Odds ‘n Sods:

Camping Survival is running their semi-annual sale on Mountain House foods. They are offering 25% off #10 cans and kits, and 15% off all pouches. The last day of the sale is March 1st, so order soon!

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Several readers sent this: Do you live in a state that still holds high regard for the Second Amendment? (Let the Brady Anti-Gun Organization Help You Choose a Retreat State.)

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Nathan Haddad’s legal defense fund has now raised more than $40,000. Please support this worthy cause.

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Chinese Hackers Have A Weapon Of Mass Destruction That No One Is Talking About. (Thansk to M.V.R. for the link.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"We have looted the future to bribe the present, and at the bottom of the cliff the future is waiting for what we owe it." – Mark Steyn, in a lecture at Hillsdale College, January 29, 2013

Notes from JWR:

Today is the 234th anniversary of the British surrender following the Battle of Vincennes at Fort Sackville in what is now Indiana. This 1779 battle is is notable for at least four reasons: The actions of Colonel Clark and his company-strength unit of men endured considerable hardship in a surprise march across the flooded and frozen Illinois prairie and yet defeated a numerically superior and fortified enemy force with small arms, primarily rifle fire alone; the flatboat carrying artillery support from Fort Pitt/Pittsburgh down the Ohio River and up the Wabash failed to arrive in time for Clark’s attack and the British surrendered before it finally arrived. The territory thus secured by Clark and his 172 men included present-day Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and parts of Ohio and Michigan; the next nearest British fort and garrison was at Detroit. Clark’s use of psychological warfare, ruse and bluff was notable, and his leadership worthy of special note: Great things may be effected by a few men when well conducted. And so they were.

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February 25th is also the 86th birthday of bluegrass music legend Ralph Stanley. (He was born in 1927.) His great harmonizing and tenor solos have an almost haunting sound to them.

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Micah Wood of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries has returned from his first trip to South Sudan. Don’t miss reading his newsy and inspiring update, below.

Back From South Sudan — A C.R.O.S.S. Ministries Update from Micah Wood

I am blessed. It was very apparent during the trip that I had many people, and people fervently praying for me and that they were praying to a holy and sovereign God who answered. So thank you. And my wife thanks you too!  To elaborate, it was frankly terrifying leaving my family in Idaho and going to a country half way round the world that had so many unknowns and is reported to be overly violent… not knowing if I would come back or not. But we serve an awesome God. In Him I put my trust and got on the plane.

The trip was about three weeks long. I left Boise, Idaho, on January 29th and arrived safely home on February 19th. I went from 20 degree days to 100 degree days in a matter of hours. But I must back up and tell you that the South Sudanese Embassy in D.C. was going to deny my visa application after I bought my plane ticket. It was nearly a miracle that brought me my visa just two days before I got on the plane! This was due to God bringing a wonderful lady from South Sudan (who was in a South Sudanese state government level position – we will call her my “host” in this letter) to assist me in getting my visa and later to introduce me to key figures in South Sudan and help me learn about the country, people, and religious and political situation. Praise God for bringing her to help C.R.O.S.S.!

The trip was a mixture of crazy-busy and almost boring depending on the day. I spent a couple days in Juba, the capitol of South Sudan, walking for hours on end, exploring and experiencing the capitol, registering with the U.S. embassy, and reading. I did a lot of reading. I was blessed to meet a pilot with the Red Cross and a local businessman (from America) who helped take me around town, explain much about Juba and help pass the time.

Upon the arrival of my host in Juba, we then flew north to the town of Aweil in Northern Bahr el Gazahl State (NBG) that is relatively close to the border with Sudan. There I was whisked away by AK-47 toting bodyguards in Land Cruisers to my hotel. Well, that’s what they call it in South Sudan at least. They did have power!… but only at night, the shower was little more than a trickle when it worked (half the days I recall), and I did have a fine luxury, a flush toilet which needed the reservoir to be filled by hand. All this for a low cost of just about $100 USD per night. Of course breakfast was thrown in for free even at that “low” rate… the menu was the same meal for two weeks. LOL!

