Retreat Down Time, by K. R.

itemprop="discussionURL"17

Dreary Days There will be days, depending on where you live, where you will experience days of rain, snow, or other weather phenomena that will relegate you and your family to being inside the house. You could spend this retreat down time time mending clothes, sharpening tools, canning, or planning for when the weather allows you back outside. If you have children, this indoor time could elevate the stresses they may be feeling due to the dramatic changes in their lives. Life without electricity, without a cellphone signal, and without an Internet connection. This will be especially hard for children …


Guest Post: Will Globalists Sacrifice the Dollar to Get Their ‘New World Order’?, by Brandon Smith

itemprop="discussionURL"25

Editor’s Introductory Note: The following article original appeared at the excellent Alt-Market blog, and is re-posted with permission. Brandon Smith’s economic and geopolitical analysis is usually spot on. I recommend bookmarking his site and checking it often. – JWR — Trade is a fundamental element of human survival. No one person can produce every single product or service necessary for a comfortable life, no matter how Spartan their attitude. Unless your goal is to desperately scratch an existence from your local terrain with no chance of progress in the future, you are going to need a network of other producers. …


Escape and Evasion in Standardized Testing, by Autistic Prepper

itemprop="discussionURL"27

A Little Background The very word “test” is enough to make us cringe. Spelling tests, math tests—every school day brought another test. And then there were the “achievement tests”, which were supposed to find out how much we’d learned that year. The Tests that Really Mattered in Our Lives From high school, many of us went on to college. Here tests were crucial as we labored through the ACT, SAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, et cetera. Our scores helped determine whether we would get into the college and profession we wanted. Okay, So I’m a Rebel I tried hard on all …


Guest Post: The Modern Prison-Industrial Complex- Part 2

itemprop="discussionURL"60

Editor’s Introductory Note: This article was originally published on Ammo.com, and is reposted with permission. This is the concluding continuation of Part 1, which was posted in SurvivalBlog on Tuesday, January 22, 2019. Prison Guard Unions and Private Prisons Lobbying Elected Officials Anywhere government money is being spent or the state is picking winners and losers, there you will find lobbying. Like the military-industrial complex, private prisons are no exception to this rule. The two largest private prison corporations have put more than $10 million into electing favorable candidates since 1989, and more than $25 million into lobbying. Marco Rubio …


Guest Post: The Modern Prison-Industrial Complex- Part 1

itemprop="discussionURL"38

Editor’s Introductory Note: This article on prisons was originally published on Ammo.com. It is reposted with permission. The size of the U.S. prison population is of considerable concern to survivalists.- JWR — There’s no two ways about it: The United States of America and its 50 state governments love putting people in prison. The U.S. has both the highest number of prisoners and the highest per capita incarceration rate in the modern world at 655 adults per 100,000. (It’s worth noting that China’s incarceration statistics are dubious, and they execute far more people than the United States. Indeed, the so-called …


Recipe of the Week: Homemade Pasta Sauce

Reader “Sis in Montana” kindly sent us one of her family’s favorite recipes: Mom’s Quick Homemade Pasta Sauce Ingredients: 5 – 8 oz. Cans of Tomato Sauce 1-1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley 1-1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano 1 tsp. Dried Basil 1 TBSP. Garlic Powder 2 tsp. Onion Powder 1 Pint (or 1 pound) Browned Hamburger Directions: Combine all ingredients, mix thoroughly, and simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. This can simmer while you are preparing the pasta of your choice. Notes: This recipe can be made with storage foods, including canned browned hamburger. This goes well with garlic bread. …


Raising Chickens For Meat- Part 2, by Michele Cooper

itemprop="discussionURL"17

I’m writing about our experience of raising chickens for meat. Since I didn’t want to kill chickens, we still found a way to raise our own, thanks to a friend who told us about chicken processors. In part 1, we had obtained our chicks and told you about the things they required to grow strong and healthy in their plastic bin in our home. I also told the funny story about how my husband reacted when I shared my plans to move layer chicks into our first home together. (It all worked out really well. Jeff helped me with the …


