Odds ‘n Sods:

The recent train wrecks, including the Amtrak derailment, has brought rail safety to the attention of many preppers. Are your preps sufficient to cover the dangers of rail near your location? Do you even know what those dangers are? 10 things railroads won’t tell you

o o o

To Smell the Putrid Smell of a City on Fire

o o o

8th Grader Arrested, Threatened with Beatings and Held for 6 Days in Jail – For Throwing Skittles. – H.L.

HJL adds: This is beyond absurd. At what point will we see the police officers voice Bill Whittle’s words: “No, Sir, I will not obey that order!”

o o o

4 Minute Video: Ann Corcoran on Refugee Resettlement. – H.L.

o o o

When Times Get Hard. – B.B.

Notes for Saturday – May 16, 2015

SurvivalBlog just successfully weathered our fourth hack attack in the past five years. A reminder, folks: You need to bookmark and/or write down our two prominent dotted quad addresses. Why? Because far greater malice on the Internet might someday be perpetrated by the Hitlery Clintons of the world, who could direct their bureaucratic minions to steal domain names from their rightful owners, all in the name of “fairness”. I can anticipate something far worse than the pranks of a few malicious hackers: That would be a deranged government doing horrible things to our First Amendment rights under color of law, with little remedy or recourse.

Also be prepared to distribute the archived content of blogs and blogs physically with your family and friends via DVD or memory sticks, because some of your favorite web sites might disappear, overnight. Consider these countermeasures just another aspect of preparedness. For now, the threats may seem distant, but they are real. – JWR

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 58 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. *Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 58 ends on May 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.

Optimizing Training for the Committed Prepper, by F.M.

Almost everyone who reads this column knows that most Americans are woefully unprepared to face a post-poop hits the fan, WOTROL, grid down world. Equally sad and dangerous is the fact that most in the prepping community fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Someone who thinks about prepping and sees the need but hasn’t really gotten started,
  2. Someone who buys a lot of “stuff” but doesn’t really know what to do with it, or
  3. Someone who has “stuff” and reads a lot of books and columns on prepping but still hasn’t tried to live it.

I suppose that even the best prepared among us has gone through these steps but at some point you has realized that “having” and even “knowing how” are trumped by actually “doing”. Although no one can be totally prepared for whatever lies ahead, I have been able to make some pretty good progress over the last decade or so and would like to share my experience in hopes that it will help or inspire others.

First I must give credit where it is due. My late father was a great teacher and example. He had served with the Marines in Korea during the early 50’s and was decorated for bravery under fire. Growing up under him was fairly simple. You were expected to do what was right and not whine about hardship, period. He was kind and loving, but he would not compromise on expectations. Also, he was a gun collector, and for a time he held a federal firearms dealer’s license. I started shooting at four years old with lots of exposure to World War II-era rifles and uncompromising emphasis on safety. I also seemed to have had an endless supply of surplus ‘web gear’ for hiking and camping. The smell of musty canvas still triggers warm memories.

The other component of my solid prepper base was my participation in high school sports. I was not a gifted athlete. In fact, I started out in freshmen football undersized, slow, and without the hands of a receiver. So, by default, those factors made me a second string lineman. I found that the only meaningful thing that I could do to improve was work on strength and endurance. Through weight training and running, I was able to become an acceptable participant in football, wrestling, and track; the significance and relevance of this will soon be apparent.

Fast forward a couple of decades. It was during the Carter years that I became convinced that there was no way for our society to bail out of the growing debt and foreign entanglement without some serious turmoil. (I honestly never thought that we could make it this far.) My biggest challenge was financing. I had a growing family, a mid-level engineering job, and no hope of moving to a retreat in the western Rockies. Back then, it was hard to even lay aside money for a few extra groceries. Instead, I concentrated on acquiring skills, any skills that might better my chances of protecting and providing for my family. Gardening, burning wood as our primary heat source, and keeping venison in the freezer became second nature. Also key was the fact that I never lost sight of the lesson regarding personal fitness. Working out was a priority, even when it had to be balanced with the kid’s activities and a job that included a fair amount of travel. There were many times when running was done by moonlight or I had to settle for pushups in a motel room, but anything was better than nothing. If the motel had a fitness room, that was so much the better. Over time, there were coworkers who had martial arts experience. We worked out together. All three of my sons wrestled in high school, and assisting dads were welcomed at practice. For ten years, that was a source of fitness and skills improvement, while at the same time I was helping kids develop.

