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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S.4986, the Stop Harassing Owners of Rifles Today Act (SHORT) Act needs more co-sponsors. This bill would remove short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and other weapons from regulation under the National Firearms Act (NFA). Given the ATF’s recent arbitrary redefinition of arm-braced pistols as SBRs, this bill is quite important. If elected, it would keep millions of American gun owners with arm-braced guns from becoming felons, overnight. Please contact both of your state’s U.S. Senators, and ask them to co-sponsor this bill.

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Military releases footage showing Russian fighter jet forcing down US drone over Black Sea.  JWR’s Comment:  Note the bent propeller seen after the second pass.

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Geofence Surveillance: First, They Spied on Protesters. Then Churches. You’re Next.

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China, Russia deploying space weapons to attack U.S. satellites, warns Space Force chief.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 21, 2023

On March 21, 1556, Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury, was burned at the stake for violating heresy laws revised under the Roman Catholic queen Mary I. (“Bloody Mary.”)

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We’ve reached the Vernal Equinox, so Spring is officially here. Though there is still some unusually late snow still on the ground here at the Rawles Ranch, it certainly feels like Spring.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 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. 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 $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 105 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.

Basic Handgun Proficiently Training – Part 1, by Steve A.

After much thought and research you have decided to carry a concealed handgun. You are of sound mind and have met all the legal requirements to carry a concealed handgun and understand the risks and potential liability. You have some exposure to informal shooting but no structured training.

Your decision to shoot or not shoot is a binding decision. The aftermath of even a justified shooting will include at minimum dealing with the police, your lawyer, and almost always a grand jury. There is much more to this decision on many levels. And never forget that you are responsible for every round you fire.

You must be able to use the firearm properly, effectively, and safely if you make the decision to draw it or use it. For many reasons the exercises suggested here are very basic and intended for new shooters. Experienced shooters will notice the lack of weak hand exercises, reloading exercises, moving while shooting, and malfunction drills. These and other advanced topics are very important skills, but in my opinion only suitable after a student is safe, comfortable, and competent with the chosen firearm.

Before making the basketball team one must first learn the basics such as dribbling, shooting, passing, blocking, rebounding, and so on. These basics are typically learned as separate skills that are then combined when actually playing a game. Ideally these skills become muscle memory, blend together, and don’t require thinking to execute. The basics, then, are the foundation of basketball skills and, if not in place, you might be able to hit the basket once in a while but you won’t be competitive.

This sports analogy holds true for many endeavors. Handgun skills are one. While you can pick up a handgun with no training or exposure and start shooting, your results will almost certainly be poor.Continue reading“Basic Handgun Proficiently Training – Part 1, by Steve A.”

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, some more discussion of the Greater Idaho partition plan. (See the Regional News section.)

Regional News

Gem State lawmakers seem to be taking the ‘Greater Idaho’ movement seriously. Should Oregon? An excerpt:

“Greater Idaho was always a longshot, and it’s come a lot further than many people expected. But the next hurdles it would need to clear are by far the highest.

Regardless, KGW political analyst Betsy Johnson said that the matter is not a joke to many eastern Oregonians, no matter the odds stacked against it, and the grievances that inspired it shouldn’t be ignored.
“Many people in the urban areas, particularly Portland dismiss this as just a bunch of cranks in eastern Oregon — this is visceral, real anger,” Johnson said.”

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NOAA: Regional Snow Analyses: Northern Rockies.

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Your Outdoor Photos: March 2023.

Idaho

Competing school choice bills see different results in committee.

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This made national news: Idaho hospital stops labor and delivery services citing “political climate”.

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Avalanches block Big Wood River near Hailey prompting a flood warning.

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Judge to rule on death penalty, evidence motions as Lori Daybell murder trial inches closer.

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And speaking of the death penalty: Idaho poised to pass bill allowing executions by firing squad.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — March 20, 2023

Mel Tappan was born 90 years ago today — March 20, 1933. He died in 1980. His perennially popular survivalist books Survival Guns and Tappan on Survival have a well-deserved following. I designated March 20th as National Survivalism Day, in his honor. It is also apropos that National Survivalism Day falls in March–one of the months that both Northern Europeans and Native Americans refer to as The Starving Season–when stored food runs low, but before spring bounty appears. Plan ahead. Stock up. Don’t let your family starve. – JWR

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A new listing near Weaverville, North Carolina, over at my #1 Son’s SurvivalRealty.com website: 27 Acre Mini-Farm with Two Houses and Big Creek Frontage.