During my two weeks in Aweil I walked. A lot. That was on the days my host was too busy to introduce me around or take me with her. It was actually for the best. I met shopkeepers and visited the crowded and busy market, took many pictures (did I tell you that a National Security Agent almost confiscated my camera?) of everyday life and was even randomly accosted by a military officer with the UN. Okay, not really accosted but while I was walking through the market a UN vehicle stopped next to me and the driver in military fatigues told me to get in. Ha! Get in a UN vehicle. Right. He told me it was not safe for me in the market. Nice ruse I think, but I get in for some reason. I can only say I felt God wanted me to get in. Here is why: Three times during the trip during one of those “boring” days, I said a simple prayer to God. I asked Him to bring someone or something to me so that the time would be used to the fullest for His glory. Each time I got an answer quickly. So I took a walk in this case and God brought me “O.” He was from El Salvador and a MLO (military liaison officer) with the UN. This led to many introductions, several nights at the UN compound for dinner and good favor with all I met. I learned a tremendous deal about South Sudan and NBG state in particular. God is sovereign.

During many of the other days it was non-stop meeting political figures, “touring” the bush (always a purpose to accomplish though) in a Land Cruiser driving on footpaths and driving on a nearly empty gas tank hours from home. Handing out vitamins to children living in the bush, fixing the Land Cruiser with a Leatherman and 550 parachute cord, and getting lost (I wasn’t driving!) in the dark driving through the bush hours from Aweil seemed to be a normal day. We visited several villages and once saw a 8-10’ long Cobra snake (the driver wouldn’t run it over for some reason) in the road. Aaah, the roads. They are glorious. Not even gravel. Take an American backcountry gravel road with washboards and major potholes and quadruple it… I think we made great time when we traveled 50 miles north in about 2.5 hours.

Near the end of the trip we traveled to a small village for a funeral of a woman who’s daughter had died of cancer. This woman had no hope in Christ and had stopped eating and drinking the day before so that she could join her daughter in death. She had no hope, no reason to live, and no faith in God.  The day before I was to leave Aweil, I met with the representatives from the state’s cripple population. Many had polio (no use of their legs), were blind or had other similarly disabling challenges to face with no hope of a cure or medical help and virtually no job/income prospects. There are thousands in the community. My last day up north before returning to Juba, I was able to do a video interview of Carbino, a man who was kidnapped by the Muslim Janjaweed horsemen that Sudan sponsors (unofficially of course) to rape, burn, pillage and kill. He was kidnapped as a child and escaped three days later, only to return to his village to find it burned, his father murdered, and most of his family, friends and people from his village kidnapped or dead.

The needs in South Sudan are tremendous: physically, spiritually and socially.

Physically
The single biggest need is access to safe drinking and cooking water. The norm is to walk miles one way to get 3-5 gallons of relatively safe drinking water from one of the few “bore holes” (hand pumped wells) and walk miles back to repeat the journey the next day. Others walk miles to get firewood to cook with. Wildfires are a constant threat as the local villagers frequently burn the undergrowth away to spur new vegetation growth for the cattle and goats to eat… but leave the fires unattended!

Spiritually
They need teaching. They need pastors. They need materials and discipleship. While NBG is estimated to be 90% Roman Catholic most don’t know the difference between Roman Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, or otherwise. They have so little teaching of any kind, but are eager to hear. The few services are often packed with people outside the huts or buildings for a hundred yards or more! However, there are few services. I met some who have a beautiful and simple faith due to a lack of teaching, but it was still a faith in Christ crucified and resurrected!

Socially
Women are eligible to be married once they start their cycle, and men often marry around age 30+ and multiple wives are the norm if you can afford them. Bride prices are high and often the motive behind violent cattle raids on other villages due to bride prices being paid in cattle. Police are often abusive, often beating people and sometimes shooting people, almost always without consequence.

