Restaurant Recession Could Signal Tough Times for U.S. Economy – RBS
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New legislation proposes to “bail in” Social Security
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I found this Reuter’s article linked over at Zero Hedge: ‘Helicopter money’ might weaken currencies more than QE as sky’s the limit
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US Homeownership Rate Crashes To Lowest Since 1965
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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.
It will take awhile, but this could be areas of America within a few years! Another reason to treasure our 2nd Amendment. Germany Admits “Islamist Terror Has Arrived” As It Prepares To Deploy Army In “Crisis” Situations – H.L.
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Paris at war in 2016, yet the there is a media silence – K.T.
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Marion Le Pen: ‘Either We Kill Islamism or It Will Kill Us’
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Some good news from Scottland – The state wide child snooping law has been shown for what is is. Five unanimous judges struck it down. – W.M.
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“Real, Imminent Threat” That Next World War Will Be Initiated By First Strike EMP Weapon – G.J.
“Seeing the stock plastic sights on a Glock in use is like seeing picture frames with the sample picture still inside them, or someone trying to pay for their purchases with the cardboard “credit cards” that came in their wallet. It’s a little sad and awkward and you feel sorry for the person and don’t know quite what to say.” – Tamara K., Editor of the View From The Porch blog.
28 July 1914 – The 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I –the War that irreparably changed geopolitics. Officially, the war lasted until November 11, 1918, but American troops were still running around shooting Russians until well into 1919.
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What’s the difference between an American Couch Potato and an Islamist fanatic–both sentenced to house arrest, with a location monitoring ankle bracelet? The American stays in his house, gains weight, and gets grease stains on his pajamas whilst sitting around eating delivery pizza and binge watching episodes of American Pickers. But the Islamist fanatic leaves his house and gets difficult-to-remove red stains on his clothes and the carpets. – JWR
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Safecastle’s current Mountain House Sale prices are expiring July 31. Selected varieties are steeply discounted, such as 45% off freeze dried Cooked Ground Beef! By the way, Mountain House this week officially updated their product shelf life guarantee to 30 years for both #10 cans and pouches, retroactive to all foods produced in the last 30 years!
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Today, we present another entry for Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 65 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
For older children, there are a variety of ways you can help them. The first is exposing them to the outdoors and teaching them the skills and knowledge you have learned. Do not rely on teachers, schools, or other adults to make sure they are prepared. Even if you have limited time with your children, small things can help. Every child should have some type of bug out bag at their main residence. This bag should cover these main categories: water, food, shelter, signaling, communication, and protection. Make sure that all items are age appropriate and they know how to use them. One thing that can be very important is survival cards. These are cards on which you have listed important information in simple, easy-to-follow steps. Have one for each main topic attached to the outside of the bag for easy reference.
Here is an example of one for an older child, who might be responsible for a sibling:
General Safety Card:
Children are best at following clear and simple directions. Do not overcomplicate the process.
Older children may be capable of traveling to a designated location. Some circumstances may require that they have to travel. This is where the maps you have made are critical. Highlight primary (and secondary) routes and locations. Make sure you have clearly identified locations along the route that you might be able to intercept them. Add them to each child’s bag. You might even decide to have them leave a trail of markers as they travel. Supplying a colorful plastic tape with directions on where to leave pieces is one option. This could give you an edge in following or finding them. Just remember to make sure the markers do not expose their personal information or details to others that may cross the same paths. The most important part will be that they have a safe location (and a backup location) to head for, if the need arises.
Places to consider as rally points that children could easily find:
Younger children will need to be taught to shelter in place. They simply won’t be safe wandering around, and you will need to know exactly where you can locate them if the need arises. Their gear will be up to you to store. If you pull up to your child’s elementary school, would you have a change of clothes, a good comfortable pair of shoes, and a jacket? Do they need an inhaler or other medications? All of these items could easily fit into a small back pack. This means that you will need to start carrying a second bug out bag specific to them. If their spare items are in the closet at home when you get that phone call or see the news report, it will be too late.
Items to consider for a child’s bug out bag:
Now let’s discuss a problem that could be common for many single parents.
One scenario to consider is that you are not able to retrieve your children. For example, you show up to get them and the other parent may not be able to travel or refuses to let the children travel. There may be policies in place at your children’s school that forbids releasing a child to non-custodial parents. Are you prepared to remain in the area for an extended period of time to watch over their safety? Have you considered the best way to handle a family situation? Do you have a plan for your children’s extended family? If you go to pick up your children from their grandmother’s house and she needs assistance, are you prepared to deal with that? What about a step parent or an in-law who is now involved? These are very uncomfortable topics for a single or divorced parent. They will be ignored by many people until it is too late.
