Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — February 1, 2023

On February 1st, we recognize the birthday of the late Dr. Gary North, in 1942. North was a prolific writer on economics and Christian Reconstruction. He passed away just less than a year ago, on February 24, 2022.  His more than 50 published books are a lasting legacy. He also assembled a large free online library of books by other godly writers, through his Institute For Christian Economics (ICE). Those free books, totaling 38,000 pages, are all still available online. They are a great resource for homeschoolers and economics students.

—

We also remember February 1st, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven crew members.

—

Today we are also featuring the regular monthly precious metals column from Steven Cochran.  By the way, he mentioned that Gainesville Coins is having a big sale on 1 oz .999 silver Buffalo rounds. Due to the ongoing silver shortage and massive market demand, the shipping date on these rounds won’t be until March 23rd.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the first entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 105 ends on March 31st, 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.

Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 104

We’ve completed the judging for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prize-winning writers are:

First Prize

First Prize goes to A Grateful Mechanic, for Career Change to a Durable Trade. (Posted on January 24, 2023.) He will receive the following prizes:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
Second Prize

Second Prize goes to Reltney McFee, for A 12-Month Preparedness Checklist, posted on January 27-29, 2023. See: Part 1 and Part 2

He will receive the following prizes:

  1. 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!
Third Prize

Third Prize goes to Michael X., for Lessons Learned From a Winter Storm, posted on December 28-29, 2023. See: Part 1 and Part 2. He will receive the following prizes:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

Honorable Mention Prizes

The following 17 articles have earned Honorable Mention. The writers have each been awarded a transferable $100 FRN purchase credit toward the purchase of any antique or percussion replica gun from Elk Creek Company:

Hiding and Tracking by J.M.D.  (In four parts.)  See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,  and Part 4.

A Get Home Bag Alternative, by Rick S.

A DIY Masonry Outdoor Cook Stove, by K.R.

Doing Laundry Off-Grid and DIY Soap Recipes, by E.H.

A Young Man’s Preps, by St. Leibowitz. See: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

The Modern Breadcrumb Trail, by BowtiedPartisan

Assessing and Prioritizing Risks, by Francis Marion

Thoughts on a General Purpose AR-15 Rifle, by Steve A.  See: Part 1 and Part 2

IT Careers and Rural Living, by M.J.

Upgrade Your Bug Out Bag’s Batteries, by Kevin Berg

Staying Safe Around Big Trucks, by SwampFox

Ready Made Resources Ultimate BOB Versus a Home-Built BOB, by Tunnel Rabbit

Pessimist or a Realist? Our Present Situation, by The Lone Canadian. See:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.)

Portable Power Systems: Providing Remote Energy, by K.R.

Beginning Bees on a Budget, by St. Funogas

Challenges of Living in a Small Home, by Hollyberry

My Approach to a Semi-Auto Scout Rifle, by Swampfox.  See: Part 1 and Part 2

Preparedness: Now What? – Part 1, by O.C.

Upfront, I should say I am a few months away from 70 years old. I was raised in New Jersey. Even though I spent 26 years in the US Air Force and the Montana Air National Guard, I was not prepared for anything out of the ordinary.

My journey to prepping really began on September 11, 2001. At that time, I was working as a defense contractor in Crystal City, Virginia, just down the road from the Pentagon. Meanwhile, my wife was a civil servant working inside the Pentagon building. In my cube-ville we were no radios or televisions allowed. It was an “all work and no play” area. When the planes hit the New York City towers and the Pentagon, I — like so many — were unaware. The security people for the building came in and ushered everyone out. We weren’t told why or allowed to get our things. Outside, rumors ran rampant, and many people were in hysterics. I spotted black smoke rising in the sky in the direction I thought the Pentagon might be. I found out about the attacks by watching television in a store window nearby where I was waiting.

I had never been to my office building by car. It was at least 18 or so miles from my house and I always took the Metro (subway/train). I was not aware, except in broad strokes from the Metro map, exactly how to navigate to anything. Eventually, we were allowed back into the office but only to get our jackets and briefcases. The Metro system around the Pentagon, and my office, was shut down. Cell phones didn’t work (no smartphones for the work poor then), I didn’t have a map of anything except the Metro system, no portable radio to get real news, nothing! I decided that I would walk towards the smoke and try and find my wife or at least help in some way.Continue reading“Preparedness: Now What? – Part 1, by O.C.”

January 2023 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance, and the factors that affected gold prices.

What Did Gold Do in January?