Meanwhile at work, I never missed a chance to pick up training that the company provided. Everything from First Aid and CPR to Personal Finance and Electrical Troubleshooting were eagerly taken. I had worked up to a level where my income was pretty comfortable, and then the bottom fell out. First the dotcom bubble burst, and then 911 hit. The sector I was working in was severely impacted, and I was downsized out after 22 years with the same company. Since then, I’ve worked for five different employers. Of those, two have gone out of business completely, and one has withdrawn all operations from my state. My income has gone from over $70,000 per year to my current job that pays a little under $13/hour. Yes, from my perspective, we are in a depression. Manufacturing jobs are all but gone in our part of the country. Public sector jobs are seen as the “good ones”. Few seem to question how we can continue to fund public sector spending when the private sector is so depressed.

However, it isn’t all negative. During the three times I’ve been on unemployment, I’ve had the chance to expand out into new areas. I became an NRA-certified instructor for Basic Pistol and Basic Shotgun. I worked on my self-defense skills and became a certified anti-rape instructor. I now teach, part time, for a local self-defense business, and that has opened the door for me to take multiple classes in Tactical Rifle, Shotgun and Pistol, and further unarmed training. More importantly, teaching these skills is the best way to master these skills. They go on trial every time you demonstrate a technique and every time you pull a trigger. If you want to get really good at something, teach it to others.

Another life-changer for me was when I joined our local ambulance corpse. After a short time as a driver, they then paid for me to get my EMT certification. With that has come a great deal of experience in dealing with both illnesses and traumatic injuries. Not only am I growing in my knowledge of how to handle medical emergencies, I have been tested under pressure. I know that I can deal with life-threatening injuries, because I’ve done it. I’ve looked at death, performed CPR for well over half an hour on a patient who didn’t make it, and I walked away knowing that we all performed to the best of our ability and there was no lingering guilt or regrets. It isn’t combat, like what my dad experienced, but I think that it’s the next closest thing.

Finally, there are some other side benefits from the above experiences that should not be omitted. Both the defensive training and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) have made me familiar with other emergency workers, ie. firemen and police. I think that it is a good thing to be seen as one of the good guys. Training with various law enforcement personnel reminds them that civilians with guns can be a good thing. One becomes a familiar face. We become part of the same fraternity. This is true of the other relationships developed in everything written above. I still have contact with some of the guys I played sports with over 40 years ago. Same with the kids I helped coach become county and sectional wrestling champs. My shooting fraternity and my EMS family are almost as close as my church family. It is this network of people and skills that I hope and expect to draw together as times become more challenging. This essay was written in the first person because I truly wanted it to be personal and inspire those who need to get moving to start actually doing skill-based preparation for the hard times that are coming. Good luck and God bless.

Letter Re: Reverse Mortgage

Hugh-

I wanted to know what you and/or Jim’s and/or The Econocobas’ opinion is of reverse mortgages. The missus and I have moved to the Redoubt and own our location outright. I was mentally extrapolating the possible outcomes of a reverse mortgage should the balloon go up, but I always value other people’s thoughts. Also, forgive me if this has been addressed previously. – D in Southern Idaho

HJL Responds: I have never considered reverse mortgages, as I always considered the land worth something but the cash out value as a loss due to inflation. Call me old fashioned, but a reverse mortgage allows you to cash out the equity of your home and generally draw on it as a retirement wage. It is somewhat of a gamble, as no one really knows just how long you will live. So, the bank may end up paying out more than it is worth, or more likely, they will pay out less than it is worth. In the end, the short time I looked at them, there wasn’t anything to pass on to your children (unless you passed on some of the regular draws). It wasn’t right for me, so I didn’t spend much time on it. I did send your request on to Mr. Econocobas though.