Okay, so you say what is the good news? The good news is that first, God is sovereign, loving, holy, righteous, gracious and able to accomplish His will on this earth! To my great encouragement, the people of NBG in South Sudan know that they do not know! They want help, teaching and mentoring! Sure, some want handouts but most I spoke with want the initial shot in the arm (financially or materially)… but so that they could be self-sufficient. They want education. They want vocational training and are in turn willing to train others. They do not want to be dependent on the outside world for long. The people are almost universally grateful to the U.S.’s role in their independence and respect and love America(ns).

The local government figure I met with who is responsible for the military and police in the region and safety of the border villagers was very favorable to our offer to help in that regard. He is a high ranking General with the SPLA and very much understands the value of training for soldiers and villagers alike. He had previously pushed to get the soldiers’ salaries cut to use it on a training budget but to no avail. Furthermore, he watches internet videos of Americans’ training and wants that training for his soldiers and to help defend the villages and his country. While nothing was made official, I am confident that by the time the Wood family moves to South Sudan, that this will be a significant part of our ministry.

So you say, this trip went far too smoothly and I was blessed with great success in making connections, learning and preparing for a move to the Aweil area. Ah, but there was one bit of “fun.” The day I was to leave Aweil, I was dropped off at the airport (two huts and a World Food Program tent), checked in my baggage (to the back of a Toyota Hilux pickup), and was told to wait three hours under the tree. So I waited. When my plane arrived they loaded my luggage and I proceeded to give my boarding pass to the airline person. But apparently it was not a boarding pass, it was “just” the ticket and I “did not check in,” despite checking in my baggage and being told to wait (I did triple check with others that was all I had to do, BTW). I tried to explain, but to no avail. So my plane left with my baggage (they wouldn’t give it back!) and I was alone at the airport. This led to a bit of frustration at the ridiculousness of the technicality of not getting a boarding pass, but quickly turned to me laughing, thinking, “If this is the worst I’ve had to face, God has indeed blessed this trip!” However, despite my good mood, this inconvenience was not without a ripple-effect. I had to call my new UN contacts to get access to Internet and a good phone (for international calls) so that I could change my flight home that was leaving Juba that I would now not make. Then I had to spend another night in Aweil at the hotel and the next morning ended up being driven a bone-jarring 2.5 hours north to a village where a small Cessna 208B was landing anyway that day, which later in the day flew me back to Juba, where I spent two nights waiting for the next flight out of the country… and from there of course I was able to return to the U.S. (about an additional $800 later.)

My Closing Thoughts
God is indeed great. Simple you say, but this trip went almost too well. However, possibly for the first time in my life, I knew that many people were praying for me. I also had the chance, or more correctly, the motivation and time, to read a huge portion of Scripture. I read 110 chapters of Psalms, all of Romans and all of Acts and selected Proverbs and other New Testament passages. That definitely influenced how I acted and spoke. I prayed like I’ve never prayed before and had a humble boldness that I’ve never had before. I was granted favor before men in a way I could not have pulled off on my own.

A quick lesson learned here: About a week into being in the town of Aweil it finally hit me… I am the only white guy in this whole town. Literally. Now before you say “it took you that long?,” I took that as a good sign, that race wasn’t registered on my radar due to being raised right. We are all made in the image of God regardless of how we look. People are people. That simple. But it did later make me think of something significant. It occurred to me: I am on a different continent, don’t speak the language, can’t run and hide if needed (due to my face), don’t understand much about the culture, don’t have my gun (which I’ve almost never been without for the last 15 years), can’t even tell north without a compass, don’t know where the water holes are, had my phone die on me and even my knife and tomahawk taken from me when the plane left with my luggage and not me. The point is simple. I was stripped to nothing. No familiarities. No comforts. Nothing to trust in or run to… nothing but God and His Word. Let me repeat that. Nothing but God and His Word. Praise God!

While there are many “I” statements in the above, they are all meant to demonstrate how God worked in/through me, not how I did anything of my own nature. Essentially while I’ve had some reservations or doubts along the way, I am now fully confident that God indeed does want us to go to South Sudan for His glory! God is paving the way. God is leading and we will follow.
God made it clear through this trip that C.R.O.S.S.’s plan to help with “water, fire, and security,” will be very well received by the people of South Sudan, and that additionally and more importantly they are spiritually receptive as well. It is encouraging to know that God prepared my background to be able to help with each of the three humanitarian needs C.R.O.S.S. plans on helping with and that they “happen” to be in the top few that South Sudan needs most desperately.

