The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” – Romans 8: 1-14 (KJV)



Preparedness Notes for Saturday — March 19, 2022

On March 19, 1982, 50 Argentines landed on South Georgia in the Falkland Islands to plant the Argentine flag. They renamed the islands The Malvinas. This precipitated the Argentine army invasion on April 2nd. Despite some significant naval losses and dreadful weather, British Marines re-took the island on April 25th in a well-coordinated ground campaign. Coincidentally, in this brief war, the British Army and the Argentine Army were both equipped with FN-FAL variant rifles. (The British carried L1A1 “SLR” inch-pattern FAL rifles.)

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 99 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  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. 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. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 99 ends on March 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.

 

 



Repeater Down? Use Simplex Amateur Radio, by A.S.

Grid electricity down, WiFi down, Internet down! What to do? What kind of storm is coming? Are the stores open? Is my mother safe?

Normally, you would tune into your local ham club’s repeater to communicate with fellow hams. A repeater is a dedicated radio (or set of radios) and antenna located in the highest spot available, such as a mountaintop or a building and can reach around 25-to-75 miles — depending on terrain. Repeaters receive signals from one frequency and transmit to another frequency using tones and offsets. They usually have a backup power system that can last a few days or more. Ham clubs usually form around the repeater. When the repeater goes down due to weather, electricity outage, or whatever, then you must rely on direct transmissions (with no repeater) otherwise known as Simplex. But unfortunately, that doesn’t reach as far as a repeater.

Having your radio and license enables you to call other local hams on your 2 meter VHF radio. Who can hear who? The following Simplex Net setup procedure used by our club will enable you to know who and where you can send a message. If your radio doesn’t reach everyone in your club, then this system makes relaying a message easy.Continue reading“Repeater Down? Use Simplex Amateur Radio, by A.S.”



Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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 this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We still have patchy snow on the ground and we found that we were running low on stored hay. So I made a trip to a nearby town — just over an hour away — and bought four tons of Timothy/Grass hay. I was shocked to see it priced at $220 per ton. Oh well, at least those four tons should hold us over, until the grass comes up in our pastures. I should also mention that stacking all that hay by myself wiped out my back for a couple of days. Four tons didn’t seem like a lot for me to move in one day, back when I was in my 30s. But now, I think that I’m starting to feel my age.

Now, over to Lily:

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.

And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.

And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand.

And he said unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your fathers.

When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.

And when they forgat the Lord their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

And they cried unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king.

Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you.

If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God:

But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers.

Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes.

Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king.

So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart;

And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.

Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:

Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.” – 1 Samuel 12 (KJV)



Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 18, 2022

March 18th is the birthday of novelist John Updike. (He was born in 1932 and died in 2009.)

This is also the birthday of Luc Besson, director and producer of films such as Nikita and The Fifth Element. He was born in 1959.

Today’s feature article is by Senior Editor James Wesley, Rawles (JWR).

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Round 99 ends on March 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 Initial Guerilla Warfare Lessons From Ukraine

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the world is witnessing true Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW). According to standard references such as the Infogalactic Wiki, 4GW has these elements and characteristics:

  • Complex and long term
  • Employs terrorism as a tactic
  • A non-national or transnational base – highly decentralized
  • A direct attack on the enemy’s culture, including genocidal acts against civilians.
  • All available pressures are used – political, economic, social, and military
  • Occurs in low-intensity conflict, involving actors from all networks
  • Non-combatants are tactical dilemmas
  • Lack of hierarchy
  • Small in size, spread out network of communication and financial support
  • Use of insurgency tactics such as subversion, terrorism, and guerrilla tactics
  • Decentralized forces

A Fourth Generation War is much more than just a traditional naval, land, and air war. It is total war, and high technology war. The information war component of 4GW is primarily propaganda. We’ve seen it used quite heavily on both sides.  Early in the invasion, there was a dearth of news footage. No worries! They just dusted off some military training exercise clips and even a two-year-old clip of a gas station explosion, and Hey, presto!: “War footage”. When reading or watching Ukraine war reporting, just assume that every reporter has an agenda, and that part or all of what you are being told is a lie.

Continue reading“Some Initial Guerilla Warfare Lessons From Ukraine”



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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR.

Precious Metals:

First up, at The SGT Report: Silver Bullion Sales Surge: Premiums Spike & Wait Times For Products Reaching 4-5 Weeks. JWR’s Comment:  Locally, I’m seeing 1-ounce silver U.S. Mint American Eagles selling for $14 over spot!  If you can find some physical silver at lower premiums, then jump on it!

o  o  o

Now is the time to be overweight gold – NDR’s Tim Hayes.

