Year: 2020

When Do We Change Masks? – Part 2, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

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(Continued from Part 1.) GET SUNNY! Another option would be to expose your contaminated masks to sunlight. The UV component in sunlight will kill viruses. And if you position the mask just right, as the sun moves across the sky it will irradiate the entire face of the mask without any part being shaded and untreated. (You could even hang your masks from a clothesline if you clip the clothespin to one of the tabs where the strap attaches to the mask proper.) Unfortunately, for the Shepherdess and I and many other preppers, the weather here in Spokane does not …


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 some Hunkering down “how-to” and supplies.  As near as I can tell, our infection curve …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“I personally believe that we don’t need a lot more laws, I think we’ve got far too many laws on the books now, that’s part of the problem…. We don’t need more government, more laws; we need a lot less. I’m up there [in Washington, D.C.], trying to dismantle a lot of this giant government…. When you ‘pass a law’ with the current attitude in the Congress what do you get in a law today? You get either more spending, or more taxes, or more controls…. Which do you want? Do you want more spending? I think we’ve got too …


Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 17, 2020

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Today would have been the 101st birthday of famed mercenary Thomas Michael “Mad Mike” Hoare. (Born 17 March 1919) He just recently passed away in Durban, South Africa at age 100 on February 2, 2020. The book Mad Mike Hoare: The Legend is fascinating reading. — Welll folks… I’d say that at least in San Francisco, the Schumer has officially Hit Fan.  Headline: San Fran Shutting Down for 3 Weeks … 24-Hour Curfew Starts Tonight. Meanwhile, some Petty Tyranny, in New Orleans. (I believe that Madam Mayor LaToya Cantrell is a bit late with her scheme, since all of the local …


When Do We Change Masks? – Part 1, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

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Editor’s Introductory Note: This is Part 1 of a three-part series.  It was written by one of the most prolific contributors to SurvivalBlog. We’ve posted more than 50 of his articles and letter over the past 15 years. — You have your N-95 filter masks. Now how to you get the maximum use out of them? They’re “disposable.” But can you safely re-use them? Does anybody have “enough” masks? Fluorescent powder distribution. https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-019-4109-x DUST? So, when DO we change masks? Well… The tiny virus-containing droplets take a LONG time to actually plug up a filter mask (unlike dust or smoke). …


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 belated arrival of COVID-19 in the relatively isolated American Redoubt region. Redoubters already practice Social Distancing. Locally, it is just called being ornery and clannish.  We need to just amp that up a bit, and we’ll pull through, just fine. I …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“[I]t is the greatest absurdity to suppose it in the power of one, or of any number of men, at the entering into society to renounce their essential natural rights, or the means of preserving those rights, when the grand end of civil government, from the very nature of its institution, is for the support, protection, and defence of those very rights; the principal of which, as is before observed, are life, liberty, and property. If men, through fear, fraud, or mistake, should in terms renounce or give up an essential natural right, the eternal law of reason and the …


Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 16, 2020

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Today is the anniversary of the Battle at Pound Gap, Kentucky. (1862) — There are now less that two weeks left in for Round 87 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.  Please get your entries in soon!  Note that they must be at lest 1,500 words long. Articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. — Normally, on Mondays, I post product reviews by our stalwart Field Gear Editor. But given the urgency of the current pandemic, I’m postponing the review article that I had planned to present. Thanks for your patience. But first …


COVID-19: My View From The Powerhouse

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I thought I’d give some insight on the COVID-19 impact from my perspective in the hydroelectric power industry.  As a journeyman hydro electrician, I’ll provide a “boots on the ground” tradesman’s point of view.  I’ll do my best to give a short- and medium-term interpretation of this event’s impacts insofar as keeping the lights on.  While not as prevalent throughout the entire country, hydroelectric projects (dams) are the major supplier of electricity for the bulk of those already in the Redoubt and BC.  While all the windmills along the Columbia produce more political “warm and fuzzies” than actual power, dams …


Recipe of the Week: Engineering Student Pad Thai

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Nathan sent us his Engineering Student Pad Thai recipe. Nathan says:  “This is a simple recipe I created after some trial and error. Ingredient ratios are variable depending on taste. This recipe makes enough for two adults.” Ingredients 1/2 cup peanut butter. (I prefer the stuff that is just peanuts and salt) 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon red chili paste 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce 1 teaspoon minced ginger or 2 teaspoons dried ginger powder 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 pound rice stick noodles. Directions While the noodles boil, mix everything except the …


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 look at some big Forex moves. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.) Precious Metals: Gold futures log largest weekly loss in more than 8 years. Here is a snippet that confirms my observations: “It seems that investors have been selling gold in order to cover losses elsewhere,” said Caroline Bain, chief …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“So, 61% of Italian confirmed cases are requiring hospitalization. And, low-ball figures now are claiming at least 40% of the American population can be expected to contract it (I suspect it’s higher, because I suspect there’s a lot of as-yet unidentified cases floating around out there still). The American population is 331 million. 40% of that is 132.4 million. If 61% of those require hospitalization (and remember, we’re not even looking at the case fatality rate right now…just the number of cases in Italy-—a first world nation—-that require hospitalization), that’s 80.76 million hospital cases. That’s just below 25% of the …


Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 15, 2020

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President Donald J. Trump declared today, Sunday, March 15, a National Day of Prayer. Please pray for Divine Intervention in the spread and severity of the current pandemic. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 87 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 Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for …


Generators for Family Readiness – Part 2, by Greg X.

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Starting Electric starting is a nice feature. An electric starter motor spins the engine faster than pull starting increasing the probability that the engine starts. The starter keeps the engine spinning longer because a starter rope always runs out of length. My wife can push the start button and if your back is hurt “the button” still works. Gasoline engines are easier to pull-start than diesels. There are some small diesel engines with compression release that can be pull started, but it can be tough even for a 3-kW engine. We put …


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 look at The Good Simple Living vlogging family’s upcoming move to Idaho. Good Simple Living’s Move to Idaho The Good Simple Living vlogging family has found a buyer for their house in …