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We are pleased to announce that we have joined the SIG-Sauer USA affiliate program. By buying directly from SIG-Sauer, you’ll know that you are getting genuine factory-made parts. They offer free shipping for orders over $100.  We will announce when they are running special sales on products like magazines and caliber-X-Change kits.  For example, they are presently running a sale on some SIG P320 slides.

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Today’s feature article ais a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

Gossner UHT Shelf Stable Milk, by Thomas Christianson

Icy gusts of January wind were driving sheets of snow relentlessly across the slick pavement. I was cautiously creeping along in my car, making my way home from work. The weather forecast for the coming night was threatening.

As I drove past a grocery store, the gloomy winter twilight revealed a crowded parking lot. Shoppers were flocking to the store to buy the remaining stocks of bread, milk, and other supplies in anticipation of being snowed in.

I was able to drive right on by the store without the need to stop. My wife, “Kari” had stocked our pantry well for short-term shutdowns. It had things like beans and canned meat, pilot bread and rice, canned fruit and summer sausage, peanut butter and fruit juice, pancake mix and muesli. And to mix up those pancakes or pour over that muesli, there were quarts and quarts of shelf-stable UHT milk. Like the Proverbs 31 woman, Kari was not afraid of snow for her household.

What is UHT Milk?

“UHT” stands for “Ultra High Temperature”. UHT milk is processed at temperatures in excess of 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Traditional pasteurization only heats milk to 161 degrees Fahrenheit.

The UHT process slightly changes the protein structure and the taste of the milk. My grandkids don’t like it, and it is not my first choice to accompany a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie. But when UHT milk is poured over a bowl of cereal, I would be hard-pressed to tell the difference from regular milk. And I sure like the taste of UHT milk a whole lot better than the taste of reconstituted powdered milk.Continue reading“Gossner UHT Shelf Stable Milk, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:  Winter Hearty Stew

The following Winter Hearty Stew recipe is from SurvivalBlog reader Richard T.

Equipment
  • Instant Pot or pressure cooker
  • stock pot and strainer for noodles
  • skillet for sauteing onions
Ingredients
  • 1 smoked pork hock (Easter ham trimmings, bacon, salt pork are good alternatives)
  • 27 oz can of Southern Style mustard greens (or any fresh greens, but they must be chopped)
  • 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 medium sized yellow onion
  • 1 – 8 oz can of mushroom pieces and stems
  • 2 cups of dried black-eye peas (or canned black-eye peas)
  • egg noodles
  • Frank’s hot sauce (optional)
  • salt & black peppercorns (to taste)
Directions

The Countdown to Dinner:

    • Hour 1-2
      • Pressure cook pork hock in 4 cups of water.
    • Hour 2-5
      • release pressure
      • separate bones and grizzle from and meat
        • (retain bones for bone broth)
      • crush meat with potatoe masher (optional)
      • add 1 cup of black-eyed peas, 3 tbs hot sauce, peppercorns, salt.
      • Return to pressure cooker
    • Hour 5-6
      • Saute onion in oil while releasing pressure
      • open pressure cooker
      • mash peas and meat in the pot
      • strain greens and mushrooms well and add all and sauteed onions to pot.
      • Add 2nd cup (or can) of black-eyed peas.
      • Add can of crushed tomatoes
      • continue to cook on a low heat
    • Hour 6
      • cook noodles and strain
      • serve noodles in bowls
      • add stew on top

After Hour 6, the stew is ready to enjoy.

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Do you have a favorite 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 and slow cooker recipes, and any 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. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at guns as an investment and ongoing strong gun sales in the United States. (See the Tangibles Investments section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold and silver prices have both jumped up substantially in Dollar terms, since the banking crisis news broke on Wednesday, March 8th. Here is some analysis, posted over at Gold-Eagle.com: Bank Failures and Inflation: What It Means for Silver and Gold.

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Gold price hits record highs against Aussie dollar as banking crisis drives safe-haven demand – Surbiton Associates.

