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 baby formula shortage and a practical workaround.

—

Significant Baby Formula Shortage

Over at Vox: Why baby formula is in short supply — and who is most at risk. Here is an excerpt:

“The shortage can be traced back to a contamination problem at an Abbott factory that produces much of the Similac formula, as well as several other brands, for the US market, Abbott voluntarily shut down the factory in February, amid consumer complaints about contaminated formula that was linked to two infant deaths. As of mid-May, it’s still not up and running again.”

And here is some other coverage: Tucker: They are hoarding baby formula.

A Homemade Baby Formula

Avalanche Lily suggested this: A homemade baby formula for those unable to get commercial brands. This is a very important recipe to keep in your files.

Sweden and Finland Joining NATO

Over at Republican American: Growing alliance: Sweden ends neutrality, joins Finland in seeking NATO berth. A pericope:

“Sweden’s prime minister announced Monday that Sweden will join Finland in seeking NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a historic shift that comes after more than 200 years of military nonalignment in the Nordic country.

The move, which is likely to upset the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin, came after neighboring Finland announced Sunday that it too would seek to join the 30-country military alliance.

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson called it “a historic change in our country’s security policy” as she addressed lawmakers in the Swedish capital.”

Utah, Wyoming, and Oregon: Fewer Big Game Tags Due to Drought

Reader H.L. spotted this article: Utah, Wyoming, and Oregon Are Cutting Big Game Tags Due to Drought Conditions. Will Other States Follow?

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“As there is no worse lie than a truth misunderstood by those who hear it, so reasonable arguments, challenges to magnanimity, and appeals to sympathy or justice, are folly when we are dealing with human crocodiles and boa-constrictors.” – William James

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 18, 2022

On May 18th, 1980, Mount St. Helens in Washington erupted, causing a massive avalanche and killing 57 people. Ash from the volcanic eruption fell as far away as Minnesota.

Seismic activity at Mount St. Helens, which is 96 miles south of Seattle, began on March 16. A 4.2-magnitude tremor was recorded four days later and then, on March 23-24, there were 174 different recorded tremors. The first eruption occurred on March 27, when a 250-foot wide vent opened up on top of the mountain. Ash was blasted 10,000 feet in the air, some of which came down nearly 300 miles away in Spokane. The ash caused static electricity and lightning bolts.

Throughout April, scientists watched a bulge on the north side of Mount St. Helens grow larger and larger. Finally, on May 18 at 8:32 a.m., a sudden 5.1-magnitude earthquake and eruption rocked the mountain. The north side of the peak rippled and blasted out ash at 650 miles per hour. A cloud of ash, rocks, gas and glacial ice roared down the side of the mountain at 100 mph. Fourteen miles of the Toutle River were buried up to 150 feet deep in the debris. Magma, at 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, flowed for miles. The 24-megaton blast demolished a 230-square-mile area around the mountain.

—

May 18th, 1825 was the birthday of Daniel Baird Wesson (of Smith and Wesson fame).

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 100 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 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 100 ends on May 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

Beyond Beans Bullets and Band-Aids, Part 1, by Todd Albertson

Supplies like water, food, and medical supplies are essential during a disaster. However, these may not be enough. Research into past tragedies demonstrates that our mental resources may play a significant role in survival in emergency situations.

We have been told that it’s essential to prepare for disasters throughout history. In the Bible, Genesis books 41 and 42, God directed Joseph to stockpile enough food to survive seven years of famine.

During the Middle Ages, people gathered and preserved as much food as possible during the summer months. This helped them get through the cold winters in Europe without starving. It also helped guard against the constant threats of war, drought, and famine that were common during those times.

Throughout both World Wars I and II, the United States and other nations encouraged their citizens to grow “Victory Gardens” to help keep the country fed during a time of food rationing. The idea of self-sufficiency became so popular that by 1944, more than 20 million victory gardens were planted within the United States and produced over eight million tons of fruits and vegetables.

Indeed, it is essential to be prepared during an emergency. Most disasters are unexpected by nature and leave little time to prepare. Also, during disasters, just as we saw with the COVID-19 pandemic, people tend to engage in panic buying and other fear-driven behaviors despite being told not to by authorities. So, yes, preparation well in advance is vital. The problem is that most of us are leaving out a key component of disaster planning.Continue reading“Beyond Beans Bullets and Band-Aids, Part 1, by Todd Albertson”

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. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

—

Dinesh D’Souza’s latest documentary film has been released. This one proves voter fraud in the 2020 election: 2,000 Mules. (Thanks to Brad F. for the link.)

