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 smartphone vulnerability.

“Emergency” Satellite Location of iPhones

First up, reader F.J. sent this: Emergency SOS via Satellite for the iPhone 14 Is Almost Ready.

And here is another report in The WSJ: Apple’s iPhone 14 Satellite Emergency SOS Is Live. You’ll Hopefully Never Use It.

JWR’s Comments:  This new feature will probably save some lives. But keep in mind that whenever you have a battery in a cell phone, it can be tracked. And now, with this new satellite technology, you can conceivably also be tracked when you are outside of normal cell phone coverage areas. There seem to be ‘back doors” built into most new communications and computing technologies. So this is another good reason to find a phone with a removable battery.  (Yes, there are a few Android smartphones available with removable batteries.)

Rail Strike Threat Escalates as Third Union Rejects Deal

Reader C.B. sent this from Fox Business: Rail strike threat escalates as third union rejects deal. Here is a  pericope:

“All twelve unions involved in the negotiations must agree to ratify their new contracts, or a strike could take place, devastating supply chains and the economy at large, costing an estimated $2 billion a day. Congress is expected to get involved if a work stoppage is triggered, but multiple unions have agreed to continue negotiating into early December.

So far, seven unions have voted to ratify their contracts, and now three have voted against it. The remaining two unions’ ratification vote counts are slated to be announced next week.”

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 16, 2022

November 16th was the birthday of Michael D. Echanis (born 1950, died September 1978), a former United States Army Special Forces and 75th Ranger Battalion enlisted man. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with “V” device as a LRRP in the Vietnam War. He was born and raised in eastern Oregon. Echanis was killed while working for the CIA in Nicaragua in 1978 in a plane crash along with his colleague Charles Sanders and members of the Nicaraguan armed forces. There was conjecture that the plane was destroyed in flight by a saboteur’s bomb. My novel Survivors includes a minor character from Oregon with the surname Echanis, as a small homage to Mike Echanis.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 103 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 103 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.

 

 

Stagflation Is Coming, and Gold’s Gonna Love It, by Arkadiusz Sieroń

Editor’s Introductory Note: This article was first published by Sunshine Profits. It is reposted with permission.

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As the Fed tightens monetary policy, fears of overdoing it are rising. However, the US central bank is far from overtightening. It increases the odds of stagflation and a bullish time for gold.

As central banks all over the world are tightening their monetary policies, more and more analysts, including Paul Krugman, are afraid that Powell and his colleagues are hiking interest rates too aggressively, risking going too far. They believe that inflation will soon decline, so the Fed is braking too hard.

Well, as always, there is some truth in these opinions. The inflation rate is likely to decrease as the growth in the money supply decelerates and even declines below the pre-pandemic rates (see the chart below). And monetary policy operates with a long lag, which means that the effects of the hawkish Fed’s actions haven’t been fully felt by the economy. Hence, the central bankers could easily overdo. After all, they are so incompetent that overreacting to inflation after a long period of underreaction wouldn’t be surprising at all.Continue reading“Stagflation Is Coming, and Gold’s Gonna Love It, by Arkadiusz Sieroń”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

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

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Our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Germans Attend ‘Blackout Courses’ as Energy Crisis Worsens Ahead of Christmas. Mike’s Comments:  “I find it amusing they need courses for what we’ve known for decades.  When our house furnace failed in 2017, we used the cooking range and fireplace for three days, closed off the non-main rooms, and the house stayed above 70 F.”

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Russia Announces 12 New Countries Want to Join BRICS Economic Alliance as US-Backed Global Order Crumbles.

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Global population will hit 8 billion on November 15, but it will begin shrinking around 2100.

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From USA Today: Crack in Earth’s magnetic field triggers extremely rare pink auroras witnessed in Norway. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

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Reader James D. suggested this video interview of Victor Davis Hanson: Why Most Californians Aren’t Happy with the State.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — November 15, 2022

Today is the birthday of David Stirling. (15 November 1915 – 4 November 1990.) He was a Scottish officer in the British Army, mountaineer, and the founder of the Special Air Service (SAS). He saw active service during the Second World War.

