The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” – John 10:1-15

(KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 28, 2024

On December 28, 1537 French king Francis I issued a decree to booksellers and printers requiring them to deposit a copy of each of their works in the King’s Library. This was the world’s first legal depository requirement.

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December 28,1944: Dutch Resistance fighter Corrie ten Boom was accidentally released from the Ravensbrück concentration camp. She lived on another 39 years to speak and write of her experiences in The Hiding Place.  She died in 1983 at age 91, in Placentia, California.

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Today we present a short guest article.  It is not part of the judging for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

We are seeking entries for the second month of Round 116. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 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.

 

Another Look at Listeroid Engines, by Graham Sliecker

Editor’s Introductory Note: The following is a guest post, rather than a writing contest entry. The author is with Bolton Power Equipment. They have been importing Listeroid engines since 2014.

For long service life, in my opinion, nothing beats a low-RPM engine. Small, high-RPM engines have practical engine llfespans that are often measured in just thousands of hours.  But larger, low-RPM engines with flywheels have practical engine llfespans that are often measured in tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of hours.

Listeroid engines have been discussed in SurvivalBlog since our early days. See, for example:

Lister Low RPM Engines Still Made in India.

and,

Letter Re: Lister Low RPM Engines Still Made in India.

I highly recommend Listeroid engine generators for warm and temperate climates. – JWR

—

Here are some thoughts about the journey the purchase of a Listeroid power system enables you and your family to embark on.

Some history. The English company R A Lister designed these robust slow-speed diesel engines back in the 1920s and their design has changed only a little. R A Lister manufactured them through the early 1970s. From then on, only Indian factories with the original patterns manufactured them. Indian factories started producing them with the end of the British “Raj” and Indian independence around 1947. They were popular here in the US from the 1970s through the early 2000s when importation slowed down because of regulatory changes.Continue reading“Another Look at Listeroid Engines, by Graham Sliecker”

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 had a fairly quiet week, here at the Rawles Ranch.  I caught up on cataloging some antique cartridge guns and some modern blackpowder percussion guns in the Elk Creek Company online catalog. Even more will be added within the next two or three weeks.

I did some End-of-Year reorganizing and cleaning in my office — which is just one end of our bedroom.  I  cleared my desk, cleared my work table, and reorganized the nearby disorganized closet.  The closet wasn’t quite as bad as “Fibber McGee’s Hall Closet“, but it was close to it. A few tools and a Tipton rifle vise on the work table were also moved out to our workshop.  I did all this while alternately vacuuming and dusting, as I went. It all now looks neat and tidy.

During a break in the rain, I did some wood splitting and stacking. I’m hoping for dry weather, so that I can get another cord split.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.

As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?

All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.” – Ecclesiastes 5:1-18 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 27, 2024

December 27, 1943: Following a naval gun battle with British ships, the German battleship Scharnhorst sank. It was sunk by the Royal Navy’s battleship HMS Duke of York with support of cruisers and destroyers, including an onslaught from the destroyer HNoMS Stord of the exiled Royal Norwegian Navy, off the North Cape, Norway.

—

On this day in 1949, four years after nationalist revolutionary leader Sukarno had declared Indonesia’s independence, formal sovereignty over the country was transferred from the Dutch to the United States of Indonesia.

—

And on December 27, 1978 Spain became a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship as King Juan Carlos ratified Spain’s first democratic constitution.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 116 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 Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 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.

Soil Chemistry Basics, by D.N.G.

I want to write about soil chemistry.  A very brief overview is as follows: I became interested in gardening when three years old and by the time I was a teenager I was putting as much (sometimes more) food on the table as my father. I had pretty much taken over the family garden and spent more time there than all of our other family members put together.

Winter Squash was my number one vegetable that I enjoyed growing the most, but there were others including sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, watermelon, muskmelon, cucumbers and a few other miscellaneous crops. In my late teen years I discovered that I could use foliar feeding to shorten the maturity date of Winter Squash. In fact, one Australian variety was listed as a “100-day” maturity and I grew it in 85 days with a very vigorous foliar spray program. To back up a bit and explain, to the uninitiated: Foliar feeding is a method of providing plants with nutrients by dissolving them in water and spraying them directly onto the plant’s leaves.

At that point in time I knew very little about soil chemistry. All I had read about was the basic “NPK” which shows the amounts of the chemical elements nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil. But that oversimplification is severely short-sighted. Try to be a carpenter with only three tools. It doesn’t work. Now, fast forward to age 40. A friend introduced me to the Albrecht system of soil testing, but I just read the information and set it aside, which is what 99% of other gardeners would do as well. In 2004 I did my first soil test which was at a friend’s place of business, but it was more to satisfy my curiosity than anything else. Then in 2009 I did my first basic soil test (a Morgan soil test) for my own garden and started to apply the knowledge gained by it.Continue reading“Soil Chemistry Basics, by D.N.G.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at crop price predictions for 2025. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

NASDAQ: Silver Price Forecast: Top Trends That Will Affect Silver in 2025.

o  o  o

At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold SWOT: BMO: Conditions Appear Favorable for a Broader Gold Equity Rally in 2025.

o  o  o

How Macro Changes Will Impact Gold in 2025.

