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 police radios switching to encryption.

Police Radio Traffic is Increasingly Encrypted

The Wildly Popular Police Scanner Goes Silent for Many. Here is an excerpt:

“Denver, San Francisco, San Diego County, Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Sioux Falls are among the jurisdictions that have already encrypted radio signals to some degree. Minneapolis, whose police department has faced a lot of pressure to be more transparent and accountable, intends to adopt encryption next year.

Law enforcement officials say they long saw value in allowing a small number of civilians — journalists covering breaking news among them — to hear their communications. But as the numbers of listeners soared in a nation where true-crime shows and reality television are wildly popular, the risks of allowing unfettered access — at times including names, addresses and phone numbers — concerned public safety officials.”

NPR Rails Against New House Speaker

Some biased reporting, from the leftist NPR: Speaker Mike Johnson draws scrutiny for ties to far right Christian movement. It is noteworthy that the main reporter for this story is Odette Yousef — NPR’s  “National Security Correspondent on Extremism”.  Tellingly, her biography page seems to indicate that she sees extremist threats only from the “far-right.”  Born in Boston, she has a B.A. from Harvard in Economics and East Asian Studies.

FBI Weaponized Against Traditional Catholics

T.D. sent this Congressional report: New Report Details the Extent of the FBI’s Weaponization of Law Enforcement Against Traditional Catholics. You can read the full report here.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of a higher obligation. … To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the ends to the means.” – Thomas Jefferson, from a letter to John B. Colvin, September 20, 1810

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 27, 2023

On December 27, 1943, the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst sank in the Barents Sea, under the guns and torpedoes of a British battle group led by the Duke Of York.

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On December 27, 1571, German astronomer Johannes Kepler, who discovered three major laws of planetary motion, was born.

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On December 27, 1932, the internal passport system, previously denounced by Vladimir Lenin as one of the worst stigmas of tsarist backwardness and despotism, was reinstated in the Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin.

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On this day in 1979, in an attempt to stabilize the turbulent political situation in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union sent 75,000 troops to enforce the installation of Babrak Karmal as the new leader of the nation. The new government and the imposing Soviet presence, however, had little success in putting down anti-government rebels. Thus began nearly 10 years of an agonizing, destructive, and ultimately fruitless Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. Death by a thousand cuts. The American involvement from 2001 to 2022 had similar results. In Afghanistan, the mountains always win, regardless of who invades.

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There are several new listings at SurvivalRealty that “check off some boxes.”  They include:

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another 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 Directive 21 (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 $850,000 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 on 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.

 

Homesteading Cautionary Tales – Part 1, by Mrs. Alaska

People believe scams of all sorts, so I guess that I should not be surprised by the naivete of people who buy remote land in Alaska without first setting foot in the state, much less the particular site. Even if the location is a legitimate plot, not set in a mucky bog or on an eroding river bank, the challenges of this sort of life deserves more research… and introspection … than some people give it.

Below are two, recent cautionary tales of people – one from New York and the other from California – whose dreams of living in the Alaska bush came to a rapid, rude awakening – one in two weeks, the other in just two hours!Continue reading“Homesteading Cautionary Tales – Part 1, by Mrs. Alaska”

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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Reader C.B. mentioned this, published by the leftist USA Today: Will humans cut down trees that have been alive for thousands of years? New rules say no.  JWR’s Comments:  Throwing in mention and photos of 2,000-year-old trees is just a sympathy-inducing tactic. Those trees have long been protected.  The new rules will effectively limit USFS timber sales to just second-growth trees. In many areas, that means small-diameter pulpwood logs. The Bidenistas want to wreck the economies of most of the western and southern states. This new policy fits in with their overall strategy of marginalizing Republican “Red” states.

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Channel 1: The world’s first AI-generated news channel.

JWR’s Comments: AI-generated tripe is becoming ubiquitous. Some websites and alleged blogs are nothing but AI-regurgitated pablum. And Amazon’s self-publishing platform is now becoming choked with AI-generated schlock books. I now often receive articles submitted for our writing contest with phrasing that is clearly AI-written. In my experience, the telling hallmarks of AI-writtten text are: A repetitious writing style, odd or simplified vocabularies, awkward phrasing, perfect punctuation, no typos, paragraphs of almost identical length, circular logic, and a monotonous recounting of facts. I of course reject these scam articles, but I often wonder about the editors of other blogs and websites who are not as discerning, or that simply don’t care. My fear is that the blogosphere will soon resemble my e-mail inbox — that is: overwhelmed by fakers, scammers, spammers, SEO stuffers, and fraudsters.  Rest assured that what you are reading at SurvivalBlog is legitimate. Our old-fashioned blogsite may lack those snazzy animated graphics and embedded videos, but we are genuine journalists, guided by Christian ethics.

