The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Hear ye the word which the Lord speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:

Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.

Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might.

Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.

But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.” – Jeremiah 10:1-8 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 8, 2021

On October 8, 1957 Jerry Lee Lewis recorded “Great Balls Of Fire” in Memphis, Tennessee.

October 8th is the birthday of economist and libertarian commentator J. Orlin Grabbe. (Born, 1947, died March 15, 2008.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 97 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 Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 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!

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 97 ends on November 30th, 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.

The Joys of Canning, by St. Funogas

It was one of those intolerably hot and muggy days of August. My sister in the Redoubt called to say they could see the smoke from the big fires in California and the Northwest and how hot the weather had gotten even near the Tetons. She said in no uncertain terms, “Only a fool would be trying to get any work done today instead of lounging in a hammock with some lemonade!” And there I was slaving over a hot stove canning three-bean salad before the beans got overripe, the steam making the muggy day even muggier.

And yet, I was enjoying myself. I suppose that makes me a fool according to my sister, something she’s known all along anyway, but the joys of canning can’t be put on hold just because the mercury is threatening to bust out of the top of the thermometer.

I started canning in high school when my dad showed me how to can the many types of fruits from the orchards scattered everywhere in our little hamlet in the boonies. I earned money during the summers picking cherries, apricots, and peaches and after quitting for the day we could take home any fruit lying on the ground. While much was canned, most of the apricots went straight to the solar dryer. They were easy to prepare: in one quick motion pull them in half along the seam and with a flick of the wrist, send the pit flying. No fruit was easier to dry and peaches were a close second. Both were sweeter than candy and a real treat while splitting firewood or backpacking in the nearby pine-forested mountains.Continue reading“The Joys of Canning, by St. Funogas”

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. Today, we look at the U.S. Treasury’s Trillion Dollar Coin Backup Plan. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Trillion-dollar platinum coin could be minted at the last minute.  JWR’s Comments: The absurdity of this proposal illustrates just how detached from reality both our monetary system and the Federal budget process have become.  My suggestion is this: If they are going to “create a trillion” then they should mint it on an aluminum blank, to save the taxpayers about $950.  Oh, and they might as well go Full Gideon Gono, and denominate that coin for $10 Trillion USD. That way, they’ll be ready for the next year of Federal over-spending. And they can just blame it on Trump, as is their habit.

o  o  o

Arkadiusz Sieroń:  Will Q4 2021 Be Better for Gold?

Economy & Finance:

Finance executives say default risk is already hurting the economy.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Dry Bulk Shipping Rates Hit $80,000 Per Day As Buyers Scramble For Coal.

o  o  o

U.S. trade deficit jumps to a record high in August.

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: The Ugly Math: GM, Ford, other Legacy Automakers Throw Hundreds of Billions at EVs, Only Auto Segment that’s Growing. Tesla Made Them Do It.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In retrospect, the spark might seem as ominous as a financial crash, as ordinary as a national election, or as trivial as a Tea Party. The catalyst will unfold according to a basic Crisis dynamic that underlies all of these scenarios: An initial spark will trigger a chain reaction of unyielding responses and further emergencies. The core elements of these scenarios (debt, civic decay, global disorder) will matter more than the details, which the catalyst will juxtapose and connect in some unknowable way. If foreign societies are also entering a Fourth Turning, this could accelerate the chain reaction. At home and abroad, these events will reflect the tearing of the civic fabric at points of extreme vulnerability – problem areas where America will have neglected, denied, or delayed needed action.” – Neal Howe (pictured) and William Straus, The Fourth Turning

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 7, 2021

The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement taking place on 7 October 1571 in which a fleet of the Holy League, a coalition of European Catholic maritime states arranged by Pope Pius V and led by Spanish admiral Don Juan of Austria, decisively defeated the fleet of the Ottoman Empire on the northern edge of the Gulf of Corinth, off western Greece.

October 7th is the day that we remember the 96 American POWs from Wake Island that were executed in 1943 on the orders of the commander of the Japanese garrison on the island, Rear Admiral Shigematsu Sakaibara. The execution of those American POWs who were blindfolded and shot in cold blood, remains one of the more brutal episodes of the war in the Pacific.

A Look Ahead: Property Values in an Age of Inflation

Several SurvivalBlog readers have contacted me in recent weeks, asking me to gauge where we are in the housing market cycle, here in the United States. My replies to them have reiterated a few key points:

