Encouraging Plant Pollinators, by Steve R.

Editor’s Introductory Note:  Over the years, we’ve published several articles on beekeping in SurvivalBlog. But this is our first fundamental article on pollinators.  If you want to have abundant crops, then you should encourage pollinators, locally! – JWR

We are getting help with crops, fruits, nuts, and vegetables from little flying, crawling things you probably know little about. They are animal pollinators of plants. A book about pollinators has a first sentence of the first chapter that says it is impossible to overstate the service they provide to plants. You can do a lot to help pollinators, no matter where you live, to give them much-needed habitat that will allow them to thrive.

According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) more than 100 grown crops in the US rely on pollinators. These crops include apples, blueberries, strawberries, melon, peaches, potatoes, and almonds. Wild berries also need pollinators. In dollar terms, the added revenue to grown crop production attributed to pollinators is valued at about $20-30 billion. Yes, the dollar figure comes from federal agencies and varies between them, so skepticism is warranted. There’s no doubt, though, pollinators are important to the US farm economy. Worldwide, they pollinate 75-95 percent of all flowing plants and more than 1,200 crops according to the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign.

A pollinator is any living thing that helps carry pollen from a male part (anther) of a flowering plant to a female part (stigma) of the same or another flower. Not all plants need pollinators, of course, because they self-pollinate or rely on wind and rain. For those more than 100 grown crops in the US and wild berries, however, this movement of pollen, a form of genetic material, must occur for the plant to become fertilized and produce fruit, seeds and new plants.Continue reading“Encouraging Plant Pollinators, by Steve R.”

January 2024 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, presented by Gainesville Coins. Each month, we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. We cover gold’s performance and the factors that affect gold prices.

What Did Gold Do in January?

Spot gold started the new year at around $2,060 an ounce. It dropped as low as $2,023 in the second week of the month as everyone rushed to dial back over-optimistic expectations of an interest rate cut in March.

Prices recovered to above $2,050 on the 15th before the bottom fell out, recording a $49 drop from $2,054 to $2,005 on the 16th and 17th.
Factors Affecting Gold This Month

JUMPING THE GUN ON RATE CUTS
Investors all realized at once in January that they had jumped the gun on expecting imminent rate cuts from the Fed, and prices had gotten ahead of the facts. They rapidly repriced assets across the spectrum, retrenching their bullish bets that the Fed would make its first rate cut in March.
The reversal hit its worst in mid-January, as everyone went into panic mode. The dollar hit a one-month high, Treasury yields jumped, and the odds of a March rate cut fell from 80% to 65% in one trading day. (Note: odds of a March rate cut are only THREE percent as of January 31st.)
Gold was caught up in the turmoil, falling from $2,051 to $2,006 over two days on the 16th and 17th. Prices stayed below $2,030 until the last of the month when April gold futures jumped to $2,067 before closing just before the FOMC announcement. Spot prices fell into the red in the aftermath of Fed chairman Powell’s press conference but rallied to just above unchanged by the end of the day.Continue reading“January 2024 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

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, a more in-depth examination of the Texas border tiff.

Texas Border Standoff Posturing Continues

And then, there is this logical extrapolation, from Tim Pool’s peanut galley: Americans Have A NORMALCY BIAS, They DO NOT Believe Civil War Is Possible.

JWR’s Comments:  Folks should be very careful about who they associate with, who they listen too, and whether or not they step on “federal” ground, if they go these rallies, and how they interact with any “federal” officials, and even how they might be able to anonymously make donations. I’m a big believer in using cash and US Postal Service Money Orders (“PMOs’), for anonymity.  Beware: The Bidenistas have perfected both infiltrating agent provocateurs and targeting politicized prosecutions. Learn the lessons of the January 6, 2021 protests in Washington DC and the Canadian Trucker’s Rally in Ottowa, in 2022. The FBI poured countless hundreds of thousands of man-hours into reviewing footage and analyzing cell phone location tracking data from the U.S. Capitol protests, to generate arrest warrants.  Either leave your smartphone at home, or remove its battery before you get within 10 miles of any protest.  Oh, and walk in a long distance, so that your license plate doesn’t get flagged in some database.  I know a few secret squirrels who do this, just when attending gun shows.

California Looking To Restrict Travel For Classic Cars

Krissy sent us this: Report: California Looking To Restrict Travel For Classic Cars.

