The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.

And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.

And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.

And they brought up the ark of the Lord, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.

And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.

And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.

For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above.

And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day.

There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,

So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.

And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: (and all the congregation of Israel stood;)

And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which spake with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,

Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.

And it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.

And the Lord said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart.

Nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house unto my name.

And the Lord hath performed his word that he spake, and I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built an house for the name of the Lord God of Israel.

And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.” – 1 Kings 8:1-21(KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — January 20, 2023

Thirty years ago today, January 20th, 1993, was the day that I resigned my commission as a U.S. Army Reserve Captain. Not coincidentally, that was also the day that Bill Clinton was first sworn in as President. I resigned because I detested the idea of having Clinton as my Commander in Chief. With ten years in service, my contractual obligation had expired. And, because I was living in a remote area in north-central Idaho, I was no longer drilling with a USAR troop program unit. The nearest Intelligence Corps Army Reserve or National Guard units were 360 miles away, near Seattle, or 450 miles away, in Salt Lake City. The latter is a Linguist Battalion. Those units were much too far for me to travel to, for monthly drills. So I felt no regrets when I mailed in my resignation.

Parenthetically, my 1983 commissioning document carried Ronald Reagan’s signature. Reagan was the last American President for which I had any real admiration. And even he was notorious for encouraging profligate spending that expanded the National Debt.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 104 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 $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Pessimist or a Realist? Our Present Situation – Part 3, by The Lone Canadian

(Continued from Part 2.)

On the other side of the world….kind of….depending on how you look at it, China continues to make aggressive moves toward Taiwan. Much like Russia with the Donbas region, their claim is repatriation, not invasion. President Biden has stated on more than one occasion that we will put troops on the ground to help the people of Taiwan, although every time he says it, the white house tries to walk it back after the fact. You’d almost think that they are confused over what their course of action would be. But that might just be their plan to confuse the enemy. I mean heck, if they don’t even know what they’re doing, there’s absolutely no way that China could figure out what their plan is.

All kidding aside, this is potentially one of the gravest threats that we face. China is a true world power, and has made inroads with a great number of countries, especially in south America and Africa. They are a financial powerhouse, although I am seeing more reports lately of some possible financial weakness. Whether that is actually true, or just the wishful thinking of western media sources, I can’t say. What I do know is that Covid-19, and their response to it have hit the country hard. It has impacted their manufacturing ability, and their exports. But that has also affected the rest of the world as well, with their dependence on cheaply manufactured goods from China as a part of their economies.

Whether they are suffering from some internal financial instability or not, China remains a major force to be reckoned with. As mentioned earlier, there are huge American investments in Chinese stocks. By simply denying access to this money, they could cause a crisis in America. They could bankrupt many companies and pension funds. They may even be able to crash the stock market, or the banks. They don’t necessarily need to even fight a conventional war if they can exert control through financial means, or by denying us access to their manufactured goods. Between Taiwan and China they produce about 50% of the world’s microchips, depending on what chart you look at. Some show Taiwan producing as much as 60% by themselves. (And as much as 90% of the world’s super advanced chips.)

Without Taiwan-produced microchips, America slowly grinds to a halt, and the idea of going to war over that supply is very real. However, fighting a war without having a constant supply doesn’t work in this day and age. Jets don’t fly, and missiles don’t work without microchips. So once again we see the tangled web that we find ourselves in. We are in many ways financially dependent on a country that we are threatening to go to war with. We need their manufactured goods to be able to go to war with them.Continue reading“Pessimist or a Realist? Our Present Situation – Part 3, by The Lone Canadian”

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 report on Janet Yellen speaking the “D” word: Default. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Posted last Friday: With gold ending the week above $1,900, analysts turn their focus to $2,000.

o  o  o

At Gold-Eagle.com: How Cheap are the Mining Shares? The Barron’s Gold Mining Index Tells All. A key quote:  “…the broad stock market is nearing the edge of a big-bear market decline that will shock people. The gold miners have historically been counter-cyclical to the broad market in times of its distress.”

Economy & Finance:

Yellen warns of US default risk by early June, urges debt limit hike.  JWR’s Comments: When national treasury or central bank officials use the dreaded “D” word, beware!  The Treasury Department’s cost of servicing the national debt is getting away from them. Once interest rates spike, the dominies might begin to fall.

