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.

Tonya sent this instructional video link: Building a Smokeless Burn Barrel.

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Mike in Alaska pointed me to this fascinating read: Exclusive Front-Line Report: Modern Trench Warfare in Eastern Ukraine.

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‘Doesn’t happen every day’: Bear climbs tree, bites Wisconsin deer hunter in the back.

Reader Tom R. sent this:

“To your comment about HF signals being hard to find, they can be located almost instantly using TDOA and, if aircraft or satellites are involved, FDOA.  DF is just a bonus when closing on the transmitter.”

JWR Replies: I suspect that to achieve truly precise NVIS HF-DF accuracy, a TDOA HF system must be supplemented with a chirp sounder to gauge which layer of the ionosphere a signal is propagating from. That data wouldn’t be necessary with a long-duration signal intercepted by a space-based FDOA system. However only a few national-level intelligence agencies have access to that equipment, and it must be specifically tasked, based on the priority of the intercept mission. Intercepting some militia in Michigan’s HF comms will probably not make it to the top of the NSA’s tasking list.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — November 2, 2021

On November 2, 1917, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour submitted a declaration of intent to establish a Jewish homeland, known as the Balfour Declaration. While Arab hostilities and the outbreak of World War II delayed the desired outcome, the Nation of Israel was eventually re-established in 1948.

The pen & ink of Jerusalem circa 1839 was drawn by the late Barbara M. Rawles.

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Because I’m back on the road, I didn’t have the time to assemble a News From The American Redoubt column for today. My apologies.

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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!

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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.

Serious Silver Stacking – Part 1, by East Sierra Sage

How I learned to save my money and make it grow without the oversight of a Bank, Credit Union, or other Financial Institutions. And how to insulate yourself from inflation, domestic financial stagnation, and an eventual economic depression or financial and equities collapse!

I never looked at money from a long-term perspective until the end of my military career when I realized that I should have done better with saving my money for when I was older. I can say that I put three kids through college and helped them out whenever they needed it, but as for my wife and I, we didn’t “pay ourselves first”!

After I retired from the Marine Corps, I started a career where I made a handsome six-figure salary. That career choice lasted seven years and the only real thing I have to show for it is a “showpiece” home. My home is modest on the outside, but well-furnished and tastefully decorated inside. Fortunately, I have a “grey man” home from the outside.

I caught the fever for Silver at a good time, after the last economic downturn in 2008. Things did go very bad for a lot of Americans who were living paycheck to paycheck AND who were living beyond their means, I have rarely lived paycheck to paycheck and have always lived within my means, HOWEVER, I have felt the sting of inflation, especially in the year of 2021! I cannot go into the many reasons for America’s current inflationary surge, but I can illuminate for you, the reader, how I am affected and how I am insulated.

I have been buying Silver since 2008. I got a tipoff from a fellow Devil Dog when we were in Albany, New York on an assignment training Reserve Marines. We traveled on a Friday so that we could get to our destination early for our Monday morning meet-up with the Leadership of that unit we were training.Continue reading“Serious Silver Stacking – Part 1, by East Sierra Sage”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — November 1, 2021

November 1st, 1923, is the birthday of science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson (pictured at a sci-fi convention.)  He was born in 1923, died January 31, 2001.) Many of his novels and short stories, such as Wolf and Iron, have survivalist themes.

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November 1st is also the birthday of economist Martin A. Armstrong. For many years he was a prisoner of conscience, in part because he refused to turn over his proprietary trading algorithms to Federal prosecutors. After seven years in prison without a trial, the longest Federal incarceration for contempt in American history, Armstrong was finally put on trial in a proceeding that was branded as a sham. He was convicted on securities fraud charges based upon some marginal testimony and given a five-year sentence. He was released from prison in September of 2011. Notably, Armstrong continued to write his economics newsletter while in prison, producing most of the issues on a prison library typewriter.