FBI Slapped for Search of Hundreds of Safe Deposit Boxes

Over at The Intercept: FBI Overstepped Authority in Warrantless Search of Hundreds of Safe Deposit Boxes, Court Rules. Here is a pericope:

“At oral argument in December, one of the three judges on the 9th Circuit panel called the FBI’s search of each safe deposit box without probable cause ‘egregious’ and ‘outrageous.’ Another likened the FBI’s actions to the maligned ‘general warrants’ and ‘writs of assistance’ issued in colonial times, which authorized British officials to search colonists’ homes indiscriminately for smuggled tea and other items.”

New Documents Bolster Lab-Leak Origin of COVID-19

Our own Thomas Christianson recommended this at City Journal: The Story of the Decade: New documents strengthen—perhaps conclusively—the lab-leak hypothesis of Covid-19’s origins.

Supreme Court May Soon End Chevron Deference

Supreme Court Looks Set to Reform Governing, End 40-Year ‘Constitutional Revolution’.  JWR’s Comments:  These are much-needed decisions. For far too long, executive branch Federal agencies like the ATF, EPA, and FWS have run roughshod over our rights by unconstitutionally creating new laws and calling them “rulings.”  These agencies need to be slapped down and reminded that to maintain the constitutional fences around the three branches of government, only Congress can create laws, and only the courts can be the arbiter and judge of laws.

Here is some insightful analysis from gun law attorney William Kirk: The Case That Could Crush the ATF.

Klaus Schwab Snubbed President Milei’s Speech at Davos

Maria Bartiromo: Klaus Schwab Got Up and Walked Out of Room During Argentina President Milei’s Speech at Davos Attacking Globalist Power-Hungry Elites.

China Is Buying Up US Farmland

From Bloomberg: China Is Buying Up US Farmland, But How Much Isn’t Clear.

Oregon Uses AI to Flag Election ‘Misinformation’

Oregon uses AI to flag election ‘misinformation,’ raising fresh concerns about censorship.

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You can send your news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 31, 2024

On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom formally left the European Union, more than three years after the country voted for “Brexit.”

On January 31, 1606, Guy Fawkes was scheduled for execution for his part in the Gunpowder Plot against Parliament and King James. As he was being marched up the steps to his gallows, he fell and broke his neck and died, depriving his executioners of any satisfaction. In recent years, Guy Fawkes masks have become a symbol of resistance to big government, worldwide.

Also on this day in 1872, American author Pearl Zane Grey was born. He was best known for his popular adventure western novels, including Riders of the Purple Sage, which was his best-selling book.

On January 31, 1964, a rigged constitutional referendum in Ghana saw 99.91% vote in favor, turning the country into a one-party state and making Kwame Nkrumah president for life.

And on January 31, 1943, German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus surrendered to Soviet troops at Stalingrad.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present the final entry for Round 110 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. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  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. 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. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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.
  3. 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)
  4. 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 $870,000 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 111 beigins tomorrow, 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.

Heating Your Home With Wood, by Hollyberry

Nothing beats stepping into our toasty cabin on a subzero day to a nice, warm wood stove. Having had experience with all types of heat and fuels, wood beats all! As soon as friends come in, they stand right in front of the stove to warm up. The dogs fight over who gets to lay directly in front of the stove on the hearth rug. Our Jack Russell Terrier usually wins that argument.

We do not have access to piped natural gas in this part of the state but there are many ways to heat your home. After trial and error, we like wood the best. I am not covering brands of stoves or how to install them. Do your homework and research the type and size of stove you want. Our stove is stainless steel. Installation should be done by a professional. Do not take chances with installation. Hire a professional and use top-quality materials. This is your home and you want the job done correctly to avoid fires.Continue reading“Heating Your Home With Wood, by Hollyberry”

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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“You Need An F-16, Not An AR-15” – Biden Once Again Suggests US Government Could Murder Gun-Owners. JWR’s Comments:  So… Coupling that statement with the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen decision, I must ask Mr. Biden: To keep us on an equal footing with the active military, when are you going to release some F-16s as surplus through the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP)?  Yes, and also surplus some M240B and M2 Browning .50 machineguns, and some 105mm Howitzers. Oh, and also some Stryker APCs complete with TOW missiles or 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II full-auto cannons. Those would all prove to be quite useful to us, as Unorganized Militia members. Thanks for clarifying what we require and deserve for militia use, Joe!