Mr. Econocobas Responds: The issue of reverse mortgages or even just mortgages is an interesting one, and I have been doing some considerable thinking on it myself. I don’t know that I have a perfect answer for you, but let’s just look at the issues (from an economic standpoint) that will help you make the decision. What we are really talking about is debt, and in this case it’s debt that is based in U.S. dollars. Without getting too far in the giggleweeds on the causes and reasons for why there is such things as inflation and deflation, we can say with certainty they exist. Unless your question is regarding whether anybody will even be there to collect your debt, your concern is inflation or deflation and the effects on your debt they might have.

It is my belief that we are structurally in a depression from years of central bank and government-driven bubble economics that stole prosperity out of the future (which is now) to consume and expand in the present (now in our past). Depression is by its very nature deflationary. However, the debt based fiat currency system we are under (run of the Federal Reserve) literally cannot have deflation, it will collapse because it requires every expanding supply of currency to pay the debt. So we have central bank policy that is highly inflationary, Zero Interest Rate Policy (or ZIRP) and now in some other countries Negative Interest Rate Policy (or NIRP), and we also have debt monetization (money printing or quantitative easing to sound less benign). So in effect they are fighting deflation with inflation. I say all this to lay the ground work on the inflation vs deflation argument. In theory in a deflationary environment, debt based in the deflating currency is harder and more costly to repay. In theory in an inflationary environment debt based in the currency will be easier and less costly to repay. So what is it, what will we have? Well, again I said in my opinion we are in a depression, and what we need is to let the market actually function, clearing mal investment and allow the economy to restructure, which at this point will be a very painful process. However, as mentioned, banks will collapse under deflation, so they are only going to tolerate so much deflation that under the auspices of “saving the economy” they will pursue even more highly inflationary policies. In the end I think we will continue to get seesawed with deflation and inflation, with each pass those waves get bigger and finally the inflationary wave will wipe out any confidence in the dollar.

So back to the mortgage, if I believe that inflation will ultimately destroy the value of the dollar then I should answer to get the reverse mortgage and take the money now and the debt will be wiped out in inflation. However, I don’t see it playing out that easy. I think debt could wipe you out in the seesaw action of deflation and inflation. I would also never put it past government and large banks to rewrite any contacts under emergency powers, or many other possibilities. It is my belief that the best policy to be debt free and owning things outright (obviously property tax laws throw a wrench in that), and admire your position of owning your home outright. I wish I could say the same right now.

Economics and Investing:

House of Cards – Will It Collapse?

“It is unwise to scramble in front of an oncoming steam-roller in search of dollar bills when real money, gold and silver, is still available at “bargain” prices.” – Gary Christenson

o o o

Capital Controls, Gold Confiscation, Bank Holidays, and Everything Else

o o o

You can’t afford to live in California: It would take the typical family 35 years just to save for a 20 percent down payment in San Francisco.

o o o

U.S. Farmers In “Dire Straits”: JPM Warns Of Imminent Liquidity Crunch

Odds ‘n Sods:

I spent a few hours today watching some reruns of “Doomsday Preppers” on Netflix and was struck by a common thread I saw. Granted, television’s job is to garner ratings and this show seems to do that by ridiculing preppers, but the point is valid nonetheless. Physical fitness seems to be a sadly overlooked prep. How Does 1960s High School PE Compare to Today? It Doesn’t. – HJL

o o o

Sadly, it is true that history often echos itself: The Vatican Against the Jews

o o o

A good grounding article for your communication preps. – RBS

o o o

From the Desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog Editor At Large: Border patrol stop – language warning

o o o

What law says the text of the TPP must remain secret?. – RBS

Notes for Friday – May 15, 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road opens today. It looks very high octane!Today, we present another entry for Round 58 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. *Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 58 ends on May 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.

