The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts.

To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.

The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment.

The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.

It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.

When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.” – Proverbs 21:1-12 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 20, 2023

On October 20, 1977, a plane carrying the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, known for such songs as Free Bird and Sweet Home Alabama, crashed in Gillsburg, Mississippi, killing singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines, among others.

On October 20, 2011, Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi was killed by rebel forces following a revolt that received international military assistance.

Today is the birthday of the late Tom Petty. (Born October 20, 1950, died October 2, 2017). He was a great singer-songwriter and a passable actor. He had a cameo role as the leader of Bridge City in the movie The Postrman.

Today is the birthday of shootist Ed McGivern (born 1874, died December 12, 1957.) He was born in Nebraska, but was a long-time resident of Butte, Montana. His book Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting is fascinating reading.

October 20th is also the birthday of actor Viggo Mortensen (born 1958.) He lives somewhere in The American Redoubt. On his ranch is his horse-for-life “TJ”–one of the five paint horses used in the filming of the movie Hidalgo. Most SurvivalBlog readers probably know him best for his starring role in The Road.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 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 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 $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.
  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. 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 109 ends on November 30th, 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.

Farming and Prepping As a Lifestyle, by Bulldog

I have lived a prepping/survivalist lifestyle for a lifetime. I was born and raised in the Midwest to parents, who even by mid-20th century standards grew a huge garden every summer. A garden large enough to feed 6-8 large families, either selling or giving the excess to others. They canned and otherwise preserved more produce than anyone I knew at that time. In addition, we milked about 150 head of Holsteins. We were the largest dairy farm in about seven counties. Of course, all of the milk used in the household came out of the bulk milk tank. Prepping was a family affair and my paternal grandmother always willing to do her part would take my brother and I on outings in the woods at least a couple of times a year to harvest mushrooms and pick herbs. We were typically able to return from such forays each with a brown paper grocery bag full of these delicacies. Upon return, my mother and grandmother would meticulously clean, sort and cut up these mushroom and wild greens treasures in preparation for canning. For my brother and I we knew the trip would result in a large platter of fried mushrooms along with the wild greens added to the evening meal.

We typically had one of our steers butchered annually. If for instance, on rare occasions a cow or yearling became injured and was not savable we would butcher a second time. In instances like these, however, we did the butchering rather than take it to someone else to process. In like manner fall deer season meant further opportunities to test one’s butchering skills. As a youth, when pelts were still worth something, raccoon season meant further opportunities to practice one’s skinning skills.Continue reading“Farming and Prepping As a Lifestyle, by Bulldog”

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 developing shortage of 5.56mm NATO ammunition. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Off the record: silver looks better than gold in 2024 according to LBMA survey.

o  o  o

Gold SWOT: Could This Be the Start of a New Bull Market in Bullion?

o  o  o

Higher silver prices needed to meet solar demand, ‘you’re not going to melt grandmother’s silver at $35 an ounce,’ Hecla’s Phillips Baker.

Economy & Finance:

Reader C.B. sent this: Czechoslovak Group Acquires Federal, CCI, Hevi-Shot, Remington Ammo & Speer.

o  o  o

Linked over at Zero Hedge:  Bidenomics Simplified.

o  o  o

David Haggith: Bonds Bust!  The Big Bond Bust brewed into a huge storm today with the US 10Yr making a face-ripping rise above 4.8% to its highest level in 17 years and fastest climb in years.

o  o  o

Janet Yellen: America Can ‘Absolutely’ Afford Another War.

o  o  o

SEC Head: Financial Crash Caused by AI ‘Nearly Unavoidable’.

o  o  o

Best Buy to cease selling DVD and Blu-ray media after the holidays.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 19, 2023

On October 19, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted nearly 23 percent, the largest one-day percentage drop in the stock market’s history.

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October 19th is also the birthday of three notables– the late Alexander Zeisal “Zus” Bielski (born 1912), investor Jim Rogers (born 1942), and James Howard Kunstler (born 1948). Kunstler is well known to SurvivalBlog readers as the author of the novel World Made by Hand and the nonfiction book The Long Emergency. A fictionalized portrayal of Zus Bielski is seen in the movie Defiance. This movie was loosely based on the excellent book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec.

Post-TEOTWAWKI Community and Employment – Part 2, by 3AD Scout

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

Much like society today, those who have “the means of production” control industry, finance, and banking are like the nobles. Those who run the factories and institutions are like the vassals and blue collar and farm workers are like the peasants. So, thinking that in times of great social upheaval when a hundred-plus years of technology disappears, we could see feudal-“like” societies form out of the ashes. This is not far-fetched. Unlike hundreds of years ago, most communities are not self-sufficient. The closest thing to a self-sufficient community today would be Amish communities but even they are dependent upon outside trade for their industries, such as buggy making. But they are not as dependent upon outside trade for a good portion of their food.

