Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 4, 2019

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October 4, 1923 was the birthday of the late Charlton Heston, who was born John Charles Carter. He died April 5, 2008. He is often remembered for movies like Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, Soylent Green, The Planet of the Apes, and the survivalist classic The Omega Man. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 85 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 …


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 price of gold, vis-a-vis the Hong Kong protests. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: Gold Prices Plunge Right On Cue As China Golden Week Begins. JWR’s Comment:  But watch gold soar, once the Chinese PLA and PAP crack down on the Hong …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 3, 2019

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October, 3, 2019 is the 26th anniversary of the Mogadishu, Somalia raid. The 18 Americans killed were: MSG Gary Gordon, 1st SFOD-D SFC Randy Shughart, 1st SFOD-D SSG Daniel Busch, 1st SFOD-D SFC Earl Fillmore, 1st SFOD-D MSG Timothy Martin, 1st SFOD-D CPL Jamie Smith, 3/75 Ranger SPC James Cavaco, 3/75 Ranger SGT Casey Joyce, 3/75 Ranger PFC Richard Kowaleski, 3/75 Ranger SGT Dominic Pilla, 3/75 Ranger SGT Lorenzo Ruis, 3/75 Ranger SSG William Cleveland, Jr. 160th SOAR SSG Thomas Field, 160th SOAR CW4 Raymond Frank, 160th SOARD CW3 Clifton Wolcott, 160th SOAR CW2 Donovan Briley, 160th SOAR SGT Cornell …


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 U.S. Army’s deployment of M1 Abrams tanks to Lithuania. Taliban Sighted with Night Vision and Thermal Equipment Reader G.P. mentioned this, over at American Partisan: Taliban Sighted with Night …



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 2, 2019

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This marks the 150th birthday of Mohandas Gandhi (1869–1948). Ben Kingsley did a great job of portraying him in the award-winning movie Gandhi. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 85 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, two, or three day course (a …


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. This week the focus is on winter backpacking and other aspects of winter travel. (See the Gear & Grub section.) Books: Ultralight Winter Travel: The Ultimate Guide to Lightweight Winter …



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 1, 2019

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Happy birthday to singer and actress Julie Andrews (born 1935.) Her name is always associated with The Sound of Music. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we are announcing writing contest winners for Round 84, and the first entry for Round 85 We are also pleased to announce a new prize that will be included in teh Secod Prize package, satrting with Round 85. This is a $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com. This fine company is also a SurvivalBlog banner advertiser. Be sure to check our their growing line of ultra-fast EMP protection products for homes, …


Writing Contest Prize Winners: Round 84

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Today we are announcing the prize-winning writers for Round 84 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. First Prize: First prize goes to T.R. for Build the Plan vs. Test the Plan, which was posted in five parts from August 20 to August 24, 2019.  She will receive the following prizes: 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, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value), A course …


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 Boise State’s leftists. (See the Idaho section.) Idaho I just heard about a fairly new gun maker called Genesis Arms, in Coeur d’Alene. They are producing a great 12 gauge semi-auto shotgun called the GEN-12, using a standard off-the shelf AR-10 lower …



Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 30, 2019

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B-Day! Today, September 30th, 2019, is “B Day”: Baofeng Day. The U.S. sales ban on multi-band Baofeng UV-5R handie-talkies takes effect at midnight tonight. As of October 1st, 2019, it will be illegal to advertise or sell them. But they will still be legal to operate. Only licensed amateurs can operate on their ham bands. However, unlicensed folks can operate with them on their FRS, and MURS bands, if set to low power. Stock up! I recommend getting at least a six pack, ASAP! If those cases of six radios are sold out, then look for other UV-5R variants from …


Recipe of the Week: L.M.’s Sweet Potato Soup

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Reader L.M. kindly sent us her Sweet Potato Soup recipe, one of her fall favorites. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion 1 cup roughly chopped carrots 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 2 pounds yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (can be reduced for low-salt diets) 1 teaspoon black pepper (or less, to taste) 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less, to taste) 7 cups chicken stock 2 tablespoons salted butter Toppings 1 cup …