Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at inflation and deflation. (See the Inflation/Deflation Watch section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold to outperform silver this year as recession risks build, says Bloomberg Intelligence.

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A very informative video: Why 90% “Junk” Silver Coin Prices are Out of Control!

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Zimbabwe to issue a redeemable gold-backed digital currency: Buying RBZ’s Gold-Backed Digital Tokens; Here Is What You Need To Know.

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Gold’s recent push near all-time highs was just a test run as Citigroup’s Morse sees prices hitting $2,400.

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Avi Gilburt, at Gold-Eagle.com: How Many More Warnings Do You Need About The Danger In Banks?

Economy & Finance:

Some useful data: A list of the total Commercial Real Estate exposure of the 53 banks with greater than $10 billion in assets where their exposure exceeds 300% of total equity capital. Sixteen have exposures greater than 400% of equity.

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Scope Ratings Places US Credit Ratings Under Review for Possible Downgrade.

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Small Business Optimism Falls to Lowest Level in a Decade.

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Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Brian Kennedy: U.S. “Can’t Kick The Can Down The Road” Any Longer on Debt Ceiling Crisis.

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Chart of the Day: Half of US Banks Are Underwater.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be the constant companion of your walk.” – Thomas Jefferson

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 11, 2023

On May 11, 1949, Israel was admitted into the United Nations.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. 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).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 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.

 

A New Freeze Dryer – Part 3, by Captain Nemo

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Testing the Food

There are a few ways to test for dryness of your foods. You can weigh the food before and after, and then put it back in for a 2-hour Extra Dry cycle and weigh it again. If it changed weight, then the food wasn’t dry. This also helps determine how much water is needed for rehydration. The next is a moisture meter, but that doesn’t always work on small foods like berries or peas. Another is to use a thermometer. If there’s ice still present the food will be colder than the food that’s dry. It’s impossible to tell using the thermal method unless the food came out right away after the cycle completed, as the dryer will continue to run the refrigeration system to try to keep the water vapor down. At that point, the food will freeze again and may pick up condensation when taken out. There is an option to warm the trays before removal to prevent that. The last is to taste-test it and/or guess. The food should be crispy and break like Styrofoam and when tasted should not be cold in the center. If anything is still wet, put it in for extra drying again. Sometimes it’s best to put it back in the freezer, defrost the dryer, and run it again.

Remember: One wet piece can ruin a whole batch, when packaged!Continue reading“A New Freeze Dryer – Part 3, by Captain Nemo”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, we look at the ATF’s planned arm brace felony prosecutions.

Just 20 Days to Draconian Arm Brace Arrests

Unless Congress or the Supreme Court intervenes, the ATF’s announced reinterpretation of the National Firearms Act’s prohibition of short-barreled rifles (SBRs) will take effect on June 1st, 2023. They’ve been vacillating on this for more than 10 years. Meanwhile, no less than 8 million arm braces have been produced.  That means that in just 20 days, they will be creating 8+ million unconvicted felons. From what I’ve read, few owners of heretofore “approved” arm-braced pistols intend to amnesty-register or reconfigure their guns. ATF Director Steven Dettelbach gave testimony before congress that simply detaching an arm brace would obviate registration and avoid prosecution, but that contradicts both the wording of the ATF ruling and the ATF’s decades of prosecution referrals to owners of unassembled gun parts in proximity somehow signaling “constructive intent.”

Please contact your congressional representatives, and insist that they quickly nullify the ATF’s draconian ruling! They must support H.J. Resolution 44, which will stop the arm-braced pistol ban.

Hacker Extorts $1.1M in Ransom on California Sheriff’s Website

Police1 reports: Hacker extorts $1.1M in cyberattack on Califirnia sheriff’s website.
Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Three millions of People, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Beside, Sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of Nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.” – Patrick Henry

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 10, 2023

May 10th is the birthday of the late Janis Pinups (born 1925, died 15 June 2007). He was one of the last of the Forest Brothers anti-communist resistance fighters. He came out of hiding, after five decades, to obtain a Latvian passport in 1994, after the collapse of Eastern European communism. (He was never issued any communist government identity papers and by necessity lived as a nonexistent “ghost” during the entire Soviet occupation of Latvia.) The history of the Forest Brothers movement certainly deserves more recognition.