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The “Post-Degree” Era Is Here: Study Reveals Top 10 Six Figure Careers That Don’t Rely On College. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself, and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.” – Alexander Hamilton, “The Farmer Refuted”, February 5, 1775

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 26, 2023

December 26, 1791 was the birthday of English mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage, who is credited with having conceived the first automatic digital computer.

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On December 26th, 1776, after crossing the Delaware River, Washington led his men against Hessian soldiers garrisoned at Trenton. After a brief battle, nearly the entire Hessian force was captured, with negligible losses to the Americans, significantly boosting their flagging morale.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another 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 Directive 21 (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.

—

More than $850,000 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 on 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.

 

Some Experience With Nuts, by Mr. Zipph

Nuts can serve as an important supplement to your diet. Most nuts have a significant amount of nutritional value, including protein, fat, carbohydrates, and various vitamins and minerals. In a grid-down situation, knowing how to harvest and process nuts could be of tremendous value.

When I recently relocated to my new home, I was fortunate enough to discover that I had both black walnut and shagbark hickory trees on my property. I also have many oak trees and maple trees. As I have recently focused on improving my foraging skills and have read several books on the topic to improve my knowledge, I saw this as an opportunity to learn more about nut gathering and processing. While I feel that I have competency in many prepping-related skills, nut processing is definitely not one of those areas.

This journey started when a visiting relative, who is an arborist, walked me around my property to tell me what kind of trees I had. After his visit, my wheels started clicking about future projects related to these various trees.Continue reading“Some Experience With Nuts, by Mr. Zipph”

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 touring destinations in the region. I often have consulting clients from the eastern United States ask me “What is it like”?” questions. You really need to come and see for yourself.  Schedule a lengthy trip! – JWR

(The photo above was taken by Avalanche Lily, near Stanley, Idaho.)

Region-Wide

12 Stunning Places To Visit In The Inland Northwest. A quote from the article’s opening:

“You probably hear a lot about the Pacific Northwest. Its gorgeous mountains, stunning coastline, and hundreds of miles of trails make it hard to beat!

But did you know, that only a half-day’s drive away, there is another region worth checking out called the Inland Northwest?

This area and its borders can differ depending on the person, but we like to define it as Eastern Washington, Idaho, western Montana, and parts of Wyoming and Eastern Oregon!”

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The Inland Northwest: A Destination, Not a Gateway.

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Your guide to the deep history of the Inland Northwest, through six earthly wonders.

Idaho

Things to Do in Idaho.

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12 Best Places to Visit in Idaho.

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Some Reddit advice: Whats the best hiking spot in Northern Idaho?

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13 Best Hiking Trails in Idaho.

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California cops and firefighters are taking their pensions to Idaho’s ‘Little Orange County’. (Thanks to blog reader C.B. for the link.)

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Political freedom includes in it every other blessing. All the pleasures of riches, science, virtue, and even religion itself derive their value from liberty alone. No wonder therefore wise and prudent legislators have in all ages been held in such great veneration; and no wonder too those illustrious souls who have employed their pens and sacrificed their lives in defense of liberty have met with such universal applause. Their reputations, like some majestic river which enlarges and widens as it approaches its parent ocean, shall become greater and greater through every age and outlive the ruins of the world itself.” – Benjamin Rush, from a letter to Catharine Macaulay, January 18, 1769

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 25, 2023

To those who are celebrating the Advent of our Lord and Savior, our little team at SurvivalBlog wishes you a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. For those who choose to celebrate our Lord through the biblical feasts, stay safe out there during this holiday season. Our prayer is that each and every one of you enjoy the family time. Be safe on the roads.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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We are seeking entries for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $850,000 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 on 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.

 

TOPS Fieldcraft 154 Stainless Fixed Blade Knife, by Thomas Christianson

BLUF

The TOPS Fieldcraft 154 Stainless fixed blade knife is a rugged tool for use in the field or around the yard. It has a 4.75 inch, full-tang, Scandi-grind blade made of 154CM stainless steel. With a price of $295 at the time of this writing, it is not cheap in terms of either price or quality. It has earned a place among my gear as my go-to camping knife.