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Fightin’ Words: Governor Gregg Abbott’s January 24, 2024 Declaration. The governor’s declaration ends with this resoundingly firm statement:

“The failure of the Biden Administration to fulfill the duties imposed by Article IV, § 4 has triggered Article I, § 10, Clause 3, which reserves to this State the right of self-defense. For these reasons, I have already declared an invasion under Article I, § 10, Clause 3 to invoke Texas’s constitutional authority to defend and protect itself. That authority is the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary. The Texas National Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and other Texas personnel are acting on that authority, as well as state law, to secure the Texas border.”

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Reader K.S.E. wrote:

“We ordered some silver in late December from Walmart. It was a good price and swiftly delivered four  days later (and one of those days was a Sunday and a second day was Jan 1st).  Our order was via  Walmart but with Apmex. There are other sellers available @ Walmart, choose yours wisely.

Please let your readers know that as of this writing, Walmart automatically charges taxes for PM purchases, even in states that do not have PM taxes. The only way to have it removed it to contact their tax-exempt department via e-mail after you receive your order (you can customer service, but it will suck 30 minutes out of your day and they’ll still tell you to e-mail them). taxexempt@customercare.walmart.com

Give them your order number, the amount of taxes you paid, and the reason for your tax reversal request. They will issue you an immediate credit back to your card, we received ours the day I requested it. There are no shenanigans to be concerned about once you understand the process.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The term propaganda rings melodramatic and exaggerated, but a press that — whether from fear, careerism, or conviction — uncritically recites false government claims and reports them as fact, or treats elected officials with a reverence reserved for royalty, cannot be accurately described as engaged in any other function.” – Glenn Greenwald

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 30, 2024

On January 30, 1835, Andrew Jackson became the first American president to experience an assassination attempt. Richard Lawrence, an unemployed house painter, approached Jackson as he left a congressional funeral held in the House chamber of the Capitol building and shot at him, but his gun misfired. A furious 67-year-old Jackson confronted his attacker, clubbing Lawrence several times with his walking cane. During the scuffle, Lawrence managed to pull out a second loaded pistol and pulled the trigger, but it also misfired. Jackson’s aides — including Davy Crockett — then wrestled Lawrence away from the president, leaving Jackson unharmed but angry and, as it turned out, paranoid.

On January 30, 1982 Richard Skrenta wrote the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called “Elk Cloner”.

January 30, 1992 Inventor Ray Kurzweil published his first book “The Age of Intelligent Machines” on artificial intelligence, predicting the popularity of the Internet.

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Today’s feature article is a guest piece by SurvivalBlog reader Scarecrow.  It was too short to be included in the judging in the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

More than $870,000 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 110 ends tomorrow, January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Greenhorn’s Guide to PSYOPS, by Scarecrow

When in doubt, do the OODA loop: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. In other words, see what’s going on, understand how it relates to your situation, figure out what to do, then do it.

But what happens when you can’t do your OODA loop because you can’t properly see what’s going on, i.e., you can’t Observe and then Orient? What happens when the tools you use, for example, mass media, are (at best) trying to obscure the truth or (at worst) are intentionally lying to deceive?

Here are some clues that “they” (the government, the media, etc.) might be using propaganda or conducting a Psychological Operation (PSYOP). Take note if:

–       They are trying hard to instill:

o   Fear*

o   Confusion

o   Passivity

o   Anger*

o   Pressure to act quickly

o   Heavy emphasis on consensus; i.e., you don’t want to be out of step with what everyone else thinks, do you?

o   Repetition of claims without evidence

o   Claims that the opposition should not be allowed to speak, or should be censored.

* Remember that both fear and anger tend to disable the thinking parts of the brain.

–       The opposition to their narrative is framed as something more than just wrong:

o   Morally reprehensible

o   Unpatriotic

o   Endangering others

o   May be engaging in “hate” speech and should be criminalized

o   Is a threat to democracy

–       The media appear to be in lock-step, all (or most) repeating the same messaging with nearly the same words.

–       The threat is invisible and/or cannot be confirmed by ordinary means.

–       There is an effort to censor all contradictory messaging.