Digital Security- Part 2, by Dakota

Secure Email (continued)

Public key encryption works like this: you have two keys– a public key and a private key. Your public key is just that; it’s something you share with the public. Think of it as more of a padlock though. When someone wants to send you an email, they lock it with this padlock. No one along the way can see what’s inside the email (not even your email provider). When you want to read the email you use your private key just like you would use a literal key to unlock, or rather decrypt, the message. Your private key is a carefully guarded string of numbers on your computer protected by a password. Enigmail makes this system easier by doing the work for you. It generates a set of keys for you, and it stores the private one. To decrypt messages, simply enter your password. Adding other people’s public keys is a bit more complicated. You can either have them emailed to you as an ASC file or given to you in person via USB thumb drive, or you can copy them off of the Internet if they’re posted publicly. A tutorial is available online at.

That’s all a bit complicated, isn’t it? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to automate all of this completely? Thankfully, there is. I’m sure you’ve at least heard of Bitcoin before, but did you know there is a similar system for messaging? My favorite electronic communication medium is Bitmessage. It’s incredibly simple to use. There’s also an excellent tutorial. Consider this the preferred way for your group to communicate electronically.

Another option that somewhat automates encryption is MailPile. MailPile was coded by a group of Icelandic cryptographers and is a mid-step between hosting your own email and just using an email client. If you have a Raspberry Pi (or are willing to buy one for $35) that you can always leave on, this is a worthy consideration. Again, because of hardware constraints, I haven’t been able to test it out, but I corresponded extensively with the team. MailPile is like Thunderbird, only it can be accessed from other computers by providing a personal webmail. This webmail comes from a device you host, so it requires a computer (Raspberry Pi is a great option) that always has power and is always on in order to be used remotely. This option is extraordinarily convenient for when you’re away from your home computer but still want or need to encrypt your email.

Internet Add-on Software

Firefox is great on its own, but there are ways to make it more secure. This is accomplished via add-on software, which is written by people other than Firefox, that adds functionality to the browser. First on the list is Abine’s Blur (formerly DoNotTrackMe). This add-on has many features if you pay for them, but the free ones are awesome, too. The one I use the most is the email masking, where Blur adds an email on forms. This email will forward to your email, and you can turn it off if the company spams you. Abine also has an app for this. Blur will also generate passwords for you, but I haven’t ever used this. I prefer to come up with my own passwords. They’re easier to remember that way, plus a third party doesn’t know them. (Here is a hint on passwords. An easy way to come up with strong passwords is with gun terms; for example, Win.300m@g.) If you’re willing to pay for it, Blur will also mask credit card and phone numbers. Since I haven’t had need of this yet, I haven’t tried either of these services.

Another add-on is Hide My Ass Proxy. This add-on will proxy your Internet traffic through an off shore server, thereby hiding your location and identity. It’s like a lighter, weaker version of TOR. Ad Blocker Plus is another one I use, simply because it blocks most annoying pop-up ads, almost all of which are malware.

Lightbeam is another extremely helpful add-on. It monitors what external sites the websites you visit, connect to, and share your information with. It’s quite eye opening and can be used to convince others about the need to improve privacy online.

HTTPS Everywhere is an add-on that forces websites to use encrypted connections when available. For Thunderbird, there is TorBirdy, which routes your email traffic through TOR. This would be great, but every time I’ve tried it, it has made Thunderbird stop working. I currently have the add-on but keep it disabled.