Unfortunately, very few people have the lifestyle of a typical nuclear family with home schooled children on their self-sufficient homesteads. Millions must deal with absentee parental situations. And for the prepper community, this topic is one that is often ignored in favor of more exciting scenarios. The idea of a full-blown Mad Max-style breakdown may be fun for movies and television, but for parents there must be a real world examination of their lives and appropriate plans to fit those daily realities. Make time to address this topic now, not when your children’s lives may hang in the balance.
Sources quoted for divorces and single parent estimates:
Gun Control in the Third Reich: Disarming the Jews and “Enemies of the State”, by Stephen P. Halbrook.
©2013 Stephen P. Halbrook Published by The Independent Institute, Oakland CA
ISBN: 978-1-59813-161-1 Hardback; also available in Paperback and via Kindle.
246 pages, 12 chapters, bibliography, and index.
“Gun control”, a politically loaded term for citizen control, seems to be an unrelenting topic for discussion and the rhetoric has grown more heated in recent years. Every time somebody goes wacko and sets out to settle differences of opinion or exact revenge with a firearm, there are new calls for “gun control”. The first things usually cast aside in the ensuing knee jerk reaction is truth and constitutional protections. The politicians cannot pass a new law fast enough in their rush to “do something” to avoid further bloodshed and secure bragging rights on the re-election circuit. In the USA, citizens have a constitutional right to own firearms. The Second Amendment is succinct:
“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
Twenty-seven plain English words that have generated libraries of discussion, thousands of court cases, and endless debate.
The book reviewed herein tells us the story of “gun control” in Germany, beginning shortly after World War I on 13 January 1919 through a series of governments. In an attempt to quell the civil war between nationalists and communists and restore law and order, the German government decreed that all ammunition and firearms must be surrendered immediately. Failure to do so would be punished with a five-year prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 Reichsmarks. This law would help avoid further bloodshed. Law abiding citizens dutifully forfeited their firearms. The civil war continued unabated.
Two years later, on 7 August 1920, the new German government passed another law banning military type weapons. Warrantless searches began. The civil war continued with brass knuckles, rocks, clubs, and knives.
Eight years later, 31 March 1928, a new law was passed banning firearms and ammunition licenses for Gypsies and persons under police surveillance (Terrorist Watch List?). All new licenses would be issued only to “persons of unquestioned trustworthiness”. Silencers (suppressors) and spotlights on firearms were banned. The law was effective for all of Germany and was superior to any and all state laws.
On 28 March 1931, the German government outlawed knives and truncheons, except for police officers and holders of firearm licenses (those deemed trustworthy).
The process continued and worsened under the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. Amendments were approved, courts cases lost and won, and freedoms slowly stripped away. The list of untrustworthy citizens slowly grew to include the retarded, Communists, Jews, and anyone critical of the government.
This book goes into great detail on the incremental process in an easily readable manner. The author fully documents everything with footnotes. He gives us facts, not propaganda or quick talking points. I strongly recommend you read this book and compare what occurred in Germany with what is going on now in the USA and other nations, such as Venezuela.
Reviewer Personal Note: My study of gun control in Russia/Soviet Union reveals the same incremental assault on citizen rights and freedoms. Lenin seized power in 1917 via a coup, not the revolution of the propaganda machine, and immediately banned two things: guns and food supplies. Only government officials could have firearms, and food distribution was controlled by government bureaucrats. Obey the communists or lose your ration card. The tragedy continues to this day, with the men with guns controlling the largest nation on the planet.
The latest government of Venezuela recently did the same thing with firearms and food. Firearms are banned, and food is available only from approved government agents. Obey or starve.
Here in the USA, in a knee jerk response to a mass killing in Orlando FL, a move is under foot to ban firearms from anyone on the Terrorist Watch List. Who decides who that is? Another proposal is to allow warrantless searches of personal information by the FBI in direct violation of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. As I write this, a news release just announced that the mass killing was probably an act of revenge, not a terrorist operation.
That said, good grief, folks. Slow down, take a deep breath, and consider the consequences of your actions. Let us wait for all the facts before considering a future course of action. Further assaults on the rights and liberties of law-abiding citizens will not prevent illegal actions by criminals.
Get Down With The Monetary Sickness – Mike Maloney
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Invest 25% Of Investment Portfolios In Gold Bullion – Marc Faber
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Paul Craig Roberts – We Are About To Witness The End Of The World As We Know It
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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.