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We are pleased to welcome our latest banner advertiser, Collider Tactical.  They sell all sorts of gear, including knives, flashlights, weapons lights, scopes, thermal weapons sights, and thermal monoculars from a number of makers.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 103 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 $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 103 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.

Old School Weather Monitoring, by Hollyberry

It is so convenient to be able to turn the television, visit an Internet site, or turn on a weather radio to get the weather forecast for the next seven to ten days. But what happens when all the modern conveniences stop working? Anyone can tell the obvious current weather without much skill but it would be very helpful to predict future weather on the homestead, especially stormy and inclement weather. I am not going to use the scientific name for most of the clouds because as humans, we remember the descriptions of them rather then the scientific name. We all know what big, white fluffy clouds look like but what is the name for them? Wispy clouds usually mean clear weather and flat clouds mean unstable air. Puffy clouds usually mean unstable air and that storms are coming.

A few years ago, on Good Friday, we awoke to 18 inches of heavy, wet snow. This was not forecasted. Surprise! All the birches were touching the ground and many trees weakened by the winter storms gave way. Utility lines were down everywhere. Our generator woke us up in the middle of the night so we knew the grid electricity and Internet were down. We did not expect the cell towers to stop functioning. This had never happened to us before. We have an old Radio Shack weather radio and plugged it in but the local NOAA station was also down. So no weather forecasts were available at all. Long story short, cell coverage came back after a few hours, but grid power and Internet were down for over a week — and in some areas, for more than two weeks.

There are some really nice home weather stations out there on the market but most of them use 120-volt AC and/or batteries. How did our forefathers know when a big storm was coming without turning on the TV or internet and watching the weather channel?Continue reading“Old School Weather Monitoring, by Hollyberry”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we’ll cover some unseasonably early snowfalls.

Region-Wide

This well-written article describes the legislative process required to make this happen:  Two more Oregon counties say ‘yes’ to Greater Idaho, but ballot wins far from moving borders.

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KREM-2: Chief Meteorologist Jeremy LaGoo’s long-range winter forecast. An excerpt:

“NOAA released its 2022-2023 winter forecast, and with cooler than normal equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures, La Nina is present once again. That means a colder and wetter than average winter for the Northwest. The same forecast we saw the past two winters, but this one is different.

The atmospheric pattern that brings more moisture and cooler temperatures to the region is already present. It set up quickly, but the ridge over the Pacific and storm track over the Northwest is exactly the pattern that played into some of our biggest snow seasons ever recorded. Spokane has already recorded more than 7 inches of snow this November, that’s more than we saw through the middle of December last year.”

Idaho

Idaho election results.

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US selects proposed plan for open-pit gold mines in Idaho.

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Careful…that may not be the trophy bull you think it is.

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Four University of Idaho students killed in suspected homicide.

A follow-up article: University of Idaho homicides: What to know about the four victims allegedly killed near campus.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Real estate is an imperishable asset, ever increasing in value. It is the most solid security that human ingenuity has devised. It is the basis of all security and about the only indestructible security.” – Russell Sage (August 4, 1816 – July 22, 1906)

Preparedness Notes for Monday — November 14, 2022

On November 14th, 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano erupted in Colombia, killing over 20,000 as nearby towns are buried in mud, ice, and lava. Scientists studying the volcano believed an eruption was imminent and had recommended an evacuation of the area which was largely ignored, resulting in the high number of casualties.

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To help make up for the loss of so many subscriptions when folks quit PayPal, we have greatly expanded our list of affiliate advertisers. (See the full list of more than 130 links, below the square graphic ads.) Please shop with our paid banner advertisers first.  But if they don’t have what you are looking for, then take a look at the websites of our affiliate advertisers.  Thanks!  – JWR

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Today’s feature article was penned by Field Gear Editor Thomas Christianson.

