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 plunging photovoltaic power prices, even in the midst of inflation.

The Cost Of Solar Power Has Fallen Quickly

First up, at CleanTechica.com: Just The Facts: The Cost Of Solar Has Fallen More Quickly Than Experts Predicted. Here is a quote:

“The price of residential solar, for example, was at $2.65/W in the first quarter of 2021, down from $7.53/W in 2010; utility-scale solar was $0.89/W compared to $5.66/W a decade ago.

Those plunges were driven in large part by higher module efficiency and lower module cost. The price of different module technologies — including crystalline-silicone, cadmium telluride, and copper indium gallium diselenide — are forecast to lessen in the coming years with more efficient manufacturing.”

How Much Do Solar Panels Cost in 2022?

This summary article was recently posted over at MarketWatch: How much do solar panels cost in 2022?

Why the Ozarks is Mecca for Doomsday Preppers

This article that dates back to 2018 is some quite useful reading: Why the Ozarks is Mecca for Doomsday Preppers.

In Remote Alaska, Meal Planning Is Everything

Linked over at the great Notes From The Bunker blog: In Remote Alaska, Meal Planning Is Everything.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“It is almost superfluous to say that there is no such thing as a free and independent press among the mainstream news media today. In fact, the major media more resembles a propaganda machine than it does a free press.” – Pastor Chuck Baldwin

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — July 27, 2022

July 27th is the birthday of Captain Samuel Whittemore (born in 1694, died February 3, 1793). He was an English-born American farmer and soldier. He was eighty years of age when he became the oldest known colonial combatant in the American War of Independence.

Whittemore was in his fields when he spotted an approaching British relief brigade under Earl Percy.

Whittemore loaded his musket and ambushed the British Grenadiers of the 47th Regiment of Foot from behind a nearby stone wall, killing one soldier. He then drew his dueling pistols, killed a second grenadier and mortally wounded a third. By the time Whittemore had fired his third shot, a British detachment had reached his position; Whittemore drew his sword and attacked.

He was subsequently shot in the face, bayoneted numerous times, and left for dead in a pool of blood. He was found by colonial forces, trying to load his musket to resume the fight. He was taken to Dr. Cotton Tufts of Medford, who perceived no hope for his survival. However, Whittemore recovered and lived another 18 years.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 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 low-cost 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 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 LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 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.

Consider Health Sharing Programs, by Harvey Griffin

Regular visitors to SurvivalBlog no doubt share the desire for greater independence and are assisted by the virtues of frugality and common sense. Like many of you, I search for alternative products and services that fit my budget, lifestyle, and values. One line item that proved difficult to match my requirements but was a necessary evil for years was health insurance. I have a family with young children and as much as I admire pioneers and the old ways of doing things, I could not responsibly choose to forgo coverage altogether. Thankfully about six years ago I researched Christian health sharing programs and made the switch from conventional insurance, and I could not be more grateful or happy that we did.

I hope that by sharing my family’s experience we will help others. We would particularly like to help those who are baffled or struggling with conventional insurance and medical costs and are not aware of this option and how it can change your lifestyle.

A health care sharing ministry program has functions and terms that are familiar to anyone with conventional health insurance. Members pay a monthly “sharing amount” that works like a premium, which is used to pay program costs but is also directed to a pool that is used to pay member claims. This monthly share may be variable based on the program sponsor, but each sponsor may have varying tiers of coverage. Like insurance, if you want more coverage, you pay a higher share. My family of five pays $650 per month for our program’s highest level of coverage. There is an annual “unshared” amount of medical expenses that fall on us, like an insurance deductible. Unlike the deductible, there is no additional cost sharing once we hit our unshared amount limit. Insurance will continue to use coinsurance or copays until there is an even higher “max out-of-pocket” limit. My family’s annual unshared limit with our health share is $3,500. Other programs have similar cost tiers but from what I have seen the most expensive option costs far less than any policy and have far more generous coverage terms.Continue reading“Consider Health Sharing Programs, by Harvey Griffin”

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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In a shooting range video, attempting to recreate the 80% hit accuracy at 15 to 20 yards in 15 seconds of the Indiana Impromptu Mall Defender: The Eli Drill. (Elijah Dickens is pictured above.) I’ve read that he was armed with a compact Springfield Hellcat 9mm pistol. He demonstrated commendable speed and accuracy, under pressure. Early reports cited an engagement distance of 40 yards, but that was later corrected to 15 to 20 yards. But regardless, he still did some fine shooting!

o  o  o

Reader Cathy N. suggested this 28-minute Deutsche Welle documentary: Preppers: Sweden bracing for the worst.