Police Groups Push Back Against Curbs on Acquiring Military Gear. Following attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge, law enforcement intensifies efforts to reverse Obama restrictions – T.P.
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U.S. City Rolls Over For Radical Mosque. Excerpt: “A radical mosque known for breeding terrorists has been granted special privileges by the city of Bloomington, Minnesota, which allows its members to take over a public park and treat it as their own, to the exclusion of other residents, according to complaints filed by a citizens group.” – RBS
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Chainsaw Vs. Fire Hose Pants – Not that you would want to try this, but it’s good to know. – R.T.
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The Barbarians Must Be Stopped – Sent in by B.B.
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Bataclan- When seconds matter, the authorities are only hours away: French Military Was Present, Outnumbered Attackers at Paris Massacre — Forced to Stand Down – C.S.
“Those open to warnings of the ongoing collapse have, by now, listened, understood and been moved to act. Perhaps further warnings are largely futile. It may even be too late for those who have not yet acted. The skills and resources now going into warning the unreceptive may be better directed elsewhere.
Some ‘warnings’ are little more than lead-ins to sales pitches. Preparationalism shouldn’t be a cause, or something akin to a business, committed to growing its base. If that’s the model then we’re captive to a model rather than builders of a resilient means for survival.
The preparationalist-survivalist movement is growing into its mature and natural form which, in its widest scope, includes restoring our inalienable rights and recovering our former Constitutional republic. The contrast to the general downdraft will be more persuasive than warnings. Keeping each other informed is a better use of resources.
We can neither retard nor hurry the pace of the collapse, nor can we warn those who will not be warned. While like-minded friends are welcome, better we should work on what is responsive to our efforts: the survival of our communities, ourselves and our liberty. When the fracture lets go completely, it may be barely enough.” – Ol’ Remus, in his Yer Ol’ Woodpile Report weekly blog
July 27th is the birthday of Captain Samuel Whittemore (born in 1694, died February 3, 1793). He was an English-born American farmer and soldier. He was eighty years of age when he became the oldest known colonial combatant in the American War of Independence.
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Today, we present another entry for Round 65 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 65 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
The United States has nearly 1.2 million divorces* of married couples. There are an estimated 25 million children* living in single parent households, and many parents travel long distances for work, spending nights away from home. Setting aside for a moment the reasons for these situations, the fact is that a large portion of children are away from either one or both parents for extended periods of time. If you are a parent who spends time away from your child, how do you plan to save them in a SHTF moment, or more importantly, get to them in a crisis when time is against you?
If you are a divorced father who only sees your children on the weekends or are a mother who travels for work every day and relies on daycares, schools, or babysitters, you might both have the same problem in an emergency situation. You are miles away from your children and have no idea what to do next. Now is the time to make your plans, put things in order, and prepare to get to your children before an event keeps them from you.
The first step is research and information gathering. Would it surprise you to learn that some parents may not know the address of their child’s school? Even more people don’t know the locations of their children’s friends whom they visit. This occurs even more frequently for parents who don’t live in the same household as their children. Ask yourself if you had to find your child right now without the aid of your phone, GPS, or the other parent, could you do it? Where is their school? Where is the babysitter’s house? Do they stay with extended family, and do you know where those houses are? These are critical details for a parent to have at their fingertips in times of crisis. A perfect place to start is a small pocket notebook or binder that can stay with you in your vehicle, suitcase, or bug out bag.
Items to record:
Once you have all those critical pieces of information, it is time to move onto mapping out these locations. You will need a good (and recent) local map showing street names and landmarks. Be prepared to make multiple copies of this final map when completed. Clearly mark each location, and list what each one represents. Remember, you may not be local, and some parents spend very little time in the town where their children reside. Make sure you print clearly what each location represents in permanent ink.
Once this is complete, the map should show some obvious patterns. Look for major travel routes and secondary access routes to these locations. Include a compass and GPS unit with this map for backup. For the GPS, you can cross reference the locations on Google Earth and record the latitude and longitude coordinates, or if you routinely visit these places they can be saved into the unit while you are there. The most important factor is knowing how to get from one place to the next as quickly as possible. If you are ever put into a situation where you have to search for your children, the time you invest now could save their lives.
The next stage of information gathering is going to relate to the child’s important documents. If you are not the parent who handles doctor visits, paperwork, or permission slips, you might not be aware of certain allergies or smaller medical issues. If you don’t file them on your taxes or sign them up for activities, do you have copies of their birth certificates? How about a copy of any custody arrangements? This is where we will bring up some legal aspects of emergency situations for divorced parents.