A side note: Some 33 years ago, when I wrote the first draft of what later became my novel Patriots, I included this, in the opening chapter:

“In Europe, international bankers began to vocally express their doubts that the U.S. government could continue to make its interest payments on the burgeoning debt. In mid-August, the chairman of the Deutsche Bundesbank made some “off the record” comments to a reporter from The Economist magazine. Within hours, his words flashed around the world via the Internet: “A full-scale default on U.S. Treasuries appears imminent.” He had spoken the dreaded “D” word. His choice of the word imminent in conjunction with the word default caused the value of the dollar to plummet on the international currency exchanges the next day.”

o  o  o

I just found this web page, issuing a similar warning: Higher Interest Rates Will Raise Interest Costs on the National Debt.

o  o  o

Forbes: Recession Fears 2023: What Lies Ahead?

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: How Crazy Will Economic Conditions Be in 2023?

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The powers of our modern world—the ones that undermined true religion in the West—are more implicit and psychological; they operate in the normalization of secularism. Its normalization is evident in the fact that “normal” people affirm it, live it, and expect it.” – Stephen Wolfe, The Case For Christian Nationalism

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — January 19, 2023

Today is the birthday of the late Carla Emery (born 1939, died October 11, 2005). She is well known in self-sufficiency circles as the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living. This book was re-released in a 40th Anniversary edition.  JWR considers it a “must” for the bookshelf of every well-prepared family.

—

Some great news!  The new 2005-2022 SurvivalBlog Archive sticks are now available for pre-ordering.  This year there were so many bonus books that the contents simply couldn’t fit on a 16-gigabyte stick.  So this year it is on a 32 GB stick, which also allows plenty of extra room for you to load all of your important documents and treasured photos on this EMP-resistant, shock/vibration-resistant, and waterproof stick.  So it is great for your bugout bag, or for caching at a secure site. Note that the blank 32 GB sticks cost us more, so we had to bump up the price of the loaded sticks, correspondingly.

Last year’s edition of the archive stick sold out within three weeks, so be sure to order yours, soon!  Shipments should begin next week, but with the expected rush of orders, please allow up to four weeks, for delivery. As usual, orders are shipped in the sequence of their order numbers. So the sooner that you order, the sooner that yours will arrive. This is: “First come, first served.”

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 104 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 $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Pessimist or a Realist? Our Present Situation – Part 2, by The Lone Canadian

(Continued from Part 1.)

While we’re on the subject of interest rates, lets explore low interest rates. I’ve mentioned that the government, through the Fed, has kept them artificially low since about 2008. Now, the general thought was that low interest rates would stimulate the economy. Low interest rates mean that you can buy that bigger house, or new car. It also means that businesses can expand because the risk on a loan is lower. It means that new businesses can start up because people can more easily qualify for a loan, and their payments are relatively low, so its easier for them to pay it back. And all these things are true, to a certain extent. There are downsides to low interest rates that are very rarely mentioned. The most obvious is your savings account – no matter how much you put into it you don’t get enough interest out of it to keep up with the cost of living. This encourages people to invest their money in things like the stock market in an attempt to get a higher return on their money, cause let’s face it, your savings alone aren’t going to get you any kind of retirement.

Even people that don’t invest in the stock market per se, actually do invest in the stock market, by putting their money into company retirement plans, or other retirement plans. You see, it’s simple math! To be able to pay you the money that they are guaranteeing for your retirement these plans need more than what you are putting in. They need a higher rate of return. If they could just put your money in a savings account and make 10% over the years, maybe they would be able to pay you your retirement benefits. (But then again, so could you) But, there’s no way that they could ever pay you out even a fraction of what they supposedly owe you at 2% or less – the numbers just don’t add up. As a result, pension funds have had to venture into riskier and riskier investments over the years in an attempt to show, at least on paper, that they were able to meet their obligations. And it’s not only private pensions, government and union pensions are also in the same situation.

Two recent examples of potential pension fund crises are the revelation that there are numerous government pension funds, including the veterans fund, that are heavily invested in Chinese stocks, owned and manipulated by the Chinese government. The other one is the Ontario Teachers Federation pension fund that had $865 million invested in FTX. You’ve gotta wonder how they’re going to resolve that one. So, much like globalization, low interest rates work great to stimulate the economy….until they don’t.Continue reading“Pessimist or a Realist? Our Present Situation – Part 2, by The Lone Canadian”

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. Today, an updated look at some underground and earth-sheltered houses, around the world.