My local community is a mixture of Amish, Mennonite, and “English” (non-Amish). As an outsider, who moved into the community from “the city”, it is astonishing how people in this rural community are accepting, especially if you adopt and practice a “rural lifestyle”. Typically others that don’t assimilate just build a McMansion, complain about a dry well and no Internet or cell phone coverage. Once you assimilate into a rural community you start to learn who does what and where to buy stuff. My neighbor has been great in helping me find and acquire older haying equipment. The point is, in many rural communities there is already some semblance of a self-sufficient community.Continue reading“Post-TEOTWAWKI Community and Employment – Part 2, by 3AD Scout”

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 contemporary global military posturing and saber-rattling.

Western Allies are Running Out of Ammo for Ukraine

In the Left-of-Center Guardian: Western allies say they are running out of ammo to donate; Ukraine advancing in south, says General – as it happened. A quote:

“Western military powers are running out of ammunition to give to Ukraine to repel Russian attacks, the UK and NATO have warned. Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum, Admiral Rob Bauer, NATO’s most senior military official, said governments and defence manufacturers now had to ‘ramp up production in a much higher tempo’.”

Accurate Weather Prediction Maps

I want to repeat my recommendation to bookmark a website that offers fairly accurate weather prediction maps. It is called Tropical Tidbits.

YouTube Bans 3D Print Channel

P.F. sent this: YouTube bans 3D print channel after manually reviewing its videos as suitable for monetization.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“As I will explain, the crash of 1987 was largely a trading event, not a fundamental or economic one. I don’t mean to sound overly boastful, and I certainly do not pretend to be the foremost expert on the crash of 1987, but I do think my vantage point was quite unique for this momentous event in history.

Some might say you could blame the whole crash on Dan Rostenkowski. Okay, before you get all worked up, I don’t really blame the crash on Rostenkowski, who chaired the House Ways and Means Committee at the time and had spent many years on the tax-writing committee. But Rostenkowski and his committee played a very, very important role in the crash of 1987.

In fact, it was that committee’s ‘trial balloon’ regarding a takeover-tax bill, sent around several days before the crash to see how the measure would be received, that was a main catalyst — or at least the straw that broke the camel’s back — in an environment that was already appearing to be a perfect storm for some kind of tumble for months, if not years.” – Matt Maley

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 18, 2023

After much opposition, a deal negotiated by U.S. Secretary of State William Seward for the U.S. purchase of the Russian colony of Alaska was approved, and on this day in 1867 the U.S. flag was flown over the capital, Sitka.

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October 18th, 1662 was the birthday of Matthew Henry (died 22 June 1714). He was a Presbyterian minister who lived primarily in Chester, England. Matthew Henry’s six-volume Exposition of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called Matthew Henry’s Commentary) is a must for the bookshelf of any serious Bible scholar.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 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 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 $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.
  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. 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 109 ends on November 30th, 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.

Post-TEOTWAWKI Community and Employment – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

Humans are no strangers to catastrophe. Through the centuries, civilizations across the earth have succumbed to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, plagues, and crop failures. Regardless of where this took place, or the people it affected, there was a rebuilding of society and life went on.

For many of us, we focus on surviving the immediate effects of disaster or catastrophe, but few focus on what comes next, the recovery or rebuilding phase. Just like being prepared to survive the immediate impacts of an incident starts in the years long before the disaster ever strikes, so does preparing for rebuilding our community. Let us explore some strategies for being better prepared to rebuild society after the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI).

The importance of recovery preparedness

Humans are, for the most part, a very sociable race and this has allowed us to build complex societies, that have come to a point, where we enjoy the most leisure time in human history. Diseases responsible for keeping the average life expectancy in the 40s to 60s are now rare and it is common for people to live into their 80s, 90s, and even over 100. Clean water and sewage treatment have also aided in adding to our life expectancy. The Information Age has made it quick and easy to find information and to learn skills at a faster pace. An event, that ends the world as we know it, will erase about 150 years of progress and with it will bring back diseases, more injuries and deaths due to reverting back to manual labor and free time will be a sparse luxury. To clarify, I am not talking about tornadoes or floods but rather large-scale incidents like a coronal mass ejection (CME), electromagnetic pulse (EMP), or other events whose impacts are long-lasting and felt across much of the globe.Continue reading“Post-TEOTWAWKI Community and Employment – Part 1, by 3AD Scout”

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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A Second Carrier Group Steaming Toward the Med. JWR’s Comments: If you look at U.S. military history, you can see that we’ve primarily been a naval power.  And many of the key turning points in our major wars have been on naval/maritime incidents, namely:

  • Spanish-American War: The sinking of the Maine.
  • World War 1: The sinking of the Lusitania.
  • World War 2: The sinking of the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, the Battle of Letye Gulf (the largest naval battle in history), and the Normandy landings.
  • Korean War: The Inchon landing.
  • Vietnam War: The Tonkin Gulf (U.S.S. Maddox) and U.S.S. Pueblo incidents.