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Silver price forecast: XAG/USD waits patiently for Fed cues.

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Gold will outshine the other precious metals as fears of a global banking crisis grow – Mitsubishi’s Jonathan Butler.

Economy & Finance:

One of my long-time readers wrote me yesterday to ask if I thought that the worst was over, in the banking crisis. My reply: No. We are just seeing the beginning of what could be a huge nationwide bank panic. More than $550 billion was withdrawn from banks, just last week. The U.S. Treasury essentially nationalized American banking, by providing a huge new pool of cash. Silicon Valley Bank was just the first of many bank failures.

The allegedly “safe” banks dove in and took $152 billion of Treasury Department “discount window” loans, in just a few days. Also last week, the Federal Reserve offered another $25 billion, and $12 billion of that has already been taken.

The FDIC’s remaining +/-$100 billion fund could be drawn down after just a couple of days of bank runs at a few banks. Thereafter, with the U.S. Treasury as the “creditor of last resort”, FDIC obligations would presumably all be electronic dollars created out of thin air, handed out in the forms of cashier’s checks. Therefore, don’t expect to be handed greenback cash. That quantity of printed cash simply doesn’t exist. Yes, they could print hundreds of billions of new “dollars” in $100 bills, but that could take several months to accomplish. This situation is going to get a lot worse before it gets better! Ultimately, American taxpayers will foot most of the bill for the bailouts. This could quickly add another $2-to-$5 trillion to the national debt.

You might ask: Cui bono?  As smaller banks fail and get bought out by big banks, it consolidates wealth and power in the hands of the biggest  “too big to fail” banks, and thus consolidates the control of the Federal Reserve banking cartel. – JWR

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Reported on Friday: Stock market news today: Stocks lower as First Republic weighs on banks.

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A terse video from Steve Forbes: Brace Yourself—Here’s Why More Trouble Is Coming To The World Of Banking.

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Charles Hugh Smith: Banks, Banks, Banks: The Elephant Nobody Even Sees.

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Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Bank of America won big from the Silicon Valley Bank collapse.  JWR’s Comment: With the recurrent history of bailouts, folks instinctively shift their deposits to the “too big to fail” banks. It is noteworthy that 95% of the SVB depositors held more than the $250,000 FDIC threshold. They are very fortunate that they are being made whole. But this sets a dangerous precedent for any upcoming bailouts.

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UBS to buy Credit Suisse for more than $3B in government-brokered deal aiming to restore confidence. (Thanks to D.S.V. for the link.) JWR’s Comment:  That might sound like a lowball figure, but there is a long-standing precept of law that when you acquire a business, you are buying both its assets and its liabilities.

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At DNYUZ: Bank Runs, Crypto Concerns and Takeovers: A Timeline of the Panic.

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Brandon Smith: Silicon Valley Bank Crisis: The Liquidity Crunch We Predicted Has Now Begun.
Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — March 19, 2023

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.  The photo above shows some of the captured Argentine soldiers, at the end of the war.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 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. 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 $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

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 105 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.

 

On Growing Older – Part 3, by A.E.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Adding families into the social mix of the hunting group made socializing more complex. Basically it meant there were three levels: the men who could and did get along, the women who might get along, and the kids who would usually get along with a little parental supervision. There were exceptions. There was the woman who I’m sure had vinegar instead of blood in her veins, another woman looked for things to complain about and make an issue of, and the woman who would drag a hapless family member into their tent to change clothes if there was a spot on the shirt, a mud dab on a pant leg. (she ran out of clean clothes for the family in two days of camping and she was miserable the entire time.)

The kids could be a flash point with the most easygoing of people: “Well, my kid would never do that!” There was the kid that would steal anything, whether needed or not. Then there was the kid that liked to torment and pick on other kids(in this instance it was a girl) and again we heard “well she would never do that, they must have done something!” At the best of times, kids can be great on a camping trip; at the worst of times they can turn the great outdoors into something out of Dante’s Inferno.Continue reading“On Growing Older – Part 3, by A.E.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Joe Biden Just Had a Brilliant Idea For Solving Two Problems At Once:

Issuing Blanket Pardons and Then Hiring Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) as CEO of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” – Revelation 3:1-13 (KJV)