Month: June 2019

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”.  Today, we look at the California Chicken Cull. U.S. Farms in Worst Crisis in a Generation Michael Snyder: U.S. Farms Are Facing Their Worst Crisis In A Generation – And Now Here Comes Another Monster Storm. Snyder says: “By the time it is over, we may look back and say that this was the worst farm crisis that the U.S. has ever seen. The biggest problem for farmers so far in 2019 has …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — June 12, 2019

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On June 12, 1987, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, President Ronald Reagan publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 83  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, …


Our Wildfire Evacuation, Part 2, by SoCal9mm

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(Continued from Part 1.) So we put this plan together on paper, that’s all that we needed to do, right? Um, no. Practicing an evacuation drill is probably at least as important as having an evacuation plan. After I had revised our plan into the checklist format, I knew that we needed to practice it to see if the timeframes were correct (i.e., could we actually do all the stuff that I’d written down on the 1-minute checklist in 1 minute?). Shortly after the Tubbs Fire (in October, 2017) we did a walk-through of the house and pointed out all …


JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on One Time Pad Generators. (See the Gear & Grub section.) Books: The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777 o  o  o SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam o  o  o Reader B.K. wrote to recommend this book: Appear To Vanish: Stealth Concepts for Effective Camouflage and Concealment o  o  o The 10 Bushcraft Books Movies: Tortured for Christ. Based on the life story of Pastor Richard Wurmbrand.  He spent …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the fickle lumber commodity market. (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: Stefan Gleason: Five Big Lies About Precious Metals Investing Exposed o  o  o “In Gold We Trust”: Waning Confidence In US Sends World’s Central Banks On Buying Spree Economy & Finance: Like …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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Ironically, however, the question [of soil conditioning] is mostly academic. The cure for heavy clay soil is to add organic matter to break up the clay and improve drainage. The cure for sandy, dry soil is to add organic matter to retain water. The cure for acid soil is to add organic matter, particularly bird manure, to bring the pH up and make more nutrients available. The cure for alkaline soil is to add organic matter to buffer it. The cure for hardpan [soil] is to add organic matter to feed earthworms.” – Linda Woodrow 1996, Permaculture Home Garden


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 11, 2019

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John Wayne, the iconic American film actor, died forty years ago today. (On June 11th, 1979.) While John Wayne is probably best known for his westerns like True Grit (released 50 years ago, today), The Shootist and Fort Apache, we remember him best for his roles in The Alamo and The Green Berets, both of which reflected his patriotic, conservative leanings. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 83  of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $3,000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar …


Our Wildfire Evacuation, Part 1, by SoCal9mm

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Editor’s Introductory Note:  At nearly 10,000 words, this is one of the longest multi-part articles ever to appear in SurvivalBlog. It will be presented in five parts, concluding on Saturday. Despite its length, this is some fascinating and detailed reading. The author’s insights and “lessons learned” are quite valuable, and they go far beyond just the particular concerns of wildfire evacuation. — On the evening of December 4, 2017, the Thomas Fire started in Ventura County, California. By the time it was over, about 440 square miles had burned across Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, more than 1,000 structures were …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. Today, we focus on the C-47 Miss Montana’s flight to Europe, in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. (See the Montana section.) Region-Wide The Conservative Move web site is still getting a lot of inquiries about the Inland Northwest and Northern Rockies. Which States are the biggest magnets for conservatives who are fed up with liberal coastal politics?  Texas and …


The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”.  Today, we look at warnings of a second civil war. Civil War II? Some pundits are suggesting that a second civil war is ineluctable.  For example, there is this piece published a few days ago at Daily Kos:  How do we avert the inevitable plutocrat-driven civil war? Fake Videos of You Using Facebook images Reader DSV sent this: Samsung can now create fake videos of you using Facebook images A New Balloon …




Kel-Tec CMR 30, by Pat Cascio

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The debate seems to have no end, when it comes to rifles (and handguns) for the End Times, or a SHTF event. Everyone has an opinion on this subject, and we are all entitled to our opinions – and I don’t think there is a right or wrong opinion – it’s just that – an opinion. Not everyone wants an AR-15 type of rifle or carbine, nor does everyone want an AK-47 type of rifle. These are probably two of the most popular firearms when talk turns to defending oneself and their family, in a very bad situation, where there …


Recipe of the Week: Penny’s Quick-Cooked Wheat Berries

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We are always looking for recipes for storage foods.  This one is particularly useful. Reader Penny in Arkansas kindly sent us her directions for cooking wheat berries. There are far more uses for your stored wheat than just grinding flour!  Infogalactic has this description: “A wheat berry, or wheatberry, is a whole wheat kernel (except for the hull/husk), composed of the bran, germ, and endosperm. Botanically, it is a type of fruit called a caryopsis. Wheat berries have a tan to reddish-brown color and are available as either a hard or soft processed grain. They are often added to salads …