May 10th is the birthday of the late Col. Jeff Cooper. He was born in 1920, and died September 25, 2006.

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We are pleased to welcome our newest advertiser, Chicken Scratch Books. They are a small homeschooling curriculum publisher that specializes in literature learning. They publish some great books and courses.  Take a look!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. 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).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 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.

A New Freeze Dryer – Part 2, by Captain Nemo

(Continued from Part 1.)

Testing and Bread Run

Once things are assembled, it’s time to test the machine. From the start screen, press the leaf logo to go to the testing screen. They want you to close the door and also close the drain valve. Begin by touching the freeze switch. The refrigeration system will kick on and the chamber will begin to cool. Next, turn on the vacuum switch, and the pump should start. Let both run for 30 minutes. Within 20 minutes the pressure should be below 500 mTorr. If it is not, call Harvest Right Customer Support. By that time, my machine was at 111 mTorr and holding. Turn both switches off and repressurize the chamber slowly by cracking open the drain valve. Once the door can be opened, turn on the heater switch and place your hand on the tray rack. It should begin to warm up. Turn the heater off as soon as you notice warmth on all rack levels. Press Done to go to the start screen.

Since I received my machine, I’ve seen many people that are having vacuum and refrigeration problems with their new machines. Some I think is due to squeeky wheel syndrome, but may also be the reason that Harvest Right is so adamant about inspection after shipping. My machine came with a factory test card in which it was tested before shipping. Failures upon receipt may be the shipper’s problem. I’ve worked with high vacuum equipment and you are always chasing a leak somewhere. It’s a real problem when fusing deuterium gas as it doesn’t react well with oxygen! The same goes for underwater photography, as you’re paranoid about your seals. Lose a seal in either case and it gets expensive fast. You really do need to become a service technician with this kind of equipment and many aren’t up to it. So, be ready to learn!Continue reading“A New Freeze Dryer – Part 2, by Captain Nemo”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Coming from the geographical determinist school of history study, I found this 20-minute video fascinating: Facts In Geography Never Taught In Schools — Thomas Sowell. For some further reading on geographical determinism, I recommend the book  Zones of Conflict.

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A special request from JWR:

A close family member of mine is prayerfully looking for a property to buy near Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. He has had no luck thusfar, searching via the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). He is now hoping to find a For Sale By Owner 2+ acre property that is not visible with MLS searches. Here are his specifications:

  • If it is a property with an existing 3+ bedroom house: Up to $900,000.
  • If it is a property with unimproved land: $400,000.
  • If it is a property with an existing septic system, water, and power:  $450,000.

Geographically, his search area vaguely includes anything inside of this radius:

  • Anywhere east of CDA off of I-90, but no farther east than Mullan Road Historical Park
  • Rockford Bay
  • Wolf Lodge
  • Garwood
  • Rathdrum
  • Dalton Gardens
  • Pleasant View
  • Worley/Fighting Creek
  • Bonus points for a place near Mica Flats.

He might consider places a bit farther out, but he wants to be near his church (in CDA), and his work in Spokane Valley.

Please let me know if you have such a property available, or just know of one, or if you own a larger property and would willing to sell 2 or more buildable (fairly level) acres of it. That would be an answer to prayer. You can contact me either via e-mail or via the blog contact form. Many Thanks! – JWR

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Reader Joe S. had this response to Tom Christianson’s recent review of the EAA Witness .22 conversion kit:

“I  have two EAA Witness (Tanfoglio) pistols that are exceptional – my experiences with the conversion kit were much different – it went back to EAA, twice for “some fitting may be required”, but mine never ran reliably.  I sold it online at a loss, with full disclosure about the problems I had run into.