Now I am not ashamed to say we are starting to raise money for the move to, and establishment in, South Sudan. We need a lot of material and financial support to make this move and solidly establish C.R.O.S.S. Ministries with a firm foundation to be effective in our ministry and Lord willing, growing the ministry to other regions of South Sudan! To that end we ask for your material and financial support as God moves you to support us. You can find more info/updates (and lots of pictures, thoughts, and news added often) on our web site: www.CROSouthSudan.org or on our new Facebook page. (Please share these URLs with everyone you know!)

Again, a humble thank-you to those of you who helped make this financially possible and a sincere thank you to those of you who prayed for the outcome of this trip to the end of glorifying God!

Announcing the Auction of a PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope to Benefit C.R.O.S.S. Ministries

Today we begin a benefit auction of a brand new AN/PVS-14 Gen 3+ Night Vision Scope. All proceeds (100% of your bid) will be donated to C.R.O.S.S. Ministries. (A very worthy Christian ministry that is sharing the Gospel of Christ in South Sudan. Their outreach method is unique: They are teaching rural villagers tactical marksmanship, water treatment, and firefighting skills, free of charge.)

The monocular is one of these. (The same model that we use here at the Rawles Ranch.) These night vision scopes normally retail for around $3,600. (Although Ready Made Resources sells them at the discounted price of $2,695.) This monocular was kindly donated by Ready Made Resources, in cooperation with Night Ops Tactical.

Here are the Specifications

  • Generation 3+
  • 64 LINE PAIR – VERY HIGH PHOTOSENSITIVITY AND SIGNAL TO NOISE RATIO
  • 100% AMERICAN MADE PARTS, ASSEMBLED IN THE UNITED STATES
  • GENUINE ITT PINNACLE Gen 3+ Tube
  • 5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY
  • LIFETIME ANNUAL MAINTENANCE

Here are Included Accessories:

  • Picatinny Rail Weapons Mount
  • Military Soft Case (Olive Drab Nylon)
  • Shutter Eye Cup
  • Headmount
  • Brow Pads
  • Transfer Arm
  • Shoulder Strap
  • Sacrificial Window
  • Demist Shield
  • Lens Tissue
  • Lanyard
  • Objective Lens Cover
  • Ops Manual
  • AA Battery

Simply e-mail us your bids. I will post regular updates on the bidding. The final deadline will be Midnight EST on Monday, March 11, 2013. Thanks for your generous bids in support of C.R.O.S.S. Ministries.

CURRENT HIGH BID is $3,000 (Bid by Reader D.J.G.)

The Federal Reserve’s Inauspicious 100th Anniversary

The year 2013 marks one significant anniversary that will probably be soft-pedaled by the mass media: December 23, 2013 will be the 100th anniversary of the exclusive private banking cartel known as The Federal Reserve–America’s central bank. I detest this organization. It isn’t Federal (not any more “Federal” than Federal Express), and it has no real Reserves.

Lex Mala, Lex Nulla
The Federal Reserve Act was improperly implemented as an act of congress. Properly, it should have been promulgated as a Constitutional amendment. Article 1, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution dictates: “No state shall make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payments of debts.” And Article 1, Section 8 dictates: “Congress shall have power to coin money.” Neither of those clauses can be nullified without a Constitutional amendment. Rather than fitting in with the letter or intent of our Constitution, the Federal Reserve better matches the fifth plank (or “demand”) of the Communist Manifesto: “Centralization of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.” (Das Kommunistische Manifest, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, published in 1848.)

Dollar Destruction
Per Title 12 U.S.C. § 225, the Federal Reserve had three chartered objectives: creating maximum employment, assuring stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. But the Fed has pursued policies that are diametrically opposed to those chartered objectives. Rather than assuring stable prices they have consistently engaged in monetary policies that have gradually destroyed the purchasing power of the dollar, though currency inflation. The U.S. Inflation Calculator illustrates this gradual, insidious process.