o  o  o

H.L. sent this: Poll: Nearly One-Third of Voters Believe They May Have to Take Up Arms Against the United States Government.  JWR’s Comments: I’m one man, with one vote. But inevitably in many nations, elections are blatantly rigged, or they are suspended, or indefinitely postponed. It is then that substitute votes must be cast from the treelines. A phrase such as: “No pasarán” makes for great fodder in reports filed by starry-eyed journalists. “No pasarán” is a slogan of collective resolve. That particular one originated during the Spanish Civil War, spoken in words and sung in songs. Just words. In the end, words of resolve must be backed up by deeds of substance. A “no” vote is always tallied when it arrives at 2,790 feet per second.

o  o  o

The latest from Tamara K.: Don’t Become a Fudd: A How-To Guide

o  o  o

Video from Laura Ingraham: Voting With Their Feet. Cali, NY and Illinois depopulating, moving to Florida, Texas…

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I regard free speech as a prerequisite to a civilized society, because freedom of speech means that you can have combat with words. That’s what it means. It doesn’t mean that people can happily and gently exchange opinions. It means that we can engage in combat with words, in the battleground of ideas. And the reason that that’s acceptable, and why it’s acceptable that people’s feelings get hurt during that combat, is that the combat of ideas is far preferable to actual combat” – Jordan Peterson, Maps of Meaning, 2017

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 26, 2022

On July 26th, 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descended on crops throughout the American heartland, devastating millions of acres. Already in the midst of a bad drought, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota suffered tremendously. The swarms were said to be so thick that they blocked out the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with a scoop. While America has not seen infestations on such a scale since then, North Africa and parts of the Middle East continue to experience them.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 101 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 low-cost 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 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 LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 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.

Lessons Learned: A Burst Pipe, by Kim F.

Thursday afternoon, I realized the full significance of the noise I heard running through my pipes. It wasn’t a dripping faucet somewhere, there was a leak under my slab.

I live in hurricane country. I’ve had an abundance of experience with the aftermath of these storms in my more than half a century of life. You could say I’ve been prepping since I was 8 years old. In all that time, I’ve never lost water. Power, yes. Hot water, yes. I’ve never even experienced a “boil water” alert, except when I was volunteering for disaster relief in other communities. But I have had experiences of living without water over the years.

In the late 1950s our family moved to an area that had horrible-tasting water. Bottled water was unheard of then and 5 gallon jugs that were available were out of our price range. My Grandpa used to bring gallon jugs home from work every day for our drinking water. As luck would have it, we found our own place a couple of months later so I only had the ‘bad tasting’ water problem when I visited my grandparents on vacations.Continue reading“Lessons Learned: A Burst Pipe, by Kim F.”

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 cover a spate of Buffalo gorings, at Yellowstone park. (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

Two pilots die after firefighting helicopter crashes into Salmon River.

and,

Gov. Little orders flags to fly at half-staff for two fallen firefighters.

and,

Moose Fire near Salmon now burning 23,000+ acres.

o  o  o

Reader A.K. sent us the link to this television news segment: Increasing hay prices force Boise rancher to sell cattle.

o  o  o

North Idaho man sentenced for murdering woman with shot to the head while she was driving them 70mph.

o  o  o

Reliving ‘Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey’: Idaho woman raised in FLDS discusses life after the religious cult.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In the American political lexicon, ‘change’ always means more of the same: more government, more looting of Americans, more inflation, more police-state measures, more unnecessary war, and more centralization of power.” – Ron Paul

Preparedness Notes for Monday — July 25, 2022

On this day in 1797 Horatio Nelson lost more than 300 men and his right arm during the failed conquest attempt on Tenerife (Spain).

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An update on the Indiana mall shooting: Police: Armed bystander shot and killed Greenwood Park Mall shooter in just 15 seconds. JWR’s Comment: That young man, under stress, hit the bad guy 8 times out of 10, at a distance of 40 yards. I doubt that most of the “qualified” police officers could do what Elisjsha Dicken did. Great shooting! I predict two things:  1.) Elisjsha Dicken will be the recipient of numerous guns given to him by gun manufacturers. 2.) He will be considered the most eligible bachelor in Indiana.

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Today we are posting a review written by our stalwart Field Gear Editor Emeritus,  Pat Cascio.

Extra Capacity Pistol Magazines, by Pat Cascio

As we all know, not only the FedGov, but many state governments are attempting to limit magazine capacities to no more than 10 rounds. And even my state of Oregon will probably get it done this year, since we have a Democrat-controlled house, senate, and governor’s seat. That has already happened in neighboring Washington. So, I keep telling everyone who will listen, to get more magazines – NOW! Some folks say: “Oh, I have five spare magazines for my gun…” Sorry, that’s not going to be enough!