General Computer Security Tips

Now I’d like to offer some general tips to help maintain your online privacy and security. All the software in the world won’t make up for any security mistakes you make. As former FBI most wanted hacker Kevin Mitnik says, “Humans are the weakest link in any security system.” First, use common sense when you fill out forms. Ask yourself, “Does this person/organization really need this information?” If the answer is no, don’t give it to them. Don’t reveal your address, real name, or certainly your birthday (I can’t think of very many legitimate reasons anyone needs this). If you need to supply an email address, hop over to www.getairmail.com or a similar service and use a temporary email (or Blur). I’ve used this method to download nearly fifty different survival books in PDF format without giving away my email address. If you create a social media profile (though I recommend you don’t), use a pseudonym. This will prevent future employers from simply Googling you and perhaps discriminating against you for your political or religious beliefs. It can also afford you a bit of plausible deniability, if your employer or anyone criticizes you for something you posted. Additionally, now you can’t be friended or followed by people you may not want to be associate with online. Don’t click on suspicious ads. Before you go to a URL, make sure you typed it in correctly. For YouTube especially, there are several malware sites that use URLs like yuotube.com and youtbue.com. Log out of your accounts every time you close your browser, and don’t leave your browser up all night. Put your computer in airplane mode when you don’t need the Internet. Use long passwords (sixteen characters minimum) that include letters, numbers, capitals, and symbols. If you can, also include punctuation. For passwords that protect banking information or anything else particularly valuable, don’t use combinations based on anything in the dictionary. In this case, even something like tH^s-iSS&meye, stRONG@paSS%ord aren’t good enough. A really strong password resembles a Bitcoin address with symbols: lfmT6!77djLw84$(dkYY6v#14StiLmOp. Clear your cookies and cache frequently. Always update everything on your computer. Even though it may not say so, most updates include security fixes. A common tactic among hackers is to find computers that are running un-updated software and use well-known attacks without having to do any work. When you see that bubble announcing an update, click it and update immediately!

For mobile security, realize that you give up a lot of privacy when you buy a mobile phone. The best thing to do is to buy a pay-as-you-go phone and never store any contacts on it. Don’t attach it to your email, and preferably get one that you can easily remove the battery from. Try to get one that flips and only has a number pad. Not only will this remove the temptation to check your email or surf the web, you’re less likely to get robbed for your phone. Note that any anonymity that you have is ruined the moment someone else stores your name and number as a contact in their phone. Good luck trying to convince people not to put you in their contacts.

After a cheap pay-as-you-go phone, my next recommendation is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Blackphone is designed specifically to foil the NSA and is produced by Silent Circle– a service that voluntarily shut down their email service rather than reveal their customers’ information to the NSA. They are also now part of the Darkmail team. Communication between Blackphone users is encrypted, including calls and texts. They also have features that let the users know if their communication is being monitored.

As far as run of the mill smartphones go, Android (being open source) is better than iOS. Yes, Android is owned by Google, but it was open source before that and can still be turned into a rather secure mobile OS. I have never owned an Android phone though, so I can’t offer specific tips. There are many tip available at the following this website.

iOS is strictly the property of Apple and thus extraordinarily vulnerable to government surveillance. There is a little bit you can do. Get the DoNotTrack app and the ChatSecure App. While you’re at it, get 2nd Vote– an app that grades companies by their political stances. While not security related, they allow you to make informed purchases. Use OperaMini instead of Safari. It is owned by a Norwegian software company and will also save you money by using less bandwidth. Be sure to turn off ad tracking: Settings > General > About > Advertising. Reset your advertising identifier while you’re at it. If you must stick with Windows, I have some advice. First, Windows 7 is preferable to Windows 8 for a variety of reasons. Security is better on Windows 7, and the user interface of Windows 8 just stinks. Also, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (a group that works to improve digital security and privacy) and Amnesty International teamed up to design software to scan Windows computers for malware known to be used by government surveillance organizations (and hackers, as well). I highly recommend Detekt.

As for wifi modems, I prefer to buy from Cisco, since they openly and proactively work to prevent the NSA from compromising their users’ privacy.

A few of my readers may have noticed that I didn’t mention encrypting the entire hard drive. Previously, I would have mentioned this and recommended TrueCrypt, a now defunct open source encryption software. Unfortunately, last year the developers of TrueCrypt released a mysterious letter saying that TrueCrypt could no longer be trusted, and that they would no longer be releasing periodic updates. It is widely believed that the NSA pressured them into quitting. Since it was open source, hopefully someone will take up the baton, but this has not yet happened to my knowledge. I have not been able to find and review an appropriate open source alternative.

I would like to again repeat that even after implementing all or some of these steps, you are not immune to the NSA. If they choose to single you out, they will succeed. Never store on a computer any extremely sensitive information that you wouldn’t want the government (or anyone else) to know. Once it’s on a computer, there is a chance, however small, that it can be retrieved, even if you attempt to delete it or destroy your hard drive. Physically write down (or better yet, just memorize) your prepping checklists and plans. Also, remember that everything described in this article is only secure until someone finds a way around it. In Christ and Liberty.