Here is the long term effect of inflationist policies, in a nutshell: $1 worth of goods in 1913 terms now costs us $23.26 (based on official CPI data, rather than real world inflation.) Or, better put: A Dollar in silver coinage (four well-worn silver quarters with no collector’s value) now costs around $34 at your local coin shop. The Federal Reserve Note is funny money, plain and simple. Don’t expect stable prices. rather, expect the continuing destruction of the Dollar.

I’ve said it before: The Federal Reserve should be re-named the Feral Reserve. Their unconstitutional cartel is a wild beast that should be put down.

For further reading, I recommend the book The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve. – J.W.R.

Pat’s Product Review: Maxxeon WorkStar 2000

Way back before computers completely took over our lives, life seemed a lot simpler. If it were up to me, I’d live without computers, microprocessors, cell phones, texting, e-mails and tweets (whatever that is). I long for the time when cars were more simple to work on, I used to love tinkering with my own cars, improving on them, repairing them, and just playing around with them. Heck, I even worked as a dune buggy mechanic in Hawaii for a time. Today, with all the computers running cars and trucks, I can’t hardly figure out anything on new vehicles, you need a computer to hook-up to the computer on your vehicle, in order to find out what’s not working right on your rig, and even then, sometimes it’s still a hit or miss proposition when it comes to making a repair.
 
Back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth, backyard and shade tree mechanics used to have a flashlight or a shop light, to use when working under the hood of the car. Many shops still use traditional shop lights these days – the incandescent bulb still hasn’t died off completely. Now, I’ll readily admit, a flashlight wasn’t the perfect source of light when working under the hood of a car, and shop lights were difficult to get to stay in place and shed their light where you needed it. Okay, so maybe everything back in the stone age wasn’t perfect….
 
I received the Maxxeon WorkStar 2000 Technician’s Floodlight for testing for SurvivalBlog readers, and I’m impressed with the product, I’ll admit that right up front. What we have is a fully rechargeable work light, with magnets placed on it, so you can firmly attach it to just the right place under the hood of a car or truck, to produce a very bright 270 Lumens of pure white light – no dark spots at all. It gives you a “flood light” where you need it most. The WorkStar 200 is basically a hands-free light, you can stick it to any metal surface or hang it with the retractable hook or mount it permanently with a camera tripod socket in the base. Heck, you can even hold it in your hand if you wanted to – retro!
 
The WorkStar 2000 doesn’t use a reflector like so many flashlights do, instead it uses a fresnel-like lens that creates a huge floodlight beam – no shadows, no rings no hot spots, just pure light. Additionally, the neck of the light rotates 360-degrees and the head also tilts 180 degrees, so you don’t have to keep moving the light around from one surface to another – just move the head. Neat! You can also use the belt clip, to clip the WorkStar 2000 to you belt or pants pocket when moving around the shop from one rig to another. You also get two power sources for recharging your light – one for the power outlet in your shop and another for the accessory outlet in your vehicle.  BTW, the rechargeable battery is the NiMH type and will last for years. You also get two power settings, on high the light will shine for over 2-hours, and on low you get 8-hours of run time. For many purposes, the low setting will suffice for many of your needs. However, if you need the super-bright high setting for those hard to see areas, you’ve got 2-hours of power there. Recharge time is about 3-hours.
 
So, where does the WorkStar 2000 fit in, for the Survivalist of Prepper? Well, first of all, don’t kid yourself into thinking your bug out vehicle won’t break down or need maintenance – it will! And, you can count on Mr. Murphy being on-hand when your rig does stop or need maintenance – and you will need light to work under the hood, under the the rig or under the dashboard. Believe me, it’s no fun trying to find something wrong if you can’t see what you’re doing. Sure, an ordinary flashlight will “suffice” if that’s all you have, however the WorkStar 2000 can do the job better than any flashlight can – period!
 
