Constructing a Multi-Use Hoop House on a Budget, by O.M.

Many people are hard pressed to pay full price for a prefabricated building. These often cost several thousand dollars. A small chicken coop can cost several hundred, just to provide very minimal housing for a few birds. A good green house is also quite expensive. Instead of shelling out a bunch of money or, worse, going into debt, my solution is to do it yourself! This set of instructions requires no particular wood working, plumbing, or construction experience. A little common sense, simple tools, and materials allows for all of these structures on a shoe string budget. It is even possible, for those who are good at scrounging, to find most of the materials for free. Some materials are best new, but the plastic sheeting in question isn’t that expensive. Materials: Four, paired boards of desired dimensions (You want at least 2x4s; though you can work with thinner boards, it…




The Little Things, by Claymor – Part I

…are as many field guides out there as there are subjects in the field. Obtaining one that focuses strictly on edible wild plants will be much more in-depth on this subject than an all-around field guide focusing on numerous subjects pertaining to survival. Though there are many good field guides on the topic of wild edible plants, it can be almost impossible, unless you’re already a trained expert in this area, to know whether the information in the guide will feed you, make you sick, or even kill you. After all, there are many poisonous plants out there that can easily be mistaken for something else, when you’re merely comparing it to an illustrated page in a book. Therefore, selecting a guide with clear pictures of the specimen is preferred over any animation. One must be able to clearly identify what it is they’re about to eat. Just to note…




Off Grid Waste Management and Sanitation, by Brother A.

…any combustible waste materials including paper and yes, most plastics. If you look at the recycling symbol found on most plastic packaging you will learn what it’s made from. Here’s a quick guide: 1 – PETE (polyethylene terephtalate), combustible 2 – PE-HD (high density polyethylene), combustible 3 – PVC (polyvinyl chloride), non-combustible 4 – PE-LD (low density polyethylene), combustible 5 – PP (polypropylene), combustible 6 – PS (polystyrene), combustible 7 – Other (often polycarbonate or ABS), non-combustible Remember that plastics are made from oil. Most forms of plastic, under proper high-temperature combustion with adequate oxygen, happily just melt and burn like oil. The problems with plastics are the ones containing chlorine in the formulation somehow. This includes plastics like PVC. If these are burned, hazardous chlorine compounds are formed. If no other means of disposal is available, these plastics will have to be given the second disposal method, burial or…




Composting to Maintain Sanitary Conditions and Nurture Crops, by G.M.

…be adapted to work well in other climates. All biological activity in compost piles is temperature dependent. Organic matter will break down more quickly in warm weather than in cool weather, and may stop completely during very cold weather. Tailor you efforts to the environment you live in. What is compost? My definition is that compost is organic material that is reduced by biological processes into a more stable form. By “more stable” I mean less prone to decay. Composting is a kind of directed rotting process; the end product can slowly degrade, but no longer “rots” with the associated smells and disease hazards. What can be composted? The complete answer to this question is somewhat complicated, but generally any small, non-toxic, soft plant materials (like leaves, stalks, and kitchen wastes) can be composted without any problems. Animal products and things like paper and small tree branches can be composted…




Plan B: Key Phrases to Memorize for Citizens’ Reservation of Rights

…no, then ask: “Am I free to go?” If the answer is no, then ask: Then ask: “Do you have Reasonable Suspicion to believe that I have committed or am about to commit a criminal offense?” F.) If the answer is no, then ask: “Am I free to go?”If the answer is no, then ask: “Is there anything that you see on my vehicle in your Plain View that would lead you to believe that I have committed or am about to commit a criminal offense?” G.) If the answer is no, then ask: “Am I free to go?” If the answer is no, then ask: “Is there some new legal doctrine or standard that I am not aware of that would give you cause to detain me? Please explain.” H.) If the officer gets obstinate and orders you out of your car, and declares that he (or they) are…







Internet Privacy Basics, by Petr

…is a search engine called MetaGer that delivers results from multiple search engines. Brave Search is a relative newcomer. It offers promising policies and innovations and at the time of writing is still being beta tested. With these two steps you have taken a major step in limiting data collection from companies. Browsers are also the main way in which Google servers target advertisements to you. By moving away from Google Chrome and other mainstream browsers and search engines you will start to see ads that are less tailored to you. In addition to increasing your online privacy you will also be helping combat the monopoly that these companies have built. By simply supporting alternate search engines you are essentially providing competition, and competition drives innovation. Extensions are another fantastic way to enhance your browsing experience and privacy. A list of excellent add-ons include “Ublock Origin” for ad blocking, “Privacy…




Knowledge is Power: The Value of an Area Study – Part 2, by Viking4

…165 trillion in unsecured debt. Wake up people our nation is printing itself out of paper, the first result is being felt right now it’s called hyperinflation. I remember Glenn beck warning us in 2012 about what’s coming and the example was 25 dollars for a can of beans…I laughed a little then……..I am not laughing now. We need common sense back in our mindset, there is a point of no return and president trump along with some other past Presidents had a clear understanding what’s coming. Even Herman Cain who worked for the Federal Reserve would openly discuss out total debt……..one other point……the Comptroller of the Currency who oversees all National Banks placed in those banks back in the early 70s sealed bags of colored paper currency ( example one dollar bills were red, five dollars bills another shade and so on) this colored currency was meant to be…




Springfield Armory XD Mod.2, by Pat Cascio

…my testing, which included the torture testing of 1,200-rds and then another 200-rds of various ammo through the gun for accuracy testing, the gun never once missed a beat, not even close. I will say, I was totally surprised that this little 9mm gobbled-up +P+ ammo without any problems. I’ve had some full-sized 9mm handguns that choked on +P+ ammo. The gun was as solid after all the testing as it was at the start of the testing. I was totally impressed, to say the least. I asked Jeff Hoffman at Black Hills Ammunition to just send me some 9mm reloads, or even some factory seconds, for the torture testing, but Jeff wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, he sent me brand new ammo in their red boxes. It just about broke my heart to fire up all that brand new Black Hills Ammunition in a torture test. Many writers only…




Field-Test Improvements to a Go Bag, by Todd S.