Gold kicked the current rally into overdrive in January. Starting the year at $1,829 an ounce, spot gold closed at $1,923 an ounce on January 30th. It began the year hitting a six-month high near $1,850 early on January 3rd before easing, only to claim that level the next day.

Prices marched higher during the second week in January, to close at $1,920 on the 13th. Despite two two-day pullbacks over the rest of the month, prices never closed below $1,900. The closing post high for the month was $1,946 on January 25th.

Factors Affecting Gold This Month

RECESSION

As sticky inflation resists the Fed’s efforts to rein it in, markets and investors see an increasing possibility of recession. The Fed’s rate hikes are pushing consumer debt to crisis levels. The textbook way to reverse inflation is by killing jobs and killing demand. That is, to deliberately push the nation into recession.
Consumer confidence is falling as inflation combines with higher credit card and mortgage payments. Nearly two-thirds of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, while the value of their stock portfolios and retirement accounts plunge.

There’s little wonder that gold and silver demand (especially silver) continue to exceed supply.

RATE HIKES

The markets were once again pinning their hopes and dreams on a Fed pivot this month. Rate hike hawk James Bullard once again made the media circuit, but this time with a more conciliatory approach. He said rate hikes were almost as high as they need to be to bring down inflation.

Kansas City Fed president Esther George was a bit hawkish this month, saying that interest rates needed to stay above 5% “well into 2024.” Atlanta Fed head Raphael Bostic said that there was “much more work to do on inflation,” saying that he could go either way on supporting a 25 bp hike instead of a 50 bp hike if the labor market eased up.

DOLLAR

The dollar lost its grip in January, boosting domestic commodity prices while giving a little relief to foreign buyers. This helped gold and silver demand, while lending strength to US inflation. Part of this may be investors cutting their exposure to the dollar ahead of the debt ceiling fight in Congress. This is denting the safe haven appeal of the dollar at the same time gold and silver prices are rising.Continue reading“January 2023 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This 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.

—

A video from blog reader A.K.: Build your own Portable Poultry Coop!

o  o  o

Reader C.B. sent this:  A Concerning Winter Storm Is Coming…

o  o  o

New Yorkers Moving to Florida in Record Numbers.

“More people from New York moved to Florida in 2022 than any year in history, according to the New York Post.

The newspaper, attributing its information to data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said 64,577 New Yorkers took out Florida drivers’ licenses last year.

The number eclipsed the 61,728 New Yorkers, who moved to Florida in 2021, the newspaper said. And it marked a 39% increase over 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.”

o  o  o

In Europe ‘a new generation of bank robbers’ target ATMs with explosives, stealing millions. (Our thanks to reader C.B. for the link.)

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 31, 2023

On this day in 1872, American author Pearl Zane Grey was born. He was best known for his popular adventure western novels, including Riders of the Purple Sage, which was his best-selling book.

On January 31, 1606, Guy Fawkes was scheduled for execution for his part in the Gunpowder Plot against Parliament and King James. As he was being marched up the steps to his gallows with his hands bound, he fell, broke his neck, and died, depriving his executioners of any satisfaction. In recent years, Guy Fawkes masks have become a symbol of resistance to big government, worldwide.

—

Update: We are now down to less than 280 SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks on hand.

Important Note: A significant number of people purchasing the waterproof Survivalblog Archive sticks and paying by PayPal are using nonexistent e-mail addresses in an attempt to remain anonymous. This causes problems! It also does the exact opposite of what folks were hoping. They apparently don’t understand the concept of “The Gray Man”, since these bounced messages stand out like a sore thumb and everyone who gets notified looks at the messages in detail bringing a level of unwanted scrutiny — especially from financial institutions. Instead of fake e-mail addresses, they should use valid throwaway e-mail adresses.

Whatever you do, please don’t use fake Gmail addresses. So many of the fake e-mail addresses include “gmail.com” that Gmail has now rate-limited how many e-mails can be sent to Gmail from SurvivalBlog’s mail  server. This makes even those who do use valid Gmail addresses suffer. We are now getting rate-limiting bounce messages from known valid e-mails because Gmail won’t let them through.

—

Today’s guest article was too short to be included in the judging for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, which ends today.

Society’s Sudden Death: 2023-2026, by Jakobus A. Rechnen

Editor’s Introductory  Note:  The following translated article could be considered a conjectural rant. It was written by a European SurvivalBlog reader, under a pen name. If you don’t like reading rants, then skip reading this. – JWR

—

This is my gedankenexperiment for period: the three years following, Europe, in U.S.A., and the world (whole). It has its basis in my scary belief that the Covid Vaccines are actually for the worse than the Covid illness that the Vaccines (Impfstoffe) claim to be preventing. I may be completely wrong, or I may be mostly right. Maybe. You decide.