Inside ‘Underground House Plan B’

Over at Pinterest: Inside ‘Underground House Plan B,’ a socially distanced, survivalist…

Eastern Oregon’s Notorious Underground

Some fascinating, albeit lurid history: Pendleton Underground Tours.

One Man’s 40-Year Excavation Project

One Man’s 40-Year Excavation Project: Forestiere Underground Gardens.  JWR’s Comment: I toured this tunnel complex near Fresno, in 1974. I was then just 14 years old. That tour left a lasting impression!

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The doctrine of the lesser magistrates is rooted in the historical, biblical, doctrine of interposition. Interposition is that calling of God which causes one to step into the gap – willingly placing oneself between the oppressor and the intended victim. Interposition is demonstrated when someone or some group interposes or positions themselves between and oppressor and the intended victim. This can be done verbally or physically.” – Matthew J. Trewhella, The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates, 2013.

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 18, 2023

On January 18, 1788, the first English settlers arrived in Australia’s Botany Bay to establish a penal colony. The group moved north eight days later and settled at Port Jackson.

January 18, 1813 was the birthday of Joseph Glidden, who invented barbed wire.

Actor Kevin Costner was born on this day in 1955.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 104 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 $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Pessimist or a Realist? Our Present Situation – Part 1, by The Lone Canadian

“My wife calls me a pessimist. I claim I’m a realist. Chances are, I’m just an a** with an attitude problem.” That’s my tag line on one of the sites that I belong to. Now, you may take offense at my wording, but if you knew me, you’d have to agree that the sentiment is pretty accurate.

I’m writing this in the final few days of 2022, and I’ve had to go back and examine that tag line. I’ve had to question whether I am a pessimist, or am I simply well-informed when it comes to current events, and honest with myself with regards to the current state of the world? I guess, on the surface, that if you look at what is presently happening in the world, and acknowledge the events, that it could seem pessimistic. I just choose to acknowledge what is happening as reality, and as a prepper, try to figure out what I can do to try and mitigate the effects of these events. You can’t prepare if you don’t know what’s coming. I also have to admit that, at present, many of these things seem pretty overwhelming. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of sunshine on the horizon. And to be completely honest, the outlook seems to be pretty depressing, if you choose to look at it that way. I guess the reason I call myself a realist and not a pessimist is that I don’t let the gloom and doom paralyse me. I see pessimism as an excuse to throw up your hands, and surrender to the inevitable, because you can’t do anything to change it. A realist will face the facts, no matter how daunting, and not give in to despair.

So, if you have the courage, let’s take a little trip down the rabbit hole that is my mind. I’m going to be 100% honest about what I see out there, and much of it isn’t pretty, so if you are prone to being depressed, or don’t really want to hear the truth, please stop reading right now – go over to Facebook for some sunshine and unicorns. I will put a disclaimer here that these are only my thoughts and opinions. Most of what I talk about is verifiable fact, but as any liberal will tell you, “Truth is relative.” So, buckle up your seat belt, and hold on, as we explore a little bit of “truth” as espoused by The Lone Canadian.Continue reading“Pessimist or a Realist? Our Present Situation – Part 1, by The Lone Canadian”

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.

—

Slingshot and archery design genius Joerg Sprave is at it again, with a second generation of commercially available repeating crossbows. In this video, he demonstrates a full-auto crossbow prototype, powered by a Makita battery drill motor: Archery Extreme: Ode to Joy. It bears mentioning that Sprave’s video channel now has an astounding 2.94 million subscribers, worldwide.

o  o  o

Illinois bans semiautomatic weapons, critics vow court test. JWR’s Comment: This unconstitutional law will obviously not withstand a court test, with the strong precedent set by the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision. But sadly, it may take several years for that case to be heard.

o  o  o

SurvivalBlog Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this link in an e-mail with the droll title: “An answer to a question nobody asked”: Wheelgun Wednesday: Zenk RZMK-357 Bullpup Revolver.

o  o  o

SaraSue sent these two snippets:

“I am reading through the book of Revelation again.