At the Federal level, H.R. 1808 — which includes a ban on any newly-manufactured magazine holding more than 10 cartridges (or perhaps 15 rounds, if they modify the bill, as they are debating) — is now pending before congress. And that bill has no sunset clause. If it becomes law, then it will be permanent! So stock up, heavily.

The governments – all of them – simply want to control everything we do. Everything! Plus, let’s not forget that, “they” are afraid of gun owners. They know as long as we have unregistered firearms, we will not be ruled! And, they sure hate the nasty “assault weapons” that we own – truth be told, few of us own real $200 Federal tax stamp full-auto assault weapons – at best, we have look-a-like weapons, that are semiautomatic. Still, they are afraid of us. Good!  The government should fear the citizenry, not the other way around.

Not everyone wants, or can even afford an AR-15 or other similar firearms. However, we still want to have the best protection that we can afford. So we should at least consider buying extra capacity magazines for our handguns. With these magazines, it turns them into a force to be reckoned with. Many firefights in the military have taken place at under a hundred yards. Given a little bit of practice, we can hit man-sized targets out to 100 yards with a handgun, and with a bit more practice, out to 150 yards. That’s good enough to make the bad guys wish they were someplace else. And, with an extra capacity magazine, we can really make them wish they were someplace else.Continue reading“Extra Capacity Pistol Magazines, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Rick’s Peanut Brittle

The following Peanut Brittle recipe is from SurvivalBlog reader Rick in Germany. Rick says: “I’ve made this twice and I will never buy this in the store ever again.”

Ingredients
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 1 cup of corn syrup (I use rice syrup to avoid GMOs).
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  • 1 cup of water.
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
  • 1 teaspoon of salt.
  • 1 tablespoon of butter.
  • 2 cups of roasted peanuts.  I use salted roasted peanuts
Required Gear
  • A large sauce pan.
  • Cookie sheet measuring at least 9”x13”, with a lip on all four sides.  You’ll want one that is a little bigger unless you want 3/8” thick peanut brittle.
  • Candy thermometer.
Directions

1) Butter up your cookie sheet, using the butter.

2) In a large sauce pan, put on mid-heat, and mix the sugar and water until the sugar is completely dissolved.

3) Add rice/corn syrup.  Mix until it looks like one kind of liquid. Heat to a boil. Constantly stir the mixture. On a scale of 1 to 9, start with 7. Keep stiring the mixture! Insert the candy thermometer, clipped to the pan. Be sure to lower the heat once it’s boiling, but keep it boiling until you reach the hard crack stage of 300°F.

4) You can go a little beyond hard crack stage, but turn the heat off. You must be quick about the following steps!  Add the vanilla.  Stir the mixture.  Add the salt.  Stir the mixture.  Add the baking soda (this will cause a neat reaction). Stir the mixture. Move fast as the brittle is now starting to harden.

5) Add the peanuts and stir them in well, but fast!

6) Pour the mixture onto the buttered-up cookie sheet.  Spread it evenly.  Let it cool.

SERVING

Once the brittle has cooled and completely hardened, you may break it up into palm-sized chunks, to serve.

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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!

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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 look at rising interest rates.

Precious Metals:

Video interview: The Fed will ‘abandon’ tightening, causing gold to soar higher – Rich Checkan.

o  o  o

Goldcore: When Rock Begins to Beat Paper.

Economy & Finance:

Europe’s central bank backs larger-than-expected rate hike. JWR’s Comments: I can foresee that the European Union nations and the English-speaking nations are likely to get into a cycle of one-upmanship in raising interest rates. The rates that we will experience may be quite similar to those of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Why all the pain?  Because experience has shown that the only way to stop inflation is to make interest rates match the inflation rate. And by that, I mean the real inflation rate — not the lower official statistic. Raising the cost of borrowing money that high will surely trigger a deep recession. So, get ready for stagflation, folks!

o  o  o

America Just Bailed Out A Bunch Of Pensions At The Taxpayers’ Expense.

o  o  o

Federal Reserve may go easy after 75 basis-point rate hike next week.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: “We Decided To Stop Paying”: China’s Mortgage Payment Boycott Spreads As Property Suppliers Refuse To Pay Their Bills.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Democracy can hardly be expected to flourish in societies where political and economic power is being progressively concentrated and centralized. But the progress of technology has led and is still leading to just such a concentration and centralization of power.” – Aldous Huxley