Raising Chickens For Meat- Part 1, by Michele Cooper

itemprop="discussionURL"15

This past year, for the first time, I raised chickens for meat. The reason I did not previously is that I do not like killing animals. I can butcher them after they are dead, but I don’t like killing them. Yes, I know, I’m such a wimp. Informed of Chicken Processing Plants I have a good friend, Tami, who works for the local feed store, and in the spring, they have lots of chicks. I mentioned to Tami that I would like to raise my own chickens for meat but cannot kill the chickens (or rabbits, or whatever). She informed …


Guest Article: The Whispered Prepper Necessity: Feminine Hygiene, by Patrice Lewis

itemprop="discussionURL"9

An unspoken but critical need for any prepper family with women is feminine hygiene. Sorry to bring up an awkward and indelicate subject, but every woman reading this is nodding her head in agreement. Phasing Out Disposable Products A number of years ago, our family started phasing out disposable products. We did this for a number of reasons, including environmental and financial; but the biggest reason was our interest in reducing waste. If the bleep ever hits the fan, waste disposal will be a huge issue. Better to tackle that aspect now rather than later. Washable Feminine Hygiene, A High …


Recipe of the Week: Biscochitos, by T.R.

This is one of our favorite holiday cookies here in northern New Mexico. The traditional shape in this area is a simple disk about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, but you can use your cookie cutters if you want to. Ingredients: 6 cups all-purpose flour 1 tbs baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 2 cups lard 1 1/2 cups white sugar 2 tsp anise seed 2 eggs 1/4 cup brandy 1/4 cup white sugar 1 tbs ground cinnamon


“Inclusive” Strategic Planning As Part Of Everyday Environment- Part 5, by Old Bobbert

Inclusiveness in our prepper world of “after the SHTF event” is that element wherein everyone who will be involved in an activity, regardless of the nature of the activity, will be involved in the creation of the plan. This way they can thereby be more fully committed to the plans’ success. We are currently in the midst of looking at itemized “inclusive” strategic planning considerations to apply in an event situation. Twelve points have been covered so far, and we are in the midst of the thirteenth– economics. 13. Economics– Single Most Likely Disaster Looming (continued) Crisis Moment, Lost Confidence …


“Inclusive” Strategic Planning As Part Of Everyday Environment- Part 4, by Old Bobbert

Inclusiveness in our prepper world of “after the SHTF event” is that element wherein everyone who will be involved in an activity, regardless of the nature of the activity, will be involved in the creation of the plan. This way they can thereby be more fully committed to the plans’ success. We are currently in the midst of looking at itemized “inclusive” strategic planning considerations to apply in an event situation. Ten points have been covered so far. 11. Applied Knowledge We have often heard that ”knowledge has value”, or “knowledge is power.” While these simple and well-worn sayings do …


“Inclusive” Strategic Planning As Part Of Everyday Environment- Part 3, by Old Bobbert

Inclusiveness in our prepper world of “after the SHTF event” is that element wherein everyone who will be involved in an activity, regardless of the nature of the activity, will be involved in the creation of the plan. This way they can thereby be more fully committed to the plans’ success. We are currently in the midst of looking at itemized “inclusive” strategic planning considerations to apply in an event situation. Five points have been covered so far. 6. Keep a Daily Journal and Hold Bible Study Classes Many of the “old” maxims we often follow blindly have lived long …


“Inclusive” Strategic Planning As Part Of Everyday Environment- Part 2, by Old Bobbert

We have defined “inclusiveness” and the application for it in our prepping communities and especially in an event (SHTF situation). Now, we’ve just begun to discuss the planning process. Let’s continue to dig further into this meat of the article. Successful Strategic Planning Above all else, a successful plan needs to be carefully written and will always require a knowledgeable and fully committed buy-in on the parts of every participant, both operators and support. Every operation participant needs a written and accurate plan contents page(s) concerning their individual specific participation. Additionally, every operation participant needs to be thoroughly familiar with …


“Inclusive” Strategic Planning As Part Of Everyday Environment- Part 1, by Old Bobbert

Editors Note: Commenting has been turned off for this article because most are not reading the article before posting their comments. What’s the “Inclusiveness” Element and How Does It Work? As my answer to what is the “inclusiveness” element and how it works, I suggest the following: As a generality, inclusiveness is a system/commitment/style of enabling your group, team, or community of allowing/encouraging/enabling the diversely talented members to work together more productively, and to have stronger provisions to enable these participants to excel in their special talents within a strong, family-like cooperative environment. As a result, you thus create a …