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Today we present another review written by our Field Gear Editor, the Redoubtable Pat Cascio.

CRKT Shenanigan & Stylus, by Pat Cascio

Today, I have a couple knife reviews. Both knives are made by the same company, both from the same designer, and both manufactured in Taiwan — Free China.

It’s a pretty rare thing for a knife company to re-introduce a knife design, but that’s exactly what CRKT did with the improved Shenanigan folder. Some years back, I reviewed this folder for our readers, and didn’t find anything “wrong” with it – so I was a little disappointed when it was retired. A really good knife design, is good for about two-to-three years on the market, before people tire of it. More often than not, three years is the maximum on the life of a knife design. Of course, there are a few exceptions, and some knife designs have been on the market for 50-years or longer. Still, I hated to see production of the original Shenanigan come to an end.

The Shenanigan is a Ken Onion design, and he is one of the world’s more famous knife designers. Ken lives in Kaneohe, Hawaii however his work is known all over the world. Some years back, I did an article on some of Ken’s factory-made knives, and I interviewed him on the phone – it was an interesting conversation we had. Without a doubt, he is a wildman – much like I used to be…I’m mellowed in my old age. Still, I gleaned a lot from our talk, which lasted several hours on the phone. I’m glad that Onion is doing several collaborations with CRKT, because they are bringing a number of his custom designs to buyers that couldn’t otherwise afford them.

CRKT didn’t just bring the old Shenanigan back to life. Nope, they added a few new features. One is, the added Veff serrations to the blade, and you have to try them to know how superior they are to the old-fashioned serrations. These are more aggressive in a number of ways – they aren’t just for looks. They will easily tear through rope and cardboard boxes with ease – especially wet and thick rope. Read up on the Veff serrations – they were designed by a custom knifemaker, right here in my home state of Oregon, and CRKT has added them to many of their knives.

Secondly, CRKT added the award-winning Assisted Opening innovation, and IKBS ball bearing pivot system to a super-smooth and fast opening of the blade. Onion designed this assisted-opening system. The Shenanigan easily opens when you deploy the flipper on the blade – and I mean it is F-A-S-T and smooth. The IKBS ball bearings are the smoothest opening out of any folder – bar none – in my humble opinion. The blade locks up with the liner lock and it is even easy for closing the blade as well as locking it open.Continue reading“CRKT Shenanigan & Stylus, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Red Wine Venison Stew

The following recipe for Red Wine Venison Stew is from reader Kelly in Montana. Kelly says: “This is an old French recipe that requires 8+ hours to marinate the meat, but it is worth the wait.”

Ingredients
  • 2 to 3 pounds of venison, cubed
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped white or yellow onions
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced to 1/4-inch thickness
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
  • Up to 3/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)
  • Up to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 3/4 cups beef stock (Preferably fresh rather than from b-cubes.)
  • 5 slices bacon, chopped up into chunks just under bite-size
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
  • 1 to 1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
Directions
  1. Place the venison, onions, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and the herbs in a large casserole dish or glass mixing bowl.
  2. Pour the red wine and beef stock over the venison, and cover it. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. I do mine for 12+ hours, overnight.
  3. Drain the liquid marinade and set it aside for use as described later.
  4. In a large saucepan over high heat, cook the bacon until it turns crisp.
  5. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
  6. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan. Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in the bacon grease for 5 minutes, until the vegetables turn soft. Transfer them to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set it aside for a moment.
  7. Toss the venison with the flour and brown it in the remaining bacon grease.
  8. Once all sides of the meat are browned, stir in the tomato paste and cook the mixture for 1 minute.
  9. Add the mushrooms, cooked vegetables, crisped bacon, and the marinade liquid that you set aside into the pan with the browned venison.
  10. Cook the mixture over low heat, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The venison stew is done when the meat and vegetables are tender and the sauce is thickened.  If covered, it can be simmered at very low heat for up to two hours, depending on the timing of your dinner serving.
SERVING

Serve the stew with green vegetables and mashed potatoes or perhaps rice, to soak up the juices.