Premise: I am believing that the “Sudden Deaths” reported are just the start.  Because the blood clots and immune system destruction from the Covid injections and boosters are building up gradually, the number of deaths will grow bigger and bigger, in the next few years.

Winter-Spring 2023

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 6.7 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 250,000

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative:  Nil

Economy: Entering of Recession in U.S.A. and Europe

Society: Mass Media hiding cause of sudden deaths.

War: Ukraine War continues.

Summer 2023

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 6.75 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 400,000

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative:  2,000

Economy: Deep Recession in U.S.A., Northern Europe. A full Depression in Southern Europe and Eastern Europe.

Society: Mass Media hiding cause of sudden deaths. TikTok banned in U.S.A.

War: Ukraine War continues.

Fall 2023

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 6.8 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 850,000

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative:  25,000, most in China.

Economy: Entering of Depression in U.S.A. and many countries, varying. Big redundancies for many industries.

Society: Mass Media denying cause of sudden deaths.

War: Ukraine War continues. Taiwan War begins.

Winter 2023-2024

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 6.9 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 1 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative: 50,000 most in China and India.

Economy: Depression, over the world

Society: Mass Media still denying cause of sudden deaths and infertility. They blame instead a new Covid variant. Pharma executives hide themselves in South America, Pacific Islands. Bloodbanks of non-immunized blood become popular.

War: Ukraine War continues. Taiwan War continues. China builds bases and ports in Africa.

Spring 2024

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 7 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 2 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative:  200,000

Economy: Depression

Society: Mass Media admitting cause of sudden deaths. Kidnapping and disappearance of fertile women begins in Europe, Canada, and U.S.A.

War: Ukraine War continues. China gains ground in Taiwan War.

Summer 2024

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 7.1 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 4 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative:  250,000

Economy: Depression with Big Inflation of many currencies

Society: Mass Media admitting cause of sudden deaths. Blaming Pharma executives. Tech executives hide themselves.

War: Ukraine War continues. Taiwan War continues.

Fall 2024

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 7.2 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative:  7.5 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative:  300,000

Economy: Depression with Big Inflation of most currencies

Society: Mass Media admitting cause of sudden deaths. Blaming Pharma executives and tech executives.

War: Ukraine War continues. Ukraine has NATO equipment, but now has few surviving soldiers. Taiwan War continues. India-Pakistan war begins.

Winter 2024-2025

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 7.5 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 15 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative:  600,000

Economy: Depression with Big Inflation of all currencies. Cryptocurrencies banned in many countries.

Society: Mass Media reporting all sudden deaths. Blaming Pharma executives, tech executives and politicians.

War: Ukraine War ends with grant of eastern parts to Russia. Taiwan War wanes — now only guerillas, scattered. India-Pakistan war escalates.

Spring 2025

Covid Deaths, Cumulative: 8.3 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 20 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative: 1 Million

Economy: Deeper Depression with Big Inflation of all currencies

Society: Mass Media reporting all sudden deaths and infertility. Blaming Pharma executives, tech executives and politicians. Strict border controls in Europe.

War: Taiwan War “peace” declared, but there continues some partisanenkrieg (guerilla) actions with roadside bombings (IED). India-Pakistan war stagnates to static trench lines.

Summer 2025

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 9.1 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 28 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative: 1.2 Million

Economy: Deep Depression with HyperInflation

Society: Mass Media blaming Pharma executives, tech executives and politicians. Stronger border controls in most countries. Deportations trigger riots in Western Europe.

War: Taiwan War ends with China controlling, in lockdown. India-Pakistan war spreads to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Fall 2025

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 11 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 36 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative: 1.5 Million

Economy: Depression with 1,000% HyperInflation

Society: Mass Media blaming Pharma executives, tech executives and politicians. Left/pro-vaccine politicians hide themselves.

War: World war begins, with war outbreaking in Korea, Timor, Sweden, Finland, and China-India. 15 million dead of war.

Winter 2055-2026

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 12 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 48 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative: 2 Million

Economy: Depression with 10,000% HyperInflation

Society: Congresses and parliaments investigating Pharma executives, tech executives and politicians.

War: World war continues. New fronts open all along Russian periphery, and in Iran/Palestine. Many sea blockades. 55 million dead of war.