Economy & Finance:

Greg Hunter interviews Martin W. Armstrong: Depression, Debt, Default & Destruction in 2025.

o  o  o

Forbes: 2025 Outlook: 5 Trends That Will Impact The Economy And Markets.

o  o  o

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site:  This is going to be a ‘battle on Capitol Hill,’ economist warns.

o  o  o

El Erian: A Baseline Scenario for the Global Economy.

o  o  o

Sticky US inflation points to a more cautious Fed in 2025.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 26, 2024

December 26, 1776: During the American War of Independence, after crossing the Delaware River, George Washington led US troops to defeat the Hessian mercenaries in the Battle of Trenton, New Jersey.

—

Twenty years ago today, on December 26, 2004, the Indian Ocean region Tsunami took more than 250,000 lives.

—

December 26, 1947: Heavy snow blanketed the Northeast, burying New York City under 25.8″ of snow in 16 hours. That same day, Los Angeles set a record high of 84°F.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 116 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 Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 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.

 

Why I Still Have Dairy Cows, by SaraSue

I have been a milkmaid now three, going on four, years.  Of all the things I’ve tried on the farm, the dairy cow is one I hope to have until I am so old I can’t carry a bucket of milk.  I don’t have any cows “in milk” right now, as a planned winter break.  I have two cows pregnant with Spring calves, and one heifer (a young cow who has not yet been bred back or calved).  This is the first time I’ve taken a milking break in three years and I’m having dairy withdrawals.  I tried purchasing milk from a neighboring milkmaid, but the milk wasn’t as fresh as I am used to and I was very disappointed.  I finally broke down and purchased all the needed dairy items from Costco since some family members are coming to the farm for the holidays.  I had not purchased dairy products in three years and the prices were somewhat shocking.  My purchase spurred me to do some “dairy cow math”, and I thought I would share it.Continue reading“Why I Still Have Dairy Cows, by SaraSue”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at robotic warfare.

All-Robot Force in Ukraine

SurvivalBlog staff writer Tom Christianson spotted this article (with accompanying video): Ukraine deploys all-robot battleforce for the first time as deadly tech is launched at Putin’s troops in Kharkiv assault.

o  o  o

Ukraine Kamizaze Drones

Ukraine releases footage of North Korean troops being wiped out by kamikaze drones in latest disaster for Kim Jong Un’s forces sent to help Putin.  The article opens with this:

“Graphic footage shows the moment a Ukrainian special operations crew targeted a North Korean position in Kursk with kamikaze drones in the latest disaster for Kim Jong Un‘s forces sent to help Putin.

Dramatic video showed the drones circling troops as they scrambled to get away in an open field in Kurshchina, shared by the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram today.

Twelve vehicles were also destroyed during skirmishes in the open field, including three buggies, the military claimed.

The crew said it had killed 77 and wounded as many as 40 North Korean soldiers over a three day period of fighting in the region.

More than 1,000 North Korean soldiers have already been killed or wounded in Russia‘s war with Ukraine, South Korea‘s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) assessed today.”

JWR Adds: Other recent news reports suggest that as many as 3,000 North Koreans might have already been killed or wounded in Ukraine.

One-Third of US Military Could Be Robotic by 2039

Back in July, Defense News reported:  One Third of US Military Could Be Robotic by 2039: Milley.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I am afraid the ordinary citizen will not like to be told that the banks can, and do, create money…And they who control the credit of the nation direct the policy of Governments and hold in the hollow of their hands the destiny of the people.” – Reginald McKenna, British Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 25, 2024

We send our best wishes to both our readers who celebrate Christmas and to those who celebrate Hanukkah and the Biblical feasts.  May God grant his blessings on our nation in the new year!

—

On December 25, 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, completing the Norman conquest of England.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 116 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 Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 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.

Prescription Drug Preparedness – Part 2, by Rural Pharmacist

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

My thoughts on the kit, it is a good grouping of valuable broad-spectrum antibiotics. I would like to store larger quantities. I think the kit could be purchased cheaper through a local Doctor/Pharmacy if available for you.

A good emergency antibiotic kit should include the previous mentioned drugs; Augmentin 500mg or 875mg, Azithromycin 250mg Z-pack, Ciprofloxacin 500mg tablets, Doxycycline 100mg, and Metronidazole 500mg.

I would add:

Amoxicillin 500mg capsules; a broad-spectrum antibiotic, easier on the stomach than Augmentin, good for dental infections, and upper respiratory infections, pneumonia, usual dosage is 500mg 3 times a day for 10 days.

Clindamycin 150mg capsules; a gram negative, more specialized antibiotic if drugs like Amoxicillin fail. Good for bacterial infections, strep throat, dental infections, given with Quinine Sulfate for Malaria. Usual dosage is 150mg to 300mg every 8 hours for 10 days.

Cephalexin 500mg capsules: a good broad-spectrum antibiotic works well with skin infections, or wounds. A good follow up after a dose of IM Rocephin 500mg mentioned in Dr. Forgey’s kit. Bacterial infections dosage is 1000mg every 6 hours, strep throat 500mg every 12 hours x 10 days, UTI 500mg every 6-12 hours for 3-7 days, Skin/sutures infections 250mg to 500mg every 6 hours for 5-7 days.

Cefadroxil 500mg capsules or Cefdinir 500mg: A good substitute for Cephalexin, same indications, but dosed 500mg every 12 hours for 7-10 days, requiring less quantity for each round of therapy.Continue reading“Prescription Drug Preparedness – Part 2, by Rural Pharmacist”