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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 fertilizer prices. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

Why Isn’t Gold Going Up With Inflation?

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“$3000 In Months, Not Years” – Gold’s Inflation-Protection Means “Violent” Run-Up Imminent

Economy & Finance:

Missed Interest Payment Upped, Evergrande Bankrupt, Western Media Corrupt, Financial Disrupt, China Hiccuped, HSBC Next Up And If The Poop Hits The Fan The Public Might Just Erupt.

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Pelosi upbeat on Biden deal but Manchin pans billionaire tax.

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At Zero Hedge: How Long Until Supply Chains Finally Normalize: Three Things To Watch.

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Another Massive Short Squeeze Leads To Spectacular 5Y Auction.

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At Wolf Street: Rents Spiked 10% to 25% in Half the Cities in October: How it’ll Push Up CPI Next Year, Ridiculing Fed’s “Transitory” Inflation.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — October 31, 2021

As Christians, our family does not celebrate the pagan Halloween. Since October 31st is also Reformation Day, that is what we celebrate.

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Sorry, but I didn’t have time to prepare a feature article for today, as I’m out of state to attend a memorial service for my late mother, Barbara Marie Rawles. I’m also assisting my siblings in clearing out her house, to prepare it for sale. Our regular posting schedule should resume by Wednesday.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The system that best ensures that resources are used as efficiently as possible is free-market capitalism—an economic system based on transferrable private property rights, freedom of contract, the rule of law, and consumer sovereignty.” – Donald J. Boudreaux, in The Essential Hayek

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 30, 2021

October 30th, 1735 was the birthday of President John Adams. (Other sources cite his birthdate as October 19, 1735.) He died on July 4, 1826–just a few hours after the death of Thomas Jefferson.

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First up is the monthly precious metals column by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins. Sorry, but I didn’t have time to prepare a feature article for today, as I’m out of state to attend a memorial service for my late mother, Barbara Marie Rawles. I’m also assisting my siblings in clearing out her home, to prepare it for sale. Our regular posting schedule should resume by Wednesday.

October 2021 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and the factors that affected gold prices.

What Did Gold Do in October?

All the headlines that moved gold prices in October boiled down to two things: inflation, and how the Fed planned to deal with it.

Gold spent the first week of October treading water around the $1,750 mark. This ended on the 13th, when gold saw big losses, then big gains, all in one day.  Inflation fears rocked the markets that morning when CPI came in much hotter than expected. This sent gold down sharply as bond yields and the dollar advanced.

Later in the day, the release of the September FOMC minutes revealed that most Fed officials are ready to start tapering of QE in November. This sent bond yields higher and the dollar lower. Gold took advantage of this to erase those early losses and jump $26 higher. This triggered stop losses that saw gold end the day up by $36 to $1,795.

Gold gave up most of those gains two days later, when retail sales came in far higher than expected. Combined with strong earnings reports from major companies, the week ended solidly in risk-on mode.

Gold got another chance at greatness on October 20th. The release of the Fed’s “Beige Book” report showed most of the nation reported “significantly higher prices”. The Markit flash manufacturing PMI came in 8 points lower that morning, to a 7-month low of 52.9.

These two reports together painted a picture of high inflation and shrinking economic activity – the very definition of stagflation. This sent gold $30 higher before noon.

This must not have been part of the script on Wall St., as Fed Chairman Jerome Powell was trotted out to say the Fed will for sure begin tapering next month. This sent gold down vertically by $60 to $30 in the red. By the end of the day, prices had pushed up $44 to finish the day with a $14 gain.

The end of the month saw PCE come in at the second record high in a row, giving a big boost to the dollar and pushing bond yields lower. This sent the dollar down $28 early in the session, but the yellow metal managed to erase half those losses by the end of the day.Continue reading“October 2021 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”