Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 13, 2023

On June 13, 1777, Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette landed in the fledgling United States.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 107 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. 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)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. 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.
  4. 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 107 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.

Modern Civil Defense – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

What might a revived civil defense program look like in the United States?  What may trigger the Federal government to implement civil defense actions and what impacts might those actions or inactions have on you, your family or your preparedness group’s plans for survival?

Where Civil Defense Ended

To understand what the federal government might do in the future for civil defense we need to start by looking at the past.  In the 1950s through the 1970s American Civil Defense (CD) centered around “protecting” the population through fallout shelters.  A massive undertaking surveyed building across the United States to deem them worthy of protecting occupants from the radiation caused by a nuclear war.  After these shelters were identified and marked with signage, the federal government, in partnership with state and local governments started stocking the shelters with water, “food”, medical supplies and radiation detection equipment.  Local Civil Defense organizations were established, and people were recruited and trained to manage theses shelters and how to use radiation detection equipment.  Nearly all the standardized “food” supplies stocked in these shelters were just crackers made from bulgar wheat that did not last very long.  The other “food” was a carbohydrate supplement, also known as hard candy.  The US was now supposedly ready for an attack, or were we?Continue reading“Modern Civil Defense – Part 1, by 3AD Scout”

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. Today, more updates on the Greater Idaho movement.  (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

Dr. Steve Turley outlines the implications of how Oregon’s “Portland majority” disenfranchises the state’s rural counties: Is Over Half of Oregon Really Joining Idaho?

o  o  o

Greater Idaho movement wins Wallowa County by 7 votes, avoids recount.

o  o  o

Crook County has scheduled a Greater Idaho vote in 2024.

o  o  o

Video: Idaho and Montana Cost of Living Compared.

Idaho

Forest service firefighter rescues 91-year-old man from vehicle in Lochsa River.

o  o  o

Bonneville County Sherrif’s Office releases statement after truck drives into Snake River.

o  o  o

Arguments over media access in Bryan Kohberger trial conclude.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We’ve always been one catastrophic failure away from the end of it all, and this just makes everyone conscious of it. Maybe that’s not a bad thing. Makes you appreciate the day you have.” – Will Patton as Deputy Marnes, in Silo, Episode 3, Machines. (Screenplay by Ingrid Escajeda, based on the novel Dust, by Hugh Howey.)

Preparedness Notes for Monday — June 12, 2023

On June 12, 1991, a series of major explosions began inside Mount Pinatubo, a volcano in western Luzon, Philippines—its first eruption in 600 years.

—

On June 12, 1987, during a visit to the divided German city of Berlin, President Ronald Reagan publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.”

—

On June 12, 1981, the action-adventure film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark—directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford—was released in theatres; a huge success, it spawned numerous sequels. The most recent sequel, scheduled for release in late June, is reportedly going to be a box office flop.

—

If you are one of the millions of Americans with an arm-braced AR-15 pistol and are wondering how to reconfigure it to be legal under the new ATF ruling, I have a suggestion:  Simply buy a replacement upper with a 16-inch barrel. One nice option is this, from our affiliate advertiser, Palmetto State Armory:  PSA 16″ Mid-length 5.56 NATO 1/7 Nitride Dissipator Upper – Black- No BCG or CH. For just this week, these Dissipator uppers are on sale for just $199.99 each! To find them at the PSA website, put this SKU in their search box:  “5165449779“. Once you have a 16” barrel in place, you can of course swap the arm brace with whichever style buttstock you prefer.

—

Today, in place of our usual feature article, I’m instead posting a special reminder about our writing contest rules.

 

A Special Reminder About Our Writing Contest Rules

Well, it happened again! We’ve been threatened with a lawsuit. This time it was over photo licensing.

The use of what appeared to be an unlicensed photo in a 2021 article submitted by a reader resulted in me getting an “unauthorized use” photo licensing bill from Germany for €963 ($1,038 US Dollars) with the threat of a $150,000 USD lawsuit if I failed to pony up the license fee. The photos were provided by the reader/author.

Therefore, I need to post a reminder about our writing contest rules. The posted rules clearly state — including some huge bold type:

To be eligible, an article must be an original work of at least 1,500 words. This is a merit-based competition, judging the skill of the writers and the practical value of the content of the articles. It is not a game of chance.

You can write on any topic related to preparedness that you think would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. To be eligible, an article must be an original work of at least 1,500 words. (A 3,000-word to 7,000-word article length is ideal. We do allow very long articles (up to 10,000 words), but we will serialize them, as the editors see fit.)

Be sure to thoroughly proofread your article, and have at least one friend or relative proofread it, as well!

All writings and illustrations must be original works and the copyright will become the property of SurvivalBlog.

Once your article has been submitted to  SurvivalBlog, you cannot submit it elsewhere! Do not send us articles that you have already posted or submitted elsewhere. (Unless you own–or have regained–full copyright.)

Once your article (and illustrations, if any) have been posted at SurvivalBlog, the copyright belongs to SurvivalBlog.

All photos and illustrations that you send us with your article must be your original work unless you obtain a signed hardcopy copyright release letter, OR you find pre-1927 public domain (noncopyrighted) illustrations.