I’m more and more a believer that guns should stick to their designed-for caliber – .45 ACP for 1911s, etc – as for shooting 22LR, which I shoot a lot of lately, there are some really fine guns for that caliber – the Ruger MK series, Ruger 10/22, Taurus TX 22, some of the S&W revolvers, the Browning Buckmark pistols, etc. – why make something work with a caliber that it wasn’t designed for?
I’m not sure that using a .22LR conversion on what was originally a 9mm or .45 ACP handgun makes much sens at all – just like with a self-defense handgun you’d want to use the actual type of bullets that you’ll use in the gun for self defense (frangible, for example, versus “ball” ammo”) using .22LR is gonna be so far away from the actual experience of shooting the ammo you’ll use to defend yourself that about the only thing you’ll practice will be stuff like grip and stance – even racking the slide and handling magazines will be different – certainly felt recoil and muzzle blast will be VERY different – for proficiency practice, bite the bullet and use the actual ammo in the exact gun configuration you’ll use to defend yourself, in my opinion.”

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Lily alerted me to this: Google Is Rolling Out Password-Killing Technology to All Its Accounts.

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One Texas man’s personal history preservation project: Missile Silo (Texas Country Reporter).

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 9, 2023

On May 9th, 1945, Herman Goering – commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, president of the Reichstag, head of the Gestapo, prime minister of Prussia, and Hitler’s designated successor – was taken prisoner by the U.S. Seventh Army in Bavaria. Goering, who was addicted to painkillers due to a wound, was instrumental in creating concentration camps for political enemies. It was Goering who ordered the purging of German Jews from the economy following Kristallnacht in 1938, initiating an “Aryanization” policy that confiscated Jewish property and businesses. Tried and convicted at the Nuremberg trials, he was sentenced to hanging, but before he could be executed he committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide tablet he had hidden from his guards.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 106 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  4. 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).
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. EBL is providing an EBL Voyager 500-Watt Power Station with deep cycle lithium batteries, providing reliable 120 Volt AC and DC (12 Volt and USB) power for emergencies or outdoor use. (A $399 value.)
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 106 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.

A New Freeze Dryer – Part 1, by Captain Nemo

We finally decided to purchase a Harvest Right freeze dryer. Originally, Mom wanted to go with only a medium, but I insisted on a large due to how much the garden can produce. Last season, our garden produced so fast that we couldn’t process it fast enough. We lost about half of what we produced. We waited awhile and then mom asked about it again, so I checked the website, and there was a special running. She agreed on the purchase of the large dryer.

The large dryer comes with a choice of pumps, the oiless pump, the premium oil pump, and the standard oil pump. I originally wanted to go the oiless route, but then I heard about its bad side, and it didn’t seem to be worth the cost. I could get two premium pumps for the price of the oiless, so I chose that instead. After using the premium pump, I’m glad I went with it. The rest of the package includes 5 stainless trays, impulse sealer, vacuum hose, oil filtration kit, 50 O2 absorbers, and 50 8”x12” mylar bags. I also thought it a good idea to add another set of trays, so I went with the pharmaceutical tray set which is 8 trays. Also added to the order: extra pump oil, tray covers, silicone molds, 50 O2 absorbers, and 50 10”x14” bags, and their cookbook. I did want to get a set of silicone tray liners and oil filters, but they were out of stock. Everything including tax was just under $4,000. The order would be shipped in two weeks.Continue reading“A New Freeze Dryer – Part 1, by Captain Nemo”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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. This week’s column is a bit of a side trip, to showcase some backcountry adventure videos.

Idaho

We Drive Idaho’s Most Beautiful Road.

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5 Day Backpacking Trip in Remote Idaho with a group of Young Men.

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Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route Documentary Film (IDBDR).

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Dirt Biking Across America — Part 3 IDAHO BDR (Back Country Discovery Route).

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We may be thankful that frightened civil authorities … have not managed to eradicate from the country the tradition of the possession and use of firearms, that profound and almost instinctive tradition of Americans.”

“Luckily for us, our tradition of bearing arms has not gone from the country, the tradition is so deep and so dear to us that it is one of the most treasured parts of the Bill of Rights–the right of all Americans to bear arms, with the implication that they will know how to use them.” – John Steinbeck

Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 8, 2023

Today is the 78th anniversary of VE Day, otherwise known as Victory in Europe Day.

May 8th is the birthday of missionary and U.S. military intelligence officer John Birch. (Born, 1918, died August 25, 1945.) He is considered by many to be the first American casualty of the Cold War.

This is also the birthday of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek.

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Today’s feature article is a product review penned by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.