o  o  o

I just heard from our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson, that his three-book Target Terror novel series is about to be released in an omnibus edition.  It is available to pre-order at BooksAMillion.com (BAM). You can find it there, or at many other online booksellers via its ISBN: 9781982191917

o  o  o

Two Researchers Ran an Experiment to Test Hunters’ Beliefs on Deer Movement, Weather, and Moon Phase. Here’s What They Found. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

o  o  o

In The New Yorker: The Turkish Drone That Changed the Nature of Warfare.  Here is a pericope:

“The Bayraktar TB2 is a flat, gray unmanned aerial vehicle (U.A.V.), with angled wings and a rear propeller. It carries laser-guided bombs and is small enough to be carried in a flatbed truck, and costs a fraction of similar American and Israeli drones. Its designer, Selçuk Bayraktar, the son of a Turkish auto-parts entrepreneur, is one of the world’s leading weapons manufacturers. In the defense of Ukraine, Bayraktar has become a legend, the namesake of a baby lemur at the Kyiv zoo, and the subject of a catchy folk song, which claims that his drone “makes ghosts out of Russian bandits.””

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 17, 2022

On this day in 1769, George Washington launched a legislative salvo at Great Britain’s fiscal and judicial attempts to maintain its control over the American colonies. He brought a package of non-importation resolutions, drafted by George Mason, before the Virginia House of Burgesses. This initiated a chain of events that led to Britain’s House of Lords demanding that men involved in the extra-legal Massachusetts convention of towns be tried in England. Britain’s plan backfired and created an American identity where before there had been none.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 100 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 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 100 ends on May 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

Ham Public Service Communications, by Reltney McFee

Amateur Radio Operators (“hams”) have a tradition of public service. Indeed, the FCC rules, section 97.1 (a) states one of the purposes of Amateur Radio is: “Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.”

Commonly, that public service is rather mundane, providing communication support for, by way of examples, the Boston Marathon, Michigan’s Consumer’s Energy AuSable Canoe Marathon, and the annual Marine Corps Marathon which starts and ends in Arlington, Virginia.

Commonly, hams interact with other, non-ham folks, as in the AuSable Canoe Marathon, where race officials receive time reports from several designated timing stations. In rural Michigan, as exemplified by some reaches of the AuSable River valley, cellular phone service is either spotty or absent.Continue reading“Ham Public Service Communications, by Reltney McFee”

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, another look at the Greater Idaho project, which is up for votes today in two Oregon counties. (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

Published in February: Greater Idaho idea gaining traction.

o  o  o

Josephine County will vote in May on question of leaving Oregon to join Idaho. Editor’s Note: That election will be held today: May 17, 2022.

o  o  o

Greater Idaho qualifies for ballot in Klamath County; petition pending in Douglas County.

o  o  o

Warmer weather means more pollen in the Inland Northwest.

o  o  o

COVID case reporting changing in Inland Northwest.

o  o  o

The American Redoubt region now even more solidly conservative: Most Conservative States 2022. The county-level election tally maps prove it, for eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon: An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2020 Election.

Idaho

Recently, a tally of the party registrations of voters in Bonner County (which includes the relatively liberal city of Sandpoint) listed 18,563 registered Republicans; 3,608 registered Democrats; and 8,556 unaffiliated voters. Many of the latter also lean toward conservative voting. It is gratifying to see that we are looking at a conservative “Red State” that is turning crimson red — that is, toward small government.

o  o  o

Idaho angler lands largest catch-and-release smallmouth bass on record.

o  o  o

Nampa School Board OKs removal of 24 ‘challenged books’.

o  o  o

Idaho agrees to $119 million opioid crisis settlement.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — May 16, 2022

On May 16, 1997, Zaire’s president, Mobutu Sese Seko, ended 32 years of dictatorial rule, giving control of the country to rebel forces.

—

Today is the birthday of clarinetist, saxophonist, and bandleader Woody Herman.  (Born 1913, died October 29, 1987

—

Today we present a review written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus,  Pat Cascio.

Rock Island Armory GI Compact, by Pat Cascio

I’ve mentioned this before. However, if you missed that article, there are more 1911-style handguns made in the Philippines, than anyplace else in the world. Yeah, I know, there are a lot of companies in the USA that manufacture 1911s, but nothing compares to the Philippines for the sheer number of handguns produced there. And, there are three manufacturers there, so you know they produce a lot of 1911s – in just about any configuration you might want.

Some time ago, I did a review of the Rock Island Armory Compact 1911. This was one of their tricked-out versions and a very nice gun. I had a nice Cerakote finish on it – it was cream-colored, for lack of a better description. I did have a few very early feeding issues, but after only about 75-rounds through the gun, it then ran 100% with every type of ammo I fed it. If I recall, I paid $420 for it – out the door, brand-new.Continue reading“Rock Island Armory GI Compact, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Rick’s Creamed Chipped Beef

The following traditional recipe for Creamed Chipped Beef is from reader Rick G.. Note that Creamed Chipped Beef is a thick meat gravy that is familiar to folks who have served in the U.S. military. There, it is commonly and lovingly called Same Old Schumer (S.O.S.), or when served over toast, as Schumer On A Shingle (S.O.S.) or Schumer On A Raft.

Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 lb lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 cup cold milk, cream, or substitutes. (See Directions Step #4.)
  • Salt, to taste.
  • Pepper, to taste.
  • Worcestershire sauce, to taste.
Directions
  1. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef on a medium flame, stirring often. Don’t drain off the grease.
  2. Continuing the flame under the pan, sprinkle the flour over the ground beef.
  3. Stir for five+ minutes. This will lightly brown the flour and soak up the grease.
  4. Pour in the cold milk, cream, or substitutes. My special take on this recipe to use 1 cup of cream, 2 cups of milk, and 1 cup of cold water.  Powdered milk can be substituted, but it is a poor substitute.  For anyone who is lactose intolerant, coconut milk can also be substituted, but it too is a poor substitute.
  5. Stir in the milk, cream, or substitutes.
  6. Add salt and/or pepper, to suit your taste.
  7. Optionally, add a bit of Worcestershire sauce, to taste.
  8. Continue cooking the gravy for a few more minutes until it thickens to the desired consistency. If it’s too thick, then add more milk. Or, If it’s too runny, then cook it more thoroughly.
SERVING

Serve it hot.  Traditionally, Creamed Chipped Beef is served over a slice of toast or biscuits cut in half. Can also be served over rice, fries, mashed potatoes, or even bagels or English Muffins. This recipe serves six adults.

—

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 the developing stock market panic. (See the Economy & Finance section.)  But first, a personal note from JWR:

The Paywalling of The News

I must report that I’m finding it increasingly difficult to gather the requisite news links to assemble my regular blog columns. I attribute this to the continuing trend of “Paywalling” of the news. Increasingly, the web sites of newspapers and television news outlets now require paid subscriptions, to read articles or to view news clips. The latest affront is that CNBC has now put a lot of its news pieces behind a paywall, in “CNBC Pro.” I expect this endeavor to be a reincarnation of the short-lived (and laughable) CNN+. Despite all of the big launch hoopla, the international CNN+ service only gathered about 150,000 subscribers.  For comparison, the regional Los Angeles Times has 1.4 million print edition subscribers and 100,000 digital subscribers. Just 30 days into the CNN+ “long term” programming plan, they abruptly announced they were shutting down, and firing 400 staff members.

If the news paywalling situation gets any worse, then I will probably have to scale back or even discontinue several of my regular columns. This column, for example, presently appears on Mondays and Fridays. I might have to dial that back to just once a week. Granted, I can afford to buy a few news site subscriptions. But there is no point in doing so and then posting links to articles that require subscriptions at third-party sites for my readers to read them. That would frustrate nearly everyone.

My commitment to you is that SurvivalBlog will remain free to fully access — both current posts and online archives — for as long as possible, with the blog under my ownership. Some other blogs now offer a paid “premium” service. I have no plans to emulate that. Our subscriptions will remain entirely voluntary. I greatly appreciate the 2% of readers who kindly subscribe, for 10 cents a day. – JWR

—

Precious Metals:

Gold, silver punished by strong USDX that hits 20-year high. Wyckoff notes:

“July silver futures prices closed nearer the session low and hit a 22-month low today.”

JWR’s Comment: Ratio traders should take note that the hard-hit silver market pushed the silver-to-gold ratio Back up to 87.77-to-1. If you have confidence in silver in the long term, and enough vault space, then this is a good juncture to swap,

o  o  o

Gold Forecast: Metals and Miners Could Decline with Broader Markets.

Economy & Finance:

Last week’s stock market selloff was substantial. The editors of the WSJ called it “a brutal trading week.” Despite a 1.47% rebound in Friday’s session, the Dow was down I hope that readers took my advice in the past year to minimize their stock holdings and shift into tangibles. The recent stock market crash has indirectly created drops in cryptos and precious metals. Apparently, some big investors are liquidating their cryptos and metals to generate cash to cover their long option positions. We can expect plenty of turmoil to continue. Buckle up!

In the long term? Plan on further declines in equities, plenty of Dollar inflation, and stronger metals prices, once folks realize that the metals are a safe harbor, in the midst of double-digit inflation. Presently, there is a rush to cash, but that won’t last long.

o  o  o

Explainer: Why the U.S. stock market is tumbling in 2022.

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Signs of a Downshift in the Freight Cycle, Trucking, and Demand.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”