Four of those events shifted public opinion and drew us into large-scale conflicts.

Also, take note of the tragic U.S.S. Liberty incident, off the coast of Israel, during the 1967 Six-Day War. The relatively “calm” waters of the Eastern Mediterranean can be very dangerous, during times of war.

Please pray for peace and for the safety of our sailors and other servicemen. Using them as sacrificial chess pieces in global politics would be unconscionable.

o  o  o

Woman killed in explosion at Hornady plant west of Grand Island.

o  o  o

Oh, and speaking of ammunition: Lake City Ammo Plant Cancels All Commercial Contracts. JWR’s Comments:  I hope that you’ve already stacked yours, deep. If not, then get what you need on order, ASAP!

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day: 

“It’s not like Alaska isn’t wilderness – it mostly is. But most Alaskans don’t live in the wild. They live on the edge of the wild in towns with schools and cable TV and stores and dentists and roller rinks sometimes. It’s just like anyplace else, only with mountains and moose.” – Tom Bodett

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 17, 2023

On October 17, 1968, the action film Bullitt was released; it features Steve McQueen in what many consider his definitive role and is also known for its iconic car-chase sequence.

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On this day in 1835, Texans approved a resolution to create the Texas Rangers– a corps of armed and mounted lawmen designed to “range and guard the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers”. After winning their revolutionary war with Mexico the following year, Texans decided to keep the Rangers, both to defend against Indian and Mexican raiders and to serve as the principal law enforcement authority along the sparsely populated Texan frontier.

—

We are in need of entries for Round 109 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 109 ends on November 30th, 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 Lessons Learned in Israel’s Kibbutzim

Like most other Americans, I have been closely watching the recent events in Israel.  I traveled there once, as a tourist, for several weeks. On that family trip, we drove up to the northern border with Lebanon, and all the way south to Eilat, on the Red Sea’s Gulf of Aqaba. My wife (Avalanche Lily) has studied Hebrew for many years, and she has traveled to Israel more than a dozen times. In all, she has spent more than three years in Israel. So for us, watching the Israel-Hamas War brings back a lot of our travel memories. Lily lived for seven months as a volunteer at two different Kibbutzim in the Hula Valley. She volunteered twice at Kibbutz Dafna and once at Kibbutz Hulata.

On one occasion while on Kibbutz Dafna, she had to take shelter from 122mm Katushya rocket attacks on Kiryat Shemonah, with rockets arriving from Lebanon. Kibbutz Dafna is only three miles from Kiryat Shemonah. It was reported that one of the rockets fell out in the fields less than a mile away from the kibbutz. Lily said that every time a rocket exploded the ground shook at the kibbutz. After another stay in Israel that lasted nine months, Lily left Israel and returned to the U.S. on July 2, 2006. That was just ten days before the 2006 Lebanon War rocket barrage. Friends later called and told her a that rocket fell on a restaurant just five hundred yards from the apartment house where she had been living in Tiberias. So for Lily, the recent events have even more vibrant memories attached.

When the modern state of Israel was founded in the aftermath of World War 2 and the Holocaust, guns were ubiquitous. The vast majority of settlers in the fledgling nation were armed and vigilant. But with the leadership of Israel mostly European Ashkenazis rather than Sephardic, they brought with them a European mindset on gun regulations. The Ashkenazis are quite distinct — genetically, culturally, and even religiously from Israel’s Semetic Sephardim. Quite soon, Israel’s government began registering guns, and eventually developed an absurd system, where for all but a veritable handful of licensed collectors, most Israeli citizens are limited to owning just one gun — usually a handgun — under very strict controls and a stringent permit renewal system. There are also strict limitations to how much ammunition can be kept at home. That is just 50 rounds. When we’ve had Israeli friends stay at our home, they had very wide eyes, when I swung open the door of our main gun vault. They were amazed that we were “allowed” to have more than one gun, and so much ammunition.

Only about 20% of Israeli households now have guns. Some modern-day settlers in the West Bank and up in the Golan Heights are issued M16s for their protection, but they represent less than 3% of the nation’s population. The other 97% are absurdly under-armed, except when they are on active military duty. The nation still has nearly universal conscription, and upon leaving the IDF, there are many years of required Reserve service.  It boggles my mind how an entire people group could experience systematic gun registration, confiscation, mass roundups, and mass extermination, only to put in place their own bureaucracy that would make it all possible to be completely disarmed again.  The word stupid doesn’t quite describe it.

Continue reading“Some Lessons Learned in Israel’s Kibbutzim”