Spring 2026

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 13 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 80 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative: 20 Million

Economy: Total HyperInflation, Currencies in Collapse. Global fuel shortage.

Society: Pharma executives, tech executives and some politicians of prominence are hunted down and extradited. Left and right politicians hide themselves.

War: World war continues. New war front in Indonesia. 90 million dead of war.

Summer 2026

Covid Deaths,  Total Cumulative: 14 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 150 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative: 50 Million

Economy: Digital currencies replacing paper, worldwide. Global fuel crisis. Most international trade becomes impossible.

Society: Courts prosecuting Pharma executives. No confidence votes in many countries. U.S.A. and Canada break up into fiefdoms of states.

War: World war continues. Many ships sunk. New war fronts (several) in Africa and South America. China takes Panama Canal. Russia takes Poland and Alaska. 160 million dead of war with most dying in Eastern Europe and Asia.

Fall 2026

Covid Deaths, Total Cumulative: 15 Million

Vaccine Deaths, Total Cumulative: 280 Million

Food and Supply Chain Disruption-Caused Deaths, Total Cumulative: 120 Million

Economy: Digital currencies hyperinflating. Economy of bartering to prevail.

Society: Courts prosecute Pharma executives, tech executives and politicians, with execution penalty in some countries. Revolutions (right, left, and Islamic) in many countries.

War: World war ended due to fuel, soldiers, ships, and armaments lacking. A world peace conference/treaty gathers but is seen as a sham. Fighting of guerillas continues in many countries. 290 million dead of war, without even nukes used.

SUMMARY

Total deaths, 2020-2026: 705 Million.  All trust in governments and medias lost.  Economies of most countries laying in ruins.  Low birth rate (from infertility of Covid injections) leaves western nations disadvantaged to Islamic nations in global strategy.

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements 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. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we focus on some upcoming conservative legislation at the Idaho capitol.

Idaho

There was some good news included in a strongly-worded e-newsletter from Scott McIntosh of The Idaho Statesman newspaper. It was entitled:  The Idaho Way: Idaho Republican legislators reveal early agenda of fear and loathing. It included this tally:

“So far, Idaho Republican legislators have introduced bills that would:

  • prevent the city of Boise from sponsoring the Boise Pride Festival
  • criminally punish someone filing a false claim of child abuse
  • prohibit the state from requiring contractors to provide restroom facilities accommodations for transgender residents
  • tell cities which laws to prioritize for enforcement
  • expand stand-your-ground laws, making it easier to kill someone in your house
  • make sure parents know they don’t have to get their kids immunized to go to daycare
  • prevent so-called “sanctuary cities”
  • prohibit colleges and university officials from banning guns on campuses
  • ban state health officials from recommending the COVID-19 vaccine or taking other public health safety measures.”

McIntosh is a hardcore Democrat, so all of the preceding list of Republican legislative goals probably horrified him, but most of them made me quite cheery. Take this as a word of warning, for your future reference, if you ever see anything under his byline: Scott McIntosh, the Opinion Editor of The Idaho Statesman is a very liberal and very anti-gun transplant from New York. He attended Syracuse University. His newsletter is titled “The Idaho Way”, but more accurately, it should be called “The New York Liberal Way.”

o  o  o

A Modern Homesteading Conference will be held June 30th-July1st, 2023 in Coeur d’Alene Idaho. Among others, Joel and Daniel Salatin will be guest speakers!

o  o  o

Reader C.B. mentioned this, over at Fox News: Idaho governor wins lawsuit against illegal encampment outside Capitol: ‘We are not Portland’.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“…it is manifest, in the spirit of our history, in our annals, and by the general voice of the fathers of the  republic, that, in a very great degree, to the Pulpit, the Puritan Pulpit, we owe the moral force which won our independence.” – John Wingate Thornton, The Pulpit of the American Revolution.

Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 30, 2023

Retired actor Eugene “Gene” Allen Hackman was born January 30, 1930. He retired from acting, because of stress issues.

January 30th is also the birthday of historian Barbara Tuchman (born 1912, died February 6, 1989). She wrote some very engaging history books.

And January 30th, 1925 was the birthday of Douglas Engelbart, who invented the computer mouse.

—

Sales of the latest edition of the SurvivalBlog Archive waterproof USB stick have been more rapid than anticipated.  I now expect them to sell out within 10 days. If you want any, then order them soon! We might not manufacture a second batch, this year.