How many times have you had the bulb burn-out in a flashlight? Well, that’s happened more times than I care to remember over the years. The WorkStar 2000 has LED lights that will last a lifetime. Just a few short years ago, LED lights didn’t product very much light. Sure they were economical to use, but honestly, they didn’t throw all that much light. Times have changed, and the WorkStar 2000 is solid proof of that.
 
You can also use the WorkStar 2000 for emergency lighting in your home when the power goes out – use the low setting, that’s all you’ll need. If you’re camping and you need light in your tent, the WorkStar can take care of that, and you can hang it from the center of your tent and direct the light where you need it. If you’re one of those people who insist on walking late at night, in the dark, or early morning hours before the sun comes up, you can clip this light to your pants to light the way for you and alert on-coming vehicles you are on the road. The light also produces a “white” enough light for some photography work, or for producing those YouTube videos – how many of those have you seen that were poorly lit?
 
One word of advice though, don’t look directly into the super-bright light that the WorkStar 2000 produces – take my word for it – you’ll have a black spot in the center of your vision for a while if you look directly at this light – I didn’t do it on purpose, it was an accident, but you only have to do this once to know you shouldn’t do it again! I’m smart – just not all the time!
 
The WorkStar 2000 retails for $119.75 with $9.99 FedEx or USPS shipping to the USA and $19.99 to Canada (UPS). When I first received this sample, I didn’t think it had many uses, ok, I was wrong. This light is also great when it comes to working under the hood of your car in bright sunlight – yeah, there are still a lot of dark areas under the hood even in bright sunlight. And, many lesser lights simply wash out – the WorkStar 2000 didn’t wash out in the bright sunlight. Maybe the good ol’ days weren’t as good as I remember them to be. The WorkStar 2000 sure would have come in handy back in my day when working on rigs.
 
Also, be sure to check out some of the other Maxxeon lights that they offer on their web site. However, if you work on vehicles a lot, this is a must have item in my humble opinion. It is well made, very durable and comes with a one year warranty as well. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: Non-Hybrid Seeds at COSTCO Stores

Jim,
While perusing the Costco web site, I noted that Costco is now stocking “Preparedness Storage Non-GMO Garden Seeds” — and they’re non-hybridized, which makes them good for saving seed in a true survival situation. The bucket contains 24 varieties of seeds, including the “usual suspects” like corn, peas, tomatoes, and carrots as well as some more unusual plants like eggplant, swiss chard, cabbage and kohlrabi.

Just finding it interesting that it seems like prepping has gone totally mainstream, and that Costco is leading the charge!

Best, – S.J.

JWR Replies: In my Rawles Gets You Ready Preparedness Course, I describe in detail how Big Box stores like COSTCO and Sam’s Club can be used to stock up at the 11th hour. It is good to hear that they have recently stocking heirloom seeds. Up until now, they’ve been a specialty item.

Letter Re: So-Called Totally Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in South Africa

Sir:
Regarding your recent link to the US News article: “Doctors Struggling to Fight ‘Totally Drug-Resistant’ Tuberculosis in South Africa”, I would like to comment.  

As an infectious diseases research scientist with a specialty in tuberculosis (TB) the term “Totally Drug Resistant” peaked my interest, considering the World Health Organization (WHO) does not recognize this term.  To express the resistance to anti-TB drugs, we use very precise terms, where multidrug resistance (MDR-) represents resistance to two specific drugs, isoniazid and rifampin, and extensively-drug resistance (XDR-) is resistance to any of the second line drugs and one of the injectable drugs in addition to meeting the MDR qualifications. These terms have very explicit meanings and nomenclature criteria. 

The US News article cites a recent report published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID).  I have few disagreements with the findings of this journal and Koebler’s report. In the original study DNA typing methods identified certain mutations in the bacteria. It assumed correlations between mutations and antibiotic resistance patterns. Although for few anti-TB drugs the relationship between a specific mutation and resistance to that particular drugs hold reasonably true, it is not necessarily always the case and there are instances where these methods do not always correlate actually clinical experiences. The best methods to predict resistance to a drug is antibiotic susceptibility testing, but again for many of anti-TB drugs there is no standard or reproducible method. Furthermore, the susceptibility testing, when available, involves each drug individually, whereas therapy is always administered as a combination of anti-TB drugs. Therefore, even if the laboratory data suggest presence of drug resistance to one drug, other drugs in the combination therapy may still be active, effectively controlling the disease and suppressing the selective pressures leading to resistance emergence.