Unless there is a full grid down societal collapse going on, you will be expected to follow the normal rules and guidelines of your specific situation. It will be up to you to determine the level of emergency and your response to that emergency. Please remember that the rule of law might be slow to react during a crisis, but you will most assuredly be held accountable for your actions at some point in the future. Be aware of your rights and what you can and cannot do, if you have a legally binding custody agreement with the other parent. Consulting a quality family law attorney beforehand to discuss this would be recommended, if your situation fits this description.
Children’s records you will need:
Now that you have collected everything listed so far, it is time to evaluate and make a plan. Keep it simple. Identify strengths and weaknesses. Consider and plan for as many variables as possible.
Let’s assess the children first. A good way to look at this is to split them into younger and older categories. This is less about specific ages as it is about their maturity level. Younger children are going to need direct supervision. They won’t be able to travel by themselves and may need special items for their care. Older children may be able to drive, or are capable of traveling to some degree by themselves. The amount of experience and training they have will need to be factored into the plan. Older children should have some level of training in basic outdoor survival. Skills in constructing a temporary shelter, fire building, purifying water, preparing food, and navigation are all important to surviving even a short-term event. First aid and personal protection will be additional topics that could save their lives. If they do not have this basic skill set, then you know what should be first on your list.
Younger children are going to be tougher to plan around. They will be expected to remain wherever they are when the crisis hits. Sheltering in place is going to be the safest option, but going back to the research part of this plan, success depends on each parent knowing exactly where that child is located. Because there are so many potential variables in making a final plan, it will be up to the reader to determine the most appropriate solution. Make sure the plan is simple and easy to follow with several back up options. Be ready to immediately implement the plan and ensure that everyone involved is fully informed.
HJL,
I have seen these filters sold with different components, bells, and whistles and have bought three different types. One package features components that allow you to gravity feed the water from a plastic food grade bucket through the filter and into a storage container. I have this set up ready to go now, if and when it is needed. The narrative on the packaging suggests that if this filter is used on an overseas mission trip it could be left behind for use by the native people. That’s a nice humanitarian touch.
There was no mention that these filters are easy to maintain and come equipped with the syringe to back flush and clean the filter. Also, you can buy additional pouches for clean water, but a hard plastic or stainless steel container would be a better long-term choice.
One thing I have not understood, Sawyer used to say these filters would filter up to 1 million gallons of water, but now they’ve dropped that to 100,000. – S.M.
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Pat,
No mention was made of the sneaky failure mode that the Sawyer filters [and many other other brands of filters] have if they are frozen after use (wet inside). It will continue to pass water as if it is filtering it, but the ice crystals will have wrecked the microscopic tubes that provide the filtering action. Bacteria will pass through. This is a great filter until a freeze happens to your filter in your coat or pack and you can no longer be sure that the filter is working. At $20, they are disposable, so they should be crushed after freezing. Thanks for the review. – K.G.
Bank threatens charges as negative interest rates loom – Note: A login is required to read the full article, but you get the idea just from the title. – G.G.
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Status Of The Social Security And Medicare Programs (ssa.gov) – U.S. Social Security starts to go negative in 2019 – P.S.
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Citigroup, HSBC Jettison Customers as Era of Global Empires Ends. Excerpt: “How does a company lose 69 million customers? Just ask Citigroup Inc.”
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RBS and NatWest consider charging business clients to hold cash. (Note: login required to read article)
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Brexit rewrites UK budget rules as borrowing set for first big rise since 2010
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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.
Survivalblog reader Patriotman suggested several books:
The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the Dreams of the Post Cold War
Flashpoints: The Emerging Crisis in Europe
Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath
Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
The Collapse of Complex Societies
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Reader DMS suggested these movies:
Unconditional (the true story of “papa Joe”)
Ring the Bell (my wife is buying a bell)
Hoot (protecting Florida’s wildlife)
Red Dog (true story)
Worlds Made By Hand – The Burning Platform compares Jim Kinstler’s World made by Hand dystopian series with the current warped egocentric pre-economic collapsed America.
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In Politically Polarized U.S., State Secession Talk Gains Steam
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Reader BogG suggested this guide to home canning
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Got food? Ol’ Remus reminds us why we do what we do. Thanks to reader P.W. for the link.
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Our advertiser Gun Mag Warehouse had a security breach recently. Unlike most companies that try to hide and cover it up, they were upfront and brought in help to resolve the issue. If you purchased from them between June 6th and July 19th, check your credit card statements for charges that do not belong.