—

Today’s feature article is a review written by staff Field Gear Editor Thomas Christianson.

Pietta M1858 .44 Remington Replica, by Thomas Christianson

Last summer, I tested a Pietta Blackpowder M1858 .44 Remington replica that I acquired from the Elk Creek Company. It was fun to shoot, interesting from a historical perspective, and is not classed as a “firearm” under Federal law. If there were a long-term technological setback, it would be easier to manufacture ammo for this replica than it would be for my more modern firearms.

Although shooting cap and ball revolvers is fun, loading them is a somewhat time-consuming process. It is easy to understand why most people select cartridge handguns over cap and ball revolvers if they have the choice.

The Backstory

I decided to dip my toe into the waters of black powder firearms because I had some purchase credits with Elk Creek Company. (I had been awarded those purchase credits as writing contest prizes, back before I came on board as a SurvivalBlog staff writer.)

I was inspired by SurvivalBlog contributor “M.B.”, who wrote an excellent four-part series entitled “Black Powder for Self-Reliance” back in October of 2019. (See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.)

Just three days after I placed my order, the revolver arrived via Priority Mail. The revolver could be shipped directly to me via USPS because according to Federal law, much like a pre-1899 gun, a cap and ball revolver is not a “firearm”. Instead, it is classified as an “antique” and hence it is outside of Federal jurisdiction.  Note that a few states have restrictions on antique guns, so check before mail-ordering one.Continue reading“Pietta M1858 .44 Remington Replica, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Non-GMO Biscuit Mix

The following recipe comes to us from SurvivalBlog reader SaraSue.  It is for a homemade non-GMO biscuit mix powder. It is intended to replace commercially-made mixes such as Bisquick, that could include some genetically modified organism (GMO) grain. SaraSue notes:

“If you read the packaging on a box of Bisquick, it will state that there are genetically modified ingredients in it. I purchase non-GMO ingredients from Azure Standard.”

Yields: About 25 cups

Ingredients
  • One 5-pound bag of non-GMO all-purpose flour. (19 to 20 cups)3¾ cups buttermilk powder⅔ cup baking powder½ cup cane sugar (or organic sugar — this is optional, but adds a nice flavor)

    2 tablespoons kosher salt

    3 teaspoons baking soda

Powder Mixing Directions

In a very large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.

Biscuit Baking Directions

This recipe makes a dozen biscuits:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F.
  2. Pour 3 cups of biscuit mix into a large mixing bowl
  3. 3/4 cup cold butter (cut into the mix). This can be canned butter.
  4. 10T cold water (Note: Add 1T at a time, as the quantity can vary due to your climate)
  5. Mix, knead, and cut biscuit rounds. Or just do “drop biscuits”, which eliminates the kneading and cutting.  You just drop large spoonfuls of the dough on a baking sheet.
  6. Bake at 425 F for about 10-to-15 minutes, depending upon the size of biscuit rounds/dollops and the regulation of your oven.
STORAGE

A sturdy sealed plastic container of this dry mix will keep in a dry, cool cupboard for up to six months. Or you can freeze the mix for longer storage life.

—

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at copper supply and prices. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

John Rubino: Gold Or Silver?

o  o  o

Arkadiusz Sieroń, at Gold-Eagle.com: The Fed’s Crossroads – Hawkish or Dovish? JWR’s Comments:  My appraisal is that the Fed will be pressured by the U.S. Treasury to relent on raising interest rates, most likely  before May. The higher rates are making the annual interest portion of the Federal budget quite painful.  In 2022, the government was spending $4 billion per day, just on interest payments, and of course, that figure will be much higher, in 2023. Bottom line:  It won’t be hawkish. It won’t be dovish. They are going to chicken out!  A chicken is a sort of oversized dove.  Regardless of a Federal Reserve rate pivot, we can expect to see higher silver and gold prices, in 2023.

Economy & Finance:

WND: Biden admin announces 15-year green economics plan.

o  o  o

Reader H.L. sent us this: Households earning $100,000 or more are cutting spending more aggressively. What’s going on?

o  o  o

Rate Cuts And QT?

o  o  o

Billionaires in blue states face coordinated wealth-tax bills.

o  o  o

Number of U.S. restaurants per capita at 25-year low.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Beige Book Finds “Little Growth” Ahead”, Increasing Difficulty For Retailers To Pass Cost Increases.

o  o  o

Republicans worry a national sales tax bill would be a ‘political gift’ for Democrats.

o  o  o

Major Social Security trust funds could be tapped out by 2033: CBO.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”