Year: 2020

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”. 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. Today, we report the death of Cecile Rol-Tanguy. RIP to French Resistance Heroine Cecile Rol-Tanguy Simon sent us this: French Resistance hero Cecile Rol-Tanguy dies at age 101. How Did Ancient People Preserve Foods? …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Most local banknotes in Somaliland are only worth pennies, so a brick of money is usually needed to buy a meal of camel hump or goat meat. The whole process of exchanging notes is gloriously exotic. In the dusty local market in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, rows of currency traders set up stalls on the side of the road with money they value by weight. Some traders have hundreds of kilos of notes ready to swap for pound sterling, US dollars or euros, with barrow-boy helpers moving the money around on two wheels or in the back of a …


Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 13, 2020

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May 13th is the birthday of firearms engineer Theodor Koch (born 1905, died 1976.) Koch, along with Edmund Heckler and Alex Seidel salvaged tooling from the bombed-out Mauser factory at Oberndorf, and with it founded Heckler und Koch. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models. A Gunsite …


Knives Under $50 That I Love – Part 2, by The Novice

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(Continued from Patrt 1. This concludes the article.) The Mini Survival Kit Since I mentioned the mini survival kit, I will tell you more about it. It is easy throw into any pack or game pocket when I head outdoors. In addition to the aforementioned Opinel No. 8 knife , it contains a waterproof match case filled with waterproof matches, a ferrocerium rod with a built in compass and whistle, an extra whistle, and a half dozen or so cotton balls dabbed with Vaseline enclosed in a plastic bag. All of these things are kept in a pint sized SubZero …


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. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on canned beef. (See the Gear & Grub section.) Books: I heard that Michael Z. Williamson …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“No doubt you’ve heard the phrase ‘ignorance of the law is no excuse’, and are probably familiar with the statist meaning of that phrase: Being ignorant of a law is no excuse for breaking it. However ‘ignorance of the law is no excuse’ also has a less-well-known libertarian meaning: This is an ignorant law and there’s no excuse for it!” – Starchild


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 12, 2020

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I’m starting out with some sad news, reported by Mas Ayoob:  R.I.P. Chuck Taylor. I must say that Taylor truly earned the moniker “Legendary”, in practical shooting circles. — On May 12th, 1949, one of the first crises of the Cold War came to end when the Soviet Union lifted its 11-month blockade against West Berlin. A massive U.S.-British airlift had broken it. At the end of World War II, Germany was divided into four sectors administered by the four major Allied powers: the USSR, the United States, Britain, and France. Berlin, the capital, was also divided into four parts, …


Knives Under $50 That I Love – Part 1, by The Novice

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The use of tools is one characteristic that distinguishes mankind from the animals. It may be true that chimpanzees will crack nuts with a stone and that some kinds of crows will use a stick to extract insects from tree bark. But when it comes to making and utilizing tools, human being operate on a level far above the most sophisticated denizens of the animal kingdom. Perhaps the most widely used tool across cultures and throughout history is the knife. From the flint knives of paleolithic tribes to the laser knives of modern neurosurgeons, knives enable us to cut things …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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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 the Great Potato Giveaway.   (See the Montana section.) Region-Wide Inland northwest farmers’ markets adapting to new coronavirus rules. o  o  o Inland Northwest Ag Report for May 5, 2020 Idaho A Reminder: The Idaho primary election ballot deadline is just seven days …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race, I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place. Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all. We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn: But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind, So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind. We moved …


Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 11, 2020

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On May 11, 1949, the newly-declared nation of Israel was admitted into the United Nations. — Take advantage of your time in isolation!  Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. The top three prize packages are amazing! (Just ask any of the 237 people who have already won prizes!) This is not some mere game of chance. Rather, this is a judged writing competition, based on writing skill and knowledge. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for …


Kershaw CQC-4KXL-D2, by Pat Cascio

Right off the bat, I’ll admit that I’m a huge fan of Ernest Emerson knife designs – all of them. Over the years, I’ve done a number of articles on their factory made knives, as well as some of their knives they had made overseas. I’ve also engaged Emerson in a number of conversations by phone. We both have a similar background, especially in the martial arts, and our love for good cutlery. One article that I wrote about some folding knives that Emerson had made in China, didn’t exactly please Ernest. I pointed out that of the six samples …


Recipe of the Week: Beef Mironton

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The following recipe for Beef Mironton is from The New Butterick Cook Book, by Flora Rose, co-head of the School of Home Economics at Cornell University. It was published in 1924. A professional scan of that 724-page out-of-copyright book will be one of the bonus items in the next edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. This 15th Anniversary Edition USB stick should be available for sale in the third week of January, 2021. Ingredients 6 slices cold (fully cooked) beef 1 cup beef bouillon or 1 cup water mixed with canned tomato sauce Salt and pepper, to taste …


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. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we focus on freelancing and the gig economy. Precious Metals: Reader H.L. sent this one in:  Silver Coin Premiums Soar: Signal “Alt-Money” Demand As Re-Opening Recovery Hype Fades o  o  o While the gold price consolidates, silver begins to awaken o  o  o Negative interest rates: the next trigger in gold price …