Continue reading“The Greenhorn’s Guide to PSYOPS, by Scarecrow”

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, a special look at winter sports in the American Redoubt. (Photo courtesy of VirtualMontana.com.)

Region-Wide

Inland Northwest skiers enjoy the slopes despite El Niño predicted for 2024.

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Inland Northwest Winter Guide 2023/2024.

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The Spokesman-Review Inland Northwest Trapshoot.

Idaho

Idaho’s Sun Valley To Host 2024 US Alpine Championships.

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Idaho Sled Dog Challenge cancels 100 and 300-mile races.

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Forest Service approves winter recreation plan for Idaho Panhandle.

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Video: Idaho Backcountry Ski Tour.

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Video: Idaho Falls: Our Favorite Backcountry Snowmobiling.

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Video: BSY4 | CHASING MULE DEER IN THE DEEP SNOW | S4E16

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Some nations and some people melt in the heat of crisis and come apart like fat in the pan. Others meet the challenge and harden. I think you’re going to harden.” –  Pat Frank, Alas, Babylon

Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 29, 2024

On January 29, 1964, the British film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, a landmark Cold War farce directed by Stanley Kubrick, was released in theatres.

On this day in 1845 Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” was published.

Today is the birthday of actor Tom Selleck (born 1945), best known for playing the title role of Magnum, P.I. He is an avid shooter and quite pro-gun.

Today is also the birthday of journalist and inventor Thomas Paine (1737–1809.)

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Update: We’ve received an unexpectedly large number of orders for the waterproof 2005-2023 Archive USB sticks.  Many readers are placing orders for 2, 3, or 4 sticks. Apparently, folks are feeling anxious about Joe Biden engaging the Internet Kill Switch. Or, perhaps it is the Texas border Constitutional crisis. The first batch of sticks sold out in less than two weeks.  We have another batch scheduled to arrive this week. That will then probably be all that we’ll be selling in 2024.  Orders are being shipped “first come, first served.”  Thanks for your patience. Again, please order only through our automated system, with a vaild e-mail address.  If you are paying by check, please be sure to write your order number on your check’s memo line. – JWR

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The feature article for today’s blog was written by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

 

Savage Model 110 Storm in 6.5 Creedmoor, by Thomas Christianson

After a search lasting more than three years, I recently settled on a deer rifle to replace the Remington 742 in .30-06 that I inherited from my Father. The old 742 is still a dandy gun, and I have passed it along to my brother-in-law for continued use. But as the years have passed, I have become somewhat recoil-adverse, and I wanted a rifle that is a little kinder and gentler to my shoulder.

My new rifle is a Savage Model 110 Storm in 6.5 Creedmoor. It is accurate, sturdy, weather resistant, well balanced, and chambered in a cartridge for which a wide variety of ammunition is readily available. With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $959 it represents an excellent value for the money.

I initially borrowed the rifle from Savage for testing and evaluation in preparation for this review. I liked it so much that I decided to buy it. It is only the second firearm that I have ever ended up purchasing after testing and writing a review. (The other was my MAPP from Rock Island Armory. Here is my MAPP review, Part 1 and Part 2). It was fun to recently take the information stickers off the stock of the Storm, and place the rifle in its permanent place in my gun cabinet.Continue reading“Savage Model 110 Storm in 6.5 Creedmoor, by Thomas Christianson”

Update: Letter from a Kansas Consulting Client

Introductory note from JWR: I just received this update letter:

“I wanted to write to the readers of SurvivalBlog about the search for a family to live on our family farm. The opportunity is still open.

Many areas in the United States are deteriorating, but our conservative area remains safe and prosperous. We are willing to consider letters from readers anywhere in the country as we are not concerned about the distance, but we are about finding a quality family to eventually join our family in living on our farm.

There is still time in the preparedness window in which to purchase supplies for your family if you are invited to our farm. We are not concerned with the amount of supplies you currently own and we are even willing to purchase supplies for your family, with our family’s resources if we are able to add a family to our farm through marriage.

We are concentrating our efforts on finding a quality family. We are praying and trusting in God’s providence that He has a family who is reading this and will respond to our letter.”

If you have been praying about finding a safe place to live, then please read the original post. If you meet those qualifications, send a message to jamesATrawles.to (Change the “AT” to an @ sign)