 

Rothco Genuine G.I. Jeep Cap, by Thomas Christianson

Early in 2022, I acquired a Rothco 100% Wool Jeep Cap. I have worn it while walking the dog, stoking the outside wood boiler, clearing snow, and caring for other outside tasks. I have found it to be both warm and comfortable. The cap keeps my head and ears protected from the cold, while the visor protects my glasses from precipitation. It is made in the U.S.A. It has become my default headgear for winter outdoor work.

At the time of this writing, the cap was available from Rothco’s website for $11.99.

The Backstory

During warm weather, I typically wear a ball cap when I am working outside. The cap protects my bald spot from sunburn, and the visor protects my glasses from precipitation.

When more extensive exposure to sun or rain is expected, I typically wear a broad-brimmed hat. This provides additional protection from the elements for my ears and the back of my neck.

During cold weather, I used to wear a watch cap. It helped to keep my head and ears warm, but it did little to protect my glasses from falling snow or sleet.

A number of years ago, I found a jeep cap knock-off at a local thrift store. I snatched it up. The knit portion of the cap helped to keep my head and ears warm. The visor helped to protect my glasses. That jeep cap received a lot of heavy use over the years.

Because the knock-off cap was acrylic rather than wool, it was not quite as warm as I would have liked. I kept my eye out for a wool jeep cap in the local thrift stores, but I never found one.Continue reading“Rothco Genuine G.I. Jeep Cap, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week: Yogurt from Dry Milk

Mrs. Alaska provided directions for an easy-to-make yogurt with dry (or fresh) milk and a few tablespoons of store-bought yogurt (with live cultures) per quart of milk.

“I have successfully done so with dried, non-fat milk and even from store-bought yogurt that had frozen.

Motivations: I do not raise milk-producing animals.

It is challenging for us to transport dairy products to our home.

With yogurt, I can replace sour cream in any dip, sauce, gravy, baked goods (like pancakes and quick breads) as well as using it for a topping for fruit or granola.

Directions:

Heat 1 quart of milk to 180 degrees F.  (I use 6 cups of water mixed with 2 cups of dry milk.)  Cool to 115 degrees F. (I just put the pan outside in Alaska for 20 minutes).  Add 4 TBS of yogurt (with live cultures, but for me, frozen still works). Stir.

Pour into containers. (I use three pint Mason jars).

Keep warm overnight:  I have put them in the bottom of my gas oven (with pilot light) and also in an insulated cooler.  Both worked.

Check the next day to see if the liquid has congealed.  Since you may experience some hits and misses, try this out before you use up your store-bought yogurt.  I keep one pint indoors for quick use and let the others freeze outside in Alaska, but other readers could refrigerate theirs.

When you get low, just make another batch, using several tablespoons from your existing homemade yogurt to provide a culture.”

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Mrs. Alaska has her own blog: Alaska Bush Life, Off-Road, Off-Grid.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. 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 again look at a potential derivatives crisis. (See the Derivatives section.)

Precious Metals:

Silver price predictions to 2030.

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Gold/Silver: Two charts you must watch.

Economy & Finance:

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Jeffrey Snider had this lengthy but insightful analysis of yield curves and foreign reserve flows, in this video: Storm warning: almost a trillion in global reserves gone, a quarter ‘missing’ from Swiss.

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Moody’s cuts outlook for European banks, including Germany’s, on credit woes.

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Protests and strikes erupt across Europe as soaring inflation, cost of living drives ‘winter of discontent’.   (Thanks to blog reader C.B. for the link.)

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FedEx Parks Planes, Maersk Cancels Sails: World Trade Appears To Be Rapidly Deteriorating. (A hat tip to D.S.V. for the link.)

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A recent JWR  interview: Fed In Panic Mode; Inflation Out Of Control —  James Wesley Rawles.
Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”