Background

A little more than a year ago, I tested the TOPS Mini Scandi Folder 4. The resulting review was later published in SurvivalBlog. I liked the Mini Scandi Folder a lot. In fact, I liked the knife so much so that I gave it to my son, who is in the military. I thought that it might be useful to him during his next deployment.

Based on that positive experience, I took a look at some other TOPS knife designs to see if they had anything else that looked especially interesting. The Fieldcraft 154 caught my eye. I contacted TOPS to see if they could provide me with a sample for testing and evaluation. They were kind enough to agree. About a week later a package arrived in the mail.Continue reading“TOPS Fieldcraft 154 Stainless Fixed Blade Knife, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Baked Peanut Butter Apple Oatmeal

The following recipe for Baked Peanut Butter Apple Oatmeal is from SurvivalBlog reader M.M..  She writes:

“This is a great ‘throw together’ recipe that uses what you have on hand. The key here is to be flexible. If you do not have a fresh apple, dried would work or even apple sauce. While I did not use nutmeg in this batch, that would make a nice addition, as would some raisins. Or you can swap pecans for walnuts, if that’s what’s in your pantry. You can even substitute part or all of the brown sugar with some maple syrup or honey… let your taste buds and your pantry be your guide!”

Ingredients
  • 2 Cups old fashion rolled oats
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2/3 C brown sugar
  • Heaping ½ cup peanut butter
  • 2 T butter, melted (plus more to grease baking dish)
  • ¾ can evaporated milk
  • ¾ T cinnamon
  • 1 large apple, diced (I used Cortland)
  • 2/3 C chopped walnuts
  • 2 Tsp baking powder
Directions

Grease a baking dish, 9-inch square or 10 in shallow round works well, with some softened butter. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. It will have a thick, wet consistency. Spread in greased baking dish and bake for about 35 minutes in a 350-degree oven. It should be browned but still moist when done. It may crumble a bit or hold together more like a bar, depending on what substitutions you may have made – but it’ll taste good and is a wonderful warm dish on a chilly day.

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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!

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. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the risk of a recession or an economic depression, in 2024.

Precious Metals:

The gold-to-platinum ratio continues to further escape reality. When I last checked (Thursday, December 21, 2023), with spot gold at $2,057.80 and spot platinum at $982.90, the ratio stood at 2.093-to-1.  Historically, platinum has sold at a premium above the price of gold. In fact, platinum was worth more per ounce than gold for the great majority of the 20th Century.  Whenever metals price ratios reach extreme inflection points, it is appropriate for individual investors to pause and consider doing some ratio trading.  As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, the only real impediment to doing so vis-a-vis gold and platinum is the ridiculously high premium charged by coin dealers for platinum coins. The latter are produced in pitifully small numbers. This explains the high premium.  If you can find any platinum coins from a reputable dealer with a reasonable premium, then please consider making a ratio trade on a portion of your physical gold holdings.  If World War 3 breaks out and the gold-to-platinum price ratio reverts to its historical norm, then you will make a substantial profit. – JWR

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Gold: Rally could continue in 2024. (Video)

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Silver’s window of opportunity is closing, with prices poised for an ‘explosive move’ in 2024.

Economy & Finance:

Reader W. F. suggested this piece at USN&WR: Recession 2024: What to Watch and How to Prepare.

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Fortune: With interest rate hikes in Jerome Powell’s rearview mirror, Wall Street starts a new guessing game: Timing when the Fed will cut.

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A ‘severe recession’ may be coming in 2024 as the stock market, job market flash warning signs, strategist says. JWR’s Comments: In a deep recession or a depression, we can expect only essential industries (i.e. heating and staple foods eating) to do well.  Expect massive layoffs and stock declines, almost everywhere else. Subconsciously, people are already expecting this. Take Note: The only retailers that are booming are “dollar” stores. Dollar General plans to open 800 more stores, in 2024.

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Nigeria, again: “Astonishing Audit Failure”: SEC Charges Tingo Group With “Massive Fraud”.

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Mild recession is likely in 2024, strategist says.

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Kiplinger: The IRS is waiving penalties for nearly $1 billion in back taxes owed during the pandemic.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he ‘likes’ them: the Christian, trying to treat everyone kindly, finds him liking more and more people as he goes on – including people he could not even have imagined himself liking at the beginning.” –  C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity