve.
Moyn describes an “oldigarchy,” in which older, disproportionately wealthy Americans hold outsize influence. His book argues that “aging Americans control the biggest bank accounts and stock portfolios,” and that “the old rich have pulled away from everyone else.”
Yes. We had the good sense to not take out enormous student loans for degrees that did not lead to jobs of any value. Some of this was not really good sense. Almost any degree except maybe art or sociology would likely get you an adequate job in 1970. Education was also so absurdly expensive that you needed the 1970s equivalent of a $100,000 student loan to start out adult life.
We had some other advantages. Lots of good jobs did not require a college degree back then. Creeping credentialism and the contempt for technical jobs had not closed other avenues from serious consideration.
The harsh reality, however, is that generally getting older makes you richer. We bought a Sears refrigerator in 1976. It was still working into the 2000s. Some of the dishes that we received as wedding presents in 1980 are still in use, although not many.
Still, time heals most financial mistakes if you stay invested and do not waste on trying to look like The Illustrated Man.
I suspect as us Boomers go bust and our assets enrich our kids, this will even out a bit. Unless the young whiners decide we need to go full Communist.