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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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.

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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.

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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”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We’ve been enjoying some great weather, with plenty of sunshine and occasional rain showers.  Our pastures are really thriving.

This past week, I hauled nine quad-trailer loads of composted manure. Most of that went to a new 5′ x40′ garden bed on the shady side of our greenhouse, where Avalanche Lily is now planting more berries and herbs.

Avalanche Lily Reports:

Dear Readers,
Gorgeous warm bluebird skies weather early in the week with heavy rain showers at the end of the week.

I worked very hard in the greenhouse finished reorganizing it and planted more basil, cilantro, and parsley.

Jim and I created another garden bed outside of the Main gardens and planted strawberries, cucumbers,  and herbs.  I am also creating a rock garden with wild edibles and medicinal herbs. I continue to study medicinal herb books this week.  I am devouring these books.  They are keeping me off of the computer these days.

UPDATE ON FRIDAY NIGHT:  Last week, Samuel Thayer — the author of several edible wild plant books — contacted me and asked if I would like a copy of his new “Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants” for Eastern and Central North America.  I wrote back and said that I was very interested.  Jim picked it up at the post office on Friday afternoon.  When Jim returned home, he opened the mail and placed the book on our bed. The first moment that I saw it, I dropped everything I was doing and pounced on it. I have already been studying it for two hours.  Wow, wow, wow! It is a gorgeous book.  It is so comprehensive! The photos of the plants are excellent quality, the best I’ve ever seen in any plant book, and there are several photos of each plant showing, leaves, shapes, and flowers, and fruit!  It has maps of a plant’s range in the USA and in Canada.  Even though the guide focuses on eastern and central USA the maps show full ranges if a plant occurs west of the Rocky Mountains, etc. It is the BEST edible wild plant guide that I have ever seen! I highly and seriously recommend it to all of our readers! It is totally worth the cover price of $32.95. Our readers can buy directly from Samuel Thayer through his website at Foragers Harvest. I will write a more comprehensive review this coming week.

I worked on the extension gardens. Jim helped me remove the black row cover that has been on a 15′ x 50′ section of it for two years. I whacked down thistles that grew up between the edges of the row cover with a hand scythe.  Our mechanical weed whacker and lawn mower are both currently down for repairs.  I really enjoy using the hand scythes.  It is hard work, but it is quiet, a good workout, and does the job well enough.

Jim rototilled the bed after it was weed-whacked.

Our sheep were shorn recently. They look like new animals, so cute. They also are noticeably happier to have all that wool off them. Jim and I, also dosed them with Ivermectin this week.

I finished cleaning tack and reorganizing the tack room.  I just need to vacuum its floor and wash a shelving unit on its door.  I did not work the horses this week.  But I will get back at that, next week.  Horsey friend is planning a visit with us, soon.

Our contiguous neighbors have returned from out-of-state for the foreseeable future.  We are so excited and happy to have them back for a long time.  We are very like-minded and we enjoy their company very much.  Miss Violet and I joined them for a paddle in the river one evening this week.  It was a gorgeous paddle!  Our sunsets and sunrises have been spectacular, lately.  I love this weather!

I cared for a number of these neighbor’s hens during this past winter.  Their birds were happily returned to them this week.

This week so far from the incubator we have had a sizable hatching of chicks.  I’m so happy.  The hens that are still on the “forced brooding”  are doing well.  I had to retire another hen this week. I caught her eating another’s eggs during a recess when I left them for a few minutes, and then a day later she was caught eating her own eggs. I gave her remaining eggs to another hen. Very shortly most of these hens of this generation will be butchered.  I will have to keep this generation completely separate from my new upcoming chicks so as not to teach them bad practices.

WHO announced on June 5, 2023: Digital Medical Certifications are coming. You won’t be able to buy or sell or travel without it.  See Revelation chapters 13 and 14.

May you all have a very blessed and safe week.

– Avalanche Lily, Rawles

o o o

As always,  please share and send e-mails of your own successes and hard-earned wisdom and we will post them in the “Snippets” column this coming week.  We want to hear from you.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.

Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.

Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.” – Psalm 84  (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — June 9, 2023

Today is the birthday of Jean Alexandre Francois LeMat (1824–1883), is best known for the percussion cap revolver that bears his name. This clever design has a percussion cylinder that rotates around a central 20-gauge shotgun barrel.

On June 9, 1940 Norway surrendered to the invading German army, during World War II. The citizenry was then quickly disarmed by the Nazis, so resistance was limited. (The invaders had access to the Norwegian police gun registration lists.) To limit reprisals by the Germans, King Hakkon the 7th also ordered that only Norwegian troops operating from offshore should overtly resist the Nazis. The “H7” logo became the ubiquitous symbol of resistance in occupied Norway.

On June 8, 1942, the residents of the village of Lidice (now in the Czech Republic) were rounded up, most to be massacred the next day in reprisal for the assassination by Czech underground fighters of Reinhard Heydrich, deputy leader of the Nazi paramilitary group SS.

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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.

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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.

Mutual Assistance Group Planning – Part 1, by Survivormann99

I have been involved in the preparedness movement, at least to some degree, for a very long time. I became involved in preparedness when all like-minded people were classified as “survivalists,” although there was never a universally accepted definition of exactly what a survivalist is. There still isn’t.

When that term became tainted because of certain bad actors, many of us were then classified as “preppers.” It sounded less threatening, less “Unabomber cabin.” Again, there was no universally accepted definition of exactly what a prepper is. There still isn’t.

The television series Doomsday Preppers almost always seemed bent on finding the most flamboyant and, often, kooky among the prepper movement to focus on. With the passage of time, that term prepper has become somewhat tainted. For many it smacks of a naive suburban/rural homeowner who has simply lined a basement with cases of freeze-dried food, and who has set aside firearms and ammunition while waiting for Armageddon.

For this reason, and because words do matter and often control the debate, I’ve decided that “Self-Reliant” and involvement in “Self-reliance” are terms and concepts that more fairly represent, in a very positive way, the mindset of the preparedness movement. Who could easily and flippantly criticize “Self-Reliants” and “self-reliance” without incurring criticism? At least to some degree, it would be similar to criticizing, “the flag, Mom, and apple pie.”Continue reading“Mutual Assistance Group Planning – Part 1, by Survivormann99”