1.) House prices have risen between 15% and 30% in most markets in the past 12 months. This is not sustainable, unless Dollar inflation increases considerably.
2.) There is a wide diversity of regional real estate markets. Some are clearly “over-bought”, while others are likely to continue to rise.
3.) Interest rates will probably continue to remain low, but at some point, they must rise. At that juncture, the real estate market –as well as many other markets—will decline. Your “gains” in real estate may not keep up with inflation. But at least you won’t lose much, in real terms. Compare that with “money in the bank” — where adjusted for inflation, your net worth will decline greatly.
4.) Given the gross over-spending and increase in the National Debt, inflation is unlikely to abate. This may result in a period of “stagflation” wherein the economy stagnates, while inflation continues.
5.) Your only genuine protection from mass inflation is in the form of tangibles. With currency inflation, most Dollar-denominated investments will suffer greatly, while tangibles will hold their value.
6.) You should hold both liquid tangibles (such as precious metals, guns, and ammunition) and less liquid ones like farmland, timberland, and your home.
7.) Avoid debt, unless the inflation rate goes ballistic. Remember: Paying off a load with inflated Dollars is a good thing unless there are mass layoffs, and you end up losing your income. At that point, you won’t be able to service your debt, regardless of the inflation rate or interest rates.
8.) If you must borrow money to buy a house or land, always borrow at a fixed interest rate. In times of mass inflation, an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) would become a torturous burden.Continue reading“A Look Ahead: Property Values in an Age of Inflation”

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 look at the WhatThreeWords (W3W) geolocation tool.

A Three Word Geolocation Tool

Reader F.J. sent this note about a clever new geolocation tool:

“May I call your attention to some possible solutions to the geolocation issue, for rural properties, to direct emergency responders? There is a service called WhatThreeWords (W3W).

Every 3 metre square of the world has been given a unique combination of three words. Used for e-commerce and delivery, navigation, emergencies and more.
and,
Find or enter latitude & longitude
To search for a place, enter the latitude and longitude GPS coordinates on Google Maps. You can also find the coordinates of the places you previously found.

and,

Besides longitude and latitude, you can use plus codes to share a place without an address.

https://support.google.com/maps/answer/7047426

Plus Codes work similar to street addresses. They can help you get and use a simple digital address. They can also help you define a specific location for a conventional address. For example, you can identify different entrances to the same building.

You can use Plus Codes to identify a specific location to receive deliveries, access emergency and social services, or direct people to a location. Since the codes are simple, you can easily share them with others.

Plus Codes are based on latitude and longitude. They use a simple grid system and a set of 20 alphanumeric characters. The character list purposely excludes easy to confuse characters like “1” or “l.”

I’ve used W3W with friends at parks and stuff.  Works much better than when at a recent dog show, my friend said “we’re in front of the big blue and white show tent”.  There were three of them and I had to struggle to walk to all three before finding them.  Argh!  I am still trying to convince my friend that W3W would have been easier on me. “

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising the sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy attainment, and an usurper soon found. The people themselves become the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin. Let us, then, look to the great cause, and endeavor to preserve it in full force. Let us by all wise and constitutional measures promote intelligence among the people as the best means of preserving our liberties.” – James Monroe

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 6, 2021

October 6 is the birthday of Thor Heyerdahl. (Born 1914, died April 18, 2002.) Although his east-to-west theory of Pacific Ocean transmigration was later disproved by genetics studies, his many adventures were still truly remarkable.

Today is also the birthday of science fiction author David Brin. (born, 1950.) He wrote The Postman, which was very loosely the foundation of a movie by Kevin Costner.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 97 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 Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 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!

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 97 ends on November 30th, 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.

Seed Harvesting Tips for Survival – Part 2, by R.B.

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

How Do I Store Seeds Inexpensively and Efficiently?

During the summer, save empty envelopes from mail received and carefully cut one end open to remove the contents. If it is an envelope with a cellophane window, slice open the end closest to the window. (There is now a reason to open some of that unwanted junk mail you receive.) Also accumulate empty pill and vitamin bottles and save any *tiny* jewelry-size zip-lock bags. Large mouth jugs with screw-top lids that held three to five pounds of food (parmesan cheese, dried onions, etc) make excellent containers for later holding all the partial envelopes filled with seeds.

When seeds on the paper plates are dry, cut a used envelope in half and label it with name of seed, color (if a flower), and year. The seal of the flap may need to be reinforced with tape so as not to leak seed. Gently pull together the two sides of the paper plate to form a “funnel” and pour the seeds into the prepared envelope. Fold down the top of the envelope and seal it with tape. It is now ready for your storage jar. If desired, you may also add a desiccant packet to the jug. Another option is to add a little dry rice. (If it’s good enough for drying out wet cell phones, it is probably good enough to help keep seeds dry.) For larger quantities of seed, pour them into small pill or other bottles and cap. Old mayonnaise jars are useful too. Be sure to affix a clearly legible label. I also like to generate an alphabetical list of the types of seeds contained in the super-size jars in addition to the year the contents were collected. Furthermore, I keep flower seeds in a jar separate from the one for vegetable seeds.

These steps definitely help with locating seeds in the spring! Store all seeds containers in a cool, dry, dark location. Tiny (jewelry size) zip-lock bags are quite useful for holding the “dust-like” seeds of moss rose, purslane, etc. These can also be recycled as long as they are intact.Continue reading“Seed Harvesting Tips for Survival – Part 2, by R.B.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

Our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this:

“Morton and other companies are running into a supply chain delay on the cardboard containers for table salt. It would be a good idea for readers to stock an extra pound, but not totally denude the stores in the process.