Letter Re: A Decade of Prepping

Hugh,

I absolutely agree with the dedicated wife in what she wrote in ”A Decade of Prepping, Do’s and Dont’s” that women are an integral part of being prepared. Farm women are very hard to find, even for me (a woman) to be friends with. I spent several years living in a city and didn’t understand why I never fit in with my city friends. Then I found a mentor, an older Christian lady who was married to a farmer, who explained to me that I wasn’t wired to be a city girl; I was wired to be a farm girl. I got to thinking after that that she was right. I had wanted to be a farm girl since I was about 10 years old and read The Little House on the Prairie books. I grew up in the city on a small house lot, so we couldn’t have a milk cow, but we always raised a pretty big garden. I always dreamed of being able to grow/raise all our own food. Then I grew up and left home and went to college and got a house in the city, but I was never satisfied. Then I met this farm wife who mentored me and helped me to meet a good Christian, conservative farmer who wanted to be self sufficient. I am not a society woman. My hair isn’t perfect, my nails are torn and dirty, my clothes are generally work clothes with tears, glue, and paint stains from fixing fences, and painting or gluing random things. I’m out working, getting us prepared. I fully embrace homesteading for the sake of being prepared. I absolutely love this dirt. I love my chickens and bees and milk cow and garden. I love having lots of canning jars and having them full. I love sewing and woodworking, finishing, or painting. It’s what I was always wired to do. I got it from my dad, a farm kid who got stuck in the city. He always wanted a farm of his own. He is looking down from heaven now and so proud of my life. It’s true that many women are not into all this. I know I’m weird, but I also know that there are a few other women out there like me who love the dirt and want to be a homemaker and homesteader and get their hands dirty. They are total misfits in today’s society because they are the old school farm wife. Along my journey I met a few of them, including my aunt, who is another farm wife. I was always jealous of her growing up because she had her own raw milk from her own goats and she had lots of room for fruit trees and a garden. She also didn’t wear fancy clothes, and her nails were always short and jagged, but to me, she was so beautiful. There was a strength in her that I always envied. She could cook food so good you’d never want to quit. After I was grown, I was tall and ungraceful like her, and kind of had a complex about it. Then I’d remember her and feel much better. Those are the women who are written about in Proverbs 31. They are the saints who bear the children and raise them to be pillars in our society. They are the ones who will change this world from the inside out. If the men in our world would hold their standards higher to have women that are godly and not concerned about worldly standards, women would naturally seek to please them. Women want to please their men, but you can’t change them very well once you marry them. The man has to know the kind of woman he wants when he is courting. Don’t get me wrong; God works miracles in people’s lives everyday, changing them to be the people He needs them to be, but it’s difficult to change in a relationship. – A.R.

Economics and Investing:

Global Debt Now At $200 Trillion

o o o

Student and auto debt fuel credit bubble 2.0: Student loans carry the highest delinquency rate of all debt classes. Student and auto debt up $1.15 trillion in last decade.

o o o

Here’s how Americans are eating into their savings . – H.L.

o o o

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Moody’s Downgrades Chicago Debt to ‘Junk’ with Negative Outlook

Five Reasons Chicago Is in Worse Shape Than Detroit

5 Big Banks Expected to Plead Guilty to Felony Charges – And not much of anything will happen

U.S. Retail Sales Disappoint Again – Probably in the not too distant future, reality is going to start settling in. However, I know enough to know that pulling rabbits out of a hat is about sleight of hand and not actually pulling a rabbit out of a hat, so it’s possible something comes up that pushes the inevitable into the future again.

Notes for Thursday – May 14, 2015

With over 30 million turkeys and chickens killed due to Avian Flu and with the disease apparently spreading and driving the cost of meat up, Yoders canned meats are Amish made, high quality, and an excellent way to avoid the whole issue. Get them at Ready Made Resources while they are on sale!

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 58 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools, and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate– a $325 retail value,
  5. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  6. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  7. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. *Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 58 ends on May 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.