If you send photos or illos, keep in mind that our template calls for a wide horizontal photo for the main illo.

So, I now also have to ask for copies of the image permissions that you received (past tense), to be sent along with your article submissions, for any image that you did not personally photograph or draw.

It pains me to do this, but I simply cannot afford to get sued. SurvivalBlog is not some corporate-sponsored publication. I’m just a middle-class guy that lives out in the woods. I don’t have an attorney on retainer.

Many of my interactions with attorneys have been positive. A few have not.  All in all, I’d rather not hear from them at all.

So, again please, folks, DO NOT send me any photos to post unless you took them yourself, or you have specifically obtained permission.

With Sincere Thanks,

James Wesley, Rawles (JWR)

Recipe of the Week: Beef, Turkey, or Chicken Meatballs With Zucchini

The following recipe for Beef, Turkey, or Chicken Meatballs with Zuchinni is from SurvivalBlog reader B.P.. He says: “This recipe is my variation on one that was passed around a couple of years ago. It is one way our family uses part of our summer bounty of Zucchini.”

Ingredients

For the Meatballs:

  • 2 pounds of your choice of ground beef, turkey, or chicken
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 cups zucchini, finely grated and twice squeeze-drained
  • 1 small red onion, grated

For the Sauce:

  • 1 (28-ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Directions

For the Meatballs:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
  2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl combine ground turkey meat, olive oil, minced garlic, eggs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, zucchini, and onion.
  4. Using your hands mix the meat mixture until the ingredients are evenly combined; the mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape when rolled into balls.
  5. Scoop two tablespoon-size balls of meat from the mix, roll into a firm ball, and place it on a prepared baking sheet.
  6. Repeat with the remaining meat.
  7. Place the baking sheet in the oven to bake for 20-to-25 minutes, or until they’re evenly brown and cooked through.
  8. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the marinara sauce.

For the Sauce:

  1. Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the garlic and sauté for one minute, or until the garlic is just golden (don’t burn it!).
  2. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar, seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes.
  3. Mix well to combine.
  4. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
  5. When meatballs are done baking, add them to the sauce, stir to coat, and serve.

—

Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

The Crypto Crackdown Has Begun

Today, in place of my regular column of Economics and Investing news items, I’m concentrating on the nascent crackdown on private cryptocurrency holders.

To start, please take a few minutes to read these two articles, and pay particular attention to their tone:

Binance.US suspends USD deposits after regulators crackdown.

and,

SEC’s Gensler Likens Crypto to ‘Fraudsters, Scam Artists, Ponzi Schemes’ of 1920s.Continue reading“The Crypto Crackdown Has Begun”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — June 11, 2023

On June 11, 1742, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria (pictured) decided to make peace with Prussian King Frederick II, ceding almost all of Silesia to him in the Treaty of Breslau, which marked the end of the First Silesian War.

—

John Wayne, the iconic American film actor, died on June 11th, 1979. While John Wayne is probably best known for his westerns like True Grit, The Shootist, and Fort Apache, we remember him best for his roles in The Alamo and The Green Berets, both of which reflected his patriotic, conservative leanings.

—

Today’s feature article is a guest piece written by Hubert Moolman, of South Africa. It is reposted with permisson.

Silver and the Popping of the Debt Bubble, by Hubert Moolman

We have now moved into an era of rising interest rates that is similar to a period that started in the early 1940s.

At the start of this period, the Government Debt to GDP ratio was also around 120%, close to where it eventually topped/popped.

Despite high relative debt levels and a rising interest rate environment, the US was in a good position due to the US dollar being the premier world currency as a result of the 1944 Bretton Woods agreement.

Instead, the US is currently facing a similarly massive debt liability and a rising interest rates environment, while the nations are actually about (and already beginning) to abandon the US dollar over the coming years.

During this rising interest rate environment, silver experienced a massive bull market, going from about  35 cents per Troy ounce in 1941 to about $50 USD per Troy ounce in 1980.Continue reading“Silver and the Popping of the Debt Bubble, by Hubert Moolman”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Remember That “Slow Slide Scenario”
That Survivalists Warned Us About, 30 Years Ago?

Well, Now We Are Living Through It

News Links:

Note From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

 

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”  – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (KJV)

Mutual Assistance Group Planning – Part 2, by Survivormann99

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

Post-SHTF, a survival group will be dealing with issues that are certainly more important than occasional potholes. What happens if individuals within the group begin dragging their feet and refuse to help with group projects or refuse to spend time on security and common defense? From a pure expediency perspective, what can actually be done about people in a group who don’t help with projects or participate in security and defense efforts? Should a group sit idly by and allow a gang of marauders to loot the recalcitrant member’s home nestled in the center of the MAG? That simply won’t work.

It is likely that refugees will be coming from outside the community and that they will try to join. If so, what will the requirements be? Who will make the final determination of whether or not they will be allowed admission? If there are leaders who will be making these decisions, will these leaders be elected? Or will they simply be those individuals with “the most toys” and the greatest assets on which others depend?Continue reading“Mutual Assistance Group Planning – Part 2, by Survivormann99”