If it becomes a long-term issue, both water softener salt and certain animal salt licks are viable sources.”

o  o  o

I received several comments in response to my mention of airless tires. First, from E.M.:

“This idea of airless tires from Michelin isn’t new. I’m wondering what has been taking them so long as I first saw this concept demonstrated on the OLD Discovery Channel show “Beyond 2000” that aired back in the mid-1990s. It was Michelin that was developing it back then too. Back then they called them “Tweels” because the tire and wheel are bonded together.”

Here is one from Lt. Mike, in Alaska:

“There are already tires like this up here in the Arctic. However, they are not cheap. For example if I wanted to outfit my 2000 GMC Sierra pickup truck with them the cost would be $6,000 plus another $1600 for the special rims and then mounting. And there is no balancing of them. You get what you get and take it that way. They ride hard. The units driving the Elliot Highway (Haul Road) to Prudhoe Bay use them. Why? Because at 65 to 80 degrees below zero you ain’t going to get out to change a flat. What I do have on my truck for the winter are Blizzak tires. Again, not cheap, but the very best for road conditions up here when it is far below zero. I have them mounted on rims I bought, and change them out every year. I have nitrogen in them, which I highly recommend since it increases tire life by an order of magnitude in any tire because it doesn’t expand or contract with temperature and doesn’t seep through the rubber causing failure like compressed air does.”

o  o  o

Jimbo sent this link, in response to the request for Christian intentional communities: Bruderhof.

o  o  o

Chris in Arkansas wrote:

“We finally bought a home in N. Central Arkansas, very close to the Missouri border.  This was one of two target areas we had in mind.  Tennessee was the other but the market is so hot there it’s ridiculous.  Homes with acreage routinely had several offers well over asking price in the first week and many were for cash.  Our realtor mentioned that companies were buying some of the homes, even rural properties in very small towns.

The property we bought is not our “perfect” setup as it has a county road running along one side that is busier than we would like with occasional commuters going to and from town.  However, we strongly feel God had this home set aside for us.  The more we prayed, the more doors to other homes kept closing, except for this home and land.  The plus side is that the land is level and has been well managed. Level land is a rarity in N. Arkansas!  We are also located within easy driving distance to good markets in Arkansas and Missouri to support a sideline business we are starting building garden products.

The home sits on several level acres with an attached garage.  There is a productive well, large propane tanks for the stove, water heater, and HVAC, a large insulated workshop with concrete floors and a furnace, another 2 bay garage and a storage shed with a walk-up attic.  There is an RV pad with power, water, and septic.  We also have first dibs on the adjoining cleared small pasture with well and power when the owners decide to sell.  They also sold us a low-hour diesel tractor with implements (backhoe included) for a very fair price.

Our upcoming projects include fencing the entire property to contain our dogs, clearing out woods to put in pasture for small breed livestock, installing a large garden area this fall with deer fence and greenhouse, plus setting up chicken and quail coops.   We are also blessed in that my company is letting me work from home on a permanent basis.

When everything seems bleak and you want to move your family, then PRAY.  It was a long road for us but we believe God had this move planned for us all along.

If anyone would like to connect our email address is available from Jim or Lily.”

o  o  o

Reader A.D. mentioned this at Reuters: Australia’s two largest states trial facial recognition software to police pandemic rules.

o  o  o

My sister sent this at CNN: This man used a garbage can to successfully trap a gator in Florida. Fish and wildlife authorities say to leave the trapping to them.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 5, 2021

October 5, 1703 was the birthday of Jonathan Edwards. He died March 22, 1758. He was a prolific Calvinist theological writer. Many of his writings were later collected in the multi-volume book The Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards that was edited by John Gerstner.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 97 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 Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $150 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!

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 97 ends on November 30th, 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.

Seed Harvesting Tips for Survival – Part 1, by R.B.

As I’m writing this, we are in the full swing of seed gathering here in zone 6 of the northern South. The purpose of this article is to help people in any section of the country learn some easy and inexpensive ways to gather and save seed for now and for harder times to come. Consider the following. Will seed always be available for each type of vegetable, fruit, grain, or flower that you want to grow? Truth be told there are already shortages due to skyrocketing orders following concerns about potential food production failures. What about current price inflation or even future hyperinflation? Prices are already increasing dramatically for seed and are even worse for store-bought garden plants! What if seed companies fail or transportation and mail delivery become unreliable? What if seed sales are banned? As strange as that may seem, the governor of Michigan banned for a time the sale of all garden materials including seeds in certain stores during Spring 2020 due to Covid-19. They were deemed “not necessary.” These are all things to ponder.

A special section is included later in this series about the high protein cereal amaranth which is easy to grow and in a small space producing “up to a half pound of grain” per seed head or more. You won’t want to miss this topic. We’ve tried rye, wheat, and millet with unsatisfactory results so we tried Golden Giant Amaranth with some interesting results. You won’t want to miss this honest review!

Also included is an excellent super productive food to conquer starvation. This is a don’t miss.Continue reading“Seed Harvesting Tips for Survival – Part 1, by R.B.”