…HAM, a small pocket-sized waterproof AM/FM radio is still a very important tool to have with you.             Net Weight Change = Fire Starting: I thought I had this part of my preparation covered in spades before this trial run but I quickly learned otherwise. My “waterproof/windproof” matches were hard to start and the striker component to my magnesium fire starter went missing. Although I finally got an occasional match to light, it really made me realize how serious this issue could have been in a real emergency. After returning home I went out and purchased an outdoor-rated micro butane torch lighter to use for my primary means of getting a flame going. This little unit is super small (1.1/2” x 2” x ½”), lightweight, refillable, windproof, waterproof, shock proof, and reliable. It uses a piezoelectric starting method so batteries and flint are never needed and will last 30 minutes…




Two Letters Re: Test Sources for Radiation Meters–The Cesium Source Already in Your Home

…are a number of newly made Geiger counters, usually from Russian companies. Harbor Freight sometimes has one called the Quartex, and there is another one called the RKSB-104. You can often find these on eBay. Dosimeters These are small, yellow sticks that look like a big crayon. Unlike a survey meter or geiger counter, these do not instantly show you how much radiation they are being exposed to at the moment. Rather, you wear them around, and they let you know how much total dosage you received over a day, month, etc. Like the survey meters, these come in high and low-range models. The good ones are made by Bendix. Avoid the other brands, unless they are of new commercial manufacture (such as Dosimeter Corp). CDV-741,742 – High range (0-100 or 0-200 RADS). Useful after a nuclear war, not useful for much else. CDV-138 – Low range (0-200 Millirads). Useful…




Combating Sheep Flock Parasites – Part 1, by Mike V.

…pretty penny for each test or learn to do it yourself. This is a really easy test to perform by yourself as long as you have the equipment. There is some investment up front but at 10-15 dollars per test at the veterinarian’s office it will take no time at all to recoup your investment. The most significant cost is the microscope. It does not have to be a pathologist grade scope, just a monocular medium magnification. They sell for 80-120 dollars and will last forever if you take care of it. 50cc plastic test tubes sell in packs of significant quantity but are reasonably cheap. I have been using the same 4 tubes for the past 5 years. Just clean them after each test. Little plastic pipettes which hold about a cc also come in quantity packs but again, I just keep reusing the same ones after cleaning. The…




Gear Review: Morisk Waterproof Flashlight/Plasma Lighter, by The Novice

…to 22 degrees. When I attempted to use the lighter that day, the battery was too weak to sustain a plasma arc. A fire starting method should function reliably even in cold weather (indeed, especially in cold weather). So I concluded that the lighter had failed the barn test. Second Thoughts on a Pocket Test I usually carry a Maglite Solitare LED flashlight in my pocket along with a Victoronix Minichamp knife. Both items receive quite a bit of battering there. I considered temporarily carrying the Morisk unit in my pocket in place of the Solitaire. This would be a good test of the unit’s durability. Upon further reflection, I decided not to carry out this test for three reasons: The Morisk unit is just a little too large to carry comfortably in my pocket for an extended period of time. I did not think the unit would survive the…




Ruger Security 9 Endurance Test, by Pat Cascio

Back in February 2018, I tested the then fairly-new polymer-frame Ruger Security 9 handgun. It was a stellar pistol, and very affordable, as well. I liked that gun so much that I added a second one to my modest collection. The first one resides in our bedroom, it is my “nightstand” gun – even though it isn’t stored in a nightstand. My second Security 9 has a trigger guard mounted laser on it, and that is the only difference between the two guns. Look, we all know that, anything can be broken, under the right circumstance, and I stopped doing “to destruction” testing on just about everything I test. I’ve had more than a few firearms almost self-destruct without doing that type of testing. On the Ruger Security 9, I just wanted to put an obscene number of rounds through it, before it stopped working. Needless to say, no easy…




Letter Re: Questions on Sambucol, EMP-Proof Vehicles, Food Storage, Real Estate, Barter Guns and Ammo, and SAR-8 Rifles

…frequently, but “per dollar” they are a fairly efficient use of household funds for storage foods. Also consider the new retort packaged foods (such as stews. These are quite convenient. There are also a surprising number of canned foods that have switched to pull top lids in the last couple of years. OBTW, mark the date of purchase with a Sharpie pen on ALL storage foods, so that you can rotate them consistently. 4.) Regarding the Housing Bubble and Real Estate –If the bubble is to burst in 2006 wouldn’t that lead to much lower real estate prices? Therefore would it be prudent to wait for this before purchasing land for a homestead/retreat? Or should we not concern ourselves with what the market is doing? I am of the opinion that the biggest declines in house prices will occur in urban and suburban real estate.  Productive farm land will probably…