Too many people are dying.  Just this week, in my own circle of family, friends, and acquaintances, there were 3 deaths.  Last year, there was just one.  All young to mid-life.  Every week there’s a news story of an athlete or a young person in public life, who has “died suddenly”. More than 1,100 athletes have died in the past two years, suddenly.  I have watched the “Died Suddenly” documentary, but it hits home when it’s people you know.  And of course, you can’t ask, “are they vaccinated?”  No.  You keep your mouth shut and you offer your condolences, and try to figure out how to help their family.  Never in my life have so many people near to me, other than from War, died.  Something is definitely going on of Biblical proportions.  I urge everyone to stay in the Word of God and keep that relationship with Jesus Christ as more prized than anything else.”

and,

“I tamed a large Guernsey cow and trained her to milk – her first time.  She’s so much bigger than the Jersey.  It’s been a rodeo a few times as she refused to stand for milking, and took off with the milker attached, then bucked it off in the field.  LOL.  Another time she almost broke down the milking structure.  We’re finally in the groove and she’s stopped kicking and rebelling.  I pretend that I’m just as big as she is – the Boss Cow.  It took a little over 2 weeks to train her.  I’m shocked that I haven’t been kicked by a cow yet during my dairy adventure.  Her milk is amazing!  The chickens have started laying again, and I have a barn cat addition to keep the mice at bay.  I’m planning out the gardens, and trying to decide if it’s worth it to sell excess produce, eggs, and milk this year.  It sure would help with the Feed bill, but I hate trading my privacy.  I won’t be advertising, only word of mouth with trusted family and friends, if I decide to.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 17, 2023

Acting for Hawaiian sugar interests and their American allies, a committee led by Sanford Ballard Dole deposed Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani on January 17, 1893 and installed a provisional government with Dole as president.

—

This is the anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens in 1781. This small battle was the turning point of the American Revolution in the South. In it, the best battlefield tactician America produced, the backwoodsman Daniel Morgan, decisively and utterly defeated the most arrogant, bloody and successful field grade officer in the British Army, Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. The battle set in motion the chain of events that led directly to the decisive siege at Yorktown and the British decision to give up on the war.

—

On Jan. 17, 1920 the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect, establishing Prohibition. By one account, 286 distilleries, 992 breweries, and more than 300,000 bars and saloons were closed.

—

On this day in 1994 the 6.7 magnitude Northridge Earthquake struck Los Angeles. It caused about $20 billion in damage and killed 61 people.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 104 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 $775,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 104 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Portable Power Systems: Providing Remote Energy, by K.R.

As we moved onto our current rural retreat some years ago, one of our first steps was to install a set of grid-tied solar panels, very similar to the system described in the Survival Blog article by St. Funogas on September 10 and September 11, 2022. Similar to the author of that essay, we figured that we would use that system, along with isolated single panels for single applications, until we goft up the nerve to build a full-scale off-grid solar system. However, since that time new products have come out and my thinking has shifted. There is a new kid on the block that has shifted the paradigm for producing electricity in remote areas: the portable power system. These are often marketed under the misnomer “solar generators”.

Why a Portable Power System?

A portable power system takes in power from various sources, stores the energy, and then provides the outlets to use that energy in a number of ways:  DC-to DC power, and DC-to-AC, with and inverter. For example, I can charge our portable power system with photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, a house 120 Volt AC outlet, or even a running car engine; and store that electrical energy in the battery. Then I can use that energy later for anything that runs on DC or AC electricity.

Portable power systems have been available for some time. Four years ago, we bought a small solar-powered battery that can recharge our cell phone remotely. It was a cool gadget, but it had limited usefulness because of its small scale. But with the advent of LiFePO4 battery technology (Lithium Iron Phosphate), portable power systems can be much larger, more efficient, and last longer. Now they can power major appliances, workshops, medical devices, office data emergency backup, you name it. Also, these batteries are good for 3,500-6,000 charging cycles, as opposed to the 500 cycles of lead-acid batteries.

Why does this change my thinking about providing power for my remote electrical needs? I used to see the solution for retreat-wide self-sustaining electrical production as simply installing the number of solar panels and batteries that I would need to cover my current electrical use. But that involves considerable cost, and at some point that would involve several hundred pounds of batteries that not only require an amount of money roughly equal to the amount invested in PV panels, but also ongoing maintenance costs. Additionally, those batteries need to be replaced because they have a limited life span.

Instead of thinking of a large-scale solution, now I am seeing the value of more portable, flexible small-scale solutions that can cover a wider range of needs–both anticipated and unanticipated. The long lifetime and portability of the LiFePO4 battery power systems mean I can use fewer solar panels, certainly no more than the ones I have already, and move that portable power system to where the power is needed.Continue reading“Portable Power Systems: Providing Remote Energy, by K.R.”