In my opinion WHO does a great job by discouraging the use of term “totally drug resistance”, as these studied cases fit very well within the present terminology. In fact the EID paper uses this sensational term “Totally Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis” only in its title and abstract, truly only mentioning “this virtually untreatable form of TB” in reference XDR-TB. In the conclusion the authors acknowledge the lack of clinical evidence to support the gene-based assumptions. My ultimate concern as a researcher in this field is not the EID study, but rather propagating the wrong hysterical message to people who may not be able to tease out the actually scientific data.  It appears to me that telling half truths is not doing any social service. If one reads the other reports using this very specific term, evidence is present that even this form of tuberculosis is curable, although treatment approach might be different. To take quotes out of context, only skimming the title and concluding paragraph, is an injustice to the public at large who rely heavily on secondary sources for scientific information.  Although the emergence of resistance is a problem with tuberculosis, as with many other bacteria, attaching such a label sends a certain message and triggers frantic stigma to a real problem. There is effective treatment available for drug sensitive tuberculosis and individualized treatment for drug resistant tuberculosis with continuous efforts to develop better drug, doses and regimens. 

Regards, – C.S. and S.S. in Texas

Letter Re: Bitcoin Update

Mr. Rawles,
Thank you for your site and all that you do.  I haven’t seen anyone mention on Survivalblog the recent price rise in Bitcoin.  It is a good time to turn any coins into tangible items.  I would like to recommend Fastcash4bitcoins.com

I used the service for the first time about two weeks ago just to see if it was for real I selected the pay me with a check option and was paid out on 5 bitcoins.  I can happily say I received and cashed the check three days later.  Now that I had some more confidence in the service I used the pay by Silver option(they will payout in Silver Maple Leafs).  Just yesterday I received my full mint tube 25 oz of silver.  They also offer the option to be paid in gold, via ACH to your bank account, and I think a few other options.  They have overall good reviews on Bitcointalk.org and only allow you to be paid out if they already have the cash/silver/gold on hand.

Since Bitcoins are currently at a level of parity with silver I will be turning virtual to physical as much as possible. (Or virtual to lead…)

Regards, – Michael X.

Letter Re: How Racially Tolerant is the American Redoubt?

Hello sir.
I am a sheepdog that is very aware and nervous about the way things are progressing. I have been a prepper for a while. It’s a side effect of my upbringing and career.
I have been researching whether it is realistic and feasible for me to relocate to the American Redoubt. I am a black American, although I am really just an American like you! I see a lot that I like, however I am worried that a black man (light skinned, but still, LOL) would not be generally welcome in that region and/or have to be constantly on guard because of a heavy presence of neo-nazi groups and other racist. Is this a false worry? Please answer me candidly. I am not offended by plain straight talk. I prefer it!
I have raised my children to understand the situation in our country, as well as how to live by the Golden Rule, humility and when to shoot.
God has been shielding me a great deal in the past and lately, and I cannot ignore his voice urging me to be ready for a near crisis.
Thank you for your time. – F.M.J.

JWR Replies: I’ll pray that your planned upcoming move goes well. I have seen no “…heavy presence of neo-nazi groups”.  That is a myth perpetuated by the media.  The most vocal neo-nazis were run out of town in Hayden Lake, Idaho 13 years ago.

The per capita number of haters is no greater in the Redoubt than in the other western states.  In my experience, people here are judged by their politics and religious affiliations more than they are their skin color.  If you are a conservative, then you’d certainly be welcome here.  

White, Black, Yellow, and Brown people people who drive a Prius or Volvo slathered with liberal slogan bumper stickers are the ones who get razzed here.