Economy & Finance:

Russia’s war in Ukraine may ‘fundamentally alter’ global economic, political order – IMF

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: But Whose Money Evaporated when JP Morgan, BlackRock, Pimco, Calpers, Others Report Huge Losses on Russian Assets?

o  o  o

How much will the Fed raise interest rates in 2022? Here’s what experts are saying.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”





Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 17, 2022

This is the birthday of Józef Franczak (born 1917, died 21 October 1963), who was a Polish Army Corporal who fought in the World War II resistance against the invading Germans. He then carried on after the war, to fight against the occupying Soviets and their Polish communist stooges. Eventually, he was one of the last of the Cursed Soldiers resistance in Poland. His nom de guerre was Lalek.  In the photo above, Józef Franczak is in the center.

Today’s feature article is by Don Shift, the author of seven novels and nonfiction books including Nuclear Survival in the Suburbs. As a SurvivalBlog advertiser, Mr. Shift’s articles are not eligible in the judging for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 99 ends on March 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.



Nuclear Fallout: The Inverse Square Law, by Don Shift

What if I told you that it may be possible to survive radioactive fallout from a nuclear war without having a shelter? Bottom line up front: get inside, into an uncontaminated environment, and stay at least 10 feet away from the outside and your radiation exposure will be approximately 1/100th of the dose outside. Such a strategy, combined with the low likelihood of fallout for many Americans, could give those without basements, underground shelters, or ways of making improvised shielding a higher chance of survival.

Radiation protection is achieved by time, distance, and shielding. Shielding we all know; dense stuff blocks radiation. In time, radiation decays. After the first seven hours, radiation decays to about 1/10th its original rate. The first few hours after fallout arrives are the worst, then the radiation falls off to another tenth again after 49 hours. The seven-ten rule is explained in a lot of publications and videos.

But distance is poorly understood. Tell someone “just go to the center of your house and get under a mattress” and they’ll look at you like you’re nuts. It’s a nuclear weapon, not a tornado. Yes, that might save you from the blast effects if your house falls apart, but it won’t save you from incineration. With radiation, being in the center of a house or other building actually does help.

Note that the distance-only solution depends entirely on having a house that isn’t blasted to bits and the radiation level being fairly low outside, say 100 R/hr (Roentgen) or less. Being underground or behind concrete/masonry is always best.Continue reading“Nuclear Fallout: The Inverse Square Law, by Don Shift”



The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— 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. Today, we delve deeper into the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine Invasion Updates

This is starting to sound like passages from my novels:

JWR Asks:  So, when do we read the first news accounts of Ukrainians mixing up their own thermite?

Russia’s “Stuck” Convoy in Northern Ukraine

Blog reader Bill C. recommended this detailed analysis of Russia’s “stuck” convoy in northern Ukraine by Finnish tech and military strategy expert Tomi T. Ahonen: Convoy Thread 1.

Lithuanians Buying Guns as War Rages

Our own Pat Cascio suggested this article: Echoes of 1990: Lithuanians buying guns as war rages.

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



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“As a general principle, for those looking for advice from this thread, it is generally better to own physical things like a home or stock in companies you think make good products, than dollars when inflation is high. I still own and won’t sell my Bitcoin, Ethereum or Doge, for what its worth.” – Elon Musk, from a March, 2022 tweet



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 16, 2022

Today is the anniversary of the Battle at Pound Gap Kentucky. (1862)

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 99 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. 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).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  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. 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. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 99 ends on March 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.



Tornado Preparedness, by SwampFox

You’ve been asleep for about an hour. The fan you keep on in your bedroom turns off, causing you to wake unexpectedly. You glance at your alarm clock on the nightstand and notice that the red numbers aren’t illuminated. Power outage. Unable to get back to sleep, you shuffle down the hall to the kitchen, and light a couple of candles. In the dim light you notice your housecat sitting on a chair, with wide eyes and twitching ears. She’s alert and disturbed. A strong wind is blowing outside, but then you hear something else. An unmistakeable, dull roaring, rushing sound. With chilling clarity, you realize that you have mere seconds to get to safety. A tornado is almost at your door!

The description above was my experience three years ago. I’ve been in or near four tornados over the years. People normally prepare for more national events such as social collapse, hyperinflation, or EMP. However, a local event can become your own personal apocalypse very rapidly. Awareness, proper construction, and simple measures can reduce the damage and chaos you might otherwise experience from the majority of such storms.Continue reading“Tornado Preparedness, by SwampFox”