Recipe of the Week:

Mandy’s Dried Fruit Cookies
 
3/4 C mashed / pureed bananas
1/3 C vegetable oil (the higher the smoke-point the better)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 C oat bran
1.5 C oatmeal
1.5 C dried fruit in small slices or dice (may be a mix)
1/2 C raw nuts or seeds (may be a mix)
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix bananas, oil & salt together first. Work in bran, then oatmeal. Finally fold in fruit & nuts/seeds. Use a TBS measure or scoop to place dollops of dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly. Bake 20-25 min. or until slightly browned at the edges. Store in an air-tight container in a cool place or refrigerator.

Chef’s Notes:

I’ve used this one for years. It works with a wide variety of dried fruits, nuts and oils (coconut oil adds crunch) and is a fine way to use frozen overripe bananas. At 100 to 105 calories per cookie, three of them with a hot drink or milk make for a good breakfast on the go!

Currently Available as Free Kindle e-Books:

Frugal Kitchen Tips

The Home Baking Glossary of Terms

25 Easy Cook Recipes For Meatloaf : Quick & Simple Recipes with Ground Meat (and a veggie one too!)

How to Stretch a Chicken: 42 recipes to make the most of a whole chicken, leftover turkey, or even pesky squirrels (Cooking Adventures of a Thrifty Mama)

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

Economics and Investing:

G.G. sent us a link to some clueless punditry from The Economist crowd: More Inflation Is the Cure for the Fed’s Impotence. The Fed is locked in to ZIRP and endless monetization (“Quantitative Easing”) because the service cost on the Treasury debt would be unsustainable if interest rates were to rise. When inflation resumes and interest rates do jump, it will be Game Over. The Dollar will crash, interest rates will run up past 15%, and the economy will stagnate. Be careful what you wish for, Mr. Avent. At this point the Fed is irretrievably stuck until Der Tag, when the Dollar will be destroyed. Prepare for that day, folks. Get out of Dollar-denominated assets, and into tangibles like productive farm land, guns, ammunition, full capacity magazines, and precious metals. I’ve been advocating this hedging strategy since 2007. Those investments have all yielded quite well (and in fact amazingly well, in recent months), while also providing insurance against the inevitable Dollar collapse. Are you listening now?

American employers have doubled their number of part time employees, in response to rising healthcare costs.

Get ready for a meat shortage (Thanks to Lydia M. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

The $995 Billion Sequester Cut Is Actually A $110 Billion Spending Increase

Wal-Mart Suppliers Could Be Hit With Payroll Taxes And Gas Prices

Roubini:  Don’t Underestimate The Economic And Financial Impacts Of The Sequester

Odds ‘n Sods:

L.M. sent: You’re a SEAL Stranded in Hostile Territory: What’s in Your Survival Kit? JWR Adds: Not mentioned in this article were three items that have been carried by many special operators on selected mission since around 1990: An international telephone calling phone card, a credit card, and a passport. These are musts if an operator walks out of enemy territory to a neutral country where they can then buy a plane ticket home. (Yes, this has been done, but I’m not at liberty to mention the particulars.)

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An associate of mine spent hundreds of hours creating an amazing Timeline of Biblical prophecy that shows an interpretation of events in the near future. It is available in three printing formats from 8-1/2 x11 to poster size.

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I mentioned that the State of New York created the NYSsafeAct.com web site for disseminating information for their citizens subjects about their recently enacted gun laws.  What they failed to do is register the domain name NYSafeAct.net. Turn about is fair play!

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Shoveling more unconstitutional Schumer, here comes the dreaded “compromise”: Senators near a deal on background checks for most private gun sales. (Thanks to George in Ohio for the link.) And in contrast: All 67 of Florida’s county sheriffs have now signed a pro-2nd Amendment pledge. (You’ve gotta love the Gunshine State.)

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Ralph N. sent a video from Syria that shows that concealment is not the same thing as cover! Hollow cinder blocks are not cover from rifle fire. OBTW, someone needs to tell this guy that the gas system on a FAL is adjustable. If he were to open up the gas regulator a couple of clicks, he wouldn’t have those stoppages.